I initially wrote this to help a dude out, but maybe the world should see it? =0
cOpY Pazte Tyme
-- Teh Baysix --
Handling •
By default you will notice that you have several devices to watch in your helicopter. Acceleration, balance, altitude and most importantly, torque.
The former two are all proportional to other things in the game and not only relevant but should be used to judge increases and decreases based on change over time. The latter two are the most important, in my opinion to master the "Baysix" of handling a helicopter you must first master torque and balance.
Balance is a given and will come with time, stabilizing with your A and D key so I can't say much to that except that you should watch it when trying to even your helicopter, land or take off. Balance can be found in the middle and top of your screen.
Torque is what separates choppers from jets, it is the core of controlling any alteration in movement. The way it works is you tilt the helicopter in a direction allowing gravity to slightly move your, hit ascend (the W key by default) and use the force of both gravity and your blades to fly as fast as possible. Newer pilots tend to simply hold the W key the entire time without a thought to this function but that will hinder you greatly.
Example: Let's say you are rushing forward as fast as possible and you want to completely switch directions and go backward while keeping your gunner lined up for anything in front of you - As soon as you want to stop tilt your nose in an upward motion and let off of your acceleration (the W key) until your torque bar falls to around 50%, at that time hit it again and instead of flying forward holding W your are flying backward at the same speed.
Note: this applies to any direction you wish to go in except up. If your doing it properly your movements should feel like the swing of a pendulum.
Also Note: gravity is a factor, if you are going down your speed will increase and if you are going up your speed will decrease. The higher you are in the sky the more sluggish any maneuver your preform will be, the lower the easier it is but that comes with the price of obstacles.
Surface to Air Defense •
There are several types of ground units that can pose a threat to you and usually the best way to avoid them is to stay as far from the ground as possible, or when that is not an option stay behind the cover of buildings.
Machine Guns - If left alone any sort of machine gun will eat you away. Fixed machine gun placements are easily dealt with as they can not turn in a 360 degree fashion, this is also true for the USMC jeep. However Mec/China jeeps can turn 360 degrees so getting behind them won't help you much, your best bet is to just kill them. Tanks and larger cars also have 360 degree turrets so try to stay at a great distance or behind cover until ready to kill.
Tanks - while the tank commander can be dealt as stated in the above Machine Guns section, the driver is a whole different story. The key to tanks is to understand that good range and good altitude will almost always save you. When that's not possible maximum speed and strafing (swinging right and left while focusing and or circling a target by using the Torque gauge) should do the trick. One thing to note is that the M1A2 (usmc) can raise its turret higher than the Chinese tank so compensate by gaining more altitude. Get to low or too close and all it takes is 1 shell to ice you. Should you be so luckily as to be near a helicopter pad and take the kinetic blast with a full HP bar then get a pad and you may live, at the most you will have 3 HPs left.
APCs - these bad boys have shells that hit much harder (per shell) than their lighter mobile unit counterparts but in turn they have a much lower rate of fire. They also have TOW missiles which can rarely hit you due to speed differences but can still be a threat as they generally take off 30-50% of your HP. Circle/strafe them just as you would a tank but no need to fear getting close for a few seconds.
TOW - these stationary anti-armor intended weapon systems can get you if you are low to the ground or far away giving their operator time to curve it up to you. Avoid when possible by gaining altitude and staying close circling for your gunner (or you) to machine gun them.
AA - anytime an AA system is active killing it should be your first priority. If you can't kill it move out of it's range. The reason for this is because unlike everything else in the game which has to be manually controlled, surface to air missiles work on a heat system meaning that game mechanics and not skill are all that can save you. Should you find yourself targeted use your flares as soon as you hear the deep thump of a fire and either kill the emplacement or move out of range. Alternatively you may seek low ground or line of sight via buildings to shield yourself from the AA gun as you move toward it however this option is much more risky and harder to preform than the former options, but in turn it pays off by buying you enough time for flares to reload.
Snipers - occasionally you will find yourself up against a squad of snipers focus firing you, do not take them lightly. The high caliber of their bullets ensures that 20-21 (someone check that) is all they need to kill you. Also watch out for the M95 which uses an armor piercing round that can shoot you while inside of the cockpit of the helicopter killing you and barely harming the chopper.
Hydras •
Your only weapon (aside from running people over) is your set of hydra rockets. You have 8 of these per reload with 4 on each side. Your first rocket will fire from your right side, your second from your left, third from right etc.
You will want to constantly turn your nose to aim as these rockets fire from each side, or alternatively you can simply spam your rockets and aim with one side, though this wastes 4 misses per round of 8, it is often necessary when simultaneously trying to give your gunner a shot.
When dog fighting pilot to pilot don't try to aim your hydra's at the opposing chopper's current position, but rather watch his tail, take into account the distance and flight time of your rocket and then shoot where he will be instead of where he is. That goes for face to face fighting but preferably you will want a cheap shot from the broad side of his craft, a much larger target. When going for a side shot always aim for the center but take into account his altitude, do this by watching his tail go up or down.
When fighting any enemy unit you must keep in mind exactly how many shots it will take to kill him. Almost like reading notes in music, you don't just stop you're constantly reading ahead to know what to play. So to save you the time, here's my list -
Infantry: 1 (this includes AA and TOWs)
Light Cars: 1-2
Heavy Cars: 2-3
Armored Personnel Carriers: 2-3
Tanks: 4-5
Attack Helicopters: 3-4 landed, up to 6 if moving. Though if positioned correctly under the missile pods they will ricochet doubling the damage per rocket and be killed with only 2.
Jets: 2 if landed, 4 if flying
Transport Helicopters: 6-8
Seasparrow & Seawiz (aka Essex even tho that's the boats name): 3 shots on either
Your Gunner •
While hydras are great, the majority of your kills will be scored by your gunner's machine gun and/or Hellfire "TV" Missiles, so be courteous.
When fighting any ground unit you must be aware all of the survivability issues above while simultaneously giving your co-pilot the opportunity to kill your targets. Keep in mind that you are in control of what he kills, but he still holds the power of targeting priority and kill order.
When going against infantry try to circle their spawn points if it is an open area. If there are enterable buildings then hang back and let your gunner shoot the insides as even if they are hiding the explosive shells of your gunner's machine gun will clear them out with ricocheting shrapnel. The purpose of circling is to make yourself a hard target for curving Anti-Tank missiles and for snipers to slowly eat away at you, at the same time you are giving your gunner full access and a level platform from which to pick off scores of infantry.
Cars heavy or light can be dealt with at long range (though they are smaller targets) with the Hellfire or at closer range with the combination of your hydras and your gunner's machine gun. Should you choose to set up for a range shot try to line up along a road and behind the moving car to give your gunner the best possible shot while approaching yourself to clean up should any bail or your gunner miss.
Heavy armor (tanks and APCs) should be handled at maximum range and at a high altitude. though you can eat them with your hydras it is usually better/safer to allow your gunner to pick them off at a distance where the armor has little defense against you. Still try to give your gunner either a clear side shot or enough altitude for him to curve his missile downward on to the top of the vehicle.
Surface to Air emplacements should always be handled with TVs at maximum possible range, however should you find yourself close simply circle and flare allowing your gunner to chain-gun the target while you bombard it with hydras. If possible seek cover behind a small structure to await flare reloads as SAM emplacements will reload faster than your flares.
Jets will be a huge pain, especially J10s. Your flares will normally keep you alive through one pass of missiles but the guns can shread you if you are not alert. Make use of your C key to constantly switch views and hold down your controle key while moving your mouse to look right and left. Keeping an eye on jets as they make several passes at you is the only way to avoid death. Note that several of the more seasoned jets will switch to bombadeer HUD and gun you completely with no warning as they aren't locking on to you. Always be mindful of your HP bar.
There are two options for dealing with jets.
A) face oncoming jets with your cockpit giving them a smaller (thus harder) target to hit which lines your gunner up for a shot and you up for a hydra spam. This is the game of chicken, most of the time he will turn away because he won't want to ram you or risk the shame of dieing to the onslaught of rockets and missiles (choppers killing jets is usually a mark of honor).
B) the other option is to completely avoid lining your gunner up and do everything in your power to constantly switch positions avoiding gunfire. After the jet passes by you set your gunner up for a tailshot. This tactic is effective because the engines of jets have the largest hit boxes compared to the mobile frontal portions.
Enemy choppers are usually the pride and glory about flying. It's pure skill of 1 or 2 people vs the pure skill of equal opposition.
At range you will first need to get a feel for what the range is that your gunners missile will run out of fuel, and this will come with time and map experience. When you do you will need to learn to watch the opposing chopper's movements in and out of range. The range game can only be won by the gunner who shoots the straightest missile. "The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line." Your job as a pilot is to determine this range, then aim your gunner not for the helicopter but for where the helicopter will be should he shoot a relatively straight shot based on the chopper's current movement (watch his tail).
In close quarters chopper battles it is important to understand that your gunner's hellfires come from the bottom right of your screen, slightly off from your own view so you must set up accordingly. At range he has time to correct this but up close if you aim with the center of your screen instead of slightly to the bottom right then your gunner will often miss or have to over correct a lot, which is very difficult to do at close range. When possible avoid tail and glass shots, give your gunner a shot at the side or belly of the opposing chopper but at the same time spin yourself so the opposing gunner never has a shot on you. Keep in mind that his missiles are on an 8 second reload timer, so you must not only count your own gunners missile cooldowns, but your opponent's as well because during those 8 seconds you are free to move. On your end try to eat away at the enemy chopper with hydras and chain-guns as yes, he will miss.
Spotting and Camera •
One of the most helpful things you can do for your gunner, yourself and your team is to spot everything you can when you are not shooting. Especially jets and helicopters. The reason for this is that they are both fast moving vehicles which will quickly Line of Sight or out-range you. Keep in mind that as I mentioned before, holding control allows you to face your gunner forward while looking right and left (you can spot while doing this). Keeping an eye on your enemy is a must if your gunner is to preemptively shoot as your targets are moving back into line of sight.
At least 60% of my flight time is dedicated to looking right and left or behind me. This comes with time and playstyle. Eventually you won't need to look at your chopper to know where you are or how to properly use it, just like typing or playing any instrument.
Settings •
For maximum effectiveness you need a minimum of these video settings.
Geometry - High, lets you see max sky range
Effects - medium, lets you see incoming missile streams
View Distance - 100% lets you see as far as possible
For Chopper settings you need sensitivity, yaw and pitch all at 10 for max turning speed. Increased mouse DPI helps if you have that option as well.
Lastly having at least a partially transparent map allows you to use your fullscreen map while flying to keep track of spots. Keep in mind that you will only see spotted units if they are within 500 yards of you so listen closely. It's good to have your full map bound to a key other than M, such as on your mouse.
I hope something in that helped at least in terms of piloting. GL!
cOpY Pazte Tyme
-- Teh Baysix --
Handling •
By default you will notice that you have several devices to watch in your helicopter. Acceleration, balance, altitude and most importantly, torque.
The former two are all proportional to other things in the game and not only relevant but should be used to judge increases and decreases based on change over time. The latter two are the most important, in my opinion to master the "Baysix" of handling a helicopter you must first master torque and balance.
Balance is a given and will come with time, stabilizing with your A and D key so I can't say much to that except that you should watch it when trying to even your helicopter, land or take off. Balance can be found in the middle and top of your screen.
Torque is what separates choppers from jets, it is the core of controlling any alteration in movement. The way it works is you tilt the helicopter in a direction allowing gravity to slightly move your, hit ascend (the W key by default) and use the force of both gravity and your blades to fly as fast as possible. Newer pilots tend to simply hold the W key the entire time without a thought to this function but that will hinder you greatly.
Example: Let's say you are rushing forward as fast as possible and you want to completely switch directions and go backward while keeping your gunner lined up for anything in front of you - As soon as you want to stop tilt your nose in an upward motion and let off of your acceleration (the W key) until your torque bar falls to around 50%, at that time hit it again and instead of flying forward holding W your are flying backward at the same speed.
Note: this applies to any direction you wish to go in except up. If your doing it properly your movements should feel like the swing of a pendulum.
Also Note: gravity is a factor, if you are going down your speed will increase and if you are going up your speed will decrease. The higher you are in the sky the more sluggish any maneuver your preform will be, the lower the easier it is but that comes with the price of obstacles.
Surface to Air Defense •
There are several types of ground units that can pose a threat to you and usually the best way to avoid them is to stay as far from the ground as possible, or when that is not an option stay behind the cover of buildings.
Machine Guns - If left alone any sort of machine gun will eat you away. Fixed machine gun placements are easily dealt with as they can not turn in a 360 degree fashion, this is also true for the USMC jeep. However Mec/China jeeps can turn 360 degrees so getting behind them won't help you much, your best bet is to just kill them. Tanks and larger cars also have 360 degree turrets so try to stay at a great distance or behind cover until ready to kill.
Tanks - while the tank commander can be dealt as stated in the above Machine Guns section, the driver is a whole different story. The key to tanks is to understand that good range and good altitude will almost always save you. When that's not possible maximum speed and strafing (swinging right and left while focusing and or circling a target by using the Torque gauge) should do the trick. One thing to note is that the M1A2 (usmc) can raise its turret higher than the Chinese tank so compensate by gaining more altitude. Get to low or too close and all it takes is 1 shell to ice you. Should you be so luckily as to be near a helicopter pad and take the kinetic blast with a full HP bar then get a pad and you may live, at the most you will have 3 HPs left.
APCs - these bad boys have shells that hit much harder (per shell) than their lighter mobile unit counterparts but in turn they have a much lower rate of fire. They also have TOW missiles which can rarely hit you due to speed differences but can still be a threat as they generally take off 30-50% of your HP. Circle/strafe them just as you would a tank but no need to fear getting close for a few seconds.
TOW - these stationary anti-armor intended weapon systems can get you if you are low to the ground or far away giving their operator time to curve it up to you. Avoid when possible by gaining altitude and staying close circling for your gunner (or you) to machine gun them.
AA - anytime an AA system is active killing it should be your first priority. If you can't kill it move out of it's range. The reason for this is because unlike everything else in the game which has to be manually controlled, surface to air missiles work on a heat system meaning that game mechanics and not skill are all that can save you. Should you find yourself targeted use your flares as soon as you hear the deep thump of a fire and either kill the emplacement or move out of range. Alternatively you may seek low ground or line of sight via buildings to shield yourself from the AA gun as you move toward it however this option is much more risky and harder to preform than the former options, but in turn it pays off by buying you enough time for flares to reload.
Snipers - occasionally you will find yourself up against a squad of snipers focus firing you, do not take them lightly. The high caliber of their bullets ensures that 20-21 (someone check that) is all they need to kill you. Also watch out for the M95 which uses an armor piercing round that can shoot you while inside of the cockpit of the helicopter killing you and barely harming the chopper.
Hydras •
Your only weapon (aside from running people over) is your set of hydra rockets. You have 8 of these per reload with 4 on each side. Your first rocket will fire from your right side, your second from your left, third from right etc.
You will want to constantly turn your nose to aim as these rockets fire from each side, or alternatively you can simply spam your rockets and aim with one side, though this wastes 4 misses per round of 8, it is often necessary when simultaneously trying to give your gunner a shot.
When dog fighting pilot to pilot don't try to aim your hydra's at the opposing chopper's current position, but rather watch his tail, take into account the distance and flight time of your rocket and then shoot where he will be instead of where he is. That goes for face to face fighting but preferably you will want a cheap shot from the broad side of his craft, a much larger target. When going for a side shot always aim for the center but take into account his altitude, do this by watching his tail go up or down.
When fighting any enemy unit you must keep in mind exactly how many shots it will take to kill him. Almost like reading notes in music, you don't just stop you're constantly reading ahead to know what to play. So to save you the time, here's my list -
Infantry: 1 (this includes AA and TOWs)
Light Cars: 1-2
Heavy Cars: 2-3
Armored Personnel Carriers: 2-3
Tanks: 4-5
Attack Helicopters: 3-4 landed, up to 6 if moving. Though if positioned correctly under the missile pods they will ricochet doubling the damage per rocket and be killed with only 2.
Jets: 2 if landed, 4 if flying
Transport Helicopters: 6-8
Seasparrow & Seawiz (aka Essex even tho that's the boats name): 3 shots on either
Your Gunner •
While hydras are great, the majority of your kills will be scored by your gunner's machine gun and/or Hellfire "TV" Missiles, so be courteous.
When fighting any ground unit you must be aware all of the survivability issues above while simultaneously giving your co-pilot the opportunity to kill your targets. Keep in mind that you are in control of what he kills, but he still holds the power of targeting priority and kill order.
When going against infantry try to circle their spawn points if it is an open area. If there are enterable buildings then hang back and let your gunner shoot the insides as even if they are hiding the explosive shells of your gunner's machine gun will clear them out with ricocheting shrapnel. The purpose of circling is to make yourself a hard target for curving Anti-Tank missiles and for snipers to slowly eat away at you, at the same time you are giving your gunner full access and a level platform from which to pick off scores of infantry.
Cars heavy or light can be dealt with at long range (though they are smaller targets) with the Hellfire or at closer range with the combination of your hydras and your gunner's machine gun. Should you choose to set up for a range shot try to line up along a road and behind the moving car to give your gunner the best possible shot while approaching yourself to clean up should any bail or your gunner miss.
Heavy armor (tanks and APCs) should be handled at maximum range and at a high altitude. though you can eat them with your hydras it is usually better/safer to allow your gunner to pick them off at a distance where the armor has little defense against you. Still try to give your gunner either a clear side shot or enough altitude for him to curve his missile downward on to the top of the vehicle.
Surface to Air emplacements should always be handled with TVs at maximum possible range, however should you find yourself close simply circle and flare allowing your gunner to chain-gun the target while you bombard it with hydras. If possible seek cover behind a small structure to await flare reloads as SAM emplacements will reload faster than your flares.
Jets will be a huge pain, especially J10s. Your flares will normally keep you alive through one pass of missiles but the guns can shread you if you are not alert. Make use of your C key to constantly switch views and hold down your controle key while moving your mouse to look right and left. Keeping an eye on jets as they make several passes at you is the only way to avoid death. Note that several of the more seasoned jets will switch to bombadeer HUD and gun you completely with no warning as they aren't locking on to you. Always be mindful of your HP bar.
There are two options for dealing with jets.
A) face oncoming jets with your cockpit giving them a smaller (thus harder) target to hit which lines your gunner up for a shot and you up for a hydra spam. This is the game of chicken, most of the time he will turn away because he won't want to ram you or risk the shame of dieing to the onslaught of rockets and missiles (choppers killing jets is usually a mark of honor).
B) the other option is to completely avoid lining your gunner up and do everything in your power to constantly switch positions avoiding gunfire. After the jet passes by you set your gunner up for a tailshot. This tactic is effective because the engines of jets have the largest hit boxes compared to the mobile frontal portions.
Enemy choppers are usually the pride and glory about flying. It's pure skill of 1 or 2 people vs the pure skill of equal opposition.
At range you will first need to get a feel for what the range is that your gunners missile will run out of fuel, and this will come with time and map experience. When you do you will need to learn to watch the opposing chopper's movements in and out of range. The range game can only be won by the gunner who shoots the straightest missile. "The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line." Your job as a pilot is to determine this range, then aim your gunner not for the helicopter but for where the helicopter will be should he shoot a relatively straight shot based on the chopper's current movement (watch his tail).
In close quarters chopper battles it is important to understand that your gunner's hellfires come from the bottom right of your screen, slightly off from your own view so you must set up accordingly. At range he has time to correct this but up close if you aim with the center of your screen instead of slightly to the bottom right then your gunner will often miss or have to over correct a lot, which is very difficult to do at close range. When possible avoid tail and glass shots, give your gunner a shot at the side or belly of the opposing chopper but at the same time spin yourself so the opposing gunner never has a shot on you. Keep in mind that his missiles are on an 8 second reload timer, so you must not only count your own gunners missile cooldowns, but your opponent's as well because during those 8 seconds you are free to move. On your end try to eat away at the enemy chopper with hydras and chain-guns as yes, he will miss.
Spotting and Camera •
One of the most helpful things you can do for your gunner, yourself and your team is to spot everything you can when you are not shooting. Especially jets and helicopters. The reason for this is that they are both fast moving vehicles which will quickly Line of Sight or out-range you. Keep in mind that as I mentioned before, holding control allows you to face your gunner forward while looking right and left (you can spot while doing this). Keeping an eye on your enemy is a must if your gunner is to preemptively shoot as your targets are moving back into line of sight.
At least 60% of my flight time is dedicated to looking right and left or behind me. This comes with time and playstyle. Eventually you won't need to look at your chopper to know where you are or how to properly use it, just like typing or playing any instrument.
Settings •
For maximum effectiveness you need a minimum of these video settings.
Geometry - High, lets you see max sky range
Effects - medium, lets you see incoming missile streams
View Distance - 100% lets you see as far as possible
For Chopper settings you need sensitivity, yaw and pitch all at 10 for max turning speed. Increased mouse DPI helps if you have that option as well.
Lastly having at least a partially transparent map allows you to use your fullscreen map while flying to keep track of spots. Keep in mind that you will only see spotted units if they are within 500 yards of you so listen closely. It's good to have your full map bound to a key other than M, such as on your mouse.
I hope something in that helped at least in terms of piloting. GL!
Last edited by Mr. Saggins (2009-06-24 14:01:52)