Aircraft Training

[kin3]

I want to learn to fly the aircraft. How is the best way to do this? I looked into single player but that didn’t have much to offer. I looked at some empty servers and they had a bad ping and the private server has a map without aircraft. Please advice.

[duckilama]

Start a local server, only put Oman in the maplist, make sure you start on either the carrier or the MEC airstrip.
Go to town.

I recommend using the 64-player Oman map to give you a bit of extra airspace.

[kin3]

Thanks, I'll try that.

[SmokingTarpan]

A buddy of mine and I went to an empty server that was playing Operation Clean Sweep last night. We practiced with the blackhawks and the cobra helicopters that were there. I can now call myself an average pilot, capable of transporting people relatively safely.

I may try soon to be a 1-man or 2-man (with an engineer) locked squad sometime in the near future, doing nothing but ferrying people around with the blackhawk at the CO's request. I tried last night, but didn't lock my squad, so it filled up quick and turned into normal gameplay. I'm very tired of the black/seahawk being used as a gunship instead of a transport; it limits a team's mobility severely.

[Levi]

Well, it's a troop transport that also provides close fire support. In the real world the Blackhawk neither travels with a bay full of troops from objective to objective (capping flags) nor does it hover over an objective with a bay full of magical engineer elfs that repair it with only a crescent wrench and lay waste to the enemy (as they spawn in a nonUCB). Ideally you should always have 2 gunners a pilot in the blackhawk that only work the blackhawk, but the blackhawk should spend more time travelling from the UCB or picking up squads who request it then using their guns. They should use their weapons to keep the enemy down while they pull out a squad in a hot situation (as if hardly anyone in the game calls for an extraction HA!) and they should keep the enemy pinned/kill as many as possible while they're inserting a squad.

The problem is that the blackhawk crew and the insertion team should not be one squad (which is the way it's designed in game) because the blackhawk then is expected (and duty-bound) to watch out for their squad. So they either have to insert only half the squad to cap a flag/mop up the resident enemy, ditch the blackhawk/hover over the flag for the cap, or use the whole squad to help keep the BH in the air as a gunship. It comes down to a gameplay and balance issue. The blackhawk ideally would have 9 seats, 6 cargo troops for insertion/extraction (no ability to use special abilities such as C4, mines, wrenches, medic packs, etc while in the cargo bay) and a 3 man locked squad who are the gunners and pilot. Then the gunner/pilot squad can freely traverse the map at the request of the commander, or various squad leaders (and they should be compelled to pick up hot teams or insert teams) and when they're not doing those two things, then, and only then, can they be used as close support fire.

[morose]

This thread is about aircraft training, not BH balance!

/unhijack

I've found the TG private server is a good place to practice piloting. With the added benefit of seeding players there to help get games started. [/end shameless SM plug]

[SmokingTarpan]

Originally Posted by morose

This thread is about aircraft training, not BH balance!

Tsk tsk, I did talk about aircraft training. I'll actually talk about it more, too.

Basically I've trained with the blackhawk to use it as I think it should be used: an airborne APC of sorts. On an empty server I practiced to become familiar with weaving through narrow places (like down valleys, roads and under bridges), landing quickly, and doing a "dust off" where I barely touch the ground (if at all) to drop troops quickly. I fly with a keyboard and mouse, and after just a few hours of practice, I feel competent enough to do this in a real game if need be.

What I'm not good at is providing a stable gunning platform. I can provide enough for cover fire, but not to be a flying vehicle of death and destruction.

I hope more people practice transport-type flying, but I think the allure of being an 800-point gunship is too powerful for most. Either way though, solid practice on an empty server is a good way to go. Set up mock missions for yourself, and run a "training course" over and over until you feel comfortable.

[Solo_Dallas]

I strongly suggest to download this mini mod, here:

http://www.forumplanet.com/planetbat...8&p=1#19340476

This guy called Codebasher, was succesfully able to implement the 32 bots on 32 stretched maps.
You will fight with bots on the opposite side flying choppers/aircrafts and you will quickly become a good pilot.
Though it is a good start piloting by yourself alone on your server, nothing beats the heat and pressure you are put up into once a fight is there.

Besides the pilot thing, it is a brilliant way to play single on larger maps.
Been using it for almost 10 days already (and it does support coop) and it is a blast.

Enjoy


BTW Tarpan,
this is also THE solution for the stable platform rehearsal. The "intelligence" of the bots is interesting in that, while piloting either a Cobra or a BH, you'll see your crew work VERY well at gunning down your enemy.

Just to say, they will not stay idle inside, nor they will destroy every thing. A good apporximation of human skill I'd say.


Tri it out

[TG_Rizzo]

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

A buddy of mine and I went to an empty server that was playing Operation Clean Sweep last night. We practiced with the blackhawks and the cobra helicopters that were there. I can now call myself an average pilot, capable of transporting people relatively safely.

I may try soon to be a 1-man or 2-man (with an engineer) locked squad sometime in the near future, doing nothing but ferrying people around with the blackhawk at the CO's request. I tried last night, but didn't lock my squad, so it filled up quick and turned into normal gameplay. I'm very tired of the black/seahawk being used as a gunship instead of a transport; it limits a team's mobility severely.

That would be awesome! BH is a damn transport, not a gunship.

[jex]

Originally Posted by Levi

The problem is that the blackhawk crew and the insertion team should not be one squad (which is the way it's designed in game) because the blackhawk then is expected (and duty-bound) to watch out for their squad. So they either have to insert only half the squad to cap a flag/mop up the resident enemy, ditch the blackhawk/hover over the flag for the cap, or use the whole squad to help keep the BH in the air as a gunship. It comes down to a gameplay and balance issue. The blackhawk ideally would have 9 seats, 6 cargo troops for insertion/extraction (no ability to use special abilities such as C4, mines, wrenches, medic packs, etc while in the cargo bay) and a 3 man locked squad who are the gunners and pilot. Then the gunner/pilot squad can freely traverse the map at the request of the commander, or various squad leaders (and they should be compelled to pick up hot teams or insert teams) and when they're not doing those two things, then, and only then, can they be used as close support fire.

Not only that but the SL u pick up should be able to place a map marker that the pilot can see so he knows where to drop off the squad.

[Straphe]

Dallas, thanks for posting that link. I'm downloading it now. It's greatly appreciated.

[Levi]

Didn't mean to hijack your thread man. Sorry bout that-I just like to talk .

[Solo_Dallas]

Originally Posted by Straphe

Dallas, thanks for posting that link. I'm downloading it now. It's greatly appreciated.

My pleasure my friend.
You should find it amazingly useful. In terms of changing radically your approach to "the game" for the better, as it gives you countless hours of training where you CAN experiment anything at no risk.

Including, in fact, piloting choppers and airplanes.

Please let me know if you find it useful.

Ciao,

Dallas