In the absence of a tutorial, I thought this guide would be helpful for new-ish players to bring to light (literally in one case) some of the lesser known features of AFF, as well as some additional depth available within more basic mechanics.

Please keep in mind that this guide is intended for players with some gameplay knowledge, so if you've just bought the game, I recommend looking at the other guides available for AFF (they explain basic concepts that I rather gloss over here).

Still, if anything doesn't make sense, or you want something explained, feel free to ask me in the comments below.

What is it?
Vehicles - from battleships to LAVs - can be taken over by a human player if they are being operated by an AI. This also extends to turrets, both on the ground and in vehicles and ships. To do this, walk up to the vehicle (or pilot's seat) and press F to take over control. You must also not currently own a vehicle to take over an AI-controlled one (that is, you cannot have driven a vehicle that is still alive in your current life - if you already own a vehicle, you can only jump into seats or gunner positions, not drive bot vehicles, or you will be told that all seats are full). You can rescind your ownership of a vehicle by redeploying.

Note that you will have to use whatever loadout the AI has chosen, and the vehicle will retain their camouflage pattern.

The option to commandeer a vehicle from an AI driver.

Why is it important?
The AI has a tendency to get vehicles stuck, or not do much with them. Commandeering a vehicle will allow you to either get it un-stuck, or destroy it (if it is able to damage itself), so that it can be used when it respawns. This is most useful on maps with known bot vehicle issues, like Errah or Yin Tao Shan.

Usually it is best for human players to pilot more powerful vehicles like tanks, gunships, frigates, and battleships, as the skill difference between an AI and human is most impactful in more powerful vehicles - most AI gunships last for only a few seconds before eating tens of rockets, cannon shells and railgun slugs and exploding in a disappointing but pretty ball of fire, while player controlled gunships are incredibly bloody frustrating to fight if the pilot is skilled enough (I won't name names, but you know who i'm talking about).

Taking over control of a powerful vehicle from an AI can also allow for a last-minute push if the game is about to end, which can turn the match around if used properly.

What is it?
You can change the firemode of your weapons by pressing X by default.. This allows you to change from, say, full auto to a three round burst. Changing firemode is also required to access underbarrel attachments (rockets or flamer).

Why is it important?
The each firemode is useful in different situations. Using full-auto on a machinegun is fantastic if you're poking it in someone's face, but the recoil is unmanagable at longer distances, so a burst firemode is more appropriate as it will grant higher accuracy and therefore more damage.

Some weapons have firemodes that change how the weapon operates beyond the amount of rounds fired when you click the mouse. For example, the DK31 plasma rifle for the ULA has a regular, full auto firemode, and a charge shot mode, where you can charge up a round before firing, dealing increased damage. The MLI rocket launcher for the AIA has firemodes letting you use the lock-on feature (useful against distant and/or fast moving vehicles like gunships or LAVs), and an unguided mode (useful against infantry and close, slow moving vehicles). Have a look in the stats tab (located at the top of the right-side panel in the loadout screen) to see what firemodes the selected wepaon has available, or press X to cycle through them in-game.

What is it?
The multiwrench is the default weapon in the sidearm slot, which allows you to revive players and repair infantry armour and vehicles. It can also EMP enemy units and remove the EMP effect from friendly units. The multiwrench can also take several modifications to either improve its range or power. Infantry will find it useful to increase the range, so that they can revive team mates from behind cover, while drivers and pilots will find the power upgrade useful for quickly repairing vehicles or ship subsystems. Note that these modifications are expensive and cost a lot of command and support points, so you may need to reach a high level before using them.

Why is it important?
The main role of the multiwrench is repairing things and reviving team mates. If you see one of your team mates lying down and taking a break, use the multiwrench to revive them by holding down left click while looking at their body.

AFF applies decals to units that are damaged, so this is a good indicator of whether you can repair something or not. The repair feature allows you to repair the armour of friendly infantry units (but not their health), which can be very useful for not only quick heals, but increased survivability. Sitting behind cover while repairing a fellow soldier who is doing the shooting massively increases their survivability - they will thank you for it!

Reviving a downed team mate with the multiwrench . Be sure to do this as often as possible - two live soldiers are better than one dead and one dying soldier.

Vehicles can also be repaired with the multiwrench , allowing you to fully restore their health and armour. This is useful as it can increase the longevity of a vehicle. For example, to keep a gunship alive longer, it may be advantageous to fly away and repair it for a minute before getting back into the fight, so that you can return later at full strength. Note that this does not extend to capital ships; the only thing you can repair in a ship is component parts (these look like computer consoles and show up white on your HUD). Fighters, dropships, and bombers can be repaired by docking at a carrier, base, or rearming point (press F when prompted to by the yellow circle).

The multiwrench can also remove the EMP status effect from you team mates and vehicles, and can counteract the damage from fire. If you strike an EMP/incendiary mine or grenade, pull out your multiwrench to help your allies recover.

What is it?
Barring a miracle, in most AFF games you're likely to be on a team consisting mostly of bots. They aren't the brightest at times and pale in comparison to (some) human players, but there is one, massive, redeeming feature: bots are unquestioningly obedient. If you order every bot to attack the same objective, they will walk into machineguns and land mines for you with the most glee their CPUs are capable of. As commander - or even squad leader - you can take advantage of this by giving your bots commands to hold specific locations on the map (as opposed to "Defend Objective X), greatly increasing their defensive and offensive potential. Access the command menu by holding C by default. Click on a squad leader or member to select them, then release the C key with your mouse held over the command you would like them to execute. To select and objective or enemy to mark, press G by default.

Notice the members of my squad (yellow icons) standing in their assigned positions in this image. By assigning your AI squadmates to particular locations, you can create more elaborate, effective, and consistent defenses. Use the wheel menu, accessed with the C key, to order your squadmates around; left click on their names to select/deselect them.

Why is it important?
Giving bots generic commands like "Attack A" or "Defend B" often results in the bots running around and not doing all that much attacking or defending. Human commanders and squad leaders can get around this by telling their bots to hold specific locations on the map. For example, when defending stage 2 of Fortress Incursion as the Antareans, it is possible to create a near-unbreakable layered defense by telling bots to hold specific positions within the towers and gate control bridge. Furthermore, ordering your bots to follow you when attacking a position gives you a little more punch (especially with the new AI improvements) in your assault, and they can also revive you if you are downed. This is especially important, as it allows you to essentially have multiple lives! Just be sure to revive your bots, too - they will even say thanks.

What is it?
Human players can activate night vision by pressing Z by default. While in a vehicle, the Z key activates your vehicle's countermeasures. For ULA vehicles, this will deploy flares that cause incoming missiles to miss you, while for AIA vehicles it deploys a point-defense drone that zaps pretty much any solid projectile out of the air (tank shells, missiles, rockets, gunship rounds, etc.), though it does not destroy enemy grenades, detpacks, or mines. These countermeasures are the same for fighters and bombers in space; capital ships activate a less-powerful version of point defense that only zaps torpedoes (from bombers) and missiles, which is of only some use.

Why is it important?
Night vision allows you so see in dark areas, resulting in better navigation and target acquisition. Unlike the now-removed flashlight, players won't be able to tell whether you have night vision activated or not, so you don't need to worry about compromising your stealthiness when it is active. However, unless you're very aware of the differences between each factions' infantry models, telling whether an person is an enemy or friend is difficult with night vision activated. Spot them with G (by default) to figure out who they are, or look at the tacmap.

Vehicle countermeasures are vital for avoiding incoming damage, particularly in vehicles like gunships or tanks that are important to keep alive. They can also be used to support your team - flares will attract missiles in a wide range, and a single AIA point-defense drone can block an entire point from enemy damage. This drone is most effective against vehicles like the Turtle, Sturm, and Partisan, as it renders their main weapon useless. The ULA's flares, on the other hand, are only useful against homing rockets. Useful if you're in a gunship or in space, but not super helpful for a tank driver.

Space battles in AFF can take a little while to get used to - my first space battles consisted mostly of the respawn screen.

What is it?
Firstly: you can fly any spacecraft two different ways (gunships are similar but not the same). You can swich between the modes by pressing middle mouse button by default. The first mode is a "regular" method of flying, where your ship behaves like a fixed-wing aircraft, moving in the direction you are looking with a speed cap. The second mode makes your ship behave kind of like a helicopter, except there's no friction or gravity, meaing that you will continue drifting in the direction you are going unless you accelerate in a different direction. This modes speed cap is the same as the fastest speed your ship can move at while boosting (SHIFT to boost), meaning you can boost to reach your maximum speed and then stop boosting, but still move at the max speed. Gunships behave slightly differently in the second mode, in that they slow down to a stop instead of coasting along forever.

Maximum speed without boosting while in regular flight mode.

Maximum speed, reached with boost but does not require boosting to maintain, while in the second flight mode. It is double the maximum speed shown in the first image, such is the usefulness of these flight modes.

Why is it important?
The two modes of flight each have their own situational uses, which I'll outline here.

The regular mode of flying makes movement much easier and intuitive, meaning you're less likely to crash into something or go in the wrong direction. This is useful when you want to direct your craft finely, like when passing through a narrow gap in order to escape a pursuing enemy ship.

The second mode has several uses. Because it does not revert to normal speed after you boost for a few seconds, you can travel at very high speeds over long distances without having to always use your boost in this flight mode. This is useful for moving towards objectives and specific locations quickly.
Furthermore, this mode is useful for dogfighting. It means that you can avoid those embarassing movie scenes where a pilot has someone on their tail that they "can't shake." If you find yourself in this situaiton, simply toggle your flight mode, then spin around and shoot the dog! (all the while still travelling away from them).
Bombers and gunships can use this second mode the same way, by using it to gently peek over the top of obstacles to fire a torpedo or other weapon. This allows you to avoid enemy fire (mostly), and retreat behind cover quickly if you start getting shot at.

What is it?
Hover vehicles (the Antarean Basta IFV and Dhaka tank) are controlled differently to other vehicles. They are able to strafe sideways without needing to turn, and can hold position by pressing the space bar (by default). In addition, they move at roughtly the same speed in all directions.


Holding position on a hill on Delta Territories by pressing space bar.

Why is it important?
Strafing left and right (sometimes referred to as "ADAD") allows hover vehicles to avoid incoming fire, and makes them a harder target for enemy soldiers and vehicles - particularly anti-vehicle weapons like the C3Oi or RID. In addition, holding space (by default) will stop your hover vehicle - this is particularly useful on a slope, as it may be easier to line up a shot with a cannon or machinegun when stationary.

What is it?
When defending on an incursion map, you can win the game by destroying all enemy spawn points (drop pods, battleships, and frigates) and then killing all remaining enemies, as they cannot respawn. On ground incursion maps, the defenders can destroy all of the attackers drop pods to win. On space incursion maps, the defenders need to first destroy the enemy battleship that is spawning the dropships, then destroy all of the drop pods on the station and any remaining dropships.

Why is it important?
This lets the defending team win on an incursion map before the time limit is reached, and is really humiliating for the attacking team. However, the attackers that are still alive once the drop pod is destroyed can recapture the landing zone (on ground incursion maps) or land another dropship if their battleship is still alive (on space incursion maps), and then you'll have a whole team pop into existence right infront of you, which is never fun.

Some tips on destroying drop pods:

• Use hard ammunition for the extra damage against vehicles
  
• Use weapons with high DPS, like shotguns, machineguns, or the C3Oi cannon
  
• Use fragmentation detpacks (equipped in the grenade slot)
  
• Be careful not to get shot by the drop pods turret
  
• Try to avoid the enemies that will be spawning from the pod by positioning yourself around it (sometimes it may be advantageous to go inside the pod itself, as people often don't look back when spawning)

What is it?
The type of suit (light, medium, or heavy) changes your character's height. This affects both your worldmodel (what other players can see) and the position of your view (what you can see). The suit types have the same height regardless of faction.

The three suit types compared, crouching, behind some cover on Tannhauser. From left to right: light, medium, heavy. Notice that only the heavy suit is able to shoot over the box on the left hand side, while the other two suits cannot.

Heavy and medium suits compared using the crates on Igneous Platform's last stage.

Why is it important?
The height of your model will let you see over or hide behind different obstacles, so it is important to choose the right suit for the job. As in the example above, for defending point D on stage one of Tannhauser, choose a heavy suit, as you'll be able to shoot over the boxes while remaining almost entirely in cover. Another example is the yellow crates on point E of Igneous Platform; the two-high stacks have a groove in the side that heavy suits are able to fire through while leaning, which almost entirely hides them from enemy fire.

What is it?
Vehicles take 50% less damage from the front, normal damage from the sides, and 50% more damage from the rear.

Why is it important?
Vehicles are important! They're useful for transporting troops around the map, blowing things up, and running people over. In territories, they also cost your team points if they are destroyed – so you want to try and keep them alive, and facing the enemy will help you do this. Orient your strongest armour towards your enemy at all times if possible, and avoid turning around and running away. Often, it is better to reverse away from a fight than to turn around and flee, exposing your vulnerable rear armour (tanks are designed to do this!).

Hopefully you've learned something new and/or useful from this guide!

If you have noticed any spelling/grammar errors, feel free to point them out and I'll fix them.

Ask any questions you may have in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

Changelog:

• 6/10/2018 Replaced an obscure easter egg with useful information on controlling hover vehicles
  
• 23/11/2018 Multiwrench section now mentions that it removes the EMP effect from friendly units
  
• 27/04/2019 Commandeering vehicles section now mentions that you must not currently own a vehicle to be able to commandeer one; multiwrench section updated to include information about modifications; firemode section updated to remove shield from underbarrel attachments that require firemode switching
  
• 30/06/2019 Added additional clarification of vehicle ownership
  
• 16/07/2019 Fixed several spelling errors
  
• 25/07/2019 Updated section on multiwrench to reflect the cruel, heartless nerf to EMP versus vehicles
  
• 27/11/2019 Updated countermeasures section to reflect the current state of the game
  
• 28/11/2019 Updated guide thumbnail
  
• 29/11/2019 Further updated the multiwrench section to remove outdated information
  
• 9/12/2019 Added section on suit heights and fixed a typo
  
• 2/05/2020 Added section on vehicle armour and fixed a caption in the suit heights section
  
• 21/05/2020 Changed all occurrences of "multitool" to "multiwrench", which is what it's actually called; fixed a spelling error and edited countermeasures section
  
• 10/07/2020 Edited flashlight and countermeasures section to reflect the new night vision that replaces the flashlight
  
• 8/05/2021 Fixed capitalisation