Game Modes

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I don't mind custom servers. They are the best for individual squadrons and mission makers. If I had the skill I'd make a BOS server with SOV or Spits v 109 type settings from the days of old.

 

That said, it's kind of a pain to try and figure out what all of the settings are before you enter many/most custom servers.

 

There is absolutely a place for them. And more options are always good as well.

 

My suggestion codifies three 'standard' levels while leaving open the Custom options, Sharpe's suggestion labels them for easy reference in the server list and all at very little design cost to the devs.

[SharpeXB]

At least get rid of those crutch icon flags...it ruins BnZ/ambush tactics, teaching players to rely on those fancy warnings rather than maintaining some kind of situation awareness, IMO.

 

If you want this kind of gameplay then fly Expert. Nothing realistic will result from labels and icons.

 On a side note, I was thinking about how to modify Normal CEM...manual, but offer some kind of on screen assistance telling players when they're approaching the limits?

That's already there in the Technochat. It tells you when you've exceeded your time limit in whatever engine setting and when you are going to overheat. It's a good training feature but should be turned off in Expert. Technochat is fine in Expert since it's telling you what you'd be able to know without actually looking at levers and trim settings etc. You can always press H and switch it all off.

[SharpeXB]

PLEASE NO HARDCORE VS NORMAL IS BETTER RUBBISH!!!!! every mode and any possible mode is as good as the person that flies it thinks it is

 

It's not a "better or worse" issue. But it's one of progression. All players should be encouraged to seek higher levels of challenge and difficulty. It's more rewarding and fun. But catering to every whim of game aids maybe isn't a way to accomplish this. It creates complacency. A little push down the steep slope is sometimes a good thing.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

If you want this kind of gameplay then fly Expert. Nothing realistic will result from labels and icons.

 

 

ur missing my point 

[SharpeXB]

ur missing my point

 

Which looks like too many complex options that can't be supported by the few players that are ever online.

[BlitzPig_EL]

You need to reverse your thinking a bit SharpeXB. Perhaps there are so few players online because there are not enough settings options.

 

Just sayin'.

[SharpeXB]

You need to reverse your thinking a bit SharpeXB. Perhaps there are so few players online because there are not enough settings options.

 

Just sayin'.

Sure. But there aren't any options available in SP that can't be available in MP other than things like Invulnerability etc. There can be Custom servers and most of them are Custom. Too many different settings and options pretty well kills MP in these sims since it would split up the players all onto different servers.

 

Rise of Flight already had 5 different difficulty levels like some are asking for. It changed to 3 just like BoS. So I don't think 1CGS is going to reverse the decision and go back to that system. Likely it was changed due to the reason above.

Edited May 21, 2015 by SharpeXB

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Let's say that you are right. It would be justification for no Easy mode. It doesn't affect anything I've suggested for the Normal or Expert modes. Normal is OK but it could be so much better. Expert is very good but could use a tweak. I still think an entry mode would be good for people with limited hardware or experience.

[Porkman]

@ Herrmurf:  Thanks, I do what I can with what I have, which due to space (live in a small studio apt w/ a gf and a cat) and money, is just a simple desktop throttle and stick w/ twist rudder (thrustmaster t flight hotas x)... no pedals, no headtracking..  I saved up for a while and built myself the best PC I could put together for around $1000 about 6 months ago (i5-4690k, Z97X mobo, R9 280X OC, 8 GB 1866 MHz DDR3 cas 9 RAM, 256 GB SSD, 1 TB HDD, windows 8.1) so I am playing on a very current system, just not with the full complement of peripherals.  I am able to run BOS on ultra at 1920x1080 using my girlfriends 36" HDTV as my monitor, as we use my 48" as our main TV.  I still need another few months of saving again before being able to splurge on better peripherals, but even then I don't think I will have the room to do the full pit setup I would like to build until we decide to rent a bigger place, hopefully with a spare room that I can attempt to claim  .  

 

Thanks for the tips about the snap views, I do have them setup, but I find it way more intuitive for me to stay in pan view.  I have tried to get better at switching between pan and snap, as they are only one click apart it is not so bad, but when I have to go from snap back to pan it is 3 clicks, then pan to locate the target again which is just long enough to throw me off in a close combat, high maneuvering setting.  I will have to see if I can get better at staying in snap view only and get used to flying that way, but my brain just wants to be able to pan more from that snapped view to make that final little adjustment to keep the target centered.  I do pretty well for now though staying in pan view 90% of the time, using snap to only look straight back or on the back 45 degrees like you mentioned.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I used CH pedals for a long time. They are really narrow and fit just about anywhere. If your controls are working well at present maybe get the TiR5. It's not absolutely necc but once you have it you'll never go back, either.

[Sokol1]

 

 

Make icons only become visible at 2 or 2.5km and never have the screen edge flags. Make spotting become more important at distances over 2.5km. Let the counter fade in as the aircraft gets closer like it does now. At 1.5km it should change to the correct/full color and aircraft type. At .5km it should say the pilot’s name.

 

 

You will teach better the "NORMAL player" - to became "EXPERT" with - I successfully use this method to instruct young people in il-2 (original).

 

Icons of plane type at long range (5 Km ? to 2 Km) as excuse for "no TrackIR/padlock/small monitor/Mr.Magoo."

 

At near range (2 Km?) change for distance with color for identify friendly or foe, but no plane type, this will teach people a recognize the planes per shape/type (necessary to became "EXPERT") and the distance help assess range for shoot at convergence.

 

Show names (bellow 1km) only for friends, to facilitate team work. For enemy name will only lead to controversy, with aggression in chat...

 

For the EASY mode...  well,  games has dumb down the icons - like showing enemies through wall/terrain - to a no return point. 

 

http://s14.postimg.org/94tyj1f3l/icon.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Never thought of no names for enemies. That would really cut down on my @#$t talking....................................................kidding.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I noticed the DED/1CGS server started decreasing icon distances for ground objects. I'm still hoping they will try it with aircraft and implement some of our other suggestions as well.

[coconut]

I noticed the DED/1CGS server started decreasing icon distances for ground objects. I'm still hoping they will try it with aircraft and implement some of our other suggestions as well.

 

I did not know that was possible. Are they using a non-public version of DServer?

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Dunno, aircraft icons are still at 9km but ground objects are at 3km.

[Wulf]

Some good thoughts Murf; I agree that the modes could do with a bit of refinement.  

 

I tend to play Normal because of the opportunities for 'instant action'.  The thing I like most about siming is the actual fighting so, the sooner I can get into it the better.  However, I'd like to  see something done about the icons if possible to make it somewhat more challenging.  As you say, maybe reduced ranges or perhaps limit icons to 'friendlies' only - the way it was back on the old Warclouds server, back in the day.  Anyway, this is a conversation well worth having I think.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Wulf

[Wolf8312]

Some good thoughts Murf; I agree that the modes could do with a bit of refinement.  

 

I tend to play Normal because of the opportunities for 'instant action'.  The thing I like most about siming is the actual fighting so, the sooner I can get into it the better.  However, I'd like to  see something done about the icons if possible to make it somewhat more challenging.  As you say, maybe reduced ranges or perhaps limit icons to 'friendlies' only - the way it was back on the old Warclouds server, back in the day.  Anyway, this is a conversation well worth having I think.

 

Me too!

 

Although I do want a realistic and challenging experience I don’t really have the time or desire to fly half way across a continent! Fighting and war is my main motivation though I do love flying home and landing as well.

 

Actually though one thing I love about BOS is that it allows me to play the game with realistic engine management and at the same time -with the option for 'short' missions- also gets me into action almost instantly.

 

This is a big draw for me and other noob’s as it’s very off putting to fly so far, explode, and then have to do it all over again.

As someone who has only recently graduated to basically expert difficulty (I still have icons on my map for navigation) I think BOS has really done a good job of making it very accessible and less intimidating for new players and most importantly less tedious.

 

What are we discussing here exactly though? I assume by wanting more specific difficulty modes we are wanting the game to be more accessible and attract more players from the WT crowd?  

 

More so than the difficulty modes (which I actually like) I think what BOS would really benefit from is a good in game tutorial just as WT has. Show people how to fly and they may learn to love doing so much more quickly. As a former slacker myself I can say honestly most people will click 'expert' decide that 'there is no way I am reading all that' and then click back to easy mode again!

 

Requiems videos are amazing but so professional that even they would perhaps benefit from less professional and more noobie language as well as clearly showing things such as engine speeds and which buttons are being pressed and when. There is also no substitute for being taught in the game by the game.

 

A tutorial that teaches people as quickly as possible would I think be very helpful towards the goal of giving arcade flyers a taste of how much more enjoyable and satisfying it is to fly these planes properly but honestly I think people either get the bug or they don’t.

 

People who play easy are too usually those who will not have flight sticks track IR and pedals anyway and had already decided what they wanted from the game long before even buying it. I bought this game for my friend who loves WT but with no joystick or track IR he hasnt even tried it! I know for a fact though if he had these things and made the effort to learn he would love this game far more than he does WT.

 

With flight games ‘easy’ doesn’t really ever make ‘realistic’ any more enticing and in fact people just get stuck in their comfort zones. They don’t tend to move from easy to hard as they would with an FPS or RTS game. What you tend to get are two very stubborn and immiscible groups that decide what they want from the beginning and from then on refuse to budge. This I guess is why the sim market is such a hard nut to crack.

 

This is largely though I think not only because people are too lazy to learn how to fly a plane but because they haven’t invested enough money in the right equipment that would compel them to bother to do so. Why play expert difficulty on a mouse and keyboard? People with track IR rudder pedals and a warthog have generally decided to play realistic when they decided to buy all these things or at least once set up realize it would be a waste to do anything else but learn.

 

So really in the end you have mouse and keyboard BOS going up against mouse and keyboard WT. Naturally it gets obliterated and the arcade crowd who the devs have tried to entice with more accessibility won’t even touch a game and you have veteran simmers complaining that their sim is a game!

 

People may criticize the devs for making a sim more ‘game’ like but the big picture is that the game does badly needs more players and to tap into the WT market. Many people like myself also deeply love playing a realistic simulation that allows such quick accessible action and much shorter missions.

 

With no tutorial and to be honest a joystick and track IR being IMO an absolute necessity, the game was only really ever going to attract those  who from the very beginning planned to play on expert or realistic difficulty.

 

Sorry if I got a bit off topic here!

Edited June 6, 2015 by TheNoobleWurtha