Javigato Posted June 12, 2010 Posted June 12, 2010 Is it just me or is it really hard to see flights flying in formation. My flight NEVER is in formation, my 3 companions love staying a bit back and dance around like fools. When I set up autopilot and see, same thing, I go straight but my 3 buddies are dancing. Then I check all other flights, most of them, same thing, the leader seems to fly straight, but the others... Is there a way to fix this if it is a problem? Quote
+quack74 Posted June 12, 2010 Posted June 12, 2010 Is it just me or is it really hard to see flights flying in formation. My flight NEVER is in formation, my 3 companions love staying a bit back and dance around like fools. When I set up autopilot and see, same thing, I go straight but my 3 buddies are dancing. Then I check all other flights, most of them, same thing, the leader seems to fly straight, but the others... Is there a way to fix this if it is a problem? This has been a problem since 2006. It drives me crazy that the formation take for ever to form up after take off. And they zig-zag all over when they do. There's a way to settle the formations down a bit. But right now off the top of my head I cant remember how. Quote
Spad13 Posted June 12, 2010 Posted June 12, 2010 This has been a problem since 2006. It drives me crazy that the formation take for ever to form up after take off. And they zig-zag all over when they do. There's a way to settle the formations down a bit. But right now off the top of my head I cant remember how. Shoot them down? Quote
Javigato Posted June 12, 2010 Author Posted June 12, 2010 Haha! I thought about it. I looked around these forum and Thirdwire's this morning and I think Quack what you are referring to is changing the settings for MaxRollFormation= in the AIRCRAFTAIDATA.INI. Problem is that it seems like originally the value was this: MaxRollFormation=30 but now (FE2 latest patch) the default is MaxRollFormation=5.0 which is what the "recommended fix" was... but the waltzing planes are still there.... It is so annoying! Quote
Bandy Posted June 14, 2010 Posted June 14, 2010 Oh, just think about it this way that they dodging archie bursts. It was reality at least approaching the front and over NME lines most of the time. Now, all we need is more and more active archie!!! Somewhere along the way after myriad mods my archie went to sleep it seems... Anyone else? Quote
Bulldog Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 Last night while flying a Tripe my lone wing man actually formed up with me perfectly...only to go back to dancing when I changed course! Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Quote
Heck Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 (edited) Personally, I think this has to do with the fact that this sim is derived from a jet sim originally. They're not dancing around, they're weaving back and forth to check six, a very common practice. After 1940, fighter pilots were faced with a stark choice: sun glint, or check beneath your tail, because that would be the one who killed you. Most, I think, chose sun glint. The only fighter formation videos I've ever seen were probably taken well away from the combat area, so they don't show this actual combat behavior. I do know, from reading pilot anecdotes that it seemed common by the time of Viet Nam. Remember, in the Battle of Britain movie one of the squadron leaders lectures a new man on never flying straight and level for more than thirty seconds in the combat area. Did they do this in WW1 in the combat area? I don't know, I've never read any pilot anecdotes about it. They had better visibility in WW1 than WW2, but that still didn't guarantee your safety if one came up underneath your tail (reputed to be Ball's favorite method of attack), like the Nieuport 28 balloon strafer whose right wings I clipped off last night after stalking him just beneath the clouds for a few minutes. It probably shouldn't be modelled right after take off, but I'm always leery of "fixing" something like this in the game through ini edits, because the whole sim is interconnected, and I've often wound up breaking something else I consider more important when I do it. Edited July 9, 2010 by Heck Quote
Bulldog Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 I think you're right, being the game engine was originally for a jet sim there are limitations. Using the formations mod I got here helped a bit though. Now they weave a bit more in unison Of course if I'd stop looking back at them I'd never notice. Quote
Heck Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Of course if I'd stop looking back at them I'd never notice. The one thing I always fear is looking back to find they've been replaced by an enemy flight doing the same thing... Quote
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