2012-10-07T19:34:10Z

Hanid: /* Flight Menu */

= Introduction =
[[File:Airship.png|275px|thumb|right|An Airship]]
An airship is one of the high end items in Egypt. Collecting the materials and skills to build one
requires a lot of time and determination.

Typically Airships are used to navigate terrain that is too difficult to cross on foot, streams that are too
wide for a Standard Ferry Boat, or to collect Cicada Cages hidden on otherwise inaccessible areas by
other airship owners.

Airships are relatively rare and their use is generally limited to these special situations, the rest of the
time they are either parked at a compound or sitting in their owner's inventory.

There are a lot of things that an airship can do besides sitting in one's inventory and this guide will
explain some of the more interesting workings of this rare item and hopefully, more players will invest
the time and effort into building their own.

'''Airship Flight Manual''' was compiled by the '''''Areo Club [T6]'''''

= Airship Construction Technology =

[[ Airship_Construction|Airship Construction]] is a technology that must be unlocked before it is open to the player base. It is
researched at the University of Art and Music and like other technologies, it may be opened in multiple
regions.

Once opened it is available to all players at Level 21. Players that are not Level 21 can be taught the
technology; this requires 10 lessons at 5 min each or less than 1 hour to learn.

'''T6 Currently Opened In:''' Old Egypt, River Plains, Seven Lakes

{| | border="1" cellpadding="5" style="background-color:#FE6F5E" align="center"
|+ T6 Research Requirements are
|-
| Silk Cloth || 800
|-
| Canvas || 1600
|-
| Linen || 1600
|-
| Water Metal Strap || 100
|-
| Aluminum Strap || 400
|-
| Rope || 2000
|-
| Pliable, Fireproof Blond Boards || 4000
|}

= Airship Construction =

Once you have learned the technology, you can construct your own airship. You would gather the
resources listed on the [[Airship]] wiki page, build a Small Construction Site and Assemble the Airship. This will
convert all the materials into a “Collapsed Airship” in your Items List.

A Collapsed Airship has weight and bulk of 100.

Airships can be traded like other items and another way to obtain a ship is by bartering for the materials
or a fully assembled ship.

Airship can be given to other players. If you give an airship to someone, they become the owner of the
ship. They can also be guilded.

Unpacked airships are not subject to the sweeper and leaving them unpacked is safe.

= Airship 101 =
== Airship Layout ==

One common problem with flying is that the airship can move on 3 axis: Up Down, and Sideways. It
often is difficult to figure out which part is facing where.

The long narrow part is the bow or front of the ship. The stubby part is the stern or back of the ship. In
flight, the ship can move in any direction but the bow always points North. On the ground the bow
always faces East.

* Airships on the ground always face East.
* Airships in the air always face North.

== Unpacking the Ship ==

Once you have your Collapsed Airship in your items list you need to unpack the ship to use it.

* Self/Skills/Assembly/Unpack Airship

Once unpacked you should now see your ship in all it's glory in front of you.

== Ground Menu ==

When your airship is on the ground and you click on your ship, the ground menu will pop up. It has only a
few items on it but they are all you need to run the ship.

* Ride this Airship
* Pack up this Airship

"Ride this Airship" will lift the airship off the ground. Once in the air, when you click the airship again,
you will get the Flight Menu.

"Pack up this Airship" will return it to your inventory as a Collapsed Airship.

== Flight Menu ==

When unpacked, you can click on your ship, the menu will pop up. It has only a few items on it but they are all you
need to run the ship.

* Navigation
* Go Higher
* Go Lower
* Pack up this Airship

== Navigation ==

The Navigation menu offers 2 map options.

* Show the Air Stream
* Show the Map

The Air Stream is the most important for controlling the airship. It shows the wind direction, your
coordinates and your altitude.

The second map is the normal Egypt terrain map (F3).

=== Go Higher ===

Clicking this option will make your ship lift off or go higher up.

When you lift off, the first rise will be 60 feet. Every other rise will be 100 feet.

=== Go Lower ===

Clicking this option will make your ship drop down. If you drop down far enough you will land. Every drop is 100 feet.

== Pack Up This Airship ==

Clicking this option will put the airship back into your Items List as a Collapsed Airship. A Collapsed
Airship has weight and bulk of 100.

== Air Stream Map ==

This is the most important tool for controlling your airship. Like other things in Egypt it is a bit tricky
to figure out what is happening but with a bit of practice, it will be much easier to figure out which way
the wind is blowing.

An airship in flight, always has the bow/front pointing North. The Air Stream Map shows the winds
currents at your altitude. But the wind arrows change in relation to where your camera is facing. This
is important to note: the Air Stream view is from your viewpoint not that of the ship.

Examples are the best way to show what is happening when you move your camera round. All of these
images show the exact same wind currents but from different camera views.

* Default (on lift off)
* Facing East
* Facing West
* Facing South
* Facing North

=== Wind Types ===

* '''Headwinds'''
Headwinds are winds pushing you backward.
* '''Tailwinds'''
Tailwinds are winds pushing you forward
* '''Crosswinds'''
Crosswinds are winds that push you side ways
* '''Vortex Winds'''
Vortex Winds are winds that move in a circle.
* '''Turbulent Winds'''
Turbulent winds are winds moving in different directions

== First Flight ==

Find a open field for your first flight, try to avoid mountains, lakes, rivers or other complicated
topography. A plain open space, sand or grass is best.

Select Ride this Airship from the Ground Menu, you will be lifted off the ground, rise in the air 60 feet
and begin to move which ever way the wind is blowing.

Select the airship again, and pin the flight menu. Open the 2 navigation maps: air stream and terrain.

Select Go Higher several times. Select Go Lower. Look at the air stream map and compare the arrow
indicators to the direction your airship is moving

== First Landing ==

Select Go Lower from the Navigation Menu until your ship sets down.

= Airship 201 =
== Steering the Airship ==

Once the airship is off the ground the effects of the wind begin to push the airship. If the winds are
blowing in the direction you want to go this is great but if you want to go in a different direction and
the winds are against you, you now have to take command of the ship.

Clicking on the horizon will move your ship in the direction you clicked. Just like when running on the
surface. You can move the ship in any direction N-S-E-W by clicking the terrain below. However, the
winds will continue to move against your ship so you need to click again.

'''You must continually click the terrain to keep the ship moving against the wind.'''

If you stop clicking the wind will begin to push you back or away from your desired direction.

== Using the Air Stream Map ==

Check the Air Stream Map to see how the winds are affecting your ship. If you are facing a head wind,
one that is blowing straight at you, you will have to move by repeated clicking the terrain. Look for
other air currents that are going more in your direction. Move the ship towards those currents by
clicking the terrain to shift the airship into their influence.

Use Go Higher and Go Lower to move up and down the air column to see if there isn't a better current
and if you see one, move your ship accordingly.

Many landscape features create unfavorable currents. Mountains, canyons, deep ravines and other
topography can create a variety of wind patterns. Even open spaces can have their own wind currents
and crosswinds.

Sometimes it's easier to shift the airship path to avoid more difficult winds. The fastest distance
between two points may not be a straight line with an airship. It may be easier to fly around a large
vortex creating mountain than to try to fly over it.

No matter how you decide to navigate through the wind currents or the path you chose to fly, if the
winds are against you, to make progress to your destination:

'''You must continually click the terrain to keep the ship moving against the wind.'''

== Invalid Landing Areas ==

For the most part, when you want to land, you will select Go Lower until your ship touches down. If
you land in an open field, your ship will land on the terrain without any difficulties.

However, there are a number of invalid landing areas. Landing in these areas will cause you and your
ship to be return to the last good landing spot and you will get a message '''"The wind has blown you back"'''. Sometimes you won't get the message but the effects are the same, "''You've been blown back''".

Areas that will cause blow-back:
* Water
* Narrow Ridges
* Cliff Edges
* Narrow Valleys
* Mixed Terrain
* Sides too steep
* Uneven surface contours

Land features that do not cause blow-back:
* Trees
* Building or Compounds
* Roads, Paths, Trails
* Plants
* Mines
* Universities and Schools
* Chariot Stops

=== Being Blown Back ===

Under some circumstances being blown back can be used as a temporary way point. Every time you
unpack your ship or land, you set a new temporary way point. If you deliberately land in an invalid
spot you will be ported to that location. This can be good or bad depending on the intentions of the
pilot.

'''Example 1: A “Blown Back” that is good.'''

You see a cicada cage high on a hillside. There is a lot of rough terrain around that might cause you to
be blown back. You see a clear spot that you can land that will take you closer to your goal. You fly
your ship to that spot and land. This sets the temporary way point to this location. Now you can
attempt to fly closer to the cicada and if you miss the landing because of an invalid landing area, your
new temporary way point makes your next flight attempt a bit shorter.

'''Example 1: A “Blown Back” that is not good.'''

You decide to go for a long flight to look for mushrooms. You lift off your airship from your CP and
fly towards your favorite shrooming spot. It takes 15 minutes to fly there. You spot the very shroom
you need for Darkest Night on the edge of a ridge and attempt a landing. Unfortunately the wind blows
you against the cliff wall and you get blown back to your last good landing spot which is your CP
which is 15 minutes away from your shroom.

== Camera Views are Fixed in Flight==

When you are in the air, some UI features do not work as they do on the ground. Camera Views (F5,
F6 etc) are fixed at the time of lift off. You cannot change it while in the air so set your Camera View
before you lift off. Zoom In and Out work normally.

== Chat Tabs Locked in Flight ==

When you are in the air, some times the chat tabs will get locked with “Enter to Chat” message. This is
mostly from the continuous clicking to steer the ship. To unlock a tab, just mouse click on any other
tab and that will release the tab and you can type there again.

However, if you are typing in the chat line, you are not clicking the terrain and the wind will begin to
affect your ship. Steering against a head wind or vortex and typing at the same time can be
challenging.

== Airships are Slow ==

Airships are slow and against a strong headwind they can make negative distance without continuous
clicking on the terrain. A player on foot can easily out run an airship. Airships can make up for this by
being able to cross wide rivers, lakes and fly over the top of mountain ranges that a player on foot
cannot cross.

== Getting Separated from your Airship ==

You have to be able to get within range of your airship to ride it. This is the same distance as collecting
mushrooms or thorns. If you leave your airship in terrain that is too steep or rugged you may not be
able to return close enough to the ship to lift off. You will have to pack up the airship which can be
done from farther away and then unpack it again.

Normally, if you can unpack the ship you can ride it from that spot. You cannot unpack the ship in an
invalid area. If you are unable to unpack the ship and cannot move your avatar due to terrain or other
obstacles, you will have to spouse warp or way point to a safe spot.

[[Category: Airship Events]]