Bombing

[Lizard]

What the hay is auto-cal, when did it hatch and how do you use it?

[Lusche]

I guess you refer to the "Auto Calibrate Bomb Sight" entry in arena setup?
That's just the standard MA bombsight calibration mode.

[Lizard]

So then what is manual?

[The Fugitive]

There are two type of bomb calibration.

1. In the main arenas, hit F6 to get to bomb site, hit "U" (default key) to enter calibration mode, hold down "Y" (default) to calibrate alt/speed. The longer you hold Y the more accurate the calibration. Release Y and hit U again to exit calibration mode. Now as long as your speed and alt remain close to calibrated (view upper left of screen while in F6 view) your bombs should hit at the crosshairs.

2. manual calibration is enabled in some scenarios. hit F6 to enter the bombsite, hit "U" (I think it is U, might be X) and hold while using your joystick to hold the crosshairs on a spot on the ground. The longer you can hold it on the same spot the better the calibration. At least I think that is how, it has been a lonnnnnnnggggg time since I have done it as it isn't used much any more. 

[Wiley]

There are two type of bomb calibration.

1. In the main arenas, hit F6 to get to bomb site, hit "U" (default key) to enter calibration mode, hold down "Y" (default) to calibrate alt/speed. The longer you hold Y the more accurate the calibration. Release Y and hit U again to exit calibration mode. Now as long as your speed and alt remain close to calibrated (view upper left of screen while in F6 view) your bombs should hit at the crosshairs.

2. manual calibration is enabled in some scenarios. hit F6 to enter the bombsite, hit "U" (I think it is U, might be X) and hold while using your joystick to hold the crosshairs on a spot on the ground. The longer you can hold it on the same spot the better the calibration. At least I think that is how, it has been a lonnnnnnnggggg time since I have done it as it isn't used much any more.

For Manual, U enters calibration mode, you have to hold Y while you follow the dot with your crosshairs.  Additionally, unless your target is at sea level, after you've held Y and followed the dot and released Y, you need to shift+click with your mouse on the target you're hitting on the clipboard map to set the ground elevation.  Then hit U to exit calibration mode.

[Lizard]

Wow, when did they go to easy mode in the main? I've been doin it the hard way...forever.

[Lusche]

Wow, when did they go to easy mode in the main? I've been doin it the hard way...forever.

At least 11 years ago, probably longer than that.

[Rodent57]

Lizard,

Don't feel so all alone!  I discovered that there are a lot of folks who missed the 'Auto Cal' option and 'manual cal' in the mains during one of the long scenarios a month or so ago.  It has been around for more than a decade as memory serves.

As to EZ Mode:  With the exception of having to set a Target Altitude (which in effect establishes a height above target component for the cross hairs), both Manual and Auto can be done further out than most folks think.  From what I can tell, folks tend not to focus on the EXACT Ground Tracking Point when doing Manual Cals...thus inducing Ground Speed errors in the cross hairs. 

The trick for both is to make sure you are still at the altitude you calibrated at, and that you Current Speed equals Calibrated Speed at release ... after that the physics is the same.  I generally get a 'Pre-Cal' shortly after leveling off, and at a speed slightly slower than I really wish to bomb.  This allows me to Throttle Back {rather than trying to speed-up or hold an absolutely constant airspeed} in order to catch the calibrated speed at the target in situations where I'm being bounced approach bomb release.  Its a technique, not a procedure!

The "tricky" part is to make sure you are in the correct mode when calibrating ("U")  ... if not, it is self-critiquing.

Here's to better bombing!

- Rodent57

[Lizard]

Well, thanks. OK, from what I gather, the difference is you don't have to hold the crosshairs on a particular spot using autocal in the main???

Only reason I found out was a reference on the bb for the last scenario. Auto cal? auto cal? wth is that??? LOL

[Rodent57]

Inserting Target Alt (Smaller of the two errors when bombing from above 10K), and not having the cross hairs on a fixed point (Drift analysis).

Heck, if you've been doing it this long, why change? 

As the Late John Candy once said, "Look, if something works for me I stick with it".   

- Rodent57

[Rodent57]

Let me amend that last input...for a 100 foot or less ASL target Alt error, it would be the lesser of evils.....on the other hand , a 2,000' target Alt delta would pretty much ruin your day.

Mostly, it's just better to be accurate.

Rodent57

[artik]

Is there a way to do manual calibration at MA? It is very useful to hitting ships as manual calibration corrects for ship movement.

[Rodent57]

artik,

Fun question, and there are folks playing that have oodles more knowledge than I do about the finer points of game mechanization, but I can find no way to enable Manual Cal from within an aircraft in the MAs.  You can play with Manual Cal in Offline or a Custom arena by changing Arena settings, but don't believe you can do so in MAs... [I defer to Pyro or Skuzzy for the final answer].   

You can certainly throw the crosshairs out in front of yourself and track a point while mashing down the "Y" key in the MAs, but a couple quick practice runs will indicate that you are really just doing an Autocal.  (Try intentionally inducing error by not properly tracking the point - results will be the same as if you had not done anything with the crosshairs.)

Anyone know a magic trick to get into Manual Cal in the MAs?

[Lusche]

There is none. It is an arenas setting indeed.

[morfiend]

There is none. It is an arenas setting indeed.

   Correct Lusche!  but the real magic would be to have the powers to change arena settings in the Main!!!


   That's Skuzzy's voodoo tho!