[Supah]

Originally Posted by klem

I don't think clickable cockpits will add anything useful. We jump into so many different types

we would never remember in time where each switch is. Also, it is not at all immersive to be fumbling around for

the mouse with your stick hand.

You might jump into a lot of different aircraft, I like to play offline campaigns and focus on a single airplane

for a longer period. I'd actually like more indepth simulation. I think a lot of guys fly their favorite planes a

lot, the large group of people flying the 190 (despite of a arguable cockpit view) religiously almost comes to

mind. I think those people would love to be able to explore their favorite rides in more depth and become

proficient with them.

What is much more useful are the programmable button units you can get (Saitek?) where you can lay out the buttons

for all the featurers you need and know where they are regardless of the aircraft you are flying. You can lay them

out in a representative cockpit layout so that there is some feeling of realism to it - many cockpits were

generically similar in their basic layout. Before anyone says "but all cockpits are and should be different" let me

say that's ok if you are 'trained on type' and flying that type only for a long period as was the case in RL.

Have you ever seen a ww2 fighter cockpit and more specifically its control column and throttle quadrant? They are

awfully devoid of buttons. There might be the occasional trigger and bomb release switch but trim switches on the

stick was a unheard of luxury. All those people thinking that a HOTAS is even anywhere near realistic for WW2

combat should have a look in a cockpit in a museum.

Another method is to cannibalise an old programmable stick and build a panel or two with switches and knobs to suit

your needs.... short of where the wife would accuse you of 'building a cockpit'! So far I haven't moved beyond

using a second Saitek X45 as prop rpm, aileron trim and flaps plus half a dozen switch functions like Canopy, Hook,

etc. It doesn't feel too far from 'the truth' when I push the X45 throttle up for increased RPM or adjust the

aileron trim rotary.

Just my 2p

Yeah that's a realistic solution, let's all buy extra expensive hardware and tear it apart! A lot more feasible

then making the cockpits clickable.

Originally Posted by mondo

The point is the keyboard, for the user is much quicker and easier than clicking around a cockpit with a mouse and far more similar to what a real pilot would do; hitting nobs, buttons and switches etc. I don't want to have to take my right hand of my joystick to then use my mouse to lower my combat flaps or change the engine RPM or any of the many things you have to do constantly in combat.

I wonder mondo, are you a real pilot? I have about 200 hours on cessna 172's and about 20 on Piper Arrow III and even with this experience (which is more then what a lot of ww2 pilots got) I still dont just flip switches at ease in milli seconds. Ergonomy is a factor especially in older Cessna's where the trim wheel is low on the center console or for the tank selector which is on the ground. Now I have it easy because I am quite tall but some shorter guys have the option of either trimming the plane and looking outside, not doing both. Now add to that landing on a bumpy grass runway during a wet autumn and reaching out for your flap switch during a touch and go is virtually impossible. A keyboard or HOTAS isn't at all realistic especially so in ww2 sims as it places all keys within easy reach something ww2 planes most certainly didnt. I have sat in spitfires, mustangs and those cockpits weren't designed with ease of operation in mind. Combat operations ok, those are often in reasonably easy to reach places but the things I want a clickpit for (for instance tank selector) weren't. You don't need them to be either.

Originally Posted by SPUDLEY1977

For those who desire a preflight checklist here's your solution that will satisfy all: Keep a clipboard at your desk, and with pencil perform your preflight checks, and don't you dare take off until one hour+ after you sit down to the computer. Simple, easy, and allows for the programmers and CPU/GPU to focus on the visuals, flight models, situational awareness, and tactics.

Yeeeees lets get offensive again! Yes focus all your efforts on eye candy so Spudley can have his airquake and kill tigers with 50 cals. Not so nice when people act like that is it?

Originally Posted by proton45

I can't believe that some people feel that "clickable cockpits" is all that "BOB SoW" needs to eclipse the M$ products in sales...

I thought that Oleg said he had no interest in developing a "flight sim"... I think I remember Oleg saying that he wanted BoB SoW to be a flight 'combat' sim... I think he said he was only interested in modeling the things that where necessary to simulate combat in flight.

I think that clickable cockpits is the proverbial "can-o-worms"... if Oleg starts getting into the business of making a "flight sim" it will be the beginning of the end...

Could you link us to the page containing that Oleg quote? If that's true then ok we don't even need to have this discussion let alone buy his product. If I wanted playstation/xbox style over simplified flight games with more eyecandy then I'd just go and buy that.


In general, Oleg has some serious trouble on the horizon. Where the MSFS series before was as devoid of arms as could be for the last few years suddenly we are starting to see bombs and guns in third party addons. This means it is allready implemented in the engine as third party developers cant add new stuff to the engine. We can allready drop flour bombs in official missions, I think it's just a matter of time before we go the extra step. As said before the people in the MSFS pay 40 bucks for a single aircraft which is what we will probably end up paying for the entire game. These people love ww2 aircraft as much as anyone in this community but have a much higher expectation of simulation fidelity then people in this community who are apparently satisfied with "I-key Start engine be sure" logic applied there in. If Oleg wants to sell to the same old whiney deminishing crowd then sure more of the old, if he wants to tap into large and financially interesting markets then the old ways just dont cut it with poorly done campaigns and over simplified aircraft.