Bourrinopathe

Based on Google Earth and the members familiar with the area, I think they build a really good version of the Nevada environment. Their goal is obviously to create a convincing and credible representation of the area and in no way an exact reproduction. [EDIT: as Mr_Burns suggested ;) ] It's focused on the NTTR, and thus, the military activity simulated in DCS. Wags has posted a comment about the missing casinos/hotels/landmarks in LV and they're not going to be added anytime soon. Even if the major focus is on the combat theater I'm still astonished by the little details and level of fidelity the kind of comments you made are bringing to the light. A perfect reproduction at that scale would require an insane amount of work: all the different 3D buildings with the correct colors, collision models, the different areas including the vegetation, with different seasons, etc. ! :doh: I'm wondering if it's possible to modify the terrain and add user made buildings but I doubt it will be possible. Afaik the terrain tools are only accessible to serious third party developers for specific projects. And it's probably better for the DCS series to keep it that way (even if I would gladly pay for specific additional areas (airbase/airport/airfield), it would be a mess in multiplayer).

There's no official announcement that I know of and no ETA, but most probably, yes. Every FC3 aircraft is going that way. The new 6DOF cockpit is there, the external model is WIP, the only thing really missing is an AFM/PFM. A stand alone module looks like a natural evolution.

That's exactly why I didn't buy a Warthog (and, of course, I loved VKB's "Cobra" russian stick design). The gimbal is the vital part. And for a home simulation, I think a good quality plastic/resin grip is more efficient than a metal grip. Ok metal is probably virtually indestructible but with a modular design, good ABS/polypropylene/resin and excellent buttons/hat quality, it should fit the need of most pilots. The mechanical stress on the grip should remain reasonable. To illustrate my thinking: the real F-18 flight grip is made of a nonmetallic resin like material. So it can't be that bad! (also: I already tried the Warthog grip) Most of us are not piloting with gloves, we're piloting different airframes with the same HOTAS, so I'd prefer owning different control sticks on a modular design instead of a metal replica build to last ages (unless I'd want to build a dedicated sim pit, which I won't). In the long term I'd probably prefer evolving to different control stick designs. But I also understand some people would want their stick to last a decade of abuse (and that's what I require from my gimbal(s)).

Thanks for those pictures Sokol! I was seriously considering adding that "2" button… or preferably a momentary toggle/rocker switch (ON-OFF-ON). It's interesting to see there was some interest for more controls. And I agree VKB would greatly benefit from a better visibility and english manuals. They seem to be on the right track though and the new russian website (vkb-sim.pro) is a good and important step. I can't imagine how much work is required right now with all the products about to hit the market! And UIV might be crazy about quality but it's also why I love VKB's work and design. I remember a video showing the stress test on the KG12 trigger and if I recall correctly the amount of pressure and successive actuation were definitely overkill ;) (I'm not sure, but I think it used 1kg pressure on the button each time). Thanks for all the insight RFC Rudel/DHRF and Sokol. And please, Rudel, keep your heart safe and sound, you'll need it to pump at full power in the upcoming months! I really hope the affordable Gladiator series will sell really well. I'm not flying WWII aircraft but I'm considering buying one for the Mustang P-51D and the MiG-15Bis. And also because I'm curious about the design. Same for the Gunfighter series… unfortunately for my budget. I already own a perfectly efficient Black Mamba MkII and even if I'm fully satisfied with the current gimbal (feeling, precision, obvious resistance), I want to try that new gimbal to see if it can push my comfort and control even further and closer to what I'd consider a perfect mechanical response for a specific aircraft (mostly the Su-27 in that case). See? VKB is becoming an addiction (as a martial artist, I'd consider their way of perfecting the devices like a flight controls gung fu :D)

Here's a short article about VKB (english) (2012).

More shadow options would be useful as it's known to be a taxing process. Something restricting the dynamic shadows to certain object categories, or several options we could choose: Dynamic shadow : □ all □ player aircraft □ all aircraft □ buildings □ … That's just a thought, but I'm convinced more options will allow the users to adjust the rendering performance. Also, a tooltip could explain the effect of the shadows quality setting for the newcomers. But more options could kill the options (becoming confusing and cumbersome).

:thumbup: I meant I'm happy to hear the latin America team is helping and improving the efficiency. I encourage you to do the best you can! :weight_lift_2: (unless I got what you said the wrong way)

Great to hear! Do your worst! VKB deserves that much and we all want more modular devices!

The centerlines seem to be precisely placed here. I even put the static object icon on top of an active AI aircraft icon (same aircraft) (then I deleted the AI aircraft). But even a soldier or a humvee are spawned on the roof (just tested).

^ :megalol: Great find ! More surprising than the Area 51 "thing" !

I'm pretty sure the whole VKB thing started with a "what-if"! So… It can only happen. We just need to clone the team so it will happen faster ;)

No idea about the civilian airports but at least Tonopah should be high on their list. And that has to be done. It's a somewhat significant military area ;) [source]

That's a constructive observation. Even if the civilian traffic is a detail in the whole theater, it would be great if it could be modified in a future update. I just flew over the Bald Mountain a few hours ago. Next time, I'll go check that Little Ale'Inn. Thanks for the info ;)

I meant "modern" russian design, sorry I forgot that detail ;) The KG12 is going to be a fantastic grip. No doubt. And with "modern" clickable hats.

Amazing skills AlexandrT! Thanks for sharing the video and the precious explanation! I didn't have the opportunity to experience the Mi-8MTV2 yet but I'm surely looking forward to it. That kind of demonstration is always stimulating and a reminder of how interesting it is to perfect our piloting skills (even virtual).

"I badly want to go to Las Vegas" with a friend. So I'll offer the key (I already own the Nevada terrain). He recently bought a new GTX 970, a new power supply, the Su-27 module, I gave him my good old Extreme 3D Pro, and he's just superbroke for the end of the year and couldn't afford the NTTR terrain in time :) Let's roll those dice! Whatever happens, thanks a lot for that gesture. Very kind of you! + rep for spreading the love.

No more russian stick until they release that sexy PAK FA inspired goodness… around 2020 ^^ Those who now almost own the Cobra/Su-34-like stick can feel lucky ;) I even asked for a stick alone (for wild modding intentions) but it was already out of stock. The complete FBM MkIII had the highest priority.

Did you restart DCSW after changing the option? (from my experience, the custom cockpits are only applied if you restart DCSW)

The static objects are placed on top of the roofs whereas the active AI and player aircraft are placed correctly: Creech AFB - parking area D (I didn't try to place other static objects like ground vehicles) [system info]

It looks like a performance rendering technique. [EDIT: it's the same when you switch views between objects distant from eachother]

I think they said they were considering adding more airports in a Q&A, but I can't recall precisely which ones. It's still an alpha after all.

It's available in DCSW 2.0 open alpha. Options -> Specials tab -> L-39C tab -> Dismount Gun Sight. I assume it will be included in the next 1.5 OB update.

No. ED has submitted a poll recently asking what improvement we would like the most and the dynamic campaign won the first place iirc. Let's hope it might happen, eventually.

Also there's AirNav for the diagrams. I can't find Creech and only a rough one for Groom Lake (not in AirNav) (obviously). [ame=http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1512/00227AD.PDF]Nellis AFB[/ame] [ame=http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1512/00662AD.PDF]Mc Carran[/ame] Groom Lake

Same collision bug (?) with a Su-27 in the Death Valley (south to north). Flying below 50 m was ok for a while, then the Su-27 exploded (probably below sea level, entering Badwater Basin). [system info] Track attached. NTTR - Death Valley crash.trk