Air Hauler 2 Early Access released!

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

I have been enjoying the heck out of this since the latest EA update. Things seem to be less buggy, and working as expected...just getting used to the UI still.

Not sure if I am grasping the factory stuff yet. For some reason  I can't figure out how to buy commodities (I found it once, bought some plastics to make AirHauler CDs...but then couldn't figure out how to move the stuff to my factory...havin'nt found the BUY Commodities area again since...serioiusly WAY TOO MANY tabs and windows in the UI in my opinion....), find commodities, or Haul commodities.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Captain Coffee

[allardjd 1,853]

The commodities stuff still has some bugs.  Mostly you can buy them but it's kind of hard to get rid of them.  Not a very profitable situation.

 

John

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

I have to say, I love love love the ad hoc flights. It is possible to pick up some passengers, and stop along the way and pick up a cargo as well. I had a very very profitable trip hauling two passengers and a small cargo last night up in the Friday Harbor area within Aero Commander. I think you just have to be very quick about loading the cargo and getting up in the air again... Or at least start the engines again before the passengers disembark at the wrong Airport.

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

Heh...I'm already finding ways to "game the game".

 

Helicopters are easy to cheat the Type Ratings.

1. Hover to initial altitude (usually 5kfeet),

2. adjust heading to specified heading.

3. adjust to next heading then quickly adjust the altimeter baro knob to new altitude requested.

4. rinse repeat for each new heading/altitude request.

5. Drop and land.

 

Type Ratings can be combined with Cargo Hauls.

1. Accept a cargo at the airport you are going to TR from

2. Start TR, load cargo at the cargo/fuel loading screen.

3. Fly, complete TR requirements at any point along the trip.

4. TR will still complete even if you land at Non Destination airport, so land softly, complete TR, deliver cargo, get paid and get new TR at same time.

 

You can load a cargo onto a Pax plane during an AdHoc flight...if you have the room.

So if you have a pax flight that isn't paying well, shove a cargo in as well.

The cargo can even be picked up along the way. Pax will attempt to disembark at the wrong airport, but so long as you load and restart engines pronto, they don't leave the plane and you can proceed to deliver the pax/cargo in whichever order.

 

 

I'm a bad bad man.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Captain Coffee

[brett 2,283]

From what I understand cheaters go straight to hell.

[allardjd 1,853]

...where hell is defined as flying over and over again into Aspen, at night, from the wrong direction, in a J3 Cub in a snowstorm, with a short-tempered ATC controller whose favorite drink is Jolt cola and who is an ex-auctioneer with a speech impediment, and with a front seat pax who is a heavy smoker, hasn't showered in a week and whose dramamine was replaced with Ipecac and Ex-Lax by a practical joker just before the flight.  Enjoy!

 

 

[allardjd 1,853]

If you've been considering AirHauler 2 but  haven't jumped into the Early Access yet here's an update...

 

Judging from the AH2 EA forum member list there are over 1,600 using it.  He's releasing updates almost daily and so far the existing companies will carry forward, so progress is not lost due to a new update.  It's pretty stable and playable at this point and there's nothing seriously broken, though obviously bugs exist and a lot of the functionality has not yet been turned on, e.g missions, add-on scenery import.

 

AI pilots are available for hire and can fly either cargo or pax flights for you.

 

You and AI pilots must be type-rated in each type of AC flown.  The type rating test takes about a half hour in most AC and consists of taxi, take-off, climb, a few turns to a specified heading and climbs or descents to a specified altitude, then RTB and land with an OK or better landing evaluation. Type Ratings must be paid for, and for AI pilots, make them unavailable for a period of time.

 

Cargo flights ala AH1 are working fine and both ad-hoc pax flights (flown by the user) and scheduled pax routes (typically flown by AI, but also by you if you care to) are working fairly well.

 

The commodities markets are in place and you have numerous opportunities to buy low and sell high using your company's money instead of hauling other people's stuff.

 

Add-on AC can be imported and bought or leased for use in your company.  They also might appear randomly, along with some of the default AC, as used aircraft in the Marketplace, which can be bought at bargain basement prices, usually located somewhere a long way away and with some damage that must be repaired.  

 

There's a lot more too - insurance; stock markets; factories; on-base storage of fuel and commodities; humanitarian missions; scheduled maintenance checks; building planes from purchased parts that must be "found"; pax satisfaction...  I just wanted to lay out some of the details so folks can get a flavor of the kind of things that are in this add-on.  

 

You can save a small bundle of real-world cash by getting this now instead of paying full price later. 

 

John

 

 

[wain 879]

WARNING....be prepared to lose hours of your life.. it is so addictive..more than AH1...and like AH1 you can do as much or as little as you like...go on you know you want to.....

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

Yeah... it is a whole new ballgame. I'm just discovering the Commodities section and raking in money hauling highly profitable stuff to nearby airfields. It satisfies my desire to do short flights and lots of Landings, as well as funding the company. 

 

There are definitely still quirks in the game, and part of the fun in the Early Access is figuring out ways around them. For example, last night I imported my CH - 53 Tarhe, and while doing the type rating test it asked me to fly to negative attitudes from a nearly sea level Airfield. I would obviously not be able to accomplish that if it were not for the barometric adjust knob on the altimeter. Thankfully it didn't ask for anything lower than 1,100 feet below sea level, and I was able to hover in place while adjusting my heading and the barometric knob right above the helipad. Quickest type rating test ever.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Captain Coffee

[allardjd 1,853]

I can pretty much guarantee that hole will be closed eventually.

 

John

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

I hope so. Already fixes have been made affecting high altitude airports and TRs. A work in progress that needs honest cheeters like me to find those holes