NOOB how to train and get better?

[ATS*Mark]

hey guys . what should i do in the training area to get me better? what should i practice and what not? thanks!

[SuperDud]

Practice what you are interested in. If you like bombers, do bombers. After you're comforatable with what your doing, try something else. Any trainer and some of the folks in there will be able to help you. Just ask.

[Simaril]

"Get better" is a big question. And a lot of it depends on you -- what you like, how much better you want to get at it, and how much you're willing to do to get there.

Short answer is that you can get as good as you want.
 
Some of it -- like gunnery -- depends on practice.

Other parts -- like how to do combat flying, what maneuvers work where -- have more to do with teaching. Figuring air combat maneuvering by yourself is a guaranteed path to frustration, slower development, and probably lower eventual skill level.

Think of it this way: Air combat has existed for 90 years, and through that time there have always been people devoting themselves full time to figuring out how to do it better. You can try to do that on your own, but if you're smart you'll hook up with a Trainer (trainers@aceshigh.com) or with a mentor who'll show you the ropes.


Most players are limited only by the ceilings they place on themselves. I wish I hadn't been so stubbornly independent, because if I'd gotten training right along I'd be way better than I am.

[Booz]

The one thing that will have the biggest impact on your survival rate is to learn view management. Practice performing loops & turns while keeping a field tower in view for instance..play around doing lag rolls with someone while you always keep them in sight, learn where to look and how to find the enemy plane near you. Make a habit of checking all views every 5 seconds.

  It will keep you alive more than anything else.

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by ATS*Mark
hey guys . what should i do in the training area to get me better? what should i practice and what not? thanks!

The very first thing you need to do is get your controller set up best. Either Joystick or - if you have none for now - Mouse. If you need info on how to set either up, check out our homepage http://trainers.hitechcreations.com.

Then as Booz already mentioned, get familiar with the view system. You can use the keypad numbers (or hatswitch on you JS) to look around (8 directions). KP5 is "look up", if you have a stick, map it to the stick so you can use it in combo with the hatswitch. Combining the "look up" with the 8 directions will give you a total of 18 views (including the default center) - learn to use them to track an opponent. For each of those 18 views (Internal) you can adjust your head position with arrow keys and page up/down for optimum visibility - save head pos with F10. Youll have to do it for each plane separatly. More on the view system can be found on http://www.netaces.org/ahview/view.html#title


For the very beginning, i recommend just learning to take off, land and fly basic maneuvers in a fighter (Hurri Mk2C or Spitfire Mk5 or FM2 are good planes for that, as they are fairly easy to handle).


After that, its pretty much what you like to do. Fool around a bit and work on whatever you have fun doing at the moment - Fighting, Bombing, Vehicles, Escort, Base Attack, Defense.... there are many options.

Or work on whatever is your biggest problem at the moment.

Cant hit the ground trying to bomb?
Get shot within 5 seconds of entering a dogfight?
Cant fly a fighter without stalling out every time you try to turn?
How do I capture a base?
....


Theres a lot to learn. The Trainer Corps will always be available if you have questions or need practical help. I mentioned our homepage at the beginning of my post - it contains a lot of info - not only on the basics of how the game works, but also on basic and advanced fighting tactics. You can also contact us though the page form, or mail us at trainers @ hitechcreations.com (please include your ingame name and times you are available, a little info on what JS you have and what you want to learn will always be helpful too) for scheduled training.



Welcome to Aces High!

[Dichotomy]

don't get frustrated... this game has a STEEP learning curve and there are people in the MA that have been flying combat sims for over a decade.  I've been at it for about 6 months and I'm really NOT very good but I'm hoping to get better.

[humble]

Speaking as a former trainer I'd suggest the following.....

Start with flying a single plane (I'd recommend either the F6F,F4U,109F4,Ki-61 or C205)....

1) DO NOT USE COMBAT TRIM.....learn to fly right from the start

2) Spend an hour (or even two) just flying around in loops and tight turns and hi/low yoyo's working your throttle and flaps. Your goal is to force spins and stalls and learn to both recover and anticipate them as they approach.

3) Once you can fly the plane with some amount of proficiency find a trainer and work on three things...

a) even merges, learn the fundementals of a 1 on 1 fight so you can survive the 1st merge some of the time vs a decent stick....dying is ok if you put up a good fight but totally demoralizing in the 1st 5-10 seconds:)

b) learn the correct way to engage with superior e and alt (harder then you might think

c) learn the basics of defensive flying....


A good trainer can cover the basics on all three in 3 to 6 lessons and give you a good foundation to build on. Avoid starting in a plane that does to much of the work for you....the short term gain isnt worth the longer term issues....

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by humble

1) DO NOT USE COMBAT TRIM.....learn to fly right from the start

Avoid starting in a plane that does to much of the work for you....the short term gain isnt worth the longer term issues....

I would like to disagree on those two.


I myself have been using Combat Trim at the beginning and am still using it now in most planes. IMHO, there are very few planes that really benefit of manual trimming... in my experience it tends to overcomplicate things at the beginning. There are about a million other things to think about, i see no reason to add trimming your plane manually to the list for a very minute advantage it might give you in certain situations.

Disabling Stall Limiter (in OPTIONS > PREFERENCES > Flight) and learning your Basic Flight Maneuvers (BFM) and tactics (ACM) will be way way more important than trim.

One point where manual trim is VERY useful is this: getting a compressed plane out of a dive. Throttle to idle, full rudder to slow down, manually trim nose up (elevator) to start pulling out.




Also, as i see it, there is not "plane that does all the work for you". What plane you start in is eventually up to you.

I usually recommend the Spitfire Mk8 or Mk9 or the F6F, as they are good overall performer that have a mostly forgiving handling... they *will* excuse the odd mistake. "Easy mode" looked down upon by some... great teacher planes called by others.... again in my humble opinion, it is more important to stick to one plane for starters, to get a feel for its advantages/disadvantages then plane choice.

But i do think making it too difficult for yourself by choosing a plane that is inferior in performance to most others might teach you your mistakes quicker, but it will also make it a very frustrating experience with little reward if you DO something right. And ive never know frustration to be a good teacher.




Reading this board, you will quickly note that if you ask 5 people, you are likely to get 6 opinions..... find out what works best for you and dont worry too much about what others think of who, what and how you fly. "Have fun but dont hamper others fun" - thats all there is to know .

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by humble
A good trainer can cover the basics on all three in 3 to 6 lessons and give you a good foundation to build on.

Im sorry im jumping on you like this Humble, but i feel i have to comment this.

To me, speed at which training is progressing does NOT depend on the Trainer, it depends on the learning speed of the Trainee. Im going at whichever pace i feel *he* can do... not at how fast i can manage to cram up info into his brain that hes unable to process........

[humble]

No problem with you jumping in at all, after all your there in the trenchs. The stall limiter is new since I started here and so I take it being off as a given. Personally I think that manual trim is not really complicated and offers significant advantages over combat trim. It's a very minor component and takes about 5 minutes to teach max....I used to teach to autotrim when level at a set speed (usually 250) and "memorize" that as your default setting. Then briefly explain how trim effects handling and the few adjustments that might help.

As for training I heartily agree, the three area's I mentioned boil down to a few very fundemental concepts that take only 2 or 3 minutes to outline but probably years to master. Giving a "student" a fundemental grounding that permits a basic level of confidence and competence is really not all that hard....refining those basics is a never ending process (as we both know).

As for plane choice I feel spits, zekes, FM2's etc are poor planes to learn in since they dont teach throttle management, flap use or encourage proper ACM....but again thats just one persons opinion. Once a guy can roll out a P40B amonst his fellow baby seals and compete with the zekes spits and nikki's he realizes that he's the most important asset in any fight he's in. The better pilot wins 85% of the time regardless of plane type. The sooner they learn that the better off they are.......

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Booz
The one thing that will have the biggest impact on your survival rate is to learn view management. Practice performing loops & turns while keeping a field tower in view for instance..play around doing lag rolls with someone while you always keep them in sight, learn where to look and how to find the enemy plane near you. Make a habit of checking all views every 5 seconds.

  It will keep you alive more than anything else.

Agreed.  Once you know how to take off, turn and land, learning how to fly while looking out the back is what you should work on.

- oldman

[DamnedRen]

It was already mentioned that there is a steep learning curve.
This results in "learning to walk before you learn to run".

The game has been programmed to simulate performance akin to the planes real counterparts. This means different planes have different characteristics. These include but are not limited to cruise speeds, turning radius, best rate of climb, best turn rate, best distance/glide ratio, power on stalls, power off stalls, fuel loads, ammo loads, bomb loads, etc. The list goes on and doesn't really need to be expanded in this response. What does need to be addressed is an easy plane should be chosen when you first start flying.

If you ask anyone I've trained I always begin with views. First we set those up. Then we progress to stick settings. I normally begin people in a Spitfire. Whether they stay in it or not is strictly their choice. I use it because it provides them with a fairly stable platform in which to follow me through the various beginning maneuvers without having the bottom fall out (read stall).  The pace of training varies on the individual. Some folks have flown flight sims before. Others have not. This may dictate the pace of training. The important thing to realize is everyone has a  "full" point.
Kind of like a gas tank. You can only put so much gas in it then it spills and is watsed. It's better to give them what they can digest, let them chew on it for a few days then add to thier knowledge base.

Come to the training arena and join in!!

Hope this helps

[FBplmmr]

the view management comment is 100% correct... in aw and in here if I loose sight of my enemy of he isnt where I think he should be after a manouver .. I count myself dead and working uphill from that point on.


the other thing is get in the ta and train.. I should do it but I keep putting it off.

you ccan learn alot from reading and trial and error, but there is no substitute for
someone who is willing to take the time to teach you right off the bat

<> to  the folks who do the training .. I'm coming to see you soon.. honest

oh also .. the blue planes are the bestest of them all

[humble]

It's all a matter of perspective. My general feeling is that most "trainee's" lost views because they were looking inside the cockpit or at the horizon line to fly the plane. Until you can fly you cant dogfight. My comments were not addressed to the level of BFM training beyond the "fly a couple of hours". It's certainly not my place or intent to argue with any of the current trainers...just a conclusion reached over a number of years that certain planes are better learning platforms then others. The hardest "skill" to teach is "finding the edge" since there is little actual feedback. Every plane in the game is stable thru 90% of the flight envelope or more...in effect they are all "easy" till you push the limit....

[bozon]

I'll also add - film your fights. This is one of the things that helped me the most.

ALT+R starts and stops the film, which you can later view offline in the film viewer. When reviewing a fight, turn on the trail option so you can see the actual geometry of the flight paths (switch between cockpit and F3 view). You'll find that what your plane does in the air is a little different from how it looked from the cockpit. Also, it gives you yours and your enemies speeds so you can follow the energy states and management of each plane. Finally, you can jump in the cockpit of the enemy plane and see how that nice maneuver he pulled looks like from his POV.

Watching your victories is fun - watching your defeats is most educating.

Watching good films of veterans occasionally posted here is also good source for ideas on how to handle different situations.