X4 Flight Controls - Quick Reference

January 12, 2026 · View on GitHub

Default Controls

ActionKeyDescription
Forward SpeedMouse Wheel Up / =Increase forward speed (+10% throttle)
Forward SpeedMouse Wheel Down / -Decrease forward speed (-10% throttle)
UpW / SpaceMove up
DownS / Left CtrlMove down
Strafe LeftAMove left
Strafe RightDMove right
RotateMousePitch & Yaw
BoostLeft Shift (hold)2x speed boost
Flight AssistVToggle assist on/off
Travel ModeJToggle 5x cruise speed

Flight Modes

Flight Assist ON (Default)

  • ✅ Smooth rotation with damping
  • ✅ Auto-leveling to ecliptic plane
  • ✅ Maintains velocity when no input
  • ✅ Throttle controls target speed

Flight Assist OFF

  • ⚠️ Pure Newtonian physics
  • ⚠️ Ship drifts indefinitely
  • ⚠️ No auto-leveling
  • ⚠️ More challenging but realistic

Quick Tuning

Make Ship More Responsive

FlightAssistResponsiveness = 4.0
RotationDampingFactor = 0.7

Make Ship More Stable

FlightAssistResponsiveness = 1.5
RotationDampingFactor = 0.95
AutoLevelStrength = 0.7

Common Parameters

ParameterDefaultWhat It Does
RotationDampingFactor0.85Higher = smoother rotation
AutoLevelStrength0.5How strongly ship levels (0-1)
FlightAssistResponsiveness2.0How quickly ship responds to input
ThrottleStep10.0Throttle increment per press (%)
BoostMultiplier2.0Speed multiplier when boosting
TravelModeMultiplier5.0Speed multiplier in travel mode
StrafeIndependence0.8Strafe independence from forward motion
bUseMousePositionFlighttrueX4-style position vs. delta mode
MouseDeadzoneRadius50Deadzone from center (pixels)
MouseMaxRadius400Max distance for 100% rotation (pixels)
RotationRateMultiplier0.5Ship-specific agility (in DataAsset)

Blueprint Functions

ToggleFlightAssist()          // Toggle flight assist on/off
ThrottleUp()                  // Increase throttle by 10%
ThrottleDown()                // Decrease throttle by 10%
SetThrottle(Percentage)       // Set throttle to specific % (0-100)
ActivateBoost()               // Activate boost mode
DeactivateBoost()             // Deactivate boost mode
ToggleTravelMode()            // Toggle travel mode
GetEffectiveMaxSpeed()        // Get current max speed with modifiers

Tips

  1. For Exploration: Use throttle mode with flight assist ON
  2. For Combat: Disable flight assist for maximum agility
  3. For Long Travel: Activate travel mode (J key)
  4. For Docking: Use low throttle (10-20%) with strafe controls
  5. For Evasion: Hold Left Shift for boost while maneuvering

Troubleshooting

ProblemSolution
Ship too sluggishSet ship's RotationRateMultiplier = 0.7-1.0
Ship too twitchySet ship's RotationRateMultiplier = 0.3-0.5
Won't stop rollingIncrease AutoLevelStrength to 0.7-0.9
Throttle not workingCheck flight assist is enabled
Boost not workingRelease and re-press Left Shift
Mouse doesn't rotate shipMove mouse outside 50px deadzone from center
Rotation too sensitiveIncrease MouseMaxRadius or decrease sensitivity

See Full Guide: X4FlightControlsGuide.md