strafing for distance

[Pluto]

Does anyone know if it's easier to complete a jump by strafing left and right to get more speed mid-air
OR
if it's better to just head to the end of a jump in the straightest line possible?

[alphA_]

Depends on your mid-air speed, if you are starting to level out in height and begin falling downwards at a lower speed, then yes , strafing will help increase the distance. But if you are jumping in a more horizontal direction where your speed will only keep increasing, then strafing will slow you down in most if not all cases

[Pluto]

what

[nolem]

Depends on your mid-air speed, if you are starting to level out in height and begin falling downwards at a lower speed, then yes , strafing will help increase the distance. But if you are jumping in a more horizontal direction where your speed will only keep increasing, then strafing will slow you down in most if not all cases

As far as I know, velocity in the horizontal and vertical directions are isolated completely except when touching a ramp, so the effect of strafing shouldn't change depending on where you are in the course of a jump.

This article: http://levelupguides.com/team-fortress-2/ever-wanted-know-air-strafing/ says that it is possible to gain speed in the air by strafing but often times it is negated by the additional length of the curve you travel through. You can see the effects of the speedup in 0 gravity like in the bomb bonuses.

[Pluto]

OK so it doesn't matter if I full wiggle or go straight to the end,
but if I wiggle for the first half of being airborne,
and switch to a direct path on the second half,
would I get more distance?

It sounds like I would gain extra speed from the strafing without losing distance, then by making a direct path to the end I would essentially reach the platform faster.

[Exile]

you can wiggle in the air for more distance but its not likely youre going to do it well enough to matter

[879m]

If you are going slowly it will get you a few more units unless you are trash at it. At high speed, you have to do gradual strafes to gain speed, but usually the extra distance covered negates the speed boost. Overall its just for style points.