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#4533818 - 08/16/20 08:07 PM A couple two seater questions  
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
Mark 1956 Offline
Junior Member
Mark 1956  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
FL
First off let me say I love the Sim and have the platinum edition upgrade and looking forward to the 2020 release. I also purchased Wings over the Reich to support the team although without time compression working yet in the sim I'm not playing it.

I started a few campaigns, always dying early in but now that I've been reading the forums and taking more of a "survive' mindset rather than rack up the kills approach I'm doing better---and it's the career and dynamic campaign I enjoy the most as I used to love in Red Baron, Knights in the sky, etc back in the day.
I love the options where you can be as casual or hardcore as you want. I keep flight model set to realistic but do up my guns to strong. I let auto pilot take me almost to the mission waypoint in time compression then take over - so those hour plus missions can be actually done in a third of the time.


My current campaign run I'm trying a two seater for the RAF in 1915 based 20 miles from the front lines flying the BEHD. I've done 10 missions and out of them all were recon except one, and not knowing what I was doing I missed my target. Afterwards I spotted 'Rob Wiggins (RJW)' Flying and fighting guide on the mod page so i think I can hit my target next time.

A couple questions I have are:
1. Is the A.I. gunner any good or should I use auto pilot and switch to gunner when the enemy attacks?
2. If I do hit my target on a bombing mission do I put a claim in as one does when shooting down an enemy plane.


Last edited by Mark 1956; 08/16/20 08:10 PM.

Mark Eubank
#4533843 - 08/17/20 12:15 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
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carrick58  Offline
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Posts: 6,659
I can only help with the 1st question: Yes the gunner is good if U position ur plane under the e/a in a Sopwith 1/2 strutter. and U dont have an economical gunner
firing 3 to 7 shot Burst. In a BE better to avoid and Run away as fast as u can. Just my 2 cents.

#4533847 - 08/17/20 12:48 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: carrick58]  
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,522
jerbear Offline
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jerbear  Offline
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The observer is as good as you make him in settings. At the "accurate" setting he is very very good but you have to put him in a position to fire so a lot depends on you. I use mine for ground targets a lot and he does a better job than me.

I've wondered about the ground claims myself. Doesn't seem to be any way to make a claim. I just figured it was something to allow you to see if you did any good or not, with no relevance to career advancement.

JerBear

#4533867 - 08/17/20 11:24 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
Mark 1956 Offline
Junior Member
Mark 1956  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
FL
Thanks for the replies. I would have thought a target on a mission would count since things like balloons and ground targets are protected and they are risky. Not that I've yet hit anything. For bombing the advice in that helpful guide on the mod page said basically dive and release when your as close as you can be and can still pull up out of the dive. With my flying ability I'm not sure on that one.
Watched a documentary on the Red Baron last night and it was going over what he had said about dog fighting and he never went after balloons or such things. He didn't think all the acrobatic flying stuff was much good either, flips, spins and all would just get you killed. scoring really meant being crazy enough to get as close as you could and firing at the last moment before swerving out of a collision. He said you'd succeed even if your aim was poor. You needed nerves...not skill or fancy flying tricks. That gives me confidence because I surely lack the former and i generally do the later by accident !


Mark Eubank
#4533903 - 08/17/20 04:04 PM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,132
77_Scout Offline
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77_Scout  Offline
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,132
Vancouver Island, Canada
There is no claim system for bombing. From memory, your hits are shown in the mission debrief details so you can see how successful you where. The bombsight mod is useful for level bombing.

#4533935 - 08/17/20 11:04 PM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Fullofit Offline
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Fullofit  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Ajax, ON
Welcome to the forum Mark.
To answer your first question, the AI is decent. Better than me at deflection shooting, but it suffers from target fixation. It will continue to track the first enemy it can acquire for as long as it can maintain lock, ignoring other enemies that may be right there for the picking. If you are good at deflection shooting, then you are the right choice to take over, but be aware that the AI pilot is not as good as you either and will not evade as you would. So you have to compromise. Be a good gunner, but also be a sitting duck, or put up with a target fixated gunner, but survive the fight due to your superior piloting skills. Also be aware the gunner will not shoot while you are maneuvering. Sometimes the gunner won’t shoot even when flying straight and level. Call it rough hangover.
Your second question, you don’t have to claim your bullseyes. They know. After the mission, during the debrief they will tell you the target has been damaged or destroyed. They will also let you know when you miss.
Dive bombing is tough, doable but much, much harder than level bombing, especially if you use the bombsight mod, that Scout’s already mentioned. That baby is more precise than the Norden Mk. XV. You can hit a barrel full of sauerkraut with it.
Good luck!


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4533953 - 08/18/20 03:02 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
Mark 1956 Offline
Junior Member
Mark 1956  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
FL
Thanks for the information. These BE2c's are so slow but that's half the fun I suppose. try to survive. I think then if multiple enemy attack I may be better off switching to the gun. We're probably dead anyway lol. I didn't think I'd like the recon/bomber roll but it's actually pretty fun - and I don't have to compete to be the best ACE. Just have successful missions and come back alive.

This is the RAF in 1915. Anyone take the roll as the French or Germans? Do they get better airplanes or guns? Seems that standing gunner only aiming backward is rather limited in the BE HD. Do these ever get replaced? My entire squad just has the BE HD's in Oct. 1915.

Last edited by Mark 1956; 08/18/20 03:03 AM.

Mark Eubank
#4533967 - 08/18/20 06:38 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
VonS Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
VonS  Offline
WWI Flight Sims on a Mac
Member

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 936
Originally Posted by Mark 1956
This is the RAF in 1915. Anyone take the roll as the French or Germans? Do they get better airplanes or guns?


I've got a German career going in late 1915 in my casual campaigns thread - "stuck" with the Fokker E.II, but that's largely the best thing you can be stuck with, on the German side, in late '15. It's much better than the E.I, the Spandau MG being more reliable than the Parabellum on the E.I. I'm assuming we will get "upgraded" to E.III types if my pilot survives up north at Ghistelles, into 1916 - although I'd consider that a downgrade (earlier production E.II has a slightly shorter wingspan than the E.III, thus more maneuverability).

If you want an early two-seater career with the Germans, it's mostly the Rumpler or early Aviatik - similar flying characteristics to the BE2, pleasant enough but slow, although gunners have more maneuverability on them than in the early BE2. If flying French in '15, probably the Morane Parasol for two-seater careers, and the Nieup .10 if you want to fly a one-seater. If you are strictly into two-seaters, you might want to try out the Parasol in '15 (some RFC squadrons get those instead of the BE2). The Parasol's gunner has a good range/maneuverability of fire from what I've been able to experience with RFC1 in the casual campaigns thread - although the Parasol requires constant stick control and is prone to stall/spin in windy conditions.

Von S smile2


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4533989 - 08/18/20 12:58 PM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
Mark 1956 Offline
Junior Member
Mark 1956  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 5
FL
Great info VonS thanks very much smile

I Got another Bomber mission last night. It wasn't a specific target but rather "Bomb front lines". I was pretty excited to use the "Dive and pull up' advice. This is easier said than done with the gunner blocking my forward view. I just won't cheat with f4 but the thought of getting track IR sure entered my head. Then I could lean out and see past the gunner! and it's not at all that expensive so my next purchase....
I'm using a thrustmaster t1000 with the throttle pair. It doesn't have a lot of buttons but I thought when I bought it it would be enough for a WWI sim. It really isn't. Between engine start, time compression and seat switch that only leaves the throttle buttons which are quickly used up for targeting, so I'm hitting f6 to get back in the pilot seat and for other less used functions.
Anyway I'm about 2 miles out from my target area, trenches....and I go in a dive and release a little early (1000 ft) and pull up. On pull up the gunner begins firing too which was pretty neat! I received some incoming fire too and suffered light damage but nothing serious. I didn't know if I hit anything or not until I landed but the mission brief did state "enemy suffered some damage. Good show!". Lots of fun!


Mark Eubank
#4534377 - 08/22/20 12:44 AM Re: A couple two seater questions [Re: Mark 1956]  
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,426
Wodin Offline
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Wodin  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,426
Liverpool
Patience and keeping calm is how you have a successful career. Nine times out of ten I've died due to impatience or taking high unnecessary risks.


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