Pitch Control is a gameplay technique in the Wipeout series. This is a fundamental piloting technique which involves adjusting the nose of the ship, simply by pulling it up or down. The pitch of a ship plays a very important role in the games.
Introduction[]
Pitch control has been present since the original game. The pitch of the ship can be controlled by pulling the nose of the ship in either direction. This technique can be useful in landing smoothly after a jump or counteracting the loss of speed from going airborne while descending.
On a straight section, the pitch of the ship will affect the ship's aerodynamics. Pulling the nose down will increase the ship's speed, while pulling it up will decrease the speed. This will come in handy when trying to control the pace of the ship.
Significance[]
In Wipeout 2097, Wipeout 64 and Wipeout 3, pitch control becomes a particularly important technique. The physics of these games are known to greatly influence the behavior of the ship on many aspects. Furthermore, smooth landing in these games is very difficult to perform as ships here tend to bounce off upon landing, causing a significant loss of speed. Another benefit of pitch control in 2097 and 64 is that the pitch of the ship also allows weapons to be rear-fired. By tilting the nose back while holding a Missile, Rear-Lock is enabled, allowing for more precision on rear-firing the Missile.
In Wipeout Pure, Wipeout Pulse, Wipeout HD/Fury and Wipeout 2048, pitch control can be helpful in finding opportunities for barrel rolling, especially on shallow surfaces, as the physics of these games were significantly overhauled from past titles. Some opportunities may require the use of a Turbo, or strategic airtime, all coupled with proper pitch control to pull off.
Trivia[]
- Concept art from Wipeout Fusion depicts a track section which requires pilots to pull the nose up, with the consequence of possible elimination if they fail to do so, as seen by a ship exploding after failing to make the jump.