Vincent90

You can replay any mission you'd like by clicking Single Mission and looking up the campaign mission in DCS/mods/aircraft or DCS/mods/campaigns if it is a DLC campaign ;)

I have the same problem, can someone help me what I am doing wrong?

VKB is not only staying in the business but is even expanding. And since Saitek is on life support, the chances are good that TM remains in the flight control business. You should have no problem obtsining a high quality consuner stick in years to come :)

Thanks for the story, I fell in love with Serbia years ago and even learned the language because of it I read a story years ago that the MiG-29's weren't in flying shape at all and were so dangerous that the pilots refused to fly them. When a general called them traitors, they invited him to fly the thing and when he returned he was scared s***less! Do you have any info on that story? And any books you can recommend?

Could someone from ED respond to this excellent research by Rel4y? Any plans of changing anything based on this?

Please let us not open this debate again. This has been discussed many times before and it always leads to insults and nonsense

Which means it will be a direct competitor to the Warthog stick, but without the loads of buttons on the stick.... Sokol, any info if VKB is thinking of selling the Black Mamba the same way as the Gladiator line? I would kill for a TM Warthog with VKB quality internals :(

That's cheaper than building your own module!

There are (major) problems with the damage modelling versus AI currently. Unfortunately, there isn't a solution yet. :(

So, after more than 20 hours the F-15 surprised me in a number of ways. :) "Tunnel vision" in the F-15 isn't as bad as it seems. The autolock on target in visual mode is fantastic and the aim-120's pitbull mode balances out the off-bore capabilities of the Flanker. Jamming in this game is useless though, since the F-15 seems to burn thorugh the jamming well before ideal range of the Aim-120. The F-15 pilot also has to suffer less from missiles coming after you from thin air. In the turning game the F-15 starts to vibrate as a signal of its limits. Although the engines are powerful, simply adding thrust to the situation wont solve the problem. The is very different then the Su-27, where additional thrust is paramount throughout the dogfight. Unfortunately, this comes at a large cost in fuel and keeping aware of fuel levels during the dogfight is hard to do in the Su-27. For the F-15, the ability to jettison fuel when WVR fighting commences is a big plus. I love the usage of external fuel tanks exclusively, so you can enter a dog fight with the pre-flight determined amount of fuel in the aircraft. This is a huge advantage to the Su-27's 'internal only' strategy. The fuel consumption and fuel warning is clear and apparent. Dogfighting in the F-15 also requires less fuel in general, since beating the Su-27 in a turn-fight is not the way to go. Carrying additional fuel doesnt hamper hard point usage which is a very smart design feature as well. There has clearly been thought very hard on the F-15 layout. It is clear the F-15 and Su-27 aren't each others direct competitor. The F-15 feels much more as an interceptor, where the Su-27 is more of a multi-role fighter. With its fast acceleration, climb rate and multiple-lock capability I got most from it by staying as far away as possible from the enemy. This tactic reduces the vulnerability time of the F-15 to a bare minimum. The AIM-120 is also more capable at close range than the R-27, weirdly. As a defensive platform, I would advise F-15 pilots to run away as quickly as possible to get the gap between F-15 and Su-27 as large as possible, and only manouvre when you see a plume of smoke approaching. The F-15 is an excellent interceptor, worthy of praise. As an F-15 driver, you can fly high and keep the initiative of battle. I only regret discovering this F-15 only now. The aircraft has it's problems, but the combination of Aim-120 and the excellent RWR makes it a superior aircraft to the Su-27. What would I want in the Su-27 from the F-15? 1) Aim-120 2) the ability to autolock on a target in visual range 3) Digital read-outs 4) excellent RWR 5) Automatic trimming My main aircraft remains the Su-27 though. It is just jaw-droppingly beautiful. Its ergonomics are better than anything else i've experienced and the cockpit is lovely to get into. It's Helmet mode coupled with its IRST is just sheer joy and it also has basic air-to-ground capabilities. However, as a pure Air-to-Air platform, the Su-27 can't beat the advantages the F-15 has. I'm really curious if post-1990 Flankers sorted the disadvantages out. They're not that hard to improve, except the Aim-120 and RWR capabilities. It would be interesting if a MiG-25/31 interceptor would come out as a full module. That one would fight the high skies against the F-15, while the F-18 and Su-27 multiroles duke it out at lower altitudes. :)

Marietta, Georgia. I believe the same building now makes F-35 parts :)

Wasn't he the guy who took the Mig-21bis IndieGoGo money and ran away with it? :D

And again:

The SU-25T is a low fidelity sim which showcases FC3 level aircraft and a lot of the weapon possiblities you have with the complex modules. The TF-51 showcases a high fidelity sim in anything but the weapons. If you are on the fence if DCS is your thing, you can check those out and get a good idea what you can expect from the paid modules. A passive seat in a trainer will not give you a more representative idea of flying in DCS and if you're that invested into DCS, chances are likely for ED that you will buy a module. It is just a bad business model to give stuff for free

I know... I know.... It's just tiring to see the state in which Campaign is currently; The chatting is just a nuisance, Your allies are complete imbiciles, triggers dont work, load-outs aren't right, bad grammar in the briefings and as a finishing touch: Even if you aced the mission you still need to modify game files to advance to the next stage. =/ And then you see the awesome looking campaigns that are planned/released and I just become afraid to pay 10 bucks for the same mess. It's like buying a ticket to see a movie you're hyped up about, only to find out the screen doesnt work and your money is down the drain.

As Pilotasso has mentioned: There is no way to tell how stealthy it is based on these prototypes. It has placeholder engines with open intakes and exhausts, we have no clue how advanced the stealth coating is (which is a very important part of reducing the rcs) and the dodgy panel fit of recent pictures make it as visible as a whale on radar. It also shows that current flight tests aren't there to check if the stealth calculations and estimations are correct, it points to a more basic part of flight testing: getting all the parts to work together ;) Comparing it to the F-22 and F-35 is useless as well. It was designed to be a different approach of affordability, manoeuvrability and stealth, more in line with the YF-23 and Eurocanards. There is just no way we can guess the stealth capabilities based on pictures.

@Wags: Will ALL FC3 campaigns get a trigger/AI recheck? My experiences from the past month: A10A: bugged in the first mission after the AGM-65's kept locking on an empty field next to the target. This isn't the only problem with this module though. There was a topic on this step child of the FC3 modules on the Steam forums back in january, although I can't seem to find it back. Perhaps you can contact the community managers over there, they should definitely know more. Su-25: The mission where you need to destroy the PzArtBtl convoy doesn't complete properly (ie. the entire batallion destroyed will only net you a 50 percent result, not enough to continue to the next mission) F-15C: In Mission 6, SEAD F-16's are supposed to destroy an SA-10 before F-15E's attack the airfield. However, the F-16's will never destroy the SA-10. That doesn't matter though, since the F-15E's love to go ahead of the F-16's anyway. That's just the tip of the ice berg though: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=2658559 As a single-player guy, I really regret buying this thing; It has more bugs than a Bronx apartment floor :(

Thank you! Your work is much appreciated :)

Really curious how Jester AI will be implemented In Single-Player, will you be able to choose if you're going to be pilot or RIO? And if you pick pilot, can you swap places during flight to see on basis of what information Jester gives a recommendation?

Law teacher here. This question if the image and name of the Mirage 2000 is covered under intellectual property laws all depends on the level this product enjoys on the basis of those intellectual property laws. For any number of reasons the Mirage 2000 can lack protection. It can be that only the name is trademarked but not the image of the Mirage 2000. It can also be that Dassault was not sure if the application and sustainment of an international coverage would be worth the investment (which is a fortune). It could also be that Dassault was unsure of the effectivity of the laws in place and if it would defend the interests of Dassault like they feel just. It could also be that the time limit of protection has expired, etc... These are just a couple of reasons why RAZBAM couldn't use the name, but could use the image. There is simply not a yes or no answer for this complicated question without extensive legal research.

Yeah, THOSE I want to see, together with arming confirmation which combat systems are "live", the missiles and amount of chaff/flare still on board. What I DON'T want to see is the other stuff. :) Example what I would get rid of: http://i.imgur.com/er2Q9Vu.png Ideal: http://i.imgur.com/VvuyHAF.jpg So if I understand your and this information correctly, when the 120 is still on board the F-15 it doesn't actually "lock" on to target; it just flies to an estimated point X seconds away based on F-15 radar (and THIS is that track file that the manual keeps mentioning?) and THEN activates its own radar and locks at the closest bandit and glides towards it? You're absolutely right, I have plenty of homework to do in the upcoming week, especially when it comes to the limits of every single radar mode :) By the way, do you guys prefer the 120B or 120C? It seems that the increased range of the 120C is not as useful against a high-manoeuvring target (ie. 4th gen fighters) as the increased cornering of the 120B, but this should be countered by the better ECCM of the 120C. Is the 120C always the way to go?

This I don't understand, if that is Rmax then what is this part with the question mark?

The waypoints should be selectable and working, on each waypoint the wingmen gives you some info. You got those speeches or did you immediately 'unlock' the last waypoint speech in which he tells you it's ok to land? By the way, you also need to land safely in one piece to succesfully complete the mission, or else you need to re-do it. Good luck! :thumbup:

Well, that is actually part of my problem! I feel the HUD is WAY too cluttered compared to the Su-27. I can't read the HUD texts unless at least partially zoomed in, and a lot of the info is unneccessary and detracts from all the other stuffed jammed into the HUD. Sometimes the text collides with other info on screen, which renders it inelligable. What I would remove from the HUD would be: -ETA to waypoint, -amount of missiles left on the plane and the info behind it, -G-force when it is lower than the recommended amount for the air frame. -Angle of Attack when not it landing mode -Bank steering index (although apparently most pilots like it, considering it's on the russian aircraft as well) All these things can be easily deducted from the other avionics in the cockpit and are not necessary to constantly be reminded of, so why have them constantly on the hud? I also find the course deviation dots on the HSI to be overkill, since you already have proper heading and the course deviation line on it. The MFCD also has a lot going on (I understand the benefit of having inventory of the aircraft stores, but why all the other information?), and the radar screen copies a lot of info already given on the HUD. A cluttered cockpit is pretty standard for 1970's era NATO aircraft (With Sepecat Jaguar being the worst offender IMHO), but I would've expected something more advanced from the later ne plus ultra C-variant. Thanks for the tip on mach number though, really helps out! Going down the range AMRAAM. One of the most feared missile systems in the world, claimed to be capable of hitting targets over 160km away. This thing makes me nervous every time I climb into the Su-27. Not only does it out-range the russian missiles (I refuse to use the R27ER until performance is better explained by ED), but paired with the powerful APG-63 i'm afraid it wil burn through my ECM before I can get close enough to the F-15, especially since it has an active seeker. This thing really makes me respect the F-15 as an adversary. Thankfully the version in DCS is less powerful than the Raytheon brochures claim, but still it should be a sledgehammer. I can't wait to try it out. First things first: figuring out the radar. The FC3 manuals and tutorials are old inaccurate piles of trash, but I couldn't find a quick and complete overview of the F-15 missile systems, so the DCS manual must do. (Remind me to buy a thorough F-15 book for this summer, any recommendations guys?) From what I understand each weapon has their own modes. - The M-61 cannon can be used with or without radar lock - AIM-9 has a mode with a small locking windows for specific targets in large groups of heat signatures, or a large locking window to kill the first target it sees. It also has a "radar-slave mode" for "Vertical scan" and "Boresight" modes, ...although I don't understand any of that. - AIM-7 has a "flood" mode, which is a "kill something that is within the radar beam" mode for use WVR. It doesn't require a radar lock either. It also has the traditional BVR mode called "Target Tracking Radar". The manual says "the radar automatically transfers the track file to stt mode if it is designated to be locked". I don't understand any of that either, and at this point the game makes me feel like a Teletubbie for not understanding. BUT WE SHALL NOT GIVE UP! - AIM-120 has a similar mode as Flood, but now its called "Visual" and is only effective when the target is within 10nm because of the seeker limitations. It also has the same BVR mode as the AIM-7, but you have to lock a specific target twice. I assume this is because AIM-120 allows multiple launches at multiple targets at once, although the manual keeps shtumm about everything involving this. The radar also has 3 Auto Acquisation modes, but I figure i have enough fabric for a single Navigational, BVR and WVR testing flight. Alright, so the F-15 is a lot more complicated than the Su-27. It also requires you to use both HUD and radar screen to make the kill. Very different from the Su-27, where the radar screen is mostly superimposed on the HUD. So, after trying out AIM-7 and understanding it, I loaded up with 3 drop tanks, 4 AIM-120C's and 4 AIM-9M's, i take off for a course along the Black Sea coast. I've planned to intercept a Tu-95 between Waypoints 1 and 2. Taking off, climbing and accelerating is again no problem, even at these heavy loads. Of course, the manual doesn't give info on which engines the module contains. My suspicions are they threw out Pratt & Whitney's offering, and replaced it with Superman and his brother. Navigation is really easy and exactly the same principle and modes as the Su-27, so no surprises there. The landing mode I prefer a little bit above the one in the Su-27 since it shows estimated location of touch-down, although my issues with the cluttered HUD remain. Intercepting the Bear fails. I just can't get through the ECM with the AIM-120 until I'm within 10-11nm. AIM-9 works like it should though and 2 hits later I see those supersonic props hit the water. Is the AMRAAM a myth? Would Icarus be a better name for this thing, and is the old trustworthy Tu-95 its sun? Second test is with an unarmed Yak-40 transport plane Yak-40 is at 24600 feet, i'm at 27000 There is 26nm between me and our unaware victim, according to the Radar this should barely work. DCS Encylcopedia says otherwise. I shoot the first AIM-120, and it misses. I climb to 29500 feet I shoot the second AIM-120 at 22nm, again a miss. I shoot my third and last AIM-120 at 20nm, well within claimed range of the AMRAAM for a barely moving target. Again a miss. Now I am within the maximum permitted launch range to maneuvering target and also within seconds of my usual attack window with the Su-27. Incredible. I RTB and process what has happened. In some other flights I noticed that the US RWR is very different than the russian system, since it provides a more dynamic overhead view of the situation but lacks the possibility to make more exact estimations on the altitude of the threat and it doesnt show the aircrafts blind zones on screen. It does have a single beep instead of a continuous one, which is just better. I start getting used to the F-15 cocpit and soon I'll be able to try out the campaign. The position, size and lay-out of the radar screen remains a werid one though. I'm shocked to see the Su-27 radar giving a better picture of the air space than the F-15C. Not only does it have a larger screen, it also manages to project all possible targets directly onto the HUD, with relative positions in the bigger picture kept on the radar screen. The F-15 stuffs it all in a single screen, making it harder and more time-consuming to filter the relevant info. This really is a surprise to me, considering the rationale and design objectives of the F-15. The F-22 has got the 'proper' overview, so they've corrected it and perhaps other, later F-15 variants have the correction as well, but I expected more given the F-15 reputation. All in all, i'm not very impressed by the AIM-120 and it makes me wonder the usefulness of having such a powerful radar when you cant reap the distance benefits. Especially in a world of AWACS and data-links. Next up: Test flights and campaign opinion! :)

Tanks for the help guys, appreciate it. Final question: What is the meaning of the arrow encircled in red? And why does the number next to the range indicator (currently 518), increase with decreasing distance to target?