Some rookie questions regarding keyboard

[Guest Fernando]

Hi.

First of all, sorry for my english, I´m from argentina (any spanish speakers here?)

I want to thank the site administrators for all of the valuavle and usefull information here, this site is just the sort of thing that we need (by we I mean people who like to take computer gaming to the extreme), I also want to personally thank for the time you devote to this site, making it grow bigger each day.

 

Now, down to bussiness, I have some questions for U guys out there, I´ve been playing this game for 2 weeks and I still don´t know what is the use of this keys: Z, Alt+1, ALT+S,Scroll Lock and P. I´m asking this since I have the spanish version of XWA, and the translation is really BAD, so I just can´t figure out what these keystrokes where supposed to do by looking at the control settings.

 

There´s also some keyboard functions which I believe they´re not documented, such as NUM 5 for virtual cockpit center, H for exit mission (hyperspace), and SHIFT U for report... is this correct? Are there some other not documented keys??

 

the las question: What is the use for the graphic option called "Low Texture Objects (Near---Far)" or something like this???

 

 

Thank you very much for your help. My best regards from Argentina.

[Admiral Odin]

You don't have to punch a botton to exit hyperspace, the game does that automatically.

 

The graphics option "Low Texture..."

 

this is so for people with low end computers to still run the game. It basically means if you set low texture to near, when you get close to a vechile they won't look as good.

 

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"Dulce bellum inexpertis."

(Sweet is war to those who have never experinced it.) Roman Proverb

[Guest JM]

Z : Toggle Laser Convergence. Your guns are not directly behind the gunsight (would be uncomfortable to have laser cannons on your lap) so on some ships they can swivel very slightly so the laser or ion bolts will move at a slight angle towards the point directly ahead of you until they meet.

Some XWA ships have fixed guns (no convergence), some have "manual convergence" where there are some set ranges, and some have "automatic" where the bolts are meant to meet at the range the targeted ship is at.

 

Alt-1 : Pick Target in Sight. Not sure, sounds like the same as Alt-3 but without being able to roll that way. Might be for people with rudder pedals who want to roll and target? You could try it I suppose.

 

Alt-S : Toggle system messages on/off. Another not-sure, sounds like a debugging option so you can see how the game is running but it could be your fighters systems. You could try it I suppose.

 

Scroll-Lock : Toggle Mouse-Look Mode. If that's the same as other games that would be toggling between being able to move where your pilot is looking by moving the mouse and not being able to do this.

 

P : Target nearest player craft. If you're playing a multi-player game then the worst threat can be the other players rather than the AIs so you can use this to target them rather than just the nearest craft of any sort (I think).

 

And the graphics option relates to XWA OPTs (and indeed the earlier games OPTs) containing two distinct models.

There is a high detail model which you can fly around and there is a much simpler model which is pretty much a box with the high detail model drawn on it. If you are a reasonable distance away the model will look the same but the low-detail model will be less load on the PC.

So XWA gives the option for you to adjust the distance at which it starts using the high-detail model.

[Guest Fondas]

Welcome Fernardo

 

All of the fellow members above, have answered your question sufficiently.

 

One small advice. If you have a programmable joystick, use your most used fuctions in easy access buttons.

for example, you won't need to change laser convergence in the heat of the battle...

 

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"No matter how pretty the bait,

a hook is still a hook !"

TZG+7

[Guest Ajim]

Originally posted by JM:

Z : Toggle Laser Convergence. Your guns are not directly behind the gunsight (would be uncomfortable to have laser cannons on your lap) so on some ships they can swivel until they meet.

Er...I still Don't Understand What it does Can anyone Explain in much simpler words?

 

[K_Kinnison]

Laser convergance is used so that the laser will meet at one point in fromt of your ship, hopfully inceeaseing the number of hits.

 

With no laser convergance, the lasers will fire straigt ahead. Normally this is used for ships that have simple systems, or the lasers are close ot the centerline of the ship. some examples of ship that dont have.. and dont need... laser convergance are the TIE FIghter, Pinhook, and IRD.

 

Automatic Laser convergance is the msot common used. It uses information from the targeting computer to angle the lasers. For example, if a enemy was 1 km away, the lasers would meet eachother at 1 km, hopfully doing more damage (that is if you had all lasers linked) Some shi[ps that need this are the X-wing, and B-wing. With thier wide spacing of lasers it is very difficult to hit any ship with all your weapons.

 

Lastly we have Manuel OCnvergance... as far as i know only the Tos/F and Z-95 have this. By pressing the Z key you change the "Settings" from no convergnave, to 1.25 convergance, to .5 km convergnace.

 

One simple way to find out what it does is to get very closeot a contaner,or other small non-moving object... target it, then turn around 180 degrees so you are facing the other direction. Now make sure laser convergance is on, and fire your lasers. If you get about 0.5 km away from your taget, you will see you lasers fireing to the side. now turn it off by hitting the Z-key and fire again, they will go straight forward, and not to the side.