Learning to Pilot

[Paras]

Hey Folks,

I'm trying to be a better pilot, and I'd really prefer not inflicting my lack of skill on other players too much while I figure things out, so I thought I'd see if any of you had tips/tricks for practicing.

I've played around in practice mode quite a bit, but it's not actually all that helpful with the open layout.  Is there a way to change the map you play on for practice?  There are a couple of decently complicated maps that I think would be good practice, but all I can play on is Blumer's Blastyard.

Any tips for setting up a driver's education course?  Can I get back into Novice mode for practice (silly me, leveling up my Engineering first)?

Thanks!

[Carn]

Sadly you can't change the practice map. It's one of the things on Muse's to do list. As for tips, play the ships to their advantages. Squids are quick and mobile, play hit and run. Galleon's are broadside ships, learn the angles to line it up. I would recommend practicing with some of the guns first, so you can get an idea of its difficulty, and so be better able to get your gunners a shot.

[Daft Loon]

One thing you can do in practice is get an idea of the limits on weapon arcs and how they overlap.
-Enter practice with your desired ship loadout, dont move the ship
-Hit F3 to stop the AIs from shooting
-Go to one of the guns and turn it to its maximum
-Hit F7 to place an immobile non shooting target at the furthest point in that direction the gun can shoot (you can do this while on the gun)
-Return to the helm to see where this will be in your field of view as a pilot
If you place targets at the 'inside' maximum arcs of 2 or more guns you can see the range in which they overlap, if this lines up with a memorable bit of your ship (a cable,railing etc) you can remember it fairly easily.

If you can get 3 others to join you you can set up a custom game with any map you like (any 2v2 map, you need 5 or 7 others to get 'any' map), you don't have access to targets but as long as you don't kill each other or capture any points you can practice flying around all you like.

Misc advice
-Don't be afraid to fly backwards or to change from forward to backward suddenly, mobula, junker and spire (and squid if its only going junker speed to start) are all very good a this.
-Use stamina for acceleration more than speed, turning, linear and vertical.

[BlackenedPies]

Rebind your keys. Ideally you need to be able to use the movement, throttle, number, and voice keys simultaneously without overlap. Having your map and captain target (B) close by is also necessary. I recommend trying the mouse buttons as throttle and middle mouse as stamina. This allows you to change throttle faster than pounding the RF keys, and it frees up shift to use for X chat (Ctrl for C). I use C for map, X for tab, and 1234 is Alt mouse3 mouse4 Q (two side mouse buttons). Practice changing between full forwards and backwards throttle as fast as possible

Standard pilot loadout is kerosene, phoenix claw, and hydrogen. The second loadout is kero, drogue chute, and hydro which is standard for the mobula and good against frequent balloon pops. Burn kerosene all the time. If you're on a pyra or goldfish you will be burning at least 2/3 of the match. Kerosene is your best friend, it's cheap to use and can be healed by spanner (same with claw). Hydro lasts for 3 seconds so only turn it on for an instant and hold up. Never be afraid to use tools.

When you first spawn use at least 3/4 of your stamina to get a start. Stamina is most potent when used for vertical movement and is good for turning. Stamina doesn't replace tools so don't use it alone when you can burn kerosene or claw. Don't waste stamina to move faster because you may find yourself at a big disadvantage in combat when the other pilot uses their stamina for vertical (+horizontal). Using stamina for pure forwards speed is only for an emergency or if there's nothing to fear.

[ZnC]

Pilots have the largest influence on how the game will go because they make most of the core decisions (e.g. ship choice, loadouts, tactics). Remember it's not all about moving a ship, as a pilot you gotta know what's happening on your ship and in the game.

A few pointers:
1. Find your signature ships and playstyle
This is usually just your favourite ships - I like big guns so I go with Spire, Galleon, and Goldfish.

2. Manage your crew
-Pregame planning - let your crew know who is in charge of what guns and components
-Call out urgent repairs for your Engineers
-Let your Gunner know when they can take a shot, even slight movements can throw a good shot off
-It's also a good idea to play as Engineer and Gunner; you will have an understanding of what your crew does and how to manage them

3. Get used to your ships
No matter how many tips you read, this takes practice and experiencing different situations. Only then you will understand why certain pilot tools are important in certain situations.

4. Communicate with allied pilots
Either let them know what you have in mind, or listen if an experienced pilot is calling the tactics.

5. Press 'M' to look at the map
Like seriously.

6. After having a good grasp of the above, learn how to use stamina
Stamina helps to maneuver better, but understanding the game and communicating with your crew and other pilots comes first.

Rebind your keys according to your preferences, make sure you are comfortable with them. I'm pretty efficient with the 'R' and 'F' keys, but that might be because I got pretty fast with my keyboard from playing Starcraft.

Good luck!

[Ashunera]

I've never heard about this standard pilot loadout, I prefer Kero-Claw-Impact Bumpers. Use what you want. Except Range finder. Fuck the Range finder. Nobody should ever use range finder.

Here are two tips from me:

One: Look at the Map. See those gridlines? each square is 1KM^2, use it to estimate distance. Also, use the map.

Two: A lot of people seem to forget this for some reason but this isn't the Ocean, we have 3 Dimensions of Travel. Ascend and Descend. Use Height to your advantage. I see too many matches where everyone skirts the top the whole game.

[Daft Loon]

Fuck the Range finder. Nobody should ever use range finder.

As far as the original question about practicing try using the rangefinder in the sandbox (and only the sandbox) to get an idea of what the ranges look like.

[BlackenedPies]

Give recommended loadouts. Tell people their position and give them appropriate tool and ammo. This can be done by setting up loadouts in the ship menu and clicking on the bullet or spanner icon at the left side of the player's name. This ensures that everyone is using the right tools and ammo.

Gunners aren't necessary, and in most cases a buff engi outperforms a gunner. Buff engineers can repair better, buff components, and deal more damage than gunners. Gun buffs can be kept up perpetually by buffing during reload and provide +20% damage increase. Buffed regular ammo is higher damage per second than greased. Most guns don't benefit from gunners and having an extra buff is a huge advantage to your ship.

[Ashunera]

Gunners aren't necessary, and in most cases a buff engi outperforms a gunner. Buff engineers can repair better, buff components, and deal more damage than gunners. Gun buffs can be kept up perpetually by buffing during reload and provide +20% damage increase. Buffed regular ammo is higher damage per second than greased. Most guns don't benefit from gunners and having an extra buff is a huge advantage to your ship.

I and many others prefer 2 engis and one gunner on most ships as the ammo variety and gunner stamina can help. It comes down to a matter of preference and playstyle. On Crazy King maps though, then 3 engis may very well outperform a gunner because you'll probably spend 90% of the match burning pilot tools

[BlackenedPies]

Most guns don't benefit from multiple ammos with the exception of specific arm time guns. The arcs from gunner stamina can be useful but it drains quickly (6.5 sec max) and takes the longest of all stamina to regenerate. The reload bonus from stamina is insignificant because you can only reduce a reload by a max of 1.6 seconds by draining all your stamina. It's easier to play with a buff engi than a gunner. The only clear example of where gunners are superior is on the mine launcher and sometimes the lumberjack.

Gunners are for utility. A common misconception in pub matches is that ships need gunners to do damage. Gunners do less damage and are inefficient at repairs, but there are situations where extra ammos can be used for utility. Running with 3 engineers means you can start combat with buffed guns (+20% dmg), buffed engines (+25% thrust), buffed hull (+30% HP), and the amazing buffed balloon with +100% lift force and -25% drag.

[VomAct]

To go back to your original question, just try different things.  I found the best way to learn to fly was to actually crew on some very experienced captains' ships and just payed attention to what they did. But here are a few general tips for those interested in breaking into flying.

> Start off with your pilot tools as Kerosene, Phoenix Claw, and Hydrogen. Use your crew for spotting.
> Start with Goldfish, Junker, or Squid with wide-arc guns (gatlings, banshees, flamethrowers, artemi, carronades, or flares)
> Canyon Ambush and Firnfeld are the two easiest maps to learn flying on because the terrain is mild but there is still decent cover

> As a pilot, you have 2 jobs: Job 1, point guns at enemy; Job 2, avoid getting killed.  Everything you do is to accomplish one of these two things.

Now of course there is all the other stuff that goes along with piloting, like crew loadouts and communication. Basically, have recommended loadouts ready or you will end up with very strange things.  Communicate with your crew and allied captain.  You don't have to rebind your keys that much, but I suggest changing map to something more convenient (I use MMB).

[DJ Logicalia]

(Paras is one of my favorite Pokemon)

[ShadedExalt]

(Torterra > Paras)

[Clockeye]

Im' still a beginer pilot, but I still practice in a way:
To try out a ship, I  go on practice mode and park really close to eg. a rib or some other obstacle that doesn't move.
then I take a flight and try to make some manouvers, after which I try to park the ship in the same exact spot.
Helps you to learn about ship's momentum, speed and a that.
Of COURSE it all goes to hell when I'm being shot by two fishes with hwatcha and the crew screams at me and I panic....
But THAT part of training you have to go through with your crew in the matches ;P

[Schwalbe]

...you really practice like that in a regular chat and not in practice mode? (you made such an implication in your post)