FLANKERATOR

Hey Daniel, Yes MP is much much better now so yes plenty of action is around the corner ;) As for the site itself, I'm working on a new theme but what I expected to be a normal upgrade turned out to be very time-consuming...but I'm getting there! Thanks for your interest and sorry for the extended downtime.

LAN here as well...would be great to have a clear call on which one is best for current version.

@lunaticfringe: We are all open to anything that could make DCS a better simulation and as I already mentioned, the sim is not perfect, there is and there will always be room for improvement just like the missile will never be 100% foolproof no matter how you implement it in the game. There are way too many parameters and factors that affect the performance in RL and no algorithm can deal with all of that. You remember that missile effectiveness slider in earlier versions? all you can do is bring it all the way to the right, you can keep enhancing all you want, you may end up with an over modeled version similar to what we had in the past and I think this also plays a significant factor in frustrating average Eagle drivers that got used to easy TWS kills or even new comers with less to no experience in the sim. You don't see proficient F-15 pilots moaning about it because of the right mindset and true understanding of BVR in the sim. So once again, no one is discrediting those guys' work, if it can improve the sim and bring it closer to RL, let it be. No one is 'pissing on the assembled', there are just different opinions going into the mix. Has anyone of you guys tried the R-77? it's a joke compared to the 120. Little suggestion for all as a bottom line: how about including an acmi to back up claims, we would have a more constructive conversation.

As far as I read, Frostie has been on the receiving end when it comes to 'insulting'...matter of fact, He IS an expert in DCS and knows what he is talking about especially BVR. It is known that missiles are WIP in DCS, almost all of them, that doesn't mean they're not decently modeled and serve their purpose well in the game. There is always room for improvement but let's not forget that after all, a missile remains a MISSile no matter what, sometimes it will miss for no obvious reason even on a perfectly cooperative target and sometimes, it will hit against all the odds. The R-27ER is still failing when 'on paper' it should hit, the R-77 is much worse...I don't test the AMRAAM much but I believe it needs some tweaking too. Missiles are constantly being improved in DCS just like in RL! The mindset of "I'm that fast, that high, that close so I MUST kill" is not working and will never work. The opponent, the situation and respective awareness play a major role on whether there will be a kill or not, so you may end up firing all your payload on the same guy and still miss. The other way around is also true, you may pull the trigger 3 times in TWS and end up with 3 kills! It all depends on many things besides luck.

I would add a 'Not yet' as I feel we're heading towards it, at least for the Su-27 and F-15C, but that's just my 2 cents.

Hey Daniel, Open Beta is hibernating now. 1.2.7 has been announced as having an 'improved' network stability though most of the servers are still crashing when populated, maybe less than before. A recent theory, which I found interesting, says crashing and re-spawning a certain number of times does actually trigger a server crash. Others suspect memory leakage within C++ source code, while most of the testers try to isolate reproducible occurrences. Long story short, we're not quite there yet, but network stability is now clearly of a high priority for ED which is a good sign especially with an involved and motivated community. There is room for some MP action I would say providing you take care of some extra details :)

Sometimes dropping all your payload (missiles included) and dumping fuel will be necessary to survive, every pound counts when it comes to maneuvering and acceleration.

Hey Valium, It won't be easy to get help on FC2 by now but if I were you I would try my luck on the French forums such as Checksix, 3rd Wing and EVAC. Many Rafale and Mirage fans out there.

Now THAT's a landing! greaaat work so far guys! Already salivating over these AFM's :D

Imagine the cross at the center of the TEWS fitting inside a ring, that ring is equivalent to 1 SPO light-emitting diode which is around 10 km for a jet onborad radar and 1km for an ARH missile, of course in FC. From there you can extrapolate to get a rough distance from any threat. It's much more efficient for missile dodging though, less accurate for a HOJ attempt.

You won't need more to enjoy FC3. I've myself used Logitech 3D Pro for a year or so before upgrading to X-52. many folks don't even have a joystick. As for which game to spend most time on, it simply depends on which you enjoy the most. You may find yourself back into DCS after a while...I was a big gamer as well before stumbling on LOMAC many years ago which reminded me of my childhood dream job :)

Sitting targets is a bit exaggerated IMO. It's true that the Russian jets do have few handicaps to deal with currently but they can still hold their own. Ask 51st and how they overcame fully-fledged F-15C's during the last SATAC :)

Cool new design mate!

Yes, the Cobra maneuver will be back as part of the upcoming AFM in a more realistic fashion (not scripted anymore).

Correct AFAIK. -15/+30 vertical degrees for the Su's manually slewable (yet to be implemented) and detached from the horizon.

This is how I looked like the first time I fired up FC2 and pulled the trigger: :joystick:

Hello Az', I think 'sliding' simply means 'including' in that sentence hence explained in between brackets right away. Here is a go in French : " Le calcul des caractéristiques aérodynamiques est effectué de façon séparée pour chaque composant cité plus haut en rapport avec l'angle d'attaque local et super-critique, la pression dynamique locale et la vitesse en Mach, le tout en prenant en considération la déviation ainsi que les dégâts causés aux surfaces de contrôle ainsi qu'au fuselage."

That's what I wanted to hear :) The announcement of the F-15C's AFM has mentioned stunning low speed maneuvrability so we are kind of expecting even more capabilities at those regimes for the Flanker as aside from unscripted 'Cobra' and 'Hammerhead' nothing has been added on the heads up. I 'fee'l that we are slowly moving towards a fully DCS modernization for almost all FC aircrafts. (6DOF-->3Dmodel---->AFM---->clickable cockpit..) :thumbup:

That's what I meant and I'm aware this is something that may be implemented in 1.2.7 onwards.

Alright so EOS 27 = EOS 29 + 15 degrees vertical bonus thanks to upcoming ability to slew up. Of course there are several scan modes in RL but this is what we are going to get for FC3.

Got it. So auto scan within the track zone which we will be able to slew vertically after the update. The scan zone has been announced as +-15/+-30 but how about the track zone (physical limits)?

Would that mean we're switching back to a plain manual elevation control for the Su's, or would the scan still be automatic until pilot input overtakes? It would also be good to hear official vertical and azimuth mechanical limits once and for all?

Alright, so I assume the dashed area in the picture above represents what is hidden by the aircraft nose. Then it means you can't see anything below say -10 degrees unless you maneuver to do so. What the HUD displays does not represent possible real scan angles. Now we just need to put up with the +15 limited vertical scan as it goes higher in RL. A slight nose up should normally do the trick by the time we get a more accurate EOS implementation.

Hey Pajeezy, congrats on already deciding to fly air to air in multipllayer, that means that you must have already got the hang of the technical stuff and have a good feel on how the radar modes, EOS, countermeasures and ECM work as well as their respective limits, also your missiles effectiveness, especially speed and range and last but not least, your jet's acceleration, rate of climb, endurance and maneuverability under different configurations. Knowing your aircraft's capabilities to the fullest extent will help you make the right decision as there are unlimited number of complex situations that you could face in a multilayer air to air arena. Note that the capability of the MiG-29 is not the same in every scenario, so whether you'll be flying in a packed open server, closed mission or 1on1, your approach should be different but generally speaking, the best is to try the opposite of what you've have been doing so far which means, rely on your radar and learn active scanning, patrol as high as you can without contrailing. Sneaky tactics and EOS based style should not be your primary goal for now, this you can develop later and in a much more natural way after learning how to fight straight BVR. So regardless of who you face, just try to press as much as you can without crossing the red line and always consider holding a station and making it back safe to the home base a victory in itself especially in a MiG-29 even with no actual kills. This mindset is very important and will help you improve faster and get a good feel of your own boundaries and your machine capabilities. Ultimately, the kills will start to happen as you will learn how to push your opponent to make a fatal error which you can use to convert to a kill. So once again, do NOT try to kill, let the kills come to you, focus on increasing your SA using mainly your radar. Here a profile you could try as a good start for a CAP sortie: Altitude between 6 and 7.5km Maintain speed between 750 and 900 km/h (IAS). use ILV, 64km display, and keep active scanning between -6 and +2 elevation from side to side (pyramidal pattern). Prioritize your scan according to your RWR - remember use both orange (primary threat) and green LED's (secondary threat) as sometimes the secondary threat will be the actual most dangerous - example: An F-15C 30km away painting you in TWS from angels 40 is certainly more dangerous than a much closer and lower Su-27. Also note that anyone hard-locking you (STT) even out of range will make your RWR drop everything else! So those little green dots could actually save your life. If you lose your SA at any point, disengage, extend and come back stronger, do not let greed doom you! Remember to RTB high, fast and clean as much as possible (you'll reach mach 2 in a heartbeat)

Just watched the replay, fantastic air race! All was in there, top pilots, great commentators and cameraman. Thumb up!