Wish: Keep the instruments visible.

[gyrene81]

then you do want historical accuracy krusty...

looks to me like some of the instruments are in the wrong place on the 109e4
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Messerschmitt-Bf-109E-4/1094119/L/


looks like the stuka has some instruments in difficult to see positions...maybe...angle is off





would having the instruments in their proper positions make it a simulation or would it still be a game?

[Krusty]

Yet again you ignore what I've been saying.

[DemonFox]

Krusty I know what you mean but I kinda like the stuff sometimes being obscured. It makes it feel more like I'm actually in the cockpit.

[Letalis]

Cockpit layout is a big deal to me.  I have to be able to see everything to feel comfy. Case in point, I like the P-47 cockpit layout better than the F6Fs because of the needle compass. If I find myself in a defensive spiral I can blast out the bottom of it on an escape heading if need be. So I do see what you're getting at but...
1.  I didn't really see a concrete fix suggestion.
2. The aircraft are not all modeled historically but the current fidelity balance hasn't ruined the game for me.
3. Overcoming aircraft limitations is part of the fun in AH and lets me look down my nose at the XBoxers so leave my ego alone!

[flatiron1]

how about the partially obstructed compass and fuel  by cowl gun in the new A6M's.

[badhorse]

I agree Krusty.  How many cannon rounds left in the Spit??

[dirtdart]

Krusty, I don't like the fact that I cannot see the ammo counters on the spit or the 109 for example, but if I move the stick, I can.  What you are describing is a convenience feature vice "you can never ever see the ammo counter".  For me, there are way more interesting things HTC could do with their time, rather than make something more convenient. 

I don't like that the F6F and other airplanes coulr really use rearview mirriors for rearward visibility, don't have them.
I don't like the fact that you can push your head nearly out of the cockpit in some planes, allow you get get some pretty wild shots in (like the 163). 
I don't like the fact that tanks can reliably shoot down aircraft, a 7.5 cm wide, point detonating round.
I don't like the fact that a tank pintle gun can pilot wound an IL-2 pilot from the front.
I don't like the fact that guys can turn off their engines in flight.  I am sure there were a few airplanes that counted on inertia starters vice electrical ones.

The list goes on.  I would take changes to any of those before i would complain about something that all I have to do is wiggle my stick to see what I need to see. 

[kvuo75]

I don't like the fact that guys can turn off their engines in flight.  I am sure there were a few airplanes that counted on inertia starters vice electrical ones.

don't need a starter to start an engine if its windmilling.. all gotta do is have the mags on and add fuel.

[BnZs]

There are certain instruments that should be clearly visible from from "shooting" position at all times, considering that we do not have any "feel" of the craft, and that glancing at hidden instruments is NOT as easy as moving your head (Unless you have TrackIR). These instruments are the airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator, artificial horizon, flaps indicator, and, ESPECIALLY, the G-meter. Thankfully every gunsight in AHII seems to have a slip-ball mounted under it.

[dirtdart]

don't need a starter to start an engine if its windmilling.. all gotta do is have the mags on and add fuel.

Interesting, I figured the airflow would not be enough when guys usually shut their engines off (150-200 kts) to restart them.  I imagine the force required to do so would be pretty good on 1,600 cubic inch engines. 

[Krupinski]

default 1280x1024, the ammo counters are behind the stick on that example. You have to look around the 3D stick or bank hard one way to move it away from the ammo box that has the number inside it.

[Edit: I think it's the K-4. I can't check right now, not at home. One of the 109s has the ammo counters obscured]


Demon: You misunderstand. We already have this in place, it's been here since day 1 pretty much. I want to keep it in place. I'm not advocating change as much as advocating keeping the original philosophy in effect.

lol boo hoo, and I thought I was lazy.

[TwinBoom]

dont think i have ever seen ammo counters in ww2 birds

[GNucks]

dont think i have ever seen ammo counters in ww2 birds

Somebody posted a pic of one in this thread:

take a look at where the ammunition counters were on a 109-k4...
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/bf109cockpit/AmmoCounters.html

[gyrene81]

There are certain instruments that should be clearly visible from from "shooting" position at all times, considering that we do not have any "feel" of the craft, and that glancing at hidden instruments is NOT as easy as moving your head (Unless you have TrackIR). These instruments are the airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator, artificial horizon, flaps indicator, and, ESPECIALLY, the G-meter. Thankfully every gunsight in AHII seems to have a slip-ball mounted under it.

again with the g-meter you seriously expect everyone to believe you're looking at the accelerometer while you're in a fight?

[BnZs]

again with the g-meter you seriously expect everyone to believe you're looking at the accelerometer while you're in a fight?

This is like saying "you expect everyone to believe you look at the ASI while in a fight?"

I glance at the G-meter frequently, most commonly when "unloading" the plane to 0 G, or pulling up from a high speed dive. The differences in E-Bleed from a 3 to a 5 g pull are significant. The G-meter as a reference also allows you to eventually know by the "feel" of your stick roughly the G-loading a certain amount of input will induce.