At the moment I am alternating between having it on to see ground targets and airfields etc... and turning it off for immersion purposes (I have to follow my flight, if I lose them I am lost, relying on my eyes and the DOTS to spot aircraft etc)
That is all good but I don't really want the line telling me where to go next, the direction and distance of my flight

What I would really like is some way of having it turned on for just ground targets (or maybe ground and air - I haven't decided yet) but removing the bright cyan line telling me which direction to fly next

I have experimented in the workshop but have not found a solution

Reckon there is any way of achieving this?

Not that I knew one, Max.
What I do is, I fly without TAC. When we attack ground targets or balloons,
I switch in on short before our flight arrives there; to be able and select
a ground target for my wingmen.
But other than that, I found OFF and WOFF getting even so much more immersive
without any aids on - try it. Frightening at first - but then you'll suddenly
be really there. With all the anger and fears of a young flyer of those days.

Didn't one of Robert_Wiggins view.xml edits remove the blue line in the TAC?
Or am I confusing it with the one that took everything off the map?
Robert?

Can't remeber exactly. I will have to go back and look at my mods. I will get back to u on this!

Had a look, but I don't have a UI.XML mod that eliminates the route line. I tried a few things quickly, with no positive result. Will look into this more when I have some additional time. It may not be possible within the current UI.XML offerings. We will see.

Hey - no worries Robert

I can continue to just have the TAC switched mostly off, and blip it on for a few seconds when I need it

One other TAC related question though
Last night I was flying as flight leader
Once we got to the patrol objective, we spent he next 20 minutes trawling up and down the line as the TAC ordered (I kept the TAC on for this)

Lets's say I kept the TAC turned off, and missed the specific waypoints laid out for my patrol
Would it still count as a successful patrol if I had spent the required amount of time in the patrol area?
Or would I have to nail the specific waypoints for a successful patrol?

I am asking because I am sure I read somewhere that promotions take into account - kills, flight time, and number of successfully completed patrols

Maxpeck, when I used TAC and arrived at the patrol area, hit "Shift W" until the blue line points back to your base. Then you can fly up and down the lines to your hearts content, waypoints be darned. If you do not know it, "Shift W" does just that. It shifts the next waypoint to the next one. Hope this answers your question.

Good to know - thanks mate

You can cycle the TAC to show ground targets, balloons, ALL, Aircraft, etc.

Maybe cycle to those.

from the FAQ secion 26
"Pressing T also changes target types to narrow a search to only certain object types
such as aircraft only to make this a little easier, so press T once)"


http://www.overflandersfields.com/Downloads/FAQ%20WOFF.pdf

Cycling it was never a problem Polovski

I have already changed it so it shows only surface units

Was just wondering if I could turn off the heading line as well as having it show only surface units (my emphasis) - that's all

Thanks for your input though mate, much appreciated

maxpeck;

I haven't been able to find where the blue flight path line is coded. If and when I find it I may be able to change the colour of it to null.
Since Pol has visited this thread, he may come back to identify if we have any control of this through an xml file.

Cheers

.

As one who abandoned the in-sim aids a long time ago I can state that flying without them and using a 'paper map' makes for an entirely different WOFF experience and one that is far more immersive. If you quickly draw in your assigned patrol area or target on your own map and then fly the mission by that you can avoid the issues of the TAC providing too much information. As MFair has noted, using the Swift-W keystrokes allows you to cycle through the preset waypoints in the sim after which you can fly to your heart's content and it does not appear to affect the success of the mission in terms of achieving the waypoints. Here is a sample 'mission map' of a front line patrol:



Once you have enough rank so that you are always leading your flight you can create your own mission routes and fly them accordingly using this method, and the success rate in terms of how the sim records it does not appear to be adversely affected. The only caveat is that you have to have your flight properly formed up and heading towards the first way point before you can use the Shift-W option.

.

These are the bits of information I have really been after today

Thanks Lou

Looks like I need to go and print some maps

EDIT
Seeing as this is the case Lou, don't worry about my original request hiding the heading line
Unless you want to figure it out for your own satisfaction of course

.

No no, I'm good Max. Besides, it was Robert who was looking into making the heading line disappear so let's allow him to decide if he wishes to continue on with said project for his own edification.

.

Ah yes - the dangers of posting whilst drinking beer

Sorry Fellas

Thanks Lou for the info about the TAC and map

Thanks Rob for the offer to try and change the heading line on the TAC

Let me know how the paper map thing goes.

Well - I haven't gone full on 'Paper Map' but I am in training for it
Figured I would fly completely TAC off but let myself occasionally look at the in game map

Flew my whole patrol without the TAC, I was flight leader
Only took reference from the in game map every now and again
Really enjoyed the fact that all of a sudden I am the one responsible for looking out for EA, deciding if we run or engage.
Also it is my call where we patrol next
A whole new feeling of responsibility
My head was on a swivel

The few times I saw distant Dots my heart was in my mouth
I was thinking hard - do I have a height advantage? Which direction are they going? How many are there?
Both times it turned out to be friendlies, but both experiences were awesome

Anyway - finished the patrol - I had set a timer on my phone for 20 minutes (which is what the mission briefing said I should aim for)
Then headed for home



I have been flying out of L'Ugny L'Equpiuee for some time now so I recognise a few lakes around it

I know this lake, the blunt end points almost directly toward my airfield



Ah yes - that is definitely my airfield

Built in the middle of a forest



If the trees don't get me on final approach, they have handily put a barbed wire fence at the end of the airfield to slow me down

Made it down safely though



Flying the whole patrol without the TAC was a completely different experience

Prior to this - if I was a wingman I would spend the whole patrol looking at it trying to make my formation better
If I was flight leader I would spend the whole time blindly following the heading marker

Without it I spent most of my time actually looking around, taking note of local landmarks, trying to make sure we did not get bounced, worrying about my wingmen etc..........

This just gets better and better

Nice job as patrol leader sir.
Everyone alive and back at the right airfield!

Just had another thought
Now I know why the paper maps are so important

Whilst doing my last patrol I noticed that the lakes, towns etc... did not really correspond to what I could see in the in game map

Have subsequently opened up Lou's map for the region I am flying, and I can see the lakes I recognise, and the towns I must have flown over are on the map

Damn good work sir

.

Very good Max, you are well on your way to flying 'full real', or as much as that is possible in any flight sim. By the way, be sure to use the map for the correct time period for the region you are currently flying in. The front changes as do the locations of the balloons and enemy troops and these changes are reflected on the various maps in the set.

Happy navigating!

.