Trying to become a better pilot has resulted in my creating/deleting over 100 char

[Phrygen]

Well, between the time it takes for a new EFT to be available, or for a resources to be available, i have found it better just to have two dud accounts and delete them each time i die. Gives me the most air time to learn to dogfight and maneuver better. Granted on my main i got flares and am going to have dogfighting frame soon... but i still die constantly in the air. Very hard to control and hard to lose enemies once they are following you (of course they lose me about 75% of the time)

Here is how it goes:

Create char
hot drop
While hot dropping, go to SOE store and test try rocket pods, should be able to get them by the time you land
Equip them to reaver once landed
You should be dead by this point (wonderful way to start noobs), if no, redeploy to wapgate.
switch to engi
get your EFT with rocket pods.
Go fly
Die
Logout
Delete char
remake char

Rinse and repeat.



Frankly, it feels annoying, and i know could wait 10-25 minutes in between flying, but there is no tutorial or practice area, or setting to get a EFT back immediately. Thus i just do this. How you are expected to learn how to do something so difficult with the respawn times on reavers is beyond me.
For certs i just try to find places to farm bodies with a infiltrator or max/heavy.

This def does not seem like the intended way to go... but I don't see a better option for a bad pilot trying to learn.

[Hamma]

I just did other things while getting the hang of it and putting in certain to reduce acquisition time. There are other things to do in the game also. ;)

[mcFlaw]

What I did was go online during really early mornings, when there's almost no other people on the server, and then just practicing flying fullspeed through really tight canyons, under biolabs, circle strafe laps around outposts, upside down lowaltitude flying, various dogfighting manueuvers etc.

Basically I got really comfortable with how the aircraft handles, so that when I did end up in a dogfight I already knew _how_ to do what I wanted to do. Then it was just a matter of trying out which moves worked and which didn't.

I'm no master dogfighter by any means, but I do think I'm rather good. I lose to the great pilots out there but win against the less great.

Then I got some performance certs and had to start the whole progress over again. X(

But yeah, practice basic handling either during lowpop hours or far away from the battle lines. Dogfights are hard enough without simultaneously having to learn how to fly.

Also, since you're not dogfighting most of the time, you SHOULD be able to stay alive longer than the acuisition timer so no downtime at all, except maybe in the absolute beginning.

[mcFlaw]

Oh, and one more thing.
The trick-flying practice is super fun and afterwards you get to impress your friends by pulling tricks in the warpgate and what not. ;D

[Figment]

Well, hope you are not wasting all good unique names on your quest for perfection, what with doing this for every single practice attempt, K/D and pie knows what else you delete characters for. :p

Yes VR training (like some other game had) should eventually be in, but until then, expect to be considered "silly". You could just try to make use of the flight time to upgrade stuff, you know... Like vehicle timer, etc. Eventually I would expect them to add a VR training area. Till then, just find a server with a lot of territory for one empire - thus a lot of resource gain - and use all three aircraft while resources replenish a lot. And of course stay at high altitude well within friendly territory to avoid dieing.

Or take up Hamma's advice and do something in between and practice come of fire, mortar aim and recoil control in the downtime. Because tbh, you are just wasting database space.


Anyway. Carry on...

[Phrygen]

Well, hope you are not wasting all good unique names on your quest for perfection, what with doing this for every single practice attempt, K/D and pie knows what else you delete characters for. :p


You can use the same name over and over again.

K/d was only on the first day. i'd have around a 8 k/d with sniper, but im at 3 from flying deaths.


As for being silly, i find it too hard to learn to fly in this game with 2-3 minute spurts with 20-30 min in between

[Sunrock]

You know you can cert into acquisition time right? If I remember right fully cerated it will only be 5 min cool down from the time you spawned the vehicle.

[Honelith]

It's a strange thing when the game is about vehicular combat, it COSTS to pull out a vehicle anyway and yet there's a steep timer to get another vehicle, Hardly enjoyable if you're into vehicle play. And no I'm not. ;)

[Phrygen]

You know you can cert into acquisition time right? If I remember right fully cerated it will only be 5 min cool down from the time you spawned the vehicle.

i got it up to 180, but that hasn't fixed the resource issue. Living longer is really the only way to fix that. Dogfighting airframe and flares with a crap ton of delete practice accounts has helped, but not as much as i would like.

plus, one bad engagement or manuever and its no gg no more flying

granted i'm trying to be even half as good as xxthebluebaronxx / thepurplebaron... and that guy is insanely good. watchign his twitch makes me cry alittle sometimes

[Sunrock]

i got it up to 180, but that hasn't fixed the resource issue. Living longer is really the only way to fix that. Dogfighting airframe and flares with a crap ton of delete practice accounts has helped, but not as much as i would like.

plus, one bad engagement or manuever and its no gg no more flying

granted i'm trying to be even half as good as xxthebluebaronxx / thepurplebaron... and that guy is insanely good. watchign his twitch makes me cry alittle sometimes

Well I have no certs for any air plain and I can easily survive in a mossy for 20-30 min if I don't do anything stupid. And I'm not even a good pilot. Sure I maybe only get 1-2 kills during that time but...

A tip is don't take stupid risks before you improve your skill. Don't try to dog fight an enemy if you see he has a wingman or two... If you are without any wingman your self. Also never try to take on AA strait on. If you ever going to attempt it you need to do it in there blind spot.

[Phrygen]

im 40/60 with the dogfighting, i get shot down more than i shoot down... or at least they get away. Once i got one on my 6, my chances of getting away are slim.