Chopper help

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

Hi group,

I've just started playing OFP after buying it ages ago and letting it
gather dust in the cupboard, but I'm having trouble flying choppers
well. I don't seem to be able to gather speed at all - I understand
that if I tip the rotor blades forward I'll pickup speed (and lose
altitude), but I can never seem to get above 200-300, and in any
missions where I'm meant to follow the leader I usually end up several
thousand meters behind him being told to get back into formation.

I can't see a section in the manual about flying aircraft at all, and
the config options mention "Thrust" settings, but they're preset for a
joystick and won't let me change them (and I don't have a joystick).

Any tips on how to fly rather than float into battle would be helpful


One other issue I've noticed on some missions is that even though I
have close to 100% fuel, and my armour is still at 1/2 - 3/4,
sometimes the chopper just turns itself off, my gunner jumps out and I
fall straight to the ground. Very strange!

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

<slob> wrote in message
> Hi group,

First question - do you work for a Hospitality IT company in Godalming?

> I've just started playing OFP after buying it ages ago and letting it
> gather dust in the cupboard, but I'm having trouble flying choppers
> well. I don't seem to be able to gather speed at all - I understand
> that if I tip the rotor blades forward I'll pickup speed (and lose
> altitude), but I can never seem to get above 200-300, and in any
> missions where I'm meant to follow the leader I usually end up several
> thousand meters behind him being told to get back into formation.

200-300 is about right. Press "E" and you will tip forward. Use a
hyperparabolic curve (that's up and down and up and down, but more up than
down) to gain speed fast, but beware shilkas unless you are flying low.

> I can't see a section in the manual about flying aircraft at all, and
> the config options mention "Thrust" settings, but they're preset for a
> joystick and won't let me change them (and I don't have a joystick).

don't use joystick for chopper flight.

> Any tips on how to fly rather than float into battle would be helpful
>
>
> One other issue I've noticed on some missions is that even though I
> have close to 100% fuel, and my armour is still at 1/2 - 3/4,
> sometimes the chopper just turns itself off, my gunner jumps out and I
> fall straight to the ground. Very strange!

Engine hit. Excessive damage. Gunner will bail when the chopper is about to
crash. I suggest you do the same!

It may also be a badly SCRIPTED mission

--

Liddle Feesh
*fap fap fap fap*
<>< <>< <>< <>< ><>
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

Helo's are better than aircraft.

Especially twin seaters:
http://www.flash.net/~kennieg/backseat.mp3


;P

slob wrote
[sneeeeeeeeep]
> I'm having trouble flying choppers well.

> Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

> altitude), but I can never seem to get above 200-300, and in any
> missions where I'm meant to follow the leader I usually end up several
> thousand meters behind him being told to get back into formation.
>

sounds like you're trying to fly the chopper as a jet

200-300 is actually the maximum a helo can phyically fly in real life. Unlike an aeroplane's wings,
the forward velocity of a helo adds to the lift of the leading rotor and subtracts from the lagging
rotor, thus creating an imbalance. the fix is to spin the rotors faster, but you can only get so
far, and the physical limits prevent a helo going much faster than around 300-350.

The AI does tends to dip the helos by a lot whn they first take off, so they accelerate really
quickly. I can match them if I immediately go into a 70 degree forward tilt and keep it there until
I am at about 270 and then ease back. This is less than realistic, and I am only replicating the
error in the AI... so the short answer is that its probably an error in how the AI flys helos - they
try to reach the specified speed as soon as they take off, and this is unrealistic.

>
> Any tips on how to fly rather than float into battle would be helpful
>
>
Helo flying is much more exiting than the jets, basically you have to turn a lot, and keep at a
speed of about 150. rather than dive at the enemy targets as you do in a jet, you basically circle
in a chopper, flying really low, popping up (to take a shot) and down (to hide) all the time.

Specifics...
Fly low at about 100-150, and never use auto hover for anything other than wanting to land or stop
very quickly.
If you start getting hit, quickly turn so you are flying at 90 degrees to the gunfire, and get
behind a hill. that seems to fool the AI, even the ones in enemy helos, but you have to do it
straight away, the second you start getting shot at.
Never fly over a target that can fire at you, circle it or hover behind a hill and pop-up, take a
shot and then pop-down again.
When attacking other helos, dont attack head on. run away and then creep back, hiding behind
terrain and use the 'pop-up, fire then pop-down' method.
If you are really stuck, and fighting only against other helos, you can gain height quickly to get
out of the enemy helos arc of fire (a helo can fire downwards better than it can fire upwards).
when attacking convoys, use missiles to take out the stuff that can fire on you, then get in close
with the chain guns for the lorries.
Get behind tanks before firing on them with the chain guns - they take far less shells
If you start getting shot at by something when you are at speed, a good trick is to accelerate to
about 150/200 at 90 degrees to the enemy, then level out and turn by 90 to face the enemy. although
you are facing the enemy, you are flying quicky in a sideways direction, so all the shells go by to
the side, rather than hit you. you can have a good few seconds to take out the enemy, but dont take
too long - you slow down and become a sitting duck very soon
finally, use a mouse.

> One other issue I've noticed on some missions is that even though I
> have close to 100% fuel, and my armour is still at 1/2 - 3/4,
> sometimes the chopper just turns itself off, my gunner jumps out and I
> fall straight to the ground. Very strange!
>
Hmm.Never seen that. The co-pilot will jump much later than 50% damage.
Maybe he's seen you fly before

HTH

S

> Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

> I've just started playing OFP after buying it ages ago and letting it
> gather dust in the cupboard, but I'm having trouble flying choppers
> well. I don't seem to be able to gather speed at all - I understand
> that if I tip the rotor blades forward I'll pickup speed (and lose
> altitude), but I can never seem to get above 200-300, and in any
> missions where I'm meant to follow the leader I usually end up several
> thousand meters behind him being told to get back into formation.

I've found that a good joystick really helps. I use the MS Sidewinder
(around $20-30), and I can hover that thing just a meter off a building, if
I want to. And, I can get going pretty fast in the copter.

It's hard for me to duplicate that using the mouse and keyboard.

And, planes seem to be a different story--I'm not so hot with those (but
I've had little practice too).

Once you get the hang of it, I've found the choppers to be quite an
experience in OFP.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 17:14:12 +0100, "Liddle Feesh" <l@f.com> wrote:

><slob> wrote in message
>> Hi group,
>
>First question - do you work for a Hospitality IT company in Godalming?

No, sorry, other side of the world

>200-300 is about right. Press "E" and you will tip forward. Use a
>hyperparabolic curve (that's up and down and up and down, but more up than
>down) to gain speed fast, but beware shilkas unless you are flying low.

OK, thanks. That definitely helps.

>> One other issue I've noticed on some missions is that even though I
>> have close to 100% fuel, and my armour is still at 1/2 - 3/4,
>> sometimes the chopper just turns itself off, my gunner jumps out and I
>> fall straight to the ground. Very strange!
>
>Engine hit. Excessive damage. Gunner will bail when the chopper is about to
>crash. I suggest you do the same!

Sounds like an engine hit would be it. Strange that it happened every
attempt at a particular missions many times in a row. I guess the AI
has uncanny aim

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

<slob> wrote in message news:nq40f0djmbpnhucmgustq78cqbe2b2fand@4ax.com...

> >Engine hit. Excessive damage. Gunner will bail when the chopper is about
to
> >crash. I suggest you do the same!
>
> Sounds like an engine hit would be it. Strange that it happened every
> attempt at a particular missions many times in a row. I guess the AI
> has uncanny aim

Which mission is this? If it's a user mission, some are terribly scripted.
There might be a clue, like a radio message saying, "HQ, we're going down,
etc".


--

Liddle Feesh
*fap fap fap fap*
<>< <>< <>< <>< ><>
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

On 9 Jul 2004 11:29:26 -0700, og@ziplip.com (Rizla Ranger UK) wrote:

>Helo's are better than aircraft.
>
>Especially twin seaters:
>http://www.flash.net/~kennieg/backseat.mp3
>
>
>;P

Couldn't understand what they are saying in Winamp, sorry

>
>slob wrote
>[sneeeeeeeeep]
>> I'm having trouble flying choppers well.
>
>> Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.operation-flashpoint (More info?)

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 23:02:14 +0100, "Sham B" <shamb@easynet.co.ukNOSP>
wrote:

>> altitude), but I can never seem to get above 200-300, and in any
>> missions where I'm meant to follow the leader I usually end up several
>> thousand meters behind him being told to get back into formation.
>>
>
>sounds like you're trying to fly the chopper as a jet
>
>200-300 is actually the maximum a helo can phyically fly in real life. Unlike an aeroplane's wings,
>the forward velocity of a helo adds to the lift of the leading rotor and subtracts from the lagging
>rotor, thus creating an imbalance. the fix is to spin the rotors faster, but you can only get so
>far, and the physical limits prevent a helo going much faster than around 300-350.
>
>The AI does tends to dip the helos by a lot whn they first take off, so they accelerate really
>quickly. I can match them if I immediately go into a 70 degree forward tilt and keep it there until
>I am at about 270 and then ease back. This is less than realistic, and I am only replicating the
>error in the AI... so the short answer is that its probably an error in how the AI flys helos - they
>try to reach the specified speed as soon as they take off, and this is unrealistic.

That explains it. By the time I'm in the air and starting off they're
half-way across the map

>>
>> Any tips on how to fly rather than float into battle would be helpful
>>
>>
>Helo flying is much more exiting than the jets, basically you have to turn a lot, and keep at a
>speed of about 150. rather than dive at the enemy targets as you do in a jet, you basically circle
>in a chopper, flying really low, popping up (to take a shot) and down (to hide) all the time.
>
>Specifics...

<snip>

That's great, thanks. Certainly helped on some of the missions,
especially one where I was solo in a chopper with no gunner and had to
avoid a Hind (in Escaping from Prison, the first thing I tried was
walking straight up to the Hind and hopping in the pilot's seat -
certainly one of the easier missions!)