qw division - pilots wings: basic - instruction manual

8/14/2019 QW Division - Pilots Wings: Basic - Instruction Manual

1/15

Pilots Wings: Basic Instruction Manual

Created by Outlavv 2009

Approved by DC, DO, HDIs 2009

1

The Art of Warfare Quake Wars Division


Created by Outlavv 2009Approved by DC, DO, HDIs 2009

Property of The Art of WarfareTAW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents.......

Introduction..

Pilots Game Setup..Camera & Cockpit..

Flight Controls..

Mouse Sensitivity..

Viewing Distance.

Binds

Theory Knowledge..

Maneuvering.

Craft.

XP Rewards.

Threats

Practical Skills..

Maneuvering.

Air-to-Ground Combat..

Air-to-Air Combat..

The Test

Beggars Canyon Run

Acknowledgments

1

2

33

4

5

5

5

7

7

8

9

9

11

11

11

13

14

14

15


2/15




2

INTRODUCTION

This member has successfully passed pilot challenges to

demonstrate a basic skill level and is ready for active

deployment in an aircraft.

The purpose of this manual is to make players familiar with the basics of piloting aircraft in Quake

Wars. It contains instructions on how to set up the game for flying, theoretical knowledge of piloting,

and instructions on basic maneuvering, air-to-ground, and air-to-air combat.

The final part of the manual is concerned with what is covered in the test that members must

pass if they wish to earn the Basic Pilots Wings Badge.

The manual should be available to all members of the TAW Quake Wars Division. Drill

Instructors may use it for trainings concerned with piloting as they see fit.

The goal of the Basic Pilots Wings test is to prepare pilots for the advanced challenges of the

Intermediate Pilots Wings skill level, and also to prepare them for basic use of flying vehicles in the

game.


3/15




3

PILOTS GAME SETUP

Even though this game setup is not mandatory, it is highly recommended that pilots set up at least

one of their configs accordingly.

Camera & Cockpit

Uncheck Show cockpits in vehicles. The cockpits are unnecessary eye candy and obscure much of

your view. Alternatively, add seta g_showVehicleCockpits "0"to your config.

The cockpit obscures about one third of your

screen. The reinforcements in the glass canopy

even hide an entire Magog (top left

intersection).

You have a much better view of your

surroundings. Nothing is obscured, only your FOV

setting is limiting your view.

Make sure that Lock camera view behind vehicles is unchecked. It will allow you to use your mouse

to rotate view around the vehicle when using external view. Alternatively, add seta

ui_drivingCameraFreelook "1" to your config.

You can check or uncheck Remember vehicle camera settings at your own discretion.Checking it will force the game to remember if you are using cockpit or external view. You can switch


4/15




4

between the two by pressing [POS1] or [Home] on your keyboard. The default view is cockpit when

unchecked. The cvar equivalent of checking this option is seta ui_rememberCameraMode "1". To

uncheck it, set it to 0.

Note that you will not have a crosshair for aiming when using the external camera. It requires more

practice to aim and shoot effectively.

Flight Controls

Check the option Advanced Flight Controls. It is a must -have that will give you significantly more

extensive command over your vehicle. If you use only basic flight controls, the system will only allow

you to roll and pitch your craft within a limited angle. While that makes flying in terms of getting

from A to B easier, it makes flying in terms of combat impossible.

Alternatively, add seta ui_advancedFlightControls "1" to your config.


5/15


6/15




6

Melee/Fire Decoy requires a rebind because the default key [1] is a bad choice. First, pressing [1] to

fire decoys forces the player to move a finger from a maneuvering key, thus limiting the maneuvering

capability. Second, only firing decoys is often not enough to shake a missile lock. In order to be able

to fire decoys and fly an evasive maneuver in any direction at the same time, the decoy key should be

bound to a mouse buttonpreferably MOUSE5 or MOUSE6 if the mouse has this many keys. If not,

the decoy key can be context bound to MOUSE2.By using bind "MOUSE2" "_weapon0" "" "vehicle",

pressing the right mouse button will fire off decoys while in a vehicle but remain Alt Attack/Sights

when infantry.

Enter/Exit Vehicle can be bound at proper discretion, Change Camera as well.

Vehicle Free Look/Aim, also known as tophat, should be bound to an easily accessible key.

Holding that key down unlocks the camera from behind the craft in external view. It also allows to

aim more or less freely in cockpit view and thus to help lock on to targets. Additionally, it allows the

pilot to aim the Bumblebees Minigun independently of the direction of flight. Note that while

holding down tophat all mouse commands to the craft are disabled.

Any pilot should feel free to experiment with those binds until they suit their purpose and are

comfortable to use. The goal is to use those binds instinctively, for example automatically hitting the

decoy key when a missile lock warning appears, without having to think which key it is first.


7/15


8/15




8

Note that each craft will react differently to the use of these controls. For example, the Bumblebee

will react similarly to the Anansi, only in a significantly more sluggish manner. Also, while you can

virtually stop the Anansi from full speed in mid air using the airbrakes, the Tormentor will take

dozens of meters to come to a full halt.

Craft

Name: Anansi

Crew: Pilot, Gunner

Armament: LAW (4 seconds recharge), Rocket (6 until recharge),

Minigun (6 seconds of sustained fire until recharge)

Spawn time: 30 seconds

Name: Tormentor

Crew: Pilot, Gunner

Armament: Strocket (3 seconds recharge), Plasma Cannon (6 until

recharge), Hyperblaster (10 seconds of sustained fire

until recharge)

Spawn Time: 30 seconds

Name: Bumblebee

Crew: Pilot, 2 Gunners, 2 Passengers

Armament: 3 Miniguns (11 seconds of sustained fire until recharge)

Spawn Time: 30 seconds


9/15




9

XP Rewards

12 XP: Vehicle Drops

Not particularly interesting for flying. Allows the player to call in a Husky/Icarus.

24 XP: Better Decoys

Improves the decoys, allowing the player to fire decoys in shorter sequence.

48 XP: Improved Vehicle Weapons

While vehicles have unlimited ammo, they need to recharge after firing. This upgrade

decreases recharge time.

96 XP: Improved Vehicle Armor

Improves the armor of vehicles so they take less damage when the player is in them.

Threats

The Anansi and the Tormentor can deal serious amounts of damage, but they are very fragile. There

are a number of threats to those craft that any pilot needs to be aware ofas well as of the

countermeasures available.

Threat Countermeasure

Small Arms Fire is not the most dangerous thing,

but large numbers of infantry can wear down

the hull integrity rapidly.

If the source can be located (muzzle

flash/tracer), the threat can usually be

neutralized easily by returning fire. Otherwise,

distance is your friend. Small arms cause little tono damage the farther away you are.

Snipers are moderately dangerous. On a

distance of 100 meters it takes 10 full power

rounds from a Railgun to destroy an Anansi.

Snipers can be found easily with the help of the

damage direction indicator and the tracers their

weapons leave in the air. They are best

neutralized immediately. Distance will decrease

the damage their weapons can do.

Heavy Weapons Fire such as Hyperblasters,

GPMGs, Miniguns, and machine guns deals

significant damage to aircraft.

Neutralize or avoid. Distance helps you again,

and the enemy tends to run out of

ammo/charge rather quickly.

Rocket Launchers and Obliterators are every

pilots worst enemy. They can take down an

Anansi or Tormentor with one direct hit, are

hard to spot because fired by infantry, and carry

enough ammo to keep flyers in check.

Distance is your friend. On less than 100 meters

there is no chance of avoiding the missile. The

farther away you are, the more time you have to

fire decoys AND fly an evasive maneuver.

Anti-Vehicle Turrets are dangerous because

they can fire guided missiles at a high rate of

fire. They will shoot as soon as an enemy vehicle

enters their target acquisition range. Note that

their weapon range is higher than that and fired

AVTs can be easily disabled from the distance as

the main weapons range of the Anansi and the

Tormentor significantly exceeds their target

acquisition range. Usually, it is best to only

disable the turret rather than destroy it. That


10/15




10

missiles will follow you beyond TAR. will take less time, force the enemy to

repair/redeploy, and allow you to focus your

firepower on another target instead.

AA Missiles fired from the GDF APC have a high

range and are fast. Two direct hits are sufficient

to bring down a Tormentor.

Being a major vehicle, the APC is a major target

for any Tormentor pilot. It can be destroyed

from a distance that forces the gunner to fire the

missiles without locking on, or from above as it

has only a limited angle of how far up it can aim.

The Tank Gun/Plasma Cannon can destroy a

flyer with one direct hit. The Tank Gun has

nearly infinite weapon range, the Plasma

Cannon causes spatial damage, similar to a flak

shell.

The Titan, the Cyclops, and the Desecrator are

major vehicles and thus major targets for any

pilot. They can all be destroyed from above as

they cant aim 180 up, like the APC. The Strogg

tanks have only limited weapon range and cantherefore be destroyed from the distance.

Plasma Mortar/Rocket Artillery can be locked

on to a flyer and fire missiles quickly, making it

impossible to divert them with decoys.

There are several options how to deal with a

FieldOps/Oppressor. First, the red beam of the

targeting tool is well visible. Move out of its

range or fire at its point of origin. Further, solid

terrain and buildings will protect you from the

missiles, as well as any friendly Artillery

Interceptor Turret, deployed in the field or base

AIT.

Magogs/Deploying Turrets crush anything on

contact.

Be careful when above areas that are often used

to deploy turrets. Magogs can be spotted on the

minimap.

Terrain Altitude is your friend. Stay as high as possible at

all times.

Enemy Aircraft can take you down with one

main weapon hit.

The enemy flyer is not your main target. Engage

in dogfights only when unavoidable. Luring

enemy flyers toward friendly AVTs, rocket

launchers, and heavy vehicles is a good way of

destroying them or forcing them to break off.


11/15




11

PRACTICAL SKILLS

Maneuvering

Taking off is relatively easy. Make sure not to hit anything when accelerating. Collisions can cause

major damage to the aircraftdamage that is avoidable and unnecessary.

Any flyer can hover when its kept level in the air, the hover engine nullifying the pull of

gravity.

While hovering and while flying, the craft can be turned by using the strafe keys. Its the most

basic way to change direction.

The craft can be accelerated by firing the thrustersdefault [SHIFT]. It can gain additional

speed by pointing the bow toward the ground, adding some power of the hover engine to the

forward movement. However, this happens at the expense of losing altitude.

The craft can break to either port or starboard by combining the turning motionstrafe

keyswith the drifting motionmouse movement.

The aircraft can be brought to a stop from full speed by using the airbrakesdefault [CTRL].

The airbrakes are also useful to hover the craft while the bow points slightly toward the ground, like

when engaging ground targets.

Landing the flyer is more challenging than starting. It is easiest to bring it to a full stop using

the airbrakes, then level it out so it doesnt drift, and then carefully set it down by cutting power to

the hover enginedefault [S].

Sometimes, it is not possible to save the vehicle. At that point the pilot should bail out. In

order to survive the fall, the parachute/repulsor can be activated by pressing the use key whilefalling. This will not save the pilot on short falls, though.

Air-to-Ground Combat

Dodging a Locked Missile

The missile lock warning appears red on the screen.

Depending on the distance, the pilot has only very

little time to initiate countermeasures. The missiles

are only very little faster than the Anansi flying at

full speed. Therefore, the initial measure to avoid a

hit is to fire decoys and breakin the situation in

the screenshot preferably to port to change

direction. Then accelerate away from the missile.

Even if the lock remains, flying away at full speed

will buy additional time for decoys to recharge and

to allow the pilot to finally shake the lock.


12/15




12

Once the decoys are ejected, a message will appear

on the screen. Ideally, the missile lock warning will

disappear. In the screenshot, a break to port has

been executed, the bow of the craft pointing

toward the ground, ready to gain maximum

acceleration from the thrusters and the hover

engine.

Firing Main and Secondary Weapons in Short Sequence

This is an elementary firing technique in air-to-ground combat. Instead of firing an LAW and waiting

for it to recharge, the pilot can switch to Rocketsdefault mouse wheeland fire them at the target

while the main weapon is recharging. Once the secondary weapon has depleted its charge, switch

back to the main weapon and fire it. Repeat.

Note that the LAW and the Strocket have a lock-on ability, similar to the Rocket Launcher, while the

Rockets and the Plasma Cannon do not. Further, the effective ranges of the LAW, the Strocket, and

the Rockets are unlimited. Plasma Cannon rounds will destroy themselves after several hundred

meters.

When fighting ground vehicles of any sort, the pilot should try to avoid locking on to the

target. A dumb-fired LAW/Strocket cannot be diverted by decoys, and ground vehicles are usually

too slow to dodge. Practice your aim accordingly.


13/15




13

Air-to-Air Combat

Flying vehicles in Quake Wars are more fragile than ground vehicles, but they are also a lot more

difficult to hit. There are two main approaches to taking down enemy flyers.

Missile Lock

The main advantage of locking on is that the enemy pilot is forced to fire decoys and fly and evasive

maneuverand neither guarantees survival. This will force the enemy to abandon firing position or

to leave the engagement entirely. The disadvantages are that it is hard to lock on to a flying vehicle

especially when the enemy pilot is aware of the threatand that a lock does not guarantee a hit.

Fired from too far away, the lock warning will give the other pilot enough time to initiate

countermeasures. Fired from up close, the missile can overshoot the target and miss in spite of the

lock.

Bumblebee spamming decoys Missiles from all directions being diverted by

decoys

Dumb Firing

The other approach is to dumb-fire the missile. It is harder to hit the target, but the other pilot will

not get a warning, and decoys are useless. Further, the secondary weapons of the craft can be used

as well. The Rockets and the Plasma Cannon dont allow for instant kills, but their projectiles travel

faster and are harder to avoid. This method

requires a certain amount of foresight on where

the target will be when the projectile reaches it.

It also involves a lot of practice and

experiencebut it pays off because it is

absolutely lethal when used effectively.


14/15




14

THE TEST

The test for the Pilots Wings: Basic Badge consists offour parts: a theoretical test and practical tests

on maneuvering, air-to-ground, and air-to-air combat. Pilots aspiring to earn the badge are expected

to be familiar with the theory presented in this manual.

Further, they are expected to have mastered all the maneuvers explained in this manual

and will be required to demonstrate those maneuvers.

Only pilots who pass all four parts of the test will be awarded the badge. Pilots who fail in

only one of the parts of the test must retake the entire test again if they wish to earn the badge.

Beggars Canyon Run

Conducted at the end of the badge test, candidates must complete the run of Beggars Canyon. The

run is a race against the clock. For the basic badge, the candidates must complete the run in 40

seconds. Time starts running on the mark of the Drill Instructor, at which time the pilot is already

inside the Anansi at its spawn point on the map Canyon. The pilot will then take off and follow the

main road to the Strogg base. Time stops when the pilot is fried by the Strogg bases shields. The

candidate must stay beneath mountain top level at all times and may take only one shortcut (at the

first major turn to port).


15/15



15

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks go to stymy and Feanor who actively participated in creating this manual, as well as to all the

others who offered suggestions.

qw division - pilots wings: basic - instruction manual

Documents