[Man-Whore]

It might just be my imagination, but it seems like your fighter is slightly more maneuverable when you use all three axis (axes?) of rotation at the same time.  In other words, pullingup/left/rollingleft at the same time helps you make that turn when you get a head-to-head engagement.  For me, it's sort of like watching those Maras and Dragons make that nifty little half-sliding turn.  I admit it doesn't work 100% of the time, but it's helped me get into position behind the enemy on several occasions.

sounds like an optical illusion to me

It's not. Just a very, very good tactic.

[Woolie Wool]

SuperSoaker 9000 Deluxe

Hmm, played JAD recently? 

Anyway, back on topic:

      Real dogfighting is hard to simulate with available technologies. In order to survive (a.k.a. Pass Flight School), a pilot has to master situational awareness. The key to situational awareness is the ability to quickly check your surroundings. Since the technology to do that in space sims is limited, achieving situational awareness is difficult. Also, in combat only a few shots are required to either debilitate or neutralize an enemy craft. Even with the shields from Freespace you are still flying fairly sensitive craft that is highly susceptible to vital system damage. If a developer were to model this in a game, the user would quickly lodge his joystick into his monitor after dying for the umpteen-millionth time.
      Further compounding this dilemma is the fact that things in space have a known tendency to keep moving in the same direction at the same velocity. We're used to having planes that require engines that constantly burn to keep the craft flying. Too, we use flaps even in modern aircraft as the main methods of maneuvering. In space you must use either use engine ports that can direct their output (making the craft less maneuverable) and/or using maneuvering jets to alter the direction of the craft. Both methods require intricate systems that can be easily damaged in a dogfight. Once again, if a developer included this into a game the user would rip apart their joystick by hand out of the frustration caused by their umpteen-billionth death.

Well, in a realistic war, the guy might be shooting in your general direction but not actually with the intent of hitting you, either as posturing or to fool his superiors into thinking he's trying to kill you. Most WWII pilots never scored a single kill, yet many aces had dozens, because the aces would kill without hesitation.

[Damage]

  As far as the axis rotation trick goes, like I said, it sometimes works, it sometimes doesn't.  (Depends on difficulty and opponent.)  It does look cool to watch, though.

  I use a gamepad when I fly...not quite as realistic (if you can be realistic when you're flying a fictional spaceship against fictional aliens) but the only trouble I ever have with it is when I want to communicate with my wingmen or need a rapid shield boost.

  Re: Single or Double Shots

  This is another case for the low-power guns vs. high-powered ones.  Subachs don't suck much energy, so you can go rock'n roll with them for quite awhile, as opposed to a full load of Kaysers & Maxims.  You really just have to plan ahead based on your mission's profile, and your ability to make your shots count.
  Double or Single Missiles--again, it's a question of your mission, and your loadout.  I try not to dogfight with missiles unless I'm up against the wall.   Target locking missiles (Hornet, Tornado, Harpoon, and Trebuchet) are great if you can get that target locked--which at higher difficulties means you have to be at a distance.  At close range, the only missile that's ever helped me out is the Tempest.  You can treat that missile like a third bank of guns, but remember it's going to run out eventually, too.
  Then there's the bigger bombs (Cyclops, Helios)...I almost always fire those off in pairs, just because of the reload time on them.  If you're going to be waiting twenty seconds or more to fire off the next salvo, you might as well get the most out of it and fire off both shots.

[Mustang19]

I've never played mutliplayer, but I do single-player on Insane all the time. It's more a matter of staying out of dogfights than "winning" them. If you're being alone with five Maras, my advice is to restart the game rather than pull some super-fancy trick. You've already screwed up; don't just go charging in there next time. You have cannon fodder, you know. They're called "Alpha Wing".

Keep your wingmen together for mutual protection (C-3-8/C-3-5 usually works), stay near friendly flak, try to engage the enemy piecemeal rather than all at once... just use your head. Rambo is not your role model here.

Now, on linked secondaries. Your secondaries should virtually always fire linked unless you don't have access to a support ship. FreeSpace gives you unlimited missile reloads. Use them. I prefer a missile with a high rate of fire, such as Harpoon in FS2 or Fury in FS1 (since in FS1 you can't just use guided missiles as n00b sticks).

At close range, the only missile that's ever helped me out is the Tempest.

Firing a few shots at the AI will cause it to evade, which usually opens up the range enough for a missile shot. Yes, oftentimes you can't "dogfight" with missiles, but there are plenty of ways of opening distance and getting a clear shot. But again, on Insane your goal is to win without getting into messy fights in the first place.

edit: Oh, and the joystick. I have a Logitech Wingmen force feedback with a busted centering spring... and busted force feedback. So just get used to what you have.

[Bob-san]

I've never played mutliplayer, but I do single-player on Insane all the time. It's more a matter of staying out of dogfights than "winning" them. If you're being alone with five Maras, my advice is to restart the game rather than pull some super-fancy trick. You've already screwed up; don't just go charging in there next time. You have cannon fodder, you know. They're called "Alpha Wing".

Keep your wingmen together for mutual protection (C-3-8/C-3-5 usually works), stay near friendly flak, try to engage the enemy piecemeal rather than all at once... just use your head. Rambo is not your role model here.

Now, on linked secondaries. Your secondaries should virtually always fire linked unless you don't have access to a support ship. FreeSpace gives you unlimited missile reloads. Use them. I prefer a missile with a high rate of fire, such as Harpoon in FS2 or Fury in FS1 (since in FS1 you can't just use guided missiles as n00b sticks).

At close range, the only missile that's ever helped me out is the Tempest.

Firing a few shots at the AI will cause it to evade, which usually opens up the range enough for a missile shot. Yes, oftentimes you can't "dogfight" with missiles, but there are plenty of ways of opening distance and getting a clear shot. But again, on Insane your goal is to win without getting into messy fights in the first place.

edit: Oh, and the joystick. I have a Logitech Wingmen force feedback with a busted centering spring... and busted force feedback. So just get used to what you have.

My Wingman Force 3D has Force Feedback that is nonfuctional in Vista. I use it as a centering spring--not that bad. Anyways--one of the worst parts of Insane is the AI will try stuff to make you commit suicide, or seem to be doing it themselves. One great example from another game is a fighter that just KEEPS approaching. You have a hard time getting a clear gun path when your opponent has been firing at you for a while. That, and most dogfights I've been in are making passes and avoiding primary fire--even Subachs drain your shields quickly.

[Mustang19]

My Wingman Force 3D has Force Feedback that is nonfuctional in Vista. I use it as a centering spring--not that bad. Anyways--one of the worst parts of Insane is the AI will try stuff to make you commit suicide, or seem to be doing it themselves. One great example from another game is a fighter that just KEEPS approaching. You have a hard time getting a clear gun path when your opponent has been firing at you for a while. That, and most dogfights I've been in are making passes and avoiding primary fire--even Subachs drain your shields quickly.

Yep, even if you're stuck with a half-broken Wingman, it's not the machine, it's the man.   

Like you said, the major flaw of FreeSpace AI is that it's not agressive enough. Not a "flaw" so much as a game balance measure. If the computer was anywhere near as focused as a human pilot, the enemy fighter waves would grind you down with that kind of numerical superiority. But as it is, all you have to do is fire a few shots and the AI runs away.

Good luck with those "passes" though... because it doesn't sound like a good FreeSpace tactic, to me at least. A key part of the game is to keep the pressure on and down the enemy's shield quadrants before they can be recharged or redistributed. You need continuous fire. I don't know how you manage that with in-and-out passes. But apparently it works for you.

[Bob-san]

In and out works... when there's less than two fighters trying to kill you and you are very maneuverable and can swap targets since one will always try to be behind you while the other is running away from you.

Basically, I can't do passes very long. Generally it's get the guy off my back, set engines to full, and burner out of range. The hardest part I really found with Insane AI is it is ALWAYS exactly on your lead indicator and they ALWAYS fire with both banks. That being said, it gets to be a nightmare facing a Myrmidon or Herc... yeah they're reasonably big, but they have such forward firepower that it drains your shields like nothing else can.

[haloboy100]

I always suck at being outnumbered by more then 2. I find it impossible to stay on somebody's ass and cover my own at the same time.

[Bob-san]

Tempests make up for that--if you can damage a ship 20-25% of the way after taking out shields, you're doing good. I've done it a few times that I make a slower run so the next guy is up on my arsch. Usually you can force one of the hostiles off of you and take care of the other. Usually you have to do a good deal of hull damage, though. Two or three passes on one guy is commonly "enough" to force him off, where you can 1v1 the other. By the time the damaged fighter wants to kill you again, you should have your target down most of the way or completely dead.

[TrashMan]

That's why I decided to use less enemy fighters in my campaign, but boost the AI level.

[jdjtcagle]

Insane difficulty is sooo much fun, although annoying at the same time....

[Mobius]

That's why I decided to use less enemy fighters in my campaign, but boost the AI level.

...and who helped you out with that? *cough* *cough*


I love dogfighting at high speed with Dragons. I also love using Tempests.

[Topgun]

SuperSoaker 9000 Deluxe

Hmm, played JAD recently? 

Anyway, back on topic:

      Real dogfighting is hard to simulate with available technologies. In order to survive (a.k.a. Pass Flight School), a pilot has to master situational awareness. The key to situational awareness is the ability to quickly check your surroundings. Since the technology to do that in space sims is limited, achieving situational awareness is difficult. Also, in combat only a few shots are required to either debilitate or neutralize an enemy craft. Even with the shields from Freespace you are still flying fairly sensitive craft that is highly susceptible to vital system damage. If a developer were to model this in a game, the user would quickly lodge his joystick into his monitor after dying for the umpteen-millionth time.
      Further compounding this dilemma is the fact that things in space have a known tendency to keep moving in the same direction at the same velocity. We're used to having planes that require engines that constantly burn to keep the craft flying. Too, we use flaps even in modern aircraft as the main methods of maneuvering. In space you must use either use engine ports that can direct their output (making the craft less maneuverable) and/or using maneuvering jets to alter the direction of the craft. Both methods require intricate systems that can be easily damaged in a dogfight. Once again, if a developer included this into a game the user would rip apart their joystick by hand out of the frustration caused by their umpteen-billionth death.

Well, in a realistic war, the guy might be shooting in your general direction but not actually with the intent of hitting you, either as posturing or to fool his superiors into thinking he's trying to kill you. Most WWII pilots never scored a single kill, yet many aces had dozens, because the aces would kill without hesitation.

like shivans would shoot at you without trying to kill you .

[Colonol Dekker]

How many of us have actually fought a dog?

[Mobius]

I did it today. A dog affected by "leis-h?-maniosi", something that could bring an human to a situation far worse than yours, Dekker

[Colonol Dekker]

Eh? what's that do? Also manticores are the best looking shivan fighters

[Mobius]

That disease kills if people aren't lucky.

Manticores aren't good looking...

[Polpolion]

How many of us have actually fought a dog?

Actually, I honestly did. This one dog at my bus stop keeps barking at me every morning, and one time it got out of it's invisible fence, or something like that and it started trying to bite me. Needless to say I started kicking it, and after a few moments of it jumping around and me shoving it to the side and kicking it the bus came. I sort of ran on to the bus and the bus driver just sorta looked at me like I was some kinda homeless person.

If any of this applies to Freespace, then I'd say take a few pot shots, evade a bit, and come around for another run.

[Colonol Dekker]

I love dogs don't get of wrong, but chavs with crazy mastiffs deserve to be smote.
Basilisk is also a shecksy fighter.

[Mobius]

Dogs that transmit diseases are far worse than dogs that bite.

Basilisk?