You cant use engine kill if you have set the auto pilot, so dont use F2/F3 etc. If you have then press ESC or what ever key you have set for freeflight then you can.

It's usefull for fighting NPC's as they dont react well when your not moving under engine power but using the thrusters.

Also for PvP against the better pilots.

It's extremely useful when something like, say, a cruise disrupter happens to come your way- you can engine kill and maintain your speed for quite some time, without worrying about the disrupters. Also can be used at normal speeds to shoot at enemies that are behind you, or to get away when you can't engage cruise(by thrusting then killing).



Reaper: $200,000,000.
Rockets: $100,000
The look on that pilot's face when you launch a full pod of screamers up his tailpipe: priceless

Engine kill is extremely useful, and I recommend it highly. I recommend spending some time practicing using it outside of combat until you get comfortable with the difference in flight mechanics. In particular, you have to break any habit of using your normal engine power.

The pay off is increased speed in combat (or retreating from it,) some handy dogfighting applications, and even just to get from one trade lane to the next faster. I use my normal engines more for braking then anything else anymore. The only thing I can really tell you is to play with it. I don't fly anymore, I drift everywhere.

I love Engine Kill, Since I mostly Fly light fighters nowadays Its needed or else you die fast. It works well also when someone is on ur tail, engine kill, 180, then Afterburner, and sudeenly its back even.

Famous LAst Words: "Missile? What Missile?"

Engine Kill vs. disruptors is ONLY USEFUL IF YOU KILL BEFORE THE MISSLE IS LAUNCHED.

If it hits you, even when you're drifting, you WILL revert back to normal speed.

i love engine kill sliding .i use it more than anything or fl . if your lucky to have a 4 bitton mouse you map your afterburners to the thumb button and you got the speed with the EKS and the menvuer with the ab. now the AB's will slow you down to 199 mph. but when you so ABing your still going 199 till friction slows you down.

i feel lost if i cant EKS and AB


"We Die So You Dont Have To cause"

"Valkryie the offical ship the RES"


Edited by - stikfas spacemonster on 03-06-2003 10:11:17

Engine kill's usefullness canNOT be overstated.

If you ever take a "kill a station" mission, it is so useful it makes it almost too easy.

First, boost so you're going to just miss the base.
Kill your engines and strafe fire all along the side of the base as you pass.
You'll be moving at about 170 when you're done, you've avoided everyone shooting at you, and you're past the base.
Then just line up and do it again.
Two or three passes like this, even in a basic Starfiler with 3 Lavablades, and the base is toast.

Like the others' said too, you can stay at 199 speed pretty much all the time with your engines killed, and just boosting occasionally.

You can even drop from cruise to engine kill, and start at 300 and slowly drop, and all that while you can turn and fire, and drop mines, and shoot missiles, etc etc.

It's the one piece of physics in this game that make it playable for me.

A good escape tactic I've found to escape battle situations (especially when the use disruptors) is to use the thruster, kill the engine at thruster speed, then turn around and face your enemies (so you're moving backwards). AI can't keep up, and after about 15 seconds you should be about 2k away. Turn around, engage cruise, and easy, damage-free escape.

"I don't want to end up a corspe before my time because YOU were daydreaming... AAAAAHH!"

it's good if somebody trying to shoot you out of a cruise speed while you are doing trade runs.

another tactic using freighter is to enter cruise speed, head towards a transport, kill engine, shoots it's belly and beam in the cargo, and by the time the escorts have time to realise what happened, you'll be out of their range.

someone posted that tactic some time ago..

Well now it seems to me I did suggest this little move a long time ago LOL! I haven't posted in a while as I just got my system back from the shop (New HD=no Data , bummer) but I now have a reason to try modding my game after a new reload .

As far as kill engine slide goes, absolutely the best manuver you can learn to do!

Gather speed kill engines spin around and face your attackers and blast the bejesus out of them. Most of the AI in the game will get confused because when you turn around like that you should be coming back towards them, (some MP players have the same reaction LOL). They will slow down giving you time to escape or target and kill them.

You however my friend will still be going 300 only your ship will be flying bacwards and you will be loving every min. of it! Life is good when you have the upper hand.

If you are an old freighter pilot like myself then feel free to drop a few screamers (mmmm-mines!) off along the way just for good measure and to keep the bad guys off your butt. Then simply spin around and hit cruise again and you are off and running. As usual wash, rinse, repeat as needed.

This tactic works during missions to kill as well since you are not using your afterburner up and have it in reserve to keep your speed up. Practice this in the relative safety of Liberty space as the baddies are not as strong there and you have a chance to survive until you get the hang of it.

Good flying all!

Just some thoughts from the edge of space!

Well, I succeeded in killing my first VHF squad(4 Sabres in Omicron Alpha) with a Patriot and Ripper mines...Engine kill was the most important part of it. In fact, I used absolutely nothing but thruster power and engine kill for the whole battle...I just turned around and thrusted the other way when I wanted to turn around, laying a few Rippers when the baddies got close enough for them to be effective.

So yes, engine kill is a very very helpful tool- it can let even the weakest of ships best the strongest.

Fighting while in engine kill also has more of a real-space feel- you use your thruster to move around and change directions, only boosting when you need to accelerate or change directions.

Reaper: $200,000,000.
Rockets: $100,000
The look on that pilot's face when you launch a full pod of screamers up his tailpipe: priceless

I can't say enough about engine kill. I like to kill the engines a do a 180 and mine while shooting. I wish you could launch torpedos while going backwards @ 190.. but I guess you can't have it all. It makes piloting the Titan ALOT easier.

Since I have started using the engine kill tactic I have greatly improved my dog fighting skills. The hard thing for me was to get out of the jet fighter game mind set. this is space no air to keep you from going 299 in reverse. lol

You can launch torps going backwards...they just won't do much. You could try releasing one, waiting until the enemies are near it, then shooting it, though...it would take significant timing skill to do that.

Reaper: $200,000,000.
Rockets: $100,000
The look on that pilot's face when you launch a full pod of screamers up his tailpipe: priceless