Field mods, pilot customization

[PJ_Godzilla]

Adolf Galland was no fool.

He, like me, hated the 109f-4's armored headrest. Apparently, it was his ground crew that prototyped the "panzer Galland" which later saw widespread implementation on the g-series.

We know that vibra-view mirrors of questionable value were often fitted.

Greebo's just skinned a lightweight spit. It was a feld mod.

I can't wear ray-bans in game. Why?

We need an historically reputable set of pilot and aircraft field mods.

HTC, I'll pay to have the only 109f-4 without the damn headrest. Please let me.

[caldera]

Are you aware of the capability to adjust your views?  Here are adjusted views of the 109F:






The canopy frame is the only obstruction.  Looks like the game provides better views than Galland had. 

Maybe they should nerf it to F6F-like views for more "realism".   The other 109 drivers will be grateful to you, I'm sure. 

[PJ_Godzilla]

I use trackir. If I take this approach, I'd map a hat setting to it. I'd rather just be able to look back with a clear 6 than back and to the side ( what I do with trackir ) -or to switch between hat and trackir all the time.
Meanwhile, the views you show are about 3-5:30 and 6:30-9. Same problem as IRL.
Finally, note that with the armor, because you can't look straight back, you're always moving l-r to look past the damn bar.

I'll add here, yes, you're right, but, fly the g-6 on and the f-4 back to back and tell me which one offers a better SA opportunity.

[caldera]

Only owls can look straight back.  Maybe if the pilot disconnects his harness, twists his shoulders sideways and leans way forward, he can look directly behind. 
Sitting in your computer chair, with your back against the chair, try looking directly behind you.  Peripheral vision may pick up some, but the view is distorted.  Now imagine you're strapped in the tiny confines of a 109 and trying to look behind you.

IMO, the straight back view shouldn't even exist in the game and the back/left and back/right views are more "realistic" for a pilot strapped in a harness.  The 109 didn't have much room for a pilot to move in.

Using trackir is your choice and mapping a single button for a straight back view seems a small concession.

[PJ_Godzilla]

I recognize that as a reasonable retort. I still want my g-14 views in the f-4, though - and I did bin it to "wish" list.

You know what they say about wishes. Crap in one hand, wish in the other... Then wish that you hadn't crapped in the first hand because now you've got a crappy mess on your hands.

[Aspen]

No opinion on the field mods really but when sitting straight forward in real life I can get past 180deg rear view without moving my hips and a slight twist at the shoulder that I think would be realistic in a harness.  It is in peripheral vision which isn't great, but I think the views we have in game are pretty good.  I use a hat switch which is a disadvantage when in real life or with TrackIR you could peek around a support or keep eyes on your opponent better during rolls and scissors.  My pixel pilot having a straight back view seems like a small advantage to help offset the limits of hat views and the loss of the peripheral vision area we see in real life.  I see whats on my monitor in-game but in real life I can see 180 degrees left and right and 130+ degrees up and down from a stationary head position.

[PJ_Godzilla]

No opinion on the field mods really but when sitting straight forward in real life I can get past 180deg rear view without moving my hips and a slight twist at the shoulder that I think would be realistic in a harness.  It is in peripheral vision which isn't great, but I think the views we have in game are pretty good.  I use a hat switch which is a disadvantage when in real life or with TrackIR you could peek around a support or keep eyes on your opponent better during rolls and scissors.  My pixel pilot having a straight back view seems like a small advantage to help offset the limits of hat views and the loss of the peripheral vision area we see in real life.  I see whats on my monitor in-game but in real life I can see 180 degrees left and right and 130+ degrees up and down from a stationary head position.

Yep, good point. With trackir and a torso twist, greater than 180 is, IMO, actually feasible. It really is just a question of how tight that 109 harness and cockpit would be.

The biggest problem I have with trackir is repeat ability of the motion needed to acquire the views shown. And, as I note, this stuff was actually done IRL.

[FLS]

There seems to be a general policy of no field mods.

Off topic re:wish but have you adjusted the axis curves in TIR to minimize the physical movement needed to look to the side and back?

[bustr]

TrackIR in 2-axis mode inherits your saved hps file head postions.

[Larry]

Greebo's just skinned a lightweight spit. It was a feld mod.

That skin is just a skin. It doesn't mean that when you choose that skin your spit will be any lighter than the others.

[XxDaSTaRxx]

Yes can I mod my B-17G into a YB-40? 

[Nimrod45]

It would be extremely cool if you could use perks to buy field mods, it would also be very historically accurate to have this ability.  It could be an earned ability based on combat hours or kills.  The field mods wouldn't in my mind be huge, just some weight saving measures here or there, adding or deleting guns, armor, a little engine tweaking - which could or could not add reliabilty issues to the plane.  It would really open up some cool faucets to the game and it would not at all be scewed from anything that took place in real life.  It would really be cool to have a "Cheif Mechanic" that you could use perks to upgrade "train" allowing the increase in possible field mods.  It would add a touch of first person feel to the game and give the players an increased sense of involvement to be able to "customize" certain things based on their preferences.

In fact if this wish was granted as far as Im concerned they could shut down the wish list scetion becasue the game would be complete.     I'm not gonna hold my breath though.    

[caldera]

It would be extremely cool if you could use perks to buy field mods, it would also be very historically accurate to have this ability.  It could be an earned ability based on combat hours or kills.  The field mods wouldn't in my mind be huge, just some weight saving measures here or there, adding or deleting guns, armor, a little engine tweaking - which could or could not add reliabilty issues to the plane.  It would really open up some cool faucets to the game and it would not at all be scewed from anything that took place in real life.  It would really be cool to have a "Cheif Mechanic" that you could use perks to upgrade "train" allowing the increase in possible field mods.  It would add a touch of first person feel to the game and give the players an increased sense of involvement to be able to "customize" certain things based on their preferences.

In fact if this wish was granted as far as Im concerned they could shut down the wish list scetion becasue the game would be complete.     I'm not gonna hold my breath though.    

Just in time for summer.   

[PJ_Godzilla]

That skin is just a skin. It doesn't mean that when you choose that skin your spit will be any lighter than the others.

I understand that. However, theirs field mod was very real and dispensed with paint/putty, radios, and some of the guns. THAT would be a good field mod but would, of course, have to be coded in. You would have to force a no paint skin with it.

[PJ_Godzilla]

There seems to be a general policy of no field mods.

Off topic re:wish but have you adjusted the axis curves in TIR to minimize the physical movement needed to look to the side and back?

Yes, and specifically for the f-4 I found I need to increase the lateral movement scale to get the right l/r 6 view. I still don't like it because of repeat ability at times of stress.