Keyboard CommandsHere are the default keyboard commands for Aces High along with a short explanation of what each one does. This list takes about 10 pages to print. If you don't need the explanations, go to the HiTech Creations Keyboard Commands Page for a list of the commands only, which prints in 4 pages or click this link for a 1 page Quick Reference Guide of the most commonly used commands..
GLOBAL KEYS - These keyboard commands work from anywhere in the game.CLIPBOARDCLIPBOARD - [ESC] - Brings your clipboard into view. The default clipboard view is the map.ZOOM MAP IN - [INSERT] - Zooms the map in. The zoomed portion stays centered around your plane. ZOOM MAP OUT - [DELETE] - Zooms the map out. The zoomed portion stays centered around your plane until the map reaches its maximum size. COMMUNICATIONSMESSAGE WINDOW SIZE - [~] - Toggles your text message area from 3 lines to about 30 lines.RADIO 1 - [/] - Brings up the text buffer toggled to radio 1. Type in your message and hit [Enter] to send. RADIO 2 - [SHIFT][/] - Brings up the text buffer toggled to radio 2. Type in your message and hit [Enter] to send. RADIO 3 - [CTRL][/] - Brings up the text buffer toggled to radio 3. Type in your message and hit [Enter] to send. RADIO 4 - [ALT][/] - Brings up the text buffer toggled to radio 4. Type in your message and hit [Enter] to send. RADIO 5 - [SHIFT][\] - Brings up the text buffer toggled to radio 5. Radio 5 is your tuned voice radio, but you may sent text message on it which will be received by anyone else tuned to the same channel as you. Type in your message and hit [Enter] to send. CHECK 6 - ['] (apostrophe)- Sends an automatic "check 6" call. When you push the ['] key, brackets will appear around the individual who will receive the call. The first person selected is the one nearest the center of your screen. If this is not the individual you want to send the message to, press ['] again and the next individual will be bracketed. Once the correct individual is bracketed, stop pushing the ['] key and the message will be sent. TUNABLE MICROPHONE - [T] - Press and hold while speaking (called "push to talk", or PTT by the military) to transmit voice messages on the channel you are tuned to on radio 5. This key may need to be mapped using the instructions found on HTC's Keymapping Page. RANGE MICROPHONE - [F12] - Press and hold while speaking (called "push to talk", or PTT by the military) to transmit voice messages to people within range. To see a list of people within range, press one of the 5 radio keys. The list will pop up on your screen. This key may need to be mapped using the instructions found on HTC's Keymapping Page. FILM RECORDER - [ALT][R] - Toggles your film recorder on and off. A red "R" will appear in the upper left-hand corner of your screen while you are recording. Films are automatically saved to the film folder in your main Aces High folder with a sequential numerical name such as film1.ahf, which you will probably want to change to something more meaningful. OTHER TOGGLE SCREEN INFO - [CTRL][I] - Toggles a small box of info which appears at the top center of your screen. This information includes frame rate, amount of video memory used, and which view mode and direction mode you are in. TOGGLE ICONS - [ALT][I] - Turns the plane and vehicle icons on and off. TOGGLE GROUND CLUTTER - [CTRL][C] - Turns ground clutter on and off. If your frame rate is low, turn the ground clutter off. TOGGLE HIGHLIGHT SQUAD - [CTRL][S] - Highlights you squad members in the color selected by you. This color is adjustable by going to your clipboard, clicking on the "Setup" button, then clicking on the "Colors" button. SAVE SCREEN - [ALT][S] - Takes a screen shot and saves it as a bitmap with the name ahss#.bmp where # is a number in numerical order. The file is saved in the main Aces High folder. IN-FLIGHT COMMANDS - These are the controls to use when flying planes (unless you have assigned them to another controller). ENGINE CONTROLS - These commands are available from the pilot's position. START ENGINE - [E] - By default, starts or shuts down all engines. If you select a specific engine using one of the select engine commands below, this command will start or stop the selected engine. START ALL ENGINES - [SHIFT][E] - Starts or stops all engines. Used primarily if you have one engine selected and now want to control all of them. SELECT ENGINE 1 - [SHIFT][1] - Selects engine 1, which is the left side outer engine on B-17's and Lancasters, and the left engine on twin engined planes. SELECT ENGINE 2 - [SHIFT][2] - Selects engine 2, which is the left side inner engine on B-17's and Lancasters, and the right engine on twin engined planes. SELECT ENGINE 3 - [SHIFT][3] - Selects engine 3, which is the right side inner engine on B-17's and Lancasters. SELECT ENGINE 4 - [SHIFT][4] - Selects engine 4, which is the right side outer engine on B-17's and Lancasters SELECT ALL ENGINES - [CTRL][E] - Selects all engines. THROTTLE UP - [=] - Slowly increases the throttle. (If you have a throttle configured, this command will not work) THROTTLE FULL - [SHIFT][=] - Moves the throttle to 100%. (If you have a throttle configured, this command will not work) THROTTLE DOWN - [-] - Slowly decreases the throttle. (If you have a throttle configured, this command will not work) THROTTLE ZERO - [SHIFT][-] - Moves the throttle to 0%. (If you have a throttle configured, this command will not work) WEP - [P] - Adds War Emergency Power. In Aces High, WEP heats your engine until it is finally "overheated" and WEP cuts out. Once your engine cools, WEP is available again. One source says that for every 2 minutes cooling, there is 1 minute of WEP available until your engine reaches its normal operating temperature at which time your full amount of WEP is available again. INCREASE RPM - Keypad [+] - Increases your propeller RPM. The default setting when you take off is maximum RPM. DECREASE RPM - Keypad [-] - Decreases your propeller RPM. This is potentially useful for increasing range, but doesn't get much use in the main arena. It may be useful in scenarios. FLIGHT CONTROLS - These controls are available from the pilot's position LOWER FLAPS - [Q] - Lowers flaps one notch each time it is pushed. RAISE FLAPS - [W] - Raises flaps one notch each time it is pushed. RUDDER LEFT - [A] - Moves your rudder left as long as you push it. When you release the key, the rudder stays in that position until you center the rudder. RUDDER RIGHT - [D] - Moves your rudder right as long as you push it. When you release the key, the rudder stays in that position until you center the rudder. RUDDER CENTER - [S] - Centers your rudder. TRIM ELEVATOR UP - [K] - Trims your elevator to put the nose of your plane up (or hold it up). Used to trim your aircraft for level flight. Also useful for pulling out of dives where you have compressed. TRIM ELEVATOR DOWN - [I] - Trims your elevator to put the nose of your plane down (or hold it down). Used to trim your aircraft for level flight. TRIM RUDDER LEFT - [J] - Trims your rudder to put the nose of your plane to the left (or hold it to the left). Used to trim your aircraft for straight flight. TRIM RUDDER RIGHT - [L] - Trims your rudder to put the nose of your plane to the right (or hold it to the right). Used to trim your aircraft for straight flight. TRIM AILERON LEFT - [M] - Trims your ailerons to the left to counter roll to the right. Used to trim your aircraft to keep the wings level. TRIM AILERON RIGHT - [,] (comma) - Trims your ailerons to the right to counter roll to the left. Used to trim your aircraft to keep the wings level. TOGGLE COMBAT TRIM - [CTRL][X] - Toggles Combat Trim on or off. Adjusting any of the other trim settings will also turn combat trim off. Combat trim keeps your plane approximately trimmed for level flight. AUTO PILOT LEVEL - [X] - Trims and holds your plane in level flight. Moving your stick will turn auto pilot off. AUTO PILOT ANGLE - [SHIFT][X] - Trims and holds your plane at the pitch angle it is at when you engage (as long as your engine has the power). Useful for a gentle dive or gentle climb. AUTO PILOT SPEED - [CTRL][X] - Trims and holds your plane at the pitch angle necessary to maintain the speed entered. The default speed is the planes best climb speed at sea level - generally 165 - 175 for fighters. To change the speed, use the dot command .speed xxx [Enter]. DIVE BRAKE - [SHIFT][C] - Toggles the dive brake on and off on planes equipped with dive brakes. GEAR - [G] - Raises or lowers your landing gear. Be careful not do lower at speeds greater than 150 on most planes. Somewhere on your instrument panel are gear indicator lights. Green indicates down, gray indicates up. Yellow indicates damage or gear in transition. TAIL HOOK - [SHIFT][G] - Extends or retracts the tail hook on carrier planes. Used for carrier landings. Somewhere on the instrument panel of planes equipped with a tail hook is a tail hook indicator light. Green indicates down, gray indicates up. FUEL TANK - [SHIFT][F] - Toggles which fuel tank is being used. There is an automatic sequence which starts with the external tanks (drop tanks) then switches to the internal tanks in a pre-defined order. While in the automatic sequence, an "A" appears before the tank name. While in the automatic mode, the tanks switch automatically with no interruption of fuel flow. If you are manually switching tanks, your engine will quit when the tank you are on runs out of fuel unless you switch it before then. BAIL OUT CONTROLS - These controls are available while piloting a plane or acting as a gunner on a plane. BAIL OUT - [ENTER][ENTER][ENTER] (3 times) - Exits you from your aircraft while in flight. Don't forget to open your parachute. OPEN CHUTE - [O] - Opens your parachute. Don't open too high, or you will take a long time to get down. You can't return to your airfield until you are on the ground. A good guide is to open your chute when you can see trees or waves. BRAKE CONTROLS - These controls are available from the pilot's position while on the ground. WHEEL BRAKES - [SPACE] - While on the runway, applies brakes evenly to wheels on both sides. Used for slowing down upon landing. LEFT WHEEL BRAKE - [V] - While on the runway, applies brakes to the left wheel only. Useful for turning at low speeds, or for quick direction adjustments at higher speeds. RIGHT WHEEL BRAKE - [C] - While on the runway, applies brakes to the right wheel only. Useful for turning at low speeds, or for quick direction adjustments at higher speeds. PILOT'S WEAPON CONTROLS - Available from the pilot's position. FIRE PRIMARY WEAPON - [F] - Fires the primary weapon - usually the machine guns in planes equipped with machine guns and cannons. FIRE SECONDARY WEAPON - [B] - Fires the secondary weapon. This is also the key that drops bombs or paratroops when they are selected. FIRE BOTH - [N] - Fires primary and secondary weapon simultaneously. If you have bombs selected for your secondary weapon, it will fire your machine guns and drop a bomb at the same time... probably something you didn't mean to do! SELECT PRIMARY WEAPON - [\] - Toggles through the available weapons that can be controlled as your primary weapon. SELECT SECONDARY WEAPON - [BACKSPACE] - Toggles through the available weapons that can be controlled as your secondary weapon. Bombs and rockets are usually found as a secondary weapon. OPEN BOMB DOORS - [O] (letter O) - Opens and closes the bomb bay doors. Doors must be open to drop internal ordinance. Also used to open the jump door on a C-47 or M-3, allowing the paratroopers to jump or cargo to be dropped. JUMP KEYS - Used to jump to various gunner positions in planes with gunners or from plane to plane in bomber formations. Not much rhyme or reason to the various orders of gunner positions. Plane Positions Pilot Nose Tail Dorsal/ Upper Ball/ Ventral Left Waist Right Waist A-20 1 - - 2 - - - B-17G 1 5 4 3 2 6 7 B-26 1 4 3 2 - 5 6 Bf 110 1 - - 2 - - - Boston III 1 - - 2 - - - B5N 1 - - 2 - - - D3A 1 - - 2 - - - Il-2 1 - - 2 - - - Ju-88 1 - - 2 & 3 4 - - Ki-67 1 2 6 3 - 4 5 Lancaster 1 2 4 3 - - - SBD-5 1 - - 2 - - - TBM 1 - - 2 3 - - BOMBARDIER POSITION - [F6] - Used to jump from the pilot's position to the bombardier's position. Use [KEYPAD 8] to look up from the bombsight and [F1] to return to the pilot's position. FORMATION PLANE 1 - [CTRL][1] - Selects the lead plane in a formation's "V". FORMATION PLANE 2 - [CTRL][2] - Selects the left plane in a formation's "V". FORMATION PLANE 3 - [CTRL][3] - Selects the right plane in a formation's "V". FORMATION PLANE 4 - [CTRL][4] - Not Used. Currently formations have only 3 planes. GUNNER'S WEAPON CONTROLS FIRE ALL - [F] - Fires all weapons which can fire at a target. FIRE POSITION - [B] - Fires only the guns at the position being manned. OTHER - available from any position in the plane. DISPLAY DAMAGE - [CTRL][D] - Displays your plane's systems. Damaged systems appear red. VEHICLE/PT BOAT KEYS - Available when manning a vehicle or PT Boat. DRIVER COMMANDS START ENGINE - [E] - Starts or shuts down your engine. SHIFT UP - [Q] - Shifts your transmission up one gear. You must do this in the PT boat, too. SHIFT DOWN - [W] - Shifts your transmission down one gear. THROTTLE - Your throttle in a vehicle or PT boat is controlled by moving your joystick forward (throttle up) or back (throttle down/brake). JUMP KEYS - moves you to the position indicated. LVTA2 - [1] Driver, [2] .50 cal , [3] .30 cal LVTA4 - [1] Driver, [2] Turret Mounted 75mm Howitzer , [3] .50 cal on Turret , [4] Hull Machine Gun M-3 HALFTRACK - [1] Driver, [2] Machine Gun M-16 QUAD .50 HALFTRACK - Driver [1], Quad .50 Mount [2] OSTWIND - [1] Driver, [2] Main Gun, [3] Hull Machine Gun PANZER Mk IVh - [1] Driver, [2] Main Gun , [3] Commander's Machine Gun, [4] Hull Machine Gun PT BOAT - [1] Driver , [2] Left Side Dual .50 cal, [3] Right Side Dual .50 cal, [4] 20mm (front), [5] 37mm (front), [6] 40mm (rear), [7] Rocket Launcher Controls (Torpedoes are launched from the Drivers Position) Tiger I - [1] Driver, [2] Main Gun , [3] Commander's Machine Gun, [4] Hull Machine Gun VEHICLE WEAPON CONTROLS - Available from the various gunner's positions in vehicles and PT Boats. FIRE PRIMARY WEAPON - [F] - Fires the primary weapon FIRE SECONDARY WEAPON - [B] - Fires the secondary weapon. Applicable to the Pnzr main gun position, which also has a machine gun. Also fires the torpedoes on a PT Boat. FIRE BOTH - [N] - Fires primary and secondary weapon simultaneously. OPEN TROOP DOORS - [O] - Opens and closes the troop doors on the M-3 and LVT. Doors must be open before you can drop troops or supplies. SELECT AMMO TYPE - [BACKSPACE] - Toggles between the ammo types on vehicles equipped with different types of ammunition (Tiger, Panzer and M8). SHIP GUNNER COMMANDS SET RANGE AND BEARING - Mouse Click on Map - From the ship gunner's position, bring up your clipboard map using the [ESC] key. Use the [Insert] key to zoom in, then click where you want to hit and use [ESC] to put the clipboard away. The range and bearing data is on the left side of the screen, with the first number being your actual and the second number being your aim point. You can then adjust your settings with your joystick. This is the first step in using the land or sea mode below. LAND MODE - [W] - The gun will shoot to the selected point regardless of the movement of your ship SEA MODE - [E] - The gun will shoot to a point relative to your ship. In other words, if your aim point is 90 degrees off the port side of your ship, and your ship turns, you aim point will still be 90 degrees off the port side. DIRECT MODE - [Q] - The gunner has full control of the gun. VIEW KEYS VIEW DIRECTION KEYS - These keys on your keypad point your view in the direction indicated. The most basic way to control your views is with the keypad on your keyboard. You can change the direction you are looking by pressing the key which corresponds to the direction you want to look. The default view (no input given) is directly forward, which would equate to 8 on your keypad. The other views are left/front = 7, right/front = 9, left = 4, right = 6, left/back = 1, right/back = 3, back = 2, up = 5, and down = 0. _______ | 7 | 8 | 9 | | 4 | 5 | 6 | | 1 | 2 | 3 | | 0 | These keys can be combined to give you additional views. Pressing the 5 and 2 key simultaneously would give you an up/back view. If this is the method you are using, you must be in the habit of having a hand on the keypad nearly all the time. VIEW FORWARD - [KEYPAD 8] - The forward view is the default view if no input is given. You can set the view for the 8 key to be different from your default forward view. This is useful to give you a look at your entire instrument panel if you can't see it in your normal view. VIEW FORWARD LEFT - [KEYPAD 7] VIEW FORWARD RIGHT - [KEYPAD 9] VIEW LEFT - [KEYPAD 4] VIEW RIGHT - [KEYPAD 6] VIEW BACK - [KEYPAD 2] VIEW BACK LEFT - [KEYPAD 1] VIEW BACK RIGHT - [KEYPAD 3] VIEW UP - [KEYPAD 5] - You will use this key often in combination with other view keys or the hat switch on your joystick. VIEW DOWN - [KEYPAD 0] - Also used to look through the bombsight when in the bombardier's position. VIEW MODE KEYS DEFAULT VIEW - [F1] - Puts you in the internal view and sets your view mode to snap (see F7 below). This is also the button to push to get back to the pilot's seat from the bombardier's position. VIEW MODE INTERNAL - [F2] - Puts you in the internal view in whichever view mode you are currently in. VIEW MODE EXTERNAL - [F3] - Puts you outside your aircraft/vehicle/tower, initially at the 6 o'clock position. This view stays locked in the position relative to your plane. You can zoom in and out from your plane using the [ and ] keys, and adjust your view position using your hat or the keypad keys shown below. This mode is only available on bombers when on line. VIEW MODE CHASE - [F4] - Puts you outside the plane, initially at the 6 o'clock position. This mode is similar to the F3 mode except there is a slight lag in following your plane's maneuvers, giving the impression that you are in a chase plane. This mode is only available on bombers when on line. VIEW MODE FIXED - [F5] - Puts you outside the plane, again initially at the 6 o'clock position. In this mode, your position stays in the same place regardless of your plane's maneuvers. If your view is from due south of your plane, and you turn left, your view will still be from due south of your plane only now you will see the side of the plane. VIEW MODE BOMBSIGHT - [F6] - Puts you in the bombardier's position of a bomber looking forward. Pressing [0] on your keypad will give you the view through the bombsight. VIEW MODE SNAP - [F7] - This causes your transition between views to be a quick pan, allowing you to follow the head movement. It is the default transition. VIEW MODE PAN - [F8] - This mode slowly pans your view in the direction your view key or hat switch would normally take your view. When you release the view key or hat switch, your view stops in that position. This is a good mode to use with external views. VIEW MODE INSTANT - [F9] - Instantly transitions to your selected view. This is the fastest transition between views. PADLOCK - [F11] - Locks your view onto the targeted plane, regardless of where it flies. If you don't want to lose sight of a particular plane, this will do the trick. On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to tell where in your view the other plane is and it will even take your view down into your cockpit (i.e. you are looking at the floor). After pressing F11, use the commands described below to select your target. PADLOCK CENTER TARGET - [SHIFT][TAB] - Selects the plane closest to the center of your view and applies the padlock to it. You must have pushed F11 first. PADLOCK NEXT TARGET - [TAB] - Toggles through the possible targets for padlock. Brackets will appear around the plane you are targeting. You must have pushed F11 first. PADLOCK TARGET FRIENDLY - [CTRL][TAB] - Padlocks the next friendly target FULL VIS - [SHIFT][F1] - Sets maximum range on detail. If you are having frame rate problems, try a lower setting. MEDIUM VIS - [SHIFT][F2] - Sets medium range on detail. SHORT VIS - [SHIFT][F3] - Sets lowest range on detail. SET GROUND VIS - No key set as default, but most map it to [SHIFT][F4]. TOGGLE ZOOM - [Z] - Toggles the zoom mode. This is useful for "zeroing in" on a target you are about to shoot. It is kind of like having a rifle scope to look through for the final shot. ZOOM IN - [[] - Adjusts the zoom in ZOOM OUT - []] - Adjusts the zoom out DEFAULT ZOOM - [SHIFT][Z] - Resets the zoom to its default setting. "HEAD POSITION" ADJUSTMENT - You can adjust your "head position" to give yourself better views from the planes and vehicles in the game. To adjust your head position, select the view direction you wish to adjust by pressing and holding the appropriate key on your keypad. Once you are "looking" in the right direction, you can move your head position using the keys listed below. MOVE UP - [PAGE UP] MOVE DOWN - [PAGE DOWN] MOVE FORWARD - [UP ARROW] MOVE BACK - [DOWN ARROW] MOVE LEFT - [LEFT ARROW] MOVE RIGHT - [RIGHT ARROW] SAVE HEAD POSITION - [F10] - Saves the head position only for the view you are adjusting. DEFAULT HEAD POSITION - [HOME] - Returns to the default head position for that view. FILM COMMANDS - These are available while viewing films PLAY - [P] PLAY FASTER - [KEYPAD +] PLAY SLOWER - [KEYPAD -] FAST FORWARD - [F] FRAME - [A] STOP - [S] REWIND - [R] |