|
Q. When trying to takeoff in Dawn of Aces,
my aircraft goes out of control and crashes before leaving the ground. Why can't I get the
aircraft into the air?
A. Dawn of Aces has one of the most realistic flight
models available, including torque and slipstream effects . These make the plane yaw (veer) on the ground when power is applied. In
the realistic flight mode it is necessary to apply rudder to counter these effects while on the takeoff roll.
If you do not have an analog rudder configured in the Windows joystick setup, use the default
rudder keys. A for left rudder, S for center rudder, and D for right rudder.
To select whether or not to fly the realistic flight model, from the Control Tower, click Select and then the Flight tab. Check the box next to Easy Flight to disable the realistic flight model, and uncheck it to fly using the realistic flight model. The easy flight model is disabled when flying in the Main arena online.
Q. My turns are smooth and fast in the
offline version, but online I can hardly turn and I hear a terrible humming noise on sharp
turns.
A. If you have easy mode selected when flying offline, you are flying a very basic flight
model without torque, slipstream, and so on. It also does not let
you push the plane to its full capacity, keeping you well inside the flight envelope.
When you fly online, the realistic model is used. This has all of the structural effects
turned on allowing you to stall and spin. The buzz you hear during slow flight or hard
maneuvering is the stall horn warning you of an impending stall.
Q. What do I do if Windows doesn't detect my
joystick?
A. First of all, check the system properties to see whether a Joystick is present.
- From the Windows desktop, select Start, then Settings, and then Control Panel. The Control Panel dialog box is displayed.
- Double-click on System to open the System Properties dialog box.
- Select the Device Manager tab, and then double-click on Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. There should be a Gameport entry, which is the joystick.
If there is no Gameport entry, you need to add it.
Q. How do I add a Gameport entry?
A. Adding a Gameport entry:
- Select Start, then Settings, and then Control Panel. The Control Panel dialog box is displayed.
- Double-click on Add New Hardware the Add New Hardware Wizard dialog box is displayed.
- Select Next and then No. Double-click on the Sound, Video, and Game Controller entry. Windows builds a driver list.
- Find the
name of the manufacturer of your joystick in the left-hand Manufacturers list. If you are not sure about this, and cannot find your
documentation, select Microsoft.
- Then in the right-hand Models list, select
the appropriate model. Select Gameport Joystick if you selected Microsoft as
your manufacturer. Click on Next and follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: You may need to reinstall DirectX to
work with the drivers selected.
Q. How do I calibrate my joystick?
A. Configuring your joystick can be simple or complex. The simple procedure is as follows, for a more complex configuration refer to the help file, which is accessible from within the game.
- From the Windows desktop, click Start.
- Highlight Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- Double-click on Game Controllers.
- Your joystick is listed and highlighted.
- Click Properties. If you have foot pedals that control the rudder, check the box next to that option. Otherwise leave it blank.
- Select Test. There is a box that represents the limits of your joystick's movements along the vertical and horizontal axes, and an indicator that symbolizes the stick itself. Move the stick around to test it.
- If it is necessary to calibrate your joystick, select Settings. Click Calibrate and follow the instructions on the screen.
- When you are satisfied with the way your joystick moves the indicator around in the box, click Finish to save the settings.
Note: Whenever you start a mission, release all controls, and then press F12 to center the joystick and ensure precise control.
Q. What do I do if my joystick seems to
act sporadically in flight, even after I've calibrated it?
A. Go through the joystick calibration routine. If
it jumps around sporadically when you test it, it can mean its potentiometers are worn or
dirty, or that there is a driver problem. Try reloading the Gameport driver (see above). If the test is still jumpy, try cleaning or replacing your joystick
potentiometers. If the test is still unstable after these measures, you may
want to check out a speed programmable Gameport.
NOTE: If you are using an optical joystick like the
Microsoft Sidewinder Pro, there are no potentiometers present.
If the test cursor moves around steadily when testing your joystick, try adjusting the scaling, the damper and the deadband for the
stick.
Q. How do I adjust the scaling, the damper and the deadband? What are they?
A. Open the Stick screen by selecting Setup from the Control Tower, and then selecting Stick.
The scale works by controlling the amount of input that the
game uses at any percentage of joystick input (1-100). For instance, if you want the
computer to recognize 100 percent of the stick input at 10 percent stick throw, you would set the 10 percent
box at 100. You should graduate the input levels up the scale so that there are no big
jumps between any stick throw percentage. An example would be moving up the scale from 10
to 100 where 10 is in the 10% stick throw box, and 100 is in the 100% stick throw box,
from left to right, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.
The damper setting calculates the average
of your stick input before sending it to the game as a control input. The larger this
setting, the longer it takes for you to see a control response in the game.
The deadband setting is a dead zone that you can
adjust the size of for each control axis. Move the slider to the right to increase the size
of the deadband, and to the left to decrease it.
Q. My Sidewinder 3d Pro joystick stopped
working with Dawn of Aces.
A. Try calibrating it as something else. Set
the selector switch located under the joystick base towards the front on 1 dot
and calibrate it using the CH pro setup with rudder, or on 2 dot calibrating it using the Thrustmaster setup with rudder.
Q. I am having problems with an
oversensitive Microsoft Sidewinder Pro Joystick.
A. Try adjusting your stick scaling (see above).
Q. As soon as I start taxiing down the
runway, my joystick starts acting as though I'm pressing the macro buttons. The screen
suddenly switches to Map view, or my landing gear goes up and down on its own.
A. You are having problems with the MSPro digital
software that comes with the stick. Either try downloading a newer driver for the stick
from Microsoft, or try calibrating it as something else. Set
the selector switch located under the joystick base towards the front on 1 dot
and calibrate it using the CH pro setup with rudder, or on 2 dot calibrating it using the Thrustmaster setup with rudder.
[Back to Top of Page]
|