Basic Combat
In this guide, we talk about using mouse flight to move around easier, aiming accurately and watching your weapon energy so you don't run out of juice in the middle of a fight. Skip to the summary points if you like.

Mouse Flight
Switching to Mouse Flight (spacebar) is usually better, as you don't have to hold down the mouse button in order to move around, you can just fly freely and fire away.

The drawback of Mouse Flight is that you can sometimes find yourself upside down or sideways or generally lost.. simply tap the space bar again to spin your ship back to level. If that still doesn't work, select a target and Go To (F2) and your ship will auto-level.

Point and Shoot
Surviving in Freelancer requires you to avoid trouble or deal with it. If you choose to deal with it, you need to take aim and fire using the aiming cross to accurately hit your target.

Follow the Aiming Cross
Targets are harder to hit when they are flying fast across the screen and easier to hit when facing toward or away from you. The aiming cross changes to reflect the speed and direction of the target, so watch it carefully when you are shooting at your target.

The aiming cross is Freelancer showing you where to aim in order to hit the target. This is accurate but not perfect, so be prepared to lead your shots ahead of your target if you notice your shots falling short while trying to hit a enemy moving sideways.

Energy Usage
The yellow bar at the bottom of the screen is your weapon energy. This is used up at different rates depending on what weapons you have equipped, but don't worry.. it recharges once you stop firing.

Different ships have different power levels, so be careful what you buy and what you fly.

Watch your Speed!
Controlling your speed can be difficult in the middle of a fight, so be sure you are going at maximum speed, because if you move slowly, the enemy can target you much easier.

Choiceofweapon: "If you are fighting a player, know that they also have an aiming cross and the more you move around (and the faster you do it) the harder it will be for them to get a clear target on you and hit with every shot."

Turning and Strafing
The more you move around, the harder you are to hit, so be sure to turn and strafe during combat, especially if you have someone on your tail, it makes it harder for their weapons to hit you accurately.

Summary Points of Basic Combat
Mouse Flight lets you move more freely.

Always shoot at the aiming cross!

Watch your weapon energy and let it recharge between attacks.

The more you move around and the faster you do it, the easier it is to avoid attacks.