BoBII 2.10 Manual Final

Contents

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Battle of Britain II 2.10 Game Manual

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CONTENTS

Manual Layout 1 Developer‟s Notes 3 What has changed since update 2.09? 4 CHAPTER 1 6

OVERVIEW 6 Installation 7 Getting Started 9

CHAPTER 2 11 THE IN-GAME GUI MENUS AND CONTROLLER SET UP 11 THE MAIN MENU 12

Instant Action 13 Campaigns 13 Load game 13 Replay 14

OPTIONS IN DETAIL 19 MORE GFX 23 CONTROLS 26

Key Mapping and Expanded Descriptors: 26 RETRO‟s Controller/GUI FAQ: 29

SIM 36 Flight 37 Game 40 Mission 42 Views 44 Field of view: 46 Game (advanced) 49

CHAPTER 3 57 INSTANT ACTION MISSIONS 57

Basic training 58 Advanced training 59 Dogfighting 59 Ground attack 60 Interceptions 60 Historic 61 Additional information 61

Contents

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CHAPTER 4 67 SECTION A: CAMPAIGN 67

Campaign Screen 67 Screen Control Icons 69 Luftwaffe Campaign Tutorial 75

Part 1: Using Directives 77 Part 2: Following Raids from the Campaign Map 81 Part 3: Authorising and Editing Raids 88 Part 4: Flying 96 Part 5: Reviews 97

RAF Campaign Tutorial 99 SECTION B: Campaign Tactics 114

RAF Fighter Campaign Tactics 114 Section II RAF Route Manipulation 128 Luftwaffe Campaign Tactics 134 How to play a “Single Squadron” Campaign 147

SECTION C: THE SINGLE PILOT CAMPAIGN 154 Heinkills guide to the Luftwaffe SPC 172

CHAPTER 5 180 FLYING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AIRCRAFT 180 THE AIRCRAFT CONTROLS 180

Flight controls 180 Engine controls 183 The major flight and engine controls 187

THE INTERACTIVE COCKPITS 188 ENGINES AND PROPELLERS 188 STARTING THE ENGINE, TAXIING, AND TAKE-OFF –GENERAL CONCEPTS 193 COCKPIT SCREENSHOTS, TAKE-OFF AND LANDING

CHECKLISTS AND RECOMMENDED SPEEDS 197 Spitfire 1a and 1b: 197 Hurricane 1a and 1b: 199 Messerschmitt Bf109: 201 Messerschmitt Bf110 203 Junkers JU87 Stuka 206

PRIMER STROKES: 207 FLYING 209

COMBAT MANOEUVRES 215 FIGHTERS OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN 225 Advancement of the AI in the game 231


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A Spin is a beautiful thing 233 CHAPTER 6 241

MULTISKIN 2.10 241 CHAPTER 7 249

MULTIPLAYER 249 Overview 249 Preliminary notes 249 Starting Multiplay 250 Create game 253 Death match scenarios 254 Team play scenarios 255 Quick missions 256 Join game 256 Game selection screen 258 Ready room 258 Multiplay unique options 262 Ending a multiplay game 263 Multiplay debrief 264 Technical Help and Setup 264

CHAPTER 8 269 BATTLE OF BRITAIN REMEMBERED 269

CHAPTER 9 276 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 276

APPENDIX A: The BDG.txt File 277 APPENDIX B: Cockpits 309

SPITFIRE 309 HURRICANE 310 BF109 311 BF110 312 STUKA 313

APPENDIX C: Keycards, Padlocks and Views 314 KEY CARDS 314 PADLOCKING SYSTEM & THE VIEW KEYS: 317

APPENDIX D: Radio Commands 321 APPENDIX E 323 Patch Revision History 323 APPENDIX F: AUTOGEN function in the BDG.txt 375 APPENDIX G: BDG_Values.Maneuvre Testing codes for

Activating fprintf 379

Contents

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APPENDIX H: CPS_Bomber‟s Keymapping Guide 380 NOTES ON “FK_” SERIES OF DEFINABLE COMMANDS 381 SPITFIRE Mk1A/1B 383 HURRICANE Mk1A/1B 384 Bf109 385 Bf110 387 Ju87 389 SPECIAL NOTES FOR Bf109 & Bf110 390

Index 442

Manual Layout

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Manual Layout

Chapter One contains an overview, followed by full installation instructions and a Quick Start list that will get you off the ground and flying in the minimum amount of time. Chapter Two describes the function of the in-game GUI Menus, details the Replay facility within the game and Controller set up. Included are full descriptions of the various Options configuration screens. There are more configuration options available. Appendix A contains VERY

important information on the BDG.TXT file, which is similar to the „config‟ or „settings‟ file you find in other games. Collectively, the in-game GUI menus and the BDG.txt file allow you to set all of your preferences for the game. It is very strongly recommended that you look at Appendix A in conjunction with Chapter Two or you may miss out on additional settings that you might want. Chapter Three lists the available missions in the Instant Action section of

the game. These are individual scenarios that put you in a variety of flying and combat situations. The layout of the Instant Action screens is described in full. Chapter Four details the game's Campaign system. The first section covers the general functionality of the campaign and tutorials for running the Campaign from the perspective of a Luftwaffe Commander and a RAF Commander respectively. This is followed by a section on tactics and

how to win both the RAF and Luftwaffe campaigns, and how to run a “Single Squadron” Campaign. Chapter Five is a large chapter dealing with flying and the aircraft available to fly in Battle of Britain II. Section 1 lists the available aircraft controls in the simulation. Section 2 shows cockpit layouts that can be manipulated in 'interactive cockpit' mode. Section 3 focuses on engines and propellers. Section 4 shows how to start your engines, taxi and take-off. Section 5 concentrates on solo and formation flying. Section 6 deals

with combat manoeuvres. Section 7 provides technical summaries of the major aircraft in the game. Finally, there is an expanded discussion of AI improvements and flight model changes in the game and an excellent section regarding the SPIN capabilities and user-adjustable spin parameters for same.


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Chapter Six covers the new Multiskin feature which was added in v 2.05.

Multiskin adds authentic squadron markings, emblems and color schemes which were actually used in the RAF and Luftwaffe planes involved in the Battle. Chapter Seven covers the new Multiplayer Beta capability in some detail. It is hoped that by releasing this code as a „work in progress‟ the player community will help take it forward and improve it.

Chapter Eight The Battle of Britain Remembered, is a historical perspective of the battle by author Dilip Sarkar. Chapter Nine notes the game credits, acknowledgements and technical support details.

Developer’s Notes

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Developer‟s Notes Back in the year 2000, Rowan Software created a game called “Rowan‟s

Battle of Britain”. A dedicated online freeware group called the Battle of Britain Development Group (BDG) further improved the original core game. Battle of Britain II “Wings of Victory” 2.06 was the result of BDG and Shockwave Productions (now called A2A Simulations), and was the last “official” update. Since then the BDG has continued to release freeware updates (now up to BDG_2.10) that improve and build upon the great foundation laid out by the original developers. Rowan Software may no longer exist, but their legacy still remains. In some ways their light is now shining brighter than ever.

Today, Battle of Britain II is everything the original was and more. Never have we played a flight simulation with such in-game atmosphere and delivered it on top of one of the most ambitious, historical re-creations of a living, strategic theater. The world is vast, yet detailed down to a single building or ammo shack. The action is real and with consequences as you watch events unfold on a grand scale. You may be flying back from a huge battle and just by chance stumble upon a friendly flight going out on

a mission, or perhaps an unknown enemy en-route to complete their mission. The enemy makes tactical decisions like, “is it worth attacking them at this point, or should we carry on?” Weather affects the ability of planes to be spotted from the air and from the ground. If you just want to jump in and have fun playing all sorts of missions, fly Instant Action missions. These missions play out differently all the time. If you want to be part of the campaign, playing consecutive missions as a

single pilot in a squadron, choose the Single Player Campaign. Or take full control of the skies in the Commander Level Campaign which lets you command either the RAF or Luftwaffe air fleets, and fly in any engagement you can see on the campaign map. Whatever you do, it is our truest hope you have fun with our game. All we hope is you, our customer, experience some of the magic we‟ve been experiencing and excitement we‟ve had while we‟ve been making Battle

of Britain II “Wings of Victory.”


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What has changed since update 2.09? Quite a lot really! Mixed Skills within Units (Squadrons/Staffeln) Within squadrons, pilots can have differing skill levels from novice to hero, a more realistic situation than previously where all pilots in a

squadron had the same skill level. Updated Flight Models The changes in this update reduce over-controlling while countering slipstream effects during takeoff, and moderate the tendency for the nose to wander side to side due to inadvertent small rudder inputs in the heat of battle. Reversals in roll direction during scissors-type manoeuvres can be flown noticeably more cleanly.

New ground models and terrain Now over 400 authentic period ground models, with extensive work on hand populating the coastline between Dover and Portsmouth. Brand new High Res Terrain textures (64x original BoBII resolution) with new areas updated, for example Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters now fully modeled.

3DGauges Immersion for pilots who like to fly by instrument has been greatly improved with fuel, compass and other items fixed in fighters. Multiskin We now have every single bomber including Ju87s uniquely coded and marked with historical accuracy. Ju87 model has been updated.

Auto Gen for Trees and other objects (work in progress) The player can adjust the forestation of the landscape to suit the power of their PC. Sheep, cows and haystacks can be autogenerated! Multiplayer beta Up to 8 players can now play online using a beta version of the code. This feature is very much a work in in progress that is being released to the player community to help drive further development.

Developer’s Notes

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There have also been multiple stability and bug fixes.

Credits Yet another wonderful team effort across all times zones and nationalities. The passion and dedication of the team continues to humble us. We don't do this for the pay, merely for the love of a shared passion. There are dozens of people contributing to the various versions so far.

Please see past release notes following for previous versions. Specifically regarding Update 2.10, thank you to: Coders: Buddye, Osram, Eric Flight Model (FM): Blue Six, Eric Models: Creation, conversion- Ben, Geoff, Simon. Textures: Ben, Bader, Stickman, Hylander_1715 Gauges: Eric, Blue Six, Stickman, Smokin256

Multiskin bombers: Aces Landscape: PV, Bader Guides/Illustrations- Stickman, AlexCraig Testing/General- Trumper, Borton, Aces, Prem Holdaway, Chumleigh, Heinkill, JamesB, PV, Stickman, SeaVee and, as ever, Scott from A2A, for allowing us to camp out at the A2A Forum and for general support.


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CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW

he Battle of Britain started on July 10th, 1940. It was the beginning

of a campaign by the German Luftwaffe to destroy the defensive capabilities of British Fighter Command. The ultimate aim was a sea-based invasion of southern England in an operation codenamed

SEALION. It was recognized that air supremacy was vital if that operation was to succeed. Although there were expectations in Germany for a quick victory, the air campaign lasted for well over two months. The battle went through a series of phases, which culminated in a major air battle over London and southern England on September 15, 1940. That event is still celebrated in Britain as 'Battle of Britain' day. Two days later German plans for Operation Sealion were abandoned.

Battle of Britain II – Wings of Victory will completely immerse the player into the combat experiences of a WWII fighter pilot as well as a fighter wing commander. As the commander on either side you will have a strategic overview of the conflict using authentic campaign maps. Using these maps and your own cunning, you can make the key decisions throughout the entire campaign. Some of the Luftwaffe's 1,000 aircraft

raids are reproduced, affording a unique insight into what it might have been like flying against or with, such numbers of aircraft. In 'Campaign' Mode the player can select one of four starting points to enter the air war. The campaign begins with attacks on British coastal shipping by the Luftwaffe, who then move on to attacking radar installations, coastal facilities and airfields. This is followed by concentrated attacks against the RAF‟s major airfields and aircraft

factories, which lead on to the final showdown during the 'Blitz' of London in September 1940. The specially designed INSTANT ACTION missions take the player from 'Basic Training', which involves starting the engine and learning to take off from a grass strip, to the more advanced areas of formation flying and dogfighting. A number of historic missions are based on actual engagements, and these culminate in a massive simulation of the final raid

of the war on September 15th 1940 - Battle of Britain Day.

Overview

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Installation

Installation Instructions: To install Battle of Britain II, please make sure that you follow the instructions below. 1. Insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. If the game proceeds to

autorun then go to step three.

2. Click on the START button on the Windows taskbar and select RUN,

followed by BROWSE. Select your CD-ROM drive after clicking on the down arrow to the left of the LOOK IN box. Double click on the file named SETUP.EXE followed by OK.

3. A welcome message will be presented. Click on the NEXT button to

continue and follow the installation instructions.

Uninstalling Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory: If you wish to remove Battle of Britain II from your system we suggest that you use the add/remove programs properties box. Look for Battle of Britain II under the installed software list and select the ADD/REMOVE

button. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Options settings and your PCs capabilities: Generally speaking, PC-based flight simulation games can be very demanding on a PC system‟s capabilities – often to a greater degree than

other game genres like “first person shooters”. PC flight games generally play best on systems with a strong CPU, lots of fast system RAM, a good video card with a bare minimum 64MB (strongly recommend 128MB or higher) of memory, a fast hard drive, etc. Because there is a great variation in the “power” of one PC over another, there is no single set of variables that are intended to work well across the board for all PCs. It is important for the player to understand the specifications and capabilities of his/her PC and set the game options

(discussed in Chapter 2) accordingly. Although Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory is based on a core developed in the late 1990s and released initially in 2000, the game‟s code was written with a view towards the future - anticipating the continued advances in PC capabilities. With a powerful, modern PC that is capable


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of running the game at the higher “eye candy” settings, the visual quality and game play can be stunning and far greater than what was possible at

the time of the original game release. Your video should be fully Direct X 9.0 compliant for BoB2 to work properly. Older non-DX9.0 compliant video cards may have visual anomalies or not work at all. Important: Anti-aliasing and Vertical-Sync are NOT in-game menu option items. If your PC is strong enough, it is recommended that you

enable these in your video card driver settings in order to take advantage of the significant visual enhancements to the game these settings can provide. Search the „net with the keywords “anti-aliasing” and “V-sync” for more information on what these settings do for games.

It is very strongly recommended that you ensure that all of your PC‟s

device drivers are fully updated to the latest available versions and you are using DirectX 9.0c or higher. There have been at least 4 updates to DX 9.0c although for some inexplicable reason Microsoft did not change the file name with each revision. Disabling anti-virus, anti-spyware and any non-essential background programs often also improves performance, especially on older, less capable systems. The user should understand when selecting the various options that there

is generally a trade-off between enjoying maximum “eye-candy” and smooth game play and high frames per second. There are many tips and tweaks and “how to” guides available on the Internet that one can do to their PC that often can result in gains in performance. Visit the A2A Simulations forums at:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum

for many community suggested tips and the latest patches. Other flight sim forums often also contain general tips for improving a PCs performance that are “universal” and apply to almost any game. Disclaimer: The game producers and developers do not specifically endorse or recommend any such system changes and modifications. If the user does make such changes they do so at their own risk. You should not

make changes to your PC system if you do not have a full understanding of what you are doing.

http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum

Overview

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Getting Started

Quickstart 1. Install and load the game as referred to in the installation section

above. 2. You will be presented with the Main Menu of the game, which

allows you access to every area of the simulation. The Main Menu is

described in detail in Chapter Two. 3. Select OPTIONS from the main menu. The OPTIONS screens allow

you to configure a wide range of details that relate to your display, sound and control capabilities. Select the Controller option - the third from the left at the top of the screen.

4. Ensure that you have selected an appropriate input device. We

strongly recommend that you use a joystick with this simulation. 5. Select Continue at the top right corner of the OPTIONS screen to

return to the Main Menu. 6. Select the Instant Action option at the top of the main menu. This

option allows you to fly in one of twenty-eight pre-designed missions. The default first scenario is a Basic Training mission

involving your plane taking off. Using the radio buttons you can change your aircraft and airfield. If this scenario is too simple for you, by all means choose something more advanced. You may, however, find the Historic raid on September 15th 1940 a bit too much at this stage!

7. Click on the Fly option at the bottom of your screen, and once you

have noted which squadron you have been assigned to, select Fly

once more in order to load the simulation. 8. Assuming that you have chosen the Basic Training Take-off scenario,

you will be on a runway ready for take-off. Release your left and right wheel brakes using your “,” and “.” keys (comma and period), set throttle to 100% (hit the 0 key or set your joystick throttle to full) and as your Spitfire picks up speed gently pull back on your joystick. You may find it more comforting initially to use the Outside View, which provides a third person view of your aircraft (hit the “F6” key

or use the 4th button on your joystick). Control is now in your hands!


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10. If you wish to pause the game while in flight, press P. For more

information on how your aircraft is performing during a flight, press I. Your Altitude, Heading, and Wind speed will be displayed in the lower left corner of your screen. Use the joystick to control your aircraft‟s attitude and direction when flying. Pull the joystick back and the nose of the aircraft will rise and you will start to climb. Push the joystick forward and the nose will drop and the aircraft will begin to dive. Moving the stick to the left or right causes the aircraft to roll in that direction. To turn, gently move the joystick left or right to roll

the aircraft into a bank and then ease the stick back to the center. Extreme or sudden movement of the stick can cause the aircraft to stall or spin. If you do not have a throttle enabled on your joystick use the number keys to control the engine power settings (“1” key for idle, “0” key for maximum). See Chapter Five for more details on flying.

11. Once you have mastered the basic controls, you can end an

Instant Action mission at any time by selecting the key

combination <ALT-X> keys. A combat report will be displayed at the end of the mission, which will summarize what happened during the mission. Select BACK to return to the Instant Action mission selection screen.

Overview

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CHAPTER 2 THE IN-GAME GUI MENUS AND

CONTROLLER SET UP

he first section of this chapter deals with the contents and function of the Main Menu and the various “sub menus ” within it. These collectively are referred to as the “In-Game GUI” (Graphical User

Interface) menus. Not only does it describe each available option in general terms, but also it provides the key information for the Load Game and Replay facilities. There is a detailed description of the available OPTIONS screens, which allow you to configure the game to suit the specifications of your PC, including your sound card and game controllers. Section two deals with the Simulation configuration screens. The final section is a “How To” on setting up your controller/joystick.

IMPORTANT: In addition to the “in-game GUI” menu items

described in this Chapter 2, there are many user-adjustable options that can be altered via the BDG.TXT file. The BDG.txt file is described in detail in Appendix A. The BDG.TXT file, is a critical additional component of the user-adjustable game options. Collectively, the in-game

GUI menus and the BDG.txt file allow you to set all of your preferences for the game. It is very strongly recommended that you look at Appendix A in conjunction with this Chapter 2 or you may will likely miss out on additional settings and features that you will want. Collectively, between the in-game GUI menu items and via changes to the BDG.txt, the player can configure Battle of Britain II to their desired level of detail, authenticity and complexity. This allows a great deal of flexibility for the player to configure the game to best suit the capabilities

of their PC‟s individual specifications. It is important for the user to understand that some, but not all of the items in the in-game GUI menus and the BDG.TXT items may overlap and vice versa. Before making any changes to the BDG.txt file, we STRONGLY suggest you make a backup copy of the file (i.e. copy and paste the file in the same folder and then rename it “OLD_BDG.txt”). In this way you can


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revert back to “default” settings if you wish. In a worst case, the file can be safely deleted and it will be re-generated with default settings the next

time you run the game. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to read the section “OPTIONS SETTINGS AND YOUR PC‟s CAPABILITIES” on page 16 of this manual before continuing.

THE MAIN MENU

The available Main Menu options are laid out as follows:

Instant Action

Campaigns

Load Game

Replay

Options

Credits

Quit

Contact Us

Multiplayer

In-Game GUI Menus & Controller Set Up

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Instant Action The Instant Action option takes you to the Instant Action selection screen, where you can set up one of the twenty-eight single missions available within the game. These are limited, pre-designed scenarios which vary from simple tasks such as take-off and landing through formation flying and dogfighting, to taking part in one of six historical missions based on their major engagements during the Battle of Britain. As is the case

throughout the simulation you can choose to take part on either side. The Instant Action section is described in greater detail in Chapter Three.

Campaigns The Campaigns option lets you play on either side during the Battle of Britain. You can take the role of the commander where you will have at

your disposal all of the RAF or Luftwaffe resources that were available at the time. The campaign can either be played straight through from its beginning in July 1940 until the climax on September 15th, or can be started at the beginning of any one of the four 'phases' of the battle. Chapter Four details the campaigns and provides tutorials for both the RAF and Luftwaffe sides. The campaigns themselves have an extensive help facility that describes the function of every option available to the player.

Load game


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The load game facility allows you to load in a Campaign game that you have previously saved. You are only offered the option to save your game

during the Campaign section of Battle of Britain II. The Instant Action missions cannot be saved. From within the Load Game screen, first select RAF or Luftwaffe at the bottom of the page (RAF is already selected). Then select the saved game of your choice from the list, and then click on Load at the bottom of the screen to restart your campaign at the point where it was saved. If you wish to return to the Main Menu without loading a saved game then select

the Back option at the bottom of the screen. Campaign games can be saved in three ways: 1. Use the „filing‟ icon to open the filing dialogue with both "load" and

"save" tabs, then either select a game to overwrite from the list, or enter a new name. Then click the SAVE icon.

2. After clicking the close icon to exit you will be offered a chance to save the current game. The process is then effectively the same.

3. The game "Auto Save" is generated every time you enter the frag

screen on the way to flying a mission. The "Auto Save" entry in the list of saved games will always be in the situation just prior to the last time you entered the campaign mode

Replay


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The replay feature allows you to access footage that you have taken while flying.

RECORDING There are several ways to record footage. The simplest is to set the Gun Camera option in the Sim Config/Views screen to On. This will record the mission from start to end. Setting this option to Trigger will record when the player shoots or drops a bomb. The recording will stop shortly after the player has stopped firing, and for

one minute after a bomb has been dropped. The player can also toggle the gun camera on/off by using the “C” key. Both this and the recording on trigger will concatenate recorded pieces during the same mission together into a single replay file for that mission. It is possible to throw away all current footage and begin again by pressing the “X” key.

SAVING In Instant Action missions, when the mission has ended the player returns to the Debrief screen. There is a replay option here, which allows the player to

save and/or view the footage from the mission he has just flown. To save the footage, select an existing file to overwrite, or type a new name in under current file and click on Save. You will need to delete the name of the existing file, before you enter a new name for your current recording. To view the recent mission, click on View. During the Campaign, click on the replay icon on the main toolbar on the map screen. This will give the player the option of saving and viewing

footage in the same way as for Instant Action missions.

REPLAYING To replay footage that you have recorded, either select the replay option from the Main Menu, or use the replay icon on the map toolbar in the campaign section of the game. If you choose replay from the Main Menu, the replay screen is displayed. On the replay screen, you should select the desired footage. A list of previously saved replay files will be displayed, to

view one, click on the name so it is displayed in current file and click on View. The simulation 3D system is then loaded, and a set of 12 icons and a running bar are displayed at the top of the screen. When a recording is being replayed, a line moves along the running bar to indicate the current position relative to the start and stop positions. The two other lines on the running bar are for Start Marker and End Marker. The default position for these markers


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is at the start and end of the running bar. These markers allow you to select significant footage. Right-clicking the screen with the mouse enables free-

look panning. Starting from the left icon, the functionality is as follows:

Rewind to the previous marker

Rewind to the previous block. The recording is saved in discrete blocks. Forward/Rewind through the

blocks is a quick way of moving around the recording.

Rewind one frame (only available when paused)

Play/Pause

Forward one frame (only available when paused)

Forward to the next block

Forward to the next marker

Save the marked block


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Reset markers to the beginning and end of recording

Exit replay

Set the Start marker to the current position. Setting this to after the “End” marker moves the End marker to the end.

Set the End marker to the current position. Setting this to before the “start” marker moves the start marker to

the beginning.

The icons can be selected using the keyboard number row (1 for the first icon, 2 for the second icon etc. up to -and = for set beginning and end marker) or the mouse pointer (so long as the interactive cockpit has the mouse allocated to it in the controller preferences). In addition to the controls provided by the icons, most of the usual view keys are available using the function keys.

FREE LOOK and other views: Right-Click the mouse in order to unlock your viewpoint and pan it with your mouse.

ZOOMING IN/OUT THE VIEW: Zoom in/out with the numpad plus or numpad minus keys. To zoom at a faster rate press SHIFT+numpad plus or SHIFT+ numpad minus keys.

Zooming can also be achieved with the mouse scroll wheel.

MOVING THE CAMERA POSITION: Use ALT+V to move the camera position from you plane. You can thus “fly the camera” to different areas using the zoom in/out keys discussed above instead of just having the camera locked near your plane. This is useful for example to place the camera on the ground and capture screenshots or FRAPS videos (see FRAPS below). Cycle between different camera locations using ALT+V including a no-

cockpit view of your plane. Press F6 to revert back to “chase” view from outside the plane. Cycle to views of different A/C with CTRL+I. Hit enter


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to return to your plane‟s view.

SAVED REPLAY FILES are stored in the VIDEOS folder as .cam files. The file sizes are not large and can be shared with other BoB2 owners. Simply send the .cam file as an email attachment and the recipient can place them in their own VIDEOS folder and view your flight using their game‟s replay mode. These .cam files can be safely deleted if the user wishes. LIMITATIONS OF THE REPLAY FUNCTION: Currently, no cockpit views are available, because they are not part of the recording. Neither will

you be able to hear the sound of your own engine nor any radio messages that were received during the mission. These may be added in a future upgrade. If you would rather not see the function icons during your replay, an add-on is available whereby these are removed from the screen. You will still see, however, the start, end and progress markers in the top left-hand corner of your screen. You can continue to use the keyboard number row to control your replay.

FRAPS: Many Battle of Britain II community users have reported excellent screen video and audio capture results with a program called FRAPS. FRAPS allows full video and sound capture of any 3-d game and also includes a screenshot and FPS benchmarking utility. FRAPS with only the screenshot and FPS utility are freeware, however in order to have the video capture function one must purchase the full version of FRAPS. More

information on FRAPS can be found here: www.fraps.com DISCLAIMER: The producers and distributors of Battle of Britain 2 have no affiliation whatsoever with FRAPS.

OPTIONS The OPTIONS screen in the Main Menu gives you access to various menus. These can be used to select your preferences for the display, controller and sound preferences. The selections you make will be determined, to some extent, by your PC hardware. Once you have made your choice of preferences they are saved when you exit the game. A full description of the OPTIONS screens is presented in the next section of this chapter.

CREDITS Select the credits option on the Main Menu to view the team that put Battle

of Britain II together. Select your left mouse button at any stage to return to the Main Menu.

http://www.fraps.com/


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QUIT The quit option leaves Battle of Britain II and takes you back to Windows.

MULTI-PLAYER This beta test-feature was enabled for Update 2.10 in order to allow the

player community to try BOBII Multi-player and contribute to its further development. It is a work in progress.

CONTACT US Select the Contact Us option to open up your default web browser and connect to the Battle of Britain II web site. You will already need to be connected via your Internet Service Provider if you are to connect successfully. The web site contains information regarding the latest news on

the game. See also www.a2asimulations.com

OPTIONS IN DETAIL The PC menus have four main pages that relate to the preferences associated with your PC setup. You can move from page to page using the four active areas at the top left of the screen:

GFX (graphics)

More GFX

Controls

Sound

TECH NOTE: If you find that you are no longer able to play the game and are unable to change the options to a safe set the configuration file can be deleted. The file is \Battle of Britain II\SAVEGAME\SETTINGS.CFG.

GFX The GFX menu contains the following options:

http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/


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Display Driver This combo-box holds the 3D drivers on your PC that Battle of Britain II has detected. The displayed driver is the one that is currently selected.

Use Windows Desktop Resolution (recommended) On some systems, BoB II works better if the resolution is the same as that for your desktop. This is achieved by switching this setting to ON. This will set both the 3d Resolution and the Campaign Resolution to that of the windows default desktop. When this setting is selected, those two options will no longer be available. If you have freezes or crashes, set this option to OFF and set the 3D and campaign resolutions individually.

3D Resolution These are the range of resolutions that your current display driver can use to display the 3D simulation section of the game. IMPORTANT: The latest LCD/TFT flat monitors have a “native resolution” (for example 1280x1024), which is the “optimal” resolution for that particular monitor. The monitor can often display resolutions other than its “native resolution” but doing so will often not fill the entire screen or the monitor will

“stretch” the image to fill the screen (which may result in a distorted image). If your PC desktop is not already set to the native resolution try setting BoB2 to whatever your LCD/TFT monitor‟s native resolution should be.


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Most players should then set the game option Use Windows Desktop Resolution to ON.

Campaign Resolution These are the range of resolutions that your current display driver can use to display the Map in the Campaign section of the game.

Gamma Level Every 3D video card and monitor setup produces a different brightness and contrast output. The Gamma Level option allows you to set the

monitor output to a level of your taste without altering your standard monitor settings. Choose lower options to darken the image or higher options to brighten it.

Ground Shading This controls the shading of light on the ground. Light shading takes processor time; so if that is a concern, then turn it off.

Item Shading Item shading can be turned ON, Off or Reflections. On/Off controls the light shading on aircraft and other moving objects. With Reflections selected, the in-cockpit canopy and instrument glass will have reflections, which fade out depending on the angle to the sun.

Mirror If turned ON then a cockpit mirror will be drawn if present in that aircraft

model.

Water Detail Using this option, you may vary the quality of the sea graphics. If the frame rates on your system are struggling, you will need to set this to Low. Refer also to Appendix A of this manual where via the BDG text file you can change the colour of the sea to suit your preference.

NOTE: Older 3D cards that do not have built in DX9 support, such as Nvidia 4000Ti series, can not render the high detail ocean and one will see only a black (Nvidia) or white (ATI) space instead, so you must therefore use LOW water detail.

Weather Detail – LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH

With weather effects at LOW and MEDIUM there are either sunny skies


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or a simple cloud base – there will be NO “poor” or “inclement” weather.

If Weather detail is set to HIGH individual clouds will be displayed and there will be Poor and Inclement weather - depending on the individual mission weather parameters. These weather conditions and clouds are realistic, but have a SIGNIFICANT impact on the frame rate on slower machines. Set this option to LOW if your frame rates are too slow. In the Instant Action and Campaign settings (NOT in this Weather Detail section), there are several available descriptions of weather - described

below: SUNNY = A clear, cloudless sky – perfect flying weather. FAIR = sunny skies with very light, high level clouds that are neither thick or dense – not nearly enough to attempt to “hide” in. POOR = Overcast skies with thicker, denser, patchy nimbus clouds that are lower to the ground, in addition to the higher cumulus clouds. One

can fly into the thickest of these clouds and no longer be visible to friend or enemy. The base of the thicker nimbus clouds is at about 3,000 feet altitude. INCLEMENT very overcast, rainy skies with even thicker and denser clouds and fog. The bases of the thicker nimbus clouds are also at about 3,000 feet altitude.

One can further tweak the cloud settings in the BDG.txt – see Appendix A of this manual.


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MORE GFX

The More GFX page menus contains the following options:

Filtering This option displays a choice of the following: None, Bi-Linear, Tri-Linear, All, Anisotropic 2X-16X. These filtering settings increase the quality of image-mapping. The "all" setting enables multi-textured dithering effects and may not be supported by all cards. Any of the various Anisotropic-filtering levels will include the multi-textured dithering effects. Anisotropic 16X gives the best visual quality, especially with the terrain as it is drawn out. The higher the level

of Anisotropic Filtering applied, the clearer the textures will appear, but the greater the strain on your graphics card in filtering the image to produce the clearer representation of textures. Also, at very high levels of AF the clarity of distant textures may be unrealistically high. NOTE: If your graphics card supports it, you may also wish to adjust Anti-aliasing within your graphics card‟s driver settings (not via in in-game GUI or the BDG.txt). The higher the level of Antialiasing applied (usually in steps of 2x, 4x, 6x and 8x), the progressively smoother the

image, but the greater the strain on your graphics card in recalculating the image to produce these smoother images. Vertical Sync (a/k/a V-sync) is another video driver setting that can significantly improve visual quality in


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vertical lines when panning from left to right.

Smoke Effects This option toggles smoke special effects and early morning fog banks.

Texture Quality Texture quality has a considerable effect on the displayed frame-rate for slower machines but improves the quality of certain aspects of the 3D, especially the cockpit view.

Routes The display of small roads, rivers and rail lines can be turned on or off with this option.

A/C Shadows When this option is turned on then aircraft shadows are visible on the ground.

Item Shadows

This option toggles the visibility of ground shadows for objects other than aircraft.

Horizon Distance With LOW Horizon enabled, the ground detail does not extend as far into the distance, but the frame-rate is improved. MEDIUM displays a little farther into the horizon. HIGH draws the horizon distance at the farthest setting with less haze or fog but at the greatest penalty on FPS. High will

not be available by default if your video card cannot run with a z-buffer of greater than 16 bits. This feature may require a color depth of 24 to 32 bits depending on the graphics card and adapter.

Object Quality (previously called Terrain Mesh) Ranges from Minimum to Maximum. The lower the level of detail the closer one must be for an object to be drawn at a high level of detail.

Selecting the lower ranges will result in higher frames per second. You will still get high quality objects but they will not be drawn until you are closer to them. The higher levels will draw objects at high detail levels from a greater view distance. The higher levels require a stronger video card.

G Effects With the effects of G (gravity) turned on, then it is possible for you - the


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pilot - to blackout and red out, depending on the manoeuvres you make.

Injury Effects This toggles the display of injury effects if the pilot is hit.

White Outs The white out option toggles the display of sun glare on and off.

Ground Object Density The settings available are Minimum, Medium, High and Full. The higher

the setting the more objects will be capable of display but the greater will be the effect on your fps. It is also possible to reduce the load on your system by deleting non-required objects from your ObjectAdds folder using, e.g. Notepad. Note: If you have Town and Forest Raises turned on, then you should set this to Minimum. This will leave the original ground objects, which existed before those included in the ObjectAdds folder were added. If you want to include as many of the new ground objects as you can, then you

should turn Raises off.

Particle Density Adjusts the level of smoke and special effects from explosions and detonations. The settings available are Low, Medium, High and Full. The higher the setting, the more spectacular the effects, such as explosions - but also the lower the fps.

For present day PCs, even “state of the art” ones, consider leaving this at MEDIUM as the current PD special effects were designed on a medium setting. Higher levels will mean more spectacular effects and explosions but again, at a trade off of frames per second on slower machines.


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CONTROLS

At the end of this section is a very useful “FAQ” put together by Retro, which includes detailed photos of various operations step by step.

The Controls page offers EXPRESS and CUSTOM options with custom Key Mapping available for each. For most people with a single joystick, EXPRESS should set things up so you can fly. If you wish to further customize your keystrokes, buttons, or sliders, or if you will be using multiple controllers (i.e. a joystick and separate throttles or rudder pedals) select CUSTOM.

Key Mapping and Expanded Descriptors:

When Key Mapping is selected, click on one of the command lines on the left and an expanded description of what the command does appears below as follows:


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CUSTOM: Clicking on the In-Game Axis brings up the following options:

Deadzone

Most of the options below have independent dead zone settings. The dead zone is the region at the center of the stick where no control input is provided to the aircraft. The player can choose to set the deadzone to Small, Medium or Large depending on the quality of the hardware being used. Generally speaking, for a joystick that centers well, and produces a signal that is steady and with little noise, a small deadzone is appropriate. However, if, when the joystick is released, it

does not zero exactly or the signal continues to vary, this can be compensated for by selecting a larger deadzone. You will need to


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find the best arrangement by trial and error.

Saturation (default – NONE) Reduces the maximum throw of an axis. If set to large, moving the axis 3/4ths to the extreme position is read by the game as a full

movement.

Reverse

Simply reverses the axis.

Filtering (default MEDIUM)

Smoothes out joystick movements by eliminating spikes Use For FF If you have a 'force feedback' joystick then you can tick this box. If your controller is not force feedback enabled then this feature will be grayed out. You can also disable or select force feedback levels for each of the following effects: Gunfire -transmits vibrations caused by the guns on your aircraft. Buffet - transmits vibration caused by buffeting if you are near the stall condition, close to an explosion, or close to the speed of sound (unlikely). Aerodynamic - causes stiffening of the controls at high speed.

Airframe - transmits vibrations transmitted through the airframe from the ground - i.e. when you are taking off or landing (or crashing).

Rudder This provides control of your rudder, which yaws the aircraft in

flight, or steers the rear wheel when taxiing. Throttle The throttle provides control for selecting the desired engine power. When this combo is set to keyboard, the row of numbers on the main keyboard can be used to select the throttle level in 10% increments There is a second box for the Bf110, which has two throttle levers, one for

each engine. When this second combo is set to keyboard, the two throttles can be controlled either together or individually. In flight, pressing E will cycle through the available engine to control - both together, port engine only or starboard only.

Prop Pitch The propeller pitch controls the angle of the propeller blades. This can be used manually, just like the gearbox in a car, to maintain the correct engine speed or the computer can control it automatically. When


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this combo is set to keyboard, SHIFT+9 gives maximum prop pitch – COARSE (and therefore lower rpm) whilst SHIFT+0 gives minimum prop

pitch – FINE (and higher rpm). SHIFT in combination with the -and + keys will increase and decrease (respectively) the propeller pitch by smaller increments (having the opposite effect on the rpm).

RETRO‟s Controller/GUI FAQ:

I want to quickly configure the one controller I have,

and be done with it:

You want to use the Express mode. Just go into the controller options,

select your joystick and that is. Exit the page by clicking one of the

buttons in the bar on top of the page, click "ok" when the game asks you if

the changes should be saved and fly.


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I want to setup BoBII so that it takes input from

multiple controllers:

In this case you need to use the "Custom" screen. Enter the controller options, press "Custom" and you should be presented with a table showing, in the first column, the available in-game axis, and in the second column the associated "real" (physical) axis on your joystick(s). Should look like this:

.

If you own a Force Feedback stick, you will see the FFB options at the bottom of the screen, provided you have FFB playback enabled as follows:


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Mapping in Game Axes: IMPORTANT: When configuring multiple controllers you do not set up each controller separately, you enter all the axes in the same screen. In order to map a device to an in-game axis, you click on the second column of the axis you want to map to and then move the device you want to map.

IMPORTANT: At this step when selecting the axis you wish to assign, you MUST move ONLY the desired axis on your stick! DO NOT move your mouse or any other axis, as the game will recognize that as the newly assigned axis! The game should pick it up. If you reconsider and do not want to map anything to that axis, or if the game picked up the wrong axis, click the "Clear Axis" button. It should look like this:


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Finally, after the axes have been assigned, you can change their properties by selecting the in-game axis (click on the first column in the table), the associated axis details should pop up on the right side of the screen as follows:


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I want to invert one of the in-game axes:

In the custom controller screen, mark the in-game axis you want to change, then the axis properties should pop up to the right. Then just select the deadzone. Click the "Reverse" button to change the direction. I want to change the deadzone of one of the in-game axes: In the custom controller screen, mark the in-game axis you want to change, then the axis properties should pop up to the right. Then just select the deadzone. Please note that throttle, prop pitch, FOV and zoom axes do not feature a "deadzone" property.

I want to un-map one of the in-game axes: In the custom screen, mark the in-game axis that you want to free and then click the "Clear Axis" button. The button is in the middle bottom of the screen, the following picture shows it:


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Just what is "saturation" anyway? Think of saturation as a "deadzone at the end of the axis range". For example, the joystick may not be able to reach the minimum value that it reports to the game, either because of some physical limit or because of

old potentiometers etc. So for example you could never reach the theoretically possible minimum pitch because your joystick just cannot reach this value. Saturation just makes the joystick report its maximum (or minimum) value even if it has not yet physically reached it. Drawback of bigger saturation zones is a “steeper” axis ascends, i.e. the stick will get more sensitive. What is "filtering" supposed to do?

This property is primarily supposed to help with "spiking" on some axes, caused by old potentiometers (something most joysticks encounter when they get older). It's a low pass filter that averages the joystick's input over multiple frames. The higher this is set, the smoother the input will seem, the downside is that the input will also get more sluggish. Generally, only use the higher filtering values if you actually need them. You‟ll know you need them if you open your Windows Control Panel>>Game Controllers>>Properties, and see the yellow circles jumping around

(“spiking”). If you don‟t see the spiking, the planes will respond much faster to control inputs with the filtering set to LOW.


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I have remapped a control command but it does not „stick‟. If you try to map or remap a command and find it is not reflected in your game experience, ensure the following:

That you have saved the changes, and exited to the main menu

before flying a new mission

That you do not have multiple keys or joystick controls assigned

to the same command. This can confuse the game, and the result is that none of these keys or buttons are „active‟. If you see multiple keys assigned to the same command, clear it entirely and then remap.

SOUND

The sound page contains the following options: Sound Driver The sound driver box displays the currently selected driver, along with other drivers available on your machine.

UI SFX Volume This setting determines the volume of sound effects in the user interface.

Ambient SFX Vol This setting controls the volume of the ambient sound effects in the non-


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flying sections: e.g. office sounds in the 2D Map Room.

Radio Chatter Volume This setting controls the volume of the radio chatter while flying and in

the 2D Map Room.

Engine Volume Controls the volume of the engine noise.

SFX Quality Allows you to set the quality of sound effects to low or high.

SIM The Sim configuration menus have four main pages of preferences associated with the setup of the simulation when you are flying. You can move from page to page using the four active areas at the top left of the screen:

Flight

Game

Mission

Views

There are also two options at the top right of the screen. PC takes you to the PC Config screens, discussed in the section above. Continue either takes you back to the Main Menu screen or back to the GFX to continue

your flight.

All of the configurations options are displayed within 'combo' boxes. These can be manipulated either by selecting the down arrow on the right hand side of the box (and then choosing from the list within the drop-

down menu that is displayed), or by clicking on the main part of the box (and cycling through the available options one at a time).


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Flight

The Flight page of the Sim menu contain the following options:

Flight Options Minimum, Low, Medium, High, Maximum, Custom Setting this box will change all the options below to 5 pre-configured difficulty levels. For instance, minimum uses the Novice flight model with most of the options turned off, and maximum will set up the full flight model with the options set up to give full realism. If you manually change

the options below, then the Flight Options box will show "custom". Flight Option Minimum Low Medium High Maximum Flight Model Novice Realistic Realistic Realistic Realistic

Engine Management Auto Auto Auto Auto Manual

Prop Pitch Control Auto Auto Auto Manual Manual

Power Boost On On Off Off Off

Wind Effects Off Off On On On

Wind Gusts Off Off Off On On

Airframe Stress Off Off Off Off On

Torque/Slip Streaming Off Off Off On On

109 Fuel Capacity Realistic Realistic Realistic Realistic Realistic

Items shown in italics cannot be changed within the selected Flight Option.


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After selection of a Flight Option, individual settings may be varied to suit your preferences by changing Flight Option to Custom.

Flight Model Realistic, Novice There are two flight models available that can be used to control the way in which the aircraft flies. The 'realistic' model allows the player to experience all the flight characteristics of each aircraft such as the stability, control responses, stall and spin characteristics. The 'novice' version provides accurate performance modeling of the aircraft but keeps

it within the normal safe flying envelope. This second model allows the player to fly a very stable version of the aircraft without worrying about stalling or spinning. In addition to selecting Flight and Flight Model (FM) options in the in-game menu GUI as discussed above, there are now additional Flight Model options, which can be adjusted via the BDG.txt file - see Appendix A of this manual.

IMPORTANT: See also Chapter 4 for important note on Flight Model settings when alternating between Campaign and Instant Action Missions.

Engine Management Manual, Auto The game offers the player the chance to use many of the engine controls present in the real aircraft. These include such things as Magnetos, Fuel Cocks and Starter Buttons. This allows the player to take control of the

engine management, just like the pilot of a real aircraft. These controls may only used with the 'interactive cockpit'. Due to the complexity involved, no keyboard control is provided in this mode. This option is not available if the novice flight model has been selected. If you wish to fly the aircraft without worrying about the management of the engine, select Auto and the computer will control the engine and fuel systems automatically.

Prop Pitch Control Manual, Auto This allows the player either to control the propeller blade angle manually, or to let the computer automatically control the propeller, based on the engine speed and the throttle setting for the engine. The automatic system will always attempt to provide the player with the most power appropriate for most flight and combat conditions, but it will not necessarily allow effective windmill braking or propeller feathering (see also Chapter Five).


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Power Boost

This option allows the player to increase the power of the engine in order to give an advantage during combat. If the power boost is Off, the power produced by the engine will be realistic. When switched On, the engine will produce approximately 50% extra power, which provides the player with increased speed and climb performance.

Wind Effects The wind is modeled at all altitudes and it varies in direction and strength

on a day-to-day basis. The wind will affect the take-off, cruising, bombing and approach of all the aircraft in the game. This option allows the wind to be turned off completely.

Wind Gusts If the wind effects are switched on, then random gusts are also modeled and their strength depends on the weather conditions each day. This option allows the player to switch gusts on or off. Gusts will not occur if Wind Effects are switched off.

Airframe Stress The aircraft and their pilots are subjected to very large forces during combat and aerobatics. Although the structure of the aircraft is very strong, aircraft were known to break up in the air, especially when pulling out of steep, high-speed dives when the aerodynamic forces on the wings and tail section can be very great. The effects of these large forces are modeled in the game and if the player puts too much stress on the aircraft

it may break up. These effects can be switched off and there will be no danger of the player damaging the aircraft as a result of very high G manoeuvres.

Torque/Slipstreaming The effects of the propeller, such as the torque reaction in the fuselage, the effects of the rotating slipstream on the tail surfaces and the gyroscopic effects of the large diameter propeller are all modeled in the game. These

affect the handling of the aircraft both on the ground and in the air, but can be difficult for an inexperienced pilot. This option allows the player to ignore all of these effects and consider only the thrust produced by the propeller in the flight model.

109 Fuel Capacity Realistic, High The Messerschmitt Bf109 has an internal fuel tank with a capacity of 400


40

liters. This limited the range of the aircraft, restricting it to only 20 minutes flying time over British soil before it had to turn home. This had

significant tactical implications for fighters escorting bombers to targets in England and often meant that the fighters had to leave the bombers before they had reached their targets. An external auxiliary fuel tank with a capacity of a further 300 liters was provided for the Bf109. This was made of molded plywood, and tended to leak significantly with a danger of catching fire, making these tanks very unpopular with the pilots. In order to model the increased range which could be achieved with the increased fuel capacity, without the dangers of the plywood tank, the player can

choose to increase the effective capacity of the internal fuel tank (to 700 liters) by switching this option to High.

Game

The Game page of the Sim menu contains the following options:

Weapons Realistic, Unlimited When the Unlimited weapons option is selected weapons will be automatically reloaded when they are emptied. If the weapon selection is set to Realistic, the setting still can be over-ridden in the 3D game by using the reload cheat key command: Ctrl + R.

Vulnerable to Fire


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When turned off enemy fire will not damage your aircraft.

Ground Collisions When enabled, collision with the ground will damage or destroy your aircraft.

Midair Collisions When enabled, collision in midair with other objects will damage or destroy your aircraft. This option also includes collisions with 3D ground objects such as buildings and vehicles.

If you require more realism but do not wish to include collision with ONLY friendly aircraft, then set this option to On but then you must ALSO tick the No Friendly Collisions box within the Advance/Game Option. See under the Adv. tab.

Accel Off Tactical, Engage This setting relates to the use of accelerated time during the game. When

the trigger is set to engage, your aircraft will drop back into real time only when you are directly threatened and enemy aircraft can fire at you. If the trigger is set to tactical, then real time is reset much earlier in the encounter. This will give you time to engage the enemy at a tactical level and allow you to gain height or manoeuvre, so that you may be able to achieve tactical dominance.

Target Size

Altering this setting affects the apparent size of a target and thereby the ease in hitting it. High makes the aircraft one large target, but this can make it harder to bring down as all hits are distributed across the entire aircraft. A low target size means the player must aim more carefully, but can bring the enemy down by concentrating fire on a particular part of the aircraft. As default it is therefore set to Low.

Autocanopy

The autocanopy function only applies to the player aircraft with automatic canopy movements (Spitfire, Hurricane, JU87). The Messerschmitt BF109 and BF110 have manual canopy. Autocanopy operates the following way if set to ON:

1. When taking off the canopy is open. 2. When the gear comes up after take-off the canopy closes (trigger

the gear coming up)


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3. When landing and the landing gear comes down the canopy opens (trigger the gear coming down)

The canopy will not operate during flight unless the player hits the key command to open the canopy - “O” by default. The player can still operate the canopy during flight anytime he wishes even if autocanopy is selected to ON by pressing the “O” key.

Aircraft Names This option displays the call signs of friendly aircraft and the type of

enemy aircraft, below the aircraft. If you feel you need to use this facility occasionally, then you are advised to set it to On. You may then toggle the names display on and off during flight, using the T key. The toggle T key will not function, if you have turned this setting to Off.

Mission

The Mission page of the Sim menu contains the following options:

LW Skill Modifier Minimum, Low, Medium, High, Maximum

This setting determines the skill level of the Luftwaffe in a campaign setting. At medium, the true skills of the squadrons will be used. At minimum and low settings the skills will be reduced and at high and maximum settings the skills will be increased. You .may wish to increase


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the LW skill when you are playing LW commander and reduce it if you are playing the RAF commander.

RAF Skill Modifier Minimum, Low, Medium, High, Maximum This setting determines the skill level of the RAF in a campaign setting. At medium, the true skills of the squadrons will be used. At minimum and low settings the skills will be reduced and at high and maximum settings the skills will be increased. You may wish to decrease the RAF skill when you are playing LW commander and increase it if you are playing the

RAF commander.

Luftwaffe Tactics Historic, Optimum The LW tactics can both follow history and take notice of the orders passed down from Berlin, or they can follow a more optimal route. For example, in the more optimal game plan, the one-month convoy phase will be curtailed and the highly successful airfield phases will be extended. This option primarily affects the RAF commander.

Luftwaffe Intell Historic, Accurate The LW were plagued with poor intelligence on the precise use of various factories and airfields and had to run many reconnaissance missions to get accurate damage assessments. When playing as a LW commander it is useful to be able to get accurate information.

Map Plotting This option primarily affects the RAF commander. When this option is on, Map plotting will be represented historically and flights that have been temporarily lost on the radar screens will stop moving. When the option is off, the map plotting will always be fully accurate.

Auto Vectoring Auto vectoring determines how the aircraft in your Group will react

during combat when you are flying as the leader. When Auto Vectoring is on, the other pilots will determine how they should react automatically. When Auto Vectoring is off, you will be offered a range of sensible choices. Selection should be made using either the number keys or the mouse pointer. If a choice is not made within a few seconds then the options are removed and the other pilots will make their own choices.

Very important additional information regarding Auto Vectoring:


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http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7526

Views

SEE APPENDIX C OF THIS MANUAL FOR KEY

COMMANDS AND EXPLANATION OF THE

PADLOCKING SYSTEM AND THE VIEW KEYS The Views page of the Sim menu contain the following options:

Restricted Views When turned on the player is restricted to the cockpit view.

Peripheral Vision When Peripheral Vision is on, you will notice RAF and Luftwaffe identification symbols near the edges of the screen. These represent aircraft that would be in the peripheral vision of a real pilot. The standard setting presents a much smaller field of view than human vision, but this

standard may be varied using the BDG.txt file - refer to Appendix A of this manual.

Auto External When turned on and when 'inside padlock cockpit' has been selected, the

http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7526


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view will automatically change according to the position of the target. If the target is in front of the player, then the inside view is presented.

View Mode Select Panning, Fixed Views This controls how the number pad arrow keys respond. If panning is switched on then pressing a key will produce a smooth pan. If fixed views are switched on then key presses will jump straight to a new view. The “NUMLOCK” key also toggles this selection in game. These controls will be over-ridden by TrackIR if that device is being used.

Padlock When Visible When this option is on, padlocking is only possible when the target is in view. When off, the object has to be in visible range but not necessarily in view, before it may be padlocked.

Info Line Off, Flight info, View info The 'info line', which is at the bottom of the screen when flying, can be in

one of three modes. Flight info mode gives flight-specific information about your speed and altitude. View info mode tells you which views you currently have enabled. If the info line is turned on then the last spoken radio message will also be displayed for a few seconds.

Units Imperial, Metric The selection determines the units displayed during the game. For

instance, in imperial units speed is displayed in miles per hour, while in metric units speed is displayed in kilometers per hour.

Gun Camera Off, Trigger, On The gun camera can either be off all the time, on when the trigger is pressed, or on all the time. When Trigger is selected, the camera is not switched off immediately the trigger is released. The amount of time that

the trigger is left on after releasing the trigger depends on the ordnance selected. So, for example, the camera is left on longer after a bomb release than when firing cannon/bullets. The X and C keys can over-ride this option. This facility can be used to create a video of your complete Mission. If this is a usual requirement, then On should be selected. If you do select On, then sections of your mission can be excluded by using the Gun Camera Toggle key C, e.g. if you just wish to record take-off, action and landing. If you do turn it off, remember to turn it on again when you


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want to continue recording!

Head Up Display Virtual threat indicator and artificial horizon instruments are available to help you to retain situational awareness during combat. These instruments are designed to compensate for the fact that in a simulation you do not get the same feedback during combat, as would a real pilot. A real pilot has full peripheral vision and feels the effect of gravity. When turned on, the Virtual Threat Indicator is displayed on the top left of your screen. It

shows an isometric perspective of a 360-degree circle of view. Any threats are marked as vertical lines. They show the angle of the threat relative to your aircraft and the relative importance of the threat (height of line is proportional the size of threat). The artificial horizon is the same as is found in most aircraft.

Field of view:

The above Field of View menu is accessed from the Adv. Tab. Most of the FOV options are self-explanatory – they allow the user to configure the FOV for various toggle options. The smaller the FOV, the more

“zoomed in” the view.


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Small Field of View Using SHIFT+F9 you can focus your cockpit view to this preset value.

This value is a slice of the normal cockpit view. Basically, the value you enter, (the default is 25 degrees) is the degrees around the centerline of your aircraft that your view is focused to. This view is extremely useful for those pilots who do not use aircraft text labels in order to “zoom” their eyesight and to make an aircraft identification.

Medium Field of View Accessed using the SHIFT+F10 key, this is the same function as Small

Field of View, only it accesses a middle cockpit view. Consider this the default cockpit view, especially if this value matches the Initial Field of

View.

Large Field of View Accessed using SHIFT+F11 this has the same function as Small Field of

View only with as much of the cockpit displayed as possible. This view can lead to problems if the number becomes too large. As the Large Field

of View value gets larger (default is 70 degrees) the program has to force

all the objects on to the screen. This may cause a “fisheye” view where objects in the middle of the screen are larger than normal, and objects at the edges of the screen are smaller. If this happens and you do not like the Effect simply lower this value.

Small-Toggle and Large-Toggle Values Use the Shift+F12 key to toggle between these field of view values.

Maximum and Minimum Field of Views You can toggle between the two values you set here with SHIFT+F12. In the 3D game, keys for zooming the FOV or zooming in/out are: CTRL+ NUMPAD+ or CTRL+ NUMPAD- (zooms entire FOV in/out) NUMPAD + or - (zoom of object in/out when in external view only – overall FOV is unchanged) SHIFT + NUMPAD+ or – (fast zoom of object in/out in external view only – overall FOV is unchanged)

Initial Field of View This is the cockpit field of view value you will see when you first enter the cockpit.

Padlock the target at the centre of the screen


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NOTE: In order to see the padlock diamond once an object has been padlocked, press SHIFT+T. This only toggles the drawing of the diamond

on or off, not the actual padlocking of objects. Padlocking the target in the middle of your screen has been implemented. Its use is quite easy and is activated with the single keystroke of “S”. You will see a red box outlining the padlock area; if the aircraft is in that box then it will be padlocked when the S key is released. Use of this function is not recommended if there is more that one aircraft in the outlined area. If you pick up the wrong one, you will have to hit the ESC key to return to

the non-padlocked cockpit view and then hit the S key a second time. In keeping with the variability of all options, the size and nature of the box drawn while pressing the “S” key can be user defined – described below.

Padlock Center HDG and Padlock Center Pitch NOTE: These options will only have an effect if Draw Padlock Centre Box is selected in the advanced GAME GUI option menu.

The user can define the height and width of padlock box using “Padlock

Centre Hdg” and “Padlock Centre Pitch”. The Padlock Centre Hdg (Heading) is a wedge that extends horizontally from the centre of your current view. So if the value is „10‟, there will be a wedge of 20 degrees off your current heading in that the “Padlock Centre” will work

The Padlock Centre Pitch is a wedge that extends vertically from the centre of your current view. If that value is „10‟, there will be a wedge that extends 20 degrees from the plane your wings form, in the direction of your lift line. Combining these two values will create a “padlock” pyramid that extends out from the centre of your current view. With the two variables you can manipulate the size of that cone. For example, if you make the Padlock

Centre Pitch larger than the value of the heading, you will create a rectangle that will pick up targets along the lift line as you are pulling into them. To use this function in both the mouse and keyboard panning modes, you must hit the Control+S keys. This will realign your view to the forward view and you should no longer use the panning method you were using before. Example: You want to go from mouse panning to keyboard panning; hit Control+S. You will go to the forward view and


49

can now use the keyboard for panning and the padlock centre will work. The PC_USING_KEYBOARD line in the bdg.txt file can be manually

changed to set a default for this value. If you are using TrackIR, you need not do this as both mouse and keyboard input are neglected.

Game (advanced)

The Game page of the Advanced Menu contains many options that are also configurable using the BDG.txt file (see also Appendix A). Track IR related sections of this menu screen are described together at the end of this section

Pan Speed Factor: Determines the panning-speed in the 3-D world (this includes the „photo‟ screen in the campaign!) Default value is 1, so a value of 2 would double the regular panning speed. It also affects the speed of rotation in death views. EPI Radius and EPI Y Radius: These two values change the size of the Enemy Position Indicator. The default ratio of Radius to Y Radius is 5 to 1. The numbers are in pixels. NOTE: The default key command to show or hide the EPI and the Artificial Horizon indicators is “H”.

Gun Convergence Yards: Permits you to set the distance where your bullet streams will converge. Default distance is 250 yards.


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Debug Output: This variable tells the program to send output to a file

used for debugging. Do not change it unless asked by a (cue drum roll) BDG coder. This option can slow your game down tremendously if set to other than zero. Artificial Horizon Size: This setting determines the size of the Artificial Horizon. Default value is 50 (pixels). NOTE: The default key command to show or hide the Artificial Horizon and EPI indicators is “H”.

Friendly/Enemy Label and Infoline Text Colours Click on the down arrow beside each box to obtain a selection of colours to suit your requirements. If you wish to use a colour of your own design, then select Custom. You will need to use the bdg.txt file to insert your colour codes. Skip in-game Videos: The initial Battle of Britain video, Quick Mission videos and Campaign videos are very interesting the first time you see them. After that they can become a nuisance so prevent them running by

ticking this box. NOTE: The initial BoB Video video is not currently functional as of the 2.04 game release, the other videos are. No Engine Cut Out: Enables/Disables the engine cutout British fighters experienced when they entered a negative G dive. NOTE: This feature only works if the complex engine management is enabled in the FLIGHT GUI menu screen.

No Stall Horn: Activating this checkbox disables the warning stall tone that is played in Spitfires when flying with less than 25% engine power. No Padlock Head Bob: If this is selected, there will be no head bobbing while you are in padlock. Head Bobbing: If this option is enabled, your “virtual” head will move in response to the G-forces that you‟re pulling with your aircraft. Your

screen will move with no panning inputs from you, this feature works independently of the Blackout/Whiteout/Redout effects your pilot may experience. Draw Padlock Center Box: BoB II allows padlocking a target that is within the padlock box. Hit and hold down the “S” key to draw the box. A red box will be drawn on the center of the screen (if using TrackIR or your hat switch to pan around the sky the padlock box will move around


51

on the screen at whatever direction you are looking). Whatever plane is within the padlock box will be padlocked once you release the “S” key. It

is not recommended using this function if there is more that one aircraft in the outlined area, if you pick up the wrong one, you will have to hit the ESC key to break the padlocked target or hit, hold and then release the S key repeatedly until the specific plane within the box that you want is padlocked. See also Padlock Center hdg and Padlock Center Pitch in the Field of View game GUI menu. Preload Standard: Enables program to load standard .bin files during

mission generation. This removes some of the stutters seen during action when these files are loaded.

No Friendly Collisions Ever been frustrated when you make that initial break into an enemy formation and you collide with one of your wingmen? Well until now the only way to avoid this was to turn off mid-air collisions, resulting in less realism. Now you can activate the no friendly collision, while leaving on the main option for mid-air collisions. This will prevent your taking

damage from a friendly aircraft; yet still kill yourself when you impact that Ju-88 at a combined speed of 700 knots. Please note that you are still vulnerable to your wingmen‟s bullets!

Cont/Quit Quickmission/Campaign With this enabled, when you land your aircraft after a mission within Instant Action or the Campaign, a window will pop-up asking if you wish to continue or quit. A checkmark here means the window will appear.

Leave it unchecked if you wish to continue automatically until you press Alt+X.

Text Reminders Enabling this option will display a message reminding you to perform certain actions, e.g. to hit ALT+X after you die or to hit the break release before take off, when flying Realistic.

Auto Preload: When you fly a quick mission for the first time, the computer remembers what files it was required to load during the game play and writes this information into a file. The next time you fly the same mission, these files are preloaded. This reduces the “hiccup” or stutter that occurs when the file would be loaded during your flight in 3D. The whole process is totally automatic and currently only works with quick missions. We recommend setting this to “ON”.


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Fix Keyboard/Rudder: Fixes an error to allow the keyboard to fully deflect the rudder to the same degree a joystick would be able to. If you

use rudder input from a joystick, rudder pedals, or twist grip, do not enable this feature. High Res Landscape: This option needs a good graphics card, preferably with 128MB memory or more. It uses the highest available resolution landscape textures. Enable Auto Gen: Enabling this option will start the Auto Generation of

objects in the 3D world. NOTE: If this option is selected, ensure that the “Town and Forest Raises ” option is disabled in the MORE GFX gui menu. Enable EPI: This toggle shows enemy position indicator (EPI) on the upper left of the 3d world screen. This switch is independent of the in-game show HUD key (“H” by default). With this you can disable the EPI, but still have the attitude indicator showing in the upper right of the 3d screen. Please note that you cannot display the EPI if the Head Up

Display on the Sim/Views screen is disabled. Track IR: Enables or disables the use of Track IR. This is only available if you have Track IR and launched it prior to launching BoB II. NOTE: You MUST launch TIR before launching BoBII for it to be functional in-game. Track IR VE Z Axis Mode: Only visible if one has Track IR and has

launched it prior to launching BoBII. Options are: Z axis mode or FOV mode. If using Track IR with Vector Expansion on it is recommended to set this to Z axis mode. What is the difference between Z axis mode and FOV mode? Z axis mode lets your eye point zoom in and out to close objects, for example the instrument panel, but does not zoom in more distant objects or alter the overall field of view. Similar to real life in your car, when you lean

forward the dash seems to look a little larger but cars in the distance do not really “zoom in” to the same degree. FOV mode alters the entire field of view, making everything – both near and far objects – appear larger and closer.

SeaVee‟s Track IR BoB2 Tutorial: A comprehensive setup guide for use of TIR specifically with BoB2 including a custom TIR profile:


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TrackIR is a hardware device that picks up your physical head movements and translates them into movements of your “virtual” head. For more

information visit www.naturalpoint.com If you do not have one of these devices sitting on your monitor, you can safely skip this section. BoB supports both normal “mouse emulation” and “native” mode of the TrackIR device. It is however strongly recommended that you use the “native” mode. There are a few things you have to do to make the native TrackIR -

Interface work:

Download and install the latest TrackIR interface software

(which can be obtained from http://www.naturalpoint.com )

TrackIR.

-> Advanced -> Game settings or in the

bdg.txt directly.

If you play as pilot and use the native TrackIR mode, the mouse is unused (but can of course be mapped to the “view pan” – you just won‟t be able to adjust the view while TrackIR is active). However it is NOT recommended setting the interactive cockpit to the “unshifted” mouse, as it will activate itself as soon as the mouse is moved even slightly, and cannot be deactivated. If you play as gunner, you have two separate inputs:

Either the joystick or the mouse moves the gun.

Even when playing with TrackIR, you can still "mark" things with the padlock functions like “padlock centre”, “padlock enemy”, “padlock friendly”, “padlock ground object” etc. If you have the target diamond

switched on, the padlocked object will be marked with this symbol. So, for example, you could mark a plane that you think you damaged, but is not emitting smoke. Even in the chaos of a big melee, the diamond will always show you that aircraft. You can either let padlock move your head - just like padlock does in all non-TrackIR simulations - or you can move the head with TrackIR and


http://www.naturalpoint.com/


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visually search for things. You can switch between these two possibilities in the Advanced -> Game settings screen. See below.

One note for users of NaturalPoint 2.0 software: the software defaults to “mouse emulation” mode and you must press F8 once to set it to “enhanced mode” before starting BoBII. Please note that the NaturalPoint software by default takes over the set Hot Keys. To avoid conflict with BoBII keys, you should either deactivate these keys in TrackIR or re-define them to one that is not used by BoBII.

TrackIR Vector Expansion (Six Degrees of Freedom 6DOF) This option must be ticked to enable this facility. Versions 3 upwards of TIR can have the facility to look, not only from side-to-side and up and down, but also to zoom or peer forward, e.g. look ahead over the nose or alongside the fuselage through the open canopy. Imagine a camera mounted on a tripod. The camera is your viewpoint, the position of your virtual eye. In 6DOF, you can look up/down, left/right lean (roll) left/right but ALSO move the viewpoint itself – you can raise or lower the “camera” on the tripod up or down and move the tripod itself to

the left or right, to the front or back or lean it in and out. This is known as “six degrees of freedom”, “6DOF” or “Vector Expansion”, “VE”. This allows you to lean into the cockpit, lean around cockpit support struts, raise your head up in the cockpit to peer over the cowling, lean out the open cockpit window, etc. A short 1 minute video of TIR with VE on in BoB2 is here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-

2051208934938168866&hl=en

In 4 DOF, with NO vector expansion, the viewpoint (your virtual

head/camera) is still mounted on a tripod but the tripod is cemented into the ground and can not be moved. The camera can also not be raised or lowered. From that fixed point in space you can look up/down, left/right but that is all.

Switching between 6DOF and 4 DOF using the Gunsight View command: While not listed in this GUI menu, there is a key command, SHIFT+NUMPAD ENTER which toggles the “Gunsight View”. This toggles on/off between 4DOF and 6DOF when using Track IR with VE on

and locks the player‟s view to the gunsight.

Padlock overrides TrackIR

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2051208934938168866&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2051208934938168866&hl=en


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This option governs whether or not Padlock will override your TrackIR view-input. If it is not checked, you can still use the padlock keys to mark

objects with the targeting diamond, whilst you are free to pan around using the TrackIR. Most TIR users leave this OFF since they use their own head movements to in effect “follow” a padlocked plane rather than allow the padlock to do it for them. Please note that many wingman commands require the subject of the message to be marked by the targeting diamond e.g. the Help command will make your wingmen attack your marked target only.

Instant Action Missions

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CHAPTER 3 INSTANT ACTION MISSIONS

his chapter deals with the options that are available when you choose

Instant Action from the Main Menu. Instant Action allows you access to any of the twenty-eight specially designed single missions in the game. It is the easiest and quickest way in which to jump into an aircraft and fly.

In order to make the most out of the Instant Action missions you will first need to make the appropriate adjustments using the in-game GUI OPTIONS menus and if necessary the BDG.txt file. The default settings for the game are often appropriate to the less experienced user, so if you are an experienced flyer you may well wish to select more challenging preferences. There are also other Novice settings that can be adjusted. These are discussed in detail in Chapter Two and Appendix A.

You may also wish to learn more about certain aspects of flying authentically modeled World War Two aircraft. In that case you will find a great amount of useful information in Chapter Five. This chapter covers the default missions which ship with Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory. When you tire of these, a number of users have created alternative Instant Action mods, which can be downloaded from the BOBII forum at A2A Simulations website

http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum

http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum


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INSTANT ACTION

Choose the Instant Action option from the Main Menu and you will be presented with the Instant Action screen. On this screen all of the details of your Instant Action mission can be set up. At the top of the screen there are two combo-boxes that allow you to choose your Instant Action scenario. The upper box divides the scenarios up into six basic types, while the lower box allows you to choose between all of the

missions available with that type of mission. The basic mission types are as follows:

Basic training Five basic missions to ease you into the art of take-off, landing and circuit

training.

Take-Off Practice engine start-up and take-off.

Landing Landing practice from final approach.

Circuits Practice a circuit around an airfield and land.


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Squadron Take-Off Learn how to take off in squadron formation.

Squadron Landing Learn the art of squadron landing and communicating with your wingmen.

Advanced training These five missions move you up to the more advanced art of complex flying and landing problems.

Follow the Leader Attempt to follow your squadron leader and see if he is able to lose you as he tries to throw you off his tail.

Formation Flying Maintain your position in formation while your leader puts you through a

series of course changes.

Checking The Udet Buoys Patrol over English Channel buoys

Free Flight A free flight allowing you to familiarize yourself with the landscape near your home airfield.

Landing - Engine Failure With an engine that has stopped operating you must perform an emergency glide landing.

Landing - Heavy Damage Make an emergency landing with a heavily damaged aircraft.

Dogfighting Actual combat training with several different customizable dogfighting scenarios. Go on your own, or set up multiple aircraft engagements with either side having the advantage.

Turkey Shoot Shoot down a plane you are tracking from behind.

One on One A straight fight against one determined opponent.


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Random Advantage

A British squadron is vectored against a Luftwaffe fighter sweep. The tactical advantage at the start is changed randomly.

RAF Advantage The RAF squadron is positioned at the rear of a Luftwaffe fighter sweep with the clear advantage.

LUF Advantage

The Luftwaffe fighter sweep is positioned behind an RAF squadron.

Ground attack Get the practice you‟ll need to fly for the Luftwaffe against the varied types of ground targets that can be found in the Campaign.

Dive Bomb Attack Luftwaffe bombers initiate a dive-bombing attack while their fighter escort deals with RAF fighters scrambled in response.

Anti-Shipping A Channel convoy is under attack from dive-bombers.

Low Level Attack

German aircraft have approached a coastal target at low level to avoid detection by radar and are now initiating an attack.

Interceptions When encountering enemy aircraft you‟ll want to have plenty of practice

with the different techniques of interception. Particularly when it happens in a dynamic campaign.

Lone Fighter vs. Lone Bomber A fully laden bomber against a single RAF fighter.

Front Attack Against Bombers Two RAF squadrons positioned ahead of an enemy bomber force and escort.

Rear Attack Against Bombers Two RAF squadrons positioned behind an enemy bomber force and escort.

Scattered Attackers, Scattered Escort Two RAF squadrons are separated and up against two Luftwaffe fighter


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squadrons defending an enemy bomber force.

Historic Eleven scenarios based on actual historic engagements that took place during the Battle of Britain. These will provide the ultimate test of how much you have learned in the previous training missions.

July 19th - End of the Defiant The day before the Boulton-Paul Defiant was removed from service.

August 13th - Eagle Day The start of a new phase of the Battle - attacks on Fighter Command airfields.

August 12th - Raid on Portsmouth and Ventnor RDF station

August 15th – Raid on Short Bros. Aircraft Factory

August 15th - Black Thursday Morning The morning of the largest surprise raids of the Battle of Britain.

August 15th - Black Thursday Afternoon 88 Dornier 17s on a massed raid over England.

August 18th – Airfield Attacks – Kenley

August 18th – Airfield Attacks – South Coast

September 9th - London Heavy raids launched against South London.

September 15th - Battle of Britain Day

Two massive raids over London that sees the climax of the Battle of Britain.

September 25th – Raid on Filton – Bristol Aircraft factory

Additional information Underneath the Instant Action mission choice there are four radio buttons and each of them bring up further information about the selected scenario:

SCENARIO Provides a textual description of the chosen mission.


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PARAMETERS

The parameters radio button gives access to four boxes that allow you to edit the basic parameters of the mission detailed below.

Target Area Defines the type of area where the action takes place - for instance airfield, docks etc. Sometimes you are not allowed to edit the location type, at other times you are provided with a choice.

I.D. Defines the specific location - for instance, the specific airfield etc.

Weather Choose between clear, patchy cloud, low cloud and high cloud.

Time Choose between dawn, morning, afternoon and dusk.

Name Choose your call sign by selecting the name and editing.

LUFTWAFFE or RAF Clicking the Luftwaffe or RAF radio button provides information on the groups of aircraft from either side taking part in the mission. Each panel listed shows details for a specific squadron / staffel unit. They are:

Duty / Target


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Aircraft icon

The aircraft icon can be clicked and highlighted to specify which unit you want to fly in. This icon is non-selectable if the aircraft type is a non-flyable, such as the Defiant.

Aircraft type This combo-box allows you to alter the aircraft that the unit will use. You are limited to choosing another aircraft of the same type that can perform the same duty. For example, if the unit initially has a Dornier Do17 assigned

then you can only change it to another medium bomber type (He111 or Ju88). Sometimes a mission will force a specific aircraft type and no other types are selectable.

Number of flights You can change the number of flights within the unit. The total number of aircraft is dependent on the type of aircraft. For example, Spitfires, Hurricanes and Ju87s operate in flights of 3 aircraft, Me 109s operate in flights of 4 aircraft and all the medium bombers (He111, Do17 and Ju88)

operate in flights of 5. So two flights of Spitfires comprise six aircraft while two flights of He111 total ten aircraft. Selecting 0 flights means that the unit does not take part in the mission. Some missions will not allow units to be disabled in this way, or restrict the option completely.

Altitude You can set the initial altitude of the unit. Sometimes the field will be blank and cannot be altered. This is because the unit is closely escorting a previous

unit (one that appears above it) and shares its altitude.

Skill Sets the average overall skill of the pilots within the unit.

A note about historic missions: These missions are large, consisting of many units attacking numerous targets over a large area. As an example, take the „Aug 13th Eagle Day‟.

When you change the details in the first unit panel of the Luftwaffe, you are actually changing the details for each of the 3 Staffel units that make up 1 Gruppe. You are only able to fly in the lead staffel if you select the aircraft icon. There are two choices at the bottom of the Instant Action screen:

BACK


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Returns control to the main Menu.

FLY Takes you to the so-called 'Frag' screen, where you are shown your unit, aircraft, duty and call sign. If the settings are acceptable to you, then chose FLY at the bottom of the screen. This will then take you into the Instant Action mission itself. You may also choose to enter the Sim Config screens for any last minute tuning, or to return to the Instant Action screen by selecting BACK.

The 'frag' screen is laid out as follows:

Unit The list of the staffel or squadron units taking part in the mission.

Aircraft The major aircraft comprising the units taking part in the mission.

Duty

The duty of the aircraft in the mission.

Callsign The callsign of the leader of the unit.

Below this list is a bank of pilot slots corresponding to the current


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highlighted unit. This is automatically set to the unit you selected on the Instant Action screen. The arrangement of the pilot slots shows the flight

formation that will be used in the air. Your player name should appear automatically in the lead pilot slot. You can change your position within the squadron / staffel by clicking another pilot slot. You can view other units by clicking different unit lines at the top of the screen (if there are any). If you lose track of your current pilot selection then hit the „Return to Player‟ button. The unit containing your pilot will be selected and displayed.

The end of an Instant Action Mission You may exit a mission at any point by pressing the <ALT-X> keys. Once a mission is completed, you will be presented with an on-screen menu containing the options 'Continue' and 'Stand down' (exit) with a key prompt for each. Press the appropriate key to continue flying or exit the mission. The menu will default to 'Continue' after a few seconds and will not appear again - in this case, you must press the <ALT-X> keys when you are ready to exit. A mission is deemed completed for a variety of reasons. For a take-off for combat mission, either destroying all enemy aircraft or allowing any

remaining bandits to stray too far out of range will trigger completion. Once you have completed an Instant Action mission, successfully or otherwise, you will be presented with a full Combat Report. The combat report details the mission you have just completed, particularly location and casualty information. At the bottom of the report there are four active areas:

Back This returns the player to the Instant Action screen.

Report Displays the combat report.

Diary

Displays the combat diary, with more details of the mission that has just been performed including the number of intercepts and the number of losses.

Replay This allows the replay of any material recorded by the gun camera during the mission. Click on Replay to go to the replay file selection screen. This allows you to name the most recently selected footage, or to choose a file


66

from the box of previously saved replays. Select Back to return to the Instant Action screen. Select Save to save newly taken footage. Select View to view

saved footage - this takes you back into the 3-D system and provides you with a replay facility as detailed in Section One of Chapter Two.

Campaign

67

CHAPTER 4

SECTION A: CAMPAIGN Every dialogue box displayed within the campaign section has an

associated help file that fully describes the function of the contents of the dialogue box. The relevant help file can be accessed by clicking on the question mark at the top right corner of any box. You have the option to print out the help file at any time.

Campaign Screen The campaign map, with a set of icons in the top right corner of the screen and five toolbars, generally dominates the campaign screen:

The time toolbar

The main toolbar

The map toolbar

The scale toolbar

The teletype toolbar

The layout of the toolbars and the function of some of the icons is slightly different depending on whether the campaign is being played as the RAF or the Luftwaffe.


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The Map

The campaign map is capable of displaying the entire area of the Battle of Britain campaign, from northern England to

northern France, based on original Ordnance Survey data from the period. The large-scale map can be displayed at 4 major levels of magnification, from 400 miles square down to a 50-mile square area. At a finer level of detail the map becomes a continuously

scaleable down to a scale of 2 miles square. The zoom level is easily adjustable and the map may be scrolled, either using the scroll bars at the right and bottom sides of the map, or by clicking and dragging with the left mouse button while the pointer is over the map portion of the screen.

Campaign

69

It is possible to change the map zoom by one of three methods:

1. by using the scale toolbar (see below). 2. by clicking with the right button while the mouse pointer is

over the map and choosing either the 'zoom in' or 'zoom out' option.

3. rotating the wheel on a Microsoft Wheel Mouse (or similar) while the mouse pointer is over the map. If the mouse wheel zoom doesn't work initially, then try clicking on the map first.

Screen Control Icons

The fixed set of icons in the top right of the screen offer the following functions:

Quit

Return to the Main Menu.

Toolbar Control

This gives access to the toolbar dialogue box. This box allows the player to select which of the five toolbars will be

displayed on the screen at any one time

Size

Toggle between full screen and maximized displays

Right Click Right click while the mouse button is anywhere apart from the campaign map on the campaign screen and a menu system that

duplicates the functionality of the


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toolbars will open.

Context Sensitive Help

Every dialogue box that is displayed within the

Battle of Britain campaign has an associated help file. The help file explains the function of every element and option

within the dialogue box. To access help left click on the question mark at the top right of any dialogue box.

Main Toolbar The main toolbar consists of nine square notebook icons (eight in the case of the Luftwaffe) at the bottom right of the screen. The name and function of some of the icons varies slightly depending on whether you are playing the campaign from an RAF or Luftwaffe command:

Luftwaffe RAF

Icons Icons

Aircraft Allocation The aircraft allocation dialogue box shows where the nation's current aircraft production is destined and what is

required. There is a line of information for each type of aircraft under production.

Luftwaffe Resources or RAF Resources The resources dialogue shows the location and strength of each Geschwader or Squadron available to central command.

Geschwader Lists or Squadron Lists The Geschwader and Squadron lists provide more detailed information about strength and battle readiness of the aircraft at your disposal.

Weather

The weather information box shows the day's weather forecast for southeast England.

Campaign

71

Review The review summary box shows all of the major

information about the campaign and the known state of RAF and Luftwaffe resources.

Pilot Info The pilot info icon brings up the pilot logbook.

Target List or Asset List The target/asset list details all of the major British assets in the south of England.

Mission Folder The mission folder lists all of the missions that have been planned for the day. It shows all missions that have been authorized and that have been flown and completed. All missions are cleared from the folder at the end of each day.

Hostiles List (RAF only)

The hostiles list dialogue lists all the raids that have been detected for the day. As soon as a raid is detected it is added to the list, so it is in chronological order.

Map Toolbar The map toolbar consists of the seven telephone icons just below the map view:

Thumbnail Map Click on the thumbnail map icon to bring up the

thumbnail. The red rectangle indicates the area covered by the main campaign map.


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Zoom Level The zoom level displays two user-definable levels of

zoom on the campaign map.

Zoom Toggle Clicking on the Zoom Toggle icon toggles between the two user definable zooms that are set in the Zoom Level dialog.

Directives Toggle The Directives Toggle icon is used to toggle the appearance of the directives dialogue box. If the telephone icon is on the hook the directive dialogue box will not appear. The directives dialogue, which by default appears at the start of each time period, allows you to build up missions automatically.

Map Filters The Map Filters dialogue is used to control the icons and lines that are drawn on the main campaign map.

Campaign

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Filing Click on the filing icon to display the filing dialogue

box, which is used to save and load campaigns. You can save or load a campaign at any stage of the game.

Replay Allows you to replay footage from in-flight cameras that have previously been recorded. See Chapter Two Section One for further details.

Scale Toolbar The units shown on the toolbar scale are either imperial or metric depending on the selection under the units option in the Sirn Config menu. If imperial units are selected then the scale is displayed in

nautical miles. Kilometres are used if metric units are selected. The scale is fully dockable so that you can move it around the map. The scale can be forced to display horizontally or vertically. If the scale is currently vertical, then click and hold on the top portion of the scale above the origin and drag it to the desired location.

One method of altering the map scale is to click and hold with your left mouse button over the map toolbar. Select a location at the bottom of the scale and move the mouse upwards to decrease the map resolution. Select a location at the top of the scale and move the mouse downwards to increase the map resolution.


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Teletype

Toolbar

The teletype toolbar is just below the map on the left hand side of the screen. It displays a summary of the last three Messages received by central command. The originating location is on the left side of the message, followed by a message on the right. Click on a message to open the Message dialogue and see the full

body of the message.

Time Toolbar The time toolbar is located at the bottom left hand side of the screen.

The Teletype section of the Time Toolbar shows the current date, time and acceleration rate of the game. Click in the teletype area to display the clock. The control icons below the teletype section determine the flow of the campaign:

Game Speed Icon This opens the Time Control dialogue box.

Campaign

75

Pause Icon The pause icon pauses the game. To resume a

paused game you must click on the Play Icon or Accel Icon (described below).

Play Icon The play icon plays the game in real time, where one game second takes one real second

(this is the default setting).

Accel Icon The game will run at the accelerated rate

determined by the settings in the Time Control dialogue. The accelerated time can range from x0, when the game is paused, through xl, which indicates that the game is running in real-time,

to x600.

Luftwaffe Campaign Tutorial

Command Briefing

You are in command of Luftflotte 2 and 3 in northern Europe. In

preparation for the forthcoming invasion of England, an operation codenamed Sealion, you will engage RAF Fighter

Command and achieve air supremacy over the skies of south east England.

In early July 1940 you have 3 Geschwader, totalling about 300

aircraft under your command. Over the next few weeks this will rise to 24 Geschwader. All told, you will have over 2000 aircraft under your command. You are limited to scheduling missions for a maximum of 90 staffeln at any one time.

In pursuit of your campaign objectives, you will plan missions

on the map display.

The full range of Mission Types can be designed. You can either

design a mission personally or just set the overall parameters and let your staff complete the details by using 'directives'.


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You are also cleared to fly missions in Messerschmitt 109, Messerschmitt 110 and Junkers 87D 'Stuka' aircraft. In addition you can act as gunner in

any of the three medium bombers: Junkers 88, Dornier 17 and Heinkel 111.

Luftwaffe fighter and bomber rendezvous

coordination

There is a design element in the Luftwaffe (LW) campaign which not all players like. The fighters sometimes race off to their rendezvous point and do not wait for the bombers they are supposed to be escorting! The late arriving bombers are left alone to be attacked by the RAF with no escorts. This mirrors real life issues in the Battle which often prevented

escorts and bombers from successfully rendezvousing, but for some players, it happens to frequently in this game. There is a workaround for this. One needs to drag and move the Fighter Rendezvous waypoint near to the Bomber Rendezvous point. See Stickman‟s instructions for how to do this including screenshots here:


Overview and Luftwaffe Organisation

It is estimated that the RAF are left with about 50 fighter squadrons after their losses in France earlier in the year. The British also have limited production capacity. At this stage there is no firm intelligence on the major aircraft production locations.

Most of the RAF‟s fighter squadrons are assigned Hurricanes. Some squadrons do have the more modern Spitfires. Both fighters are inferior to our Bf109, however the Spitfire does seem to have the advantage over the Bf110. You should develop a strategy so that the RAF can be attacked in the air and on the ground. The Luftwaffe organisation bears no resemblance to that used by the RAF.

Two of the Luftwaffe's three Luftflotten are involved in the battle. The headquarters of Luftflotte 2 is in Brussels, while Luftflotte 3 are headquartered in Paris. Each Luftflotte consists of a number of Geschwader. A Geschwader is a unit of about one hundred aircraft all of the same type. Each Geschwader consists of up to 3 Gruppen and each Gruppe is made up of up to three Staffeln. A complete fighter Staffel will


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have three Schwarme of four aircraft each. Bombers normally fly in Kette of threes in a Vic formation.

Our understanding of the state of British intelligence is as follows. The RAF has built radio masts on the English coast. Their purpose is unclear, however there is a strong likelihood that they form some sort of aircraft detection and control system. The RAF seems able to intercept raids successfully. However there has yet to be a significant test of their capabilities. It seems likely that the RAF fighters are under some kind of Ground Control System that relies on the information relayed by the radio

masts. Experience shows that this is a difficult and inflexible method of operation and so there is some merit in leaving the radio masts intact. This will mean that the RAF will continue to attempt to use their system even when they are overwhelmed by superior forces.

Part 1: Using Directives Overview Each day is split into three time periods - morning, midday and afternoon. You are given the chance to make major strategic decisions at the start of each period. As the Luftwaffe Commander, you hold the initiative. The RAF must react to the raids that you will be making over the south of Britain. Once your own Luftwaffe raids have left the ground you cannot issue any more direct orders to them. You can only watch the progress of raids on the map and, if you wish, choose when to take a place in a

cockpit, to take a more active role. So that the process of ordering raids is not too complex, a mission directives dialogue box is displayed at the start of each time period. Directives automatically generate missions based on a broad set of instructions from you. Once you have configured the directives to reflect your broad strategic plans, complex raids will be generated without requiring much more interaction from you.

Setting Directives For this tutorial we will use the „Eagle Attack‟ phase of the battle. From the main menu screen, choose the Campaign option pick the „Eagle Attack' phase of the battle. As you first enter the campaign screen you will see the directives dialogue box. The help screen for directives, accessed by

clicking on the question mark at the top of the dialogue box, is available for all screens displayed during the campaign.


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The time is 6:30 a.m. on the morning of August 12, 1940.

A certain number of aircraft are available to you, representing an accurate

reflection of the resources available to Luftflotte 2 and 3 at this stage of

the war. The losses and damage sustained by your aircraft during the campaign, combined with the rate of Luftwaffe aircraft production, will determine how the number of available aircraft varies as the days progress.

A gruppe can fly one mission per day. You can reserve a percentage of your gruppen for missions in a specific period. At this point, say we wish to increase the number of gruppen available for raids in this first morning period. Click the down arrow in the Bomber Allocation Mid-day box until it is zeroed. Increase the allocation for the morning period so that it reads 50%, and set the Ju87 setting to 'maintain %'. The section that dominates most of the directives dialogue is used for aircraft allocation. It shows how many gruppen are being directed to attack British targets of a certain type. Some default entries have already been made at the start of this time period. Let's start afresh, by hitting the 'REST ALL' button at the lower right of the screen in order to zero all aircraft entries against targets. We wish to send our Ju87 Stukas to attack Radar (RDF) targets. Find the aircraft allocation cell for Ju 87s and RDF targets. Click the up arrow until 5 Stukas are assigned. 5 gruppen of Ju87 have

now been made available for missions against RDF targets. Note the way

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in which Luftwaffe aircraft are organised - one gruppen generally

represents 36 fighters, or between 27 and 45 bombers. These vulnerable Ju87 dive-bombers will need some escort. Follow the RDF row along to the Bf109 column. Assign 5 gruppen of Mel09's by clicking the up arrow five times. We want the Mel09's to escort the Stukas closely. Follow the RDF row along to the % Tied field and increase it to 100%. All escort fighters will now fly in close formation with the

bombers. It is worth pointing out that the % Free slot lets you specify how much of the escorting force will be flying detached escort – this means they will be flying the same route as the bombers but will be flying ahead, behind or above them by some distance. If these two fields do not add up to 100% then the difference is used for Return escort -these fighters will meet up with the bombers as they return from the target area. (If you wish, you may also determine how these escorts fly relative to the bombers by

altering the 'Attached Escort' section further above in the directives dialog.)

Click on the Tick on the top right of the box to confirm the

campaign orders that you have given. You are now shown a list of

proposed missions generated from your directives. Targets have been automatically

chosen based on priority and gruppen assigned according to

availability. More Missions can still be added to this list (and, of course, missions can be changed or deleted). Hit the cross at the right

of the proposed missions dialogue box to go back to the directives set up.

Let's assign some of our twin-engined medium bombers to attack airfield targets. On the airfield target row choose 4 He 111 bomber gruppen. Also, assign 3 Bf109 and 1 Bf110 fighter gruppen as escort, on the same line. We can make half of the fighters fly in close, attached, escort while the rest fly „return escort‟. Click on a mission, then „tasking‟, and in the % tied box set the allocation to 50%. The strafe box should be ticked, which means that fighters will strafe the target if the opportunity presents itself.


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On each row to the right of the bomber allocation cells you will find the 'size per target' field. This determines how many aircraft will form each

separate mission. This in turn affects how many raids will be launched. Since airfields are large area targets we will send 2 gruppen to each target by setting the size field to 2 gruppen. (RDF and convoy targets can often be dealt with using smaller sized raids.) Ensure the other 50% are used as „return escort‟. This will make sure that

your bombers have cover on their return across the channel. It is not recommended to use „detached‟ or „free‟ escort. These can better be described as „frie jagd‟ or fighter sweeps, and the RAF will largely ignore these. As your purpose is to engage the RAF, fighter sweeps have limited value unless you want to fly these patrols yourself as a player. You will notice that the 'Missions' column - the number of raid missions that are being proposed - has dropped from 4 to 2. Two raids will be

launched against airfields with these directives. The two Heinkel bomber raids will be flying separately to different targets. We can force them to fly together as one raid that will split as it nears the target area. This is a useful tactic for confusing the British defence network. On the airfield line, increase the 'Secondary' target field from 0 to 1. This means there will be one additional target for each raid. Notice that the number of missions has now dropped to 1. So, with these directives, a raid of 4 He 111 gruppen will be launched, and it will split in half near the target area

so that two separate airfield targets can be attacked. The automatically chosen targets are likely to be geographically close since the '2nd' target option is chosen. Click on the tick button at the top of the directives screen to see the new set of proposed missions. The first raid has 120

bombers, escorted by 144 fighters, involved in a

raid on two separate

targets. Click on the tick at the top of the

proposed missions box to confirm

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these missions.

Part 2: Following Raids from the Campaign

Map Overview You are now looking at the campaign map screen. Click on the pause button near the bottom left hand side of the screen, so that we can take our time to understand how everything is laid out. When time is progressing

normally you will see the markers representing your raids move across the map. You will receive warnings when most vital events occur. The campaign map screen is divided into a number of areas:

1. The campaign map, in the upper left, dominates the display – showing southern Britain and northern France. The map is scrollable (use the scroll bars or click, hold and move with

your mouse) and scaleable (click and hold on the scale on the right hand side, or use your mouse wheel, if you have one). Using map filters you can determine how much information is displayed on this screen. At this stage you will see that your directives have already generated a lot of information!

2. The main toolbar is on the lower right of the screen. It displays 8 'folder' icons (9 in the case of the RAF) that

relate to all of the relevant campaign specific information you

can display and the commands that you can make. 3. Above the main toolbar is the map toolbar. The icons on the

map toolbar allow you to modify all aspects of your map display. There is also a game save facility under a telephone icon on the map toolbar.

4. On the lower left of the display is the time toolbar, displaying

the campaign time and game play speed controls. 5. Above the time toolbar is the teletype area, where important

Command centre messages are displayed as they are received. 6. At the top right of the screen there are three overall display

controls. Including a quit icon that allows you to quit the campaign and return to the main menu of the game.

The Map In the area of northern France on the campaign map you will see a number of tall boxes with yellow, red and blue horizontal bands. These 'tokens' represent the


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raids that you have generated from the directives screen. These tokens were actually part of the RAF plotting system during the war and were

used to keep track of known Luftwaffe raids. We have adopted it for use by the Luftwaffe itself in this simulation, so that Luftwaffe raids are always displayed in a consistent fashion, whichever side you choose to play on. The top, yellow bar shows the raid ID number, using ROO1 for the first Luftwaffe raid of the day The red band shows the number of aircraft involved in the raid. The bottom blue band shows the altitude of the group

in thousands of feet or metres (depending on the default system of units chosen). A raid marker only shows the position of the aircraft forming the head of the raid, which in a mixed mission would be the main bombers. It does not show the escort aircraft, as they move from their airfields (often different to the bomber airfields) to form up with the main raid. Later, we will learn how to use a modern plotting system to track all aircraft in a raid (and this is in fact recommended for highest gameplay satisfaction as it is easier for the player to choose which unit to „frag‟ into and fly using individual icons for each staffel, because the yellow, red and blue Raid

Markers show a general position of both fighter and bomber formations, which in reality can be spread over many many square miles).

Moving raid

waypoints When a raid is created, and before

it takes off, you can manually move any of the waypoints by clicking and dragging it around the map.

Those that are important are the fighter rendezvous waypoint (you can move it to optimise rendezvous) and the „fighter dispersal‟ waypoint, which you can move closer to the „bomber egress‟ waypoint if you want your Return Escort to meet your bombers earlier in the raid.

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Managing Time and Warning Messages Look at the time toolbar panel, showing the date and time, at the bottom left of the screen. The two buttons on the right hand side of this toolbar set the simulation to play either on 'normal' time (where one second of game play is one campaign second), or 'accelerated' time (where one second of game play is a larger number of campaign seconds). Click on the leftmost 'game speed' button to display the game speed 'control' box. This dialogue

allows the accelerated time button to be configured and also allows the setting of preferences for when warning messages are displayed during a mission. The first bank of four options at the top of the game speed control box configures the accelerated speed for different campaign situations. Note, for instance, that the default 'non-raid' speed is 300.

This means that if you run the game in 'accelerated' play, then for every second you are watching the simulation there will be five minutes

of campaign time, so long as you are in 'non raid' mode. The game runs in 'raid' mode once any active Luftwaffe raid is detected by British

Radar or by the Observer Corps.

Configure the 'Normal time' feature on the lower part of this box by ticking the boxes for small and large engagements. This setting means that

accelerated time will be slowed down to normal time when any form of engagement arises. Select the 'Fly' tag at the top of the box and ensure that 'offer take-over on event' tick boxes are selected under the 'All' column in the engagement and ground attack rows. These settings determine when during the campaign you will be offered a chance to fly. All tick boxes should be de-selected if you simply wish to follow the entire campaign


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from the perspective of the Commander. Close the dialogue by clicking the tick in the top right corner.ow, it's time to get the raids we have created

under way. Hit the accelerate button. You will see that time accelerates rapidly while the elements involved in the raid take-off and form up. Once a raid has formed and is en route to England it will be picked up at some point by the British Radar net and the game speed will drop to fifteen times normal speed. The raid tokens, representing each raid, move along the route of the main raid group and will eventually either be intercepted by the RAF or will

reach their target.

Understanding and Acting Upon Warning Messages A warning dialogue will be

displayed at the

start of any

engagement, offering you the

opportunity to „takeover‟. This

means you can get into a cockpit of an assigned aircraft in the engagement and fly this part of the mission. We will do that later! At

the moment - pause the game by hitting the pause button on the time toolbar panel. Hit cancel on the takeover dialogue to decline the

chance to fly. You will see your last three messages on the teletype screen below the map. Click on the teletype and the full log will

appear. Examine the most recent transmissions carefully to understand what has been happening. Close down the message box when you are

completed.

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The Mission Folder You will find the mission folder icon within the main toolbar at the bottom right of the campaign screen. Click on the icon to open the folder. The mission folder shows a full breakdown of the raid(s) that were generated from your initial directives.

Look at the first raid - R001. There are four lines associated with this Heinkel bombing raid. The first line shows the information about the Heinkel bombers carrying out the strike, including take off time, expected

time over the target and the name of the target. The status field lets you know how the raid is organised at this moment. For instance, 'forming' means that the raid has yet to pull its separate elements together and set out to the target area. „Target Area' means that the raid is within range of the target or actually carrying out an attack. The RAF field shows you how many British fighters are currently engaging the raid (if any) and the tally

shows the current number of kills against the RAF by the raid as a positive number and the number of losses as a negative number.

The two lines below the level bomb description of the Heinkels shows the information for the attached and detached Messerschmitt escort sorties that protect the bombers. Use the scrollbars to view all of the elements of the missions in progress. The buttons at the bottom of the mission folder allow you to re-task and alter the routing of any raid, so long as it is not in


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progress. We will approach those topics later on. Click on the tick box at top-right of the dialogue when you are ready to proceed.

Note that you can also access the mission folder at any time by clicking on any of the raid tokens on the campaign map. The mission folder will be displayed with the appropriate raid marked in red.

Now, hit the accelerated time button and hit cancel on each takeover warning message that appears. Watch the raids as

they move to the targets, attack and then turn back. You will see that some new tokens appear on the campaign map during these raids. These are RAF tokens, which signify individual RAF patrols, which will have been launched in response to your raids. They are displayed with white and blue bands. When your raids have landed the period will continue until it ends and the directives dialogue will appear again for the midday period. We previously reallocated all the aircraft from the midday period to the morning, so we

have no aircraft available at this time. This is not quite as alarming as it sounds. While the RAF is given a break, it also allows the Luftwaffe time to regroup and gain some rest. And we will take a look at how to debrief the missions we sent out in the morning.

Summing Up After One Period of Raids Hit the pause button and close the directives box. Open the mission folder. The raids from the morning period are still listed. Note that the status for most of them will be set to 'complete', which means that they have

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returned and landed. Highlight the line for the first raid. Hit the 'Gruppe' button (at the bottom right of the box) to see details of the lead bomber

gruppen that made up this raid. The Gruppe dialogue is split into three panels. Each panel contains details about one gruppe. Three gruppen make up one Geschwader.

To see how the selected gruppe performed during the raid, access the gruppe's mission diary by clicking the 'Details' button at the lower right of the geschwader box. In the gruppe diary box, if you click on 'view single', then you will get a very detailed breakdown of the raid debriefing. All of the other gruppen involved in the same raid can be accessed from this screen. Look at the target and result field to see if the raid managed to

reach the target and inflict any damage on it.


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Also look at the Enemy Losses to see how many RAF fighters intercepted the raid and how many of those fighters were knocked out by the gruppe.

Close down all gruppe and mission folder windows and go into accelerated time until the end of the mid-day period. Since no Luftwaffe aircraft are set to fly there is no significant action at all during this time. When the next time period (afternoon) starts, the directives box is displayed once more. Pause the time button at this stage.

Part 3: Authorising and Editing Raids The directives tool is very efficient for quickly setting up missions using

numbers and types of aircraft that you prefer. The targets that are automatically assigned for each type of target are taken from a list ordered by priority. Relative priority is determined by a number of things; for instance the target's perceived value to the opposition - fighter command - as well as the amount of damage already sustained by the target are important. For this reason, in this stage of the war for example, British airfields that

house bombers are less important to the Luftwaffe than airfields servicing fighters. You may decide that targets should be best approached in an order different to the one generated automatically by a directive set. In this section we will learn how to authorise our own individual missions and learn how to alter the details of those raids. First, we should start with a clean slate. Click on the 'REST ALL' button and click on the tick at the top right corner to close the directives box with

no proposed missions. Go forward to close the proposed missions box. All available aircraft are now ready for us to allocate manually.

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The Target List

Click on the target list button - which is second from the right on the lower main toolbar. The target list displays every possible British target on a number of pages. Each page has a list of targets for one distinct target type according to the selection of the 'tab' at the top of the box. The list is ordered by absolute priority to the Luftwaffe war effort.


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Find Gosport airfield and click on its entry in the box.

To get more information about this target click on the 'details' button at the bottom of the dialogue box. This opens a 'target dossier' with the heading Gosport AF. Click on 'centre' to centre the airfield on your campaign map and click on 'zoom' three or four times. Your map will be centred on Gosport airfield. Targets appear as round icons on the map. Different colour icons are displayed for different target types. Airfields are green. If

you cannot see any airfields being displayed on your map, find and select the map filter icon on the

map toolbar.

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Click on the 'airfields' tick box, making sure that the box is checked before leaving the map filter dialogue box. The exact location of the Gosport

airfield should now be identified on the campaign map by its icon. If a target suffers damage, then a red outline is displayed around the icon. A red

cross on the icon means that the target is considered to be destroyed and non-operational. Select any target icon on the campaign map to bring up its

information dossier. Currently we have very little information in the dossier for this target. Its status is unknown and we have no idea how much damage it has sustained (we haven't flown a raid against it yet so it's safe to assume it is undamaged). The available intelligence is restricted because we are

playing the campaign with the same handicaps as the Germans at that time. There is an option on the Mission Page of the Sim Config menu for Luftwaffe Intell (igence). It is possible to change this from 'Historic' to 'Accurate' and have constant up to date and accurate intelligence for all the targets. This makes the campaign a lot easier when playing as the Luftwaffe and very difficult when taking the role of the RAF commander. For the moment, let's stay with the default 'Historic' setting.

The information in the dossier will be updated after you have raided the target. This information comes from the Bomber crews who watch their bombs fall on the target. You will find that their information is often biased. From the bomber's viewpoint the damage can seem quite spectacular but on the ground it is a different story. The bombs may be hitting buildings or areas that have no real value, or the damage they cause is quickly repaired. The damage report in the dossier quickly becomes out of date. To get an accurate and up to date report you must periodically


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dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to the target. Reconnaissance aircraft take detailed photographs of the target (the photo option becomes available),

which are analysed by skilled intelligence officers. They will give a more accurate assessment of the damage to a target. They will note any aircraft types in residence at a field and update their classification of the field correspondingly. Airfields that were part of Bomber or Coastal command that played no real part in the battle were commonly mistaken for fighter command stations. These mistakes can be recognised through the use of reconnaissance. Such aircraft are mainly deployed against airfields and radar sites. You can request a reconnaissance mission against a target by

clicking the 'Reconn' button on a target dossier or by using the automatic feature on the directives dialog.

Authorising a Mission Say we want to create a mission against Gosport Airfield as a target. Select the 'authorise' button at the lower right of the target dossier. In turn,

the mission folder is now displayed. Scroll down to the latest mission to be

assigned, at the bottom of the mission list. A new raid will have been added to the list, with Gosport AF as a target. It has been set up using a standard mission profile. Let's now take a closer look at how this raid is put together.

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Editing the Task Select the first line of the new raid (it will have a bombing mission type) and click on the 'task' button at the bottom of the mission folder. The task dialogue is split into five separate pages that afford you great flexibility in altering the profile of this new raid. The 'summary' page gives you an

overview of aircraft types and numbers that have been assigned, and allows you to make sweeping changes to those broad parameters if you wish to. For example here the raid escort has been suggested as 50% attached and

50% detached or „free‟. It is strongly recommended you change this to 50% returning escort to ensure your bombers do not have to fly home unprotected.


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Click on the 'bombers' tag to set up the major attack force. By default, one staffel of bombers is assigned and on the bottom list you will see the name

of the assigned bomber unit. Click on the 'next available' unit three times and you will see the number of allocated bombers increase from one

staffeln to two guppen. Automatically the computer tries to assign gruppen from the same Geschwader, but if it cannot then the unit dialogue box comes up and you can manually select which gruppe you wish to choose.

You can change a unit you have already added by clicking on the unit name. The unit select dialogue will be displayed and you may select a new unit. You can also change the target for a unit by clicking on the target name. The easiest way to choose a new target is to select a target icon on the main campaign map. Since the gruppen all make up the same main raid, any new targets will be secondary ones, and the raid will split up after it has formed. Close the task box and return to the mission folder.

Note that once a raid has taken off further task editing cannot be performed. While you are on this menu, look also at the field „Attack Method‟. Here you can choose between Level and „Bomb in Trail‟ bombing. Gameplay experience has shown In Trail bombing gives the best spread of bombs in a target area, while Level bombing gives the best concentration.

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Editing the Route With the original raid leader unit highlighted in the mission folder, select the 'route' button on the bottom of the box to display all of the 'waypoints' on the route. Waypoints are the significant map locations where important

mission events and direction changes occur - ranging from take off to the entry into the target area. It is possible, through this screen, to insert new waypoints. The major waypoints cannot, however, be edited. Full details of the meaning of waypoints are described in the help file in the route dialogue box. If you look at the map screen you will see that the route of your selected bomber group has been highlighted in white. Waypoints are displayed as rings.

The fields you will most often play with here are „altitude‟ and „Initial Point‟. By setting up multiple raids to attack the same target at the same time, one at low and one at high altitude, you split RAF interceptors and make it harder for the RAF. Or by setting up a raid to hit the same target from another direction 30 minutes after the first, you might catch the RAF on the ground and refuelling after intercepting your first raid!

Map Filtering It was mentioned earlier that raid tokens on the campaign map are a representation of those used by the RAF during the Battle of Britain. We have a modern alternative that allows you to see more detail - more detail than would have been possible at the time.

Click the 'map filters' icon on the map toolbar, and select the 'aircraft' tab. You will observe that 'authentic plots' are currently selected. Tick the option for 'one icon per Gruppe'. A small icon will appear on the map for every Luftwaffe staffeln that is in the air. You will need to zoom in to


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distinguish the individual staffeln flying in gruppen formation. Extra information about each icon is displayed as a hint when the mouse is

rested over it. This level of detail is almost essential if you like „fragging into‟ fighter staffeln for dogfighting. It is not much fun to frag into a raid and click on a fighter unit which is returning to France because it is low on fuel. For best results you need to be able to see where on the map the individual fighter unit is. This does not reflect historical reality, where the commander only had a general idea where all his airborne units were in time and space - but is the best compromise for full gameplay enjoyment.

Part 4: Flying

Now, click on the accelerate button. As the campaign progresses you will eventually be given a 'takeover' warning message when the RAF intercepts one of your missions or a ground attack has started. Click on the 'fly' button. Control will now move to the 'frag' screen, where you can select your aircraft from the raid that has been intercepted. It is also worth noting

that it is possible to fly any aircraft from any raid that is in your mission

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folder at any time. Simply select the raid component of interest in the mission folder and click on the 'frag' button on the lower left of the screen.

The frag screen displays every gruppe involved in the chosen raid. Choose which unit you wish to join by selecting its name from the list at the top left of the screen. The flight configuration of the unit is graphically displayed on the lower part of the screen. You will note that fighter gruppen are organised into three 'schwarmes' of four aircraft. The name of each schwarme leader and the call signs of the other pilots, are identified. The actual formation of each schwarme is displayed (according to the

assigned configuration in the task dialog). Bomber gruppen are generally formed from three ketten, comprising three bombers each. To assign yourself to a particular aircraft, simply select one from the list. You will note that your name replaces the name or call sign of the pilot that was there. You may make last minute alterations to the flying configuration of the simulation by selecting the 'Sim Config' option at the bottom of the screen. See Chapter Three Section Three for more details and, of course, you can click 'Back' to return to the campaign. Select fly to get into your cockpit! (If you have selected a Kampsgeshwader medium bomber

squadron, though, you will be sitting in the gunner's position during the flight.) If you have chosen a unit „in contact‟ you enter the 3-D you should get straight into the action. If you drift away and are not under immediate threat then hit the TAB key to enter four times normal acceleration. The auto pilot system will take over and guide you to the area where you should be.

When you decide to stop flying, hit <Alt-X> to return to the map and select the time Pause button. All plots on the map will have moved since you entered the 3-D. At this point you could accelerate time again and choose to fly in any other situations that arise, but for the moment let us review our progress in the campaign.

Part 5: Reviews

Open the review dialogue by clicking the review icon on the main tool bar. This dialogue shows you a breakdown of Luftwaffe and RAF aircraft strengths and RAF target statistics (the same dialogue is available when playing as the RAF but from the RAF‟s viewpoint). The dialogue is broken down into pages. The strength and aircraft pages let you see how your crews are performing and show the current losses and replacements


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of your aircraft. The targets page is very important as it shows you how your attacks against target types are fairing. The claims page shows a

breakdown of kills against the RAF and the enemy page shows an estimation of the current number of RAF fighters based on losses and manufacturing intelligence. Be aware that any numbers relating to claims against the RAE aircraft availability and manufacturing rates are estimates and may vary wildly in accuracy!

Managing Resources This is not so much of an issue for the Luftwaffe as their manufacturing facilities are not under direct threat. However, it can become a problem if your aircraft are shot down in large numbers. You have the following dialogs accessed from the main tool bar to manage and view your

resources

Aircraft Allocation

This shows the current manufacturing output and which units are the next to be replenished.

Luftwaffe Resources

Each page lists the number of aircraft in each Gruppe of each Geschwader. If the number of aircraft in a Gruppe is bracketed then that Gruppe is not available for duty in this period, either because it is already flying or has flown a mission, or because it is resting due to losses. This will have an impact on the number of raids generated by directives.

Geschwader list

This lists Gruppen in detail according to the options you have chosen, for example listing by Geschwader type or Category.

Day End

Review Each 'day' ends at 20:00 hrs. The day end review screen will appear listing news items from each day. The

news will usually be

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general assessments of progress so far and updates on the proposed invasion date. More valuable than this summary, is

the information in the „Review‟ dialogue (accessed with the button at right). Use this dialogue to get a more accurate update on how many of your own, and enemy aircraft have been damaged, and destroyed. While the individual split of Hurricane vs Spitfire kills is effected by „fog of war‟, and often unreliable, the totals column is usually quite accurate, and a good gauge of how the campaign is progressing.

RAF Campaign Tutorial

Command Briefing You lead RAF Fighter Command charged with the duty of

defending the air space over the United Kingdom. Specifically

you must defend your country from the invasion force building up on the continent of Europe. You must ensure that Fighter Command remains an effective force throughout the summer until mid-September 1940 when bad weather begins to eliminate the risk of invasion.

You have 53 fighter squadrons at your disposal: 34 have

Hurricanes and the rest are equipped with Spitfires. All told, there are over 600 aircraft in your command. You are limited to scheduling missions for a maximum of 32 squadrons at any one time.

In pursuit of your campaign objectives, you will respond to

threats as they appear on the map display. This map shows the result of collating intelligence about enemy movements from various sources including the RDF and ROC.

It is possible to define both patrol and intercept missions. Patrols can be redirected to threats when they are in the air. You can

either design a mission from scratch personally or just set the overall parameters and let your staff complete the details using 'directives'. (In the following section we will generally call all missions patrols, for brevity.)

You are cleared to fly missions in Spitfire and Hurricane

fighters.

Overview and RAF Organisation Your role as an RAF Commander is quite different from that of a Luftwaffe Commander. The RAF is on the defensive. You must react to


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incoming raids by scrambling fighters, yet always holding enough in reserve so that you have cover when you most need it. Unlike the

Luftwaffe, the RAF plans few missions at the start of each time period throughout the day, other than standing patrols over convoys or other vulnerable assets. You'll scramble squadrons as and when you feel it necessary throughout the day. It is expected that during the course of summer 1940 the Luftwaffe will be able to allocate up to 2000 aircraft to prepare for the invasion of England. They have codenamed „Operation Sealion'. Initially you can expect to be

confronted by Junkers 87D Stuka dive-bombers and the formidable twin-engine Bf110 fighter. Later in the campaign you will encounter heavier bombers like the Dornier 17, Heinkel 111 and Junkers 88. The single engine Bf109 will act as escort to the bomber formations. It is vital that you don't damage the integrity of Fighter Command by over committing your forces. Obviously it makes sense to respond to threats against Fighter Command assets. On the other hand, defence of other assets should be limited to the minimum that is deemed to be politically

acceptable. Fighter Command consists of four Groups: 10, 11, 12 and 13. Each group is assigned a geographical area rather than a specific set of squadrons. Squadrons can move from group to group to fulfil the objectives of Fighter Command. Although a squadron can have more pilots and aircraft assigned to it, a complete squadron in the air consists of twelve aircraft. You have 53 fighter squadrons at your disposal: 34 Hurricane and the rest

are Spitfires. All told, there are over 600 aircraft in your command. 11 Group covers the southeast of England and so it is in the front line. 12 Group is in central England and 10 Group is to the southwest. Both these groups are actively involved in the Battle. 13 Group is stationed in the north of England. Squadrons in 13 Group do not take part in the Battle; they use the time in the north to recuperate. 10, 11 and 12 Groups are further divided into sectors, which are again based on a geographical area.

Each sector has its own control room at an airfield in the sector from where ground controllers 'vector' RAF fighters to their intercepts. Either Radio Direction Finding (RDF) methods or the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) gathers most of the intelligence about enemy movements. RDF methods are now universally referred to as RADAR. Fighter Command had two coastal systems in operation during the Battle of Britain. The Chain Home (CH) system was capable of detecting aircraft at

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a distance of up to about 150 kilometres (90 miles), but this reduced by about 30% for an aircraft at 15,000 ft. The Chain Home Low system was

developed to overcome this limitation. This type of radar had a range of about 30 kilometres (20 miles) at low altitude. Neither system could be used to track aircraft once they had passed by the system and flown inland. The job of detecting aircraft over England fell to the Royal Observer Corps. Groups of two or three people were stationed all over the south east of England and they reported all aircraft movements to a central station. This system worked remarkably well – however heavy cloud did have a

large effect on its effectiveness. All the information generated passed through a filtering stage so that the information presented on the map was consistent and as error free as possible. This is the information that you will see presented on your campaign map.

RAF Directives Note that to avoid repetition, many of the topics covered in the Luftwaffe campaign tutorial section are assumed to be understood by the reader when discussing the RAF campaign.


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From the main menu screen, choose the Campaign option and request a campaign as the RAF Commander during the 'Eagle Attack' phase of the

battle. At the start of the morning time period on August 12th 1940 you are presented with a directives dialogue box. You'll notice that it is substantially different from the Luftwaffe directives dialog. It is more concerned with defining how missions will be launched later if the situation and need arises, rather than specifying missions to launch immediately. The Luftwaffe will be leaning towards raids into mainland England at the start of this 'Eagle Attack' phase. Radar installations, coastal airfields and docks will be their preferred targets.

Setting up Patrols In the 11 Group Squadron section there is a „Holes in Radar' setting. This setting allows you to set aside a number of squadrons to patrol those areas in the coastal radar net that are not covered. If all of the Radar sites are working correctly then there are no holes in the coverage. One squadron

will cover each hole in the net. Hit the tick to confirm your directives. The 'Proposed Patrols' dialogue is displayed, showing the patrols that are planned. Click on the tick box to get started.

RAF Response Markers The battle is now under way. You will see your patrols represented on the map as one token for each squadron. These are representations of the tokens used by the RAF during the war. The top white bar shows the

number of aircraft in the patrol, and the blue bar at the bottom shows the current altitude in thousands of feet or metres - depending on the default units setting. The square „lollipop' above the top of the token displays the squadron

number. There can be more than one lollipop above a p patrol, as more squadrons are added. If you click on an RAF token the mission folder will be displayed and the proposed route to be taken by the patrol will be highlighted on the campaign map. A round lollypop indicates that only part of a squadron has been launched. The colour and number of lollipops correspond to the

call signs of the sections. If you wish to see more closely where a squadron that has been

scheduled for patrol is located, then highlight one of the patrols listed in the mission folder and click on the 'squadron' button at the lower right corner. The squadron details are displayed as part of the airfield dialogue

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relating to where the squadron is located. Select the 'general' tab for the airfield at the top of the airfield dialog and click on the 'centre' button at

the bottom. The airfield will now be centred on your map display and you can zoom in to see its precise location. Again, you may choose to change these icons to display individual units, for better tactical decision making.

Authorising Scrambles As the day progresses, the Radar net (assuming it has not been knocked out) will detect a build-up of Luftwaffe raids over France. Sometimes the raids will be detected late as they cross the channel into southern England.

As soon as a raid is detected you will be asked whether you wish to set up an intercept patrol. Select the 'Ok' button and a scramble response mission will be automatically generated as soon as possible - usually within a few minutes. The Task button will 1 do the same thing but opens the relevant dialogue to edit the mission before it leaves the ground. We will learn more about this later.

There are also occasions when you will be asked if you wish to take over control of aircraft in intercept situations. At this stage you should decline the offer.

Mission Folder Open the mission folder on the main toolbar (screenshot on following page). Each line shows the details of an RAF patrol mission. The order number is a unique identifier for today's missions, starting with FOOl identifying the first RAF patrol of the day. The squadron column displays the relevant squadron number and, in brackets, the number of aircraft from that squadron involved in the mission. The status field shows the current state of action of the squadron. If the status shows 'At 30 mins', then the squadron is at a low state of readiness, prepared for take-off in thirty


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minutes. Some squadrons will be 'forming' after take-off - in other words still manoeuvring into their patrol configuration. If the objective is a place

name, then the squadron's mission will be to patrol that asset or area.

If the objective is a four-character identifier, then the objective is a Luftwaffe raid. In the case of a raid, its currently known size and status are displayed along with the raid's target and status if it has been confirmed. Luftwaffe raids have an H prefix, and the three digit identifier gives the order of Luftwaffe raids detected during that hour of the day, for example, the third raid detected after 7:00

Altering Mission Profiles Missions that have yet to take off can be re-'tasked' by selecting the task button at the lower part of the mission folder. Re-tasking allows you to alter the numbers of aircraft in a mission, the squadrons they come from as well as the fine details of fighter attack methods. It is a very precise tool. The target can only be changed after takeoff by using the „Re-

vector‟ function. Re-vectoring a mission in flight allows you to alter the target. Click on the „Re-Vector‟ button and then select a new target on the campaign map. A target can

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be any Luftwaffe raid. Patrols over radar will be automatically vectored against any threats that come close to the radar site. Patrols over other

assets will only automatically vector to defend their asset. As a player you may decide that it is quicker to re-vector a patrol to a raid than it is to scramble an intercept from the ground.

Routes You will find that the dialogs and controls relating to route management are very similar to the Luftwaffe but there are some differences. A special 'estimated location' waypoint marker is displayed on the map route for missions assigned to intercept an incoming raid. This shows the location where the interception is expected to take place given the raid's current course.

Tracking Raids As the campaign progresses and more raids are launched you will be put under increasing pressure. You must develop a strategic and tactical picture based on the events developing before you. There are different tools available to aid you in keeping track of the enemy raids:

1. Watch the map.

Always keep your eye on the campaign map. Raid icons, once raids are on the move, have large arrows next to them showing the last reported heading of the raid.

2. Use the intelligence teletype. This provides the nerve centre for all intelligence information. After a time, the campaign map can become cluttered with Raid and RAF response markers. There's always the danger that as Commander you will lose track of a raid or underestimate the threat it poses.


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3. Use the Hostiles List. The hostiles list is a modern tool (unavailable in the 1940s) that helps you keep track of all raids and responses. Open the 'hostiles list' dialogue by clicking either on a raid token on the map or on the hostiles list icon at the left of the main toolbar.

The hostiles table lists all of the Luftwaffe raids that have been detected. Each line shows the current information that has been gathered about the raid. The columns at the end of each line

display the number of RAF aircraft currently flying out to intercept the raid, the number currently in combat, the number returning to base and a running tally of losses for each side. Obviously a major raid with no planned response is potentially a very serious threat. This list is very useful as it lets us see an overview of all the raids and therefore make sure that they all have adequate responses. Raids that are inbound or in the target area pose more of a threat to your assets than those that have dropped their bombs and are going home. Click on a raid and you can automatically 'authorize' an

appropriate response to the raid. The fine details of the authorised response can be tuned in the mission folder, which is why the mission folder is displayed once the 'authorize' button is selected.

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Debriefing Sorties Once a squadron has returned to its home airfield, details of its sortie become available. Highlight the squadron in the mission folder and select the squadron button at the bottom right to display the squadron dialog. Click on the 'details' button to display the squadron diary and full details about the sortie just completed.

End of a Period At the end of the morning period the directives dialogue will be displayed for the midday session. Pause the game briefly, so that you can review the outcome of the morning's action. Select the 'review' icon on the main toolbar. The review box contains all of the details about your current air

force strength. The aircraft tab displays the numbers of damaged and

destroyed aircraft and the assets list will show the accumulated damage to all major asset types. A glance at the most recent teletype output will also help you to keep track of the recent key events. You will need to use the information you have gained to help plan your strategy for the next

session. At the end of each day of the campaign - after the third period of the day – there will be a summary of important events and some video footage. Then it is on to the next day Occasionally you will notice that you'll be offered to skip a particular session because of foul weather. Normally, you should do so. In bad weather it is unlikely that there will be enemy action and you need to conserve your resources and gain some rest.


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Detecting and Intercepting Raids It is possible for raids to slip through the radar net, avoid detection or confuse controllers if:

The radar picture is confused due to too many overlapping raids.

A raid comes in at low level.

The raid consists of few aircraft.

Cloud cover obscures the raid from the Royal Observer Corp

who then have to rely on sound location equipment.

The raid splits in the target area.

The raid uses a dogleg and does not reveal its intended target

until the last possible moment.

Managing RAF Resources If you select the 'resource' icon in the main toolbar, you'll bring up the RAF resources display box. This displays ALL of the aircraft available to the RAF according to group - the major organising principle of RAF fighter command. Each group is divided into a number of geographical sectors and you will see that the RAF resource list for each group is divided by sector. Each sector's squadrons are controlled from one sector control station, which is listed at the start of each row. If you look at the

map of England at lower levels of zoom you will notice that the map is divided into the individual sectors, identified by a different sector letter. These are the sectors referred to in the resources listing. You can also identify the extent of the four major RAF groups, divided by solid black lines at the lowest zoom level on the campaign map. During the battle, if the buildings housing your sector operations are knocked out then all airfields in that sector are affected until new operations can be established at a new location.

The Importance of Squadron Readiness There are various readiness states that a squadron can be at which determine how quickly the squadron can get off the ground (if at all) once they receive an order to scramble. The states are described below:

Released: The squadron has been released from duty for this period and is not

expected to fly. The pilots will be resting and recuperating. While released, the squadron's morale will slowly increase, which will increase the squadron's category after a while.

At 30 mins: The squadron is ready to be called on to fly during this period. It will take 30 minutes to prep the aircraft when the order to scramble

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comes. It is still quite stressful for the pilots waiting for the call to arrive at any moment.

At 5 mins: The aircraft are fuelled, armed and lined up with the pilots nearby. On the scramble order, it will take 5 mins for the pilots to get into the

cockpits, start their engines and get away.

At 2 mins: The pilots will be sat in their cockpits with the engines running. You must be careful not to leave a squadron 'at 2 mins' for a great length of time as it uses valuable fuel and will tire the pilots.

Changing the state of readiness can have a major impact on the effectiveness of your fighters but you must ensure you do it in the right circumstances. For example, squadrons based to the North of London, which are tasked with protecting the capital, would be best kept at

30 mins or even released if the Luftwafffe is busy attacking targets along the Southern coast. Conversely, when London is being blitzed, those same squadrons should be kept at '5 mins'. You can see the current readiness state of a squadron by

viewing the squadron page of an airfield dialog. You can then request a new readiness state using the relevant control. The change will take time, so moving from 'At 30 mins' to 'At 5 mins' will take 25 mins. When you make the change it will say 'to 5

mins' to warn you of the transition. Requests to squadrons that are 'released' will not take effect until the next period. If you click on the sector control station you will bring up the 'tote board' for that sector. This is an authentic representation of the style of display used by the RAF during this period. The lights show the readiness of each

squadron in that sector.


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Managing Aircraft and Pilots It is important to keep a watch on your squadrons. A squadron that is continually asked to fly missions without rest will suffer from low morale and fatigue. The squadron category (A. B. C) gives you an insight into the fighting ability of a squadron. When this reaches Category 'C' it is definitely time to pull the squadron from combat to rest.

Use the Squadron List dialogue accessed from the main tool bar to view the details of all your squadrons. The list of squadrons can be filtered using the controls at the top of the dialog. Click on a squadron line and open its details dialog. At the top of the dialogue page you will see an option for requested readiness that you can use to change the state and below it a report of the current readiness. Setting the squadron readiness to 'released' means that

the squadron is not expected to fly and can take time out to relax. They will slowly recuperate. The 'Rest if‟ option at the top of RAF directives automates this process. Squadrons are released from duty if their category or number or aircraft drop below the level you specify. Each time a pilot is lost he is replaced. But, you will notice that the overall average skill and morale of the

squadron will drop to represent the arrival of an under-trained novice. The morale of the squadron leader has a great impact on the remainder of the squadron. While flying, the rest of the squadron are concentrating on formation flying with the leader, so it is down to him to lead them into the best position and spot the enemy.

Transferring Squadrons You will find the need to transfer squadrons to different airfields during the course of the campaign. There are various reasons for doing this:

There are not enough squadrons in a particular sector to deal

with concentrated raids against it.

A squadron is non-operational (Cat C) and must be moved to a

quieter airfield to rest and recover.

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There are 2 main ways of transferring a squadron by using the Directives dialogue or the Airfield dialog.

Directives: The Front Line airfields option at the top of the dialogue allows you pull your squadrons back or move them forward through three bands of airfields: North London, South London and Coastal. The default is 'Coastal' airfields. If you change this to 'South London' then any squadrons on coastal airfields will be pulled back and relocated at available airfields in North and South London. South London is the

new front line. This is a dramatic and sweeping change so use it in the right situations. For example, make South London the front line if radar is out and Coastal airfields are getting hammered, or if London is being raided. The transfers will take place at the end of the current period, so during the period the squadrons will still be available for duty.

Airfields Dialog: At the bottom of the squadron page of this dialogue are two combo

boxes. You can select a Group and then select an airfield within that group to transfer to. You can only move to airfields that have space to accommodate further squadrons. There are also restrictions when trying to move squadrons out of Group 10 and 12, as the controllers for those groups must have a minimum number of squadrons available at all times. Any requested transfers will take effect by the start of the next period. The squadron will still be available for duty during the current period.

13 Group: You can move units out of 13 Group to fill vacant airfields, but you can only move units back into 13 Group if there are 2 or fewer squadrons based there. It is however worth moving non-operational units to 13 Group as they recover morale faster there. 13 Group has a player limit of max 3 squadrons, which was enforced to prevent an RAF player from moving all his units north, out of Luftwaffe range –

a strategic option that was not politically possible for Dowding to contemplate in 1940.

Naval fields come under the jurisdiction of Coastal command. Others are Bomber command or training fields only used by your fighters when making emergency landings. The Luftwaffe acting on poor intelligence will often attack your Naval and Bomber airfields. This is good and bad -


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it means less attacks against fighter stations but the loss of other staff and resources.

Assets and Production To get an overview of the state of your assets open the asset list dialogue from the main tool bar. This is similar to the Luftwaffe's target list.

Docks An industrial and commercial target, docks are not repaired within the

time frame of the battle. You cannot simply hold your fighters back and let

the docks take a pounding. If too much damage is sustained then the

Prime Minister and his cabinet may well step in to order your replacement as Commander.

Convoys

The coastal transports were kept in operation in the early phase of the Battle to show to Germany and the world that England stood defiant in the face of the Luftwaffe. Towards the end of August it was accepted by those in command that the battle for the Channel was lost. Ships were no longer paraded up and down the south coast. The cost in lives of crewmen and pilots and of aircraft and ships was high. As with Docks, if you neglect to provide adequate cover for the convoys then your removal will be

requested by the Government.

RDF

If Radar is knocked out then mobile units can be brought in to cover the gap but they are not as efficient.

Factories

The most important factories are those used to manufacture components for fighter aircraft and those that actually assemble the finished fighters. The number of fighters that can be assembled is restricted by the output from the component factories. The vulnerability of these sites is recognised early in the battle and preparations are made to disperse production throughout workshops in the nearby areas. Open the asset list and view the Factory page to see all your factories and

their production type. Find the Woolston Supermarine factory and open its dossier by clicking it then the details button. The dossier will tell you the current weekly production capacity for that factory. Damage to the factory will diminish its output or stop it all together. Other factories make components for or assemble bombers, which play no part in the battle. Finally, there are Industrial factories that play no part in aircraft production but are a vital part of the nation's resources.

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Airfields

The airfield type shows the command that the airfield comes under. Fighter Command airfields are the most important as these are used by your RAF fighters.

The Ultimate Objective Operation Sealion, the invasion of Britain, is planned for September 1940. The date is flexible based on the success of the Luftwaffe. If Luftwaffe air superiority is not secured by September 15th then the invasion will be postponed indefinitely. German command requires that the RAF is diminished as a fighting force and has insufficient fighters to counter the Luftwaffe over the Channel and landing areas. If the Luftwaffe believes that they have accomplished this

then the invasion date may be brought forward. You will be informed of these events in the End of Day news.


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SECTION B: Campaign Tactics

In the previous section we looked at how to run a campaign. Now we will look at how to win a Luftwaffe or RAF campaign!

RAF Fighter Campaign Tactics The following RAF tactical guide was written by Wesley “Wildman” Netcher and has stood the test of time. Many Thanks! The following sections look at how to use the 2D map to set and layout your campaign moves to maximize your chances to thrash the Hun above Britain‟s blue skies. The following deals with the deployment of basic

tactical units – squadrons and flights. Let‟s keep it simple and straightforward. Interception generally moves through the following phases: i. Readiness ii. Deployment iii. Engagement

Let‟s go through them one at a time.

i. Readiness The single most important commodity you have in the campaign is not airplanes or even pilots it is TIME. A good commander knows ahead of all else how to manage time. The more time that elapses between the first

detection of a hostile plot and your response getting airborne, the less chance you have of effective interception. The campaign models the RDF system available to you in 1940 pretty accurately, therefore, use it to your best advantage. The player must manage their squadrons and pilots. Poor quality squadrons do a poor quality job. Use the readiness tools available to you and release squadrons whenever it is practical to do so, especially during

periods of poor weather. Release your hardest pressed units, as even a few hours will improve their moral and condition. When you need them, they will be at their best if given the opportunity to rest. Try setting minimum

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“rest if” options in your “squadrons” menu or in the directives each time period. The squadrons will then be rested automatically if they fall below

the minimums the player set. Next, replace badly battered units, but do this with caution. As it was in reality fresh, and hence inexperienced units will suffer correspondingly higher casualties in their first few combats. Use the directives menu to set standing patrols only over convoys or other high priority targets, otherwise do not use the programmed “responses” and cancel automatic scrambling. If left to the computer the player may as well press the exit

button now. At the beginning of each day set a minimum number of squadrons to “at 2 minutes” using the squadron readiness tab. Depending on what stage of the campaign you are at, this should be a number that you are satisfied constitutes your minimum response. Too few will weaken your response, too many will tire your squadrons. Alternate the squadrons at 2 minutes readiness throughout the day so that the task does not always fall on the same units. Do not forget you will need both Spitfires and Hurricanes

where possible; the rest of the squadrons should be left at 5 minutes readiness. Responding to the raid requires time, so set the game non-raid speed at a level you are comfortable with. You can do this in the “Game speed” tab in the lower menu. Do not set it so high that events move so fast that you cannot control them. On this menu you can also set favourite squadrons, and take over options. The most important option is the take over “on

raid forming”. You must know as soon as a raid is detected and react quickly. Set the time to pause on raid detection. As time moves on during the day, try and anticipate events. If the weather is fine and no serious raids have come your way in the first two periods, it is likely that you will have busy tea-time. The AI plans its raids in 3 periods but raids may overlap.

One option is to get patrols up early. Patrols are a gamble, they may be a waste of time, but if you use common sense they may often be priceless. Standing patrols over convoys and coastal patrols are of limited value but are necessary, both to protect assets and keep your computerized senior officers happy. Don‟t overdo them or they reduce your ability to react when serious threats do materialize. But from the „Eagle Attack‟ phase setting up small standing patrols over light ships in the channel can provide a quick reaction force which will peel away fighter protection


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while you scramble other squadrons. The above considerations fall into the “readiness” category. Once a raid is detected your chance to affect

the battle due to management of squadron readiness is limited.

ii. Deployment Once a raid or series of raids is detected, we now move into the “deployment” phase. The game should now automatically click into “normal” time, or paused depending on the setting the player chooses.

The raid marker shows the information available to you about the raid forming on the other side of the channel. Its raid number, strength, and height are recorded here in that order. One important note that the raid‟s height is “at present”, and that this may well change. Historical raid markers also only show the head of the raid, that is, the position of the bombers. The fighters may or may not be present there, or at the height indicated. Fighter information can be viewed, to do so you need to switch the markers to “show individual gruppes or staffels” in the “map filters” folder. Raid direction arrows may also be useful to you in determining

where to setup your patrol areas. While the game is in normal speed, take a few moments to assess the threat that this raid (or raids) represents, a lone recon aeroplane is easy to deal with. If you want to intercept it, and you should, click on the raid and then click “authorize” from the “hostiles” dialogue that is bought up. The AI will usually assign a flight of 3 aircraft automatically from a suitable airfield. Stopping recon aircraft when possible should be a LOW priority;

so uncheck this option in the directives. Otherwise, study the information and gauge the threat accordingly. The raid will initially show as “forming” and no target data may be available yet. However, the relative position of the raid will give you an idea of the general target area. For example, a raid forming over Normandy is not likely to engage a target on the east coast. Nothing should be ruled out, but common sense should give you at least a fair idea of where it is headed.

The size and composition of the raid is the main precursor. Composition may show aircraft type and other information, such as if escorts are present or not. After gauging the degree of threat presented by the raid and having decided to intercept it, the time to deploy against it is now. On average, a raid will take between 15 and 30 minutes to form and reach typical targets in Southeast England. A patrol will average (depending on its readiness state) between 10 and 20 minutes to prepare, take off, and

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reach 15000ft within its sector. The time for the players patrol to reach an acceptable altitude is why time is so important. The time to decide the

tactical details of the interception is now, not when your aircraft join combat. By then it is too late. First, get your patrols up. The RAF Patrols section below has detailed instructions on how to do this. After determining, or guessing, where the raid is headed, place your patrols in a “holding” position close to the anticipated path of the raid, but not on it. These can be target airfields, RDF stations, or preferably towns. Towns can be displayed by bringing

up town and village markers up on the map from the “map filters” folder. The tactical positioning of your squadrons is important; too far forward and they may not be able to respond to changes of direction by the raid, too far back and they may not be able to intervene at the best moment. If the patrols are too far apart they cannot support each other, too close and they make a tempting target for the free escorts. The key is not to think in terms of “horizontal lines”, but in terms of a chessboard, or a quadrillage, now expand that into a 3D chessboard. Most

of the time aircraft travel in straight lines, but they are able to move more or less infinitely within this huge 3D chessboard. The total number of aircraft to put up depends on the resources you have available, are prepared to commit, or the size of the raid. A large interception force may not necessarily produce better results than a smaller one, but will offer the enemy more targets. Generally, if you commit forces in the ratio of 1:3, that is a safe balance between under and over

commitment. The overall quality of your force and your tactics will make a much more telling effect than sheer numbers. The mix again depends on what is available. You may already have committed forces to another raid and be short of Hurricanes or Spitfires, but ideally you need a balance. The Spitfires are superior performers to the Hurricanes, but the latter are better bomber killers. The Spitfire is an Air Superiority Fighter and is best suited to taking on the escorts.

Using paired squadrons is often the best policy, but beware that a large time penalty in deployment is attached to their use. The RAF Patrols section below describes the time penalty for paired squadron deployment. The best use of paired squadrons is in anticipation where the time is available. The time needed to deploy wings, 3 to 5 squadrons, is rarely available.


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The patrol height depends on the height of the raid; try not to let the computer assign default altitudes (e.g. the one you assigned to the last

patrol). Height is the most important factor of a successful interception and is one the player can and should control for every patrol. Typically, bombers will come in at around 15000ft, but this is not always the case. It is possible to have your intercepting fighters too high as well as too low. This depends on the relative position of the escort. If you place Hurricanes at 24000ft to intercept He111s at 15000ft and the escort is at 18000ft, your Hurricanes will become embroiled with the escorting

fighters before they can get at the bombers. Spitfires generally need to be higher, 18 – 20000ft is a good compromise. But beware, if there is a free escort assigned to “high escort” or “ceiling”, they may get “bounced”. Assigning your Spits to a higher altitude to counter this possibility may result in them missing the raid altogether. If you have more than one Spitfire squadron up, try setting different altitudes for them, for example at 18000 and 21000ft. This tactic will pay

a dividend later during the actual interception. As you place each patrol, set the parameters under which you wish them to engage, set Hurricanes to prefer “bomber” targets and Spitfires to “fighters”. Set the tactics with caution, if you leave the default as “use Vics” your squadrons will attempt to use the old Fighter Command “Fighting Area Attacks” while remaining in tight vee formations. This is practically suicide if defending fighters are around, and not far short of it if they

aren‟t. Historically, the use of 3-plane Vics in very tight formation was in use early in The Battle but was quickly discarded. “Dive and Zoom” is best used from high altitude but is of limited effectiveness on bombers because your fighters are spending so much time going up and down they put minimal lead on the target. “Line abreast” or “line astern” are extensions of the “Area Attacks” described above. These tactics will produce bomber kills with the drawback of reduced ability to

respond to fighter interception. “Line astern”, however is useful in breaking up bomber formations since the aircraft will follow each other in rather than dissipate their attacks across a wide area. “Head on” tactics are extremely useful against bombers, but only if you get your squadron into a position from where such an attack is possible. If you fail to do this, the interception that relies on this method alone will fail. “Individual” is the most versatile method and about the only method that you can use against fighters.

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As you assign a squadron “at 2 mins”, bring another to 5 minute standby

to take its place. In this way, you maintain what all good commanders keep, and that is a reserve to deal with the next threat. Once you have ordered your patrols into position, place the game back into accelerated mode at a moderate pace. The raid should have formed and begun moving into your airspace. Within a very short period of time events will have moved on to the point where it is not possible for you to get further units into the air in time to have an influence on this raid.

Therefore, do not be tempted to waste assets if you find that the raid is bigger than at first thought. Use whatever assets you can, standing patrols in the vicinity or other assets allocated to another raid if necessary, but bringing up more units to engage this raid is now pointless and wasteful. The deployment period for this raid has now past, there is only time now to engage the enemy. TALLY HO!

PROCEDURES FOR CAMPAIGN TASKS The procedures section is a guide, not on the strategy for deploying your squadrons, but a “how-to” guide for making the campaign inputs you want.

RAF Patrols

This tutorial is designed to give the basics of setting up a patrol over a chosen destination. Patrols are a basic tool used to cover convoys early in the campaign; they can also be used as rapid response combat air patrols, or CAP, to respond to Luftwaffe raids. The one draw back to patrols is they have a limited time on station, or flying, and then the squadron must rest before going up again.

Patrols with Directives

First, let us look at the DIRECTIVES screen that is shown at the beginning of each time period. This screen lets you lay out broad orders to your controllers. The screen has several vital areas that directly effect which raids are intercepted, what is patrolled and by how many aircraft. The use of this screen is one of two ways to set patrols:


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Figure 1. Directives Screen Section 1 deals specifically with 11 Groups squadron, as you remember 11 Group is in the southeast of the island and endures the most of the fighting. Three options set patrols over different objectives. Holes in radar send aircraft to fly patrol when the Luftwaffe knocks out part of the

radar coverage. Over convoys sets a constant patrol pattern over convoys as they come up the channel and into the harbor, with replacement squadrons scheduled to fly over the convoy as the previous squadron returns to base, or RTBs. This provides coverage of the convoy 100% of the time. One word of warning, check to see how many convoys are in the area. If you schedule six squadrons and there are three convoys, then all three

convoys will have coverage for as long as two squadrons are available, roughly two hours total. The possibility of leaving the convoy unprotected could then arise, remember allocate enough squadrons to cover all convoys in the area.

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Coastal is different and gives you an interesting patrol pattern. If you call for six coastal patrols, you end up with six patrols at the same time flying

over radar stations that are still active. These patrols are spread up and down the coast of merry ol‟England. The one draw back to this is there are no follow-up patrols scheduled; this is a one-shot deal per period. Section 2 deals with the size of patrol the player is sending out. Squadron or less implies that only one squadron, generally Hurricanes, will be assigned to fly the patrol. Paired squadrons have two squadrons, Hurricane and Spitfire, assigned to fly the patrol. The drawback to paired

squadrons is that it takes longer to assemble and fly to the patrol, (or intercept). The squadrons take-off, then form on each other, and then fly to the patrol area. Squadron or less - the squadrons take-off and immediately fly to the assigned patrol area. Big Wing is an even larger formation that suffers from the same inherent problem of assembling the squadrons into the big wing before moving to the assigned patrol area. The advantage, of course, is that once that formation is in the air and a raid is spotted the player now has a powerful force to counter the raid.

Patrols set manually The second method of initiating patrols is using a manual method. The manual method allows the player to set specific targets that receive patrols and is frequently used to have aircraft in the air ready to vector onto incoming raids. Setting the patrol starts with the player deciding on what the patrol is to

guard. I have chosen the Dover CH towers, (see Figure 2 below). This screen is also the INTEL screen accessed from the mission folder.


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Figure 2. Location Intel Screen Assigning a patrol is as simple as clicking on the Patrol button in the window, which brings up the screen in Figure 3, the Mission folder:

Figure 3. Mission Folder

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The outlined line shows that patrol F001 is being flown by 32 Squadron with 12 aircraft. The patrol is currently on the ground readying aircraft

and will fly to Dover CH for patrol. All of this can be modified without starting another patrol order by clicking on the Task button, which shows the screen in Figure 4, the task summary screen:

Figure 4. Task Summary

Patrol Modifications – Task Summary The summary above shows that currently one squadron of Hurricanes is going to fly a patrol over Dover CH. This screen allows you to change the number of aircraft assigned, but clicking on the 1 Squadron line. In effect, you are making this patrol a Paired Squadron that was discussed earlier,

with the penalties of a paired squadron. You can also change the squadron assigned, as shown above, from a Hurricane squadron to a Spitfire squadron if desired. For this tutorial, I changed the number of squadrons assigned to two. The player can then modify Hurricane orders by clicking on the Hurricane tab outlined. This will bring up Figure 5 (below), the Tasked Hurricane orders. The Hurricane orders screen allows you to change three separate areas

concerning Hurricane deployment, use and unit. Figure 5 shows the preferred target of your assigned Hurricanes. I prefer to have the Hurricanes go after the bombers, if possible. This does not override the AI in defensive measures, although I cannot say with absolute certainty that with Bombers chosen the AI won‟t ignore fighters to concentrate on


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the bombers. Another problem is Me-110, with their ability to carry bombs, yet still be classed as a fighter. If the raid is all Me-110s this is not

an issue, but if there are Me-109s and Me-110s then the possibility of the AI to become confused does exist.

Figure 5 Tasked Hurricane Order, preferred Target Options Figure 6, shows the options for the Hurricane‟s attack method. I have not studied this extensively, except to know that Vic is not a formation to stay

with if possible. Each attack method has an advantage depending on target type, the one problem with this kind of control; you may inadvertently corner the AI into a bad decision with these options.

Figure 6. Tasked hurricane Order, Attack Method Options

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Last, but by no means least, is the ability to pick which Hurricane squadron you want to fly the patrol, click on the names squadron, outlined

in red above. You will then see Figure 7, the Hurricane squadron list:

Figure 7. Hurricane Squadron List Choosing a squadron is as simple as double-clicking on the squadron you want to fly. One note of caution, this screen does not remove squadrons who are currently unable to fly due to other restrictions. You can easily

assign this patrol to a squadron that just returned from a sortie and is unable to fly for a period. A double-check of squadron status after leaving the orders area is a good practice. The easiest way to do this is from the Mission Folder screen, highlight the squadron assigned to the patrol and hit the Squadron button in the lower right. You will see Figure 8, the squadron readiness screen.


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Figure 8. Squadron Readiness This shows you the squadron is on the ground because the required line does not say IN AIR. It shows 16 aircraft available and they are ready to fly, from the status line. All of these options, except squadron status, are duplicated under the Spitfire tab. The one thing to remember is if you have only one squadron

assigned and it is a Hurricane squadron then the Spitfire screen will not work. You can visit the screen, but none of the options, Attack Method, Preferred Target, and Squadron will respond to mouse clicks.

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As stated earlier, this tutorial increased the number of squadrons to two, one Hurricane and one Spitfire. After all the changes were completed, the

new task summary screen looked like the one in Figure 9. The new task summary shows that a squadron of Hurricanes and a squadron of Spitfires will be flying patrol over Dover CH. One note, the campaign engine will try and bring squadrons from the same airfield as the first choice, so if you do not want both squadrons from Biggin Hill AF to patrol at the same time, remember to go to the aircraft tab and change squadrons.

Figure 9. New Task Summary


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After closing all the windows, you will then see Figure 10, the final product. Squadrons 32 and 610 from Biggin Hill AF ready for an hour-

long patrol over Dover, now jolly good luck then!

Figure 10. Patrol Map on Screen

Section II RAF Route Manipulation This tutorial will build upon the knowledge we gained from initiating a patrol and move into manipulating the route that the campaign starts with. First, I accomplished a patrol over Dover Chain Home station with a

patrol from 43 Hurricane squadron out of Tangmere AF. The route information is displayed by opening the Mission Folder, highlighting the 43 Squadron line and clicking on Route. Figure 1 shows the procedure to reach the waypoint screen shown on Figure 2.

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Figure 1. Process to Reach Waypoint Screen

Figure 2. Route Waypoints I have cut and pasted several images together to give all the information available. The player can move the mouse cursor over each waypoint to

view the white labels designating what that waypoint is. The route screen has three tabs; take-off, main route and landing, which I have placed in the same picture for informational purposes.


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Reviewing the information, we see that 43 squadron is taking off at 06:52 and will arrive at the initial point, or IP, 24 minutes later at 07:16. Last

tutorial I mentioned that when you have paired squadrons or big wings, the aircraft had to take-off and marshal before moving to the IP, which lengthened the response time. The waypoint labeled Fighter Rendezvous is the waypoint that those aircraft will circle until everyone assigned to that task arrives. This is why larger aircraft formations take longer to respond to a raid, they must all arrive at the waypoint and climb to 15,000ft before moving to intercept the raid.

Often the player will want a different time for his patrol, this allows you to sit down and plan an entire day‟s patrol. The player can assign four squadrons to patrol Dover CH and by manipulating the Time on Target, or ToT, for the IP of each patrol ensure four hours of continuous coverage.There is one thing you can change at every waypoint and that is altitude, the only place to change time is at the IP of the route, double clicking on the circle that is Waypoint: initial point brings up the screen in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Waypoint Information

This screen and the zoomed in map screen give the player some valuable information. First, for those players who use the ground to navigate from

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take-off to landing, you can see the IP is near an airfield for easy identification. If the player navigates like this, waypoint can and should,

be moved to easily identifiable ground points. Second, the IP screen shows a lot of information:

Alt, ft: Altitude in feet the waypoint is ETA: Estimated time of arrival at the waypoint in

campaign time REL to ToT: Relative time to IP. If negative that means

the waypoint should be reached BEFORE the IP

Fuel: Time remaining before the tank runs dry, I can‟t confirm but I assume it is at a cruise setting for the throttle and not at 100% throttle. Battle will reduce this time

Escort Fuel: Used for German bomber planning, gives you a time for battle over the IP

Bearing: Compass direction from last waypoint, if

you use manual navigation

The Alt, ft and ETA both have red arrows in their box, signifying that they can be changed. Figure 4 shows changes made to lower the altitude from 15,000ft to 14,000ft and change the IP arrival time to 08:00.

Figure 4. New IP Waypoint Information Notice how the fuel time went from 51 minutes to 52 minutes, this is due to the fact that your not climbing to 15,000ft thereby saving your pilot


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some gas. Of course, if you change the time you arrive on station, you have to change the timing on the rest of the waypoints. Figure 5 shows

you the new take-off time to meet the 08:00 patrol time.

Figure 5. New Take-off Time The take-off time has moved from 06:52 to 07:35 to meet your new IP

requirements. The last item to change is the actual waypoint position itself. If you look at Figure 2 you can see the patrol area is 2-3 miles long in a north – south direction, not the most optimal direction to stop raids from France. Moving the waypoints is as easy as left-clicking on the waypoint and dragging it to its new location. Words of warning, moving certain waypoints, most notably the IP, will cause all waypoints to change. While seemingly a random choice of the

computer it is not. Moving the IP causes all other waypoints to be moved in relation to the Waypoint: Estimated Location waypoint and the new IP position. Think of it this way, when you move the IP, the target egress point and the patrol area need to move to still patrol over the target the player has selected. To overcome this move the IP first and then move the rest of the waypoints to the position desired. Figure 6 shows how I moved the patrol

area to a better position:

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Figure 6. New Waypoint Positions

These are the basics for manipulating the route for a task.

Remember that this only changes the route for 43 Squadron. If

you had a Spitfire squadron joining them, the player would have to

go to the mission folder, highlight the Spitfire squadron and follow

the same procedure. Otherwise, your Spitfires will arrive 30

minutes before your Hurricanes will.

Winning the RAF campaign

(2009 additional notes by Heinkill. Warning: will not appeal to

historical purists!) To win the RAF campaign you must ensure that

you preserve your capability over Group 11 airspace. You cannot

afford to let too many squadrons reach Category C (non

operational) status. If you do, the battle will be lost. It is more

important to preserve aircraft and pilots, than it is to protect

airfields, ports and factories. Unlike Dowding, you will not be

sacked for letting the Luftwaffe through, so make the most of this and pick your fights carefully.

The following tips will help you achieve RAF Victory:


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Ignore recon patrols.

Ideal patrol size is six aircraft. Scrambling and assigning

multiple 6 aircraft patrols from different airfields is

quicker and more efficient than scrambling one Big Wing.

Meet the enemy with as many aircraft as you can muster

(you can rest when you are dead).

Unless you are a good pilot, don‟t fly as a squadron or

flight leader. The morale of an RAF unit is dramatically

affected by the loss of its leader so if you frag in as leader and die, that unit will suffer disproportionately compared

to if you frag in as a wingman.

If in doubt, don‟t intercept. It is better to let a heavy raid

hit its target, than to meet it with inadequate force. But

try to get any aircraft on the ground in the path of an

incoming raid out of the way – no point having them

destroyed on the ground.

Rotate depleted low morale units out of 11 Group, and

fresh full strength units in.

Don‟t get emotional. Abandon coastal airfields such as

Manston, Lympne, Tangmere and Westhampnett once they are put out of commission. Don‟t return units to them

when they are brought back on line, it isn‟t worth it. Keep

those units in the airfields around London and use them to

create standing patrols over coastal fields instead.

Luftwaffe Campaign Tactics

This section was written by Stickman and Heinkill with learnings

from many Luftwaffe campaign players.

The Luftwaffe (LW) Campaign is very difficult to win, as it was

historically. The following tips have been crafted to help you to

victory.

Know your history

Remember that the directive for the 'Luftschlagt um England' was

to reduce the RAF capacity to disrupt a seaborne invasion of

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England. This meant eliminating it as an effective fighting force,

rendering it unable to cover the potential landing areas of the South

East of England.

Important concepts: readiness, and morale

The sophisticated campaign game engine balances several very

human elements to determine how your campaign is progressing:

Readiness: RAF and LW squadrons are assigned readiness

categories depending on their leader and pilot morale, which are

driven by level of experience, and pilot/aircraft strength or losses.

A Category A squadron has high morale, experienced and rested

pilots, and sufficient pilots and aircraft. At the other end a

Category C squadron is non-operational, with poor morale, novice

and fatigued pilots, and insufficient pilots or aircraft to remain

combat ready.

Morale: this is driven up or down by several elements, over which

the player has strong influence.

- Loss of squadron leader. If you kill the RAF squadron leader (or

as LW leader, lose yours), squadron morale plummets. This is very

important in deciding how you will fly the 3D dogfights, either as

squadron leader, or as a wingman. Novice pilots who are getting

killed in many engagements should NOT fly as squadron leader as

their loss will bring down their staffel morale dramatically. The

opposite of this is that if you can identify the RAF squadron leader

visually (usually aircraft letter A in non-multiskin default installs,

or the first aircraft in the RAF VIC formation) you should target

them and call your staffel to attack them.

- Fatigue. Units gain morale if they rest during a game 'period' (eg

0600-1100, 1100-1600, 1600-2000) and lose morale if they are

forced to fly for consecutive periods. As LW commander you

therefore want to keep the RAF airborne, and tire them out.


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- Loss of aircraft/pilots: Morale plummets if the squadron or staffel

is reduced to less than 12 available aircraft or pilots. RAF

production facilities are very effective at replacing lost aircraft,

able to replace more than 100 losses per day. Pilots are more

critical, but pilots who are shot down (and not killed) over land are

given a higher chance of returning to their unit than those shot

down over the sea.

Remember and refer to these concepts, when you consider the

strategy advice below.

Phasing is important

There were four phases in the Battle, and you can start your LW

campaign in any of these. However, consider the Convoy phase as

training - you do not have sufficient resources to make a real

impact in this phase. Only from Eagle phase onwards are you

provided with the full might of Luftflotte 2 and 3.

Winning from Convoy or Eagle Phase is very difficult. The only

infrastructure damage to the RAF is light damage to one airfield. The RDF system is fully functional, all squadrons are at readiness,

British aircraft production is at full capacity, and morale is good.

Starting a campaign at Convoy or Eagle phase is best

recommended for campaign veterans.

Winning from the Critical Phase is the best way to start for

campaign beginners. RAF infrastructure has been damaged to

historical levels at this period, with aircraft and pilot numbers

critical, and many 11 Group airfields damaged, while Luftwaffe

resources and morale are still high. Starting a LW campaign at this

phase gives the best chance of a quick success.

Blitz period gives you very little time to achieve your objectives

before the Sealion deadline of mid September. Luftwaffe resources

are constrained due to losses, and your morale is lower, meaning

that if you incur further losses in your campaigning, you will lose

units to poor morale. Blitz phase is also only recommended for LW

campaign veterans who really want a challenge.

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How the game defines LW victory

As air superiority is the ultimate objective, the game AI constantly

tracks how many Category C (non-operational) units the RAF has.

When this reaches a (secret) pre-determined level, the LW player

wins and Operation Sealion is initiated. You are rewarded with a

stirring video of German Troops marching through London.

It is just as important to understand that you do NOT win by just by destroying all Group 11 RAF airfields, or just reducing the total

number of RAF aircraft available. You MUST reduce whole

squadrons to Cat C, or wipe out most if not all Fighter Command

airfields. (TIP don‟t forget those in the north of Group 12).

If you fly, you increase your kills

While it is not the case in the RAF campaign, it is absolutely the

case in the LW campaign that you must jump in the cockpit and fly

well, and often, to win the Battle.

This is because the losses the RAF experiences in 2D campaign

map level are much lower than you can achieve at 3D cockpit

level, flying as a squadron leader or wingman, and directing your

staffel's targets.

The game uses a 'proportionate response' model which mirrors air

warfare doctrine of the time, meaning that one RAF squadron will

be met by one Luftwaffe staffel, irrespective of how many fighters

you have in your escort. The rest of your escort will stay with the

bombers. In a 2D engagement of squadron vs staffel, the RAF will

only lose on average 2-3 aircraft per squadron. These low numbers are easily replaced, and remember that pilot losses are low if the

kills occur over England, not over the Channel.

However at 3D cockpit level, you can wipe out or degrade entire

RAF squadrons through good leadership, or tactics.


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1. Set your 2D map to show aircraft icons, not the square

red/yellow/blue raid plots. You need to be able to see what your

individual staffelen are doing.

2. Dictate the terms of engagement: Frag into a staffel which is

close to a dogfight or RAF unit, but not currently engaged. In this

way you can control the merge, pick out (padlock) the RAF leader

and target him (tell your staffel to attack him with the R-3-HELP

command).

3. Increase the odds: If you see on the 2D map one of your units

engages an RAF squadron, choose another unit to frag into, and as

squadron leader fly towards the dogfight you saw on the map.

Goering will not approve of your leaving the bombers, but you

may suddenly find you have 2 staffeln vs 1 RAF squadron, and

those are odds that Von Clausewitz would approve of!

4. Shoot to kill: You want to kill pilots more than aircraft. Shoot

for the cockpit, not the airframe. It is more valuable to get one pilot

kill than two aircraft kills where the pilot parachutes to safety. And

kills over the Channel are more valuable to you than kills over land, so if you have a choice of 3D fights, choose Channel fights.

This is war.

Choose your bombing targets well

Ironically, you want the RAF to attack you. Only by meeting them

in the air, can you reduce them to Cat C. You might be lucky in an

airfield raid to catch them napping on the ground, but this is a

rarity and you cannot plan your campaign strategy around it.

The following step by step approach will help you draw maximum numbers of RAF defenders to the slaughter...

Ignore the RDF (radar) stations: Intuition tells you that you should

try to blind the RAF first, to give your bombers a better chance.

But think of the bombers as bait. You want the RAF to see them!

The sooner the RAF intercepts your raid, the better chance you

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have of shooting them down over the channel. You can leave the

RDF stations completely unmolested.

Use multiple small raids: It may be tempting to send armadas

across the channel, but the proportionate response system, and

your own physically limited ability to frag into 2-3 dogfights per

session, means there is no point to large raids. Further, you want to

keep the RAF flying to fatigue them, so if they must respond to

multiple raids, they are required to call on more squadrons to

respond. The ideal size for a raid is 1 gruppe of fighters, escorting two staffeln of bombers (set to 'bomb in trail' for maximum effect).

First Priority targets: Woolston Supermarine factory located on

the Itchen River and SW London Hawker factory (you need to

ensure you enable the map to show production facilities). You will

see on the SW coast a cluster of 3 factories, of which one is the

main Spitfire production facility at Woolston. Knocking this out,

and keeping it out, will halve Spitfire production. You should also

attack the Brooklands Hawker factory in SW London to reduce

Hurricane output. It is also possible that the Gloster Aircraft

factory at Hucclecote, Gloucestershire should be attacked as it was historically a Hurricane production facility, but it is a long range

raid, and I have not been able to confirm that attacking it reduces

Hurricane output.

Second priority targets: Once this is done you can turn to the RAF

airfields. Using the small raids of 2 staffeln strength, you can

inflict light damage on airfields, and may catch RAF squadrons

napping. But you will not render the airfield unservicable and force

the squadrons there to Group 13. A red circle around an airfield

will tell you it is damaged, and when the circle disappears, it is

operational again and you can target it again. One of the most satisfying raids to fly in the BOBII campaign is a Zerstorer raid on

an RAF airfield, which catches the RAF on the ground! But drop

your bombs and go for the aircraft, not the buildings!


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Victory is not guaranteed, go North young man/woman/thing

Destroying Group 11 airfields is not enough. You must

demonstrate mastery of the skies sufficient to allow an invasion

which means you must be able to mount raids against the most

northerly of 12 Group airfields and destroy them too. Make sure

you hit Wittering and Digby and other far north 12 Group fields or

the RAF may be able to carry on the fight against you.

(Don't worry about the icon representing 13 Group in Scotland, it is notional, you can't attack it!)

Remember, the RAF Commander can win his campaign merely by

surviving – fleeing to fight another day if he doesn‟t like the odds.

The Lufwaffe Commander must seek the enemy out, deny him his

airfields, force him into the air, and then destroy him.

Stickman‟s FAQ for the Luftwaffe campaign

1. Why do the Escorts fail to form up with my Bombers?

Now, I hear some of you saying, "Well, this happened quite

frequently in real life." I say, "80% of the time? I think not!"

It has ruined enjoyable LW Campaign play for many players. I

found a work-around, but this will entail some mission planning on

the part of the player but improves the odds of a successful

rendezvous.

The player needs to move the Fighter Rendezvous Way Point back

to the Bomber Rendezvous Way Point, in a nut shell.

Here I a set up a Raid against Manston. One Gruppe DO17s with one Gruppe Emils. The game generates these Way Points.

Bomber Rendezvous Way Point is blue dot.

Fighter Rendezvous Way Point is red dot.

As you can expect, with this planning the two shall never meet!

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To get them to form up together before the coast, I do this:

1. I drag the Bomber Rendezvous Way Point back a few miles,

from the given point, blue dot.

You need not do this all the time, but when fighters are far

forward, and bombers deep back inland, I find it makes them form

up better. Sometimes just dragging the Fighter Rendezvous Way Point on top

of the given Bomber Rendezvous Way Point, the fighters still race

ahead.

2. I drag the Fighter Rendezvous Way Point on top the Bomber

Rendezvous Way Point.


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In this case, the fighters reached the Rendezvous before the

bombers, and went ahead until the bombers reached Rendezvous,

and then popped back to and with the bombers. OK. I planned this only once, and they formed up well, first try.

Let us consider the Fighter Dispersal Way Points, and Bomber

Dispersal Way Points, here, also.

My observation shows that the fighters, when returning, always fly

to the Bomber Dispersal Way Point, before going home.

For that reason , with Attached Escorts, I always move the Bomber

Dispersal Way Point up to where I want the fighters to disperse.

Usually I drag the Fighter Dispersal Way Point at the same point.

If you get a Bingo Fuel Limit warning, moving the Bomber

Dispersal Way Point closer to the fighter home field may save enough fuel to let the planned mission go ahead.

In the above pics, Bomber Dispersal Way Point is purple dot, and

Fighter Dispersal Way Point is orange dot.

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2. Why do my Recon missions turn into Bombing missions?

I can provide some insight on this problem. It crops up when

either you or the Directives try to issue ordes for a Recon and there

are no more Do-17s available to fly the mission.

The game will then assign the mission to a Stuka, He-111, Ju-88,

or a Me-110.

If you go ahead and fly the mission with one of these alternative plane types then it's game over as far as recon missions are

concerned. After this, any attempt to assign a recon will result in a

bombing mission even if the mission folder lists it as a recon

mission. There is no way to get the game to go back to setting up

recons, that I have found.

This problem is most common the first couple of days into a

campaign when you only have 3 Gruppen of Do-17s to work with,

KG 76.

Rowan used DO17's intead of making a dedicated Recon plane type. KG 76 represents the Recon Aircraft used.

Only set up recons when there are Do-17s available as shown in

the Resources folder. I never use any others except KG 76 for

recon.

This problem can also occur latter in the campaign if you have

used the Do-17s heavily for bombing missions, used them all up,

then try to assign a recon.

I never, ever, begin flying any mission until I check the mission folder first to make sure that no Recon missions have been

assigned to any plane other than a Do-17.

This is one of the reasons I make a unique saved game at the start

of each day. If I screw up this or something else goes bad, then I

don't have to trash the entire campaign.


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(Heinkill note: If you have are flying to a target, you may as well

bomb it as take photographs of it! Info about the target is updated

in the same way after either bombing or recon missions.)

3. Using Photo looks crashes me to desktop!

This is an old bug. We have tried stomping on this damned

cucaracha, but he is as elusive as he is evil! It is related to

Campaign screen resolution settings is all we know for sure. For me, it has only happened when I choose Campaign resolution

of 1280xWhatever. At higher or lower resolutions, it always has

worked.

If you wish to view the Photos, and you CTD, then you must

change your Campaign resolution setting to one that works.

Each new Campaign phase where I want to see the Photos, I

change my normally preferred Campaign resolution of

1280x1024@75 to 1152x864@75, view the Photos, exit

Campaign, change settings back to where I like them, Quit, and

start the new phase normally.

This stinks, I know, and we are sorry that this cockroach is still in

the house. Note! You need not look at the Recon Photos, as all

damage info is listed in the Target windows.

=============================================

4. Bombers always seem to hit the same area on an airfield

target.

1. Airfields have numerous Targets, but there is one that I call "The Main Airfield Target". This is usually just in front of the

Large Hangars, on the field. This is where all bomber types will try

to lay bombs.

2. For level bombers, use different approaches to the target, that is,

try approaching the target from different directions to place bombs

on different areas of the target.

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2a. Try "bomb in trail" formation versus "level bomb" to place

bombs differently.

3. For Stukas and BF110s, they will usually only hit near this Main

Airfield Target. Once all of the big hangars are destroyed,

I do not send them to bomb that airfield anymore, and try to spread

out bombs will high flying level bombers.

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5. Are Detached Escort fighters useless?

Yes, as escorts. DETACHED ESCORT units will not help your

bombers, unless you lead them yourself in 3D. The Detached

Escort may better be called Fighter Sweep.

Otherwise, they fly to Patrol Way Points 2 or 3 times, go back

home and play with your French ladies while you are getting your

ass shot to pieces!

If you lead them in 3D and go hunting, then you may well do some damage to fighters that are coming to attack the Raid you are

mission attached with.

The 2D RAF interceptors and Patrols will always ignore these

Detached Escorts. They never rise to the bait! To make these

Detached "Sweepers" effective, you must Lead them yourself in

3D.

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6. Why do Emils always fail to engage the enemy as Attached

Escort with my bombing BF110s?

They never do, that is true. I think Rowan coded the BF110s as

fighters, even when they are on a bombing mission.

An escort fighter formation is not coded to go to the rescue of

another fighter formation. So for these raids to be effective you

must lead the Bf109 staffeln yourself and attack!


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Attached Escorts follow certain rules to engage threats to the

bomber formation they escort. In the words of an Emil pilot, "

Screw those Ace BF110 prima donnas! Fancy pants fighters don't

need our help!."

Observation concerning a full Gruppe of BF110s on a bombing

mission.

1. The lead Staffel ( these are always what I call the Veggies :

Tomatoes, Cabbages, and Leeks)

always provide Escort duty for the BF110 Gruppe. -- If the Gruppe is intercepted, they always jettison bombs, peel off

and attack the interceptors.

The other two Staffeln will bomb the target, and go home.

If attacked by two enemy Squadrons at once, the 2nd Staffel will

jettison and engage the 2nd threat.

-- If the Gruppe is not intercepted, the lead Staffel usually peels off

and runs the Patrol Way Points, and does not bomb.

The other two Staffeln will bomb the target and go home.

If you fly as Veggie Leader, with command of the entire

formation, different things may happen, as you can give radio

commands.

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7. What are the Rules of Engagement for Attached Escort?

I have observed that the code is pretty strict and predictable here.

Let us take a simple example:

One Gruppe level bombers, escorted by one Gruppe Emils.

1. The formation is intercepted by an enemy Squadron.

The lead Emil Staffel will peel off and attack them. The other two Emil Staffeln stay with the bombers.

2. Another enemy Squadron attacks the bombers.

The 2nd Staffel peels off and engages the second threat. The last

Emil Staffel stays with the bombers.

3. A third enemy Squadron attacks the bombers.

The 3rd Staffel peels off and attacks the third threat.

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The bombers are now on their own!

Remember that the game will try to sortie 1 RAF Squadron for

every Bomber Staffel you put into the air.

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8. How to make best use of Return Escorts?

Heinkill uses these Return Escorts to ensure his bombers are not left to get home across the Channel alone.

The key here is the Return Escort's Fighter Dispersal Way Point.

Think of it as a Bomber rendezvouz point instead! Drag the

Fighter Dispersal Way Point up near the bomber's Egress or Egress

1st Dogleg Way Point, and the Emils will take off in time to reach

the bombers as they egress, and then engage any enemy they see.

A good balance of forces is to include double the number of

fighters to bombers, as 50% attached, and 50% return escorts.

How to play a “Single Squadron” Campaign Not to be confused with the Single Pilot Campaign. This section will explain how to setup a single squadron campaign within the main Commander Lever campaign engine. The player is still responsible for the overall success of the campaign, in other words, but is alerted to fly anytime a specific Squadron goes into action. This situation is ideal if you want to for example, Command the RAF and go into action only whenever 266 Squadron is scrambled.

QUICK SUMMARY OF THIS PROCESS: Start campaign Pause play in the 2d map Right click anywhere in the menu area at the bottom of screen under the 2d map Choose Time>Gamespeed Click on Fly to Choose a Favorite Unit Choose Group>11 Group

Choose Airacraft>Spitfire


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Choose Squadron>266 Check the Favorites boxes for any action you would like to participate in

for 266 squadron, from Take-off/Reach Coast/Engagements/Losses etc to Landing. 266 squadron based at Tangmere is a good choice as it was in the thick of the action, any front line 11 Group squadron will see plenty of action. Other good choices are 79 squadron Hawkinge, 111 Croydon, 32 Biggin Hill.

If you want to only fly when 'your squadron' is in action, uncheck all the checkmarks under the ALL column. Set directives to On by clicking on the Directives Telephone toggle, and choose sufficient options to let the Directives manage most of the campaign, including automatic scrambling. The game will then prompt you to take the stick whenever your squadron gets in the action.

EXPANDED EXPLANATION OF THE SINGLE SQUADRON

CAMPAIGN: Basically, BoBII has the ability to tailor which missions receive an interrupt asking the player if they want to fly. The default settings ask the player if they want to fly at every intercept, scramble, etc; but not at every take-off, ground attack, or landing. Figure 7 shows how to access this from the main screen. You right-click

down in the menu area, if you right-click in the map all you will see are Zoom in/Zoom out. After right-clicking, select Time and then Game Speed.

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Figure 7 Main Screen Steps and Result The Accel tab gives the player the ability to control what speed the campaign is running at and what speed the campaign will jump to when

certain conditions are met. So if you would like to react immediately to a raid forming, check the Raid Forming box and the campaign will move to real time when a raid is spotted on radar. This will allow you more time to set and modify your response. Now to activate a “single-squadron” campaign you click on the Fly tab and you will see Figure 8.


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Figure 8 Game Speed Fly Tab

The check marks show the default settings for the dialog box popping up asking you to fly. First, uncheck all the boxes in the All column, if any of these are checked it will override any options you choose in the Favorite column or Favorite Units boxes. There are many options you can follow here; if the player wants to fly only Spitfires of any squadron just change the Aircraft box to Spitfire.

To fly a single squadron only, just left-click on the Squadron box and choose the squadron name you desire. Figure 9 shows the final result - of choosing to fly the 610 Spitfire squadron from take-off of every mission.

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Figure 9 Flying 610 Squadron Only At first there will be no change in the campaign. You will see missions generated and raids over France forming. You will be able to respond to

all of these events normally, the only difference? You will not see a pop-up dialog window asking you if you would like to fly an intercept. When the 610 Squadron is assigned a mission you will see 610 squadron on the map shown in Figure 10 (below).


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Figure 10. Preparing to Fly

Although 610 Squadron is on the campaign screen and the player has not received a window asking to fly, DO NOT WORRY. What is happening is that 610‟s take-off time has not arrived. If you looked at the squadron status it will show Prepping to fly and that the campaign time has not reached the take-off time shown in the Route window.

When the take-off time has been reached you will see the window in Figure 11.

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Figure 11. Taking Over Dialog Box

Just click on the “Fly” button and you will be sent to the cockpit awaiting take-off. You fly the mission, land and when you exit you will go back to being Dowding working a thankless job. It‟s not quite single-pilot as you still have the campaign to worry about, but it‟s pretty darn close.

This process works as well for the Luftwaffe side.


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SECTION C: THE SINGLE

PILOT CAMPAIGN The Battle of Britain Development Group (the BDG) have resurrected the Single Pilot Campaign from the original Rowan code. For some reason, probably lack of time, Rowan never officially released it. It may have been because the Luftwaffe implementation has flaws. The RAF side however

is good provided that the player follows the advice that we have given. The Luftwaffe side is still under development but 'Heinkill' has written up a useful guide for those wanting to try the Luftwaffe SPC and it can be found after the RAF guide in this section. The Single Pilot Campaign was released to fulfil the wishes of those players who told us, “I want to take part in the Battle of Britain campaign, but not as a Commander. I just want to sit in my Spitfire, get the order to scramble, and fly the mission I am assigned!”

The Single Pilot version of the Campaign differs from the Player Controllable or default version of the Campaign in that: -The Morale considerations which dictate whether a squadron will fly or, indeed, fight have been suppressed. -The Player is not expected to make any strategic or tactical decisions

other than whether or not to join the selected squadron when a Fly offer is made. -The random nature of the AI skills can be suppressed and replaced by overall skills defined by you, the Player, for each side, as in Instant Action missions. -In theory, the outcome should follow history, unlike for the default

Campaign where, bad performance of you, the Commander, can result in the loss of the Battle! Before starting the Single Pilot Campaign, download and install version 2.10 and start up BoBII. Now close the program. This will ensure that all the new variables in the bdg.txt file have been created.

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From the Desktop, load Windows Explorer and select the 'Battle of

Britain II' folder. When the contents of that folder are displayed, scroll

down and right-click on the 'bdg.txt' file. Left click on 'Open With' and then select 'Notepad'. The contents of the bdg.txt file will now be displayed. Roughly 25 lines down, you will see the following: SPC_Skill_RAF=VETERAN # valid selections (must spell correctly or defaults to NONE): HERO, ACE, VETERAN, REGULAR, POOR, NOVICE, NONE (NONE is default means no forced SPC skill level) SPC_Skill_LUF=VETERAN # valid selections (must spell correctly or

defaults to NONE): HERO, ACE, VETERAN, REGULAR, POOR, NOVICE, NONE (NONE is default means no forced SPC skill level) The above settings should give you a fairly even scrap. If you would like to vary the skills in favour of the RAF. Try 'RAF=ACE' and 'LUF=REGULAR'. Note that if you set both skills to 'NONE' you will default to the random skills of the regular Campaign – expect some ultra heroic rear gunners!

Don‟t forget to save your changes! Now you can start your Single Pilot Campaign


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From the Main BoB screen select 'Campaigns'.

Now select 'RAF' (the Luftwaffe SPC is covered on page 172).We will start right from the beginning in this tutorial so leave the default selection at 'Convoys' (you can of course select any of the other options (by left clicking on them) if you prefer). Select 'Begin'.

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Enter a name beside the word 'Commander' to identify your Campaign. Now here is the trick to enable the SPC as it stands at the moment. Left click on the word 'Commander'.


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Now click on 'Pilot' on the bottom right of your screen.

Now click 'Begin' at the bottom of this screen.

On this screen you will select your squadron of choice.

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Favourite Units Remember your intentions are to fly with a single squadron and the decisions you make below will affect that intent.

Beside 'Group' it is suggested that you select 11 via the drop down menu if you want to see plenty of action during the Convoy stage. Beside 'Aircraft' select whether you want to fly for a Spitfire or a Hurricane squadron. There were more Hurricane than Spitfire squadrons active in 11 Group at the start of the Battle. If you select 'Either' you will see both AC types in the next menu item rather than a single type.

Dependent upon which 'Group' and 'Aircraft' type you have selected above you will be presented with the squadron numbers available to you beside 'Squadron'. Pick the one you would like to fly with.

Offer Take-over on Event Dependent upon which 'Events' you select you will be offered the opportunity to fly whenever your selected squadron is called into action. DO NOT tick any of the 'ALL‟ boxes.

If you want the most realism then tick just the 'Take off' box. You will get plenty of take off practice and hopefully landings as well! If you want to get straight into the action then tick only the 'Small' and 'Large Engagement' boxes.


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When you have made your selections click on 'Begin' again. You will now be presented with the Campaign 2D map. If you are totally new to the BoBII campaign and are unsure on how this operates please refer to Section A. Note: The Game Speed may be set as high as 600. This will allow the minimum of time to elapse between offers that you will receive to join your selected squadron. However, this speed causes the audio cues and

map actions to get out of sync! If you are prepared to wait and allow the Campaign to develop at a more leisurely rate so that all the Map room announcements are included, then you can go as low as 200. The Beta Testers have found that a speed of 300 is a good compromise. Set your required game speed as soon as you are in the 2D map room. To do this click on the speed icon on the far left of the control bar.

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You will now be presented with the pop-up window shown above. Use the menu arrows to reduce the speed to 300. Note: If you click the 'down' arrow next to 'Non Raid Speed' the speed will also be applied to the 'Reconn Speed' and 'Raid Speed' boxes too. However, if you click the 'down' arrow next to 'Reconn speed' only it and the 'Raid Speed' box change. Likewise if you click on the 'up' arrow next to the 'Raid Speed' box the speed is applied to all three boxes but clicking

on the 'up' arrow next to the 'Reconn speed' box only changes it and the 'Non Raid Speed' box! You should remember that this is a Single Pilot Campaign and, in theory, you should stay with the same squadron throughout the Battle. The choice is yours, however. It is true that pilots did transfer to other squadrons, e.g. an experienced pilot to replace heavy losses. If you do switch between squadrons, then you should appreciate that your Pilot‟s Log will follow

you and not the activities of your chosen squadron.


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Lack of activity may, of course, mean that your squadron is resting or has

been reduced to non-operational status through heavy losses. The AI Commander will not call on you if your morale is on the floor and your squadron is placed in Category C. It will pay you to periodically check on the current status of your squadron. This will also tell you if your squadron has been moved, for whatever reason. Usually because it has been bombed out of house and home! If so, you may choose to move to another Squadron by returning to the Control>Fly menu on page 165.

The following example assumes the pilot is currently flying for 64 Squadron out of Kenley airfield. First click on the 'Resources' icon on the bottom of the screen.

In the 'RAF Resources' pop-up window select the '11 Group (SE)' tab.

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Then left click on the 'Kenley' entry in the list.

Now click on your squadron number tab '64' next to the 'Damage' tab.


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In this particular case, the morale of the wingmen is top hole. Can‟t say the same for the CO though. Perhaps he is not too sure about the capabilities of his new intake or that pretty WAAF is still keeping him at a distance! If the 'Morale' is down to 'Very Poor' and the 'Status' is 'Category C', then the squadron is unlikely to fly for a few days. Don‟t write them

off though! They will be back in action once morale improves. If there is no tab heading for your squadron number then it has been moved. Unless it has been packed off to Group 13 it will start to fly from its new airfield without any necessary prompting from you. You can find out where it is by clicking on the 'RAF Resources' icon at the bottom of the 2D map screen. You can either wait until its 'flag' appears on the map or search through the airfields of each Group until you find it.

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We suggest you look at 13 Group first because it will be easy to find but you don‟t really want it to end up there. If it does we do recommend a transfer to another squadron in this case.

During the 'Convoy' period you will find that most 11 Group squadrons will be moved to new bases at least once.

If you do decide to transfer to another squadron, select Game Speed as described above, when you first selected your squadron and then click on the Fly tab.


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The procedure is the same as when you selected your squadron at the start of the Single Pilot Campaign. When the campaign is running on the 2D map you will be warned that an offer to fly is imminent as your squadron label will appear over its home airfield icon. Shortly afterwards you will receive the offer to fly.

As for the general Campaign you have 60 seconds to make up your mind. Click on the 'Fly' button to proceed.

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Newcomers to the Campaign should avoid flying as the Squadron (Red) Leader until you have had a bit of practice. Flying as 'Red Leader' means you have more control over what happens but, as in real life, you mustn‟t make mistakes! Also, if you are prone to getting killed, the loss of the CO usually means that the whole squadron is grounded for a session or two, i.e. until his replacement arrives. Deliberately shooting down your CO will

not hasten your promotion chances! For your initial flights we suggest that you fly as 'Green 2'. He is positioned to the extreme right of the formation. Or, if you are left-handed, try 'Yellow 3'. How the Single Pilot Campaign is flown is up to the individual player but it should be appreciated that it is, in reality, a lot of 'joined-up' Instant Action missions. The missions are as varied in content as the Instant

Action ones, each time that they are played they play out differently. You will see this if you scrub a mission that just got you killed and re-enter the Campaign without saving that mission. The big difference between Instant Action and Campaign missions, however, is that Instant Action missions meet up with the enemy pretty-much straight away (they were designed that way), in Campaign missions you may have quite a lengthy flight before you meet any opposition; you


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might never meet any at all on a mission. A common occurrence in the early days of convoy patrols!

Here are a few suggestions to newcomers to the Single Pilot Campaign: When selecting your 'Take over on Event' options at the setting up stage, only tick the 'Favourite' 'Take Off' box as this will give you the longest flights. When your mission starts and you have taken off switch to 'Autopilot' (Ctrl+A) immediately. You may have to centre the view by hitting the

Num Pad 5 key. Use the mouse (or the hat switch or TIR) to move the view around so that you can see the squadron forming up. If you are flying as 'Green 2' you won‟t have to worry about getting yourself into correct position. If you are flying as 'Red Leader' swivel the view around to the front and watch your squadron forming up behind you. When the formation is complete, hit the 'Map' key (M) to show something like this:

Here you can see that you have quite a trip, even in a Spitfire or Hurricane, to reach any possible prospect of action. You can, of course, back out of the map and just enjoy the view of your squadron flying in

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harmony with each other (you will have to hit 'Ctrl+A' again immediately after coming back to 3D to re-select autopilot). But believe us, you will

very likely get pretty fed up with this after the first few sessions, stupendous as the views are. To speed matters up a bit click on '1. Accel' on the 'Map' screen. Now click on '4. Mission IP'

The squadron icon will slowly move through each Waypoint marker until it reaches the Mission IP marker. At this point, you will be automatically thrown back into 3D. If you now wish to continue using the Map acceleration, press M again. This time select „5. Home‟. This time, the squadron icon will slowly move

through each subsequent Waypoint marker and continue until it returns to your home airfield.


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You can exit the map accelerate and return to your mission by pressing 'zero' (0) on the keyboard Numpad or click with the mouse on '0. Exit' on the map. You should, however, watch out for this:

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Here you can see a Luftwaffe icon has appeared. Now is the time to sharply exit from the map and take manual control of your aircraft. You

now have your Instant Action type mission! As far as Patrols are concerned, they are of course, pretty repetitive. You can leave your squadron on autopilot once it has reached its patrol point and await events – if any! You can break the monotony and still be vigilant by occasionally hitting the 'Nearest Enemy' keys (Ctrl+F1). If there are any bandits in the offing they will be padlocked.

If you are flying as 'Red Leader' you can look around without fear of hitting anything if you are on manual flight. You can use the mouse /keyboard /hatswitch if your are on autopilot (or TIR of course if you have it!) You can also ask 'Red 2' if he can see anything by using the radio command (R-3-2). After the scrap or the completion of the patrol 'Red Leader' will order you home. If you are 'Red Leader' and want to return to base then hit the 'Home' or 'Return To Base' (RTB) key combo (R-4-2). Hit the 'Regroup'

combo (R-4-1) if you want the squadron to form up behind you and continue with you to the next waypoint. Again, it might be a good idea to go into autopilot and let the squadron form up automatically. Note: Once you hit the 'Home' or 'Return To Base' (RTB) key combo (R-4-2) your wingmen will disregard any other orders you may issue as this locks the AI into the RTB code.

When the squadron is within reach of the airfield take back control if you are flying as anyone other than 'Red Leader'. If you are 'Red Leader' keep asking 'Home Tower' (R-5-2) for a vector and wait until he tells you that you are under 50 miles away. Then take over manual control and lead your squadron back home. As you will be continually landing at the same airfield you will soon be able to find your way without the aid of 'Padlock Last Message' (F5 after asking for 'Home Tower').

Adopting this approach you will soon be surprised at how much your take-off and landing skills have improved! The Beta Testers have found that if you don‟t interfere with the AI Controller by ordering other squadrons about and even fragging into other squadrons the result of your Campaign will be historical. In other words, we (the British!) will win – albeit by the skin of our teeth. If you want to


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start affecting matters then you might as well stick to the standard Campaign game.

Heinkills guide to the Luftwaffe SPC

Single Pilot Campaign: LW addendum

The LW Single Pilot campaign is fully functional for Stuka and Bomber pilots. A full Stuka dive bomber campaign or Ju88 gunner campaign can be a blast and a great test of courage for anyone foolhardy enough. Can you bring the RAF to its knees and set the stage for Operation Sea Lion? The LW Single Pilot campaign can also be played for fighter units (Me 109e or Bf 110) but requires a little more player intervention due to some current glitches in the code, which, while a little confusing at first, do not effect the stability of the game.

How the LW campaign plays out If you start at Convoy phase, this is what you will be doing: wave pounding, or escorting wave pounders. The challenge is to find those convoys and sink them. The Channel is a deceptively large body of water and those ships are deceptively small! (Tip: In a Stuka always approach the ship formation from astern and

aligned with the convoy's line of travel to give yourself the best chance of a hit). The game will then move through the other phases automatically and you will see the LW Commander tactics change from convoy and port attacks, to attacks on 11 group airfields, then attacks on London and infrastructure. Starting at Eagle Attack you avoid the convoy phase, and the rest of the

game proceeds as described above. Some 11 group airfields have already been hit and damaged and the RAF is already under pressure. As the SPC outcome is closely matched to history, and you cannot effect strategy as a single pilot, you cannot win a Luftwaffe SPC! But your goal is survival and personal glory. How long can you survive against the RAF, and how many kills can you achieve in your campaign? The better you fly, the better your comrades will fly and the more the RAF will suffer!

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Starting a LW Single Pilot Campaign The steps are identical to starting an RAF Single Pilot Campaign (pages 3-

5 of the Single Player Campaign Manual) and choosing which squadron or staffel you wish to fly with. It is recommended you fly as a wingman unless you enjoy trying to find your target on your own! In the LW campaign you have extra choices:

Luftflotte (I or II) Geschwader type (Stuka, Kampf, Zerstorer, Jagd)

Gruppe (I II III) Geschwader (Staffel or unit)

Gameplay If you choose Stuka or Kampf (bomber) units, you will find the gameplay is almost identical to the RAF campaign, with certain advantages. The game AI automatically generates raids and targets for you.

As a Stuka pilot in most units you will almost always be in the action in early morning raids. (Tip: Choose a Stuka unit near the coast opposite Manston or Hawkinge. You can find out what unit is based at an airfield by clicking on the airfield and then choose this unit as your Favorite . StG I I at Peuplinge airfield is a good choice. Led by the famous Paul Werner Hozzel - Hozzel the Schnozzel. It is frequently in the action).

You can check your target on the Missions Folder (lower right hand icon on the campaign map screen) if you are playing staffel leader in Stuka staffel and then navigate there using the in-game map. As a bomber gunner in most units, you will be in the action nearly every day.

(Tip: Again choose a unit near the coast). It will not matter if you play as leader or wingman in this campaign as you do not pilot the aircraft, you man the guns. This is quite exhilarating in itself - see how long you can survive as a Ju88 belly gunner! (Tip for bomber campaign: Remember you can switch between positions to track a fighter as it is coming in. I suggest you allow yourself 5 reloads


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per raid, to simulate the in flight reloading a gunner in a Ju88 could do during a raid. A good choice is KG 53 III at Tramecourt, which is active

against RAF Sector 11 through the Battle).

Known limits in the LW Stuka or Bomber campaign: RTB error: The game AI will occasionally generate a mission without enough fuel to execute it and you will get an RTB (return to base) message for this. If it happens just click 'Cancel' to get rid of it. It will not effect gameplay. The no escort 'error': Just as in 1940, LW escorts do not always

rendezvous with their assigned bomber raid. You will notice they are occasionally early, or late. Sometimes no fighter escort is available at all and you will be sent on a lone raid across the channel. Some players interpret this as a bug, others interpret it as an attempt to simulate the real difficulties of trying to amass large raids in often poor visibility, without the help of radar or other navigation aids. Play testing of the LW Single Pilot Campaign has shown that despite the

occasional unescorted raid, play balance is not effected. The no intercept error: You may also find if you fly a mission from take-off to landing, that no RAF will be sent up against you. You can avoid this happening by jumping to the map screen during flight and using autopilot to move to your next waypoint (e.g. over the Channel). The game will always warn you if enemy fighters suddenly appear.

The LW Single Pilot Fighter Campaign. This is currently problematic but can be played with some manual

intervention. The problem is that the game 'triggers' or screens which allow you to take over control of the aircraft at take-off, landing or other events do not work as expected. The game focuses on the unit being escorted, not the escort itself, even though you are flying escort duty. If you choose to fly a fighter (Jagd) or heavy fighter (Zerstorer) campaign you will find the following happens: When the raid is taking off you will be told the bomber unit which you are

due to escort is taking off (either Stuka or Kampf/bomber), even though you have selected to fly Jagd or Zerstorer missions. If you click 'FLY' at this point, you will find yourself in the cockpit of your escort fighter, which is as it should be, though a little confusing.

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If you don't choose to fly at this point you should be offered another

trigger screen to join the raid when the raid is approaching the target. Again, if you click 'FLY' when you get this offer you will be in the escorting fighter unit, but it may not actually be near the target depending on whether it successfully rendezvoused with the bombers. It is a good idea to check the map to see where your staffel is when you frag into it. (Tip: Pay careful attention to what your staffel leader and colleagues are saying over the radio. If they call 'Regroup!' or 'My fuel gauge is reading

zero!' this means they are going to break off and head for home. If they do so, the RAF will stop chasing them, but if you are still engaged, you may suddenly find the anger of the entire RAF directed at you! Unless you

have a death wish, if your buddies bug out, you should too!) The only other trigger which consistently appears for fighter campaigns is the landing trigger and again the game will tell you that your bombers are coming in to land, but when you click 'FLY' you will be offered your fighter staffel and again, your fighter staffel may or may not be coming in

to land depending on where it is in the sky when the bombers are coming in. Check your map if you don't appear to be near the airfield and bring your fighter in yourself. On reflection this is probably an early design decision by the makers of BOB I, as there are no 'frei jagd' or fighter sweep missions possible, all LW fighter missions revolve around bomber escort. This is not to say that once airborne, you can't take your staffel on a 'frei jagd' hunt. You can!

The sky is yours in BOB II, which is the beauty of the game. At the moment the fighter campaign triggers for large and small engagements do not seem to be active, but you can frag into these fights manually where you see them happening on the 2D map, by just clicking on the fighter unit you want to fight with and FRAGging in. The fighter SPC works fine though if you take the offer to fly from takeoff, or when approaching target. You can always use autopilot (TAB) for the boring

commute across the channel. (Tip: If you want to follow a particular Jagd staffel, then JG26 III is a particularly good choice. It was the staffel of German Ace Adolph Galland. Morale is high and his unit colors are famous! You will find them at Audembert, SE of Wissant. To fly a Galland campaign just choose:

Luftflotte: any Aircraft: Jagd Gruppe: III


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Geschwader: J26).

Recommended settings These are a personal preference and you can adjust them yourself but a

good starting point for the LW SPC is to have the game move briskly at the 2D map level when not plotting raids, and slower during the raid phase. This will enable you to follow what raids are being sent against what targets and assess their results by clicking on the targets that have been hit. Non raid speed: 420 Raid speed: 60

You might also need to adjust a couple of settings in the BDG.txt file in your BOB II directory. The game AI sends some pretty big raids against British targets, with upward of 200 fighters and 100 bombers, so the sky can get pretty crowded. If you find you are colliding with your comrades or the enemy too often you can set: mid-air collisions=OFF

Navigation Finally, if you wish to play a more immersive game and lead your Stuka or fighter escort flight to and from the target you will need to be comfortable with using waypoint padlocking and the map to navigate. You cannot get directions to your target from the German 'tower'.

Using the map to navigate: At any point in your flight you can press 'M' to see the in-flight map. This 'cheat' enables you to see your aircraft (centered) and other friendly and enemy aircraft. It also shows you your

waypoints, though not your ground target. You can calculate a heading to your next waypoint yourself, then fly it from the cockpit, or, you can press one of the commands for 'Next waypoint' and the autopilot will move you to the next waypoint. It will kick you out of the map when you either reach the waypoint, or if you are intercepted. Using waypoint padlocking: You don't need to leave the cockpit to get a bearing to your next waypoint. You can use the 'F4' key (Next waypoint) to padlock your next waypoint. Be aware though, once you reach a

waypoint, your heading will only automatically change if you are in Auto-Pilot ('TAB' key).

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Using terrain features and recon: You don't need to use any cheats at all if you can use a compass and your eyeballs (and have enough fuel to allow

for mistakes!) After take-off, calculate a heading which will take you to a major landmark (Dover Cliffs, Dover Port, Southampton Port). The White Cliffs of Dover for example are visible from halfway across the channel, so they are hard to miss. From there you can calculate a heading to a landmark near your target, or your target itself. Use the recon function (click on the target to call up the recon button and if there is a recent recon shot available you can view it) to help you identify the target, or fly your own recon flights (e.g. in a fighter) to help you practice your track before

you fly it in a Stuka. If you are quick, while your raid is readying for take-off, you can just commandeer any fighter you see in the sky by clicking on its unit icon and choosing 'FRAG'. You can then do your recon. Your commander will ask you where the heck you are going, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him! Once you've done your recon you can 'ALT-X' out and frag back into your Stuka, which is probably already in the air and on its way to the target by now, so don't waste too much time swanning around! Or, you

can just wait until the game commander offers you the chance to takeover again. Morale is an important element in the LW game. Your personal actions have a direct impact on your staffel and thus the course of the Battle. To win the LW campaign you have to do more than survive, you have to cripple the RAF and morale is an important element in this. (Tip: Keep losses down to keep morale up, especially your own! And you can bring

RAF morale down quicker by downing their squadron leaders!) So what are you waiting for?! Strap on a Stuka and get up there pilot!

Gameplay tips Remember, your goal is air superiority. In the LW SPC it is critical for the player to fly as many missions as they can, to ensure the attrition (destruction) of RAF squadrons is as high as possible. If left to its own devices the AI Commander strategy may not generate sufficient RAF attrition for victory to be achieved. The game designers obviously

intended that the player's actions and success be the decisive influence in the outcome of a campaign. Think of it this way. If the daily total is 20 RAF kills without the player flying any sorties, and if you can contribute even 2-3 more kills per sortie,


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and you fly 4 sorties in a day, you can boost the daily attrition by 30% or more.

What this means is that aircraft/platform choice is critical as victory will be more certain if you play a campaign focused on a broad fighter type or gruppe (i.e. choose jagd or zerstorer as your 'favourite') rather than a specific squadron (i.e. choose 'JG26/Any' rather than 'JG26 /III'. Doing this will ensure you are offered more sorties to fly, giving you a greater chance to bag a brace of Spits! If you play the SPC as a specific squadron you risk not getting enough sorties to impact attrition, and if playing as a

Stuka alone you may not be directly impacting RAF fighter attrition at all except where squadrons are caught napping or where you hit production facilities. You can still have a very enjoyable campaign, and each of your sorties may be successful when playing as a Stuka or bomber gunner, but the Battle itself will most likely follow the historical outcome.

SPC bonus The beauty of the LW SPC is that the full functionality of the LW Commander Level campaign is hidden just below the surface.

If you are frustrated at the targets the LW AI Commander is choosing (what, another attack on Plymouth Port?!) you can override these and choose your own! Here's how:

1) Click on the target you wish to attack: you should focus on RAF fighter airfields (Manston, Hawkinge, Tangmere, Lympne, Westhampnett, Biggin Hill, Croydon, Kenley, Rochford, Duxford...) or fighter production facilities and then click on Authorize and then click the 'Tick' to close this dialogue box and

launch your new raid. 2) The game will assign bombers and escorts based on available and ready resources. If you don't like the raid generated you can delete it straight away, or later, from the missions screen (lower right hand icon on the campaign map screen). You can also keep an eye on the other missions the AI is generating from the mission screen and if you don't like them you can delete them as

well, at any point before they actually take off. 3) If there are no aircraft available the game will tell you so (Insufficient Resources Available). Also, the only resources available may be out of range, so the game will generate the mission to helpfully show you there are still resources available

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to you, but it will automatically cancel the mission (declaring it an RTB or Return to Base mission). If you see one of these you

can delete it, and reallocate the resources to a target which is within range of the available units.

Even this small level of campaign intervention can make a significant difference to your success in the campaign, so take control! Launch a sneak attack on the three RAF squadrons based at Biggin Hill and catch the RAF napping!!


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CHAPTER 5 FLYING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

AIRCRAFT

his chapter begins with a description of the controls available while flying the aircraft in this simulation. Section Two describes how to access 'interactive' cockpits in the simulation, where the player is directly

controlling the equipment in the cockpit of the flyable planes. Section Three gives an analysis of the engines and propellers on Second World War fighters and bombers. Section Four contains detailed cockpit screenshots of each of the flyable aircraft in the game and details how to start the aircraft's engine, taxi down a runway and take off. Section Five follows various solo flying and formation flying tips. Section Six deals with the various combat manoeuvres that the player will need to learn to become a proficient pilot. The final section provides technical specifications of the fighters and

bombers in the game.

THE AIRCRAFT CONTROLS The five aircraft that can be flown in Battle of Britain II have very similar controls, these being relatively simple compared with modern fighter

aircraft. The flight controls are used for directing the aircraft in the air or on the ground whilst taxiing. The engine controls are used to set the power of the engine and the pitch of the propeller blades. A further set of engine controls is provided for engine starting and stopping. The more complex engine controls can only be used with the 'interactive cockpit' and otherwise will be controlled automatically if the Engine Management preference is set to Auto. The Messerschmitt Bf110 has twin engines and so all of the engine controls appear twice in the cockpit, one set for each engine.

All of these controls may be identified on the separate key-guide that accompanies this package. Further points about the control setup on your PC are made in Chapter Two Section Two (Controller).

Flight controls The aircraft in the game can be flown using just the keyboard, but it is strongly recommended that a joystick be also used. Many of the controls can

Flying The Battle of Britain Aircraft

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also be operated using the interactive cockpit.

Elevator and Ailerons These are used to pitch and roll the aircraft. The arrow keys can be used for aileron and elevator control. However the use of a joystick is recommended. Battle of Britain II uses the Windows joystick configuration and the simulation can be played using the default options. To fine tune control input go to the Controller page in Chapter Two Section Two.

Rudder

The rudder yaws the aircraft in flight, or steers the rear wheel when taxiing. Crude rudder control is provided by the number pad (0) zero and (.) period keys. Finer control is available if you use dedicated rudder pedals or a twist joystick. K and SHIFT+K increase and decrease the keyboard sensitivity, respectively.

Flaps Flaps can be set to slow the aircraft down ready for landing. Press the F key to retract the flaps and the V key to extend them. The Spitfire has only two

settings for flaps (extended or retracted). All other aircraft have 4 stages (retracted, 1/3, 2/3, full). Assuming you start with flaps retracted, you must press V three times to reach full extension.

Undercarriage The undercarriage can be retracted or extended during flight by pressing the G key. Warning - attempting to extend the undercarriage at high speed may cause the hydraulic or mechanical systems to fail.

Independent wheel brakes The main wheels have individual brakes. These brakes, one on each wheel, can be used for slowing the aircraft down once on the ground and can also be used individually to aid steering. The brakes should be used with care at high speeds as severe braking can cause the aircraft to flip forward onto its nose. The , (comma) key is the left wheel brake and the . (period) key is the right wheel brake.

NOTE ABOUT TRIM OPERATION: If you have any trim controls assigned to levers or rotary controls on a joystick or other input device, you must turn these to neutral physically before pressing the trim reset keyboard command. Failure to do this will cause the neutral point on the controllers used for trim to be reset to their current position, and causing an imbalance in trim authority - ie you may not get full trim input in one or more directions.


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Elevator Trim

The trim allows the pilot to set the position of the elevator when the control stick is released. This means he can set the trim to keep the aircraft level, for his current speed and altitude and then let go of the stick. This way, he does not have to hold the control stick in one position for long periods just to keep the aircraft flying straight and level.

The End key adjusts the trim upwards, while the Home key adjusts the trim downwards. The trim can be reset to a neutral position pressing the Alt and End keys at the same time. Alternatively you can use joystick buttons [5], [7] and [10] respectively.

Rudder Trim The rudder trim works in the same way as the elevator trim, but allows the

pilot to take his feet off the rudder pedals and continue in a straight line. It is generally used to counteract the effects of the engine torque and slipstream under different flight conditions, such as climbing, cruising and diving. Some aircraft such as the Bf109 do not have rudder trimming and therefore the pilot has to press one or other rudder pedal throughout the flight. The Delete key adjusts the rudder trim to the left, while the Page Down key adjusts the rudder trim to the right. The trim can be reset to a neutral position pressing the Alt and End keys at the same time.

Dive Brakes These can be extended on the Ju87 to produce extra drag on the wings and maintain the correct speed during a dive-bombing attack. The D key will toggle between extended and retracted dive brakes on the Ju87 only.

Emergency Undercarriage Lowering can be attempted if the undercarriage cannot be extended using the normal control. This could be due to a number of reasons. Bullets from

enemy aircraft or Anti-Aircraft guns may have damaged the undercarriage. An attempt may have been made to lower the undercarriage at very high speed. Or the engine may not be providing enough hydraulic pressure to lower the wheels. The emergency lowering system typically consists of a cylinder of compressed gas that can be released into the undercarriage hydraulics system and may be able to force the wheels down. The system can only be used once. Pressing the Ctrl + G keys simultaneously will release the emergency cylinder.

Canopy The canopy can be opened or closed during flight to allow the pilot to move


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his head outside of the cockpit and look along the side of the long nose and engine. The Bf109 and Bf110 have hinged rather than sliding canopies and

therefore trying to open the canopy while in flight will result in them being ripped off by the flow of air past them.

Engine controls Throttle

The throttle provides control for selecting the desired engine power. The number keys give throttle control from 10% through to 100%. The + (plus) and – (minus) keys thereafter give fine control with changes in increments of 1%. The Bf110 has two throttle levers, one for each engine. These can be controlled either together or individually. Pressing E will cycle through the available engine to control - both together, port engine only, starboard only.

Propeller Pitch The propeller pitch control alters the angle of the propeller blades. It can be

used manually, just like the gearbox in a car to maintain the correct engine speed, or controlled automatically by the computer. Decreasing the prop pitch increases the RPM and vice versa. Pressing SHIFT+9 toggles maximum Coarse Pitch (lower RPMs). SHIFT+0 keys together toggle maximum fine pitch (higher RPMs). Similarly, SHIFT and – (minus) or SHIFT + (plus) keys pressed simultaneously increases or decreases the pitch incrementally versus a toggle.

Windmill Braking using FINE pitch angle: The propeller can act as a brake to slow the aircraft down to some degree. With the throttle set at idle and maximum fine pitch (SHIFT+0) the propeller‟s angle creates higher resistance against the onrushing air and thus will act as a brake and slow the airplane down – windmill braking. Initially it may seem and sound that speed is increasing because initially the RPMs will actually rise, but as the airplane‟s forward speed slows the RPMs will drop. This will only work if adjustment of prop pitch control is set to “manual” in the FLIGHT GUI

menu.

Automatic Boost Control Cutout. If the engine is run at full power for any length of time, the engine temperature will rise and permanent damage will be caused to the engine. If the temperature gets too high, there is a chance of the engine ceasing completely. In some aircraft an automatic system limits the setting of the throttle (to 90%) to prevent the engine overheating. Other aircraft have a gate

in the throttle quadrant, or a piece of wire that limits the movement of the throttle lever. The pilot can override this system by using the Automatic Boost Control Cutout, or pressing the 0 key to push the throttle fully


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forwards (through the gate, or breaking the wire) and getting 100% power.

ADVANCED ENGINE CONTROLS These controls are only available when the interactive cockpit is engaged.

Magneto The magneto provides the electrical power to the spark plugs in each cylinder of the engine. Each engine has two magneto circuits consisting of the engine driven magneto connected to a set of sparkplugs. Should one circuit fail to work, the second circuit will keep the engine running, although

at a little lower performance as there will only be one spark in the cylinder rather than the normal two. Each circuit can be switched on or off independently but both should be turned on for engine starting.

NOTE ABOUT MAGNETO OPERATION: Where magnetos are switches (Spitfire, Hurricane & Ju87) you will find that they cannot be operated independently. In order to activate the right hand mag, you must switch on the left hand mag first. When shutting down, you cannot turn the left hand mag off until the right hand mag is off. With the Bf109 & Bf110, the magnetos must be slid into the correct position by holding the left mouse button down over the interactive "hotspot" and moving the mouse forward / up. To turn the magnetos off, do the same but move the mouse down / backwards.

Fuel cock The fuel cock is used to select the fuel tank from which fuel is delivered to the engine.

Primer pump The primer pump is used to squirt neat fuel directly into the cylinders of the engine to enable the engine to be started from cold. A cold engine will require about 3 strokes of the primer pump before attempting to start it.

NOTE ABOUT PRIMER PUMPS: To operate the pumps, you must position the mouse pointer over the interactive hotspot, then hold the left button down until the animated button / lever has moved to it's extreme position, then release the mouse button to release the pump. This needs to be repeated for each priming stroke required prior to engine start.

Starter button The starter button works differently depending on whether the aircraft is


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British or German. The Spitfire and Hurricane use an electric starter motor, just like a car, to rotate the engine up to speed. Pressing the starter button

until the engine fires and then releasing the button operates this. The German aircraft use an 'Inertia starter' which consists of a large flywheel that is rotated by hand or by an electric motor. When the starter handle is pulled out, the motor is used to accelerate the flywheel for approximately 10 seconds, until it has enough energy to start the engine. Releasing the starter handle connects the flywheel to the engine and the inertia it has from spinning is used to start the engine rotating.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING CHANGING THE GAME

FLIGHT MODEL SETTINGS – WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN

CAMPAIGN and INSTANT ACTION:

One can set their FM preference from the Options>>> Flight screen. However, users have at times been confused about possible changes in their FM settings as they go back and forth between Campaign missions and Instant Action missions. It is important to understand the following:

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, fly the mission 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.

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 (see screen shot on following page of “frag screen”) 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 will be saved with that setting.

Campaign setting is saved as the campaign data, so if you load the saved campaign, Novice setting is restored. Once you create a Campaign, you are not “stuck” with the original FM settings for the entire campaign. You can change the ongoing-campaign settings during the missions. Using 'Sim Config' on the “Frag” screen, it is possible at any time (see screenshot below):


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The major flight and engine controls


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THE INTERACTIVE COCKPITS The interactive cockpit allows the player to control various aircraft devices and engine settings, such as those mentioned above under advanced engine controls. It also gives you the experience of controlling an actual World War Two aircraft in an authentic manner. The interactive cockpit will only work if the Engine Management option is set to Manual in the flight preferences.

To activate the interactive cockpit press the right mouse button. This will bring up a white mouse pointer.

To activate switches, place the pointer over the switch and press the left mouse button.

To push a button, such as the starter motor button, place the pointer on the button and hold down the left mouse button.

Levers, such as the throttle lever or propeller pitch control, can be moved by clicking the mouse on the handle of the lever and moving

the mouse up or down while holding down the mouse button.

Wheels, such as the elevator and rudder trim wheels can be used in a

similar way. Hold down the mouse button and move the mouse left and right or up and down as appropriate.

The interactive features in the cockpit cannot be used while the game

is paused.

In Battle of Britain II there are five aircraft that you can fly and each

one has its own interactive cockpit.

Beginning on page 182 and also in Appendix B of this manual see the

cockpit layouts for each of these five aircraft (Spitfire, Hurricane, Stuka, Messerschmitts Bf110 and Bf109).

ENGINES AND PROPELLERS This section deals with the engines and propellers on the major aircraft in the Battle of Britain II simulation.

THE ENGINES Water-cooled 12 cylinder vee supercharged engines power all the 5 aircraft

available to fly in the game. The Spitfire and Hurricane are both fitted with a


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Rolls-Royce Merlin II or Merlin III. These two models differ only in the details of the propeller shaft, the former for use with a de Havilland 2 pitch

propeller, and the latter for use with the Rotol constant speed propeller. The Messerschmitt Bf109 and Bf110 are both fitted with Daimler-Benz DB601A engines and the Junkers Ju87 uses a Junkers Jumo 211A.

The details of these engines are as follows:

A normally aspirated engine, with no supercharger fitted, would produce maximum power at sea level, but the available power would decrease with increasing altitude due to the reduction in air density. A supercharger draws more air into the cylinders and allows the engine to produce more power at

higher altitudes, but also reduces the power available at sea level as a certain amount of energy is required to drive the supercharger.

Altitude (ft)

Spitfire Engine Power


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The Carburetor and Negative G

In the British engine, the fuel was delivered to the engine cylinders via a gravity fed carburetor. In order to maintain a continuous supply of fuel to the engine, it was necessary for the engine to be under conditions of positive G. In other words, if the pilot of a Spitfire or Hurricane were to try to fly the aircraft inverted, the carburetor would almost immediately cease to supply fuel to the engine and power would be lost. The same thing would happen if the pilot was flying straight and level and pushed forward rapidly on the control stick in order to enter a dive. In this condition, the centrifugal force

due to the aircraft pitching downwards would lift the pilot out of his seat and force his body up against the shoulder straps of his harness. Exactly the same thing happens to the fuel in the tanks and in the carburetor, and the engine will loose power for a few seconds, until positive G is restored. This undesirable feature was not present on the German engines as they used direct fuel injection to deliver the fuel to the cylinders rather than a gravity-fed carburetor. This allowed the pilots of the Messerschmitt Bf109 to escape a pursuing Spitfire by pushing forward on the stick while in level flight (also known as “bunting”) and entering a steep dive quickly, allowing the German

pilot to gain some distance from his attacker. The RAF planes would have to roll inverted before going into the dive to avoid fuel starvation and the engine cutting out due to negative G force created when bunting.

Throttle Settings and Engine Limitations The recommended throttle settings and engine limitations for various flight conditions are given below. The figures quoted are appropriate to the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, but the throttle settings are consistent for all the

flyable aircraft featured in the game.

Note: +6 lb/sq.in. combat boost is obtained by operating the boost control cut-out.

Exceeding these limitations will lead to excessive use of fuel and if


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Manual Engine Management has been selected in the Flight preferences

(see Chapter Two Section Three), then the engine may overheat and

suffer permanent damage as a result. These limitations must be followed

to maintain a fully serviceable, undamaged engine. If an engine has been

damaged as a result of gunfire or overheating, then the pilot should be

more conservative when considering any continued or future combat.

THE PROPELLERS During World War I, aircraft used fixed pitch wooden propellers. These were easy to manufacture, as they contained no moving parts, but were only truly

efficient under one set of flying conditions. The propellers would typically be designed with a blade angle that gave them the best efficiency in the cruise condition. This made for good fuel economy and high speed when cruising but meant that during take-off and climb, the propeller and engine were not working at their optimum efficiency. In order to improve this deficiency, propellers were developed in which the angle of the blades could be changed in the air. This means that the pilot can set the propeller blades to an angle suitable for take-off, thereby leaving the ground in as short a distance as possible. Once in the air, he can reset the propeller blades to an

angle suitable for cruising. The following types of propellers were fitted to the aircraft used in the Battle of Britain II. All early Spitfires and Hurricanes were fitted with two-pitch propellers, but were later upgraded to use constant-speed propellers. The two Messerschmitts had a variable pitch propeller, and the Ju87 Stuka used a two-pitch propeller similar to that of the early British fighters.

Two-Pitch Propellers (Early Spitfires and Hurricanes, and Ju87) These propellers have two settings, Fine and Coarse. General speaking, the fine pitch is used for engine starting, taxiing, taking off and landing. Once in the air, leaving the propeller set to fine pitch would result in the engine speed increasing above the allowable range. The pilot should therefore select the coarse pitch, which allows the aircraft to climb, cruise and engage in combat, while using the normal range of engine speeds. An additional feature of this type of propeller is the ability to use effective windmill braking. This involves throttling back the engine and selecting the fine pitch on the

propeller control. This will cause the propeller to spin around rapidly in the airflow and in turn drive the engine to high speeds. This allows the pilot to use the engine braking effect of the large engines to produce large amounts

of drag on the propeller and slow the aircraft down.

Constant-Speed Propellers (Later Spitfires and Hurricanes) This type of propeller will automatically adjust the pitch of the blades in


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order to maintain the engine speed at a specified value via a small engine mounted hydraulic pump. As the engine speed increases, so does the

pressure produced by the pump and this pushed oil into the propeller where it moves a cylinder and increases the angle of the propeller blades. At the new increased pitch, the blades produce more thrust, but also more drag, thereby putting more load on the engine and holding down the engine speed. The pilot can select the desired engine speed between 1,800 rpm (for maximum fuel efficiency) and 3,000 rpm (for maximum power). The engine speed is generally independent of the throttle setting, but when the throttle is opened, the propeller blades will always be set to the most efficient angle. This

results in significantly improved acceleration and climb rate compared with a similar aircraft fitted with a fixed or two-pitch propeller.

Variable-Pitch Propellers (Messerschmitt Bf109 and Bf110) This works in a very similar way to the two-pitch propeller but rather than having just two possible positions, the blades can be set to a range of angles.

This allows the pilot to continuously adjust the propeller pitch to suit the current flight speed. In addition, the propeller can be feathered. This means that the blades can be turned to an angle of 90º in the event of an engine failure. In this position they produce least drag and thereby improve the gliding performance of the aircraft.

All of these propellers can be thought of as doing a similar job to the gearbox in a car. A low gear is used for starting off and can also be used to provide effective engine braking and a higher gear is selected as the vehicle accelerates and engine speed exceeds the normal operating range.

Automatic Propeller Pitch Control If the player does not wish to worry about the propeller pitch setting, the

computer can control the propeller setting automatically. The automated system will always try to ensure that the propeller pitch is set such that the player has the maximum possible thrust available from the engine. To enable the automatic pitch control, the Prop Pitch Control flight preference in the Sim Config menu should be set to Auto. This option can only be set when Engine Management is set to Auto. See Chapter Two Section Three for further details. Novice Flight Model When the novice flight model is being used, the propeller is not modeled accurately. Therefore, the player has only the throttle to control and need not worry about the propeller pitch setting.


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Correct Propeller Pitch for Various Flight Conditions

STARTING THE ENGINE, TAXIING, AND TAKE-

OFF –GENERAL CONCEPTS

ENGINE STARTING The player can only carry out engine starting if the Engine Management flight preference option in the Sim Config menu is set to Manual. If this is not the case, then the engine will always be running at the start of a mission, and will only stop if the fuel runs out or the engine becomes seriously damaged. The procedure for starting the engine is similar for all aircraft, but in the case

of the Bf110, the two engines have to be started separately. Starting the engine requires the use of the interactive cockpit controls. The full engine starting procedure for the Spitfire is as follows:

PRELIMINARIES On entering the cockpit check the Undercarriage selector lever , Flaps, and Contents of lower fuel tank.


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STARTING THE ENGINE AND WARMING UP

Engine starting in other aircraft follows the same pattern but the inertia starter in the German aircraft is operated in a different way to the starter motor of the British aircraft. To energize the inertia starter, operate the starter

handle for approximately 10 seconds, and then release the handle. Setting of fuel cocks, propeller pitch, priming and ignition is carried out in the same way as described above.

TAKING OFF The aircraft featured in the game all have a similar undercarriage layout. This consists of two main wheels just ahead of the center of gravity (these wheels are retractable on all but the Ju87) and a fixed small tail wheel below

the tail of the plane that allows the aircraft to be steered on the ground using the rudder pedals. This layout means that the aircraft sits on the ground in a nose-high attitude, typically 12º and can seriously limit the forward visibility of the pilot. When taxiing, the pilot must weave the aircraft from left to right to allow him to see ahead and ensure he is not going to taxi into anything. An alternative available to pilots of the Spitfire, Hurricane and Ju87 is to slide


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back the canopy and look over the side of the cockpit.

When taking off the pilot would normally raise the tail of the aircraft as soon as possible, thus lowering the nose and allowing him much better forward visibility. This also has the effect of lowering the drag of the aircraft, as it is now pointing in the direction of travel and therefore it will allow the aircraft to accelerate more rapidly. Once take-off speed has been achieved, the pilot would lower the tail to increase the angle of attack of the wings and therefore increase the lift produced and the aircraft would take-off. An alternative method (if the pilot is pointing straight down the runway and confident that

there is nothing ahead of him) is to simply pull back on the stick during acceleration and hold the tail-wheel on the ground. This method does not provide good forward visibility, but makes it easier for the pilot to keep the aircraft pointing down the center of the runway. The take-off procedure is as follows:

FINAL PREPARATION FOR TAKE-OFF

Note: The rudder trim, where available, should be left neutral if propeller torque and slipstream have been disabled in the flight preferences. Similarly, if the novice flight model is being used, both the elevator and


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rudder trim should be left neutral.

LANDING TUTORIAL Following is a thread with a landing tutorial including a video clip of landing the Spitfire in BoBII:




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COCKPIT SCREENSHOTS, TAKE-OFF AND LANDING

CHECKLISTS AND RECOMMENDED SPEEDS

Spitfire 1a and 1b:

1 ) canopy: OPEN (O) 2 ) elevator & rudder trim: NEUTRAL (ALT+END). ELEVATOR TRIM INDICATOR NEEDLE SHOULD BE HORIZONTAL. 3 ) flaps: UP, LEVER UP (F) 4 ) fuel cocks 1+2: ON (SWITCHES UP) 5 ) magnetos 1+2: ON (SWITCHES UP) 6 ) throttle: OPEN .TO 7% 7 ) prop pitch: LEVER FULL FOWARD 8 ) primer: BROWN BUTTON, PULL OUT AND RELEASE FOR EACH STROKE AS REQUIRED (SEE CHART) 9 ) ignition: BLACK BUTTON ABOVE LEFT HAND FUEL COCK LEVER. HOLD UNTIL ENGINE FIRES EVENLY (ENGINE PEAKS TO

APPROX 1900RPM AND REMAINS STEADY), THEN RELEASE.


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Spitfire Recommended Speeds Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … 80+ mph

Best climb speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180–200 mph Cruise speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …. 300 mph Max. speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 mph Max. flap/gear extension speed* . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 mph Landing approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 mph Touchdown speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80-90 mph Max. controllable dive speed** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 mph


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Hurricane 1a and 1b:

1 ) canopy: OPEN (O) 2 ) elevator & rudder trim: NEUTRAL (ALT+END)

3 ) flaps: UP (F three times for fully retracted) 4 ) fuel cock: ON (MAIN TANK, SWITCH POINTS FORWARD)

5 ) magnetos 1+2: ON (SWITCHES UP) 6 ) throttle: OPEN TO 6% 7 ) prop pitch: LEVER FULL FOWARD

8 ) primer: BROWN BUTTON, PULL OUT AND RELEASE FOR EACH STROKE AS REQUIRED (SEE CHART) 9 ) ignition: SILVER BUTTON. HOLD UNTIL ENGINE FIRES EVENLY

(ENGINE PEAKS TO APPROX 2000RPM AND REMAINS STEADY), THEN RELEASE.


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Hurricane Recommended Speeds: Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 mph Best climb speed……………………………… 165–185 mph Cruise speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 mph Max. speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 mph Max. flap/gear extension speed* . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 mph Landing approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … 120 mph Touchdown speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80-90 mph Max. controllable dive speed** . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 mph


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Messerschmitt Bf109:


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1 ) canopy: LEAVE CLOSED

2 ) elevator & aileron trim: NEUTRAL (ALT+END)

3 ) flaps: UP (F three times for fully retracted)

4 ) fuel cock: ON (YELLOW LEVER DOWN & FORWARD)

5 ) magnetos 1+2: ON (LEVER PUSHED UP) 6 ) throttle: OPEN TO 6% 7 ) prop pitch: FULL FINE, LEVER PUSHED UP (PITCH DIAL HANDS READ HALF PAST SIX, AND PITCH CONTROL HANDLE NOT VISIBLE)

8 ) primer: FRONT YELLOW BUTTON ON BOX, PUSH IN AND

RELEASE FOR EACH STROKE AS REQUIRED (SEE CHART) 9 ) ignition: MIDDLE T-BAR HANDLE ON LEFT SIDE OF COCKPIT. HOLD UNTIL STARTER MOTOR GOES SILENT, THEN RELEASE. INCREASE THROTTLE TO APPROX 15% TO ASSIST IN KEEPING ENGINE TICKING OVER AT APPROX 1500RPM.

Bf109 Recommended Speeds: Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 mph Best climb speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …… 180–190 mph

Cruise speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 mph Max. speed at 15,000 ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 mph Max. flap/gear extension speed* . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 mph Landing approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 mph Touchdown speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 mph Max. controllable dive speed** . . . . . . . . . . 380-400 mph


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Messerschmitt Bf110


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1 ) canopy: LEAVE CLOSED

2 ) elevator, aileron & rudder trim: NEUTRAL (ALT+END)

3 ) flaps: UP (F three times for fully retracted)

4 ) fuel cocks 1+2: ON (LEVER DOWN / PULLED BACKWARDS) 5 ) magnetos sets 1+2: ON (LEFT & RIGHT LEVERS PUSHED FULLY FORWARD) 6 ) throttle: OPEN TO 6% 7 ) prop pitch: FULL FINE, BOTH LEVERS PUSHED UP (BOTH PITCH DIALS HANDS READ HALF PAST SIX)

8 ) primer: LEVERS AT FRONT OF ENGINE CONTROLS BOX, PULL BACKWARDS THEN RELEASE FOR EACH STROKE AS REQUIRED (SEE CHART) 9 ) ignition: SWITCHES ON RIGHT SIDE OF COCKPIT. HOLD UNTIL STARTER MOTOR GOES SILENT, THEN RELEASE. REPEAT FOR BOTH ENGINES. YOU WILL NEED TO APPLY WHEEL BRAKES, RUDDER AND ADJUST THROTTLE TO TRY AND KEEP THE AIRCRAFT STATIONARY AND ASSIST THE ENGINES IN TICKING

OVER. ONCE BOTH STARTED, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RUN THE ENGINES AT IDLE (0% THROTTLE) AT 900RPM.


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Bf110 Recommended Speeds: Take-off………………………………………. 90 mph Best climb speed ……………………………… 180–190 mph Cruise speed at 15,000 ft……………………… 295 mph Max. speed at 15,000 ft……………………….. 330 mph Max. flap/gear extension speed*……………… 160 mph Landing approach……………………………… 120 mph Touchdown speed……………………………… 90 mph Max. controllable dive speed**……………….. 380-400 mph


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Junkers JU87 Stuka:

1 ) canopy: OPEN (O) 2 ) elevator trim: NEUTRAL (ALT+END) 3 ) flaps: UP, LEVER FULL FORWARD (F three times for fully retracted) 4 ) dive brakes: UP, LEVER FULL FORWARD (D) 5 ) fuel cocks 1+2: ON (UP FOR ON) 6 ) magnetos 1+2: ON (SWITCHES CURRENTLY POINT DOWNWARDS FOR ON) 7 ) throttle: OPEN TO 7% 8 ) prop pitch: FULL FINE, LEVER FULL FOWARD 9 ) primer: WHITE BUTTON, PULL OUT AND RELEASE FOR EACH STROKE AS REQUIRED (SEE CHART) 10 ) ignition: RED BUTTON. HOLD UNTIL STARTER MOTOR GOES SILENT, THEN RELEASE. INCREASE THROTTLE TO APPROX 15% TO ASSIST IN KEEPING ENGINE TICKING OVER AT APPROX 1150RPM.


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Ju87 Recommended Speeds Take-off………………………………………… 75-85 mph Best climb speed……………………………….. 120 mph Cruise speed at 15,000 ft………………………. 160 mph Max. speed at 15,000 ft………………………… 230 mph Max. flap extension speed*……………………. 150 mph Landing approach……………………………… 90 mph Touchdown speed……………………………… 75 mph Max. controllable dive speed**………………… 400 mph

PRIMER STROKES: 20 degrees Celsius………… 3 strokes 10 degrees Celsius………… 4 strokes 0 degrees Celsius…………. 6 strokes

The preceding Cockpit Screenshots and Checklists are courtesy of CPS Bomber


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FLAPS, UNDERCARRIAGE AND CONTROL SURFACE NOTES:

* The flaps and undercarriage are activated by hydraulic jacks (or manually

in the case of the Bf109 flaps). When these devices are extended, they stick out into the airflow where they will be subjected to strong aerodynamic forces. If the airspeed is very high, then the forces upon the devices and the hydraulic system become very large and can cause serious damage. Therefore, a maximum speed is specified below which it is safe to extend the flaps and gear without danger of damaging them. If they are deployed above this speed, a great deal of buffeting occurs and the flaps and gear can become stuck in one position.

** A characteristic typical of all the aircraft featured was the stiffening of controls at high speed. One cause of this problem was that the control surfaces were covered with fabric rather than metal. This kept the

controls systems light in weight but at high speeds, such as in a steep dive, the surfaces would tend to balloon outwards due to the airflow past them. This resulted in the controls becoming very stiff, such that the pilot may have insufficient strength to move the control stick and recover from the dive. In this case, it is necessary to close the throttle and reduce the speed of the aircraft before pulling back on the stick to raise the nose. This problem was eventually remedied by replacing the fabric covered control surfaces with metal covered ones giving significantly greater

manoeuvreability at high speeds, but this did not take place until 1941, after the Battle of Britain.


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FLYING

THE NOVICE FLIGHT MODE

The novice flight model is provided as a means of playing the game without having to consider the dynamic behavior of the aircraft including the level of stability and control effectiveness throughout the flight envelope. It also allows the novice player to throw the aircraft around the sky without having to worry about exceeding the limits of the aircraft or the consequences of doing so. The novice model uses the same data as the full flight model, which allows the performance of the aircraft to be modeled to the same high level of

accuracy. The result of this is that the player can choose to fly using the arcade flight model and still be able to fly in formation with other aircraft, or enter combat with the same fighting capabilities as a player using the full flight model. Since the novice model does not represent the dynamic response of the novice, the control of the aircraft is considerably easier, due to the more stable behavior of the aircraft and due also to the fact that the controls will only manoeuvre the aircraft within its safe limits. Therefore, in a tight turn, the player can pull the control stick all the way back to get

maximum turn rate, but will never be able to stall the aircraft, or loose control. The energy of the aircraft is modeled accurately so the aircraft will still loose speed in a tight turn, or if the player tries to climb too steeply. If too much speed is lost, the aircraft will not be able to continue flying in a straight line so, just like in a real stall, the nose will drop until the speed builds up again.

Customization of the Novice Flight model parameters can be done via

the in-game menu options and also via the BDG.txt file - see Chapter 2

& Appendix A.


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THE CROSS-OVER TURN

The RAF fighter formations were generally made up of vics of three aircraft with a separation of approximately 2 wingspans between adjacent aircraft. This requires very accurate flying and continuous concentration from the pilots. When turning onto a new heading, the two wingmen must maintain their position relative to their leader. This means that the aircraft on the inside of the curve must turn more tightly than the lead aircraft, and likewise the wingman on the outside must make a larger radius turn than his leader to

stay in position. As well as making turns of different radii, the two wingmen must also adjust their speed so that they remain the correct distance behind the leader. This requires the pilot of the inner aircraft to reduce the throttle during the turn, and the pilot of the outer aircraft to increase the throttle as he has a greater distance to travel. The Luftwaffe fighters would fly in Schwarm made up of four aircraft with adjacent aircraft being about 200 yards apart. If the pilots attempted to use

the same technique as used by the RAF for turning onto a new heading, then the radius of the turn would be very large indeed and require the pilot on the outside of the curve to open the throttle fully, while the inner pilot would have to slowdown very rapidly, make a tight turn at low speed, and then accelerate again rapidly to regain the original speed. In order to avoid these problems, the Luftwaffe developed the crossover turn, as illustrated below. This allowed the all the pilots in the Schwarm to maintain their original throttle setting throughout the manoeuvre, but ended up with the positions in the formation being reversed.


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STALLING AND SPINNING

NOTE: There is a significantly expanded explanation of stalls and spins

later in this chapter as well, see “A Spin Is A Beautiful Thing”.

As the angle of attack of the wings (or tail surfaces) is increased, the aerodynamic force produced due to the airflow will also increase. By pulling back on the stick, the pilot will lower the tail of the aircraft and this will increase the attitude of the aircraft relative to the airflow, thereby increasing the angle of attack. Unfortunately, the lift produced by the wing cannot be

increased indefinitely by simply pulling back on the stick. As the angle is increased, the airflow over the top of the wing is required to change direction more rapidly to follow the curved surface. If the angle of attack exceeds the stall angle, the air can no longer follow the surface smoothly and the laminar airflow breaks down to produce turbulent eddies over the wing. This turbulence results in a loss of lift, increased drag on the wing and because the eddies are irregular, the aerodynamic forces produced will be varying at a fairly high frequency. This unsteadiness causes buffeting which is felt throughout the structure of the aircraft as a shaking and is a good warning

that the wings are approaching a stall. A stall can happen at low speed in level flight as the pilot pulls back on the stick to keep the nose of the aircraft from falling, or in a tight turn when he is pulling back to achieve a high turn rate.

Fighter aircraft like the Spitfire are designed to be highly manoeuverable, and therefore the pilot is provided with lots of elevator power. This means that he can pitch the aircraft up or down quickly and enter a tight turn easily, but he must also be careful not to pull too hard on the stick and stall the wings. The Spitfire would enter a stall well before the control stick had been

pulled back to its limit. When the wings are near or beyond the stall angle, the ailerons usually loose their effectiveness, as they are no longer in smooth laminar airflow.


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Sometimes lowering the aileron on one side of the aircraft can cause that wing to stall earlier than the other and hence result in the aircraft rolling the

opposite way to expected. Therefore, the pilot must take care when using the ailerons at low speed, such as during take-off and landing, or in a tight turn.

If the aircraft enters a stall and the pilot holds the stick all the way back, the

speed will eventually become so low that the wings can no longer produce enough lift to hold the weight of the aircraft in the air and the nose will drop rapidly. If the pilot now centers the stick, the aircraft will dive and regain speed such that the wings begin producing lift again and the pilot regains control. If the aircraft is not completely straight when a stall occurs, one wing may stall while the other continues to produce lots of lift. If this is the case, the stalled wing will drop and the aircraft can rapidly enter a spin during which the pilot will have very little control. The pilot can deliberately

enter a spin by applying full rudder just before the stall is reached. The nature of the spin will depend on the characteristics of the aircraft but in general, altitude it lost very rapidly and if the spin in not corrected the aircraft is likely to crash into the ground. During a spin, both wings are at high angles of attack so the ailerons cannot be used to stop the aircraft rotating. Similarly, the airflow over the tail surfaces is no longer smooth, and therefore the elevators have little effectiveness. Attempting to raise the nose of the aircraft by pulling back on the stick will only result in increasing the

stall and worsening the spin.


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To recover from a spin, the control stick should be held central or pushed forwards and full opposite rudder should be applied. This should be

maintained until the aircraft stops spinning and begins to build up speed in a dive. Once the aircraft has accelerated to the normal flying speed, the pilot will regain control and can raise the nose of the aircraft and continue flying. The player can also use the Spin Recovery cheat to regain control of the aircraft by holding down “Shift-S” until the aircraft stops rotating and the controls regain their effectiveness.

Stalling Speeds As the aircraft loses speed, the pilot must pull back on the stick to maintain enough lift to keep the aircraft flying at the same altitude. If he attempts to maintain altitude with the throttle closed, the aircraft will eventually slow down so much that the wings cannot produce enough lift and the aircraft stalls. The approximate speed at which this will occur is given below. These speeds are correct for a normally loaded aircraft at sea level (i.e. indicated air speed) with its undercarriage and flaps retracted.

Supermarine Spitfire……………………… 75 m.p.h. Hawker Hurricane………………………… 80 m.p.h. Messerschmitt Bf 109……………………. 100 m.p.h. Messerschmitt Bf 110……………………. 90 m.p.h. Junkers Ju 87…………………………….. 70 m.p.h.

Stalling And Spinning Characteristics Each type of aircraft will have its own specific stalling characteristics that will depend on the shape of the wing cross-section and the weight and geometry of the aircraft. The behavior of the aircraft will also be affected by the extension of devices such as flaps and gears, damage to the wings and tail surfaces as well as the fuel load, the speed and the altitude.

Novice Model If the Novice flight model is being used, there is no danger of the player stalling or spinning the aircraft at all. Pulling all the way back on the control stick will bring the wing almost to the stall limit but not beyond. If the aircraft looses too much speed, the nose will drop and the speed must be built up before level flight can be restored.

Spitfire When the stall occurs, there is a violent shuddering throughout the aircraft and there is also a tendency for the aircraft to flick over, particularly in a


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high speed stall. Unless the control column is pushed forward rapidly, the aircraft is likely to roll and a spin will result. The aircraft can enter a flat

spin, which may be irrecoverable and a number of Spitfires were lost in this way. The loss of height involved in recovering from a spin may be large and the pilot should allow the aircraft to reach 150mph in the resultant dive before starting to raise the nose.

Hurricane At the stall, it is typical for one wing to drop sharply, often beyond the vertical. This will occur with the flaps either up or down. Recovery from a

spin is normal but like the Spitfire, a large amount of height may be lost in the process. A speed of 150 mph should be attained in the dive before the pilot attempts to return to level flight.

Bf109 This aircraft is fitted with automatic leading edge slats that will open at about 20mph above the normal stalling speed. These help to keep the airflow over the top surface of the wing smooth and laminar and delay the occurrence of the stall. Without these slats, the aircraft would have to take-off and land at

higher speeds which require a greater runway distance and can lead to more serious accidents. Although the fighter stalls at quite high speeds, this is gentle, even under G, with no tendency to spin. The onset of the stall is signaled by buffeting of the elevators typically followed by the gentle dropping of the nose and left wing. The Bf109 would never enter a flat spin and there was never any difficult in recovering from a spin.

Bf110

Like the Bf109, this aircraft is fitted with leading edge slats that will open automatically as the airspeed reduces. Care should be taken when using only one engine as this can lead to uneven airflow over the two wings, causing the aircraft to swing and bank, and may cause uneven stalling of the wings leading to a spin. This is particularly hazardous when the flaps are extended and when making a single engine approach, with the stationary propeller feathered, the flaps should not be lowered by more than 25 degrees.

Ju87 The Ju87 is a stable bomber rather than an agile fighter. For this reason it has large tail surfaces giving it inherent stability and gentle stall characteristics. During the development of the Ju87B from the Ju87A, the fin was enlarged to compensate for the change in the engine fitted, and this had the effect of making the aircraft almost spin-proof.


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COMBAT MANOEUVRES COMBAT PERFORMANCE COMPARED

Turn Performance at 16,000 ft Both the British and German aircraft engines were fitted with superchargers, giving them a maximum power output at about 15-16,000 ft. Combat would typically start at this sort of altitude, but descend towards the ground as the

aircraft lost energy in turns. By using full throttle and pulling on the stick to achieve a tight turn, with the aircraft at the stall limit, the four fighter aircraft could maintain the rates of turn given below. These are theoretical results and would allow the pilot to maintain this speed and turn rate without losing altitude, but in practice it is very difficult to do accurately.

Speed and Climb Performance at 16,000 ft As well as using the turn rate of the aircraft to get onto the tail of the opponent, the fighter pilots could also use manoeuvres involving rapid climbing and diving. By climbing above the enemy aircraft, a pilot could

start an engagement with an energy advantage, which he could convert to speed by diving down to the level of his opponent and regain by climbing away to safety following the attack. The climb performance and maximum speed of the fighter aircraft at an altitude of 16,000ft are given below.


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Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf109 Compared Comparison flight-testing of a captured Messerschmitt Bf109 and a Spitfire

during the summer of 1940 carried out by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough proved the following results:

In a shallow dive the two aircraft have the same speed.

In a flat-out straight and level race the German proved very slightly faster.

In various rolls and turns, the Spitfire was decidedly more manoeuvreable.

Pulling out of a steep dive, the 109E had a most definite advantage. It

could pull up more sharply and climb away a little faster.

As can be seen from the comparison above, the fighter aircraft had different relative strengths and weaknesses in combat. The tactics and manoeuvres used by a pilot would depend on the type of aircraft he was flying, allowing his to exploit the aircraft‟s strengths and avoid the weaknesses that could allow his adversary to get an advantage in an engagement. The main differences between the aircraft types with regard to their combat performance are as follows.

The British aircraft have a lower wing loading than their German

counterparts. The wing loading is the weight of the aircraft divided by the wing area and is typically expressed in pounds per square foot or in

kilograms per square meter.


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Generally, a lower wing loading allows the aircraft to pull more G and

therefore turn more tightly. This can be seen in the diagram above showing the relative turn performance of the four fighter aircraft.

The German fighters have a higher thrust to weight ratio than the British

aircraft. The Bf109 is approximately 10% lighter than the Spitfire, but has about 10% more engine power available. This results in a greater

climb rate and also a higher ceiling.

The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine is fitted with a gravity-fed carburetor

while the Daimler-Benz engine uses direct fuel injection. This allows the German aircraft to experience negative G without loss of power, but the engines in the British aircraft would be starved of fuel if the aircraft does not maintain positive G during flight.

The Bf110 and the Ju87 are both relatively heavy with less

manoeuvreability than the Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf109. They do, however, have the advantage of a rear gunner giving them good all round visibility and allowing the second crew member to return fire when the aircraft is attacked from the rear. It should be noted that the single rearward facing machine gun is no match for the eight Browning

0.303in guns of the Spitfire or Hurricane. The gunner being situated towards the rear of the aircraft with little armor is highly vulnerable to enemy fire.

SPITFIRE

Level Turning Fight As illustrated above, the Spitfire had the best turning performance of the four fighters. This gave the Spitfire pilot an advantage in a level turning fight,

allowing him to turn more quickly than any German adversary and thus get into an attacking position on the tail of the enemy aircraft.

Split-S As the Merlin engine must always have positive G to provide fuel to the engine, the Spitfire cannot enter a dive simply by pushing forward sharply on


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the stick. Doing this would result in negative G, which would cause the engine to cut out for a few seconds. This momentary loss of power is

enough to allow a pursuing aircraft to gain ground, or an aircraft being pursued to escape. The Spitfire pilot must therefore use a Split-S manoeuvre, which involves rapidly rolling the aircraft into an inverted position and then pulling back on the stick. This manoeuvre maintains a positive G force on the aircraft throughout.

Climbing Turn This was a defensive manoeuvre used by Spitfire pilots to take advantage of the aircraft‟s high turn rate. It was a steep climb with a spiraling turn during which the pilot would hope to out-turn a pursuing aircraft. Obviously, the

aircraft speed will decrease rapidly during this manoeuvre so it cannot be maintained for any significant length of time.


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HURRICANE

Split-S Like the Spitfire, the Hurricane is powered by a Merlin engine with a gravity fed carburetor. It must therefore use the Split-S manoeuvre in order to enter a steep dive without loosing engine power.

Head-on Attack This was a tactic employed by some Hurricane squadrons when attacking

bombers in order to launch an attack on the nose of the aircraft. The bombers often had all the crew members concentrated in the front section of the aircraft but with little defensive weaponry or armor against a head-on attack. The fighter pilots would therefore hope to shoot through the glass nose of the bomber and kill or disable the pilot. As the fighters approach the bombers head-on they have a closing speed of some 500mph. This leaves them very little time to aim and shoot before having to bunt to avoid a collision. This attack method was later abandoned following heavy losses to the fighter squadrons.

BF109

Dive and Zoom As stated above, the Messerschmitt Bf109 has a high climb rate, but a lower turn rate than the Spitfire or Hurricane. These properties mean that the German fighter was more suited to combat in a vertical plane rather that a

horizontal turning fight. The German pilots would attempt to start an attack from above the enemy and in the direction of the sun. From this position they could dive into a formation of British fighters undetected, fire at the aircraft in the rear of the formation, and climb back to safety using their superior climb rate.


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Up and Under This was a technique used for attacking an aircraft from astern without being spotted and was favored by Adolf Galland, who made the majority of his victories in this way. All the single seat fighters offered the pilot poor visibility to the rear and below the tail and thus had a significant blind spot,

which could be utilized by an aggressor. The attack started with a steep dive from above and behind the enemy, to a position to the rear and slightly below it. Here, the pilot of the enemy aircraft would not see the aggressor approaching and the first he would know of the attack was when it was too late. A right handed pilot with his left hand on the throttle and right hand on the stick could see slightly more over his left shoulder than his right. Therefore, this attack was best made from slightly to the right of the enemy aircraft.

Steep Dive The Messerschmitt was slightly faster in a dive than it‟s British counterparts. This allowed the German pilots to escape a pursuing fighter by pushing forward on the stick and entering a steep dive. As well having the superior


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diving speed, the Bf109 could withstand negative G without losing engine power. This meant that it could enter a dive by bunting, whereas a pursuing

British pilot would have to perform a split-S manoeuvre or lose engine power for a few second, both of which allowed the German to increase the distance between himself and his adversary. BF110 Like the single engine Bf109, the Bf110 had a relatively large turning circle, but good climbing and diving speed. Therefore this aircraft was also better suited to combat in a vertical plane rather than a horizontal turning fight.

Stall Turn The Bf110 being heavier and less manoeuvreable than the Spitfire or Hurricane would use a stall turn. This was done by adopting a nose high attitude and climbing until the aircraft speed dropped off and left the aircraft almost hanging in the air and on the verge of a stall. At this point, the pilot would apply full rudder in the direction he wished to turn, causing one wing to stall and the aircraft to rotate rapidly as the nose drops. Once the aircraft was pointing in the desired direction, the pilot would apply full opposite

rudder to stop the turn, and hold the nose down to pick up speed before resuming normal flight. As one wing is being deliberately stalled, there is a risk of this manoeuvre going wrong and the aircraft entering a spin.

Lufberry When attacked by British fighters the Bf110s, lacking the high manoeuvreability of their opponents, would sometimes form a defensive circle, called a Lufberry. The circle was usually about a mile across and often rather ragged in shape, but it allowed each aircraft to cover the tail of a fellow pilot to prevent the British fighters from getting into a firing position. This manoeuvre was also used by the Junkers Ju87 when threatened.


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JU87

Dive Bombing Procedure The Ju87 was used for highly accurate dive bombing attacks of convoys of ships as well as ground targets. The aircraft could carry a 1000 lb bomb on a

extending bomb crutch under the center of the fuselage. On releasing the bomb in a steep dive, the crutch would swing forwards and downwards, ensuring that the bomb was clear of the propeller disc at the point of release. A typical dive bombing attack would start at about 10,000 - 15,000 ft above the target, and involve a 80 degree dive through 8,000 feet reaching a speed of 350 mph, almost straight down. The bomb would be released at about 2,300 ft (700 m) allowing the pilot to pull out of the dive, sometimes clearing the ground by less than 100 meters and climb away from the target area.

In order to prevent excessive speeds in the dive, the Stuka is fitted with under-wing dive brakes, which can be rotated to lie perpendicular to the airflow. This results in a large amount of extra drag on the wings which, along with the large fixed undercarriage, holds the speed of the aircraft back to about 350 mph.

The Ju 87 cruises at about 160 mph. A window in the floor of the cockpit allows the pilot to look down on the area below and ahead of his aircraft in order to find the target and decide when to begin his attack. When he judges he is over the target he pulls a lever to rotate the underwing dive brakes to the maximum-drag position. This would cause a severe nose-up trim change,

so to compensate for it and hold the aircraft level the trim tab lowered automatically beneath the elevator. The pilot would then enter an 80º dive by either pushing forward on the stick, or rolling the aircraft onto its back, and pulling on the stick. During the dive, the inherent stability of the aircraft made it easy for the pilot


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to place the gunsight on the target and hold it there. When the aircraft passes below a pre-set altitude, typically 4,300 ft (1300 m) above the ground, a

warning horn would sound in the cockpit. The horn would cease a few seconds later as the aircraft crossed the pre-set bomb release altitude, typically 2,300 ft (700 m). This was the signal for the pilot to release the bombs. Releasing the bomb would also return the elevator trimming tab to the neutral position and the nose up change of trim associated with the dive brakes would cause the aircraft to climb so that the aerodynamic loading on the aircraft was not greater than 6G, however, the pilot could bypass this system by pulling back hard on the stick and overriding the hydraulic

limiting system. Once the nose of the aircraft had risen above the horizon, the pilot would retract the dive brakes, to the low drag position, open the throttle and continue flying as normal.

The check list for preparing the Ju87 to enter a dive was as

follows:

Contact altimeter set to release altitude Throttle pulled right back Dive

brakes opened


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TYPICAL DIVE BOMBING ATTACK

Rowan have cleverly simulated the real world Stuka's automatic pull-up feature for dive-bombing, which is active provided the dive brakes are extended and is triggered by the bomb release key. Even in a vertical dive,

provided bombs are pickled no lower than approx 800 metres AGL, the Stuka will recover hands off - listen for the undulating warning tone which commences at about 1300 metres AGL, and try to pickle your bomb no later than the fourth or fifth peak in the tone. Once level flight is achieved and while still hands-off, retract the dive brakes and take control again.


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FIGHTERS OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

HAWKER HURRICANE

The Hawker Hurricane made its first flight in November 1935. It was designed to be an easy aircraft to bring into production. The next year a prototype was fitted with eight Browning machine guns and eventually the guns were grouped in two quartets positioned to fire outside the propeller

disc. In March 1939 the first batch of 600 Hurricanes were delivered, powered by the Merlin III engine and with a three-bladed constant speed propeller. After the 681st Hurricane was made, metal wings replaced the fabric-covered wings in February 1940. The extra protection this armor provided (including rear protection for the pilot) made up for its inferior performance compared with the Messerschmitt. During the Battle of Britain two thirds of active RAF fighters were Hurricanes.


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SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

The Spitfire was the end result of a project by Vickers' subsidiary Supermarine Aviation to design an experimental high-speed single-seat

fighter. Service pilots reported that the prototype was "simple and easy to fly and [had] no vices". It seemed to give an excellent compromise between manoeuvreability and steadiness for shooting. Reginald J. Mitchell was the chief designer of the Spitfire, he died of cancer on June 11, 1937 four years after being diagnosed. Much of his work on the Spitfire was done while he was ill with the disease. The first production aircraft flew on May 14, 1938. The Spitfire was not

an easy aircraft to build, which was part of the reason for the easier constructed Hurricane being found in greater strength at the start of the Battle of Britain. The production difficulties with early Spitfires were shown by comparative figures from mid 1940, when the rate was still averaging only 80 a month compared with 236 a month for the Hurricane. In spite of this, Spitfires inflicted more than half the total losses suffered by the Luftwaffe in the assault on Britain – a statistic that underlines the Supermarine fighter‟s particular merit in air-to-air fighting.


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MESSERSCHMITT BF109

Designed by Messerschmitt and Lusser, the Bf109 first flew in May 1935. Some of its features, including poor taxiing view, aroused extreme skepticism among conventionalists. It was a powerful aircraft - in November 1937 the Bf109 V13 raised the world airspeed record for land-

based planes to over 370 mph. There was a single 400 liter internal fuel tank behind and below the pilots seat. This gave only 20 minutes actual combat time over Britain with London representing the effective limit of their tactical radius. 300 liter droptanks were developed, produced from molded plywood – but they were found to leak seriously after comparatively short exposure to the elements.

Most of the 1,172 aircraft lost by RAF Fighter Command during July-October 1940 fell to the guns of the Messerschmitt single-seat fighters.


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MESSERSCHMITT BF110

The Bf110 was designed to fulfill the concept of a strategic fighter, which included performing the primary task of clearing a path for bombers in the

light of an enemy‟s defensive fighter screen. The challenge was to make a twin-engine long range fighter compete in combat terms with a short range single seat fighter. In this sense the Bf110 was to fall short of the expectations generated by the Ministry of Propaganda in Berlin. It was sluggish by comparison with the manoeuvreability of the Hurricane and Spitfire. The acceleration and speed of the Bf110 were insufficient to enable its pilots to avoid combat when opposed by superior numbers of interceptors.

JUNKERS JU87

The Junkers dive bomber had an angular and rather ugly design, but it was

an extremely sturdy aircraft. It gave its pilot light controls and good flying characteristics. Its crew members enjoyed good visibility and it was reputed to be capable of hitting its target with an accuracy of less than 100 ft.


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Once the Ju87 encountered determined opposition, such as was to be found over the United Kingdom, its career dramatically entered its eclipse. By July 20, Luftflotten 2 and 3 had 316 Ju87s available for the assault on Britain. The first Ju87 sorties in strength actually took place on August 8, suffering severe losses despite Bf109Es providing top cover. The Stuka had been revealed for what it was – an inadequately armed and highly

vulnerable warplane. The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe had no recourse but to withdraw the Ju87 from the Cherbourg area to the Pas de Calais where it was to sit out the closing phases of the Battle.


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AIRCRAFT DATA AND PERFORMANCE FIGHTERS

BOMBERS


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OTHERS

Advancement of the AI in the game

Summary With v2.10, it is now more critical than ever to keep your head up and out of the cockpit, just like a real fighter pilot. You need to constantly think of

your energy state (and the enemy‟s). Energy can be saved or spent in two ways – speed and altitude. The more you are aware of this, the better a combat pilot you will become, and the more battles you will survive. You will also start to develop natural good habits. For example, if you are ever in a high-speed cruise, just staying level, pull your nose up and start putting some “energy in the bank.” When your speedometer goes up, that is energy. When your altitude meter goes up, that is energy. You can trade altitude for speed, and vise versa. When in doubt, build your energy (and

look behind you). Check your six very often. The majority of pilots killed in battle never knew what hit them. Air combat is really a game of ambushing your opponent. Hit him fast, hard and escape. Stay in control of the battle. Don‟t ever forget the old fighter pilot‟s saying, “Speed is Life.”


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Technical Explanation The AI in BOBII are aggressive, they will come directly after you and

they will not run and hide. In summary they will fight. The AI behavior since 2.06 has changed (we hope for the better) and you may notice a difference. Buddye has tried to fix the disengage bugs (a disengage bug was where the AI would just fly around and not fight). The AI will now stay engaged on a specific target. An AI may for many reasons become disengaged but he will reengage a new target (closest target) after taking a small break to fly closer to the “fur ball” action (regroup to keep the group fairly close). In addition, the AI is more aggressive and they will go after

their target faster and more directly. This new behavior will not result in a fight to the death, however. The AI will break off and stop fighting when the “Go Home” criteria are satisfied. For an individual AI the go home criteria are (1) no ammo, (2) significant damage, (3) low fuel (has enough to return home plus a 10 minute reserve) and (4) a random skill level modifier where the lower skill levels go home faster (you can control the skill level with your selection in the IA missions). The group will go home when a certain percentage of the group

that is left (not killed) meets the go home criteria. One result of these changes is that the Instant Action (not the campaign) fights tend to last longer. In the real battle, the LW planes, particularly the BF109 were greatly limited by their fuel range. In order for a customer who wishes to retain this historically short duration of combat a new BDG.txt item was added:

Time_In_IA_Missions_Until_LUF_Returns_Home. The default is = 0. This permits the customer to set the time in minutes before the LUF fighters (109/110) and JU87 returm home. Those that are not concerned about historical accuracy in IA missions can just fight on. One additional thing you will need to watch out for in Version 2.10 is that you will always need to watch your six as you can be assured that you will always have at least one or more enemy AI targeting you for a kill. One

can adjust this in the BDG.txt to allow even more initial planes targeting the player. This is done with the line: Initial_Max_Number_AI_Targeting_Player=2 When set to 2, the AI will use „rotte‟ or paired flights of fighters to attack you, similar to Luftwaffe WWII doctrine.


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Engage Improvements

The new Bdg.txt parameter, AI_Always_Sees_Enemy=ON was added. The AI will be able to see through areas he usually can not see (behind, below, into the sun, etc.). These are different depending on A/C type. This can be a help with the AI being able to see the enemy while engaging and we see no harm running BOBII with it set to yes. A new Bdg.txt parameter, Wingmen_Always_Sees_Enemy=ON was added. The wingmen will be able to see - when the bandits (R-3-1)

command is issued - without the player's A/C having to be headed toward the target within the 30 degrees cone (+or- 15 degrees of the enemy target) as was the case with previous game versions. We see no harm running with it set to yes but it is not necessary to turn on this bgd.txt command if the players A/C is headed to + or - 15 degrees of the target when making the R-3-1 command. A new R-3-5 radio command was coded so that if your wingmen do not engage the enemy targets, it can be used. The procedure is simple: Just

padlock your enemy target, issue the R-3-5, listen to Red2 tell you he is attacking your target and watch your wingmen attack the enemy. The help command name is not the best name and we will try to figure out how to change it to “Attack” or Attack My Target” in future game revisions.

A Spin is a beautiful thing

For those who favour BoB II‟s flying more than its campaign element, the improved modeling of stalls and spins was first introduced in patch 2.05. Push your aircraft too close to its absolute limits and you‟ll see just what we mean. The user-configurable spin parameters in BOBII speak to the pilot who wants a more realistic experience and who is ready to step up to the challenge of handling accelerated, high-speed stalls and spins, just like

the real pilots who flew these aircraft did. Stalls and spins by both player and AI-flown aircraft are modeled with impressive realism, adding immensely to the immersiveness of the BoB II experience. Spins by the AI are particularly effective, evoking the image of violent evasive action yet merging seamlessly into the next maneuver; you‟ll even see the occasional miscue - an inadvertent spin at low level into the deck. Spin behavior of player and AI-flown aircraft is individually adjustable by the BoB II player – an easy-to-use feature thought to be a first in PC flight

simulations. More on this later, but first, a short primer for those unfamiliar with stalls and spins.


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What is a stall?

In order for a wing to produce efficient lift, the air must flow completely around the leading (front) edge of the wing, following under and over the contours of the wing. The wing must pass through the air in a forward moving, low “Angle of Attack” (AoA). At too large an angle of attack (steep, slow climb where the air is actually hitting the underside of the wing), the air cannot contour over the wing. When this happens, the normal smooth flow of air turns into circular, turbulent motions and the wing is in a “stall.”

What does this mean to you? When a wing is in a stalled condition, it produces much less lift and considerably more drag. Although we often refer to stall speeds, angle of attack (AoA, the angle of the wing cross section relative to the local airflow) is actually the key factor. As the stall AoA is approached, most aircraft will begin to shake and rattle, signaling the pilot that stall is imminent. These buffet cues were considerably improved for 2.05 – look, listen and feel for them. With the new Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf109 Flight

Models (FMs), light buffet begins about three degrees before the stall AoA is reached. Different aircraft types have different stall behavior. Some are forgiving at the stall; the nose will slowly drop and if you return the stick to neutral you can easily regain control once sufficient airspeed is available. Other aircraft will snap into a dangerous spin; once the spin is established, a crash is inevitable unless prompt and correct recovery action is taken.

Spins result from the wings stalling asymmetrically (one wing stalls more than the other); in the case of the single-engined fighters in BoB II, this asymmetry leads to a rapid rolling departure and a spin to the left or right. It is important to remember that wing stalls are AoA dependent and are not exclusively a low speed issue. Careless or abrupt pulls on the stick can trigger wing stall and spins at moderate to high speeds, particularly if applied in concert with rudder or aileron inputs, which can lead to

asymmetry in the wing AoAs. To recover from an established upright spin in BoB II, reduce throttle to idle, centralize the control column and apply and hold full rudder in the opposite direction to the spin (e.g. left rudder in the case of a clockwise spin). In rare cases, you may need to apply and hold some forward stick, to un-stall the wings. Once the rotation stops, centralize the rudder, gently pull out of the dive and add power.


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The “Accelerated Stall” Like many flight simmers, you may have developed the old, “yank and bank” approach to flying. With BOB v2.05 and above virtual pilots will undoubtedly notice something new happening in their airplane (usually at the worst time too). Many people think an aircraft only stalls when it is moving too slowly to keep flying. This is only one type of stall. The “Accelerated Stall” is a stall that the pilot can force upon his plane, even at high speeds. It is an “induced” stall. Read on for a brief article explaining

what accelerated stalls are:

Typically, stalls in civilian aircraft occur when an airplane loses too much airspeed to create a sufficient amount of lift. A typical stall exercise would be to put your aircraft into a climb, cut the throttle and try and maintain the climb as long as possible. You will have to gradually pull back harder on the stick to maintain your climb pitch and as speed decreases, the angle of attack increases. At some point, the angle of attack will become so great

that the wing will stall (the nose will drop). Below are some graphical representations of a wing traveling though the air in various conditions: Level flight – a wing creating moderate lift Air vortices (lines) stay close to the wing.


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Climb - Wing creating significant lift force

Air vortices still close to the wing.

Stall The angle of attack has become too large. The boundary layer vortices have separated from the top surface of the wing, and the incoming flow no longer bends completely around the leading edge. The wing is stalled, not only creating little lift, but significant drag.


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An accelerated stall is one that is “forced” to occur, not due to lack of

airspeed, but by forcing the wing into a high enough angle of attack and therefore, forces it to stall. When you pull back on the stick, you are literally using leverage to push your tail down, which forces the main wing into a higher angle of attack, and increased lift. However, there is a limit to how much “force” you can place on a wing before it “gives up” or stalls. If you pull your stick back hard and far enough to pass through the wing‟s critical angle of attack,

regardless of the speed, you can “force” the main wing into an “accelerated stall.” In a sense you “break” the wing‟s ability to provide lift as long as you continue to provide sufficient force to keep the wing in an excessive angle of attack or “accelerated stall” condition (some describe this as a “snap”).


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Spin Settings Available in Patch 2.10 Continuing with the spirit of always trying to give our community the option to choose what works best for them, Patch 2.05 allowed players to independently adjust the propensity to spin of their aircraft and those

flown by the AI. At player request, Patch 2.10 provides additional flexibility and convenience. The player can now adjust and save spin settings for each of the flyable aircraft, individually, specifying different values for player and AI-flown aircraft if desired. Note: spins are only available if the “Realistic” FM has been selected on BoB II‟s Options >> Sim menu.

The various spin-related parameters and switches are found in the .bdg text file in the main BoB II directory. This file can be opened and edited using Notepad. See Appendix A for a full description of the various spin settings available in the .bdg file – only the two key entries (Spin AOA Control and Spin Rotational Velocity Control) will be discussed now. Note that it is possible to selectively turn off the spin feature for any particular aircraft, when player-flown, when AI-flown, or both. Another switch in the .bdg file will turn off spins for all AI-flown aircraft. Again,

see Appendix A for full details.


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For each of the player-flown a/c, you'll see two entries in the .bdg file, similar to this (exact values may vary):

Player_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.250000 Player_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.000000 The first value (18.250000 in this case) is an angle of attack, for the inner wing, in degrees. The second value (8.000000 here) is a rotational velocity in yaw, in degrees per second. The FM code will encourage a spin when both these trigger values are exceeded simultaneously. If the player

responds quickly enough to an impending spin, reducing AoA and/or yaw rate by pushing the stick forward and/or kicking rudder, a spin can be avoided. Initial warning of an impending spin is provided by the buffet effects, which are triggered by angle of attack only, and are set in the aircraft .acm files. Light buffet begins first and is easy to miss in the heat of battle whereas heavy buffet is quite noticeable. The greater the gap between the heavy buffet trigger point and the Spin AOA Control value, the more warning the player will have of impending spin. In the case of the Spitfire, light buffet begins at 15.5 degrees and heavy buffet at 17.0

degrees. Default values for Spin AoA Control and Spin Rotational Velocity Control were selected with a view to striking the best balance between realism and personal taste. The Spitfire had powerful elevators and light control forces at moderately high speeds and would spin readily if mishandled. The Bf109 apparently was much more forgiving in that regard and seldom spun. The Hurricane‟s tendency to spin was somewhere between these

two, with the remaining two aircraft being even less inclined to spin. The default spin values in the .bdg file attempt to simulate these relative differences, but are intentionally conservative in order to suit the broadest cross section of players. For Patch 21.0, the defaults have been adjusted to compensate for the effect of the new “runtime” feature; see the Patch 2.10 release notes at Appendix E for full details. Players wishing to increase a particular aircraft‟s tendency to spin can do

so by reducing the default Spin AOA Control and Spin Rotational Velocity Control values in the .bdg file and saving the changes. It is suggested that the two be adjusted concurrently, in increments of 0.25 and 1.25 respectively, until the desired sensitivity is achieved. Conversely, susceptibility to spin can be reduced by increasing the default values, using a similar incremental approach. Note that the file allows different spin settings for each aircraft whether player-flown or AI-flown – under normal circumstances the two should match, i.e. if you make changes to


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the player settings, revise the AI settings for that aircraft accordingly. The AI settings are found below the player settings, and are similar to this:

AI_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.250000 AI_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.000000

Battle of Britain Multiskin

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CHAPTER 6 MULTISKIN 2.10

Multiskin Hardware requirements: You MUST have at least a 256MB video card to install and run Multiskin 2.10. Mission load times can also be up to twice as long with MS installed. Multi Skin introduces authentic paint and marking schemes to Battle of Britain II, bringing a vast number of historical aircraft to life.

All aircraft in the Battle of Britain II dynamic campaign are based and operate from one of over 100 historic airfields throughout Britain, France, and Belgium. When you spot aircraft in flight, those aircraft actually took off from their home base, are on a mission and will eventually return to their home airfield. If you have studied the Battle of Britain enough to recognize these aircraft

by their colors, markings, etc., an already immersive campaign will have just become much deeper. If you are like the vast majority of flight simmers that have not studied the squadrons and pilots that took part in the Battle of Britain, you are actually more like the real pilots that participated in this battle. You, like them, will simply experience a sky filled with countless aircraft, all with their own flavour. To assist those who wish to know more and to recognize the aircraft in

flight, we‟ve provided printable, color maps. If you wish, when you have an encounter, you can use these maps to know who is in the air. If you manage to shoot down say, 5 aircraft from a particular squadron, you can be assured there are 5 less aircraft from that squadron that will be taking part in future battles. Below are two reduced-size examples of printable maps (six included in all) that are available for reference with BoB2:


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Download all six printable maps here: http://www.a2asimulations.com/bob/downloads/multiskin_pdf_maps.zip

http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/bob/downloads/multiskin_pdf_maps.zip


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Forum thread with screenshots of the new multiskin for RAF full list:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6414 Screenshots of Bf109 multiskin full list: http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6412 RAF Markings Technical Explanation Many of these details in fact changed during the course of the Battle, so different references and time periods will show variances from the chosen schemes. All aircraft have individual Squadron/Staffel codes and plane ID

letters/numbers. RAF Squadron leaders carry pennants of rank. Hawker Hurricane

Unit specific emblems for Squadron Numbers 1 (wasp), 3 (spinner), 85 (hexagon), 87 (cat), 242 (booting Hitler), 303 (National), 310 (National) Squadrons.

Scheme 1 - night/white undersides, no under-wing roundels, full-fin flash Scheme 2 - night/white undersides, under-wing roundels, half-fin flash Scheme 3 - blue undersides, large fuselage roundels, no under-wing roundels, half-fin flash Scheme 4 - large fuselage roundels, no under-wing roundels, full-fin flash Scheme 5 - no under-wing roundels, half-fin flash Scheme 6 - small under-wing roundels, full-fin flash Scheme 7 - standard underling roundels, small fin flash Scheme 8 - night/sky undersides, under-wing roundels, sky-blue tail

band/spinner




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Supermarine Spitfire

Unit specific emblems for Squadron Numbers 54 (kiwi), 65 (East India), 66 (spinner), 234 (mailed fist). Scheme 1 - blue undersides, no under-wing roundels Scheme 2 - no under-wing roundels (standard early battle scheme) Scheme 3 - oversized fuselage roundels, blue undersides, no under-wing

roundels Scheme 4 - underside roundels (standard late battle scheme) Scheme 5 - wingtip underside roundels Messerschmitt Bf109

Units bear unit specific badges/markings. There are now 612 individual Bf109 skins in the game of which 576 are flyable. Aces such as Adolph


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Galland, Werner Mölders, Helmut Wick, Walter Oesau etc are naturally represented.

Summary of RAF Fighter Command paint schemes 1939-1941 The colors, Dark Earth and Dark Green were standard for upper surfaces until May 1942. There was little variation in the patterns other than a mirror-image application. The two types were designated 'A' and 'B' schemes. ('B' schemes are modeled here). Undersurfaces and underside national markings were subject to a number of changes:

- In early 1940, the official scheme had a white right wing, black left wing and split fuselage colors to match. In fact, the manufacturers interpreted this as requiring an aluminum finish to the fuselage, which was an error, but it was not corrected for a long while. There were no under wing roundels (before this date various versions with and without roundels had been used). - On 18th May 1940 Roundels were reintroduced with a yellow roundel ring on the left wing. The entire fuselage and tail surfaces were now split

white/black for new aircraft. Black was intended to be the specific color night, though this did not always happen. - On 6th June 1940 the color designated Type S was introduced for undersurfaces, without under wing roundels. With modern perspective (and communications methods), it is easy to be critical of the problem that neither manufacturers or existing squadrons actually knew what Type S looked like! More than one written clarification was made, but the effect was to introduce a range of colors in the field from Duck Egg Blue to

Duck Egg Green to Light Grey. To compound the problem, official stocks of Type S paint were not available freely until over a month later than this. Each squadron/maintenance unit and each manufacturing location had to interpret what can best be described as 'imprecise' instructions. We have modeled a common Duck Egg Bluish Green, which is indeed how one Ministry correction described the color. (Later on, the Ministry would correct the description to be Sky, but by then the term Duck Egg Blue was popularly established.)

- On 1st August 1940 large (45/50") roundels reintroduced. - After the official end to the battle, from 27th November 1940 a black left wing was reapplied, along with a sky spinner and tail band. As some of these changes were introduced in the middle of the Battle of Britain there was considerable field variation, as one might imagine.


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Luftwaffe Markings Technical Explanation

In previous versions of Multiskin, historically accurate skins and markings were introduced for Bf109s, such that Multiskin now includes 612 Bf109 skins of which 576 are flyable.

Skins for all bombers and Ju87s were introduced in update 2.10. (The following notes are from Bomber Multiskin artist, „Aces‟). Luftwaffe markings generally follow a convention but there are some anomalies and

exceptions and we have included these too. Firstly to explain the convention. All bomber aircraft used a four letter fuselage coding (see aircraft next page, showing J9+AB). The first two letters/numbers are the

Geschwader (Wing) ID letters, in this case “1G” for Kampfgeschwader 27. The third letter is the individual aircraft letter, in this case aircraft “A” or the first aircraft in the Staffel (often repeated in black under-wing). The last letter is the Staffel ID letter, in this case Staffel “L” denoting Staffel 3. The first Gruppe in a wing comprised of Staffels 1-3 with Staffel codes of “H”, “K” and “L”. Second Gruppe comprised of Staffels 4-6 with codes “M”, “N” and “P” and third Gruppe

comprised of Staffels 7-9 with codes “R”, “S” and “T”. The letters “O”, “I” and “J” were omitted due to their similarity to the numbers “0” and “1”. So putting it all together you can deduce that the aircraft shown above is the first aircraft in the 3rd Staffel of Kampfgeschwader 27. The aircraft letter was normally painted in the appropriate Staffel colour, white for Staffels 1,4,7, red for Staffels 2,5,8 and Yellow for Staffels 3,6,9 with the


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propeller spinner usually painted in the same colour.

In addition every Gruppe had a “Stab” or headquarters flight and these aircraft can be identified by using green aircraft ID letters and propeller spinners and the use of the Staffel code of “B” for 1st Gruppe, “C” for second Gruppe and “D” for third Gruppe. In the game you will find every bomber Staffel being led by one of these aircraft coded “AB”, “BB”, “CB”, “AC”, “BC”, “CC”, “AD”, “BD” and “CD” respectively. Of course you have to get pretty close to identify using only aircraft coding and thus the extra need for coloured fuselage bands, propeller spinners etc.

I mentioned exceptions and the above picture nicely illustrates the point. You‟ll note that the green prop spinner on the closest aircraft identifies it as being a Stab aircraft, as does the green aircraft letter on the fuselage, but the Staffel code of “B” indicates a 1st Gruppe and not a 3rd Gruppe Stab aircraft and the Geschwader code of “J9” isn‟t the same unit code as the 1st Gruppe of the Geschwader of “A5” . Additionally it has yellow painted wheel spats. This is because Stukageschwader 1 was formed by incorporating three different units. The 1st Gruppe was

assigned Staffel codes of “B”, “H”, “K” and “L”, whilst the 2nd Gruppe was formed in early July 1940 by incorporating the former III/Stukageschwader 51 with its “6G” coding and Staffel codes of


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“D”,“R”, “S” and “T”. The 3rd Gruppe was also formed at this time by incorporating TragerGruppe 186 a unit originally formed to fly naval

Stukas from the un-completed aircraft carrier “Graf Zeppelin” this unit retained its “J9” coding and staffel codes of “B”, “H”, “K” and “L”. These exceptions like the example above and 3rd Gruppe Stukageschwader 77 who used “F1” coding the same as the unit that they were formed from Kampfgeschwader 76 lingered on well into the war. Also shown in the second and third aircraft in the picture above are the post-1936 position of the hakenkreuze on the tail whilst the foremost aircraft retains the pre-1936 placement position in the middle of the

rudder. The Ju87 yellow wheel spats are an interesting innovation introduced by Helmut Mahike Gruppen Kommodeur of 3rd Gruppe during the battle to aid reforming after diving so don‟t overtake and land before him else you‟ll find yourself on a charge an historical fact. So if you are flying a 3rd Gruppe St.G1 Stuka, follow the leader and if you are tasked with escorting Staffel 2 of Kampfgeschwader 54 then look out for red spinnered Ju-88s with a big white-coloured diagonal band around their

fuselage long before you can make out their Geschwader code of “B3”. I have also added some super-detail to the twin-engined bomber skins.

Battle of Britain Multiplayer

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CHAPTER 7 MULTIPLAYER

Overview ulti-Player mode allows you to fly Battle of Britain

missions with up to seven other flyers over the Internet

or a network, and with another player over a direct serial

or modem link. Multi-play modes available in Update 2.10 include

Death Match and Team Play or several Quick cooperative or

adversarial missions. You can select any of the available aircraft

that are flyable in the single player mode, although you cannot

take the role of a gunner. The dynamic campaign is NOT a multi-

player option.

A small caution is necessary. Multi-Player is being released as a beta

test platform, and it requires some PC technical skill to successfully

create or join an online session.

Preliminary notes Some things to remember for all multi-player games are as follows:

It is a good practice to reboot your computer prior to

playing online especially if you have been on the

Internet or running other programs for an extended

period of time. Web browsers often keep your online

history stored in memory, which sometimes can reduce

your available RAM to play the game.

Remove any programs from memory running under

windows that aren't absolutely essential to running

your system (e.g. ICQ, Real Player etc).

When using any third party voice communications

program (e.g. Roger Wilco, Battlecom, and Teamstream) try not to activate voice communication

when a player is trying to join or when you are

M


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waiting to enter a mission.

Starting Multiplay Choose the Multi-Player option on the Main Menu. The

first Multi-Play screen asks you to select your multi-play

service. At this point you must select a connection type:

IPX Connection for Direct Play

You must

have an

IPX/SPX-

compatible protocol

loaded

under

Windows

95/98 (it

comes with

Windows

95/98). To identify if you have this loaded select the

"START" menu on the Windows desktop and choose

SETTINGS followed by CONTROL PANEL. Then select the

NETWORK icon. Scroll down in the box to see if any kind

of IPX/SPX-compatible protocol is listed.

Internet TCP/IP Connection for Direct Play

An Internet service provider (ISP) or LAN with TCP/IP

protocol is required. Two to eight players can play

over the Internet (bandwidth permitting). All players

should exchange IP addresses in case you want to take

turns being the host. Each player wanting to join an

Internet TCP/IP connection needs to know the host's IP

address.

Typically players will meet in some sort of chat zone on the Internet and exchange IP addresses prior to

connecting. Determine who has the fastest connection

speed and computer and that person should make the best


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host. It is important to remember to completely exit your

chat environment and all other unnecessary software

prior to loading the game.

By far the most common problem in getting a

connection on the Internet is incorrectly copying the

IP address. Make sure you double check with your

partner prior to trying to connect.

To identify your own IP address run the

WINIPCFG.EXE located in your Windows

subdirectory (i.e. c:\windows\WINIPCFG.EXE)

while connected to your Internet Service

Provider (ISP). If you do not have a permanent

IP address you will need to find out your IP address

every time you reconnect to your Internet Service

Provider. Make sure whomever you're playing with

understands this as well. If you are playing over a

LAN (Local Area Network), then you won't need to

know the IP address of the host computer - games

can be detected and listed automatically.

Modem Connection for Direct Play

A maximum of two players can connect via a 28,800-

baud modem (or faster). Make sure both players'

modems are configured correctly and set at the

highest speed for their connection. Prior to

connecting both players need to agree which

computer will serve as the "Connect" computer and

which will "Answer" on the connection. The player

with the faster computer would be best suited for the

host (Answer) computer.

Both players should be aware of which Comm Port

their modem is attached to and should know the

fastest baud rate of their modems. It is also a good

idea to have each other's phone number at hand. If you

have any problems, you can access the Windows 95/98


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(Modem) Properties by clicking CONFIGURE on the

Modem screen. If your modem is not configured

correctly, please consult your modem and Windows

95/98 documentation (make sure you don't have

multiple modem drivers loaded). If you've made any

changes to your settings, restart Windows before trying

to connect. This ensures the changes are saved.

Serial (NULL MODEM) Connection for Direct Play

A maximum of two players can connect via a Null

Modem cable (not to be confused with a serial cable) to

active serial ports of each computer. In some cases you

may have to install software or drivers to use your null

modem cable. Consult your computer's documentation

for more information.

You need to know what serial (COM) port that your

null modem is connected to with both computers. Many computers have labels (i.e. 1=COM1,

2=COM2) or you can refer to the documentation that

came with your computer which may have

diagrams with the communication ports labeled.

If you can't connect check for the following:

Port conflicts - use the Windows Device Manager to view devices by connection. Make sure only

one device is listed next to the COM port you

connected the cable to. Device Manager can be

found via the "START" icon on your desktop.

Look under "SETTINGS" then "CONTROL

PANEL followed by the "SYSTEM" icon.

Check with your system manufacturer for help

with port conflicts.

You can also try selecting another COM port

and/or a lower baud rate.


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Once you have chosen a suitable connection you

have two options at the bottom of the screen -

Create Game and Join Game.

Create game The Create Game

selection is found at the

bottom of the first Multi-Play screen. You

can create a game either

by highlighting a service

and clicking on this

button, or double clicking

on a service. Creating a

game is synonymous with

being the host. Once you

select Create Game the game selection screen will appear. This

allows you to configure the type of game that you want and to

set session parameters.

The various parameters are:

Player name

This allows you to enter the name you wish to be known

as in the game. It is particularly important to use this if

there are going to be more than two players.

Session name

This is the name that will appear to the other players trying to join your game.

Password

This allows you to set a password to allow for private

games or those that you allow in via the Visitors' Book (see

below).

Data Rate

This affects the amount of data that is transmitted and

received. It will initially be set to a level that is suitable

for the service provider that has been chosen. If


254

difficulties arise in creating and playing games then

try a lower data rate. High data rates can be used if you

have good connections to other players. Ultimately you

will want to use the highest data rate level that you can

reliably play the game at. Some trial and error may be

needed to find the right data rate for your connection.

Data rate does NOT affect 3d-frame rate. However,

higher data rates lead to a more accurate simulation.

Select side In Team Play and Quick missions you can select whether

you want to play RAF or Luftwaffe aircraft. You will be

limited to that side's aircraft for the game. In Death Match

all flyable aircraft are available to be chosen.

Game Type This determines the type of missions that can be

played. Death Match and Team Play games involved

only human controlled aircraft.

Several different game options are available and workable, with only Quick Missions non functional as of Update 2.10 :

Death match scenarios

Implode: Players are headed directly into the centre

of a circle of players.

Pairs: Players start out side-by-side heading in

the same direction.

Wheel: Players are heading around in a circle.

Same altitudes: Players are going head-on at the same

altitudes.

Different altitudes: Players are going head-on at different


255

altitudes.

Explode: Players are heading directly away from a

circle of players.

Implode/ Explode: Implode and Explode are

selected at random.

Flyby: Players start side-by-side heading in

opposite directions.

Team play scenarios

Flights no advantage: Opposing flights heading

towards each other.

Flights Luftwaffe advantage: Luftwaffe aircraft start behind

RAF aircraft.

Flights RAF advantage: RAF aircraft start behind

Luftwaffe aircraft.

Flights, random advantage: Advantage of RAF or Luftwaffe

selected at random.

Elements scattered: Groups of two players start

outtogether, but scattered from other two player elements.

Elements close: Groups of two players start out

together, but close to the other two player elements.

Singles Implode: Players are heading directly in the middle of the circle of players.


256

Singles Explode: Players are heading directly away

from the circle of players.

Quick missions Caution: code for the Quick mission mode is currently „buggy‟ and

not recommended due to a problem with AI aircraft warping. This

mode when functional allows you to play with other players and Al

aircraft in fifteen of the quick shot missions available in the game.

References to Quick mission play in this manual are only included in

case the bugs are resolved before the next edition of the manual.

Join game The Join Game selection at the bottom of the service provider

selection screen allows you to join a game created by another host.

What happens depends to some extent on your connection type:

IPX connection (see also "Selecting a connection

type" above)

There is no extra information required for an IPX LAN

connection. Two to eight players can "join" a game. A list of

network games available will appear. Select the one you

wish to join by clicking on it and then clicking select. You will then be taken to the game selection screen. If no

names appear under the session list, then no games are

available.

TCP/IP Connection (see also "Selecting a connection

type" above)


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A windows

dialogue box

will appear

asking you for

the name or IP

address of the

computer that

is hosting the

game. Enter the address

and click on

OK. If you are on a LAN, leaving the address blank

will search the network for available games. Once your

computer has connected to the host a list of games will

appear. Select the one you wish by clicking on the name

and then clicking select. You will then be taken to the game

selection screen.

Modem Connection (see also "Selecting a

(connection type" above)

A windows

dialogue box

will appear

allowing you to

configure your

modem and

provide the

telephone

number of the

computer you

wish to connect to. Once you are satisfied with your modem configuration

and have entered the phone number click on Connect. The

game will then attempt to connect you to the host

computer and if successful you will be taken to the game

selection screen.


258

Serial

Connection

(see also

"Selecting a

connection

type" above)

After selecting

"Serial Connection For

Direct Play" a windows dialogue box will appear allowing

you to configure your serial connections.

Your port settings, apart from Port, must

correspond with the host's settings for the game to

connect. Once

you are satisfied click on OK. The game will then

attempt to connect you to the host computer and if

successful you will be taken to the game selection

screen.

Game selection screen

Once you have connected to the host computer you will be taken to

the game selection screen. This allows you to view the game setup

that the host selected. You can also enter your name and, if the

game is Team Play or Quick Mission, select the side you wish to play on. If the game has a password that you don't know, you can

request entry by clicking on the button to add your name to the

host's Visitor's Book. If the host decides you can join then you will be

able to join after a short period of time.

Ready room If you have selected

either Death Match

or Team Play and

are ready to join the


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game click on continue and you will be taken to the Ready Room

Screen.

Whether you have created or joined a game, you will eventually

end up in the Ready Room. The Ready Room Screen displays

players currently in the game, along with aircraft chosen and

their score. It also allows you to chat to other players.

In Team Play and Quick Missions, RAF players are listed first, followed by Luftwaffe players. The players' names are followed by

the aircraft they have chosen, the game screen they are currently in

and their score.

To chat to other players type your message in the box and press

Return. In Team Play or Quick Mission games you can choose to chat

either to your side only or to all players by clicking on the

appropriate tick box at the top of the screen. To chat to an

individual player, click on his name. The name will highlight and

your messages will be sent only to that player until you click on

another name or choose everybody on your side only.

There are a number of options at the bottom of the Ready Room

screen, and some of them are only available in certain

circumstances, for instance when you are a game host:

Quit

Quit the game and return to the main user interface

screen.

Fly

In Death Match and Team Play games when everyone

is ready the host can click on Fly and the game will

begin. If a player joins the game while the other players

are flying then he will be able to click on Fly to join in.


260

Frag

In Quick Shot mission games, clicking on Frag will take

the player to the Frag screen. Here you will be able to

choose which aircraft position you wish to fly. Chat

facilities are available as in the Ready Room screen, but

messages will be sent to all players. To choose an aircraft to

fly, click on the pilot name. You cannot choose an aircraft that has already been chosen by another player. To

unassign yourself from an aircraft click on another

aircraft or click on the unassign tick at the top right of

the page. When all players have chosen their aircraft the

host can click on Fly and the game will begin. A player

may join a game after it has begun, while other players

are flying. Simply choose an aircraft in the Frag screen

and select Fly to join in. Aircraft that have been killed

will be labelled as 'KIA' and cannot be selected to fly in.

Visitors A new player wanting to join the


261

game, but who

doesn't know

the password,

should click on

"Add my

name". A

message will

appear in the

host's chat window

indicating this request. The host should first click on the

Visitors Book and then on the Status of the player -

which will be

Excluded. The status will change to Accepted. The new

player is now able to join the game. The new player should

be patient as the host may be flying a mission and may not

be back in the Ready Room for some time.

Set Up There is no

chat available

while you are

flying a

mission,

however you

can set up customized

pre-set radio

messages.

Players can edit radio messages that they wish to send to

other players while flying a mission. To edit the radio

messages click on Setup. The Setup screen allows you to

edit the messages or to reset to the default messages if you

wish. To edit a message click on it and type in the new

message. Setup will be saved when you leave the game

and kept for future games. Later on in this chapter we


262

will discuss how to use the messages when flying a

mission (Check under 'Multi-play In Flight Options' below).

Setup also allows a player to choose their aircraft in

deathmatch or teamplay games. In teamplay games,

the player is limited to aircraft of their own side i.e.

Spitfire and Hurricane for RAF; BF109, BF110 and

JU87 for Luftwaffe. In Deathmatch games players can

choose any aircraft.

Edit Mission

In Quick Mission games the host can alter the mission

setup by selecting Edit Mission. For instance, the scenario

or the time of day can be changed. Once you are satisfied

with the mission click on Ready Room to return. If the

host edits the mission then when he returns to the Ready

Room any players in the Frag screen will be returned to

the Ready Room and must reselect an aircraft to fly. Guests

can click on Brief to view the details of the current

mission if the game is a quick mission.

Config Players have access to the PC and Sim Config screens.

However, only the host controls the options that affect

game difficulty.

Multiplay unique options

Once you have selected Frag or Fly, once a mission has commenced there are several options unique to multi-play:

Radio Messages

Under the Radio Communications menu (press R when in

the cockpit) there is an option to send pre-set radio

messages to other players in the game (see Messages

above). Comms Msg Recipient and Comms Message are two

additional options. Comms Msg Recipient allows you to


263

select whether to send messages to all players or only to

members of your team. The default selection is to all. The

selection will stay the same until it is changed or a new

game begins. Comms Message will display a list of your pre

set messages. Selecting the numbered message from

the list will send that message to everybody on your team

depending on the Comms Msg Recipient.

Resurrection in Multi-Play If a player is killed then he can wait until his aircraft

resurrects on its own or he can press S to force a

resurrection to take place. This is not available

immediately; the player must wait for a few seconds before

being able to resurrect. The S key is only available in

Death Match and The Team Play games.

When a player dies in Death Match or Team Play games

he will be resurrected and his aircraft will start to spiral

upwards in autopilot mode. To retake control of the

aircraft press J. If you do not press J, control will

automatically handed over at 10,000 feet or 2,000 feet above the highest aircraft.

In Quick Mission Games a player who has died can exit

the game and go to the Frag screen to choose an AI

aircraft to take over. If there are no more available

aircraft then the player will have to wait at the Ready

Room for the game to end.

Ending a multiplay game

If the host chooses to end the game then all players will be taken to

either the Debrief screen for Quick Missions or to the Ready Room

screen.

If a player dies in a Quick Mission game then he will be taken to the

Ready Room screen. Here he can go to the Frag screen and select


264

an available aircraft and rejoin the game in that aircraft, taking

over the seat from the Al pilot.

Players who exit the game can rejoin as long as the host keeps the

game running.

Multiplay debrief

In Death Match and Team play there is no Debrief. The scores of

each player will be displayed in the Ready Room.

For Quick Missions the Debrief will show all items destroyed.

Players can then go to the Ready Room screen for another game.

Technical Help and Setup

The best place to „meet‟, arrange and get technical help with setting

up BOBII Multiplayer games is the BOBII Technical Support

Forum:

http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17

BOBII Multiplayer code dates from a time when online play was

new, and firewalls and routers were uncommon. Using the current BOBII Multiplayer code therefore requires some technical

understanding of elements such as IP addresses, opening ports, and

port forwarding.

To begin with, a good Multi-Player experience requires a stable

internet connection. The old tracert DOS utility provides a

rudimentary tool to enable players to determine the stability of a

circuit. Note: It is necessary to tracert the circuit in both directions.

While we do not know the precise bandwidth requirement numbers,

it appears that circuits of 300 kilobytes/second (kb/s) or better on the upload side will suffice. For most circuits the download speeds

will be higher than the upload side. Thus, the upload speed is

generally the one you want to investigate. The bottom line speed

http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17


265

parameter could well be lower. We were never able to test a circuit

with a lower speed that was stable.

Our experience to date suggests that an upload speed of 300 kb/s

multiplied by the number of clients may be needed for hosting

sessions. While this formula is little more than guess work at this

point, experience taught us that a machine with less than 1000 kb/s

was not able to host more than one client per session.

The following site provides a decent gauge of your circuit‟s

bandwidth capability at a given point in time:

http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

For better or worse, a basic knowledge of TCP Networking is

essential to utilize the Multi-Player Beta module.

Firewalls: The following ports must be open to incoming traffic on

both the host and client machines. Please note, there are many PC

users who are unaware that they are running behind more than one

firewall. For example, someone running Windows XP might have both the firewall that is built into XP and another firewall which

comes bundled with any number of 3rd party security packages.

• Port 2300 (TCP)

• Port 47624 (TCP & UDP)

• Port 53790 (UDP)

• Port 2350 (UDP)

Routers: Here‟s where it can get a bit sticky.

A player who plans to host a session that is running behind a router will almost always be required to create port forwarding entries in

his/her router so that packets for the ports listed above will be

forwarded to his/her machine. IMPORTANT NOTE: To do this the

player will need to learn how to set-up his/her machine on a static

proxy IP.


266

These steps can be quite disconcerting to someone who is new to

TCP networking as interfaces to accomplish these tasks vary

depending upon the operating system and the specific router at

hand.

Players behind routers who will be clients during a session who are

using newer style routers may find that their routers are „smart

enough‟ to handle port forwarding automatically for them.

However, players who are using older routers without the „smarter‟

firmware will need to complete the same tasks as the hosting player.

(More advice on routers and firewalls follows below.)

Of course, it will be necessary for the client players to obtain the IP

address of the hosting machine to join the session.

Lastly, whenever possible, it is advisable to have a player with a

high end machine do the hosting for obvious reasons.

Ports, opening and forwarding: As a start, here are a couple of

good links to a site that explains how to port forward for individual routers:

http://www.portforward.com/english/rout ... rindex.htm

and how to set up a static IP address:

http://portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm

1) When initially setting up a MP session it is advisable to run the

game in windowed mode so other apps are accessible. To do this in

the bdg.txt file change the line "FORCE_WINDOWED_MODE=OFF" to

"FORCE_WINDOWED_MODE=ON"

2) To allow the ports to be opened it is usually quite simple, the

firewall software will prompt the user with a message such as

"Battle of Britain English Text is trying to access the trusted zone".

The user must click on "Allow" to open the requested port

http://www.portforward.com/english/rout%20...%20rindex.htm

http://portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm


267

connection. This prompt may appear several times for different

ports. All should be allowed. But not all 3rd party firewalls are

'smart' enough to provide the pop-ups re: port access. In those cases,

they need to be added manually.

3) Lets say 4 people have arranged to play a MP game. Before

setting up in game one of the players must agree to be the Server

(The Server is the player that clicks on "create game" in the Bob2

menu). The other 3 players will be clients (The client is the player that clicks on "join game" in the Bob2 menu)

4) The 3 client players will all need to know the Internet IP address

of the Server. The easiest way for the player that is going to be the

Server to determine his Internet IP address is to type in

"http://www.whatsmyip.org" into a browser and the Internet IP

address is displayed in bold text at the top of the page. The Server

player must communicate this IP address to the other 3 players,

maybe using Skype or Teamspeak, email whatever is most

convenient. The clients will need to type in this address when they

click on "Join Game".

5) Todays home networks are quite often using a router box. See

example sketch below of a typical setup

Code:

-----------

| | ------------

| | 192.168.1.30 192.168.1.1 | | 82.37.101.95

| PC |------------------------------------| Router |-------------------

----> The Internet | | | |

| | ------------

-----------

http://www.whatsmyip.org

http://www.whatsmyip.org/


268

To find out the IP address of the PC open a windows DOS box and

type "Ipconfig". This will return 192.168.1.30 for the example

network shown above.

Our 3 example client players dont need to worry about this extra

complexity, the game will connect to the Host without a problem.

However, if the Server player is behind a router he will have some

more setting up to do.

The Server player needs to allow port forwarding in his router. And depending upon the client PC/router configuration some clients

need to add the port forwarding entries.

The instructions on how to set up port forwarding in the router will

vary between router boxes but is usually a web page configuration

system.

There is a method for simplifying the setting of port forwarding in

the router by using a neat free utility called "Simple Port

Forwarding" http://www.pcwintech.com/simple-port-forwarding .

This allows the user to select his router and then select a Bob2

config file and then click on "update router" button to send down

the changes. An example of a Bob2 config file for this utility:

Bob2 Port config test file:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/ah2h762/n/Bob2_spf

http://www.pcwintech.com/simple-port-forwarding

http://www.filefactory.com/file/ah2h762/n/Bob2_spf

Battle of Britain Remembered

269

CHAPTER 8 BATTLE OF BRITAIN REMEMBERED

uring the 1930's, the British Air Ministry commissioned two new

monoplane fighters, the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, both of which were in squadron service by 1938. These aircraft were very different to the comparatively slow and delicate biplanes that the RAF‟s pilots had flown in the First World War. Fighter tactics were drawn up from theories

based upon fighters intercepting lone and unescorted bombers. This was because Britain exceeded the range of German fighters, flying from German bases, so fighter-to-fighter combat was considered to be of secondary importance, not to mention unlikely. Thus in Britain, Fighter Command‟s pilots flew their monoplane fighters in tight „vics‟ of three, practicing carefully coordinated attacks against either lone or small numbers of enemy bombers. Actual combat experience during the Spanish Civil War had already taught the Germans that such tactics were already obsolete.

Hitler had secretly rebuilt his Luftwaffe with new aircraft of the latest monoplane design, including both bombers and fighters. Taking the Blitzkrieg formula into account, German fighter design included features suitable for attacking both fighters and bombers. For example, the Messerschmitt 109, like the Hurricane and Spitfire a fast, single-engine fighter, was not only armed with two 7.9 mm machine-guns, but also two 20 mm cannon. Although the latter had a much slower rate of fire, the effects

were devastating. The 109‟s engine was also fuel injected, meaning that it was unaffected by gravity whilst in a diving attitude. By comparison, the British fighters did not enjoy the benefits of cannon, but were instead armed with eight .303 machine-guns. Also, no thought had been given in England to fuel injection, the British fighters‟ Rolls Royce Merlin engines relying on the simple float carburetor system, this later giving the German fighter superiority in the dive.

During the Spanish Civil War Germany developed a new formation known as the Schwarm, this comprised of four fighters spread out very loosely in a stepped up line abreast similar to the fingers of an outstretched hand. When battle was joined the Schwarm would split into the Rotte of two fighting pairs, leader and wingman. Indeed, this remains the basic fighter formation


270

even today. Germany also first used dive-bombers in Spain, the much-feared Stukas, and medium bombers in support of fast moving armor and infantry.

On May 10th, 1940, German forces attacked Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and France. In what came as a surprise attack, German armor poured through the supposedly impassable Ardennes forest, effectively and immediately outflanking the Maginot Line in the process. The Allies having been collectively overwhelmed, they were finally evacuated from the beaches around Dunkirk, the Royal Navy and „Little Ships‟ rescuing some 330,000 Allied troops. Left behind, however, was all artillery, armor and much other

equipment. The RAF component, the Advanced Air Striking Force, had also suffered grievous losses. Sensibly, British Fighter Command had retained its precious Spitfires for home defense, the more numerous Hurricane squadrons having been sent to fight in the ill-fated French campaign. Given that the First World War had raged for four years, the fact that France had fallen in a matter of six weeks was completely stunning. The opportunity to invade England had been an unexpected bonus for Hitler. Although the RAF clearly faced problems across the English Channel, so too

did the Germans. Barges suitable to carry an invasion force across the Channel had to be found, converted and concentrated in and around Calais. Despite the fact that the Luftwaffe had been designed to support fast moving ground forces, however, it now found itself required to operate in a strategic role. German bombers were of a medium capacity, so lacked the performance and bomb carrying capacities of the later four-engine Allied bombers. Also, excellent though the Me 109 was, it was intended for use not as an offensive escort fighter but in a defensive role meaning that its range

was too limited, providing just 20 minutes flying time over London. Nevertheless, the Germans had great advantages in experience and enjoyed numerical superiority. Thirteen German divisions, each some 19,000 strong, were moved to the Channel coast as the vanguard of a landing force comprising 39 divisions. Plans were made for the disembarkation of 125,000 men during the invasion‟s first three days. The German service chiefs agreed that Operation

Sealion (Sealion, the proposed sea borne invasion of England) would only be feasible if the Luftwaffe defeated the RAF, achieving total aerial supremacy prior to the fleet setting sail. Britain did have one particular advantage: radar, or more correctly „Radio Direction Finding‟. The extra few minutes warning given by this new detection system would make it possible for the defending fighters to „scramble‟ (emergency take-off) and attain an appropriate height and


271

position favorable for interception. By the summer of 1940, the radar chain around the British Isles comprised 22 „Chain Home‟ stations and 30 „Chain

Home Low‟ stations. Each was positioned to ensure, at least in theory, that every aircraft approaching Britain from the east or south would be detected by at least two stations. Radar therefore became the keystone of Air Defense, with its network of RDF stations, Observer Corps posts and centers, sector operations rooms, radio-telephony transmitters, landlines and ancillary devices. Germany failed to fully understand its significance, which would be a major factor during the Battle of Britain. For the air defense of Great Britain, Fighter Command divided the British

Isles into four Group areas, each with its own commander and headquarters but answerable to Fighter Command HQ (Bentley Priory). London and the southeast was defended by No 11 Group, No 12 Group protected the Midlands and the north, whilst Northern Ireland was the responsibility of 13 Group. No 10 Group, covering the West Country and South Wales, became operational on July 8th, 1940, just in time for the Battle of Britain II. Although each Group Commander had commitments to his own area, he was also obliged to respond to calls for assistance from 11 Group, which would

clearly bear the brunt of the fighting. Each Group was then sub-divided into Sectors, each with its own Sector Station, effectively a local HQ comprising both an aerodrome and Sector Operations Room. The „System‟ worked as follows:

The RDF station would detect an increase in enemy activity over the

French coast as a raid assembled.

This information would be passed by landline to the underground Filter

Room at Fighter Command. There the information was sifted by filterers and filter officers, displayed on a gridded map and passed by tellers through closed speech circuits to both the adjacent Command Operations Room and those of the appropriate Groups.

After incoming aircraft had crossed the coast, the Observer Corps was responsible for tracking their progress. Posts reporting to the Observer

Centers were connected by landline to the Command Operations Room which issued orders to local civilian authorities regarding when to sound warning sirens. Tactical control, however, was delegated to the Groups and Sectors who issued orders directly to stations, squadrons and the Gun Operations Room which tied ant-iaircraft guns into the System.

In each Group Operations Room, at least one Controller was always on


272

duty, looking down on a huge gridded map showing the Group area colored plaques manipulated by WAAFs, armed with magnetized

wands. Facing the Controller across a table was a „totalisator‟ (or 'tote') which showed at a glance the location and readiness state of each squadron.

The Group Controller would decide upon the appropriate course of

action in respect of each and every threat and give appropriate orders to Sector HQ and Gun Operations Rooms.

The Sector Controller would then either bring his squadrons to a state of

„Readiness‟, i.e. ready for immediate take-off, or send them into the air as appropriate. Once the squadrons were airborne, he would provide them with information and instruction until such time as the formation leader sighted the enemy. By that time, the skill of the Sector Controller should theoretically have favorably positioned the squadrons to attack.

When the formation leader cried „Tally Ho!‟, the Controller knew that battle was about to be joined, his part played.

Despite the fact that the main attack would obviously fall upon southern England, not all RAF strength was concentrated in that area. Squadrons were, in fact, dispersed across the country, meaning that not only was the whole country protected but that fresh squadrons were available to be sent south as reinforcements. By the same token, it was possible to withdraw

depleted squadrons north to rest and re-fit. In July 1940, the opposing forces compared as follows:

RAF FIGHTER COMMAND Spitfires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Hurricanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 Defiants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Blenheims. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 LUFTWAFFE Aircraft in Air Fleets 2, 3 & 5:- Fighters:-

Me 109s . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844 Me 110s . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250


273

Bombers: - Ju 87s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Do 17, Ju 88, He 111s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,330 Long Range Recce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Total: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 2,784

RAF Fighter Command was therefore outnumbered by nearly 3:1 in purely

numerical terms. Naturally, enjoying unparalleled success, the Germans were confident. Working against them, however, were the facts that their personnel were tired, having been flying constant operations since May 10th, and their aircraft were in need of attention. Defying these men and machines was not only Fighter Command, in fact, but also the English Channel, every sortie over England dictating two sea crossings. German airman shot down over England or perhaps even the Channel, were likely to become prisoners. An Allied airman shot down could, conversely, even be back in the air later

that same day. Officially, the Battle of Britain II is deemed to have begun on July 10th. As the battle developed, distinctive phases, dictated by the attacker, would become apparent. The first concerned enemy attacks against Channel bound convoys. Fighter Command was therefore compelled to fly hundreds of sorties per day to protect this vital merchant shipping. This phase of the Battle of Britain II lasted until August 12th, by which time

30,000 out of nearly five million tons of shipping fell victim to enemy air attacks between Land‟s End and the Nore. Raids were also mounted by dive-bombers against various Chain Home radar stations, including those at Pevensey, Rye, Dover and Ventnor. Small and therefore difficult to hit, none of these stations were put out of action for more than 24 hours, so Fighter Command was never denied the advantages of radar. During this phase, the Luftwaffe had lost 261 aircraft, Fighter Command 261.

On August 2nd, orders were issued to Luftflotten (Air Fleets) 2, 3 and 5 to destroy Fighter Command. This new phase commenced on August 13th, and concentrated on Fighter Command‟s airfields in southern England. During this phase, the Germans, flying from northern bases, attacked targets in northern England. To their dismay, however, mistakenly believing RAF fighters to be concentrated in southern England, they were met by Hurricanes and Spitfires in force, due to clever deployment of squadrons. German losses were heavy. Nevertheless, Fighter Command‟s airfields in 11 Group had

taken a pounding and the situation was critical. Reichsmarschal Goering now turned his attention to London and a new phase consequently began on September 7th. Although this was bad news for Londoners, the unexpected


274

respite allowed Fighter Command to return its hard-hit aerodromes to „top line‟. During the „Battle of the Airfields‟, the Luftwaffe lost 629 aircraft,

Fighter Command 385. London was, the Germans had decided, the only target likely to force the British to commit large numbers of fighters to defend. The first in this series of attacks against London came on the afternoon of Saturday, 7th September. Hundreds of bombs crashed down on docklands east of Tower Bridge. As this latest fire of London later illuminated the night sky, the raiders returned in wave after wave. The attack concluded at 0430 a.m. the following day, by

which time 1,800 Londoners were dead. On Sunday, September 15th, the Luftwaffe launched what became its last attempt to gain a decision in daylight over London. Dawn on the great day found most of southern England shrouded with mist, but as the sun climbed higher this quickly evaporated. The fine weather therefore heralded a predictable onslaught. Before 11 a.m., German reconnaissance aircraft had probed the Straits of Dover and the East Coast of Kent. From first light onwards, standing patrols of Spitfires and Hurricanes had been up over the

coast from Harwich to Land‟s End. Each Sector Station kept one squadron at Readiness. At 10.50 a.m., the British radar stations reported an enemy formation assembling SE of Boulogne. Five minutes later all of 11 Group‟s squadrons were at Readiness. At 11.33 a.m., an enemy formation crossed the coast between Dover and Folkestone, being followed three minutes later by two further hostile plots between Dover and South Foreland. The raiders‟ targets were London‟s gas

works and other industrial objectives. To parry this thrust, squadrons were airborne, reinforced at midday by the five squadrons of 12 Group‟s so-called „Duxford Big Wing‟, led by Squadron Leader Bader. Such was the ferocity of Fighter Command‟s attack that the enemy apparently bombed at random across southern England. Two bombs fell on Buckingham Palace. Hardly had this first mass attack been dispersed, however, than the radar stations reported further incoming raids. Between 2.10 and 2.34 p.m., eight or more German formations crossed the English coast bound for London. Having lit

fires in Woolwich, Barking, Stepney, Stratford Gasworks, West Ham, Penge, and at a petrol depot in West Ham, the Luftwaffe withdrew, constantly harried by the defenders. Next, 27 He 111s attacked Portland and were intercepted by just six Spitfires and six RAF fighter squadrons coupled with accurate anti-aircraft fire frustrated an attack on the Supermarine factory near Southampton. This thwarted raid marked an end to the fighting on what has since become


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annually celebrated in Britain as „Battle of Britain Day‟. Although Fighter Command‟s pilots claimed a total number of 185 enemy aircraft destroyed,

more recent research confirms the actual figure as 58. Nevertheless, Fighter Command lost just 28 aircraft and was able to sustain such losses for longer still. On Tuesday, September 17th, British Intelligence intercepted a German signal ordering the dispersal of invasion facilities: Sealion had been postponed indefinitely. The Battle of Britain did not end, however, with the fires in London on

September 15th, although clearly that date represented a climax and it provides an ending to this simulation. Attacks on London continued, during daylight, for a while longer yet, although by smaller formations. Successful attacks were made on various targets connected with the British aircraft industry, although on September 30th, KG55‟s He 111s took a beating during an ill-fated raid on the Westland Aircraft Factory at Yeovil in Somerset. As a result, the He 111 was transferred to the night blitz, which had already started against British cities and which continued right up until

May 1941. Although Britain‟s cities continued to suffer at night given that nocturnal defenses remained in their infancy, it was recognized that RAF Fighter Command had won the daylight battle lasting 16 weeks. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill paid tribute to RAF Fighter Command:

“ The gratitude of every home in our island . . . goes out to the British airmen, who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and devotion. Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few. ”

© Dilip Sarkar August 2000.


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CHAPTER 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Previous Game and Patch version Credits/Acknowledgements: The original game Battle of Britain was created by Rowan Software and released in late 1999. The Battle of Britain Development Group (BDG), a group of talented and dedicated fans of the original game continued its development after the demise of Rowan Software. While Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory is a radically updated and

improved game from the original, without the efforts of all those involved before, it simply would not exist today.

Please visit the thread linked below for prior game version credits:


TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

Please visit:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/index.php


http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/index.php

Appendix A : BDG.txt

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APPENDIX A:

The BDG.txt File

As stated previously, in addition to the various in-game GUI menu options, there are many user-configurable options available via the BDG.TXT file. To access the BDG.txt file, exit the game and use Windows Explorer to navigate to the main BoB II folder where the game is installed on your hard drive.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Make a backup copy of the BDG.txt file before making changes!!! Use

NOTEPAD to edit and make changes to the file. Even if you don‟t make a backup copy, you can safely delete this file and a new one will be created with default values the next time you launch and then exit the game. Finding Line Items in the BDG.TXT file: The BDG.txt file is fairly long and locating items by scrolling can be tedious. With the BDG.TXT file open with NOTEPAD, try using the EDIT>>>FIND commands at the top, typing in the first few letters or words of any line you are looking for.

Some but not all of the BDG.txt items are duplicated in the various in-game GUI menus. A useful tool is the BDG.ADVISOR. Before adjusting any of the BDG.txt parameters, use Windows explorer, navigate to the BoB II main folder and find the folder called BDG ADVISOR. Run the executable BDGAdvisor which is a step-by-step walk through of many (but not all) of

the BDG items below. The BDGAdvisor was put together by Retro in the past and many BDG.txt items have been added since it was created. A lot of the items however are explained in the advisor as well. It is a very useful additional tool to understanding many of these variables.

Not all BDG items have been fully understood or explained at the time of this writing. Any BDG.txt items not explained previously in this manual or below are either not fully understood or intended to be

manipulated by the development staff when testing and making changes for future updates. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF ANY ITEM, LEAVE

IT ALONE!


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Following are excerpts, in the order that they appear from the current

release version‟s default BDG.TXT file. The user adjustable BDG line items are in BOLD. Narrative in italics provides explanations for each item, if known. VERSION = 3 # BOB version # BDG Release version

# (floating point) numbers These are the version and comment lines. Leave TRACKIR_Z_AXIS_MODE = 1 If one has TRACK IR, this changes from Z-axis mode to FOV mode. 1 = z-axis mode, 0 = FOV mode. This only functions with TIR with Vector Expansion ON, it will NOT have any effect with TIR with 2DOF. See also the section on Track IR in Chapter Two for additional explanation of Z axis mode versus FOV mode.

EYE_X_POS = 0.000000 EYE_Y_POS = 0.000000 EYE_Z_POS = 0.000000 Unknown. Changing these values do not seem to have any effect in the present release. Use only if directed to by a BDG coder. In previous release versions, it appears that these variables allowed for differing pilot eye positions for each flyable aircraft. The feature does not affect any

zoom; all it does is to define the focal point for every one of your views. There seems to be no discernable unit of measurement, so trial-and-error will be required for the user to find the setting you want. NEAR_CLIP_NON_COCKPIT = 200.000000 Used for video making. Higher values like the default of 200 lead to generally correct occlusions (like aircraft standing on top of tarmac occludes tarmac) but if the camera comes near an object, it will "cut it".

Lower values like 20 have the opposite effect. Use the Video making mode to "fine tune" WK_LANDSCAPE_TEXTURES= 1 This option needs a good graphics card, preferably with 128MB memory or more. Leave at 1 so that you do not get excessive stutter or fps slowdown. The effect is most notably in cities and where you see jaggies, for example at the border of the runway. Since things are sharper, you will


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probably also see more “shimmering”. To reduce this, use anisotropic filtering, this option can be enabled in the settings of your video card.

BOB_SCREENSHOT_MODE= 0 Set to 1 allows the user to make a 360-degree wrap around screenshot. SHADER2TWEAK= # give full path! Feature for Skinners tweaking shaders. For details see Skinner‟s Pack doc.

BULLET_LIFESPAN = 5.00 The duration in seconds that the game code will calculate and account for the effect of bullets fired. CPTVIEWPOINTTRAVELRATE = 20.000000 Unknown. IN_CLOUD_EFFECT_POLY_COUNT= 50 Effect Unknown.

IN_CLOUD_EFFECT_POLY_SIZE= 100.0000 Effect Unknown.

IN_CLOUD_EFFECT_POLY_DOMAIN= 200.0000 Effect Unknown.

IN_CLOUD_EFFECT_DENSITY = 0.0000 1.0000

Effect Unknown. # On/Off switches: BDG_OUT_CACHING=OFF Leave this OFF. Used for performance and other testing purposes. TRACKIR=OFF

Toggles on or off the game‟s use of the Track IR if installed. The user must still separately launch the Track IR software prior to launching the game irrespective of this setting. NO_OUTSIDE_TRACKIR=OFF If Track IR is installed, it will be disabled upon going to one of the external airplane views. It will be re-enabled upon returning to the cockpit view.


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PADLOCK_OVERRIDES_TRACKIR=OFF

When set to ON, when an aircraft is padlocked the viewpoint will follow the padlocked plane and override the Track IR. In most cases, the user will leave this at OFF. EXPERIMENTAL_DISALLOW_DYNAMIC_RENDERER=OFF For use by coders. Leave OFF.

ENEMY_POSITION_INDICATOR=OFF

Toggles on or off the enemy position indicator. If EPI has been enabled in the Adv. Game menu, the “H” key will also toggle it on or off along with the attitude indicator HUD.

SMOOTHEN_FRAMERATE_MODE=SMOOTHEN Options are “NONE””LIMITED” “LIMIT_AND_SMOOTHEN” or “NONE”. When set to None, the game will attempt to play at maximum FPS but may have stutter. Limited is a hard FPS limit of 32. Smoothen may reduce overall FPS on average but will reduce the amount of stutters

and the player may in fact perceive that the game is smoother, even with a slightly slower FPS.

MULTI_SKIN_MODE=ENABLE valid modes: DISABLE, ENABLE, FX_FILES_ONLY, MS_FILES_ONLY. Only active when the optional MultiSkin update has been iinstalled. See Chapter Six for additional information on Multiskin.

SPC_Skill_RAF=NONE SPC_Skill_LUF=NONE valid selections (must spell correctly or defaults to NONE): HERO, ACE, VETERAN, REGULAR, POOR, NOVICE, NONE (NONE is default means no forced SPC skill level) Used in the Single Pilot Campaign. These act to reduce or enhance skill levels at a global level. If a player is finding things too hard, he can enhance skills on his own side and reduce them on the enemies. It works

similarly to the Campaign Skill level setting under the MISSION page in the GUI (LW and RAF skill setting) but you can change it at any time. If this is used, he variability between units is lost. They are ALL set to the skill level chosen. So it's not quite like the setting in the GUI. That bumps all the units up or down a notch or two, but preserves the variability between them. However, he setting in the GUI is fixed once you start a campaign.


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USE_DUMMY_IF_TEXTURE_MISSES=ON Leave ON. This forces the game to use a “blank” dummy texture if a

given texture fails to load in the graphics card memory. It reduces game crashes in the event such texture loads fail. NO_FRIENDLY_COLLISIONS=ON Toggles on or off collisions with friendly aircraft. DRAW_PADLOCK_CENTER_BOX=ON Also selectable in-game GUI under the Adv. Game menu. Draws a red

box momentarily when pressing Padlock center-most object “S” key. If an A/C is inside the box, it will be padlocked when the “S” key is released. NOTE: You must have first also enabled the drawing of the padlock diamond (SHIFT+T) to see it if an object has been padlocked. WINAMP_FADES_OUT=ON In previous BDG versions, WinAmp stopped playing when exiting the 3D game. Setting this bdg.txt variable to “OFF” means WinAmp will continue playing; you will however not be able to use the“WinAmp-control” key

presses. FORCE_WINDOWED_MODE=OFF Toggles the game to play in windowed mode.

NOTE REGARDING WATER COLOUR VARIABLES: The DARK

values are the “king” values. They have great influence on the water’s

colors seen in the game in all times of day and weather conditions. The

LIGHT values have little effect in all conditions except dusk. Best keep

them at close to 50,50,50 which is a medium gray color. WATER_COLOUR_DARK_R = 55 WATER_COLOUR_DARK_G = 55 WATER_COLOUR_DARK_B = 55 WATER_COLOUR_LIGHT_R = 0 WATER_COLOUR_LIGHT_G = 0

WATER_COLOUR_LIGHT_B = 0 LABELCOLOUR_FRIENDLY = 77aa77 LABELCOLOUR_ENEMY = aa7777 These govern the colour of the aircraft labels, their values are in RGB-hex format, meaning that the first 2 characters set the red-component of the colour (0 to 255), the next two characters govern the green part and the last two the blue part.


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The values above are the standard ones, blue for allies, green for enemies. Leading zeroes may be omitted (0000ff is equal to ff). 000000 is black,

ffffff is white. NOTE: For those unfamiliar with RGB-Hex colour format, use the IN-GAME 3D menu under ADV/GAME (rather than these BDG.txt values) to adjust these various colours.

Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON The aircraft descriptions can be customised to show whatever the player wishes

SHORTENED_LABELS = OFF Show_MoveCodess = OFF and then find and set the following two Bdg.txt parameters like this: Single_Character_Label_Enemy= + Single_Character_Label_Friendly= O You can choose your personal single characters, of course. Dots work too.. whatever you prefer. INFOLINE_COLOUR = ddcc0000

This value is again in hex format, but in contrast to the label-feature there is a setting for text-alpha (text opacity). A typical setting may be „7f00ff00‟ which means “display the text at half alpha („7f‟ is „127‟ in hex) green („00ff00‟ means “0 red, full green, 0 blue”)”. To toggle the infoline

background, set the variable “SHOW_INFOLINE_BACKGROUND” to

either “ON” or “OFF – this line is found farther down in the BDG.txt file.

INTRO_VIDEO=ON Toggles on or off the intro videos to play. The following FOV items are related to Field of View. They are essentially the same as the in-game Field of View menu GUI items. These are expressed in terms of degrees.

FOV_SMALL = 25.000000

This changes your focus in the cockpit view to this preset value. This value is a slice of the normal cockpit view. Basically, the value you enter, (the default is 25 degrees) is the degrees around the centreline of your aircraft that your view is focused to. This view is extremely useful for those pilots who do not use aircraft text labels in order to “zoom” their eyesight and to make an aircraft identification. FOV_MEDIUM = 50.000000

FOV_LARGE = 80.000000


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These are a similar function as FOV_SMALL only they change the medium and large FOV views. FOV_LARGE displays as much of the

cockpit as possible (the current maximum for this is 110 degrees). This view can lead to problems if the number becomes too large. As the value gets larger the program has to force all the objects on to the screen. This may cause a “fisheye” view where objects in the middle of the screen are larger than normal, and objects at the edges of the screen are smaller. If this happens and you do not like the effect, simply lower this value. FOV_TOGGLE_SMALL = 35.000000

FOV_TOGGLE_LARGE = 70.000000 The assigned key will toggle to these Field of View values FOV_INITIAL = 60.000000 This is the cockpit field of view value you will see when you first enter the cockpit. FOV_MINIMAL = 18.000000 FOV_MAXIMAL = 80.000000

The assigned key will toggle these values. PC_PITCH = 10.000000 This is a wedge that extends vertically from the centre of your current view. If that value is ‟10„, there will be a wedge that extends 20 degrees from the plane your wings form, in the direction of your lift line. See also Field of View menu GUI section

PC_HDG = 10.000000 This is a wedge that extends horizontally from the centre of your current view. So if the value is ‟10„, there will be a wedge of 20 degrees off your current heading in that the “Padlock Centre” will work See also Field of View menu GUI section. CONVERGENCE = 250. Permits you to set the distance where your bullet streams will converge.

Default distance is 250 yards. When you fire at a target from the distance set as the convergence point, the maximum amount of damage will be inflicted, as the majority of the bullets are all impacting in the same spot. UDET_TEST_MODE = 0 This needs to be set to 1 if you want to be able to fly the Instant Action mission “Checking the Udet Buoys”.


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TRACKVIEWRANGE = 256 The decimal value governs the initial range of the outside (track) view.

Sadly we are not sure about the units of this value, so a bit fiddling is in order. The range for aircraft labels is set through the next 3 lines: LABEL_FULL_ALPHA = 2000 LABEL_HALF_ALPHA = 6000 LABEL_ZERO_ALPHA = 8000

'Alpha' means the 'opacity' of the colour, if alpha is zero the colour is effectively invisible. Full_Alpha is the maximum range till labels will be drawn 'fully', in ranges between FULL_ALPHA and HALF_ALPHA the alpha will decrease linear from 'full' to 'half' (i.e. 128), in ranges between HALF_ALPHA and ZERO_ALPHA it will decrease linearly from 128 to 0; Aircraft that are farther away than the ZERO_ALPHA range do not get labels drawn at all. Units of those values are meters.

PERIPHERAL_VISION_RANGE = 4000 Since no PC monitor as yet can truly replicate the very wide field of view of the human eyes, another one of the situational awareness aids BoB II implements are the ICONS that float on the edge of the screen, simulating the pilot‟s peripheral vision. Adjusting this value changes how your “vision” can track aircraft out of the corner of your eye and is in meters. MINIDUMPLOG_TYPE = 0 PERFORMANCE_TEST_MODE = 0

DEBUG_NORMALS_OF_SHAPE_NUMBER = 1 Use only if directed to by a BDG coder CPTVIEWPOINTTRAVELINC= 150 Unknown. RAIN_FACTOR= 32 Affects amount of raindrops generated. Set to 0 removes the rain

completely. OBJECT_DENSITY= 1 Also selectable in the in-game GUI under MORE GFX/Ground Object Density. 1 is Minimum, 4 is Full. Determines how many ground objects are used in game that were placed with the ObjectAdds method. Big effect on frame rates if set high.

Maneuvre_Testing= 0


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Maneuvre_Testing1= 0 Maneuvre_Testing2= 0

DO NOT ADJUST. These are for gathering log data on AI issues/problems/analysis by BDG coders. Appendix C of this manual lists the BoBII developer programs where the data is collected. User should only change these items at the request of a BDG dev coder.

Render_Sheep_View_Radius= 0 Set to zero, NO sheep are drawn and

distributed across the landscape. This should help lower end PCs a bit

with performance as the sheep are fairly numerous. If the user wants

sheep to be rendered, change this value to 2. Air_To_Air_Collision_Bubble_Size = 10 Set smaller for fewer collisions and larger for more collisions(use an integer value.)

Spitfire_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 1500

Hurricane_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 1450

BF109_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 1250

BF110_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 400

JU87B_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 1400 These are Flight Model adjustments, used to simulate the fixed (non-adjustable) aileron trim found on the various aircraft. These settings will offset propeller torque effects, in the cruise condition. Leave as is. Max_Number_AI_Targeting_Player= 2

This parameters sets the initial maximum number of enemy aircraft

simultaneously targeting the player on the initial engage (Peel Off manoevre). This was to prevent too many AI from targeting the player when badly outnumbered – sometimes called the “Conga Line” of attackers.. It is very important to understand that additional AI can and will target the player above the value selected IF the player shoots at and hits or near misses other AI. Those AI will then target the player in response until they too are shot at and targeted by a different AI. In other words, even if this value is set to 1, if the player flies into a formation of

enemy fighters and sprays multiple shots at many of them, all those hit or with near misses may target the player. Max_Number_AI_Targeting_AI= 2 Similar to the parameter above, this sets the maximum number of AI that will simultaneously target other AI. If one or more of the targeting AI is shot down, another will likely take its place if the AI is near a hostile.


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Time_In_IA_Missions_Until_LUF_Returns_Home= 10

# (in minutes), Set to 0 for no time limit in an IA mission until the LUF

return home. If the “Go Home” parameters have not otherwise been reached, the LW AI will go home after the value in minutes set here. Set to zero and the AI will stay and fight until the Go Home parameters have been reached. The Go Home parameters are low fuel or more than 50% of the AI in the squadron have been damaged or dead.

PARTICLE_DENSITY= 2 Also selectable in the in-game GUI under MORE GFX/Particle Density. 1

is Minimum, 4 is Full. Affects the look of smoke, fire, etc. Big effect on frame rates if set high.

NO_OF_HIRES_SCREENIE_TILES = 6 # per line/row, so a '4' leads to 16 actual tiles, each as large as the screen. Currently not working. Ignore OVERRIDE_FIRST_PROP_RPM_SWITCH = 200 Different prop rotation speeds use different textures for the in-game view

of the prop spinning, of which there are three textures. The switch between one texture and the next is at a certain RPM. The value Rowan originally used for the first switch was 500 for all planes. The value entered here (200 by default) overrides the Rowan 500 value.

NOTE REGARDING THE FOLLOWING Weather (Sun and Sky) PARAMETERS: Not all of the following have been fully tested and explained as of this writing:

Weather_Dusk_Time_Sec= 71700 This is the dusk time in seconds. It translates to 7:55PM or 19.55. The number is derived as follows: seconds (19*60*60+55*60) = 71700 Weather_Dawn_Time_Sec= 17100 This is the dawn time in seconds. It translates to 4:45AM or 04.55. The number is derived as follows: seconds (4*60*60+45*60) =17100

The above time parameters can only be changed slightly, by about 30 minutes or so, as both are used later in the game software to calculate the sun‟s position. Weather_CloudAlbedo= 1.000 Higher number adds more gray to the cloud bottoms. Darkens the sea LIGHT color also. 2.000 is way too much.


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Weather_SunGlow= 0.250 Determines brightness of glow around the sun. Higher = brighter. No

apparent effect on other sky settings. Weather_SunFlare= 0.500 Determines the sun flare size. Higher = larger. No apparent effect on other sky settings. Weather_SkyLambda3= 2250000.0 Weather_SkyLambda2= 1604038.0

Weather_SkyLambda1= 1250000.0 These values affect the sky color. Some values can give a whiter horizon while others will make the horizon bluer. Weather_SunLambda3= 0.506 Weather_SunLambda2= 0.560 Weather_SunLambda1= 0.685 These change the color of the light the sun emits. This includes the glow around the sun, the horizon (360 degrees), and 180 degrees from the sun.

SunLambda and Sky Lambda are RGB values. 1. Red 2. Green 3. Blue

All of these settings work in harmony together. You can make radical changes in one area and make up for it in another. Weather_SkyExposure= -0.350

Determines sky and sunglow brightness. Lower (more negative) numbers brighten both. Similar to underexposed or overexposed camera film. Weather_Turbidity= 1.800 Effects the glow around the sun disk. Lower numbers darken it, higher numbers brighten it. Too high and it brightens over the disc. Small effect on sea highlighted reflections. Weather_SkyGamma= 3.000

Affects sky color. Higher numbers give lighter blues. Weather_SunIntensity= 150.000 Affects the glow around the sun disk and the Sky Exposure. Higher numbers, brighter. Weather_MieG= -1.500 Heavy effect on the glow around the sun. Best left as –1.500


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Weather_MMult= 0.0000013

Unkown. More experimentation needed. Best left as is. Weather_RMult= 0.018 Unknown. More experimentation needed. Best left as is. Weather_SunColor= 1.000 Determines sun color. The default setting is “white light” and is best left as is. NOTE REGARDING THE FOLLOWING CLOUD PARAMETERS:

Not all of the following have been fully tested and explained as of this writing. Poor and Inclement weather are only available if weather has been set to HIGH in the in-game GFX menu. Higher values will mean fuller, thicker clouds but a corresponding hit on frame rates. The thick nimbus cloud values seem to have a much larger impact on frames per second than the higher-level cumulus clouds. As you experiment with changes, compare the values from one weather setting to the next (i.e. Fair clod cover compared to Poor Cloud cover).

Cloud_Fair_CloudCover= 140.000 Cloud_Fair_CloudDensity= 160.000 Cloud_Fair_CloudSliceHeight= 3048.000 Cloud_Poor_CloudCover= 160.000 Cloud_Poor_CloudDensity= 160.000 Cloud_Poor_CloudSliceHeight= 3048.000 Cloud_Poor_NimbusCover= 170.000

Cloud_Inclement_CloudCover= 220.000 Cloud_Inclement_CloudDensity= 254.000 Cloud_Inclement_CloudSliceHeight= 3048.000 Cloud_Inclement_NimbusCover= 200.000 Cloud_Inclement_RainStrength= 1.000 Cloud_Inclement_FogDensity= 1.000 Cloud_Inclement_FogEndMult= 0.400

NOTE regarding Cloud Slice Height values: These are “like a pancake stacked on top of each other to build a cloud. The default is 3048 (FT_100 in the table below). Some users have reported better-looking clouds at 1500 (FT_50). The degree of impact on FPS is not yet clear with the cloud slice height. FT_0 = 0 FT_1 = 30


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FT_2 = 60 FT_3 = 92

FT_5 = 150 FT_6 = 183 FT_10 = 305 FT_20 = 609 FT_25 = 750 FT_30 = 900 FT_40 = 1219 FT_50 = 1500

FT_60 = 1829 FT_63 = 1920 FT_65 = 1981 FT_70 = 2134 FT_75 = 2286

FT_80 = 2438 FT_90 = 2743

FT_94 = 2865 FT_95 = 2895 FT_96 = 2926 FT_100 = 3048 FT_105 = 3200 FT_110 = 3350 FT_120 = 3658 FT_130 = 3962

FT_140 = 4268 FT_145 = 4418 FT_150 = 4572

EPI_Y_RADIUS = 10.000000 This is used in conjunction with EPI_RADIUS(see below).These two values change the size of the Enemy Position Indicator. The default ratio

of Radius to Y Radius is 5 to 1. To keep the same default orientation we suggest you keep to this ratio. The numbers are in pixels. PAN_SPEED_FACTOR = 3.000000 Determines the panning-speed in the 3d world (this includes the „photo‟ screen in the campaign!) Changing from 1 to 2 for example will double the regular panning speed. If the pan view is too fast for you, reduce to 1. This also affects the speed in death views.

HIRES_LANDSCAPE_OFFSET = 0.400000 Best left at 0.400000 which is the prime setting. Intended as a graphics developer‟s tool. For example if you change it to 1.400000, then you can see exactly how all the mapped tiles are placed, because each tile will have a sea colored border line. This is actually the underlying sea showing.

ART_HORIZON_SIZE = 40.000000 This setting determines the size of the Artificial Horizon in pixels. EPI_RADIUS = 50.000000 Used in conjunction with EPI_Y_RADIUS (see above) UI_REFRESH = 60.000000 Allows you to set the refresh rate of the monitor in Hertz.


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TEMP_AGTL_DIST = 3000.000000

TEMP_AG_DIST = 3000.000000 For use with Autogen. See Appendix F. RETICLE_SIZE_BIAS = 1.000000 Unknown. Use only if directed to by a BDG coder. Jump_Test_Tool_Percent_X = 0.000 Jump_Test_Tool_Percent_Y = 0.000

Jump_Test_Tool_Percent_Z = 0.000 Do not adjust. These are for doing Jump/Warp analysis of the Artificial Intelligence Aircraft. User should only change these at the request of a BDG dev coder Novice_AI_Airspeed_Fraction = 0.000 Allows the user to adjust the speed of the AI aircraft as a percentage of “stock” speed. Lowering the number, for example to 65.00 means that the AI will now operate at 35% slower than the regular speed. This

parameter is useful for novice pilots or children who are just learning BoB II and can be overwhelmed by the manoeuvreability and lethalit y of the AI aircraft. External_View_Starting_Distance = 3.100000 This sets the starting distance from the A/C in external view The default is 3.1 which fixes slight vibration in external view by increasing the distance slightly. For anyone who wants/needs (for Pic‟s or close inspections) the

“old” distance set to 1.3. External_View_Zoom_Distance = 50.000000 Sets the max zoom distance from the camera (player A/C) in external view default = 50.To zoom out farther set to 60,70,80,etc.Mainly for movie makers like MP SPIN PARAMETERS: See the section “A Spin Is A Beautiful Thing” in

Chapter Five for a detailed explanation of how to adjust the following seven spin parameters.

Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.500000

Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000

These entries are reserved or used internally for spin control processing. Value shown here does not matter.


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Player_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.250000

Sets the wing angle of attack trigger point for spinning for the Spitfire, when player-flown. Units are degrees. The range of valid values is 12.000000 and up. A setting of 0.000000 will result in no spins. Refer to the section “A Spin Is A Beautiful Thing” in Chapter Five for a detailed

explanation of how to adjust the two key spin parameters, Spin AOA Control and Spin Rotational Velocity Control.

Player_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.000000

Sets the rotational velocity trigger point for spinning. Units are degrees

per second. The range of valid values is 1.000000 and up. Again, this particular setting is for the Spitfire, when player-flown.

Player_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000

Player_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control =

10.000000

Player_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 20.500000

Player_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 10.250000

Player_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 20.500000

Player_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 10.250000

Player_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 19.250000

Player_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 9.750000

Player_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000

Player_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control =

4.250000

Per the explanation for the Spitfire, these settings are used for these other aircraft when flown by the player. Values shown here are the defaults for Patch 2.10.

AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000

AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000

As above, these entries are reserved or used internally for AI spin control processing – value does not matter.

AI_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.250000


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Sets the wing angle of attack trigger point for spinning, when the Spitfire is AI-flown. The range of valid values is 12.000000 and up. A setting of 0.000000 will result in no spins for the AI Spitfires.

AI_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.000000

Sets the rotational velocity trigger point for spinning, for the AI-flown Spitfire. The range of valid values is 1.000000 and up.

AI_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000

AI_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 10.000000

AI_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 19.250000

AI_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.750000

AI_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 19.250000

AI_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 8.750000

AI_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 19.250000

AI_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 9.750000

AI_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000

AI_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000

Per the explanation for the AI Spitfire, these settings are applied when

these aircraft are flown by the AI. Values shown here are the defaults for Patch 2.10.

Spin_AISkill_Equal_Veteran = 150.000000

Spin_AISkill_GreaterOrEqual_Ace = 100.000000

Spin_AISkill_LessOrEqual_Regular = 200.000000

These settings establish the AI pilot‟s reaction time to a spin condition; i.e. elapsed time between departure from controlled flight and recovery inputs being initiated. The default numbers shown here set the delay, in hundreds of a second, for various AI skill levels – higher AI skill levels react more quickly. Use larger values if you wish to see the AI aircraft spinning longer. In v.2.10 the following Bdg.txt parameters for Spin control was added for

both the AI and the player. The player will not need to change the spin setting when flying different flyable A/C (done at player request). Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 0.000000 #Used/reserved by Buddye for spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter


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Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 0.000000 #Used/reserved by Buddye for spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter

Player_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #Player Spitfire,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #Player Spitfire Player_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.500000 #Player Hurricane,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player Hurricane)

Player_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player BF109,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player BF109 Player_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player BF110,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player BF110 Player_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player JU87,set to 0.0

Means no spins for Player Player_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 6.000000 #Player JU87 Player_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #Player Tigermoth,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #Player Tigermoth AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 0.000000 #Used/Reserved by Buddye for AI spin

control processing, Note - Value does not matter AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 0.000000 #Used/Reserved by Buddye for AI spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter AI_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #AI Spitfire,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #AI Spitfire AI_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.500000 #AI Hurricane,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C

AI_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI Hurricane AI_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI BF109,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI BF109 AI_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI BF110,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI BF110


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AI_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI JU87,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C

AI_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 6.000000 #AI JU87 AI_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #AI Tigermoth,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #AI Tigermoth Wind_Effects_Fraction = 0.250 #Set to 1.00 for full wind effects. This allows the user to adjust the

“force” of the wind effects as a percentage. Set at 0.25 means that the wind effects are 25% of the regular full wind effects. This is useful for less experienced pilots to test different levels of wind effects rather than just on or off. Collision_Avoidance_Rear_End = 10.000000 Collision_Avoidance_Head_On = 15.000000 Used in conjunction with Collision_Detection_And_Avoidance these allow the user to set the time in seconds that an AI Pilot will take to avoid a

collision GEAR_IMPACT_THRESHOLD_1 = 0.1666 Unknown. GEAR_IMPACT_THRESHOLD_2 = 0.3300 Unknown. GEAR_ROLLING_SOUND = 1.0000 Unknown.

SPITFIRE_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.150000

SPITFIRE_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 0.550000

SPITFIRE_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.100000

HURRICANE_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000

HURRICANE_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 0.500000

HURRICANE_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.050000

BF109_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 0.900000

BF109_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 0.550000

BF109_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.100000

BF110_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 0.950000

BF110_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 0.550000

BF110_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.100000

JU87B_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 0.850000


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JU87B_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 0.500000

JU87B_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000

TigerMoth_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000

TigerMoth_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000

TigerMoth_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000

Provided “Reduce Surface Deflection” is set to “ON” elsewhere in

the .bdg file, these settings adjust the rate at which achievable

control surface deflection reduces, with increases in dynamic

pressure (which basically is a function of altitude and airspeed). This can apply to either or both player- and AI-flown aircraft, as

desired. The larger the value used, the greater the available

deflection at a given dynamic pressure. Deviations from the above

defaults may necessitate adjustments to player/AI spin settings. These are adjustments for flight model changes used by the FM Engineer.Leave.

AUTO_SHAPE_CHANGE = 000000 Unknown DEBUG_STUTTER= 0 This variable tells the program to send output to a file used for debugging. Do not change it unless asked by a (cue drum roll) BDG coder. This option can slow your game down tremendously.

OPTIMISE_OBJECTS_DURING_RUNTIME=OFF This is now left off due to a “gigantic buildings” bug that has been introduced with the new buildings

DELETE_MODELS_FOLDER_CONTENTS=OFF Effect unknown.

FIX_OBJECTADDS=ON

Set to ON fixed seemingly unexplained crashes, collisions and

explosion problems on take-off and landing at certain airfields that

affected a limited number of users.

EVERYTHING_OBSCURES_TERRAIN=OFF This is to make sure nothing gets occluded by the terrain. This is wrong, for example the lower part of a house might be beneath the surface or


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looking at a hill, houses behind it should be occluded by the terrain. Mainly used for terrain modeling purposes so leave OFF. However,if

video making, and none of these cases occur in your screenshot or video and if you use a small NEAR_CLIP_NON_COCKPIT this variable allows you to kludge it. It is suggested using this variable whenever you use a (very) small NEAR_CLIP_NON_COCKPIT.

ALLOW_ULTRA_HIGH_FOVS=OFF Set to ON if you use TripleHead2Go. This will allow the user to use all

three monitors DRAW_MENU_ON_3D_SCREEN=ON Effect unknown. DISABLE_ALL_2D_ELEMENTS=OFF Recommended leave OFF. Set to ON, it disables all 2D parts of the 3D view. Can be used for example by movie makers that do not want a HUD, infoline, EPI, radio menu, etc.

ENGINE_ALWAYS_RUNNING=OFF Toggles the engine running on or off. Very useful to have ON in the IA and Campaign missions where the player is starting from the airfield and has to take off – especially with wingmen involved. With this setting OFF in those missions, your wingmen typically take off and are on their way much sooner than the player can get his engine started. Even with this setting on one can still use the interactive cockpit controls to shut off the engine (if Manual Engine management has been enabled in the GUI

menu). HEAD_BOBBING=ON If this option is set to ON, your “virtual” head will move in response to the G-forces that you are pulling with your aircraft. Your screen will move with no panning inputs from you, this feature works independently of the Blackout/Whiteout/Redout effects your pilot may experience.

SHOW_INFOLINE_BACKGROUND=OFF Toggles the infoline background. SKINNERS_MODE=OFF Used for “on the fly” texture editing. You can edit textures while the game is running. Set to ON will force the windowed mode, and change the following two bdg.txt line items below to ON.


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CHECK_TEXTURES_ARE_AS_EXPECTED=OFF Used for “on the fly” texture editing. Easier to just set

SKINNERS_MODE= ON - see above AUTO_TEXTURE_CHANGE=OFF Used for “on the fly” texture editing. Easier to just set SKINNERS_MODE= ON – see above USE_HIRES_LANDSCAPE_TILES=ON Toggles ON or OFF hi resolution landscape tile textures. Set this to OFF

if your video graphics card has less than 64 MB or memory.

BOB_DISABLE_ENGINE_CUTOUT=OFF Enables/Disables the engine cutout British fighters experienced when they entered a negative G dive. This is because in the early model Spitfires and Hurricanes gravity-fed carburetors were used instead of fuel injected systems used by the German fighters. To avoid the engine cut out, RAF fighters had to first roll inverted before entering a dive. This feature only works if the complex engine management is enabled in the in game GUI

configuration screen. BOB_DISABLE_STALL_HORN=OFF If set to ON the player will hear a stall warning horn if the engine is operated at less than 25% power (throttle) while flying the RAF aircraft. BOB_BOMBERFIX=ON This is an improvement over the original bomber behaviors when they are

attacked and damaged. When set to ON, the bombers will do the following if the engine damage reaches a certain level. First, with the lower damage the bomber will break formation and head for home or the crew will bail out (rookie crew). If the engine damage increases, the crew will bail out, the bomber will crash (crew overcome by toxic smoke) or the bomber will explode – caused by a fuel fire or bullet hitting the detonator cap on one of the bombs aboard the aircraft. LEAVE this setting ON.

NO_HEAD_BOBBING_WHILE_PADLOCK=OFF When an aircraft or object is padlocked, the Head Bobbing is disabled if this option is set to ON. Once the padlock is broken, the head bobbing with G effects resumes.

BOB_FIGHTERFIX=ON Similar to the BOB_BOMBERFIX, this is an improvement to the original fighter behavior when they are attacked and damaged. The fighters


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(including the JU87 Stuka in this case), if and only if the engine damage reaches a certain level, the fighter will crash (crew overcome with toxic

smoke), the crew will bail out (if and only if the canopy is not damaged), or if the crew can not bail out due to canopy damage then it will crash, or the fighter will explode.

BOB_PADLOCKFIX=OFF In a previous version of BoB, a new padlock mode was added that removed the strange “upside-down” view one got when diving after an aircraft. Unfortunately, you may see a video stutter problem on rolling

your aircraft with this feature activated. To enable this feature, set to ON. CONTINUE_QUIT_BOX_CAMPAIGN=ON Upon completing the mission requirements in an individual mission within campaign, a pop-up window will appear asking if you want to continue or quit the mission. Changing this to OFF will stop the pop-up window from appearing once the mission requirement(s) have been achieved.

CONTINUE_QUIT_BOX_QUICK=OFF Upon completing the mission requirements in an Instant Action mission, a pop-up window will appear asking if you want to continue or quit the mission. Changing this option to OFF will stop the pop-up window from appearing once the mission requirement(s) have been achieved. FIX_KEYBOARD_RUDDER=OFF Fixes an error to allow the keyboard to fully deflect the rudder to the same

degree a joystick would be able to. If you use rudder input from a joystick, rudder pedals, or twist grip, do not enable this feature.

DEBUG_ROLL=OFF Debugging feature for coders. Leave off unless otherwise requested during testing.

PRELOAD_STANDARD_FILES=ON

Enables program to load standard .bin files during mission generation. This removes some of the stutters seen during action when these files are loaded. AUTOMATIC_PRELOAD=ON When you fly a quick mission for the first time, the computer remembers what files it was required to load during the game play and writes this information into a file. The next time you fly the same mission, these files


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are preloaded. This removes the “hiccup” or stutter that occurs when the file would be loaded during your flight in 3D. The whole process is totally

automatic and currently only works with quick missions. We recommend setting this to “ON”. VIEW_TIME_FUDGE=OFF Effect unknown. DEBUG_RUDDER=OFF Debugging feature for coders. Leave off unless otherwise requested during testing.

SKIP_QUICKVIDEOS=OFF Toggle ON or OFF Instant historical video clips SKIP_VIDEOS=OFF Toggle ON or OFF the historical video clips in the various campaign menus. SHORTENED_LABELS=OFF

Toggles on or off the full or an abbreviated aircraft label. This will only work if aircraft names have been enabled in the in-game GUI menu.

HIDE_AMMO_COUNTER=ON Set OFF displays your remaining ammo count in the Infoline. ALWAYS_BEHIND_GUNSIGHT=ON In “real life” the Messerschmitt BF-109 gun sight (as well as the Stuka‟s)

was off-centre from the pilot‟s seated position. He was nonetheless able to align his eye to the gunsight without shifting his head over simply by using one eye to aim. The off-centered nature of the gun sight by default thus mirrors the fact that we have a pair of eyes that are not in the middle of our heads. In-game, there is only one “camera” simulated eye which IS in the middle of the virtual head. So if the virtual head is centered in the cockpit it is not going to be centered behind the gunsight. By setting this BDG.txt feature ON the pilot will always be aligned behind the gun

sight.

BOB_SMOOTHER_DEADZONE=ON Set ON creates a smoother transition from the centre point of the deadzone to the maximum deflection point on your joystick. If you have no deadzone on your control configuration then activating this feature may have little impact. For those that do, this feature should make aircraft movements smoother and easier to control.


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Bullet_DragGravity=OFF

Toggles on or off the effect of gravity on bullets fired. Leaving this OFF makes your fire more accurate but is less realistic. Bullet_Dispersion=ON Toggles bullet dispersion on or off. When set to ON, as in real life, bullets will spread out the further away they travel from the barrel, making your shots less accurate. When set to OFF, the bullets will travel like a laser beam so you are more accurate but is less true to the real life behavior of

bullets. The dispersion is 4 meters at 400 yards (max) for fighters and 16 meters for hand operated guns (Max). The dispersion radius decreases as the range to the target decreases at the same rate (100 meters = 1 meter, 200 meters = 2 meters, 300 meters = 3 meters). With v2.09 the following adjustable parameters were added Dispersion_Bomber_Gunner_Player = 450 Dispersion_Bommer_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_Flyable_Planes_Player = 100

Dispersion_Front_Cannons_AI = 100 Dispersion_Def_JU87_Front_Guns_AI = 100 Dispersion_Heavy_Fighters_Front_Guns_AI = 100 Dispersion_Def_Rear_Gunner_AI = 150 Dispersion_JU87_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_BF110_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_Veteran_Regular_Skill_Increment = 10 Dispersion_Poor_Novice_Skill_Increment = 10

No_Spinning_Death=OFF Changing this to ON will eliminate the spinning outside view when your virtual pilot is killed or crashes, and you will instead see a fade-in to red screen. Friendly_Fire=ON With Friendly_Fire=ON, the AI can shoot any AI or the player, and with

Friendly_Fire=OFF, friendly AI can not shoot other Friendly AI or the friendly player.ON is the Default Allow_Commander_Campaign_Sack=ON This will stop a campaign if your civilian superiors judge your performance to be inadequate. To prevent the commander campaign sack set to OFF


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Campaign_Break_Off_Code=ON This controls the campaign breakoff code. If ON the break off code will be

applied which is the default. Set to OFF and the breakoff is skipped. This allows the player can chase the enemy AI back to base and it will fight and evade. Be warned it also permits the enemy AI to chase you back to base.

Permit_Annoying_Radio_chatter=ON This is used to stop the annoying unnecessary chatter (SHOOTHIM and slow down I can not keep up). The default is ON. Set the parameter to OFF to stop.

Use_The_Spinout_Maneuver=ON This works when you shoot at a enemy AI and score a hit or near miss. If the targeted AI is Damage = Yes (a specific amount of damage that that will send the targeted AI home (movecode =DISENGAGED or SCREWYOUIMGOINGHOME), then the targeted AI will have a 20% (medium) chance of a “Spinout”. If the targeted AI is Damaged = No, then the targeted AI has the following percent chance of a “Spinout” based on skill level:

NOVICE and POOR = 20% REGULAR and VETERAN = 15% ACE and HERO = 10% This tries to simulate the different skill level AI pilot‟s surprise and “ham fisted” reaction to being targeted, surprised, and shot at and the fact that a damaged A/C will tend to spinout when the AI pilot over reacts. The default is set to “ON”.

Do_You_Want_AI_AC_To_Spin=ON Set this to “OFF” in order to preclude spins by all AI-flown

aircraft. Do_You_Want_To_Fight_The_Terminator_AI=OFF

#Note: Only valid for IA Missions. If set to ON, you will fight “The Terminator” AI. The Terminator will not disengage (except when they kill an enemy) and they will not go home. It is a fight to the death for both the wingmen (friendly) and the enemy AI (unless one gets too far out of the 8,000 meter visible range). The Terminator is as aggressive as Hero and Ace and may even ram you as he does not care about being killed. The Terminator has a weakness as his defense is rather normal as his focus is on offense. As the fight continues, more Terminator AIs will be

assigned to target the player. The Goal of the Terminator Skill level is to challenge the player to try and survive the 12-on-12 Random Advantage


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Instant Mission and be the last one standing with your wingmen‟s help. Good luck.

Padlock_Enemy_AI_Targeting_Player=OFF To padlock the enemy AI that is targeting the player,set to ON and press the ALT+F1 key. Remember that the only time a enemy is targeting the player is during combat (movecode = AUTOCOMBAT). If no enemy AI is targeting the player you will get the “View Not Available” message at the lower left of the screen. If the default is used (OFF) then the ALT+F1 key will do its default function (Padlock the enemy AI leader most of the time,

using the player‟s enemy pointer (called ai.unfriendly). Novice_AI=OFF The enemy AI aircraft in BoBII are very sophisticated and have many potential manoeuvres at their disposal for defense and attack. They can be a very challenging foe, in many cases as good or better than skilled human opponents in some on-line combat flight sims. This BDG text parameter is intended for novice pilots or children who may be overwhelmed or discouraged by the skill of the enemy AI. When this item

is set to ON the user will have a little less aggressive but hopefully still challenging subset of AI manoeuvres so they can better enjoy and learn how to fight in BoBII. This option is only valid in Instant Action missions, not the Campaign.

Novice_Target_Size=OFF Similar to the Novice AI setting, this is intended for novice or junior pilots. Setting this to ON makes the hit box of the enemy AI larger and easier to

hit and destroy. Novice_Stronger_Bullets=OFF Again, this is one of several Novice parameters intended to make BoBII easier for less experienced pilots or children. This feature when set to ON, makes the player‟s bullets about 20% stronger than normal.

Novice_Gunnery_Predictor=OFF

You MUST have a target padlocked for the predictor to work. This is a rather cool feature to sharpen your deflection shooting practice and for newbies to learn and practice. Bullets and cannon take time to travel to the target and the target is also often moving at high speed. The predictor calculates where the aim point should be in order for the bullets/cannons to converge on the target. A big red “X” is drawn where you need to shoot to hit the enemy AI. You can cycle the padlocked target through the various enemy AI using the F1 key or your wingmen AI using the F2 key.


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The small stick A/C reflects the enemy AI (below) or the friendly AI (above). A red small stick A/C means the AI is damaged and the black

stick A/C means undamaged. Thanks to Retro for this feature. Testing_Do_Not_Shoot=OFF Used For Testing to Prevent the AI from shooting

Rain_Switch=ON Sets rain ON or OFF in Poor or Inclement missions.

Collision_Detection_And_Avoidance=ON #NOTE CDAA must be set to ON to do Collision Detection And Avoidance. Also check the other two CA BDG.txt parameters for correct values, if needed. When set to ON, enemy aircraft will attempt to avoid a collision with you. In very high speed or abrupt course changes, even if this is set to ON, a collision may still be unavoidable. BF109_Bf110_Slats_Open_Close_Sounds=ON The BF109 and Bf110 had slats on the leading edge of the wing that would

open automatically under certain conditions when approaching a stall. The slats were designed to delay the onset of the stall. When the slats opened or closed, they often did so with a very loud audible “bang” – heard even over the sound of the very loud engine. To rookie pilots this sound was often loud enough to be confused with being hit by the bullets of an attacking aircraft or AAA. Setting this to ON enables the slat open/close sound if you are piloting the Bf109 or Bf110.

Scott_PS_Log=OFF Do Not Adjust. A dev tool used for testing.

Your_2dGauges_Work_In_Autopilot=OFF

Intended for FM flight test purposes only. When set to “ON”, the

player‟s 2D gauges will continue to function when AutoPilot is

engaged.

AutoPilot_Kludge=OFF

Intended for FM flight test purposes only. When set to “ON”, a

rudimentary autopilot mode is engaged, which attempts to hold the

player‟s aircraft at a fixed airspeed, altitude, throttle setting and

heading. Used in conjunction with the “your 2D gauges work in

autopilot” switch discussed earlier. DEATH_BREAKS_PADLOCK=OFF


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Default is OFF. When set to OFF, the padlock will persist a short time after death of the AI so that the player can “follow” the padlocked A/C to

his death. If set to ON, the padlock will be broken immediately after the padlocked AI is killed. To break a padlock at any time, press ESC or padlock a different AI.

Show_MoveCodes=OFF If set to ON, the AI‟s manouvre code state will be displayed instead of the AI type when the “T” key has been pressed.

RAF_Breaksoff_Before_France=OFF This will allow the RAF AI to either chase the Luftwaffe across the Channel to France or breakoff beforehand. Default is OFF and the RAF will continue the fight until normal Go Home criteria is met (Ammo, Fuel, Damage). If set to ON, the RAF fighters will breakoff and go home before they reach France.

AI_Always_Sees_Enemy=OFF

Wingmen_Always_Sees_Enemy=OFF

These parameters allow the AI to “see” the player and other AI in conditions they normally would not see them (i.e, when the plane has moved under the cowling or is off to the back). Setting these to ON may increase the perceived aggression and willingness to engage.

PLAYER_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON When set to “ON”, the amount of rudder, aileron and elevator movement available to the player is realistically reduced as dynamic pressure

increases. The relative rates of reduction, by aircraft and control surface, are established elsewhere in the .bdg file. At very high airspeed and low altitude, only a small percentage of full control surface deflection remains, meaning that high speed dives can be very dangerous.

AI_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON As above, but for the AI-flown aircraft. The “ON” default is recommended as this has been shown to improve the smoothness of the

AI‟s manoeuvring. START_FROM_PEN=OFF Realistically, often when a pilot began a mission, he started from the pen the aircraft was moved to after flight. These aircraft pens were designed to support the aircraft and add to their survivability during an air raid. Now you can start from this position instead of the open field. This feature only works with the quick mission “Basic/Take-off”, and if you


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choose an airfield with no aircraft pens you will start near hangers or trees. It will also only work with the aircraft small enough to fit in pens

(not the BF110).

HIDE_POWER_INFO=ON Toggles on or off the display of the engine power (throttle) expressed as a percentage in the Infoline.

USE_NATIONAL_UNITS=ON When set to ON, this displays information in the correct unit of measure as

used by either the RAF (imperial) or Germans (metric).

FADING_LABELS=ON When set to ON, AI labels will fade away as they get farther and farther away in the distance.

LOCK_GUNNER_VIEW_TO_GUN=ON OUCH! Set to OFF, all Gunners are restricted to facing forward!! Also with TRACKIR, allows you to look around without having to slew the MG

in the same direction. OBJECT_PLACEMENT_MODE=OFF Used only when placing ground objects using the ObjectAdds method. Leave it OFF for gameplay.

NO_PILOT_IN_ROVING_CAM=OFF This only affects the external view 3d model. You can make screenshots of

the A/C without the pilot figure being inside.

3D_MODELLER_MODE=OFF Enables some features for 3D modelers to test/debug their models in-game. Specifically, it reserves the number of keys for modeler use. Explained in more depth in the 3D Modeler‟s Pack.

VIDEO_MAKING_MODE=OFF

Used for making videos, it can also be used for making screenshots. It enables these keys: 5 6 decrease/increase cockpit near z by step 7 8 decrease/increase step 9 start replay(videos only) TEXT_REMINDERS=ON


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Set on will allow the text reminders to show in-game such as “Game Paused”, “Continue, Quit?”

TRACKIR6DOF=OFF If the player has the Track IR device with Vector Expansion enabled, set this to ON in order to be able to use the Vector Expansion (6 degrees of freedom of movement) capability.

CUSTOM_HEAD_POSITION=OFF This needs to be set to ON to be able to use the HEAD commands which

allows the user to customise the pilots head position(See Appendix H).

USE_DESKTOP_RESOLUTION=ON Also selectable in-game GUI menu. Set ON will force 3D resolution to use your desktop resolution. Previously was advised to set to on to reduce crashes to desktop (CTDs). May no longer be needed after 2.04 patch.

INVERT_EXTERNAL_PAN=OFF

Set on will reverse joystick hat-switch panning axes in external view. NO_FOV_RESET=OFF Allows you to retain a custom Field of View set while in 3D rather than the game automatically switching you back to the initial FOV setting when coming off padlock. Very handy.

ENABLE_AUTO_TEXTURE_RES=ON

Change to 'OFF' will affect one session only, IOW BoB will write 'ON' back over it. USE_PCX_OR_DDS=ON Change to 'OFF' will affect one session only, IOW BoB will write 'ON' back over it. SELECT_QS_SQUADRONS=ON

Allows more choices in Instant Action missions when selecting aircraft. Set OFF gives only one unit choice per aircraft type. GAME_PAUSE=OFF This enables the game to be in a “paused” state on mission start just after the loading of the mission has been completed. Hit the “P” key to pause/un-pause.


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Do_You_Want_Flak_Over_France=OFF # ON = Player Gets Flak Over France or OFF = Player Gets No Flak Over France

The default is OFF as that is the current implementation. Increase_Flak_and_AAA_Rate_Of_Fire=OFF # ON = increase the Ground Flak and AAA rate of Fire or OFF = Stay with the same Flak and AAA rate of fire as in the BOBII Gun specs The default is OFF which is the current way the game is set up and operates, but if you have the Processing power and enjoys some AAA and Flak tension give it a try.

Flak_Size_In_Meters = 11.0 #The flak size is used to force major damage to an A/C when the flak overlaps the A/C. Used to Simulate a A/C significant flak hit. The default is 11.0 meters (flak is about 10 meters and a Spitfire wing is about 12 meters, so 5 meters radius for flak and 6 meters for the Spitfire = 11 meters). If you fly mostly against bombers you may want to increase the Flak Size Parameter. You will know when it is a flak hit as the left or right wing will rip off very

suddenly, or both tail fins will rip off, and the pilot will bail out.. This parameter is for Stickman who says that the odds of getting hit by flak in 1940 were about the same as drawing a Royal Flush in poker. For those interested in getting flak hits at a very low but they will happen sometimes (or to test the feature), my testing has shown a Flak_Size_In_Meters=25 will get infrequent but possible flak hits. Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire=ON # ON = Player 'Gets' Flak

and AAA fire or OFF = Player Gets 'No' Flak and AAA fire. For saving processor resources. The default is ON as that is the way it is now but Beta Testers have noticed increased processing (as the bugs fixed permits additional fire) when the Flak and AAA is in full fire mode. Also may help customers with weaker PC‟s to save some processing.

Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire_if_Friendly_within_1000_Mete

rs= ON # ON = Flak and AAA when friendly is within 1000 meters or OFF = No Flak and AAA fire when friendly is within 1000 meters The default is ON as that the way it is now (all AAA and flak fire at enemy target). Many players will want AAA and flak off to prevent friendly A/C form being hit. In addition, large dog fights take significant processing power so limiting the flak and AAA will be a help for some. On the other hand it is fun to dog fight around flak and AAA as it just adds to the stress level if you have the processor grunt.


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Do_You_Want_Increase_Firing_Rate_Of_Hand_Held_Gunners=

OFF # ON = Increased Firing rate to Historic for hand held guns OFF = Leave the firing rate as implemented currently

NOTE REGARDING AUTOGEN ITEMS: Enables autogen trees, cows, haystacks etc. # AutoGen stuff (experimental): ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON/OFF

TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=1192

TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=62

This creates dense forests of two tree types,, but users with weaker systems should delete one of these lines. Yes, you need both lines. Just copy and paste, or type it longhand.

Weaker systems will need TEMP_AG_SN[15,0]=62 or TEMP_AG_SN[15,1]=62 (the number after the comma is a density setting). For those what want to know this means: -place object 1192 (a beech) on areatype 15 (forest) with medium density (2). -place object 62 (an oak) on areatype 15 (forest) with high density (3).

Use together with the following to populate the landscape with livestock and haystacks

ADD_SHEEP_COWS_AND_HAYSTACKS=ON Render_Sheep_View_Radius= # Gives a RADIUS around your plane where the sheep are: 0 none 1 only very near 2 very near + near 3 very near + near + fairly near

Only used if ADD_SHEEP_COWS_AND_HAYSTACKS is on. LANDSCAPE_TEXTURE_SIZE = 2048 Should be set to 0 for low spec systems. Enables or disables the 2048x2048 resolution terrain tiles

Do_You_Want_Random_Mixed_Squad_skills=ON Enables or disables mixed skill levels with squadrons or staffeln. If turned

OFF, all pilots in a squadron will have the same skill level.

Appendix B : Cockpits

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APPENDIX B: Cockpits SPITFIRE


310

HURRICANE


311

BF109


312

BF110


313

STUKA


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APPENDIX C: Keycards, Padlocks and Views

KEY CARDS The following keycards are courtesy of Stickman.

Larger file format versions

Better suited for printing can also be downloaded here:

http://www.angelfire.com/mech/stickman1/KeyGuides_v2.zip

http://www.angelfire.com/mech/stickman1/KeyGuides_v2.zip

Appendix C : Keycards, Padlocks and Views

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316


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PADLOCKING SYSTEM & THE VIEW

KEYS:

A quick recap of some of the various padlock and view keys. This is not necessarily EVERY single view command but at least the most frequently used. Key commands are in ITALICS. Consider mapping some of these to your joystick. PADLOCK TOGGLE = ENTER - this toggles on or off the padlock of whatever plane you have padlocked. Once you have a plane padlocked, hit ENTER and the padlock will turn off. Hit ENTER again and the same plane

as before will be padlocked. This command does NOT cycle the padlock from one plane to the next. BREAK PADLOCK = ESC - this breaks the current padlock PADLOCK DIAMOND - DRAW OR DON'T DRAW = SHIFT+T - this command toggles on or off the drawing of the padlock diamond. It is NOT the command to padlock, rather only whether or not the red diamond is

drawn or not over the plane that is padlocked. In other words, you can have a plane padlocked but choose whether or not to have the diamond drawn around it. LABELS ON/OFF = T - toggles on/off the aircraft labels

ENEMY VIEWS: NEAREST ENEMY = CTRL+F1 - padlocks the nearest enemy aircraft NEXT ENEMY = F1 - padlocks the next enemy aircraft

PREVIOUS ENEMY = SHIFT+F1 - padlocks the previous enemy aircraft

FRIENDLY VIEWS: NEAREST FRIENDLY = CTRL+F2 - padlocks the nearest friendly aircraft NEXT FRIENDLY = F2 - padlocks the next friendly aircraft PREVIOUS FRIENDLY = SHIFT+F2 - padlocks the previous friendly aircraft

GROUND TARGETS: MAIN GROUND TARGET = CTRL+F3 – main target of a ground attack mission NEXT GROUND TARGET = F3 - padlocks the next ground target NEAREST 2 TARGETS = SHIFT+F3 - the nearest two ground targets


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WAYPOINTS: NEXT WAYPOINT = F4 - padlocks the next waypoint

PREVIOUS WAYPOINT = SHIFT+F4 - padlocks the previous waypoint COCKPIT VIEW = F7 OUTSIDE VIEW = F6 NO COCKPIT = F8 INSIDE/OUTSIDE TOGGLE VIEW = BACKSPACE

PANNING YOUR VIEWPOINT = Several ways to do this: Joystick hatswitch; Mouse; or NUMPAD KEYS 1-9 as follows: VIEWPOINTS WITH NUMPAD KEYS - with these the viewpoint moves as indicated and stays there. Press NUMPAD 5 to re-center RE-CENTER VIEW = NUMPAD 5 LOOK UP = NUMPAD 8

LOOK DOWN = NUMPAD 2 LOOK LEFT/RIGHT = NUMPAD 4 or NUMPAD 6 LOOK UP & LEFT OR UP & RIGHT = NUMPAD 7 or NUMPAD 9 LOOK DOWN & LEFT OR DOWN & RIGHT = NUMPAD 1 or

NUMPAD 3 GLANCE LEFT/RIGHT = INSERT or PAGEUP GLANCE BACK & LEFT or BACK & RIGHT = DELETE or PAGE DOWN ZOOM IN/OUT FIELD OF VIEW * = CTRL+NUMPAD PLUS or

CTRL+NUMPAD MINUS * NOTE: Adjust your min/max and other FOV settings in the OPTIONS>>>ADV. FIELD OF VIEW menu EXIT GAME = ALT+X


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PADLOCKING THE CENTRAL ENEMY – a/k/a “S” Key:

The "S" key function is extremely useful and I use it all the time. I have one of my joystick buttons programmed to this key. IMPORTANT: This function of drawing the box with the "S" key will only work if Draw Padlock Centre Box is selected in the ADVANCED>>>GAME menu. It can also be done via the BDG.TXT file in the line: DRAW_PADLOCK_CENTER_BOX=ON or OFF

It is also important to understand that the red box drawn this way is NOT the same thing as the padlock diamond. In order to see the padlock diamond once an object has been padlocked, press SHIFT+T. This only toggles the drawing of the diamond on or off, not the actual padlocking of objects. You can thus have a plane padlocked but the diamond will not be drawn - if you wish. Once a plane is padlocked BTW, the ENTER key toggles on and off the padlock of the very same plane until you padlock a different plane.

HOW THE "S" KEY WORKS: When you press and hold the "S" key, a red box is drawn in the center of your view. If an enemy plane is within the box and you then release the "S" key, that plane is now padlocked. Another really cool feature that apparently many users are not aware of is

that the Red Box can be MOVED around the screen. While pressing and holding the "S" key, move the box around the screen by: - moving the joystick hat switch to pan the view - move your mouse to pan the view - use the numpad keys 1 through 9 to move the viewpoint (numpad 5 returns

to the centered view) - if you have Track IR wherever you are looking the box will also be moved The red box will thus move wherever you are panning your view. So you can "look" the red box anywhere on the screen at an enemy plane you wish to padlock, when the plane is within the box release the "S" key and it will be so.


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The SIZE of the red box can also be changed. This is in the ADVANCED>>>FIELD OF VIEW menu. Its size can also be altered with

the following two lines in the BDG.TXT file: PC_PITCH = 10.000 PC_HDG = 10.000 The default values are 10. Larger is a bigger box, smaller is a smaller box. Don't make the box too big because if there are multiple A/C within the box at the moment you release the "S" key, the one you wanted may not be the

one that is padlocked. The larger the box, the more frequent you will have multiple planes within it. Too small and it is too hard to get the box over the plane. You can cycle through different A/C within the box - simply press hold and release the "S" key repeatedly until the plane you want is the one padlocked.

Appendix D : Radio Commands

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APPENDIX D: Radio Commands

Radio command table appears on following page to allow printing on a single page.

NOTES to radio commands: 1. Regarding the Combat command “Attack My Target” (Help!) (R-3-

5): This command will work only when you have an enemy plane padlocked. One of your wingmen will attack the padlocked target and the rest of your wingmen will attack the padlocked targets‟ other remaining wingmen.

2. Regarding the Combat command “Break!” (R-3-3): This command

was modified slightly from before and is intended to allow the player to force his wingmen to break off of a target or do an evasive maneouvre if under threat. Some users found the incidents of "poaching" (your wingmen shooting at the player's target) can be found to be annoying at times. When you see a "Poacher" hit R-3-3. If he is within 300 meters of the player‟s A/C, he will set to disengage (non-fighting movecode). If he is greater than 300 meters he will do an evasive maneuvre (normal R-3-3 as it has always worked) and stay engaged on his target. The

disengage should give the player time to take care of his target. The friendly will re-engage on the closes enemy AI in about 45 seconds. This affects ALL friendly A/C so use of this command can put your team at a disadvantage if they are all currently engaging a target.

3. Viewing the subject of current heard message: After calling out one

of the tower commands, one can padlock the location of the ground control tower that is responding by pressing the F5 key. The key must

be pressed WHILE the response message is being played back. Padlock diamond drawing must also have been previously enabled with SHIFT+T.


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Radio

Keys

Fighters (Spitfire,

Hurricane, BF109)

Fighter Bombers

(JU87, BF110)

Group Info R-1-1 Report in Report in

R-1-2 Report position Report position

R-1-3 Fuel check Fuel check

R-1-4 Report status Report status

R-1-5 Tight left turn now Tight left turn now

R-1-6 Tight right turn now Tight right turn now

Pre-Combat

R-2-1 Test guns Test guns

R-2-2 Patrol position Patrol position

R-2-3 E/A vector E/A vector

R-2-4 Airborne Airborne

R-2-5 Give freedom Give freedom

R-2-6 Take command Take command

Combat

R-3-1 Bandits! Bandits!

R-3-2 Sighting request Sighting request

R-3-3 Break! Break!

R-3-4 Covering? Covering?

R-3-5 Attack my target (Help!) Attack my target (Help!)

Post-Combat

R-4-1 Regroup Regroup

R-4-2 Send all home Send all home

Tower

R-5-1 Mayday! Mayday!

R-5-2 Home tower Home tower

R-5-3 Nearest tower Nearest tower

R-5-4 Surface wind Surface wind

R-5-5 Wind at altitude Wind at altitude

R-5-6 Land at home Land at home

R-5-7 Land at nearest Land at nearest

Ground Attack

R-6-1 N/A Begin your run

R-6-2 N/A Strafe the target

R-6-3 N/A Leave area

Appendix E : Previous Patch History

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APPENDIX E: Patch Revision History

Below are the patch revision summaries back to version 2.04 BDG 2.10 release notes What‟s new in this release: 1) Mixed Skills within Units (Squadrons/Staffeln)

2) Updated Flight Models 3) Now over 400 authentic period ground models 4) Brand new High Res Terrain textures (64x original BoBII rsolution) 5) Gauges, Fuel, compass and other items fixed 6) Multiplayer beta 7) Multiskin- we now have every single bomber uniquely coded and marked with historical accuracy. 8 ) Terrain, new areas updated for example Beachy Head and the Seven

Sisters now fully modelled 9) Multiple stability and bug fixes. 10) Updated Ju87 model. 11) New Auto Gen for Trees and other objects (Work in Progress) Known Issues: 1- When selecting the Blenheim in the 'End of Defiant' Historical Instant Action Mission (you can add it in place of the Defiant), you *must* select

an RAF or Luftwaffe fighter after making the change to enable the Blenheim. If you do not, you will get a crash. 2- Sorry, the Tiger Moth didn't make it as a flyable aircraft, it's static only. We plan a version that allows this, but disable the campaign game. 3- Bf110- The player's head position is low (it has always been this way). If you want to raise it, try setting EyePosYOffset to 2500 in the \models\Bf110C4.ACD file. You will then need to aim through the top of the projected reticule, or use Aces mod. We hope to raise the gunsight at

some point. 2.10 code (exe) Changes (Buddye) 1.I added a “random” skill mix option within a Squad. I implemented the following new Bdg.txt parameter to control the option:


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Do_You_Want_Random_Mixed_Squad_skills=ON #For Instant action, SPC, Commander Campaign, assignment of Random Mixed skills within

a squad. The default will be set to “ON” based on a vote in the Beta Forum that concluded that most players will enjoy/want it. This will give the Player the option to select a Random skill mix for both a LUF or RAF squads. The LUF or RAF Squad Leader‟s skill will set to Hero or Ace. All the other skills in either the LUF or RAF Squads will be assigned randomly.

For the Commander and SPC campaign the players has more controls to choose from to change game skills. The player can control the campaign relative skill using the Option->sim->Mission and setting the LW and RAF skill modifier. Here is an over view of how the Random skills will work in the campaign: First select a Random skill and test the LW and RAF skill modifier as follows: If Minimum, then "reduce" the skill by Delta2

IF Low, then "reduce" the skill by Delta1 IF Medium, then "NO" change and go with the random skill selected IF High, then "increase" the skill by Delta1 IF Maximum, then "increase" the skill by Delta2 Right now Delta1 = about one skill level and Delta2 = about 1/2 skill level.

Example: Setting the RAF Skill Modifer = High would raise the random selected skill by one skill level Setting the LW Skill Modifer = Minimum would lower the random selected skill by 1 1/2 skill level Leaving both set to medium (default) = No Change 2. Osram fix . Added the This feature following bdg.txt parameter:

ADD_SHEEP_COWS_AND_HAYSTACKS=ON - Try it! (defaults to OFF) This will permit the adding of sheep and Haystacks independent of the Town and Forest Raises setting. 3. Changed the default to “ON” for the following BDG.txt parameter as it was more historicly accurate: Do_You_Want_Increase_Firing_Rate_Of_Hand_Held_Gunners=ON # ON = Increased Firing rate to Historic for hand held guns OFF = Leave the firing rate as implemented currently at every 5 seconds


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4. Added the following Bdg.txt parameters for Spin control for both the AI and the player. The player will not need to change the spin setting when

flying different flyable A/C (done at player request). Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 0.000000 #Used/reserved by Buddye for spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 0.000000 #Used/reserved by Buddye for spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter Player_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #Player Spitfire,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player

Player_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #Player Spitfire Player_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.500000 #Player Hurricane,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player Hurricane) Player_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player BF109,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player

BF109 Player_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player BF110,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #Player BF110 Player_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #Player JU87,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 6.000000 #Player

JU87 Player_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #Player Tigermoth,set to 0.0 Means no spins for Player Player_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #Player Tigermoth AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 0.000000 #Used/Reserved by Buddye for AI spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 0.000000 #Used/Reserved by

Buddye for AI spin control processing, Note - Value does not matter AI_Spitfire_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #AI Spitfire,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_Spitfire_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #AI Spitfire AI_Hurricane_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.500000 #AI Hurricane,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_Hurricane_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI Hurricane


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AI_BF109_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI BF109,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C

AI_BF109_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI BF109 AI_BF110_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI BF110,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_BF110_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.000000 #AI BF110 AI_JU87_Spin_AOA_Control = 18.500000 #AI JU87,set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI A/C AI_JU87_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 6.000000 #AI JU87 AI_Tigermoth_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500000 #AI Tigermoth,set to 0.0

Means no spins for AI A/C AI_Tigermoth_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.250000 #AI Tigermoth The default values are per Blue Six‟s Spin parameter recommendation for the flyable A/C. Players can now tune spins to personal taste for flyable and AI A/C and the correct spin parameters will be applied automatically. 5. We are having a problem when the AI A/C are in movecode

AUTO_LANDING or AUTO_TAKEOFF. The AI A/C would not take defensive action and they would not fight. I am going to add a Alt check (if greater than 200 feet) so that they will take defensive action and try to fight. It is risk at low alt (which is why it was not done) but it is better (I think) to try defensive action and attempt to fight than just flying around and getting easily shot down. Big thanks to Chumleigh for this catch. 6. Increase Alt to FT_400 (400 feet) for player bail out. The player‟s chute will not deploy if below 400 feet. I am trying to record the counts

correctly for pilot death when bailing out. This is a Tuning change. 7. This fix is Osram‟s so BOBII can control Town and Forest Raises and avoid issues with GUI save settings. Added the following Bdg.txt parameter: ENABLE_TOWN_AND_FOREST_RAISES=OFF # Change to 'ON' will affect one session only, IOW BOBII will write 'OFF' back over it. The GUI for Town and Forest Raises (Options->More GFX) is hidden. 8. Fixed a bug to prevent jet action after death if the previous maneuver

was the MANOEUVRE_SPINOUT (after death only fix). 9. Fixed a bug that prevented friendly air to air collisions. I want to thank Atwode. 10. Fixed a bug that did caused some of the bullets to not hit intended targets when Friendly_Fire = OFF was set in the Bdg.txt. Bad new was that I caused the bug the good news was that it was 2.10 only bug. 11. Fixed a bug for the R-3-5 (Help,Attack My Target) Radio Command. The command was calling friendly A/C (from Multi Squads) to help


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without checking the Range from the Caller A/C which can really mess up the campaign. I added a range (4000 meters, or HalfVisiableRange) so that

any friendly A/C within 4000 meters of the Caller will come and help the Caller no matter what Squad the friendly A/C are from. I want to thank Raygun for this catch and Stickman for his review and analysis of the issue. 12. I added the following Bdg.txt parameter: BDG_Values_SPC_Warning_Message=ON #ON = Remove warning [Couldn't fix up recursive waypoints], or OFF = Leave Warning") The default is “ON” to remove the warning which seemed to cause “no”

bad effects for the SPC mission but does cause a CTD when exiting the game. 13. I added a 1000 meters distance check to the BDG_Values.Campaign_Break_Off_Code parameter‟s code (Campaign only). Now, if the attacking AI is in pursuit and the distance to the enemy AI is less than 1000 meters the attacking AI will “not” break off and disengage. Thanks to Whirlybird for this problem catch and report. 14. I fixed the Transition Maneuver so the AI will not get hung upside down.

15. Eric new code changes and Blue Six‟s analysis and help. a. enhancement of 2D gauge system, including introduction of new numerical gauges for support of FM development and ability to read 2D gauges of padlocked AI-flown a/c (selective via .bdg file), elimination of earlier irregularities in gauge output seen when padlocking other a/c and introduction of new 2D gauge type (needle shift gauge). Supporting documentation written by Eric and released (should be included in our "Docs" folder, with 2.10);

b. introduction of ability to calibrate existing 3D gauges through changes to the .acm file; c. rework of Spitfire fuel system coding to correct the operation and default position of fuel cocks as well as the sequence of fuel flow, in support of repairs to the fuel gauge; d. rework of Bf110 fuel system code to correct problem with one engine running out of fuel prematurely, leading to loss of power for the player and AI crashes. Fuel cock animation revised and fuel cocks are now

effective in shutting off fuel to the respective engine; e. code change to ensure Bf110 model weight and drag decrement properly when its bombs dropped; f. introduction of "runtime" feature, allowing external adjustment of control surface deflection rates, for both player and AI FMs. 16. I revised the conditions for deactivation of the reduce surface deflection feature, for the AI (Ken talked me into it as I hate reducing the AI advantage). The AI will have full control authority whenever their


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airspeed is > 400 mph and its altitude < 500 feet AGL their nose is below the horizon. Previously the parameters were 425 mph / 400 feet and there

was no consideration given to pitch attitude - as a result, if the AI successfully pulled out of a steep dive at very low level, it was able to perform zoom climbs which the player, still limited by reduce surface deflection, could not match. 17. I improved the code for multi-squads so that the player is only "shot at" by the correct number of AI‟s as specified in the Bdg.txt. The fix should eliminate the line of AI attacking the player. Thanks to Itkevian for focusing us on the problem and to Heinkill for confirming and testing.

18. Enhanced the code for multi AI attacking another AI as I was already in the code for 19. and the changes were similar. 19. Added a speed check in the TooLow program to prevent the lawn dart problem that Ken is working with his FM changes. 21. Fixed the Bomber Gunner problem that I caused working on the MP code. 22. Fixed/Prevented a CTD in C:\Merlin\BOB\src\MISSMAN\SAVEGAME.CPP(1671). Thanks to PV for this catch.

23. I have added a Multi-Player button at the bottom of the main BOBII Menu (see notes below). Flight Model (FM) updates. Thank you to our FM engineer, Blue Six.

Patch 2.10 FM Code Enhancement Until recently, the primary flight controls in Merlin were adjustable only

for their basic aerodynamic effectiveness and for the progressive loss of effectiveness as dynamic pressure rises and the flight controls “stiffen”, reducing the available range of motion. What has been missing is the ability to adjust the rate of movement of the primary control surfaces, in response to player and AI demands. In the case of the player, outside the normal dead zone of the input devices, the control surfaces track stick and rudder movement precisely, with no lag. AI control surface movement is essentially instantaneous – Eric‟s new 2D gauges show the AI‟s elevators

and ailerons are very active during dogfights, with large and rapid reversals in the amount of deflection being applied so quickly that the related numeric gauge often cannot be read. Neither of these situations is realistic. In the RW, frictional losses, cable stretch and inertia in the control circuit would impose a small but definite lag as the control surface accelerates from rest and rotates to the commanded position. Aircraft response would be similarly delayed. For


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gradual stick and rudder inputs, the lag would be almost undetectable - with rapid movements, a finite delay could be expected while the flight

control surface "catches up" to demand. An FM code change devised by Eric has provided us with a new “runtime” variable, which simulates this tiny lag and permits external adjustment of the responsiveness of each of the three primary flight controls on each of the player-flyable aircraft. Essentially what is being adjusted is the time required for the control surface to move from its current position to the position being demanded by the player or AI. The

new runtime factor is found in the flight control section of each of the .acm files – a value of 1.0 corresponds to the current (no lag) situation. With a runtime value of 2.0, the control surface ramps up more gradually to its maximum deflection rate and takes longer to reach the requested position; in the case of an abrupt player input from neutral to full right rudder for example, a 2.0 setting means the rudder arrives at full deflection approximately 0.16 seconds later than it would previously. Large (>2.5) runtime values are effective in imparting a more heavy feel to FMs, complementing existing MOI/inertia effects. This is very useful in

adjusting such features as Bf110 roll response – with a large aileron runtime value, the max roll rate remains the same, but the time taken to achieve max roll rate is extended. Note: the runtime feature recognizes and works within any limits on maximum available control surface deflection, imposed by the current “reduce surface deflection” code (provided this is enabled in the .bdg file). The effect of the runtime feature on the player FM is fairly subtle – casual

players may not even notice the difference. More experienced players will find that the smoothing effect of runtime reduces over-controlling while countering slipstream effects during takeoff, and moderates the tendency for the nose to wander side to side due to inadvertent small rudder inputs in the heat of battle. Reversals in roll direction during scissors-type manoeuvres can be flown noticeably more cleanly. Flown smoothly, it is somewhat easier to take the aircraft to its limits when turning. That said, the slight lag in control response means it is noticeably more difficult to

avoid spinning after an accelerated stall. For this reason, the default spin settings contained in the .bdg file have been revised for Patch 2.10. See the table below and its explanatory notes for more detail. As noted earlier, the runtime effect has been applied to the AI FMs, not only to keep them in step with the player FMs, but in the hopes of smoothing the AI‟s control surface movement and improving the quality


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of the AI‟s flying. Whether or not the AI flies any more cleanly as a result remains TBD.

PATCH 2.10 CONTROL SURFACE BOOST/RUNTIME

AND SPIN SETTINGS

AIRCRAFT

AILERONS ELEVATORS RUDDER SPIN

SETTINGS

BOOST RUNTIME BOOST RUNTIME BOOST RUNTIME AOA ROT‟L

VEL

SPITFIRE 1.15 2 1.1 1.25 0.55 2.5 18.25 8

HURRICANE 1.0 2.25 1.05 2 0.5 2 17.5 10

BF109 0.9 1.75 1.1 1.75 0.55 2.25 20.5 10.25

BF110 0.95 2.75 1.1 2.5 0.55 3 20.5 10.25

STUKA 0.85 3 1.0 2 0.5 3 19.25 9.75

Notes: a. “BOOST” values shown are the suggested “Boost_Delta” defaults found in the .bdg file. They are only applied if “REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION” is enabled in the .bdg file; this feature can be independently selected “ON” or “OFF” for player-flown

and AI-flown aircraft. b. “RUNTIME” values can be adjusted in the flight control area of the aircraft .acm file (“Models” folder). The larger the value, the slower the response of the given flight control to player or AI inputs. A value of 1 corresponds to the pre-Patch 2.10 setting – do not use values less than this. c. “SPIN SETTINGS” are the defaults found in the .bdg file effective from Patch 2.10. They have been adjusted to compensate for the effect of

the new “runtime” feature, ensuring spin behaviour remains acceptable to the majority of players. Players wishing to increase a particular aircraft‟s tendency to spin can do so by reducing these values in the .bdg file and saving the changes. It is suggested that the Spin_AOA_Control and Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control values be adjusted concurrently, in increments of 0.25 and 1.25 respectively, until the desired sensitivity is achieved. Conversely, susceptibility to spin can be reduced by increasing the default values, using a similar incremental approach. Note that the file

allows different spin settings for each aircraft whether player-flown or AI-flown – under normal circumstances the two should match, i.e. if you make changes to the player settings, revise the AI settings for that aircraft accordingly.


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d. Finally, note that these defaults are a matched set. There is definite interaction between the boost and runtime values and the spin behaviour in

the sim. If you change boost and/or runtime values, you most likely will need to revise your spin settings in order to retain the same susceptibility to spinning. Changes in spin settings, on the other hand, do not necessitate adjustments to boost and runtime values. Multiplayer Beta (for up to 8 players) The MP Button is to make it easier to test and work on MP without having

to maintain two different EXE‟s for MP and non-MP. The MP is just a WIP experimental feature “for now” as we know we still have some problems to solve with one being very serious in the Quick Mission MP feature (the AI are jumpy). The Death Match and Team Play features also have some lower priority issues (IMHO, score keeping, etc.) but all the BOBII MP features do seem to play without crashing or hanging. The ability to host and play BOBII (or any other MP) MP involves some knowledge of PC networks and port forwarding for people behind routers

(many players now have routers). Fortunately for BOBII, we have a network skill (Alex) to assist us and maybe document the process later but Alex will be on a vacation adventure for the next 6 or more weeks. Anyone who understands MP network issue is of course invited to try BOBII MP and report issues on the BOBII forum but BOBII MP is really not ready for the non-networking type prime time players. Maybe we can make more progress and move the BOBII MP forward during the next release BOBII release cycle.

Please see the updated game manual (in your \Battle of Britain II\docs folder) for more details. Additionally, we have this guide from AlexCraig: " Multi-Player Essentials To Include Some 'Tips & Tricks' ". http://www.thebestjobs.com/temp/Multi-P ... ntials.doc Multiskin updates: Bombers (He111, Ju88, Do17, Ju87)

Each and every bomber now has historically accurate codes, markings and emblems. Landscape improvements come in three parts 1. We now have over 400 upgraded ground objects. The latest objects are in towns and cities.


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2. We have High Res Landscape textures. To use this, select USE_HIRES_LANDSCAPE_TILES=ON

The original BoBII textures were 256x256. With 2.06 we went to 512x512, with 2.08, we went to 1024x1024 and now we have 2048x2048. This improves the look and feel low down considerably. 3. We have numerous corrections. These include Old Sarum (now fully correctly with damageable Bfield objects, locations based on a BoB-vintage site plan), many fixes for landscape errors (for example the Ashford-Redhill railway line, which was missing a section, is now fully in place. This was used as a key navigational aid as it runs straight for 50

miles and enabled pilots to locate the south London airfields (Biggin, Kenley, Croydon) with ease when returning from the coast). In addition, we have the white cliffs at Beachy Head, Seven Sisters, and a corrected position of the Beachy Head light house. Also, Cuckmere River valley elevation and river course inland to Berwick. Note: please select FULL Object Density in the game setup screens to see all of the objects.

How do I enable trees? This is a Work-in-Progress feature that is useable for most people. You can see more in this thread. HERE-> viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12575 Edit your bdg.txt file. At the very bottom you will see a line saying ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=OFF

Change this to: ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=1192 TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=62 This looks nice, but users with weaker systems should delete one of these lines.

Yes, you need both lines. Just copy and paste, or type it longhand. Weaker systems will need TEMP_AG_SN[15,0]=62 or TEMP_AG_SN[15,1]=62 (the number after the comma is a density setting). For those what want to know this means:


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-place object 1192 (a beech) on areatype 15 (forest) with medium density (2).

-place object 62 (an oak) on areatype 15 (forest) with high density (3). Yet another wonderful team effort across all times zones and nationalities. The passion and dedication of the team continues to humble me. We don't do this for the pay, merely for the love of a shared passion. There are dozens of people contributing to the various versions so far. Please see past release notes for previous versions. Specifically on 2.10,

thank you to: Coders- Buddye, Osram, Eric Flight Model (FM)- Blue Six, Eric Models: Creation, conversion- Ben, Geoff, Simon. Textures- Ben, Bader, Stickman, Hylander_1715 Gauges- Eric, Blue Six, stickman, Smokin256 Landscape- PV, Bader Guides/Illustrations- Stickman, AlexCraig Testing/General- Trumper, Borton, Aces, Prem Holdaway, chumleigh,

Heinkill, JamesB, PV, Stickman, SeaVee and, as ever, Scott, for allowing us to camp out here and general support.

BDG 2.09 release notes What's included: 1) More Aggressive AAA

2) 3.5" Flak that can Kill 3) Bullet Dispersion re-design 4) Single Character Labels 5) Rework of air-to-air and ground collisions 6) Improved counts for Kills, friendly A/C losses, and friendly pilot losses 7) Implemented exact same control surface reduction code for the AI A/C as the player (subjectively, this is a *big* one!) 8 ) New Ground Objects (over 250 in total now!) Airfield buildings,

houses, ships, rural features (look out for the Oast houses). 9) Further Landscape improvements (updated textures for this release, reworked areas eg Boscombe Down) 10) New Auto Gen for Trees and other objects (Work in Progress) 11) New Flight Model (FM) and Spin characteristics 12) Over 40 CTD and other fixes and features implemented. 13) New Blenheim and Ju52 models, static Tiger Moth


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Known Issues: 1- When selecting the Blenheim in the 'End of Defiant' Historical Instant

Action Mission (you can add it in place of the Defiant), you *must* select an RAF or Luftwaffe fighter after making the change to enable the Blenheim. If you do not, you will get a crash. 2- Sorry, the Tiger Moth didn't make it as a flyable aircraft, it's static only. Maybe 2.10... 2.09 code (exe) Changes (Buddye) 1. Fixed a CTD in AirCombat caused by a SAG flight.

2. Fixed a CTD in Overlay.cpp caused by using ai.unfriendly pointer with a AUTO_BOMB movecode (the ai.unfriendly movecode is not valid). 3. Fixed the Bomber Stragglers so that they break out of formation and drop back away from the other bombers. I needed to decrease Straggler‟s speed by about 5% so they drop back slowly. They will then head home (at the correct WP) or continue to the target to try and drop their bombs (based on random numbers as always). Thanks to Chumleigh for this one. 4. I added the skill level for our Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant (higher skills shoot more accurately).

I also reduced the accuracy of the Bomber gunners and the rear gunners on the 110, JU87, and the RAF Defiant. I implemented the change so that I can “tune” the rear gunner‟s accuracy in the 110, Defiant, and JU87 as well as the Bomber gunners accuracy (both player and AI). Thanks to Alex for pointing this one out to me. 5. Implemented new bullet dispersion for BOBII Here is some information I used for the design and implementation of the Dispersion code so you can review the text and get an idea what we are

trying to accomplish. . SIMHQ data - Dispersion. A target shooter will fire his rifle a number of times to establish a „group.‟ The smaller the group, the more accurate the shooter is. A modern aircraft gun has a similar characteristic. Technicians will fire the gun at a target and then count the projectile impacts and measure their pattern from the center aim point. Typically, this calculation will be

expressed as a percentage of rounds fired within a certain area, usually a circle with the aim point at its center, and is called the gun dispersion. A typical modern gun dispersion results in about 80% of the rounds being grouped in a five foot (1.52 meter) diameter circle at a range of 1000 feet (304 meters). Osram data - Bullet dispersion is 1 meter per 100 meter travel in both RL (back then) and BoBII.


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I am using Osram‟s data for the BOBII implementation as it is not for only modern guns. The dispersion for a BOBII gun was a circle at 300 meters

with a radius of 1.5 meters (150 cm). I also added the following 11 Bdg.txt Dispersion parameters. The Dispersion was the “core” of these changes (except for the skill levels) and it was completely re-code with bugs fixed. The old Dispersion was done a very inexperienced coder named Buddye back in 2003 for BOBI. BobII had totally outgrown that approach and implementation. The following Bdg.txt parameters were added so that customer can change the bullet dispersion to his personal taste. I do recommend you carefully try/use the

defaults as 100‟s of hours of test and analysis time was required for the determination of the defaults by the BDG. As always, I need to recognize and give my thanks to Bader for his leadership, testing and support. Dispersion_Bomber_Gunner_Player = 450 Dispersion_Bommer_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_Flyable_Planes_Player = 100 Dispersion_Front_Cannons_AI = 100 Dispersion_Def_JU87_Front_Guns_AI = 100 Dispersion_Heavy_Fighters_Front_Guns_AI = 100

Dispersion_Def_Rear_Gunner_AI = 150 Dispersion_JU87_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_BF110_Rear_Gunner_AI = 200 Dispersion_Veteran_Regular_Skill_Increment = 10 Dispersion_Poor_Novice_Skill_Increment = 10 6. A very long shot but I added defensive code to protect against a “NULL” pointer in AutoShoot that caused a CTD. Thanks to reflected for reporting this one. It will do no harm but may not fix anything.

7. Fix a bug where when a Bomber dropped his bombs the fighter targeting him is set to ai.unfriendly = NULL which puts the fighter in a disengage movecode. I have been looking for this bug for a year. I called it the ai.unfriendly bug (bugs get names when they go unsolved for a long time). 8. Fixed a bug to prevent jet action after death if the previous maneuver was the MANOEUVRE_SPINOUT (after death only fix). 9. While I was fixing a bug (thanks to Uriah) where short labels did not

work, I added the following feature for labels called “Single_Chararacter_Labels”. To get Aircraft Names (Labels) to be displayed, you must set in the BOBII GUI in Options->Sim->Game Aircraft Names = ON. You then use the “T” key to toggle labels ON/OFF. In addition to the GUI setting above, for 2.09, you *must* also select only *one* of the following Labels options in the Bdg.txt as “ON”: Single_Chararacter_Labels # the default is a single character [w] for


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wingmen (friendly) and an [e] for enemy (target) SHORTENED_LABELS # short Label example – BF109

Show_MoveCodes # For testing AI maneuvers The default for all 3 of the above Bdg.txt parameters is “OFF”. If all are “OFF” then you will get the long label (example – BF109E4). You also have the option of choosing a single character if you are selecting the Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON by using: Single_Character_Label_Enemy= # Input a single character of your choice

for your label Single_Character_Label_Friendly= # Input a single character of your choice for your label So if you are interested in trying the new single character feature, open the bdg.txt file and edit the following settings. (Note- only one can be set = ON at a time, or you'll get nothing at all.) Single_Chararacter_Labels = ON SHORTENED_LABELS = OFF

Show_MoveCodess = OFF and then find and set the following two Bdg.txt parameters like this: Single_Character_Label_Enemy= + Single_Character_Label_Friendly= O You can choose your personal single characters, of course. Dots work too.. whatever you prefer. 10. I added a Plus or Minus random “Error” by skill level (higher skill

level has a smaller error) for the Bomber Gunners and the A/C Rear Gunners. 11. Fixed a CTD in USERMSG.cpp thanks to Ric. This was a very old problem dealing with the SAG. It seems that no one runs BOBII like Ric. AAA and flak changes 12. I have given the AAA code a makeover. I focused fixing the bugs that prevented the AAA from performing and I also looked at improving the

AAA it accuracy. The AAA to me consists of (1) bullets and (2) flak (shells that explode or burst). The AAA bullet types work about the same as A/C bullets. The flak works a bit different. The code looks for a flak burst overlapping an A/C to determine a hit. If you have a hit then damaged is forced on the A/C. You must force damage because the BOBII damage engine does not take care of flak damage like it does for bullet damage. Here are the AAA and Flak Bdg.txt parameters options that you may want


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to consider for change or leave as default:. a. Do_You_Want_Flak_Over_France=OFF # ON = Player Gets Flak Over

France or OFF = Player Gets No Flak Over France The default is OFF as that is the current implementation. b. Increase_Flak_and_AAA_Rate_Of_Fire=OFF # ON = increase the Ground Flak and AAA rate of Fire or OFF = Stay with the same Flak and AAA rate of fire as in the BOBII Gun specs The default is OFF which is the current way the game is set up and operates, but if you have the Processing power and enjoys some AAA and Flak tension give it a try.

c. Flak_Size_In_Meters = 11.0 #The flak size is used to force major damage to an A/C when the flak overlaps the A/C. Used to Simulate a A/C significant flak hit. The default is 11.0 meters (flak is about 10 meters and a Spitfire wing is about 12 meters, so 5 meters radius for flak and 6 meters for the Spitfire = 11 meters). If you fly mostly against bombers you may want to increase the Flak Size Parameter. You will know when it is a flak hit as the left or right wing will rip off very suddenly, or both tail fins will rip off, and the pilot will bail out..

This parameter is for Stickman who says that the odds of getting hit by flak in 1940 were about the same as drawing a Royal Flush in poker. For those interested in getting flak hits at a very low but they will happen sometimes (or to test the feature), my testing has shown a Flak_Size_In_Meters=25 will get infrequent but possible flak hits. d. Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire=ON # ON = Player 'Gets' Flak and AAA fire or OFF = Player Gets 'No' Flak and AAA fire. For saving processor resources.

The default is ON as that is the way it is now but Beta Testers have noticed increased processing (as the bugs fixed permits additional fire) when the Flak and AAA is in full fire mode. Also may help customers with weaker PC‟s to save some processing. e.Do_You_Want_Flak_And_AAA_Fire_if_Friendly_within_1000_Meters= ON # ON = Flak and AAA when friendly is within 1000 meters or OFF = No Flak and AAA fire when friendly is within 1000 meters The default is ON as that the way it is now (all AAA and flak fire at

enemy target). Many players will want AAA and flak off to prevent friendly A/C form being hit. In addition, large dog fights take significant processing power so limiting the flak and AAA will be a help for some. On the other hand it is fun to dog fight around flak and AAA as it just adds to the stress level if you have the processor grunt. 13. After an Air-to-Air collision both the Target A/C and the Hitter A/C pilots bail out or crash as the damage is too serious to continue. In the old code method only the player‟s A/C took damage from an air-to-air


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collision which seems very wrong. 14. After working on the AAA and Flak code, I discovered that Rowan

had made some interesting decisions with respect to the hand held guns.. The Rowan guys limited the fire from the hand held guns (110, JU87, def, and bomber gunners) by setting all of them to reload at 500 (that is 5 sec or 500 csec). This sets these guns to fire (four bullets) only every five sec if they can target an enemy. Rowan did this I think because they did not have good control over the accuracy of the gunners as we just discovered. Now that we have the Dispersion parameters and some experience I think we can turn these guns

loose, if we want. The bomber gunners had 900 bullets. I am not sure how many bullets the 110, Def, and Ju87 gunners had but the software checks for out of stores. The game play would be enhanced (more exciting against the gunners) if we could turn these gunners loose and let them shoot when they can target (I do not think they can target all that often). You may have to re-tune the dispersion parameters (or not) depending on the your results and personal taste. I implemented the following Bdg.txt parameter so the customer can have a

option: Do_You_Want_Increase_Firing_Rate_Of_Hand_Held_Gunners=OFF # ON = Increased Firing rate to Historic for hand held guns OFF = Leave the firing rate as implemented currently As is my policy (mostly) the default is OFF as that is the way the current code works. 15. During Beta Testing, a few of the Beta Testers commented that the 40 MM Bofors AA guns were too strong and accurate. I implemented a new

Bdg.txt parameter for changing the reload time for the 40 MM Bofors. This parameter can be used to either in crease or decrease the firing rate of the guns. I also introduced a random error for the Bofors to tame them down a bit. LT_BRIT_BOFORS_Reloadtime = 100 #the reload time in cseconds (cs / 100 = seconds) for the LT_BRIT_BOFORS 40 MM AA Gun. Just increase this parameter to reduce the BOFOR rate of fire. The default is 100 CS or ONE Second (a CS is 1/100 of a second or

seconds = CS/100). If you want to reduce the Bofor‟s rate of fire (example) just set the parameter to the following: LT_BRIT_BOFORS_Reloadtime = 1000 (10 seconds) so you will get about 1/10 the rate of fire from the Bofors then with 100.t 16. When you get a “red” tint over the screen then BOBII is trying to tell you that your canopy has been damaged badly and you are dead. I added the code to ensure that you crash when this occurs. Thanks to Borton for this catch.


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17. When one elevator and one horizontal stabilizer is damaged and missing (= BS_DEAD in the program). The player will be crashed as his

plane is really not flyable anymore. Thanks to Marine for this catch and post. 18. Fix a small bug when Max_Number_AI_Targeting_AI = 1 as the old code would permit 2 subject AI to attack the target AI.. Thanks to Borton for this catch. 19. Another attempt to improve the Bomber/Fighter fire problem (where it burns forever rather than crashing). I also ask Scott to review his code in the damage engine which is separate from the C++ BOBII engine. Maybe

I made it better this time or I fixed it. 20. Spent 3 weeks improving the Combat Reports and Diary Report counts for Kills, friendly A/C losses, and friendly pilot losses. I think we were able to take a big step forward but we still have a few report problems in the campaign to be fixed. This change will result in a change to your game play. WARNING: TO ENSURE THAT YOUR COUNTS ARE CORRECT FOR ENEMY KILLS AND FRIENDLY LOSSES, YOU MUST WAIT UNTIL THE A/C HITS THE GROUND BEFORE ALT-X IS HIT. THIS

IS ALSO TRUE FOR EXPLOSIONS FROM COLLISIONS AND BULLET HIT AS AN INVISIABLE A/C WILL STILL HIT THE GROUND. IT CAN TAKE A MINUTE OR MORE TO REACH THE GROUND FROM ALTITUDE. 21. I added a transition to smooth out the after death maneuver. If the A/C is in a spin, spinout, or a violent maneuver that left his pitch and roll in a strange position then the after death maneuver had a very hard time completing a correct death maneuver.

22. During Beta Testing of the counts change (trying to accurately count the losses and kills), it was noted that LUF “Bomber Stragglers” are not target by RAF fighters. After some testing and experimenting a LUF Bomber Straggler fix was designed, coded , and tested. The way the code worked before I coded the straggler attack fix was that stragglers could not be attack/engaged as they could not be found by running the bomber loop. Once a bomber became a straggler he was not targeted unless he was already targeted before he became a straggler.

Bombers are always targeted and retargeted as the fighters become disengaged and engaged (this is the normal process so the software can try and keep track of the fighters attacking the bombers). The player is not given any special preference which is by design. In fact, the fighters will give preference to targeting the back row of bombers trying to avoid some of the bombers guns. The new code does in fact limit the targeting of stragglers to only one attacker at a time (unless a RAF fighter was already targeting the straggler


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before) as I did not want to shoot down all the stragglers each mission. 23. I implemented the MANOEUVRE_LUFBERRY for the BF110. It is

not perfect but it is a fair simulation, I think. In very simple terms it was a special LUF defensive maneuver that a group of BF110 tried where they formed a circle and tried to defend against the RAF fighters so that their front and rear guns could form a good defense against the RAF fighters. I do not think it was a big success in RL after the RAF fighter figured out what they were doing. The best way to see a MANOEUVRE_LUFBERRY is to select Dog Fight Random advantage and select the BF110 for the LUF. It is coded to be

random with about a 2% chance of the BF110 group using the defensive maneuver. Of course it can be used by the LUF in any IA or campaign mission that meets the requirements (squad <= 10 but >= 6, sort of loosing the fight and outnumbered, is a 110 squad, and meets the random number). The Lufberry was requested by several players some months ago. 24. Extend the maneuver time for the BF110. The BF110 has a slower roll rate that was causing the maneuvers to terminate too soon. 25. Thanks to Alex, fixed a CTD in AutoFollowWP caused by a bad pointer. Alex was able to test and verify the fix.

26. Bader (the BDG‟s senior member/tester and a very smart man who happens to be one of the best testers of the AI I have worked with) made a post on the Beta Forum about the AI being able to “roll” faster than the player. After careful analysis and thought, we decided to try to implement the exact same surface reduction code for the AI A/C that implemented for the player‟s A/C. The fix was actually easy and without much risk but required significant

testing to ensure the AI could still perform all their maneuvers. We did find and fix a problem with the AI making power dives at very high speeds. We really saw no AI problems with the change as yet except for the power dive problem (AI hitting the ground with a crash). The unexpected results was that all the Beta Testers saw a big improvement in the AI behavior with smoother, more natural, and more realistic AI behavior. This was a bit of a surprise to me but I will take it. I did implement two new Bdg.txt parameters to support the change as

follows: PLAYER_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON # the Rudder, Ailerons, and Elevators surface deflections are realistically reduced based on the Player A/C's Speed, Altitude, and Dynamic Pressure AI_REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON # the Rudder, Ailerons, and Elevators surface deflections are realistically reduced based on the AI A/C's Speed, Altitude, and Dynamic Pressure I deleted the old Bdg.txt parameter,


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REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION. The defaults are both set to “ON” as the old one was “ON” as well (which

is our policy on defaults). 27. Fixed a rather annoying problem found by Trumper on the Beta Forum where the AI in the Instant Action Dog Fight 1-ON-1 would not always engage on skill levels other than Veteran. 28. Fixed a CTD when a A/C collides with a ground object that is movable but smaller than an A/C. I would like to thank VF-2 John Banks who took the time to post this problem at SIMHQ and then assist me with follow-up data.

Anyway I needed to recode BashHitter to take care of all the cases (hitting other A/C both in the air and on the ground, hitting moving trucks/objects on the ground, and hitting non-moving object like an AAA gun, pen,etc.). 29. Set default TARGET SIZE to LOW. This allows more realistic gunnery and improves visual damage effects. Note1: You have to edit this in the game GUI if you import old settings from a previous install. Note2: If you have a savegame file and you run with Medium you will see no change here unless you re-install. 30. Fixed a CTD in Replay (rather complex procedure) that has been there

forever. I want to extend a big thanks to our new BDG‟er Rob for finding, reporting, and testing this one. 31. I added a “death” transition type maneuver to try and smooth out the death moves. Here are Osrams 2.09 changes: :

32. Externalised the weapons data from the executable into a new file "weapons.txt" in the models folder. This means this data is now easy to change for non coders. 33. Allow additional and different 3D objects (until now, excluding groups, we could only have 512. Now we can allow almost an infinite number of objects). 34. Permit FOV angles of up to 135 degrees if unlocked via the bdg.txt (mainly for special hardware). This was a player requested feature.

35. Forest rim trees to make the forest look denser than it actually is IOW increase visual quality with relatively little FPS effect. The following four items were done by/for 777 Studios (

http://www.777studios.net/ ) and are used by A2A Simulations / the

BDG since 777 and A2A share their improvements of Merlin. 36. Fixed neon coloured dots for the ground objects. 37. Implemented Fog fix. See before / after pictures to see how bad the old version looked, depending on settings.

http://www.777studios.net/


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38. Shaders are now handled differently depending on whether they use opaque, 1 bit alpha or smooth alpha textures.

39. Speeded up (improved FPS) on: Autogen objects, ObjectAdds, Far away objects, Rendering in general. Known issue- since this correction some models now show white in the furthest distance. This needs model fixes, which will take some time. 40. Implemented 1 Bit Alpha (did not ship with any previous official exe) 41. Fixed a memory leak. 42. Implemented Mouse placement mode for adding objects. Until now, you HAD to use the keyboard.

43. Fix "zero step" bug when placing objects using the keyboard (thanks to Stickman for the report). 44. “START FROM PEN” position for Marck updated (thanks to PV for this one). So now you actually start on the airfield. Flight Model (FM) updates. Thank you to our FM engineer, Blue Six. Please note: if you want to use the latest Spin settings you will need to edit a couple of lines in your bdg.txt file, these are:

Player_Spin_AOA_Control and Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control. If you do not make the edit you will use the fairly relaxed default settings which mean that spins are possible, but less likely than in R/L. Here are (Blue Six) Ken's recommended bdg.txt file spin parameter settings for your player-flown aircraft (AoA / rotational velocity): Spitfire 17.500000 / 4.250000

Hurricane 16.500000 / 5.000000 Bf109 18.500000 / 5.000000 Bf110 18.500000 / 5.000000 Ju87B 18.500000 / 6.000000 As an example, if you are mainly a Spitfire pilot, edit the bdg.txt lines so they look like this: Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.50000 #AI. set to 0.0 Means no spins for

AI, 22.0 Degrees Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 12.0) Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 4.25000 #AI, 14.325 degrees per second Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 3.5) As an example, if you are mainly a Hurricane pilot, edit the bdg.txt lines so they look like this: Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 16.50000 #AI. set to 0.0 Means no spins for AI, 22.0 Degrees Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 12.0)


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Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 5.00000 #AI, 14.325 degrees per second Rowan Default(AI) (Limited to 3.5).

Landscape improvements come in three parts 1. We now have over 250 upgraded ground objects. 2. We have further updated textures. 3. We have numerous corrections. These include relocation of Boscombe Down airfield, many fixes for landscape errors (for example the Ashford-Redhill railway line, which was missing a section, is now fully in place. This was used as a key navigational aid as it runs straight for 50 miles and

enabled pilots to locate the south London airfields (Biggin, Kenley, Croydon) with ease when returning from the coast). Note1: please turn TOWN AND FOREST RAISES OFF or you will see buildings 'floating' above the ground. Note2: please select FULL Object Density in the game setup screens to see all of the objects. Can I place objects myself?

Absolutely! That's the whole idea. Anyone can add their own details and it takes only a few minutes. There is guidance on the A2A forums. How do I enable trees? This is a Work-in-Progress feature that is useable for most people. Edit your bdg.txt file.

At the very bottom you will see a line saying ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=OFF Change this to: ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=62 Yes, you need both lines. Just copy and paste, or type it longhand.

Weaker systems will need TEMP_AG_SN[15,0]=62 or TEMP_AG_SN[15,1]=62 (the number after the comma is a density setting). Strong systems may be able to run TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=62 which gives the greatest tree density. Note: Set 'Town and Forest Raises' to OFF in the GFX settings screens.


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Credits

Another wonderful team effort across all times zones and nationalities. There are dozens of people contributing to the various versions so far. Specifically on 2.09, thank you to: Coders- Buddye, Osram Flight Model (FM)- Blue Six Models: Creation, conversion- Ben, Geoff, Simon, Condor (Greg) Textures- Ben, Bader, Nigel Dickinson, John Whelan

Landscape- PV, Bader, Stickman Guides/Illustrations- Stickman Testing/General- Trumper, Borton, alexcraig, Hylander_1715, Prem Holdaway, chumleigh, Heinkill, Mraah and, as ever, Scott, for allowing us to camp out here and general support.

BDG_2.08 release notes

Summary 1) Redesign of the AI Maneuver Selection process. 2) Enhancement of the existing AI Maneuvers and introduction of new Maneuvers . 3) Enhancement of Fighters vs Bomber AI Maneuver Selection . 4) New 2dGauge System (with some continuing gauge work to follow) 5) New 3D Ground Objects for RAF and Luftwaffe airfields. 6) Updated High Res Terrain textures - Brand new textures at increased

resolution (16x base BoBII) 7) Updated Terrain mapping Reworking of key areas. 8 ) General fixes 9) Updated Multiskin 150+ Historical skins including some key personalities of the Battle The 2.08 AI Performance and Design

The redesign of the AI Maneuver Selection (Buddye) The redesign of the AI maneuver Selection Criteria was driven by the need to become more deterministic and less random in selecting AI maneuvers. I felt the need to move in this direction to improve the AI offence and defense so the AI selection software had more control. Of course there is a big danger in this strategy. We do not want BOBII to become repeatable. This will become a fine line to follow in the future and I will need both


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our testers and customers help and feedback.

Here is a summary of the new selection criteria design: 1. Altitude (how much altitude and rate of change) 2. Speed (how much speed, and rate of change) 3. Position of A/C to each other (none to tail, tail to tail, nose to beam, tail to beam or left, right, front, back) To implement the new selection criteria I built a 3 X 6 matrix (a truth

table) and many new programs. For each A/C (the unfriendly and the AI or the player), I designed programs to look at Altitude, Speed, and position and to first try and select the best maneuver option (aggressive or defense) based on AI skill level. Altitude and speed can also be thought of as “energy” as altitude can be turned into speed. The new design uses the A/C‟s current position but I am thinking about implementing the A/C‟s “lead” position (his future position which would

be a small delta in the future). Anyway, this new design is a long term work BOBII AI strategy (work in progress) that I can work on as I have new ideas for the AI from our testers and customers. It should position the BOBII AI design for future improvements by using more deterministic rather than random selection criteria. The goal is very simple "to improve the AI performance" and keep BOBII the best off line AI.

My gut feel based on my experience and testing is that the AI is now stronger at selecting the best/correct maneuver, avoiding bad positions (like low altitude), better at avoiding low energy, and in general a bit stronger fighter and defender. Of course, the Player will always “win” with experience/practice but if we give the player a better fight (scrap), I personally consider that real progress.

BTW, I also gave the Terminator a bit of boost in performance and tune-up so you might want to try it out. With the boost in Terminator performance, he was getting “cocky” so I implemented a spinout feature. The Terminator flies so close to the edge now that he has a tendency to “spinout”. This is when you can get him. I also implemented a new AI feature called “Flying Factor (FF)”. This is the knowledge of the AI pilot to fly a given maneuver (experience) and


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how well the AI pilot will actually fly the given maneuver (skill). The FF is based on the Skill Level (customer selected in Instant Action Missions

and software assigned in the Campaign). The Terminator is assigned a Skill Level of Hero2 (the highest in the game) so that is where he gets his boost in performance (edge). The AI Performance Dependencies Skill Level The AI performance is dependent on AI Skill Level (which is customer

selected in Instant Action and SW assigned in the campaign). BOBII AI do make mistakes (spin, crash, dumb maneuvers, bad judgment, shoot late , shoot bad, etc) which is after all very human. The skill level of the AI is key in making decisions on about everything with respect to AI performance like (1) how well the AI fly, shoot, shoot fast, slow, accuracy, or not shoot, (2) how well the AI fly, what maneuvers are selected, and how well the AI will fly the chosen maneuver. Random Numbers (Luck of the draw)

The BOBII AI A/C is also dependent on luck (specifically on random numbers). Random number decisions are coded through out the AI code. BOBII‟s random approach keeps BOBII from doing the same thing each time. Even something as simple as the direction to start a maneuver (left or right), I will use a random number to decide (why hard code something when you can use a random number). For example, most BOBII vertical maneuvers use a random number to

assign a length of time to for a specific vertical maneuver (Like Zoom). The AI pilot will sometimes cut off early, or late, or somewhere in the middle. If early the maneuver may carry too much speed and if late the AI may slow down so much that control is lost (very human). The bottom line is that the customer will always see a somewhat different maneuver (very good, good, not so good, and loss of control) both because of the random implementation and the different physic‟s parameters

(speed, roll, heading, pitch, and overall energy) going into each maneuver. The very real downside of random numbers is it is very hard to test (not repeatable) and the processing power used. Conditions The conditions for each maneuver are always different (energy, speed, altitude, skill, damage, and enemy position). This also changes how the


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maneuver is performed. A damaged AI will not fly as well as an undamaged AI.

Maneuver Selection The first key decision to be made is to select either an aggressive or defensive maneuver. This is a complex decision based on the available information on both the Player and the Enemy AI or the friendly AI and the enemy AI. The data considered for both Player and enemy is speed, altitude, and the position of the targeting AI and the AI being targeted with respect to each other.

After selecting either an aggressive or defensive, then a random approach is used to select a category (choose good , choose bad , or choose neither good nor bad maneuver). Maneuvers are then divided into three parts Vertical, Horizontal, and dive for each of our categories (choose good, choose bad, and choose neither good nor bad maneuver). The individual maneuver selection is then based on speed, altitude, and

position of both the player and the enemy AI. One big thing to remember is that the BOBII AI performance is very dependent on AI Skill Level (which is customer selected in Instant Action and SW assigned in the campaign). BOBII AI do make mistakes (spin, crash, dumb maneuvers, bad judgment, shoot late , shoot bad, etc) which is after all very human.

1) Feature update (Buddye) BDG_2.08 Changes (from 2.07) 1. Fixed Novice_Stronger_Bullets=ON [ #NOTE: Only the player has the stronger bullets (not the AI)] so that only the player has the stronger bullets and not the AI. Default is off and I added a NOTE in the BDG.txt 2. Fixed Auto Pilot so if significant damage occurs the A/C will crash as

Auto Pilot will be disengaged back to manual and can not be re-engaged thanks to Trumper for catching this one for us. 3. Fixed Auto Landing in Auto pilot to exclude the BOBII unflyable A/C like bombers thanks to Bader for catching this one. 4. Added code to smooth out turns during auto landing thanks to Bader. 5. Prevented a CTD in SPC when START_FROM_PEN=ON. 6. Added a BDG.txt parameter External_View_Starting_Distance = 3.100000 #sets the starting distance from the A/C in external view NOTE:


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set to 1.3 to get the old distance. The default is 3.1 which fixes slight vibration in external view by increasing the distance slightly. NOTE: for

anyone who wants/needs (for Pic‟s or close inspections) the “old” distance set to 1.3. 7. Implemented necessary code to support Stickman‟s BOBII 2D Gauge System work (see Manual for operation details by Stickman) with a special thanks to Eric (2D Gauge System Programmer) and Scott (provided the code to the BDG). The goal is provide a 2D gauge option for the A/C 3D gauges that have problems. 8. Fix a FlyBy sound issue where the Players A/C engine sound was left

on during the FlyBy. The player‟s engine sound is stopped during FlyBy and restarted when FlyBy is completed. 9. Added a BDG.txt parameter for MysticPuma or other movie makers. The default is 50 (for about 50 times the minimum distance). Most all customers will not use this option. External_View_Zoom_Distance , "External_View_Zoom_Distance", 50, "#Sets the max zoom distance from the camera (player A/C) in external view NOTE: default = 50 to zoom out farther set to 60,70, 80,etc. for movie makers like MP" 10. Added Range (in meters from the player, NOTE enemy AI only) to the

MoveCode label for SW analysis/debug. If you set Show_MoveCodes=ON in the Bdg.txt, you will get the following: AUTO_COMBAT MANEUVRE_TURNINGFIGHT Range Skill Altitude Speed Example – AUTOCOMBAT MANEUVER_BREAKHIGH 390 ACE 3000 295 11. Implemented a redesign and implementation of the AI Selection Criteria for 2.08.

12. A significant Reworked the AI maneuvers for “fighters against bombers” was done to improve AI performance. The new code is based on skill level. 13. Added a new BDG.txt parameter Collision_Detection_And_Avoidance=ON #NOTE CDAA must be set to TRUE to do Collision Detection And Avoidance. Also check the other two CA BDG.txt parameters for correct values, if needed. The default = ON. Deleted the old BDG.txt parameter Collision_Avoidance (default = OFF)

This was done to permit the customers to have a default = ON for Collision_Dection_And_Avoidance for the new Tiger Moth in their BDG.txt. The slow speed of the Tiger Moth was causing the faster fighter to crash with the Tiger Moth too much. Requested by Osram. 14. Fixed the Bomb Doors not opening and closing correctly. I tested it in the Instant Action Intercepts Lone Fighter Vs Lone Bomber Mission and the Historic London mission. The Bomb doors work correctly on the DO17 and the HE111. They do not work on the JU88 (The JU88 has


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under wing bombs). 15. Prevented a CTD had by a customer by checking for a NULL Pointer

in Diary::SetLanding (in sqddiary.cpp at line 2699. 16. Implemented the following Bdg.txt parameters for Ken our FM engineer (Note: these are only for Ken‟s use for a FM change): Spitfire_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 750 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0 Hurricane_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 725 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0 BF109_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 775 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer,

default = 0 BF110_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 500 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0 JU87B_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 250 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0 TigerMoth_Aileron_Trim_Delta = 0 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 0 17. Implemented the following Bdg.txt parameter for testing the AI ( so I can easily see the speed and altitude of both the player and padlocked

enemy AI A/C, Note: this feature will only work in AUTOCOMBAT): Your_2dGauges_Work_In_Autopilot=OFF #Set to ON to have your 2dGauges work in AutoPilot. The default is OFF. Note: Only works in AUTOCOMBAT. 18. I fix a small bug when the movecode was SCREWYOUIMGOINGHOME (a group go home movecode). The A/C would not take Evasive action depending on many interesting factors I will not bore you with.

19. Changed the default for the LUF Campaign Directives from %tied 0 %free 100 to %tied100 %free0 (note: change only needed for Convoy and Eagle Day as the other phases were already that way). We felt that “attached” setting is more historically accurate and we also did a lot of LUF campaign testing for the LUF Escort bug and we feel this setting solves some or most of the Escort bug issues (except under some certain factors). Customers can still change the Directives as they choose but we

recommend you give the new default a try if you use Directives. If you do not use Directives for the LUF Campaign please give the default setting a try. Let us know if you are still having the Escort bug with a test case so we can debug it. 20. Implemented a Bdg.txt parameter for the AI called RAF_Breaksoff_Before_France. The default is OFF and the RAF will continue the fight until normal Go Home criteria is met (Ammo, Fuel, Damage). If your set RAF_Breaksoff_Before_France = ON, the RAF


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fighters will breakoff and go home before they reach France. 21. Osram added a new Bdg.txt parameter for the Triple Head customers.

If you set ALLOW_ULTRA_HIGH_FOVS=ON in the Bdg.txt you can then expand the FOV for your Triple Head hardware. The default is ALLOW_ULTRA_HIGH_FOVS=OFF. 22. Thanks to Hard_Sarge (our new super Beta Tester), I able to fix some bugs in the RAF and LUF Combat Reports in the campaign (we never saw this problem in Instant Action (IA) as it is very hard to shoot down different A/C types in IA missions). The problem occurred when more than one A/C was shot down by both the player and the player‟s wingmen.

23. Here are the new maneuvers that I coded and the ones I tried to improve: I added 9 new maneuvers for the BOBII AI. The new maneuvers are BARRELROLLATTACK, ZOOMANDDROP, DROPANDZOOM, BREAK180, SPLITS, QUICKROLL, TURNANDRUN. DIVINGROLL, INSIDELOOP, and OUTSIDELOOP. There are 10 recoded maneuvers : PANICTURN, JINK, ZOOM, SCISSORS, MILDSCISSORS, STALLTURN, SPINOUT, BREAKHIGH, IMMELMANNTURN, and IMMELMANN.

NOTE: the new vertical risky maneuvers IMMELMANNTURN, IMMELMANN, INSIDELOOP, OUTSIDELOOP, and STALLTURN can only be seem by using the Hero, Ace, and Veteran skill levels (Includes Terminator = Hero2). It is hoped the new maneuvers will add to the AI‟s fun and enjoyment and also give the player a stronger fight. 24. I added 18 new BDG.txt parameters (Ken calls them “Boost” parameters) for Ken (Our FM engineer) so he can fine tune the Player FM

and A/C movements. Ken will provide me with the numbers when he has time to complete his analysis and testing. SPITFIRE_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 SPITFIRE_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 SPITFIRE_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1

HURRICANE_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 HURRICANE_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 HURRICANE_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 BF109_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1


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BF109_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1

BF109_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 BF110_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 BF110_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 BF110_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1

JU87B_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 JU87B_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 JU87B_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 TigerMoth_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 TigerMoth_Rudder_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM

Engineer, default = 1 TigerMoth_Elevator_Boost_Delta = 1.000000 #FM Adjustment for FM Engineer, default = 1 Ken also led the effort to improve the accuracy of the player aero surface deflection code which has been implemented on 2.08. To get the new more realistic aero surface deflection just set REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION = ON in the BDG.txt (the default). Here is his documentation on the change:

Patch 2.08 FM Refinement The primary flight control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, and elevators) of early WW2 aircraft were not hydraulically boosted – the amount of deflection that could be achieved at medium and high airspeed was governed by the strength of the pilot, augmented by the mechanical advantage offered by the control circuitry and in some cases aerodynamic balancing on the control surfaces themselves. At extremely high speeds,

the flight controls became very stiff and could only be moved a few degrees, greatly limiting their effectiveness. Control surface deflection loss is already modeled in BoB II, provided REDUCE_SURFACE_DEFLECTION=ON in the .bdg file. Beyond a fixed threshold, achievable deflection decreases in direct proportion to increasing airspeed, until a limiting value of 10% of maximum deflection is reached. Beyond this point, 10% deflection remains, regardless of airspeed.


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As part of ongoing efforts to improve the fidelity of flight modeling, beginning at Patch 2.08 control surface deflection loss will be scheduled

by dynamic pressure (“q”). This means that achievable deflection now varies with the square of airspeed, and that ambient air density (effectively altitude) is also factored into the calculation. Upper and lower thresholds will be adjustable via new parameters in the .bdg file (e.g. SPITFIRE_Aileron_Boost_Delta = 1.000000), and the lower limit of control deflection remaining will be reduced to 5%. Even at the default settings, this change should provide players with a more realistic FM. You may notice the controls being slightly more

responsive at very high altitudes, and you certainly will notice the difference in control effectiveness if you dive beyond the never exceed velocity of approximately 450 mph / 725 kph at medium or low altitude. In due course all the FMs will be individually tuned to take full advantage of the new “boost delta” feature. 25. Implemented a new “Spinout” maneuver. It works when you shoot at a enemy AI and score a hit or near miss. If the targeted AI is Damage = Yes (a specific amount of damage that that will send the targeted AI home

(movecode =DISENGAGED or SCREWYOUIMGOINGHOME), then the targeted AI will have a 20% (medium) chance of a “Spinout”. If the targeted AI is Damaged = No, then the targeted AI has the following percent chance of a “Spinout” based on skill level: NOVICE and POOR = 20% REGULAR and VETERAN = 15% ACE and HERO = 10% I am trying simulate the different skill level AI pilot‟s surprise and “ham

fisted” reaction to being targeted, surprised, and shot at and the fact that a damaged A/C will tend to spinout when the AI pilot over reacts. You control this feature with the BDG.txt Value Use_The_Spinout_Maneuver. The default is set to “ON” so if you want to use the new Spinout maneuver (recommended) do nothing. If you do not want to use the new Spinout feature, set the BDG.txt parameter Use_The_Spinout_Maneuver = OFF. 26. Increased the distance for the AI to start shooting for head-on

engagements to account for the short time. 27. Fixed a CTD by checking for a zero pointer thanks to Prem. 28. Fixed A CTD thanks to Borton. 29. Fixed Optimize_Objects_During_Runtime to always be set to OFF (no matter what the customer has set in the BDG.txt). 30. Fixed a CTD in AirCombat() caused by a faulty check of the SAG control parameters for a extended SAG. 31. Fixed the problem of the customer issuing a Attack my Target radio


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command (help) while the A/C are on the ground.

________________ I also wanted to document here a change to the Combat Report for the meaning of the “Enemy Causalities” line (PlayerKills/PlayerKills + AIKills, example, 2/4 BF109 means the player shot down 2 Bf109‟s, the AI wingmen shot down 2, and the total kills was 4). Buddye

BDG_v2.07 Summary

1) Updates to exe (release notes below) AI improvements and AI death animation updates.

2) Single Pilot Campaign (beta) with brand new 28 page player guide. 3) Updated Flight Models (FMs), adjustable to user experience. 4) Updated Terrain - Brand new textures and reworked terrain detailing. 5) Updated Multiskin - adds over 150 Historical skins

Detailed list of changes in BDG_v2.07 1. Fixed the “L” key (FLOORVIEW) for the JU87 so it will toggle. It was

sticking. 2. Fixed a bad bug in the One-on-One and Turkey Shoot Missions where the enemy AI would not evade with a near miss when the Gun Camera = ON. 3. Remove all the unused Key commands from the Control->key map GUI that go with the new Key command document thanks to Rob. 4. Fixed bugs that were causing the JU87s to not dive bomb in the IA Anti-Shipping Mission and the campaign. We tested and confirmed the

following: - When the player flies as the "leader" and manual (not auto pilot), all AI Stuka wingmen dive-bomb. This is true both in manual-control and in AutoPilot. NOTE: in manual control the player must enter the R-6-1 CMD (start your run). You do not need to padlock the target. - When the player flies as a "wingman", other staffel members (AI Stuka leader, wingmen) dive-bomb. - When the player flies as an "escort" 109, the whole AI Stuka staffel dive-bombs.

- When the player flies as the RAF "intercept", the whole AI Stuka staffel


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dive-bombs. 5. Implemented a new Bdg text parameter

(BDG_Values.Campaign_Break_Off_Code) to control the new campaign breakoff code. A “yes” and the break off code will be applied which is the default. Set to “no” and the breakoff is skipped. This was a customer request so that the player can chase the enemy AI back to base and it will fight and evade. Be warned it also permits the enemy AI to chase you back to base. 6. Fixed a CTD in void LINKEDLIST<ITEM>::Detach (ITEM* item) caused by a NULL pointer, I think. Thanks to Borton for this one.

7. Implement a specific fix where the player is the shooter and shooting at a retreating AI in a non-combat move code. The retreating AI will take evasive action (he will do one evasive maneuvre and the return to his retreating non-combat move code). 8. Implemented a Bdg.txt parameter called Permit_Annoying_Radio_chatter which can be used to stop the annoying Radio Chatter that so many have complained about. The default is “TRUE” (same as now). Set the parameter to “FALSE” to stop the two most annoying and unnessary chatter (SHOOTHIM and slow down I can

not keep up). I can add other if customer‟s request it. 9. Fixed a CTD in OnClickItem caused by the Select Target Dialog being used. I disabled the OK button which will prevent the CTD. All users need to do to change/switch targets is click on a target on the map. The Select Target Dialog is really not needed/required. 10. Thanks to Borton and a little luck I fixed a CTD in MovePilotEye. The crash was dependent on what was in memory as the call was made to MovePilotEye before 3D.

11. Fixed the 110 bug in the right engine Mags so that keyboard startup can be used. Also made the keyboard starup keys show up in the controller keys list. 12. Prevented a error message in GetLauncherPos that Borton had during SPC testing. 13. Prevented an error message in RadioChatter::LoadSample that Trumper had in RadioChatter::LoadSample during SPC testing. 14. Enabled the movement of RAF squads duing SPC from the North to

the South to enhance game play. 15. Prevented/Fix a CTD in ParticleNode::Run by checking for NULL pointer that Nealg had during SPC testing. 16. Prevented/Fix a CTD in SetLandingTime by checking for NULL pointer that Nealg had during SPC testing. 17. Prevented/Fix a CTD in RDialog::OnLButtonDown by checking for NULL pointer that was found by sek_hakuna and reported on the general forum during his game play.


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18. Prevented the Radio Messages Regroup and SendEveryOneHome from being executed when the player is on the ground with the gear

touching. 19. For SPC (Single Pilot Campaign) gameplay only (will not affect/impact the commander campaign), you can now set the skill level for each 3D mission and there will be no random skill assigned. You will see the new Bdg.txt parameters (SPC_Skill_RAF, SPC_Skill_LUF). You can select a skill for both the RAF and LUF. Be sure to spell the permitted options for skill correctly as it will default to "NONE" (no change to skill) if misspelled. The default is “none” and this will leave the skill levels as

assigned in the Commander campaign. SPC_Skill_RAF=NONE # valid modes: HERO, ACE, REGULAR, VETERAN, POOR, NOVICE, NONE (NONE is default means no forced skill level) SPC_Skill_LUF=NONE # valid modes: HERO, ACE, REGULAR, VETERAN, POOR, NOVICE, NONE (NONE is default means no forced skill level) 20. I added the skill level at the Beta Testers request to the Movecode Labels (if you set it in the Bdg.txt, Show_MoveCodes=ON). It is added to

the end of the displayed movecode. 21. Added a random heading, pitch, roll change to the death sequence (after death) which considers the wings getting clipped, roll in both directions, and heading in both directions. The roll is started quick for wings getting clipped but a 1 second delay is used otherwise. The after death maneuvers are now very random. 22. Prevented the “sack” for the SPC. 23. Added a BDG.txt option Allow_Commander_Campaign_Sack with a

“ON” default (same as today). To prevent the commander campaign sack set Allow_Commander_Campaign_Sack = OFF. 24. Added a Bdg.txt parameter “Padlock_Enemy_AI_Targeting_Player = OFF” (OFF is the default). I am using the AIUNFRIENDLYVIEW (ALT+F1) key for this new feature and also for the key‟s default feature depaending on the Padlock_Enemy_AI_Targeting_Player switch. So if you want to padlock the enemy AI that is targeting the player as I do for both testing and survival (this is a internal parameter that points to the

AI assigned to kill the player) then you need to set Padlock_Enemy_AI_Targeting_Player = ON and press the ALT+F1 key. Remember that only time a enemy is targeting the player is during combat (movecode = AUTOCOMBAT). If no enemy AI is targeting the player you will get the “View Not Available” message at the lower left of the screen as usual. If the default is used (OFF) then the ALT+F1 key will do its default function (Padlock the enemy AI leader most of the time, using the player‟s


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enemy pointer (called ai.unfriendly). So when Padlock_Enemy_AI_Targeting_Player is set to “OFF” (the default), no

change. 25. I added code to reduce the Air-to-Air collisions. I have had this complaint on my list for years and I have also worked on this complaint off/on for years. I think this fix should help get rid of the A/C-to-A/C collisions that are visually just too far apart yet still permit air collisions that seem more visually accurate. The user control is through the Bdg parameter

Air_To_Air_Collision_Bubble_Size. The default is 10 which was determined through testing. A smaller interger value permits fewer collisions and a larger interger value yields more collisions. A setting of 16 results in no change. 26. When you have a broken outer wing (left or right) or both tail fins are broken, you will not be able to envoke AUTOPILOT. You should get a message AUTOPILOT Deactivited. Just a small “hole” close and another off my endless worklist. 27. AI can now land the player's plane in AUTOPILOT.Fixed the code so

that gear will lower when using Auto pilot (control+A) for a landing. I also fixed the flaps (they would sort of go in rapid up/down) to stay down when landing. Two other bugs were also fixed (1) flaps raised after parking and (2) stopped the engine sound after the engine was stopped. I also fixed the bug where the gear would not go up after a take-off using auto pilot.

2) Single Pilot Campaign (Beta) For full information please see your \Battle of Britain II\docs folder for Single_Pilot_Campaign_Manual.pdf Thank you to Borton, Tako_Kichi, Heinkill for this excellent 28 page guide. 3) Updated Flight Models (FMs) Thank you, Blue Six and flybywire. These have been worked on for a long while now.

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8561&start=0 Notes from Blue Six: Several incremental FM refinements are rolled out with BDG_2.07. Yaw stability and damping have been increased for most aircraft, to more closely approximate their real world performance. This will be most evident on the Spitfire, where previously, any side-to-side nose motion took an inordinate amount of time to damp out. Adjustments have been

http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8561&start=0


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made to the on-ground acceleration of all five flyable aircraft, when AI-flown, to better match the takeoff performance achievable when the player

flies the same aircraft. This addresses the problem of the player being left behind during Squadron takeoffs. Finally, and most significantly, propeller torque effects are now more properly modeled in BoB II - changes to throttle position or propeller pitch will produce a noticeable rolling moment which needs to be countered by the player. This provides additional challenge, particularly during takeoff and low speed flight. Technical and user considerations related to the propeller torque effect dictated that these FM changes be packaged as two options, "standard"

and "realistic." These options differ as to the control surface trims available to the player, and to suitability for use with the torque/slipstreaming option OFF. Note: the yaw stability/damping and AI takeoff improvements are incorporated in both options. a. STANDARD FMs, for the casual to intermediate player, will work with the torque/slipstreaming option ON or OFF, and have sufficient aileron or rudder trim available to counter the propeller torque in most flight conditions, if desired. I have left Rowan's historically incorrect cockpit-

adjustable aileron trim in place on the Bf109, for this purpose. b. REALISTIC FMs, for the advanced player, are only suitable for use with torque/slipstreaming ON, and have the same cockpit-adjustable trims as the real world aircraft. The Spit, Hurri and Stuka have elevator and rudder trim; no aileron trim. The Bf109 has elevator trim only. The Bf110 has all three trims, elevator, aileron and rudder.

The three single-engined fighter FMs in this package each have a built-in fixed aileron trim feature, which more or less balances the rolling moment (due to propeller torque) at a typical cruise speed and power setting. This is intended to simulate the aileron trim adjustments that would be made by the ground crew to reduce pilot workload (in the case of the Bf109, for example, by bending fixed metal tabs on the aileron trailing edges as needed. For the Hurricane a piece of rope would be glued to the top of the aileron and painted over). Without this feature in the sim, as in real life,

large and sustained aileron and rudder inputs are required to offset the propeller torque reaction all across the speed/power setting range. Note 1: Away from cruising speeds and throttle setting, you most likely will experience a steady rolling effect, in one direction or the other. Note 2: As the Bf109 lacks a rudder trim you will not be able to trim "hands off" for high power application. Expect to have to use your right boot a lot in a 109. This is as it was in R/L.


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4) Updated Terrain The SummerTerrain-V2 is now included by default. 5) Updated Multiskin The BoBII_multiskin_v2.06_UPDATE has been added to the earlier Multiskin package.

BOB II v2.06 Summary 1. AI (Artificial Intelligence) Advancement / improvements 2. New flight models 3. Increased stability 4. Built with Microsoft‟s latest programming software 5. New visual effects 6. 2.06 manual revision completed

Detailed list of changes in BOBv2.06

1. Fixed Collision Avoidance (CA) so that a different closure time can be used for head-on collisions (larger time as the closing is so fast) and a smaller time can be used for head to tail collisions so that the AI will not pull off as fast when shooting at an enemy‟s tail. 2. Fixed the damage model so that when the left and right fin/elevators, or the left or right outside wings are equal to BS_DEAD (totally damaged from a collision or gun fire) the player‟s A/C will not be flying home.

3. Fixed buffet sound so it turns off when player bails out or crashes. 4. Implemented additional/different maneuvers when Skill level Novice and Poor is selected in the Instant Action missions. The AI will be less aggressive (Novice less and Poor a bit more) and the maneuvers will be less defensive (Novice less and Poor a bit more). 5. Implemented new more aggressive AI maneuvers for Ace and Hero skill levels when selected in instant Action Missions (about the same level). The goal is so the customer can see a difference in both offence and

defense when different skill levels are selected. a. Novice the lowest easiest level has very little offence mild defense. b. Poor the offence increases slightly and defense is increased over Novice. c. Regular and Veteran has less offense than 2.05 level and about the same defense as 2.05 level. d. Ace and Hero offence was increased significantly with the defense about the same as Regular and Veteran. The new STAYONTAIL and


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SNAPSHOT maneuvers are used that will lock on to your tail and it is difficult to get away from them. When one thinks of skill many thing

come to mind. This implementation considers the flying skill of the pilot to perform maneuvers and the experience/skill to recognize the situation and select the better maneuver. The customer will need to pay more attention to the default skill levels in the Instant Action Missions and select the skill levels wanted according to their personal taste and experience. 6. Implemented the new Bdg.txt parameter for a new skill level option for fighting with the Terminator AI. This level is for experts and who want the

highest AI challenge. Just set Do_You_Want_To_Fight_The_Terminator_AI=ON. The terminator AI will not disengage (except when they kill an enemy) and they do not go home. It is a fight to the death for both the wingmen (friendly) and the enemy AI (unless one gets too far out of range, visible range, 8000 meters). The Terminator AI is as aggressive as Hero and Ace and may even ram you as he does not care about being killed. The Terminator has a weakness as his defense is rather normal as his focus is on offence. As the fight continues the more Terminator AI‟s will be assigned to target the

player. The Goal of the Terminator Skill level is to challenge the player to try and survive the 12-on-12 Random Advantage Mission and be the last one standing with your wingmen‟s help. Good Luck. 7. Fix a Bug in the campaign when using ENGINE_ALWAYS_RUNNING=ON where the engine started then died during takeoff. 8. Fix a CTD in C:\bob\src\movecode\..\MOVECODE\Wpaction.cpp, line 649+18 byte(s). The conditions for the CTD were (1)

Longer_IA_Fights=OFF (2) Auto Pilot on (3) must be flying for the LUF. It was rare but it did occur. 9. Made a fix to RequiredDRollSub and AutoCalcPitch to smooth out the Jumpy/shaky wingmen (friendly AI) when flying in formation. 10. Turned the engine sound off after you crash in the water. 11. Fixed a CTD in DetatchVapourStream by adding a check for zero pointer 12. Fix a Bug that caused the heading and pitch error which caused the

A/C to not fly correctly to WP‟s (Thanks to Borton for sorting this one out so we could keep the jumpy wingmen fix and have this error as they were related). 13. Made the AI 110/109 guns work the following way: (1) 100% cannon less than 150 meters for ACE/HERO/Terninator and (2) 75% MG and 25% cannons greater than 150 meters but less than 500 meters (Weapons Range). This keeps the 109/110 from running out of a very limited number of cannon shots as fast for ACE/HERO/Terminator and it is more realistic


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IMHO. 14. If a JU87 is bounced and he is within about 5 miles of his target WP,

and the player is the leader flying for the LUF then the Ju87 will finish his assign mission rather than dumping his bombs and running home as he currently does. 15. Fixed the player‟s Auto Pilot so that when the left and right fin/elevators, or the left or right outside wings are equal to BS_DEAD (totally damaged from a collision or gun fire), or the player‟s A/C is “Dead” (label no longer displayed) then the player will be forced out of Auto Pilot and he must fly himself to his death.

16. Implemented a BDG.txt parameter AI_Targets_Player_After_HitOrMiss. When AI_Targets_Player_After_HitOrMiss=ON the AI will target the player (as the game works today) after the player has a hit or near miss on the AI A/C.When this BDG.txt parameter is set to AI_Targets_Player_After_HitOrMiss=OFF the AI will not target the player after a hit or near miss. PLEASE NOTE: with AI_Targets_Player_After_HitOrMiss=OFF the AI A/C will “not” take evasive action when shot at by the player (hit or mear miss) unless already

targeted. 17. Increased the dispersion for the hand guns in the bomber to reduce the accuracy for both the AI (50% increase) and the player (200% increase) as the accuracy was considered to be like “Sniper Gunners”. 18. Fixed a bug in IA only in the GoHome for move code AUTOFOLLOWWP where the speed was set to 90% max speed instantly. This messed up the speed for the training mission for formation flying. The GoHome (get out of town) speed will only use a slow increase the

same as the player and will only for the 109 and 110. 19. Far Tile Generation fixed and implemented. 20. Fixed an old bug where the AI wingmen would not engage close to or over French soil. 21. Osram ask me to implement a new Bdg.txt parameter Render_Sheep_View_Radius for Pat Pattle so he could experiment with changing sheep into trees. The default is 0. 22. Added some new code from Charles for shadows but it needs some

work that is planned. 23. Fixed a Winds Effect problem causing jumpy AI wingmen. No Customer change required. The wingmen appear stable to our testing eye now. 24. Fixed a bug when using the “keyboard control” (rather than joystick) that Scott identified where the DeadZones program had a bug that prevented flying. 25. Added the Shove code back for the player only and “not the AI (this


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had been commented out for the last year because of concerns over AI jumps/warps and odd maneuvers).

26. Added skill level check for shooting accuracy, range, and bullets. -Novice and Poor – Start shooting early 500 meters, 10% loss in accuracy -Regular and Veteran – Start shooting at 400 meters, 5% loss in accuracy -Ace, Hero, and Terminator – Start shooting at 360 meters, no loss of accuracy, and shoot twice the number of bullets. 27. Implemented Bdg.txt parameter Initial_Max_Number_AI_Targeting_Player. This parameter permits the customer to limit the number of enemy AI that can target the player during

the initial engage (the PeelOff maneuver) to prevent too many enemy AI from targeting the player when the player is badly outnumbered. This problem has occurred during Beta testing in the campaign on 2.06. 28. Fixed a problem of the bullet sound continuing after the AI ran out of ammo. It was very noticable in Auto pilot when the AI was lock on for a kill. He will now immediately be set to disengaged and then set to AUTOFOLLOWWP to go home. 29. Added back the “Too Fast” message (which was deleted in 2.05 as annoying) under the follow specific criteria. Speed is more than 200MPH

and the throttle is more than 75%. If either or both are true the wingman whines. If both are false the guy does not whine about you going too fast. 30. Worked on the PeelOff maneuvre to try and spred out the AI more to assist in preventing friendly fire issues. 31. Implemented BDG_Values.Time_In_IA_Missions_Until_LUF_Returns_Home. The default is = 0. This permits the customer to set the time in minutes before the LUF fighters (109/110) and JU87 return home. This was implemented

as a option in IA missions so the customer that is concerned about historical RAF losses can tune the mission to his taste. Those that are not concerned about historical accuracy in IA missions can just fight on. 32. Deleted the BDG_Values.Longer_AI_Fights as #31 above replaced it. 33. Fixed a CTD in HighIntercept which was an overflow found by Spitfireace. I changed the varable name from Sword to SLong to prevent the overflow. 34. Replaced MANOEUVRE_LINEABREAST,

MANOEUVRE_LINEASTERN, and MANOEUVRE_VICATTACK and replaced them with MANOEUVRE_PEELOFF. This was based on (1) the bad experiences we had in Beta Testing and (2) that the three maneuvers were not used except under very rare conditions in game play. 35. Fixed a CTD in Setengage found by Alex. This was caused by a “target” pointer of NULL. A “target” pointer of NULL is valid only for a weldedwing maneuver but the maneuver was not a weldedwing. I added defensive code to check for NULL pointers for both the “target” and


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“caller” to prevent the problem. 36. Fixed a bug where if you blow the canopy of the 109/110 (which is

really a bad idea) you would get the “red death” effect 37. Fixed CTD in BoB2 playing engine failure mission when doing a bellylanding. 38. Fixed Novice_AI_Airspeed_Fraction Bdg paramenter so that it only takes effect when skill level is Novice or Poor or bdg.parameter AI_Novice = ON. 39. Fixed a day one bug found by Redband. When in manual Engine control (not Auto) and the Gun Cam = ON or Trigger the engine would

not over heat. It would work with the Gun Cam = OFF, however. 40. Prevented the SAG recall problem which could result in a A/C disappearing from the player‟s view when it is teleported back to the SAG. For this fix we must recognize and thank our outstanding campaign Beta tester Ick for a job well done. 41. Prevented CTD in SAGMovementTrackExpanded caused by a NULL pointer thanks to Alex‟s beta testing. 42. Prevented a CTD in AutoLanding caused by an error found by Retro ("Retro: Refuel Bug(?) by Rowan - AI.ManStep not increased !").

43. Added a Bdg.txt parameter for controlling the number of AI A/C that can attack another AI A/C. The parameter is Max_Number_AI_Targeting_AI and the default is 2. This should prevent too many AI from attacking another AI (which was considered not realistic). 44. Added more elevator trim divisions so that the elevator trim can be set in a very fine and controlled manned. Thanks to Stickman, Larry, and Blue6.

45. Modified the JU87 behavior so that it will not engage enemy fighters and chase them for an extended period. The JU87 will engage the enemy if shot at (or near miss) but will disengage (if the range from the enemy is greater than the break off range). In summary, the JU87 will try and get away and continue its mission to the next WP if it can do so. 46. Osram increased the parser limit for the new MS. 47. Made a change to try and smooth the AI during the defensive maneuver selection process because of energy loss. Energy loss occurs

most often during vertical maneuvers. If you look at the 100 plus maneuvers they can be divided into three groups (1) defensive and (2) aggressive and (3) other (Disengage, regroup, etc.). The defensive maneuvers are the focus here. The defensive maneuvers can be divided into 3 groups (1) Up (vertical), (2) down (dive), and (3) Neutral (horizontal). During the defensive maneuver selection by testing the maneuver and looking at altitude and speed, I can avoid selection the wrong maneuver from an energy point of view. I can also select a better


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maneuver from an energy point of view or if that is not possible I can select a neutral (horizontal maneuver) too avoid a big energy loss. I

believe this change should simulate what a human pilot would try to do but I really have no data to support it (just from reading pilot reports). 48. Prevented a CTD (happens each time) in CString BritSquadron::SubName() in the campaign, for 11 Group, C, getting the Tote board. This fix does have issues unfortunately in that the last column of the Tote board is not correct (issue is the last column). I will try and find a complete solution but CTD are priority #1, IMHO. Thanks to Puff for this one.

49. The Wind Effects and Wind Gusts will continue to be disabled above 1000 feet for both the player and the AI (this was also true in 2.05). The Wind effects (subject to the Bdg.txt parameter and GUI switches) and wind Gust will be enabled for the Player only (not the AI) below 1000 feet so the Player can do takeoffs and landings with both Wind effects and wind Gust. We were hoping to have them fixed and enabled but problems were identified during testing. We will continue to work on winds. 50. Prevented a CTD in AAA.cpp at line 766 thanks to Alex. 51. Added a Bdg.txt parameter GAME_PAUSE with a default to “OFF”

so if you want the game to start Paused set it to “ON”. This was by customer request, thanks to Fred for the code. 52. Fixed the campaign help which was a MSVC8.0 problem again thanks to FRED for analysis, research and code. 53. A fix was implemented that detects when a engine fire has been started. We are trying to work around a problem in the Rowand code that does not always start an engine fire at the same point of engine damage (say 200) (so you can not always code to count on it). A case may occur

where you see a burning A/C flying around. When an engine fire is detected then the change triggers new code that either blows up the AI (1 in 10 chances) or crashes the AI most of the time. We are trying to get the engine smoke and fire back in the game. We will continue to work on the engine fire burning and the AI flying away for 2.07. This fix is a compromise for now but we thought was still positive. 54. Implemented a new delay after shooting at an AI before the evasive maneuver is performed. This delay is measured after the shot is fired, and

they depend on the AI skill level and range to the target. You will see a longer transition maneuver (that is where the delay is done) for Novice and Poor than for Ace and Hero for a given range, for example. a. Novice and Poor (1 sec to 2 sec) b, Regular and Veteran (.75 sec to 1.5 sec) c. Ace and Hero (.5 sec to1.0 sec) d. Terminator (.25 to .75) The objective of this change is to have a bit smoother transition after the


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AI gets shot at and then the AI immediately did an evasive maneuver. The eye will see a slight delay after the player shoots at the AI. Actually, each

eye is different and each eye records different action but this change may help the AI observed jumps when shot at and it should not hurt anything except expose the AI to gunfire a bit longer (which some/most customers may actually want/like). 55. Fixed a null pointer CTD problem in MoveAirStruc::AutoBombDive() thanks to Bader‟s beta testing. 56. Moved a copy of MANEUVRE_DISENGAGE and MAUEUVRE_SCREWYOUGUYSIMGOINGHOME to ManualACM

from SimpleACM, and recoded all the ACM commands and links. This was to smooth the two maneuvres that had jumps at the beginning. Thanks to Bader for this one. 57. Fix a bug in FORCETOPCOVER that caused the AI to either crash into the ground or to keep climbing forever. A big “Texas” thanks to Ick for finding this bad bug. 58. Fixed Instant Action Missioms Turkey Shoot and One-On-One so they will always engage no matter what Bdg.txt parameters are set. 59.Changed the EXE and Bdg.txt from 2.05 to 2.06 (thanks to Osram).

60. Fixed a problem where the AI were crashing in AutoLanding. 61. Moved a copy of FORCETOPCOVER to ManualACM from SimpleACM and recoded all the ACM commands and links. This was to smooth the FORCETOPCOVER maneuvre. 62. Fixed Novice Skill Level to not do evasive maneuvres, made the maneuvres easier, and slowed down the AI to 80% of top speed (thanks to Scott for this one). 63. I added more robust code to prevent a CTD in

MoveAirStruc::AutoBombFollow()+23 byte(s), c:\bob\src\movecode\automove.cpp, line 5695 that was found by Morgul. 64. Fixed fading labels bug so that fading will work correctly if (1) FADING_LABELS=ON (which is the default) and (2) Show_MoveCodes=OFF. Please note that fading labels will not work with Show_MoveCodes=ON as it is a test tool and the labels need to be seem at a distance. 65. Fixed an absolute “bedrock” bug that was permitting ManualACM

(fighters-109,110,Spit,Hurri) to get into SimpleACM code (Ju87,Def). This is a problem that could result in the intermittent little warps and jumps that customers see. 66. Fixed a bug that was causing the AI to break off the attack when they had the advantage. Now the AI‟s are not only aggressive but they are tenacious (bad pit bulls). I was concerned about implementing this fix (impact to campaigners, and the lower skill levels). So here is how it is implemented it:


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a. Fixed for Instant action only (not for the campaign) b. Fixed for Ace, Hero, and Terminator skill levels only

67. Fixed a CTD overflow in MathLib::HighIntercept by changing SLong variable to ULong that the subroutine needed. 68. I added a small change for "poaching" (your wingmen shooting at the player's target) which was thought to be annoying by the Beta testers and some of you guys as well. When you see a "Poacher" hit R-3-3. If he is within 300 meters of the player‟s A/C, he will set to disengage (non-fighting movecode). If he is greater than 300 meters he will do an evasive maneuvre (normal R-3-3) and stay engaged on his target. The disengage

should give the player time to take care of his target. The friendly will re-engage on the closes enemy AI in about 45 seconds. This affects ALL friendly A/C so use of this command can put your team at a disadvantage if they are all currently engaging a target. 69. Elimated some the Bdg_out.txt data that was causing a MB build up and we were not using it.

New effects - More realistic fireballs when targets are hit with bombs

- New aircraft smoke trail and fire effects, should eliminate the blinking trails (contrails will still blink however – we know how to reproduce the bug, but don‟t understand the exact cause yet). - New bullet ricochet effects when attacking hard, ground targets - New ammo dump explosion. Look for those ammo crates or the ammo dump, and enjoy. - Blown up buildings now throw new kinds of large chunks of smoking debris

- Further optimized and improved existing smoking debris - Burning ground fires improved - More randomized bullet hit effects

Terrain Improvements - More France mapped. This time around a large area around Calais:PV - Moved Marck airfield to correct location:HH - Ground objects moved to new Marck airfield location: Stickman

2.06 Multi-skin Corrections: 1) 616 Sq. Spitfire leader is now PRU green skin 2) Keith Park (3 Sq. leader) now wears his characteristic white overalls.

Differences from 2.05 Multiskin:


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1) A fix for Aircraft lettercodes for Number32 Squadron (Hurricanes). The individual aircraft codes were scaled wrongly and didn't match the

oversized squadron codes. 2) If you select Squadron leader of Number 3 Squadron (who don't really appear in the Battle) then you will be in the personal plane of Keith Park, OC 11 Group. He flies a personalised Hurricane (code OK-1) and White overalls. Anyone who has watched the 1969 BoB film will recognise his plane (and characteristic dress) from that. 3) If you select Squadron leader of Number 616 Squadron (Spitfires) then you will be in a Green photo-reconnaissance Spitfire. Thanks to Lewis for

the Spit skin.

Release version 2.05 Summary: 1. Multiskin 2. Advanced flight modeling with authentic spins and departed flight characteristics 3. Improved Stability and CTD reduction with stronger gameplay in both Instant Action and the Campaign 4. AI (Artificial Intelligence) Advancement / improvements, including tougher engagements, simulated fear, and spin recovery techniques based

on skill 5. Faster loading times 6. Improved visual effects and sound 7. Blue Six's FM as the BoBII default (for the first time ever) 8. Fixes and general improvements

Release v 2.05 detailed list of changes:

1. Reduce Wind effect by 75% default (bdg.txt parameter

Wind_Effects_Fraction= 0.25 if users want as is today set to 1.00 ) 2. Delete Wind Gust (causes jumps/warps in AI‟s performance) 3. Exclude Ju87 from Gearup Call 4. Fix Ju87 Take-off in Novice from Tangmere 5. Prevent CTD, in TargetClosureGreaterThan 6. Prevented Campaign from being used with Novice AI 7. Reduced the Number of Fighter blowups to less than 10% 8. Prevented CTD in RemoveFromSector when sector is NULL 9. I have added a Novice_Gunnery_Predictor feature (Bdg.txt control)

You must padlock a target for the predictor to work. This is a rather cool feature to sharpen you deflection shooting practice and for newbies to learn and practice. A big red X is drawn where you need to shoot to hit the enemy AI. You can rotate through the enemy AI using the F1 key or your


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Wingmen AI using the F2 key. You will then see a big stick figure A/C that reflects the AI damage and a red line that reflects the AI ammo. The

small stick A/C reflect the enemy AI ( below) the friendly AI (above). The red small stick A/C means damaged and the black small stick A/C means undamaged. Thanks to Retro for this. 10. Prevented crashes on the runway at air fields (the age old ObjectAdds renaming workaround problem) 11. MultiSkin Switch in the BDG.txt added (4 positions see bdg.txt) (Osram) 12. MultiSkin preload added for 250M video card (Osram)

13. MultiSkin preload added for 128M video card (Osram) 14. Added code to smooth the scissor maneuvre 15 Added BDG.txt Rain (off/on) switch for inclement weather at user request 16. Fix/prevented CTD in AssignFuelTruck() 17. Added Transition to the end of Disengage Maneuvre 18. Added the new Bdg.txt parameter DEATH_BREAKS_PADLOCK feature thanks to Retro who stated it some years ago. With a target padlocked and DEATH_BREAKS_PADLOCK=OFF you can watch your

kill all the way to the ground and see the explosion. If DEATH_BREAKS_PADLOCK=ON the padlock will break shortly after you kill your target. The default for DEATH_BREAKS_PADLOCK is OFF. 19. Prevented a CTD in DecisionMessage (non-repeatable) 20. Added Bdg.txt parameters for “Spin” control of both the player‟s and AI‟s A/C Player_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500 (degrees default)

Player_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 14.325 (degrees/Sec. default) AI_Spin_AOA_Control = 17.500 (degrees default) AI_Spin_Rotational_Velocity_Control = 14.325 (degrees/Sec. default) 21. Fixed TrackIR ID 7001 (Thanks to Retro) 22. Fixed VE Center Position in Spit (thanks to Retro) 23. Fixed AssignFuelTruck CTD back in Auto_Land 24. Fixed CTD in NodeData caused by a bad pointer

25. Fixed 128MB Video card VRAM issue (Osram) 26. Fixed CTD when selecting Historic Kenley mission for low Alt Do17 then selecting Cabbage5 27. Suppress the Unresolved UIDS error in BFIELDS. Can not be any worse than now 28. Added Bdg.txt AI_Always_Sees_Enemy so the AI A/C will be seen (default=OFF) which can be used to assist the “engage” issues. 29. Added Bdg.tx Wingmen_Always_Sees_Enemy so the wingmen will


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always see the enemy AI when a R-3-1 (bandits) is issued (default=OFF) 30. Implemented a “attack my target” which is a last resort “engage” using

the R-3-5 (Help) so that your wingmen will attack a fight of enemy AI‟s when you have first padlocked an enemy AI A/C. 31. Fixed the peel off maneuver so it will fly directly toward the enemy target after the peel off for a more timely engage. 32. Fixed Hurricane white nose with Multiskin 33. Moved Hurricane pilot forward 34. Added "version 2.05" to the opening UI screen 35. Adjusted LOD for HANGR2

36. Improved ground explosions with more dynamic shockwaves and fireballs 37. Improved bullet ground hit effects 38. Optimized burning trail effects for better framerates 39. Fixed all the disengage bugs so the wingmen AI A/C and enemy AI A/C stay engaged and fight until the “go Home” criteria is met (no Ammo, low fuel, or major damage that prevents a good fight, and skill). AI pilot skill will be used as a Go Home criteria using a random number process. The lower skill pilots will tend to “chicken out” and go home much sooner

than the higher skilled pilots. 40. Fixed a personal threat smoothing issue where an AI has a hit or near miss on a target by adding a transition (old method had no transition so jumps could occur depending the state of the maneuver when the personal threat shot was taken). 41. Fix a CTD GetWeaponLauncher caused by a null pointer. 42. Added the “blrtp” (behave like Rowand Type Plane) feature as a step along the path to being able to add new A/C without having to change

C++ code. 43. Fixed repeat CTD and the funny loading screen issue 44. Added a Bdg.txt parameter Longer_IA_Fights = ON/OFF which is used to select longer (time wise) Instant Action Fights or Shorter (Go Home Sooner) IA Fights. If the longer fights are selected the enemy AI will GoHome base on the GoHome criteria (fuel,ammo,damage, random skill level (poor pilots chicken out faster). If the shorter fights are selected the enemy will fight based on the A/C‟s fuel safety margin (which is about

10 minutes in combat). We truly love customer options…………………The default is Longer_IA_Fights = ON. 45. Added a Skill criteria based on pilot skill to the Go Home Criteria (a random process but in general the lower skill level will stop fighting and go home sooner 46. Fixed a CTD in SelectView 47. Added several new features for video makers. A special video / screenie making documentation should ship soon.


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48. Sped up loading of missions (unless of course you load a lot more due to MultiSkin).

49. Added a Bdg.txt parameter Do_You_Want_AI_AC_To_Spin where the customer can select if he wants his AI A/C to spin according to his selected/specified spin parameters (see # 20) exactly like the player‟s A/C.. 50. Fixed Buffet sound problem when Gear is down thanks to Scott‟s testing 51. Added 3 new Bdg.txt parameters to control AI pilot Spins (1) Spin_AISkill_LessOrEqual_Regular = 200 #In Cseconds

(100xSec),the Delay before AI Spin Recovery for Novice,Poor, and Regular) (2) Spin_AISkill_Equal_Veteran = 150 #In Cseconds (100xSec),the Delay before AI Spin Recovery for Veteran) (3)Spin_AISkill_GreaterOrEqual_Ace = 100 #In Cseconds (100xSec),the Delay before AI Spin Recovery for Ace and Hero) 52. Fix the Credits to not show version number. 53. Fixed the EXE to show version 2.05 54. Fixed the 2.05 AI pursuit/attack problem.

55. Fixed/Recoded the maneuver selection process for the RAF fighters attacking bombers so that the fighter maneuver more effectively and make fewer straight in attacks. The result was fewer RAF losses and the gunners have a tougher target to hit. 56. Fixed a bug where the multi-AI were targeting the player killing him off quickly 57. Reworked and tuned the Smoothing feature code and added testing variables to the bdg.txt

58. Osram identified and fixed a memory leak. 59. Scott implemented a new artificial horizon indicator (H key) 60. Tried to balance the BF109/BF110 AI shooting (was shooting cannons only) so that it equals the Spit/Hurr shooting (workaround fix). 61. Implemented a new choice for visual effects for the user – Realistic or Enhanced * Terrain Improvements

1 Minor fix to cliffs near Brighton Pier:HH 2 Objects for Folkestone Harbour: HH 3 Isle of Sheppey (Eastchurch airfield). New SRTM height data added: HH 4 Isle of Sheppey. New objects added: HH 5 Lewis guns removed from Biggin Hill and Lympne airfields as they may cause problems: HH 6 Relocated Pembrey airfield, as it was on a random hill HH


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7 New French objects and relaid out existing ones to match new French Terrain: Jeff 'Stickman' Stickley

8 Moved Colerne airfield: HH HH= Hurricane Hicken Battle of Britain II Multiskin for v2.05 (52MB): NOTE: A 128MB video card is REQUIRED to run a multiskin installation. While core load times have been decreased with v2.05, installing, Multiskin can

increase load time as much as 2X over a standard installation.

Release 2.04 detailed list of changes:

FIXES

1. BF110 engine performance problem. 2. After burner speed up problem for Bombers. 3. Landing gear down problem, on Low Level Attack Mission.

4. Player engine sound stopping 5. Fixed CTD on Campaign photo 6. Fighter bailout changes to increase bailouts. Note: BOB_FIGHTERFIX=ON in BDG.txt 7. AI smoothing and fixing strange/odd manoeuvres. Added transition manoeuvre to SimpleACM and ManualACM processes. 8. BF110 engine going out of sync when going to Manual-AutoPilot-Manual.

9. Strengthened mid-air collision between player and AI A/C so it is much more difficult for the player to fly back to base. 10. Death Warp/Speed up fixed. 11. After player bail out, players A/C now heads to the ground rather that looking like it was on autopilot. 12. Prevented AI A/C from doing vertical manoeuvres when energy level is low and the AI A/C cannot do the manoeuvre properly. 13. Add an option based on a random number for a fighter/Ju87 to blowup

when it has significant engine damage (by user request to have A/C blow up sometimes). Note: BOB_FIGHTERFIX=ON in Bdg.txt. 14. The Ju87 was added to the fighters and with significant engine damage they will blowup, crash, or bailout. The bailout will only occur if the A/C canopy has not been damaged. If the canopy is damaged the A/C will crash and you hear a Texas death yell. Note: BOB_FIGHTERFIX=ON in BDG.txt. 15. Changed the RAF player‟s A/C to display MPH on the info line by


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user request. 16. Deleted Rolling fireball effect from A/C explosions.

17. Fixed the Novice JU87 take-off problem (crashed or tipped over) 18. Fixed Novice Wheel Rolling problem (except tail wheel) 19. Converted to MPH from Knots for imperial units in Spit and Hurri gauge 20. Fixed Airspeed Cal for both Spit and Hurri 21. Boost Gauge in both Hurri and Spit to work more correctly 22. Fixed a second CTD when using Photo in Campaign 23. Add RenderD3D9.cpp CTD prevention code.

24. Fixed CTD in JimCol.cpp that occurred mostly in Replay 25. Fixed the 1-on-1 “Engage” problem 26. Fixed Fileman CTD (note may not be the last one) 27. Fixed “lost device” CTD (I called the rerun CTD) 28. Fixed the jittery and un-natural movements for both the DISENGAGE and the SCREWYOUGUYSIAMGOINGHOME SimpleACM manoeuvres. 29. Blue Six developed changes for the ACM file to permit easier landing for the 109 (not sure if included or used change required)

30. For the BGG.txt parameter SMOOTHEN_FRAMERATE_MODE, fixed the NONE vs. LIMITED bug so they are different now (NONE is wide open FPS and LIMITED is a hard limit of about 32 FPS). 31. Fixed a buffet sound bug if you fail to get your gear up before you reach 140mph on take-off. You will then get the gear buffet noise as you should, but then once the gear is up the buffet sound does not go away. It should go way once the gear is fully retracted assuming it's still fully functional and not damaged. .

32. Fixed the A/C sitting on the ground at a stop but having a pogo stick effect (small bounce up and down). The pogo effect could be seen if you reduce the gear bounce in the ACM file. 33. Reduced collision detection on trees to allow closer over-flights w/o causing a collision.

NEW FEATURES

(A New feature for our Kids/Novice users is Novice AI, Novice Bullets, Novice AI Speed control, and Novice larger targets that are used with Novice FM). These features are all individually selectable in the BDG.txt and should allow our kids/grandkids to better enjoy BobII at a Novice/Jr level. (* Means feature is user changeable via the bdg.txt) New AI features:

1. Novice_Stronger_Bullets. The bullets are about 20% stronger for those


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who want to get on with it (like when I test) and so our Kids/Novice users can shoot down the AI easier and have more fun until seasoned. *

2. Novice_AI_Airspeed_Fraction. This will control the AI speed as a fraction of 100% (like set to .75 for a 25% speed reduction). You can then slow down the AI for our Kids/Novice users to better enjoy BOBII until seasoned. * 3. Novice_Target_Size. This increase the AI target size for the Kids/Novice users so they can get easier kills. *

4. 4. Novice_AI. This give the Kids/Novice user a less aggressive but hopefully challenging subset of the AI Manoeuvres so they can better enjoy BobII, it will be easier, and they can have more fun until seasoned. * 5.Collision_Avoidance. Added collision avoidance for player (only) to prevent most collisions with AI A/C. Very fast collisions (especially head-on) may still occur as AI A/C may skid in making very quick manoeuvre and not get out of the way. * 6. Warp/Jump analysis/debug (Jump_Test_Tool_Percent_X)*

7. Manoeuvre_Testing (Manoeuvre_Testing). This will permit the coder to get data for debug analysis concerning AI and FM issues/problems. * 8. New aircraft explosions to simulate the occasional occurrence of an exploding fuel tank or detonating bombs 9. New damaged aircraft / engine behavior ..........a. Lighter engine damage. The bomber leaves formation and heads home. Keep hitting his engine to increase damage. ..........b. Heaver engine damage - then the crew bails, bomber blows up, or

crashes (crew killed by smoke - equal chance here).

NEW VISUAL / SOUND / DAMAGE EFFECTS

(recommend OPTIONS / MORE GFX / PARTICLE DENSITY = HIGH) 1. New tracer and tracer smoke effects for .303 and German 20mm cannon (bomber defensive guns currently use same tracer effect as the .303 - if we want different colors, let me know specifically the colors we should use)

2. AAA and Flak guns now have new effects flash and gun smoke effects (AAA have tracer smoke too) 3. New fire and smoke effects (3 stages) implemented on the He111 and Ju88 (will be further improved after an additional code change due soon) 4. New fuel burst effect used for ground-based fuel tanks including ground-based aircraft when strafed


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5. Large, black towering smoke for ammo dump explosions (should be

FPS friendly too) 6. Smoking / burning debris for critical hits on large ground targets 7. All vehicles can now be damaged and destroyed 8. Enhanced battlefield damage dynamic smoke, fire, and charged ground effects 9. New bullet hitting brick buildings effect 10. New aircraft explosion effects (works with the new mid-air fuel tank / bomb detonation explosions)

11. 5 New player aircraft bullet-hit sounds and adjusted sound when other targets are hit with guns 12. Flak explosion sounds improved quality with a 33% increase in sound travel 13. New aircraft and battlefield gun sounds 14. People run from populated ground objects when attacked

NEW ARTWORK / CONTENT

1. Cures the flying cliffs on the Isle of Wight (HH) 2. Mapping the Pas de Calais region of France (DB, Heini, HH, especially PV!) 3. The Cerne Abbas giant and Maiden castle in Dorset (HH) 4. Removes animals from all Fighter Command airfields (HH) 5. Harbour to Folkestone (PV) 6. Removes flashes of sea in several places (HH)

7. Raise FPS slightly and improve looks at Tangmere, Kenley and Biggin Hill (HH) 8. Puts Stonehenge in its proper place (HH, PV) 9. Improved the North of England, with some of Derbyshire mapped (HH) 10. Stop roads going over woods at several places near Kenley airfield (HH) 11. Northern France. New SRTM height data added from Coquelles to just South of Boulogne (PV) 12. Rebuilt Dover. Area around Dover was corrupted, so tile could not be

worked on (PV) 13. East Kent. New SRTM height data added (HH) 14. Corrected RDF stations locations and changed CHL to be CHL stations, and CH to be CH stations (HH) 15. Kenley Hangers rotated correctly (HH) 16. Layout of CH stations modified to be more historically accurate (HH) 17. Objects added for Boulogne harbour (HH) 18. 18. Improved water textures (fresnel) and settings


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Artwork / Content credits: HH: Hurricane Hicken, PV: Pete Vincent, DB:

Don E. Brooke, Heini von Seppel

MISC

1. Engine more resistant to background application processes (ALT-TAB work) 2. New selectable weather, water, and sky* 3. Thanks to Ken, added new ACM file to improve the control of the slats

4. BF109_Slats_Open_Close_Sounds. It controls the simulated sound of the 109 slats opening and closing* 5. Flight Modeling tweaks to various aircraft.

Appendix F : Autogen Function

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APPENDIX F: AUTOGEN

function in the BDG.txt The Autogen system takes existing 3D objects (*.bin files) and sprinkles them over the landscape. There are only two things you have to tell it: What to sprinkle and where to sprinkle it. Lets start with the "what". BoB has numbered all the 3D objects, and you will find the numbers in the file shapenum.g (Shape Numbers, generated). Here are some snippets: const ShapeNum VSCON = (ShapeNum) 1; [...] const ShapeNum A_HORNCH = (ShapeNum) 610; [...] const ShapeNum DO17 = (ShapeNum) 19; [...] const ShapeNum COTTG2 = (ShapeNum) 59; const ShapeNum HAYSTK = (ShapeNum) 60; const ShapeNum PARLMT = (ShapeNum) 61; const ShapeNum TREE1 = (ShapeNum) 62; const ShapeNum TREE2 = (ShapeNum) 63; Ignore all the styrofoam that is in there, look only at the 3. column and the last one. So, if you want to litter Do17 about, use the number 19, for a COTTG2 (Cottage2) use 59, for trees 62 or 63. A_HORNCH is obviously building type a at HornChurch. If you don't see what something means (for ex. VSCON), you have to try. I don't know what a VSCON is either, (some of) you have the advantage of being native speakers. A special number is zero - it means don't

sprinkle anything here. Also, see the graphical bin file catalogue created by Arch. Have a look at the shapenum.g file (included with the bob.exe) now! So, the remaining question is how to tell BoB where to sprinkle the objects. Every AreaType has its own number:


376

AreaType:

AT_darkGrass=0, AT_midGrass=1, AT_lightGrass=2, AT_garden=3, AT_golfCourse=4, AT_field1=5, AT_field2=6, AT_field3=7, AT_field4=8, AT_field5=9, AT_spread1=10, AT_spread2=11, AT_spread3=12, AT_spread4=13, AT_spread5=14, AT_woods=15, AT_swamp=16,

AT_rough=17, AT_roughGrass=18, AT_patchyGrass=19, AT_sea=20, AT_stream=21, AT_village=22, AT_denseTown=23, AT_sparseTown=24, AT_denseCity=25, AT_sparseCity=26, AT_cityBase=27, AT_sand=28, AT_whiteChalk=29, AT_airField=30, AT_urbanBuildup=31,

The "template" for telling the AutoGen stuff what to do is: TEMP_AG_SN[AreaType,HowOften]=ShapeNum

For example: TEMP_AG_SN[5,0]=59 means, sprinkle in field1 ("5"), a few (0=few, 1= a bit, 2 =many 3= really many) cottage2s ("59"). So, for each of the 32 AreaTypes you can have up to 4 different object types you place there. These lines go into the ascii file "bdg.txt" inside the

main-bob-directory. You can add them with notepad or any other ascii editor. In the variable name, TEMP is a reminder that this is temporary stuff, AG = AutoGen, SN = Shape number.

Appendix F : Autogen Function

377

The "0" objects are used for 1.5% of all objects, the "1" objects are used for 4.6% of all objects, the "2" objects are used for 18.8% of all objects

and the "3" objects are used for 75% of all objects. Note that the second number is in range 0-3, not 1-4 and the first in the range 0-31. The only other AutoGen variable currently is TEMP_AG_DIST which determines the distance between two adjacent objects. AFAIK, its cm, good values are 2000 or heigher. Keep in mind you can effectively have different densities by setting things to zero. When using AutoGen you should disable raises in the BoB settings. Known issues: If you fly high, you will get AutoGen whether you want or not. Here is a bdg.txt snippet from maususer, that might be a good starting point: TEMP_AG_SN[0,2]=328 TEMP_AG_SN[1,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[2,0]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[3,0]=59 TEMP_AG_SN[4,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[5,2]=329 TEMP_AG_SN[6,2]=328 TEMP_AG_SN[7,0]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[8,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[9,0]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[10,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[11,0]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[12,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[13,2]=328 TEMP_AG_SN[14,0]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[16,0]=63


378

TEMP_AG_SN[17,2]=329 TEMP_AG_SN[18,0]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[19,2]=329 TEMP_AG_SN[22,3]=53 TEMP_AG_SN[23,3]=62 TEMP_AG_SN[24,3]=53 TEMP_AG_SN[25,1]=124 TEMP_AG_SN[26,1]=118 TEMP_AG_SN[27,1]=116 TEMP_AG_SN[28,0]=53 TEMP_AG_SN[29,1]=31 TEMP_AG_SN[30,0]=96 TEMP_AG_SN[31,3]=63 TEMP_AG_SN[31,2]=56 TEMP_AG_SN[31,1]=54 TEMP_AG_SN[31,0]=52 TEMP_AG_DIST=8000 Auto TreeLines: =============== These are very similar, but "1 dimensional" You give a distance like this TEMP_AGTL_DIST=6000 Default is 3000. You choose the trees to set like this. The LOD behaviour with these standard trees is not useful for Auto Treelines. TEMP_AGTL_SN[0]=62 TEMP_AGTL_SN[1]=63 TEMP_AGTL_SN[2]=62 TEMP_A.GTL_SN[3]=63

Appendix G: Maneuvre Testing Codes

379

APPENDIX G: BDG_Values.Maneuvre Testing codes for

Activating fprintf (intended for BDG coder use only)

1.Collision Avoidance 2.Manual Transition Phase I 3.Spin Recovery 4.Too Low 5.Manual and Simple ACM 6. Simple ACM 7.Manual ACM 8.Mod Roll Rate 9.Mod Roll 10.Mod Fast Roll 11.Set Thrust 12.Mod AOA 13.Mod Pitch 14.Mod Vel Pitch 15.Mod Lift Limit 16.Mod Rudder 17.Simple Transition 18.Process Piston Engines 19.Complex Engine Process 20.Sub Base 21.Real Base 22.ACM Base 23.Calc Best Climb Pitch 24. MoveItem 25. MoveTransItem 26 AirCraftDanage 27. FighterDamageBehaviour 28. ArcadeBase 29. TouchedGround 30. SetEngage 31. Seen 32. VisibleAcCheck 33. AeroDevice::Action

34. MainPlane::Process 35. Surface::Process 36. SimpleACM Invalid Move Code 37. ManualACM Invalid Move Code 38. MoveItem – AI A/C damage 39.:SetInstruments – Instruments


380

APPENDIX H: CPS_Bomber‟s Keymapping Guide

KEYBOARD CONVERSION CHART FOR BATTLE OF BRITAIN

DEVELOPERS GROUP (BDG) UPDATES

BATTLE OF BRITAIN II: WINGS OF VICTORY

AND UBI / MADDOX GAMES

IL-2 STURMOVIK / FORGOTTEN BATTLES / AEP / PACIFIC

FIGHTERS / 1946 SERIES

By Rob Henderson

aka “CPS_Bomber” in the A2A Simulations Forums This chart is designed to aide all users with regards to the custom key mapping of commands in BoBII: WoV.

The custom key map menu is found through the main options menu thus: Main Menu->options->controls->key mapping The following chart describes each command as seen in the key mapping

window, and aims to shed a little light on the description and purpose of each

command listed within the game. NOTES: The colour coding matches that of the keycard supplied with the

original release and also (more importantly) the fully updated key card by STICKMAN & MUSAK found in the

documents folder in the main game directory. Thus:

Standard keyboard: BLACK

Ctrl modified: GREEN

Shift modified: RED

Alt modified: BLUE

Commands NOT listed on key mapping screen: PINK

Undefined commands: GOLD

TABLE HEADERS: COMMAND: This is the reported name for the command as seen in the custom key map list. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: This is how the command is described in the custom key-mapping screen when highlighted.

Appendix H: Keymapping Guide

381

DEFAULT KEY: This is the default key map for the command with a fresh/unmodified install.

IL2 EQUIVALENT IN PARENTHESES: This is the nearest function (or combination of functions) available in the IL2 series. NOTES: Details notes of interest for the command and its function within BoBII: WoV.

NOTES ON “FK_” SERIES OF DEFINABLE

COMMANDS FOR USE WITH THE SPITFIRE 1A/1B, HURRICANE

1A/1B,

BF109, BF110 & JU87 STUKA. (IGNORE AT YOUR OWN PERIL & FRUSTRATION)

A new addition to the list of commands available in the custom key-mapping window is the “FK_” series. When assigned a key command, these functions will allow the pilot to control items such as magnetos, fuel

cocks, primer pumps etc via keyboard input rather than use the mouse. By default, the list of commands appears as thus in the key mapping window:


382

The full list of FK_ commands being: FK_BOOSTCUTOUT

FK_ENGINESTARTER0 FK_ENGINESTARTER1 FK_FUELCOCK1 FK_FUELCOCK2 FK_MAG01 FK_MAG02 FK_PRIMER0 FK_PRIMER1

Assign your desired key commands as normal, and when finished, click on the SAVE button at the bottom left of the key map window. Note that this is the ONLY way that the new assignments will be saved and register for use in the game. Clicking “SAVE” on the warning pop-up window will not work! Once key assignments have been made to the FK_ series, you will have the following additional functions by keyboard in

the cockpits of the following aircraft:


383

SPITFIRE Mk1A/1B

1) Left Magneto = FK_MAG01 First key press turns magneto on, second key press turns magneto off.

2) Right Magneto = FK_MAG02 First key press turns magneto on, second key press turns magneto off.

3) Left Fuel Cock = FK_FUELCOCK1 First key press turns fuel cock on, second key press turns fuel cock off.

4) Right Fuel Cock = FK_FUELCOCK2 First key press turns fuel cock on, second key press turns fuel cock off.

5) Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER0

Hold down key while pump button travels to extremes. Each full in/out cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not provide adequate priming.

6) Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER0 Hold down key to turn on ignition. Hold key down while engine fires up until RPM stabilises.

7) Boost Cut Out/WEP Reset = FK_BOOSTCUTOUT (not shown) Press key once to reset the gate on the throttle and return to maximum

continuous power (90%). NOTES: All of the interactive controls for both Spitfire types can still be used by the mouse even when assigned to the keyboard. All the controls in the Spitfire are simple on/off toggles except for the throttle, prop pitch and


384

trim wheels, which are “click, hold and slide” operated when using the mouse unless already assigned to the axis of a controller, which then takes

priority. The Boost Cut Out resets the “gate” on the throttle, thus returning the maximum continuous power output to 90%.

HURRICANE Mk1A/1B



3) Fuel Cock Clockwise = FK_FUELCOCK1 Turns fuel cock in clockwise direction. First press turns on main tank, second press reserve tank.

4) Fuel Cock Anticlockwise = FK_FUELCOCK2 Turns fuel cock in anticlockwise direction. First press turns fuel off if set to main tank, or turns on main tank if already on reserve tank. A second press will then turn fuel cock off.

5) Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER0

Hold down key while pump button travels to extremes. Each full in/out cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not provide adequate priming.

6) Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER0


385

Hold down key to turn on ignition. Hold key down while engine fires up until RPM stabilises.

7) Boost Cut Out/WEP Reset = FK_BOOSTCUTOUT Press key once to reset the gate on the throttle and return to maximum continuous power (90%). NOTES: All of the interactive controls for both Hurricane types can still be used by the mouse even when assigned to the keyboard. All the controls in the Hurricane are simple on/off toggles except for the throttle, prop pitch and trim wheels, which are “click, hold and slide” operated when using the mouse unless already assigned to the axis of a controller,

which then takes priority. The Boost Cut Out resets the “gate” on the throttle, thus returning the maximum continuous power output to 90%.

Bf109


386

1) Magneto 1 = FK_MAG01 First press turns on magneto 1, second press turns magneto 1 off. If magneto 2 is on, first press will turn off magneto 2 and turn on magneto 1, second press will turn all magnetos off.

2) Magneto 2 = FK_MAG02 If magneto 1 is on, first press will turn on magneto 2, second press will turn on both magnetos. If both magnetos are on, first press will turn off both magnetos and turn on magneto 2, second press will turn on both

magnetos again.

3) Fuel Cock ON = FK_FUELCOCK1 Press to turn fuel cock on. Subsequent presses have no effect.

4) Fuel Cock OFF = FK_FUELCOCK2 Press to turn fuel cock off. Subsequent presses have no effect.

5) Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER0 Hold down key while pump button travels to extremes. Each full in/out cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not

provide adequate priming.

6) Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER0 Hold down key to turn wind up starter motor. When the starter motor goes silent, release the key to start the engine.

7) Boost Cut Out/WEP Reset = FK_BOOSTCUTOUT (not shown)


387

Press key once to reset the gate on the throttle and return to maximum continuous power (90%).

NOTES: All of the interactive controls for the Bf109 can still be used by the mouse even when assigned to the keyboard with the exception of the magnetos. These must be configured for either mouse (by default) or keyboard (by editing the Bf109 ACM file – see notes on following pages). The remaining controls in the Bf109 are simple on/off toggles except for the throttle, prop pitch, magnetos and trim wheels, which are “click, hold and slide” operated when using the mouse unless already assigned to the axis of a controller, which then takes

priority.

Bf110


388

1) Left Engine Magneto 1 & 2 ON/OFF = FK_MAG01 First press turns on magneto 1, second press magneto 2, third press both magnetos, and fourth press turns both magnetos off.

2) Right Engine Magneto 1 & 2 ON/OFF = FK_MAG02 First press turns on magneto 1, second press magneto 2, third press both magnetos, and fourth press turns both magnetos off.



5) Left Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER0 Hold down key while pump lever travels to extremes. Each full back/forward cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not provide adequate priming.

6) Right Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER1 Hold down key while pump lever travels to extremes. Each full

back/forward cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not provide adequate priming.

7) Left Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER0 Hold down key to turn wind up starter motor. When the starter motor goes silent, release the key to start the engine.

8) Right Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER1


389

Hold down key to turn wind up starter motor. When the starter motor goes silent, release the key to start the engine.

9) Boost Cut Out/WEP Reset on selected engine(s) =

FK_BOOSTCUTOUT (not shown) Press key once to reset the gate on the throttles and return to maximum continuous power (90%). NOTES: All of the interactive controls for both engines on the Bf110 can still be used by the mouse even when assigned to the keyboard with the exception of the magnetos. These must be configured for either mouse (by default) or keyboard (by editing the Bf110 ACM file – see notes on

following pages). The remaining controls in the Bf110 are simple on/off toggles except for the throttle, prop pitch, magnetos and trim wheels, which are “click, hold and slide” operated when using the mouse unless already assigned to the axis of a controller, which then takes priority.

Ju87





390


5) Primer Pump = FK_PRIMER0 Hold down key while pump button travels to extremes. Each full in/out cycle is one injection. Tapping key repeatedly in rapid succession may not provide adequate priming.

6) Engine Starter = FK_ENGINESTARTER0 Hold down key to turn wind up starter motor. When the starter motor goes silent, release the key to start the engine.

7) Boost Cut Out/WEP Reset = FK_BOOSTCUTOUT (not shown)

Press key once to reset the gate on the throttle and return to maximum continuous power (90%). NOTES: All of the interactive controls for the Ju-87 Stuka can still be used by the mouse even when assigned to the keyboard. All the controls in the Stuka are simple on/off toggles, except for the throttle, prop pitch and trim wheels, which are “click, hold and slide” operated when using the mouse unless already assigned to the axis of a controller, which then takes priority. The Boost Cut Out resets the “gate” on the throttle, thus returning the maximum

continuous power output to 90%.

SPECIAL NOTES FOR Bf109 & Bf110 **IMPORTANT** You will need to do a little bit of editing in the ACM text files for the Bf109 & Bf110 in order to use the keyboard for operation of the magnetos - these files can be found in the "MODELS" folder of the BoBII directory. You can open these using NOTEPAD (PLEASE, IF YOU ARE

UNSURE, MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF THE ACM FILES BEFORE

MAKING YOUR CHANGES!!!!).

For the Bf109, you will see something similar to the following at the top: ENGINE { piston 1175 2100 400 30000000 # horsepower maxrpm minrpm inertia Curves { COMM Power0 COMM Power1 Bf109 PowerAlt } PropInertia { 15000000 15000000 30000000 } # ixx iyy izz PropType { variable 35 90 } # minpitch maxpitch

Propeller { 155 12013 0.477 1 } # radius area ratio dir Starter 2 MagType 2

CHANGE THE MAGTYPE TO READ AS FOLLOWS: MagType 1


391

Now save the file!

Next, open the ACM file for the Bf110 next. You will find similar to the following: ENGINE { piston 1100 2100 400 30000000 # horsepower maxrpm minrpm inertia Curves { COMM Power0 COMM Power1 Bf109 PowerAlt } PropInertia { 15000000 15000000 30000000 } # ixx iyy izz PropType { variable 35 90 } # minpitch maxpitch

Propeller { 155 12013 0.477 1 } # radius area ratio dir Starter 2 MagType 2 } Thrustpoint { prop 235 0 -120 0 0 } # x y z pitch yaw ENGINE { piston 1050 2100 400 30000000 # horsepower maxrpm minrpm inertia Curves { COMM Power0 COMM Power1 Bf109 PowerAlt } PropInertia { 15000000 15000000 30000000 } # ixx iyy izz

PropType { variable 35 90 } # minpitch maxpitch Propeller { 155 12013 0.477 1 } # radius area ratio dir Starter 2 MagType 2

AGAIN, ALTER THE MAGTYPE FOR BOTH ENGINES TO

READ AS FOLLOWS:

MagType 1 Now save the file and you're done! This will now enable you to operate the magnetos on both Messerschmitt fighters by using your defined keyboard commands. If at some point in the future you want to use the magnetos by mouse again, just follow the same

process outlined above, but change the MAGTYPE back to 2.


392

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ntr

ol fo

r b

ankin

g. A

ilero

n

functio

ns c

an

be a

ssig

ned

to

joystick a

xis

in

the

con

tro

ls m

en

u in t

he g

am

e. It

is w

ort

h

notin

g t

ha

t th

is p

rovid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

the

aircra

ft t

ha

n t

he k

eybo

ard

ca

n c

urr

en

tly

pro

vid

e.

A

dds t

rim

to t

he

aile

rons to

assis

t in

ba

lancin

g

the

aircra

ft in f

light.

The

lo

nger

the k

ey p

ress,

the

larg

er

the

inp

ut

of tr

im w

ill b

e a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in t

he c

ontr

ols

menu

in t

he g

am

e.

It is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat th

is

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e. N

ote

that

not

all

trim

com

man

ds a

re a

vaila

ble

in e

ach

aircra

ft.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

LE

FT

(Left

Arr

ow

)

RIG

HT

(Rig

ht

Arr

ow

)

CT

RL

+IN

SE

RT

(Ctr

l+L

eft

Arr

ow

)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

A

ILE

RO

N L

EF

T

(Ailero

n L

eft

)

AIL

ER

ON

RIG

HT

(Ailero

n R

igh

t)

LE

FT

AIL

ER

ON

TR

IM

(Ailero

n T

rim

Left

)

CO

MM

AN

D

AIL

ER

ON

_L

EF

T

AIL

ER

ON

_R

IGH

T

AIL

TR

IMD

OW

N


394

N

OT

ES

Adds t

rim

to t

he

aile

rons to

assis

t in

ba

lancin

g

the

aircra

ft in f

light.

The

lo

nger

the k

ey p

ress,

the

larg

er

the

inp

ut

of tr

im w

ill b

e a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in t

he c

ontr

ols

menu

in t

he g

am

e.

It is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat th

is

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e. N

ote

that

not

all

trim

com

man

ds a

re a

vaila

ble

in e

ach

aircra

ft.

S

ele

cting t

his

padlo

cks y

our

vie

w t

o t

he f

irst

aircra

ft o

f yo

ur

targ

et

form

atio

n (

lead

er

or

hig

hest surv

ivin

g w

ingm

an).

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in

IL-2

seri

es.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

od

e

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+P

GU

P

(Ctr

l+R

igh

t A

rro

w)

AL

T+

F1

CT

RL

+6

CT

RL

+8

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

R

IGH

T A

ILE

RO

N T

RIM

(Ailero

n T

rim

Rig

ht)

PA

DL

OC

KS

CU

RR

EN

T A

I

EN

EM

Y

LO

OK

RIG

HT

AL

T:

FO

RW

AR

D

CO

MM

AN

D

AIL

TR

IMU

P

AIU

NF

RIE

ND

LY

VIE

W

AL

OO

KE

AL

OO

KN


395

N

OT

ES

Activate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

A

ctivate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+9

CT

RL

+7

CT

RL

+2

CT

RL

+3

CT

RL

+1

CT

RL

+5

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

A

LT

: F

OR

WA

RD

RIG

HT

AL

T:

FO

RW

AR

D L

EF

T

AL

T:

BA

CK

AL

T:

BA

CK

RIG

HT

AL

T:

BA

CK

LE

FT

LO

OK

UP

CO

MM

AN

D

AL

OO

KN

E

AL

OO

KN

W

AL

OO

KS

AL

OO

KS

E

AL

OO

KS

W

AL

OO

KU

P


396

N

OT

ES

Activate

s a

sn

ap/s

ticky v

iew

in

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n.

Wo

rks b

oth

in p

an

nin

g o

r fixe

d m

ode

for

vie

ws. T

he

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es

for

sn

ap

vie

ws t

hat stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

R

ad

io s

hort

cut to

giv

e a

warn

ing t

o a

pa

dlo

cked f

rien

dly

aircra

ft “

BR

EA

K!”

No

direct

short

cu

ts a

va

ilable

in I

L-2

, h

ow

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

vaila

ble

by n

avig

ating

th

e m

ain

rad

io c

om

man

ds m

en

u.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+4

A

AL

T+

1

AL

T+

3

AL

T+

2

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

L

OO

K L

EF

T

AN

Y B

AN

DIT

S

AL

T:

DO

WN

/BA

CK

AN

D

LE

FT

AL

T:

DO

WN

/BA

CK

AN

D

RIG

HT

AL

T:

DO

WN

/BA

CK

CO

MM

AN

D

AL

OO

KW

AN

YB

AN

DIT

S

AR

OT

DN

LE

FT

AR

OT

DN

RIG

HT

AR

OT

DO

WN


397

N

OT

ES

Pans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

R

esets

the

curr

ent

vie

w f

orw

ard

, an

d r

esets

the

curr

en

t F

OV

ang

le to

th

e d

efa

ult F

OV

as s

et

in

the

GU

I. I

t is

wort

h n

otin

g t

hat

if y

ou d

o n

ot

want

the F

OV

to r

eset

each t

ime y

ou c

han

ge

vie

ws, th

ere

is a

n o

ptio

n t

o s

top t

his

in t

he

BD

G text

file

fo

un

d in t

he m

ain

BoB

II d

irecto

ry.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

as

e.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

AL

T+

4

AL

T+

5

AL

T+

6

AL

T+

8

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

AL

T:

LE

FT

VIE

W R

ES

ET

AL

T:

RIG

HT

AL

T:

UP

/FO

RW

AR

D

CO

MM

AN

D

AR

OT

LE

FT

AR

OT

RE

SE

T

AR

OT

RIG

HT

AR

OT

UP


398

N

OT

ES

Pans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

P

ans t

he c

urr

en

t vie

w in t

he

in

dic

ate

d d

irection.

The

vie

w r

em

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n

whe

n k

ey is r

ele

ased.

There

is n

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing v

iew

s th

at stick a

fter

key r

ele

ase

.

T

og

gle

s t

he a

uto

pilo

t o

n o

r o

ff.

Th

e a

uto

pilo

t

will

take y

ou t

o a

n e

xte

rna

l vie

w o

f yo

ur

aircra

ft,

an

d w

ill fly

you t

o y

our

next w

aypo

int.

The

auto

pilo

t w

ill d

isen

ga

ge

is t

he c

om

man

d is

pre

sse

d a

ga

in, if y

ou r

etu

rn t

o a

ny inte

rnal

cockpit v

iew

, or

if y

ou v

iew

an

d t

he

n e

xit t

he

in

flig

ht

map

.

F

ast zo

om

co

ntr

ol. W

ork

s o

nly

in

exte

rnal

vie

ws. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

Fast zo

om

co

ntr

ol. W

ork

s o

nly

in

exte

rnal

vie

ws. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

AL

T+

7

AL

T+

9

CT

RL

+A

(A)

SH

IFT

+N

UM

PA

D-

SH

IFT

+N

UM

PA

D+

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

AL

T:

UP

/FO

RW

AR

D A

ND

LE

FT

AL

T:

UP

/FO

RW

AR

D A

ND

RIG

HT

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

AU

TO

PIL

OT

(To

gg

le A

uto

pil

ot)

ZO

OM

IN

FA

ST

ZO

OM

OU

T F

AS

T

CO

MM

AN

D

AR

OT

UP

LE

FT

AR

OT

UP

RIG

HT

AU

TO

PIL

OT

TO

GG

LE

BIG

ZO

OM

IN

BIG

ZO

OM

OU

T


399

N

OT

ES

This

to

ggle

s a

re

d d

iam

on

d t

o h

igh

light

the

obje

ct

of yo

ur

pa

dlo

ck v

iew

. T

his

ca

n b

e t

urn

ed

on/o

ff a

t w

ill irr

espective o

f yo

ur

se

ttin

gs in t

he

GU

I. T

he d

iam

ond

will

work

on a

ircra

ft,

airfie

lds,

gro

und t

arg

ets

and w

ayp

oin

ts.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

R

ad

io s

hort

cut to

giv

e e

ith

er

a w

arn

ing t

o a

frie

nd

ly a

ircra

ft “

Check S

ix!”

or

a r

eq

uest

to a

win

gm

an

to

sta

y w

ith

you

“S

tick W

ith M

e!”

No

dir

ect sho

rtcuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

F

or

the S

pitfire

, H

urr

ica

ne a

nd

Ju

-87,

this

com

mand

opera

tes th

e s

lidin

g c

ano

pie

s,

allo

win

g th

e p

ilot

to o

pe

n o

r clo

se t

hem

at

will

.

On t

he M

e 1

09

and

Me 1

10 h

ow

ever,

pre

ssin

g

this

key w

ill a

ctu

ally

jett

iso

n t

he c

an

op

ies.

It is

wort

h s

ett

ing “

AU

TO

CA

NO

PY

” in t

he

main

gam

e o

ptions m

en

u t

o O

FF

to a

void

the

cano

pie

s o

n t

he

109 &

11

0 b

ein

g lost d

uri

ng

take-o

ff a

nd la

nd

ing.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

SH

IFT

+T

Z O

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

PA

DL

OC

K D

IAM

ON

D

?

OP

EN

S H

OO

D /

EJ

EC

TS

CA

NO

PY

(Op

en

/Clo

se

Ca

no

py)

CO

MM

AN

D

BO

XT

AR

GE

T

BR

EA

K

CA

NO

PY

EJ

EC

T


400

N

OT

ES

This

sw

itches b

etw

een

a f

ly-b

y v

iew

of th

e

pla

yers

aircra

ft a

nd

a c

hase

vie

w. It

can

be

used

in

con

junction

with a

ny o

ther

exte

rnal

vie

w.

Th

ere

is n

o d

irect e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

, bu

t a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “F

lyby V

iew

” a

nd “

Ch

ase V

iew

”

pro

vid

e th

e s

am

e e

ffect.

T

ele

port

s t

he p

laye

r d

ow

n in 1

000 f

t

incre

ments

for

each p

ress. H

an

dy to

ol fo

r

novic

es w

an

ting t

o p

ractice v

ari

ous a

eri

al

mano

euvre

s w

itho

ut

havin

g t

o c

limb/d

ive t

o

heig

ht

each

tim

e.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

ele

port

s t

he p

laye

r u

p in 1

000

ft

incre

me

nts

for

each

pre

ss. H

andy t

ool fo

r n

ovic

es w

antin

g

to p

ractice v

ari

ou

s a

eri

al m

an

oe

uvre

s w

ith

ou

t

havin

g t

o c

limb

/div

e t

o h

eig

ht

each

tim

e.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

giv

es y

ou a

cle

ar

forw

ard

vie

w fro

m y

our

aircra

ft w

ith

a b

asic

gunsig

ht re

ticu

le in

th

e

cente

r o

f th

e s

cre

en. A

ltho

ug

h y

ou g

et

a m

uch

cle

are

r vie

w (

usefu

l fo

r n

ovic

es learn

ing

deflectio

n s

hootin

g s

kill

s),

yo

u a

re u

na

ble

to

chan

ge

th

e a

ngle

of th

e v

iew

to

look

left

/rig

ht/b

eh

ind e

tc. T

he info

lin

e a

t th

e b

ott

om

of th

e s

cre

en,

plu

s a

ny o

the

r p

ilot

aid

es r

em

ain

vis

ible

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

F9

(F3)

(F8)

SH

IFT

+U

U

F8

(Ctr

l+F

1)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

TO

GG

LE

CH

AS

E V

IEW

(Fly

by V

iew

)

(Ch

ase V

iew

)

DE

CR

EA

SE

S H

EIG

HT

(CH

EA

T)

INC

RE

AS

ES

HE

IGH

T

(CH

EA

T)

FO

RW

AR

D V

IEW

– N

O

CO

CK

PIT

(No

Co

ck

pit

Vie

w)

CO

MM

AN

D

CH

AS

ET

OG

CH

EA

TD

OW

NK

EY

CH

EA

TL

IFT

KE

Y

CH

EA

TT

OG


401

N

OT

ES

Rad

io s

hort

cut to

yo

ur

win

gm

an t

o a

sk h

im t

o

confirm

if your

tail

is c

lear

from

any e

nem

y

fig

hte

rs. A

lso u

sed t

o t

ell

your

flig

ht/sq

ua

dro

n

lea

der

that

his

ta

il is

cle

ar

whe

n r

eq

ueste

d.

No

dir

ect sho

rtcuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

B

rin

gs u

p t

he

“C

om

bat”

su

b m

enu o

f th

e r

ad

io

com

munic

ations c

om

ma

nds.

Pre

ssin

g “

0”

(zero

) w

ill e

xit if n

o c

om

ma

nds a

re s

ele

cte

d.

No d

irect

short

cuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

T

his

cycle

s p

riority

of contr

ols

on

th

e M

e 1

10

’s

en

gin

es fro

m b

oth

, port

to s

tarb

oard

. T

here

is

no d

irect

eq

ua

l fo

und

in

IL

-2,

tho

ug

h t

he u

ser

defin

ed

options f

or

“SE

LE

CT

EN

GIN

E”

are

sim

ilar.

C

ycle

s c

ontin

uo

usly

thro

ug

h t

he

fo

rward

firin

g

gu

ns o

n t

he p

layers

aircra

ft a

s: N

on

e, M

achin

e

Guns, C

an

no

n (

if a

pplic

ab

le),

Both

(if c

an

nons

availa

ble

). N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

/

SH

IFT

+3

E N

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

CL

EA

R?

/CL

EA

R

TH

E C

OM

BA

T I

NF

O

ME

SS

AG

E S

CR

EE

N

?

CY

CL

E T

HR

OU

GH

WE

AP

ON

S

CO

MM

AN

D

CL

EA

R

CO

MB

AT

MS

G

CY

CL

EE

NG

INE

S

CY

CL

ET

HR

OU

GH

WE

AP

ON

S


402

N

OT

ES

Low

ers

th

e d

eta

il of

ob

jects

at

airfie

lds.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

In

cre

ases t

he d

eta

il of

ob

jects

at

air

fie

lds.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

S

ho

uld

n’t y

ou b

e c

once

ntr

atin

g o

n y

our

flyin

g

an

d d

estr

oyin

g t

he e

nem

y inste

ad

of

watc

hin

g

num

bers

?

Rele

ases e

xte

rna

l bom

b loa

d o

n M

e 1

10

and

Ju-8

7 w

hen

pre

ssed.

Yo

u d

o n

ot

ne

ed

to

cycle

any w

ea

po

ns o

ptions t

o s

ele

ct a

nd

arm

th

e

bom

bs.

Th

ere

is n

o d

irect

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in IL

-2,

how

ever

the c

om

ma

nds “

WE

AP

ON

3”

and

“WE

AP

ON

4”

rele

ase e

xte

rna

l sto

res in m

uch

the

sam

e w

ay.

P

ressin

g t

his

com

bin

atio

n w

ill je

ttis

on y

our

exte

rna

l b

om

bs w

he

n f

lyin

g e

ither

the J

u-8

7 o

r

Me 1

10 w

itho

ut

arm

ing t

hem

. N

o e

qu

iva

lent in

IL-2

seri

es.

P

ress th

is c

om

bin

ation

to

leave

your

aircra

ft in

flig

ht.

Your

exit w

ill b

e q

uic

ker

if y

ou m

an

ually

op

en/je

ttis

on y

our

can

opy f

irst.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

SH

IFT

+D

CT

RL

+D

SH

IFT

+F

B

CT

RL

+W

CT

RL

+E

(Ctr

l+E

)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

LO

WE

RS

AIR

FIE

LD

DE

TA

IL

R

AIS

ES

AIR

FIE

LD

DE

TA

IL

T

OG

GL

ES

TH

E F

PS

CO

UN

TE

R

DR

OP

BO

MB

S

JE

TT

ISO

NS

WE

AP

ON

S

BA

IL O

UT

(Bail O

ut)

CO

MM

AN

D

DE

TA

ILD

N

DE

TA

ILU

P

DIS

PL

AY

_F

PS

DR

OP

BO

MB

DU

MP

WE

AP

ON

S

EJE

CT

PIL

OT


403

N

OT

ES

Sta

nd

ard

flig

ht co

ntr

ol fo

r p

itch.

Ele

vato

r

functio

ns c

an

be a

ssig

ned

to

joystick a

xis

in

the

con

tro

ls m

en

u in t

he g

am

e. It

is w

ort

h

notin

g t

ha

t th

is p

rovid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

the

aircra

ft t

ha

n t

he k

eybo

ard

ca

n c

urr

en

tly

pro

vid

e.

S

tand

ard

flig

ht co

ntr

ol fo

r p

itch.

Ele

vato

r

functio

ns c

an

be a

ssig

ned

to

joystick a

xis

in

the

con

tro

ls m

en

u in t

he g

am

e. It

is w

ort

h

notin

g t

ha

t th

is p

rovid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol o

ver

the

aircra

ft t

ha

n t

he k

eybo

ard

ca

n c

urr

en

tly

pro

vid

e.

A

dds t

rim

to t

he

ele

va

tors

to a

ssis

t in

bala

ncin

g

the

aircra

ft in f

light.

The

lo

nger

the k

ey p

ress,

the

larg

er

the

inp

ut

of tr

im w

ill b

e a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in t

he c

ontr

ols

menu

in t

he g

am

e.

It is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat th

is

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e. N

ote

that

not

all

trim

com

man

ds a

re a

vaila

ble

in e

ach

aircra

ft.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

DO

WN

(Do

wn

Arr

ow

)

UP

(Up

Arr

ow

)

CT

RL

+E

ND

(Ctr

l+U

p A

rro

w)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

EL

EV

AT

OR

BA

CK

(Ele

vato

r D

ow

n)

EL

EV

AT

OR

FO

RW

AR

D

(Ele

vato

r U

p)

AF

T E

LE

VA

TO

R T

RIM

(Ele

vato

r T

rim

Po

sit

ive)

CO

MM

AN

D

EL

EV

AT

OR

_B

AC

K

EL

EV

AT

OR

_F

OR

WA

RD

EL

EV

TR

IMD

OW

N


404

N

OT

ES

Adds t

rim

to t

he

ele

va

tors

to a

ssis

t in

bala

ncin

g t

he

air

cra

ft in f

light.

The lo

ng

er

the

key p

ress, th

e larg

er

the in

pu

t o

f tr

im

will

be a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e

assig

ned

to

joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in

th

e c

ontr

ols

men

u in

the

gam

e.

It is w

ort

h n

oting t

hat

this

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

the

keyb

oard

ca

n c

urr

en

tly p

rovid

e. N

ote

tha

t n

ot

all

trim

com

ma

nds a

re a

va

ilab

le in

each

air

cra

ft

This

blo

ws th

e la

nd

ing g

ear

dow

n in t

he

eve

nt

of

hydra

ulic

fa

ilure

. O

nce t

he g

ear

is b

low

n,

it

cann

ot

be

ra

ised

aga

in f

or

the d

ura

tio

n o

f th

e

flig

ht.

Note

th

at

in IL

-2,

the e

quiv

ale

nt

is r

ais

e /

low

er

ge

ar

ma

nu

ally

, w

hic

h is u

ser

define

d.

T

his

pa

dlo

cks e

ach

enem

y a

ircra

ft in t

urn

for

each

successiv

e p

ress o

f th

e k

ey.

Use t

his

in

conju

nctio

n w

ith y

our

radio

com

ma

nds a

nd

oth

er

vie

ws s

uch a

s “

pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w

tog

gle

” (E

NT

ER

) w

hile

in c

om

bat.

In I

L-2

, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

eq

ual to

this

com

man

d,

bu

t usin

g a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “p

adlo

ck e

nem

y”

& “

pa

dlo

ck

next”

pro

duces s

imila

r re

sults.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

CT

RL

+H

OM

E

(Ctr

l+D

ow

n

Arr

ow

)

CT

RL

+G

F1

(F4)

(U)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

FO

RW

AR

D E

LE

VA

TO

R

TR

IM

(Ele

vato

r T

rim

Neg

ati

ve)

EM

ER

GE

NC

Y G

EA

R

LE

VE

R

PA

DL

OC

K N

EX

T E

NE

MY

(Pad

loc

k E

ne

my

)

(Pad

loc

k N

ext)

CO

MM

AN

D

EL

EV

TR

IMU

P

EM

ER

GE

NC

YG

EA

R

EN

EM

YV

IEW


405

N

OT

ES

This

key c

om

bin

ation p

adlo

cks y

our

imm

ed

iate

lea

der.

This

cou

ld b

e y

our

ele

ment

lea

d, flig

ht

lea

d,

or

squ

adro

n lea

der

dep

en

din

g o

n y

our

positio

n w

ith

in th

e f

orm

ation a

nd t

he c

urr

en

t

surv

ivors

in t

he c

om

ba

t situa

tion y

ou m

ay

curr

en

tly b

e in

. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

E

xits th

e 3

D w

orl

d a

nd

re

turn

s to

the d

ebri

efin

g

scre

en (

insta

nt actio

n)

or

the

map

ro

om

(cam

pa

ign).

Wh

en d

efine

d, re

sets

th

e g

ate

on t

he t

hro

ttle

so th

e m

axim

um

atta

inab

le p

ow

er

is r

ed

uced

to

90

% o

f en

gin

e o

utp

ut

– c

ontin

uo

us s

afe

maxim

um

pow

er.

No e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

Wh

en d

efine

d,

en

ab

les t

he p

laye

r to

turn

th

e

ign

itio

n o

n f

or

their e

ngin

e in t

he

Sp

itfire

,

Hurr

ica

ne

, B

f109 o

r S

tuka

, an

d a

lso f

or

the p

ort

en

gin

e in

th

e B

f110.

Wh

en d

efine

d,

en

ab

les t

he p

laye

r to

turn

th

e

ign

itio

n o

n f

or

the s

tarb

oard

en

gin

e in

th

e

Bf1

10.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

AL

T+

F2

AL

T+

X

(Esc)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(I)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(I)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

PA

DL

OC

K E

SC

OR

TE

D

PL

AN

E

LE

AV

E T

HE

3D

(Exit

flig

ht)

? ? ?

CO

MM

AN

D

ES

CO

RT

EE

VIE

W

EX

ITK

EY

FK

_B

OO

ST

CU

TO

UT

FK

_E

NG

INE

ST

AR

TE

R0

FK

_E

NG

INE

ST

AR

TE

R1


406

N

OT

ES

Wh

en d

efine

d,

en

ab

les o

pera

tion o

f th

e left

fue

l cock in t

he

Sp

itfire

and S

tuka, th

e m

ain

fue

l cock f

or

the

port

en

gin

e in

the B

f110

, th

e

op

en

ing o

f th

e fu

el cock for

the B

f109 a

nd t

he

Hurr

ica

ne

. A

secon

d p

ress in t

he H

urr

ica

ne w

ill

turn

on t

he

rese

rve t

ank.

No d

irect

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in t

he I

L-2

seri

es, th

oug

h u

se o

f m

ixtu

re

contr

ols

allo

w t

he

pla

ye

r to

com

ple

tely

turn

on

or

off t

he f

ue

l flow

in

som

e a

ircra

ft.

W

hen d

efine

d,

en

ab

les o

pera

tion o

f th

e r

ight

fue

l cock in t

he

Sp

itfire

and S

tuka, th

e m

ain

fue

l cock f

or

the

sta

rbo

ard

eng

ine in t

he

Bf1

10,

the

clo

sure

of

the f

ue

l cock f

or

the B

f10

9 a

nd

the

Hurr

ica

ne.

If t

he r

eserv

e t

ank is s

ele

cte

d in

the

Hurr

ica

ne,

the f

irst

pre

ss w

ill r

etu

rn t

o t

he

main

ta

nk, w

ith

a s

econ

d p

ress c

losin

g t

he f

uel

cock. N

o d

irect

equ

ivale

nt in

the

IL

-2 s

eri

es,

tho

ug

h u

se o

f m

ixtu

re c

ontr

ols

allo

w t

he

pla

yer

to c

om

ple

tely

tu

rn o

n o

r off

the f

uel flow

in

som

e a

ircra

ft.

W

hen d

efine

d, w

ill e

na

ble

op

era

tion o

f th

e left

magn

eto

sw

itch in t

he

Sp

itfire

, H

urr

ica

ne

and

Stu

ka.

In t

he B

f109

it

will

turn

on m

ag

neto

#1

,

an

d in t

he

Bf1

10, cycle

thro

ugh

ma

gn

eto

#1 /

#2 /

both

on /

both

off o

n th

e p

ort

eng

ine o

nly

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(User

Defi

ne

d)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(User

Defi

ne

d)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

) ? ? ?

CO

MM

AN

D

FK

_F

UE

LC

OC

K1

FK

_F

UE

LC

OC

K2

FK

_M

AG

01


407

N

OT

ES

Wh

en d

efine

d, w

ill e

na

ble

op

era

tion o

f th

e r

ight

magn

eto

sw

itch in t

he

Sp

itfire

, H

urr

ica

ne

and

Stu

ka.

In t

he B

f109

it

will

turn

on m

ag

neto

#2

,

an

d in t

he

Bf1

10, cycle

thro

ugh

ma

gn

eto

#1 /

#2 /

both

on /

both

off o

n th

e s

tarb

oard

en

gin

e

only

.

W

hen d

efine

d, th

is w

ill a

ctivate

the

pri

mer

pum

p in t

he S

pitfire

, H

urr

ica

ne,

Bf1

09,

Stu

ka

an

d t

he p

um

p f

or

the p

ort

eng

ine in t

he

Bf1

10.

No e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

Wh

en d

efine

d, th

is w

ill a

ctivate

the

pum

p f

or

the

sta

rbo

ard

eng

ine o

f th

e B

f11

0 o

nly

. N

o

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Low

ers

tra

ilin

g e

dge

fla

ps o

ne s

tag

e f

or

each

pre

ss. N

ote

th

at

the f

laps t

akes tim

e t

o tra

vel,

an

d e

xcess s

pee

d w

ith t

hem

low

ere

d c

an

cause d

am

ag

e.

R

ais

es tra

iling

edg

e f

laps o

ne s

tag

e f

or

each

pre

ss. N

ote

th

at

the f

laps t

akes tim

e t

o tra

vel,

an

d e

xcess s

pee

d w

ith t

hem

low

ere

d c

an

cause d

am

ag

e.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

(User

Defi

ne

d)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

no

t d

efi

ne

d

V

(V) F

(F)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

) ? ? ?

INC

RE

AS

E F

LA

P

DE

FL

EC

TIO

N

(Fla

ps D

ow

n)

DE

CR

EA

SE

FL

AP

DE

FL

EC

TIO

N

(Fla

ps U

p)

CO

MM

AN

D

FK

_M

AG

02

FK

_P

RIM

ER

0

FK

_P

RIM

ER

1

FL

AP

SD

OW

N

FL

AP

SU

P


408

N

OT

ES

Tog

gle

s t

he p

ilot’s in

-cockpit v

iew

to look d

ow

n

thro

ugh t

he f

loor

win

dow

of

the J

u-8

7 S

tuka

while

lin

ing u

p fo

r a

div

e-b

om

bin

g r

un.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

C

ha

ng

es s

mooth

ly a

nd c

ontin

uo

usly

betw

ee

n

larg

e a

nd s

ma

ll F

OV

sett

ings w

hile

key

com

bin

atio

n is h

eld

dow

n. W

ork

s in

both

inte

rnal a

nd e

xte

rnal vie

ws.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in

IL-2

seri

es.

Sna

ps t

he F

OV

to t

he w

ide

FO

V a

ngle

as s

et

in t

he G

UI.

Sna

ps t

he F

OV

to t

he m

ediu

m F

OV

an

gle

as

set in

the

GU

I.

Sna

ps t

he F

OV

to t

he s

mall

FO

V a

ng

le a

s s

et

in t

he G

UI.

Much lik

e t

he

FO

V t

ogg

le g

iven b

y t

he k

ey

com

bin

atio

n S

HIF

T+

8, h

ow

ever

this

sn

aps t

he

zoom

level to

th

e e

xtr

em

e n

arr

ow

/ w

ide v

iew

s

as d

efine

d b

y th

e p

layer

in t

he G

UI.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

L

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SH

IFT

+F

8

SH

IFT

+F

11

(Pag

eD

ow

n)

SH

IFT

+F

10

(En

d)

SH

IFT

+F

9

(Dele

te)

SH

IFT

+F

12

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

F

LO

OR

VIE

W I

N J

U8

7

(Lo

ok F

ron

t D

ow

n)

INC

RE

AS

ES

FIE

LD

OF

VIE

W,

TH

EN

DE

CR

EA

SE

S

TO

GG

LE

LA

RG

E F

IEL

D

OF

VIE

W

(Wid

e V

iew

)

TO

GG

LE

ME

DIU

M F

IEL

D

OF

VIE

W

(No

rmal V

iew

)

TO

GG

LE

S S

MA

LL

FIE

LD

OF

VIE

W

(Gu

ns

igh

t V

iew

)

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

FIE

LD

OF

VIE

W

(To

gg

le F

OV

)

CO

MM

AN

D

FL

OO

RV

IEW

FO

V_

JIB

01

FO

V_L

AR

GE

FO

V_M

ED

IUM

FO

V_S

MA

LL

FO

V_T

OG

GL

E


409

N

OT

ES

This

pa

dlo

cks e

ach

fri

en

dly

aircra

ft in

turn

for

each

successiv

e p

ress o

f th

e k

ey.

Use t

his

in

conju

nctio

n w

ith y

our

radio

com

ma

nds a

nd

oth

er

vie

ws s

uch a

s “

pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w

tog

gle

” (E

NT

ER

) w

hile

in c

om

bat.

In I

L-2

, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

eq

ual to

this

com

man

d,

bu

t usin

g a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “p

adlo

ck fri

en

dly

” &

“p

ad

lock

next”

pro

duces s

imila

r re

sults.

T

his

to

ggle

s t

he

curr

ent

inte

rna

l fu

el ta

nk t

o

fee

d t

he

eng

ine(s

) in

the

pla

yer

aircra

ft. O

nly

ap

plic

ab

le t

o t

he H

urr

ica

ne

and

th

e M

e 1

10

.

Not to

be

con

fuse

d w

ith

th

e m

ain

fu

el cock

contr

ols

. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

og

gle

s t

he la

nd

ing g

ear

up o

r dow

n.

Note

th

at

the

gear

takes tim

e to

tra

vel, a

nd

excess s

pe

ed

with

th

e g

ear

dow

n c

an c

ause d

am

ag

e.

S

ele

cting t

he in

-flig

ht

map

bri

ngs u

p a

full

scre

en m

ap o

f th

e loca

l are

a w

hile

als

o a

cting

as a

pa

use f

unction.

Th

e m

ap h

as a

2-s

tage

zoom

function

, an

d a

vari

ety

of

optio

ns f

or

use

of th

e a

uto

pilo

t, g

enera

l n

avig

atio

n o

f flig

ht

pla

ns a

nd a

re

pe

at

of

the m

ain

ra

dio

com

munic

ations m

enu

. A

ll th

e o

ptio

ns a

re

navig

ate

d a

nd

accessed

by p

ressin

g t

he

ap

pro

pri

ate

keyb

oard

num

ber.

To e

xit t

he

map

scre

en,

pre

ss 0

(ze

ro).

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

F2

(Sh

ift+

F4

)

(U)

CT

RL

+F

G

(G) M

(M)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

PA

DL

OC

K N

EX

T

FR

IEN

DL

Y

AIR

CR

AF

T

(Pad

loc

k F

rie

nd

ly)

(Pad

loc

k N

ext

U)

FU

EL

TA

NK

SE

LE

CT

GE

AR

TO

GG

LE

(Gear

Up

/Do

wn

)

GO

ES

TO

MA

P S

CR

EE

N

(To

gg

le M

ap

)

CO

MM

AN

D

FR

ND

VIE

W

FU

EL

GU

AG

ES

EL

EC

TO

R

GE

AR

UP

DO

WN

GO

TO

MA

PK

EY


410

N

OT

ES

This

pa

dlo

cks e

ach

enem

y g

roun

d t

arg

et

in

turn

fo

r e

ach s

uccessiv

e p

ress o

f th

e k

ey. U

se

this

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

you

r ra

dio

com

ma

nds

an

d o

ther

vie

ws s

uch a

s “

pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w

tog

gle

” (

EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in c

om

ba

t. I

n I

L-2

,

there

is n

o d

irect

equ

al to

th

is c

om

man

d,

but

usin

g a

com

bin

ation

of

“pad

lock e

nem

y

gro

un

d”

& “

pad

lock n

ext”

pro

duces s

imila

r

results.

Brin

gs u

p t

he

“G

roup

In

fo”

sub

men

u o

f th

e

rad

io c

om

mun

icatio

ns c

om

man

ds. P

ressin

g “

0”

(zero

) w

ill e

xit if n

o c

om

ma

nds a

re s

ele

cte

d.

No d

irect

short

cuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

This

resets

th

e h

ea

d p

ositio

n in

th

e c

ockp

it t

o

the

corr

ect le

vel b

eh

ind t

he g

unsig

ht

if th

e

pla

yer

has m

oved t

o a

custo

m h

ea

d p

ositio

n b

y

usin

g t

he

“M

OV

E V

IEW

PO

INT

” set

of keys. It

als

o t

urn

s o

ff t

he

Vecto

r E

xpa

nsio

n f

or

Tra

ckIR

tho

ug

h o

bvio

usly

th

is fu

nction

only

work

s for

those w

ith a

ppro

pri

ate

kit!

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

series

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

F3

(F5)

(U)

SH

IFT

+F

1

SH

IFT

+N

UM

EN

TE

R

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

PA

DL

OC

K N

EX

T

GR

OU

ND

TA

RG

ET

(Pad

loc

k E

ne

my

Gro

un

d)

(Pad

loc

k N

ext)

TH

E G

RO

UP

IN

FO

ME

SS

AG

E S

CR

EE

N

FIX

ES

VIE

WP

OIN

T T

O A

PO

SIT

ION

BE

HIN

D T

HE

GU

NS

IGH

T

CO

MM

AN

D

GR

ND

TV

IEW

GR

OU

PIN

FO

MS

G

GU

NS

IGH

TV

IEW


411

N

OT

ES

Allo

ws th

e p

layer

to f

ine

-tun

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Allo

ws th

e p

layer

to f

ine

-tun

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Allo

ws th

e p

layer

to f

ine

-tun

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Allo

ws th

e p

layer

to f

ine

-tun

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

SH

IFT

+E

ND

SH

IFT

+P

GU

P

SH

IFT

+H

OM

E

SH

IFT

+D

EL

ET

E

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

M

OV

ES

VIE

WP

OIN

T

BA

CK

WA

RD

MO

VE

S V

IEW

PO

INT

DO

WN

MO

VE

S V

IEW

PO

INT

FO

RW

AR

D

MO

VE

S V

IEW

PO

INT

LE

FT

CO

MM

AN

D

HE

AD

BA

CK

WA

RD

HE

AD

DO

WN

HE

AD

FO

RW

AR

D

HE

AD

LE

FT


412

N

OT

ES

Le

ans y

our

he

ad

to

one s

ide o

f th

e c

ockpit, or

even

out

of th

e c

ockpit if

the c

an

opy is o

pen

.

You

can

als

o u

se t

his

to s

et yo

ur

line o

f sig

ht

dir

ectly b

eh

ind t

he

offset

reflecto

r gu

nsig

hts

fou

nd

in t

he f

lya

ble

Luft

wa

ffe

air

cra

ft.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Le

ans y

our

he

ad

to

on

e s

ide o

f th

e c

ockpit, or

even

out

of th

e c

ockpit if

the c

an

opy is o

pen

.

You

can

als

o u

se t

his

to s

et yo

ur

line o

f sig

ht

dir

ectly b

eh

ind t

he

offset

reflecto

r gu

nsig

hts

fou

nd

in t

he f

lya

ble

Luft

wa

ffe

air

cra

ft.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

A

llow

s th

e p

laye

r to

fin

e-t

un

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Allo

ws th

e p

layer

to f

ine

-tun

e t

he p

ositio

n t

he

ir

he

ad insid

e t

he c

ockpit in

th

e d

esir

ed

directio

n.

To e

nab

le t

his

fu

nction

, yo

u m

ust

turn

“CU

ST

OM

_H

EA

D_P

OS

ITIO

N”

in t

he

BD

G t

ext

file

to “

ON

”. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

Q

W

SH

IFT

+P

GD

OW

N

SH

IFT

+IN

SE

RT

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

S

TIC

K H

EA

D O

UT

OF

TH

E L

EF

T S

IDE

OF

CO

CK

PIT

ST

ICK

HE

AD

OU

T O

F

TH

E R

IGH

T S

IDE

OF

CO

CK

PIT

MO

VE

S V

IEW

PO

INT

RIG

HT

MO

VE

S V

IEW

PO

INT

UP

CO

MM

AN

D

HE

AD

OU

TV

IEW

L

HE

AD

OU

TV

IEW

R

HE

AD

RIG

HT

HE

AD

UP


413

N

OT

ES

This

to

ggle

s t

he

enem

y p

ositio

n ind

icato

r (E

PI)

an

d t

he a

rtific

ial h

orizo

n in t

he t

op

rig

ht

corn

er

of th

e s

cre

en w

he

n in t

he

cockpit. T

hese c

an

be t

urn

ed o

n o

r off

eve

n if yo

ur

pre

fere

nces a

re

set to

off in t

he G

UI.

Ad

ditio

nal op

tions f

or

configu

ring b

oth

th

e E

PI

an

d t

he a

rtific

ial

hori

zon

can

be f

ou

nd

in

the G

UI a

nd

the B

DG

text file

in t

he

main

BoB

II d

irecto

ry.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

W

hen t

urn

ed o

n,

this

directs

th

e p

laye

r to

an

exte

rna

l vie

w o

f a

ny b

om

bs t

he

pla

yer’

s a

ircra

ft

has r

ele

ase

d a

s th

ey s

trik

e th

eir

targ

et

an

d

deto

nate

. O

nce t

he b

om

bs h

ave

exp

lode

d,

the

pla

yer

is r

etu

rned

to t

he c

ockpit o

f th

eir

air

cra

ft.

No e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

The

info

lin

e h

as 3

sta

ge w

hic

h a

re c

ycle

d

thro

ugh in t

urn

: F

light In

form

atio

n;

Vie

w

Info

rmatio

n; O

ff. A

dditio

na

l o

ptio

ns for

custo

mis

ing t

he info

lin

e c

an b

e f

oun

d in t

he

BD

G text

file

in

th

e m

ain

Bo

BII d

irecto

ry, as

well

as in t

he m

ain

op

tions m

en

us o

f th

e g

am

e.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

H

F11

I

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

T

OG

GL

ES

TH

E E

NE

MY

PO

SIT

ION

IN

DIC

AT

OR

AN

D A

RT

IFIC

IAL

HO

RIZ

ON

TO

GG

LE

IM

PA

CT

VIE

W

CY

CL

ES

TH

RO

UG

H I

NF

O

LIN

ES

(To

gg

le S

pee

d B

ar)

CO

MM

AN

D

HU

DT

OG

GL

E

IMP

AC

TT

OG

INF

OP

AN

EL


414

N

OT

ES

Sw

itch

es b

etw

ee

n inte

rnal (n

orm

al cockpit =

F7)

an

d e

xte

rna

l (t

rack =

F6)

vie

ws w

ith

each

pre

ss. T

he

re is n

o d

irect e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2,

how

ever

a c

om

bin

atio

n o

f “c

ockp

it v

iew

” an

d

“exte

rna

l vie

w”

perf

orm

a s

imila

r ta

sk.

T

his

pu

ts y

ou in

th

e p

ilot’s s

ea

t w

ith

th

e c

ockp

it

gra

ph

ics &

instr

um

enta

tio

n.

This

sn

aps y

our

vie

w insid

e t

he c

ockpit t

o t

he

main

instr

um

ent

pa

ne

l. T

he v

iew

is a

ctive

fo

r

as lo

ng

as t

he k

ey is h

elp

dow

n.

Once

rele

ase

d, your

vie

w w

ill r

etu

rn t

o its

pre

vio

us

positio

n. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in IL

-2 s

eri

es.

T

og

gle

the

lab

els

for

AI

aircra

ft w

hile

in

flig

ht.

Note

th

at

to w

ork

, la

be

ls m

ust

be

ena

ble

d in

the

GU

I befo

re f

light.

Additio

nal op

tions f

or

configu

ring la

be

ls c

an

be f

ou

nd

in t

he G

UI a

nd

the

BD

G t

ext file

in t

he

main

BoB

II d

irecto

ry.

No e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

C

ycle

s b

ackw

ard

s t

hro

ug

h t

he

forw

ard

firin

g

gu

ns o

n t

he p

layers

aircra

ft.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in

IL-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

BA

CK

SP

AC

E

F7

(F1)

NU

M E

NT

ER

T [

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

IN

SID

E/O

UT

SID

E V

IEW

TO

GG

LE

CO

CK

PIT

VIE

W

(Co

ckp

it V

iew

)

LO

OK

S A

T T

HE

INS

TR

UM

EN

T P

AN

EL

TO

GG

LE

S L

AB

EL

S

PR

EV

IOU

S W

EA

PO

N

CO

MM

AN

D

INO

UT

TO

G

INS

IDE

TO

G

INS

TV

IEW

KE

Y_T

OG

GL

E_D

ES

C_T

EX

T

LA

ST

WE

AP

ON


415

NO

TE

S

Activate

s in

de

pen

de

nt

bra

kes o

n t

he m

ain

whe

els

of

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft.

Ho

ldin

g d

ow

n o

ne

bra

ke

wh

ile a

pp

lyin

g p

ow

er

& a

ppro

pri

ate

rud

der

will

turn

the a

ircra

ft tig

htly w

hile

on t

he

gro

un

d.

To g

et fu

ll b

rakin

g e

ffect,

hold

dow

n

both

left

and

rig

ht bra

ke k

eys.N

ote

that

in I

L-2

,

a s

ingle

key o

pera

tes y

our

whe

el bra

kes

sim

ultan

eo

usly

.

G

ives a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

G

ives a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

G

ives a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

G

ives a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

,

(B)

AL

T+

NU

M6

(NU

MP

AD

6)

HO

ME

(NU

MP

AD

8)

PG

UP

(NU

MP

AD

9)

INS

ER

T

(NU

MP

AD

7)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

L

EF

T W

HE

EL

BR

AK

E

(HO

LD

DO

WN

)

(Wh

eel

Bra

ke

s)

ST

ICK

Y R

IGH

T

(Lo

ok R

igh

t)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K

FO

RW

AR

D

(Lo

ok F

orw

ard

)

S

TIC

KY

LO

OK

FO

RW

AR

D/R

IGH

T

(Lo

ok F

ron

t R

igh

t)

S

TIC

KY

LO

OK

FO

RW

AR

D/L

EF

T

(Lo

ok F

ron

t L

eft

)

CO

MM

AN

D

LE

FT

WH

EE

LB

RA

KE

LO

OK

E

LO

OK

N

LO

OK

NE

LO

OK

NW


416

N

OT

ES

Giv

es a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

this

part

icula

r

com

mand

.

G

ives a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

Giv

es a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

EN

D

PG

DO

WN

(NU

MP

AD

3)

DE

LE

TE

(NU

MP

AD

1)

CT

RL

+N

UM

6

(User

Defi

ne

d)

CT

RL

+N

UM

8

(User

Defi

ne

d)

CT

RL

+N

UM

9

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K B

AC

K

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K

BA

CK

/RIG

HT

(Lo

ok B

ac

k R

igh

t)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K

BA

CK

/LE

FT

(Lo

ok B

ac

k L

eft

)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P R

IGH

T

(Lo

ok U

p R

igh

t)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P

FO

RW

AR

D

(Lo

ok F

ron

t U

p)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P

FO

RW

AR

D/R

IGH

T

(Lo

ok F

ron

t U

p R

igh

t)

CO

MM

AN

D

LO

OK

S

LO

OK

SE

LO

OK

SW

LO

OK

UP

E

LO

OK

UP

N

LO

OK

UP

NE


417

NO

TE

S

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es

for

this

part

icu

lar

com

man

d.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+N

UM

7

(User

Defi

ne

d)

CT

RL

+N

UM

2

CT

RL

+N

UM

3

(User

Defi

ne

d)

CT

RL

+N

UM

1

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

S

TIC

KY

LO

OK

UP

FO

RW

AR

D/L

EF

T

(Lo

ok F

ron

t U

p L

eft

)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P B

AC

K

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P

BA

CK

/RIG

HT

(Lo

ok B

ac

k U

p R

igh

t)

ST

ICK

Y L

OO

K U

P

BA

CK

/LE

FT

(Lo

ok B

ac

k U

p L

eft

)

CO

MM

AN

D

LO

OK

UP

NW

LO

OK

UP

S

LO

OK

UP

SE

LO

OK

UP

SW


418

N

OT

ES

Used in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

th

e c

om

man

ds L

OO

KN

/ N

W / W

/

SW

, etc

. T

hey p

rovid

e a

"sna

p"

vie

w,

i.e

. th

e v

iew

is o

nly

active w

hile

th

e k

ey is d

epre

ssed.

These

keys, w

hen

use

d in

conju

nctio

n w

ith t

he "

LO

OK

UP

TO

G"

key,

are

mod

ifie

d t

o look

45

de

g u

p.

Th

ey t

hus p

rovid

e 1

6 "

quic

k looks".

In t

he

defa

ult

key a

ssig

nm

en

t, t

hese a

re u

nfo

rtu

nate

ly s

catt

ere

d, as s

ix o

f

the

eig

ht

are

assig

ne

d t

o t

he u

pp

er

mid

dle

key c

luste

r In

sert

,

Hom

e,

Pa

geD

ow

n e

tc. T

he m

issin

g p

air a

re L

OO

KE

and

LO

OK

W, w

hic

h a

re a

ssig

ne

d t

o a

lt-N

um

pad

4 a

nd a

lt-

Num

pa

d6. In

this

co

nfig

ura

tio

n,

they a

re p

retty m

uch

use

less,

but

it is c

lear

that R

ow

an p

rovid

ed t

hem

so t

ha

t th

ey c

ould

be

rem

ap

ped t

o e

mu

late

th

e "

quic

k look"

keys u

se

d in o

ther

sim

s.T

he u

su

al key a

ssig

nm

ents

in t

hese o

ther

sim

s is t

o p

ut

the

LO

OK

UP

TO

G f

unctio

n o

n t

he N

um

pa

d5

key,

an

d a

ssig

n

the

rest

of

the s

et to

the o

ther

Num

pa

d d

igits in a

rin

g a

rou

nd

the

5.

On

e c

an t

he

n r

est a

mid

dle

fin

ger

on t

he

5 k

ey a

nd

access a

ll 1

6 v

iew

s r

apid

ly a

nd intu

itiv

ely

, w

itho

ut

lookin

g.

These k

ey c

om

ma

nds c

an a

lso

be u

sed

for

pro

gra

mm

ing a

PO

V h

at to

pro

vid

e s

nap v

iew

s r

ath

er

than p

an

nin

g.

If

one

do

es d

o t

hat

reassig

nm

ent, t

he s

imp

lest w

ay is t

o s

wap e

ach

key w

ith

th

e o

ne it is

re

pla

cin

g. H

ow

ever,

I lik

e to

put

the

RO

TR

ES

ET

function

, fr

om

Num

pa

d5

, o

nto

the

Hom

e k

ey,

as

tha

t is

wha

t it d

oes,

giv

es y

ou

back y

our

forw

ard

vie

w if

you

lose it.

Th

e o

ther

dis

pla

ced k

eys fro

m t

he

num

pad,

I on

ly u

se

in e

xte

rna

l vie

w,

an

d t

ha

t is

never

in a

com

bat situ

atio

n, so

I

do

n't

min

d h

avin

g t

hem

on t

he

upp

er

mid

dle

key c

luste

r, w

hic

h

is a

n infe

rio

r lo

catio

n c

om

pare

d t

o t

he n

um

pad

. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T

IN B

RA

CK

ET

S)

SC

RO

LL

LO

CK

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

LO

OK

UP

TO

GG

LE

FO

R S

TIC

KY

KE

YS

CO

MM

AN

D

LO

OK

UP

TO

G


419

N

OT

ES

Modifie

s c

ockpit v

iew

to lo

ok u

pw

ard

s in t

he

sele

cte

d d

irection

.

Giv

es a

sn

ap v

iew

to t

he c

hose

n d

irection f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit.

Wh

en r

ele

ased

, th

e v

iew

retu

rns t

o t

he

last kno

wn p

ositio

n.

S

ets

the

pitch a

ngle

of th

e p

rop

elle

r b

lades

maxim

um

(fin

e).

Pro

p p

itch c

ontr

ol can

als

o b

e

assig

ned

to

an a

xis

on y

our

co

ntr

olle

r, a

nd in

doin

g s

o p

rovid

es g

reate

r ease o

f use. P

rop

pitch

can

als

o b

e s

et

as a

uto

matic r

ath

er

tha

n

manu

al in

the G

UI.

S

ets

the

pitch a

ngle

of th

e p

rop

elle

r b

lades t

o

min

imum

(coars

e).

Pro

p p

itch c

ontr

ol can

als

o

be a

ssig

ne

d t

o a

n a

xis

on y

our

contr

olle

r, a

nd

in d

oin

g s

o p

rovid

es g

rea

ter

ease o

f use.

Pro

p

pitch

can

als

o b

e s

et

as a

uto

matic r

ath

er

tha

n

manu

al in

the G

UI.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+N

UM

4

(User

Defi

ne

d)

AL

T+

NU

M4

(NU

MP

AD

4)

SH

IFT

+9

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SH

IFT

+0

(Sh

ift+

1)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

no

t d

efi

ne

d

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

S

TIC

KY

LO

OK

UP

LE

FT

(Lo

ok U

p L

eft

)

ST

ICK

Y L

EF

T

(Lo

ok L

eft

)

MA

XIM

UM

PR

OP

PIT

CH

(Pro

p.

Pit

ch

10)

MIN

IMU

M P

RO

P P

ITC

H

(Pro

p.

Pit

ch

0)

RE

SE

TS

MO

US

E

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

(A

LL

AX

IS)

DE

CR

EA

SE

S M

OU

SE

X/Y

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

CO

MM

AN

D

LO

OK

UP

W

LO

OK

W

MA

XP

RO

PP

ITC

H

MIN

PR

OP

PIT

CH

MO

US

E_S

EN

S_D

EF

AU

LT

MO

US

E_S

EN

S_D

OW

N


420

N

OT

ES

This

pa

dlo

cks the

messag

e s

ubje

ct o

f th

e

imm

edia

te o

r m

ost re

ce

nt ra

dio

messag

e (

air

,

gro

un

d o

r w

aypo

int,

fri

en

dly

or

enem

y),

irre

sp

ective

of

its c

urr

ent

positio

n,

heig

ht

and

he

ad

ing r

ela

tive

to

your

aircra

ft a

s v

iew

ed f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e p

layer’

s a

ircra

ft.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

com

bin

atio

n c

ontr

ols

the

sm

ooth

zo

om

for

the

FO

V o

f th

e p

ilot

while

in t

he c

ockpit.

This

com

bin

atio

n c

ontr

ols

the

sm

ooth

zo

om

for

the

FO

V o

f th

e p

ilot w

hile

in t

he c

ockpit.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

no

t d

efi

ne

d

no

t d

efi

ne

d

F5

CT

RL

+N

UM

PA

D-

(User

Defi

ne

d)

CT

RL

+N

UM

PA

D+

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

IN

CR

EA

SE

S M

OU

SE

X/Y

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

D

EC

RE

AS

ES

MO

US

EW

HE

EL

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

IN

CR

EA

SE

S

MO

US

EW

HE

EL

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

PA

DL

OC

K V

IEW

OF

SU

BJE

CT

OF

CU

RR

EN

T

ME

SS

AG

E

FIE

LD

OF

VIE

W:

ZO

OM

OU

T

(In

cre

ase

FO

V)

FIE

LD

OF

VIE

W:

ZO

OM

IN

(Decre

ase

FO

V)

CO

MM

AN

D

MO

US

E_S

EN

S_U

P

MO

US

EW

HE

EL

_S

EN

S_D

OW

N

MO

US

EW

HE

EL

_S

EN

S_U

P

MS

GV

IEW

NE

XT

SH

AP

ED

N

NE

XT

SH

AP

EU

P


421

NO

TE

S

Cycle

s thro

ugh

th

e f

orw

ard

fir

ing g

uns o

n t

he

pla

yers

aircra

ft a

s:

No

ne,

Mach

ine G

uns,

Can

no

n (

if a

pplic

ab

le),

Both

(if c

an

no

ns

availa

ble

). N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

cycle

s t

hro

ugh e

xte

rnal vie

ws o

f a

ll th

e A

I

aircra

ft a

irborn

e w

hile

the p

layer

is c

urr

en

tly in

flig

ht

(3D

). T

he

vie

w c

ycle

s thro

ugh

the

pla

yer’s s

qua

dro

n m

em

be

rs, th

en a

llie

d

aircra

ft,

then

enem

y a

ircra

ft.

Th

e v

iew

ca

n b

e

manip

ula

ted w

ith t

he g

am

e p

ause

d.

Bew

are

tha

t ch

eckin

g th

roug

h a

ll th

e a

ircra

ft m

ay take

som

e c

onsid

era

ble

tim

e,

as it is

possib

le t

o

have

clo

se

to

100

0 a

ircra

ft in t

he a

ir a

t once!

Wh

en u

sin

g t

his

fu

nction,

the p

layer’s a

ircra

ft is

auto

matically

put

on

auto

pilo

t. T

he n

eare

st

functio

ns in I

L-2

are

the

“N

ext

Fri

en

dly

Vie

w”

an

d t

he “

Next

En

em

y V

iew

”.

T

his

ch

an

ges y

our

vie

w to

bri

ng a

n e

xte

rna

l

vie

w o

f yo

ur

pa

dlo

cked t

arg

et to

the f

ore

gro

un

d

with

your

aircra

ft in t

he

dis

tance.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

]

CT

RL

+I

(Sh

ift+

F2

)

(Ctr

l+F

2)

AL

T+

F6

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

NE

XT

WE

AP

ON

ST

EP

S T

HR

OU

GH

VIE

W

OF

OT

HE

R A

IRC

RA

FT

(Next

Fri

en

dly

Vie

w)

(Next

En

em

y V

iew

)

OU

TS

IDE

RE

VE

RS

ED

PA

DL

OC

K

CO

MM

AN

D

NE

XT

WE

AP

ON

OT

HE

RA

CV

IEW

OU

TR

EV

LO

CK

TO

G


422

NO

TE

S

Positio

ns th

e e

xte

rna

l cam

era

dir

ectly b

ehin

d

the

pla

yer’

s a

ircra

ft. T

he

vie

w c

an

th

en b

e

manip

ula

ted u

sin

g v

ari

ous z

oom

, p

an

nin

g a

nd

snap

/sticky c

om

mands.

W

hen d

efine

d b

y t

he p

layer,

activa

ting t

his

functio

n e

nab

les t

he

pla

yer

to u

tilis

e t

he

Bo

BII

pa

dlo

ckin

g s

yste

m w

hile

in c

om

bat

/ flig

ht

to

allo

w t

arg

etin

g o

bje

cts

of in

tere

st.

Pre

ssin

g

ag

ain

ena

ble

s T

rackIR

auth

ori

ty.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

com

ma

nd s

witch

es b

etw

ee

n p

adlo

ck v

iew

an

d y

our

last vie

w p

ositio

n insid

e t

he c

ockp

it

pri

or

to e

nga

gin

g p

adlo

ck. T

his

allo

ws y

ou t

o

sw

ap v

iew

s q

uic

kly

in c

om

bat

witho

ut

losin

g

your

curr

ent ta

rget

com

ple

tely

or

accid

enta

lly

pa

dlo

ckin

g a

noth

er

AI.

S

usp

en

ds g

am

e p

lay w

hile

in c

ockpit (

3D

worl

d).

To r

esum

e p

lay,

pre

ss a

gain

.

This

com

ma

nd p

ad

locks th

e e

nem

y n

eare

st to

the

cen

ter

of

the s

cre

en.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

F6

(F2)

no

t d

efi

ne

d

EN

TE

R

(Nu

mP

ad

In

sert

)

P

(P) S

(F4)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

T

RA

CK

VIE

W

(Exte

rna

l V

iew

)

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

PA

DL

OC

K O

VE

RR

IDE

FO

R T

RA

CK

IR

PA

DL

OC

K/N

OR

MA

L

VIE

W T

OG

GL

E

(In

sta

nt

Vie

w F

orw

ard

wit

h P

ad

loc

k)

TO

GG

LE

S P

AU

SE

(Pau

se

Ga

me)

PA

DL

OC

K E

NE

MY

IN

CE

NT

ER

OF

SC

RE

EN

(Pad

loc

k E

ne

my

)

CO

MM

AN

D

OU

TS

IDE

TO

G

PA

DL

OC

KO

VE

RR

ID

E

PA

DL

OC

KT

OG

PA

US

EK

EY

PC

EN

EM

Y


423

N

OT

ES

Brin

gs u

p t

he

“P

ost C

om

bat”

sub

me

nu o

f th

e

rad

io c

om

mun

icatio

ns c

om

man

ds. P

ressin

g “

0”

(zero

) w

ill e

xit if n

o c

om

ma

nds a

re s

ele

cte

d.

No d

irect

short

cuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y

navig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

B

rin

gs u

p t

he

“P

re-C

om

bat”

sub

me

nu o

f th

e

rad

io c

om

mun

icatio

ns c

om

man

ds. P

ressin

g “

0”

(zero

) w

ill e

xit if n

o c

om

ma

nds a

re s

ele

cte

d.

No

dir

ect sh

ort

cuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

T

his

pa

dlo

cks e

ach

enem

y a

ircra

ft in t

urn

in

revers

e f

or

each s

uccessiv

e p

ress o

f th

e k

ey.

Use th

is in c

onju

nction

with y

our

radio

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

Use t

his

in

con

junction

with y

our

rad

io

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

In I

L-2

, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

equ

al to

th

is

com

mand

, b

ut

usin

g a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “p

adlo

ck

en

em

y”

& “

pa

dlo

ck p

revio

us”

pro

duces s

imila

r

results.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

SH

IFT

+4

SH

IFT

+2

SH

IFT

+F

1

(Ctr

l+F

2)

(Y)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

T

HE

PO

ST

CO

MB

AT

IN

FO

ME

SS

AG

E S

CR

EE

N

TH

E P

RE

CO

MB

AT

IN

FO

ME

SS

AG

E S

CR

EE

N

PA

DL

OC

K P

RE

VIO

US

EN

EM

Y

(Next

En

em

y V

iew

)

(Pad

loc

k P

rev

iou

s)

CO

MM

AN

D

PO

ST

CO

MB

AT

MS

G

PR

EC

OM

BA

TM

SG

PR

EV

EN

EM

YV

IEW


424

NO

TE

S

This

pa

dlo

cks e

ach

fri

en

dly

aircra

ft in

turn

in

revers

e o

rder

for

each s

uccessiv

e p

ress o

f th

e

key. U

se t

his

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

your

radio

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

Use t

his

in

con

junction

with y

our

rad

io

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

In I

L-2

, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

equ

al to

th

is

com

mand

, b

ut

usin

g a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “p

adlo

ck

frie

nd

ly”

& “

pa

dlo

ck p

revio

us”

pro

duces s

imila

r

results.

T

og

gle

s p

ad

lock b

etw

ee

n t

he n

ea

rest

two

targ

ets

at

an

air

field

, irre

spective o

f th

eir

curr

en

t positio

n r

ela

tive t

o y

our

aircra

ft a

s

vie

we

d fro

m insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e p

layer’

s

aircra

ft. U

se t

his

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

your

radio

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

In I

L-2

, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

equ

al to

th

is

com

mand

, b

ut

usin

g a

com

bin

atio

n o

f “p

adlo

ck

en

em

y”

& “

pa

dlo

ck p

revio

us”

pro

duces s

imila

r

results.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

SH

IFT

+F

2

(Sh

ift+

F2

)

(Y)

SH

IFT

+F

3

(F5)

(Y)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

P

AD

LO

CK

PR

EV

IOU

S

FR

IEN

DL

Y

(Next

Fri

en

dly

Vie

w)

(Pad

loc

k P

rev

iou

s)

PA

DL

OC

K P

RE

VIO

US

GR

OU

ND

TA

RG

ET

(Pad

loc

k E

ne

my

Gro

un

d)

(Pad

loc

k P

rev

iou

s)

CO

MM

AN

D

PR

EV

FR

ND

VIE

W

PR

EV

GR

ND

TV

IEW


425

N

OT

ES

This

pa

dlo

cks a

nd c

ycle

s t

hro

ug

h e

ach

waypo

int o

f th

e p

layer’

s flig

ht

pla

n/r

oute

fo

r th

e

curr

en

t m

issio

n in r

evers

e o

rder,

irr

esp

ective o

f

its c

urr

ent

positio

n a

nd

heig

ht

rela

tive t

o y

our

aircra

ft a

s v

iew

ed

fro

m insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

D

ecre

ases th

e p

itch a

ng

le o

f th

e p

rop

elle

r

bla

des in

1%

incre

ments

for

each k

ey p

ress.

Pro

p p

itch c

ontr

ol can

als

o b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o a

n

axis

on y

our

co

ntr

olle

r, a

nd in

doin

g s

o

pro

vid

es g

reate

r ease

of

use

. P

rop

pitch c

an

als

o b

e s

et

as a

uto

matic r

ath

er

tha

n m

anu

al in

the

GU

I.

In

cre

ases t

he p

itch a

ngle

of th

e p

rop

elle

r

bla

des in

1%

incre

ments

for

each k

ey p

ress.

Pro

p p

itch c

ontr

ol can

als

o b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o a

n

axis

on y

our

co

ntr

olle

r, a

nd in

doin

g s

o

pro

vid

es g

reate

r ease

of

use

. P

rop

pitch c

an

als

o b

e s

et

as a

uto

matic r

ath

er

tha

n m

anu

al in

the

GU

I.

B

rin

gs u

p t

he

main

rad

io c

om

mun

icatio

ns

menu

on s

cre

en w

hile

in

cockpit. N

avig

ate

sub

-

menus b

y p

ressin

g a

ppro

pri

ate

num

ber

on

main

keybo

ard

. T

o e

xit o

r go

back o

ne leve

l,

pre

ss 0

(zero

).

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

SH

IFT

+F

4

SH

IFT

+=

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SH

IFT

+-

(User

Defi

ne

d)

R

(Tab

)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

PA

DL

OC

K P

RE

VIO

US

WA

YP

OIN

T

DE

CR

EA

SE

PR

OP

PIT

CH

/IN

CR

EA

SE

RP

M

(Decre

ase

Pro

p. P

itc

h)

INC

RE

AS

E P

RO

P P

ITC

H

/DE

CR

EA

SE

RP

M

(In

cre

ase

Pro

p. P

itc

h)

BR

ING

S U

P T

HE

RA

DIO

SC

RE

EN

(To

gg

le C

om

ms)

CO

MM

AN

D

PR

EV

WA

YP

TV

IEW

PR

OP

PIT

CH

DO

WN

PR

OP

PIT

CH

UP

RA

DIO

CO

MM

S


426

N

OT

ES

This

sto

ps a

ll m

ovem

ent

of

the r

ovin

g c

am

era

,

but

does n

ot

“reset”

to t

he c

am

era

’s o

rigin

al

positio

n/loca

tio

n a

s s

ug

geste

d b

y t

he

com

mand

nam

e.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

This

activa

tes a

n e

xte

rna

l cam

era

th

at

the

pla

yer

ca

n m

ove a

rou

nd t

he B

oB

II w

orl

d u

sin

g

the

pan a

nd v

ari

ous z

oom

keys. T

o e

xit t

he

rovin

g c

am

era

, ju

st pre

ss a

ny m

ain

vie

w k

ey

rath

er

than a

vie

w m

odifie

r. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-

2 s

eri

es.

P

ressin

g t

his

sta

rts/p

auses/c

on

tin

ues th

e g

un

cam

era

fo

ota

ge r

ecord

ing t

ake

n fro

m t

he

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft in t

he

curr

en

t m

issio

n.

Th

e g

un

cam

era

can b

e s

et

in th

e G

UI

to film

each t

ime

the

tri

gg

er

is p

ressed o

r a w

ea

po

n f

rom

the

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft is r

ele

ased

, o

r to

film

continu

ously

fro

m w

hen t

he c

ockpit is e

nte

red

up t

o t

he t

ime t

he p

laye

r exits th

e 3

D w

orl

d.

Foo

tage

can

be v

iew

ed/s

ave

d a

fter

the

mis

sio

n

by s

ele

ctin

g “

RE

PL

AY

”. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

series.

R

elo

ads a

ll w

ea

po

ns in p

layer

aircra

ft. N

ote

tha

t th

is is n

ot a

n infin

ite w

eap

ons lo

ad,

but

can b

e u

tilis

ed a

s m

any tim

es a

s t

he p

layer

wis

hes.

Th

is c

om

man

d o

nly

aff

ects

wea

po

ns,

not

fuel lo

ad.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

AL

T+

F

AL

T+

V

C

CT

RL

+R

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

R

ES

ET

S T

HE

RO

VIN

G

CA

M‟S

HE

AD

ING

AN

D

PIT

CH

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

RO

VIN

G

CA

M

TO

GG

LE

S I

N-F

LIG

HT

RE

CO

RD

ING

RE

LO

AD

S W

EA

PO

NS

(CH

EA

T)

CO

MM

AN

D

RC

AM

RE

SE

T

RC

AM

TO

GG

LE

RE

CO

RD

TO

GG

LE

RE

LO

AD

WE

AP

ON


427

N

OT

ES

Pre

ssin

g t

his

ca

ncels

AL

L tri

m inp

uts

ma

de o

n

the

pla

yers

aircra

ft in

all

axis

. It

is im

port

ant

to

note

tha

t if y

ou h

ave a

ny t

rim

axis

assig

ned t

o

a w

hee

l or

slid

er

on a

joystick, pre

ssin

g t

his

key c

om

bin

atio

n w

ill c

ancel th

e tri

m A

ND

reset

the

neutr

al p

ositio

n t

o t

he

curr

ent

wh

ee

l/slid

er

positio

n.

Th

ere

fore

if yo

u a

re u

sin

g t

rim

via

a

com

bin

atio

n o

f jo

ystick w

hee

l a

nd

keyb

oard

,

turn

any w

hee

ls/s

liders

to t

he n

eutr

al positio

n

befo

re r

esett

ing tri

m to

avo

id a

ny im

bala

nce.

Note

th

at

curr

ently in B

oB

II: W

oV

, you

do n

ot

have

th

e a

bili

ty to

cancel th

e tri

m in a

sin

gle

axis

only

. In

IL-2

, yo

u h

ave

the a

dvanta

ge o

f

bein

g a

ble

to r

eset

the tri

m o

f e

ach

axis

ind

ivid

ually

, b

ut

do n

ot

have

th

e a

bili

ty to

reset

all

trim

axis

at

once

.

T

his

pa

dlo

cks the

neare

st

en

em

y a

ircra

ft o

f

any typ

e irr

espective o

f its c

urr

ent

positio

n,

heig

ht

an

d h

eadin

g r

ela

tive

to

your

aircra

ft a

s

vie

we

d fro

m insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e p

layer’

s

aircra

ft. U

se t

his

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

your

radio

com

mands a

nd o

ther

vie

ws s

uch

as

“pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

wh

ile in

com

bat.

Alth

ou

gh

pad

lockin

g is a

fe

atu

re o

f IL

-

2, th

ere

is n

o d

irect e

qu

ivale

nt to

pa

dlo

ckin

g

the

clo

sest

enem

y a

ircra

ft fro

m w

ith

in t

he

cockpit,

how

ever

the c

om

ma

nd

“E

xte

rnal

Pad

lock, C

losest

En

em

y A

ir”

perf

orm

s a

sim

ilar

functio

n a

lbeit fro

m a

n e

xte

rna

l pers

pective

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

AL

T+

EN

D

CT

RL

+F

1

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

Z

ER

O E

LE

VA

TO

R,

AIL

ER

ON

AN

D R

UD

DE

R

TR

IM

PA

DL

OC

K N

EA

RE

ST

EN

EM

Y

CO

MM

AN

D

RE

SE

TA

LL

TR

IM

RE

SE

TE

NE

MY

VIE

W


428

N

OT

ES

This

pa

dlo

cks the

neare

st fr

iend

ly a

ircra

ft o

f

any typ

e irr

espective o

f its c

urr

ent

positio

n,

heig

ht

an

d h

eadin

g r

ela

tive

to

your

aircra

ft

as v

iew

ed f

rom

insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft.

Use t

his

in c

onju

nctio

n w

ith

your

rad

io c

om

man

ds a

nd

oth

er

vie

ws s

uch

as “

pad

lock/n

orm

al vie

w t

og

gle

” (E

NT

ER

)

while

in c

om

ba

t. A

ltho

ug

h p

adlo

ckin

g is a

fea

ture

of IL

-2, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

equ

ivale

nt

to p

adlo

ckin

g th

e c

losest

frie

ndly

aircra

ft

from

with

in t

he c

ockpit,

how

ever

the

com

mand

“E

xte

rnal P

adlo

ck, C

losest

Frie

nd

ly A

ir”

perf

orm

s a

sim

ilar

functio

n

alb

eit fro

m a

n e

xte

rna

l pers

pective

.

Pad

locks th

e M

ain

airfield

targ

et,

wh

ich is a

spot

on

th

e r

unw

ay n

ea

r th

e

han

gars

,

irre

sp

ective

of

its c

urr

ent

positio

n r

ela

tive t

o

your

aircra

ft a

s v

iew

ed

fro

m insid

e t

he

cockpit

of th

e p

layer’

s a

ircra

ft. U

se

th

is in c

onju

nctio

n

with

your

radio

com

ma

nds a

nd o

ther

vie

ws

such a

s “

pa

dlo

ck/n

orm

al vie

w t

ogg

le”

(EN

TE

R)

while

in c

om

ba

t. A

ltho

ug

h p

adlo

ckin

g is a

fea

ture

of IL

-2, th

ere

is n

o d

irect

equ

ivale

nt to

pa

dlo

ckin

g th

e c

losest

en

em

y g

rou

nd

targ

et

from

with

in t

he c

ockpit,

how

ever

the c

om

ma

nd

“Exte

rnal P

adlo

ck, C

losest E

nem

y G

rou

nd”

perf

orm

s a

sim

ilar

functio

n a

lbeit fro

m a

n

exte

rna

l p

ers

pective

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+F

2

CT

RL

+F

3

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

P

AD

LO

CK

NE

AR

ES

T

FR

IEN

DL

Y

PA

DL

OC

K N

EA

RE

ST

GR

OU

ND

TA

RG

ET

CO

MM

AN

D

RE

SE

TF

RN

DV

IEW

RE

SE

TG

RN

DT

VIE

W


429

N

OT

ES

Pre

ssin

g t

his

cle

ars

(de

lete

s)

the

gun

cam

era

foo

tage t

ake

n f

rom

the

pla

ye

r’s a

ircra

ft u

p t

o

the

pre

sen

t tim

e in t

he c

urr

en

t m

issio

n.

Th

e

gu

n c

am

era

ca

n b

e s

et

in th

e G

UI

to film

each

tim

e t

he tri

gger

is p

ressed

or

a w

eap

on f

rom

the

pla

yer’

s a

ircra

ft is r

ele

ase

d,

or

to f

ilm

continu

ously

fro

m w

hen t

he c

ockpit is e

nte

red

up t

o t

he t

ime t

he p

laye

r exits th

e 3

D w

orl

d.

Foo

tage

can

be v

iew

ed/s

ave

d a

fter

the

mis

sio

n

by s

ele

ctin

g “

RE

PL

AY

”. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

series.

R

esets

the

curr

ent

vie

w f

orw

ard

, tu

rns o

ff a

ll

pa

dlo

cked t

arg

ets

an

d r

esets

th

e c

urr

en

t F

OV

an

gle

to t

he d

efa

ult F

OV

as s

et

in t

he

GU

I. I

t is

wort

h n

otin

g t

hat

if y

ou

do n

ot

wa

nt th

e F

OV

to

reset

each t

ime y

ou c

han

ge

vie

ws,

there

is a

n

optio

n t

o s

top t

his

in

th

e B

DG

text file

fo

un

d in

the

main

BoB

II d

irecto

ry. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

series.

This

pa

dlo

cks the

initia

l w

aypo

int

of

he p

layer’s

flig

ht

pla

n/r

oute

for

the c

urr

en

t m

issio

n,

irre

sp

ective

of

its c

urr

ent

positio

n a

nd h

eig

ht

rela

tive

to

you

r a

ircra

ft a

s v

iew

ed f

rom

insid

e

the

cockpit o

f th

e p

layer’s a

ircra

ft.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

X

ES

C

CT

RL

+F

4

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

RE

SE

TS

TH

E R

EC

OR

DE

R

RE

SE

TS

VIE

W T

O

FO

RW

AR

D

PA

DL

OC

K F

IRS

T

WA

YP

OIN

T

CO

MM

AN

D

RE

SE

TR

EC

OR

D

RE

SE

TV

IEW

RE

SE

TW

AY

PT

VIE

W


430

N

OT

ES

Activate

s in

de

pen

de

nt

bra

kes o

n t

he m

ain

whe

els

of

pla

yer’s a

ircra

ft.

Ho

ldin

g d

ow

n o

ne

bra

ke

wh

ile a

pp

lyin

g p

ow

er

& a

ppro

pri

ate

rud

der

will

turn

the a

ircra

ft tig

htly w

hile

on t

he

gro

un

d.

To g

et fu

ll b

rakin

g e

ffect,

hold

dow

n

both

left

and

rig

ht bra

ke k

eys.

Note

tha

t in

IL

-2,

a s

ingle

key o

pera

tes y

our

wh

ee

l b

rakes

sim

ultan

eo

usly

.

P

ans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

.

(B)

NU

M 1

NU

M 3

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

R

IGH

T W

HE

EL

BR

AK

E

(HO

LD

DO

WN

)

(Wh

eel

Bra

ke

s)

DO

WN

/ B

AC

K A

ND

LE

FT

DO

WN

/ B

AC

K A

ND

RIG

HT

CO

MM

AN

D

RIG

HT

WH

EE

LB

RA

K

E

RO

TD

NL

EF

T

RO

TD

NR

IGH

T


431

N

OT

ES

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t

last tr

ave

lled t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is

rele

ase

d.

If f

lyin

g in a

ny o

f th

e L

uft

waff

e

bom

bers

, pre

ssin

g t

his

will

pla

ce y

ouin

the

un

ders

ide

re

ar

facin

g m

achin

egu

n p

ositio

n.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

R

esets

the

curr

ent

vie

w f

orw

ard

and

resets

the

curr

en

t F

OV

ang

le to

th

e d

efa

ult F

OV

as s

et

in

the

GU

I. I

t is

wort

h n

otin

g t

hat

if y

ou d

o n

ot

want

the F

OV

to r

eset

each t

ime y

ou c

han

ge

vie

ws, th

ere

is a

n o

ptio

n t

o s

top t

his

in t

he

BD

G text

file

fo

un

d in t

he m

ain

BoB

II d

irecto

ry.

If fly

ing in a

ny o

f th

e L

uftw

aff

e b

om

bers

,

pre

ssin

g t

his

will

pla

ce y

ou in t

he

to

p r

ear

facin

g m

achin

e g

un p

ositio

n.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

NU

M 2

NU

M 4

NU

M 5

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

DO

WN

/ B

AC

K &

BO

MB

ER

BE

LL

Y

GU

NN

ER

LE

FT

VIE

W R

ES

ET

& B

OM

BE

R

TO

P G

UN

NE

R

CO

MM

AN

D

RO

TD

OW

N

RO

TL

EF

T

RO

TR

ES

ET


432

N

OT

ES

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

P

ans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

. If

fly

ing

in a

ny o

f th

e L

uftw

aff

e

bom

bers

, pre

ssin

g t

his

will

pla

ce y

ou in t

he

nose

machin

e g

un

positio

n.

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

NU

M 6

NU

M 8

NU

M 7

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

RIG

HT

UP

FO

RW

AR

D &

BO

MB

ER

NO

SE

GU

NN

ER

UP

FO

RW

AR

D A

ND

LE

FT

CO

MM

AN

D

RO

TR

IGH

T

RO

TU

P

RO

TU

PL

EF

T


433

NO

TE

S

Pans o

r sn

aps t

he v

iew

in t

he

sele

cte

d

dir

ectio

n d

epe

nd

ant

on w

heth

er

in f

ixe

d o

r

pa

nn

ing v

iew

mo

de.

The v

iew

rem

ain

s a

t la

st

travelle

d t

o p

ositio

n w

hen k

ey is r

ele

ase

d.

The

re is n

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es f

or

pa

nn

ing o

r sn

ap v

iew

s t

hat

stick a

fter

key

rele

ase

.

S

ets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

No

te t

hat

en

gin

e p

ow

er

in B

oB

II (

from

zero

to e

merg

ency/b

oost)

is

measure

d f

rom

0%

- 1

00%

. T

his

me

ans in

eff

ect th

at

full

thro

ttle

(safe

pow

er)

is a

ctu

ally

dis

pla

ye

d a

s 9

0%

, w

hile

WE

P o

r bo

ost is

dis

pla

ye

d a

s 1

00

%.

En

gin

e p

erf

orm

ance

will

dete

riora

te r

apid

ly if ke

pt

at

10

0%

for

any

len

gth

of tim

e.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

NU

M 9

0 (

ZE

RO

)

(W) 1

(User

Defi

ne

d)

2

(2)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

U

P F

OR

WA

RD

AN

D

RIG

HT

10

0%

TH

RO

TT

LE

(G

AT

E).

DA

MA

GE

S E

NG

INE

ON

„MA

NU

AL

‟ C

ON

TR

OL

S

(Bo

os

t (W

EP

) O

n/O

ff)

10

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

10

)

20

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

20

)

CO

MM

AN

D

RO

TU

PR

IGH

T

RP

M_0

0

RP

M_1

0

RP

M_2

0


434

N

OT

ES

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Sets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

to t

he

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

Decre

ases th

e e

ngin

e p

ow

er

in 1

%in

cre

me

nts

for

each

key p

ress.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

3

(3) 4

(4) 5

(5) 6

(6) 7

(7) 8

(8) 9

(9) -

(- o

r N

um

Pad

-)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

30

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

30

)

40

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

40

)

50

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

50

)

60

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

60

)

70

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(Po

wer

70

)

80

% T

HR

OT

TL

E (

LIN

ER

)

(Po

wer

80

)

90

% T

HR

OT

TL

E

(BU

ST

ER

)

(Po

wer

90

)

D

EC

RE

AS

ES

TH

RO

TT

LE

BY

1%

(Decre

ase

En

gin

e P

ow

er)

CO

MM

AN

D

RP

M_3

0

RP

M_4

0

RP

M_5

0

RP

M_6

0

RP

M_7

0

RP

M_8

0

RP

M_9

0

RP

M_D

OW

N


435

NO

TE

S

Incre

ases t

he e

ngin

e p

ow

er

in 1

% incre

men

ts

for

each

key p

ress.

S

ets

the

eng

ine t

hro

ttle

(pow

er)

toth

e

ap

plic

ab

le p

erc

en

tage.

No

te t

hat

en

gin

e p

ow

er

in B

oB

II (

from

zero

to e

merg

ency/b

oost)

is

measure

d f

rom

0%

- 1

00%

. T

his

me

ans in

eff

ect th

at

full

thro

ttle

(safe

pow

er)

is a

ctu

ally

dis

pla

ye

d a

s 9

0%

, w

hile

WE

P o

r bo

ost is

dis

pla

ye

d a

s 1

00

%.

En

gin

e p

erf

orm

ance

will

dete

riora

te r

apid

ly if ke

pt

at

10

0%

for

any

len

gth

of tim

e.

S

tand

ard

flig

ht co

ntr

ol fo

r yaw

. A

lso

use

d f

or

ste

eri

ng o

n t

he

gro

un

d. U

se

th

is w

ith t

he

diffe

rentia

l bra

kin

g o

n t

he

gro

und

for

tigh

ter

turn

s.

Ru

dd

er

functio

ns c

an b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o

joystick/p

ed

als

axis

in

the c

ontr

ols

men

u in t

he

gam

e. It

is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat

this

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

the r

ud

der

than

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

=

(= o

r N

um

Pa

d+

)

¬

or

#

(1)

NU

M 0

(,)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

INC

RE

AS

ES

TH

RO

TT

LE

BY

1%

(In

cre

ase

En

gin

e P

ow

er)

N

O P

OW

ER

(Po

wer

0)

RU

DD

ER

LE

FT

(Ru

dd

er

Left

)

CO

MM

AN

D

RP

M_U

P

RP

M_Z

ER

O

RU

DD

ER

_L

EF

T


436

N

OT

ES

Sta

nd

ard

flig

ht co

ntr

ol fo

r yaw

. A

lso

use

d f

or

ste

eri

ng o

n t

he

gro

un

d. U

se

th

is w

ith t

he

diffe

rentia

l bra

kin

g o

n t

he

gro

und

for

tigh

ter

turn

s.

Ru

dd

er

functio

ns c

an b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o

joystick/p

ed

als

axis

in

the c

ontr

ols

men

u in t

he

gam

e. It

is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat

this

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

the r

ud

der

than

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e.

A

dds t

rim

to t

he

ru

dd

er

to a

ssis

t in

bala

ncin

g

the

aircra

ft in f

light.

The

lo

nger

the k

ey p

ress,

the

larg

er

the

inp

ut

of tr

im w

ill b

e a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in t

he c

ontr

ols

menu

in t

he g

am

e.

It is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat th

is

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e. N

ote

that

not

all

trim

com

man

ds a

re a

vaila

ble

in e

ach

aircra

ft.

A

dds t

rim

to t

he

ru

dd

er

to a

ssis

t in

bala

ncin

g

the

aircra

ft in f

light.

The

lo

nger

the k

ey p

ress,

the

larg

er

the

inp

ut

of tr

im w

ill b

e a

pp

lied

. T

rim

for

all

axis

ca

n b

e a

ssig

ne

d t

o joystick &

thro

ttle

axis

/slid

ers

/rota

ries in t

he c

ontr

ols

menu

in t

he g

am

e.

It is w

ort

h n

otin

g t

hat th

is

pro

vid

es f

ar

gre

ate

r co

ntr

ol over

trim

th

an

th

e

keyboa

rd c

an c

urr

ently p

rovid

e. N

ote

that

not

all

trim

com

man

ds a

re a

vaila

ble

in e

ach

aircra

ft.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

NU

M D

EC

IMA

L

(.)

CT

RL

+D

EL

ET

E

(Ctr

l+Z

)

CT

RL

+P

GD

OW

N

(Ctr

l+X

)

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

R

UD

DE

R R

IGH

T

(Ru

dd

er

Rig

ht)

LE

FT

RU

DD

ER

TR

IM

(Ru

dd

er

Tri

m L

eft

)

RIG

HT

RU

DD

ER

TR

IM

(Ru

dd

er

Tri

m R

igh

t)

CO

MM

AN

D

RU

DD

ER

_R

IGH

T

RU

DT

RIM

DO

WN

RU

DT

RIM

UP


437

N

OT

ES

This

to

ggle

s a

pla

n v

iew

of th

e p

layer’

s a

ircra

ft

betw

ee

n t

wo z

oom

leve

ls.

No

equ

ivale

nt in

IL

-2

series.

T

akes a

scre

ensh

ot

of th

e c

urr

ent

3D

envir

onm

ent,

an

d s

aves it to

the

“S

TIL

LS

”

fold

er

in t

he m

ain

BoB

II d

irecto

ry a

s a

BM

P f

ile.

Quite a

mis

lea

din

g d

escri

ption

! T

his

key

com

bin

atio

n a

dds g

rid r

efe

rence d

ata

for

the

BoB

II t

err

ain

to

th

e t

op

left c

orn

er

of th

e in

-

flig

ht

map

. N

o r

eal use

to

the p

layer,

but

it’s

be

en le

ft a

vaila

ble

as a

to

ol fo

r te

rrain

an

d

lan

dscap

e d

eve

lope

rs &

mo

dd

ers

to u

se.

No

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

decre

ases t

he s

ensitiv

ity o

n k

eyb

oard

inp

ut

in t

he g

am

e w

hile

fly

ing. O

nly

rea

lly

usefu

l fo

r pilo

ts f

lyin

g v

ia t

he k

eyb

oard

who

wis

h t

o f

ine-t

un

e t

he

ir d

irectio

nal co

ntr

ol. N

o

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

T

his

decre

ases t

he s

ensitiv

ity o

n k

eyb

oard

inp

ut

in t

he g

am

e w

hile

fly

ing. O

nly

rea

lly

usefu

l fo

r pilo

ts f

lyin

g v

ia t

he k

eyb

oard

who

wis

h t

o f

ine-t

un

e t

he

ir d

irectio

nal co

ntr

ol. S

om

e

pilo

ts m

ay f

ind t

hat

it a

lso a

ssis

ts in t

he

ap

plic

ation

of

trim

usin

g t

he k

eyb

oa

rd

com

mands.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

F10

CT

RL

+P

or

Pri

ntS

cre

en

(Pri

ntS

cre

en

)

CT

RL

+M

SH

IFT

+K

K

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

T

OG

GL

ES

SA

TE

LL

ITE

/

NE

AR

SA

TE

LL

ITE

VIE

W

SA

VE

S A

SC

RE

EN

SH

OT

(Scre

en

sh

ot)

(CH

EA

T)

SE

E E

NE

MY

AIR

PL

AN

E IC

ON

S O

N

TH

E M

AP

DE

CR

EA

SE

S K

EY

BO

AR

D

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

INC

RE

AS

ES

KE

YB

OA

RD

SE

NS

ITIV

ITY

CO

MM

AN

D

SA

TE

LL

ITO

G

SC

RE

EN

SH

OT

SE

EM

IGS

SE

NS

_D

OW

N

SE

NS

_U

P


438

NO

TE

S

Fires t

he a

ctive w

ea

po

n(s

) (f

orw

ard

fir

ing g

uns)

in t

he p

laye

r’s a

ircra

ft.

Th

ere

is n

o in

de

pe

nd

en

t

firi

ng c

ontr

ol fo

r m

ach

ine g

uns a

nd

can

no

n,

how

ever

the p

laye

r ca

n c

ycle

thro

ugh t

he

forw

ard

fir

ing g

uns t

o s

ele

ct e

ither

MG

’s o

r

cann

ons o

r both

for

opera

tion

wh

en

th

e t

rig

ger

is p

ulle

d. In

IL-2

, m

ach

ine g

uns a

nd c

an

no

ns

have

sep

ara

te f

irin

g c

om

ma

nds lis

ted a

s

“We

ap

on 1

” an

d “

We

ap

on

2”,

or

the p

layer

can

defin

e a

key t

o f

acili

tate

th

e s

imultan

eo

us fir

ing

of

both

se

ts o

f w

eap

ons if

desir

ed.

T

his

to

ggle

s t

he

div

e b

rakes o

n th

e

Ju-8

7.

Hold

ing d

ow

n t

his

key c

om

bin

ation a

ssis

ts th

e

pilo

t to

bri

ng a

spin

nin

g a

ircra

ft b

ack u

nd

er

contr

ol. E

xp

eri

ence

d p

ilots

sh

ou

ld b

e a

ble

to

corr

ect

a s

pin

by u

sin

g th

e s

tan

dard

recovery

pro

ce

du

re –

how

ever

this

fu

nction w

ill lik

ely

be

a w

elc

om

e “

help

ing h

an

d”

to s

om

e r

ookie

pilo

ts. H

old

the

key c

om

bin

atio

n d

ow

n u

ntil th

e

rota

tion s

tops,

then

care

fully

fly

th

e a

ircra

ft o

ut

of it’s

div

e.

No

equ

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(I

L2

EQ

UIV

AL

EN

T I

N

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

SP

AC

E

(User

Defi

ne

d)

D

(User

Defi

ne

d)

SH

IFT

+S

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

BR

AC

KE

TS

)

FIR

ES

GU

NS

&

CA

NN

ON

S

(We

ap

on

1+

2)

TO

GG

LE

S S

PE

ED

BR

AK

E O

N J

U8

7

(Air

bra

ke)

S

PIN

RE

CO

VE

RY

CO

MM

AN

D

SH

OO

T

SP

EE

DB

RA

KE

SP

INR

EC

OV

ER

Y


439

NO

TE

S

Tog

gle

s o

n /

off

a S

LO

W-M

OT

ION

fu

nction

while

in t

he 3

D w

orl

d.

The

re is n

o d

irect

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

, how

ever

the “

Accele

rate

Tim

e”

an

d “

Dece

lera

te T

ime”

keys p

rovid

e a

sim

ilar

function

.

T

urn

s w

ritt

en m

essa

ges (

du

plic

ating

verb

al

com

mands &

re

qu

ests

) o

n /

off w

hile

in

th

e 3

D

worl

d. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Adds m

otion

to

th

e v

iew

ed a

ircra

ft r

ath

er

than

seen

by a

fix

ed p

ers

pective,

thou

gh

you

can

modify t

he v

iew

by p

an

nin

g a

nd z

oom

wheth

er

the

wo

bb

le is o

n o

r off.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

series.

B

rin

gs u

p t

he

“T

ow

er”

(a

irfield

) sub m

en

u o

f th

e

rad

io c

om

mun

icatio

ns c

om

man

ds. P

ressin

g “

0”

(zero

) w

ill e

xit if n

o c

om

ma

nds a

re s

ele

cte

d.

No d

irect

short

cuts

availa

ble

in I

L-2

, how

ever

sim

ilar

com

ms a

re a

va

ilab

le b

y n

avig

atin

g t

he

main

ra

dio

com

ma

nds m

enu

.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

SH

IFT

+F

7

SH

IFT

+M

SH

IFT

+F

6

SH

IFT

+5

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

T

OG

GL

ES

TIM

E=

DE

CE

LE

RA

TIO

N

TO

GG

LE

S D

ISP

LA

Y O

F

ME

SS

AG

ES

TO

GG

LE

S T

HE

WO

BB

LE

VIE

W

TH

E T

OW

ER

IN

FO

ME

SS

AG

E S

CR

EE

N

CO

MM

AN

D

TO

GG

LE

_D

EC

EL

TO

GG

LE

ME

SS

AG

ES

WO

BB

LE

VIE

W

TO

WE

RM

SG


440

NO

TE

S

This

en

ab

les t

he p

laye

r to

sw

itch b

etw

ee

n f

ixed

(sticky)

or

pan

nin

g c

ockpit v

iew

contr

ols

irre

sp

ective

of

the p

refe

rence s

et

in t

he G

UI.

No e

qu

ivale

nt in

IL

-2 s

eri

es.

T

urn

s th

e a

udib

le s

oun

d o

f th

e p

layers

vo

ice

on/o

ff w

hen

re

qu

esting a

ssis

tance o

r giv

ing

ord

ers

via

th

e m

ain

ra

dio

com

mu

nic

ations

menu

or

the k

eybo

ard

short

cuts

. D

efa

ult

settin

g is o

n. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in IL

-2 s

eri

es.

T

his

pa

dlo

cks a

nd c

ycle

s t

hro

ug

h e

ach

waypo

int o

f th

e p

layer’

s flig

ht

pla

n/r

oute

fo

r th

e

curr

en

t m

issio

n,

irre

spective o

f its c

urr

en

t

positio

n a

nd h

eig

ht

rela

tive t

o y

our

aircra

ft a

s

vie

we

d fro

m insid

e t

he c

ockpit o

f th

e p

layer’

s

aircra

ft. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in IL

-2 s

eri

es.

P

lays t

he n

ext

aud

io t

rack in t

he

pla

ylis

t o

f

WIN

AM

P m

ed

ia p

layer

while

in

the g

am

e. N

o

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Pla

ys t

he p

revio

us a

ud

io t

rack in t

he

pla

ylis

t o

f

WIN

AM

P m

ed

ia p

layer

while

in

the g

am

e. N

o

eq

uiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

NU

M L

OC

K

CT

RL

+V

F4

CT

RL

+F

12

CT

RL

+F

9

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

T

OG

GL

ES

PA

NN

ING

/ST

ICK

Y

VIE

W

TO

GG

LE

S P

LA

YE

R

VO

ICE

PA

DL

OC

K N

EX

T

WA

YP

OIN

T

PL

AY

S N

EX

T T

RA

CK

IN

WIN

AM

P P

LA

YL

IST

PL

AY

S P

RE

VIO

US

TR

AC

K IN

WIN

AM

P

PL

AY

LIS

T

CO

MM

AN

D

VIE

WM

OD

TO

G

VO

ICE

TO

GG

LE

WA

YP

TV

IEW

WIN

AM

P_N

EX

T

WIN

AM

P_

PR

EV


441

NO

TE

S

Sta

rts p

layin

g a

udio

tra

cks in t

he W

INA

MP

pla

ylis

t. N

o e

quiv

ale

nt

in IL

-2 s

eri

es.

S

tops p

layin

g t

he c

urr

en

t a

udio

tra

ck in t

he

WIN

AM

P p

laylis

t. N

o e

qu

ivale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

D

ecre

ases th

e v

olu

me o

f a

udio

tra

cks in

WIN

AM

P.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Incre

ases t

he v

olu

me o

f au

dio

tra

cks in

WIN

AM

P.

No e

quiv

ale

nt

in I

L-2

seri

es.

Opera

tes s

tan

da

rd (

slo

w)

zoom

for

exte

rnal

vie

ws. In

IL-2

, th

e n

eare

st e

qu

ivale

nt is

th

e

zoom

con

tro

l off

ere

d b

y th

e m

ouse.

Opera

tes s

tan

da

rd (

slo

w)

zoom

for

exte

rnal

vie

ws. In

IL-2

, th

e n

eare

st e

qu

ivale

nt is

th

e

zoom

con

tro

l off

ere

d b

y th

e m

ouse.

DE

FA

UL

T K

EY

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

CT

RL

+F

10

CT

RL

+F

11

AL

T+

NU

MP

AD

AL

T+

NU

MP

AD

+

NU

MP

AD

-

NU

MP

AD

+

SC

RE

EN

DE

SC

RIP

TIO

N

(IL

2 E

QU

IVA

LE

NT

IN

B

RA

CK

ET

S)

S

TA

RT

S P

LA

YIN

G A

TR

AC

K

S

TO

PS

WIN

AM

P

PL

AY

ING

A T

RA

CK

D

EC

RE

AS

ES

WIN

AM

P

VO

LU

ME

BY

1%

INC

RE

AS

ES

WIN

AM

P

VO

LU

ME

BY

1%

ZO

OM

IN

ZO

OM

OU

T

CO

MM

AN

D

WIN

AM

P_

ST

AR

T

WIN

AM

P_

ST

OP

WIN

AM

P_

VO

LD

OW

N

WIN

AM

P_

VO

LU

P

ZO

OM

IN

ZO

OM

OU

T


442

Index

Aircraft Controls ............ 180

Engine Controls ......... 183

Flaps .......................... 208

Flight Controls ........... 180

Aircraft Data .................. 230

Autogen ......................... 375

Bdg.txt ........................... 277

Bf109 ............................ 227

Bf110 ............................ 228

Campaign ....................... 67

Campaign Screen ........ 67

Main Toolbar .......... 70

Map ........................ 68

Map Toolbar ........... 71

Scale Toolbar .......... 73

Teletype Toolbar ..... 74

Time Toolbar .......... 74 Luftwaffe Tutorial ....... 75

Authorising and Editing

Raids ................... 88

Directives ................ 77

Flying ..................... 96

Following Raids ...... 81

Reviews .................. 97

RAF Tutorial............... 99

Assets and Production

........................... 112

Authorising Scrambles........................... 103

Detecting and

Intercepting Raids

........................... 108

Managing Aircraft and

Pilots .................. 110

Mission Folder ....... 103

RAF Directives ...... 101

RAF Organisation ... 99

Response Markers .. 102

Setting up Patrols ... 102

Tracking Raids ....... 105 Transferring Squadrons

........................... 110

Single Pilot Campaign See

Single Pilot Campaign

Single Squadron

Campaign ............... 147

Wildman's Tutorial ..... 114

RAF Route

Manipulation ...... 128

RAF Tactics ........... 114

Cockpits

Bf109 ......... 201, 311, 385 Bf110 ......... 203, 312, 387

Hurricane ... 199, 310, 384

Interactive Cockpits ... 188

Ju87 Stuka . 206, 313, 389

Spitfire ....... 197, 309, 383

Combat Manoeuvres ...... 215

Bf109

Dive and Zoom ....... 219

Steep Dive .............. 220

Up and Under ......... 220

Bf110 Lufberry ................. 221

Stall Turn ............... 221

Hurricane

Head-on Attack ...... 219

443

Split-S .................... 219

Spitfire

Climbing Turn ........ 218

Level Turning Flight

........................... 217

Split-S .................... 217

Cross-over Turn ............. 210

Engine Starting .............. 193

Engines .......................... 188

Hurricane ....................... 225

Installation ........................ 7

Instant Action ................ 58

Advanced Training ...... 59

Basic Training ............. 58

Dogfighting................. 59

Ground Attack ............ 60

Historic ....................... 61

Interceptions ............... 60

Ju87 ............................... 228

Keymap Table................ 391

Landing Tutorial ............ 196

Main Menu ..................... 12

Campaigns See Campaign

Instant Action..See Instant

Action Load Game ................. 13

Replay ........................ 14

Recording................ 15

Replaying ................ 15

Novice Flight Mode ....... 209

Options ........................... 19

Controls ...................... 26

Controller FAQ ....... 29

Field of View .............. 46

Game(Advanced) ........ 49 GFX............................ 19

More GFX .................. 23

Sim ............................. 36

Flight ...................... 37

Game ...................... 40

Mission ................... 42

Views ...................... 44

Sound ......................... 35

Padlocking ..................... 317

Propellers....................... 191

Quickstart ......................... 9

Radio Commands ........... 321

Single Pilot Campaign .... 154

Luftwaffe ................... 172

Spins ............................. 213

Spitfire........................... 226

Stalling Speeds .............. 213

Stalls ............................. 211 Stuka ..................... See Ju87


444

BoBII 2.10 Manual Final

Documents

Transcript of BoBII 2.10 Manual Final