Introduction to Panzers [fundamental level]

[ourobouros]

@die happy

Tx, so I actually screwed myself by reassigning the x (smoke) key.. huh.. go figure

In my defense, that button isn't very clearly named in the controls menu. It's not just smoke, but a variety of tank weaponry then?

[Die Happy]

they key binding "pop smoke" in the tank settings of BF2 will bring up the tank sights in FH2.

many tanks have some capability to deploy smoke either by dispenser , launcher or projectile  those a different weapon selected via mousewheel and fired with mouse 1.


since you seem to be new to the game
http://forgottenhope.warumdarum.de/main.php?module=media&area=videos&lang=english
scrool down until you reach the 4 black and white training videos. 
they might be a bit outdated by now but are still good in sowing new guys the ropes.

[ourobouros]

Tx again, will check those out. (and check youtube too)

And I'm not exactly new to FH, have a lot of exp playing BF1942 FH. But that exp isn't very useful, I must say. The learning curve for FH2 is quite steep and unforgiving to the uninitiated.

Biggest drawback in comparison to BF1942 FH, is that the enemy seems to spot me first every time, even when I hide in the vegetation. Sure the graphics are better, but everything seems to blend together for me at a certain distance like an impressionist painting (at highest settings, but aa only at 2 times and res at 1920x1080 on a 23” FP). Now I’ve read that lowering your settings, makes that disadvantage go away, but then I might as well play BF1942 FH (and Vista 64 bits don’t take kindly to BF1942.. so that’s no option anymore).

N.B. The enemy seems to also be able to quickly drop to the ground and shoot me in a matter of half a second at a reasonable distance, while I’m used to a waiting period to take into account before your gun sight becomes optimal after you’ve changed position or moved.

Leading me to call them f*g haxxxors, but that’s what the internet/online gaming was invented for… oh and porn ofcourse.

[VonMudra]

So you know, except with MGs, all weapons shoot where they are pointed the moment you bring up the sights.  So there is no wait period.  For MGs, you gotta wait a sec for the two yellow lines at the bottom of the screen to close, then its same as the other weapons, it hits where its aiming.  There is no random spread.

[ourobouros]

Good to know, tx.

I am however wondering how I can change camera view while in a tank, so I can improve my view. The keys bound for this are F9, 10, 11 and 12, but they don't seem to work (and I've seen youtube vids using the outside view). Or has this been disabled during play, for realism? So I can only scan around with Left Ctrl? Is there anyway to change that Left Ctrl function to another key? It's not mentioned in the controls menu.

[Eat Uranium]

There are no floating camera veiws for fighting vehicles (except plane rear veiws).  Try looking it the vehicle controls page for the entry with left ctrl and changing that.

[ourobouros]

I checked: Left Ctrl is not assigned in the vehicle control tab, but in the common controls tab.
It is standard assigned to "crouch" and changing it to another key, does not mean it works in a tank.

The newly assigned button works for crouching, but free view in your tank still only works with Left Ctrl (which isn't mentioned anywhere in the control tabs once I've reassigned te crouch function).

This both sucks and blows, coz I am not used to using wsad keys to operate anything.. I use the arrow keys.

On a positive note: played a game on the hslan server last night and got my first tank kills, thanks to some of the advise here. Don’t remember which map, but there was a reported firefly covering a flag and our infantry was screaming bloody murder for us to get rid of them.
I first went up in a Panther through the middle of the map and got owned, just like all the other tanks. Then I went creeping up the right side of the map in a Stug and got within viewing distance of the flag. Looked around for a bit and then it struck me… the contours of a Sherman were visible in the greyish fog of war! Since it was my first time on the map I hesitated shooting... it could just as well be a burned out husk of a Sherman that was simply part of the map. Then it moved and in a reflex I shot… my gun sight lit up red and I saw the kill message in the screen, booya, my first good deed in a tank! Instead of a thank you comment, our infantry coldly asked me “now kill the other one”. There were two fireflies there?!? Had I known that, I would have never moved up on the right side by myself.. but I was there so, no guts no glory. Couldn’t see the bugger, so I asked the infantry to give me a position on it. The reply “right where you killed the first one!”… looking at the spot again, I couldn’t make anything out in the fog.. until.. was I looking at the long moving barrel of a firefly?? It had to be.. but if that’s the barrel, then the body of the tank must be slightly to the right.. I took aim and fired.. boom! My second shot and second kill of the battle. The infantry went up and took the flag, and I took a moment to light a cigarette and enjoy the moment.  

Now that was as good as it got on the map, coz from then on I continued to get owned by 6 pounders and piats, but it was an awesome experience non the less.

[Ionizer]

Since tanks don't have freelook in vBF2, there is no control for it in the options tabs.  To change the key that activates Tank and AT Guns Freelook (default LeftCtrl), follow these instructions that I wrote before:

This setting is actually set in the Controls.con file and doesn't show up in the Options menu because nothing other than aircraft can use Freelook in Vanilla BF2.  The FH2 Devs added Freelook to other vehicles, so upon installing FH2, it changes a setting (probably adding a line of code) into the Controls.con file that corresponds to Tank and AT Gun Freelook.

To change it:  Go to Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles.  Find the Number of the Profile you want to change (if its the only profile you've made, it should be 0001).  Open the Controls.con file (and/or the Controls.fh2.con file) in Notepad and find the line that says

Code: [Select]

ControlMap.create LandPlayerInputControlMap
and then find the line a few lines down that says

Code: [Select]

ControlMap.addKeyToTriggerMapping c_PIMouseLook IDFKeyboard IDKey_LeftCtrl 0 0
Then change "LeftCtrl" there to some other key (make sure that the new key is not in use, of course).  BTW, Freelook in Tanks and AT Guns is very useful, so make sure the key is still within reach.  Then save the document.  Then you should be able to use the In-Game Options menu to set the rest of your controls.

Make sure to be very careful when changing stuff in that file, or else it might screw up your whole control scheme (especially make sure whatever key you assign to that function is not already in use).

For the record, I also use the Arrow Keys for my controls, and I put my Tank Freelook key as RightCtrl.  Of course, you can put your's wherever you want, if you find somewhere that's more comfortable for you.

[ourobouros]

Excellent, tx Ionizer.

Now to find a button.. coz RightCtrl is already my infantry prone button.
Is there a way I can assign a mouse button? That's what I used in FH1 to change inside/outside view quickly (2 mouse buttons on the side of my Logitech G5 mouse).

Another question about panzers: I've been reading people mentioning they turn off the engine in their tank to be more stealthy in an ambush. Is that just some poetic license they are taking in telling their war stories, or is there actually a button?

[Die Happy]

to "turn off"  the tank you would need to switch from the driver position to any other position
.
however then you cant fire the maingun, of course.

and there is a delay when you switch back before you can fire the maingun so i find this "tactic" not very usefull since you loose you "suprise attack" by the delay the gun needs to get ready again.

[Ionizer]

RightCtrl is my Inf Prone button too.  Just make sure it doesn't conflict with any "Common" or "Land" controls.

[Steel_Lion_FIN]

Reset to default stteings in keyboard options, then everything works fine. then LEARN TO USE THEM. I did it, works fine.

[ajappat]

Reset to default stteings in keyboard options, then everything works fine. then LEARN TO USE THEM. I did it, works fine.

This. Some games sure need adjustment on controls but on this case everything is fine. Don't try to fix something that isn't broken.

[Ionizer]

Reset to default stteings in keyboard options, then everything works fine. then LEARN TO USE THEM. I did it, works fine.

This. Some games sure need adjustment on controls but on this case everything is fine. Don't try to fix something that isn't broken.

I hate WASD controls.  Perhaps because I was never formally trained in typing, and so I don't tend to keep my hands on the "Home Row" or whatever, but I despise having my hands over so many keys when I normally only need 6 or so.  I like the arrow keys because the main keys I need (the arrows) are distinctly separate from all other keys, while all other functions I need are still in reach by means of the left side of the Num Pad, the far right of the main keys and the Insert/Home/Delete/End/PageUp/PageDown keys.

[ourobouros]

RightCtrl is my Inf Prone button too.  Just make sure it doesn't conflict with any "Common" or "Land" controls.

So u have changed the line ControlMap.addKeyToTriggerMapping c_PIMouseLook IDFKeyboard IDKey_LeftCtrl 0 0
to ControlMap.addKeyToTriggerMapping c_PIMouseLook IDFKeyboard IDKey_RightCtrl 0 0

But doesn't that conflict with your common control setting: RightCtrl = prone?