Pro Tips Thread

[MWLL|Seraph]

As resonse to tip #70 :

Pro Tip #71 : Ejecting from your 'Mech does destroy your cockpit (and makes it stealable by your enemy) but when you power down first ("P") and eject then ("F") your head armor stays intact and the vehicle can not be stolen.

[Alexander]

Tired of being named "Nomad(5)?"  Open your console using the ` key and then type       name Callsign with a space between name and your callsign.

Even better - if you've got a spare minute, click the "profile" button at the top right of the main menu (I think) and make yourself one with your name of choice - no more looking like a clueless freebirth!

[Askis]

Never underestimate vehicles!
While most aren't as strong as heavier 'Mechs, even a Harasser can be very dangerous to an Assault 'Mech if it can plink away at the rear armor for a while.

Most importantly:
NEVER turn your back on a Demolisher!
No matter what weapon it has, all of them chew through rear armor fast.
If there's an enemy 'Mech in front and a Demolisher behind you, pray for backup, try to get both on one side or run if you want to survive.

[MechPredator]

request for a tip, how can I use the fire bombs correctly? I have no idea how I can hit a mech/tank (even did a 90 degree bomb-run on a mech, released the fire bombs and nothing happened.

[KingLeerUK]

request for a tip, how can I use the fire bombs correctly? I have no idea how I can hit a mech/tank (even did a 90 degree bomb-run on a mech, released the fire bombs and nothing happened.

Firebombs retain the momentum of the vehicle from which they are launched, but as you'd expect they fall with gravity.  They are a bit tricky to get the hang of, but the easiest way to get up to speed with them is to do diving salvos against ground targets, coming down on them nearly vertically.  Release your firebombs just prior to pulling out of your dive.  If you time it right, the bombs will "continue on their way" into the target.  If a target is moving, you will need to compensate by placing your bombs slightly in front of [its] current position.

I find firebombs very hard to use on Extremity (tend not to use them on that map, actually) since gravity doesn't work in your favour.

The other way to use firebombs is to skim the ground at about 30m and release your bombs as your target is masked by the nosecone of your aerospace and then pull an immediate bank & pull-up to get out of the blast zone.  This tends to place the bombs firmly in somebody's lap.  You'll know you've hit if you hear the "thud" of the Crysis hit indicator, with Light 'Mechs you usually will see them die...  

[KingLeerUK]

By request... KingLeerUK's Hawkmoth Piloting Basics

No warranties are expressed or implied. 

"W" - upthrust
"S" - downthrust (but not very much)
"A" - rotate left
"D" - rotate right
Mouse Forward/Back - pitch nose forward/back
Mouse Left/Right - roll left/right
"SHIFT" - this is a thrust modifier, it changes the vector of the UP thrust to FORWARD thrust when held, when released resets to UP thrust

All of the rest of the controls are the same as other vehicles.

The trick with VTOLs is finding a balance between upward thrust and forward momentum when trying to target something.  Your friend in this adventure is changing the throttle behaviour to work with your preferred piloting type using "K".  I prefer to keep my throttle unlocked, (the default), meaning that I have to hold "W" to maintain up or forward thrust (depending on SHIFT modifier).  I prefer this for most flight modes, but using "K" to set a hold/ramping throttle and ramping to about 5/8 throttle lets me establish a relative "hover" state that is good for LtGauss sniping or LRM platforming.

The big trick with the Hawkmoth is keeping it alive.  The thing has tin foil armour and a shot into your side will pretty much wreck the engine in one salvo.  If you are engaging air-to-air be sure to try and face a target and not let an enemy get a good hit on your sides.  On the plus side, if your engine is taken out, you can power down and ride-your-wreck down to a safe altitude to bail out, assuming that AA isn't ripping you a new one.

Keep an eye on your armour, as with several of the other vehicles in the game, we don't have full audible feedback *yet* for taking damage depending on the surface type and the incoming weapon.

[RoninShooter]

request for a tip, how can I use the fire bombs correctly? I have no idea how I can hit a mech/tank (even did a 90 degree bomb-run on a mech, released the fire bombs and nothing happened.

Firebombs retain the momentum of the vehicle from which they are launched, but as you'd expect they fall with gravity.  They are a bit tricky to get the hang of, but the easiest way to get up to speed with them is to do diving salvos against ground targets, coming down on them nearly vertically.  Release your firebombs just prior to pulling out of your dive.  If you time it right, the bombs will "continue on their way" into the target.  If a target is moving, you will need to compensate by placing your bombs slightly in front of [its] current position.

I find firebombs very hard to use on Extremity (tend not to use them on that map, actually) since gravity doesn't work in your favour.

The other way to use firebombs is to skim the ground at about 30m and release your bombs as your target is masked by the nosecone of your aerospace and then pull an immediate bank & pull-up to get out of the blast zone.  This tends to place the bombs firmly in somebody's lap.  You'll know you've hit if you hear the "thud" of the Crysis hit indicator, with Light 'Mechs you usually will see them die...   

Oh man i love firebombs. 4 firebombs and every mech is down... Like King said i´m always flying directly on my target and in last moment (50 m before the target) i let them fall and get my nose up again. After a little practice its easy to hit and you get C-Bills over C-Bills...

[wonderboy2402]

Pro Tip: Fly over the runway while in aerospace and press "." to auto buy ammo.

*slaps forhead*

... I never thought of that!

Fancy yourself a ground attack pilot?  When in a shiva equipped with machine guns and AC2 try and dive on a target at about a 50+ degree angle. Any lower and you may risk crashing into the target or clipping a tree.  When you launch your SRM and AC/machine guns, pull out and hit your afterburners (Shift) for a quick escape.

As you gain elevation upwards for a few seconds, cut your thrusters to 30% and then rudder hard left/right while turning nose back over and  down onto your target. If possible keep your nose elevated with the terrain until you turn fully back towards your target... You should actually do a quick turn while leveling out due to your slower speed at the height of the rudder turn.

This maneuver is awesome for quickly lining yourself up again after a pass, especially against light mechs or armor.  Make sure to crank up your thrust because you have lost airspeed.  Usually 60-75% will get you leveled for a dive attack.

This works awesome against missile boaters for a front on surprise attack that passes then a quick turn around to hit them from behind.

[Galaxy613]

Not hitting crap with that TBolt-equipped Aerospace Fighter? Let the NARC lock on and fire before you release your TBolt's! It improves the accuracy of the missiles if only a little, but I've been able to this successfully two times now. And if you do it correctly and pull up just in time, you can even go back to your base and get more ammo instead of kamikazing into the ground!

[Cujo]

Spyro's guide to Firebombing (better than Kingleer's) (I fail...me and Cujo are brothers and I forgot to sign out of his user before posting this...this is obviously posted by Spyro)

-Use about a 45 degree angle down when running in
-Bombs are drag chute bombs and as a result should be dropped closer into the enemy than you would normally think
-Bomb release should allow time to pickle (term for dropping bombs and coming off target so as to not get fragged by your bomb) before impact is made...never be within 30 meters of the ground or you bombs will also hit you (note on a direct hit you will need to be higher) (note note: if theres latency you can get away with it as the bombs won't "explode" until the server catches up at which point your far enough away)
-Practice on your own server, buy a mech, walk out of the hangar, suicide, buy a Sulla C, and start bombing...practice makes perfect
-Proper strategy involves finding an enemy mech that is as slow and big as possible and is engaged with something else...it is best to come in from behind, relatively low passive radar (I suggest terrain following and popping up at 400 meters to target), drop bombs and terrain follow out

once your good enough with bombs you can alter your angle down more as you will get the feel of their drop speed

*These tips are meant for instructional use only, use of these tips against Spyro, should he finally use a Mech or Tank in a game with Aeropsace, will result in an angry purple dragon ramming 2 Gauss slugs from a Shiva through your cockpit*

[dimachaerus]

Another Aerospace Tip:

Always run radar off until you line up on a target, people don't tend to look up, but they WILL spot that little triangle on their radar, and the sight of that little red triangle brings every single one of them out of the woodwork to try and cram whatever ordnance they can up your tailpipe.

[Hayduke]

Circle of Death, Torso Twist and circle around your enemy. Moving laterally to their facing makes it harder for them to hit you.

[Mstenger404]

protip: alt-f4 is useful for when your parents grounded you from playing games and they've decided to come home early.

[Valarius]

Are there any tipps AGAINST Battlearmor?

[Cujo]

For dealing with Battle Armor, watch their jump characteristics, see where they become slower and less maneuverable.  don't use slow recycle weapons meant for killing mechs/tanks, use weapons that have AoE damage associated with it, and chain fire your weapons.