"Hard" Navigation

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Hi all.

 

Navigating in FE2 is a tad too easy for my taste. You always know where on the map your plane is by the "magic yellow line" (even though I have disabled aircraft icons on the map).

 

It would be nice if the map wasn't centered on your AC either, but on the current selected waypoint - with no yellow line.

 

In fact, my perfect navigational aid would be a window to display the highest resolution bitmap from the briefing map in, during the flight. Just rivers, roads, woods and cities to fly by.

 

Has anyone every experimented with modding to make the magic "GPS Function" go away? Everyone who flew IL-2 on hard will know what navigating by map should be like...

[Saint19 0]

It would be neat. But is there enough detail and variety to navigate accurately?

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Well, since most waypoints seem to either be above a village, destroyed village or road crossing, it might be doable. That stuff is nicely visible on the 4MB large versions of the bitmap maps from briefing screen, even if the villages lack names (we could maybe add em...).

 

I would print out and hand-fly the damn thing, but it is inconvenient having to note down all the waypoints for every mission. It'd be perfect if the game simple placed the triangular "go here" marker on your objective and you had to figure out how to get there and back.

[+Tailspin 3]

It shouldn't be that difficult using the mission map screen. You can move any waypoint on the map except the departure point (W2), target, and approach point. The info for each waypoint also changes. You can plot a general course to landmarks, follow roads, rivers, etc. Flight time is given. Won't be exact and landmarks are crucial...just like they did it back then. AFAIK (at least with the stock A/C) the compass on the plane works. The one thing to remember is that due to a bug you have to fly through the departure point or your squadron may not follow you.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

TS, I know that, but in-flight if I need to look something up on the map, I only get the "all-knowing all-seeing magic marker map".

 

If I print the mission briefing map, I would have to place waypoints for missions by hand with a pen. Not very economical either.

 

What I'm looking for is a digital in-game, in-flight map that has no position info, and ideally only the start and target waypoint on it (for bomber escorts, the rendevouz waypoint is also needed).

Edited February 22, 2010 by Helmut_AUT

[+Tailspin 3]

Well, I'm not sure what the difference is between an in-game map with no in-flight info on it and a printed map with no in-flight info on it...other than convenience. If you don't like the in-game map, don't use it in-flight. You're still going to have to use same method of navigation. Figure a general heading and use landmarks to check your course. In fact with a paper map you can plot more accurate headings. You can use the mission maps to place your waypoints and the game will figure flight times for you. Since there are no detailed maps (that I know of), you're going to have to make your own. You can use one of the Mission Builders to help with identifying locations by name. Point is, you can do what you want to do if you want to do the "leg work" involved.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

The difference would be that on a printed paper map, you have to always by hand transfer the waypoints and bearings over.

 

Which means printing a stack of maps (since you can't reuse them eternally), or trying to laminate them and write on them with a removable marker. And it adds time before each mission.

 

On a "Hard Mode" in game map, all relevant information would already be displayed. It just wouldn't magically tell you where your own aircraft currently is.

 

Also, digital maps can offer you more detail/zooming/scaling than a paper map. And a paper map on modern paper feels "cheap" to me, I can't print to such a standard that it actually looks immersive.

 

 

I know that Rise of Flight lacks a lot of things, but look at their beautiful and realistic inflight-map. It is "period style", looks authentic, perfectly matches the terrain features and gives you only a realistic amount of information. No self-made paper map will ever be as convenient and good.

 

 

It would be good enough, for starters, if the current inflight map wasn't centered on your own aircraft, but on the currently selected waypoint. That way you could switch it around (no need to mouse-scroll up/down) and it wouldn't tell you a magic GPS position.

[+Tailspin 3]

You say navigation is too easy. I say it doesn't have to be if you really don't want it to be.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Sorry, but this is a weird argument. I don't have to make navigation hard by manually printing and marking maps - that is not "hard" or "more realistic" that is just unnecessary work.

 

What's wrong with asking for a mod or even TK for a reasonable implemented DIGITAL solution?

 

If it doesn't interest you, just say so. But you can't seriously suggest I have to print six maps a week or such for notating and do it all by hand if the game could easily be set to do it for me?

[+Tailspin 3]

Thats not what I'm saying at all. I was merely trying to help you accomplish what you wanted (which I thought was a way to approximate navigation during WWI) working with what we already have available. Most mission distances aren't all that great, there are PLENTY of landmarks to use. I can do it without an in-flight map. You can do it with the mission planning map, your compass, clock, and your MK 1 Eyeball. Find your landmarks, figure out the best way for you to get to your "course correction" waypoint, figure your general heading from there to your next waypoint again noting landmarks on the way so you can make course corrections if you drift off course, which you will, and flight times. With some practice you should be able to find your target. Try flying by the seat of your pants. It can be fun and its about as hard as it gets.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

I just had a reply from TK on the official boards, he thinks along your lines.

 

I would agree that I could actually fly a mission WITHOUT the GPS inflight map. Just by memory ("west to the trench, then south to the river...cross over...forest to the south east...")

 

Problem is, the briefing map is so cluttered up with ground force icons that it never shows you exactly what village or what forest youre supposed to reach.

 

In general WW1 terms, navigation would be easy: Fly to the trenches, do an hour patrol five miles over, fly home. But the mission engine expects me to hit a pinpoint village without actually showing me which village.