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The big difference between the Tomcat and Mudhen is that any system in the Mudhen can be accessed by either station, so while there is a natural division of labor there are no restrictions on what is accessible. In other words, while having a human WSO in a F-15E would be great, flying one solo would not pre-empt anybody from utilizing any weapons systems.

Some people are taking this way too seriously. There's a big difference between a cheat and a workaround, and the Pilot LANTIRN mod definitely falls in the "workaround" category. Some people may want to make and fly a single player A/G mission, and with Jester in its current state the only way would be this mod. Similarly, the same people may want to fly the F-14 in Coop, but don't have the people to jump in the backseat. I think anybody who flies DCS instead of War Thunder would rather have someone in the backseat to control the LANTIRN, but why say no to flexibility in favor of realism for realism's sake? My personal opinion is that HB should do the following things for the LANTIRN: Make the LANTIRN commands available for the pilot, but don't map them. Let people who want it configure it and use it. Make it a server-side option to disable the possibility of pilot-controlled LANTIRN (e.g. if the server wants to enforce said realism). Automatically disable pilot control of LANTIRN when a human RIO is present. People can have their cake and eat it too.

More good news for VR users: I have finally added the routine to switch profiles using the HOTAS instead of the MFDs. The routine itself was easy, but the tough part was finding the global button assignment across all profiles. I settled on S3+SPDB/T9 Long to enter module select mode, and you use H2 to select the module. I also have AIRIO for VAICOM Pro integrated in 2.34. This is going to be a significant change log. My plan is to time 2.34 with the stable release of DCS 2.5.5, as some of the default lua files have changed and I want everything to work simultaneously with both beta and stable branches.

Thanks for the input, Stal2k. Going HTML for the inserts may be too much for now, but I can certainly put a table in the Advanced Config Guide so when you click the help in CTS it shows you up front. I can then copy the table to the opening section of both Cougar and Warthog HTML pages. In other news, I got the Boat Switch as Master Arm + ACM working for the Tomcat. I also think I have a way of doing profile selection from the HOTAS instead of MFDs. The Boat Switch function is in internal testing, and I'm hoping to have the new profile selection functionality in 2.34.

I should be able to swing that!

Hey guys, I should clarify: The JPGs as shown are for TrackIR users. VR is a special case because 1) Hat1 doubles as your mouse buttons/wheel, 2) you choose whether the mouse functionality is shifted or unshifted (trim being the counterpart control), and 3) none of the padlock views are ever mapped for VR. VR users should disregard most of what Hat1 says on the JPG. FWIW, my Hat1 commands are global, and the only time you shouldn't need to double-tap to change stations is when hat trim is not utilized (e.g. UH-1), and then double-tap is only necessary for stations 3 and 4 (1 and 2 are single tap). I will review my manual to see if I have explained this, and you guys please let me know if there is somewhere in the manual(s) you think this should go to address this from the outset.

Not all NATOPS are equal, and for aircraft with multiple variants in service it should tell you which airframes are applicable to that volume. Are you perhaps reading the NATOPS for B model Tomcats with the Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) update?

Azimuth, Elevation, Scan width and Scan Bars are musts. Even if they're not on the HCU in real life, it's unrealistic and tedious to have to look at the knobs to manipulate them (taking eyes off the TID and DDD). I would map Azimuth and Elevation to the hat switch. I also recommend base buttons for PD-Search, RWS, TWS (Man and Auto) ,PD-STT, and IFF. The other thing you really want for which I would set one of your free buttons as a switch in DCS (it's a modifier that's a toggle rather than held) is the LANTIRN control stick. See my guide for recommendations on LANTIRN mapping. Even though it's uses the TM sticks for its example, the basics are there for you.

Here's the way it works in VR with trim default set to 1 (I believe I revamped the routine in 2.33 for bug fixing): If you're flying a helo with more than 2 crew that doesn't use hat trim (e.g. Huey), Right/Left cycles stations 1/2 and Right/Left Long cycles stations 3/4. If you're flying a 2 seat aircraft or a helo that uses hat trim (e.g. F-14, L-39, SA342), double-tapping Left/Right changes stations. If trim default = 0, then S3+hat in the manner indicated above should do the trick. I just tested with Head tracking = 2 and Default Trim = 1, and had no problem activating the station change commands from the Options menu. IIRC, the only change I've made to the VR hat code since 2.33 is fixing a Cougar bug. If you guys are still having issues in-game, please let me know whether it fails in the DCS Options Menu, and whether you get the numbers (R_SHIFT+1/2 for F-14) in the TARGET Event Tester. This might at least narrow down the cause of the issue.

I wasn't planning on purchasing it, but if people want me to support it I'll open up the crowd-funding spigot! Then I could support it for the AV-8B, F/A-18, and F-14 for starters. No plans to support it for FC3 right now.

Thanks for those. I've revised the A/P code for the next version. I also incorporated support for the Pilot LANTIRN mod. I don't use VR, but I'll investigate. If you flip the ACM switch, the bore/norm switch is context sensitive, i.e. if you don't have a lock it goes to brsit and when you get a lock it goes back to norm. No real need to HOTAS this. I'll look into your Master Arm+ACM idea, but it may take some time.

I've seen it as well.

Thanks. I noticed the blur from the original settings I had, so I'll give this a go.

Looking at this further, I could definitely implement something for APENG. The Boat Switch may take more time, but it is doable, as is a strategy for the AP 3 position switch. Since I don't have any experience using the ACLS or autothrottle, I would like to get a step-by-step instruction on how to use both in the pattern so I can create mappings that are logical. These may be a bit more difficult to do. Should be doable, but may be a nightmare to implement. Problem is that I have control routines spread across the file that remap controls based on station (pilot/rio), gear state, engine start, LANTIRN, CommState, VAICOM (with AI RIO), et al. I need to map out a flowchart before I start playing with this stuff, as the more configurations I allow, the more things that can break. I'll explore further, but no promises. The Bore ACM mode is PLM, which is mapped to the eraserhead push button. I keep PAL on DMS L/R so people don't need to remember which side to use for what is a push in the jet. I'm not entirely sure about the missile mode switch, but from what I understand (and I could very well be wrong) the ACM cover takes care of this functionality as well.

These are some sound recommendations, and I'll look into them. I'm assuming you're not using MFDs, which have the Master Arm and ACM cover already spoken for. The HOTAS graphics aren't really set for kneeboard use, but you should check out MFDisplay. Scotty and I are working together to integrate features, and this will quite simply put MFD inserts and Warthog HOTAS jpgs on an auxiliary monitor, and will switch when you load a different aircraft profile. You could also run it independently on a remote PC or laptop.

Chuck, I completely agree. The release of the EFM and the CC variant has taken the module to a new level, and the flight director is a great way to train basic navigation.

Nope. They just teach us not to take a single ship into a fight like that in the first place. ;)

Thanks, ElCuco. Just to clarify, even though I was an NFO I wasn't a Tomcat guy. Under the umbrella of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, this document falls squarely under "technique" based solely on my experience in DCS.

LANTIRN on the F-14 Tomcat is a system that requires coordination between the Pilot and RIO, both in terms of action and switchology. This guide discusses how to set up for GBU employment with LANTIRN, how to coordinate drops, and how to run "buddy-lasing" with the F-14 lasing for other aircraft. Feedback is encouraged. :joystick: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j7pzxo760jpmr6f/F-14%20LANTIRN.pdf?dl=0

Great news, Fishbreath! I had a (very) minor role in tweaking the APEX mission, so I would like to share some recommendations for you. These should be very minor tweaks, and I have included them in the enclosed miz. For Tomcats, add an AWACS with the EPLRS flag enabled so the Link 4 will work properly. I dropped an E-2D in the mission, but you may wish to tie it to your dynamic script instead. I added the stored heading to the Tomcats to reduce the INS alignment time. Tomcats also have specialty waypoints that are inserted much like target waypoints in the Ka-50. For demonstration, I have added the Hostile Area (HA) around the eastern-most bandit spawn zone, Surface Target (ST) to the abandoned Kobuleti airfield, and a visual Fix Point (FP) to a rail bridge on the Enguri river. I added the AV-8B and AJS-37 as well. For the AJS-37, I added two waypoints for nav updates. These are similar to the fix points in the Tomcat, but they are entered as standard waypoints and just have a text description. The first waypoint is the same rail bridge for a visual fix, and the following waypoint is a radar fix point at the eastern tip of the island at the Enguri River delta. These help with tightening the navigation solution in the Viggen, which is often necessary because it's a Doppler system. Additionally, it looks like the airfield assignments have conflicts at Senaki-Kolkhi. I think this is just the renumbering of parking spots with 2.5. I didn't change these, but wanted to bring it to your attention. Again, glad to see this great mission getting a new lease on life, along with the ability to export the framework to other theaters! Super Multiplayer Range Blue v6.0a Unbranded.miz

Sound like the Mic Sw Down may be kicking on intermittently. With Jester, when you push down on the Mic Sw, it holds down Left Shift to allow the use of H1 for the Jester menu. Of course, since you tap the Mic Sw, it shouldn't hold down shift and you can use head tracking, but if trim isn't working the shift modifier may be your culprit. Can you consistently reproduce this bug? If so, please provide me the steps.

I hear you; I experience the same thing with my TARGET profile (Cougar vs Warthog, VR vs TrackIR, modules, etc.), though since it isn't payware I don't face the same pressures that you do. However, I am an experienced test engineer (hardware and software) with a Win7 setup, and I keep both beta and release versions on my PC (for my version comparison), so I would be happy to test and report on your behalf.

:thumbup: Thank you so much, sc_neo. I would have never thought that the issue was a UDP bandwidth issue on the same computer that is running both pieces of software. I now have chatter and Hot Mic working now as well.

Great Guide. Thanks! :beer:

I'm not sure what you mean with regard to the issue, but here is what my PTT screen looks like before I load DCS (SRS mapping enabled): Once I load the F-14 Cold Start Instant Action mission, the PTT screen shows the same display. Then, I cycle the Select PTT Mapping button (the button just below the selector knob) to default and back to SRS. Then I get the following display: Does this clarify anything?