Boundless Dynamics LLC’s VTOL VR has continued to give out fun and meaningful updates even to this day. Just in August 2023 itself, the game received a major update, which introduced a plethora of changes and content. Wind was finally added, along with a new PvP multiplayer scenario. Suffice it to say, the game is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. While it happens to be a very niche title, new players are still flocking in to enjoy a fun flying game that has VR support. And this guide in particular will help those new players learn how to use flares.
Somewhere, at some point in your flying adventure, you are bound to get noticed by enemies and then hunted. Know that, soon enough, the enemy will start hurling missiles at you. The only way to be safe against those weapons of certain death is by using your active countermeasures. Flares are one of them. And so, here’s how you can properly use them.
Vtol VR: How to use flares?
Like their real-life counterparts, flares in VTOL VR help you evade enemy missiles. Now, before we jump on all the intricacies and such around flares, you should first understand how to deploy them. And it’s pretty easy to do that.
How to deploy Flares?
If you are using the Oculus Quest 2, you need to have your hand on the controller and then press the Y button on the left touch controller. This should allow you to deploy flares. In case you are using other VR headsets and controllers, hold the throttle and press the top button on your left controller. That should do the trick. Note that if you are uncomfortable with your controls, you can rebind them using SteamVR settings.
Now that you have some semblance of an idea of how to deploy flares, let’s discuss how to effectively use them. Mindlessly deploying flares whenever you see an enemy missile approaching you isn’t going to work at all. If you do that in almost all cases, you will find both you and your jet crash and burn.
When to deploy Flares?
Flares are one of the most commonly used and recognized active countermeasures against missiles. But not every kind of missile. These are specifically made and used to counter heat-seeking or IR missiles. For the uninitiated, as their name suggests, heat-seeking missiles are guided by the heat coming out of your jet, or more commonly, the heat signature. The extreme heat coming out of those flares can confuse missiles and help you avoid certain deaths.
But simply deploying flares will do no good. You still have an incredible amount of heat coming out of the jet. That’s why the usual process around using flares involves the following steps –
- Turn away from the hostile missile the minute it launches.
- Cut your throttle so as to reduce the aircraft’s heat signatures as much as possible.
- Cut afterburners if they are active.
- Once the missile is about 3–4 seconds away from hitting the aircraft, do a barrel roll or perform high G moves, and deploy the flares in the hope that one of them effectively deals with the missile.
As long as you follow the aforementioned steps carefully, you will be able to fly safely. However, as we said earlier, flares are only useful against particular missiles, i.e., heat-seeking missiles. If an enemy aircraft deploys radar-guided missiles at you, using flares will be like trying to fend off an elephant with a pea shooter. Nothing will happen except you getting trampled by that radar-guided elephant flying towards you at Mach speed. The only other countermeasure to that kind of missile is Chaff.
Note that everything, from your weapons to countermeasures, is limited. So, never try deploying both countermeasures at the same time. Use them carefully and at the right moment. And like we said earlier, cut down your throttle and afterburners (if they are active). The aim here is to have your heat signature lower than the flares.
So, now that you have a good understanding of the whys and hows of flares, we believe you won’t have much trouble getting out of tricky situations. If you find this guide informative, make sure to visit DigiStatement for more such content. Also read: Only Up VR Release Date: Is it Coming?