howie87

But clouds can be rendered so I don't see how smoke can't...

Corrected for you ;)

Well, I've been wondering where this resolution race was going for a while now. I didn't see the point in higher PPI screens for mobile devices (once you get passed 300 it's almost impossible to see a difference anyway). Let's just hope the marketing departments of said companies don't realise this and keep pushing for higher and higher PPI that we can use in HMD's in the near future. Hopefully they'll get good enough to allow an awesome experience and VR will gain enough popularity to ensure future funding for development of even better optics. I was just doing some research though and this is what was possible a couple of years ago: http://displaydaily.com/2012/03/15/microoled-puts-retina-display-to-shame/ A pixel density of about 2916 PPI in a 0.6 inch, full colour OLED screen. Now this was for military and medical purposes so I don't know how useful it would be for a HMD or how prohibitively expensive it is, but it just goes to show that the technology is already there. It's just a matter of refining it and making it affordable enough for use in consumer products through mass production. The problem is, the need for such technology in the mass market just isn't quite there... Yet. Once average PC's are capable of running games at 60fps and 4k resolutions with all the settings enabled and HMD's are common, the display technology will quickly catch up.

Should be 260kg for the 131 and 209kg for the 184 from those manuals.

Just wondering if there is any difference in game between the two? I know that functionality wise they're the same (in game) but I prefer the look of the 184 because it looks like it would have less weight/drag. Is there any truth in this?

So the hot mic switch doensn't need to be depressed to talk to the ground crew? Do you just turn the rotary dial to INT?

Yeah, but I think DCS only uses 2 cpu cores at the moment. One for sound and one for everything else. Would be nice if we could spread some of the workload between more cores. Even if some of the graphics burden has been offloaded...

Question to Wags - Will EDGE use more than 2 CPU cores?

Gripen NG

Can't get EDGE soon enough! Maybe time for an upgrade for this and the MiG-21 though...

Cheers Eddie ;)

Well, we can extrapolate 1 knot for every thousand feet from that data. I wouldn't say the manual is any 'more precise'.

The latest ATi cards are fast and good value but I've heard they're hot, power hungry and noisy. I'd rather pay a bit more for a geforce card that runs a bit cooler. It's horses for courses though. Boils down to personal preference.

Yeah, DCS and Arma 3 are the only games I really play and they run adequately on my rig with the 560Ti and i5 2500k. I don't have the graphics anywhere near maxed out but I can live with that. The way things are going though, I can see VR taking off with the oculus rift, especially when it comes to sim gaming. This will probably require a much better frame rate for a pleasant experience and thus, more powerful hardware. I think we're on the precipice of virtual reality revolution, where being able to run games in stereoscopic 3D at increasing resolutions and high frame rates will make demands on our PC's again like the good old days. Personally, I think it's damn exciting.

I'm still running a 560Ti and am considering upgrading to a GTX 780. Figure I'll wait until EDGE is finally released though and then see what people say. My motto with PC upgrades is hold off as long as possible then spend more money than you can afford. Maybe we'll have GTX 880's by then!

Some quick tips: Speed is life so don't overload the hog, she's heavy and slow enough already. Also, be mindful of induced drag. Tripple ejector racks are pretty bad for this. Never carry 3 Mavericks on one, always go with 2 or even better, don't take TER's at all. Try not to become a victim of target fixation. On a gun run, get your shots in between 1 and 0.7nm. You should be performing a safe escape manoeuvre before 0.5nm. In the A-10 you will be in a dive for most unguided deliveries so this will most likely be a climbing SEM. The extra speed you gained in the dive is useful here but don't pull too hard or you'll rip the wings off. Try to keep it around 4G's. Countermeasures - use them. Put that missile on your 3 or 9 o' clock, get your Mk1 eyeball on it and start dumping. The more chaff or flares you get in the air, the less chance there is of that missile going after you. Speed is important here also. Be quick on the CMS, fast at beaming that sucker and try and keep your energy up. Use terrain to your advantage and be aware of your surroundings. The best best climb speed in the A-10 is 200 knots minus 1 knot for every thousand feet AMSL. This is real easy to remember. Sea Level - 200 knots 10,000ft - 190 knots 20,000ft - 180 knots Hope this helps.

The thing is, I'm honestly not sure how big the F/A-18C will be for ED... The way everyone talks, hardcore simmers are a dying breed. All I keep hearing is how there's no money to be had in it and how FC3 is the new cash cow in town. It's difficult not to be frustrated when a product that was announced in March last year and that a huge group of people are excited for, is the only thing that we hear absolutely nothing about. The only news there has been on DCS: F/A-18C is that there is no news and not to expect any.

Helicopters have a place in DCS but we desperately need a modern, fast jet. We know it and ED knows it. The problem is they're complicated, they have radar and supersonic flight regimes, guided and unguided air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponary, Data links etc. The simple fact is that it's much quicker, easier and cheaper to push out a WW2 aircraft like the P-51 and charge the same amount of money for it instead. The only blessing is that 3rd parties are still making modules. I just wish Belsimtek would drop the AH-1G and turn out a more modern jet instead of the Sabre. That would open the sim right up and allow us to perform deep strikes, CAP, escort, intercept, SEAD etc instead of the same old CAS and BAI missions. Before anyone says anything, I have no interest in doing this in an FC3 jet. Beczl is probably the best hope that we'll ever be able to fly those sort of missions in a high fidelity aircraft. Albeit one that's still pretty dated and decidedly Russian. With everything else ED have on their plate, I doubt they've even started on the F/A-18C yet.

I'm finding that on long range shots, the AIM-120 climbs to altitude properly but then decends too quickly. The flight profile looks somewhat like an inverted V. The sharp turn at the top to face the target bleeds a lot of energy and the missile seems to descend too quickly and ends up falling short. On the other hand, the AIM-9 seems a lot more spritely with the reduced lift and drag of 1.2.7. Perhaps the 120 should receive similar treatment to make up for the sub optimum flight profile? Not the most realistic solution but probably the easiest fix. Of course I'd rather ED just solved the problem but any fix is better than none.

I'll be on after work. I actually find it quite satisfying when DCS crashes for a good cause!

I just did a quick test and managed to hit an Ilyushin Il-78 at 35nm with an AIM-120C. Both at 30,000ft and 400 knots, head on. Seems 'bout right to me.

You'd have to read WAY more than the just the manual to be able to successfully and correctly use the A-10C. I'm sure the USAF would agree.

Bump. Can't get the accelerator pedal working in 1.2.7 either.

Thanks and Merry Christmas ED!

Any progress on the English cockpit? Just bought the Mi-8 and I'm seriously confused!