Shot out Instruments

[titanic3]

For added realism and eye candy.

Can our flight instruments not be made of titanium and actually take damage? Would make flying/combat a lot more challenging and funner.

[Krusty]

I don't think it will happen. It has been suggested a few times over many years.

The general concensus is that AH is about flying your best with the tools you have. Not about losing because you can't see the instruments. It is a game after all. For the same reason it would be more challenging to have your radio shot out and not be able to type or speak on vox, as well... But that won't happen. It's a game and you need certain things to do what you do. (not to mention all the planes in WW2 that didn't have working radios, etc)

[Babalonian]

I'd like to see this someday added too, but to a point that it doesn't completely make or break a fight, but maybe in-hand with other existing damages that impede your ability to fly from the pilot's perspective, like oil/engine hits maybe with damaged or obstructed instruments (maybe a 1/3 or 1/4 chance to get oil inside the canopy as much as on the outside) or pilot wounds with damaged/obstructed instruments.

[titanic3]

Perhaps make it so that it's not game-breaking. Important instruments like fuel or speed and altimeter can stay invulnerable. However, things like the G Indicator, Attitude, Trim Indicator etc etc can be shot out. You can still fight without those, and the extra damage would be cool for some eye candy.

[Krusty]

That would be a fair compromise -- none of the vital ones. Not sure about how much rendering or extra processing power it would take, but it would be a nice immersion.

[olds442]

I don't think it will happen. It has been suggested a few times over many years.

The general concensus is that AH is about flying your best with the tools you have. Not about losing because you can't see the instruments. It is a game after all. For the same reason it would be more challenging to have your radio shot out and not be able to type or speak on vox, as well... But that won't happen. It's a game and you need certain things to do what you do. (not to mention all the planes in WW2 that didn't have working radios, etc)

you need your wings to fly, but yet i always end up like this.

[gyrene81]

I don't think it will happen. It has been suggested a few times over many years.

The general concensus is that AH is about flying your best with the tools you have. Not about losing because you can't see the instruments. It is a game after all. For the same reason it would be more challenging to have your radio shot out and not be able to type or speak on vox, as well... But that won't happen. It's a game and you need certain things to do what you do. (not to mention all the planes in WW2 that didn't have working radios, etc)

krusty...if it's just a game, what difference would it make if the gauges got shot out? you're not going to win or lose based on whether or not you can read the gauges...safe landings might be difficult if you don't know your airspeed but, hey a "good stick" should be able to do it fairly well.

[Karnak]

My objection to it is that most often if the gauge was shot out the bullet likely had to pass through the pilot to hit the gauge or would hit the pilot immediately after destroying the gauge.  There isn't much room in there to hit the gauge without hitting the pilot.

[gyrene81]

My objection to it is that most often if the gauge was shot out the bullet likely had to pass through the pilot to hit the gauge or would hit the pilot immediately after destroying the gauge.  There isn't much room in there to hit the gauge without hitting the pilot.

not necessarily karnak...it would depend on the plane but, almost any off angle deflection shot on the front 1/3 of the cockpit could hit the instrument panel and not the pilot. granted it is a narrow shot window but, even the gunsight could get hit without the pilot being hit.

[Karnak]

As I said, most often.  There are shots that don't involve the pilot being hit, but not many.

Also, if it were a cannon round, it probably isn't going to do good things to the pilot when it hits the perspex or instrument panel in the shots you posted.

[gyrene81]

ya well a cannon round in the cockpit from any angle would not be a good thing for the pilot...i personally wouldn't complain if instrument panel and gunsight damage were included, couldn't be any worse than the obnoxious oil hits that magically mess up the canopy no matter where the hit occurred.

[Debrody]

Well if it means something:
Debrődy was wounded on the stomach by a russian 20mm round fired by a Jak9. The round came through the gauge panel. I suspect it was a deflection shot situation.
He could ditch his aircraft and survived.
The gauge panel must have slowed down that round pretty much, otherwise i can see no way how he survived it.