4.11 AI with 4.10 CEM?

[ssn637]

First off, I'd like to thank Team Daidalos for their extraordinary efforts in making IL-2 better than ever. I'm a submariner by trade, but love to take off in my beloved Spit on weekends and tear up the skies. Pure arcade mode, mind you, with cockpit off and external views allowed :) And of course, slowing down the action to 1/4 time before lining up for the shot without the otherwise inevitable mid-air collision!

Well, my beloved Spit is struggling with these realistic CEM and overheat settings. I've tried my best to read up on all the manuals, memorise oil and coolant temperature limits, note take-off, climb, max continuous and combat boost and engine speed recommendations; to no avail. When I try to open the throttle beyond 65% the engine speed rpm exceeds 2750 and I can only bring it down by reducing prop pitch, which should be fully automatic in the Spits. The radiator controls were also fully automatic, but if I don't keep them open manually temperatures soar. If I switch to autopilot and watch the gauges the engine speed is pegged at 2750 regardless of throttle position, which shouldn't be happening. I should probably mention that I'm flying a Spit XIVC with the aid of the excellent HSFX 6.0.17 in 4.11.1M, which may be the problem since the Spit XIV isn't modeled in the original game.

So, my question is: For those of us who would like to avoid disabling CEM or Overheat completely while taking advantage of the improved AI, is there any way to revert CEM to V4.10 while retaining V4.11's AI bad-ass features? Perhaps copying a file from 4.10 over to 4.11 or something similar? Or perhaps this could be a feature in a newer release? Something like CEM Advanced vs CEM Intermediate as an option? I just can't believe WWII pilots were adjusting fuel mixtures, prop pitch, radiator and boost settings in the heat of combat! Wasn't trim enough to worry about?

Cheers

Geoffrey

[IceFire]

My thinking is that HSFX dudes need to fix the Spitfire XIV mod pack rather than TD trying to fix something that they didn't work on. The regular Spitfires, even the hot rod Mark IX +25lb flies great on 4.11.1 with a little throttle manipulation. Since the radiator is fully auto and there are no controls over it you just manage your throttle a bit.

You should in most planes be able to run 90% throttle, 90% prop pitch (which is really the RPM control) with rads open and no climb almost indefinitely. Since the Spitfires have automatic rads and pitch... 85% or 90% throttle is usually my ideal range.

The only exceptions are if you are nose high in a climb. Heat rises rapidly under the new modelling as it does if you are constantly at low speed or in a stall turn situation.

My guess is that the HSFX guys wanted the XIV to run a little hot so they overdid it and now under the new modeling it doesn't just run hot, it's a BBQ. Be nice to have the XIV in the stock game mind you :D

[ssn637]

Thank you IceFire for your kind advice. I fully expected to be flamed for my noobness. And you're absolutely right in pointing me over to the HSFX team for resolution of this issue. I'll take up a Spitfire IX in the stock 4.11.1M and give her a try. But really love that Griffon engine!

[JtD]

For general lazy flying, I usually fly with around 90-95% pitch, 90-95% max. available power, and am competitive without straining the engine too much. Works even with rads closed if you keep the speed up. I don't see why the Spitfire XIV should be totally different from that, in particular if the map isn't a very hot one.

If the Spitfire XIV is as problematic as you make it sound, it might indeed be best to ask the HSFX crew for advice, or just other pilots what they do with the plane. In the worst case, there's a bug with the plane that they aren't aware of, and will be happy to fix it.
Might be worth a comment - rpm control (which you control with the pitch control) usually was manual on Spitfires, and only some planes of late variants carried an automation. Sounds like there's no automation on the Spitfire XIV as modelled by HSFX.

WW2 pilots were struggling with all you said in the midst of combat, it's one of the reasons the Kommandogerät of the Fw 190 is as noteworthy as it is.

To your question - there's no CEM intermediate in stock game, no easy way to do it for the user, and there are no plans to program something like this in the near future. What features do you miss with CEM off?

[ssn637]

Well, JtD, that's a good question. Upon further thought I would say that my request is illogical so long as all aircraft are modeled correctly. I'd prefer to fly with CEM and Overheat options selected only to make the flying experience as realistic as possible. And I must admit I'm not really sure what effect de-selecting CEM has on engine control. But flying in cockpit mode on a 15" wide-screen display makes it damned hard to read those temperature gauges, let alone concentrate on keeping your nose off the ground! I often wonder if a real pilot didn't have a better field of view than what we see on our screens, but that's another discussion altogether of course.

[IceFire]

Thank you IceFire for your kind advice. I fully expected to be flamed for my noobness. And you're absolutely right in pointing me over to the HSFX team for resolution of this issue. I'll take up a Spitfire IX in the stock 4.11.1M and give her a try. But really love that Griffon engine!

Always better with with a kind word than an angry one :)

I don't dispute wanting that awesome Griffon engine in front. I've seen a couple of XIV's in real life now and they are beasts to behold. Also seen a Firefly with a Griffon engine... definitely a roar!