Tank50us

That was my reaction.... as you can tell.

And much of that comes from all the extra equipment needed to support the dude in the back seat, and all the kit needed to deploy the AtG weapons, and that's before you add in the CFTs Because to add that feature, you'd basically have to go through making an entirely new flight model that accounts for the fact that those tanks, and their weapon stations, aren't present. And given how long it's taking them to model the thing as it currently is, I really don't want to wait another 2+ years for them to do all that work for a feature that most of us won't use. Seriously, if you're going to fly an F-15E without the CFTs for an air to air fight.... why not just load up the F-15C? (and 'because it's Low Fidelity' is not an acceptable answer)

This was discussed to death in another thread, and the response has been 'no' from the Developers. Why are people obsessed with the subject?

It's simple assuming you know that the loadout will work first time every time, and you're good at planned strikes. I still argue it'd be much better for us all if ED just gave us a "Save Loadout" button on the rearming page to begin with. That being said, the rearming page could use a bit of an overhaul to begin with. For example, I'd very much like to know what my weight and balance is when I'm loading a plane up, so I can properly set my trim before take-off.

Or ED could create a "Save Loadout" button on the window so you can just do that with a single click. That way, you can also fly test it in a public server, land, rearm and adjust as needed.

And while most of us are certainly on board with something that getting added to the game that could be useful for fun.... like always there's someone who just has to act like the fun police... Like I said earlier, a Dragon,, Kaiju, or UFO would be fun as heck to have just for those occasions when you want to do something completely stupid.

I think what he's wanting is the ability to do this live in a mission on multiplayer on top of doing it in the Mission Editor

Honestly I think the best long term move is to be a bit more open to 3rd party devs, this way we can get more aircraft, even ones that never made it off the drawing board, or out of testing. Such a strategy could also get around the Russian Laws against portrayals of their equipment. And with multiple variations of specific air frames available to model, I don't think it'll be an issue when it comes to module selection.

To a degree yes. Remember that ED doesn't just work on a single module at a time like some of the 3rd Party Devs, they have several going all at once, and each module has a team that makes it, and then one team that maintains it all post launch. Also remember that they're making modules not just based on what sells and what doesn't, but also based on what information they have available to them, and the amount of R&D required to lay the groundwork for the module to begin with. Some may accuse me of just being a suck-up when I bring this up, but it is something many fail to consider when starting a module. Including locating and studying technical manuals, talking to the people who fixed and flew the aircraft, talking to the people who designed it... I imagine this takes months, if not years to do before you can even create the first part of the 3D assets, and that's before getting into the coding of it all.

As odd as this sounds, I'd say the best option for those is to add them to the existing Marianas map, and then just rename it to "Pacific Theater". But that's just my wild and whacky thinking, so what do I know

I believe they said that the Tin Shield Radar is just a placeholder for now

On the A/O/MH6, it's more than just an "MD500 with a FLIR pod", it's something that is used by special forces, and therefor, still has a lot in use that's highly classified. So, with that said, let's assume they do add it.... which version do you go with? There are several that are currently in service right now with the US Military, and several that have been used historically. The best solution for that is to just introduce the MD500, throw in a couple sub-variants, and call it there. Doing that at least gives us the chance to recreate the battle between Stoller and Stinger from Fire Birds. On the subject of asset packs, there's a reason why people don't do them 'for free'... it's because it takes several days of 9-5 work to make the basic 3D mesh for a single unit (we'll say a Centurion as an example), and that's at bare minimum. Now, a lot of people have ahard time justifying doing any of that for free, but at the same time, a lot of DCS players get wary over the very idea of paying for an AI Asset Pack that even accidentally including one unit from will result in everyone being required to have that pack on their machines before they can play the mission. Finally, remember many of the things you asked for have information about them that's still highly classified, and will likely remain so for years to come. And for aircraft and assets that aren't placed behind very big steel doors, it can take up to a year or more for a dedicated team to release the asset in a playable state (Longbow will likely release late this year, after being announced late last year), so even if someone announced "Hey, I'm making X for DCS as a paid module", they will be working on it for the next year or more until it's ready.

Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd make it something akin to the Jam from Yukikaze, as they already move like the AI aircraft in DCS do anyway, so I think it'd be kind funny to try and actually fight them in a realistic setting. And given that the Jam are mostly just geometric shapes anyway, they should be easy to model. But then again, what do I know? I just like to have some fun every now and then

As odd as this request is... it's certainly not a bad one. I wouldn't mind some sort of fantasy asset being in DCS (like a Dragon, UFO, Kaiju, etc), purely for the fun of it. But it would have to be added by the devs and made available for free, cuz I don't think many people would pay for it.

Well, to be fair, what you listed would be enough for an "OH CRAP!" startup, where your FOB is being shelled and it's get airborne now or die

in short: I'm sus(picious)

you know the memes at least

I see I'm not the only one busting out the multi-colored space suits.....

Hey @Admiral189any chance you could do a 'remodel' of the Kirov we have in game? I think it's due for one, and ED doesn't seem too interested in making it.

Actually, if you read the entire statement, you'd be aware that I pointed out that if brute forcing your way through the problem isn't working, then maybe you need to get around the problem. You're in a freaking airplane for cripes-sake, you can move in three dimensions, start thinking in three dimensions! That's what Snipers are for after all.

oh how long did it take you to think that one up? XD

Yeah, on this subject I'll just say this: MANPADS are meant to be part of a proper air defense regime, one that incorporates multiple systems all working together to make an entire stretch of sky a complete no-fun zone for aircraft. The first layer is made of the bigger and nastier systems, such as Patriot and the SA-2 or SA10, which sit in a predetermined area, and basically dare the other guy to come at them. The second layer is typically mobile systems that can be in one spot one day, and another spot the next. The US doesn't have many of these at the moment, as we relay on CAP, but the Reds use the SA6, SA11, and similar systems for this purpose. Note that all of the aforementioned systems up to this point are firing missiles the size of telephone poles, which is part of the reason for their speed and range. Once you're through that layer, now you have to contend with what I call the 'roving' systems, such as Geopard, Roland, Linebacker, Avenger, Tunguska, Shilka, Tor (hiss), and that Chinese thing we have in game. As well as static short-medium range missiles like the Hawk, Rapier, NASAMS, and SA3. These are meant to fill the gaps where the more expensive systems can't quite cover. Finally, you have the systems meant to catch the guys trying to be sneaky. Typically these are MANPADS like Igla and Stinger, but can also be some of the short-ranged stuff mentioned above that doesn't rely on radar, so they're even harder to locate for SEAD flights. You may even attach something like Avenger or a really skilled Shilka to the bunch, and just have them move around from time to time. If they hear something coming, that will mean they have time to set up and be ready for the aircraft to enter the kill zone. This part is actually pretty easy if the preparations were done right, as the hostile jet will be flying within the envelope by this point (for fear of getting smacked by the telephone poles mentioned earlier), and will be going slower than they normally would to avoid having a sudden and violent interaction with the terrain, which makes them easy meat for a MANPADS. So basically, you're damned if you fly above the MANPADS range, because the bigger SAMs will shoot at you, and damned if you fly low to avoid the big scary SAMs because the smaller ones will get you. Helicopters get it the worst because they can't fly out of the MANPADS engagement zone, and rely on being very proactive to avoid getting a missile up the backside. So in short, if you're flying a mission where you can't figure out how to penetrate the enemy airspace because of the various AA threats, and brute forcing it isn't working, then maybe you should try doing what modern planners have done: Use the weapons designed around this problem for their intended roles. Weapons like the JSOW were meant to be hurled at high value targets deep inside enemy territory, because who cares if 7/8 get shot down, if the 8th hits the target, the job is done, head back to the boat for beer and medals. The problem isn't the weapon system you're up against... maybe, the problem is you, and you need to rethink how you approach the problems the mission designer presented.

So, how easy is she to start? Flick a couple switches and she comes alive? Would you be willing to share the wisdom of how to kick the spurs in this stallion and get her going?

One thing I've been thinking of since I saw the IHADS video.... and re-watched Fire Birds (awesome movie btw for anyone who hasn't seen it).... and I got to thinking about what it would take to make my own IHADS for DCS, one that could also be used with other planes in place of my wishywashy TrackIR system. Who's got ideas, and who's actually planning on doing something similar?

huh, odd, I could've sworn that the B-1B, an aircraft from the era of FBW, would have some sort of ability to keep the pilot from breaking the plane.