With the anticipated influx of Steam players, I had an idea to teach BFM and ACM without needing a 1 on 1 session with a trainer or anyone else:
In many racing games a ghost car is available to show the previous or fastest lap. I was thinking it would be useful to have an area in the Training Arena or in an offline mode where one aircraft is flying a set BFM pattern, with it's icon displaying the manoeuvre it is performing. For instance CHA for Chandelle, IMM for Immelmann etc. The ghost plane would fly it's manoeuvre and then gently fly back to a start position or otherwise link several pieces of complimentary endless BFM together: IMM, SPS, IMM, SPS. HYO, LYO, HYO, LYO... etc.
A new player could try to copy the 'ideal' manoeuvre, trying to follow or match position with the ghost plane practicing plane control and muscle memory.
Secondly, two ghost planes could demonstrate relative ACM, like high yo-yo following a flat turn, BRD, flat scissors, rolling scissors, Hartmann Manoeuvre etc. The new player could then follow either ghost plane and gain orientation or understanding.
I further thought the film viewer could have an additional 'output a set piece' feature which could be submitted for later use by anyone. These could be gathered in especially interesting fights or choreographed set pieces of ACM. Perhaps the trainers could approve those. The film viewer could record the two spline curves and relevant positional vectors and velocities, and just transplant those flightpaths to the relevant training space. Thus the BFM / ACM ghost plane area could be an organically growing feature. Also skilled / experienced players could 'fly their own tutorials' so-to-speak. A huge variety of different plane matchups could be presented.
I think this could compliment the new video tutorials and would be an advanced and innovative approach to overcoming the steep initial learning curve.
Worth a constructive discussion perhaps?
