Whats the circle in the helicopter HUD for?

Cp · Post by Cp » 2007-08-23 15:17

Often when you go into a close ground hover or just before you land, this litle circle pops up on the HUD moves around alitle and then moves of the screen and disappears. whats it for?

GrayeKnight · Post by **GrayeKnight** » 2007-08-23 15:28

bf2 devs being weird?

nah, ive been wondering that as well. possibly we're just stupid and theres an obvious reason for it?

Red Halibut · Post by **Red Halibut** » 2007-08-23 15:32

It's a hovering reticle, which appears when you are close to dead stop in a helo, regardless of height. If you think of it as looking down from the top at a circle painted on the ground, then you can use it to maintain position in a hover. If the reticle moves to the right, you are drifting left. If the reticle moves to the top of the hud, then you are dirfting backwards (think about it, it represents a spot on the ground).

Nimble · Post by **Nimble** » 2007-08-23 15:32

Ground collision warning circle of doom? Beats me.

Post by **Outlawz7** » 2007-08-23 15:36

Red Halibut wrote:It's a hovering reticle, which appears when you are close to dead stop in a helo, regardless of height. If you think of it as looking down from the top at a circle painted on the ground, then you can use it to maintain position in a hover. If the reticle moves to the right, you are drifting left. If the reticle moves to the top of the hud, then you are dirfting backwards (think about it, it represents a spot on the ground).

Sounds like the laser thingy, we had on our temp car, while waiting for our Skoda to be shipped

had this parking detector thing that went off, if there was an obstacle behind the car, useful when going backwards, altough it also went off when detecting our stupid dogs jumping around behind the car

Cp · Post by Cp » 2007-08-23 15:45

uhm yeah, I tryed it again, and as red halibut says, it seems to be a "parking detector" for helicopters, how completely useless...

ArmedDrunk&Angry · Post by **ArmedDrunk&Angry** » 2007-08-23 15:55

Well I don't know about being completely useless as it helps to have the helo steady to make the TV guided shots the helo came with in vanilla.

daranz · Post by **daranz** » 2007-08-23 17:00

In EECH/EEAH (and I would therefore assume, in real AH-64s) that's the circle used for station keeping during bobup, to help the pilot ensure that he doesn't drift away from the initial position. Basically, you activate it, and you get a circle on the HUD. The circle is the correct position, and the crosshair in the middle of the HMD is the aircraft. Once you fly away more than 300m from the position (IIRC), the circle automatically disappears. The whole thing is useful for knowing where you are and noticing minor movement, especially when you're not focusing on piloting (you could be, for example, aiming the cannon with the HMD, and therefore not having a good view of your movements).

In BF2, it's something that they noticed in a real aircraft, and decided to do wrong.

Post by **Masaq** » 2007-08-23 17:02

Actually, if you practice (and I mean, extensively) it can be helpful when trying to land in an extremely limited area - the jungle on Op: Ghost Train springs to mind. Fly until you're directly over the spot you want to land, and then focus like a b**ch on the circle rather than the trees and other statics on the ground. The circle (appears) to be much more useful than the objects do, presumeably because when you're looking at treetops you get an element of perspective and the cockpit sides concealing them so it can be harder to gauge movement relative to the objects you're trying to hit.

Of course, you still have to find the clearing to land in and position yourself directly above it without electronic aid.

Also, from what little I know of RL HUDs, choppers use 'em hence inclusion in BF2 as a HUD element I guess.

pasfreak · Post by **pasfreak** » 2007-08-23 17:16

why does the heli even have a hud at all?

daranz · Post by **daranz** » 2007-08-23 17:20

pasfreak wrote:why does the heli even have a hud at all?

Er, Apaches and Cobras in real life have helmet mounted displays. Although BF2 HUDs suck (the vertical velocity indicator in US choppers is ****), they still provide SOME useful information like ammo counts and torque (which translates almost directly to collective position in PR's case).

Post by **Dunehunter** » 2007-08-23 17:26

Hm, nice to know about this thing, could also be good for high-altitude waterdrops, where it's hard to get a visual on anything to keep yourself in a position to.

Post by **MAINERROR** » 2007-08-23 17:28

Yep he only thing for what the HUD is usefull in BF2 is to show Ammo, Torque and the helo's bank. IIRC they show more infos like comabt infos and such things.

@ dunehunter

At high altitudes in BF2 you can use also your Minimap and your bank-indicator. Just apply zoom to the minimap through pressing "n" and then look at the hud and the minimap this works too!

Post by **Masaq** » 2007-08-23 18:04

dunehunter wrote:Hm, nice to know about this thing, could also be good for high-altitude waterdrops, where it's hard to get a visual on anything to keep yourself in a position to.

You drop people out over water at high altitude?!?

*SIGH*

I used to love doing that, now I'm a PR fan I find I feel ashamed when I do it (which is therefore very very rare now)... not like anyone carries a 'chute, and hitting water from 500m at freefall terminal velocity is like hitting concrete- not good!

Low-level waterdrop insertions on maps like Qwai, I still do - on the basis that bailing out from 5m is doable IRL, even if not particularly likely!

Post by **Outlawz7** » 2007-08-23 18:44

Nothing like seeing a guy drop out of heli in midflight, thinking he has a parachute

Colfax · Post by **Colfax** » 2007-08-23 20:38

[R-PUB]Masaq wrote:You drop people out over water at high altitude?!?

*SIGH*

I used to love doing that, now I'm a PR fan I find I feel ashamed when I do it (which is therefore very very rare now)... not like anyone carries a 'chute, and hitting water from 500m at freefall terminal velocity is like hitting concrete- not good!

Low-level waterdrop insertions on maps like Qwai, I still do - on the basis that bailing out from 5m is doable IRL, even if not particularly likely!

Low level water drops result in death against an organized team. One HAT and your done. Losing 4 to 7 people and your asset is just plain unintelligent.

Its a simulated HALO drop. Which happen IRL with spec ops. Go into enemy territory drop troops from 500m + leave. Now you have spec ops behind enemy lines.

daranz · Post by **daranz** » 2007-08-23 20:56

Colfax wrote:Low level water drops result in death against an organized team. One HAT and your done. Losing 4 to 7 people and your asset is just plain unintelligent.

Its a simulated HALO drop. Which happen IRL with spec ops. Go into enemy territory drop troops from 500m + leave. Now you have spec ops behind enemy lines.

I'd argue that in real life, HALO drops don't happen so close to the frontlines that the jumpers could actually fly over to friendly side by the end of the jump.

Post by **Dunehunter** » 2007-08-23 21:05

Tbh, I'd prefer to fast-rope them down...but since it's something that the admins in the tournament allowed, I figured that it's an ok thing to do.

AnRK · Post by **AnRK** » 2007-08-23 21:18

Colfax wrote:Low level water drops result in death against an organized team. One HAT and your done. Losing 4 to 7 people and your asset is just plain unintelligent.

Its a simulated HALO drop. Which happen IRL with spec ops. Go into enemy territory drop troops from 500m + leave. Now you have spec ops behind enemy lines.

Isn't the whole point of PR to disclude the the whole spec ops mentality as much as possible? (I'm aware disclude isn't a real word but I don't really se why not so I'm gonna continue to use it until it is recognised as such

)

GrayeKnight · Post by **GrayeKnight** » 2007-08-23 21:24

thats what i thought it was

even though, when im not moving at all it still seems to want to drift away

oh well