Bombsight calibration

[Cuba]

Wow, this is incredibly disappointing.  What's the point of even having calibration if you can do it from the cockpit and just hit the U and Y keys?

Are you sure this is the case?  I follow the calibration procedure that's in the Web Page Help about bombing, and get varying results as to the drop speed and altitude.  I always thought that was due to how well I calibrated.

If true, the Help page should be updated.  I hope it's not.

[Golfer]

I guess I oversimplified for even the simplest (hub)

I'll pat myself on the back

In F6 mode (in bombsight) simply hitting U to be in calibration mode and then holding Y for a few seconds calibrates you.  You do not have to hold the crosshairs on anything anymore.

All fixed!

[OOZ662]

You can at least enter calibration mode from the cockpit. I assume you can calibrate too; haven't tried.

EDIT: The MAs are just about the only place the easy mode bomb sight is used, so it's good to know how to use the old one as well.

[hubsonfire]

I don't think the intention was to have calibration done from the cockpit, but it works that way. I was alerted to this workaround to the already simplified calibration routine by another player, and tested it. Sure enough, perfect accuracy at a keypress, by way of a macro. Once my speed stabilized, I can hit a button, and voila! Lazer guided dumb bombs.

As Stang would say, "man that'th tho gay"

[Cuba]

Originally posted by Golfer
I guess I oversimplified for even the simplest (hub)

I'll pat myself on the back

In F6 mode (in bombsight) simply hitting U to be in calibration mode and then holding Y for a few seconds calibrates you.  You do not have to hold the crosshairs on anything anymore.

All fixed!

You were right in your first reply.  I tried it in the MA and you can calibrate from the cockpit by just hitting they U and Y keys.

All this time I took a little pride in what I was doing: now I feel like a fool.  All that wasted time calibrating...

I'm done with bombers in the MA.  There are so little rewards anyway.  The Help page really needs to be updated so that no one else wastes their time.

[Golfer]

wait wait wait WAIT.  Time out.  Hold the phone.

You mean you CAN calibrate without hitting F6 and going to the bombsight?

Das Uberghey.

[OOZ662]

It's like a revelation except everybody's disappointed...

[Oleg]

Originally posted by Cuba
Wow, this is incredibly disappointing.  What's the point of even having calibration if you can do it from the cockpit and just hit the U and Y keys?

In order to any monkey can do it, of course. Pointing crosshair at target (any point at land actually), as well as find your target in clipboard map and click on it (to set altitude) was too hard for monkeys [old style roll eyes]

[Traveler]

There was a time in AH when it took a bit of skill to calibrate the bomb sight.  However, that was done away with at somepoint.   There was an easy mode in the early days, then a more skilled mode, now it's back to an easyiest mode.  depends on how loud the whine gets.

[BaldEagl]

I never knew this.  I've been doing it the old way all the time.  Why wasn't it in the read me?  Do you still have to click on the target to set drop alt?

[Oleg]

No, you dont.

[mipoikel]

Originally posted by Traveler
There was a time in AH when it took a bit of skill to calibrate the bomb sight.  However, that was done away with at somepoint.   There was an easy mode in the early days, then a more skilled mode, now it's back to an easyiest mode.  depends on how loud the whine gets.

I would say it is now between early days easy mode (just aim and drop)and skilled mode (which was actually too difficult for most of the people)

[Simaril]

Originally posted by mipoikel
I would say it is now between early days easy mode (just aim and drop)and skilled mode (which was actually too difficult for most of the people)

And don't forget that bombers fill a very important niche in the life cycle of an AH player.

Most newer guys reach a point that they know they love the game, but they're reallzing that they pretty much stink at fighters. Learning ACM is a long slow battle!

But bombers let them fly, feel some accompishment (even if its only porking a strat), while they pass through the most discouraging part of AH learning.


So the easy mode buffs aren't FOR us. We can use the harder, more realistic settings outside the primary arenas. But the new guys found the calibration to be a bit much in the midst of the steepest part of the AH learning curve.

[OOZ662]

Originally posted by BaldEagl
Why wasn't it in the read me?

It was, a very long time ago. Around the time that AH1 was done away with, I think.

Originally posted by Simaril
So the easy mode buffs aren't FOR us. We can use the harder, more realistic settings outside the primary arenas. But the new guys found the calibration to be a bit much in the midst of the steepest part of the AH learning curve.

I find it funny that the old bombsight is enabled in the TA, then. (EDIT: They changed it. The new one's there now.)



You can tell when you're in the old bombsight by looking at what's listed. If "Target alt" (NOT Drop alt) is listed, you're in the old sight.

[Cuba]

I did some more checking in the off-line arena.  There are two settings in Flight Mode Flags that affect this.  

The first one is Precision Bomb Sight.  When that is checked, there is no calibration needed at all.  You hit whatever the crosshairs are on.  You can go into calibration mode, but while in it, you can't move the crosshairs.

The second is Auto Calibrate Bomb Sight.  When that is checked, you have to go into calibration, but there is no need to hold the crosshairs on a point.
This is the way the MA's are set up right now.

I tried some bomb runs with Auto Calibrate set, and without it.  I got consistently more accurate speed and altitude readings with it off.  The Auto Calibrate readings where fairly consistent, but they can be off a few mph or feet.  I suppose you can always re-calibrate until you get an accurate reading, since auto-calibration is so quick and easy to do.

I don't think the difficulty factor of having to the hold the crosshairs on a point is so great that the masses can't master it.  (Perhaps you could even train a monkey to do it.)  But for me anyway, it does add a little bit of realism that makes flying bombers more satisfying.

So in summary, I'm going to whine, whine, whine until it's turned off in the MAs!