Andurula

I just had a weird and sad issue with the Mission Editor (Open Beta 2.7.7.15038) I opened a mission I made a week ago to replace a briefing screen image. After replacing the image I tried to start the mission to test my changes. The mission started to load and then DCS did a hard crash to desktop. When I went back into DCS and opened up my mission in the editor, the mission was wiped and it was only a blank map. I am 100% sure I did not save a blank map mission over my mission file. I edited a briefing image, saved and tried to start the mission to check my changes. Luckily, I was nearly ready to release the mission and I had a backup under another name so I was able to recover with only an hour or so of extra work. My backup was made before I had used the new draw tool which makes me suspicious of the draw tool for now. I hadn't been backing up old versions of my missions before but now I am.

I wonder if the "problem" is really hitting a G limit because I was doing some bombing on the range and during a smooth pullup at 541.9 knots pulling 3.5 G's (according to Tacview) my wings came off. I had half fuel, One Mk82 and three BDU-33's so I don't think overweight was an issue. On the plus side, the aircaft was still controllable minus some aileron limits and having my stall speed a bit higher but I managed to bring it home and land safely. About a year ago I was experiencing the same issues with the C101 which was later patched to correct the issue. Sadly, I forgot to save my trackfile. I was too busy with Fraps filming my superior pilot skills...

If by waypoints you mean the ones set up in the mission editor then there is no direct method to track to them in the stock C101. Navigation options are radio navigation instruments and visually. If you set the "waypoints" in the mission editor yourself, putting them over easily identifiable locations on the map could help spot them. Now, if you happen to purchase the Garmin 430 add on module for the C101 (and I do recommend it just be aware that it has limited functionality compared to the real one) then the waypoints from the mission editor will be loaded into the flight plan on the Garmin.

The track files in general ... vary.. from user to user and they don't work for everyone. The AV8-B seems particularly prone to corrupted track files. I know at least one Youtuber that doesn't make Harrier videos because he can't get the tracks to work. Its a known issue and it is on ED's list of items that need rework.

I love my gunfighter III stick but that config software is incomprehensible to mere mortals and no, VKB does not provide any real detail beyond how to flash and get the basics up and running. So much potential but so hard to figure out. A basic config software tutorial would be extremely useful.

I assumed you were on Open Beta and if so maybe you can switch to the Stable version until they sort it out? No FFB on the VKB stick. Sounds nice but I have never had it so I don't know what I am missing.

"You're saying you went into the software for your Gunfighter and set to defaults? " Exactly. The software gets a bit flaky every few months so I always leave it in default anyway. Something is going on with a recent update because now it appears every time I start DCS I need to set defaults again for the VKB. The Virpil throttle and Crosswind pedals are fine but the VKB seems to be having the issues. Overall, I love the VKB. With the long extention I can be very precise with control inputs. The button selection is good. Yes, the handbrake axis works perfectly for the MiGs pneumatic brakes and no doubt the Spitfire's braking would be the same. At first I was a little concerned by the light weight "plastic" feel in the grip but after a year it is still solid. The light weight grip does make it easier for the centering springs to do their job so I get why they did that. Coupled with my Virpil throttle I never need all the buttons I have which is a nice luxury. Quibbles I have are: The software is a long way from intuitive and while you can do a lot, it would help if I were a software engineer to figure out how to use it. I had the thumb button x-y setup as a four way hat switch for awhile which I liked but the software would get flaky after a bit and I had to keep relearning how to reset it every few months and eventually just gave up and don't use it now. The stick works much better if I leave everything in default so this new issue is weird. Even leaving everything in defaults I have to reset defaults all the time. My guess is ED will figure it out soon enough. I can't imagine how complicated and convoluted the coding must have become over the lifespan of DCS. Even though you never use your software you might try a "reset" and see if that works for you. Its keeping me going at the moment.

The trim and autopilot on my tomcat has quit working since I last flew it a few weeks ago. Controllers are tested and working fine. Remapped / recalibrated controls had no effect. Even the keyboard controls don't work. I have been flying mostly the Harrier for the past few weeks and that appears unaffected. My (same) controls and keybinds work fine on that module. [Edit] I have to eat my words because this afternoon on the Harrier I had the same problem. ditto on the F-5. I was able to fix the problem by going into my controller configuration software (VKB Gunfighter 3) and setting everything to defaults.

Just a quick note. While I love the C101 module and consider it to be one of my favorite modules in DCS, I had not tried it in multiplayer because, well, there isn't 'much for the second crewmember to do back there most of the time. Today, however, a friend was asking me about instrument approaches so the natural choice was to demonstrate in the C101. What a fantastic multiplayer experience. Big kudos to the devs for a superior multi-crew simulation. The shared controls feature was totally unexpected and worked extremely well. No need to press a button and wait for the other player to respond to a pop up window to hand over the controls. We just called out, "your plane" or "my plane" and smoothly transitioned. I can't say enough good things about it. Really well done so thank you again AvioDev. -Andu

[original answer deleted The ME is fussy about the order the commands are given in. Make sure the default action is changed to "nothing" otherwise the default action might override whatever instructions you give in the advance waypoint actions.

Does the real Mi-24P have a trim system for the yaw pedals? The "D" variant POH states that force trim exists for the cyclic controls only.

Well, regardless of how it looks to you, that is how they work. You may be over thinking this.

A little late here but as an aircraft mechanic I would answer, "it depends". Some of those pop out breakers have a little lip on the end that you can grab with your fingernails and pull it out. I can't tell from the image if the breakers in the P47 are designed to be pulled out though.

I am not sure what "short" means for you but if I start a mission parked on the ramp, my track files fail before I can pull forward and turn onto a taxiway. My aircraft invariably fails to turn correctly and gets stuck in the grass somewhere. Typically the aircraft undershoots the turn. We are talking five seconds tops before the track ends in a failure. I don't doubt the track files work for you which is why I suspect it is hardware dependent. Assuming the software is the same the hardware is the variable. I understand that you need track files but I can't provide a clean one so no bug reports from me.

in my experience the track is more likely to "fail" the busier the computer is. A fast CPU flying high above the desert and your computer has no problem keeping an accurate record of your control inputs. Flying low over a town with lots of ground objects to render and a less-than-speedy CPU is always going to fail rather quickly. Additionally, the more AI to process the more load on the CPU thus more track recording deviance. So I think the issue is the speed and load on the CPU rather than time per se. Over time, accumulating mis-recorded control inputs will result in ever more deviant player aircraft behavior so time does appear to be a factor but it really isn't. In my case, I have a less-than-fastest CPU and I always start cold and dark surrounded by lots of ground objects so my tracks always become hopelessly corrupted before I can get lined up properly with the runway. Any flight or bug I might encounter after that point will never be recorded so asking me for "tracks" for any bug I notice is just a waste of everyone's time. While I think track files in their current state are a terrible way to "prove" bugs by the general DCS community, I also can't suggest a better way. I will say it is annoying to be repeatedly told to submit track files for bug reports so I just don't report bugs.

I think that historical filter has got every one of us at one point or another

My client F14's are now spawing over the #1 blast shield where you have an AI parked. The first spawn point seems to have moved from their old spawn location over the elevators. Cat #1 and #2 are blocked to AI traffic as long as soon as the first client spawns in.

No. The presets are set up by the mission maker. In the rush to add Hinds to the servers, a lot of them were not set up with usuable presets. I expect most server admins will get it sorted soon. And speaking of presets, the mission editor options show the R-863 as AM only and the R-828 as FM only

Exactly. 100% The Mi-24 is proving to be an awesome module and I am loving it. Trying to learn it without real documentation is ... challenging. In my own experience, 90% of my mishaps are being caused by the trim and fighting the SAS/autopilot and judging by the number of threads and possible bug reports about the controls I don't think I am alone. When I go down I am usually in direct opposition to a SAS input and I just fight the SAS into the ground. An explanation of the trimmer special options, basic function of the trimmer, and what the SAS channels are trying to do in the different modes would be a Godsend.

My track files are corrupted but I can confirm what appears to be a random tail boom failure in straight and level flight. This would be in the single player mode. Airspeed ~300kph Altitude ~ 1000m

Why does people always drop the fuel tank, when real pilots say that it is not allowed unless emergency? Because in DCS, those tanks are free and there is an unlimited number of them available. Like so many things commonly done in DCS, the real world is somewhat different.

Not at all. The C101 has plenty of power to achieve its designed purpose. If you are thinking an F16 is an "airplane" rather than the computer controlled rocket that it really is then I can see why you might be confused. The C101 uses aerodynamics rather than brute force and fancy computers to do its job. "Am i doing something wrong or is this the characteristics of the plane?" Its not characteristic of the plane so... hard to tell without knowing what you are doing. To be fair, the initial rollout is long. It doesn't accelerate very fast. Once at rotation speed it lifts off easily. Keep the nose around 7 degrees above the horizon until it accelerates to 140-160 knots and by then you should be seeing several thousand feet per minute climb. A year after I bought the module I still forget the Manual Power Reserve. I am a bad pilot.

I suspect Wags' next Hind video will answer that question. I would be shocked if the Hind required any throttle adjustments after setting at 100%. I have been known to be wrong though.

Thanks for the tip but yes, I did check to make sure that option was still selected. Last week it just started working the way it should again. <shrug>

An extension adds a ton of control improvement and makes helicopter control much more manageable. I could never fly without an extension again. I have the VKB Gunfighter III but I have the springs in there. You feel it, and its tiring on a long flight when you are pushed forward and hauling butt, but having no spring force and only a stiff dry clutch would feel ... weird... to me. I think an absence of any force feedback would be worse than the cheesy feedback the springs provide. I don't think there is any controller out there in the consumer level we are talking about that can provide "realistic" control feedback.