Tips on flying choppers

[justlearningdude]

Hey there,

Does anyone have any tips for flying the choppers, I've been practising on single player, am getting a little better, but still don't seem to be able to go down easily or hover to capture flags.

Is it best not to have full throttle on?

Best to be light on the controls?

I've been looking at a few guides, but no one really mentions any tips for flying, Its not like I want to be a chopper whore, its just frustrating some times, cause I've been in quite a few situations where a few of us wait by a chopper and no one will dare to fly in case they crash and kill everyone..

I know practice is the main thing I need to do, but any small tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Sheepah]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

http://www.totalbf2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8436

http://www.totalbf2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32072

Try searching, there are loads of them around.

[Wolfmaster]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

1. be gentle. in my early days whenever i got shot at or whatever i'd pull my joystick all the way and survive the attack only to find out i was racing toward the ground at light speed.

2. have the throttle on full if you plan on flying somewhere fast and in a straight line, but if you know you'll have to make turns don't go too fast because that will make you less maneuverable (spelling?).

i'll try to think of something more, and as you said practice is the key word. try it on an empty map (host a local game) so you won't get shouted at if you crash.

[Talus]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

Everybody will have a different opinion..especially when it comes to whether to use a mouse/keyboard or a joystick.

Regardless, learn how to make fast turns by banking and pitching instead of rotating, learn how to quickly come to a hover anywhere (and if you're using a joystick, learn where '0' throttle is by heart), learn to keep armored targets just under your main reticle for the benefit of your copilot, learn how to make a shallow dive for rocket runs.

Probably the main thing you need to know for coming down to hover for flag capping or repair/re-supply is that you need to decrease your throttle and pitch UP a little, and then set your throttle to zero to hover.

[BeerStein]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

Getting the hover down is a very good thing to do. It takes a lot of finesse to get the throttle down. Being able to evade and drop to a hover for your gunner just takes practice. Read through those threads listed, and check out the screen shots that I put up that show the gunner’s view so that you can be a more effective pilot for your gunner.

Treat your rockets as a backup to your gunner – and that is a secondary skill as compared to flying in my book.

[Talus]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

I couldn't agree more..I can't stand it when people have chopper tips that completely ignore the co-pilot. The pilot's rockets are not to be used as a first line weapon...only when the co-pilot fails.

[Zonko]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

Practice in single player on expert, seems pretty good to me.

[=HPSF=Dr.Doom]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

Unlike planes, in BF2 NOT touching the throttle = hover. Ie: the game has autohover.

If you hold the "S" button when in a hover that "disengages" the autohover and allows you to go down.

It isn't that intuitive but knowing this is key to hovering.

In my opinion the key to chopper flying is understanding what the individual buttons and mouse control does ON the chopper.

1)The MOUSE controls the "rotor tilt" (ie: tilts the chopper in all axis)

2)A and D controls the tail fin (produces yaw, or turns the chopper left / right with no tilt)

3)W and S control the throttle

non push = autohover, or equilbrium
W=increase throttle ABOVE autohover
S=decrease throttle BELOW autohover

Remember, unlike a plane the "force" produced by the throttle in a helicopter is perpendicular to the front of the chopper (ie: up and down) this is why full throttle with a forward tilt produces forward motion.

[justlearningdude]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

Thanks for all the advice, will go and practice a load more on a LAN or single player..hopefully if we meet on the battlefield, and I'm in a chopper, I won't look like I've just drank 3 bottles of wine.

[BeerStein]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

One other thing - make sure to use voice if you can when on a server. Talking to your gunner can help improve your skills. If you are too herky jerky - they can tell you. If you do not position them right - they can tell you.

I always give my gunners a heads up - tell them to "go tv" with a few seconds to spare before they are to get a clean shot on a target. To them, all they see is ground til I pop that hover for a second or two to get the shot off.

There is a delay when they go into tv before they can fire of a second or two - feels like hours when you are a gunner and have a target of opportunity.

Also - if I see an infantry infested area coming up - with no armor threats to us - I make sure to tell them - stay on guns til I tell you. Not saying that they have to obey me and that i am the end all be all - but I know where i am flying to - they don't. If I want to strafe a base to the side - they can still fire left/right with gun. Maybe I want to keep myself centered on where the AA spawns so that when it does - i can warn my gunner to go tv, and if need be - I am ready with those rockets.

Voice is key to victory for chopper and gunner in my book.

Also - find a good pilot and gun for them online - you will get a good sense of what the birds are capable of, and something to work towards when you are practicing.

[Nitemare]

Re: Tips on flying choppers

To hover, its really simple, let go of everything and just balance your chopper. It'll just float there. Don't press any keys on the keyboard.

When it starts going down just tap the throttle.