Finally beginning to try IL2, did read the manual, I do not get the hang of it lol

[Catfish2]

Well this is how it is. I purchased Battle of Moscow and Stalingrad, and a few extra planes years ago, but never really had the time.
So I did the take off an landing "mission" in the Stalingrad branch and am able to start and land ok, i just am not able to choose another plane for trying out. Hm.

 

I did not want to dive into the war w/o trying out first every plane, but there's no way to do it obviously. So i started a career and chose to be a soviet pilot in the Battle of Moscow scenario, starting with a relatively easy Rata in the 495th or whatever squadron.
Strange beast but flies ok. I checked the Autopilot box to be activated if i got lost or lost my flight leader. It does not work in-game. Level flight works, but not AI complete autopilot.

I cannot open or shut the radiator, i cannot adjust mixture. I set it all to expert, but it does not work. Is this all automatic in this Rata plane? It works with the Yak. 

So. I studied the map before the flight, and also had the map up in-flight, but there only seem to be two sizes: Too small, and much too small. I cannot identify rivers or cities at that scale (yes i have quite a big monitor, it does not help).
To make things short i never reach the target. If i try to fly and navigate manually e.g. fly 220 degrees, it seems to fly in a complete different direction ending in flying 040 degrees or so, if i follow my leader.  Looking at what i can see on the map he flies anywhere but not to the target area mentioned.
Main problem really is i cannot identify anything on the map, because it is too small. Is there any possibility to zoom in more than the preset two scales?

 

Thanks.
 

[PatrickAWlson]

Every aircraft has its own controls.  Some are more automatic than others.  Most radials like the Rata will be air cooled so no need to worry about water radiators.  Oil radiators may or may not be automatic.  As a result, each aircraft will respond to different keys.

 

I use the larger map (O key) to see things.  Because there are far more commands than buttons I use Voice Attack to map many things to voice commands.  I tend to keep all of the aircraft management stuff bound to actual buttons and levers.  Stuff like HUD, map, wing man commands, and anything not concerning flying the airplane I map to a voice command.

 

Being honest, I use the cheat airplane icons on the map.  

 

Hope that helps at least a little bit.

[JG1_Greif]

1 hour ago, PatrickAWlson said:

Every aircraft has its own controls.  Some are more automatic than others.  Most radials like the Rata will be air cooled so no need to worry about water radiators.  Oil radiators may or may not be automatic.  As a result, each aircraft will respond to different keys.

 

Catfish2, FYI, @Hipsu has made a filterable google sheets doc that will show you what controls are applicable for each plane.

 

It is a very handy document that I recommend looking into: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/60546-plane-specific-controls-filterable-spreadsheet/

[Catfish2]

@Patrick Wilson: Thank you, well I guess I know you or at least the name  (campaign generator anyone)

"O" worked, how could i have overlooked that?!  lol

 

Ok so i somehow by chance flew to the right spot (losing my wingmen on the way because my speed was too slow. Really?? Turned out mixture control does work it just is not shown anywhere. Moving levers anyone? Pushing it to full via keyboard I gained speed again. It even worked best with full mixture at 2500 meters altitude w/o having to lean it. hmm?

Still, opening or shutting the air radiator did not do anything. Looking from outside the shutters do not move. I als did not find a temp gauge.
So i accidentally reached the destination and was even able to shoot down a 109.
Nothing else to see or do there I dcided to turn back home. Using "O" (thanks!!) i was even able to identify my position (pause and searching for 30 minutes ahem) and set course to home. A minute later the engine produced some metallic noise I know from Rise of Flight, conked out and stayed. Huh? Why? Fuel, temp ok and no overspeed, was not even hit once. What??

So i crash landed because this !"§$&/ Rata seems to flare out forever, after falling from the sky like a brick.

Well, "Uebung macht den Meister" ?

Edited June 23, 2023 by Catfish2

[FuriousMeow]

If you want to test planes you should use the quick mission builder, it should be the top option above the career/campaign selections. Select the icon with a single plane in it. Your plane select screen will pop up now. Choose taking off runway if you want the engine already running, or taxi (I think? Its the other one that isn't an altitude) which you have to start the engine and taxi to the runway. You'll be able to select any plane in the modules you purchased through the QMB and the single plane icon on the map. The double plane icon allows you to fight a single enemy of your choosing that can come in waves after you down the first one. The 3 icons mean you basically setup your small squadron vs another small squadron, you have to select and it it all up.

 

For just getting a hang of things - QMB, select single plane icon, select your plane, and select one of the two choices for starting on the ground, then mess around with them.

 

Also, when you click "o" and bring up the map it will also have the mission criteria on the right, there's also a specification tab. That will change depending on the airplane you fly. You will want to go through that to see what the plane is capable of, there are also engine instructions for how long it can last at different throttle and RPM. The reason your engine died is you probably ran it at too high a setting for too long.

Edited June 23, 2023 by FuriousMeow

[Rjel]

I might also suggest if you're in need of gunnery practice, using the QMB is an excellent tool. I like to use the new planes as they are released as allied drones so I can better learn how they appear in my gun sight from various angles and distances. It works great while learning the various computing gunsights like the K-14 too. The sim gets a little frustrated when I shoot a friendly but I can live with it.

[FlyinCoffin]

16 hours ago, Rjel said:

I might also suggest if you're in need of gunnery practice, using the QMB is an excellent tool. I like to use the new planes as they are released as allied drones so I can better learn how they appear in my gun sight from various angles and distances. It works great while learning the various computing gunsights like the K-14 too. The sim gets a little frustrated when I shoot a friendly but I can live with it.

whats QMB?

 

The compass is not working right in the cockpit you can also use the hud compass which is right. has something to do with graphics why compass isnt correct(sometimes plus +2°-2° indicating).

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by FlyinCoffin

[TRRA15]

5 hours ago, FlyinCoffin said:

whats QMB?

 

 

It means Quick Mission Builder.

 

You can pick any map, any plane, make your own weather and time of day. The single airplane icon on the map allows you to fly as you wish ( or ground attack ), the multiple aircraft icons format it so that you can change the numbers and types of aircraft in your flight, and do the same for enemy opposition.

 

Give it a look. It's a great section of the sim.

Edited June 24, 2023 by TRRA15

[R33GZ]

5 hours ago, FlyinCoffin said:

The compass is not working right in the cockpit you can also use the hud compass which is right. has something to do with graphics why compass isnt correct(sometimes plus +2°-2° indicating).

Cant say Ive seen that before... Im not sure if magnetic deviation is modeled in GB. Cross winds can drastically affect navigation if they're strong though. You can be on bearing, but end up way off target

[AEthelraedUnraed]

15 hours ago, FlyinCoffin said:

The compass is not working right in the cockpit you can also use the hud compass which is right. has something to do with graphics why compass isnt correct(sometimes plus +2°-2° indicating).

You do know there's multiple types of compass (magnetic, gyroscopic, radio) that work in different ways, none of which are perfect, right? In 1941 Moscow the magnetic deviation was around 7°, so 2° is about as perfect as you can expect.

 

On 6/23/2023 at 11:24 PM, Catfish2 said:

Ok so i somehow by chance flew to the right spot (losing my wingmen on the way because my speed was too slow. Really?? Turned out mixture control does work it just is not shown anywhere. Moving levers anyone? Pushing it to full via keyboard I gained speed again. It even worked best with full mixture at 2500 meters altitude w/o having to lean it. hmm?

Not sure what to say here. Mixture control is shown. There should be a corresponding lever in the cockpit. Besides that, it should show in the Tech Chat on the right, if you've enabled that.

 

Mixture works differently on various planes. Some planes have manual mixture, where you indeed need to lean your mixture to obtain maximum power, but more common is a sort of automatic mixture which has the following settings:

- Cut, for if you want to stop the engine;

- Lean, if you want to save fuel;

- Auto-rich/Full-rich, which gives maximum power at the cost of increased fuel usage.

There's also aircraft (e.g. the Bf-109) that have fully automatic mixture control.

 

On 6/23/2023 at 11:24 PM, Catfish2 said:

Still, opening or shutting the air radiator did not do anything. Looking from outside the shutters do not move. I als did not find a temp gauge.

Looking at the following picture: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/17219-i-16-cockpit-guide/

There's only a lever for the inlet cowl shutters and the oil radiator (both on the right). Use the corresponding buttons, not those for water radiator. Note that there are many types of radiator that each have their own key assignments. You'll find the oil temperature gauge on the bottom left of the panel.

 

Also note the mixture lever on the left of the cockpit.

 

On 6/23/2023 at 9:32 PM, Catfish2 said:

Strange beast but flies ok. I checked the Autopilot box to be activated if i got lost or lost my flight leader. It does not work in-game. Level flight works, but not AI complete autopilot.

There are two autopilot types, "level autopilot" (default key Shift-A) and full autopilot (default key A). The level autopilot doesn't do anything else than keep the plane flying straight and level. The full autopilot gives the AI complete control over your plane and includes things like propeller, mixture, flaps, gear, etc. It is able to fly the complete mission on its own, including takeoff, combat and landing.

Edited June 25, 2023 by AEthelraedUnraed

[JG4_Moltke1871]

2 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

There are two autopilot types, "level autopilot" (default key Shift-A) and full autopilot (default key A). The level autopilot doesn't do anything else than keep the plane flying straight and level. The full autopilot gives the AI complete control over your plane and includes things like propeller, mixture, flaps, gear, etc. It is able to fly the complete mission on its own, including takeoff, combat and landing.

Don’t forget Me 410, C 47 and Ar 234 have a technical autopilot with which the aircraft can be controlled independently of the AI dummy in the cockpit.

 I hope we get this also for all other planes had a version of autopilots ? ( Ju 88, Bf 110, He 111 and maybe some others ? )

Edited June 25, 2023 by JG4_Moltke1871

[Catfish2]

Hello,

first thanks all for your help and information!

 

I was not aware the IL2 had a supercharger lol, ok. Also it seems I had boost on for too long, which killed the engine. This is obviously just pushing the throttle full forward, without a "boost key", ok.

Still, the full ai autopilot via "A" does not work, and I cannnot manage to lower flaps (although the flap setting angles are displayed in the cockpit). I thought F is for flaps, and shift-f for retracting? Are the key input commands different for different planes?

 

Thanks again, trying now .. ?

[FuriousMeow]

Actually the Il-2's boost is the mixture full forward, same with the MiG-3. You need to dial the mix back to halfway to turn off boost for the Il-2. It's slightly different on the mix lever for the MiG-3.

[RossMarBow]

On 6/26/2023 at 7:07 AM, FuriousMeow said:

Actually the Il-2's boost is the mixture full forward, same with the MiG-3. You need to dial the mix back to halfway to turn off boost for the Il-2. It's slightly different on the mix lever for the MiG-3.

You can leave mix in boost mode
And just dial back pressure to 90? or below and boost will turn off
Not sure if you waste fuel running this way
But considering temp is such a big issue for the il-2 I would have no problems losing a bit of extra fuel for lower engine temps running in green mode

[Bubb]

Excellent thread, full of very helpful tips. Thanks to all. I'm also new to Great Battles. This thread has been extremely useful.

[AEthelraedUnraed]

On 6/25/2023 at 8:48 PM, Catfish2 said:

Still, the full ai autopilot via "A" does not work, and I cannnot manage to lower flaps (although the flap setting angles are displayed in the cockpit). I thought F is for flaps, and shift-f for retracting? Are the key input commands different for different planes?

Check your key assignments. The autopilot key should work at any and all times.

 

The flap keys are the same on all aircraft, and their default keys are indeed F and Shift-F. On some aircraft, the flap hydraulics aren't very powerful though, so if you're flying faster than a certain speed (usually 250kph or so), they might not deploy.

[LukeFF]

On 6/25/2023 at 11:48 AM, Catfish2 said:

Still, the full ai autopilot via "A" does not work, and I cannnot manage to lower flaps (although the flap setting angles are displayed in the cockpit). I thought F is for flaps, and shift-f for retracting? Are the key input commands different for different planes?

 

AI autopilot only works with the Normal difficulty presets.

[Lusekofte]

Setting up controls is a mess. I always wondered why the idea of not just let people use hotas for all radiators. Some need to open close with buttons. Some have automatic witch is fine. I might look like an easy sim to get into. But patience and time to learn is needed in all cfs. 
what you figuring out now, we all spent a lot of time figuring out. New plane mean new things. 
take your time and learn them. We all did. 
you will not be able to remember all things said here. 

[RossMarBow]

3 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

Setting up controls is a mess. I always wondered why the idea of not just let people use hotas for all radiators. Some need to open close with buttons. Some have automatic witch is fine. I might look like an easy sim to get into. But patience and time to learn is needed in all cfs. 
what you figuring out now, we all spent a lot of time figuring out. New plane mean new things. 
take your time and learn them. We all did. 
you will not be able to remember all things said here. 

Does your hotas not have buttons?
I bind all radiators to a 4 way switch - oil up down water forward back
Then all you need is cowl buttons for the weird American radials
 

My advice for new players is to do what I did
Join a multiplayer server
You will get to fly all the planes on finnish and most on combat box
and you will have constant access to text chat and voice for help
learning on the job

Edited July 1, 2023 by RossMarBow

[[CPT]Pike*HarryM]

I bind cowl flaps to same axis as water radiators

 

[Lusekofte]

31 minutes ago, [CPT]Pike*HarryM said:

I bind cowl flaps to same axis as water radiators

 

Me too. Not the point I was making. It take some time getting all the life hacks sorted in a sim

[[CPT]Pike*HarryM]

Nevermind, linked above...

Edited July 1, 2023 by [CPT]Pike*HarryM

[Jaws2002]

3 hours ago, RossMarBow said:

Does your hotas not have buttons?
I bind all radiators to a 4 way switch - oil up down water forward back
Then all you need is cowl buttons for the weird American radials
 

 

       Common man. He right. Everyone knows that some aircraft had levers and some had buttons. The problem is that WE ARE GAMERS, not fighter pilots when we are doing this.

  Fighter pilots usually get assigned and certified on one aircraft and stick with it for a long time. We change planes all the time, multiple times per day. We can't be expected to have a separate set, or historically correct controllers, for every aircraft in the game. The same action, like opening and closing the radiators, should be, by default, assigned to the same controller, on all planes.

The option to use both, axis and buttons is great, but enforcing one or another on random planes, on everyone, despite the fact the 99% of us fly all planes with the same controller, is a silly gimmick.

Edited July 1, 2023 by Jaws2002

[Ghost666]

2 hours ago, Jaws2002 said:

       

The option to use both, axis and buttons is great, but enforcing one or another on random planes,

They don't. You don't have to use any axis, all planes can use just buttons. So if you want all your controls the same for all planes just use buttons.

[Lusekofte]

4 hours ago, Ghost666 said:

They don't. You don't have to use any axis, all planes can use just buttons. So if you want all your controls the same for all planes just use buttons.

Again, I prefer not to use buttons. I prefer use axis. Clod solved this perfectly. And after flying this from first day when we only had two planes I still think this enforced “realism” is idiotic. Considering we still do not have a realistic way to communicate, fuel transfer, engine parameters. All this considered they should look beyond that particular realistic box. I am not saying they should quit using buttons. I am saying they should give option for axis and by this reduces amount of setting options

Edited July 2, 2023 by Lusekofte

[IckyATLAS]

To Button or to Axis, that is the question.?

[kestrel79]

If you are new and starting with early war Russian planes, they are the most trickiest with lots of manual controls to operate that can take some getting used to, like the oil and water rads, prop pitch.

 

Starting with an F model 109 has much more automatic settings and might be a better starter plane. IL2 I find is pretty easy and good to learn the oil and water rads with too.

[Riderocket]