Multiplayer Formation Flights

[Nels_Anderson]

 

Multiplayer Formation Flights

Written by Larry N. (lnuss)

 

As PhrogPhlyer has mentioned in his tutorial "Formation Flying for the Simulator Pilot" (located here), there are two basic ways of flying formation in FSX (and in Prepar3D V1 and V2), following AI traffic and via multiplayer. Here I'll talk mostly about multiplayer. If you want strictly formation flying in multiplayer then you'll have to scroll down further, but here comes a lot of other information about multiplayer operation, always with just two (or rarely three) of us together.

 

There are two basic methods of multiplayer in FSX, either 1) connecting to a specialized server where many folks join in at random, or 2) either hosting a session yourself or joining an individual who hosts a session.

 

Because my current setup is for P3D V2.4, I'll use it for this discussion but it's essentially the same as the original disc version of FSX, since P3D was initially based on that version of FS.

 

Prepar3D V2.4

You enter the sim just as you would for any other session of the sim and hit OK or Fly Now or whatever your version uses for "let's do it."

 

 

Figure: I'm looking backwards at my wingman - Mike loved to cut up

 

 

Once your aircraft is ready to fly, go under the file menu and select Multiplayer. When the screen comes up, put in your name as you want it displayed to others in your session. Clicking on Network Settings in P3D V2 shows a Network Settings screen where you can set the range of ports (6112 to 6122 is what I need in P3D), a checkbox to enable the built-in voice communications or not (for me it's been very weak, so we use Mumble/Murmur) and otherwise leave the default settings. Now say OK and click Sign In. This brings up a different Multiplayer screen (Distributed Simulation Session Selection) where any sessions that are currently available to you can be selected (I don't have any available at the moment), along with a choice of Connect Directly (IP) or Host Session or Logout.

 

Connect Directly requires you to put in the host's IP address, such as 47.186.7.197, then hit OK. It should then start the connection process, but obviously you must first know the host's address and have it entered correctly. When you hit OK it'll say "Trying To Connect..." until it either connects or times out. If you elect to host a session you'll get e Create New Session screen which asks for "Room Settings" such as Room Name, optional password, visible publicly or only privately, and session type, either Free flight (which I always do) or Mission, along with a choice of how many players are allowed and time until the session starts (I always leave it at zero). There is also an Additional Options tab which allows you to control whether players can change realism settings, share aircraft, pause the session, and more, including a chance to enable shared voice communications. Now it goes to a Choose Your Flight Options screen which allows setting up other factors, including loading a saved flight (not reliable though).

 

Then you are put in the Distributed Simulation Session Lobby where you can wait for others to join (and see who, etc.), change options, or Fly Now.

 

 

Figure: L-16s in FS2004

 

 

In FSX it's essentially the same but the screens and options are somewhat different from the P3D V2.

 

When you start FSX (mine's set up to go to the Settings page initially) you select Multiplayer and it will bring up the Multiplayer - Sign In page where you can choose Local Network (LAN) or Internet (Game Spy). You can also choose Network Settings which gives you the same choices as in P3D, port range: 6112 to 6122 and the check box to enable voice communications.

 

Since I've never used Game Spy or other such servers, I always do Local Network after entering my "player name." Again, you get into the Multiplayer -- Lobby where you can either Host a Session or Connect Directly. Connecting directly asks for the IP address (for example 173.57.85.90) of the host, then clicking on FIND SESSIONS says trying to connect, then will either connect to the session or time out, as in P3D.

 

For hosting a session you again enter the Session Name, optional password and select where it will be visible. Clicking NEXT brings up Session Conditions where you can select your role (Pilot or Air Traffic Control (new for FSX), aircraft type, weather, etc., much as in P3D. NEXT brings up Host Options page to select maximum players, voice communications, sharing, similar to P3D. And Advanced Host Options allows you to control whether players can change realism settings, change location after joining and many other choices for the host to control. NEXT puts you in the briefing room where you can see others joining and Fly Now.

 

This is probably a good place to mention some things that FSX changed from previous versions (some good, some not so good, IMHO), such as cockpit sharing in multiplayer (a wonderful option).

 

Most of the following is from my 20+ years of flying in various versions with my friend Mike (RIP) who was also a real world pilot (I met him when I got a chance to tow gliders for his glider operation in Albuquerque), and a lifelong friend.

 

 

Figure: A pair of T-6 Texans in FS2002

 

 

From FS98 through FS2004 (don't know about prior versions) Mike and I loved to do many odd things, many of which wouldn't be safe in the real world, such as flying along roads and rivers at 50 ft. AGL or less, or putting on an airshow for each other at whichever airport was handy. And one thing that we absolutely loved was to stop on the ground and change from one aircraft type to another (perhaps from a Cub to a Baron or from a Cessna to an F-86) before continuing on in whatever situation we wished, whether local or cross country, whether mountains or ocean or flatlands or coastlines, or exploring a city or a small mountain valley.

 

The reason I mention all this is that in FSX, with its shared cockpit, you suddenly had to exit the MP session before you were allowed to change aircraft (even to another of the same type), which put a damper on certain operations but opened up the chance to fly together with one piloting and the other sightseeing, or even (rarely for us) sharing cockpit duties as if it were a two pilot operation.

 

Another factor to consider for all MP sessions is that, except in FS98 where the sim attempted to transfer some graphics over the internet connection, you can only see aircraft graphics that you have actually installed on your system, so that if the other player(s) use aircraft that you don't have you'll see whatever substitution the system decides on. So, it's rather odd to each be flying a Cub (but different versions) and see, perhaps, a Grumman Goose for the other player, though it behaves like the Cub the other player is flying. You also must both have the exact same Title field in the aircraft.cfg file for that aircraft:

 

    title=Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint1

Change one character and you'll get a substitution. In addition, if you're cockpit sharing the VC absolutely MUST be identical at both ends, but though only one can do the actual flying (stick and rudder) most other controls (radios, lights, flaps, etc.) can be operated by either pilot.

 

 

Figure: Twin Beeches D-18 in FS2004

 

 

When in multiplayer there is no AI traffic or AI boats, so any aircraft you see out there is someone in the session. There are many viewing modes (VC, 2D cockpits, spot view, tower view and a nice one which allows you to look at the other players' aircraft (selectable if more than one other player), much as you can do with AI traffic in single player mode. That's what we mostly used when putting on airshows for each other, but we found it not so helpful for actual formation work.

 

In real life, any aircraft, ANY aircraft in coordinated flight which is turning at a given bank angle and airspeed will have exactly the same turning radius and rate as any other at that angle and speed. In FSX and before (and in P3D V1 and V2) not all flight models make this happen (actually few do). This makes formation flight more difficult than it should be when aircraft don't react the same.

 

Before trying to learn formation flying you'll want to be sure you have a smooth frame rate because much jerkiness in the visual will make it tough for even experienced formation pilots to maintain formation when in close, and it'll be tough to force yourself to maintain small, slow corrections.

 

So, you'll want to pick an area away from big cities or other graphics-intensive areas in order to maximize your frame rate, at least until you can get comfortable with the basics.

 

Another thing you might occasionally see is a sudden jump, where one of the aircraft seems to jump way ahead or drop way behind (depending on which one you are). There are a very few scenery areas where this might happen because of scenery errors (not your fault, just the way it's designed) and it may happen once in a great while from internet delays -- fortunately this is rare -- but in this case you may well soon see the other aircraft come back close to where it was in relation to you.

 

Finally, if you're flying along in formation and the other aircraft doesn't turn (when you're lead), but just keeps going straight ahead, even into a mountain, and on and on, then you've likely lost your internet connection, so must reestablish it.

 

Techniques, Etc.

When learning to fly formation in FS it might be good to start with following an AI aircraft, but since that's done in single player mode you can do it on your own. In multiplayer you and the other player (I recommend you start with just one other player) need to have good voice communications and whoever is lead at the time needs to be slow and gentle in his maneuvers (much as in real life) to avoid aircraft damage and/or losing sight of the other aircraft. I suggest that you begin with straight and level flight, perhaps with lead initially on autopilot, letting the wingman catch up and gently close in, which will take a LOT of practice and a lot of patience.

 

Before flying, it is helpful to establish initial parameters for the flight, where and what you intend to do as a flight. The lead's responsibility is for the safety of the flight by providing a stable platform for the wingman to fly against, while also scanning for traffic that may be nearby. As a minimum, determine an initial altitude, heading, and airspeed that the wingman will establish and maintain. When the flight lead changes, the new lead assumes these responsibilities. The wingman's responsibility is to keep the lead informed of any situation that develops other than as planned, such as losing sight of the lead, or rapid closure rate that will lead to an underrun. Anytime the wingman loses sight of the lead or is in a position too close to the lead or is closing rapidly, the wingman should safely break away from the flight. Reduce power, allow the lead to move ahead and then reestablish your wing position.

 

An important reminder here: Lead MUST not fly at full power. He must leave a reasonable margin under full power so that the wingman can make power adjustments (both increase and decrease) to stay in position.

 

You'll probably want to start with staying a few plane-lengths/wing spans apart until you can hold that fairly steady, then gradually work your way closer a little at a time, being sure you can stay fairly steady at each distance. By the time you're within a wingspan of each other you'll need to be more than just "fairly steady," mostly using almost imperceptible control movements (it's better to think of slight control pressure changes than of movements), so it'll take time.

 

Unless only one of you wants to fly formation it is good to change lead every few minutes, initially, so that you can both learn -- it'll make you a better lead, too -- but don't do it too soon because that would prematurely interrupt your learning since it initially can take quite a while just to learn to stay in sight without wandering all over the sky. Patience and slow, small corrections are the keys.

 

Once you can stay in decent (not perfect) formation while straight and level then you'll want to start working with gentle turns (shallow bank angles) and with slow (200-300 feet per minute) climbs and descents and level-offs. Once you can do these reasonably well, then combine climbing and descending with turning (both directions- remember power changes needed to maintain position).

 

For the more adventurous souls you can, within limits, learn to do formation aerobatics (obviously you need to first learn aerobatics), but with the visual and audio limitations, the fact that you can't actually feel anything you're doing, and with some sim performance limitations you won't be able to do all of it. But loops and rolls, sometimes maybe a split S, are doable, though when coming down the back side of a loop it's easy to lose your place, even to lose sight of lead.

 

 

 

 

The Author

Larry Nussbaumer (lnuss -- that's a Lower Case L, not an Upper Case I) is a former CFII (Certified Flight Instructor Instrument) with instrument, multiengine and glider on his commercial certificate, who flew part time as instructor, glider tow, banner tow, etc. over more than 30 years, based mostly in The Albuquerque and Denver areas (lots of high country, think density altitude). Having flown around 60 different types of aircraft, (mostly light singles and twins, including most Cessna and Piper singles, Grumman American and many more), made for a variety of experiences. More than half of his time is in tailwheel aircraft, such as Piper Cubs, Cessna 170/180, Stearman and Great Lakes.

 

Larry started simming in FS98 and continued right on through FSX and Prepar3d V2.4, mostly in multiplayer with his friend Mike (also an experienced CFII), via direct connect rather than a public server such as Game Spy, so formation flying was a foregone conclusion.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Larry, Thank you for addressing this aspect of sim formation flying. Well done, and I can see that for you, many many good memories. 

[Rupert]

Very well done!  And yes, I've seen times RW where the lead plane was moving so fast it was difficult to hold on station.  A nice speed margin makes the follower's job so much easier!!

[lnuss]

Thanks for the compliments. Phrog's Formation Tutorial offered a great look at the overall subject, both real world and sim, but multiplayer adds a few problems and a few advantages as well, and 1) Phrog asked me to do this and 2) I felt that few have had this wonderful experience in the way that Mike and I did it, and the direct connect offers experiences that are different from the server method that forum posts seem to say is the most common form of multiplayer in use.

 

BTW, back in the FS98 days I wrote an article for Flightsim.com titled Fun With Multiplayer about some of the things Mike and I did back then, hoping to encourage other folks to get into this fun (and sometimes challenging) aspect of simming, but like so much of the stuff from the early days I don't find it on this new version of the site.

 

I certainly hope this pair of articles will encourage many others to take up formation flying and to try multiplayer in new and wonderful ways. It's all very special to me.

 

[Nels_Anderson]

20 hours ago, lnuss said:

BTW, back in the FS98 days I wrote an article for Flightsim.com titled Fun With Multiplayer about some of the things Mike and I did back then, hoping to encourage other folks to get into this fun (and sometimes challenging) aspect of simming, but like so much of the stuff from the early days I don't find it on this new version of the site.

 

 

Thanks to the wonders of the Wayback Machine, your old article is still readable:

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20000105135726/http://flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/howto/multi.htm

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, Nels_Anderson said:

Thanks to the wonders of the Wayback Machine

Thanks Mr. Peabody!

 

And a nice snapshot article Larry.

[lnuss]

Thanks Nels -- glad it's still accessible. It sure brings back memories... 'Twas fun

 

[Nels_Anderson]

For those who don't know, the "Wayback Machine" is essentially an archive of the entire Internet, over all time. Which is pretty amazing if you think about it... It's not perfect and does not manage to capture everything but if you think something is "lost" it might not actually be...

 

Also FYI, work is going on behind the scenes to restore some portion of the articles that existed on the original site to bring them into this new system.

[lnuss]

Good to hear they're looking into it Nels. I'd heard of the Wayback machine, but it never occurred to me that this article would show up there. I'm sure happy you thought to check it out. Thanks.

 

Larry