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Learning to Pilot

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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!

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