I'm always amazing on how youtubers manage to find so many targets that run away from them in a straight line instead of turning around and shooting back which always results in my death because theu just fly circles around me and i can't do anything.
i have done that myself quite a lot when i panic next time instead of ramming them try to get under them and kill your momentum enough to do a sharp turn you might get lucky and level the playing field but always turn to fight it throws beginners off and at lest makes it so you challenge them rather then playing target practice if you get the reverse maneuver down you will surprise a ton of people it's a hard one though
think there are some advices left. 1) The ANALOG throttle key. bind it to a nearby key. 2) try to learn more than one method to turn around. 3) when it comes to learning how to dogfight (i am still a horrible pilot in dogfighting) fly as a wingman or in an air squad 4) lots of pilots are really nice guys so ask for some 1v1s, chase runs, or some tips. most of them will help out. good Job as always Wrel *ThumpsUp*
I love flying with the scythe. I started flying a couple weeks ago and have gotten so much better by doing things I sucked at like flying flow or engaging in hover fights. I usually never fly in any game but it feels so good in this game.
I am a pilot myself, and have been for over a year. I think it's awesome to see you encouraging people to fly the proper way. But a big tip to everyone learning to fly... It takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and more PRACTICE. The best way to improve your skill, is going on the test server with some good pilots and doing some ESF duels. Keep up the good work, love your videos!
Thank you Wrel! This does really help! My only other tips, kind of just going off what you said, would be like you said don't fly in a straight line, if you are on hossin fly low and into the trees or just as low to the ground as possible so you can hug the hillsides to try and get away (assuming you have the skills to do so). This ties into learning to fly though. I would HIGHLY recommend learning the ESF's limits, this means crashing... alot. Don't be afraid to crash into things, if you do, learn from it and just don't get as close next time. This has helped me escape very unbalanced fights and the lock on rockets, being able to dive into the trees and out maneuver anyone will save your bacon a few times.
Something that wasn't really talked about much in this video is, going to the VR room and learning the reverse maneuver (Hover airframe helps a lot for people trying to learn this). It really is something that cannot be understated. It is mandatory knowledge if you plan to be in the air more than a couple minutes. Personally, I would have suggested running fire suppression or scout radar (great for getting bonus XP) on the ESF loadout, but I suppose that is up to personal preference.
Engagement radar is an excellent tool to use after you've gotten the hang of an esf in VR and want to try it on a live server. Helps you understand how other esf's move when they're targeting you. Unsaid benefit of flying as an engie as a newer pilot: you get really good at cutting out of a fight and landing quickly to repair. I found that learning the skills necessary to stabilize the esf and land quickly helped later with dogfighting. Also, and contrary to your advice, I found hover 3 to be the most helpful upgrade of all on the esf (in conjunction with afterburners). To me, the reaver turned from an iron lump to a usable machine with hover airframe maxed.
The most helpful thing that kickstarted my flying was STL Youngblood being an absolute saint in replying to a query on the scythe of mine with a detailed video entirely answering my question. What a rock star!
I've had the most success flying at max altitude with max stealth and dropping down on stray ESFs. It allows me to easily assess the situation and avoid big groups of aircraft way before they spot me. Will give this a try.
I learned how to fly by channeling my inner snowspeeder pilot. Starting off by hugging the ground on Esamir as much as I could. avoiding mid-air dogfights like the plague. Unfortunately this has not made me much better at dogfighting (reverse manouvers, awareness of enemy air etc.), but I can usually pick my fights and I am able to engage ground targets even when there is heavy AA all around by exposing myself as little as possible and firing 1-2 hornets on the same target after a short round around a mountain/through tech plant etc. To the point where as a VS pilot flying into an enemy NC zerg is a viable way of getting away from TR ESFs. If I get engaged by enemy ESF I usually bug out or try to outmanouver them through tight areas (independence day style), but the good thing about flying low is that most Air-air fighters look at the skyline when they are hunting targets. Sure sure, I am no red baron, but I am able to provide CAS in a fight where no other friendly air is able to get near. Helping out in dogfights. And roadkilling infantry underneath the canopy of small trees, (that have twigs that instakill you) is a rush that I enjoy. :)
One thing you showcased in the gameplay but didn't mention was learning to swap between first and third person view. Third person for general awareness and manuvering, and first person/cockpit view for when you have your target in front of you. Youngblood (who is a a great pilot and teacher and an old outfit mate of mine) covers this in his videos. Glad you linked him ;).
Little disappointed that you didn't mention hotkeying your pitch up and down, and the throttle brake. It might've also been helpful to tell people to lower mouse sensitivity to aim better, as well as giving players tips on breaking G to A lockons. Other than those missed points, the information you did have was useful. Thanks for making it
I'm not fond of binding pitch keys... I have them bound but I never use them because the mouse is easier to control. Lowered sensitivity is okay. You don't want to be at the point where you have to pick up your mouse from the mouse pad a lot though. It might be handy to bind sensitivity changes to buttons for quick changes. Also the zoom feature of the nose gun helps improve accuracy if you have low aimed settings.
That makes sense. I could probably implement that if I really focused on using it. I tend to like "feeling" it more if that makes sense because it's more natural for me but I can definitely see the use for it.
Posts video discussing basic ESF movement and tactics - Good Showcases pro ESF rape and terrain flying in outnumbered Air to Air combat while telling us to avoid these things - Bad Most people are visual learners. They -are- going to attempt to emulate what they see before what they hear. Almost all will start pulling ESF and try to play like a badass, get pissed off, and never play again. I think this video had great info but was defeating itself. Sorry bud, still a subscriber.
The thing that helped me a lot, and I noticed Wrel was doing this but I don't think he commented on it, was third person view. While flying around and not engaged I always pop out to third person. It makes flying easier and gives you a better view of what's going on. I just pop into first person when I'm chasing a target.
There's a little trench thing in the VR Training room that I was shown a while back, like a dried up river running into a dried up lake or something, with a bridge over it about half-way through. One outfit I flew with taught me that it can be a good spot to practice all the really super-fine movements with all aircraft, as well as their hit boxes for using live terrain as cover.
Hey Wrel glad you still use this channel. Even your so called 'outdated' videos still provide a wealth of data to use. You have improved my game since I started playing planetside 2. Thanks and congrats working for the company. I hope Planetside 2 'never' dies :).
he hasn't put up videos for months on this channel i would say he didn't put up stuff for over a year .. he's rather occasionaly streaming but that is it ...
Helps to know how to get out of hover: use a combination of vertical thrust, after burner, and pitching up, so you can get out fast. If you pitch down then you will stay in hover. Rolling in circles, while using vertical thrust makes it hard for liberators daltons to hit you. Major difference between the guns is that they have different bullet velocities which makes leading completely different. It also helps to know when they enemy is using their vertical thrust, so you know how much to lead. It makes it confusing if both of you are using vertical trust to go up/down. Some pilots like to shoot upside down to improve aim and make yourself harder to shoot because the ESF has stronger vertical trust going up and gravity helps you move faster. Helps to have good sound system and look in fist person and third person. I like to fly1000m so they can't shoot you, and people tend to look down than up. Just dont fly in the middle, because then you get locked or spotted easier.
An important factor of flying is binding the 'throttle analogue' key (not bound by default) to something that is easily accessible as it will allow you to hoverfight much easier, and that is half of the airgame as you will be able to do reverse manouvers and turn around to your enemies far quicker.
Shrike Throttle analogue makes the aircraft enter hover mode and makes it stay in hover mode more reliably than just holding 'S'. This makes it possible to do a reverse maneuver. There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to perform one, and many other aspects of dogfighting which are all helped by that key.
In general, an excellent guide. Although I'm not quite sure if I agree with your very last point. In my experience at least, I tend to find that flying at maximum altitude is often the safest way to play. In dogfights, altitude is the name of the game. You have the ability to fly faster if need be and also place enemy ESF at a disadvantage by surprising them (in most cases) and by forceing them to fight a target which is above them (which tends to be a pain in the backside).
Wrel, how the hell did you find so many enemy ESFs withoput them doing voodoo magic reverce manuvers! Because of thet hellish thing i said goodbye to my favourite thing, my scythe, so how.. how does one find people who don't revece manuver?!
Hand-picked examples, i had a 20-killstreak yesterday with my A2A mossi, my overall KDR is 1.12 and i suck terrible at flying. Just wait, everyone will have such a day in his life :)
pascal1995215 lol, not hand picked in the least. This has more to do with server culture than anything else. [PREY] on NC are about the only fearsome pilots on Emerald.
Wrel Ok, i get rekt by everything and everybody on Miller and Cobalt almost all the time. BR100 VS Skyknight-duo camping the warpgate, or 4-6 reavers with lockons. But i was playing some VS on Emerald last week because of Serverproblems, i thought i was better than on Cobalt because of the delay between my shoots and the enemy's reaktion, maybe it was more than just that. (Sorry for any mistakes, this is not my native language and i try to learn it since 13 years, i know i suck)
The moment when i noticed becomming better at flying was as i forced myself to immidiatly tourn and fight if i get jumped and not run away. You will lose a lot in the beginning but facing your enemy will ´make you stronger than running a way and get chased down. Also the morst improtant thing is learn the reverse manouver and bind the analog trottle. Something i can recommend is, grab a friend and practive hoverfights with him. Go the same faction and swap esfs so you can shoot eachother without getting weapon locked.
I once was a dedicated pilot in PS2, and the key to becoming a good pilot was to stay consistent. I havent been on planetside 2 for quiet a while now seeing as real life as hit me but i know that when i go back ill have to teach myself again. Many people think you need to be learning complex skills all the time to become a good pilot. Nope, all you need is the basics and some practice, i remember when i first took up flying in the scythe, lmao thinking about it now i was cruising throught the whole of indar thinking i was in star trek (btw im a mosquito pilot). Anyway back to the point, i agree with your points which are a great starting point, but its practice, practice and more practice that will create an efficient pilot. Im not saying im a good pilot but i was good enough to give advice like the advice i was once given. Oh man now i want to go back to planetside 2, miss all the good dogfights and infantry battles. Try finding an air outfit too it helps. But listen to Wrel he speaks wise words.
Thanks for the reinforcement. I don't consider myself a skilled pilot by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know how much I've improved since I first started flying, and being able to share the tips that helped get me here, (wherever that is,) is something I feel worthwhile.
Couple of hints and tips to add to that: If in the earlier levels, when you're less experienced that is, you should invest in the high speed airframe by default, especially if you're TR, take full advantage of the speed buff of your faction. When you're more experienced and you want to play more of a "grounded" style like Wrel here, invest in the manuevering airframe to allow for tighter turns in cramped spaces like forest areas. Bind your pitch keys to your mouse, if you have Forward and Back keys on your mouse (located on the thumb rest) you should bind those to your pitch. This will give you a great advantage over those that don't, those who are frantically yanking their mouse around. (gives you continuous pitch control whereas others don't) and bind your roll keys to Q and E. Lastly, when you're maneuvering, roll on your side and pitch DOWN, pitching down is much faster than pitching up or Yaw controls in general, gives you another advantage, especially handy in evasive maneuvering.
Engagement radar, stealth, hover stability, needler or rotary, and yes coyote missles. The coyotes are not a gimmick, they might not do a lot of damage but psychologically they freak a lot of greener pilots out cause suddenly there is fire all around them and you can switch to your gun and hammer them while they are stunned. The nanite auto repair won't kick in for 12 sec if they r taking damage, and it's not hard even for new pilots to land at least 1 coyote every 11 sec to negate auto repair. I use this setup on the TR mosquito. In hindsight, i would have upgraded stealth 4 BEFORE upgrading the hover stability 3. And you are super correct about engagement radar being the 1st major upgrade. Soooo important. Good video.
It's also good to note that ESFs can handle more like a helicopter than a jet. Being able to pull off a reverse manoeuvre and stay in hover mode are pretty important in those situations where there's no time to escape.
Your advice seems insightful. I'm primarily a tanker, especially a Magrider enthusiast, but I would like to dabble in the annoyances that aircraft bring to the battlefield lol.
As a mostly visual learner, I have to say this is like showing a class of pilots on their first ever lesson Top Gun and telling them "This is what we gonna do today, GET GOING!". Still took a few valuable tipp from this. Also, f*** Mosquitos!
I have always been impressed by flying and people that have developed their skills with the ESF's and all that, i think its time i get serious about flying. I think by far one of the Greatest ways that i have learnt my control and confidence during the beginning of my experimentation with the ESF's was from hunting Pumpkins and Snowmen during the respective seasons. I remember at the start of the pumpkin patch last year i wasn't to good at flying and non to confident either, accidentally running into the ground and all that and being negative about it, then i spent 4-12 hours just flying around treas and the like finding pumpkins and i got confident with movement, now, a bunch of month's later i feel really good about my control and all that, i just cant aim well at other esf's maybe because ive been running as infantry 97% of the time, 1% armor and 2% esf's just for bombing runs and the odd air platoon, ima get back at it for sure, thanks for the inspirations!
My best tip for ESF combat is something nobody ever mentions. You can put, or keep, your ESF in hovermode by descending and pitching up, just like you would with ascending and pitching down. I play a very rush oriented Reaver style and popping in and out of hover quickly in any situation is really important for my style of play, but entering hover by any means necessary can be important for any playstyle.
I like to use fire suppression because it gives you an extra chance at running away from someone if they r shooting you and you are on fire, it also helps because depending on what level your fire suppression is, the more repair you get when you activate it giving you an advantage in dogfights. Every health point matters.
The only bad thing about fire suppression is that you have to be closer to enemies to see them on your radar which means you can get attacked from far away and not see where it is coming from, giving your opponent an advantage, unlike the engagement radar that allows you to detect any air vehicles from greater distances.
i have figured out that there are three basic rules too being successful in an ESF 1. fly in packs, almost always be near freindly ESFs 2. fly low when attacked or if you are locked onto by a missile 3. repair as often as possible (fly as engineer)
I just can't get used to the unusual controls, I end up crashing into mountains and such because I keep hitting the wrong buttons and turn sideways instead of changing directions
As someone who had already played countless hours on MS Flight Sims before starting Planetside 2, I was in for a shock when I started flying ESF's. They don't handle, control, or react like a real airplane at all. For instance, banking left and right does not turn an ESF as much as it would a real jet, instead you have to bank and then pitch up or down to make the thing turn fast. It as an important thing to learn for me, because they I had to learn to control my ESF more like an flying infantry unit instead of a jet fighter.
Thanks for the this old video wrel. I just started recently playing PS2, and I would like to become an expert pilot and be good on the ground as well. I enjoyed this video, and It was quite helpful. Thank you!
If anyone wants to learn how to fly low, I recommend flying around in the Indar Canyons. Great training opportunity, and there is sometimes the occasional distracted ESF that you can ambush from below and maybe get them to crash in a panic.
2 TIPS: - Learn how to fly upside down & really close to the ground (low altittude) it helps a lot when trying to avoid Ground Lock Ons & its particulary useful when escaping from another ESF at Hossin... (flying in between the trees)
For me some top tips would be: Staying alive is how you learn. Fly to stay alive, not get kills. Always retreat when your unsure about a situation. Dont shoot too early. Wait till you can get close to an enemy, line up the shot and try to hit with the entire first clip if you can. Landing that clip first gives you a huge advantage. If it misses, you might get one more try before the enemy can fire back. If you miss the 2nd time. RUN. Cert the fuel tanks. As much as you want the new awesome gun, the fuel tank is a better buy because it will let you stay alive longer. Bind the pitch up and pitch down keys to your mouse's side buttons. Very important. Don't have a mouse with side buttons? Buy one!
Wrel! You're awesome first of all. I was wondering if you could make a thoughts on better gaming about FUN. A lot of people seem to forget what games are about. Gamers and producers alike. I was wondering what you think is fun in gaming. I love your work, you're awesome! Keep doing you!
That's a definite possibility. Had started writing up a script on "playing the game for YOU," but abandoned it. I think you're right though, especially when it comes to game developers. Often times, games are structured more around mechanics instead of around what's enjoyable, and there are some interesting examples I could pull in. Thanks for the idea.
As an experienced pilot i strongly advice not to fly between high and low because a lot of the "skilled" pilots fly high and you'll be an easy target for them while in the ground flak and lockons will have line of sight of you. To make it simple: -If you are focussing in air to air fly high, pick your target, kill him and run away or take altitude again. -If you are focussing in air to ground fly low. So the first thing you should practice is flying low with the propuse of getting the hang of your esf and improve your reflexes (in VR training preferably, flying fast, dodging obstacles for example). Here are some other random tips for begginers: - Swich your "exit aircraft vehicle" key from F to G or number 4 to avoid exiting your aircraft by accident. - Learn any kind of reverse maneuver or turns and try to be umpredicteble when performing them. - Learn to get into hover mode (the basic way is pressing S and pitch down while holding the space bar). - The esf's default nosegun is very accurate and performs good against any situation, there is no need to rush into other weapons. - A popular "trick" in a dogfight is: while in hovermode alternate Ctrl and the Space bar for minimal but useful dodging. - In a dogfight don't do crazy maneuvers if you cant aim your enemy while performing them.
How to engage a liberator: get high up, and stay at a long range. Also keep in mind that experienced players will try to engage you if you are alone, so keep a good altitude and play with your mobility alot! because daltons are a 1shot burst.
Dont hover when trying to kill a lighting unless you have first determined that it is not a skyguard. Too often when I drive my skyguard I see esf's coming up on me then hovering still to fire only to realize too late I am AA. Also keep in mind that default lightning gun can kill esf in single clip. Basically, don't underestimate the lightning tank.
all my E.S.Fs have at least nanite repair level 1 and I'm a good pilot just not when it comes to shooting definitely trying this tomorrow keep up the good work
Nice guide as always. One thing bugs me is that in this particular video you come across so many pilots that just try to run away. On my server almost every 2nd pilot is some kind of skygod or think of themselves as such :D as first bullets hit they will do a full turn in no time and try to gun you down. I learned to fly in this conditions, can't say that I'm really good, but you know - just funny how servers differ. BTW, radar is very handy for people who just don't feel like switching in and out with the camera - matter of taste. For myself I decided to keep it in all loadouts just for this matter, cause terrain, trees and towers don't bother me, I can fly in 1st person view through a needle ear (or how the saying goes?), but obviously, for target awareness you either need to switch out or use the radar, so that's what I do. Pity it shares a slot with other useful stuff..
I'm deliberately fighting in an area where the "skygods" won't come near, though. They're usually busy picking people off, as they don't have to deal with lock-ons or flak.
Wrel I see, I usually try to do the same, but the other side of this problem is that in such areas lock-ons and aa-maxes are all over the place. Depends on the continent too, for example it's much easier to shake off a lock-on on Indar due to it's terrain, than on some plain on Esamir, though you manage just fine :)
Nice and helpful vid as usual. However I disagree on the pointer that says "don't fly too high, but somewhere in between". Flying on ceiling gives you and edge over the people who are flying low/mid altitude+keeps you out of range of flak and ground lockons most of the time. It also increases the change of meeting someone for a 1v1 dogfigh without anyone interfering. Now... flying in between is the worse possible position. Easy to spot from both ground and air and extremely vulnerable to ground fire, with no outs behind cliffs or any form of cover. Just my 2 cents.
Follow a BR 100 pilot around, you will definitely live a lot longer as you protect each other. Doesn't even matter if you know the guy or not, spontaneous teamwork will just happen naturally. They will appreciate a wingman, noobie pilot or not. Of course, you can observe and notice how they move through the air and copy them. Just don't steal kill too much to annoy people. Don't fly directly behind other people too, you may crash into them.
I hate flying. I'm terrible at it. After watching this I'm tempted to give it another shot while attempting to adhere to the guidelines you provided. I'd like to know your thoughts on flying with a Mouse and Keyboard, as opposed to a joystick. Every flight simulator I've played (X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Wing Commander, Star Lancer) I had to use a joystick. In PlanetSide 2, the mouse and keyboard combination feels so foreign to me while in flight, I'm still not used to it after six months of playing.
Nice flying! I need a lot of caffeine in my system to pull fancy maneuvers like that. I absolutely love flying in this game, but i suck at it big time.
One thing I use an esf for is a tactical insertion, mainly as an infiltrator. I'll use it to get a couple hundred meters behind enemy lines, hide it, then start sniping. It's a good strategy for helping change the tide of a small to medium size battle.
+Nathaniel Brooks Do you mean Valkyrie? If you don't, then I suggest you use Valkyries instead of ESFs. Cheaper, more health, and easier to use (albeit slower) low to the ground (to avoid enemy fire)
Nathaniel Brooks That's rarely an issue, as it has enough health that you can quickly land (or even bail out with the right vehicle specs) even before it's on fire. Thing is, i don't fight back if I'm off to go snipe, I'm off to go snipe I don't care what they'll do to my Jet. In fact I think it's better if I just let it fly off when i'm out so it distracts enemy fighters in the area or enemy infantry. An enemy ESF can go as fast as you, and you can't escape it if trying to land quickly to escape on foot. A Valkyrie however, doesn't care what's shooting it (except for hornets, which is rare) and will keep flying, most probably until you've reached your destination (if you sneaked up to the area in question).
+Simon Lamoureux A Valkryie has LESS health than an ESF, I used a Grounder on it and insta killed it with full health, and I killed an ESF in 2 Grounder shots. 2 SHOTS. But I agree, it's cheaper, it's like a disposable camera, might come in handy but not all the time
OrbitalNukeIncomin Richten Then maybe it has more bullet resistance. It's totally inferior, in every way except price, but There's something that makes it take more damage (At least from bullets?)
I would say rebind your eject key to something other than "E" I use the 6 key. Almost impossible to ht when flying, but still close enough for use in quick succession.
Are you going to do a video on the recent "Daybreak Game Company" change? What I'd really like to know is if you and other people still have any power at all to prevent anything bad from happening if anything bad does happen.
this is interesting to me, because i don't consider ESFs an anti-air tool, i consider them anti-personnel- you'll certainly have more sucess against squishy infantry than against another pilot. some things really don't change- know where you can run to that is a no-fly zone for your enemies, even if that's jsut over a squad of allies who will tip the scales in your favour in a protracted duel. but ultimately, the battle is won by the guys on the ground covered in blood, sweat and nanoweave trying to hold points, and as such i tend to use weapons with large damage radii like the various dumbfire rockets with the spotter implant equipped, the idea being that if you don't kill your enemies, then your allies will see them coming and they will be wounded already. with these rockets equipped, you can also make a pretty nasty mess of tanks, if you can put every one into their rear armour, and once you've done that you can usually finish them off from a distance, sometimes before they've even turned their main guns towards you. prowlers are expecially easy targets (wide rears, often deployed) while vanguards have a nasty habit of popping their shield the moment they hit 60% health. it should be noted that in small air to air fights i tend to either rely on coyote missiles (or dual photon pods- surprisingly effective) or ally support, and large air to air fights i avoid altogether- going elsewhere or hopping into a skyguard lightning, so anyone who thinks they know better than me about dogfighting is probably quite right.
I learned flying by playing everytime that faction that has Indar locked... but i came often to the point where the ESFs cost again 350 nanites even when your faction has Indar (there seems to be a limit for how many ESFs/Aircrafts your can spawn with the Indar-sale) after some time of dogfighting and dieing a got better^^ so for all new pilots: 1.Play the faction that has Indar 2.Dont get frustrated and Rage Quit (how i did often...) that doesn't help you at all... 3.If you get Farmed by a single player ovr and over again ask them to train you dogfighting or let you alive... most of them want mor good pilots to fight against so they will do it... (but some of them are D*cks and farm you even more but these are very rare^^)these are my tips to get better at Flying^^ hope to see ya'll ingame in a good and fair Airbattle :)BTW. nice Vid Wrel and good jop at getting into Daybreak^^Once i said to my friend that you should be in the Dev team but he said: "Not gonna happen m8..." and now look whos in^^would love to see more Air tutorials cause they are dead on UA-cam right know...
Once you get enough practice in to really have your own style is important; just fly around, see what feels comfortable, be risky without killing yourself, and overall have fun! I honestly don't mean to advertise myself here but I do have a video where I am flying around the training grounds in a scythe, just practicing. (I would not consider myself a superb pilot yet) In case that might be entertaining check it out if you like. :)
shoobeepdoobeepdooba Well, "hover fighting" is how dogfighting is done in this game. I'm just picking people off in this video, but that won't help me when dealing with someone who is going to turn and fight.
Wrel Wrel, on my server most pilots are very skilled, what can I do about that if I can't exactly start from a lower level? (Ground assaults are no problem for me, Air to Air is)
Alexus Dimitrov The same is true for your own faction. You can spawn an esf at warpgate and watch the other esf that are flying nearby or spawning. Generally the more aesthetic upgrades a pilot has the better at flying he/she is. Be a sidekick. Plus you'll learn from watching them engage targets.
Alexus Dimitrov lock-ons. You will get a lot of flack from the elitists that prefer a2a being nosegun only but a2a lockons and coyote heat seekers are in the game and should be utilized by the not as skilled of players. Eventually you'll become more accustomed to flying and dogfighting without them, allowing you to use a different secondary weapon should you chose to do so. ESF nose guns are fantastic if you're skilled, but it's hard to develop that skill early on and that's what the lockons were always designed to support.
It's very similar to dog fighting with an Apache ok Battlefield Play4Free because you could flip and make loops much like in PS3, unlike the newer BF games
Also to all new players if an enemy esf stops and begins hover dogfighting u need to either run or hover dogfight as well. If you try to fly like a plane in a hover dogfight you'll lose 10/10 times
i would love it if there was a less maneuverable aircraft with more armor on the bottom and front but less on the top and back so it could take ground fire but had to be protected from enemy ESFs. It's main strength would be extremely high firepower, so it could be like a specialized close support aircraft. I would really enjoy using it but it doesnt really fit with how planetside's anti air works.
Ahh, I remember singlehandedly taking down a high level scythe with just my commissioner. It was like the ultimate boss battle. On a side note, looks like the TR have a lame underpowered ESV. "Ooh look! Our mosquitoes are FASTER!"
That doesn't make it the best rotary. Mosquito is widely regarded as the worst esf in the highest level of skill, because of the reavers superior dps, and the scythes more difficult hitbox with guns facing target. This doesn't matter unless you are around that level of skill, though.
I wish there was a way to open fire at a target next to you or below you, while keeping the aircraft flying straight. It would make it much more easier to destroy enemy aircrafts, but then it would probably be confusing to control.
Liberators have a nose gun that can be aimed independently from the cockpit, full comp armor and a good crew allows all three people in a lib to wreck entire squads in seconds.
This taught me a few things that I needed to improve in my air game. Thanks! Can't believe I saw myself so many times in this video and that Valk kill was gonna be mine if you didn't steal it :(
I would love to play any ESF but the way they handle tend to give me a headache because roll is very important when it coems to mauevering and such. I mainly play as NSO and I tend to use the Drift Dervish. I love using the Drift performance on the Dervish
I left PS2 just before the valkyrie got added, but ill try go give some advice as flying was my favorite thing to do in PS2. At one point I even started teaching new pilots. For the lessons I did about a year ago, I made a word-document with the summarised contents of the session to help me out. It covers what i consider teh basics of flying and flying as an organised group. www.dropbox.com/s/0bu71uh6gkswhfo/RMIStraining.doc?dl=0 But most important to learning how to fly, is getting time in the air. From a total scrub, I slowly became one of the best pilots of the Ceres server at the time, just by not giving up and being persistent about wanting to improve
Hey Wrel, great video as always. Also, I have no idea if you have a PS4 at all but if u do have one and you would be willing to put its content on your channel, I think a lot of people (including myself of course) would love some videos on how to fly ESFs on console as its very different from PC. Thanks!
If you play on console (PS$) the Air Raidar is useless. You cant upscale the mini-map in setting or through pressing a button and the minimap is zoomed in too far to see enemy esf's from a usefull distance. You can bring up the full screen map but that takes a few seconds to load in, although daybreak has said that this will be improved with the next patch.
I actually find that flying in a straight line I what keeps me alive, Players will fly up behind me trying to line up a shot and I cut forward thrust and reverse behind them and go nuts with the m18s on the mosquito
Every time i use my mosquito my crosshair automatically goes to the middle so that I fly straight, it’s really annoying when I’m tryna kill land targets and suddenly my esf gets horizontally. How do I fix that??
Awesome tips Wrel. However I would like to know, what controls are you using?! Mouse? joystick? gamepad? Those are insane moves and i seriously dont know how you guys keep doing them. And I consider myself above avarage FPS/ flying simulator player. Thanks in advance
Tip 1 - Don't play ESF unless you really like dogfighting and getting shot at all the time from the ground. Tip 2 - Don't play ESF if you like attacking ground targets, that's what the Liberator is for Tip 3 - Don't play ESF if you like attacking air targets other than other ESF, that's what skyguards and anti-air lock missiles are for. Tip 4 - Don't waste nanites on ESF when you can make a damn sunderer and be a credit to the team.
+draconic33 1 - Fly upwards of 180M or so to avoid infantry fire and most MAX/Vehicles/G-A fire. To avoid dogfights, invest in speed airframe (racer) and fuel tanks, you can fly away from any fight and return at leisure to suddenly "ambush" the enemy plane until they run away or wisen up at which point they will be easy/easier kills. 2 - Hornets will take out any large ground target and most infantry targets (Though harder) and don't require at least two competent players, or coordination. You can do it alone. 3 - Hornets/A few salvo of rockets will take out any and every large plane, from distances they won't be able to fully fight back from (exempting some light turret fire for some planes) and Valkyries don't need anything but your defualt MG. 4 - there is no such thing as a waste of nanites. And a single ESF can take down several Sunderers seeing as how they often have no Air Defence on them, you can stay out of infantry range (or have flares) and even if they do have air defence, you can kill them from further than they can accurately hit you no matter the weapon (except for the Ranger which next to no Sunderers equip, they instead use a weaker weapon that can also target ground).
Tip 5: Play like you want to, I Play mainly Esf, and kill a lot of groundtarges, also Valkires or lesser tanks.Answer: Coyote-Missiles, and the PCA.gun, wich kills Infanterie nearly instant, does a lot of area-gmg.Slow firerate, but youll be able to manage that sooner or later.
The Reaver is the worst ESF of the 3. Bugged main weapon that doesn't hit where you aim unless you are at a perfect distance to target, also has the largest hitbox and hardest to fly because the reaver is the widest. Wings and landingpads often hits the surrounding areas when you fly like this Mosqitoe does in this vid.
I noticed at the end of the video when you were shooting the scythe, the shots didn't seem to connect with the model, but rather just off of it, like the hit-box extends further than the model itself.
A question to experienced pilots or even moderately experienced: How do you land your ESF on a landing pad? Everytime I try to I end either too far away where I just tip the edge or I end up overshooting it and crashing or flying in circles because I suddenly got more speed than I wanted
+Tigranes Gryphen First off. You need to use your minimap as a guide, it will show you when you are directly over the pad. As you fly over the pad, move your mouse upward so that your ESF tilts toward the sky, while using your spacebar. This will quickly make you loose speed and move backwards a little bit at the same time. Or simply get to the lowest possible speed, and press c to lower yourself to the pad, always using the minimap as a reference. Hope it Helps :D
I'm always amazing on how youtubers manage to find so many targets that run away from them in a straight line instead of turning around and shooting back which always results in my death because theu just fly circles around me and i can't do anything.
if you play enough you will find them also
Bayya I am one of them, if someone gets a jump on me I try to ram them. I know its lame but 'points for style?'
i have done that myself quite a lot when i panic next time instead of ramming them try to get under them and kill your momentum enough to do a sharp turn you might get lucky and level the playing field but always turn to fight it throws beginners off and at lest makes it so you challenge them rather then playing target practice if you get the reverse maneuver down you will surprise a ton of people it's a hard one though
Bayya I can do all of that but cause im playing since jan 2013 Im quite bored and just like to ram people. :/
UCBANDIT009
for sure i know that feeling i have been playing off and on since day one
What would be useful is understanding how pilots are able to swirl around you, fly backwards, and keep their nose fixed on you the entire time.
Flying backwards is just pitching down while thrusting up, then swirling around you is them flying backwards. The aim is practice.
"Don't fly too low to the ground"
Proceeds to fly at an altitude of 10 meters.
The rest of that sentence: "...Until you're more experienced".
He's experienced.
think there are some advices left. 1) The ANALOG throttle key. bind it to a nearby key. 2) try to learn more than one method to turn around. 3) when it comes to learning how to dogfight (i am still a horrible pilot in dogfighting) fly as a wingman or in an air squad 4) lots of pilots are really nice guys so ask for some 1v1s, chase runs, or some tips. most of them will help out.
good Job as always Wrel *ThumpsUp*
I love flying with the scythe. I started flying a couple weeks ago and have gotten so much better by doing things I sucked at like flying flow or engaging in hover fights. I usually never fly in any game but it feels so good in this game.
I am a pilot myself, and have been for over a year. I think it's awesome to see you encouraging people to fly the proper way. But a big tip to everyone learning to fly... It takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and more PRACTICE. The best way to improve your skill, is going on the test server with some good pilots and doing some ESF duels. Keep up the good work, love your videos!
Thank you Wrel! This does really help! My only other tips, kind of just going off what you said, would be like you said don't fly in a straight line, if you are on hossin fly low and into the trees or just as low to the ground as possible so you can hug the hillsides to try and get away (assuming you have the skills to do so). This ties into learning to fly though. I would HIGHLY recommend learning the ESF's limits, this means crashing... alot. Don't be afraid to crash into things, if you do, learn from it and just don't get as close next time. This has helped me escape very unbalanced fights and the lock on rockets, being able to dive into the trees and out maneuver anyone will save your bacon a few times.
Something that wasn't really talked about much in this video is, going to the VR room and learning the reverse maneuver (Hover airframe helps a lot for people trying to learn this). It really is something that cannot be understated. It is mandatory knowledge if you plan to be in the air more than a couple minutes. Personally, I would have suggested running fire suppression or scout radar (great for getting bonus XP) on the ESF loadout, but I suppose that is up to personal preference.
Engagement radar is an excellent tool to use after you've gotten the hang of an esf in VR and want to try it on a live server. Helps you understand how other esf's move when they're targeting you.
Unsaid benefit of flying as an engie as a newer pilot: you get really good at cutting out of a fight and landing quickly to repair. I found that learning the skills necessary to stabilize the esf and land quickly helped later with dogfighting.
Also, and contrary to your advice, I found hover 3 to be the most helpful upgrade of all on the esf (in conjunction with afterburners). To me, the reaver turned from an iron lump to a usable machine with hover airframe maxed.
The most helpful thing that kickstarted my flying was STL Youngblood being an absolute saint in replying to a query on the scythe of mine with a detailed video entirely answering my question. What a rock star!
I've had the most success flying at max altitude with max stealth and dropping down on stray ESFs. It allows me to easily assess the situation and avoid big groups of aircraft way before they spot me.
Will give this a try.
I learned how to fly by channeling my inner snowspeeder pilot. Starting off by hugging the ground on Esamir as much as I could. avoiding mid-air dogfights like the plague. Unfortunately this has not made me much better at dogfighting (reverse manouvers, awareness of enemy air etc.), but I can usually pick my fights and I am able to engage ground targets even when there is heavy AA all around by exposing myself as little as possible and firing 1-2 hornets on the same target after a short round around a mountain/through tech plant etc. To the point where as a VS pilot flying into an enemy NC zerg is a viable way of getting away from TR ESFs.
If I get engaged by enemy ESF I usually bug out or try to outmanouver them through tight areas (independence day style), but the good thing about flying low is that most Air-air fighters look at the skyline when they are hunting targets.
Sure sure, I am no red baron, but I am able to provide CAS in a fight where no other friendly air is able to get near. Helping out in dogfights. And roadkilling infantry underneath the canopy of small trees, (that have twigs that instakill you) is a rush that I enjoy. :)
One thing you showcased in the gameplay but didn't mention was learning to swap between first and third person view. Third person for general awareness and manuvering, and first person/cockpit view for when you have your target in front of you. Youngblood (who is a a great pilot and teacher and an old outfit mate of mine) covers this in his videos. Glad you linked him ;).
Little disappointed that you didn't mention hotkeying your pitch up and down, and the throttle brake. It might've also been helpful to tell people to lower mouse sensitivity to aim better, as well as giving players tips on breaking G to A lockons.
Other than those missed points, the information you did have was useful. Thanks for making it
Binding is an important factor but if people read the comments there will be enough mentions about it.
This is the first I've heard of it. What I really want to know is how people fly sideways.
I'm not fond of binding pitch keys... I have them bound but I never use them because the mouse is easier to control. Lowered sensitivity is okay. You don't want to be at the point where you have to pick up your mouse from the mouse pad a lot though. It might be handy to bind sensitivity changes to buttons for quick changes. Also the zoom feature of the nose gun helps improve accuracy if you have low aimed settings.
lynxord I only use pitch keys if I have to do a quick maneuver, like a backwards maneuver. Other than that the mouse works fine.
That makes sense. I could probably implement that if I really focused on using it. I tend to like "feeling" it more if that makes sense because it's more natural for me but I can definitely see the use for it.
Posts video discussing basic ESF movement and tactics - Good
Showcases pro ESF rape and terrain flying in outnumbered Air to Air combat while telling us to avoid these things - Bad
Most people are visual learners. They -are- going to attempt to emulate what they see before what they hear. Almost all will start pulling ESF and try to play like a badass, get pissed off, and never play again. I think this video had great info but was defeating itself. Sorry bud, still a subscriber.
Can't say I agree with your verdict, but still interesting to see that kind of feedback.
The thing that helped me a lot, and I noticed Wrel was doing this but I don't think he commented on it, was third person view. While flying around and not engaged I always pop out to third person. It makes flying easier and gives you a better view of what's going on. I just pop into first person when I'm chasing a target.
There's a little trench thing in the VR Training room that I was shown a while back, like a dried up river running into a dried up lake or something, with a bridge over it about half-way through. One outfit I flew with taught me that it can be a good spot to practice all the really super-fine movements with all aircraft, as well as their hit boxes for using live terrain as cover.
Hey Wrel glad you still use this channel. Even your so called 'outdated' videos still provide a wealth of data to use.
You have improved my game since I started playing planetside 2. Thanks and congrats working for the company.
I hope Planetside 2 'never' dies :).
he hasn't put up videos for months on this channel i would say he didn't put up stuff for over a year .. he's rather occasionaly streaming but that is it ...
Helps to know how to get out of hover: use a combination of vertical thrust, after burner, and pitching up, so you can get out fast. If you pitch down then you will stay in hover.
Rolling in circles, while using vertical thrust makes it hard for liberators daltons to hit you.
Major difference between the guns is that they have different bullet velocities which makes leading completely different.
It also helps to know when they enemy is using their vertical thrust, so you know how much to lead. It makes it confusing if both of you are using vertical trust to go up/down.
Some pilots like to shoot upside down to improve aim and make yourself harder to shoot because the ESF has stronger vertical trust going up and gravity helps you move faster.
Helps to have good sound system and look in fist person and third person. I like to fly1000m so they can't shoot you, and people tend to look down than up. Just dont fly in the middle, because then you get locked or spotted easier.
An important factor of flying is binding the 'throttle analogue' key (not bound by default) to something that is easily accessible as it will allow you to hoverfight much easier, and that is half of the airgame as you will be able to do reverse manouvers and turn around to your enemies far quicker.
Wait, what is "throttle analogue" and what does it do? o.O
Shrike Throttle analogue makes the aircraft enter hover mode and makes it stay in hover mode more reliably than just holding 'S'. This makes it possible to do a reverse maneuver. There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to perform one, and many other aspects of dogfighting which are all helped by that key.
Shrike Here's an old video that explains it as well: ua-cam.com/video/dXMzBrDTgCE/v-deo.html
Awesome, thanks!
Boy am I glad that I haven't flown against someone who flies like THAT. I probably wouldn't even be able to keep track of the guy.
In general, an excellent guide. Although I'm not quite sure if I agree with your very last point. In my experience at least, I tend to find that flying at maximum altitude is often the safest way to play. In dogfights, altitude is the name of the game. You have the ability to fly faster if need be and also place enemy ESF at a disadvantage by surprising them (in most cases) and by forceing them to fight a target which is above them (which tends to be a pain in the backside).
Wrel, how the hell did you find so many enemy ESFs withoput them doing voodoo magic reverce manuvers! Because of thet hellish thing i said goodbye to my favourite thing, my scythe, so how.. how does one find people who don't revece manuver?!
The infantry he shoots is the same, they never turn around and shoot back, or react whatsoever.
Seroster Wrel on private server with bots confirmed.
Hand-picked examples, i had a 20-killstreak yesterday with my A2A mossi, my overall KDR is 1.12 and i suck terrible at flying. Just wait, everyone will have such a day in his life :)
pascal1995215 lol, not hand picked in the least. This has more to do with server culture than anything else. [PREY] on NC are about the only fearsome pilots on Emerald.
Wrel Ok, i get rekt by everything and everybody on Miller and Cobalt almost all the time. BR100 VS Skyknight-duo camping the warpgate, or 4-6 reavers with lockons. But i was playing some VS on Emerald last week because of Serverproblems, i thought i was better than on Cobalt because of the delay between my shoots and the enemy's reaktion, maybe it was more than just that.
(Sorry for any mistakes, this is not my native language and i try to learn it since 13 years, i know i suck)
The moment when i noticed becomming better at flying was as i forced myself to immidiatly tourn and fight if i get jumped and not run away. You will lose a lot in the beginning but facing your enemy will ´make you stronger than running a way and get chased down.
Also the morst improtant thing is learn the reverse manouver and bind the analog trottle.
Something i can recommend is, grab a friend and practive hoverfights with him. Go the same faction and swap esfs so you can shoot eachother without getting weapon locked.
I once was a dedicated pilot in PS2, and the key to becoming a good pilot was to stay consistent. I havent been on planetside 2 for quiet a while now seeing as real life as hit me but i know that when i go back ill have to teach myself again. Many people think you need to be learning complex skills all the time to become a good pilot. Nope, all you need is the basics and some practice, i remember when i first took up flying in the scythe, lmao thinking about it now i was cruising throught the whole of indar thinking i was in star trek (btw im a mosquito pilot). Anyway back to the point, i agree with your points which are a great starting point, but its practice, practice and more practice that will create an efficient pilot. Im not saying im a good pilot but i was good enough to give advice like the advice i was once given. Oh man now i want to go back to planetside 2, miss all the good dogfights and infantry battles. Try finding an air outfit too it helps. But listen to Wrel he speaks wise words.
Thanks for the reinforcement. I don't consider myself a skilled pilot by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know how much I've improved since I first started flying, and being able to share the tips that helped get me here, (wherever that is,) is something I feel worthwhile.
Couple of hints and tips to add to that: If in the earlier levels, when you're less experienced that is, you should invest in the high speed airframe by default, especially if you're TR, take full advantage of the speed buff of your faction. When you're more experienced and you want to play more of a "grounded" style like Wrel here, invest in the manuevering airframe to allow for tighter turns in cramped spaces like forest areas.
Bind your pitch keys to your mouse, if you have Forward and Back keys on your mouse (located on the thumb rest) you should bind those to your pitch. This will give you a great advantage over those that don't, those who are frantically yanking their mouse around. (gives you continuous pitch control whereas others don't) and bind your roll keys to Q and E.
Lastly, when you're maneuvering, roll on your side and pitch DOWN, pitching down is much faster than pitching up or Yaw controls in general, gives you another advantage, especially handy in evasive maneuvering.
this flying footage looks so epic
Engagement radar, stealth, hover stability, needler or rotary, and yes coyote missles. The coyotes are not a gimmick, they might not do a lot of damage but psychologically they freak a lot of greener pilots out cause suddenly there is fire all around them and you can switch to your gun and hammer them while they are stunned. The nanite auto repair won't kick in for 12 sec if they r taking damage, and it's not hard even for new pilots to land at least 1 coyote every 11 sec to negate auto repair. I use this setup on the TR mosquito. In hindsight, i would have upgraded stealth 4 BEFORE upgrading the hover stability 3. And you are super correct about engagement radar being the 1st major upgrade. Soooo important. Good video.
It's also good to note that ESFs can handle more like a helicopter than a jet. Being able to pull off a reverse manoeuvre and stay in hover mode are pretty important in those situations where there's no time to escape.
The key to being good at Planetside is too have a monster pc that can run it at high fps. Otherwise forget about flying..
eww
nah, just play on low setting. Thats it
Yannix can I still fly if I get 25 fps on the ground
Adhil Habib If you get 25 fps on ground, you might get around 30-ish when flying =)
i fly at 45-60fps with settings at medium with a GTX860 laptop
Your advice seems insightful. I'm primarily a tanker, especially a Magrider enthusiast, but I would like to dabble in the annoyances that aircraft bring to the battlefield lol.
As a mostly visual learner, I have to say this is like showing a class of pilots on their first ever lesson Top Gun and telling them "This is what we gonna do today, GET GOING!". Still took a few valuable tipp from this.
Also, f*** Mosquitos!
I have always been impressed by flying and people that have developed their skills with the ESF's and all that, i think its time i get serious about flying. I think by far one of the Greatest ways that i have learnt my control and confidence during the beginning of my experimentation with the ESF's was from hunting Pumpkins and Snowmen during the respective seasons. I remember at the start of the pumpkin patch last year i wasn't to good at flying and non to confident either, accidentally running into the ground and all that and being negative about it, then i spent 4-12 hours just flying around treas and the like finding pumpkins and i got confident with movement, now, a bunch of month's later i feel really good about my control and all that, i just cant aim well at other esf's maybe because ive been running as infantry 97% of the time, 1% armor and 2% esf's just for bombing runs and the odd air platoon, ima get back at it for sure, thanks for the inspirations!
My best tip for ESF combat is something nobody ever mentions. You can put, or keep, your ESF in hovermode by descending and pitching up, just like you would with ascending and pitching down. I play a very rush oriented Reaver style and popping in and out of hover quickly in any situation is really important for my style of play, but entering hover by any means necessary can be important for any playstyle.
I like to use fire suppression because it gives you an extra chance at running away from someone if they r shooting you and you are on fire, it also helps because depending on what level your fire suppression is, the more repair you get when you activate it giving you an advantage in dogfights. Every health point matters.
The only bad thing about fire suppression is that you have to be closer to enemies to see them on your radar which means you can get attacked from far away and not see where it is coming from, giving your opponent an advantage, unlike the engagement radar that allows you to detect any air vehicles from greater distances.
i have figured out that there are three basic rules too being successful in an ESF
1. fly in packs, almost always be near freindly ESFs
2. fly low when attacked or if you are locked onto by a missile
3. repair as often as possible (fly as engineer)
Well Wrel, looks you just uploaded this at the perfect time. I just recently started using ESFs now and soon after, this video came out! :D
I just can't get used to the unusual controls, I end up crashing into mountains and such because I keep hitting the wrong buttons and turn sideways instead of changing directions
Dat profile picture though! Great video as always wrel and keep up the great work.
As someone who had already played countless hours on MS Flight Sims before starting Planetside 2, I was in for a shock when I started flying ESF's. They don't handle, control, or react like a real airplane at all. For instance, banking left and right does not turn an ESF as much as it would a real jet, instead you have to bank and then pitch up or down to make the thing turn fast. It as an important thing to learn for me, because they I had to learn to control my ESF more like an flying infantry unit instead of a jet fighter.
Man how awesome and crisp your flying looks...
Wrel mine was being in a outfit to help you learn from others while trying to fly. Flying in groups with friends.
Thanks for the this old video wrel. I just started recently playing PS2, and I would like to become an expert pilot and be good on the ground as well. I enjoyed this video, and It was quite helpful. Thank you!
If anyone wants to learn how to fly low, I recommend flying around in the Indar Canyons. Great training opportunity, and there is sometimes the occasional distracted ESF that you can ambush from below and maybe get them to crash in a panic.
2 TIPS:
- Learn how to fly upside down & really close to the ground (low altittude) it helps a lot when trying to avoid Ground Lock Ons & its particulary useful when escaping from another ESF at Hossin... (flying in between the trees)
Huge tip: Press spacebar when manuvering around corners!
For me some top tips would be:
Staying alive is how you learn. Fly to stay alive, not get kills. Always retreat when your unsure about a situation.
Dont shoot too early. Wait till you can get close to an enemy, line up the shot and try to hit with the entire first clip if you can. Landing that clip first gives you a huge advantage. If it misses, you might get one more try before the enemy can fire back. If you miss the 2nd time. RUN.
Cert the fuel tanks. As much as you want the new awesome gun, the fuel tank is a better buy because it will let you stay alive longer.
Bind the pitch up and pitch down keys to your mouse's side buttons. Very important. Don't have a mouse with side buttons? Buy one!
Wrel! You're awesome first of all. I was wondering if you could make a thoughts on better gaming about FUN. A lot of people seem to forget what games are about. Gamers and producers alike. I was wondering what you think is fun in gaming. I love your work, you're awesome! Keep doing you!
That's a definite possibility. Had started writing up a script on "playing the game for YOU," but abandoned it. I think you're right though, especially when it comes to game developers. Often times, games are structured more around mechanics instead of around what's enjoyable, and there are some interesting examples I could pull in. Thanks for the idea.
As an experienced pilot i strongly advice not to fly between high and low because a lot of the "skilled" pilots fly high and you'll be an easy target for them while in the ground flak and lockons will have line of sight of you. To make it simple:
-If you are focussing in air to air fly high, pick your target, kill him and run away or take altitude again.
-If you are focussing in air to ground fly low.
So the first thing you should practice is flying low with the propuse of getting the hang of your esf and improve your reflexes (in VR training preferably, flying fast, dodging obstacles for example).
Here are some other random tips for begginers:
- Swich your "exit aircraft vehicle" key from F to G or number 4 to avoid exiting your aircraft by accident.
- Learn any kind of reverse maneuver or turns and try to be umpredicteble when performing them.
- Learn to get into hover mode (the basic way is pressing S and pitch down while holding the space bar).
- The esf's default nosegun is very accurate and performs good against any situation, there is no need to rush into other weapons.
- A popular "trick" in a dogfight is: while in hovermode alternate Ctrl and the Space bar for minimal but useful dodging.
- In a dogfight don't do crazy maneuvers if you cant aim your enemy while performing them.
haha i can fly but aim is other thing :D
excuse my english
Lol, don't worry about it, even us English speakers get stuff wrong, you're fine, you got your message across and I whole-heartedly agree!
Same
How to engage a liberator: get high up, and stay at a long range. Also keep in mind that experienced players will try to engage you if you are alone, so keep a good altitude and play with your mobility alot! because daltons are a 1shot burst.
Dont hover when trying to kill a lighting unless you have first determined that it is not a skyguard. Too often when I drive my skyguard I see esf's coming up on me then hovering still to fire only to realize too late I am AA. Also keep in mind that default lightning gun can kill esf in single clip. Basically, don't underestimate the lightning tank.
Any hints on what to use if making an air to ground build? Airhammer? Rocket Pods?
all my E.S.Fs have at least nanite repair level 1 and I'm a good pilot just not when it comes to shooting definitely trying this tomorrow keep up the good work
Sometimes in VR training, I'll practice flying as close to the ground as I can while zig zagging though the trees.
Nice guide as always. One thing bugs me is that in this particular video you come across so many pilots that just try to run away. On my server almost every 2nd pilot is some kind of skygod or think of themselves as such :D as first bullets hit they will do a full turn in no time and try to gun you down. I learned to fly in this conditions, can't say that I'm really good, but you know - just funny how servers differ.
BTW, radar is very handy for people who just don't feel like switching in and out with the camera - matter of taste. For myself I decided to keep it in all loadouts just for this matter, cause terrain, trees and towers don't bother me, I can fly in 1st person view through a needle ear (or how the saying goes?), but obviously, for target awareness you either need to switch out or use the radar, so that's what I do. Pity it shares a slot with other useful stuff..
I'm deliberately fighting in an area where the "skygods" won't come near, though. They're usually busy picking people off, as they don't have to deal with lock-ons or flak.
Wrel
I see, I usually try to do the same, but the other side of this problem is that in such areas lock-ons and aa-maxes are all over the place. Depends on the continent too, for example it's much easier to shake off a lock-on on Indar due to it's terrain, than on some plain on Esamir, though you manage just fine :)
Nice and helpful vid as usual.
However I disagree on the pointer that says "don't fly too high, but somewhere in between". Flying on ceiling gives you and edge over the people who are flying low/mid altitude+keeps you out of range of flak and ground lockons most of the time. It also increases the change of meeting someone for a 1v1 dogfigh without anyone interfering.
Now... flying in between is the worse possible position. Easy to spot from both ground and air and extremely vulnerable to ground fire, with no outs behind cliffs or any form of cover.
Just my 2 cents.
Follow a BR 100 pilot around, you will definitely live a lot longer as you protect each other. Doesn't even matter if you know the guy or not, spontaneous teamwork will just happen naturally. They will appreciate a wingman, noobie pilot or not. Of course, you can observe and notice how they move through the air and copy them. Just don't steal kill too much to annoy people. Don't fly directly behind other people too, you may crash into them.
I hate flying. I'm terrible at it. After watching this I'm tempted to give it another shot while attempting to adhere to the guidelines you provided.
I'd like to know your thoughts on flying with a Mouse and Keyboard, as opposed to a joystick. Every flight simulator I've played (X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Wing Commander, Star Lancer) I had to use a joystick. In PlanetSide 2, the mouse and keyboard combination feels so foreign to me while in flight, I'm still not used to it after six months of playing.
I'm trying to get use to roll with mouse... I usually pitch and yaw with mouse...
Nice flying! I need a lot of caffeine in my system to pull fancy maneuvers like that. I absolutely love flying in this game, but i suck at it big time.
One thing I use an esf for is a tactical insertion, mainly as an infiltrator. I'll use it to get a couple hundred meters behind enemy lines, hide it, then start sniping. It's a good strategy for helping change the tide of a small to medium size battle.
+Nathaniel Brooks
Do you mean Valkyrie? If you don't, then I suggest you use Valkyries instead of ESFs.
Cheaper, more health, and easier to use (albeit slower) low to the ground (to avoid enemy fire)
+Simon Lamoureux But with a Valkyrie, you don't have weapons to defend yourself. Unless you're able to get someone to come with you.
Nathaniel Brooks
That's rarely an issue, as it has enough health that you can quickly land (or even bail out with the right vehicle specs) even before it's on fire.
Thing is, i don't fight back if I'm off to go snipe, I'm off to go snipe I don't care what they'll do to my Jet. In fact I think it's better if I just let it fly off when i'm out so it distracts enemy fighters in the area or enemy infantry.
An enemy ESF can go as fast as you, and you can't escape it if trying to land quickly to escape on foot. A Valkyrie however, doesn't care what's shooting it (except for hornets, which is rare) and will keep flying, most probably until you've reached your destination (if you sneaked up to the area in question).
+Simon Lamoureux A Valkryie has LESS health than an ESF, I used a Grounder on it and insta killed it with full health, and I killed an ESF in 2 Grounder shots. 2 SHOTS. But I agree, it's cheaper, it's like a disposable camera, might come in handy but not all the time
OrbitalNukeIncomin Richten
Then maybe it has more bullet resistance.
It's totally inferior, in every way except price, but There's something that makes it take more damage (At least from bullets?)
I would say rebind your eject key to something other than "E" I use the 6 key. Almost impossible to ht when flying, but still close enough for use in quick succession.
Are you going to do a video on the recent "Daybreak Game Company" change? What I'd really like to know is if you and other people still have any power at all to prevent anything bad from happening if anything bad does happen.
this is interesting to me, because i don't consider ESFs an anti-air tool, i consider them anti-personnel- you'll certainly have more sucess against squishy infantry than against another pilot. some things really don't change- know where you can run to that is a no-fly zone for your enemies, even if that's jsut over a squad of allies who will tip the scales in your favour in a protracted duel. but ultimately, the battle is won by the guys on the ground covered in blood, sweat and nanoweave trying to hold points, and as such i tend to use weapons with large damage radii like the various dumbfire rockets with the spotter implant equipped, the idea being that if you don't kill your enemies, then your allies will see them coming and they will be wounded already. with these rockets equipped, you can also make a pretty nasty mess of tanks, if you can put every one into their rear armour, and once you've done that you can usually finish them off from a distance, sometimes before they've even turned their main guns towards you. prowlers are expecially easy targets (wide rears, often deployed) while vanguards have a nasty habit of popping their shield the moment they hit 60% health.
it should be noted that in small air to air fights i tend to either rely on coyote missiles (or dual photon pods- surprisingly effective) or ally support, and large air to air fights i avoid altogether- going elsewhere or hopping into a skyguard lightning, so anyone who thinks they know better than me about dogfighting is probably quite right.
Nice video, and not something I would expect.
I still think you should have mentioned basic controls, like "all stop" and "analog pitch".
I learned flying by playing everytime that faction that has Indar locked... but i came often to the point where the ESFs cost again 350 nanites even when your faction has Indar (there seems to be a limit for how many ESFs/Aircrafts your can spawn with the Indar-sale) after some time of dogfighting and dieing a got better^^ so for all new pilots: 1.Play the faction that has Indar 2.Dont get frustrated and Rage Quit (how i did often...) that doesn't help you at all... 3.If you get Farmed by a single player ovr and over again ask them to train you dogfighting or let you alive... most of them want mor good pilots to fight against so they will do it... (but some of them are D*cks and farm you even more but these are very rare^^)these are my tips to get better at Flying^^ hope to see ya'll ingame in a good and fair Airbattle :)BTW. nice Vid Wrel and good jop at getting into Daybreak^^Once i said to my friend that you should be in the Dev team but he said: "Not gonna happen m8..." and now look whos in^^would love to see more Air tutorials cause they are dead on UA-cam right know...
Nice new logo wrel like it :D
Good guide but can you explain why i get onr tapped by other planes and even if i hit them they don't seem to be taking damage?
Once you get enough practice in to really have your own style is important; just fly around, see what feels comfortable, be risky without killing yourself, and overall have fun! I honestly don't mean to advertise myself here but I do have a video where I am flying around the training grounds in a scythe, just practicing. (I would not consider myself a superb pilot yet) In case that might be entertaining check it out if you like. :)
moushn Added you to the list, sorry about that.
I like your flying style wrel. I see less players using this kind of dog fighting and much more use VTOL.
shoobeepdoobeepdooba Well, "hover fighting" is how dogfighting is done in this game. I'm just picking people off in this video, but that won't help me when dealing with someone who is going to turn and fight.
Wrel Wrel, on my server most pilots are very skilled, what can I do about that if I can't exactly start from a lower level? (Ground assaults are no problem for me, Air to Air is)
Alexus Dimitrov The same is true for your own faction. You can spawn an esf at warpgate and watch the other esf that are flying nearby or spawning. Generally the more aesthetic upgrades a pilot has the better at flying he/she is. Be a sidekick. Plus you'll learn from watching them engage targets.
Alexus Dimitrov lock-ons. You will get a lot of flack from the elitists that prefer a2a being nosegun only but a2a lockons and coyote heat seekers are in the game and should be utilized by the not as skilled of players. Eventually you'll become more accustomed to flying and dogfighting without them, allowing you to use a different secondary weapon should you chose to do so. ESF nose guns are fantastic if you're skilled, but it's hard to develop that skill early on and that's what the lockons were always designed to support.
It's very similar to dog fighting with an Apache ok Battlefield Play4Free because you could flip and make loops much like in PS3, unlike the newer BF games
Also to all new players if an enemy esf stops and begins hover dogfighting u need to either run or hover dogfight as well. If you try to fly like a plane in a hover dogfight you'll lose 10/10 times
i would love it if there was a less maneuverable aircraft with more armor on the bottom and front but less on the top and back so it could take ground fire but had to be protected from enemy ESFs. It's main strength would be extremely high firepower, so it could be like a specialized close support aircraft. I would really enjoy using it but it doesnt really fit with how planetside's anti air works.
Ahh, I remember singlehandedly taking down a high level scythe with just my commissioner. It was like the ultimate boss battle. On a side note, looks like the TR have a lame underpowered ESV. "Ooh look! Our mosquitoes are FASTER!"
***** you know, I think that completely balances everything out then.
That doesn't make it the best rotary. Mosquito is widely regarded as the worst esf in the highest level of skill, because of the reavers superior dps, and the scythes more difficult hitbox with guns facing target. This doesn't matter unless you are around that level of skill, though.
I wish there was a way to open fire at a target next to you or below you, while keeping the aircraft flying straight. It would make it much more easier to destroy enemy aircrafts, but then it would probably be confusing to control.
Liberators have a nose gun that can be aimed independently from the cockpit, full comp armor and a good crew allows all three people in a lib to wreck entire squads in seconds.
Wrel ur a good commentator. Thanks for ur vids.
This taught me a few things that I needed to improve in my air game. Thanks! Can't believe I saw myself so many times in this video and that Valk kill was gonna be mine if you didn't steal it :(
I would love to play any ESF but the way they handle tend to give me a headache because roll is very important when it coems to mauevering and such. I mainly play as NSO and I tend to use the Drift Dervish. I love using the Drift performance on the Dervish
I left PS2 just before the valkyrie got added, but ill try go give some advice as flying was my favorite thing to do in PS2. At one point I even started teaching new pilots.
For the lessons I did about a year ago, I made a word-document with the summarised contents of the session to help me out. It covers what i consider teh basics of flying and flying as an organised group. www.dropbox.com/s/0bu71uh6gkswhfo/RMIStraining.doc?dl=0
But most important to learning how to fly, is getting time in the air. From a total scrub, I slowly became one of the best pilots of the Ceres server at the time, just by not giving up and being persistent about wanting to improve
Hey Wrel, great video as always. Also, I have no idea if you have a PS4 at all but if u do have one and you would be willing to put its content on your channel, I think a lot of people (including myself of course) would love some videos on how to fly ESFs on console as its very different from PC. Thanks!
If you play on console (PS$) the Air Raidar is useless. You cant upscale the mini-map in setting or through pressing a button and the minimap is zoomed in too far to see enemy esf's from a usefull distance. You can bring up the full screen map but that takes a few seconds to load in, although daybreak has said that this will be improved with the next patch.
+FatUberUddersOfChaos this all of this and a free look in my cockpit
man, you are a good pilot
I actually find that flying in a straight line I what keeps me alive,
Players will fly up behind me trying to line up a shot and I cut forward thrust and reverse behind them and go nuts with the m18s on the mosquito
1TMI here, “the fleet does the flying, the MI does the dying.”
Bind pitch and roll to keys/buttons. I have a naga and it's won me many dogfights
Mosquito + hellfire = life (well against infantry) anyway, good guide and in my favorite vehicle
Every time i use my mosquito my crosshair automatically goes to the middle so that I fly straight, it’s really annoying when I’m tryna kill land targets and suddenly my esf gets horizontally. How do I fix that??
Awesome tips Wrel. However I would like to know, what controls are you using?! Mouse? joystick? gamepad? Those are insane moves and i seriously dont know how you guys keep doing them. And I consider myself above avarage FPS/ flying simulator player.
Thanks in advance
Wrel best man-Greetings from germany!
Hot damn! The piloting in this video is insane! (By my standards, at least.)
enhanced targeting helped me great on which targets I should go first or whether decided if I can take out that target
Go to VR, practice flying low ground over and over, it came fast to me that way.
I think I heard the reaver actually doesn't have an advantage in up thrust and has an inferior dive speed.
I just learned to fly today XD i have been playing this for 1 year now lol but i learned in the VR-training :D
Tip 1 - Don't play ESF unless you really like dogfighting and getting shot at all the time from the ground.
Tip 2 - Don't play ESF if you like attacking ground targets, that's what the Liberator is for
Tip 3 - Don't play ESF if you like attacking air targets other than other ESF, that's what skyguards and anti-air lock missiles are for.
Tip 4 - Don't waste nanites on ESF when you can make a damn sunderer and be a credit to the team.
+draconic33 wtf, these are dumb tips m11
+draconic33
1 - Fly upwards of 180M or so to avoid infantry fire and most MAX/Vehicles/G-A fire. To avoid dogfights, invest in speed airframe (racer) and fuel tanks, you can fly away from any fight and return at leisure to suddenly "ambush" the enemy plane until they run away or wisen up at which point they will be easy/easier kills.
2 - Hornets will take out any large ground target and most infantry targets (Though harder) and don't require at least two competent players, or coordination. You can do it alone.
3 - Hornets/A few salvo of rockets will take out any and every large plane, from distances they won't be able to fully fight back from (exempting some light turret fire for some planes) and Valkyries don't need anything but your defualt MG.
4 - there is no such thing as a waste of nanites. And a single ESF can take down several Sunderers seeing as how they often have no Air Defence on them, you can stay out of infantry range (or have flares) and even if they do have air defence, you can kill them from further than they can accurately hit you no matter the weapon (except for the Ranger which next to no Sunderers equip, they instead use a weaker weapon that can also target ground).
Tip 5: Play like you want to, I Play mainly Esf, and kill a lot of groundtarges, also Valkires or lesser tanks.Answer: Coyote-Missiles, and the PCA.gun, wich kills Infanterie nearly instant, does a lot of area-gmg.Slow firerate, but youll be able to manage that sooner or later.
The Reaver is the worst ESF of the 3. Bugged main weapon that doesn't hit where you aim unless you are at a perfect distance to target, also has the largest hitbox and hardest to fly because the reaver is the widest. Wings and landingpads often hits the surrounding areas when you fly like this Mosqitoe does in this vid.
I noticed at the end of the video when you were shooting the scythe, the shots didn't seem to connect with the model, but rather just off of it, like the hit-box extends further than the model itself.
Sucks for dogfighting but hellfire missiles are fun to use on unsuspecting ground targets!
A question to experienced pilots or even moderately experienced: How do you land your ESF on a landing pad? Everytime I try to I end either too far away where I just tip the edge or I end up overshooting it and crashing or flying in circles because I suddenly got more speed than I wanted
+Tigranes Gryphen First off. You need to use your minimap as a guide, it will show you when you are directly over the pad. As you fly over the pad, move your mouse upward so that your ESF tilts toward the sky, while using your spacebar. This will quickly make you loose speed and move backwards a little bit at the same time. Or simply get to the lowest possible speed, and press c to lower yourself to the pad, always using the minimap as a reference. Hope it Helps :D
That helps quite a bit thanks :D