Complex engine management

[SG1_Gunkan]

I am having a hard time with the complex engina management. Not because of the sim, is amazing to control the engine at this detail, is because is not explained deeply in the manual.

At this point, i blow the spitfire engine very easily, and hurricane sometimes, and the BF109E is more easy but i only can get 400 km/h at low level...

The basic controls are throttle, pitch and mixture? I didn't set the mixture not the radiator, just because of the russian menus.

To start the BF109, open the fuel (yellow lever at left part of cockpit), set magnetos to M2 and press I.

The pitch directly change the helix angle with air, but be carefull to don't go too much RPM (> 2500 rpms). The normal RPM to me are 2200 RPMs. In the BF110 i am having a REAL hard time because i killed the engine easily because of my bad pitch control...

Inthe spit there is no something like pitch, i only have two position and i don't really understand, one is to slow and one is too high.

This is what i know at this moment from Complex engina management, i think is AMAZING, but i don't have any information about how to make this work well. I need your help, because it's not written in the manual.

Someone can explain me how this work?

[Biggs]

yeah i need help finding the Prop pitch button set ... It sucks ive been having to fly complex engine management off just because i dont know where it is!

[T}{OR]

Don't have the game yet, but the general rule of thumb should be: look for the propeller pitch command and together with throttle adjust it according to the speed and RPM gauge. Try to keep the RPM in the area (range) where the engine can give you most power.

With the mixture you don't have to hit the mark (probably), but if you over rev = end of story.

How much you can push the engine, and squeeze out of it (Ilya himself said that overheating is terrible in those early planes) you will have to find for your self.

[SG1_Gunkan]

Even if you need speed you have to high the pitch -helix angle-? I thought that i need a low pitch to get speed, and a high pitch to climb. But two things at the same time where not possible (like happens in IL2).

[T}{OR]

It depends on the type of the propeller installed on the plane. I will have to get the game to know more and to tell you exactly.

But if you mess with the pitch & throttle in order to keep the RPM gauge needle in a desired location you shouldn't blow the engine.

There was that nice Spit video from AA for FSX which explained how this works very nicely. It should be a mandatory viewing for all those wanting to fly with complex engine management.

EDIT: Also (I am guessing here) rapid throttle movements are not desired.

[SG1_Gunkan]

This game is going to change completely the type of combats in IL2 1946, the king will be the one managing the engine... until FW190 and Komandogerat comes...

[NLS61]

Originally Posted by T}{OR

It depends on the type of the propeller installed on the plane. I will have to get the game to know more and to tell you exactly.

But if you mess with the pitch & throttle in order to keep the RPM gauge needle in a desired location you shouldn't blow the engine.

There was that nice Spit video from AA for FSX which explained how this works very nicely. It should be a mandatory viewing for all those wanting to fly with complex engine management.

EDIT: Also (I am guessing here) rapid throttle movements are not desired.

Hi I believe you are reffering this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psYL7...layer_embedded

Other helpfull info can befound at http://www.a2asimulations.com/
Now I need to get my hands on the game lol.

cheers,

Niels

[Triggaaar]

This is going to be tough, and great.

Originally Posted by T}{OR

But if you mess with the pitch & throttle in order to keep the RPM gauge needle in a desired location you shouldn't blow the engine.

That's easy when crusing/climbing/shallow diving etc, but when in a dogfight and doing loops etc, where your speed will be dramtically changing all the time, it must be a nightmare.

[Zoom2136]

Originally Posted by T}{OR

With the mixture you don't have to hit the mark (probably), but if you over rev = end of story.

Not really IRL if your EGT are to high you run the risk of detonation or off burning off an exhaust valve. So to high EGT are a no no...

My 2c

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by pupaxx

My question is:
all this work load in CEM does it affects only human pilot or even AI?
What I look for in a Flight simulation is certainly the realism. Some of you rightly said that CEM exige a disciplined management for each inflight situation (take-off, climbing, climbing on combat power, cruise, pursuit and descent). Will we the sole to face this load in combat or AI enemy as well will experience major difficulties in shot us down?
Cheers

According to one of Luthier's posts, the AI uses a simplified routine in order to not degrade performance too much but in a way that doesn't let them "cheat" like they did in IL2. So, maybe the AI doesn't have the full CEM routine but they are realistically limited in flying with the settings specified in the pilot's handbook and not on 100%+wep without overheat like they did in IL2.

Azimech's idea seems pretty close to that, no complex AI routines to slow the game down but a set of AI rules depending on their "experience":

Originally Posted by Azimech

Good question.

Maybe there's a simple way to simulate such things?

Rookie: adjusts all settings but much too slow but precise. This one has almost no SA. The ones with too much eye for detail for their own good.
Overheating doesn't happen very quick but forgets to look out his window and sometimes becomes one with his instruments when he digs a hole half way to New Zealand.

Or, the ADHD type: adjusts all settings much faster than an ace but overshoots his chosen values and engine limits all the time, and once in every 3 times forgets one (oil radiator, coolant radiator, supercharger or prop pitch). Forgets to check temperature 50% of the time and when overheating, tends to overreact so performance drops much more than needed. When being chased (stressed) tends to overheat 90% of the time within one minute. Loss of engine power during combat 10% every 5 minutes. Chance of destroying the engine 75% within 15 minutes during combat.

Average: Forgets a setting once every 6 times, quicker to respond to overheating, Loss of engine power 10% every 15 minutes ...

Veteran: Forgets a setting once every 12 times ...

You get the idea.

And the nice thing is, just using counters and timers you don't really need AI routines, because in forgetting stuff there is no intelligence involved

And if the AI wants to set anything, it chooses a value, say 65% throttle, what the game could do is deviate from this setting with a fixed percentage as defined by the skill of the pilot. So the rookie sets 65% but it turns out to be 50% or 80% until the AI chooses a new value. A veteran would get 68% or 62%,

An Ace would be one with his machine (and this way they really become deadly!!)

Imagine formation flying with a bunch of rookies

So there's hardly additional CPU load and such a system could be implemented within a few days, if not present.