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Greetings Pilots!
We have already talked about being able to customize the controls to your liking.
Today we’ll go further and take a closer look at advanced mouse controls.
You’ll learn about the presets, and how they differ from each other.
In the controls - settings screen click on “Advanced mouse settings”.
You can adjust the settings manually with the sliders, or you can use one of the predefined sets.
They are called presets.
The standard settings are on by default, and they are very comfortable for maneuvering on a horizontal plane.
This is useful for new pilots facing three dimensional combat for the first time.
You just move the cursor in the desired direction to control the plane.
The next preset is called “Free”.
The main difference from “standard” lies in the camera’s behavior during maneuvers.
It only follows you on the horizontal axis, making it easier to track your target while climbing or diving.
This preset is good for pilots who are already comfortable with vertical combat, and who won’t get confused about which way is up.
The “vector” and “hybrid” presets are there for experienced players who want sophisticated controls.
Unlike the “standard” and “free” presets, these ones pretty much require the use of keyboard controls in banking turns.
Here those controls are not supplemental, but necessary.
The vector mouse preset provides maximum control of the aircraft.
The plane responds to your commands with speed and accuracy.
This option lets you perform aerial acrobatics impossible with the other presets.
Everything comes at a price though, and the improved responsiveness makes aiming much more difficult.
This control system is pretty hard for a novice.
For example, when using vectors, the player doesn’t only set the turn direction, but he also controls the speed.
Experience and time are needed to make use of this preset’s potential.
You won’t be able to start confidently destroying enemies after a few dozen fights, like you can with the “standard” mouse preset.
The “Hybrid” mouse preset has both the “vector” preset’s control and the aiming of the “standard” preset.
Any setting of the presets can be changed to make the game more comfortable for you.
The parameters are grouped: Camera, yaw & pitch, roll, and additional.
Let’s take a closer look at them.
You select the plane’s control type when choosing the camera mode.
The “Horizon” option is used in the “standard” preset.
Here the camera is tied to the world coordinate system, and its banking is tied to the horizon.
The player points the camera and the plane goes in that direction.
This version is good for players who want easy controls and a good view range.
The “Free” mode allows inclining camera against the horizon.
We already reviewed the camera’s behavior in this mode when describing the “Free” preset.
The “Aircraft” mode is more simulator-like.
It is used in the “Vector” and “Hybrid” presets.
Here the camera follows your plane directly and roll along with the plane.
The “Camera Inertia” sets the camera’s reaction speed relative to mouse movement.
In the “Horizon” and “Free” modes, this setting defines how well the camera keeps up with the marker.
The left-most slider position links the camera exactly to the marker.
The marker is always in the center of the screen.
In the right-most position the camera will lag far behind the marker.
When the camera is tied to the plane the slider controls how much it drifts in the turns.
The left-most position locks the camera to the plane, and the right-most makes it fall behind significantly.
The “Camera Level-Off Zone” slider only works if the “Free” instance is selected.
It defines the size of the area used to align the camera with the horizon.
If you select the minimum value then the camera will only be aligned when the reticle fully reaches the course marker.
You can also make this happen in a wider range.
“Camera Level-Off delay” and “Camera roll rate”.
Both settings regulate the speed with which the camera returns to the horizontal position during maneuvers.
The roll setting make mouse flying easier.
If you disable them, then everything will depend on you.
“Level-Off Rate” and “Level-Off Zone Size” regulate the alignment between the aircraft and the horizon.
“Roll Acceleration” defines how aggressively the plane banks into turns.
“Split S Height” let’s you define the area used when the plane descends with a split s.
Additional settings help with controlling the plane in extreme situations.
“Automatic Flaps” work in tight turns and help you make them in less time.
They are not used in the more gentle turns.
If you prefer to use the flaps manually, you can disable this option.
“Limit bank angles at low altitude” is triggered when turning at an altitude of less than 20 meters.
This option restricts the plane’s banking so that your wings won’t hit the ground.
This is useful for assault aircraft, and makes control much easier.
The “Yaw-Pitch” section only has one setting, “Effective Zone Size”.
It affects the size of the circle that holds the mouse when using the “vector” and “hybrid” presets, or when the “Aircraft” camera mode is selected.
This sets the area for Advanced Mouse Settings Graph.
This curve adjusts the plane’s behavior depending on mouse movement.
The vertical axis sets up the turn type.
If the marker is in the upper part of the grid the plane will finish turning and rotating at the set point.
If it’s in the lower part – the rotation continues.
The horizontal axis sets the angle between the cursor and the plane’s direction.
Moving the slider to the left makes the angle smaller.
Let’s see some examples of how the plane’s behavior changes when we modify the curve.
Select the “Hybrid” preset.
The curve helps you adjust the amount of “pull” towards the center.
Let’s drop all to zero, and we get the usual vector mouse.
If all are set to maximum we get pulled to a point.
If we move the right-most point down, we get some pull in the center and a vector mouse near the edges.
You’ll have to experiment in training battles to find a comfortable combination.
It takes time, but will result in better control and comfort.
Give it a try!
Good luck in battle!