How do you guys control jets/helicopters?

[DarkStar]

Because I suck at it. I mean, do you guys use joysticks or some shit? Controlling them with the mouse for me is just about impossible and if I use the directional pad, that means I can't shoot! Maybe I'm just not cut out for piloting and should stick to more terrestrial forms of transportation.

Help me, give me tips, my skills are really quite feeble.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

I use a mouse, never have used a joystick... would be interesting but I think I would still stick to Mouse.

basically you have to realize a chopper uses it's rotors to move, unlike a jet where you roll to turn, in a chopper when you accelerate your rotor spins faster.

the direction the ROTOR is facing is the direction you move.
for instance pressing UP while landed will spin the rotors and you will take off, to actually build forward momentum you need to tilt the rotor forward. /
so to do that you need to lower the nose of the chopper (see now you are moving in the direction the rotor is spinning)

to gain altitude balance out the chopper again ---

to reverse you need to raise the nose of the chopper slightly, this can be tricky for beginners so don't fret about it too much. \

if you want to strafe, you roll the chopper slightly either side.

when flying a chopper, you fly by feel basically, you just have to practice practice practice, some get it as soon as they sit in a chopper seat (moi ) others can't wrap their head around the whole rotor concept.
once that clicks for you, it's easy.

(sorry if this is really disjointed, it's 1:40AM)

 

[J_Tweedy]

I was used to inverted flight controls, so when i finally got that sorted ive found them fairly easy. Except you get much more of a feel for how big and heavy these things are than in say bf:v. The turning circle is appalling unless you bank it aswell, but it's easier to slow down and hover, and to land.

 

[craig]

A sidewinder joystick is definitely the way to go. You don't have to constantly keep adjusting your pitch as you do with a mouse, you just twist in the direction you'd like to go and it moves in that direction (lame explanation I know!). Unfortunatley for me my A7N8X mobo didnt come with a ****ing game/midi port, so I've just spent the last 2 hours lookin for old sound cards and all I could find was a piece of shit creative one, which I am about to check to see if it works :\

 

[DarkStar]

Okay, thanks for the tips guys.

Thanks redundant for your help, but I've practiced for quite a while on a servers I've created specifically for practicing, and I STILL crash all the time.

I may look into getting a joystick because, I really am worthless piloting with a mouse.

 

[Raziaar]

Keyboard and mouse all the way. :smoking:

That was a pretty good explanation though, Mr.Redundant

 

[15357]

Okay, thanks for the tips guys.

Thanks redundant for your help, but I've practiced for quite a while on a servers I've created specifically for practicing, and I STILL crash all the time.

I may look into getting a joystick because, I really am worthless piloting with a mouse.

Note to self: Never ever go into a chopper while DarkStar is piloting.

 

[Raziaar]

Okay, thanks for the tips guys.

Thanks redundant for your help, but I've practiced for quite a while on a servers I've created specifically for practicing, and I STILL crash all the time.

I may look into getting a joystick because, I really am worthless piloting with a mouse.

Flying a heli with the mouse is easy. First, maybe turn up your mouse sensitivity a bit, and think of your mouse like a top. For a top to stay upright(while spinning), it needs to not be slanted in any direction, and receive its balance from the spinning. Well, you're doing the same thing with your mouse, you are rotating it around in circles, to make it lean in that particular direction. Push it forward on your desk, you're gonna move forward, pull it back, you'll move back. Side to side, you'll go to those sides. So really, to stay balanced, its all about compensating in the opposite direction that you don't want to be going. Kind of hard to understand, especially with me typing this, but its real easy, especially since the heli's have auto hover.

Same with a plane. The best thing to do, is up your sensitivity a bit, but while flying, *LIFT YOUR MOUSE UP OFF THE DESK FIRST* before applying where you want to go. Since you're working with such a small surface area for the mouse, you can't just continuously drag it in the direction you wanna go. You need to lift it up, and plop it down at the opposite end of the way you will be dragging it, so you have not only more room to do your tight manuevers, but also so you won't be inputing any unncessary mouse movement. Say your mouse is in the middle of the mousepad... when in a plane and you want to go up, you need to slide the mouse on the pad towards you. However, you're in the center of the pad, and the distance between that to the end of it is short. Lift your mouse up(laser mouse preferred), put it at the top end of the mousepad real fast(it becomes second nature), and then drag it down... You can repeat this as often as necessary if you need to keep pulling sharp manuevers.

Really though, that involves the 'mechanics' of flying with a mouse. Everything else is just practice and skill. Just remember that you're working with a small surface area unlike a joystick which you can just hold there.

 

[bliink]

I got in a chopper, as did a number of other troops.. it was all like "Yeah! lets go kick some ass!" we got over land, and suddenly, the pilot jumps out.

both chaingunners started firing as the body of the helicopter smashed into the ground. I never thought a helicopter crash would be fun

 

[15357]

I got in a chopper, as did a number of other troops.. it was all like "Yeah! lets go kick some ass!" we got over land, and suddenly, the pilot jumps out.

both chaingunners started firing as the body of the helicopter smashed into the ground. I never thought a helicopter crash would be fun

what happens to the passangers when a helicopter crashs? I never had been in a crash....

 

[Raxxman]

Bad things...

very bad things...

 

[Burn]

I use the keys and the mouse. I use the WSDA keys. Cant really explain how to fly, personally I think Im just a natural at it, since Ive got them down to a tea, but jets I end up crashing into buildings etc >_>.

Like MrRe said, you got to remember how the chopper works, unlike the jet where you just hold down whatever you got for throttle, the chopper you have to be more carefull, holding down the throttle will only get you so far, to be a good pilot you will need to learn to hover well so your gunner may do his/her job. For turning you can use the AD keys, or you can turn by tilting the chopper with the mouse then pulling back (Like a jet) both worth fine, but its better to turn with the AD keys if you want to move slowly.

Anouther tip, just tap the throttle when your learning to fly, the chopper will stay in the air if you dont even press it at all.. pretty well anyways, it will just hover, so take it slow.

Now combat with a chopper I find abit harder then with a jet, if your facing a jet, the best way to deal with it is to stay controlled, if you go crazy, releasing tons of counters and fly full speed away, your going to hit somthing, unless the jet is the harrier, there not going to be able to hover and shoot away at for ages, there going to need to just fire afew times, then do a large turn to come back around at you. Normally I dont even bother with them, I'll go fly very low between buildings, that normally makes them crash, or I'll fly over a base with lots of people, hoping someone will rocket it.

 

[westie]

The funniest thing is when you watch someone get in a plane they take off and nose dive into the sea, then they spawn in and get in a helicopter and lots of people get in the helicopter then he hovers abit and flys backwards into the sea, it's so funny watching it happen.

 

[Raxxman]

Westie, onlyproblem is when it's your plane they spoon into the sea, followed by you in the chopper

 

[NikolaX]

then some idiot start to shot my plane, kicked afterburner and just returned to carrier and do a very close fly by over the road and nail the ****er back to sea

 

[Jimmeh]

I use a joystick, it's hard to explain how to fly, Redundant did a good job of it. One thing you'll notice is that you always have to constantly make little corrections to keep yourself flying properly.

When stationary, upping the throttle will send you straight up, tilting the helicopter forward will send you forward, (the more throttle you put down the higher you go as well, so if you see a tree coming up - putting the throttle up and lifting the nose a little bit will lift you over it), tilting the chopper back will slow you down if you going forward, or send you backwards. The thing that's gotten a lot easier in the BF2 is that if just ease off all the controls for a while - you'll automatically go into a hover, which is useful for resupplying etc. Then two very important keys are the rudder controls, on the keyboard they're A and D, the swivel the copter on it's axis. So when doing a pass, easing off the throttle, tilting backwards a tiny bit and turning the rudder will turn you back around very quickly to make another.

But the main thing is, practice. It sort of comes natrual to you

 

[Lemonking]

MS SidewinderII Forcefeedback joystick ^^

 

[Doppelgofer]

i must admit i found piloting a chopper difficult at first but just practiced a lot and now ive mastered it...i've even just had matches where i solely pilot the passenger carrier chopper, flew over bases, lowered it, told them to bail out, pick up other people who need it then fly back to base...really good fun once you master the art of flying them

jets i'm getting there but i've not practiced much because i've been toying with the choppers more

 

[HunterSeeker]

I use keyboard only. Works well.

 

[gh0st]

Joystick + WASD with helicopter.

Joystick with jets.

 

[Foxtrot]

I use a joystick. I was really good at flying helos in DC, but I kind of suck in this game. Anyone know how to hover in place?

 

[Shodan]

Just now, I took a bunch of people from the carrier, in a Black hawk, dropped them off in the square in the town and landed back on the carrier!

I am so proud of myself, its only my second go!

 

[Ennui]

I fly with the directional keys, spacebar and num0 shoot.

 

[cadaver]

flightstick. 100 times more easy than keyboard/mouse.

 

[Burn]

I use a joystick. I was really good at flying helos in DC, but I kind of suck in this game. Anyone know how to hover in place?

Let out of the throttle, keep the chopper level (E.g dont bank etc) and it will hover.

 

[Pesmerga]

I've pretty much mastered helicopters and jet flying in my 3 days of the demo. It's really easy once you get comfortable with it, and free to try new things like landing on buildings. One question, is it possible to land a fighter jet?

Btw, who here inverts the pitch? Me!

 

[Foxtrot]

Well I don't think I can fly, my FPS averages about 8 (down from 50) when I get in a jet/heli.

 

[Gorgon]

Guys, quick question:

What camera are you using when flying 3rd or 1ft ?

 

[Vegeta897]

Ehh, I don't know if you don't know this, threadstarter, when using only the keyboard to fly, you can shoot with the spacebar... I use WASD and the arrow keys to fly.

 

[Foxtrot]

Guys, quick question:

What camera are you using when flying 3rd or 1ft ?

1st person

 

[Pesmerga]

1rst when flying, 3rd when either landing a chopper or seeing who's getting in the blackhawk. Although I only use 3rd when landing when I'm landing on a building or something perilous.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

Btw, who here inverts the pitch? Me!

my mouse is inverted at all times, in all vehicles, in all games, and on foot.

 

[PickledGecko]

The only problem that had me crashing all the time is, at first I was expecting something much more responsive. What you have to remember is there is a little bit of a lag between moving the joystic and the aircraft moving. The main reason for me crashing at first was overcompensating.

I'd be going left so I'd pull right, I'd keep pulling and pulling untill the helecopter moved. But by then I'd pulled too far and the chopper would end up far too far right. So again I'd overcompensate left. Which would usually put me into the ground.

 

[Asus]

I used to use keyboard/mouse all the time back when i played BF1942 and DC. All my friends used joysticks so i wanted to try it out. Bought a Saitek Cyborg Evo and had to relearn how to fly using a joystick. With a keyboard you tap the keys til it's enough then you let go and it slows down really quick (for turns or what have you). With a joystick the movement is always on (variable) until you center it or go the other way. Until I got the hang of it, I always went over too far. Little different to change IMO.

It's more fluid although I can't do those hairpin stops and turns with the helicopter anymore. I really like how the BF2 heli/planes fly. Just wish my mouse controls weren't inverted when flying.
BTW I still use joystick with it set on the table and keyboard in my lap.

 

[Reginald]

Am I the only one who uses WASD and the directional buttons?

And then I stick my mouse under my elbow to shoot. However stupid that sounds, it does work... quite worrying.

 

[J_Tweedy]

I used to use the arrow keys, and space bar for primary weapon in bf1942, but it was crap, too jerky in it's movements and i had no way of firing the secondary (eg. bombs) except darting my hand over to my mouse to click the right click button. Either buy a joystick, or learn to use the mouse, i stay away from jets whenever possible, theyre too fast anyway- helicopters are fun- the idea that the mouse is the top plane of a spinning top got me to understand it well. (in this thread)
Asus, you can change it so its inverted in control options.

 

[ray_MAN]

I use keyboard and mouse. The controls just come natural to me, I guess.

 

[Asus]

Asus, you can change it so its inverted in control options.

I had tried that but it stayed as it was. I'll try it again though.

 

[pAiNtHeAsS]

I only use keyboard. I find it too hard to control using the mouse.

 

[Glirk Dient]

I can fly helicopters perfectly and not crash...I can even line up targets with ease. My problem is hitting anything with those damned rockets, they dont go straight for the target you are aiming at...they go horizontal and all awkward and they have such a small blast radius it is next to impossible to hit anything.