Rhino4

Join a squad and find out first hand. I'd point you in the direction of 51st.org but we primarily fly russian birds.

Okay Bucic, check it: You say that you shouldn't be held responsible for the mission builder's failure to privide you with AI that can accomplish your mission. I AGREE! However, since we're using a "semi-dynamic" system here, maybe the mission builder INTENDED for your strike package to fail so that you would be forced to play a specific mission next (Groove's counter attack). They are correct in saying that it is the mission builder's responsability to ensure at least the possibility of strike package success. If they didn't do that, then you should not be penalized, or even consider yourself penalized but rather trust that the mission builder has everything well in hand and just go with it (and if he didn't think of it ahead of time then he's a frickin' newb)...And ya know what? If you DO manage to bust your way in there without help and take out the SAMs AND your target, then maybe the next mission will be UBER cool in reward. So don't think of yourself as relying on the AI, but rather as relying on the mission builder. With the new system coming up I forsee some VERY interesting campaigns being built, but I also forsee some very crappy missions from inexperienced mission builders... And since I'm in this thread, I would like to ask a question of my own: Online cooperative campaigns - Everyone knows that most of the dedicated servers on hyperlobby have multiple missions that rotate on a time scale (usually two to three hours), or at least the 51st-dedicated does. Would it be possible to build an online campaign and set up a server so that it would rotate to the next mission depending on mission failure/success? For example: The campaign starts at the base/beginning mission for the campaign. If people join and complete the mission, then at the end of the two hours, the server will advance to the next mission in the campaign (depending on which triggers/goals/points were completed, this may be one of several missions). Now say that people leave the server after completing two phases of a three phase campaign. At the end of two hours, the server would move the mission back to the previous mission and would continue doing so every two hours until the mission loaded would be the base/beginning mission again. If people joined and completed the mission then the server would begin to advance the campaign again depending on which goals/triggers were met. However, if no one joined then the server would load a NEW campaign at the end of the two hours instead. In this way you would be able to make it very unpredictable as to which mission they would find themselves playing every time they joined, as well as giving a group of players that joined together with the goal of completing the campaign a rewarding experience.

51st dedicated already hosts missions (I think there are about ten of them now) that are identical to what you asking for...I guess people aren't interested in something new though, because everytime the 51st flies there a whole bunch of people join, and then when we quit, so do they.

@ Redtiger: I think I have enough weird nerd-like gadgets associated with this game already, thank you...Although the thought of not having to check the aoa/g-meter when in a dogfight makes it tempting...I already look nerdy enough with my hat and my headset and my microphone and my joystick and my pedals, damnit! Stop tempting me!

What about an american that prefers the ka-50? Does that make me a traitor?

I think that the units you select (imperial/metric) only affects the ui and mission editor. I'm pretty sure that each individual aircraft will still display measurements depending on if it's an eastern or western aircraft. The german mig-29a is the only eastern aircraft that displays imperial units (I think). F-15 will still display knots/feet/lbs if you have "metric" selected as your unit of measurement for the game. PS : It also affects labels and such in-game. Edit: Got so obsessed with correcting vekkinho that I forgot to answer your question lol. A is your angle of attack scale. It is shown at lower speeds and is used for landing purposes. B is your altitude above the ground in feet in measurements of hundreds of feet and is shown when you are below 1000 feet. Ie: your scale shows about 90 feet above the ground. The little R at the bottom left of the scale tells you that your plane is using radar to measure the distance to the ground. Check pages 74 and 75 of the manual for more info.

Would also be nice if a how-to video were included with release for everyone that wants to jump in to building their own missions.

Regarding Feuerfalke's post above, I have a question for Wags or anyone else in-the-know: When creating triggers in the mission editor is it possible to have a scenario where when one unit dies it will initiate a trigger that tells another unit to change waypoints and fill in the gap? If this is so, then you would be able to place "reinforcements" wherever you wanted, or even spawn a new unit into place several miles away from the original unit after it is destroyed. From what I have read I believe that this is possible, and if it is then it would go an incredibly long way towards creating that dynamic feeling that feuerfalke talks about. Sure, the mission would still stay relatively the same every time you played it depending on which triggers you hit or didn't hit, but that first time through would be EXCITING.

Honestly, I'm kinda divided as to my preference on a dynamic versus semi-dynamic campaign. As a mission builder, the new setup will give much more flexibility and many more options to allow you to fully submerse your audience into the story that you wish to tell. From custom sound bytes to triggers to multiple missions per set that the player may or may not go through depending on his/her actions, the mission builder has all the tools he/she needs to tell an interesting, engaging, and most importantly immersive story with multiple endings that rely on the players to decide which specific ending that they will get... A dynamic campaign may be different every time, but after a while, the lack of a scripted story may affect the players immersion.

Of course, Wags. I wasn't saying that they would, or even should change for the first release. Once you've made the first release, you should have ample time to work on that too, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. Until then, I'll be perfectly happy to see black shark using a modified version of the engine that I am already familiar with.

^Agreed. I've seen plenty of explosions (US Army engineer) and none of them looked very much like that. Although they are very pretty explosions, they are also very exaggerated and fake looking...Of course, the explosions in Lock On aren't very realistic either in that regard...

@ Kuky: If you will re-read his post, you will find that nowhere in it does he write the word "automatic." He simply says: So...All that will happen is that his MFD will say "Incoming Missile" and whichever button he has mapped to chaff/flares will change colors. Obviously as anyone could see (I hope, although a few of you are making me lose confidence)...he would still have to press it. Also: For his MFD to recieve information saying that a missile is inbound, his helicopter would need to be equipped with an SPO or RWR of some type. Since all it really has is the L-140 which only tells you that you are being lased and not when a missile is in the air, the point is moot. The only thing he will be able to export that might help him would be data from the L-140, and since it's already displayed in the game, I fail to see how he could possibly use such data to cheat... And as always: Feel free to correct me if you have information that I do not.

Hang on...Are you guys saying the ka-50 doesn't have an spo or rwr of some type? EDIT: Did some research - The ka-50 DOES have a defensive system that will allow you to tell when, and from which direction, you are being lased by combat range-finders and laser designators. It is called the L-140 “Otklik” Laser Warning Receiver. So: The ka-50 DOES have a way to detect a launch other than visually. I have no way to test the effectiveness of such a system and so I don't know how well it will work, but the fact remains that it is there, and is there for EVERYONE to see and utilize. Therefore, since it is an advantage that EVERYONE will posses, I see no reason why he cannot duplicate it on his MFD. SO SO: I fail to see what the big deal is about exporting data for use with his joystick. People do this already with LO and have taken it much further than what he is describing. For an example, I would refer you to "touchbuddy" which has many of the same capabilities that he is describing. I am guessing in the dark here, but since the ka-50's L-140 LWR is mounted in a plain and easy to view area, and since it has nine different lights and indicators on it, I am assuming it would give ample (and probably audio) warning of any threat it detects. Also: Since you already have a visual cue (and possible audio) for such threats in-game, all he is REALLY ASKING for is for the button on his joystick to change color from blue to red. Do you REALLY have a problem with his joystick changing colors? Mine doesn't change colors, and yet I feel no jealousy. Honestly, I don't really see WHY he wants to have his button change color, because I doubt it will give him any real advantage, but if that's what he wants, then he should have the right to try it out if the game supports exporting. Also Also (And correct me if I am wrong here): Since you can't export something in the game which is not already reported in some way or another - ie incoming missiles, then there's really no worry about him cheating via exporting. All he can do is REPLICATE information that the game already gives him. If he wants to replicate it onto his mfd, what's the big deal? What I see here is everyone jumping to the conclusion that OMEGAsquad wishes to cheat and aquire information from the game that is not available to everyone. And I believe that's just not what he intended by his post at all. He just has a cool MFD on his joystick, and he wishes to utilize it. BUT: Even if exporting data NOT reported to the simmer were possible (and correct me if I am wrong and it is) then you really don't have a way to stop it. So you may as well not try. He is going to do whatever he feels will help him enjoy the game. And since ED has already made it quite clear that they will support exporting in BS (http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/index.php?end_pos=567&scr=default&lang=en), you may as well just let him get on with it.

@ Dostoevski: Wouldn't that be heading to waypoint? ALSO: I have a question for anyone that knows... In lock on, when viewed externally, the pilot's head (in an su-27 for example) will only move left or right. It will not move up and down. Has this been changed in BS? I ask because of a new video I recently came across called "Extended CUT" in which a pilot sitting in a jet looks up and around as his canpoy closes. If this has been changed, will I be able to see someone's head moving up and around in multiplayer? P.S. It should be noted that Evil said that the video contained footage from both LO and BS as well as visual effects not included in the game. I only ask because I am not sure which of these I saw when I watched the pilot move his head (BS or special effects of some type).

From personal experience in the military: Nato or American made tracers are usually (but not always) a red color. At night, they appear very much like the red "laser guns" shown in star wars, being a sort of streak of red rather than a red dot flying through the air. During the day, they are much harder to see (individually) and no longer look red at all times. Instead, they appear yellowish at first while the bullet is high velocity, and then transition to an easier to see light reddish color as the bullet slows down. I'm not sure why that is so, but from my own experience, that is what it looks like. Remember: tracers are MUCH harder to see during the day. Tracers are usually about one tracer every five rounds or so. Although I don't have much experience with russian weapons, I CAN tell you that an AK-47's tracers will be green when fired and not red. Lastly, what I tell you is for American and Nato GROUND UNITS only. I have no experience with RL aircraft.

Poko24: I was just razzin' him. He's a friend of mine from the 504th. Brit_Radar_Dude: Uuummmmm....did you see the post by =FV=MAD? Perhaps the song you're talking about is the first song? NeoDark was asking about the second one... Oops sorry to go off topic...

Amazing Video. One of the best right up there with Locsta's and Amraam's videos. Loved the use of in-focus out-focus editing. The scene at 2:06 thru 2:14 (liked the way the tilted camera followed the two-flight through the clouds. Good job on the tight formations, BTW), 2:58 thru 3:00 (high speed out-focus pass), 4:08 thru 4:29 (great use of camera shake, zoom, and out/in-focus editing. I liked how you followed it the whole way through), 5:05 thru 5:18 (reminded me of an eagle I once watched hunting for salmon), 5:23 thru 5:35 (watching from the ground while the missile curved in over my head was great), and 6:45 thru 7:03 (opening on a heat wave and following with quick zoom shots of spooling up was a nice touch) were my absolute favorites. The credits were put together nicely as well. I liked how the atmosphere transitioned from mostly cloudy shots at the beginning to mostly clear shots in the middle and back again to mostly cloudy shots at the end. It helped add to the sense of transition from opening to action to closing.:worthy: I want more. Neodark: The song at the end was by Pink Floyd. Not sure what album it was though...It wasn't electro/techno. It was actually classic rock.:thumbup: As for Shaman and his "cheap rock"...:bash: for you Shaman. :disgust: