Guides/Airship Flight Manual

Introduction

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 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

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 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 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 you 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