Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: TweetyBird on November 09, 2003, 04:01:12 PM
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Hi,
I'm a complete newbie to Aces high. I played the old wwII sim (you know the one with the big furball between a,b & c), but this seems a lot different. There's so many options just in the setup I'm still working on that.
Can someone give me a brief plan to learning this? I tried to fly in the main arena but was completely lost (I didn't have enough points for a spit?).
Any pointers to files or newbie training classes would be appreciated.
I have the voice thing working, so I imagine that would help greatly in training.
And hi to any old friends or foes who flew in those furballs between a,b & c :)
Tweety (Etch, 1911 etc.)
Edit : Hope I don't appear lazy. I am working through the help files, but a step by step to get up and running ( and dieing) would help a me a lot. Thanks.
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It's very hard to understand whats going on for a noob in the MA, try h2h for a while 1st.
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First off, welcome to Aces High, kiss your social life goodbye :D
Secondly, you should hit the Training Arena. The trainers are a really decent bunch and should have you up and going in no time.
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You can find tons of info from these (http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98155) links
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since you have vox working.. I'd type a message in the MA asking for a trainer to help you. I'm sure u will find someone willing. Keep asking if all you get is grief from the channel 1 crowd.
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Hammer's done some great work at http://www.netaces.org.
Excellent information and well organized.
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Thanks for the tips and links. netaces.org was exactly what I was looking for. There's a great overall plan for absorbing the vast amount of information.
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Yes, definitely take a read at netaces.org. The fact that you played "Air Warrior" or one of its kind will be beneficial, too.
One thing I used to do when I wanted to learn about the game was to "Fly the Plane That Shot Me Down Last". It keeps things interesting for awhile and will help you develop a good idea of what plane is capable of doing what in a given situation.
Or, you can fly the same plane for awhile until you get comfortable in it. Don't assume that the most popular planes (Spitfire IX, N1K2, P-51D, LA-7) will be the right ones for you. For me, the P-51D is a challenge to get kills in and I've had horrible luck in the LA-7 (though they seem to be able to kill me with ease). On the other hand, its easy for me to get kills in the 109G10, Yak 9U, Spitfire V, and Hurricane IIc. Its just a matter of finding a couple of planes you like and learn them well.
You'll find that the speedier planes such as the LA-7, P-51D, 190D9, and 109G10 will allow you to escape from a bad situation though you may find it harder to line up a target long enough to get off a good shot. On the other hand, the Spitfire V and IX and the N1K2 can turn with just about any plane through its maneuvers, but it'll be harder for you to extricate yourself when you end up on the wrong side of the fight - you'll have to finish what you start and hope you're the last plane flying.
My suggestion is, for your next flight, start with a Spitfire IX with the 2x cannons and 2x .50cals gun option. Set up your stick so that you can fire one set of guns or the other or both (which means you'll want a stick with at least 3 buttons). Get used to the different ballistics of the weapons. You'll find that the .50cals and hispano cannons are the better weapons out there, so you can focus on learning the flight model(s) of the airplane(s) and the various game components, like setting up your viewing angles and such. Then, try the Spitfire V. It'll be slower and its 4x .303s aren't as potent as the Spit IX's 2x .50cals, but it'll give you a good contrast in speed and turning of the two planes. The Seafire II (available on land as well as carriers) is similar to the Spit V.
That'll get you started. ;)
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you might want to check out the Mafias site too....links in the signature. You may remember the 444th Air Mafia from "That other game" :) From the Mafia main page just click on the Aces High help, and dig in. Most of the stuff there was writen with making the transision from "that other game" to AH in mind.
Good Luck, and welcome to Aces High!!
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Welcome to Aces High Tweety.
Came from AW myself when it died. Should have came here long before that.hehe
Try the Training Arena. There is usually someone in there who will help you. Either a regular player popping in to see if anyone needs help ( and many do this) or one of the AH training Cadre.
Ren or Ghosth are 2 that come to mind.
You are right there is alot to absorb and a pretty steep learning curve, but you'll be killing in no time:)
If you see me in the MA, TA or CT feel free to give a holler. Always willing to help out.
Cheers,
RTR
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Well, up and killing, I don't know about that :)
I played AW on and off from when it was on Geni (they about bankrupted me) till EA bought it and retired it. I never was a threat - a dang good fat bloated slow target though :)
I had to try this when I saw Hitech was behind it. Its obvious an avid WWII enthusiast designed it - the prop has torque!.
Again thanks for all the links. I'm sure I'll be improving you k/d ratio in no time :)
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Ah, the genie days. Where I kept a spread sheet to track my hours. Imagine...$120 was considered a cheap month! Sheesh!!!
Anyway, come on by and visit us in the TA. Since you already have some flight experience we can give you some pointers, views, performance, etc that will help you get back up to speed.
Did you fly RR or FR in the old days? If RR your learning curve may be a hair steeper but you can also adjust your control throws, like we did in the other game. You pulling hi g's and riding the blackout tunnel in no time .
Ren
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Some good info in the links posted above. I have played Aces High a few times in the past but now I am an official subscriber for the first time. I look forward to seeing you all in the MA!
Go Knights!!
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Hi Ren,
I flew RR most of the time. I have some FR experience under my belt from Gamestorm (BigT and Jihad gave me a lot of individual help over there). I can *usually* control spins, but I still pull way too many g's and suck at throttle usage. My gunnery sucks - always has and I guess always will :) My acms are too stiff and predictable. (Maybe I'm a bomber trapped in a spit's body? :) )
So where I have flown FR , I was never better than below average at it.
On the plus side my long and mid range SA is pretty good, but I still get tunnel vision in furballs. I think I have a least an average understanding of entergy and converting it to angles using separation etc. Not that I do it efficiently or correctly, but I think I know what I'm *supposed* to be doing. Oh, I can turn tail and run like hell with the best of em :)
I'll look for you or one of the other trainers in the TA.
Thanks!
Oh and I think one of the biggest problems I'm dealing with right now is the plane set. In AW (for most of its history anyway) there was a limited plane set . So where I know how a Ki performs with a p38 or an F6 and how an F4U stacks up against a N1K1, I have no clue how a spit matches up with a hurricane, or how a P51B fights a LA-5FN. I guess thats just going to take time.
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Welcome to aces high Tweety~~ :aok
I think u will like AH arenas etc By the way i am marco50 in in charge of the Aces High DemoTeam in the Training arena_
How r U?:cool:
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Hehe Tweety,
From your response you ware way ahead of the some of our new folks that are just coming aboard. You understand the concept of aircraft's strengths and weaknesses. You have a good concept of SA. Spins are easy in every plane in AH. You just need to know the actual spin recovery techique. It's simple and after you performed a few recoveries it will be just another tool to use.
As I mentioned AH is similiar to FR. But you can adjust your stick to give you full throw with minimal blackouts. I'm at ren@hitechcreations.com. Shoot me an email and ill give you the stick set.
One note that seems to take folks, who have flown the "other game", a little time to adjust to is the plane set is actually a tad smaller, imho. Until you get used to the minor size difference closure rates will seem to be alot faster on the merges.
Views. You need to set your views for every plane. Unlike other games, you do not get a "one view covers all planes" default. However, you CAN set macros which will allow you to "peer around the seat back", etc. You can also zoom your views so you can get a nice close up view of that buffs wingtip as you let loose the stream of ammo which will fold it up.
I can show you how to fix that also.
Sounds. The game has great sounds but there are some customized sounds available that you might also like.
There's alot to the game. It has a lot of facets that you will find challenging. But the rewards are mighty fine!
Suggestion. If you plan on jumping right in and flying the MA try out a Spit 9. Wiggle your mouse over the Spit to change gun type and make sure you use the 20 mm's and 50's. British 303's are kinda like flying spits in the old game. Remember, the term one kill wonder? The spit here can net you 6 kills per sortie if you get in close.Take 1/2 tank of gas with the drop tank (DT). Burn off the gas from the DT until you get in a fight. The 1/2 tank will give you a nice fighting weight and give you a a good 20 minutes of fighting time in the combat area. Rule of thumb until you get used to just how far your fuel will take you is if your 20-25 miles from home plan on RTB at 1/4 tank. This will give you gas to get home and give you a bit for fighting your way home.
Take a minute to check out the map (clipboard). Hit your esc key to bring it up. Our old sectors were 12x12 miles. AH sectors are 25X25 miles. You'll develop your SA very quickly using the map tools. Field elevation is very important. On some maps you'll find your climbing to the enemy field the whole way. Only to fnd the enemy high above you at arrival. Learn the map. 'Nuff said.
Setting convergence. First ya gotta learn to get close. But until you learn to close with Mr. Gomer set your convergence to 650 for all guns. As you get accustomed to closing with the enemy reset your convergence closer. My convergence is set at 300 yds for all guns. I shoot at 300 or less, yards unless I'm trying to tickle some gomer into breaking. Setting convergencce is handled in the "hanger". Look at the top of the window for the button.
Target. You can turn on a target in the TA and check just where the rounds hit at certaiin distances. The command is
/.target 650 . The 650 is the distance. You can reset the distance by changing the number to 300 or whatever distance you wanna type in. To get rid of the target type /.target 0 (zero).
Note: you must fly north to actually see the target.
Tracers. Use them to get you a feel for lead from any angle of deflection. A soon as you get the feel turn tracers OFF! If you miss on first shoot you just told Mr Gomer you are behind him. Tracers are found using this path in the game:
esc key/setup button/flight button and check tracers on or off.
There's so much more but learning it all is what makes the game so great!
Ren
:)
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Ren, I can't thank you enough.
Thats a a lot of helpful info -and a saved post. I had my gun convergence set to the default 300 I'm going to do as you said and set it up to about 600 and work my way down as I get more exp.
I'll email you for the stick settings as blackouts are still a problem.
Closer rates have always been a problem for me. In the old game I used to cheat and chop a lot, but something tells me that aint the smartest move.
I have a lot to chew on now - again, thanks.
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Originally posted by DamnedRen
Sounds. The game has great sounds but there are some customized sounds available that you might also like.
Customized sounds and gunsights is the best part of this game, in my opinion. Its what keeps me coming back every evening. I like to surf the web for an interesting .wav snippet and swap it out as my engine start up sound. Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyrie" is the start-up for my 109G10, "O Fortuna" from "Excalibur" is the start-up for my Yak 9U, the theme song from "The Magnificent Seven" is the start-up for my P-51B, and I have samples from the Berlin orchestra as the start-ups for my 109G2, P-51D, and F4U-1D.
I'm using Mitsu's soundpack for the engine, explosion, "check-six" air raid siren, gun, hits, etc., plus some sound files I found on the Internet or pulled from other games on my hard-drive.
I also made my own gunsight - the "MudFlapGirl" gunsight. It makes the long climb-outs a bit more interesting. :lol
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Originally posted by TweetyBird
Ren, I can't thank you enough.
Thats a a lot of helpful info -and a saved post. I had my gun convergence set to the default 300 I'm going to do as you said and set it up to about 600 and work my way down as I get more exp.
I'll email you for the stick settings as blackouts are still a problem.
Closer rates have always been a problem for me. In the old game I used to cheat and chop a lot, but something tells me that aint the smartest move.
I have a lot to chew on now - again, thanks.
Tweety...
1st off welcome to AH...I flew AW from 1994 till 1999 when I "migrated" over here during the Beta. The flight model here is different but the biggest difference is going to be the sheer numbers and the higher quality (overall) of the pilots.
Personally I'd tell you to move your gunnery conv back to 300. I never fire outside of 400 and usually hold fire till I'm inside 250. The exception being dinging someone at longer range to force em to evade/turn. I wouldn't really get overly worried about "learning" the planeset. Reallistically you've seen some flavor of them all in AW. You don't mention what "style" you prefer to fly. I'm a straight angles/knife fighter so I tend to gravitate to planes that fit that mold a bit. I probably fly the la-5 the most right now but also yak,FM-2,F4F,F6F and spitty(s). I used to fly 205 alot...best kept "secret" in the game next to the La-5. I'd reccomend picking 1 or 2 planes and flying it/them for a full tour. F6F,La-5,205,109-G2 are all good choices. Personally as a trainer here way back when I found the spitty the worst plane...except for zeke/nikki to start in. They're easy to fly but you dont really learn much....except to yank on the stick. I'd also suggest spending some time in the CT vs the training arena. you've got a limited plane set and lower numbers. you'll get more chance to work on your ACM and feel for the flight models without having your SA overwelmed.
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The style I'm using right now is run like hell if we're co-e :)
Seriously, the style depends on what I'm trying to do during a certain camp. For pure fun, I find knife fighting the biggest bang for my buck. But I'm far from that right now. This camp and probably the next, I'm just trying to develop a smooth stick and get my minds eye working in 3d.
I used to fly different styles for different camps. One camp, I never flew over over 5k. The idea there was to learn how to overcome a severe entergy disadvantage (and see how many fast planes would try to follow my split s :).
Another camp, I decided to never land. So ammo or not, fuel or not - head for next enemy. The idea there was temper the habit of flying *too* safe.
But ordinarily, I like E fighting and acm's that sucker the bandit into e fights when he's at an e disadvantage (either from plane type or just current entergy state). Not that I was ever close to as good as he was, but I like doing that Dead Duck climbing spiral (or various nose up maneuvers ) :) That P38 just knows he's going to be on your 6 in a couple of more turns :) Then he flops over never realizing you were bleeding him. The drawback is, I was never a real good e fighter so It would take awhile for me to get the upperhand. That may have been because I wasn't converting my advantage early enough, and one of the first things I want to test. Getting an e advantage is pretty useless if by the time you convert, the whole enemy airforce is in your sector :)
When I quit last time ( about 3 years ago?) thats where I was. Trying to find if I was too slow in building up an e advantage or too slow in converting it - or perhaps just a lousy shot!
Thanks for the welcome! I recognize a lot of the names here and know they are damn good pilots. There's a core group of people that have been playing variations of this type of game for over a decade. The overall skill level of the arena seems very high now. I figure if I can start surviving a few, I've definitely learned a whole lot.
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I'm sure you'll do fine...CT's been kind of fun this week...been in there more than MA. Certainly a better place for you to brush up on ACM and SA (IMO). I'll be happy to wing a few anytime you want if you see me up.
azhacker