Some people may find it strange to post a strategy post in this section, but the speedrunning design of this free flight simulation game is really worth talking about. Let me give newcomers a conclusion first: the game does not depend on the operating limit, but on your route memory and perspective switching muscle memory. I played for three days, and from an average of three crashes per game to a stable all-S rating, the core is three things - orbit determination, speed reduction difference, and cheating perspective.
Let's talk about orbit first. Each level in the game has a fixed drop point, but the shortest path is often not a straight line. Taking Chapter 4 "Storage Area" as an example, the initial position of the drone is on the 12th floor of Building A, and the target point C7 shelf is on the 3rd floor of Building B. If you just pull the joystick to full and rush forward, you will hit the building. The correct approach is: first lift it vertically to above the top height of all buildings, use the fifth chimney as a reference, move it horizontally to just above Building B, and then lower it vertically. The whole journey requires only two direction adjustments, which takes about 4 seconds less than the detour.
The speed difference is a detail that most people ignore. In the game physics engine, the forward speed attenuation coefficient is 0.7, but the vertical descent speed does not decrease. Therefore, the most stable way to make an emergency stop is not to release the throttle, but to instantly pull the vehicle up to the maximum to offset the inertia. I measured it with a stopwatch. It takes 1.2 seconds to come to a complete stop by directly releasing the accelerator, but it only takes 0.4 seconds by ascending to make an emergency stop, and the collision determination will not be triggered. Specific operation: 0.2 seconds before you feel like you are about to hit the building, press the up key and the reverse key at the same time. The fuselage will shake in place but will not be damaged. This is an allowed error compensation mechanism.
Perspective switching is the core threshold for speedrunning. The game's default third-person perspective has a wide field of view but poor front-to-back distance awareness. Once you enter a building gap, it is easily blocked. In my actual measurement, I divided all the processes into three stages: using the third-person perspective when entering, approaching the target area and looking at the coordinates of the delivery point in the first-person perspective, and using the God's perspective on the return trip to avoid random obstacles. The Dark Arrow Xianglong drone is actually not expensive to unlock (just clear two chapters with gold coins). It comes with a depression angle preview auxiliary line, which can achieve zero deviation in delivery when used with the first-person perspective. Efficiency comparison: The basic drone makes an average of 1.8 mistakes per chapter, while the Dark Arrow Xianglong only makes 0.3 mistakes.
There is another cheating trick regarding collision determination: the actual collision volume of the game model is larger than the visual aircraft, but the propeller part is collision-free. So if you slide your hand sideways into the window, you can turn the fuselage sideways 30 degrees so that the propeller faces outward, so that the window frame will not trigger the alarm. I tried all the levels, and only the narrow gap in Chapter 6 required this operation. I learned to save myself from having to do it all over again.
Finally, let's talk about the upgrade sequence. The gold coins in the game are only enough to buy two drones and a few decorations, but the "timed and fixed-point delivery" description of the Dark Arrow Xianglong is deceptive. It only reduces the aperture range by 20%. What really helps is the propeller wake effect - don't buy that, it will slow down the frame rate and cause lag in operation. It is recommended to give priority to buying the "camouflage gray" in the body painting, which can reduce misjudgment of obstacles by 15% in the night level of Chapter 8 (the flash reduction rate in my own test may be due to contrast improvement).
Summary: If you want to speed through, first memorize the highest point of the building in each level, remember to use pull up when stopping, and switch the perspective before reaching it. There is no need to buy equipment, the Dark Arrow Xianglong is the only one you need. If you have enough gold coins, just buy it. There is a delivery acceleration pack in the toolbar. Don't use it. It will double your falling inertia and make it easier to hit the ground. Okay, I'm going to continue reading the hidden easter eggs in Chapter 10. I'll make up for them if I find them. 😎