Chopper cannons

[SPC G-Man 0]

I wouldn't even know where to begin to look, so I guess I'll post this question.

Which cannons/guns on choppers will lock and track a target either ground or air? I'm sure the Apache does, if not, whoever made the Apache in the game is a criminal Does the HIND have a movable cannon turret?

The reason I asked was that I'm a newb when it comes to choppers, I prefer to stay on the ground, but I hopped in one last night and got into an air-air fight with an Apache against my HIND. I had him locked as a target (square and diamond), but when I fired with my nose cannon, the tracers totally went someplace else. Turned out, his didn't and I was smoked in short order.

He possibly could've had a gunner, I'm not sure. Is another scenario that his gunner manually aimed and took me out and none of the choppers will auto-track with thier cannons?

If they don't auto-track by locking onto a target, would that be a feasible option for the future if there's only a pilot in the chopper firing manually? Seems kind of fair to me. If there's a gunner, then the gunner would still have to manually track like now.

Any thoughts, comments, answers??

[Harnu 0]

The weapons nozzle only becomes moveable when you have a gunner. There is no "auto_track". You have to aim and fire it yourself by positioning the chopper. Much like when using FFAR's or 57mm Rockets. If you have a gunner thats human, then he will move the turret wherever he pleases. If you have an AI gunner, then it moves to the target.

[Jamesia 0]

However the 57mm rockets, and FFARs don't follow the vehicle/ chopper around.

On the Apache you want to select the hellfire. What I do, is when I am the pilot of a chopper, just switch on manual fire. Press space until you have the hellfire selected, then press TAB to select a target, and fire. You do need to have a diamond shape though, but it follows the unit.

Also, when you are the pilot of a chopper, if you tell the Gunner to use the cannon or machine gun, he will automatically move it and fire it.

[Harnu 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">However the 57mm rockets, and FFARs don't follow the vehicle/ chopper around.<span id='postcolor'>

Exactly what I said...

And the only thing you really need TAB for is LGB's. Just right click to lock the target is easier I think.

[RedStorm 0]

Not if you're using a joystick :O

[EBass 0]

One mouse flying is easier, I didnt even know about tab till a few days ago and I still dont use it

[Jamesia 0]

I am a very good chopper pilot and I find flying with the mouse on anything (chopper, or plane) impossible.

Its too easy to pull it too far and crash.

I only ever use the keyboard.

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EDIT

And when I am flying with my left hand, my right hand is ALWAYS on the view keys (numpad) 'cos I like looking at my flying from different angles.

[jawk2 1]

same i trained alot for piloting chopper (nearly 2-3h each day during 4 month and i still continue)... i find some thing:

First the majority of OPF gamer dunno the power of the cannon.

Second the mouse is only useful for aiming with the chaingun of the V80 (this chopper got too much instability to have a line of fire straight enough to correct) *note: never use a joystick for a plane... or a paper plane *.

Third in VS chopper the player only follow the other chopper instead of trying to have enough speed... they stand too much still (and it's fatal).

Fourth i see mostly ppl that launch their FFAR in straight line... stupid a line of scatter fire is better against trooper.

Fifth i only see ppl that are able to land quick... but they even dunno the basis for a barrel-roll evade manoeuvre, nor a (hmm dunno really if translation is correct for "attaque en décrochage" in french) discard-attack manoeuvre.

Sixth i never see a chopper pilot ingame that ll use the ground/hill/forest/house as a cover.... personnally i did this thing when i know i ll encounter a chopper:

i run at the lowest i can to have the most i can speed, and the better cover i could have. At 100 meter of my target i lift up in a right or left path giving all the power to cyclic (ie in OPF turn left right and rotate Yaxis at the reverse):

i will go up very quick and be at a high altitude in few second.... AND BEHIND HIM *now it's time to look at your hairbrush, drink a coca... maybe fire a FFAR or two *

Seventh The speediest is the better:

when i m chased by a chopper behind me i ll go for  the ground: i ll gain more than him speed and then he can lost me (he ll find me in a two or tree barrel-roll and a couple of FFAR or a pretty  line of 30mm ) *tips to do a barrel roll it's easy just do like i do for engaging but instead u must give power to the cyclic (ie for OPF: just use the Zaxis left or right, u must turn up  and gain altitude while doing turn)*.

*notice i found a hard maneuvre that u can do for turning speedier the Russian chopper...... pssst just do a full circle with your joystick (right/up/left/down/right: but u gain turn speed at the expense of stability in the out)... dont try it with OH58 or apache or V80... u ll reverse lol * i was searching doing some stunt with the chopper and found out this thing*)

Eighth i rarely see chopper pilot that fire a "test fire".... just fire a little burst of one or two chaingun... u can know where u aim, just before firing all (a good pilot never run out of ammo)

Ninth i very rarely see pilot that put their chaingun for use... enter the chopper as gunner... put the gun where u want he stay... get out and re-enter as pilot (remember the higher the aim is the speedier and the less acurate fire u will have.... the lower the aim point is, the low speed u ll have...the easy target u ll be).  

Tenth *just forgot* BIND YOUR ALTITUDE KEY TO THE JOY *i personnally have scotched my rudder to dont be bother by it*

That's all dismiss *and it's 10€ for the lesson ppl *

[Jamesia 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (jawk @ Aug. 28 2002,21:31)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">same i trained alot for piloting chopper (nearly 2-3h each day during 4 month and i still continue)<span id='postcolor'>

thats sad.

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EDIT

I get the feeling that by that entire thing you're showing off. I am sure lots of chopper pilots do do that. how would u know?

but some very useful tips I suppose.

[jawk2 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Jamesia @ Aug. 28 2002,22:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (jawk @ Aug. 28 2002,21:31)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">same i trained alot for piloting chopper (nearly 2-3h each day during 4 month and i still continue)<span id='postcolor'>

thats sad.<span id='postcolor'>

**sorry i edited****

[B@ZOOkA 0]

when you fly slow with a chopper (under 100km/h) than its easier to use the mouse/keyboard than the joystick.... you can handle it a bit like in an egoshooter if you understand what i mean..... at higher speed, choppers are easier to control with a joystick

planes are really hard/impossible to controll without a joystick

thats my opinion

[MarcusJClifford 1]

As a rule I normally fly helicoptes with the keyboard, with mouse for looking around, the only time I use the mouse for flying is when I am about to fire an unguided weapon.

For planes, I always use a joystick as it allows you to perform far more manovers - rolls, loops etc.

[Kermit 0]

The chaingun is my favorite weapon when I am alone in a chopper. And I do use the terrain as cover when there are Shilkas about, flying about twenty meters above the ground. In real life, you should fly about three meters off the ground, but it's harder to do that in Operation Flashpoint.

[Jamesia 0]

I wish I had a good joystick.

I have to fly planes with the keyboard.

I think that the problem with that is that there are too many keys to press quickly.

[The Jub-Jub Bird 1]

I find the keyboard difficult to use when flying anything. I have tried it, but I find I cannot have nearly the same sort of control as I would when using the mouse.

I use the mouse all the time and I find it perfectly adiquate and consider myself a damned good pilot. Using the mouse gives you a far greater response and feels just right, particularly for low altitude flight. If I am flying quick and the air is safe I fly just above the tree line. If there are enemys about then I'll fly as close to the ground as possible, jumping up to avoid obsticles such as trees, buildings, rocks...people. When enguaging soft targets not likely to fight back I'll strafe an try to keep as straight a line of fire as possible for the gunners ease with the chain gun. If I am enguaging tanks or AA then I'll use 'pop-up' tactics.

If I want to look around I use the keyboard, but I rarely have to.

Jubs

[N.o.R.S.u 0]

A small hint for Hinders and V80 users: AT6 missiles aren't so accurate as Hellfires or TOWs. You have to lock the target first and then move the chopper so that the crosshair (white little dot) is in center of the diamond reticle. This gives you a very accurate shot, though it's quite hard to target Vulcans with this method when they have opened fire.

[InqWiper 0]

Stupid:

When the plane fires 1 shot 4 shots disappear from the ammo but the one shot that is actually fired does the same damage as the chopper cannon does in one shot. The plane cannon should do 4 times as much damage in one shot or actually fire all does rounds that disappear if U ask me.

When engaging AA with a chopper I just keep high altitide so I can see them from far because they always miss the first shots, I lock, fire and then dive right or left.

In the editor I placed 8 vulcans and a group of AA soldiers around Velka Ves and those other villages nearby, then I got in a SU25 and tried to take out all the vulcans.

The only thing I had to do was to fly at like 1000 and then dive down and target, shoot, next target, shoot, next target...

When I had just passed the AA site I had to fly like 10 meters above the ground and fly in behind hills to avoid the AA missiles that I could see pass just over the plane

I had to go back and rearm but I took out all the vuclans, they were either on full skill or half, dont remember.