Gman109

Great news - I hope VKB will start mass producing more of their limited models, the Gunfighter coming up looks great. Many of the past 300$ plus models as well. I own a pair of the VKB pedals (Crosswinds and Slaw109 cam models too, CH, Saitek, etc), and find them to be the most precise for accurate shots in games like Aces High, etc, where gunnery is absolutely key. The reason isn't so much the quality, which is excellent, up there with the other 2 large custom pedal makers, but due to the nature of how they move. More of a fine motor skill movement (ankle) then gross motor skill (knee/leg). Just my opinion. I hope VKB makes a throttle one day as well - they have a HUGE opportunity to seize the market if you ask me. Recent HUGE letdown with the TM press conference regarding higher end gear, Saitek - let's get real, CH - as great as they have been, nothing has changed since my 1998 game port Fighterstick/throttle than the USB plugs on the cable ends....Point is NOBODY is making any new stuff but VKB right now (higher end), and they need to make MORE. Gladiator pro is more of a mid range, sort of a "do it all" in one sock deal, with a better system/internals, but it still is not what I"m personally looking for. Their other upscale models ARE, and if they were to include a throttle and make a Warthog competitor or even analogue - since that HOTAS is 6+ years old now...timing couldn't be better. Gunfighter pro platform with say F15/16/18/Sukoi stick adapters along with the 109 stick - I'd buy every single stick made for that thing, and a throttle too. A throttle with adaptable stocks isn't a bad idea either, same sort of one base multiple throttle sticks like the Gunfighter, or Warthog stick was supposed to be (thanks TM for not following through on that by the way). So, Jason, I hope you can keep pushing forward as you and your Russian friends have, the sim community is counting on you, since TM, CH, Saitek, et al don't seem all that interested or motivated in making newer higher class products for us. If you build it, they will buy.

NM, figured it out, at last. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=115816&page=7 The solution was here in the ED forums, I searched high and low through every other sim sight, but knew if it was anywhere, it'd be here. Very good thread for older TM Cougar/MFD owners, once I knew which drivers were causing issue, their name, and where to locate them, solving the problem took seconds. I actually still like the Cougar in a couple respects even more than the Warthog or VKB - the reason being it sits lower to the desk/surface, and I'm an "arm/forearm rester", ie I play with part of my lower arm resting on the surface I'm playing on as much as possible, and the Warthog, due to its height, makes this harder than the Cougar. I found this Cougar on our national "used" crap site here in Canada, Kijiji, for 40$, it was 60$ after shipping, and was in like new condition. I hadn't owned one since they were new, it's still a great piece of gear, and I'm happy it works again. Still, hoping VKB starts mass producing some of its higher end "limited" run stuff.

I built a couple new gaming PCs. The last one had Win7 upgraded to Win10, and the TM Cougar worked through Windows, as in the buttons/axis all worked, and I could assign stuff in game in various sims (not DCS, but Aces High and other less complex). Long story short, new PC, install the Cougar, and now Windows won't recognize it. It shows up as a keyboard in the control panel/devices in Win10, not a gaming controller, and when I hit the "properties" thing which gives you the little window with the buttons/axis, none move when I try them. I've used that USBreview program to see what's connected, and there are 4 Cougar connections when I plug it in, and then the "data in and data out" ones aren't green, but purple in that program, meaning issues. Win10 in device manager also says the drivers aren't installed. TM says it should just plug and play, but obviously, not happening. I tried installing both of the old 2004 and 2007 drivers to see if that would work, but the same thing happens, and keeps happening, on both of the new Win10 systems. This isn't a huge deal, but I'd planned on using the Cougar for a few dedicated games, and now I can't (I have a pile of other Hotas, CH, WH, VKB stuff, Saitek, etc). So I'm not stuck without sticks, just stuck without the one I planned on using for a couple sims. Any ideas wth is going on? Again, it worked fine on the last system, but it's doing the same thing on both new ones. Does this mean it's the stick itself? I'm plugging it in with and without the throttle, and using the "hold trigger", which doesn't work, as long as I hold the trigger in, Win10 won't install anything, let go, off it runs, but still says no drivers installed after it fools around installing whatever it is its doing.

This made my mind up for me. I've been waiting for just such a comparison post.

Ok thanks Silver Dragon.

You said ED, I said DCS. A little picky no, they are all modules under the umbrella of Eagle Dynamics Digital Combat Simulator, are they not? At least that's how my friend Carl Norman explained it to me when he started this company's move into the post Flanker 1.5 world. I think Eagle has a tad more control than what you're stating over third party creators and what they produce. Like I thought, there IS no 2.0 without the NTTR map at the moment - that was my question and point - right now, you can't use 2.0 unless you purchase the map, is that not correct?

It's a big pita that's why not. I've bought A10C on a sale there once, and it was a big pain getting things straightened out, there are other issues with this, there are threads active on this forum about it. FAR easier to NOT use Steam to either purchase, or play, however as I said, I have a large credit on Steam and nothing else there interests me, so I'm forced to purchase some DCS stuff there.

Every other product is NOT available - Mirage2000 and others aren't there yet, and Gazelle JUST became available a couple days ago. Are 2.0 and the NTTR map not one and the same? I thought in order to get 2.0 you had to purchase the NTTR beta module/map/whatever.

Are there plans to sell the 2.0/Map on Steam once it's out of beta? I prefer not to use Steam, but have a large credit there and want to use it to get a few of the DCS modules I don't have already.

Any idea if/when Mirage 2000 will be available on Steam? I'd prefer not to purchase it this way, but I have a 500$ credit on Steam still, and would like to start chipping away at it with DCS products, and Mirage2000 and the new 2.0 map aren't available there from what I can see.

This is well said, and I agree. A former F15E pilot over at Aces High's forums who has been there since the start, still posts frequently, and said precisely the same thing - that a larger striker F22 would be very effective, and necessary, in a war in the South Pac region. China's J20 looks to be something along those lines, and I wish the USAF would build something similar - an enlarged or strike optimized long range fighter along the lines of the F22.

TYVM. So many things to learn, I swear every day I figure some new thing out for DCS.

Where exactly is the user files section, I can't find it anywhere on the forum here. And why is there no campaign with the F86 module, I thought they declared it "finished" now?

I read someplace else on this forum just last week about turning the nose wheel steering off while taking off after about 60 knts or so. IIRC you had to hold the "nose wheel steering off" button down constantly in order for it to be off. This was in a similar thread about wandering on the runway, but I can't find it now.

Jason from VKB is a fantastic guy to deal with - IMO if they had the products, he could market and sell them here in North America, they'd fly off the digital shelves. Huge opportunity for them right now to seize some (a lot) of the market since TM/CH/etc isn't coming out with anything new on the higher end for years.

I got a set of VKB pedals this year. Fantastic. I have many HOTAS/pedals/etc, Cougar, original F22 TQS from TM, several sets of CH usb/gameport, Warthog, X45, X52, X65, Suncom F15, Slaw 109 cams, Crosswinds, etc. Yes, it's a problem. I have over a dozen mechanical keyboards. You get the drift. VKB has been a product/company that has greatly impressed me. I think if they had some $ backing and a solid production plan/ability, they could really BE something in the sim market. As in not just coming to take part, but come and take over. If they produced a great throttle and just followed on with their latest sticks and variants, they would do great IMO. So, obviously I agree with Chief wholeheartedly. While the one set I haven't picked up is the x55/56, I don't think I'm missing much, (and the aforementioned Logitech, hah), and IMO, VKB has the ball in their court right now. IF they wanted to, they could seize a pretty serious share of the market. With Star Citizen coming out sooner than later, and more and more higher fidelity simulation products being produced, there is NO better time to strike if you ask me. I also wish TM would get off its ass and make a new higher end HOTAS, but most of all, wish CH Products would do the same. CH has been rolling with the same design for what now, nearly 2 decades almost with the Combat/fighter stick, throttle and pedals? Stagnation city, and it sucks.

What a waste of time. If I had spent time/$ to go to such a lame event, I'd be sending TM the bill. 2020. What a joke. Saitek is not much better off, and ever since the guy who owned CH Products sold it off, they've gone to crap too - no parts after 2 year warranty is up, and the internals look like drunk children are putting them together. Very disappointing after all the hype. Very. Thanks very much though Dojo, very kind of you to keep the sim community appraised, so thanks for your efforts and time, absolutely not criticizing you in ANY way. It's great there are members here willing to do as you have done here. I wish I was there with you, with a basket of rotten fruit to throw.

Ya, if that's all they are showing off after all that bru-ha-ha, I'll be sending TM one of those orders of cow-poo from that cowpoo delivery site (no, it's not a joke). The Rift isn't even THEIRS, and like we need another cheesy el-cheapo crapstick out there, the market if flooded with that nonsense already.

I <3 Dojo.

Any reason why I'm only seeing 153 pages in the manual? I've tried direct and dropbox downloads on 2 PCs, and it's always the same? What am I doing wrong, I'm missing 1/2 the important stuff and can't figure this thing out.

One thing I would add to SkateZilla's list is change the fuel fraction - if this requires enlarging the airframe in some way, so be it. I've also spoken to F22 pilots, and they lament their range issues - the vaunted "supercruise" isn't very super at all, when you can barely - if ever - use it in a tactical environment due to the fuel constraints of the F22. This is where the YF23 really did shine, it had a huge range advantage over the F22, and within that the ability to truly supercruise for large portions of a potential engagement/envelopment series of maneuvers. Also talking to an x F15E driver, he's said that the Chinese J20 is a direction he wished the USAF would go with a future F22B/etc stop gap strike fighter until Gen6 stuff gets here if we're talking about canning the F35 for such. That J20 sized airframe could be made along the F22 lines, and have a huge, huge range, something the USAF and especially the USN have been lacking in since retiring a bunch of types, while still maintaining much of the interceptor/fighter capability of the original F22 design. I'm not saying make ALL of a future F22B be large striker types with large size/range, but at least do SOMETHING to increase the range of the current F22s, as again, one of the best arrows in their quiver is very limited (supercruise) due to the small fuel load, compared to the YF23 especially.

Regarding the TrackClip Pro, with the little powered LED red lights - the original ones had a mistake made in the formulation of the plastic mold/casing, which caused them to become EXTREMELY fragile when transported and subjected to low tems at high alt/etc. THis made them apt to break while just breathing on them. That said, if you get a new one from Natural Point now, they are about 40$, and this problem has been fixed. They are tough as nails compared to the old ones, of which I went through 3 myself, and in every case all taped and glued up. I haven't touched the newest one yet, even after having the cat knock it to the floor umpteen times, which would snap the old ones instantly.

Hey Deegle, I'm new but have a question for you as well - having a DK2 Rift kit, why would you have triple screen? Are you able to still see your monitor through the rift kit somehow? As I understand how Occulus/etc works, that's all you see, not the monitors...or am I missing something.