Stingray 537 Mongo

Well, at least I'm not the only one. Much obliged.

I think the free period ends at 1000PST today so the free period is basically over unfortunately.

TBH, you're going to have a really hard time playing DCS in sim mode with a keyboard and mouse. At a minimum you'd probably want an XBox controller or something like that but you can also get a decent HOTAS like a Thrustmaster T16000 for relatively cheap. I think the last time I saw one for sale it was $116 or something for the stick and throttle. PLus Rudder pedals was I think $160 for all three. For head tracking there are free options until you can get into VR, things like HeadTrackNoIR come to mind, so as long as you have a webcam that's an option. Also getting TrackIR is an option, but that'll normally run you about $150 so it's not worth it to a lot of people, especially those considering VR in the near short term. Option B too is to get Combined Arms/LotATC and be a controller or a JTAC. You could also be a RIO in an F-14. It's recommended to have a stick for that but not necessarily required I don't think, and you could use your mouse to interact with the cockpit. The only downside is you would have to have a friend flying for you because the Iceman pilot AI is kinda dumb and rudimentary. Hope this helps some...

To amend slightly what Beirut said about the A-10: They're 100% right, the A-10 is a huge amount of fun and if that's all your in it for then the A-10A is a good choice. Having said that though, if you're in it for the systems as well as the fun, and if you're getting an A-10 anyway, get the A-10C Warthog at a minimum. It's full fidelity like the Hornet. It's also the second oldest module in DCS but one the most involved from a systems perspective and it's still receiving some support in the form of updated cockpit modeling/textures, updated sounds, etc. If you have the capital though, I'd heavily encourage getting the A-10C II Tank Killer. It's the newest iteration of the A-10 in DCS, has an integrated HMCS and is receiving the lions share of continued development from ED's A-10 team. The A-10A is fun, but it's an FC3 aircraft so it doesn't have as highly detailed a flight model, it doesn't have a clickable cockpit meaning more mapping of controls to your HOTAS that you wouldn't otherwise have to map and while it can carry most of the same weapons as the A-10C, things like JDAM's and laser rockets are absent. Also, the A-10C II has almost double the countermeasure capacity of either the A or the Original A-10C module and its engine model actually performs where the IRL A-10C's engines perform to (or at least as close as ED can get without violating OPSEC rules). I'm not saying you have to go one way or the other though, just offering another perspective.

Hey Gents, I was fortunate enough to receive the TM Hornet stick for Christmas from a loved one and so far I love it. The only bugbear is what's in the title. If I command the switch forward, it will click forward but stay there until I command center. If I command aft from the forward position without stopping in the center, there are two clicks, one out of the forward position and the other into the aft position. It's the same if I command Right on the switch as well. There's a single click when I command right, but to return to center I have to move the switch back to the center position myself. This doesn't happen when I command WCS left however. If I command Left and release, there are two clicks, one into the left position, and the other back to the center position. I've tried googling to find an answer but all I found was topics on this forum about control setups, which I'm not concerned about. So, since I came up with diddly on my own and I know there are at least a small handful of IRL Hornet drivers who are involved in the community, my question for them is this, is the switch sticking in the aforementioned directions a feature or a bug? It's not a huge deal for me either way, but if it's a bug and not a feature, I'm going to start looking into how to fix it. Edit: I forgot to add that I know there is no WCS Left in the IRL Hornet so that's what's leading me to believe that the switch staying in every commanded position except Left is a feature and not a bug.

That is an excellent base to start from. Well chosen OP.

Is this an actual thing or just a PoC?

I'm fairly dubious on both of these items. If they happen, super, but I'm not holding my breath. The F-15E from Razbam may also be a bit overly optimistic, but I generally agree with everything else on your list.

+1 There are scripts out there for greenie boards but it would be nice to just have it as a feature for the SC. Allegedly we're getting ready rooms and whatnot so it only makes sense for there to be a greenie board too.

@BIGNEWY another +1 from me as well. This mod is a brilliant stand in for a human AWACS controller/GCI and the ability to plug into the API to be able to have OverlordBot answer DECLARE calls would be awesome.

You adjust your altimeter setting using the rotary knob on the standby altimeter below the right DDI. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

The altitude on the HUD defaults to standard pressure (29.92in Hg). If your missions have custom weather with different altimeter settings, that will impact what the baro pressure on the HUD would read. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

If it's finding the laser but not reaching the target the problem is most likely you're dropping it from too far away or from too close in. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

+1 from me as well. This is a must anytime I'm in the Tomcat and it would be nice if I'm flying solo to have Jester participate Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Was the HUD recorder really an issue? I appreciate the attention to detail if real world drivers were removing it, but I barely notice it's there and I fly in VR full time. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Yeah, it's clearly DCS but my question was if that upgrade was part of the F-14D conversion irl but that question seems to have been answered. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Is this what was part of the D model upgrade irl? Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Nice video OP. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Your not wrong about Top Gun glorifying the F-14 but you can't use DCS as your metric to say the F-15 was definitively better than the F-14. The flight models are good but they aren't perfect and the AI is dumber than a box of rocks with lead poisoning in a lot of cases, not to mention the AI flight model doesn't play by the same rules and the player's. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Here's a link to the Wikipedia article on spacial disorientation. Towards the end is a paragraph on non-visual cues that is pertinent to this conversation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_disorientation?wprov=sfla1 The tl:dr version is that yes, it is possible to be inverted and not know it at night because our inner ear isn't all that hard to trick when the change is gradual. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I had this happen to me the first time I drove through the smokey mountains in Tennessee. I had been driving for 10 hours straight after being awake for 12 hours prior to starting my trip. I remember looking out the right side of my car and thinking "man, those stars are really low on the horizon". It took me a minute to realize I was seeing a town in a valley. Sleep deprivation does weird things to your brain. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

That's incredibly fortunate that the pilot had the wherewithall to recognize he was literally upside-down. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Can confirm. Thought the jet was bent the first time. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Huh, isn't that odd. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Jester will tell you when you've locked a friendly or commanded him to lock a friendly. Something like "We've locked a friendly." Also, you always have the option of visually Id'ing your target using the camera, or switching to the RIO seat and hitting the IFF interrogator button yourself, or using the old mark ones. To compare the Tomcat and the Jeff, two aircraft separated by almost 25 years of technology, is to compare apples to oranges. All of this to say, you're complaining about a non-issue. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk