Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: cjdarts on July 16, 2008, 08:56:10 AM
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Last night was my first attempt at flying online. I had practiced offline and read through all the trainer pages. While it wasn't a complete failure (1 Kill) it was rough. I have decided that I need some actual help. I took a look at the trainer schedule and due to my RL schedule I can't make it to the vast majority.
Right now here is what I have identified as my main problems:
1. Keeping the enemy in sight. About 80%of the time after the merge, I lose sight and I know that is bad.
2. Stalling and blacking out. I'm not sure if it is a stick scaling problem or pilot error (my money is on pilot error) but it seems like every move I make I am on the verge off stalling or blackout, and the guys I am fighting seem to whip around on my 6.
I was mostly flying a Spit V
Well long story short, if there is someone out there that could help out on short notice since I can't really plan when I am going to be online, I would really appreciate it.
:salute cjdarts
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You don't need to attend a formal training seminar. Just show up in the Training Arena. There are usually a few guys in there that are pretty good and are willing to help if they can. Just change side to Bish and to to field A1.
As far as blacking out all the time, it sounds like you may be pulling too hard and/or entering with too much speed. I'm no expert, but have usually found that the turn-fighters like the spit, hurricane and zeke turn best between 200-250 mph.
Losing sight after the merge will just take practice with your view controls. If you have a joystick or throttle with 8-way hat switch, it would be best to map each view (forward, right, back, left, etc.) to it and practice following a stationary object like a hanger while flying around a friendly field. Then try it on a moving target.
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1 check the scaling on your stick. you should have progressive scaling. that will aleviate the blackouts. i ride the tunnel, which is on the edge of blackouts, to get on the other guys 6. thats just me though.
2. as imadot says, map your views and work with them. lose sight, lose the fight is the general rule. i still die alot so dont feel bad. mostly because i dont look behind me.
3 spend time in the TA or find a squad that will teach you. you can try the DA at furball island but it might be frustrating to you. the TA is a great place to learn and theres always someone around to help you.
i hope some of this helps
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cj,
Did you know your views are adjustable? A lot of times new players don't realize that while looking out of your plane, the PageUp and PageDown keys will move your views as if you were raising and lowering your head. The arrow keys also work, where the horizontals move your head position left & right and the vertical arrows move your head closer and further away. You should also setup a key you can access with a left (off) hand finger to look up. Then, with your plane stopped on the runway, 'optimize' your views. Look through all 8 horizontal views and 'move' your head until you can see the most real estate possible from each view. Save each view with the F10 key (will say 'head position saved'). Do the same with the 'up' button and all eight views. You will need to do this with each plane the first time you fly it (head positions are saved). Hope this helps and welcome to your new addiction.
Regards,
Optiker
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Oh yeah; setting your views. Download Murdr's view settings as a .zip file from http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/files/murdr/hpsfiles.zip (http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/files/murdr/hpsfiles.zip). These cover most of the planes in the set. To use them, simply copy the .hps files into your Aces High II\settings\planes folder.
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Right now here is what I have identified as my main problems:
1. Keeping the enemy in sight. About 80%of the time after the merge, I lose sight and I know that is bad.
This is probably one of the most important things of all. Loosing sight 80% of the time means that at best 80% of your fights will most likely end badly for you. So getting better at this, for now, should be your #1 priority. If you loose sight of em, they will almost certainly be in your rear-quarter somewhere, and most likely saddling up for a shot - so look for em there first. Make sure you have a good view system sorted out on your joystick which is easy to access and intuitive. I use my 8-way hat on my throttle with another button as the UP modifier - this will be the most common set up. Also, if you haven't, adjust your head position for all views so you can clearly see around cockpit obstacles. Pay particular attention to looking around as much of the headrest/seat armour in your 6-views as possible. Once you have that sorted, then its just a matter of getting used to it, and the only way to do that is by practising lots with someone in the TA doing some close-in knife-fighting etc. The less you loose sight of them, the better your outcomes will tend to be.
2. Stalling and blacking out. I'm not sure if it is a stick scaling problem or pilot error (my money is on pilot error) but it seems like every move I make I am on the verge off stalling or blackout, and the guys I am fighting seem to whip around on my 6.
Do you have the stall-limiter turned off? If so, that's good. Better in the long-run to have it off. If you find you're stalling too much, then try not pulling on the stick too far. You want to pull as much as you can while just staying out of the buffeting (violent shaking). The stall buzzer will be buzzing away like mad, but don't go so far that you start buffeting. The buffet is an indication you're approaching the stall. Back off so you stay just off the buffet. Also if you push a bit hard and you drop the inside wing, its possible to 'catch' it early before it really lets go if you're quick to relax the stick slightly and give it a touch of opposite rudder. But time taken to correct the dipping wing is time taken from your turning effort, which will give you're opponent some free turning time and they'll win more angles. So its best to avoid that situation.
As for blacking out, its a similar situation, you want to pull as hard as you can, while avoiding a blackout. As your speed increases, the less pressure on the stick is required to produce a blackout. The slower you are the more you can pull back without blackout. This has to do with centrifugal forces. So slowing down is one way to avoid blackouts, the other is not to pull to hard for a given speed. Pull just enough to get a tunnel effect which you can still see out of enough to work out where things are etc, but don't pull any harder for more than a second or so, else you'll black out totally. Ride the tunnel :)
One last thing to point out - check your stick is not spiking. If it is, then this may also be the cause of unexpected black-outs, snapped wings, sudden stalls etc. You can do this in the control set up in AH. If it is spiking try bringing up the level of damping a little. You can also dial in some scaling, so the middle area of stick deflection is scaled back a bit, but be careful as too much can leave the outside area of stick deflection doing a disproportionate amount of input. Elevator is the critical one for the symptoms you are mentioning. I would use the default elevator scaling for now. Don't alter it too radically unless you really know what you're doing.
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Something that I like to do to practice keeping the target in view is while offline pick one of the drone targets and climb a couple thousand feet above it then boom and zoom down and back up a few times. Work on keeping it in view as much as possible.
This will help you learn to track the target through the views as well as get you used to flying your plane even when you aren't looking forward.
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for better SA try flying around while looking out the back for say a 1/2 an hour, looking no where but out the back of the plane. Then switch and look out the right side while flying around, then the left, etc.
you will know your SA is improving when you can land while looking out the back. :aok
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for better SA try flying around while looking out the back for say a 1/2 an hour, looking no where but out the back of the plane. Then switch and look out the right side while flying around, then the left, etc.
you will know your SA is improving when you can land while looking out the back. :aok
That's... Interesting :huh
What difference does it make if he has tunnel vision out the back as opposed to the front?
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Practice keeping sight of the guy like Spatula suggested... A good way to get the hang of this when you get the chance might be to grab a squaddie or friend who's been around awhile, and fly in their plane. Let your friend worry about flying the thing - you just concentrate on keeping sight of the opponent!
This will give you a good idea of how often you need to be pressing different hat views to keep him in your sight, without your having to worry about flying the plane at the same time as well.
Then just apply what you learn when you're flying your own plane. Preferably in some close in knife fights in the TA, as Spatula suggested.
As it is, I'm planning on spending a good amount of time in the TA for the next few weeks... I'd be more than happy to be your target, just ask.
:salute
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I'd suggest you find a stationary object off-line, like a hanger or something and fly around it keeping it in view the entire time. Then roll, climb, loop and do other manouvers always keeping whatever object you've selected in view.
Once you can do that, then go do it around the drones flying overhead. Fly above them, below them, around them, barrel roll past them, do loops and anything else you can think of.
When you can do that, then go to the TA and find someone to do it with against a moving, manouvering opponent.
Until you get the view system down you will be at a serious handicap in the online arenas.
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I appreciate all the advice. I do have my views set up on my stick. It sounds like I will be spending some time in the TA. Vudak, I will keep an eye out for you. Thanks.
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That's... Interesting :huh
What difference does it make if he has tunnel vision out the back as opposed to the front?
This exercise is designed to teach someone how to move about in thier surroundings and is the quickest way to pick up good SA. Can you land on the runway while looking out the back only? or looking to the right? or the left?
It also shows good control after so long, the biggest problem with SA is the ability to fight someone anywhere at any given time without having to worry about ones surroundings, ie: near the tree's or other objects.
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This exercise is designed to teach someone how to move about in thier surroundings and is the quickest way to pick up good SA. Can you land on the runway while looking out the back only? or looking to the right? or the left?
It also shows good control after so long, the biggest problem with SA is the ability to fight someone anywhere at any given time without having to worry about ones surroundings, ie: near the tree's or other objects.
I can see the advantage in an exercise like that. It's similar to actual flight training where you are required to turn around a fixed point on the ground off your wing holding your altitude and distance from the point constant.
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This exercise is designed to teach someone how to move about in thier surroundings and is the quickest way to pick up good SA. Can you land on the runway while looking out the back only? or looking to the right? or the left?
It also shows good control after so long, the biggest problem with SA is the ability to fight someone anywhere at any given time without having to worry about ones surroundings, ie: near the tree's or other objects.
I disagree that inanimate objects are the biggest problem one needs to have situational awareness of, but I'll drop it.
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I can see the advantage in an exercise like that. It's similar to actual flight training where you are required to turn around a fixed point on the ground off your wing holding your altitude and distance from the point constant.
Exactly
when in a dogfight in this GAME most people worry about where they are at instead of where the enemy is, and by not having to worry about where you are you will be able to track the enemy better. I hope that helps you a lot.
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Exactly
when in a dogfight in this GAME most people worry about where they are at instead of where the enemy is, and by not having to worry about where you are you will be able to track the enemy better. I hope that helps you a lot.
I still dont understand how landing blind gives me better sa... I would think your ability to track multiple cons at the same time makes for good sa.
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I disagree that inanimate objects are the biggest problem one needs to have situational awareness of, but I'll drop it.
most of the new Cadets do not travel above 5-K, so when they do encounter the enemy they end up near the ground real fast and are generally more worried about the tree's and buildings than they are the enemy.
Just because you don't think something will work for you does not mean it will not work for others, and when your new to Aces High you need all the help and advice you can get. :)
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I still dont understand how landing blind gives me better sa... I would think your ability to track multiple cons at the same time makes for good sa.
When your just starting out you will not be able to attain the SA experience to track multiple targets at the same time. Landing while looking out the back, flying around while looking out the back is designed to help the Cadet's ability to manuver without having to worry about where they are as to where the enemy is.
A person gains the ability to track multiple targets when they stop being target fixed on just one.
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most of the new Cadets do not travel above 5-K, so when they do encounter the enemy they end up near the ground real fast and are generally more worried about the tree's and buildings than they are the enemy.
Just because you don't think something will work for you does not mean it will not work for others, and when your new to Aces High you need all the help and advice you can get. :)
Trust me, I'm getting a pretty good lesson in what it's like to be a newb again (complete equipment transition, peddals, new lighter js, the works... Need to completely retrain my muscle memory, and I'm already developing an appreciation for just how tough this game really is)...
I don't dispute that it would work for others, I just dispute that it's really the fastest way, or best use of one's time in this virtual world.
In the real world, sure. Hey, take all the baby steps you can - if you don't, you die.
But in here, I think a combo approach to learning can safely be used. Worst thing that can happen is you need to replane... :)
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Trust me, I'm getting a pretty good lesson in what it's like to be a newb again (complete equipment transition, peddals, new lighter js, the works... Need to completely retrain my muscle memory, and I'm already developing an appreciation for just how tough this game really is)...
Thats a whole lot for just playing a game. I just sit down and play with a 30$ Logitec then when done, get up and leave. You win you lose. What you described above i am in no way ragging on, but to me that just seems like quite a lot for playing a video game. A lot of the time i have seen and heard some folks using technical terms in the training process, and some may respond faster to that, but in my experience if you put things into a simple but yet understandable format they are able to pick it up faster than with the technical jargon. I call it Blue Collar terms and while some may poke fun at what i type or these methods, they really do work.
My Father told me a long time ago in a conversation about the game of Billiards. Usually there are several guys with a lot of skill in a popular local billiard hall and most of them have 400$ plus cue's. He said when you can walk into that same billiard hall and beat everyone in there with a bent house cue, then you are doing something awesome for the look on thier faces as you collect is priceless.
For any new cadet that is interested in some helpful film on Evasive manuvers shoot me a email to todd_4202004@yahoo.com and i will gladly send them.
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Agreed on the pool cue thing. But I've been using an X45 the past four years (simple, effective, just what I like), and have been forced to buy 3 of them on Ebay to get 1 working model for awhile now. The supply will run out, and it'll turn into my own personal MS Sidewinder fiasco. Most other joysticks will have the same problem some day, and each time you transition you have to relearn.
With this set up, I can at least have some stability, you know?
The thing about the thread starter is from the lingo he's using I take it he has a good foundation of understanding. Others aren't like that. There's a million ways to teach math, some will work for some, others for others. Fair enough?
Thats a whole lot for just playing a game. I just sit down and play with a 30$ Logitec then when done, get up and leave. You win you lose. What you described above i am in no way ragging on, but to me that just seems like quite a lot for playing a video game. A lot of the time i have seen and heard some folks using technical terms in the training process, and some may respond faster to that, but in my experience if you put things into a simple but yet understandable format they are able to pick it up faster than with the technical jargon. I call it Blue Collar terms and while some may poke fun at what i type or these methods, they really do work.
My Father told me a long time ago in a conversation about the game of Billiards. Usually there are several guys with a lot of skill in a popular local billiard hall and most of them have 400$ plus cue's. He said when you can walk into that same billiard hall and beat everyone in there with a bent house cue, then you are doing something awesome for the look on thier faces as you collect is priceless.
For any new cadet that is interested in some helpful film on Evasive manuvers shoot me a email to todd_4202004@yahoo.com and i will gladly send them.
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The thing about the thread starter is from the lingo he's using I take it he has a good foundation of understanding. Others aren't like that. There's a million ways to teach math, some will work for some, others for others. Fair enough?
agreed. :)
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Oh yeah; setting your views. Download Murdr's view settings as a .zip file from http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/files/murdr/hpsfiles.zip (http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/files/murdr/hpsfiles.zip). These cover most of the planes in the set. To use them, simply copy the .hps files into your Aces High II\settings\planes folder.
I downloaded and installed Murdr's view settings, I thought I had the views covered but his are better :) :aok