SOW: your thoughts on clickable cockpits and realistic start-up

[robtek]

The realistic management of the airplane is also a very important factor in a dogfight!
When your head is in the cockpit you can fall to a surprise attack quite easily.
If your plane has automatic management you have more time to look and less distraction.
If you have to nurse your engine there will be no more 100% throttle turn fights, to loose your engine is to loose the fight and, probably, your virtual life.
Especially the blue planes, like the 190's, will gain a lot fighting power with their automatic engine management.
This will also lead to specialisation, no one can memorize the handling of more than 2 or 3 planes, without loosing the ability to gain the maximum performance.

[zaelu]

Very true Robtek!

I would also like to see the "automated" start up procedure. Like in DCS. If I want to start it up manually (or the server enforce so) I will do it. Else I could just press a startup key and the buttons and switches start to move in sequence and in a predefined time. An optional 3D pilot body that is animated to press those switches would be awesome too.

Last realistic start up mode would be like in the current 10 years old IL-2... Ctr+I and you go.

[robtek]

I'll drink to that, zaelu!
What imo is important is that if one abuses his ride in any way one MUST suffer the consequences!
No more: engine start -> firewall the throttle -> take off.
No more: 5 min. 9g turns.
No more: 9g turns with damaged wings or fuselage.
and so on and on...

[Lucas_From_Hell]

One more thought about clickable cockpits:

They make it easier and more intuitive.

I'll use Lock On and DCS as criteria for this comparsion.

Lock On has somewhat simple systems, so less things to press and play with. DCS: Black Shark has lights, switches and buttons all over, with covers and everything else.

In Lock On, you don't have clickable cockpits. In DCS, you have.

I can't operate a single radar or any sort of system in Lock On properly. In DCS, it's the easiest thing in the world to start the aircraft manually, tune every system to like, set the big guns ready, acquire, shoot, evade, use counter-measures, land and shut down the Ka-50 after.

Even systems present in both simulators - and modelled in a simpler way in Lock On - are easier to use in DCS.

Why?

Very simple: you don't need to remember it. It's easy to click on all the switches necessary to start it up quickly and rush to battle, but try to remember the key assigned to each one and see how do you perform.

You just need to remember where are the buttons - that's all. Then it's just flick switch, press button, pull handle; the same you'd do when flying a real plane.

"Alright, but it isn't realistic to click! They didn't click!" True, but they also didn't have to remember 300 types of movements to press buttons. It was push, pull and turn, that's all. And they used their hands to do so, with the mouse you do it as well. You need to take one hand off stick and throttle and go for your button.

Judging from my experience with these two games and Il-2 as well, it's no big deal to use the joystick hat for view, for those who don't have TrackIR or any fancy device, leaving the mouse for the switches.