Evasive Maneuvers

[Sammy B. T.]

"The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm"

Something worthwhile remembering. While scary to do, evasive maneuvers, especially  vertical maneuvers, increase in effectiveness the closer you are to an enemy ship due to the way gun arcs work. It goes against every inclination but sometimes the best response to an ambush is to move closer while rising or falling. Its one of the main reasons I tell my buff engineers that the balloon buff is my most important buff.

Conversely the opposite is true. The more you can engage a ship at the edge of your range, the less able they are to escape your arcs. Too many gat mortars and carronades just never stop moving forward and if a target is outside of your vertical arc, moving forward doesn't help as much as satying still or even moving back.

[HamsterIV]

In the situation the OP described I would drop tar and start looking for hard cover.

The most conventional way to win a 2v1 against competent opponents is to put something between you and the gun arcs of one of the ships.  Then resolve combat as a quick succession of 1v1 encounters. If you are really good and the other team isn't coordinated, you can use one enemy ship to block the gun arcs of the other.

Alternatively you could also take one enemy ship out of the fight with the use of carronades, flamers or a well placed mine. Then kill his team mate while the first ship is trying to recover.

None of these techniques have a high probability of success but make for great stories if you can pull them off. Your best bet in a 2v1 is to get back with your ally. In fact some enterprising individual wrote a guide on the best way to run away escape from a bad situation.

https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,4939.0.html

[Indreams]

Does anybody know if it's possible to "strafe" with the front gun facing the enemy?

I think if you flew forward, than turned the ship perpendicular to the direction of travel (with the engines off), the forward momentum would let you aim the front gun at the enemy while moving sideways.

I think a squid or a goldfish might pull this off. Does anybody know if this works?

[HamsterIV]

Does anybody know if it's possible to "strafe" with the front gun facing the enemy?

I think the correct term is "power slide." It is possible to do it in the game but I can't think of why you would do it with front guns. If they are pointed at the enemy, you have done your job right.

Power sliding is fun on a galleon especially on capture point maps. Sometimes I burn full speed for the next point and about 20 meters out activate phoenix claw and pull a 90 degree turn while letting momentum carry me onto point and the lateral drag to slow me down so I stop on the capture point. Some times when flying full speed through the canyons you have to power slide to make a particularly sharp turn.

[Indreams]

So, it's possible to Galleon side-ram!

Watch out world, Indreams have a new toy to play with!

[Nidh]

I call it drifting, and though it isn't always practical during an engagement it is best used to get around tight corners. During an engagement, it's very difficult to find a good use for it, unless the enemy is distracted, then it is a great way of getting on their blindside or behind them.

[ShadedExalt]

How to evade on a Goldfish.  Step one: Pop vent. Step two: pop shine.  Step three: pop claw. Step four:  Enjoy your engineers panicked screams and your gunner's maniacal laughter.

[Indreams]

I just noticed that it takes more than 7 seconds for most ships to attain maximum vertical speed (around 17m/s) but mobula can do it in 3 seconds.

Btw, do you drop faster with chute vent or dead balloon?

[ShadedExalt]

Holy crap, I just saw the Powerslide post.  Dear god is this gonna scare the bejeesus out of some poor sap.  Thanks!

[Sammy B. T.]

How to evade on a Goldfish.  Step one: Pop vent. Step two: pop shine.  Step three: pop claw. Step four:  Enjoy your engineers panicked screams and your gunner's maniacal laughter.

Make you're gunner help with repairs. No reason to have someone on gun if I have no engines and am currently in evasion mode. Despite popular belief being a gunner doesn't excuse one from work.

[Indreams]

I usually tell my crew, "Hull and Engines", when I'm escaping.

Hull keeps us alive. Engine keeps us on the move. I usually ignore the balloon as it is highly unlikely I'll chute or hydro twice in one maneuver.

[Ightrril]

I usually tell my crew, "Hull and Engines", when I'm escaping.

Hull keeps us alive. Engine keeps us on the move. I usually ignore the balloon as it is highly unlikely I'll chute or hydro twice in one maneuver.

It's still best to make sure they repair the balloon when they can, otherwise you could be left with a half-empty bag of air that's just keeping you from scratching the ground while there is a wall of terrain in your escape path.

One of the most enjoyable ways to escape on a Goldfish, I find, is to charge straight towards the metamidion and just dodge past it, or even slam down onto its balloon armour, shooting you high into the sky.

[ShadedExalt]

Make you're gunner help with repairs. No reason to have someone on gun if I have no engines and am currently in evasion mode. Despite popular belief being a gunner doesn't excuse one from work.

Oh I know.  But I meant if you wanted to avoid a ram or something or other.  If it was full out panic mode I would get him off guns for sure.  Then I would escape behind some measure of cover, if at all possible.

[Indreams]

I read on the old forums that the height ceiling was different for different ships. Is this still true, and is it exploitable?

[DJ Logicalia]

I read on the old forums that the height ceiling was different for different ships. Is this still true, and is it exploitable?

I don't know this for sure, but I would imagine what was meant was a ship like the Spire would hit the flight ceiling faster that the mobula based on ship size and shape alone