Please fix VTOL power curve

[pleasant 34]

Dear Devs,

 

Please do this:
1. In the editor, place the USS Freedom anywhere in the ocean surrounding Altis.
2. Place a Y32 Xi'an aircraft from the Jets DLC at Altis international.
3. Using a Logitech Extreme 3d Pro joystick (the joystick used by roughly half of the community) with the analog throttle properly configured, attempt to fly the aircraft to the carrier and land.

Hopefully this simple exercise will help you to realize, in it's current state, the power characteristics of not only the Y32, but all VTOL aircraft in ARMA are currently broken.

I have now been practicing flying the VTOL aircraft for over a month. My joystick is properly configured and I have even incorporated my keyboard in an effort to control the throttle more accurately. It doesn't matter. When the difference between rapidly gaining altitude and dropping out the sky like a brick is 4% of the throttle the power settings for the VTOL aircraft in the game are not "challenging." They are broken.
 

[joostsidy 682]

Although the power curve is indeed odd in auto-vectoring mode, you should not fly the VTOL in auto vectoring mode. Use the controls you have bound to flaps to control the direction of thrust on approach to landing (or all the time).

 

This is much more closer to how VTOLS are supposed to be controlled. With a couple of hours practice you'll be able to land the Y32 on top of the inflatable assault boat if necessary.

[teabagginpeople 398]

I can land it on a dime using mouse and keyboard. 

 

But still have to agree Power curve  feels off. 

[lexx 1331]

To be honest, since the Jets DLC(?) I'm completely unable to fly the Y32 Xi'an at all (mouse and keyboard). I can start it, I can fly around in it, but getting back to ground? Impossible for me. I've even checked out some recent YouTube videos to see how other people are doing it, but I just can't reproduce that. I have no idea how to get the speed down without fucking up everything and falling down like a rock. Toyed around with the flaps, increased / decreased that other stuff, but I just don't get it. I'm too stupid for that thing now.

[Imperator[TFD] 444]

 

Zero issues here with landing either VTOL anywhere.

Listen carefully to the part where I discuss the 'nose drop' at roughly 140 speed.  Pay attention to that and you'll be set.

[lexx 1331]

Thanks for the video. For the first time now I've been able to land that thing at least a little bit.

[Imperator[TFD] 444]

7 hours ago, lexx said:

Thanks for the video. For the first time now I've been able to land that thing at least a little bit.

 

hey no worries mate, glad to see my stuff helping people. :)

[stburr91 995]

I agree that the power curve is too sensitive, especially if you are using a keyboard, and mouse, as you can only adjust the throttle in increments of 3%-5%. 

 

I've played around with the VTOLs, and the flight characteristics are odd to say the least, if not outright very unrealistic. The flights characteristics are too unpredictable, you can gain altitude without raising the throttle when you stop forward flight (completely unrealistic), and the slightest misadjustment with the throttle (way to easy to do with a keyboard, and mouse), and you drop like a rock. 

 

As the OP stated, with such a small percentage of throttle being the difference between gaining altitude, and dropping like a rock, that is a problem. Now add to the fact that many people only use a keyboard, and mouse, where you can only adjust the throttle in increments of 3%-5%, and you have a serious issue, one that should be addressed. 

[Khazul66 4]

The problem with VTOLs is partly what prompted my post about per vehicle type joystick/throttle control sensitivity setup above. With everything setup for reasonable landing of a helo, I find that the tiniest movement of the throttle when landing a blackfish is enough for it to plummet to the ground from a stable hover only a few meters up with enough downward velocity to explode on impact.

 

TBH - I find landing with mouse/keyboard far easier than landing with a HOTAS (for helos and vtols) unless I stick to only flying one specific aircraft, never mind flying one one minute and another the next as I find the throttle control is more often than not just far too coarse in region you need for precise vertical decent rate control. I just hate flying with mouse keyboard in first person view and find the cam in 3rd person struggles to track around hard turns.

 

Perhaps with several months of practice - I will get used to it, but in its current state, it just feels somewhat unnatural.

[EDcase 87]

For joystick users, check in settings/controllers select joystick and click modify.

Then click on the linear curve to assign. Nothing will change but hit OK then go back out and try it...

[Khazul66 4]

^ Yes - that helps, but I have to do it again when I go back to flying a helo.

[stburr91 995]

I saw in a change log that they made the VTOLs more resilient to damage, rather than fix the flight mechanics, that's unfortunate. While the Blackfish does't explode on fairly light touchdowns any longer, your pilot still gets injured.  

 

I was just testing the Blackfish, and the flight mechanics are just too unpredictable.  I can be at 0% throttle, and not descend, I have also been at 70% throttle, and descending. There is just no real predictability with the flight mechanics. If you don't get it just right, you really don't have any control of the aircraft. 

[pleasant 34]

On 7/22/2017 at 2:12 PM, joostsidy said:

Although the power curve is indeed odd in auto-vectoring mode, you should not fly the VTOL in auto vectoring mode. Use the controls you have bound to flaps to control the direction of thrust on approach to landing (or all the time).

 

This is much more closer to how VTOLS are supposed to be controlled. With a couple of hours practice you'll be able to land the Y32 on top of the inflatable assault boat if necessary.

I have been aware of the flap settings controlling nacells since Hot Shot Mike released his port of the MV-22. 

[pleasant 34]

On 7/23/2017 at 8:37 AM, teabagginpeople said:

I can land it on a dime using mouse and keyboard. 

 

But still have to agree Power curve  feels off. 

I too can land on a dime. But only after a considerable struggle with a broken throttle. Try this; land on that dime while taking small arms fire from several locations near the aircraft. 

[pleasant 34]

On 7/31/2017 at 1:27 PM, Khazul66 said:

The problem with VTOLs is partly what prompted my post about per vehicle type joystick/throttle control sensitivity setup above. With everything setup for reasonable landing of a helo, I find that the tiniest movement of the throttle when landing a blackfish is enough for it to plummet to the ground from a stable hover only a few meters up with enough downward velocity to explode on impact.

 

TBH - I find landing with mouse/keyboard far easier than landing with a HOTAS (for helos and vtols) unless I stick to only flying one specific aircraft, never mind flying one one minute and another the next as I find the throttle control is more often than not just far too coarse in region you need for precise vertical decent rate control. I just hate flying with mouse keyboard in first person view and find the cam in 3rd person struggles to track around hard turns.

 

Perhaps with several months of practice - I will get used to it, but in its current state, it just feels somewhat unnatural.

100% Agreed.

[pleasant 34]

On 7/23/2017 at 10:17 AM, Imperator[TFD] said:

 

Zero issues here with landing either VTOL anywhere.

Listen carefully to the part where I discuss the 'nose drop' at roughly 140 speed.  Pay attention to that and you'll be set.

While I'm sure you meant no disrespect, to be honest I find this comment a bit patronizing. Posting a tutorial and telling someone who has been playing the game since Armed Assualt to "pay attention" is not why I started this thread. I am well versed on "how" to fly a VTOL aircraft in Arma. I created this thread as a result of my frustration following literally hundreds of hours of attempting to compensate for a broken throttle dynamic.

 

None the less, thank you for taking the time to respond. 

[pleasant 34]

On 7/29/2017 at 10:08 AM, stburr91 said:

I agree that the power curve is too sensitive, especially if you are using a keyboard, and mouse, as you can only adjust the throttle in increments of 3%-5%. 

 

I've played around with the VTOLs, and the flight characteristics are odd to say the least, if not outright very unrealistic. The flights characteristics are too unpredictable, you can gain altitude without raising the throttle when you stop forward flight (completely unrealistic), and the slightest misadjustment with the throttle (way to easy to do with a keyboard, and mouse), and you drop like a rock. 

 

As the OP stated, with such a small percentage of throttle being the difference between gaining altitude, and dropping like a rock, that is a problem. Now add to the fact that many people only use a keyboard, and mouse, where you can only adjust the throttle in increments of 3%-5%, and you have a serious issue, one that should be addressed. 

100% Agreed!