@CB | ok then - It's a half overhauled list with a fair few items in the middle that may be broken, now (major game control system changes, etc).

You're welcome to post a couple of links, here in the comments, to other good helis by yourself or others. However, I'm inactive in TerraTech on an indefinite basis, so they may not get added to the main list (or tested).

This seems like a mildly old but long list. Do items get found when a nice heli or whatever is found and tested to be well? And can we just post our own or others with their links here?

I'll take a look. :-)

Hey Zeo, how about adding this one: :) https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1333507978

@Furryaboo - there is no such guide yet.

Basically you just need on hover plate being triggered by pointing at a wheel tire on your tech to activate the ground control system. (It will produce a little bit of force when working.)

Check out the 3rd and 4th techs from the top as great examples ("Attack Helicopter" and Venture Hellicopter").

Hey, uhuld someone please link me to a guide or tutorial on how to make the whole "Hover-bug" thing work? I want to make my own semi realistic helicopters.

> it anable me to use any mapped key as toggle

Ah, right, I remember you saying elsewhere... Yeah, that's definitely be handy for long distance exploration flights, in aeroplanes, particularly.

Can dither key presses? To feather the throttle automatically? I imagine I could set up something like that with an Auto-Hotkey script... But I don't do much long distance flying, and I consider my VTOLs are more for short range missions, objectives and general fun in creative.

I cheat :D... i use JoyToKey to play with joystick, and it anable me to use any mapped key as toggle, so i like when I can just lock SHIFT as pressed and let tech fly by itself while I look around for nice base area. So that is little secret behind my way of tweaking flying tech.

> I just like to have balance on side of long range flying without having to hold both SHIFT and W.

That's fair enough. For me, it's my little 'pinky' finger that's the weak link, holding [Shift] (which can't be avoided). I don't mind holding [W] so much, and feathering it is actually fun, when surfing up and down hills.

> SkyFish, remove rear propellers and replace them with 3 Vent batteries for each, it become much more balanced and better hovering tech.

Hmm, it does behave more like a helicopter then, still flying nicely, but having to tip further forwards.

But the forwards propulsion is what I really loved about this design! It lets you swoop and fly forwards up hills; it's really fun to play around at a low level, in and out of trees and hills.

Plus it lets you keep it more level at top cruising speed, rather than starting at it's underside. And lets you back up just as fast, with the fans holding your altitude while pointing the nose straight up (and stopping the wing tail spinning you around). A really fun manoeuvrer.

In fact, all my VTOLs based on this system are designed to sit back in a hover, so the forwards force pretty much cancels out with the pull back from the lift rotors. It's like they are sitting in a bucket seat. Which helps give the Avalanche launchers more room to aim at enemies in front, and points Cruise and seeker missiles up into the air, so you can launch them from lower to the ground, if you like.

They're more like autogyros/gyrocopters, rather than helicopters. Hence I stuck with "VTOL" for the Skyfish.

"The A24 BlackHynde" is really pure pain in black... I understand you cmopletly.

While I was testing all this helicopters I tried small edit of Havoc, you can check lattest HEMV version of it heeon STEAM, and tell me if you think it is any better than original?

SkyFish, remove rear propellers and replace them with 3 Vent batteries for each, it become much more balanced and better hovering tech. As it is now it is forced to move forward.

Attack heli use gyros to level itself, and I do not so my heli do not move to vertical by itself. That is mayor diference. It is great helicopter design perfect for hovering in place, I just like to have balance on side of long range flying without having to hold both SHIFT and W. That is why with Havoc pilot have to "work" a litte to level it. I tried Havoc with one up to four gyros, it become exceptional in hovering, but it is tiresom when you have to fly it in creative over long distances, as it pitch back non stop toward vertical orientation. I think that in this momemnt in game we can not have it all, we have to make compromises toward helicopters being better in one and not so good in something else, as game controls put lot of limitations.

> I do not know how to solve that without destroying look.

Exactly. You've done a really great job of making a Helicopter that looks great and flies pretty good too. But those aesthetics require a little compromise on handling.

I made this collection specifically because I was frustrated with Workshop having promoted a good looking but terrible flying helicopter to the very top.

It's a half baked system that makes users vote on thumbnail pictures only, snowballing things that *look* like they should be good (to the average, naive player). It judges popularity by views and subscribers. And virtually no one unsubscribes, currently. Probably most ratings are given before testing too (and I doubt bad ratings would diminish the popularity metric anyway).

Your heli is far better, in terms of handling (and looks too!). But you can see the comments from (fairly experienced) players, who didn't even know that correctly controlled helicopters are even possible. It's a shame that barely anyone is seeing the most fun, most practical VTOLs and Helicopters, because they don't *look* quite like real world choppers.

My ideal, here, is for simplicity. Specifically to control like the helicopters in Just Cause (3), or GTA (I think): A/D turn (at any time), W/S pitch (at any time), shift for altitude (Ctrl too, would be nice, heh).

But in fact, I find my adaptations of RockFarmer (and Chrii's) 'fulcrum' steering VTOLs (that use 2 axis hover steer poles), to be even more fun to fly. They can swoop and turn on the heel really nicely.

> You can not compare handling of small techs with lot of steering hovers on long stick and this one.

The "ChriiRock SkyFish" is a very heavily armed heli, it's no small fry. And "Attack Helicopter" is fairly comparable to your "Mi28 Havoc", in used very dense GSO batteries and HE blocks (plus hover-bug controls). But both turn and stabilise with fewer issue.

I think perhaps your chopper may be more realistic, with the tail fins (damping turning). But in being like that it's more of a refined taste. It grew on me a bit, as I was trying it out. But controlling it takes a little too much thinking and planning. Not great in a genuine combat situation, when trying to get out of trouble fast.

> maybe you keep pressing W and A/D when turning in forward flight?

Indeed, turning force from the forward facing fans is halved when pressing forwards or back. The way the devs have set up the control system, the fans will only help turn if they are providing forward force while pressing [W], and vice versa.

I'd given the turning a fair shake at various different pitches, and seen that it's much faster and easier to turn when level. The problem with this is that it pitches further forwards as you try to turn (on the spot), forcing you to pull back to keep from nose diving. It makes it a struggle, i think, and seem unpredictable. Also to correct lean, you have to turn into it and fly forwards (not necessarily in the direction you want to go). It's interesting to fly, but fairly complex. And you can get into unstable situations that are hard to get out of, causing slow crashes.

Anyway. I left you some comments on your Techs forum thread. A few more there I'd be happy to include here, for what that's worth.

and I just figured out that maybe you keep pressing W and A/D when turning in forward flight? when you pitch down and fly forward, stop pressing W, and in turns just correct pitch if needed, so turn with SHIFT+A/D not with SHIFT+W+A/D.
Only thing this one is smissing that will make it MUCH better is some mean of force that will make it roll, as in turns is tent to keep vertical,a nd that is making it slower in turning than techwith steering hovers on top, and I do not know how to solve that without destroying look.

You can not compare handling of small techs with lot of steering hovers on long stick and this one. I did not build it to be responsive but realistic looking and more toward real world handling.
Tech that you have in this collection are more or less stages that I passed few months ago, mountains of steering hovers and tons of propellers , you can find some similar on my thread on forum. Point of my tech is to look like real helicopter. Same like my planes and trucks.
After driving these tech with mountain of steering hovers I understand what you mean by hard to pitch, but it is not hard, just slow, as it take some time, if you want it to do it faster, put 5 block stick on propellers and place tens of two way stetting hovers on top... but it will not look like helicopter any more.

Ok, I've given the "Copter Mi28 Havoc" a test flight... It looks fantastic, but the handling is heavy and clumsy. It tends to lean out of turns and list badly, plus hard to pitch back and forth.

It turns the right way, of course, which is a big step up from most, but I've bumped it down this list for now.

So what did you think of the top couple of VTOLs, here? Do you like their lively handling? (You really don't need to try them all to render an opinion.)

I tried few, I will try rest of them latter.
I will post one more that is similar in flight but bigger.

Sorry, @Nightblade, it was in my inbox (subscribed) with a few others to be checked before adding. But I'll take the testimonials as proof enough it flies right, for now. ;-)

Have you tried some of the others here? Is your's roughly the same feel?

You are missing my helicopter :)