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BOMB SIGHT
Go to the bomb sight. Hit the “F6” button. Hit the “Y” key & hold it. You are now doing final calibrations. Remember the longer you hold the “Y” key down (minimum 2 seconds recommended) the better calibrated your Current Altitude and Current Airspeed are to Corrected Altitude and Corrected Airspeed. You may have to press & release the “Y” key a few times. Once they are equal or as close a match as you can get them, move on.
Hit the “U” key. Use your joystick for any minor left or right corrections (yaw). Hit the “X” key for “Auto Level” once you think you are exactly on target.
Important: There should be no significant pitch or yaw movements/corrections at this stage. If you do so you will need to recalibrate the “E6B” and/or the “F6” bomb sight. Failure to recalibrate & you will likely miss the target. Any changes in altitude will also require recalibration.
Hit the zoom “Z” key. As the crosshair in the bomb sight touches the target …release….Bomb your target(s).
Tip: if you hit the “Y” key after you drop and have enough altitude you can see your bombs impact….kind of cool really. Successful target hits also appears in your Text buffer. That is the dialogue box bottom left hand corner of your screen.
Note: If you are new to bombers you might drop a bomb slightly before the target, one on it and one after it. This is normal. As your confidence, accuracy & skill level increases you will lower this to two bombs/target and eventually, with practice, one bomb/one target.
EXIT
Presuming you have been successful close the bomb doors “O” key and go to full throttle.
You can now:
1. Return to base (RTB) if you are out of ords, fuel, damaged or Pilot Wounded.
2. Progress to the next target & get set up/calibrated all anew.
3. Do a “go around” where you make a slow reverse turn to come back and re-attack the same location.
GO AROUND
For a “go around” cut back on throttle slightly (one tap of the minus “-“works just fine) so that when you make turns your drones will stay alongside you. This is called a Coordinated Turn or a Banking Turn. If you turn too sharply or fast you risk losing a drone or worse yet both. Drones can only be so far away from you before they self destruct. This self-destruct game feature also applies to differences in your altitude vs. your drones as well.
Losing a drone means less ords, less defensive guns and a lost bomber to jump into later if needed. As you gain more confidence turning, eventually you will be able to make flat (level) coordinated (in sync) turns at full throttle.
RECALIBRATING “GO AROUND”
When recalibrating after a “go around” make sure your drones are clearly right next to you. The calibration process time is much faster when the drones are in position next to you rather than they have to catch up to you. So plan ahead. I recommend for new players on any “go around” a 10-15 mile dog leg trip so you have plenty of time to get your procedures done and not be rushed.
YOUR GOAL
As you get better with your skills and understanding of the bombing sequence, eventually you will be able to streamline these procedures into a simple outline as follows:
Position
Open Doors “O” key
F3 – Line up
E6B - Adjust
F6 – Bomb Sight
“U” key – Finalize
“Y” – Calibrate
“U” – Target
Zoom “Z” key – Bombs Away!
So that is a rough idea how to conduct a Strategic Level Bombing run. I certainly hope this post has been instructional in nature. I learned most everything myself by trial & error. However there are a few individuals in my squad who I would like to Thank for their insight & advice. Not necessarily in this order but they are:
vGAZOO – “You can never have too much altitude”
vNATEBO
vALIBABA
vDOVER
They are great bombers.
CONTINUED TRAINING
For new players or those wishing to learn, try the other Arenas. Especially after hours. If you tell other players you are live bomber training most are very accommodating & will either leave you alone or let you drop first & see the results…. then they go for the kill on you. Either way everybody is happy. Great way to learn & score a few points. On the subject of points you get more points bombing a town vs. a field. This is a great way to build confidence and experience.
To “land” your points you must “End Sortie” on friendly concrete such as a runway, hanger pad, taxiway etc. Ending the sortie on grass, beach or anything else does not count. It has to be concrete.
HELPFUL ITEMS
Shift X= Auto-Angle (hold your climb pitch when climbing to altitude on vectors)(Light is Green)
X = Auto Level (Light is Yellow)
Z = Zoom In/Out
Backspace = switch from 1,000 pounders to a 4,000 Cookie in Lancs
CTRL 1 = Jump to your Plane
CTRL 2 = Jump to Drone 2 (useful if Your Plane is shot down)
CTRL 3 = jump to Drone 3 (Useful if Drone 2 you were in is shot down)
.salvo 1 = drop 1 bomb (.salvo 3 = 3 bombs, .salvo 7 = 7 bombs, etc.)
F3 key then hit F8 key – Gives you a God View so you can look on a 360 degree format using the joystick high hat controls or your keyboard key pad .
GAME MAPS
Game maps are available in the “Clipboard” however they are drab and may not be accurate.
To access”Clipboard Maps”:
Hit the “Esc” key to bring up the “Clipboard”,
Right click on the “Map” and a box pops up,
Click “Clipboard Maps” at the bottom of that box. A second box opens to the left.
From the “Clipboard Map Box” pull down the menu, click the map you want such as Town, Vehicle Hanger, Port, Air Field, etc. & you now have an in-flight map.
The box closes upon exit and defaults back to the main “World”map.
You can also click “Apply” to save the map you view and override the default “World” map.
KEYBOARD COMMANDS
A complete list of keyboard commands is available at
www.hitechcreations.com ,
Click HELP,
Find Flight Controls,
Click Keyboard Commands.
Tip: Printing a paper copy comes in real handy.
Here is the direct link:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/Help-Section/Flight-Sim-Controls/aces-high-help-key-commands.htmlTHE DEVILS=v=BRIGADE
The Devils=v=Brigade also has updated “Maps, Gun Sights and Bombing Run” maps available on our website. We support all Aces High players whether you are a Bishop, Knight or Rook …so ours maps are available to anyone and can be found here:
Go to
www.devilsvbrigade.comClick “Maps, Gun Sights & Photos”,
Click “Maps”,
Click the specific map you desire,
Right click on the Map and click “Save Picture as….” bitmap(*.bmp). Maps are in .bmp format (called bitmaps).
You can do the same with the “Bombing Routes” maps.
Click “Maps, Gun Sights & Photos”,
Click “Bombing Routes”,
Click the specific map you desire,
Right click on the Map and click “Save Picture as….”bitmap.
You can also replace your in game “Clipboard Maps” with these new ones:
Find the saved maps on your computer and click copy.
Double click the “Hitech Creations” directory on your computer,
Double click “Aces High” directory,
Double click “Maps” file.
Copy/paste/replace the map(s) you downloaded and you now have accurate maps in your “Clipboard”.
Note: Recommended you save the old files as backup.
PRINTING MAPS
You can print these in game maps as well by accessing the “Hitech Creations” folder on your hard drive. Double click the “Aces High” directory,
Double click the “Maps” directory,
Double click the “Map” file.
Pick & print the map(s) you want on most any printer. You now have handy paper copies.
In summary, I wrote this because I felt there was a need for some basic in depth “How To” bomber guidance especially for newcomers. My primary goal was to detail a step by step guide. If novice or established players have also benefited from this outline then my efforts have been totally successful.
I have never seen anything similar to this written so I hope it is useful for everyone.
Sincerely,
vSKYDIVE
Devils=v=Brigade
