Friday 2010-10-08 Dev. update and Discussion

[jippy13]

Hi Oleg,
I may be displeasing the purists, but I d like to see in Bob the following feature:
a mode (usefull for rookies) that would allow the pilot shooting on a target to see (readable information on the screen), in real-time, technical information about the dammage caused by his shoot . For example, rudder hit - 70% destroyed etc., left wing hit 2% dammaged

I think this kind of functionnality could help rookies to improve their skill in dogfight.

Another point, a detailed statistic chart at the end of the mission would be great to evaluate your action.

Thanks for reading

[Blackdog_kt]

I don't know if it would be that useful to provide system-by-system updates on the health of each component of each enemy aircraft for a simple reason...what happens when you need to let go of that guy and start working on another one?

Unless there's some kind of feature that mimics space combat games, where an in-cockpit screen shows you individual component status as you cycle through the enemy targets, we don't really have a way to collect and combine such information in an easy to present manner. That is, unless we add an MFD screen but that would look totally out of place in a WW2 setting.

Another issue is that becoming too obsessed with the "health" stats on each plane's components might lead to the development of bad habits instead of teaching good ones: over-fixating on the target because if you switch to another one you lose the amount of information you had about the previous one's systems health, an artificial feeling of fighting where everything seems to be governed by invisible health bars, etc. I guess there are some invisible health bars in every type of game, even simulators, but it makes for a more immersive experience if i don't see them, as i'm getting the illusion that things are happening dynamically with a bit of a random element and not in a fixed way, for example "pepper his rudder with a 2 second burst and off it goes, every single time".

I think what would matter most is teaching people the importance of concepts like tracking shots versus snapshots and when to choose them depending on your armament and the enemy aircraft's structural strength, angle-off and stuff like that. If all the rookie cares about is watching "target left wing structural integrity: 50%" messages, then all they will do is focus on tracking shots in an effort to see the invisible health bar count down. Then, they are effectively shepherded into a way of training that is too one dimensional for their own good, they go online and get owned repeatedly by a boom and zoomer using snapshots because they never had to bother with a different fighting style up to that point.

Don't get me wrong, i fly 90% difficulty offline (externals on) and full switch online but i still want to see as many options as possible that will make it easier for a rookie to pick up the simulator and get to grips with it. Your idea is not bad for someone who wants to use relaxed difficulty settings, but i think it needs some refinement to be even more useful. I hope i'm not coming off as an aggresive, antagonistic know-it-all wannabe by saying this, just giving my honest personal opinion about it. Cheers

[Jimko]

Since the topic of goggles and oxygen masks came up earlier in this thread, I'd like to ask a question.

I didn't notice until I studied the picture of Sanford Tuck in the Hurricane, but what is the additional attachment to his goggles...a type of sunglasses that are attached to the goggles? I've never noticed this before.

(You can plainly see his oxygen mask hanging forward from his helmet 'loom' assembly and I like the ever-present mask as it usually contained the radio xmtr, as someone pointed out earlier. Pilots would hold the mask over their faces to talk even if they weren't wearing it full time. The mask and bulk of the Mae West contribute to the pilot 'look', IMO.)

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by philip.ed

They'd be lucky to get the goggles in place when diving on a bomber formation! It really is not as easy to put the goggles on as one would think.

brittish pilots that were about to engage enemy bomber formations had adequate time to place their goggles back over their face (eye's) before engaging aircraft they had spotted earlier (or were being vectored to by ground control). as you can see from many photo's and historical video, often they had the goggles over their forehead and not over their faces while patrolling or on the way to a target. it wouldnt take them more then 3 or 5 sec to do so.

many pilots on combat patrol, or before engaging the enemy, did not always have their goggles over their face because it did reduce peripheral vision somewhat (partic early model goggles) and it also slightly blurred the vision forward. so unless at very high altitude (cold !) many pilots/aircrew did not permanently have their goggles placed over their eye's.

i suspect that during takeoff and landings it was also a good idea to put them back over you'r eye's, because of the higher risk of crashes and incidents over that period of the flight

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by Jimko

Since the topic of goggles and oxygen masks came up earlier in this thread, I'd like to ask a question.

I didn't notice until I studied the picture of Sanford Tuck in the Hurricane, but what is the additional attachment to his goggles...a type of sunglasses that are attached to the goggles? I've never noticed this before.

(You can plainly see his oxygen mask hanging forward from his helmet 'loom' assembly and I like the ever-present mask as it usually contained the radio xmtr, as someone pointed out earlier. Pilots would hold the mask over their faces to talk even if they weren't wearing it full time. The mask and bulk of the Mae West contribute to the pilot 'look', IMO.)

interesting picture

it looks indeed like a small pair of sunglasses attached to the goggles, which can be flipped up and out of the way when not needed. i suspect it is a personal pilots "mod" to better be able to look for the "hun in the sun", but i have never noticed it before in other historical photo's

[wayno77]

Very very nice!!!

[WTE_Galway]

Originally Posted by zapatista

interesting picture

it looks indeed like a small pair of sunglasses attached to the goggles, which can be flipped up and out of the way when not needed. i suspect it is a personal pilots "mod" to better be able to look for the "hun in the sun", but i have never noticed it before in other historical photo's

Standard RAF C type helmet with MkVII googles:



Same rig with polarizing shield down:




The Mk IV goggles had similar flip down polarized lenses ( Mk IVb seen here on a type B helmet) ....




here is a D type with MkIIIa goggles note the MkIII and earlier did NOT have a flip up polarized shield:



This is a German LW LKpN101 III from the early 1940's (the N meant netting):



This LKpW 101 is rather interestingly combined for display with a steel helmet (M42 ?? ) :




There is an entire website devoted to Flying Helmets including RAF, LW, VVS and US ones:

http://www.flightgear.ch/index.htm



Well worth a look through.

[Jimko]

Thanks for that informative set of pictures, WTE_Galway. They certainly show the application!

In all these years of viewing pictures, I"ve never noticed the sunglasses before or seen them used. Remarkable!

[zapatista]

Originally Posted by WTE_Galway

Standard RAF C type helmet with MkVII googles:

nice find, thx for posting

i have never noticed these before, but it looks like it might have been standard issue (not just for the tropics ?)

[eaglerider]

Luftwaffe Flying Steel Helmet:

I stumbled upon this picture a few days ago. Here’s a fellow wearing one.
Some individual flight crews it seems took the initiative and used the Luftwaffe issued steel helmet to give them some protection from gun-shot and splinters.