While I have been away from flying OFF (shame), though it is updated to the latest release and I look forward to the forthcoming expansion, my flying world is dominated by a clock.

Having just upgraded to a fully functional Logitech joystick, I went for a test flight. I selected "Instant Combat" to live a dangerously quiet Sunday. Yet each time I flew the Instant Mission, and no matter what plane selected, My Cockpit Vision Was OBSTRUCTED by a superimposed clock giving me information I did not need at the time.

I looked to the HELP menu at the sidebar for same. I found nothing but references to the Tab Key. Tried that. The obstruction is there still.

How do I unclock my....... view?

Does it look like this?
http://forum.combatace.com/troubles-t49467.html

Thank you for the assistance. I could not open the file as I am not a member of Combat Ace forum. My "clock" virtually fills the virtual cockpit vision, has numbers on the periphery as a clock, with various objects therein that rotate with the direction I am flying. These may be WayPoints or significant ground objects. They are overall obstructive to the "flying experience". I have fumbled about the keyboard with L-Crtl, M (map) and C (compass or clock), but the "vision" persists.

What you call clock it's in fact the TAC.
Follow the instructions given in that post and you'll solve the problem.

Thank you. It may be a TAC. It could be a CLOCK as it appears so. It is very annoying.

I very much appreciate your help or whatever corrective measures can be offered by the general audience, in particular "Mr. P."

The file is an image that I wanted you to see, if that's what is happening with you.
But the way as you described it,I'm almost sure, that the problem is the size of the TAC.
So I'll quote that thread:





This link above is not working, if you need this file I'll try to get it from my game installation and sent it to you. Tell me if you need it.


Another member posted more interesting information regarding the TAC size:




EDIT: By the way if you press 'T' it disables TAC.

Hello,

as said before, pressing "T" enables or disables the tactical view, and saves the setting. Once turned off it will be off in the next mission, until you manually turn it on again.

It is made-up like a clock since the usual description of any object in the air relative to your position, is described in clock numbers. E.g. "Check six ! means there's someone directly behind you, and "3 o'clock high" usually means there's something at your right side, and higher than you.

I usually fly without it, but without trackIR and constant look-around you're in for nasty surprises, without the TAC "radar" thingie.

Greetings,
Catfish

I thank you both Mr. VonPaulus and Mr. Catfish. I wanted to avoid .INI surgery and especially VIEWUL file in Documents and Settings....HOWEVER

I launched to Instant Combat, made a random selected, the TAC arrived as predominate on the screen. I pressed "T". This act eliminated some clutter, but the TAC remained in place.

Am I missing something? I could edit the VIEWUL folder as stated in the last advisory by CheckSix. I see what he is indicating, but how do I edit this file so as to reduce or eliminate the TAC?

Help eliminating the offensive TAC, though, would be most helpful here

FIVE MINUTES LATER....

A massive brain fart occured. "T" was not the sole solution to the oppressive TAC. It was "L-CTRL T" It is NOW gone from view. I would assume that by repeating CTRL T the offender would return. It will not.

Many thanks to my friend in Portugal and he who swims with the fishes for aiding in finding the solution to this timeless problem.

Hello 4x5,

" ... I launched to Instant Combat, made a random selected, the TAC arrived as predominate on the screen. I pressed "T". This act eliminated some clutter, but the TAC remained in place. ..."

Yes, "T" cycles through the targets available - you can switch from aircraft to vehicles, houses, and all until you arrive at where you started. I think the original controls to turn it on or off were Shift-T and Ctrl-T, but never quote me ...
Ah, yess i remember this from the old time i had not yet changed the control settings, from the odd M$ keys, to something that would be easier to remember, and activate (now wasn't it CTRL-SHIFT-D---^ to lean the throttle mixture - maybe i missed three keystrokes to accomplish this).

" ... Am I missing something? I could edit the VIEWUL folder as stated in the last advisory by CheckSix. I see what he is indicating, but how do I edit this file so as to reduce or eliminate the TAC? ..."

Just don't edit files manually, but read the end of my text ;-) ...

"Help eliminating the offensive TAC, though, would be most helpful here ..."

Ok, the mysteries of M$'s flight simulator control settings unleashed [drumroll]

Soo, here goes: When you have started a mission, be it in mission, combat or campaign mode, press [Esc] and the sim will pause, activating a reddish pop-up menu at the upper right of your screen. There's an entry "control settings" - click on it. Now there will be a new pop up menu at the lower left. Now the trick is to interprete the control setting, and what it does, right. It is not so easy, because M$ must have payed a hundred indian gurus, or NSA employees, to encrypt the most easy controls in a way to make them impractical, and as awkward as possible for use in the game. An octopus will have a hard time, when you switch on the TAC (we will come to that), fire, stomp your foot on the rudder, lean the mixture, apply aileron, and at the same time cycle through your TAC to keep this !"§$%&/( in your sights.
It almost seems as if you are using a one time pad, because some controls do not toggle something, but switching something on, uses a completely different input as to switch it off.

Luckily the number of buttons on our keyboards is limited.

But once you opened the control settings menu it all becomes now quite easy - just assign your preferred buttons (right) to whatever action shall be done (left), and save it afterwards with the name "Mine". But save it ! So if you e.g. assign "T" to "switch tac on", "and Ctrl-T" to switch the tac off, this combination of keys will then work in the sim. You can certainly apply any key/button you like, even any button on your joystick, or the mouse. Click on the action or key you want to change, and another window will pop up - here you can enter any key you want, click ok and that's it. If you enter a key you already applied, or which is used by the original setting, you will be asked whether it should really overwrite the setting (... do you REALLY want to etc. etc. ? YES goddam etc. etc.).

Most probably no one can help you with the original awkward M$ control settings, because anyone who is not an octopus, will have changed this bloody control settings in the first minutes of playing the sim, because it is almost unplayable with the pre-programmed M$ keys. Ahem.


" ...FIVE MINUTES LATER
A massive brain fart occured. "T" was not the sole solution to the oppressive TAC. It was "L-CTRL T" It is NOW gone from view. I would assume that by repeating CTRL T the offender would return. It will not. ..."

Opening the control settings you can find out which key switches the TAC on, and off - and you can change it to whatever you like, if you want.
But never try to change the settings during full moon. And if, circle an oak tree three times anti-clockwise, while NOT thinking of a rhinoceros. This would spoil the effect.


Good luck,
Catfish.

Silly of me, of course, to disable TAC is L-CTRL T.