Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

Contents:

General

Q. What are my download options for getting the software?

A. There are several download locations on the downloads page:

WarBirds Installers

  • Full Install

    The WarBirds Full Install contains all aircraft, ground vehicles and terrains.

    The Full Install is the same as the Minimum Install plus the Minimum to Full Install package.

  • Web Installer

    The Web Installer package can be used to both download the full install (in small pieces) or update an older version to the newest version. Mandatory updates must be installed to fly in the online arenas, optional updates are voluntary.

Back to Top of Page

Q. My download is "corrupted" or does not finish completely.

A. Before downloading:

Clear your browser's cache and defragment your hard drive. Check to make sure you have enough space on your hard drive to download the file (you'll need around 900 MB for WarBirds).

To clear out the temp directory safely:

  1. Close all programs except for the Windows desktop.
  2. Open the Windows directory on your C drive, and then the Windows\Temp directory.
  3. Select all files (not the folders), and then right-click and select Delete from the drop-down menu.


Note: Take care to only erase the files in the Windows\Temp directory, not the files in your Windows directory.

Make sure there are no other programs running in the background especially anti-virus programs, firewalls and download "helpers / accelerators". Do not use download "helpers" like Real download, gozilla etc.

Some "helpers" do work well for those using dialup connections, they are:

Select "Save File to Disk" and not "Run file from this location".

If you are disconnecting before the download is complete you need to make sure your ISP is not using a "timeout" feature to bump you offline after a certain amount of time (contact your ISP).

Back to Top of Page

Q. Can I order a CD?

A. Click here to order any of the Total Simulation Series products.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How can I determine which version I have?

A. Look in the upper left corner of the Plane Selection screen.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How much does an online subscription cost?

A. A subscription plan is just $13.95 a month!

Back to Top of Page

Q. I'm ready to fly ONLINE, how do I join?

A. Join the WarBirds and Dawn of Aces community and fly online with hundreds of other players by Signing Up Today!

Back to Top of Page

Q. What are the MINIMUM system requirements?

A. Click Here to view the System Requirements

Back to Top of Page

 
Windows ME, 2000 and XP Information

Q. I have Windows ME and a Dell computer. WarBirds does not always work or crashes.

A. Dell series 4100, 8100 and 8200 machines running Windows ME are known to have problems running WarBirds reliably. At this time the only fix is to install Windows 98SE.

Back to Top of Page

Q. I have Windows XP, I cannot install updates or extra art packages because it can't find the WarBirds directory?

A. Use BROWSE to tell it where your installation is. Make sure you are logged in as the administrator in XP and not just a USER.

Back to Top of Page

Q. My Logitech joystick is not functioning under Windows 2000 in WarBirds?

A. This is a known issue with Windows 2000 and the Logitech sticks in several DirectX games including WarBirds. We are working on a solution.

Back to Top of Page

 
Mac Issues

Q. My download will not unstuff without an error or hangs when I use Stuffit Expander.

A. Please use the latest version of Stuffit Expander to expand these files. If you have difficulties unstuffing this file use the most recent Free version of Stuffit Expander available from Aladdin Systems .

Back to Top of Page

Q. I have an Apple Macintosh and get an error when WarBirds tries to load.

A. Make sure the resolutions / bits you choose are the same as your monitor settings and that you have the required hardware listed in the System Requirements. Also allot the recommended amount of memory to the game. Virtual Memory should be turned ON.

You have to make sure QuickTime and QuickDraw are loaded as extensions when running WarBirds (OpenGL requires them). This is what is used for the drawing routines. After you've established that WarBirds works, you can start trimming extensions with Extension Manager until you find a minimum set that still works. (it will improve your framerate overall).

Back to Top of Page

Q. I have an Apple Macintosh and textures show up as white.

A. On a Macintosh some textures show up as white. Whenever OpenGL doesn't have enough memory to load a texture, it comes out as white. Try increasing your virtual memory, and see if the white areas are still there. Then, if they aren't, you can lower the VRAM for performance reasons.

It appears OpenGL is running out of memory to hold its texture cache in system memory. Memory is shared between OpenGL and the application so giving more to the application takes it away from OpenGL. OpenGL renders in white if the texture isn't loaded.

It seems each Macintosh graphics artifact can be traced back to a texture load fail due to memory so only one thing has to be fixed to correct them all, fortunately. We're working on reducing the memory requirements.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Where do I get the latest version of Draw Sprockets and Input Sprockets?

A. Apple.com

Back to Top of Page

Q I don't have a joystick, how do I fly with a mouse?

A. Alt + M (both keys depressed at the same time) toggles the mouse control.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What joystick/pedal configurations have been tested with the macintosh?

A. Macintosh compatible Joysticks tested and supported:

  • Saitek Cyborg 3D
  • Saitek Cyborg Gold
  • MacAlly I-Stick
  • Gravis Dual control Xtreme
  • CH Pro F16 Fighterstick, Pro Throttle, and Pro Pedals ADB (no support for ISP callibrator)
  • CH F-16 Combat Stick, CH ProThrotle, CH ProPedals USB Thrustmaster FCS Mk I, Thrustmaster WCS, Thrustmaster RCS ADB

Back to Top of Page

Q. Macintosh RADEON and GeFORCE 3D Cards.

A. There are some known graphics anomalies on the Radeon and GeForce 3D cards on the Macintosh at this time. We are working with Apple, NVidia and ATI to resolve these issues.

In addition, certain combinations of NVidia cards, drivers, and openGL versions require users of such cards to allocate more memory to the WarBirds application. If you use an NVidia card and are getting crashes or a black screen upon pressing the FLY button in the main UI (user interface), allocate an extra 60-80 megs to the WarBirds application to fix this.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Loss of USB joystick functionality?

A. USB Game controllers each need their own bus to function properly. If you are connecting multiple USB devices off of a USB hub, you may sometimes have one or more of these devices
cease functioning during the game. The only known solution
to this right now is to purchase and install a two or four
port expansion PCI card.

Back to Top of Page

Video

Q. When I try to run the game I get a "No Direct 3D..." error message.

A. It is recommended that you use DirectX 9.0c for WarBirds.

You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft.com.

Back to Top of Page

Q. My install was fine, I can start the game, but textures are white or missing.

A. Please refer to the System Requirements .

3DFX video cards are NOT supported. 3DFX is now out of business and updated drivers are not available to support the requirements the WarBirds advanced graphics engine.

Back to Top of Page

Q. What can I do to increase my FPS (frames per second) and/or eliminate video performance problems?

A. Close off all programs running in the background (see above).

You can also use the following settings to enhance your video performance (see also: Dot Commands).

Video Options and Settings Explained

3D Device Selection Box

  1. Direct3D T&L HAL or without the T&L: If you see T&L HAL use it. It means transform and lighting (T&L) calculations can be done by the 3D hardware. This is a GOOD THING since it frees up CPU cycles.
  2. Resolution, 16/32 bit: Window Screen resolution and bit depth 32 is recommended, 16 may cause polygon flashing or tearing.
  3. 16/24/32 bit Z-buffer: This is the precision of the Z-Buffer. Set this to the highest you can, but be aware some hardware (NVidia) needs to have this match the bit depth you select for resolution.
  4. Full screen mode: Selection for Windowed or Full screen mode. This option may be eliminated in the future, but it is especially handy during the beta and debugging.
  5. Enbable triple buffering: There is an entire section in the Trouble Shooting section, under Stuttering which explains this..

Video Card Settings ONCE WarBirds has launched

  • Var Level: This controls how many triangles should be assigned to rendering the terrain. Higher numbers are better visually, but may lower frame rate.
  • Texture size: This allows you to limit how much VRAM is used by restricting the size of the textures used. Unlimited uses whatever size the original artwork is, the others set the maximum.
  • Ground Detail: Amount of detail seen on the ground. More slows the system down but the terrain is more detailed and prettier.
  • Aircraft LOD Bias: Controls how far out the highest Level OF Detail (LOD) level is active.
  • Enable Environmental Maps: Turning this off removes the metalic reflection effects on some aircraft (P-51D for example). May improve frame rate on some systems when turned it off.
  • Font Size: Changes size of type in the radio bar and GUI
  • Clutter Distance: This is the maximum distance out to render ground clutter. 0 disables it completely.
  • VSync: See the "Stuttering" section of Common problems text file.
  • FastWrites: Usually a good idea to enable.
  • Antialiasing (Dynamic, Forced... quality): Be careful, you trade off performance for cleaned up edges that probably don't add much to the experience.
  • LOD (Level OF Detail) Bias Adjust: This usually controls how soon the 3D chip switches to lower mipmap level. letting it switch earlier will improve performance (better cache hits) but will "blur" closer up.
  • Alternate Z-buffer: Usually this would refer to forcing W-buffering. You don't need to mess with it.
  • Fog Table Emulation: This is for 3D chips that don't support looking up the fog level by distance from the camera per pixel. Instead it emulates it by looking up the fog level at each vertex in the table and interpolating it... don't worry about it; we don't require a table fog.
  • Overclocking the GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) : Be very careful here... overclocking will usually cause the chip to overheat and the game to crash.
  • Other BIOS settings on the mobo such as AGP speed, aperature etc: 4X AGP speed is best. Aperature: most stable setting seems to be 128 even on systems with more than 256 RAM.
  • AMD performance issue: If you have "super bypass mode" in your BIOS, disable it.

Poor Frame Rate

Some system configurations might produce only 15fps that should be exceeding 60fps. Reduced frame rates can occur for many different reasons here are the most common:

  1. If you have a VIA chipset on the motherboard, INSTALL THE DRIVERS FOR THE MOTHERBOARD. Look for newer AGP drivers (sometimes part of the 4 in 1 driver set). Without the additional drivers installed you will never get full performance.
  2. Interrupt conflicts can cause a major performance drop. Make sure none of the interrupts overlap. DMA conflicts are also possible. Use Device Manager in Control panel/System to verify there are no conflicts.
  3. Make sure AGP is enabled. GeForce cards will drop to 1/4 performance if AGP isn't working. Check the DirectX diagnostics (Start/Run dxdiag) to see if AGP is enabled.

Just as a sanity check, we're running debug builds on a P2-400 with a G400 at 30 fps. GeForce cards and release builds do even better. Please ensure your system meets or exceeds the system requirements as listed above. Also, if you have a Radeon or a GeForce, you should be selecting the T&L HAL otherwise all transforms will be done on the CPU. These cards are designed to get better performance when the T&L pipeline is used (less traffic on the AGP bus).

Updated drivers for video cards can be obtained from each manufactuer's website.

Other Programs Running in the Background

Other programs running in the background can also cause performance or interface problems.

Turn off animated cursors, transition effects in display properties (Win2k and XP), and any other large programs currently running, any special anti-virus or system maintenance utilities (such as system restore and system maintenance under Windows ME), any crash protection software, any ICQ or EMail programs or web browsers running in the background prior to starting the game.

You can use the End It All program to turn most off. This program is freely available on the internet.

If using Microsoft Plus! software, choose the Windows Standard Desktop Theme prior to starting the game (you can switch back to your preferred theme after exiting the game). If using Microsoft Intellipoint software, turn off the Pointer Wrap feature for your mouse prior to starting the game.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How do I update my video drivers?

A. There are many other tutorials available on the internet though you may wish to consult your video card manufactuer's website.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Where do I get the latest version of the video drivers for my card?

A. Consult your video manufactuer's website. Make sure you DO NOT install BETA drivers, use only WHQL certified drivers or your manufactuer's reference drivers.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Where do I get the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX?

A. http://www.microsoft.com/directx

Back to Top of Page

  Q. I have a VIA chipset motherboard and my FPS is very low?

A. 4n1 drivers are available at the VIA website, they are required for proper performance of your VIA motherboard AGP video card.

Go to VGA mode by using the "advanced" button on General tab page of MSCONFIG.EXE. There you will see a checkbox for VGA 640 x 480. Check it, reboot and you'll come back in VGA mode ready for installation of the 4-in-1's.

After that's done, uncheck that same checkbox, but do not reboot; instead, re-install your video card drivers of choice and reboot only once they are installed.

Then re-install your sound card drivers, and finally re-install DirectX.

Back to Top of Page

Q. Why do some of the textures "flicker"?

A. This is a Z-Buffer artifact. At a distance from the camera you lose precision in the depth determination so polygons "fight" over the same pixel, very slight changes in the camera position and orientation cause the choice to switch from frame to frame. We're still looking for a good way to eliminate it, but for now stay away from 16-bit Z-Buffers to minimize it.

Note: NVidia hardware ALWAYS uses a 16-bit Z-Buffer if the video mode is not also 32-bit. Running in a window with the desktop less than 32-bit will also select a 16-bit zbuffer. The GeForce 2 MX and GeForce 3 supposedly have this fixed, but we haven't tested it; and prefer the 32-bit frame buffer for nicer graphics (the frame rate hit is barely noticeable.)

Back to Top of Page

Q. Why are some of the textures "blurry"?

A. Check your video card settings in Display/settings/advanced to ensure your video card is set for quality instead of performance. Also choose the highest resolution possible in WarBirds' video dialogue box and setup options.

Note: These settings are a trade-off for performance (FPS).

Back to Top of Page

Q. The game screens are too dark, how can I make them brighter?

A. Use the Dot Command: .gamma x.x

The program will tell you if you put in a value out of limits.

You can also put this in your init.cfg file and it sets it for you each time automatically.

Here is a thread that discusses gamma: http://agw.dogfighter.com/agw//Forum3/HTML/019741.html

Back to Top of Page

Audio Problems
Q. I lose sounds after flying one sortie.

A. Lower the Hardware acceleration mode for the graphics from Windows Display Properties and from within any Driver specific tweak tabs. The sounds are loaded on the first sortie, but after that must be reloaded, with full hardware acceleration and optimal performance settings enabled for the graphics, the graphics take precedence and the sounds are secondary.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How do I communicate with others using a microphone?

A. Use Roger Wilco, (do NOT install the GATOR option).

Back to Top of Page
 

Controllers

Q. My controls are working but I can't control the airplane?

A. If you are new to WarBirds you may want to select the EZ-Mode of flight as you start to learn the WarBirds flight model. In Real-Mode you are confronted with life-like torque and other realistic flight dynamics.

Online, take advantage of FREE training from some of our best pilots - check out the Training Pages.

A. WarBirds

In the game press F12 to center the stick before flying.

Run the game, then go to Setup then Stick. Make sure the stick defaults are loaded for testing before tweaking. Change ONE input slider at a time to setup, fly, then go back and do another one. Slider, dampening etc. are all particular to the individual stick, computer and Pilot. There are no hard and fast rules. Generally, many pilots graduate their stick scaling from say 10 or 20 up to the max through the ranges ( ie 20,40,60,80,100 etc. ) roll is normally left at 100 through all ranges .

Damper settings lessen input responsiveness, Deadbands define the area of NO input beginning from the center position (helps with spiking sticks). Dampening and deadbands are absolutely particular to the individual stick as they are corrective measures for stick reaction OR pilot flying style. Leave the deadband alone unless you have "dead" areas in your stick when it is placed in the center position. If there is play increase the deadband until you are comfortable with the reaction of the stick. Dampening will assist you if you tend to jerk the stick around.

If the stick USB make sure you are running at least Win 98 Second Edition, earlier versions of Windows have USB issues.

The actual recommended settings may be different depending on your hardware and flying style. Click here to view a sample stick setting.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How do I use the Input Mapper?

A. Here is one way of mapping procedure, but there are o thers. This gives a quick 2 stickset configuration that gives a set of views on the MS sidewinder. There is also an explanation of how to change keyboard commands. Various sticks may need different procedures, but this quick tutorial may serve as an "oh that's how it works" to start you off.

Legend:

c/o = click on

p = "press to change control" button

pdp = press desired button on joystick

V = click on the down arrow on the box of choice i.e. views, gunnery, flight, misc.

Creating 2 sticksets for views: (can be applied to other functions)

Starting from default installation values:

  1. c/o copy set , copy from Set 1 to Set 2, Ok, Yes (now all the keyboard and joystick actions that are active in stickset 1 are now active in stickset 2).
  2. V - misc. - highlight use stickset 2
    P (choose control 2 if you wish to leave keyboard control intact) if not clear, then P again and pdp.
    You are now programming stickset 2 views:
  3. c/o Set 2 under stick/keyset
    V - misc. - highlight use stickset 1
    P (choose control 2 if you wish to leave keyboard control intact) if not clear, then P again and pdp.
  4. V - view highlight Look back , clear control 2

    Repeat for all views that will be used instead in stickset 1: LL , LR , LLF , LRF, LLB, LRB

  5. V - view Highlight Look Back Up, P , use Select Hat button or simply use your desired Hat button to program. Repeat for all views that will be used in Stickset 2: LLU, LRU, LLFU, LRFU, LLBU, LRBU
  6. Program Look Up as desired.

Keyboard mapping:

c/o Key Lookup depress key you want to program / deprogram , choose clear and then program using your choice of the V boxes ( view, gunnery, flight, misc.)and assign as desired. You may have to clear certain keys before reassigning them.

Back to Top of Page

Q. My Logitech joystick is not functioning under Windows 2000?

A. This is a known issue with Windows 2k and the Logitech sticks in several DirectX games including WarBirds. We are working on a solution.

Back to Top of Page

Q. I don't have a joystick, how do I fly with a mouse?

A. Alt + M (both keys depressed at the same time) toggles the mouse control

Back to Top of Page

Connections
Q. How can I improve my dial-up connection?

A. With dial-up modems a lot depends on your hardware and your ISP. Before you make any changes write down your the existing settings.

Com Port Settings:

The default com port settings in Windows may conflict. To view your port settings:

  1. Right-click on My Computer and then select Properties.
  2. Then click on Device Manager.
  3. Expand the Ports (COM & LPT) section.
  4. Select the port that your modem is on then click Properties.

    Note: Your modem is likely configured for a maximum speed of 115200 and hardware flow control. This is a problem if the com port itself is set to 9600 with software flow control.

  5. To correct this situation select the Port Settings tab, and then change the bits per second to 115200 (if your uart supports it, if it gives you problem s set this higher then drop it down to 115200).
  6. Set flow control to hardware. Next click on the Advanced button.
  7. FIFO (First in First Out) buffers are a feature of modern UART's (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) . Any Pentium class PC is likely to have at least a 16550 uart with 16 byte buffers. With todays fast CPU's you should have no problem moving the Receive buffer all the way to 16 (reduce it back to 14 if you experence line drops).
  8. Now keep clicking Okay until you are back to your desktop.

Modem Settings:

The next step is to make sure that the modem is configured for optimal performance.

  1. Click on Start then up to Settings and then Control Panel.
  2. Once in the Control Panel, double-click on Modems.
  3. Select your modem and click Properties.
  4. Make sure the Maximum Speed is set to 115200 (57600 if you have a 28.8 modem). Make sure that Only Connect At This Speed is UNCHECKED.
  5. Click the connection tab. Ensure that you have 8 data bits, Parity set to none and 1 stop bit.
  6. Click on Port Settings and increase the Receive buffers up to 16, and click Okay.
  7. Select Advanced.
  8. Make sure that Use flow control is checked, and that Hardware (RTS-CTS) is selected.
  9. Make sure that Use error control is unchecked. If the phone line quality is poor, your modem may not be able to establish a stable connection. If this happens, reinstate the Use error control check mark, but be sure to disable (remove the check mark for) Compress Data.
  10. Select OK to return to the Properties window and apply the new settings, and then select OK.

Other modem settings adjustable via Modem "tweak" programs:

  • MTU

    MTU or Maximum Transmission Unit is the largest TCP/IP packet that your PC will send. Windows sets this as 1500 by default. 1500 is fine for LANs but the Internet standard MTU is 576. You are better off having an MTU of 576 because even if your own ISP also has an MTU of 1500 there is no doubt that on thier journey accross the net your packets will pass through routers that have an MTU of 576. When this happens your packet becomes fragmented. That is to say that your packet is broken down into smaller packets and each one has it's own header added.

  • MSS

    MSS or Maximum Segment Size is the maximum size of the TCP/IP Packet minus the headers, this is the actual data you are sending. The MSS ideally should be MTU -40 as the header layer is 40 bytes. So for an MTU of 576 the ideal MSS would be 536

  • RWIN

    The RWIN or Recieve Window is the maximum amount of data your computer is willing to receive at any one moment. Setting this too high will mean a greater loss of data if a packet is lost (this translates to lag in a game). If it is set too low then it will be very slow (and the game will lag). The RWIN should be an integer of MSS. Ideally MSS X 2 4 6 8 or 10. The optimum is MSS x 4 which in this example is 536 x 4 so the ideal RWIN is 2144. You can try higher (i.e. MSS x 6) but remember, too high and it will have the opposite effect of what you are trying to acheive.

  • TTL

    The TTL is the Time To Live for each packet or the maximumum amount of hops the data will travel. In order to get from one machine to another the data hops from 1 router to another until it gets to its destination. The default TTL is 32 which should be fine but we recommend a TTL of 64.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How do I test my connection to the IEN servers?

A. Run a trace route or (optimal) use Pingplotter to determine where your connection problem lies. Check your connections (cords) and modem / adapter settings. Do not use a firewall and turn off all programs that are running in the background.

How to run a trace route:

  1. Once online, go to START on your Windows, then Programs, then MS DOS Prompt. the prompt should read:

    C:\Windows>

  2. To check for WarBirds Routes type tracert and any of the following numbers (one per trace): { example: tracert wb06.ient.com }
    • WW2A/WBIII = wb06.ient.com
    • FO/HA = wb01.ient.com
    • SE arenas = rw01.ient.com
    • MA = wb04.ient.com
    • Exp = wb02.ient.com
    • ACA/TA/P&D/ = wb05.ient.com

That will give you the test of your connection to our site. It will be up to 30 hops; a hop being one portion of the journey your signal takes to reach us. Typically a trace will show 8 to 16 hops. There are columns of numbers with ms behind them at each hop; ms is time in milliseconds. Any time under 400 ms is fine, over 500 ms is not good. Times over 450 ms or if you see a * or it says timeout is very bad. We would recommend logging off in that case and see if you can get a better connection the next time or use a different ISP as that will give you a different path for the connection to follow.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How can I eliminate "discos"?

A. See Connections AND Trace Routes

Back to Top of Page
 

Logins, Passwords, Handles

Q. What is the difference between LoginID and Callsign?

A. Your Login ID is what you use to login into the game, for example john_doe, this information is sent to you via email when you join IEN.

Callsigns, also known as handles are how you are identified in the game. It is a SIX letter (no spaces) name like skydvr or -meha- . You choose this name the first time you login to one of iEN's online arenas. CAPTIALS, spaces, = , +, * and other special characters are reserved. Dashes may be used in lieu of letters.

Back to Top of Page

Q. How do I change my Callsign (handle)?

A. To have your callsign changed:

  1. Email wbtech@ient.com OR custsvc@ient.com with an email title of Callsign Change.
  2. Give him at least 3 possible alternative callsigns.
  3. Tell him which games and which arenas you fly in.
  4. Make sure you are out of ALL squads in all arenas.

Kent does these changes when he has time, and thus the change may not be immediate.

Back to Top of Page

Q. I forgot my password, what do I do now?

Q. I don't know my LoginID and password, where do i get this information?

A. This information is sent to you via email as soon as you sign-up for a pay account. Please note it is sent to the exact email you provide when you sign-up.

If you need to contact us, email wbtech@ient.com or wbaccounts@ient.com.

Back to Top of Page

Dot Commands

Online Dot Commands

Dot Commands are how you enter game perameters via the radio buffer once you are in the game. Some commands can only be used offline while others are enabled online. They can effect things such as gameplay, offline AI and video settings among others.

To use Dot Commands open your radio buffer ( the "/" key ) when in the game and enter the command. Don't forget to include the " . " dot.

.aiattach <ai host> <drone #> <pos #> Attach as a gunner to drone # under the command of ai host in position number # (1 to 7).
.ailist Gives list of ai hosts and drones which can join as a gunner using the .aiattach command.
.arnaflags List all the arena flags (settings) for the arena.
.barragem Orders the artillery to fire a barrage at the last spotting round position.
.bglodrenderrange <x> Sets the level of detail.
.bgminrenderrange <x> Sets the minimum range in yards at which objects are rendered.
.clear Clear your score.

.conv x

Set convergence distance to x where x is 1 to 999..

.correct xxx yyyy Orders the artillery to adjust their spot firing round by xxx degrees from north, and by yyyy yards
.country x Tune Radio 1 to country x where x is 1 (red), 2 (green), 3 (gold) or 4 (purple).
.cpu Reports the processor codepath in use.
.date <xx yy zzzz> where xx is 1-12, yy=1-31, zzzz=1900-2999 Set the date to month (xx), day (yy) and year (zzzz) to have correctly positioned Sun, Moon and Stars.
.delay xxx Sets the delay in milliseconds between each bomb in the salvo where xxx is 50 to 1000.

.destroyall

Destroy all objects (except the tower) to begin the takeover of a field quickly during testing.

.destroyob <x>

Destroys a single object given the object number x.

.e

Exit plane when at full stop (or while moving offline).

.ez

Enable EZ mode.

.field -1

Start in the Air.

.field x

Start at field x.

.fields Shows a list of fields, with their current ownership and status.

.flightstart <x pos> <y pos> <alt>

Start flight at designated coordinates and altitude.

.flushplanes Unloads and forces planeskins to reload (offline, in Tower only).

.fly

Fly.

.framemode <x> Enables the graphical representation of the framerate when x = 2, returns to normal when x = 1.

.fuel <x>

Set the percentage of fuel carried by aircraft where x is 1-100.

.gamma x.x Adjust brightness

.grndlabels

Display the ID of ground objects.

.handle xxxx Change your handle to xxxx where xxxx can be up to 20 characters long.
.hl xxxxxx Player xxxxxx's icon is colored white. This can only be done to friendlies.
.hls All members of your squad have their icons colored white, as long as they are flying for the same country.

.hurtme <part>

Destroys the selected part (list below).

.ignore List all ignored players.

.ignore <xxxxxx>

Ignores player xxxxxx where xxxxxx is a player's callsign.

.invulnerable

Make aircraft invulnerable to weapon hits.

.lindablair Toggles 3D panning view.
.listen all Start receiving messages from all ignored players.

.listen <xxxxxxx>

Cancel ignoring player xxxxxx where xxxxxx is a player's callsign.

.lodrender <x> Sets the level of detail.

.masterview

Slave an observer's view to your own.

.minrender <x> Sets the minimum range in yards at which objects are rendered.
.offtime Set the time offline.
.pitchladder <x> Displays the pitchladder when x is 1, doesn't when x is 0.
.privatearena <password> Allows user to enter selected private arena, when they enter the correct password.
.radio Display currently tuned channels.
.radio x yyy Tunes Radio x to channel yyy.

.radiolines <x>

Number of radio buffer lines displayed where x is 1-64.

.radiowidth <xxx> Sets the radio width to xxx pixels, where x = 220 to screen resolution minus 32. Default is 440.
.rank Displays the top 100 pilots.
.ros Displays the roster for the current arena.

.runway <x>

Select runway x where x is -1 to n (-1 offline is an air start and n depends on the number of entry points at a given airfield).

.salvo xx Sets number of bombs to drop with each key press when in salvo (pickle) mode.
.score xxxxxx Shows a player's score. Replace xxxxxx with the player's callsign or leave blank to view your own.

.setautologin

(0-1) Toggles auto login.

.setsavepass

(0-1) Toggles saving of password.

.shanghai

Steal another player and set them as observer in your cockpit.

.slewfeet <x>

Sets the number of feet to slew per frame (for slew mode--modified by throttle).

.slip Toggles the slip indicator abour the gun sight.
.smoke Activate the "airshow" smoke.
.speed xxx Sets the autotrim to speed xxx mph.
.spot Orders an artillery round to be fired D2 ahead of your position.
.terrain <x> Change the offline terrain to terrain x, where x is the name of the terrain.

.unlimitedammo

No limit to ammo (works with bombs & rockets).

.varlevel <x>

Change # of polygons rendered for the terrain to x, where x=250 to 50,000.

.wbuffer <x> Enables/disables the w-buffer where x is 0 or 1.

Damageable Parts List for use with .hurtme

ENG1

ELEV

CENTFUEL

RIGHTGUN

ENG2

HSTAB

REARFUSE

TOPGUN

ENG3

RUDDER

CENTFUSE

BOTTOMGUN

ENG4

VSTAB

PILOTARM

LEFTWING

HYDENG1

LAILARON

PILOT

RIGHTWING

HYDENG2

RAILARON

TAILGUN

RIGHTGEAR

HYDENG3

LEFTFUEL

NOSEGUN

LEFTGEAR

HYDENG4

RIGHTFUEL

LEFTGUN

FLAPS

Offline AI Dot Commands

.offairattack

Sets offline game to air attack (AI planes)

.offfreeflight

Sets offline game to free flight

.offbomberambush

Sets offline game to bomber mission

Air Attack Mission

.offrps show all

Display all the available AI-controlled aircraft.

.offrps add <model>

Adds <model> to the user-selected list of AI-controlled aircraft. Once the user has created this list, the AI-controlled aircraft are chosen from it.

.offrps show selected

Displays the current user-selected list of AI-controlled aircraft.

.offrps random

Returns to the normal, randomlyselected AI-controlled aircraft.

.offrps nme <x>

Sets number of enemy aircraft where x = 0 to 4. Specifying 0 returns to random numbers of friendly and enemy.

Bomber Ambush Mission
.offbombers <x> Sets the number of AI-controlled bombers, where x = 1 to 8.
.offbombermodel show Displays the available AI-controlled bomber models.
.offbombermodel <model> Specifies the AI-controlled bomber model, instead of a random selection.
.offbombermodel random Returns to a random selection of AI-controlled bomber models.
.offbombermodel ground Toggles the selection of ground vehicles instead of aircraft in the mission.

Back to Top of Page




squadrons
Events
Squad Select Series