Basics Short forks 2.4 formula Banpao formula High angle formulas Skybomb SS Timebomb SS Long forks FAQs

Long Forks


First, I would like to thank Mishigne for showing me that forks are possible. I think he was the first Turtle I ever saw use long forks. Most of the info I use originally came from him, and some from Rem4rk and Chill. I can't share all of it but I want to thank these three players for what little I know.

A long fork is a shot 2 that comes together at the moment it hits the enemy. You get full damage without keeping the shot in the air 2.5 seconds. A fork's airtime is similar to the timebomb SS, but it's a little shorter. It's probably 2 seconds or maybe a hair less.

This is different from a shot 2 that barely comes together after about 2.3 seconds. That's called a fake fork (or spoon). That's just a normal shot 2.

Like the SS, the secret to forks is lots of work and memorization. Calculating forks is a lot of work and is mostly done to show off. You almost never HAVE to fork unless you're on very flat land and just can't get a decent shooting angle. So forks are for players who already have a pretty good idea how to do Timebomb SSes. I would not recommend learning forks until you can do everything else in this guide.

Most of the fork info I'm going to show is based on hitting your fork with the final (fifth) crossing of shot 2. It's also possible to hit with earlier spins but mostly your shot will be easiest if you use the final spin. I give some extra info anyway if have the time to memorize the other forks.

Calculating forks works like calculating Timebomb SS:
1. Find the 0 wind angle and power.
2. Adjust for elevation.
3. Adjust for wind.
4. Shoot.

To get the 0 wind angle and power, just look to see what landmarks the enemy is closest to. As before, I have info for a 6 part split and an 8 part split. Because forks are very precise and very sensitive to power, I will be giving exact powers rather than rounding up or down. Try to be as close as you can in power.

Fork Landmarks
8 parts per screen split
Basic shots:
AnglePowerDistance
901.54Hits self
821.551/8 SD
731.611/4 SD
651.693/8 SD
591.811/2 SD
531.925/8 SD
472.083/4 SD
432.257/8 SD
402.41.0 SD

And here's the 6 part table:

Fork Landmarks (alternate)
6 parts per screen split
Basic shots:
AnglePowerDistance
901.54Hits self
791.581/6 SD
681.671/3 SD
591.811/2 SD
511.982/3 SD
452.185/6 SD
402.41.0 SD

If you want to try hitting on an earlier spin, here's some info:
Five spin forks
Basic shots:
AnglePowerDistance
90.91Hits self
431.351/3 SD
321.751/2 SD
252.22/3 SD
173.151.0 SD

Other fun forks:
56, 1.1 (hits 1/6 SD) - this is good when you're just a bit too far for 1 spin or
even 2 spin forks. I find it's a very easy and flexible fork for distances like this.
10, 3.95 (hits 1 SD) - a 1 screen stunt shot.
30, 3.15 (hits 1.5 SD) - Very stunty long fork.
23 3.95 (hits 2 SD) - WTF :D

Elevation adjustment for forks is difficult because so much depends on whether you're shooting under angle 45 or over 45. The good news is that in most cases, you can be one angle off and sometimes even 2 angles off and still make a decent fork.

What I'd recommend doing with forks is to use the timebomb elevation adjustment, but adjust a little bit more for forks. Maybe 1 or 2 angles more. I can't be more precise than that because it's too much work, but if someone wants to calculate elevation and send me the info I'll be glad to share it.

Windcharts

Here are the fork windcharts for half screen and 1 screen. By now you should be able to read these so I won't use a lot of space explaining.

Some fork advice: Hitting on your first try is difficult. But you should almost always be able to hit on your 2nd try if you can understand how your first shot failed. If your first shot misses because the shot didn't have enough time to come together:

If your shot misses because it's in the air too long (fifth 'crossing' happens somewhere in front of enemy): If the shot's 'spin' is correct but crosses somewhere behind them, and your shooting angle is over 45, then simply raise angle. You may also wan to use 1 or 2 pixels less power, but using the exact same power should be ok. If the shot's spin is correct but lands in front of them, you need to lower your angle and then use the same power (or 1 or 2 pixels more). For angles under 45, if the shot flies over their head, but crosses at the correct place, simply lower your angle and don't touch the power. If the shot hits the ground below them, then raise angle and use the same power.

Remember that 1 angle change when forking means almost nothing. If you're going to fix your fork, you need to adjust at least 2, and often 3 angles. Also remember that the adjustment gets larger when you're dealing with wind, especially opposite or down wind. Angle adjustment also gets larger when dealing with elevation and wind. For example in opposite wind, I might adjust my angle twice as much for elevation as usual. This is a matter of feel unless you want to take the time to grind out the numbers and make a table.

Lastly, some people calculate forks a different way, and you may find you like this way better. If you want to try it, here's Remark's fork info for up to half screen.

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