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| Introduction to the Fighter Ace II Beta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fighter Ace II brings an entire world of new possibilities to the game we all know and love as Fighter Ace. Though its basis is Fighter Ace 1.5, Fighter Ace II brings a new physics model, new 3d acceleration, new plane models and new types of games to the table. These new functions bring some new commands, new views and new needs into being that just didn't exist in Fighter Ace 1.5. As a Fighter Ace 1.5 user you have a leg up on the rest of the world, since most of the commands in Fighter Ace II are the same as they were in 1.5. However there is an all-new program interface to deal with so let's ease the culture shock and take a look at it. The Interface: Some Changes From Fighter Ace 1.5 At the main menu of Fighter Ace 1.5 you were greeted by five choices on the Main Menu: 1. Practice Flight 2. Options 3. Watch Replay 4. About 5. Exit The new Fighter Ace II UI (User Interface) has replaced the menu system with a tab system. The tabs that run across the top of the screen are: 1. Headquarters 2. Settings 3. Training 4. Film 5. Scores 6. Exit So to translate the Fighter Ace 1.5 headings to Fighter Ace II this is what we see.
What happens if you forget this? No worries! Fighter Ace II has a complete in-game help system that is only a right click of the mouse away at any time. If you have a question about anything that you see in the UI, you need only to right click your mouse on it, either the name or the button, and Fighter Ace II will pop up a help topic for you. The Help also has an index tab, if you'd like to search for specific topics. The Help is organized in the Table of Contents by the page of the UI. So if you'd like to see what settings are available for Flight Difficulty, just click on that subject in the Table of Contents and you'll see all the Help topics available there. Just a note for Beta users: Not all of the help topics are functioning in this Beta. All of the help topics will be functioning by the time Fighter Ace II releases to the general public. Getting Started 1. You will need to download the Fighter Ace II software. 2. Once you have the download of 16.1 MB on your computer, double click on it to start Setup. Follow the instructions in the Setup until completed. 3. The first time you run Fighter Ace II, it will check your system and say it's profiling your 3d accelerators. Fighter Ace II is looking for your 3d card and setting itself up accordingly. If you don't have a 3d card, no worries! Just go to the Settings page and select Software acceleration. 4. The first time you enter the program you should go to the Settings page to configure the program to match your computer. Pay special attention to the Display box and the Control box. 5. Display box: Select the 3d or 2d acceleration that most closely matches your computer. It is suggested that you turn Smoke length down to half or under unless you have a very fast computer (300 Mhz or more) and 3d acceleration. Terrain Detail can also be turned down if your computer has problems with all the textures that Fighter Ace II is capable of displaying. 6. Control box: Select the control peripherals that you use (Joystick, Rudder, Throttle). If you have a Force Feedback Joystick, check those boxes. Then Calibrate each of your controls by following the directions after you click the Calibrate button. Also you should check out the options available under the Customize Flight Commands button. 7. It is also suggested that you go to the Other Settings screen (the button is in the lower left area of the Settings screen) and select the Measurement Units you prefer and turn on the Stall Buzzer. 8. While you're at it you can look at the Arena and Flight Difficulty settings pages. These are all of the aspects of Fighter Ace II that can be modified in the game. Most of these are handled by the Game Server when you connect to the Internet Game Zone. 9. Now you are ready to go online. If you'd like to take a look at how Fighter Ace II looks, you can select one of the training missions on the Training page OR click on a country from the Headquarters screen. Then click the Select Plane button, pick a plane and armament set up (rockets, bombs, external fuel tanks) and then hit Fly Now! 10. When you are in flight make sure to hit F7 to get out of your plane and use the mouse to look around your aircraft. These new models are FANTASTIC! Turn the engine off with CTRL E and watch your canopy open and close. Hit G for the gear and watch the gear extend and retract. Move your controls and drop flaps and observe their movements. To fire your rockets you can hit CTRL Space and to drop bombs you hit Alt Backspace. These can also be programmed into your peripheral setup via the Customize Flight Commands button. Check out Training The Training Page has several training missions that will give you a chance to practice with Fighter Ace II offline as well as introduce you to the new view features. Fighter Ace II now incorporates the industry standard view system as well as padlock to give you the best view system possible. The New View Systems The new industry standard view system uses the Number Keypad on the right hands side of your keyboard. If you imagine you are under the 5 key in the center. The 5 key looks straight up, and each of the other keys brings up the view in that direction. The 8 key is forward, 2 rear, 4 left, 6 right. The 7 key is forward/left, 9 forward/right, 1 rear/left, 3 rear/right. Any combination of two keys will give the view in between the two keys. So the 5 and 8 key would give you a view that was forward and up, the 4 and 5 key together would bring you a view that was to your left and up. Though this new view system requires practice, it can give you an edge in online combat that makes it worthwhile. Flying Online To get started flying online is simple. Just follow these steps: 1. Connect to the Zone as you usually do. Click on the Fighter Ace II Beta rooms. 2. Click Fly Now. You may close your browser if you wish, which will reserve your system resources for the game. 3. The Fighter Ace II UI will start and you will find yourself on the Headquarters page. 4. Select a country with the Country dropdown box in the lower right corner. 5. Click Select Plane. 6. Choose an aircraft with the Aircraft dropdown box. You can select your ordinance in the box below, including bombs, rockets and external fuel stores. You can also set the convergence for your guns. 7. Click Fly! You will be flying in the Fighter Ace II arenas. Online Flight There are new screens to use and new radio procedures. Getting information from these will help your initial enjoyment of Fighter Ace II. Setting up your Instruments 1. You can now select between True and Indicated Airspeed by hitting ALT S. Most Fighter Ace 1.5 users are used to True Airspeed and it is recommended that you select this in your first few flights. Real pilots use Indicated Airspeed and as you progress it is recommended that you learn to use this setting. 2. You can also select how your Altimeter works by hitting CTRL A. You can select either Altitude above Sea Level, Altitude from Starting Field or Altitude Above Ground. It is recommended that you select GND for Altitude Above Ground as this is most helpful for pilots. Communicating on the Radio 1. You can now select a number of different channels on the radio. A full listing is in the Customize Flight Commands area. For general purposes, pressing the C key and the T key simultaneously gives you the Team channel. C and E give you the Enemy channel, and C and S give you your Squad channel. Congratulations on moving up to Fighter Ace II! We think that you will agree that Fighter Ace II is definitely “da bomb!”Have fun and watch your six! |
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