Pilot

"Great pilots become one with the ship. Victories taste sweet, but every scratch to the hull stings like a wound to the flesh." Unknown - Old Wars Era

Pilot is one of the many classes in PULSAR: Lost Colony.

Role and Abilities
A Pilot's perspective is a unique one. While the world of most crew members consists of metal rooms and screens, the Pilot's world is vast and limitless. Moving at tremendous speeds, pilots navigate dangerous obstacles and engage enemies from any possible direction. Artfully maneuvering the ship is a skill that can take time to master. The Pilot must also consider the needs of other crew members to be successful in combat. By aiming the ship, a nuke has a higher chance of meeting its target. By rotating the ship so the bottom hull plating absorbs most enemy attacks, system damage to the interior will be reduced. By holding the ship steady, a well aimed shot can severely damage a ship from a large distance. A skilled Pilot can bring a crew great distances across many dangerous and unpredictable sectors.

The Pilot is also responsible for lining the ship up to new sectors for warp jumps. The Pilot may receive an order from the Captain, see a sector marked by a blue ring, or see a sector marked on the Starmap. When the ship is aligned, the sector icon turns blue. Pressing the spacebar will show/hide sectors.

Flight modes
Switch by pressing 'X'
 * Manual Mode: WASD rotates up, left, down ,and right. Q and E rolls left and right. Left click is forward and Ctrl is backwards. Holding right click changes WASD to direct translation, along with Q and E being up and down.

Both flight modes are strong tools, and many Pilots prefer one way or the other. Experimenting with both modes to find which one best suits your play-style is highly recommended.
 * Auto Mode: Same controls as Manual except: W is forward, S is backwards, the camera controls up and down rotation. Holding right click changes A and D to direct translation, and makes the camera control all rotation.

Camera modes
Switch between camera modes by pressing 'K' Notes: Keep in mind Hybrid and First person camera modes can sometimes throw the ship into a continuous spin when using the Automatic flight mode. This is because the ship will tilt in the direction the camera is facing, but since the camera also rotates with the ship it will spin.
 * Orbit: allows the pilot to look in any direction using the mouse.
 * Hybrid: is a mix between fixed and orbit. The camera orbits the ship like usual but is locked to the rotation of the ship. It can take some getting used to but it can be useful.
 * Fixed: locks the camera to the back of the ship and is helpful for those using HOTAS equipment or pilots who just prefer a fixed reference point when flying.
 * First person: allows the Pilot to view the station from their character's eyes. They can look around and even interact with screens while in this view.

Throttle control modes:
Switched on the screen near the pilot station
 * Binary: Moving the ship forward will immediately use 100% of all available energy. When the Pilot releases the throttle it will immediately go back to 0% usage. The same occurs when reversing the ship.
 * Precise: Moving the ship forward will begin to gradually use the throttle until it reaches 100%. When the Pilot releases the throttle it will stay at that percent of usage. The usage will decrease gradually if the Pilot pulls the ship in reverse. To stop the ship the Pilot can either exit the station, or increase / decrease the usage until it reaches 0%. This mode should be able to work well with a joystick or controller.

Boost Ability
This allows for a short burst of thrust for both maneuvering and directional thrusters, helping pilots dodge incoming projectiles or obstacles. Pilots can access this by double-tapping the desired input for thrust.

Unlockable Class Talents

 * Custom Eye Implants
 * Damage Mitigation
 * Reaction Time