As posted over in Historic Encounters, please accept this training track entitled "Safe Combat" that I prepared tonight as my contribution to the Squad's Flight School. While not very exciting perhaps it might provide some assistance to newer pilots.
Just unzip this file to your Training folder. You will find a new training video entitled "Safe Combat."
Regards,
TS!
Training Track
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:FI:TacticalS!
- Post Maniac General
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- Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:05 pm
- Location: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
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:FI:TacticalS!
- Post Maniac General
- Posts: 2513
- Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:05 pm
- Location: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
How to Make a Track
In case folks are interested he's how you can make a training track (courtesy of Airwarfare).
CREATING YOUR TRACK.
Within FMB I build a mini-mission to set-up the 'story' I want to tell, utilising plenty of static cameras. Then I fly it.
(When I say fly it, I don't necessarily mean that you actually have to fly it - many of my tracks are flown by AI only.)
I have a 'record track' quick-key set up to begin a 'ntrack' recording from within the game.
I'm not too bothered about camera angles and setting up the right 'shots' at this stage,
I just record all of the action I need.
(make sure you've disabled 'icons' BEFORE you begin recording - again a quick-key can prove useful)
Once you've recorded all of the action you need exit FMB and play the track you've recorded.
This is where you'll edit your track to display the best camera angles and to tell the (visual) story.
(We'll be dealing with the narrative later).
In order to edit the track; Before playing it, make sure that you have enabled 'Manual View Control'.
I also disable the 'Loop' facility and 'inflight Messages'.
Then I play the track once, switching between cameras, to ensure I've captured all that I need and to get a feel for how I want to present the action.
The buttons you need to switch between cameras are all in the manual and are customisable too.
Good use of the 'padlock external targets' cameras can prove very effective - with both enemy and friendly targets, both on the ground and in the air).
You'll just have to experiment here.
Now you're ready to edit the track. Now I'm not going to be able to explain how to make your track exciting or interesting. I'll explain the method and you'll provide the artistic flair.
(If you've got any flair spare then I'll have some from you please)
Play your track again, and hit your pause button immediately. (The pause button is customisable too).
Lets say that you recorded your track 20 seconds too early and actually want it to start later:-
Unpause your track and pause it again after it's been playing for 20 seconds.
With the game paused you can cycle through all the available cameras to find the bit of action you want to start your movie with. Unpause the game and hit the record track button again.
Lets say you're currently following an allied plane and you want to change to a completely different scene. Just hit the pause button and cycle through to the camera you want to use. Unpause the game and the track you're recording will pick-up with the new camera angle.
You simply follow this method throughout the whole track until you're done.
So you've got a little movie to show to the world, what about some subtitles?
CREATING THE NARRATIVE.
This is where things get a bit fiddly.
Minimize FB (or quit) and using Explorer, navigate to your FB folder.
open the records folder and rename the track you want to use in your movie (quick****.ntrk)
to something specific. Lets say it's called 'intro'
(I even name mine WITHOUT the .ntrack extension and they work fine!)
Now copy that file called 'intro' or 'intro.ntrk' or whatever into the 'Training' folder.
In the 'Training' folder is a file called 'all.ini'.
Open it in Notepad or whatever text editor and add the name of your track to the last line.
(The .ntrk extension isn't needed even if your file has it).
Maximise FB again (or reload it) and if you go into 'Training', your track will be available.
Select it and 'Begin mission'. Watch the bottom right of the screen. This is the timer which counts up in minutes and seconds from the beginning of your track.
Simply make a note of the time/s for any action you'd like to punctuate with your narrative.
Now outside of FB (minimise or quit) you need to create a '*****.msg.file
to sit in the same folder as your track. (currently 'Training').
So for this example you need a 'intro.msg' file.
To do this I cheat! I copy an existing '.msg' file and rename it.
Then open the file in notepad or whatever text editor.
The file looks something like:-
[all]
0:0 Welcome back! Today you will learn to land the Bf-109.
0:10 Landing is the most difficult part of flying any airplane....
0:30 .....
0:35 .......
The numbers on the left relate to the time in minutes and seconds from the beginning of the track.
So you simply insert your commentary at the relevant time.
If you want a phrase to display for 5 seconds and then disappear just add a blank line 5 seconds after that phrase.
ie.
[all]
0:0 Display me...
0:05
0:10 New text here.
So that's about it.
CREATING YOUR TRACK.
Within FMB I build a mini-mission to set-up the 'story' I want to tell, utilising plenty of static cameras. Then I fly it.
(When I say fly it, I don't necessarily mean that you actually have to fly it - many of my tracks are flown by AI only.)
I have a 'record track' quick-key set up to begin a 'ntrack' recording from within the game.
I'm not too bothered about camera angles and setting up the right 'shots' at this stage,
I just record all of the action I need.
(make sure you've disabled 'icons' BEFORE you begin recording - again a quick-key can prove useful)
Once you've recorded all of the action you need exit FMB and play the track you've recorded.
This is where you'll edit your track to display the best camera angles and to tell the (visual) story.
(We'll be dealing with the narrative later).
In order to edit the track; Before playing it, make sure that you have enabled 'Manual View Control'.
I also disable the 'Loop' facility and 'inflight Messages'.
Then I play the track once, switching between cameras, to ensure I've captured all that I need and to get a feel for how I want to present the action.
The buttons you need to switch between cameras are all in the manual and are customisable too.
Good use of the 'padlock external targets' cameras can prove very effective - with both enemy and friendly targets, both on the ground and in the air).
You'll just have to experiment here.
Now you're ready to edit the track. Now I'm not going to be able to explain how to make your track exciting or interesting. I'll explain the method and you'll provide the artistic flair.
(If you've got any flair spare then I'll have some from you please)
Play your track again, and hit your pause button immediately. (The pause button is customisable too).
Lets say that you recorded your track 20 seconds too early and actually want it to start later:-
Unpause your track and pause it again after it's been playing for 20 seconds.
With the game paused you can cycle through all the available cameras to find the bit of action you want to start your movie with. Unpause the game and hit the record track button again.
Lets say you're currently following an allied plane and you want to change to a completely different scene. Just hit the pause button and cycle through to the camera you want to use. Unpause the game and the track you're recording will pick-up with the new camera angle.
You simply follow this method throughout the whole track until you're done.
So you've got a little movie to show to the world, what about some subtitles?
CREATING THE NARRATIVE.
This is where things get a bit fiddly.
Minimize FB (or quit) and using Explorer, navigate to your FB folder.
open the records folder and rename the track you want to use in your movie (quick****.ntrk)
to something specific. Lets say it's called 'intro'
(I even name mine WITHOUT the .ntrack extension and they work fine!)
Now copy that file called 'intro' or 'intro.ntrk' or whatever into the 'Training' folder.
In the 'Training' folder is a file called 'all.ini'.
Open it in Notepad or whatever text editor and add the name of your track to the last line.
(The .ntrk extension isn't needed even if your file has it).
Maximise FB again (or reload it) and if you go into 'Training', your track will be available.
Select it and 'Begin mission'. Watch the bottom right of the screen. This is the timer which counts up in minutes and seconds from the beginning of your track.
Simply make a note of the time/s for any action you'd like to punctuate with your narrative.
Now outside of FB (minimise or quit) you need to create a '*****.msg.file
to sit in the same folder as your track. (currently 'Training').
So for this example you need a 'intro.msg' file.
To do this I cheat! I copy an existing '.msg' file and rename it.
Then open the file in notepad or whatever text editor.
The file looks something like:-
[all]
0:0 Welcome back! Today you will learn to land the Bf-109.
0:10 Landing is the most difficult part of flying any airplane....
0:30 .....
0:35 .......
The numbers on the left relate to the time in minutes and seconds from the beginning of the track.
So you simply insert your commentary at the relevant time.
If you want a phrase to display for 5 seconds and then disappear just add a blank line 5 seconds after that phrase.
ie.
[all]
0:0 Display me...
0:05
0:10 New text here.
So that's about it.
-
:FI:TacticalS!
- Post Maniac General
- Posts: 2513
- Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:05 pm
- Location: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Great question. And rather misleading in hindsight on my part. The way you "toggle the seat" is by using the "Toggle Gunsight" key in the IL-2 game.
Sorry I didn't mean for you to use the "Toggle Seat Position," which indeed only works in a few aircraft used in the Pacific theatre to enhance the visibility with carrier operations. Should have originally said adjust the seat position.
Using this key (Toggle Gunsight) does indeed enhance the rear view in almost all planes. Something like the I-16 is only helped a little.
TS!
Sorry I didn't mean for you to use the "Toggle Seat Position," which indeed only works in a few aircraft used in the Pacific theatre to enhance the visibility with carrier operations. Should have originally said adjust the seat position.
Using this key (Toggle Gunsight) does indeed enhance the rear view in almost all planes. Something like the I-16 is only helped a little.
TS!