questions for the OFF Gods...

N

nesop

Guest
Gentlemen and ladies,
I am sure you have better more pressing things to do than worry about my wondering but I have a question,(lots actually) and in this thread I hoped to ask mine... and if you were too answer ....then may be others could ask theirs as well.

My question, oh wise and talented artists and programmers of the OFF universe, is with regard too the spread settings in workshop.

When I saw the setting for spread I took that too be related to the aiming of the guns,
did they converge to a single point at 50 yards, or two separate points. And if two points,then how far apart a forearms length, a full arm..

but in another thread I read that the spread selection affected the mathematic or programmed impact of the ammunition.. in other words juicing the ammo and giving my honorable aviator an unfair advantage in my sim world.(IMHO).

Would any of the gods care to offer an opinion, please.
And if you answer that one may I ask another?
 
Sorry but I'm not a god only a disciple looking to become a priest.
For what I know, those settings are used to simulate the huge vibration caused by the engine. If you use strong force feedback, you can set it at tight, if you don't have any force feedback, you should put it at wide or at least normal spread.

Amen
 
I do think the OFF Gods are a bit busy on Phase 3, so I'll try to answer your question.

Convergence of 6 X .50 cals, act like a steel scalpel

How would you converge a single gun, if you have 2, you ain't carrying enough ammo for a little scalpel action

I do think they were happy if it fired Period. That's one of the main reasons the whole plane shook, with recoil

That's why a force-feedback-stick shakes when the MG Fires
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
There are many different theories, as to bullet spread, I'll give mine

Tight - Single Gun
Normal - Twin Gun heavier vibration DVII, DVa, Pflaz
Wide - Twin Gun Early Aircraft DII, DIII

......................................................................
Normal - Speaks for itself
Strong - WWII Gun
Strongest - Star Wars
 
I usually set my guns to normal spread, maybe Gimp is right about the engine vibrations jarring your aim around, but i think that it is possibly due to the fact that machine guns in WW1 probably werent as accurate as they are today. Especially with the wear and tear on the barrels.
 
Even in WWII, the water cooled .30 cal machine gun would vibrate vertically due to the weight of the bolt going back and forth, so after the first bullet, all the rest would go high. Then a soldier came up with the idea of lightening the bolt and voila, the machine gun fired straight. If that occurred in 1943, imagine how they fired in 1917.

What made the six or eight .50's so effective even over cannons was the speed and weight of metal delivered at a concentrated point ala Gimpy's scalpel.
 
Rooster89 said:
I usually set my guns to normal spread, maybe Gimp is right about the engine vibrations jarring your aim around, but i think that it is possibly due to the fact that machine guns in WW1 probably werent as accurate as they are today. Especially with the wear and tear on the barrels.
Click to expand...

I think you missed my angle, it's not engine vibrations. Because the engine was running at a constant speed, it must be smooth, especially the rotories. The whole damn thing was spinning.
But Gun vibrations, shook everything, a single gun would produce 1/2 the amount of a Twin gun
Soo Single Gun - Tight
Twin Gun - Normal

WIDE Spread is a judgement call. Something with a steel tube frame, say a Fokker DVII would be Less effected, then an ALB DII

The Strange Bird, was the SE5. I'd run her on tight, only one gun in the fusilage, but twin guns overall.

I won't even try to rationalize the Bristol 'Scout' :costumes:
 
Ahh, sorry Gimp. We're on the same page now! Thanks,
-Rooster
 
I don't think tight is an option on any of these aircraft.
 
When I was a lad.. I was told that the Bren gun (a light machine gun .303) as originally designed had too tight a spread.. fire off a magazine and they all went in the same hole.. waste of bullets son.. so they fixed that..
they broardened the spread. A machine gun needs a 'spread' to kill efficiently by spraying into an area! (poke a sten gun into through a window shut your eyes pull the trigger and every thing in the room gets a bullet)...
So I assume that the GODs who designed the game allow us to choose how tight the machine gun's spread is.. A tight spread puts a lot of bullets in a small area.. lowers the chance of a hit but if you do get one you get several...loadsa damage..
wide spread puts a lot of bullets in a big area.. good chance of a hit but not much damage.. I didnt know the mechanics of the way they 'tune' the spread area in RW till.. above.. however of course the plane/mounting etc has some effect however.. I believe there was also a design component..

Convergence of the guns is a different thing.. (wing mounted) it was a critical parameter for WWII aircraft.. In the early days the authorities (who always get it wrong..like not allowing armour plate seat backs in hurricanes) insisted on a convergence at some really silly range 400 yards or so.. but No 1 Squadron who were doing the kill and be killed knew you had to get closer than that and set convergence at 200 (I think)...
but thats my 10ps worth.. :ernae:
 
Sabrerattler said:
I don't think tight is an option on any of these aircraft.
Click to expand...

By tight we ain't talking paper punching accuracy. It's tight in comparison to wide

You are moving at 109mph, while your target is moving at 105mph, on an angle, soo I seriously doubt if all your shots will cloverleaf :ernae:
 
nesop said:
My question, oh wise and talented artists and programmers of the OFF universe, is with regard too the spread settings in workshop.

When I saw the setting for spread I took that too be related to the aiming of the guns,
did they converge to a single point at 50 yards, or two separate points. And if two points,then how far apart a forearms length, a full arm..

but in another thread I read that the spread selection affected the mathematic or programmed impact of the ammunition.. in other words juicing the ammo and giving my honorable aviator an unfair advantage in my sim world.(IMHO).
Click to expand...

It basically makes the shots literally spread out more, as if the guns were vibrating more - it does not change convergence.
 
thank you sir...

very much.
I greatly enjoy the work you have done and the attention you pay to us here in these threads.

I kind of feel as though I am pushing my luck but I have another question...

With regard too wingmen and SOP in the Great War Air Forces..

When we get our briefing we are given an altitude (average I think) for the flight.
I tend to take off quickly, forming the intersection of a V with my wingmen as we lift off.
In general I fly out a mile or two and spiral my way up too altitude, off to one side or the other of the approach path of course.
usually the wingmen hang with me until I get to altitude but often they don't follow as we head off to our first way point.

Can you offer any observations on how a pilot can do a better job of keeping wingmen with him in P2 or P3.

also should I climb in a gradually as I travel along the path or stair step my way up to altitude. Was there a proper procedure, is there a proper P2 P3 method...

Again thank you very much for your attention.
 
1) Don't make a Quick 180 Turn, do it in stages

2) Warp is a tricky call: You may Lose one you may not, a tighter formation is alway's good as they're more able to see your hand signals, on the downside they might collide with you in a Dogfight

3) A Quick Dive . . they may .. or may not follow

Whenever you want them to do something. . . a single Key Press ain't gonna do much... Feverish Repeated Key exercise seems to work better

Attack . . . A
Help . . . . .H
Rejoin . . . .R
Split . . . . .S

When your assigned Target is a Balloon, Your wingmen have got to witness it . . . Dead Wingmen make bad witnesses :d
 
Well don't burn away at full throttle for a start, blip or set the throttle lower etc. Gentle circle until they are up with you. Try to stick to the waypoints.

Bit of a cheat/immersion killer but if you really mess up and can't them back a tap on warp and immediately turn it off off brings you back on course with wingmen.

P3 is all changed to don't spend too much time on it ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top