Helicopter HUD Suggestion

[BlackDingo]

G'day again guys,

Maybe I'm alone in this, but as awesome as it is to be able to look around the cockpit of any of our fabulous BF2 helicopters, there is only really one real thing I don't see that I actually NEED other than the downwards look mentioned in THIS article, and that's Rotor RPM

As PR has insisted on the turbine start-up times mimicking that of those in the real world, (although its a bit more than 30 seconds ) no objections here tho

A Rotor RPM or Rotor Power Turbine Percent gauge integrated into the HUD would be awesome. This would allow pilots to know at a glance if the rotors are spinning fast enough to safely take off even if they are distracted by radio communications during start-up.

A Typical Rotor Power Turbine Percent Gauge


This complex(ish) gauge could be replaced with a simple HUD text in Percent
(100% indicating correct operating speed)

Cheers

[RedWater]

You know what? I like that idea.
It would be very helpful I think.

[M.Warren]

Only thing you can do is simply listen to the sound of the rotors and engine speeding up. There is already a Torque percentage meter in the left hand side of your screen.

If we could actually build a real HUD for aircraft navigation we'd need things like:

Rate of Climb/Descent, AGL Indicator (Above Ground Level), A (Real) Artificial Horizon, Turn Coordinators, Flaps, Spoilers, Landing Gear Up/Down Indicator and so on.

Of course, the percentages are off in my opinion. You could never remain aloft at 1% Torque while in a helicopter in reference to the HUD interface when the user lets go of his W and S keys for throttle inputs.

Technically most helicopters should be holding a hover at around 50% Torque. 75% is for a steady forward flight pace. 100% Torque is full throttle. Anything from 1-50% should be considered deceleration of the rotor causing it to lose lift and descend back towards the ground.

Basically:

100% Torque: Full Torque (4/4) - High Climb/High Speed
75% Torque: Moderate Torque (3/4) - Medium Climb/Medium Speed
50% Torque: Torque/Slip Equal (2/4) - Hover/Low Speed
25% Torque: Moderate Slip (1/4) - Medium Descent/Light Fall
1% Torque: Full Slip (0/4) - High Descent/Heavy Fall (Free Fall)

In other words, while you are flying in PR and you let go of your W and S keys, you automatically enter a hover mode (With a slight descent for those that notice.) the Torque meter indicates 1% Torque, which is wrong. You can't fly with 1% Torque. It should technically be indicating about 48-50% Torque. Thus, leaving the whole 1%-50% bracket for estimating your Torque for descending or landing, but that doesn't exist because it automatically holds at 1% Torque.

If people tried to fly helicopters in reality after using PR as a flight simulator, they'd be dead. Impartly because they combined Throttle and Torque together into 1 flight function.

[BlackDingo]

Only thing you can do is simply listen to the sound of the rotors and engine speeding up. There is already a Torque percentage meter in the left hand side of your screen.

Honestly, I dun even look at the Torque Gauge, it tells me lies

I use it only really when I hover, to keep power just right, other than that its useless in my opinion.

As far as listening to the sound of the engine, yar, I agree with you there, but again as I mentioned before, when there is gunfire, chatter over the radio, and other ambient noise, or your flying a heli that your not used to, its easy to screw up, misjudge the engine sound and kill an entire squad.

Doesn't make you too popular that

[Psyko]

i have heard a lot of people say "hard-coded this, that an the other" and i never say it because i have seen clever coders get around such problems in the past by finding other solutions. [Kneels and worships DB and Jaymz]

But this idea is truly limited by the engine. and i can say with certainty that you cannot go beonde sticking 'stickers' to the HUD of the insides of cockpits. I just dont think its possible to make an object that dynamic.

You can however make an overlay that mimics what you see. and if an artistic developer could first make a full HUD and then make said HUD fit visually onto the dash it may work. but when you Ctrl+look it would dissapear. but imo that would be a very minor defect. I gotta say though, i dont like the rates of climb indicated ect, as like you said, they tell me lies.

[BlackDingo]

You can however make an overlay that mimics what you see. and if an artistic developer could first make a full HUD and then make said HUD fit visually onto the dash it may work.

When I say HUD I mean as in Heads-Up-Display, i.e the green thing pictured below, not the static images on the cockpit 'dash'



All that need happen is a percent readout (like the speed gauge on the left of the screen) only indicate rotor rpm, even if its not 'true' rpm, at least code in a 100% reading for take-off RPM

[ralfidude]

how did u get a chopper there? Fly it all the way from another country?

But yeah, u still cant trust the sounds of the blades either. Apparently the Huey is still bugged. It sounds like its spooled up, but its not, and then, bam! I think... At least on the training servers. Have not tried on a real map yet, cuz players are so gay they make a squad at 3:00 before map start with a custom squad called air, or pilots, and dont care if anybody else is in a squad bug or not.

[Alex6714]

Hud variables are pretty limited, so I doubt this is possible.

Altitude
Bank
Pitch
Speed
Torque
VehicleAngle
GunnerAngle

Those are the only NAV type ones I can think of off the top of my head.

[rampo]

BEEEEEP, reality police here... the choppers HUDs have allrdy 2 much info since they rly dnt exsist in helicpoters( does not include attack helicopters such the cobra or apache) my suggestion would be tht the ``HUD`` would be replaced whit some little boxes on the bottom of the HUD which indicate airspeed, torque and height. this is the only (allmost)realistic and sense making idea for _ME_

[BlackDingo]

The reason all helicopters in PR have a HUD is because there are no instruments in front of you on your dash as I'm sure you guessed.

I take it then, rampo93(FIN), when you loose the HUD all together to just text, your going to guess where the horizon line is without a VH gauge or HUD to guide you?

That would create somewhat of a problem judging decent rate, or maintaining a hover correctly given the physics that govern a helicopter in hover.

[Alex6714]

Well thats my idea for trans yes, but for attack helis.....

[mp5punk]

Looks cool but as alex said it might not be able to be done, why cant we have a functioning dash board?