2 helo issues/question

[SAS_SnaKe 0]

Actually you can have crash landings in OFP.. just need to know what to crash on.  When i was map making, i was testing a map, and my helo got hit with an AA and the fully loaded chopper smashed noise first into a bunch of trees.  I expected I would die, but the chopper had only red damage, and everyone was alive. Earlier I was trying to find a way to crash the chopper with survivors on board, but it didn't happen.... You can only have a crash landing when the chopper hits a tree, or something else to break its fall.  OFP behavies in unknown ways... so you never know... if the chopper lands on something, it might also fly up even higher and come down again with a bigger boom. Have fun finding the terrain  

[Kermit 0]

In real life, hitting a tree would greatly reduce your chances of surviving.

Everyone in this thread keeps referring to the "rudder keys." As far as I know, you cannot control the rudder with the keys. Am I wrong?

[Spitfire 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kermit @ Dec. 15 2002,07:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Everyone in this thread keeps referring to the "rudder keys."  As far as I know, you cannot control the rudder with the keys.  Am I wrong?<span id='postcolor'>

You can, using the X and C, but not while using the joystick. (and it's a bummer). Someone at BIS must've assumed that if you have a joystick you will automaticly own rudder pedals, too. The rudder keys work only if you fly with mouse and keyboard.

[Gollum1 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (_WTF_onslaught @ Dec. 09 2002,04:20)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">It would also be comforting to see him sitting next to you in vehicles like the UH-60-MG rather than him doing the crew chiefs job on the MG, and a vacant seat next to you!<span id='postcolor'>

This is exactly why there isn´t a loader position in the M1A1.

BIS have tried to make OFP as fun as possible while spicing it up with realism. How fun would it be for the copilot to just sit there and watch until the pilot dies (very rarely)?

[Harnu 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Actually you can have crash landings in OFP.. just need to know what to crash on. When i was map making, i was testing a map, and my helo got hit with an AA and the fully loaded chopper smashed noise first into a bunch of trees. I expected I would die, but the chopper had only red damage, and everyone was alive. Earlier I was trying to find a way to crash the chopper with survivors on board, but it didn't happen.... You can only have a crash landing when the chopper hits a tree, or something else to break its fall. OFP behavies in unknown ways... so you never know... if the chopper lands on something, it might also fly up even higher and come down again with a bigger boom. Have fun finding the terrain <span id='postcolor'>

That's actucally a bug

I've jumped out of choppers going 300mph and they'll go right into a tree and not blow up. And the tree still stands.

[Kermit 0]

Spitfire, if you are talking about the two keys that when walking on the ground make you sidestep, then I am almost sure that is incorrect. The keys that make you sidestep, I think, do the same thing that moving the joystick left and right does, rather than what moving the pedals does. Let me go check.

Sadly, while using a joystick you cannot look around with the mouse. Aside from assuming that everyone with a joystick has pedals (or has twist on their joystick), they assume that everyone with a joystick has a hat on that joystick. I do have pedals, but my joystick hat is broken (none of my buttons work because something is fucked up inside).

[shadow 6]

My biggest chopper-control-concern is the auto-center for joysticks. I wish BIS could set it to the same as the planes (no auto-center for joysticks). That way maybe a chopper can do a roll and the controlls would have more momentum and not feel that linear as they are today.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> Aside from assuming that everyone with a joystick has pedals (or has twist on their joystick), they assume that everyone with a joystick has a hat on that joystick. I do have pedals, but my joystick hat is broken (none of my buttons work because something is fucked up inside). <span id='postcolor'>

Well, I have'nt heard of a joystick that does'nt feature a 'hat'. I think all joysticks feature atleast a 4-directional coolie.

Panning around with one of the four coolie's with the Cougar works great. Why would I want to use a mouse for that?

HOTAS= Hands On Throttle And Stick (not mouse or keyboard)

[Balschoiw 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">when walking on the ground make you sidestep, then I am almost sure that is incorrect<span id='postcolor'>

x and c are the keys. Test it. They give you control of the tail rotor. Very handy when it comes to fast turns at landings, inflight the effect isnt that dominant.

[Spitfire 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kermit @ Dec. 16 2002,11:28)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Spitfire, if you are talking about the two keys that when walking on the ground make you sidestep, then I am almost sure that is incorrect.  The keys that make you sidestep, I think, do the same thing that moving the joystick left and right does, rather than what moving the pedals does.  Let me go check.<span id='postcolor'>

Nope. X and C, not A and D.

But if you even have a joystick plugged and it's sending some irregular spikes to the gameport, it'll disable the X and C -keys so it's impossible to use them.

[eXor 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Panning around with one of the four coolie's with the Cougar works great. Why would I want to use a mouse for that?

HOTAS= Hands On Throttle And Stick (not mouse or keyboard)<span id='postcolor'>

AHH, quit bragging!

[shadow 6]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (eXor @ Dec. 16 2002,11:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Panning around with one of the four coolie's with the Cougar works great. Why would I want to use a mouse for that?

HOTAS= Hands On Throttle And Stick (not mouse or keyboard)<span id='postcolor'>

AHH, quit bragging! <span id='postcolor'>

I'm not bragging, I just don't understand why I anyone would want to use the mouse for free-look while flying when the coolie-hat is alot closer to your hand

[eXor 0]

LOL! I meant mentioning your shiny EXPENSIVE cougar

[Gazoo 0]

I recall a few posts here some time ago regarding certain helo/realism questions I'll attempt to give you the answers as I think there has been some misinterpritation. Also I'm a commercial Helicopter pilot in Canada, so I think I'm qualified.

As far as rotors hitting trees and not damaging helo's. Chances are in real life if you clip a tree even with a Bell 206 Jetranger (Kiowa) which is a relativly small aircraft. The tree will be destroyed and the helo will suffer little damage and remain flyable (although it certainly isn't good for them and it certainly pisses the Chief pilot and Engineers not to mention the Ops manager and Owner/President off) I personally have NOT done this however I have talk to a pilot who did it with a 206 and another who did it with a 407 (slightly larger but basicly similar to a 206/Kiowa)

Also in helicopters you have 4 Controls.

Collective: a lever by your seat which changes the pitch of the blades collectively (all at the same time).

Cyclic: a "stick" which changes the pitch of the blades cyclicly (in cycles). "it essentially tits the rotor disc in the direction you want to travel" however due to gyroscopic procession you actually have to apply the force 90 degree's before you want the resulting action to take place. So if you move the cyclic forward you notice on North American helicopters, the swashplate actuall tilts to the pilots right...not forward.

Throttle: A twist grip like a motor cyle on the end of the collective with the apperance of good governers even real pilots don't have to use these that much anymore. Controls the amount of power from the engine. If power required exceeds power available, then you crash and die...not fun.

Tail Rotor Pedals: The main rotor will try to torque the fuselage to the right when power is being applied to a north american machine. To compensate for this you have a tail rotor which acts the same as the main although it counter-acts torque and in IN MOST helo's provides little or no lift. The tail rotor on the Blackhawk actually provides some lift oddly enough. When you apply left pedal to counter act this torque you rob power from the engine to do so. As a result if your coming in too fast or at too high of an altitude and execute a hard flare and try to do a left pedal turn.....you going to make a big smokin hole.

Engine RPM and Rotor RPM are not the same thing. Power from the engine is supplies to the rotor through a transmission. Its a good thing because if not the blade would have to spin as fast as the turbine and they'd go supersonic and we'd all die. In powered flight the RPM's remain the same, however once you roll the throttle off the Engine RPM drops right off "as it is in essense idling like poping your car into neutral while going 60 mph down highway" The Blade RPM remain up because of inertia and the blades autorotaive properties. However the blade RPM will eventually drop off. The pilot must quickly make a power off (autorotation) landing. Helo's are actually much safer to fly in then fixed wings. When you lose the engine on a helo you only need about a tennis court sized area to land safely. In a fixed wing you need a straight flat field or road.

Sorry this post is so long. I'll shut up now.

[Jinef 2]

yeah i agree mostly.

But still trees are not good and should be modelled in OFP to destroy rotors. Yes there are exceptions but i personally wouldn't really want to try it.

Also if a rotor hit a tree at an inclined angle for lift it is going to fuck up no two ways about it because it will not cut through the tree it will just smash up and rip off the rotor hub, thus imbalancing the rotor's symmetry and ripping off the gearbox.

[Jinef 2]

yeah i agree mostly.

But still trees are not good and should be modelled in OFP to destroy rotors. Yes there are exceptions but i personally wouldn't really want to try it.

Also if a rotor hit a tree at an inclined angle for lift it is going to fuck up no two ways about it because it will not cut through the tree it will just smash up and rip off the rotor hub, thus imbalancing the rotor's symmetry and ripping off the gearbox.

[Spitfire 0]

As a side note to Gazoo's post, check out this video clip if you want to know what rotor blades can stand without breaking

http://www.avpics.de/mov/mil/probe.rm

Trees are nothing more than paper to these overgrown lawnmowers...

[Acecube 0]

I think one essential thing that can ruin a helo pilots day is missing in OFP : Phone and electricity wires.

BUT i've seen that screenshot on the VBS1 page WITH a wire pole + WIRE attached to it!!  

[Kermit 0]

No no no

Telling me the actual key does not help at all. You see, our key binds are all totally different. Tell me the what the function of the keys you are talking about is when you are playing as a soldier. Are they the sidestep keys, or what? Since I use the mouse, I unmapped the keys that make you look around. I do have the sidestep keys mapped, though, and using them in flight seems to have the same function as moving the stick does, not what moving the pedals does.

[Spitfire 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kermit @ Dec. 17 2002,11:03)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Tell me the what the function of the keys you are talking about is when you are playing as a soldier.  Are they the sidestep keys, or what?  <span id='postcolor'>

They turn the soldier. They're labelled as "turn left" and "turn right" in control preferences. And they also work the rudder pedals

[Acecube 0]

WOW!

Just bought a new Joystick (Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2) today and tryed it immediately.

It is a bit more challenging than flying with a mouse (especially aiming/targeting) but way better than with the annoying autolevel.

I think I will have fun with ofp for quit a while again.

[Kermit 0]

I thank you, Spitfire. That explains it. Since I do not have the keys mapped to turn my soldier, there are no keys to turn the rudder. I shall go and change that now.