Review [Issue 63] Skyscrapers - ft. Fight & Flight

[Hex 11,520]

Parkour is an essential byproduct, and thus a part, of the game; a component, a variable - remove it, and the equation just falls apart. There are new tricks being invented constantly, new heights being reached, and new maps being conquered every single day. It isn't just some yada yada thing, it's something that many tankers love and take inspiration from.

 

Out of the shadows comes a team of legendary tankers, their aim not to just show, but to prove that when it comes to parkour, they are the best-in-class. Ladies and gentlemen, tankers and tankeresses, Fight & Flight!

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Skyscrapers - ft. Fight & Flight:

 

 

 

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A Brief Rundown:

 

So, the video starts at 00:00 #fact_of_year_2017 and in seconds, the club's logo and name appear in thick, grey clouds and flame. After the intro, at approximately 00:09, we can see a Wasp-Firebird soaring through the air. In the next 20 seconds are more of these high-flying moments of the tricks performed. 

 

The actual montage begins at 00:20 seconds, where a rather complex parkour trick can be seen. The words 'Fight and Flight presents' appear in 3D, adding a creative tint to the video. At 00:27, the map's name, "Skyscrapers", appears. This also, in addition to the amazingly dramatic background music, adds drama and creativity to the video. At 00:30, we can see what looks like a tower jump; consisting of Vikings and energy-based turrets, each one firing to make the video greatly appreciable, but moreover propelling these tankers closer to victory over heights.

 

After that, trick after trick is delivered to the audience at rapid-fire, ranging from the most creative setups to simplistic but gravity-defying leaps. After that, the video ends at its last second (or the final second, at where it stops on your screen, or at 5:53, or whatever).

 

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The Tricks:

 

00:37 - Tanki H380

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

This trick's name has been inspired from the world's biggest passenger airliner to ever exist: the Airbus A380. This massive, two-decked, streamlined beast can fly at unforgiving altitudes at amazing speeds. It goes like the wind, just faster. In the actual trick, a jumper, either Wasp, Hornet or Hunter, speeds over a group of side-flipped Twins which fire continuously to propel that jumper over a pre-defined area.

 

The Twins must keep firing at all time in order to hit the jumper and make him fly over the area. This trick combines the skill required to maintain aim and speed together with tedious calculations - yes, you can't soar longer than the maximum limit (probably around 60 meters).

 

 

00:51 - United Salvo

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, one holder and several helpers.

• Description:

The salvo not only looks cool but is hard to manage, especially if your target is a lighter hull. But simultaneously launching your salvos onto a single tank? That can be hard to achieve. With perfect timing and good aim, you will be able to launch the jumper several meters into the air, without him ever flipping! Note that the jumper here can be anything from a little Wasp to a mighty Viking. Dictator can be hard to cope with, but it might just be possible.

 

01:08 - Hol' it Up While I Pew Pew ★

 

 

If for some reason the GIF fails to show or load, click here.

 

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, one holder and several helpers.

• Description:

Straight off, this is one of the most creative and the most impressive tricks I've ever seen. This is quite similar to the 'Tanki H380', but the result is the jumper being on an actual building. As for how it's done, a jumper having a light hull speeds over a barrage of wheeling Wasp-Twins held by a Mammoth. As the jumper goes over them, the projectiles will send him flying back towards the way they came from. If you're one of the helpers, slightly tilt your turret towards the left/right as the jumper goes over you to make the them go towards that direction.

 

01:32 - Flippin' 2017's

• Trick type:

Two Man Parkour - one jumper, one helper.

• Description:

This is a simple but an impressive trick. The jumper here will stand over a flipped Dictator, that has already been positioned close to a cliff/ledge. This position must be taken care of - leaning too much will result in a fail, while too little might not even work. Once the jumper is set, they must drive slightly to the edge of the Dictator leaning over, which will cause it to fall in that direction due to added weight. Once this happens, they must drive forward with full speed. These few seconds will be enough for the Dictator to 'unflip' and while it's doing that, the Hammer/Railgun must shoot to get the jumper up and about onto a building.

 

01:39 - NOPE.

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, two helpers.

• Description:

This is one of the easier tricks featured in the video, albeit requiring almost perfect timing by the Railgunner. Situated near the western borders of the map, this trick allows one to get on any building, provided that there is a flat surface or a ramp near it. As shown, a jumper jumps onto a waiting Hammer-Viking, which then powers first-gear onto some mines (depending upon the level of the Viking). The Railgunner must pre-fire their Railgun to shoot the jumper as soon as the Viking hits the mine. One fired, the power of the energy beam will cause the Viking to flip over - in this moment, the Hammer must shoot the jumper to make them fly some distance.

 

In this trick, the jumper needs to be a Wasp, as a Hornet can prove to be too heavy. In addition, the Railgun merely gives the jumper a little push towards the way they came from - the Hammer is the one that causes them to fly.

 

01:45 - Hammer Tandem

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, two helpers.

• Description:

This trick is situated on the extreme western borders of the map, and mainly works with light hulls. First of all, choose a building that you want to get on top of. Then, place a Hammer-Wasp/Hornet on the base of that building at a certain angle - an angle at which the Hammer can shoot in front of it. Although this trick requires a ramp to work, it can also be done with a couple on mines and minimal lag. Once the 'base tank' is ready, another Hammer, possibly mounted on a Wasp should be placed in front of it. This will be the 'helper tank'. Once this setup's complete, the trick can proceed.

 

The jumper, in this case, should always be Wasp, as it is lighter and smaller. The jumper then accelerates over the ramp or mines and simultaneously, the helper tank should also back up in the direction of the building. Once it touches the base tank, it should get shot from that tank, which will cause it to lean up a certain degree. By this time, the jumper will have reached the top of the helper tank, which will then proceed to shoot it. If both, the helper tank and the jumper shoot at the right moment, the jumper will be propelled upwards and towards the building first chosen.

 

01:52 - A Chilly Flyover

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, one holder and several helpers.

• Description:

Arrange some three or four Strikers near a ramp, which is also near to a building. The number of the Strikers varies directly with the distance of the ramp to the building. The greater the distance, the greater the number of Strikers needed. After the Strikers have been arranged, set up a Wasp, Hornet or some other hull (Viking in this case) onto a Hammer-Viking/Hornet. Then, the Striker should start locking onto the jumper; taking care of timing, the helper must take off on the ramp, which already has some mines placed on its edge. Once the helper hits the mines, they should shoot at the jumper. In this time, the salvos of the Striker will start hitting the jumper, therefore propelling them towards a building or any type of structure selected in the first place.

 

Precise timing between the hitting rockets and the helper hitting the mine and then firing makes this trick possible. Without it, it would result in a miserable fail.

 

02:02 - Four Vikings, One Destination ★

 

 

If for some reason the GIF fails to show or load, click here.

 

• Trick type:

Groups - four jumpers

• Description:

I admit: I was actually impressed by this trick. You know, just looking at it in slow motion, together with the 'drumming music' behind it - it was actually awesome, especially considering how easy it is. The only way I can dissect it can be: four hulls, possibly lighter ones, are placed on top of each other near a ramp. The lowest, or the base hull then starts to speed towards that ramp and then off it towards the selected building. All hulls placed atop should also move towards this building once that happens. The bigger the amount of hulls placed on each other, the farther will the top hull reach, although it will become harder to control your tank too.

 

02:20 - Twistin' Turns

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, two helpers.

• Description:

This trick is pretty simple; and also is very similar to other tricks that work on salvos. Here, the number of Strikers also depends on how much farther the jumper wants to fly. The farther the distance or the bigger the hull, the more Strikers you need. However, to compensate of the number of Strikers, you can use two or three mines paired with Thunder's splash damage to achieve better ranges. As for the trick, place two Strikers a few meters away from the ramp the jumper wants to take off from. Then, as soon as the Strikers start locking on, the jumper must speed towards the ramp and then onto the mines. As soon as they touch the mine, they should shoot directly on the ramp to get the extra bit of altitude. By this time, the salvos will start hitting your tank, causing it to twist and turn onto the building the jumper wants to achieve, provided that the Strikers have been placed in that direction.

 

02:34 - SURPRISE!

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

This trick pivots on the element of impact force. The bigger the impact force, the farther the jumper will fly in the direction they came from. This trick will also work with Railgun, as both Railgun and Shaft (in sniping mode) have the same impact forces, with a certain exception at M1/2, but keep in mind that it will very hard to time the shots with Railgun as compared to Shaft. In addition, this trick will also work with a mine instead of a ramp. Now, as soon the jumper takes off from the ramp, all the Shafts/Railguns must shoot at the exact same time to push the jumper back towards the way they came from and possible onto a nearby building.

 

02:54 - Projectiles and Plasma ★

 

 

 

If for some reason the GIF fails to show or load, click here.

 

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

To be honest, before this video, I didn't even know that Ricochet can be useful in parkour. Turns out, it is. Somehow, someway, despite defying all laws of physics, a tank can fly a certain distance if three or more Ricochets shoot it at the same time...

 

k.

 

Arrange three or more Ricochets a few meters back from a ramp. The way you arrange them matters a lot, as the angle of the balls hitting the jumper will also cause him to fly with that angle. In the video, four Ricochets are arranged such that two are mounted on Dictators and two on Hornets, placed over those Dictators - all making angles perfect to make the jumper fly towards the building. Now, place a jumper, possibly a Wasp, on a ramp near to those Ricochet. The Ricochets will then start shooting the jumper. Projectile after projectile, the jumper will start to fly in the air. Keep shooting the jumper to power them onto the building.

 

03:08 - Something Dynamic

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

One Wasp begins by speeding towards a slanted Hammer pointing at the ground. Once the Wasp touches the slanted hull, the Hammer must shoot directly at the Wasp, causing it to go into a wheelie in the backward direction. When the Wasp is just about to fall, it should shoot at the ground along with another Hammer. In the exact moment, some two or three Railguns placed closely must shoot at the Wasp. The sum of these impact forces will make the Wasp fly quite far, and if the direction of flight is precise, it might just make a flawless landing onto the building chosen.

 

03:22 - They See Me Taxi'in, They Hatin'

• Trick type:

Group - one passenger, two drivers.

• Description:

Taxi'ing across the map atop two hand-standing Dictators can be fun. But with a thuggy flip in the end to ultimately reach the desired destination is even better!

 

04:04 - Woop! Woop!

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

This trick takes place on two ground levels - the one below with hand-standing Twins, possibly slanting on a building and the one above with a number of the jumpers' helpers. The Twins start shooting directly above the placed helpers, which have been prearranged over the edge of the second level. The Twins' impact force will cause the Viking's leaning area to rise up. In the time, a Wasp must go over these Vikings with the help of a mine or two. Once the Wasp reaches the top of the Vikings, the helpers speeding behind the jumper and the Vikings themselves must shoot the jumper, possibly with either Railgun or Hammer. The combined impact force of the helpers will cause the jumper to fly towards the preset angle.

 

04:16  - Striker Tandem

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, two helpers.

• Description:

One Wasp begins by handstanding in the middle of two Mammoth/Titan-Strikers. After the Wasp has been confirmed in the middle, the Strikers start locking onto each other. They must do this at the exact same time to let the jumper fly in a straight line. After the salvos are unleashed, its the jumper's job to carefully control his flight and land on the chosen building.

 

04:29 - As Long As We're Together

• Trick type:

Two Man Parkour - one jumper, one helper.

• Description:

This is also one of the most basic tricks in the video. One hull, possible a Wasp/Hornet lays a number of mines on the edge of a ramp/cliff/building and then gets onto another hull, which can be any light or medium hull. Then, the medium hull speeds off of those mines launching the above hull into the air. The above hull must shoot in the direction opposite to the mines to get that extra bit of force needed to conquer the area desired.

 

04:40 - Daddy Long-Legs ★

 

 

If for some reason the GIF fails to show or load, click here.

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

First of all, let's talk about the arrangement/placement of the Dictators - they are placed so that each one is cancelling the acceleration produced by the other, resulting in a zigzag, upward centralized movement. Also, the higher the amount of Dictators you place this way, the higher the jumper will be able to fly. Once you have arranged these helpers, get a Wasp on top of them, in the middle. Afterwards, the helpers need to start shooting the Wasp one by one, causing it to cover altitude inch by inch.

 

Once the Wasp reaches the top, they need to shoot in the direction opposite to the building to push themselves onto or towards that building. Also, make sure you stick the landing, otherwise you'll fall down in tears at 9.8 meters per second. #ProPhysicsLectures101

 

04:57 - I'm fat but I can fly, tyvm.

• Trick type:

Group - one fat jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

One fat hull goes over a ramp over some four-seven mines placed on the edge of that ramp. After they hit the mine, a number of Railguns or Hammers hit the hull to make it fly back towards it came from. Time it perfectly, and the hull will go spinning to a height above of which the trick was actually performed.

 

05:11 - Cubic Railgunmeters

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

This trick takes place on the cubic structure present near the Red base. A certain number of Railguns, depending upon how far the jumper wants to fly are placed on one corner, facing towards the chosen building. On the exact opposite corner, two Hammers are stacked on each other. Their purpose is to "lift" the jumper as they can go. The jumper starts by speeding off of the cuboid. The Hammers shoot and lift the jumper up. Simultaneously, the Railguns shoot the jumper to kick them onto a building.

 

05:26 - The Olympic Torch ★

 

 

If for some reason the GIF fails to show or load, click here.

 

• Trick type:

Group - one jumper, several helpers.

• Description:

Seeing this trick, one word came into my mind: WHAAAA?! Like, how's that even possible, people? Four Dictator-Ricochets all placed on the four corners of a cuboid shoot at a Wasp placed on top of that cuboid, thus launching him miles into the air. Then, a couple of Railguns shoot that Wasp to push them onto the building they wanted to conquer. Choosing an energy turret might be risky, but it really adds to the beauty of the video being recorded.

 

Waw man *-*

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Interview:

 

Last but not least, I'll be interviewing two of the three leaders of the club. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome @darrrex and @SwiftSmoky!

 

Q. How do you define 'parkour'?

 

@darrrex: I would say parkour is a great way of having fun with friends in Tanki, and allowing players to express their creativity by coming up with new ideas constantly pushing the limits of turrets, hulls, and physics within the game.

 

@SwiftSmoky: Everyone knows the definition of parkour, I don't define it differently.

 

Q. How does it feel like when you are making a video - like, being organized, flying and conquering buildings?

 

@darrrex: Having that moment where you or a friend flies in the air landing a hard trick while being recorded gives such a rush. This feeling of achievement you get after spending so much time on a trick makes it all worth it.

 

@SwiftSmoky: Working on videos is a big thing, what I love the most is coming up with tricks. Me and darrrex call it trick-storming - we join a map and just look around, imagine stuff, share our ideas and improve each others' ideas.
Experimenting and turning the ideas into real tricks is fun too, especially when they work better than we expected. The hardest part is performing the tricks perfectly when we record them. It's hard because many of our tricks are new so no one got any experience with them, and timing in big tricks always gets messy. It can get frustrating if it takes too long, but in the end it's worth the satisfaction of succeeding even the hardest tricks.
 

But the best part is getting the video out, enjoying the result of our hard work and reading the comments on YouTube. When we released the Skyscrapers montage I felt like we just won the game, you have no idea how excited and satisfied I was.

 

Q. Do you have any plans for the future of your club?

 

@darrrex: There has been talk about a few ideas we have in mind such as updating the Parkour Dictionary with a commentated version explaining the basics of these tricks. We also thought about doing commentated versions of our videos but didn't feel it was necessary being that you can clearly see exactly what is going on in the tricks by viewing the videos we have created visually.

 

@SwiftSmoky: We just keep doing what we do now. There is no greater achievement than advancing parkour so much and seeing others learning from us and getting inspiration from our work, including the parkour teams that have special paints.

 

I wanted to make tutorial videos, but we prefer to focus on parkour montages because they are more fun to make and more valuable since they bring a lot of new stuff in one video.
 

Q. If you can implement one thing that would entirely change parkour in a positive way, what would it be?

 

@darrrex: Is kinda hard to point out one thing since there are a few in my mind. But the main changes I would say are having supplies last longer in private parkour mode, making the sky kill zone higher in all maps allowing bigger jumps and having the two minute inactivity kick removed or have the time extended considering that a lot of the tricks you set up for in parkour such as elevators take longer then two minutes to set up and the hulls get kicked for inactivity if they do not move their tracks or push pause within two minutes.

 

@SwiftSmoky: Removing sky and border kill zones.

 

Right now the sky is the limit, and it's very low in most maps. This is the main reason you don't see many big jumps and no one jumps across whole maps. To jump across the map Skyscrapers without using an overrated amount of players we had to get as high as the skyscraper itself, and it's not even that far compared to jumping from corner to opposite corner or across bigger maps. Removing the border kill zone will make a wider variety of tricks possible in free fall parkour for entering hidden rooms, which is the new biggest challenge for parkourists.

 

Q. Finally, what advice would you want to give to newbie parkourists as a professional?

 

@darrrex: I would say never give up! We all started as newbie's with many fails along the way, so don't get discouraged. The best way to progress in my opinion is to watch parkour videos and start practicing the tricks with friends. Once you start getting the basic parkour moves down and understanding how they work you can start creating bigger tricks by adding more supports and friends to them. Another big thing is try searching for friends and people that are not wanting to troll and are really looking to progress like you are and soon enough you will have yourself a parkour club :D

 

@SwiftSmoky: The best thing beginners can do to get better at parkour is learn the game physics, understanding what makes tricks work is more important than knowing simple instructions of how to perform a certain trick. It helps understanding what went wrong when you failed a trick you practice, and makes it much easier to come up with your own trick ideas.

 

Thank you all for your valuable time. I hope you achieve new heights and unlock new worlds in this parkour world of yours. Bye!

 

[started: 26th February, 2017 | Completed: 28th February, 2017]

 

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Well, that's that; the conclusion to a long and (hopefully) exciting article. I hope all of you enjoyed reading this new club-related article, and that you learned quite a bit about parkour and its various mechanics. Lastly, a big round of applause goes to Fight & Flight for letting me cooperate with them and their work. Thanks readers, it was a pleasure.

 

✯ DestroyerPdox ✯

 

 

[Hex 11,520]

Thanks once again F&F, it was a pleasure doing business with you ^_^

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by Hexed

[So 1,636]

F&F  :wub:

[TS7StudioHD 854]

:wub:  Love for my Club   :wub:

Edited February 26, 2017 by TS7StudioHD

[Judge 92]

They See Me Taxi'in, They Hatin & The Olympic Torch this two were epic along with the name

 

Special thanks for making this fun and amazing video to all members of F&F also thanks to the special editor TS7StudioHD

 

Also thanks to DestroyerPdox for this interview with and article and all your efforts towards creating this article

 

Keep up the good work and hope to see more amazing and mind blowing tricks and articles reveled from u guys

:P  

[SwiftSmoky 8,445]

^_^

[Miahak 1,596]

I didn't get time for the interview was busy with real life stuffs, maybe next time ;)

[stanzhang 3,291]

<3

[Person_Random 4,991]

Where did you get the trick names?