I made some tests to better understand different flight modes behavior (all done while using keyboard and mouse controls; default key bindings).
To remove one variable, I tested with
ship engines turned off (and ship stationary). Using Electronic Access - Arena Commander - Drone Sim - Free Flight. Tested with Hornet F7C and with Mustang Delta. Could not make the same tests with Aurora LN, because although the ship's computer confirms that the engines are deactivated (when I press 6), in reality the engines still work.
=== IMPORTANT (LAM states -enabled/disabled- names
reversed from previous posts) ===
Because the view (what you see from inside the ship cockpit) is fixed when RightAlt+M toggle is pressed once (when starting from the Default Mode) and because the way the keybindings for Relative Mode and for Look Ahead Mode toggles are displayed in the Game Options, I think that in reality we should say that in Default Mode Look Ahead Mode is disabled, not enabled. The mode into which you swich after you press RightAlt+M toggle is the one where you can only look straight ahead, no matter how you move the mouse. In Default Mode, you are not restricted to only looking straight ahead (I am not talking about Free Look here).
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Initially I noticed different behaviors with different ships (Hornet F7C vs. Mustang Delta), but after a restart of the game, both behaved the same, so I edited my post.
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A. Default Mode ("Look Ahead Mode" disabled +
Interactive Mouse Mode "Relative Mouse Mode" OFF).
I am using the term "Interactive Mouse Mode" for the state in which Relative Mouse Mode is not enabled. Edit: Replaced "Interactive Mouse Mode" with "Relative Mouse Mode OFF".
In the centre of the screen is
Gun Cross cursor (a dot with 4 lines in each direction), surrounded by another 4 lines from another cursor, like this (all lines are of equal length in the game and the dot should be aligned with the lines):
I do not know what this second (bigger cross) cursor is called and what it indicates.
Another cursor is
Line of Sight (LOS) marker/cursor (LOS marker is a big circle with a dot in the centre; the circle is interrupted in 3 points, like a Mercedes emblem from which the star was broken off).
When moving the mouse around:
- the LOS cursor moves around the screen;
- movement is free up to a certain point in each direction (up/down and left/right), quite far from the centre position;
- the view follows the mouse movement until a certain limit (if you move the mouse right, then you look a little to the right side of the cockpit);
- if you stop the mouse movement, the view (what you see from the cockpit) remains almost fixed in that position (there is a small movement, like the pilot head is shacking a little); LOS cursor also remains almost fixed in that position; this shacking is more pronounced in Hornet 7C and very little in Mustang Delta.
- the gimbaled weapons do not move as fast as you can move the mouse, but eventually they will point to the LOS cursor centre (if not moved too far, past their range of motion/rotation): LOS cursor has a bigger cone of view/motion than the gimbal gun mounts from the Hornet F7C. When you shoot the guns, the fire is in the centre of the LOS cursor (after the gimbaled guns reach the position).
- fixed guns (and gimbaled guns with gimbal mounts locked) are always shooting into the centre of the screen (into Gun Cross cursor centre), no matter where you move the mouse.
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B. Press Ctrl+C toggle when starting from Default Mode => "Look Ahead Mode" disabled + "Relative Mouse Mode" ON.
Gun Cross cursor remains in the centre of the screen, but the other cross (4-lines) cursor is now in the position where LOS cursor was when Ctrl+C toggle was pressed.
When moving the mouse around:
- LOS cursor and the view (what you see) moves around the screen, but it springs back to the centre of the screen when you stop the mouse; feels like the LOS cursor is tied with an elastic rubber band (with zero initial length) to the Gun Cross cursor from the centre of the screen.
- the gimbaled guns are still trying to fire to the centre of LOS cursor, but because you have to always fight the LOS "rubber band", it is difficult to fire for long in a certain direction (in a certain point on the screen).
- fixed guns (and gimbaled guns with gimbal mounts locked) are always shooting into the centre of the screen (into Gun Cross cursor centre), no matter where you move the mouse.
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C. Press RightAlt+M toggle when starting from Default Mode => "Look Ahead Mode" enabled +
Interactive Mouse Mode "Relative Mouse Mode" OFF.
Gun Cross cursor remains in the centre of the screen; the other cross (4-lines) cursor also is not changing it's position on the screen.
When moving the mouse around:
- LOS cursor moves around the screen, but the view (what you see) remains stationary; there is no small movement around this position, like it happens in case A (that small shacking).
- the gimbaled guns are following LOS cursor (like in case A). Fire goes to the centre of LOS cursor (if within motion range of gimbal gun mounts). If you move the mouse too fast, it takes a while for gimbal gun mounts to reach the position, but they will get there;
- if you move the mouse and then stop, the LOS cursor (and the point were the gimbaled gun fire will go) remains stationary. You can fire indefinitely in the exact same point (the "bullets" still spread a little, because of the gun inaccuracy; but the general direction is fixed). Just move the mouse so that LOS cursor centre reaches the desired position, wait for the gimbal gun mounts to reach the same orientation and then fire.
- fixed guns (and gimbaled guns with gimbal mounts locked) are always shooting into the centre of the screen (into Gun Cross cursor centre), no matter where you move the mouse.
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D. Press RightAlt+M toggle and also Ctrl+C toggle when starting from Default Mode => "Look Ahead Mode" enabled + "Relative Mouse Mode" ON.
Gun Cross cursor remains in the centre of the screen; the other cross (4-lines) cursor also is not changing it's position on the screen. LOS cursor aligns with the Gun Cross cursor and disappears from the screen (it is no longer visible).
When moving the mouse around:
- nothing moves (nor cursors, neither the view);
- the gimbaled guns remain in the fixed centre screen position (no matter where you move the mouse, they always fire in the centre of the screen - this is only true when the ship does not move at all).
- fixed guns also fire in the same Gun Cross cursor centre (centre of the screen)
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Initially, when testing with Mustang Delta, it's gimbaled weapons were not firing into the centre of LOS cursor in Default Mode for instance (like Hornet F7C gimbaled weapons did), but somewhere between the LOS cursor centre and the Gun Cross centre. This was fixed by a restart of the game so it was a game bug, not some strange intended behavior.
Some preliminary observations,
when ship engines are turned on:
- The "rubber band" effect of the "Relative Mouse Mode" ON makes the ship to only pitch and yaw for a short time after you move the mouse. When you move the mouse more (bigger distance), the ship will turn faster. If you no longer move the mouse, the LOS cursor snaps to the Gun Cross cursor (middle of the screen) and the ship will stop pitching/yawing.
- In
Interactive Mouse Mode "Relative Mouse Mode" OFF, if you move the mouse, the ship will pitch/yaw as long as you do not manualy return the LOS cursor in the screen centre (by moving the mouse). Otherwise, the ship will keep pitching or yawing, even if you no longer move the mouse. When you move the mouse more (bigger distance between Gun Cross cursor and LOS cursor), the ship will turn faster. In this mode, there is a "dead zone" near the Gun Cross centre. Moving the LOS cursor (by moving the mouse) only inside this dead zone area will only move the gimbaled guns, not the ship. This dead zone is bigger for yaw than it is for pitch. The dead zone is necessary in this mode, because without it you would have to bring the LOS cursor exactly in the centre of the screen in order to completely stop pitch/yaw movement. In the "Relative Mouse Mode" ON, the "rubber band" is taking care of that (as long as you stop the mouse). This behavior is the same, no matter if LAM is enabled or disabled.