Author Topic: View system (Read 1215 times)

Dennis · « **on:** December 31, 2001, 04:51:00 AM »

Hi. I could use some pointers on the view system in AH. The setup I have is fine for tracking drones offline, but when I go online and targets get evasive (imagine that), I lose'em just about every time.

I have an eight-position hat with two sets mapped -- one for level 360 and a shifted one for a high 360. (UpHat is Front up and Up). I use the 0 key for a down-modifier on the level hat positions, and have saved positions in each of the planes to look around headrests & such.

I can see quite well around me when flying to the scrap.

Anything else I could be doing to help me keep track of bandits once engaged? I don't find the padlock feature to be very intuitive. It's more disorienting that the one in, say, EAW, in that it doesn't follow a target like a normal human view would ... and when it loses sight of the target, it sticks where the target disappeared.
The moment I'm reaching for the F1 key usually coincides with the moment I'm augering into the ground ... or taking a hot lead enema.

Pardon the graphic.

I find myself spending more energy and attention tracking/re-acquiring bandits than on basic ACM once engaged. Bad combindation, I've found.

Any advice?

Splash1

Naudet · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2001, 06:06:00 AM »

My personal view is, that you should use the numpad.

I also tried a hat switch, but the results were unsatisfactory.
I now use the numpad all the time. After a short time i got so used to it, that i rarely lose track of any targets now.

I would advice you to try the numpad and practise with it about 2-4 weeks.
For tracking purposes, you can fly behind a friendly and to some areobatics while you always keep him in view.

airspro · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2001, 06:38:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Dennis:
Hi.

I have an eight-position hat with two sets mapped -- one for level 360 and a shifted one for a high 360.

Any advice?

Splash1

Yes ,

This seems to work the best for most of us .

The main hat >
Push ahead for the 8+5 view , the rest are all side views as > 9,6,3,2,1,4,7 .

I then use another button on my Throtte or your joystick for the up modifer ( 5 key ) .

Ok you look around sideways with the hat only , then look up 45 degs with the up modifer ( 5 key ) and the hat combined .

Look stright up with the 5 key .

It's IMO much easier to leave your left thumb on the same hat for both side views and 45 up views .

I don't have the down key (0) mapped for fighters just for my bomber stick set , got to roll the plane most times to see there anyway seems to me .

Lephturn's Aerodrome has one of the best write up's for this IMO .
http://users.eastlink.ca/~sconrad/views.htm

Just practice it will be much easier , practice . The bad thing about AH view system is when you finally learn it you'll hate all the others

AH has me spoiled , IMO it's the best I have flown yet . Makes it easier for ACM to work more like I have read in combat books .

take care
spro

Lephturn · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2001, 06:40:00 AM »

I use the 8 way view hat exclusively. It's a personal choice though, Naudet's suggestion is a good one to try as well. Try both systems, and use whichever one works best for you.

I wrote an article about the AH view system that you may wish to look at. The bit about the gunsight view is a bit out of date (the gunsight moves with your head now) but other than that it may help you.

The only view I don't have on my stick is the down view. I just don't use the down-combo views at all. I use forward as up/front 45, likely the most important view, and the rest of the hat as your directional views. I have mapped a key on the base of my stick as the UP key, and it automatically modifies all the cardinal direction views to their up combo. I also have the zoom key mapped to another button, and I have a "head down" view mapped to a base button that is adjusted down and back in the seat to show me my intrument panel.
http://lephturn.webhop.net/views.htm

AKIron · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2001, 11:27:00 AM »

Don't know if your JS supports it (you didn't mention the brand/model) but here's a hat mapping I've found very useful:

hat down - look up/back
hat center - look up
hat up - look up/forward
hat center - look forward

These are the views that I use about 80%-90% of the time and have found them useful in many flight sims.

If your stick supports what Thrustmaster calls "raw" codes then you can do this. Raw codes allow (among other things) the ability to send a key press separate from the key release.

Notice that hat center yields both the up and front view. This is dependent on what view was last selected. If the up/back view was last then center looks up, if up/front was last then center returns to front view.

[ 12-31-2001: Message edited by: AKIron ]

Sox62 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 31, 2001, 11:36:00 AM »

The default views aren't very good,I found I could never track planes very well.
Don't forget you can move your head in each view for the best viewing position that you like.Hit F10 to save it.
You need to do this for every view you'll use,in each plane.Or you can do what I did;I downloaded preset views from a vet's website.I still have them if you want the file.

Dennis · « **Reply #6 on:** December 31, 2001, 04:45:00 PM »

Thanks for the responses, guys.

btw, the stick is a Logitech Wingman Extreme. It doesn't allow for the "raw" codes AKIron mentioned ... but wouldn't having to cycle through a view to get to the one you need be confusing? Maybe I'm missing how that works.
I can map a button to give me stickset 1 (my level views) and another to give me set 2 (my up-modified views), thus switching at will between them is pretty simple.

I've been using the keypad in bombers, but wouldn't you have to take a hand off the throttle or the joystick to use it during a dogfight?

Am I right in assuming you guys agree the padlock feature is useless?

I've got my views set up essentially as described in Lephturn's article. The major difference I'm seeing with the hat advice is the use of buttons on the base of the stick for the modifier (I use thumb buttons now, forcing me to take my thumb off the hat to switch from set 1 to set 2 and back again.)

I'll try that.

And practice.

I only had a couple dozen sorties under my belt. Maybe I'm hoping to be too good, too fast. But I've been toying with the game offline for awhile, and as I mentioned, I seemed to be doing pretty well tracking drones. It's just so embarrasing to corkscrew into the ground without firing a shot.

Splash1

airspro · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2002, 07:16:00 AM »

Quote

I only had a couple dozen sorties under my belt. Maybe I'm hoping to be too good, too fast.

Sounds like your on the right tract , gonna take a while . I practiced this view system for 6 weeks before coming online . I still think the up modifer button works the best , but my bro airsid uses two hats , one for stright views , one for 45 views .

Been flying this almost two years now ( flew CFS1 with paddock for a year online , FA 2.5 for 8 months with paddock , a litte EAW )and find it's become natural to know where I am at just by were my thumbs are at . Lots better than paddock but I wouldn't have thought that at the start of my training

Took me quite a while learn it , old dog here .

Some of these online guys been doing this view system for 10 + years , since AW dos I think they said . They are masters at making you lose your view of them .

Have fun learning it , no shame getting shot dowe in this sim . It can be a bugger sometimes , hehe .

Oh ya , paddock in here won't get you very far IMO .

take care
spro

[ 01-01-2002: Message edited by: airspro ]

AKIron · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2002, 05:30:00 PM »

Dennis, even though your stick won't do it I'll clarify how I use the hat in case you or someone else reading this is considering the soon to be released TM Cougar.

After the merge I look up and back (hat down). As I pull further into them I look up (hat center). As I continue to pull my nose onto them I look up and forward (hat up). As they come into my front view I release the hat (hat center).

No cycling to speak of unless I want to look straight up. Then it's just a quick hat down and release. I'm left with an up view. To look forward again it's just a qucik hat forward and release.

I found the up modifier to be confusing especially when under the pressure of a furball. However, many use it I hear and I suppose it just takes practice.

Naudet · « **Reply #9 on:** January 02, 2002, 02:51:00 AM »

equal to the system you will finally use, there ist one big advice: practise practise practise

about padlock, AH's padlock ist absolutely useless
@airspro: i loved FA padlock view system, after 2 weeks using it, i could perfectly feel the flight status of my airplane. Also i could much better time my lead turns, cause i got a "real feel" for the movement of my target relavtive to mine.

guttboy · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2002, 05:16:00 AM »

Dennis,
As a vet from AW since its inception I found the hardest part was setting up the stick...the manual I felt was not very intuitive. With that being said you are on the right track. Lephturns site is great...thats where i got some hints on the AH environment.

I am not sure how your exact stick is set up but I have a button next to my hat and it takes very little time to flick it back and forth while still keeping my controls (MS Sidewinder here).

I personally leave the throttle at 100 most of the time...gotta love the E so its not much of a factor for me.

If you havent done this....the stickmapping i use swap stick set 2 on my set one and swap stick set 1 on my set two. That way i can alter between the two with one button. I use no down views.

I hope that helps....

Keep flying!!

TG12
TIGER Squadron Deputy Commander