Ace Edge with BoP review.

[Dr. Laplace]

Hi all.

I finally got my hands on a used Ace Edge controller. I spent around 90 USD on it, complete with Ace Combat 6 and the DVD "Speed and Angels" which was a completely unexpected surprise as I had been looking for the DVD for a while now. (Mind you, I live in México so we don't get all the stuff that comes out in the US).

So I plugged in the controller and began playing the big turkey shoot that is the Dover mission. Nothing spectacular there as there is no real dogfighting (even if you chase the ME109's).

Again, the tiger hunt mission was the most satisfactory to test the device on.

The P-51 handled very well. I left the sensitivities in high and flew in both simulator and realistic modes. Now, a little word on the modes:

Simulator is good while realistic is excellent. How come? well... In simulator mode you can't see the aircraft chasing you and there is no padlock view. Now, I would not have a problem with that if the AI wasn't smart enough to see you from miles away, through clouds and trees. The flight model in realistic feels just as in simulator mode except that there's more trim control (as if the computer was constantly adjusting it, that is).

I started the mission and tried out the mustang with my new flightstick. The controls feel very natural and smooth. The throttle is good but I must confess that the rudder buttons are a little hard to reach (with my average size hands). For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about; the throttle control has a long button, placed under the main handle, perpendicular to your arm. This button is actually two buttons that you can press with your middle and annular fingers. These control the rudder. Your thumb controls the map button and a little stick that emulates the Dpad. Also, there's a mic select switch to select the mic you're using and the back button.

I stalled out and crashed many times. My learning curve was long and slow and I had to really get the control layout, but once I did everything went very natural and smooth.

I found the virtual cockpit view very helpful, and I had not noticed the two bars on the HUD that indicate how close are you to stall. I'll explain: these to bars are in line with the horizon and they start closing in to each other as soon as you start pulling G. Your flight path marker (the little plane simbol in the center of the HUD) should stay always in the middle of the gap created by these two lines. On a high-G turn, the gap between the lines closes thus yielding little to no room for the flight path marker to be in. However, if you don't start rolling or making any sudden moves, your plane stays within inches of stalling while performing well in the turn.

All of this came evident and apparent with the Ace Edge controller. At one point I was fighting a Wulf when he decided to go pure vertical. I leveled out, drove into the entry window, unloaded and pulled up to go with him. I stayed in lag for a few moments. The Ace Edge made everything simple, as I only pulled the stick back very gently. The P51 made the rest. As I reached about 80º I saw the 190 about 400 yards ahead and beginning to stall. His plane looked like hanging from a string and rolling nose down. I engaged the WEP by pressing forward on the throttle. The Ace Edge has a threshold where you actually feel the lever exceeding it's normal travel and entering WEP (or Afterburner, in a Jet). Steadily lined up the guy with the rudder and then pressed the trigger. Bullets hit him on the nose, cockpit and right wingroot. I must have hit him really badly because he bursted up in flames as soon as the bullets found him.

The control also allowed me to perform some extreme aerobatics. To explain I'll tell a little story here.

On the second target run on the demo, where you are called to take on a panzer column. I decided to climb to about 8000 Ft to engage the flight of 8 FW190 that try to defend the target. At the merge I made a slice into the bandits that costed me about 1000 ft. Soon I got into the 7 o'clock position on the outside of the right hand turn of two 190's. One of them saw me and pulled up. The other one stayed. Little did I know that my wingmen were about to engage in a mid-air collision as two of them were after the same Wulf. I only saw the chunks of metal and smoke as two of my wingies collided... just as I had reached about 120º of the turn.

I was getting into range of the 190 I was chasing when my remaining wingman screamed "there's one on your tail!". I looked back and there they were: 3 FW190 chasing me and firing. They were very close, at about 500 yards. I thought I was dead when suddenly I thought "snap roll". I leveled out, accelerated for a moment and then I pulled back on the stick, rolled right and applied full right rudder. In the middle of the maneuver I centered the stick and applied full left rudder. The plane stopped rolling and two of the 190's ended up in front of me. I shot one and the other got away.

Now, to be able to perform a snap roll was exciting, but without the ace edge controller it would not have been possible.

If it's within your budget you most definitely get this gadget. It's big, bulky and you need an extra chair or table just to put it in. But it's completely worth it.

[Steiner]

I spent last night doing just about the same thing as you with my Ace Edge.
I like the way the rudder controls with the rocker bar in BoP because it's analog . In Ace Combat 6 the rudder is digital, all or nothing. I'm on my third torsion spring for the rudder slider pot with all the tapping I had to do in Ace Combat 6.
Here's my set-up;

I found this old beat up LazyBoy recliner sitting on the curb, threw it in the back of my pickup and brought it home. I stripped it down to the frame then rebuilt it with armrests to accommodate adjustable platforms for the ACE Edge flight stick and I constructed and installed an LFE tactile transducer to the frame before I upholstered it.



I use industrial strength Velcro to affix the sticks. Velcro makes it easy to adjust and remove the sticks, so that was a 'No Brainer'.



That's my Q & A tester sitting behind the wheel.

[trk29]

Originally Posted by Steiner

I spent last night doing just about the same thing as you with my Ace Edge.

Cool, one thing I have noticed when playing the demo is there is no way I can sit back an relax when flying (in a recliner) I find myself leaning towards the television trying to peek out of the sides of the cockpit..

I guess I am used to flying the old IL2 on pc where I sad straight up.

[Steiner]

Originally Posted by trk29

Cool, one thing I have noticed when playing the demo is there is no way I can sit back an relax when flying (in a recliner) I find myself leaning towards the television trying to peek out of the sides of the cockpit..

I guess I am used to flying the old IL2 on pc where I sad straight up.

When I'm kicked back in the reclined position and flying the only thing I have to peek around are my feet.

[BadKarmaSutra96]

Originally Posted by Dr. Laplace

Hi all.

I finally got my hands on a used Ace Edge controller. I spent around 90 USD on it, complete with Ace Combat 6 and the DVD "Speed and Angels" which was a completely unexpected surprise as I had been looking for the DVD for a while now. (Mind you, I live in México so we don't get all the stuff that comes out in the US).

Haha. I saw that one on EBay 2 weeks or so ago but didn't bid on it.
I just won mine a few hours ago. The saitek I have been using was driving me nuts.