What control mechanism are you guys using? Mouse/Keyboard or Joystick? Are you flying the simplified or realistic? *Edit: I made this post a thread of it's own because I feel it's really a topic alot can be said about - Linch
I use M&K, as in all games I play. In War Thunder, I use the Mouse Aim system, as that's really what the game was built around. But since my key system seems to be different then most other's I've talked to about it, I'll list the major keys here... A - roll right D - roll left W - nose down S - nose up left shift - speed up left ctrl - speed down space - bombs/torp left alt - rockets left click - all guns/cannons right click - zoom wheel depress - lock on C - free lock V - change view/seat F - flaps G - landing gear When I started playing the game, during install, it asked me what set up I wanted, I picked mouse aim, and then it gave me 3 diff key set ups to choose from. I cant remember the name of the one I picked, but it was something along the lines of 'classic gamer' or something. The keys I listed above was that set up. The only thing I changed at all was to put the rockets at left alt... I think it was the 3 or 4 key by default. I LOVE my set up, as it feel very comfy, and with my FPS background, it feels very natural.
Mine is close to Linch's but a bit different: A - Roll Right D - Roll Left W - Speed Up S - Speed Down Q - Yaw Left R - Yaw Right Left shift - Pitch down Left Ctrl - Pitch up BUT!!! - I also use mouse to pitch up and down so those two keys above are only there if I need to do some fancy maneuvering. space - Bombs/Torp 4 - Rockets Left Click - Main Gun Right Click Hold - Free Look Mouse 3 - Cannons. I find it helpful to separate my main gun and cannons so I can not blow through my cannon rounds. If I need to fire both at the same time, I simply press both. Wheel Depress - Lock On V - Change View/Seat F - Flaps G - Landing gear L - Smoke trail This setup feels comfy to me because I've modeled it after what I used in Battlefield 3. It's second nature to me now and I don't have to think about what keys I'm pushing. It just happens. Mess with the controls until you end up with a scheme that you love. It helps if its similar to another game you play. So you don't have a brain fart and hit space and drop all your bombs when you meant to just throw your flaps down or something lol.
my Q is the same, but E is my yaw right... but I nearly never use them for some reason. And ya, I do 90% of my direction control wit the mouse as well. Most of the time, I only really use the keys when I'm in a hard turning fight. I tend to hold C for free look and use the W A S D keys to maneuver while I keep the target in sight with the mouse. If you ever watch me when I'm in a fight and I'm flipping & turning tight, that's what I'm doing.
I'm still playing with mine. But here's what I got for now. Mouse Aim Mode. A - Roll Right D - Roll Left W - Pitch Down S - Pitch Up Q - Yaw Left E - Yaw Right R - Throttle Up F - Throttle Down V - Flaps H - Airbrake Left Ctrl - Reload Mouse 1 - Machine Gun Mouse 2 - Zoom Mouse 3 - Rockets Mouse 4 - Cannons Mouse 5 - Bombs/Torpedoes. Z - Free Look Space - Enemy Camera Lock X - Lock Target Tab - Next Target It's unusual to have the Enemy Camera Lock in such a major spot on the keyboard, but I use it a lot and tend to hold it while maneuvering in a dogfight, so I needed it there.
I wish the game would stop following the mouse when I'm maneuvering with the keyboard. At least until I move the mouse again. It's hard to pull off some maneuvers while the plane is fighting you to follow the mouse in its way.