Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: wolvrine on August 12, 2012, 01:23:02 AM

Title: clipboard protractor
Post by: wolvrine on August 12, 2012, 01:23:02 AM
         I think it would be awsome to have a protractor built into clipboard map with option to turn it off and on. Would help in lining up on targets in bombing runs.(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i409/jerrygiffin/acesprotractor.jpg)
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Pand on August 12, 2012, 03:34:52 AM
 :aok

+1

Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: guncrasher on August 12, 2012, 03:50:58 AM
you can see the base as soon as you enter the dar circle.  the protractor wont help you line up on individual targets untill you see the base anyway.  it's not really that hard to point your buff towards a base.


semp
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: wolvrine on August 12, 2012, 04:22:17 AM
   I think we could line up easier from a farther distance with the protractor,especially at very high altitudes. Also would help in squad and mission headings...especially for the noobs
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: BluBerry on August 12, 2012, 06:30:01 AM
+1000 this has been needed forever..  :aok
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: stealth on August 12, 2012, 06:49:41 AM
+1

Long as there's no numbers on it, I can't count.....on Hitech. 
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: The Fugitive on August 12, 2012, 10:48:48 AM
   I think we could line up easier from a farther distance with the protractor,especially at very high altitudes. Also would help in squad and mission headings...especially for the noobs

Seeing as the majority of the bases are all laid out the same (some are rotated by the map makers) wouldn't it be just as easy to print out the base/town maps and do your "protractor work" on them. Knowing what the approach angle should be pretty easy to find even from a long way off while flying. Keep adjusting the "plane icon" on the map until your compass shows the degrees you figured out for your run on that target.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Tank-Ace on August 12, 2012, 04:02:57 PM
When I had to fly long distances, like on strat raids, I would always bust out the printed maps, protractor, and compass. Figure distance, bearing, and speed, then you can go AFK and come back perfectly on course just as you're entering the danger zone.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: wolvrine on August 12, 2012, 10:06:45 PM
(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i409/jerrygiffin/Snap55.jpg)
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: guncrasher on August 12, 2012, 10:09:51 PM
(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i409/jerrygiffin/Snap55.jpg)

why not just have one the size of the full map?

semp
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Pand on August 13, 2012, 01:21:25 AM
why not just have one the size of the full map?

semp
Another potential option would be a "full printable" map for all Main arena maps like in FSO.  Are these available?
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Tilt on August 13, 2012, 06:54:43 AM
Like it + 1

Its really taking the compass heading from the instrument panel and applying to the map much as a navigator might do.....
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: danny76 on August 13, 2012, 08:47:05 AM
When I had to fly long distances, like on strat raids, I would always bust out the printed maps, protractor, and compass. Figure distance, bearing, and speed, then you can go AFK and come back perfectly on course just as you're entering the danger zone.

Compass????? Why not just point your cartoon map icon at the base and press go??
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: earl1937 on August 13, 2012, 10:16:32 AM
         I think it would be awsome to have a protractor built into clipboard map with option to turn it off and on. Would help in lining up on targets in bombing runs.(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i409/jerrygiffin/acesprotractor.jpg)
:airplane: +1,000,000,000, another great idea from an Aces High member! As a mission leader who runs bomber missions day in and day out, this would be a great aid!! One of the problems which I see everyday, the bases, as depicted on the clipboard map, sometimes is not right where it should be, in relation to the heading of the aircraft inbound. I use a Weems plotter to calculate headings and attack angles for large bomber formation every day and even using a 32 inche monitor, it is still difficult to get the correct headings sometimes and we still have to correct 2 to 4 degrees heading one way or the other, even though we have been nose on to the base for 10 minutes.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: wolvrine on August 13, 2012, 01:03:20 PM
or like this?
(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i409/jerrygiffin/ahprotrac2.jpg)
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Chalenge on August 13, 2012, 01:13:08 PM
This is basically what bombers all do. Flying the B29 at altitude you have to line up from far out. If you wait until you can see the base you cannot get the bomb sight onto the target withou messing up calibration. So most people get used to using straight edges (scales, rulers, index cards) to project the center of the users airplane forward two sectors. It isnt precise but its better than adjusting later.

The protractor idea would be a big help but for the most part its for town killers in sub-orbit.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Tilt on August 13, 2012, 01:50:38 PM
 re a b29 at 35K at circa 350mph TAS


If your approach is within 5-6 degrees of the required ingress bearing then you can correct (upon first sight of field) course without loss of speed or altitude from the bomb aimers sight via JS input.

Obviously a protractor as outlined above will put you virtually within 1 degree of required ingress bearing
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Hap on August 13, 2012, 01:58:03 PM
It is a nifty idea.  But, I can do all without it.  Does look cool though.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: 100Coogn on August 13, 2012, 03:32:16 PM
+1  As long as we have an option to toggle it on/off.

 Coogan
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Tank-Ace on August 13, 2012, 11:45:27 PM
Compass????? Why not just point your cartoon map icon at the base and press go??

Just rough guessing it isn't real accurate at 150+ miles. It only took me maybe 20 seconds to get a pretty precice bearing, and get the exact-ish distance to where I needed to start manning guns. Divide that by my speed, and thats how long i could go AFK for.


That, and it added a bit of imersion factor.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: danny76 on August 14, 2012, 02:43:04 AM
Just rough guessing it isn't real accurate at 150+ miles. It only took me maybe 20 seconds to get a pretty precice bearing, and get the exact-ish distance to where I needed to start manning guns. Divide that by my speed, and thats how long i could go AFK for.


That, and it added a bit of imersion factor.

But what use is a compass. It surely is slaved to magnetic north and has no correlation to any in game setting.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Tank-Ace on August 14, 2012, 07:35:56 PM
But what use is a compass. It surely is slaved to magnetic north and has no correlation to any in game setting.


No, like the geometric compass. I set it to the width of a sector on the printed out maps I had, and used that to get the exactish distance to target.
Title: Re: clipboard protractor
Post by: Pand on August 14, 2012, 07:39:33 PM
Another potential option would be a "full printable" map for all Main arena maps like in FSO.  Are these available?
^^^^