Tonight on PSN! - Battle for Europe Training anyone?

[Rhah]

I'm going to setup a server about 8pm GMT this evening, specifically for a bit of a warm up for the Battle for Europe. Anyone is welcome to join, as long as you follow these rules:

TEAM A have to fly British fighters only.
TEAM B Can only use Russian fighters.

Settings will be Simulator (obviously), Sicily, daytime, clear, 30 min matches

I won't start the game until each team is flying the correct aircraft. One of the main advantages with the whole Battle for Europe setup is that it will encourage aircraft recognition, meaning we won't have to strain our eyes looking for that red streak on the targets wing. Personally, I'd like to practice that, as well as communication and teamwork. If you're interested, Add me on PSN (ID: Rhah) and be online for 8pm GMT. We'll hopefully start about 8.10pm.

[Spitfire23]

Sounds Great, i will try my best to be there, but dont wait around if i dont show up :)

[Steyr_amr]

I may just partake in this, as far as I understand with the rules I'm going to have to fly British fighters, at least at the beginning, which means having to get used to flying something with guns in the wings, which I fail at, so this may be useful.

[edal86]

I may just partake in this, as far as I understand with the rules I'm going to have to fly British fighters, at least at the beginning, which means having to get used to flying something with guns in the wings, which I fail at, so this may be useful.

Dont worry my friend, let Germany be our first objective then, just for you :D

Rhah,
I would like to join this but I wont be able this entire week because of work. That is why I will start "Battle for Europe" on Saturday, January 9.

[STINGERSIX78]

forget it !!! we will defend germany till the end of your little rebellion...

[haitch40]

forget it !!! we will defend germany till the end of your little rebellion...

thats what hitler said and look what happend

[fangface666]

If I can convince the wife to read her book I'll be there, best get some practice in first.

[Mage_016]

If I can convince the wife to read her book I'll be there, best get some practice in first.

I got the very same problem. I bought to my wife a very thick book for a christmas present so that she would left tv for me lol.
And I'm joining if I have time.

[InfiniteStates]

I'm such a noob :(

I bought the wife Mario on the Wii for Xmas. Fail.

[Steyr_amr]

This thread has gone in a strange direction, but I can go that way.

I got the girlfriend Scribblenauts for her nintendo ds, she's addicted to it now so that's her attention diverted.

[fangface666]

Oh what brave pilots we are........as long as its OK with our other halves LOL

[InfiniteStates]

I got the girlfriend Scribblenauts for her nintendo ds, she's addicted to it now so that's her attention diverted.
You, sir, are a greater man than I. I tip my hat to your skills lol - wish I'd thought of that [/facepalm].:rolleyes:

[haitch40]

hmm i dont have a wife to wory about :) just a mother :(
anyway what you should do is get your wife a pampering session on an important day

[philabong2]

i'll try n be there... think i really need practice after the beating subaruguaz gave me yesterday

edit: you guys should try those "open relationships"... perfect for gamers ;)

[Rhah]

This thread has gone in a strange direction, but I can go that way.

I got the girlfriend Scribblenauts for her nintendo ds, she's addicted to it now so that's her attention diverted.

I bought my missus a DS and some silly cat game for Xmas, but it hasn't quite been as diverting as i'd hoped... I may have to get her a copy of scribblenauts. Cheers for the advice!


As for tonight, hope to see you all there. Try and stick to your designated "Battle for Europe" teams, but if we don't have the numbers we may need to swap around a bit. Also, make sure those mic's are plugged in.

[winny]

I got mine an I-pod touch.. It's kept her occupied for days on end...

I do however have to watch Celebrity (I use the word in it's loosest form) Big Brother. Blurgh.. (I say that, but I know it'll end up hooking me at some point)

[fangface666]

Thanks for the (brief) game tonight, but all it has done is re afirm the fact that I am totally shite!!!!

after your game I joined 2 hosted by stinger and 2 by Varcus, and landed a final tally of 36 deaths without a single Kill, or shot on target :-x

So thats it, I'm out.

Its no fun not being able to see your enemy, or not being able to turn on a sixpence, like all my enemys can, or respawning with someone immediatly on your six, or not being able to see because you black out at the slightest elevator input... blah blah blah, moan moan moan.

Sorry guys but its just not fun anymore!

The worst part about it is I understand the principles and physics of flight, but cannot workout how everyone else has a HUGE advantage over me in exactly the same aircraft.

I will still play offline but the online experience is akin to being beaten up in the school yard.

It was fun but finishing game after game without a single shot on target gets demoralising, and after all gaming is supposed to be for enjoyment!

Rant over.

[STINGERSIX78]

thats why i like to play strike.
there are much more ways to win a round, its never end in the furball of death.

[edal86]

Thanks for the (brief) game tonight, but all it has done is re afirm the fact that I am totally shite!!!!

after your game I joined 2 hosted by stinger and 2 by Varcus, and landed a final tally of 36 deaths without a single Kill, or shot on target :-x

So thats it, I'm out.

Its no fun not being able to see your enemy, or not being able to turn on a sixpence, like all my enemys can, or respawning with someone immediatly on your six, or not being able to see because you black out at the slightest elevator input... blah blah blah, moan moan moan.

Sorry guys but its just not fun anymore!

The worst part about it is I understand the principles and physics of flight, but cannot workout how everyone else has a HUGE advantage over me in exactly the same aircraft.

I will still play offline but the online experience is akin to being beaten up in the school yard.

It was fun but finishing game after game without a single shot on target gets demoralising, and after all gaming is supposed to be for enjoyment!

Rant over.

you should be glad then. All those players will be on your team. They will cover your six. You must be patient, dont give up. Ask your team mates for help and tips.

[edal86]

thats why i like to play strike.
there are much more ways to win a round, its never end in the furball of death.

Yes, that is why I never recommend dogfight or team dogfight to beginners. It only demoralizes them because players respawn on your six. In strike mode this wont happen. You will start on your side of the map with all of your team mates. Dont quit.

[Wireflyer]

Hi there !

@fangface

I am a beginner myself just started playing online some days ago. Just to say: Practice makes perfect. Even in some days I learned some basic tactics of online dogfighting but just lacking the practice I think I will of course never reach the skill of some cracks here.

Just a bit confusing if a Russian/Brit plane is on your team even if you are playing the other side. In the heat of combat there was just no time checking the right colours...A Spit is a Spit is a Spit :-))

Sorry for firing on my own guys.....


Good night

Wireflyer

[Hrok81]

Fang let me tell you my 2 cents.
I've been playing Il-2 almost since it was out. I joined the online battles back in the end of september, and still I get owned most of the times. Why? The reason is simple, this game requires some practice and dedication. Usually I am never able to play more than a couple of days straight, then I have to quit for a week or so.
When I'm so lucky to play 3 or 4 nights straight I become a decent pilot, I see my enemy, I can stay on his six and my aim is not so bad. But everytime I have to quit for a while it's like being back to noob level, and I have to re-learn all the stuff - and I finish getting owned like tonight.
So I know it's frustrating, but if you can play a little constantly you'll become a good pilot in no time! Plus the guys here are fantastic, and are always ready to help and give you tips, so don't give up!

Ps. praise to you guys who are able to handle both PS3/Xbox and women. Mine was a suffered choice, but the presence of the "turn off" switch on the PS3 made it easier :D

[Zatoichi_Sanjuro]

Thanks for the (brief) game tonight, but all it has done is re afirm the fact that I am totally shite!!!!

after your game I joined 2 hosted by stinger and 2 by Varcus, and landed a final tally of 36 deaths without a single Kill, or shot on target :-x

So thats it, I'm out.

Its no fun not being able to see your enemy, or not being able to turn on a sixpence, like all my enemys can, or respawning with someone immediatly on your six, or not being able to see because you black out at the slightest elevator input... blah blah blah, moan moan moan.

Sorry guys but its just not fun anymore!

The worst part about it is I understand the principles and physics of flight, but cannot workout how everyone else has a HUGE advantage over me in exactly the same aircraft.

I will still play offline but the online experience is akin to being beaten up in the school yard.

It was fun but finishing game after game without a single shot on target gets demoralising, and after all gaming is supposed to be for enjoyment!

Rant over.

Everyone gets destroyed when they first start sim, it's partly how you learn what to do and what not to do. Also, elevator settings are crucial.

[Spitfire23]

id like to apologize for not turning up for the practice session, i know it wasn't essential but i still feel bad lol

How did it go anyway?

[kozzm0]

rhah: was going to join your game but joined the wrong one, then I had to go to work.

Thanks for the (brief) game tonight, but all it has done is re afirm the fact that I am totally shite!!!!

after your game I joined 2 hosted by stinger and 2 by Varcus, and landed a final tally of 36 deaths without a single Kill, or shot on target :-x

So thats it, I'm out.

Its no fun not being able to see your enemy, or not being able to turn on a sixpence, like all my enemys can, or respawning with someone immediatly on your six, or not being able to see because you black out at the slightest elevator input... blah blah blah, moan moan moan.

Sorry guys but its just not fun anymore!

The worst part about it is I understand the principles and physics of flight, but cannot workout how everyone else has a HUGE advantage over me in exactly the same aircraft.

I will still play offline but the online experience is akin to being beaten up in the school yard.

It was fun but finishing game after game without a single shot on target gets demoralising, and after all gaming is supposed to be for enjoyment!

Rant over.

Dogfight and TB modes have almost nothing to do with how real air combat works.

It's not just that enemies respawn ready to rejoin the fray; it's the way the scoring system works. You get points 5 only for a full-credited Hollywood kill, not for intelligently disabling an opponent's plane then switching to attack the ones that aren't damaged yet. And you only lose 1 point for dying. So there is no incentive for using real-world air combat tactics; the winning formula is to concentrate in the middle in a slow, low-energy snail fight. Since everyone is after the big points, they all join the slow centipede of death, and they all stay low to avoid being targeted, and slow to keep a low turn radius.

The tournament is not in these modes. A death is the same as a kill. So if you see 4 enemies crawling around on the ground, you don't have to go down and crawl with them. Especially if they're using spitfires. There are better ways, as long as the whole team uses them.

That's why I think it's vitally important that all our team goes over the material on our site, one thing in particular, I will rewrite the post to emphasize its importance

thats why i like to play strike.
there are much more ways to win a round, its never end in the furball of death.

right, the combat modes are kind of patronizing, like the designers figured we were all just a bunch of run and gun first-person-shooter fanatics. furballs are rare in real life, especially on the ground. If you lost 5 points for every death, everyone would scatter quick.

[lost cause]

A subject I can relate to! I was off last week and got to play 3 straight days and nights of online sim. I practised my ass of. I flew LA7, Spit IX, 109F-4 all in dogfights. I played against top guys. The best was Dinoh82 if I remember right. That guy is fuckin awesome. He was #9 on the leaderbord as of last wednesday. I haven't played since then because of car repairs. So I've had a break of almost a week. Hauptmann Molders showed up a few times as well as Stinger. I can't remember who else but they were all in the top 20. Want to talk about demoralizing!!! I did pretty good, though, and was satisfied with my progress. Particularly in the art of not dying. 2 to 8 times in 20-30 minute matches. I actually killed some people and flew pretty damn good. I got down a few times and took extended breaks. There is no way I can get that good. No way. I'm simply not a game junky.

My big problems were: 1. Constantly dogfighting. I like strike and CAT. A little strategy and teamwork, some bombing and defending are great! But very few games going, even at night when European guys start coming on. Dogfight, dogfight, dogfight. 2. Those guys are 10 feet off the ground!!!! I'm sweating bullits turning with their asses! I have to use rudder. No other way to turn that sharp. I died 30-40% of the time augering in. And they are damn difficult to find that low. I know they are there but they blend so well with the damn ground and especially over the cities I can't see em. You gotta get down there too. Very, very difficult handling an aircraft that low, let alone trying to stay with someone! Diving on them usually ends up in a crash. 3. Staying with them/keeping site of them. Either they outturn me or the frickin blackouts are killin me. I don't like em. Somehow they sure aren't bothering the other guys, though. I lose the target, start searching, next thing I know tracers are flying by my screen. 4. Staying oriented. I'm looking one way, find the target, try to get my plane in that direction, then lose the target or completely fly off course. Damn hard to fly where you are looking as fast as they do it. That's their biggest advantage. Spotting their targets, getting there oh so fast, staying on the target, and spot on shooting. 5. Really and truly, you guys are just flat better than most everybody. I'm tellin ya, I flew my ass off, and not too badly either, and had no chance against these top boys. Edal, I haven't had the oppurtunity to see you in action yet, but you are #1. I sure would like to see you against Dinoh82. Man that guy is unbelievable. Unfuckin stoppable! Us part time players and rookies are going to die a lot. No way out of it. I play anyway cause it's fun as hell!!! And that one kill against your big dog asses is worth 2 or 3 hours of "practise".

One more thing. GO COWBOYS!!! I'll be at the game Saturday night in Jerry World!

[irrelevant]

Rather than start a new thread and create mayhem, I wanted to ask you guys if you're experiencing a similar issue to one I just noticed. Have any of you earned trophies after the patch? I just played escort on sim with zero additional attempts and limited f/a, yet I have not been awarded the Invulnerable Pilot trophy despite successfullu completing the mission. I'm also missing the Allied Aircraft Expert trophy, although I have the planes and have flown each online.

Strange things happening on my mind, otherwise I just need sleep. Can anyone confirm my sanity?

[lost cause]

I got at least 8 after the patch, including the platinum. Not those ones though. You have NOT flown all the allied aircraft in a mission or you would have the trophy. You're missing one. It happened to me for the Axis mission trophy. One of the He111's. You can get it in practise. Practise missions count. Set it for 3 minutes and start flying the Allied aircraft. You'll get it. The next time you see me in a lobby, you owe me one kill for that top secret information!

[irrelevant]

You have NOT flown all the allied aircraft in a mission or you would have the trophy. You're missing one. It happened to me for the Axis mission trophy. One of the He111's. You can get it in practise. Practise missions count. Set it for 3 minutes and start flying the Allied aircraft. You'll get it. The next time you see me in a lobby, you owe me one kill for that top secret information!

Strange, I used the B-17 in a Strike match last night... but just used it in training and got the Allied trophy. I used every other allied plane in training last night because I used the B-17 online. Sanity denied.

LOL - I'll still give you your kill for being a good guy. ;)

edit: I did the same thing on the escort mission (both completed with zero attempts and limited f/a), but I took the game out and restarted it. Now I have the invulnerable pilot trophy. So strange.

[fangface666]

Many thanks for your words of support, I wont quit, BUT it doesnt change the fact that it is highly demoralising getting your arse kicked every time you go online:(

As far as practice goes, I agree, but unfortunately there arent many sim games hosted online, and those that do exist are hosted by experianced players so once again I become a plaything. LOL

@ wireflyer, I agree with your sentiment about practice, but I am not a beginner, maybe this is why I am so frustrated, and I think you got a kill on me last night :), infact I think everyone did!:-P

@Zatoichi_Sanjuro
"Everyone gets destroyed when they first start sim, it's partly how you learn what to do and what not to do. Also, elevator settings are crucial."
I know what to do......act as a target drone..LOL and I have adjusted the elevator settings.

@lost cause,

I echo your frustrations exactly, maybe we should try and arrange a session between us, I feel we may be of equal skill :grin:

@ Kozz, dont worry, last night was just a knee jerk reaction to a frustrating situation, I am still going to play in the battle for europe, I might just have to change my expectations regarding my role in the battle....Like I said earlier, sacraficial lamb!

[STINGERSIX78]

take a il-2m ... ^^ or bnz with the la7.

[Wireflyer]

Hi !

What about starting a Sim Flightschool for beginners ?? Nobody from the leaderboard <Top 50, no dogfights below 2000ft, fixed selection of planes ?

A pity I am lacking the time because of too much work right now. Next week I am in France for skiing, but by last quarter of the month I am in.

Cheers.

WF

[winny]

Many thanks for your words of support, I wont quit, BUT it doesnt change the fact that it is highly demoralising getting your arse kicked every time you go online:(


@ Kozz, dont worry, last night was just a knee jerk reaction to a frustrating situation, I am still going to play in the battle for europe, I might just have to change my expectations regarding my role in the battle....Like I said earlier, sacraficial lamb!

Hi, I was exactly the same last week after a few games with MIRGERVIN and Co.. It's hard when you only last about 30 seconds per life! I had to go and play MW2 instead. Was thinking about not doing the tourney, but after last night I'm starting to notice an improvement. I played for 50 mins and only managed 3 kills, but, I got killed a lot less...

If you're on and fancy a game with someone who's also mainly cannon fodder then message me. You're already on my friends list.

[Rhah]

Really sorry about the extreme lag last night guys.... Now I know that I should never try to host a game with more that 2 players. To be honest, it was ridiculous, hence why a lot of people left, and I eventually ended the server. I've never seen warping like that!

But, we still ended up having some great team battles last night, with (almost) RAF vs Russian. It was very cool to be able to spot the enemy by aircraft type rather than colour markings.

Also, sorry to Steyr_amr for the team kill. I think I might have got you accidentally as well Fangface, sorry dude. By the way, I saw you're flying and it wasn't as bad as you think. Try playing in offline practice mode against veteran AI on sim mode. It will help you get the practice, but without the hecticness of online play.

[STINGERSIX78]

sry fangface ive teamkilled u too...

how was my server?

[haitch40]

Hi !

What about starting a Sim Flightschool for beginners ?? Nobody from the leaderboard <Top 50, no dogfights below 2000ft, fixed selection of planes ?

A pity I am lacking the time because of too much work right now. Next week I am in France for skiing, but by last quarter of the month I am in.

Cheers.

WF

edal already set one up

[Rhah]

sry fangface ive teamkilled u too...

how was my server?

You're one was fine mate, as was Varcus's.

We should probably try and work out who has the best connections before the battle for europe begins. I think I can safely say that I won't be hosting any matches though :)

[fangface666]

sry fangface ive teamkilled u too...

how was my server?

Dont worry about it, I think everyone got a pop at me :grin:

Your server was fine, no lag that I noticed, not that I was alive long enough to notice. lol

[fangface666]

Really sorry about the extreme lag last night guys.... Now I know that I should never try to host a game with more that 2 players. To be honest, it was ridiculous, hence why a lot of people left, and I eventually ended the server. I've never seen warping like that!

But, we still ended up having some great team battles last night, with (almost) RAF vs Russian. It was very cool to be able to spot the enemy by aircraft type rather than colour markings.

Also, sorry to Steyr_amr for the team kill. I think I might have got you accidentally as well Fangface, sorry dude. By the way, I saw you're flying and it wasn't as bad as you think. Try playing in offline practice mode against veteran AI on sim mode. It will help you get the practice, but without the hecticness of online play.

I blame you entirely for my poor performance Rhah........ you encouraged me to drink and fly :eek:

[fangface666]

edal already set one up

Yep, but the trouble is He lives in San diego, i believe, so those of us in the UK/Europe have at minimum an 8 hours time difference!

Not conducive to regular schooling. I signed up at the inception but have yet to be online at the same time.............maybe thats the reason for my recurring failure ;)

[Rhah]

I blame you entirely for my poor performance Rhah........ you encouraged me to drink and fly :eek:

Hah hah.... this is true. Ok, i accept full responsibility. :grin:

If you want some practice online, then i'll give you some lessons. I'm not one of the best pilots round here, but I (just about) know what I'm doing. I'll probably be online sunday afternoon/evening, so if you see me one there then drop me a line.

There is a good chance I will be drinking though :)

[fangface666]

Hah hah.... this is true. Ok, i accept full responsibility. :grin:

If you want some practice online, then i'll give you some lessons. I'm not one of the best pilots round here, but I (just about) know what I'm doing. I'll probably be online sunday afternoon/evening, so if you see me one there then drop me a line.

There is a good chance I will be drinking though :)

If I'm on I'll give you a shout, and as far as you drinking goes...good, I need all the advantages I can get:)

[Steyr_amr]

Also, sorry to Steyr_amr for the team kill. I think I might have got you accidentally as well Fangface, sorry dude.

I don't remember that, though I do remember team-killing you and feeling very stupid about it. We were as close as I've ever seen two aircraft though, if I'd been in an La-7 or 109F I'd have missed you, but the full brace of guns on my wing hit you, that's how close behind you I was. I was probably a little too over-zealous.

[Rhah]

If I'm on I'll give you a shout, and as far as you drinking goes...good, I need all the advantages I can get:)

Well, to start with we'll just practice manoevereing, evading and getting into firing positions without shooting at each other. (Make sure you have your mic on.) What parts of your flying do you think you need to improve on?

And no worries Steyr... I think we were both chasing that LA-5, and I saw tracers fly past and next thing i know I'm toast... it was pretty damn quick and I don't think there was much you could have done mate.

[fangface666]

I dont think my flying is too bad, its just the initial spotting an enemy and trying to keep him in sight, I use a thrustmaster stick, but the top hat for looking is a bit limited.

I tried using the game pad on the wireless aviator setting, but found using the sticks independantly for flight and free look way confusing!!

I have got another stick coming which has an analogue view switch, so hopefully that will make target aquisition and tracking easier.

On the odd occasion that I have managed to keep tabs on an enemy I can usually get a kill, in training with vetran AI, its just a whole differant ball game online.

[Rhah]

I dont think my flying is too bad, its just the initial spotting an enemy and trying to keep him in sight, I use a thrustmaster stick, but the top hat for looking is a bit limited.

I tried using the game pad on the wireless aviator setting, but found using the sticks independantly for flight and free look way confusing!!

I have got another stick coming which has an analogue view switch, so hopefully that will make target aquisition and tracking easier.

On the odd occasion that I have managed to keep tabs on an enemy I can usually get a kill, in training with vetran AI, its just a whole differant ball game online.

I use the control pad, on wireless setting 4 (i think its 4 anyway). This gives you rudder control on L2/R2, and view control on L1/R1 (L1 is the look around toggle, R1 is zoom). I've found this setup to be a lot better than the aviator settings. You still have to use the right stick to look around, but you don't have to click in R3. Hopefully your new stick will solve all those problems though. Anyway, first thing we'll work on is target spotting, and go from there.

[InfiniteStates]

Fangface, I felt exactly the same as you when I first started playing sim online - I got absolutely owned by this guy Roberts333 or something. But he enouraged me to continue, and once I did get a kill I was hooked. Seeing that fireball is so much more satisfying when you have worked so hard for it.

Even though you know your flight stuff, there is always a lot to learn when you go online with any game. Like if you completed CoD on veteran you would still get owned for a while online. Or you've finished Red Alert on the hardest difficulty - yep, owned online...

It is incredibly demoralising - especially when you don't get credited with kills. But that is what makes it so rewarding when it comes together. I would stay away from dogfights without a shadow of a doubt. Team battles might be slightly better, but target ID'ing tends to get me killed a lot. My advice would be to play CTA - and if you can't find a game, host one. People will eventually join. 2v2 CTA with 2 airfields would be my ideal learning playground :)

[kozzm0]

@ Kozz, dont worry, last night was just a knee jerk reaction to a frustrating situation, I am still going to play in the battle for europe, I might just have to change my expectations regarding my role in the battle....Like I said earlier, sacraficial lamb!

no sacrificial lambs... they increase the enemy's score

if you haven't already, look at the material in the team site thread that says "read this freakin thread."

If you can't download it (like if you're using your ps3 browser or something) at least read the second part that says "read this too dammit"

[STINGERSIX78]

uhm, but i want to play game. not make exams in avionik. ^^