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Don2712
Nov-02-2014, 22:43
I have played several other flight sims but, not for a while, I believe this sim will give me just what I have been looking for.

I have practiced taking off in a few different aircraft not a problem after I was quickly helped with the setting up the game features and controls just out of practice and a little heavy handed with the joystick at times however, I want to practice landing but, I but there seems to be no obvious way to find the airfield I took off from or any other.

So far none of the planes I have flown has had a compass but, I haven't flown that many. I can't see a way to set up a route using waypoints to an airfield, there seems to be no facility for this, I've tried using coms and asking permission to land hoping that like B.O.B. I would be given information to help me find an airfield but, permission to land is always denied and no further information is provided.

When I open up coms and try to use it I only an on screen message I am assuming from this that there is no sound in the single player coms. I just can't see any controls or set up features I have overlooked that would have helped me find places easily.

Perhaps I'm just using the wrong quick missions and scenarios to practice, I have used only those that seem to offer me the option to practice without being attacked.

Maybe my game features set up is incorrect.

Is the answer just to use the map function?

I like this sim very much so far and I want to play on line but, I also want to build up a reasonable level of competency in the basics first.

Injerin
Nov-02-2014, 22:59
Don what aircraft do you fly?

This might help.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQiWzjDStG8

I use landmarks and direction. I also have a printed out compass next to my computer and kinda wing it :) this is of course helpful if you know where you are by landmarks :)

13086

This is also a good place to look in the Flight School section of the forums: http://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12430


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGDUC5lTvJY

I hope this helps!

GloriousRuse
Nov-03-2014, 00:36
For automated navigation there are precisely two options:

1. Tab-7-2 will give you a vector to Home Plate, you launch airfield.

2. Tab 7-1 will give you a vector towards the enemy. A flawed and widely variable truth as it may point you past many other enemies or it may not, but such is life. Many consider tab-7-1 to be slightly a-historical since it effectively puts a radar in the nose of every plane, but then, most players don't have access to an actual ground control element working a realistic Freya/Radar through a filter room for them.

Everything else you have to do manually. If you want to plot waypoints, you can on the map function, but it won't translate to anything automatic for you. If you get really serious, there is a protractor and and measuring tool in there as well, so you can see what angle and for what distance (time at known cruise speed) you will have to fly. Don't forget to convert your azimuths form magnetic to true.

The map can also be quite useful for identifying terrain features such as cities, rivers, and coastal protrusions and can help you get a rough idea of where you are.

That said, a compass, a bit of directional orientation, and knowing the big landmarks is how most people do it. The German planes all have the compass prominently displayed, but it can starting kicking around nutty if you maneuver, and the British compass/gyros are an extreme pain in the ass to set and see - plus they drift during hard maneuvering. For simplicity, France is south, England is north, and the channel runs East-West.

Landmarks are essential. Learn the following list, you'll hear them used often in TS:

French Point - The NW corner of France that sticks out near wissant.

Dover - It has big white cliffs, also, usually some sort of dogfight.

Calais and Dunkirk - These two cities help frame where a lot of RAF targets are.

Ramsgate/Manston - The big eastern protrusion from England. It usually has LW targets and some RAf bomber bases. It turns in to a N-S running coast until you reach...

Deal/Hellfire Corner - The southeast corner of England. Also often a place with dogfights going on.

English point - If you follow the English coast west from Dover and past Lymnpe, it will form a small peninsula. This is English point and in many maps is about as far west as anyone will go.

The tri-fields - Large and obvious trio of LW airfields near wissant. East of french point, west of Calais. Many targets and many 109s here.

The Ships - Varies by mission, but if there are ships involved, you know the fight is going to be around them at some point.

The Isle of Wight - Big mofo island near Portsmouth. Essential navigational reference coming to or from western England.

Liegescourt forest - Massive forest near Liegescourt, a way to find the german airfields during battle of france maps.

Poix Nord - Single strip airfield at the apex of a river and some woods that look like a retarded squirrel. Essential mostly in being a recognizable spot for RAF planes heading out to Liegescourt or other battle of France site.

Don2712
Nov-03-2014, 10:09
Don what aircraft do you fly?

This might help.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQiWzjDStG8

I use landmarks and direction. I also have a printed out compass next to my computer and kinda wing it :) this is of course helpful if you know where you are by landmarks :)

13086

This is also a good place to look in the Flight School section of the forums: http://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12430


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGDUC5lTvJY

I hope this helps!

I am trying out different aircraft at the moment although I tend to favour the Spit and hurricane. I want to try all the aircraft available as it would be great to fly on line and not restrict myself to one aircraft or one side.
I am ok with using landmarks, I just thought there was something basic that I was doing wrong in the game or in my game set up that was preventing my getting information about my location in relation to airfields.
Thank you for the information and helpful advice.

Don2712
Nov-03-2014, 10:36
For automated navigation there are precisely two options:

1. Tab-7-2 will give you a vector to Home Plate, you launch airfield.

2. Tab 7-1 will give you a vector towards the enemy. A flawed and widely variable truth as it may point you past many other enemies or it may not, but such is life. Many consider tab-7-1 to be slightly a-historical since it effectively puts a radar in the nose of every plane, but then, most players don't have access to an actual ground control element working a realistic Freya/Radar through a filter room for them.

Everything else you have to do manually. If you want to plot waypoints, you can on the map function, but it won't translate to anything automatic for you. If you get really serious, there is a protractor and and measuring tool in there as well, so you can see what angle and for what distance (time at known cruise speed) you will have to fly. Don't forget to convert your azimuths form magnetic to true.

The map can also be quite useful for identifying terrain features such as cities, rivers, and coastal protrusions and can help you get a rough idea of where you are.

That said, a compass, a bit of directional orientation, and knowing the big landmarks is how most people do it. The German planes all have the compass prominently displayed, but it can starting kicking around nutty if you maneuver, and the British compass/gyros are an extreme pain in the ass to set and see - plus they drift during hard maneuvering. For simplicity, France is south, England is north, and the channel runs East-West.

Landmarks are essential. Learn the following list, you'll hear them used often in TS:

French Point - The NW corner of France that sticks out near wissant.

Dover - It has big white cliffs, also, usually some sort of dogfight.

Calais and Dunkirk - These two cities help frame where a lot of RAF targets are.

Ramsgate/Manston - The big eastern protrusion from England. It usually has LW targets and some RAf bomber bases. It turns in to a N-S running coast until you reach...

Deal/Hellfire Corner - The southeast corner of England. Also often a place with dogfights going on.

English point - If you follow the English coast west from Dover and past Lymnpe, it will form a small peninsula. This is English point and in many maps is about as far west as anyone will go.

The tri-fields - Large and obvious trio of LW airfields near wissant. East of french point, west of Calais. Many targets and many 109s here.

The Ships - Varies by mission, but if there are ships involved, you know the fight is going to be around them at some point.

The Isle of Wight - Big mofo island near Portsmouth. Essential navigational reference coming to or from western England.

Liegescourt forest - Massive forest near Liegescourt, a way to find the german airfields during battle of france maps.

Poix Nord - Single strip airfield at the apex of a river and some woods that look like a retarded squirrel. Essential mostly in being a recognizable spot for RAF planes heading out to Liegescourt or other battle of France site.

Thank you, this is a great forum I appreciate people being so helpful.

I feel my problem is that I am not exactly a newbie as I played B.O.B. a lot but, like all games there are many differences between that and CLOD.

Part of the problem is getting used to those differences although I feel that CLOD provides more authenticity B.O.B. had a great modding community but, I stopped playing a while back when I found my PC was not up to handling the mod upgrades adequately.

Almost fortunately, a week after I downloaded CLOD my hard drive failed so I used that as an excuse to carry out an upgrade of OS, Ram and GPU specifically to play CLOD and so far I am really enjoying it.

Thank you for your help the 2 replies I have received will join my rapidly thickening pile of information print outs.

ATAG_Lolsav
Nov-03-2014, 10:48
If you want more detailed info, check this very informative post. Get your printer ready again ;)

http://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12895&highlight=navigation

Edit: And another one http://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6722&highlight=Landmarks