Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Rich46yo on July 16, 2007, 07:29:08 PM
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Hello to the group. I'm brand new to the game so I hope someone can help me with this. I bought a new Saitek "Aviator" joystick and as far as I can tell its working fine. The big problem I'm having, other then learning the game, is none of the airplanes Ive been trying have had the kind of performance they are known for. For instance, I just flew a B-17 offline flight and was unable to get the airplane above 3,000', or faster then 148 mph. Even after dropping the bombs I was still unable to gain altitude.
The stick is calibrated fine, as far as I can tell. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Seems like you still had flaps deployed. When you deploy on runway, your flaps are down two notches. Retract them immediately by hitting W two times (Q to drop them again).
Also don't take too much fuel, 25-50% will do for most missions when flying online.
Also make sure that you move your throttle too when calibrating the stick, else you won't be able to give full power.
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My bet is Lusche is right need to pull up your flaps.. 17's will do much better than 148 IAS...
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as Lusche mentioned, when you launch/deploy to the runway in Medium/Heavy bombers you will normally launch with flaps deployed ...........it is recommended to get airborne and let speed get up to say 140 IAS ( IAS = indicated air speed ie.... the white needle ) once speed has picked up, raise flaps, until you get use to it, raise them 1 notch.let speed pick up a bit more, then bring in the other notch...
if you raise them all before taking off, it will take longer and more speed to get the bomber to lift off when heavy ( when loaded down with bombs ).if you have them down and get airborne, but raise them all suddenly the bomber may drop out from under you because you are not fast enough to generate enough lift .......
practice, practice, practice....
good luck
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How about the other planes? How do you find the fighters' performance figures?
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Originally posted by HoseNose
How about the other planes? How do you find the fighters' performance figures?
From the main AH page, under Game Info / Planes, Vehicals, boats:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/frindex.html
On bombers, flaps only deploy automaticly when you use auto-takeoff.
Gunner
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Originally posted by HoseNose
How about the other planes? How do you find the fighters' performance figures?
Best resource for fighter comparisons:
http://gonzoville.com/ahcharts/index.php
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Oh well I was asking about Rich46's opinions of the other fighters compared to what he's heard about them.
Great site though, thanks!
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Originally posted by HoseNose
Oh well I was asking about Rich46's opinions of the other fighters compared to what he's heard about them.
I know, but I was correctly guessing you don't knew that site yet :)
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Thanx guys I'll try all this. I thought I had raised flaps by hitting "W" but I'll give it another go. Let me get back to you later on it. And yes, Ive had poor performance in other planes. Most notably the ME-262 that I cant get over 300 mph.
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Originally posted by Rich46yo
Thanx guys I'll try all this. I thought I had raised flaps by hitting "W" but I'll give it another go. Let me get back to you later on it. And yes, Ive had poor performance in other planes. Most notably the ME-262 that I cant get over 300 mph.
Well, it's the only fighter in game which also has it's flaps down at start. ;)
Further, the 262 is very slow accelerating, you will need a lot of time to get up speed.
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Take up a prop fighter that has a WEP feature. When you're up hit WEP. Does it kick in? Does anything happen on the instrument dials?
If not, chances are your throttle is not properly calibrated or set up, and you're only getting partial power.
Remember to calibrate in windows first, then in Aces High, and make sure you do all 4 axis.
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OK, I tried the P-51 and ME-262. Basically I get less then 1/2 the speed the airplane is capable of, flaps or no flaps. With the P-51 the only way I get over 200 mph, or 30 on the RPM scale, is if I aim it towards the ground. Same thing with the ME-262. The Bombers? I can hardly gain altitude with them.
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Well, then it's apparent you cant give full power for a reason. Probably a calibration issue.
And don't beat me for this dumb question, just to be sure: You don't have gear still down, don't you?...
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I cant find anything in Saiteks websight concerning calibration. As far as I can tell its calibrated properly. At least all the controls are working and the throttle and joystick goes thru its full range of motion.
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No, I had gear up, and flaps up, from the beginning. I'm not tottaly new to all this but it has been years since I used a flight game. Last one was WW2 fighters when it first came out.
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Go into the windows control panel > Game controllers screen
(unless your Saitek uses some other software? I don't have a Saitek so I wouldn't know)
Double click the stick, bring up the window. Use the test screen. Move your stick to full deflections up, down, left, right. Watch the little window. If you're pushing all the way, but the little crosshair is only going halfway, it's a calibration issue. Move your slider fully up and fully down. If it only goes partway up, it's a calibration issue. Do the same for the rudder axis as well.
Calibrate it (use deliberate, careful motions) following the step-by-step instructions, and hit OKAY or FINISH when you're done.
If Saitek has their own software, use that. Calibrate the stick.
Then start up Aces High. Bring up the clipboard, choose (I think) Settings > Controllers > Calibrate (it may be worded similarly) it will give you a screen. Move your stick up, down, left, right, as far as it will go several times (make full circles), slide the throttle fully up and down several times, move your rudder full left and right several times, then move your mouse to click "Okay"
That should do it.
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I'm thinking Krusty's right. When I first got Aces High, I borrowed a stick and had the same problem. I then calibrated the stick on the computer itself and noticed my throttle was all wonky. THEN I calibrated it on Aces. worked fine... until the stick physically broke, so I'm looking for a new one.
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Rich,
If all the suggestions fail. Remove your stick from the Throttle 1 spot in your joystick configuration in Aces High.
Mash down shift + and see if that changes anything.
That's the keyboard command for full throttle, but it works only if the throttle on your joystick is not mapped.
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First off, thanks for all the help. I am finding somthing wrong in windows regarding calibration but right when I think I have it fixed, and go back to the game, same thing happens. They sold me this thing with no instructions on calibrating in windows. Right now I see both throttles going thru the entire range of motion but I still cant get these airplanes about 200 mph.
I dont know what I'm going to do. Probably bring this thing back. Pity cause I like the look of it.
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Originally posted by Rich46yo
First off, thanks for all the help. I am finding somthing wrong in windows regarding calibration but right when I think I have it fixed, and go back to the game, same thing happens. They sold me this thing with no instructions on calibrating in windows. Right now I see both throttles going thru the entire range of motion but I still cant get these airplanes about 200 mph.
I dont know what I'm going to do. Probably bring this thing back. Pity cause I like the look of it.
the flight model in aces high is very realistic, you won't be able to go super speed instantly.
just take off and don't climb, fly straight and level on the deck. hit x key to put it in level autopilot.
then see what speed you get AFTER waiting for several minutes.
and have you calibrated your stick in aces high? if it's calibrated in windows, but not in aces high it'll be useless.
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To ckeck if Aces High gets full throttle input, go to "Map Controller", select your Throttle axis and check the "advanced" box. Now move your throttle.
Both "raw" and "scaled" indicators should be moving through the full range:
(http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4150/throttlejd3.jpg)
If you apply full power in a P51 during takeoff, the manifold pressure gauge should read 61.
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The stick probably isn't broken. I have the same stick and it works fine.
You have a calibration issue, or you're not flying properly.
Try calibrating both in windows, AND in AH, and then let us know what happens.
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Did you install Saitek drivers? The ones that came with your stick (CD installation disK) may be old, or didn't install properly. Try http://www.saitekusa.com and download the latest drivers for your joystick.
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OK, heres what was happening. I did what Lusche said and went into map controller. One of that throttles was only giving 1/2 power and when I corrected it I went back into the game. All the aircraft are giving me better numbers now.
Some flight games give WW-ll aircraft control responses like jet fighters but this game is pretty true to history. I was able to get the B-17 up to about 240 mph with a full bombload, which was twice the speed I was getting before. The P-51D about 380 mph, the ME-262 about 400 mph, and over 500 mph on a dive.
So its much better and I can get back on my learning curve. Thanks again..................Rich
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OK, is the Mossie speed indicator the red dial and not the white one next to it? The red one tells me I'm getting about 320 mph, but, I'm only a few 1,000' up. Which is close. The Mossie made about 360 mph at alititude didnt it?
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The white one is indicated air speed and the red one is actual ground speed.
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Remember there is TAS, true airspeed, and IAS, indicated. The difference is because at higher altitudes the air is thinner and exerts less pressure.
Indicated is generally less at altitude and is indicated by the white line, red is actual or true compensated for altitude and indicated by the red line on airspeed gauge.
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You'll stall at indicated, but compress at true, think of it that way (not 100% true but it helps you. Kinda like: As you get super high (30k+) the gap narrows to the point you only have N mph between stalling out of the sky and compressing/dying. )
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Again...thank you to all. Kinda neat knowing there is such a good support community for the game. Now I have to get the guts up to play on-line for the first time. Hey I actually landed and survived.
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So, you've got it calibrated and working now?
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In layman's terms, True Air Speed is your ground speed and Indicated Air Speed is the speed of the air flow over your wings.
ack-ack
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Originally posted by Rich46yo
OK, is the Mossie speed indicator the red dial and not the white one next to it? The red one tells me I'm getting about 320 mph, but, I'm only a few 1,000' up. Which is close. The Mossie made about 360 mph at alititude didnt it?
The Mossie in AH has flame dampers for night ops on it. Those reduce the top speed by 10-15mph.
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Originally posted by Krusty
So, you've got it calibrated and working now?
Yeah. I'm even taking off and landing on my own. Almost ready for on-line play I think.:aok
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Originally posted by Rich46yo
Yeah. I'm even taking off and landing on my own. Almost ready for on-line play I think.:aok
Do yourself a favor and spend some time with a trainer in the TA (training arena) There's an obscure link to them on the HTC home page. Anyone know off the top of their head?
Getting some help with view adjustments (the defaults are awfull) and with some basic SA (situational awareness) tips, and ACM (air combat manuevers) will help you during the initial stages of the learning curve.
Good luck and welcome to the game! :aok
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Originally posted by Max
Do yourself a favor and spend some time with a trainer in the TA (training arena) There's an obscure link to them on the HTC home page. Anyone know off the top of their head?
http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/
Other very useful resources:
http://www.netaces.org (including Sodas plane evaluations - a bit dated yet still very helpful)
http://gonzoville.com/ahcharts/index.php - quick fighter performance comparisons
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Be prepared to get killed (and frustrated) a lot. It will all be worth it when you get your first kill, then there's no turning back.
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Originally posted by BaldEagl
Be prepared to get killed (and frustrated) a lot. It will all be worth it when you get your first kill, then there's no turning back.
I am kinda prepared to get murdered a lot. In fact I'm kinda hesitant to go online still. Heres where I'm at right now. I can take off unassisted, can navigate to a target, can attack the target, navigate back, and land. Ive done it in about 6 planes already.
How do you know when your good enough to go online ?
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If you don't have an account yet, the first time you try to log in you'll get a 2 week free trial. That's 2 weeks since you start it, so if you don't use it it'll go to waste.
You want to get as comfortable as you can offline before going online, so as to maximize your potential use of that 2 weeks. Try more complex manuvers, such as steep dives (up to compression) and recovery, zoom climbs, loops, wing-overs (or hammerheads, either one), perhaps barrel rolls, sudden 180-degree breaks, etc.
Flying level to and from a target is pretty basic. Also, practice on the offline drones. Learning to fly is one thing, learning to aim is another! You need a good mix of both eventually.
It's a common question so I'll answer it now: Offline drones don't fall out of the sky when you shoot wings off and such. They're not "flying" but are moving on invisible rails and will continue to until you make them explode. They are only there for gunnery practice. :aok
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Originally posted by Rich46yo
I am kinda prepared to get murdered a lot. In fact I'm kinda hesitant to go online still. Heres where I'm at right now. I can take off unassisted, can navigate to a target, can attack the target, navigate back, and land. Ive done it in about 6 planes already.
How do you know when your good enough to go online ?
If you ask me that way...I have to answer: Nobody is ever good enough ;)
But seriously, that's more than 99% of all new players can do when taking off to their first online flight.
C'mon, you've got nothing to lose. If really afraid of the online slaughter, join the Training Arena for some harmless practice :aok
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Being a Corsair fanatic, the first thing i practised was taking off and landing on carrier decks. One thing you could learn is getting used to the feel of your plane. I'm not doing too hot myself as I just started. Also, when you choose your ride, you should research stuff about it. It really does help.
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Krusty is that also why the bombs dont explode in offline arena? I just flew a long mission to bomb a carrier and none of the bombs or torps blew up.
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Bombs can't be dropped too low. They need a minimum distance before they "arm"... Say 500 feet to 800 feet of altitude. You wait to the last second and you're dropping duds.
Torpedos only have a limited envelope for dropping. 200mph or less (150 or less is safer) and 150 feet or less above the water. As you can see you have to fly low, slow, and steady, otherwise they'll just break up on impact (or whatever) and die. If you drop them right, you'll see a splash then moments later a wake in the water.
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Thanks Krusty. I have a few other issues before I can get online for good. I went into the online training area and flew well. Then, when I went into one of the regular mission rooms I found I was not only limited by ther types of airplanes I could use, but also, I couldnt access any of my "F" views to fly my aircraft. I was limited to F1 the pilots view.
This took away the enjoyment of flying and since I couldnt "quit" out of the room, and couldnt land without my "F" views, I just crashed on purpose to get out of the game.
Can you tell me whats going on here? Also, how do you use the microphone/radio? I think I have it setup right but I cant hear anyone talking and cant find what shortcut is for "transmit".
Thank you.
f
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I guess by regular mission rooms you mean the Main Arenas we have.
1. Limited plane selection: Seems you went into the EW (=early war) or MW (= mid war) arenas. Aircraft selection is indeed limited there due to timeframe considerations. Similar in the AvA, where specific setups are changed quite often. To get complete freedom of plane choice, go to the LW arenas, where generally all planes are enabled.
2. Views: That's right, the F3-F5 views are disabled for fighters & ground vehicles there. How else would you simultate the bad rear views some planes have, when you have a magic external view? Only bombers have external views, simulating the fact that you have several crewmembers looking constantly in every direction. If you can only land by external view, you have learned it the wrong way. Get rid of that habit and you will pretty soon land better than ever before.
For voice setup (and help on similar basic) topics, best thing is to check the appropriate sections on this website and on the AH2 trainer corps webpage.
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F3 is all fine and dandy, until you actually want to learn how to fly :D
You'll definitely want to switch to F1-only after you land a few. You can get a sense of where you are when landing even though you can't see under the nose. Land a few times in F3 then land a few times in F1. It's the same motions/methods, you're just looking at it a different way.
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OK, I was told in training that you only get the pilots vew, "just didnt know". As for the radio? Im slowly catching on. Yknow guys I'm 50 yo and never played an online game before. Now I'm starting to understand what my son is hooked on. Thanks again