Originally posted by Recap
I'm still very new to this game and really only have AW to compare it to, but it seems like I may have a problem with aiming and I'm not sure if it is due to computer/hardware issues, or if it is how the game works. Basically, what I'm seeing is that when I somehow manage to get on someone's tail and am within shooting distance, I cannot for the life of me keep the crosshairs on the target. It's as if the nose is bouncing all over the place. I'm pretty sure i have the joystick calibrated correctly. I've worked with trainers on the dampening/deadpans, and that has helped but it has not eliminated the bounce.
Hi Recap, welcome to Aces High!
The correct term for what you describe as the "nose bounce" is a pitch oscillation. It is a normal characteristic of the control response and flight dynamics of an aircraft. So what what you are seeing isn't exactly a computer/hardware issue, it is the correct modelling of what is known as a short period pitch oscillation, however two aspects of your flight control hardware can influence it.
Originally posted by Recap
I did a test last night where I basically would pull the joystick down or up and just let go. It would come back to center but it sort of bounces there in the middle a bit before coming to a stop. Is this normal?
Yes and no... In real aircraft where the controls have low to moderate control power, and are generally handled gently, pitch oscillations are not normally significant. However, fighters are intended to respond quickly to their controls, they are generally less stable than other aircraft and their control power is relatively high and they have less pitch damping because that would reduce their transient maneuverability. Even so, most real fighters are rarely handled in a way that causes them to behave badly in this respect. Real pilots don’t handle their controls sharply, by snatching the flight stick backwards and then releasing them for a shot, if they did the pitch oscillations would be just as apparent, particularly at the lower end of the aircraft’s speed range. Real pilots tend to make control commands that are positive but steady, for flight sim pilots, who don’t suffer the same physical constraints, control movements and responses are inclined to be far more dramatic and for that reason, even though the aerodynamics may be exactly the same, the flight sim pilot may experience control responses, in terms of oscillations, that few real pilots would normally see.
Originally posted by Recap
I am currently using a Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick and it twists for use of the rudder. It certainly isn't my desired set up, but before I go out and lay out money for CH joystick/pedals, I thought I would get some feedback from you guys in-the-know. So if there is anything you can suggest, my ears/eyes are open. Thanks!
The good news is that because this is a control response, it is something you have the ability to influence with good manual control technique. You simply don’t need to make sudden or sharp control demands. One area where this is particularly important is in the influence this has on gunnery. When you are trying to track a target and hold a guns solution, it is important to make smooth changes of direction so that you can minimize any oscillations that spoil your aim. That’s why it can often be easier to get a kill when the bandit is holding a steady turn, and also why a good guns defense involves sudden and frequent changes of direction. All of that is the same for both real and sim' pilots.
I have found from experience that the design of some flight controls actually make this worse, particularly when they allow you to generate large control movements in very short distances and thus short times. Other flight sticks ease the problem, and I’m also convinced it is not just the physical design of the stick at play, the electronic characteristics of the stick also has an influence on the control signals received by the game and my own experiments with many different sticks show that this can result in a difference in the stability of the aircraft observed in flight simulations. I would say that of all the sticks I've tried, the best in this respect is the CH, USB Combat Stick.
Regardless of what stick you use the pitch oscillations can also be damped out to some extent in Aces High by using the control settings. However, too much pitch damping can have a negative affect on your reaction times in combat so it is important to find a stick that enables you to achieve a good degree of stability with as little pitch damping as possible, once again the CH stick score highly. If you check with some of the best pilots in the game, you will probably find that the majority of them are using the same kit.
Hope that helps…
Badboy
