Howdy Folks

[Drasmorg]

Howdy folks; Chris here, just picked up COD blitz about 3 weeks ago and have been learning to fly the Hurricane on 100% realism, my lord the torque. Anyway, after starting my first campaign that came with the game, and watching the AI planes, even those that took off after me, leave me in their dust I decided to come here and try a scenario or two and see if the problem is just the original campaign. My Hurricane was trimmed, prop 85%, booster off (out) and 100 throttle but couldn't keep up on the level.

I live on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada and am retired military, serving 23 years in the infantry, armoured, and finally as a clerk.

My other go to games are Trainz, A New Era and Silent Hunter 3.

I have been watching a lot of the online play videos and it looks very cool, and I would like to try it but I don't have a TRACK AI and will not be buying one until I am in love with COD, right now I just like it but am frustrated with the AI plane thing.

Cheers, and TALLY HO.

[69th_Zeb]

Hi Drasmorg,

Yeah, I struggle too to keep up with AI as well. Those single player issues are being worked on. If you can manage to stay close, you'll have no problem keeping up online. In fact, it's way more forgiving so long as you wing up with one of us. Several Canadians on here in your time zone. Some of us fly the Blenheim a lot, which doesn't really require track IR. We have a full-time gunner in our squad too from your area that regularly makes ace.

If you see me on teamspeak (what we use for coms) this weekend you are always welcome to sit in the tailgun to see how things go. I'll be on in the evenings (except Saturday). There's also a big mashup around noon Saturday when the folks across the pond get on. Aussies/Kiwis fly in the AM. We also have a Tiger Moth event once a month that is fun to spectate.

Lewis will come along soon and give you the official welcome with some handy pointers.

[ATAG_yotheguy]

I think we might have enough for a BCBoy's fly in now.

Welcome Drasmorg (Chris)!

[Drasmorg]

Thanks guys. Finally got my Hurricane off the group decent enough doing the RAF campaign scramble, flaps at 20 is the key. It is hard scanning the sky using the joystick hat that is for sure. For those of you in BC, did you find a place to get the TRACK equipment in Canada or only from the USA, or do you use an alternative (probably been asked 1000 times, sorry)?

COD is the first game I have been able to trim my aircraft, I have the other flight sims up to 1946 and Forgotten Aces and was never able to trim, the keys didn't seem to do anything, but it does work in COD and makes flying easier that is for sure.

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

Hello Drasmorg

The AI missions where people have a problem is when the mission calls on aircraft to climb at a speed and a rate which is very difficult for Humans who are inexperienced to match.

This is a function of the mission builder creating a set of climb/speed targets which are too difficult.

The AI of course, are perfect and don't have a problem.

When attempting to climb with the AI, make sure you are trimmed... especially the rudder. Also close your radiator as much as you can... down to 75%... sometimes you can do 50%. That will help speed and climb.

On the level you can sometimes shut your radiator down below 50% to 35%... if you are at a higher speed the radiator will cool better.

At higher speed you can use 95% prop pitch as well to help you keep up.

[69th_Zeb]

I would check Ebay for TrackIR 5. Some sell them brand new for a lot less than what I paid for. I noticed amazon in Canada wanted too much.
https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=...sPageName=GSTL

[Gingerbread]

If you can find Track IR5 for a good price, then go for it, it is a Pro equipment.
If not, you may consider Delanclip too. It is much cheaper, but has a sturdy (metal) headclip. The "only" difference I know is that the TrackIr sensor operates on 120 Hz refresh rate, while the Ps3 camera (that comes with Delanclip) operates on 60 Hz. (But you can find many forum threads here debating one or the other with more knowledgeable and experienced guys than me. :-) )
I have one and I'm happy with it. I think it is a good product for not too much money to enter the world of headtracking, and to decide whether it is for you or not. (It is, believe me, it is a whole new world, there is no return. :-) )

[ATAG_Snapper]

Hey Chris,

Just to add to what Zeb and the others are saying, jump online and get on TeamSpeak. We’re always glad to wing up and can share engine settings & tips as we all proceed to get shot down together!

I’ve had my TrackIR 5 for at least five years now, and it still works as good as new. The Pro Clip is a bit delicate, so I’ve always been careful to hang up my earphones out of harm’s way when done playing. I’ll post my video of Monday’s “Highseas Tour” later today (I’ll add the link here). Nothing remarkable visually, but the TeamSpeak chatter will give you a good idea of what a great bunch of guys we are.

Oh....and welcome to the Forum!

[ATAG_Marlow]

Hi Chris....looking over this thread gives you an idea how pleased we are to see 'new' pilots coming in to join the fun. You can also see the calibre of people we have...all old enough to know better, a terrible sense of humour...and with very forgiving wives! In short: a finer bunch of Chaps you won't find anywhere....and I think you're gonna fit right in!

I hope you manage to download Team Speak and take up Zeb on his fine offer of Blennie riding. Then you will be good to give your Hurri' driving skills a go in multiplayer. That's where the real fun is! I played single player and the Campaigns for two years before 'braving' on line. I was shot down within five minutes of leaving Lympne because I didn't have a head tracking device and couldn't 'follow' the enemy. I knew I was already addicted to 'Cliffs' and was in it for 'the long haul' so I 'splashed out' on Track Ir5 and now I wouldn't/couldn't be without it for the world! I well remember the frustration of trying to keep up with the AI aircraft but, as Buzz says above, the AI are perfect. I'm anything but.....! Ha ha!

Welcome aboard! Have fun and hope to see you in our skies soon! Salute!

[Dazza]

Welcome to Blitz.
I lived around Vancouver through the 90's and frequently gigged on the Island. Now I'm back in Ont.

There's simply no shortcut getting comfortable with CLOD. Even getting off the ground cleanly still haunts regulars on occasion. Situational awareness is something you simply can't achieve without a head tracker. Even then I'm frequently blind to what's around me. Online flying is a whole new challenge, but for the warbird enthusiast it's very rewarding - even if we (read I) don't rack up much of a kill ratio. I too spend a lot of time flying the Blenheim and love it.

As for TrackIr they come up used every now and then. I got mine used several years ago and it's still going strong. I have the metal antennae on my head and not the newer infrared clip, but it works fab. There's actually a TrackIr 5 on Kijiji in Toronto for $180. I've seen them for even less.

Get online and at least ride shotgun (gunner) in a Blenheim and see what it's all about.

Cheers
Daz

[Drasmorg]

Cheers guys; Flew today as a Blenheim gunner, actually got a piece of a 109 and sent him smoking (11% damage) but the traverse is very slow, too bad it cannot be mapped to the joystick. I was also trying to get Growler Gun Cam to work but it wouldn't capture the game, only the desk top, I don't think I ever got it to work even with IL2 base.

I looked at Delanclip and it would work with my Logitech Pro 9000 too, which captures up to 720p and has no infa red issues, someone is using it with FaceTrack and I read up on it, I should download the TrackIR software and see if it works with my camera, it is a $105USD camera, not cheap.

If I am not mistaken there is someone flying a 109 online who does not use TrackIR (or anything) and he is suppose to be a top pilot, I watched several of his videos where he went up by himself in a 109 against 4 others and shot them all down, can't remember game version though. Now whether he was using target lock or whatever is not stated.

@dazza: I was posted to Petawawa and Kingston; by gigg sounds like you are muso, no?

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

Cheers guys; Flew today as a Blenheim gunner, actually got a piece of a 109 and sent him smoking (11% damage) but the traverse is very slow, too bad it cannot be mapped to the joystick. I was also trying to get Growler Gun Cam to work but it wouldn't capture the game, only the desk top, I don't think I ever got it to work even with IL2 base.

I looked at Delanclip and it would work with my Logitech Pro 9000 too, which captures up to 720p and has no infa red issues, someone is using it with FaceTrack and I read up on it, I should download the TrackIR software and see if it works with my camera, it is a $105USD camera, not cheap.

If I am not mistaken there is someone flying a 109 online who does not use TrackIR (or anything) and he is suppose to be a top pilot, I watched several of his videos where he went up by himself in a 109 against 4 others and shot them all down, can't remember game version though. Now whether he was using target lock or whatever is not stated.

@dazza: I was posted to Petawawa and Kingston; by gigg sounds like you are muso, no?

Glad to hear you are getting a chance to use the game.

There may be those who can fly the game without headtracking, but there is also no doubt it is an advantage.

There are other headtracking programs... if you have a camera already, they should be easy to set up.

[Drasmorg]

Glad to hear you are getting a chance to use the game.

There may be those who can fly the game without headtracking, but there is also no doubt it is an advantage.

There are other headtracking programs... if you have a camera already, they should be easy to set up.

I am going to try going online without the trackir and team speak, just to see how it is. I am pretty decent using my middle mouse button to scan the sky. Seems like opentrack (?) is the top rated free tracker; either way I cannot bring myself to spending all that money for a game addon, sorry, but I am just not that dedicated to the game and I want to save up for a new 17" laptop with a 1060 card as my current is an Asus ROG G551jm with a gtx860 which is actually a pretty strong card, benchmarks continually state it is working well above spec and I have not over clocked it. I just flew the blenheim mission with all the bombers and fighters no problem.

I tried facetrack before with IL2 46 and it worked with my camera, I tried using face tracker but it kept jumping to the side after a bit, but it did work. Will try to find a 3 point tracker in Canada and if not then the UK one I guess, but that is still expensive when converted.

[Drasmorg]

Ok, my logitech maxes out at 30fps, too low. Now just worried about motion sickness per my post in the general forum.

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

And then there is the old reliable... the 8 way HAT switch.

I flew using one for the first 15 years of my simming experience and shot down more enemy aircraft then than I do now. (probably because my eyesight was much better then and I had lots of spare time )

Just make sure you program in the overhead view and the rear views correctly... customize them.

[Drasmorg]

And then there is the old reliable... the 8 way HAT switch.

I flew using one for the first 15 years of my simming experience and shot down more enemy aircraft then than I do now. (probably because my eyesight was much better then and I had lots of spare time )

Just make sure you program in the overhead view and the rear views correctly... customize them.

Why do you need overhead and rear view, or do you mean behind and above you? I thought online flying was 100% realism, meaning no outside cockpit? I am using my hat right now, the one thing I cannot find the setting for is to have the view return to straight ahead when the hat is released like in the original IL2, now it just stays in what ever position you put it in. I tried the snap/pan key, F9, but that didn't seem to do anything, maybe I don't have it set right.

[RAF74_Buzzsaw]

Why do you need overhead and rear view, or do you mean behind and above you? I thought online flying was 100% realism, meaning no outside cockpit? I am using my hat right now, the one thing I cannot find the setting for is to have the view return to straight ahead when the hat is released like in the original IL2, now it just stays in what ever position you put it in. I tried the snap/pan key, F9, but that didn't seem to do anything, maybe I don't have it set right.

The views are restricted for most online servers, but on most aircraft you can still look through the glass and see above and behind to a certain extent.

You want to make sure those views are optimized.

[1lokos]

Not the perfect alternative, but ways better than clumsy pan and snap views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BJd4mIvHK4

[Drasmorg]

sorry for delay, my back has been out the last few days. Went up in my Hurricane today using mouse (set to 1.5 sensitivity) and F10, I have to admit the rapid looking around made my stomach flip-flop, such a little girl! Finally got snap rolls working 70%, just always end up upside down or nose pointing down, but better then the stall I use to always end up in before.

Going to have to get my ass on the server and just fly using the thumb hat and mouse for now, until I overcome my sickness I don't want to commit to a head tracker.

Ahh, Joytokey, never head of it before.

**Ah ha, that makes the hat scroll beautifully, nice and smooth and while not as fast as TRACKIR, it should do the job for now. THANKS!**

[Drasmorg]

Did my first online flight, didn't see anyone at all but thought I was getting shot at and put my Hurricane into a climbing tight turn, no one there. Fuel low, headed for home and then I had to quit to take my wife grocery shopping...she needs to get her priorities straight!

[Drasmorg]

Ok finally got TS3 working and a few guys were up as a group playing, I didn't see anyone. I noticed that with the headphones you get your engine drowning out speech. Not too many guys up western time and once again I thought I saw a tracer go by, a white flash, but there was nothing there.

[Artist]

I noticed that with the headphones you get your engine drowning out speech.

Put ingame sound (Options, Audio) to 100% and then use Windows Mixer to find a good balance for TeamSpeak's and Clod's volume

once again I thought I saw a tracer go by, a white flash, but there was nothing there.

That's perfectly normal - at the beginning of your life as an online pilot. We all had that. It will get better over time.

[ATAG_Snapper]

Hi Chris,

Hope your back is feeling better. Many of us know that pain - no fun at all.

What Artist said re sound adjustment. Once in-game and online with TeamSpeak on, spawn into your Hurricane and start it up and keep the engine idling. ALT TAB out of the game to the Windows Desktop. Left click on the little speaker icon in the bottom right of the screen, then select Sound Mixer. You will see Cliffs of Dover and TeamSpeak on separate volume sliders. Leave Teamspeak at 100% and lower the Cliffs of Dover slider (I put my Clod slider down to 25%, but you can adjust it to your liking). You can then ALT TAB back into the game - pick a time when there are other players on TeamSpeak and ask them to say a few words to test. Usually you can’t get us to shut up! LOL

The reason we keep the audio setting in the game menu at 100% is to retain all the special effects sounds (hits on your aircraft, outside explosions, etc). If you turn the audio down in the Audio Settings in-game, you lose those sound effects along with the decrease in volume. Using the Windows Sound Mixer achieves the volume decrease (so you can hear your TeamSpeak mates) and still retain the extra sound effects, too.

I’m hoping I’ll be online the same time as you (I’m Eastern Standard Time - Toronto, Ontario). I’d be glad to wing up with you and show you everything you mustn’t do to stay alive.

BTW, congrats on surviving your first sortie on the ATAG Server. A rare feat, believe me!

Cheers,

Snapper

[TWC_Birdtail]

If you go to TS tools, options and in your in your addons under plugins there should be "Volume Control by Broesel". It will lower volumes when someone talks including yourself. I was shown this a few weeks back and works like a charm give it a try. Works best when everyone is not talking like little old ladies at a knitting bee

[ATAG_Snapper]

If you go to TS tools, options and in your in your addons under plugins there should be "Volume Control by Broesel". It will lower volumes when someone talks including yourself. I was shown this a few weeks back and works like a charm give it a try. Works best when everyone is not talking like little old ladies at a knitting bee

Hey, I didn’t know that!

Thanks, Birdtail...will give it a try.

[Drasmorg]

Thanks all, appreciate it very much.

Chris