Quick Start Guide

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So you looked at the list of stuff we wanted you to read, and you said, "I don't want to read all that stuff. I want to fly my airplane and shoot at stuff." Well then, this is for you.
Some of the settings in the game can change what you see in the game. This Quick Start Guide is for people who are just starting out, and assumes you haven't changed anything yet.

Installing The Game

Go to www.hitechcreations.com. Download and install the game.

When the game first opens, you will get the clipboard. The clipboard is your interface to the game controls. The choices on the clipboard will be different depending on where you are in the game.

It's a good idea to start in the Offline Practice arena. The Offline Practice arena gives you a chance to practice and try out different parts of the game without other people shooting at you. If you want to jump right into the online game, then click Online Arenas, and set up your account. If you jump right into the Open Melee arena, where most of the action takes place, you will need to set up a paid subscription. The first two weeks of the paid subscription is free. After that it is $14.95 a month. Texas residents have an added sales tax.

Clipboard

You open and close the clipboard using the escape key. You start in the Tower. When you first install the game, the first plane that is selected is the P-51D Mustang. If you want a different plane, click the Hangar button. In the Hangar you can go through the list of planes and choose your favorite. If you don't know a lot about WWII airplanes, or you don't have a favorite, stick with the Mustang for now. The Mustang is a good starter plane. Click the Tower button to go back to the Tower so you can take off.

Takeoff

Ideally, you should have a joystick. If you are just trying the game out, and you just have a mouse, see this video for instructions for using a mouse to fly.

To start your flight, use the Start Flight panel to select a direction you want to lift off. Click a direction button to launch your plane. Once the engine starts, wiggle the throttle or press the minus and equals buttons on your keyboard, then go to full throttle.
(You have to move your throttle at takeoff so the game can recognize it)

The directions available for takeoff may be different depending on the airfield you are at.

If you click the H in the middle then you start in the hangar, and have to taxi to the runway and take off manually.

Launchpad at large field

Launchpad at small field

When you click a direction button, the engines will start (remember to wiggle the throttle), then the plane will take off and start to climb. As long as you don't touch the controls, the plane will just keep climbing. Once you move the controls, the automatic takeoff will switch off, and you are now flying the plane.

Looking Around

One of the first things to learn is how to turn your head and look around. You can do this with the hat switch on your joystick, or the numeric keypad on your keyboard.

To use the numeric keypad:

7 = Look Front Left
8 = Look Forward and up
9 = Look Front Right
4 = Look Left
5 = Look Up
6 = Look Right
1 = Look Back Left
2 = Look Back
3 = Look Back Right
0 = Look Down

The 5 key looks straight up. You can use the 5 key in combination with other keys. So you press 6 to look to your right, and press 5 and 6 together to look to your right and up. You use the hat key on your joystick the same way. Play around with this a little while to get the hang of it.

Flying and Shooting

Up in the top right corner of your screen, you will see the Heads Up Display, or HUD. Real World War II airplanes did not have a HUD, but the Aces High airplane does in case you haven't learned how to read airplane instruments yet. The HUD will tell you your altitude and Indicated Air Speed, among other things.

You will notice that the airplanes have some text next to them. This is called the airplane icon. A teammate’s plane will have his call sign, and the distance in green lettering. An enemy plane will have just the plane type and distance in red lettering. Distance is measured in hundreds of yards.

This picture, taken through my gunsight, shows an enemy FW190D at a range of about 400 yards.

You will normally shoot at 400 yards or less. Anything beyond that, and your chances of hitting are practically non-existant.
(Some people will shoot from farther away, but they have lots and lots of practice.)

To shoot your guns, press the trigger on your joystick, or the N key on your keyboard.

That buzzing sound you keep hearing is the stall warning. The buzzing is like squeeling tires in a car. It means you are turning too sharp. If you keep turning too sharp, then buzzing will get louder, and then the airplane will stop flying and start falling.

Another thing that happens when you turn sharp is the screen will get dark. This happens because of the g-forces from the sharp turn. If the g-forces get too high, then you pass out (the screen goes black) and you have to wait several seconds before the screen will light up again.

The Map

Now that you are flying, open the clipboard (the escape key) and look at the map. The green planes are your team mates, the red planes are on the other teams. There are three teams, Bishops, Rooks, and Knights. You will be on one of these three teams. You will want to fly to where there are green and red planes together, that's where the fight will be. Or you can fly to where a bunch of green guys are, and just follow them. The plus and minus buttons on the map let you zoom in on the map. You can drag the map around so you can look at different parts of the map. When you close the clipboard, and open it again, the map will be centered on your location.

Texting

You will want to communicate with other players in the game. To send text messages to your team mates, press the Ctrl / (Control + slash key) key. This will open the text box, and you can type text messages to the other pilots on your team.

Voice Radio

If you have a headset and microphone, you can also talk to your team mates. The F11 key on your keyboard is your microphone button. Press to talk, release to listen. You can only transmit for four seconds at a time (this keeps the radio from getting all clogged up). You will be able to talk to pilots on your team who are within about six miles of you. You get to talk to people in your area without having to hear everyone on the entire map.

So, that's the basics. When you start flying around, and have more questions, go back and look at the rest of the New Pilots Guide.