Overview
The Basics of Learning to Fly
Introduction
Flying takes time to master. With this guide you will be given some advice on the basics of being a skilled Pilot in Heroes and Generals.
1. Movement
Before you can become skilled at bombing and dogfighting, you need to be able to move efficiently in the air. Even if this means practising your flying in a quiet area of a training mission until you get used to it. It is the most important part of being a good pilot.
There are two equally important methods of controlling the plane. One uses the Mouse for primary movement and the other uses CTRL + WASD.
For a full list of controls check the in-game menu.
Flying with the Mouse is best for aiming and fine tuning your movements.
Use W and S to control the throttle. A and D controls your tail rudder.
You will find yourself using the mouse most of the time unless you are performing evasive maneuvers.
It’s a good idea to set your mouse sensitivity quite high so you don’t have to drag it all over your desk.
The CTRL key passes the function of the mouse over to the WASD keys.
Using CTRL + WASD is for efficiency and speed when you need to make sudden and prolonged turns. While holding CTRL the mouse is used for controlling the tail rudder.
This is best used for when you need to turn or pull up quickly. For example, evading enemy planes and pulling up from bombing runs.
When using mouse or CTRL, always make good use of your rudder. It will provide extra turning power and stability in the air.
Here you can see how the different controls work.
2. Bombing!
Bombs are the most deadly and devastating weapon a pilot can use. It takes some experience to know exactly where they will land but here are some steps to practice.
There are a lot of ground threats which makes high altitude your friend. By being high up you have a great view of the battlefield, you are safe from most ground fire, and you can descend very quickly when you spot a target.
Using the Shift key activates the freecam allowing you to look around for opponents on the ground or in the air. Fly above the areas of high traffic and look for movement or exhaust and dirt particles given off by vehicles.
You don’t want to come in too steep or you might not have enough room to pull up. You also want to avoid being too shallow as it will be harder to judge the path of the bomb and you may even bomb yourself! Around 30° is perfect.
Not all targets want to stay still. When approaching your victim the rudder is ideal for centering the target.
The bomb will not fly straight as it is pulled down by gravity. Instead it will move on a curved path. Aim a little ahead of your target when dropping a bomb to make sure you hit it precisely.
p.s. Bombs are dropped with Spacebar.
As soon as the bomb is released you need to get back up in the air. This will keep you outside of the blast radius. If you do kill yourself or take a little damage while bombing it just means you need to drop from a little higher.
3. Dogfighting
Engaging other planes can be exciting or a nightmare. The outcome depends on your visibility and movement skills. If you have a plane on your tail it is usually your death. You can use some tricks to evade them but that will come in a more advanced guide. To get started though, here are the basics.
Use the shift key a lot! With the freecam you can look around to find enemy planes in the air. It’s also worth using your ears to hear the direction of their engine sounds. If you spot an enemy plane never let it out of your sight. By Holding CTRL and Shift you can still fly with the WASD keys and look around with the mouse. You have to master this!
Your left-click primary weapon is a standard machine gun. This will rarely run out of ammo so use it as much as possible. It is great for doing damage as well as lining up shots for your Cannons (right-click)
Cannon ammo is limited. Only fire them when you are sure they will hit the target. The best moment for this is when the enemy plane turns and exposes their roof or belly to you. Remember this if you have an enemy plane chasing you – if you turn in front of them they get an easy kill shot.
Conclusions and extras
Bombing and Dogfighting are relative to how good your movement is. Don’t be disheartened if you find that you can’t instantly wreck the entire opposing ground and air crew as it simply takes time to master. Find your own rhythm and work with that. These are only basic guidelines and there is a lot of flexibility to be individually creative with your flying.
I hope this helps with some new pilots. Any suggestions or improvements please fire away and I’ll see what I can do. If there’s any demand I will do another series on advanced tactics.
To the skies!
Cheers!
Bonus Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t1kxplAG3g
p.s. thank you to Daeqolax for being the perfect stuntman.