Tandem Flying

Tandem Flying is an common flying technique that allows a player and their companion to stay in the air by making each other glow from chirping or touching, thus recharging each other's scarves (even a white robe player can't recharge their scarf when in the air). It is a very useful method when it comes to travelling together and explore. Certain out-of-bounds areas are only accessible through tandem flying at first, when new to the fancy flying world.

How to do it
Difficulty:

Factors of success include the skill level of both players, and their amount of lag (it can be more difficult to chirp at them in the air, if they are not really in-sync with where you perceive them in-game). Still, it is overall relatively easy.

The easiest way to do this is with both players regularly giving full-sized chirps while flying with each-other (jump button), close to one another.

The closer you are the less loud Chirps are needed. If you manage to touch while both moving forward in the same direction you can even achieve Coasting. Coasting is like an advanced version of tandem flying (faster travelling and more comfortable for the ears after a while!)

To start tandem flying: since just lifting up and "flying away" might lead to leaving the Companion behind, here is a ritual that many players do to initiate Tandem Flying (or something similar):


 * Chirp a few times and walk a bit into a direction, to clarify where you want to fly to and check if your Companion understands, agrees and is ready.
 * Do one big Chirp to indicate the start of Tandem Flying, since its needed to keep both players up. Fly about two flaps into the direction you want to go, then stop for a second and rather just hover, to give the Companion time to start their flying too, since they might first need to figure out where you want to go (looking somewhere else first).
 * While you wait during that second, the Companion will hopefully fly up and get close to you. You should make a few big chirps straight ahead to refill their scarf as they come to you. Eventually they will also release a few big Chirp to refill your own scarf right at the start.
 * After this initial ritual both players are set up to fly together by jumping and chirping more or less continuously. With a very chirpy companion you can even stop jumping sometimes and simply glide in the air as your robe glows.

If players want to fly in a different direction:

On ground it is rather easy to hint to a direction, often some Chirps and a slight movement to the direction will do. While being in air it is hard to have a discussion about where to go.

Possible indication for "where do we go now? / I want to go there": stop to fly forward and fly at one place, the other player will try to stay nearby to keep you both in the air. One player will usually start slowly flying into one direction and check if the other follows. Since both are still rather close, smaller chirps can indicate "talking" rather then "chirping for charge".

The "hovering around one place" and "flying forward to the wished direction until consensus is reached" seems to work rather well. In any case, if both players want to stay in chirp-range, someone needs to "give in" and follow anyways.

Note: this hovering around behavior could also indicate "I want to beam down here". This happens rather when being high up for a long beam down, or above important places.

Video Tutorials
(missing)

Watching how other people play on YouTube or Twitch will help with many things (probably spoil some too).

The video here gives many hints for newcomers and also shows some tricks, behaviors: Robins guide for newcomers.

Tips

 * It can help to focus on the Companion's scarf and your own, as well as the chirping to keep them charged, more than flying.


 * Avoid holding the jump button down as it will probably empty your scarf faster than your companion can refill it with his chirps. Try to press jump about every second instead.


 * If you start to drift apart, either the person in front should slow down, or both players should chirp louder. It's also good to do both.


 * Tandem flying is nice to move anywhere horizontally, but at one point - if flying vertically - you will hit an invisible ceiling under which you won't be able to fly over. When the Companion seems to have troubles to raise up to a platform/ledge, try:
 * to change their camera behavior. Just fly a bit away from the platform, maybe even let yourself drop down a bit, a touch could also help. To stand at that platform and do nothing is rather like just watching them struggle.
 * not to chirp anymore at your companion for a few seconds, as it can help them gain a few more height with the jump button again. Of course, chirp when their scarf gets too empty.


 * Looking down could make you dive and loose your companion in the air, so avoid it (or fly towards the camera while doing it). It is best to try and maintain the camera horizontally more or less, to get an idea of where you are going and staying close to your partner.


 * You can get some practice in the Pink Desert by trying to touch the carpets while flying solo, though actual players tend to move differently.

Trivia
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Quotes
"Tandem flying... it's a beautiful aerial dance, in which body language and synchronicity are key"

- nichero4