Takeoff on full Novice mode

[McMick]

Before the 2.04 patch is released, can anyone take the time to make sure that on full novice mode all aircraft can take off from all airfields, in all missions?

I've never reliably been able to take off in full novice mode (have to set the flight model to realistic but I think everything else can stay the same). The wheels stay stuck firmly to the ground. This I know is unimportant to a large portion of the people who play this game, but I'd hate to see new users turned off by this problem.

[Buddye]

Hi Borton, my main man in novice.

Would you have the time to test and report this for us...........

McMick, better yet I have added you the Beta Room so you can come in and test the Novice stuff out? May be too late to fix it, however.

Good testing..............

[Tako_Kichi]

Before the 2.04 patch is released, can anyone take the time to make sure that on full novice mode all aircraft can take off from all airfields, in all missions?

Including the IA missions where you 'normally' start in the air either in front of or behind the bandits?

I have not had a problem getting off the ground so far in novice mode while testing but I have only done the missions where you 'normally' start that way.

[Tako_Kichi]

I just tested the basic take off IA mission from all the available fields and with all the available aircraft and had no problems at all with the latest beta release.

HTH

[borton]

I just tested the basic take off IA mission from all the available fields and with all the available aircraft and had no problems at all with the latest beta release.

Yes, Tako, but did you test in Novice mode. If you did, I won't bother.

BTW I have been using Realistic quite a lot for Instant Action ops but don't feel that I can enjoy it for Campaign. I'm hoping to hear that I can set up the Campaign using Novice and then revert to Realistic for IAs.

[McMick]

The only missions I've had problems with are ones where you start on the ground. The front tyres are just glued to the ground. I would love to participate in beta testing but unfortunately I'm down to one PC at the moment, and I use it for things other than entertainment. This will change in the (hopefully near) future.

[Tako_Kichi]

I just tested the basic take off IA mission from all the available fields and with all the available aircraft and had no problems at all with the latest beta release.

Yes, Tako, but did you test in Novice mode. If you did, I won't bother.

All the above take off tests were done in Novice mode, all aircraft got off the ground safely although I did get some radio chatter about being 'untidy' on a couple of them .

EDIT: I should also note that some take offs were done using the cockpit view and some the external view and there were no problems with either, in fact the 'better' take offs (according to the radio chatter) were done in external view!

BTW I have been using Realistic quite a lot for Instant Action ops but don't feel that I can enjoy it for Campaign. I'm hoping to hear that I can set up the Campaign using Novice and then revert to Realistic for IAs.

Hmm..I wonder if this would work as a test.

1. Set up your options for Novice, save and then exit to be doubly sure that the settings took.

2. Restart the game and start a campaign in Novice mode then save the campaign and exit.

3. Restart the game and change your options to Realistic, save and then exit to be doubly sure that the settings took.

4. Restart the game and fly an IA mission in Realistic mode then load the saved campaign, frag to a plane ASAP and check to see which mode you are flying in (presence or lack of stalls/spins, red-outs/no red-outs etc.).

We know that some settings are only saved when you exit the game hence the reason why I suggest all the exits and restarts.

If I get chance later today I may test this out myself too.

[borton]

Yes, nice one, Tako_Kichi! I have just tried what you suggested and the results are as follows:

- set Flight Model to Novice;
- exited from BoB;
- restarted BoB. Settings remain as Novice;
- loaded Campaign and flew an op. Flight model was Novice;
- exited Campaign and reset Flight model to Realistic;
- exited from BoB;
- restarted BoB. Settings remain as Realistic;
- loaded Campaign and flew an op. Flight model still Novice;
- exited Campaign and checked Options;
- Flight model settings had changed back to Novice.

So, in summary, when you set up a Campaign, the Options will be as set at that time. If you exit Campaign and change Flight model to Realistic and then return to Campaign, the Flight model will still be as originally set i.e. Novice. If you exit Campaign and attempt to fly an Instant Action op, your Realistic settings will have changed back to the Novice of the Campaign.

Now this is a pity! It would have been nice, indeed preferable if the Instant Action and Campaign had retained their own settings.

This also presents a problem in that, apparently, once you create a Campaign, you cannot change the Option settings for that Campaign thereafter. If you delete the Settings.cfg file in the SaveGame folder, will the existing Campaign take on the Options which currently exist for Instant Action, or do you have to re-start the Campaign from scratch?

Presumably, you cannot have different Option settings for different Campaigns.

I wonder if the fact that you cannot change Options in mid-flight using the F12 key anymore, impinges on these conclusions.

My brain hurts!

[Tako_Kichi]

- Flight model settings had changed back to Novice.

GRRRR!!!!

So, in summary, when you set up a Campaign, the Options will be as set at that time. If you exit Campaign and change Flight model to Realistic and then return to Campaign, the Flight model will still be as originally set i.e. Novice. If you exit Campaign and attempt to fly an Instant Action op, your Realistic settings will have changed back to the Novice of the Campaign.

Now this is a pity! It would have been nice, indeed preferable if the Instant Action and Campaign had retained their own settings.

I agree.

This also presents a problem in that, apparently, once you create a Campaign, you cannot change the Option settings for that Campaign thereafter. If you delete the Settings.cfg file in the SaveGame folder, will the existing Campaign take on the Options which currently exist for Instant Action, or do you have to re-start the Campaign from scratch?

My guess is that you would have to start the campaign again but I don't know for sure as I have not been playing the game long enough yet to know all it's 'quirks'. I have a campaign I have been testing with that has some settings in it that are different to the way I normally like to fly and it catches me out every time I play it! It would be nice if I could set it back to the way I like it in mid-campaign as it were.

Presumably, you cannot have different Option settings for different Campaigns.

Hmm....I would actually think that you could if the settings are connected to the saved campaign. I don't see why you couldn't have a Novice and a Realistic campaign provided that they have different 'save' names.

I wonder if the fact that you cannot change Options in mid-flight using the F12 key anymore, impinges on these conclusions.

I don't know about that but I wonder what would have happened if you had exited BoB after the campaign and then restarted would it have then selected the Realistic settings. I am wondering if the Novice settings you found were left as the last used rather than the campaign calling up the 'preferred' status on exit.

My brain hurts!

Mine does that every day!

[marklaur]

This looks like a good fix as I only use novice mode as well. To me this sim is far too hard in realistic mode.

But that is what scalability is for, and novice is fine for me.

Cheers MarkL

[ick53993]

[edited]

[Tako_Kichi]

Thanks for that info, I had never clicked on the 'sim config' button before so wasn't sure if it applied to campaign mode or not.

That's my lesson for the day, thanks! I always try to learn at least one new thing a day .

[borton]

Yes, thanks ick53993 for that.

I have only been using BoB since its inception by Rowan and, quite unbelievably, I have never noticed that before.

It does, of course, mean that you do not have to start a new Campaign every time you need to change some settings. However, if you change the settings in Campaign, the settings for Instant Action will also be changed, whether you 'fix' them or not. This does not seem to apply the other way round.

Accordingly, I have set my Campaign to Novice as my main setting. Anytime, I am feeling adventurous and wish to fly a Realistic I/A, I am aware that any changes I make here will not affect my main Campaign settings. It seems that, even if you make no changes when in Campaign, the Campaign settings will always overwrite your I/A settings when you play it.

It would probably make more sense it it were possible to have a separate settings.cfg file for Campaign and Instant Action. I should imagine that quite a few people would be pleased about that!

We learn something new everyday.

[SeaVee]

Hello.

So, in summary..... If you exit Campaign and attempt to fly an Instant Action op, your Realistic settings will have changed back to the Novice of the Campaign.

Yes, it is true. But before you fly an IA, you can change the setting to Realistic in two ways;
1) On the Main screen, go to 'Options' and change the setting
2) On the Frag screen of the IA mission, go to 'Sim Config' and change the setting

BoB2 saves the settings at two occasions into different places;
1) When you quit the game
2) When you save the 'campaign'
When you quit BoB2, your last mission setting is saved. If your last mission is an IA with Realistic setting, it is to be saved.
Campaign settig is saved as the campaign data, so if you load the saved campaign, Novice setting is restored.

once you create a Campaign, you cannot change the Option settings for that Campaign thereafter.
Presumably, you cannot have different Option settings for different Campaigns.

These are not true. You can change the ongoing-campaign settings during the missions. Using 'Sim Config' on the Frag screen, it is possible at any time.


I use different settings for RAF and LW campaigns. And quite often, I change my campaign settings during the missions.
Thank you.

Hi ick53993, if you don't mind, can I use your comments and screenshot in the new 2.04 manual? This is very relevant information that I certainly never knew about and it is important to get in the new manual. Please let me know if this is OK with you.

BTW, the new 2.04 manual is in the final stages, sorry it was not quite finished in time for concurrent release with 2.04 It should be out for public download in the next 2-3 days. It is now well over 200 pages long (the 2.03 manual was 135ish) I am NOT the author but am, along with Borton (and with lots of editing help from PV) compiling it from many sources including the forums and prior manual versions.

[ick53993]

[edited]