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// Intro to Advanced Chopper Tactics
I decided to test the limits of these choppers in game and made a little experiment. I'm pretty happy with the results so here's what I found. Videos are included. Oh yea, and try at your own risk, I am not responsible for accidental deaths, tks, or bouts of nausea caused by these moves.
I tried all of these on the Cobra. The PLA chopper also worked well for the maneuvers, The MEC one is a little sluggish but you should be able to pull them off.
Btw, spinning is what I do by pressing the "A" and "D" keys. Rolling is what I do when i move mouse left and right. Transpose to your settings. I know there's correct terms so as soon as someone flames me for that I'll update the info.
I'm hosting the videos on my server, so please be nice, I don't have tons of bandwidth, but since I have like no visitors I figured I might as well use it for something. Plus, I hate those free video things, having to wait and clicking on stupid links.
IMPORTANT - I just got a new site stats package and in order to implement it I have to make some changes to my site. In the meanwhile, to download the videos, just go to http://www.gotmex.net/bf2/ page and work your way around that page to download whichever video your heart desires. Hopefully I'll have more direct linking within the next couple of days.
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// Attack Chopper Tactics - Barrel Roll
Ok this is the simplest of the moves I tried. The setup is quite simple: Get some height; move mouse/joystick in the direction of barrel roll. If you have enough height, the roll will go as planned but you will definatelly lose some height. Start off trying just this to see what's in store for you.
In order to make it practical and useful, here's some tips.
- First off, keep the throttle up on high throught the turn, this ensures you gain some much needed speed.
- Second, aim a little up right before you start the roll, this is because for some reason, I would always point the nose down and lose more height than needed.
- Last, start off the roll by spinning and rolling in the OPPOSITE direction that you want at first, then swing hard to the other side and keep spinning in the original direction This initial move throws the center of gravity off so that when you swing back you get more momentum to complete the roll.
- Note: The use of the spin buttons is mainly to fine tune the maneuvers mid air. It's kinda hard to explain what to do exactly, but you'll get the hang of it. If you see the chopper drifting off center, just compensate by spinning, all during the barrel roll.
Ok so here's a run down of what you will see in the video. Start off a little high, throttle up, and moving slightly foward. Begin the roll by rolling and spinning in the opposite direction you intend to barrel roll. When you are ready, tilt the nose up just a little and roll hard to the opposite side. Follow through until you are level again and proceed to stabilize your chopper. After you get the hang of it, stabilization won't really be needed, it'll just happen.
A barrel roll in the chopper is not like a plan where you roll along it's axis. It looks more like a corkscrew roll because the chopper can't really roll on it's own axis. I'm not really sure what you can use it for, but hey it looks cool, and after you get the hang of it you can use it at a decent altitude to be able to pull it off while running away from crappy AA.
Video 1 - Barrel Roll (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Barrel Roll (Outside view)
Video 3 - Double Barrel Roll
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Loop de loop
A bit harder to pull off than the barrel roll. You definatelly need some good height for this one, because a decent amount of speed is needed. Basic setup goes as follows: Get some good height; tilt nose foward to gain speed and momentum; tilt back hard and fast and hold it (or keep moving mouse down depending on control method) and follow through until loop is done. Make sure you constantly hold the throttle on high, speed is crucial to this move.
I like this move while fighting another chopper. Get some height, and let the bastard try and chase you, while you head towards your air base. Then pull off the loop and he most likely won't be able to target you. If you don't appear behind him after the move, at least you can target him better since he's gonna be looking for you.
There really is nothing more to the move, just that it's not really practical because of the height requirement. It really is beautiful though, the choppers do loops gracefully.
Video 1 - Loop de Loop (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Loop de Loop (Outside view)
Video 3 - Double Loop
Hardcore tactic alert: Look at double loop video and check out how you can actually have your gunner parachute out and then you can pick him up mid-air. May I suggest something for you hardcore chopper people. Have your gunner parachute out while you distract the enemy chopper with your loops. The gunner then engages the enemy chopper with his anti-tank kit SRAW mid-air, or even more hardcore, M95 the pilot. Then you just go back, pick up your gunner, and be on your way. (That was single player so the bot doesn't know how to enter the chopper mid-air, oh well.)
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Immelman Turn
This is my all time favorite move done by airplanes so I figured, let's see if the BF2 choppers can do them. It's rather pointless because the choppers can turn on their axis to reverse direction, but in BF2 I've found it's a nice little maneuver to have up your sleeves. For starters, an immelman turn is 1/2 a loop, followed by 1/2 a barrel roll to level yourself. This effectivelly reverses your direction without having to move left or right.
Ok so in Bf2, you start off with a regular loop, same technique and all. Halfway through (you should be upside down) you stop the loop and you begin a barrel roll. That's all there is to it. Now, because of the way the choppers handle during the barrel roll, you probably won't be facing the reverse direction but rather somewhere close to it. The more you practice the closer to a full reversal you can get.
Cool thing is you don't need as much height as the full loop. You actually gain some good height after doing the first half of the loop so when you barrel roll you should be close to your original height. With good speed and practice, you will be able to pull it off in tighter spaces.
I like this tactic because it gives you the advantages of a loop while trying to avoid AA/enemy fire, while not having to compensate for height too much. It doesn't necessarily place you in a better position to attack another chopper, but it does throw people off which works as an advantage for you.
Update: Also, this move is perfect for nosediving with the cobra. Usually I refrain from diving because of the large amounts of space needed. But for example, you can dive an AA site with full rocket payload and then just pull back up. Instead of leveling and turning around, do an immelman and you'll be close by to take out other enemies.
Video 1 - Immelman Turn (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Immelman Turn (Outside view)
Note on video 2: This is actually a failed attempt at the immelman, I started the barrel roll too early and thus screwed it all up. Thought I'd leave it in for reference, I'll add a true turn soon.
Video 3 - Immelman in Action
Note on video 3: This is single player so I know it's a bit easier, but I just thought it'd be cool to show you how you can use the Immelman to be all cool and "leet" if you will.
Video 4 - Immelman in Action
Note on video 4: Here you can see a more practical application of the Immelman. I tend to start the 1/2 barrel roll too early and in this case it almost proved deadly, however I managed to stay alive and come back and take out the tank.
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Split-S
// Thanks to Tigg@lot for description:
"When you want to try it you have to be flying high as the maneuvers purpose is to loose altitude and gain speed while making a 180° turn. You start with a half barrel roll and while you´re upside down you pull your joystick/mouse back to perform a half loop. I think if you train and get better the amount of altitude you loose during this maneuver will decrease.
The second thing I tried today was if the Immelmann was possible for every chopper ingame. Yes, every chopper ingame can perform Immelmanns (Split-S´s too)."
Definatelly a cool move, it works as long as you have moderate height and can be used to reverse your direction and gain speed at the same time. I tried it out a couple times during battle with another chopper, one time I ran away and went to repair, the other time I got killed. First time I tried it I was being chased so the move threw the other pilot off and he lost me. Second time, we were facing each other and then I pulled the move, which was dumb since he just had to hover and let his gunner waste me.
Video 1 - Split-S (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Split-S (Outside view)
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Over-Under Loop
Ok so this really isn't a special move, but after practicing loops a lot, I've been able to perfect them and calculate how much space is need to do one. Here you can see the starting height, and the ending height for each of the loops. The pipe one lets you see how low is too low when attempting a loop. The key thing is to keep a steady loop without drifting to the sides and getting ready to maneuver as soon as you are level.
Video 1 - Loop around Pipe
Video 2 - Loop around Dock Thingy
Video 3 - Loop around Crane
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// Conclusion
So yea, you can do lots of cool things with these toys. Not sure how useful these moves are but hey, impress your buddies/gf/teammates if you want. I'd rather have you pulling off this crap as my pilot than flying as close as you can to the ground and not letting me fire at the enemy. Also, honestly these are more for entertainment than for true BF2 tactics, I spend a lot of try trying to pull them off in game so it's not entirely worth it.
I actually tried a bunch of other moves, for example, a backwards loop. Basically, same as a loop, but instead you tilt the choppers ass back and then move it foward as hard as possible. This was pretty much hopeless because so much speed is lost that when I made it to upside down, I just stalled out. I was pretty high up so at least i was able to save my ass from dying. An inverse loop was also attempted, which was quickly stopped by a full vertical nose dive into the ground. Chopper wouldn't complete the turn as I wanted it to.
Ok that's it for now, my hands hurt from typing. The things I will do to entertain bf2s members...
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Intro to Advanced Chopper Tactics
I decided to test the limits of these choppers in game and made a little experiment. I'm pretty happy with the results so here's what I found. Videos are included. Oh yea, and try at your own risk, I am not responsible for accidental deaths, tks, or bouts of nausea caused by these moves.
I tried all of these on the Cobra. The PLA chopper also worked well for the maneuvers, The MEC one is a little sluggish but you should be able to pull them off.
Btw, spinning is what I do by pressing the "A" and "D" keys. Rolling is what I do when i move mouse left and right. Transpose to your settings. I know there's correct terms so as soon as someone flames me for that I'll update the info.
I'm hosting the videos on my server, so please be nice, I don't have tons of bandwidth, but since I have like no visitors I figured I might as well use it for something. Plus, I hate those free video things, having to wait and clicking on stupid links.
IMPORTANT - I just got a new site stats package and in order to implement it I have to make some changes to my site. In the meanwhile, to download the videos, just go to http://www.gotmex.net/bf2/ page and work your way around that page to download whichever video your heart desires. Hopefully I'll have more direct linking within the next couple of days.
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// Attack Chopper Tactics - Barrel Roll
Ok this is the simplest of the moves I tried. The setup is quite simple: Get some height; move mouse/joystick in the direction of barrel roll. If you have enough height, the roll will go as planned but you will definatelly lose some height. Start off trying just this to see what's in store for you.
In order to make it practical and useful, here's some tips.
- First off, keep the throttle up on high throught the turn, this ensures you gain some much needed speed.
- Second, aim a little up right before you start the roll, this is because for some reason, I would always point the nose down and lose more height than needed.
- Last, start off the roll by spinning and rolling in the OPPOSITE direction that you want at first, then swing hard to the other side and keep spinning in the original direction This initial move throws the center of gravity off so that when you swing back you get more momentum to complete the roll.
- Note: The use of the spin buttons is mainly to fine tune the maneuvers mid air. It's kinda hard to explain what to do exactly, but you'll get the hang of it. If you see the chopper drifting off center, just compensate by spinning, all during the barrel roll.
Ok so here's a run down of what you will see in the video. Start off a little high, throttle up, and moving slightly foward. Begin the roll by rolling and spinning in the opposite direction you intend to barrel roll. When you are ready, tilt the nose up just a little and roll hard to the opposite side. Follow through until you are level again and proceed to stabilize your chopper. After you get the hang of it, stabilization won't really be needed, it'll just happen.
A barrel roll in the chopper is not like a plan where you roll along it's axis. It looks more like a corkscrew roll because the chopper can't really roll on it's own axis. I'm not really sure what you can use it for, but hey it looks cool, and after you get the hang of it you can use it at a decent altitude to be able to pull it off while running away from crappy AA.
Video 1 - Barrel Roll (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Barrel Roll (Outside view)
Video 3 - Double Barrel Roll
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Loop de loop
A bit harder to pull off than the barrel roll. You definatelly need some good height for this one, because a decent amount of speed is needed. Basic setup goes as follows: Get some good height; tilt nose foward to gain speed and momentum; tilt back hard and fast and hold it (or keep moving mouse down depending on control method) and follow through until loop is done. Make sure you constantly hold the throttle on high, speed is crucial to this move.
I like this move while fighting another chopper. Get some height, and let the bastard try and chase you, while you head towards your air base. Then pull off the loop and he most likely won't be able to target you. If you don't appear behind him after the move, at least you can target him better since he's gonna be looking for you.
There really is nothing more to the move, just that it's not really practical because of the height requirement. It really is beautiful though, the choppers do loops gracefully.
Video 1 - Loop de Loop (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Loop de Loop (Outside view)
Video 3 - Double Loop
Hardcore tactic alert: Look at double loop video and check out how you can actually have your gunner parachute out and then you can pick him up mid-air. May I suggest something for you hardcore chopper people. Have your gunner parachute out while you distract the enemy chopper with your loops. The gunner then engages the enemy chopper with his anti-tank kit SRAW mid-air, or even more hardcore, M95 the pilot. Then you just go back, pick up your gunner, and be on your way. (That was single player so the bot doesn't know how to enter the chopper mid-air, oh well.)
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Immelman Turn
This is my all time favorite move done by airplanes so I figured, let's see if the BF2 choppers can do them. It's rather pointless because the choppers can turn on their axis to reverse direction, but in BF2 I've found it's a nice little maneuver to have up your sleeves. For starters, an immelman turn is 1/2 a loop, followed by 1/2 a barrel roll to level yourself. This effectivelly reverses your direction without having to move left or right.
Ok so in Bf2, you start off with a regular loop, same technique and all. Halfway through (you should be upside down) you stop the loop and you begin a barrel roll. That's all there is to it. Now, because of the way the choppers handle during the barrel roll, you probably won't be facing the reverse direction but rather somewhere close to it. The more you practice the closer to a full reversal you can get.
Cool thing is you don't need as much height as the full loop. You actually gain some good height after doing the first half of the loop so when you barrel roll you should be close to your original height. With good speed and practice, you will be able to pull it off in tighter spaces.
I like this tactic because it gives you the advantages of a loop while trying to avoid AA/enemy fire, while not having to compensate for height too much. It doesn't necessarily place you in a better position to attack another chopper, but it does throw people off which works as an advantage for you.
Update: Also, this move is perfect for nosediving with the cobra. Usually I refrain from diving because of the large amounts of space needed. But for example, you can dive an AA site with full rocket payload and then just pull back up. Instead of leveling and turning around, do an immelman and you'll be close by to take out other enemies.
Video 1 - Immelman Turn (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Immelman Turn (Outside view)
Note on video 2: This is actually a failed attempt at the immelman, I started the barrel roll too early and thus screwed it all up. Thought I'd leave it in for reference, I'll add a true turn soon.
Video 3 - Immelman in Action
Note on video 3: This is single player so I know it's a bit easier, but I just thought it'd be cool to show you how you can use the Immelman to be all cool and "leet" if you will.
Video 4 - Immelman in Action
Note on video 4: Here you can see a more practical application of the Immelman. I tend to start the 1/2 barrel roll too early and in this case it almost proved deadly, however I managed to stay alive and come back and take out the tank.
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Split-S
// Thanks to Tigg@lot for description:
"When you want to try it you have to be flying high as the maneuvers purpose is to loose altitude and gain speed while making a 180° turn. You start with a half barrel roll and while you´re upside down you pull your joystick/mouse back to perform a half loop. I think if you train and get better the amount of altitude you loose during this maneuver will decrease.
The second thing I tried today was if the Immelmann was possible for every chopper ingame. Yes, every chopper ingame can perform Immelmanns (Split-S´s too)."
Definatelly a cool move, it works as long as you have moderate height and can be used to reverse your direction and gain speed at the same time. I tried it out a couple times during battle with another chopper, one time I ran away and went to repair, the other time I got killed. First time I tried it I was being chased so the move threw the other pilot off and he lost me. Second time, we were facing each other and then I pulled the move, which was dumb since he just had to hover and let his gunner waste me.
Video 1 - Split-S (Inside Cockpit)
Video 2 - Split-S (Outside view)
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// Advanced Chopper Tactics - Over-Under Loop
Ok so this really isn't a special move, but after practicing loops a lot, I've been able to perfect them and calculate how much space is need to do one. Here you can see the starting height, and the ending height for each of the loops. The pipe one lets you see how low is too low when attempting a loop. The key thing is to keep a steady loop without drifting to the sides and getting ready to maneuver as soon as you are level.
Video 1 - Loop around Pipe
Video 2 - Loop around Dock Thingy
Video 3 - Loop around Crane
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// Conclusion
So yea, you can do lots of cool things with these toys. Not sure how useful these moves are but hey, impress your buddies/gf/teammates if you want. I'd rather have you pulling off this crap as my pilot than flying as close as you can to the ground and not letting me fire at the enemy. Also, honestly these are more for entertainment than for true BF2 tactics, I spend a lot of try trying to pull them off in game so it's not entirely worth it.
I actually tried a bunch of other moves, for example, a backwards loop. Basically, same as a loop, but instead you tilt the choppers ass back and then move it foward as hard as possible. This was pretty much hopeless because so much speed is lost that when I made it to upside down, I just stalled out. I was pretty high up so at least i was able to save my ass from dying. An inverse loop was also attempted, which was quickly stopped by a full vertical nose dive into the ground. Chopper wouldn't complete the turn as I wanted it to.
Ok that's it for now, my hands hurt from typing. The things I will do to entertain bf2s members...
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Last edited by GotMex? (2006-06-05 18:07:13)