Why do I suck?

[Sincraft]

Ok, I know I am new.  But am not new to flight sims and Combat sims.

Although, there aren't many out there - I've probably logged over 150 hours flying combat sims.  

Mostly in ww2online.   Pretty good sim but different than Aces High in many regards.

My question is:  Why do I suck?

Issues:
-I haven't really picked 'my plane' but it looks to be a p51d is my choice.  I know this isn't the best of the best turn fighters, but I seem to ALWAYS be in stall mode and chasing my own tail if I am not chasing someone else.  
Is this the plane I should be using?  I tried suggested Spits and they seem VERY different than I am used to in other sims.  Very wobbly and unstable.

-I've been able to get in front of many planes with my shots, and have been sixing many planes.  I just can't seem to 'score' like I see so many others doing.  I spray and spray and nothing seems to effect the buggers.  I tried setting my convergence all over the place, but it mostly stands at 500m for outter guns and in as much as 200m in the inner guns.  Even 'default' is poor for me.  I zoom in close when fighting as it is much more pleasurable to fly like that in close combat, but obviously switch between depending where the plane is.  I only use this for accuracy when close up say around 400 m or less.   I lead my shots on a turn fight from the nose to where I can't see the plane and know he is well led behind my guns.  They do seem to arc moreso than other rounds (50mm vs..)
Also, when I am sixing a plane, I see my rounds bouncing all over their plane, sometimes parts will fly but RARELY do I get flames, wings, or explosions.  

Couple none combat questions also

-Voice for many seems VERY low.  People do a radio check adn say they hear them loud and clear.  I have my voice volume ALL the way up.  Are they downing their other volumes and just turning up their speaker volume to adjust for this?  

-Fuel.  Does throttling back reduce fuel consumption.  Stupid question I know but, ya never know.  I didn't notice a difference.  Which brings me to my next question..

-I can't seem to fly or stay level with anything but 85% throttle or more.  Is this correct?  The other sim I played I would cool my engines and still be flying at a decent speed toward my target at around 65%.

The only time throttle management seems to be working for me is when I am dogfighting someone that knows that they have a better stall rating than me on a turn fight and they try to throw me into the ground or make my overshoot or die trying.  I use my flaps and throttle extensively throughout battles like this and it would seem I am 'learned' in this facet of flying, however I am NOT landing kills like I should for the amount of rounds I am successfully pouring into planes.

OR am I not and just seeing that I am?  Is this an issue with the collision codes and latency?  I get about 60ms to the servers during login.  Not sure if that is acceptable but I would imagine so.  


Thanks for the .nfo on this guys.

[DamnedRen]

I saw you up tonight. If you want meet me in the Training Arena (TA) and lets go over some things. Perhaps I can get you all squared away. A 2 hour session might be all you need to get up to speed.

Hope this helps.

[Bruv119]

Take some time out in the TA find yourself a trainer.

In an hour or so they could probably setup all your views and settings and start by upping some turnfighters and nailing some flat turns as hard as you can.  

Make sure stall limiter is turned off in preferences.  Will be easier later on when you are used to flying your plane on the edge.

I love the P51 too but sometimes you need to fly it in slow motion and have patience.  In 1 vs 1's though you can get down and dirty hitting the flaps and working some slow turns.  Just it takes time to rebuild its energy after you've killed your opponent So good SA is needed in it.  

Another thing to add is that there are many players who have played for years and know their own indivadual tricks and moves and thats why its such an addicting game.  You don't know who you are fighting and you will suck compared to some of the better players.

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by Sincraft
Ok, I know I am new.  But am not new to flight sims and Combat sims.

Although, there aren't many out there - I've probably logged over 150 hours flying combat sims.  

Mostly in ww2online.   Pretty good sim but different than Aces High in many regards.

My question is:  Why do I suck?

150 hours? Some of the guys in here have logged over 15 *years*. A quick look at my scores added up to 775 hours logged (in flight!!) into the main arena in the last 2 and a half years for me. And that does not even include the time spent in the Training or Duelling Arenas.

And every flight sim is different. You need to learn a "new" game each time. Basic moves might stay the same, but the flight modelling will certainly be different. This is no game where you get good at in a few days.... not even weeks or months. So dont worry about "sucking"... have fun playing, get some time in training and reading up on things - the rest will come with time.


Issues:
-I haven't really picked 'my plane' but it looks to be a p51d is my choice.  I know this isn't the best of the best turn fighters, but I seem to ALWAYS be in stall mode and chasing my own tail if I am not chasing someone else.  
Is this the plane I should be using?  I tried suggested Spits and they seem VERY different than I am used to in other sims.  Very wobbly and unstable.

I think i tried to answer that question for you in another thread already. While the P51 isnt my first choice of plane id recommend to start out, theres no harm in doing so.

As for the wobblyness of the Spitfires.... are you using combat trim? How fast are you flying when they get "wobbly"? Do you use flaps? Stall limiter on/off?

-I've been able to get in front of many planes with my shots, and have been sixing many planes.  I just can't seem to 'score' like I see so many others doing.  I spray and spray and nothing seems to effect the buggers.  I tried setting my convergence all over the place, but it mostly stands at 500m for outter guns and in as much as 200m in the inner guns.  Even 'default' is poor for me.  I zoom in close when fighting as it is much more pleasurable to fly like that in close combat, but obviously switch between depending where the plane is.  I only use this for accuracy when close up say around 400 m or less.   I lead my shots on a turn fight from the nose to where I can't see the plane and know he is well led behind my guns.  They do seem to arc moreso than other rounds (50mm vs..)
Also, when I am sixing a plane, I see my rounds bouncing all over their plane, sometimes parts will fly but RARELY do I get flames, wings, or explosions.  

If you hit your target with bullets, but do not damage, you still have a Convergence issue. Doesnt surprise me really, the way you have them spread out. The cal50 machine gun will need a relatively high concentration of bullets (since a single round isnt really that much damaging, you have to rely on the damage adding up). The "default" convergences are in no way good or recommended settings, forget about those. Try setting ALL gun banks to 300 and get in to at least d400 before even THINKING about shooting. Read here for info about why and how to set convergence and what you have to keep in mind while doing so.
Another note on gunnery: Try to get in a low angle tracking shot. In less technical words: get behind the guys and line up your wings parallel with his before you open fire. Also, note that unloading Gs (ie relaxing stick pressure) will make shooting accuracy easier.

Quick note: there are no 50mm guns in the game. Cal50 means they are 0.5 inches in diameter, that corresponds to the 12.7 mm machine guns on the German planes.

Couple none combat questions also

-Voice for many seems VERY low.  People do a radio check adn say they hear them loud and clear.  I have my voice volume ALL the way up.  Are they downing their other volumes and just turning up their speaker volume to adjust for this?  

Yes they are. In OPTIONS > PREFERENCES > Game Sounds, you can adjust the individual game sound levels. I have my internal engines down to about 40%.

Also, under OPTIONS > PREFERENCES > Voice there is a "Effects" slider. This one tunes out the game sounds (ie lowers their volume) during voice transmission. I have mine about 1/3 from the left... that allows me to easily understand vox, but I still have the gamesounds in the background, to alert me of trouble (ie hearing other planes approach, pings etc).

-Fuel.  Does throttling back reduce fuel consumption.  Stupid question I know but, ya never know.  I didn't notice a difference.  Which brings me to my next question..

Yes it does. Reducing Manifold Pressure (MAN), ie throttle, isnt as effective as changing RPM and MAN settings. While in flight, bring up your clipboard and click on E6B for detailed fuel consumtion data and also for suggested RPM/MAN settings.

-I can't seem to fly or stay level with anything but 85% throttle or more.  Is this correct?  The other sim I played I would cool my engines and still be flying at a decent speed toward my target at around 65%.

This would actually very much depend on your planes loadout. If you take full internal fuel, bombs, rockets and drop tanks, I bet youd be hard pressed to maintain level flight at 90% throttle.... at a lighter load, less boost should work. Again, check the E6B for the suggested settings (max cruise for most efficient fuel management).

The only time throttle management seems to be working for me is when I am dogfighting someone that knows that they have a better stall rating than me on a turn fight and they try to throw me into the ground or make my overshoot or die trying.  I use my flaps and throttle extensively throughout battles like this and it would seem I am 'learned' in this facet of flying, however I am NOT landing kills like I should for the amount of rounds I am successfully pouring into planes.

OR am I not and just seeing that I am?  Is this an issue with the collision codes and latency?  I get about 60ms to the servers during login.  Not sure if that is acceptable but I would imagine so.  

Its actually less the actual ping time thats important, but more the stability of the connection, ie that there are no packets lost on the way. A quick way to check your connect while in game is the Net Stat. Right click your clipboard map with the mouse and select NETSTAT from the menu. A window will pop up with two blue boxes. The upper one (variance) should be a flatline at zero. The lower one (host queue) should somewhat regularly jump between 0 and 10 ms.


Thanks for the .nfo on this guys.



Sincraft,

I think a little time spent in the Training Arena would help you a whole lot and alleviate huge parts of your frustration right now. You can always just drop in there and ask for help on chat, even if theres no Trainer there, most of the time longtime players are there and will be able to answer questions for you.

If you want to schedule some time with a Trainer, just fill out this Request Form. Well be very glad to help you get going.

Im usually online during European Evenings, whenever you see me online just holler my way and we can work something out.



I hope this helps you a bit.


Regards,

Schatzi

[NHawk]

Originally posted by Schatzi
150 hours? Some of the guys in here have logged over 15 *years*. A quick look at my scores added up to 775 hours logged (in flight!!) into the main arena in the last 2 and a half years for me.

::Gulp::
I have a problem...
672 Hours in 1 year...
Afraid to find out 10+ year career totals...
Must seek help...

Nah..time to go add to that total.

[Roscoroo]

its takes Time to "Clic" or become one with the game ... shure the timing/ gunnery , flight model , ect is different   but even coming from a different Sim theres gonna be an adjustment period .

150 hrs ... Bah  most of us log that in one month ,,, hell i logged over 250 in one tour ...

[BaldEagl]

Originally posted by Sincraft
Although, there aren't many out there - I've probably logged over 150 hours flying combat sims.

I've logged more then that in the past two months.  x 10+ years... hmm.

[Krusty]

Like Schatzi said:

You can't think "I've flown other games" and expect to start at an advanced level in here. It's a totally different dynamic at work. You will suck, we all do/did at one point. I still suck, after 6-7 years of flying*. I manage to get more than I take, but still I consider myself mediocre as a pilot



*= When did AH leave beta? Was it 1999? 2000?

[DREDger]

You are probably not as bad as you think you are.  Just stick with it, you get better with practice.

A couple of things to practice that I think helps.  Most new players make the mistake of 'chasing the tail' of an enemy con.  That is to say, you line up on their tail, then 20 seconds later, the tail has moved, re-line up, so on so forth.  (this is assuming a plane flying slightly diagonal to you)

What you should imagine is where will the plane be in 30 seconds from now.  If you try to 'hit' the aircraft with your nose, then you on the right track...if you can hit it, then the seconds before impact, you can shoot it..if that makes sense.

Anyway I've trained a few squadies like that, take them through a couple of easy turns left and right.  Their objective is to 'run into me', not just follow me if that makes sense.

Another thing to avoid is the 'flat' turn.  That is basically turning left or right while keeping the same elevation.  The only thing that happens there is you bleed energy.  You want to practice what is called the yo-yo (the low and high yo yo)  Basically if someone turns left say, you don't follow the turn per say, you go nose up and left (or nose down and left)

I would recommend the spitfire or the yak as a signature plane.  The yak has great visibility, fast and turns well. It's principle drawback is it is light on weapons...this forces you to concerve ammo and only shoot when you're close...good training.

Anyway good luck.

[Capt.Joe]

Originally posted by NHawk
::Gulp::
I have a problem...
672 Hours in 1 year...
Afraid to find out 10+ year career totals...
Must seek help...

Nah..time to go add to that total.

Not to hijack a thread or anything, but where do i find my total hours flown?  Thanks:D

[BaldEagl]

Originally posted by Capt.Joe
Not to hijack a thread or anything, but where do i find my total hours flown?  Thanks:D

Go to community/scores above, pilot score, type in your handle and add them up camp by camp.

[Sincraft]

Well guys thanks again for the tips.  I used bombs tonight!  *yea I'm addicted*  Can't wait till the next campaign to beef my stats up more.  I LOVE stats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Yes I did read your replies to my thread and I'm sorry for rehashing this over, but I figured it was stale and my questions were a bit different.

I am going to take some of you up on the offers for training.  Not sure how it works or if they can 'see' what my settings are etc etc but I'm sure it will do me a world of good even if someone will let me chase them and vice versa.


I did MUCH better tonight.  Set all my conv back to around 350, all guns and although I was initially like OMG WTF! when shooting at a spit, he eventually did break up into a million pieces when I landed a nice deflection shot on him in the middle of the cockpit.  

Had my FIRST 2 victory with landing sorte tonight
THEN
I had ANOTHER one but crashed into trees on the way home ..  DOH

AND the second sorte , one of the kills was with 2 - 1000 # bombs.  It was great.  I have my little red button for bombs and a protective cover on it.  I took off in my p51-d loaded with 50% fuel and the two big boys on it.  Barely made it over the hills, came in pretty slow in a VERY hostile area near the sea, hit WEP, dove a bit then bombed a flak and killed him  Turned tail then ran home.  Otw, I got into a tussle with a Japanese plane , hit him with a few rounds then did a sharp down turn to get back around to see him falling to the ground.  Then system credit.  

BUT, hit the trees shortly afterwards to nerf the entire good times with that one but it was still pretty exciting.

Also had a kill or two and assists on a gun boat.  

Yea, I'm addicted.

The nice thing about this game is, I can get my fill in about an hour or an hour and half and be completely content with this.  That's AWESOME as it allows me to focus more on making money and taking care of my house, hehe.

Anyway thanks for the info guys.  The CONV thing really seemed to help as I was trying too hard to 'spread' things out and not realizing that I needed more concentration.  

I'm going to have to learn ALOT more about my plane and using it to the best of its ability...and obviously ACM.

SO, hopefully I'll get a moment to sign up for training here on the weekend or a weekday where I can be there at a set time.

Thanks again!

EDIT: Schatzi I filled out the form and am ready to go.  REN volunteered to help on day so I am not sure who is going to fill my request.  Whoever is available and willing to deal with a newb with no skills

[Sincraft]

Originally posted by DREDger


What you should imagine is where will the plane be in 30 seconds from now.  If you try to 'hit' the aircraft with your nose, then you on the right track...if you can hit it, then the seconds before impact, you can shoot it..if that makes sense.
 

Yes, I understand but now that you mention it, I guess I have been doing a combo of the both.  I'll have to make a much better effort to keep ahead of what they are thinking or at least try that train of though a bit more.

Thanks

[Bubbajj]

Don't worry dude, this game has a nasty learning curve, kinda like a vertical line. I suck so bad people can tell I've logged on cause their ears pop but I'm getting better with practice. It's figureing out the small tricks as you go that refines y our skills. You don't really die, keep jumping back in to the fray.

[Ghosth]

Sincraft, got your email, catch me in the TA some day soon.

I think we can get you headed where you want to go pretty quickly.