Aluminum Donkey

Just as the title says! I don't own a TrackIR, but in the past I've used Opentrack with a webcam. Haven't used it recently. When I disable my Asus Z170 motherboard's Ethernet adapter to try to get around some stuttering, it gets reported as "TrackIR Disconnected" in DCS World (upper-right corner of the sim screen). I always wondered why the Controls setup menu in DCS always says TrackIR, even though I don't own one... Now I know it's the blinkin' Ethernet adapter :) Anyone have any ideas about this? Could it be a Windows problem, or a bug in DCS? Thanks! AD

Speaking of weird hardware-related quirks, I just discovered that disabling my Ethernet adapter while DCS was running causes "TrackIR Disconnected" to appear in DCS! I don't have a TrackIR; I have, however, used Opentrack with a webcam and homemade 3-LED clip. I haven't used it recently. I always wondered why TrackIR shows up in my Controls page, since I don't have it! Anyone have a clue why the Ethernet adapter is showing up as TrackIR? AD

You're probably right, I just wanted to vent :) I'll be danged though if they can't make this stuff easier to diagnose since they spend so much developing Windows--and this is a common, if not universal, complaint. Here's an interesting one: I just discovered that DCS World reports "TrackIR disconnected" when I disable my Ethernet adapter. What's up with that?! AD

Ok, I just wiped out my 398.11 Nvidia driver with DDU, and installed 388.71. That seemed to help! I also tried disabling the Ethernet adapter. That seemed to help too. Unfortunately, I don't know what to do about the supposed Z170 Ethernet adapter latency besides buying a newer more expensive mobo--which, invariably, will introduce its own problems. Perhaps disabling the onboard Ethernet adapter and using a PCI expansion card with a different NIC would do it. Somehow, I doubt it ! :) So, DCS is running better now, and the 388.71 Nvidia driver seems to have a lot to do with it--and so does disabling the Ethernet adapter. Despite running much better, and having DCS installed on a NVMe M.2 drive (EVO 960), it still, ocassionally, stutters. DCS still only uses about half of my 16GB RAM. I pity the foo that forks over extra bread for 32 or even 64GB--and still has to put up with this shiznit :) I've reached the final conclusion that Windows is crap. I'm running Win 10, but Win 7 did the same thing. So, we can logically conclude that Windows is complete and utter crap for gaming. No matter how insanely powerful desktop PCs have gotten over the years, no matter how much you spend on the best goodies, no matter how much time you spend over the years (and years, and years) trying to sort it all out, you still get stuttering. Flight sim buffs have it the hardest, it seems. Been this way since I got into "serious" flight simming in the late 1990s. Not to be a d!ck, but I'll actually PAY MONEY for Windows when they can get it to run my stupid video games without stuttering ;) (that last one was a hint, MS... No, you shouldn't copy any copyrighted software. Especially after it's been released years ago and still doesn't improve anything!!!!! Oh, sorry, MS... I need a "high-end Modern PC" for video games, my archaic poor-boy rig just won't do...) Whew! I've had enough for now. Best of luck everyone. ;) AD

First, Imma try reverting to an earlier Nvidia driver... I think someone mentioned 388.71. I'm currently running 398.11 and DCS still stutters even with the Ethernet adapter disabled. Peace AD

That's right--it should be no big deal nowadays to have a computer use altitude, ambient air temp, angle of attack & sideslip, and even airspeed readings themselves to produce a very accurate readout for the pilot. The system would have to be calibrated and would probably use lookup tables. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how it's done these days. Of course, at whim, the pilot could select between TAS and IAS (or display both if desired). AD

Ok, Mach 1, the speed of sound, is about 1250 km/h if you're at sea level and 15 degrees C. As you gain altitude, the air pressure decreases--and so does the speed of sound. So, Mach 1 at 10,000m (~35,000 ft.) is about 1100 km/h. Typically, fast jets have to be at 10,000 m altitude or more to reach their top speeds--at sea level, you're lucky to do Mach 1.2 in a clean config, and that's it. It doesn't matter what kind of aircraft it is! Finally, in DCS World when you're using external view speed readings or HUD speed readings, you're reading Indicated Airspeed (IAS) which shows a speed lower than True Airspeed (TAS) because airspeed indicators in aircraft don't compensate for air pressure drop as altitude increases. In other words, airspeed indicators don't actually measure airspeed--they measure ram air pressure in the pitot tube, and are only accurate at one altitude (usually sea level.) If you were at 10,000m when you read Mach 1.5, your true airspeed was roughly 1,600 km/h, but showed less than that because of your altitude. To get true airspeed in DCS World, use the F10 view and select your own unit. Here you go! https://www.fighter-planes.com/jetmach1.htm AD

Just flew a bunch of missions with Task Manager open in Windows and it seems to me that most of the stutters in DCS, especially major ones lasting maybe a few frames, go together with network traffic spikes. I haven't been flying online, just SP--but, the sim still 'hiccups' from time to time (quite regularly) and I see a burst of network activity in Task Manager. What gives ED (or anyone else?) I'm using an Asus Z170-P motherboard, with Realtek RTL8111H Network Controller. I have yet to try DCS either with Ethernet disconnected, or with the network adapter itself completely disabled in Device Manager. Personally, I'd prefer not to have to mess around with ANY part of my system config every time I run DCS! Anyone have any ideas? How come DCS keeps messing around with the network adapter while I'm trying to fly around, anyway? Yes, all my module keys are legitimate, and no, DCS, I don't need you to confirm this every 30 seconds or a minute while I'm trying to fly a plane. You're certainly not going to find anything interesting to look at online while I'm flying either, so just leave the d@mn network adapter alone and let me fly :) If anyone else is frustrated blue-in-the-face with stuttering, this might help lead to a solution! Thanks all! AD

Guess we'll find out eh :) I wouldn't mind little extra speed in the Spit, it's mighty hard to catch them Germans! :) On the other hand, it's almost effortless to turn with them, and out-turn them, which I suppose was the whole point of the Spit in the first place. AD

I'm pretty sure the radio comms in DCS (and the way wingdudes respond to them) have always been a little rough around the edges :) AD

Originally intended to improve speed at low altitude. I believe they eventually built all Spitfires with clipped wings, even high-alt versions, because it didn't make any difference but allowed them to use slightly less aluminum to build each aircraft. That left more metal for building other things--like more aircraft :) So-called 'strategic' materials like aluminum were at a premium near the end of the war, so as far as building machinery out of the stuff goes--less means more. AD

Same thing happens to me, and I'm pretty sure everyone else is plagued with the same annoying problem. I don't even ask my wingmen to engage--I have this mission where I start airborne with my 3 dudes and a huge gaggle of enemies all lined up for a massive furball. I keep hearing "X, engaging bandit" continuously, it never ends throughout the whole mission until all the enemies are down. So, when it happens, I just turn off the radio:) Top button on the radio switch box on your left. A bit of a hack, but at least you can fly without them driving you bananas, and when there's a huge fight going on, what happens happens--you don't need to hear every detail over the radio :) AD

I'm not sure there's really any difference worth modelling, I recall this sort of thing being discussed a long time ago, and apparently there was just about no difference in performance between the full-span Spitfire and the versions with clipped wings. It would make sense that the clipped-wing version would have a slightly higher rate of roll, slightly higher max speed, and somewhat less G available at a given speed than the full span version, but apparently this wasn't the case. The aircraft performed and handled pretty much identically regardless of wing type. Just anecdotal, mind you--and I'm not known for my outstanding memory :) AD

Awww, how sweet :) heheheh Peace and happy warfare AD

Hey, I was gonna say that! Glad I'm not the only smartass around here, we all like company :) hehehe AD

Awesome! Thanx for pointing that out, Imma have to try it now :) Still, it seems reasonable to me that radar contacts shouldn't fade after detection, and then be impossible to detect again. In the meantime this might be a decent workaround.

OK, I just noticed it now... I don't tend to fire a lot of missiles trying to shoot down the sun :) Since the F/A-18's radar currently sucks, I find I'm better off with Sidewinders than Sparrows. I can never seem to detect targets with the radar--not more than once, anyway, then they fade out, and I can't find 'em again. Really hope ED gets this sorted out soon. AD

If you select the AIM-9 and point your aircraft's nose at the sun, you'll get tone! Pretty funky :D AD

I don't have the Warthog, but I do have the TM Cougar. In my own experience, and many, many others', Thrustmaster makes very cool, very expensive, JUNK. My Cougar was incessantly plagued with various stupid glitches and problems. Finally, in disgust, I ripped out the Cougar's electronics and completely re-fitted it with Leo Bodnar's BU0836A control board. Works like an absolute champ now, much higher axis resolution/better control, and no drivers or BS needed to get it to work. Man, was that ever a LOT of soldering! Whew! AD

Very well said, that's why I bought it... I never really got into DCS (or other sims) from a fascination with military procedures. For me, when I play DCS World, what I'm really doing is admiring people's work. Nice job ED :) AD

Lenux, Since you're asking an Internet forum if you should buy something, and everyone on it already owns it, of course you're going to hear everyone saying "yes". The F/A-18 is a really nice module, but it's very, and I mean *very*, unfinished. The basic starting-and-flying-around stuff is there, but it's missing most of the stuff that makes the real Hornet a useful multirole fighter. The radar is mostly unfinished and doesn't work well. The air-to-ground weapons and systems are mostly nonexistent. I strongly suspect it'll be years before it's even close to done. So, should you buy it? If you feel like it :) AD

I've noticed the Hornet's "Magic 130 Knots" phenomenon myself. Above that, it wants to be an airplane, below that, it wants to be a subway car :) AD

You could be right, I suck with the cannon in the F/A-18 so haven't used it much :) Actually, I find the F-15 and F-18 guns not very accurate. They're very hard to get hits with. The Russian guns in the MiG-29 and Su-27 seem much better to me. AD

Apparently this is really how it works in the F/A-18. I couldn't verify, I just heard about it a long time ago when I was a little kid, when my county (Canada) had just bought a whole pile of the 18's (Which we call CF-18s). AD

I'm glad they chose something that really owns, I was really wearing out the Huey tune :)