Gunship! playing tips:

How to use the Comms (Tab) menu: 
The major aggravation here is that when you hit the Tab key, then the flight #, you see the waypoint parameters for the current (first) waypoint, but, if you change one of the parameters, it changes it not for the first waypoint, but for the waypoint # (usually the last one) highlighted in white on line 2 of the right column.  If you want to change an order for the current waypoint instead (which would usually be the case), first select 1 (Waypoint number) from the menu, then press 1 to set the highlighted waypoint to waypoint #1.  I make a habit of pressing Tab, 1, 1, 1, Tab, Tab at the start of the mission, which sets it and returns me to flying.  After that, when you return to the Comms menu, the highlighted waypoint # will always be waypoint #1. 

After you change an order for the current waypoint, sometimes it seems to help to then press 6 (Orders), then 4 (Activate current waypoint) to make sure the wingmen get the new orders. 

The first 2 choices on the Orders menu, 'Fire at will', and 'Hold fire', don't appear to work.  They don't work from the Map screen, under the 'Orders' button, either. 

One extra option that the Map screen gives you that you won't find anywhere else, is the ability to change a waypoint speed to Hover.  I do this sometimes if I want to jump out of my own helo temporarily (F9) to view something, and don't want the AI to wander off in the meantime.  Another reason might be if you want your wingmen to stay in one spot while you go do some scouting on your own. 


Sometimes, in Map view, you move your cursor over a waypoint and it won't light up to allow you to move or delete it. 
When this happens, sometimes it helps to first click on the actual Waypoint # on the right panel, and/or hit Z and X to zoom in and out on the map. Then, the cursor sometimes will light up over the waypoint, allowing you to move or delete it.  Left click the waypoint to move it, right click to delete it. 


According to the manual, "Below 7 knots, the IHADSS switches into Hover mode.  In Hover mode, a position box represents the helicopter's location when the hover began.  If the helicopter drifts, the position box moves across the display.  If you want to return to the original hover point, simply return the position box to the centre of the screen." 
The manual unfortunately doesn't explain how to make the 'position box' appear on the screen.  You need to press Shift-H and then you'll see the symbol (only works w/realistic IHADSS, I think).  No more disorientation during engagements!  This tip was provided by Lozz. 


Another new key command found by Lozz: 
From the pilot's or external cockpit, press shift-F.  Now, you can pan around using the joystick without having to hold button 2.  You can do this in LOS or TADS mode.  If you see a target, you can lock if necessary, then fire at it, or press the B key to fire at the CP/G's target instead.  In his words, "Try this: Pull into a hover, bring up the full screen IHADSS view by pressing 'I' twice, hit the shift+F keys and then scan around for targets, use the Z&X keys to take a closer look, lock up any targets with button3.  Bingo!  A perfect Stealthy attack with the benefit of full screen situational awareness thrown in!" 

To return to the normal joystick mode, press shift-F again. 


Help! The link I followed to download the Gunship demo doesn't work. 
Some of the sites that originally hosted the demo no longer do.  Here are 2 links where you can still download it (18 megs): http://www.3dgamers.com/dl/games/gunship3/gsdemo.exe.html or, http://downloads.gamezone.com/demos/d8462.htm 


Why can't I kill dismounted infantry with my cannon? 
When using your cannon against enemy infantry, switch off the TADS (Target Acquisition and Designation System) and use your Mark I eyeball instead. The AI always shoots low and will miss almost every time. If you're in the gunner's seat you should unlock the target (with the L key or joystick button 4) and shoot freehand. 


Why does my wingman sometimes lag, stay in one spot, and not progress to the next waypoint? 
This could be because his gunner is trying to shoot infantry with the cannon and is shooting too low (see previous item).  If you don't want to wait for him, you can hit the map screen, change speed to Hover, hit F9, jump into the other helo, finish the target, then jump back into your original helo and continue on.  Another thing that could cause this instead, is if your computer is low on resources.  Low resources can cause other numerous odd things to happen in Gunship! like, for instance, pulling your trigger but no weapons fire, missing or odd graphics, etc. 


How to use the F4 and F9 keys. 
F4 is the chase view.  If you press F9, it looks like a chase view, but it actually will release your current helo to the AI's control, and let you view all the other vehicles that are on your side.  After pressing F9, then press F12 to view the next vehicle, or F11 to view the previous (You might have to press them twice the first time to get them to respond).  You can instead press shift-F11 or shift-F12 to jump to different platoons, instead of having to go thru every vehicle in every platoon. 

If the vehicle you're viewing is a flyable helo, you can then press Shift-F1 to take control of it, and then F1-F4 to choose the cockpit you want.  If you press shift F1 to take control of it but the game doesn't give it to you, hit F12 to the next vehicle, then F11 back to the previous and try again usually works. 

Note: The custom.ini setting HOLDONMAP = 'True' changes how the AI takes over the helo.  The most reliable way I've found, if you want to completely release both pilot and CP/G to the AI, and you want them to continue the mission on their own, is to first press F2, then 'w', then F9.  This is a handy way to go look at the map, for instance, but know that your helo and platoon will continue with the mission (and ignore the HOLDONMAP setting).  When you're ready to get back into battle, just press one of the F1 thru F4 keys. 


How to force the game to ignore the 'HoldOnMap' setting when necessary. 
See the previous paragraph. 


Why does the first waypoint sometimes get deleted by itself at the start of the mission? 
There is an anomaly where the first waypoint sometimes gets deleted (You hear the radio say 'Lightning, continue with mission.  Out.', and you know it got deleted).  This seems (to me) to happen only when you're flying certain helo's and then hit 'N' to see the map as soon as the mission starts.  If instead, I press F2, 'w', then F9 (as detailed under #5 above), then 'N', it seems to prevent it from happening.  If you have more information as to why/when this happens, please let me know and I'll update this. 


Is there a way to change my flight model, HUD mode, or other settings after a battle starts? 
Yes there is.  Hit 'Q', then click on the 'Options' button.  I assume you can even change local settings during a multi-player game if you don't like the host's settings (by default, all players use the host's settings otherwise). 


Some mission designers add helo waypoints, but don't explicitly specify the desired speed, flight profile, battle mode, and/or target priority at each waypoint. 
Example: 
ORDER_MODE_WAYPT: 
ORDER_WPT_CURRENT: 1 
ORDER_ASMBLY_ASSMBLY: 
ADDWAYPT: 96210 99301 
ORDER_ASMBLY_BATTLEPOS: 
ADDWAYPT: 94553 99449 
ORDER_ASMBLY_LZ: 

, i.e. only the waypoint types are added, and speed, flight profile, battle mode, and target priority, are left to default. 

When you play the battle, here is how Gunship! fills in the missing parameters: 


If the player only views the 'Mission Planning' screen prior to battle (regardless of whether or not they make any changes), each waypoint that doesn't have those parameters explicitly specified, will copy the values from the immediately preceding waypoint (except flight profile), even if that means copying the values from the prior helo platoon's final waypoint.  This applies to all waypoints of all helo platoons, both friendly and not, flyable or not.  ORDER_WPT_SETDELAYTIME: seconds are always reset to the default value for each waypoint type, regardless of whether the mission writer explicitly specified them or not in the mission text.  ORDER_ASMBLY_EAST: and other facing commands are dropped from the mission. 

If the player does not view the 'Mission Planning' screen prior to battle, each waypoint that doesn't have those parameters explicitly specified, will take the default values that are defined for the waypoint type (Patrol, BP, Assembly, etc.) 

In either case, the flight profile (NoE, Contour, Cruise) for each waypoint is always overwritten with the game default for that waypoint type, regardless of whether it is explicitly specified in the mission text or not.  The only way for the player to use a different flight profile is to change it after the mission starts, in the map screen or the Comms menu. 
For more about this behavior and some workarounds, check this SimHQ thread, and the ideas below. 


Another issue, related to the above, is that Gunship! will ignore _PROTECT: and _TARGET: objective orders if used under a helo platoon and the player views the 'Mission Planning' screen before the battle.  Click here for a link to a patch that fixes this and a thread on SimHQ that further explains the anomaly.