Airship strafe

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• 17 Apr, '24
  Pach

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  I agree with draughtman, but for a different reason: it's complete immersion breaking.
  
  Airships cannot move sideways: the drag would be too great. That's why the engines point in one direction. They turn by turning reducing (or reversing) one engine.
  
  The game currently has a pretty "real" feel for how the controls work. Strafing sideways would kill that realistic feel pretty quick for me.

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• 17 Apr, '24
  draughtman

  This doesn't really need implementing...players should really learn to fly better....
  In any case, players have a boarding plank to solve any problem

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• 23 Apr, '24
  ChrisP

  I don't agree - ships (ferries) have a real world strafing mechanism for slow speeds

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• 23 Apr, '24
  MKGDX

  Being able to strafe would be incredibly useful from the get-go, but when your ship grows large enough that you can't tell where your pivot is? It'd be amazing and make delicate manuevers less of a hassle.

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• 23 Apr, '24
  Yanphi

  If it's too immersion-breaking adding it from the get-go, maybe make it possible as a potential upgrade item?
  
  Like engine-side jets or directional air thrusters we can place on the side of the ship?

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• 23 Apr, '24
  gumby

  Advanced airships can use thrusting maneuvers via either specifically designed and integrated thrusters or multidirectional engines. It should be an upgrade Item and it should be upgradeable. The main issue is that the lack of physics being applied to the airship.

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• 24 Apr, '24
  Ruby

  For some reason I'm unable to upvote, please add a vote for me. The page just highlights the button when I click it.
  
  I'm terrible at parallel parking the airship. Side thrusters would be a huge quality of life improvement. Even with the Docking Plank there are situations where having the ability to slide a little bit left or right would be really useful.

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• 24 Apr, '24
  Imahilus

  Whoever has an issue with immersion; bear in mind that:
  1. We can reverse with jet-engines
  2. The jet engines work the same with 4 different fuel-types (of which I doubt helium and crystal are combustible in the first place)
  3. The engines and turbines have a tiny attachment point that would suffer ludicrous sheer forces, yet remain attached without a bother
  
  So a strafing engine makes as much sense as what we have already, in my humble opinion

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• 02 May, '24
  Rider of Dark

  To add to point 1: We can reverse with jet engines at maximum speed.

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• 09 May, '24
  Boff Merged

  Basically allow side to side strafing, so one can circle strafe towers and bases when looking for a way in or better angle to dock.

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• 09 May, '24
  Greg | Community Manager Admin Merged

  Read the rules please. Only post if there isnt already a card that exists for your request

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• 09 May, '24
  Greg | Community Manager System

  "Additional lateral thruster or Gimbled thruster upgrade" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-05-09), including upvotes (1) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.

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• 27 Jun, '24
  LunaticNeko

  I just think this would allow creative maneuvering techniques to be used. The game is far from reality enough that we might be able to try it.

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• 12 Jul, '24
  Tor Merged

  when you have to move the air ship around, if i am over a landing platform and i see i have to more to the left. Then i have to do this hole back and forth dance, a thruster on bothe sides so i can push it a bit would be great.

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• 12 Jul, '24
  HiddenKey

  This could also add a new "strafe thruster" item, adding complexity to the game. Players who don't like the idea just don't research it?

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• 15 Jul, '24
  Greg | Community Manager System

  "thrusters" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-07-12), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.

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• 02 Sep, '24
  WJS Merged

  I can't think of any good reason not to have them. The only reason I've heard is that historical airships didn't, but setting aside that we have a *lot* of things that historical airships didn't, they dropped lines to men on the ground who would guide them in to land precisely. Therefore they didn't *need* that kind of manoeuvrability. We don't have this, so we do.

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• 11 Sep, '24
  Jayim Duinara

  If you are worried about realism, then make maneuvering thrusters an upgrade that only work if the ship is below a certain amount of forward/backward thrust (i.e. you can only strafe as a parking aid, the ship needs to be moving less than 15/10/5 km/h to work).
  
  Frankly, I think this would be one of the acceptable breaks from reality for the medium; PLEASE, let us maneuver easier!

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• 13 Oct, '24
  13th Merged

  The ability to move the balloon to the left / right without turning it in this direction is very lacking. Perhaps you will add some maneuvering engines that will have to be installed on the sides of the balloon, which would provide such an opportunity.

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• 20 Oct, '24
  FFH kets System

  "Add maneuvering engines that would make it possible to move the balloon left/right without turning" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-10-13), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.

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• 26 Jan, '25
  InfectedRonin Merged

  So basically:
  
  https://forever-skies.featureupvote.com/suggestions/543145/airship-strafe

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• 11 Feb, '25
  TechnoBear

  This would make piloting very large airships like mine, a little less agonizing.

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• 07 Mar, '25
  Radix Salvilines

  Is this really still under consideration?

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• 09 Mar, '25
  M@riner

  we need a Sidewinder-Upgrade, as it exists in big ozean transport ships

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• 10 Mar, '25
  Novathorn

  If 230K ton cruise ships and actual blimps can move sideways its not immersion braking. it should be slow sure but I think possible. we should also have to fuel a generator for the airship to keep things like refrigerators, lights, ect running.

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• 25 Apr, '25
  Mateo123ABCD

  I think it would make sense to add strafing just by putting a sideways facing engine and putting a low speed cap on it, but I also think that it’s easy to get around so other things should be prioritized first.

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• 25 Apr, '25
  DCI Benway

  Voted up. Endlessly frustrating trying to maneuver ship around to scan Murals for example. Strafe would help greatly.

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• 02 Jun, '25
  Vigi

  if its done via a seperate engine you install that provides some really tiny strafe for inching towards something then sure otherwise its just not how a blimp would work

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• 03 Jun, '25
  darkdragonmage376

  On a FFG, it used to use two small torpedo shaped turbines, that could be turned left to right, so that you can maneuver the ship itself, right up to the dock. (Max speed: 5 knots.)
  So one idea, a small engine that lets you inch side to side, or even a blimp-that-has an inbuilt strafe option. Kinda like how the Flat-Balloon is an option... Have a Strafe-Balloon. (for those that want or need it.)

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• 05 Jun, '25
  Greg | Community Manager System

  "Lateral thrusters" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2024-09-02), including upvotes (62) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.

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• 26 Jun, '25
  Terror Bunny

  An alternative to this might be adding a small landing craft that could dock with the airship and a wrecked one could be found at one of the later sites and require an upgraded engine and turbine to research, or build. (Maybe even add a Wrecked Docking Bay to the crashed airship in the Underdust Suburbs.) It could consist of three rooms and a cockpit, an included engine and turbines, a basic fabricator and a single storage box. Maybe put in a restriction that it must stay within x distance of the main ship.

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• 15 Oct, '25
  Ivanark Merged

  .
  The mounted extractor has a very short range. Like, a 'why did I even bother' short range. This thing is big, it should have some serious reach.
  
  Additionally, ships that can hover can usually move sideways. Airship needs strafe controls.
  
  It also needs a 3rd persol veiw or at least some 'docking' cameras.
  
  Lastly, there are surfaces that won't support the player. I landed / used my draw bridge to climb on a building, went right though it, and the game stole all my stuff because I 'died' from passing through environment.

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• 15 Oct, '25
  Greg | Community Manager Admin Merged

  Please please check existing suggestions before making new ones!!!!

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• 15 Oct, '25
  Greg | Community Manager System

  "Need sideways airship movement, mounted extractor range" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2025-10-15), including upvotes (1) and comments (1), was merged into this suggestion.

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• 01 Dec, '25
  Ablewind

  Perhaps something as simple as the "Orientation" or "Direction" that an engine is placed will determine how much or little "strafe" capability a given Air Ship will have?
  
  This will allow for players to customize their individual ships' mobility to their own liking?
  
  Perhaps different orientations will also allow for tighter/faster turning?
  
  This would allow for deeper player consideration on how they design their ships as well as present the possibility of having to consider additional weight costs when adding on multiple additional engines for such mobility.
  
  There IS the possibility of incorporating/including the turbines as possible agents for "mobility" if they are allowed to be mounted Vertically and in pairs that face in the same or opposite direction of each other or at right angles to each other for possible strafing and tighter/faster turning/rotation.
  
  Granted, I am not about to pretend to know how easy or challenging such game coding would be.

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• 05 Dec, '25
  Justin

  Strafing would be nice to have, and it could be an upgrade, perhaps via turning engines or side thrusters you attach. That way you learn to fly the normal way, then you get the strafe engine upgrade, and it makes flying more convenient.

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