Salute fellow Cmdrs

[BARNABY]

I started on the original game using a BBC Acorn pc then a Amstrad but had not played the game since until I saw it on The Gadget Show just before Christmas.
I downloaded it as my Christmas treat and have been on line most days since for a few hrs at a time.
Been struggling a bit with all the controls and the KB layout and would love some best practice on PC KB layouts.

Catch you by the stars.


Regards

[Flip]

Welcome aboard, Commander!

Sorry, but I use a HOTAS, so the only advice I can give about the keyboard, is "don't use it".

[Combiseries]

I started on the original game using a BBC Acorn pc then a Amstrad but had not played the game since until I saw it on The Gadget Show just before Christmas.
I downloaded it as my Christmas treat and have been on line most days since for a few hrs at a time.
Been struggling a bit with all the controls and the KB layout and would love some best practice on PC KB layouts.

Catch you by the stars.


Regards

I'm an expert keyboard player with this game. The use of thrusters and the mouse is like second nature to me. I'm a superb combat pilot and use gimballed pulse lasers to offset any inaccuracy gained from too much beer. If you're going to use the keyboard remember, practice, practice, practice.

Keep your speed in the blue for better manoeuvrability, use your strafing thrusters with a combination of turning thrusters to perform wide arc drifting.

If in combat don't always fly toward a ship coming at you, slow down, start to reverse and apply downward thrust while pointing the nose of your ship toward the underside of your opponent. Keep them in your sights and if it starts to move away come off the thrusters and apply forward thrust, but I only as far as the blue to maintain manoeuvrability. This tactic works wonders on the majority of NPC vipers. Bigger ships will need shoot and run tactics, but the same procedure can be used until your shields can't take anymore.

Be patient and learn what the thrusters do to your ship when travelling in space and I'll all fall into place, then you can start using flight assist off combinations. There is no reason why a keyboard player can be better than a seasoned Hotas user. I'm so good on keyboard now, that I would probably have to relearn everything if I used a joystick and can't be bothered to do that.

[Cmdr A von Uberwald]

I know this doesn't answer your question, but if you want to feel like you're playing a space sim, use a KB & M. If you want to feel like you're flying a spaceship then use a HOTAS.

[BARNABY]

Thanks for that gents. I do have a Hotas Joystick but prefer mouse and KB for general play but I might add the joystick for docking etc if I can easily jump between the two?

Regards

[Flip]

Yes, all the controls can be assigned to the HOTAS and the keyboard at the same time, and both remain active constantly. So you won't have anything to do to jump from one to the other.