How to get out of flying in circles in combat?

[Ghost_Ship_Supreme]

I can never get behind the AI! we just keep circling and "jousting". I still manage to turn around and hit them a lot, but how do i get on their tails?

Edit: sorry for not explaining enough, i'm using an Asp Explorer equiped with A-Grade everything for bounty hunting. I keep the throttle in the blue (max turning rate), and usually have pips in shields and weapons, but i might switch them to engines occasionally to get aligned faster. I often try to use vertical thrusters, but they just turn around and fly past me still. Is my ASP just too slow to turn?

Sometimes i'll even stop and reverse, or turn early to anticipate them flying by me, but they somehow manage to continue doing strafing runs, or even slow down and get on MY tail when i try to anticipate them!

Edit: It would seem using vertical thrusters to stay behind them helped.

[ZeroReady]

Are you keeping throttle at full or lowering to the blue area when turning?

[Woodspeople]

What ship are you flying? what ships are you fighting? using your thrusters is key to getting behind your target.

[malorob]

try taking flight assist off..... spin around fly backwards and have fun shooting.

[Turd Ferguson]

stop.

[xPEDx]

I dont think you can, other than going in revers, i was in my gui (small fighter w/ unbeleivible turning) and still i couldnt out turn a sidewinder (i did keep up with its turn though). Npc are super super better at turning than any ship out there , whether they are t9 heavy or eagle, npc can out turn your ship no matter what you fly. But in some cases it is posible to get on the tail and stay there if you can get there at all, and only if the ai lets you ofc.

[Wylie28]

Remember the difference between orientation and direction moving. You are probably trying to to get what looks like is behind them, but actually is just behind the direction they are facing rather than moving.

[AISTHESIS]

I like to think you are after a fast dog. Don't run after it at top speed all day. Try to get in its path and try to run where it will go.

When opponent and I are going to each other I full reverse and begin to turn toward where he is going to go when he passes. I also full thrust down to avoid fire and give more room for my turn arc.

Pretend your left hand is opponent and right hand is you.
Now in the air use your hands to simulate the jousting ships.
Now in the air slow simulate what you need to do.
This will let you see exactly what you will try to do in game.

It will take practice.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by Turd Ferguson:

stop.

.... in the name of love?
.... collaborate and listen?
.... hammer time?

[AISTHESIS]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

Originally posted by Turd Ferguson:

stop.

.... in the name of love?
.... collaborate and listen?
.... hammer time?

stop drop and roll

[Woodspeople]

funny thing is, that is actualy not bad advice.

[Ghost_Ship_Supreme]

Originally posted by AISTHESIS:

I like to think you are after a fast dog. Don't run after it at top speed all day. Try to get in its path and try to run where it will go.

When opponent and I are going to each other I full reverse and begin to turn toward where he is going to go when he passes. I also full thrust down to avoid fire and give more room for my turn arc.

Pretend your left hand is opponent and right hand is you.
Now in the air use your hands to simulate the jousting ships.
Now in the air slow simulate what you need to do.
This will let you see exactly what you will try to do in game.

It will take practice.

So you try to turn early to face where he is going to go? I try to do that too, but then they just get on MY tail! Fortunately though they're usually small ships that are doing this, and i can usually put pips into shields and engines to get back into position to "joust", and deal enough damage over time to win...
In the training scenarios for example, the ships do this quite a lot.

Thanks to all the suggestions, i had an idea to use vertical thrusters not only to turn and get behind them, but to continue using them to get lined up behind them! This seems to be really effective, and i think this is what i used to do back before i took such a long break from the game.

[Ghost_Ship_Supreme]

Originally posted by Wylie28:

Remember the difference between orientation and direction moving. You are probably trying to to get what looks like is behind them, but actually is just behind the direction they are facing rather than moving.

Yeah, i think the problem was that i wasn't trying to stay behidn them. I would line up behind them, then they would turn around and start strafing again.

[mskywalker18]

What works for me some times is, during the "jousting" and as they come to me, I throttle back, pitch back (nose goes up) and lateral thrusters downwards, so in a way I fall under them but keep my eyes on them. When they reach me (I'm partly under the AI and they're a bit past me) I throttle forward, pitch is still back and lateral thrusters up. Then I'm behind them. But it also depends on the ship.
For example Pythons don't really like turning around. I even find my Anaconda more manoeverable... I've read that Vultures are the best at it but I've never tried one cause of the (only) two hardpoints...