Views+Management-Knegel




 * Complete management of views in game by Ralf Knegel.**

Hello, since there are so many newbes online the last weeks, i thought i write a little letter to help this people to get a bit faster into it. I know how frustrating it can be to get shot down without a chance all the time. Even though i was already very experienced when i came online(2,5 years EAW offline, and some more years other flightsims + x-wing), i got into bad trouble again the Online-Veterans, this Veterans often had the same skill like i have now, so it was pretty hopeless for me, so i know how frustraiting it can be(actually in the beginning i thought there is a big cheat going on, cause i couldnt believe how easy they got me. ). My problem was missing experience and tactical knowledge. Most of the old Aces was very nice and often made traininglessons with newbes to share their knowledge, in the hope to get better oponents and so a higher challenge and more fun. Ok, training is one part to get a good skill and so to get more fun, the 1st Step is the setup, and here i saw horrible things lately!! Here i must say that i be sure, that its most important to have the chance to win a game, to keep the fun up. Someone who only get shot down, without a bit of a chance to strike back, lose the fun after short time or must be a 'bit' masochistic. You need to be aware that noone can get good without a playable setup!! Noone will ever be able to play in a good way if he only have the front and rearview, while to the other directions all is dark!! Noone can get good, if he dont know to use the Hud-display(icons) in a good way. Some dont know to switch through the different targets and only know the 'T' button to target the closest enemy, to find a wingi, and so to make teamplay is impossible then(at least if icons are not dissabled for all)!! Or if the player cant use the flaps or the map or the zoom etc, all this options are needed to be able to get better. This is the minimum what a personel setup need to provide: 1. The player need to be able to look around, to spot and to keep the target in sight. 2. The player need to be able to switch from target to target. Closest enemy, next enemy, closest friend and next friend is the minimum what the player need!! 3. The player need to be able to use all controll´s 100%(i dont talk about the skill here, i mean the controllvariation), like Elevator, Aleron, Siderudder, Trottle, Flaps, Undercariage, Droptank release, choose Bombs/Rockets and release them. To 1.: Here EAW, like most other Flightsims, provide more than one possibilitys. 1.) Padlock(in combination with front/rearview) This is often the best solution for newbes and people without a 8-wayheadswitch or Trac-IR, cause it provide a simple setup and the user dont need to learn to follow the target. Padlock often confuse in the beginning, but with the right setup and after some hours usage this will stop. 1st you need the 'Target Buttons' good reachable. In the beginning, if you dont play teamgames, 'Target closest enemy' and 'target next enemy' are enough. Now you need 'Padlock current target' also good reachable. This button troggle padlock on/off, so if you get confused you can push this button and the sight will switch back to the frontview, so you can find back the orientation. Also important is the 'snapview front' and 'snapview rear', this buttons dissable the padlock as long as the button get used, if you leave the button, the padlock switch back to the current target. This setup is very effective, need relative less training to get used to it, but limit the player to the usage of icons/target-butons(what is good enough in the beginning). 2.)Mouseview: Some people simply use the mouse to look around, and some are very effective with this setup. The disadvantage is that one hand is mainly blocked then, so its not easy to keep sight and to reduce the power for example. The advantage is that you can play also without icons in a 'full real' mission, it work in almost all fightsims in the same way and that you can keep sight to more than one target, at same time. With a Saitec X45 or a similar sticks, where is a 'mousebutton' on the left throttle-unit(next to many other buttons), which u can use with the left thumb, the Disadvantage is gone. I think this setup need a 'bit' longer to get used to it and so to get good. S! to the people who are good in this. 3.) Snapview´s (NumPad) By default the snampviews are programmed to the Numpad, and there you need spiderfingers to use them in a good way, but its of course good possible. The disadvantage is the same like with the Mouse, one hand is mainly blocked, but spiderman of course can handle this. Also a S! to the people who be good with this setup. 4. Snapview´s (Headswitch) Here you need to program the 8 horizontal snapviews to the headswitch of your Joystick, which of course have to be a 8-way-headswitch then. The 'snapview up'(NumPad 5 by default) you need program to one of the buttons on the stickbase. So you use the headswitch with the right thumb and the 'Snapview up' with the left forefinger. Now you need to program your Neckmuscles to the fingers, then you can look around like with your head(in steps thougt, but fast). To program the neckmuscles to the fingers need some weeks hard training, but once done, this setup feel very realistic. The advantages are mainly the same like with mouseview, but it have one important advanatge more. Due to the fixed, not moving different viewdirections(45° front/up, 125° rear/up as example), you can overcome the problem of the smal wideview, which hinder you to keep orientation. If i look 45° rear/up(or to any other direction) with snapviews, i know exact the position of my plane in relation to my viewdirection and so in relation to the ground, also if i fly a P51 without frames. With mouseview, but specialy padlock, you fast get disoriented, cause you dont have sight to your plane due to the smal wideview. This make exact flying nearly impossible or at least very difficult. The disadvantage of the snapviews is that you only have the fixed viewpositions, this is bad if you wanna play without icons and zoom in to identify a planetype. Then often you need to move the whole plane to keep the target in sight, cause while zooming the wideview get even smaler. TrackIR TrackIR actually use the Mouseview, but you control it with your head. This probably feels most realistic, but the biggest advanatge is that you have one hand total free. I never did try this, but i know people who swear on it, but they did need long time to get used to it, cause you need to keep the head always fixed, cause a smal move already let the view move. Normaly they use buttons to dissable the mouseview if the target is in the frontwindow, cause only with a total stable view its possible to Aim good. The disadvantage is the price. Ok, this are the mainly used viewsystems, they all can get used in combination with each other, what often provide the most effective Systems. Who wanna play online need one of this viewsystems to keep his own fun and the fun of the others up!! (I dont know anyone who like sitting ducks as targets in EAW and who have fun to fly often with a blind Wingi). To 2. Since we often play with icons, the player need to be able to switch from target to target and wingi to wingi and sometimes from groundtarget to groundtarget. Of course this is pretty unrealistic in WWII, but it help to overcome sightproblems and specialy for newbes and snapviewers this is the only way to play. To 3. Be sure that you have calibrated your joystick and that you realy can use all Stick-Axis to 100%(Read here some posts above). Then you need to know that planes often turn better with usage of the flaps, so you should be able to use the flaps nextby. I have programmed 'flaps out' and 'flaps in' to two buttons right next the headswitch, there i can use them fast. To be able to start the engine and to remove/extract the gear is most only important while a groundstarted mission. Rockets shouldnt get used online cause many get a frozen screen, also if others shoot the rockest, but its necessary to know to use the bombs while a interdict. Here is my personel setup and some tips, maybe other can post their personel setup in this theatre to help. I have a simple cheap Joystick, no pedals etc. The Joystock have a Siderudder in form of a 'Twist'(the stickgrip get twisted right and left), a throttle slider it have, a 8-way headsitch and 9 buttons (2 left and 2 right of the headsitch, one trigger, and 4 on the stickbase,Logitech wingmen extreme 3D, and some MS Sidewinder-typs have the same setup) and i have a shiftbutton to use the base-buttons double. I use normaly only the snapviews from inside the cockpit, never i use externals in fight!! Only from the Pilotposition i can calculate the course and position of a target in a easy way(like in reality). Here are the important buttons of my current EAW.ini setup:

You need to know that my Keyboard is placed up/left close to my Stick, so i can easy use the right side of the keyboard(NumPad, Arrows, etc) without to leave the throttle and the 'snapvie up', so i have roundabout 30 buttons for my left hand available. Training!! When i cam online i already was used to my preferred viewsystem, so i dont had to work on that. Total newbes of course 1st need to find and to get used to their setup( i did need 1 year to find a good setup wthout help, so please read and find your setup ). As long as they dont have a good setup or dont be used to it, they should mainly make coops vs AI´s, there they have a chance and the wingi can have fun to protect the newbe and to give him tips. Its in no way possible to make coordinated teamgames without that all players have a good setup, so the funfactor will be very low again human people. Basic tactic-tips and often made mistakes: 1st rule: Stay fast and/or high(keep your energy up)! A fast plane is a difficult target and only a fast plane is able to evade attacks!! So if you be lower than the oponent, stay fast! Altitude is the same like Speed, its only a different kind of energy. To follow the rule 'Stay fast and/or high' you need to avoid to turn in horizon, cause there you only lose speed and dont get a altitudewin, so the stage of energy get down. Make a upturn or a downturn, then you change the direction with less Energylost. While a downturn you lose Alt but also gain Speed, and you dont have to pull hard to change the direction. While a upturn you gain alt but lose speed, but a slow climbing plane cant lose much Energy while turning, so also here you change the direction with less energylost!! The often made biggest mistake is to turn hard if you be much faster than the enemy, while the enemy is behind you. The result will be that you make a turn with a very big Radius and very high speed, while the enemy make a slower turn with a smaler radius, but both planes will need the same time for 360°, so the much slower plane can follow the faster and the fact the his bullets, if he shoot, will cross the course of the faster and more outside flying enemy, can be deadly. So if you attack a slower plane, go strait after the attack and gain distance before the next turn, maybe with a smooth upturn + roll to avoid the bullets that the slower plane probably will shoot. A slower plane of couse need to turn or roll if he is under attack. If you be in a close turnfight, and you fly the turnfighter(Spit1a vs Me109E4 maybe), dont forget to reduce power, cause even you can turn more tight, you cant do that if you be much faster than the enemy, so also here the same like above can happen. Overshoot or not overshoot: If you attack a enemy, you have to choose between this two possibilitys. If you overshoot, its possible that you be to slow and so the enemy get into shootingposition. If you dont overshoot, by reducing power, its possible that you miss the right moment to give power again and so the enemy get the chance to outaccelerat you, or the enemy simly have a better turning plane, so he can easy turn behind, while you 1st need to accelerate again. It need much experience to find always the right choise, if you overshoot, you need to be much faster thats for sure, specialy in EAW1.2, where 1200m kills are possible. So in a turnfighter its often better to stay behind the enemy, but if the enemy have a wingi, thats of couse very dangerus, so check your 6! At least all is on the edge, and need a good reacion and much experience. But for sure you cant do any sencefull manouver if you cant keep the enemy in sight or if your plane maybe dont have 100% power due to a wrong calibration, or if you never can use the flaps or if you cant 'target' your wingi or a other than the closest enemy. May this help, specialy to stop the myth that my skill is somehing special(actually the half of my squad is same good or better than me and so are many old EAW players and now FB players). Greetings, Knegel

Note (november 2009 by RAF_Roy) see also: More About Views-Knegel post:

http://eaw.wikispaces.com/More+About+Views-Knegel