Chrono

The problem with educated-guesses is that it leads to more and more of them and ultimately more and more complaints. Example: Fudge the radar range, but now you have 100% accurate data on a AAA system. The real Longbow could engage and defeat the system, but the sim, because it's fudged some data, isn't going to allow it. Now you have to fudge the AI so that Longbows don't go after this type of system if they're painted by it, but call in an air strike or skirt it. Now your KA-50's are going to get more action than necessary, since AAA is going to falsely constrict airspace. So you're flying along in your KA-50, hunting some artillery, but you've got Longbows all over the place because, statistically, they're occupying less airspace. So you complain on a forum about all the unrealistic air-to-air helicopter dogfighting going on. What's ED to do? From the example, it's not so easy to simply make the Longbows' #DEFINE AIR_TO_AIR_PROPENSITY or whatever a little less.

Whatever the date is, sooner's better, for me. With my American dollars getting cheaper by the day, I might not be able to afford it in the spring!

Tomcat, baby!

Boo Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is not our ally. If we never sold them another piece of military equipment again, it'd be too soon. They'd all be milking camels if it weren't for our "modern and decadent Western lifestyles" that demands their oil. There's a lot of technology that simply needs an "economic argument" to be made for it and "oil age" will go the way of the "bronze age". Wait until gasoline hits $4 or $5 per gallon in the U.S. Decentralized cities and towns? Mass transit and the end of the long commute? A return to the days before the car? "Company Condos", like they have in Japan? Electric cars? Algae-based biodiesel? Methinks Saudia Arabia sees the writing on the wall.

What if someone invented a multicore CPU and somehow figured how to run two different lines of code at once? Or better yet, came out with a specific piece of hardware that could process the graphics? :music_whistling:

Until the trees get in there and block the enemy LOS, I think I'm going to be dying quite a bit. Choppers really need trees. Single biggest oversight of the Longbow series. And heck, DI's Apache and Hind had them, albeit in a very simple way. Still, they blocked fire effectively.

Didn't watch the link, but adding a "non-combat" aircraft like a transport helo ought to be an easier add than something like the Apache or a fast-mover, for sure. No (or very minimal) weapons systems means a lot less research and programming. Plus you can attract the MS Flight Sim crowd that doesn't like being shot up too much (pussies... :P). Fly in, fly out, mostly. Maybe a hot LZ here or there, but nothing too difficult. Just stay behind the scouts and gunships.

Until they wander into here and leave with their tail between their legs... But seriously, a good casual mode will keep the price of the sim down for the rest of us. Falcon's "easy" avionics are pretty much FUBARed since they get no attention from the developers.

(Horse Race Announcer's Voice) And it's Mi-24 out in front! No one's even close! My God, he's coming up on the rear of the MD-500! (/Horse Race Announcer's Voice) I voted for the Cobra, because I want some maritime ops and I like landing on something like the U.S.S. Tarawa. But anything else that lands on a boat is okay, too.

I wonder if CH has any plans to come out with a split throttle to support independent control of the engines, or RPM/Collective control? No need for a complete redesign - just slap a latch and the left hand portion of another Pro Throttle onto a base. That'd be ultra cool. Anyone remember the poll CH had a long time ago at CH Hangar? Asking us if we wanted MFDs, an F-15-style HOTAS, and other such things? They've delivered on the MFDs, sort of...

Awesome info and some awesome links - this'll be a good start for creating some training material.

Agreed, thanks for coming out with anything at all. A good chopper sim has been long over due, and the addition of the Apache and A-10 will keep me entertained for a long time.

I've still got the strategy guide to Longbow 2, but I wonder if there are other resources out there. Real life documents from the worlds' armies? Great documents, online, produced by the various communities? My understanding is that you've got to fly your chopper like a tanker, not a pilot. Choppers should be viewed as fast tanks with long guns, not fighters that can hover. :pilotfly: My biggest problem in Longbow has always been coming over a rise in the terrain and getting pegged by something just on the other side to my flank. :helpsmilie: Stay in the valleys? Or stay on the ridges and look down into the valleys? Discuss.

Strike Fighters, Wings Over Vietnam, Wings Over Europe, and the host of community add-ons. I've got Wings Over Europe - it looks fun, but I'm way too busy to get into it.

A mercenary campaign would remind me of U.N. Squadron. I wouldn't mind it, if it were one of a few campaigns. I kind of miss the "personal" squadrons where the AI had names, grew in skill, and there was some background story and cut scenes. I'm thinking of F-117A: Stealth Fighter 2.0, back in the early '90s. Might be able to grow the sim audience a bit with a bit of an RPG backstory.

And what about theatres? Add-ons doesn't have to be new aircraft, I guess. Personally, No more Korea. I've "flown" in Korea in at least 4 sims. No more Persian Gulf. I know it's a "hot spot", but whatever possible scenario can be imagined, could be imagined in North Africa or Israel, or in southern Russia, similar to where Black Shark will initially be taking place. And lets face it, if we're going to be flying choppers, the desert is mighty boring.

Not to completely hijack the thead I started, but I think doing the military contracts is a good way to go. There's a lot of money there and it's only going to get better as fuel and other operating costs continue to go up and drive militaries into simulations. Stripping out the classified stuff and selling it to us is great, and continuing to do Lock On type stuff (or even simpler) that's got a wider commercial audience is a good diversification.

Yeah, agreed. That's definately a big part of ED's case against it, I'm betting. We can hope.

Yeah, if they wanted to know, they'd post a sticky at the very top of the forum entitled "Digital Combat Simulator Questions and Answers" or something.

Cool - a good mission builder with hooks to "automatically" or "dynamically" build missions is nearly as good as an F4:AF type of campaign. Well scripted missions are difficult to tell apart from a dynamic campaign, and sometimes they're better. Ever been on a sweep where nothing shows up?

Well, if push comes to shove, don't go the way of Microprose. I'd rather have any sim, than no sim, and that's my bottom line. :thumbup:

Wags has said that the case for additional flyables is based on Irrespective of that, I'd like to see an F-14, if at all possible. Here's why I think that makes sense: 1. Topgun. Put the F-14 on the cover and it will sell well in the U.S. and the rest of the West. 2. Information. It's an old jet, and barring any data that could help the Iranians build replacement parts, info should be available. 3. Two seater. What a multiplayer opportunity - most simmers would love to have front seat/back seat play. 4. Topgun. 5. Multi-role. The -D model, at least. Good fun for both ground pounding and bandit busting. 6. Carrier ops. Why land at an airbase, when you can land on a boat? And how cool would a ramp-start below deck, followed by an elevator ride to the deck be? 7. Tomcat vs. Su-27K (Su-33). How cool would it be to hone your skills with your American VFW buddies, then go head-to-head against a Russian VFW in a carrier battle? Very cool, that's how cool. Very.

That makes the most business sense, for sure, and is completely understandable. I imagine that the military contracts are much more lucrative and allow you guys to be in much better shape, financially, after doing all the initial research. All that's left to commercialize is to cut out the classified stuff and make it possible to use a keyboard, not a custom-built pit. But if you guys land a military contract to work on UAV trainers, that's out, too. :smilewink: No UAV sims! :cry:

Sure, but a study-sim hasn't been done for most of them. That's a mighty long list, and the F-16 has certainly been given the study-sim treatment. F/A-18 and F-15E were done to "80%" in the Jane's series. Do we really need to relive Jane's, with the addition of "well, here's the radio system you already know from the F-16 and OpenFalcon. In the F/A-18, the switch is over here, and in the F-15E, it's here". What am I driving at? I'd much rather see some in-depth simulation time given to something like the AWG-9 or AN/APG-71 or the Russian IRST system. I'm not interested in learning about "here's what the secondary bugged target icon looks like in the F/A-18, and in the F-15E, it looks like this". I already know how to use Western TWS, and how to utilize it in a combat situation.

Well, for certain, an F-16 would be a bore. If they did it right, then it'd be no more than learning a new keymap for OpenFalcon. For certain there'd be a different atmosphere, perhaps, but I don't care to relearn a slightly different implementation of an aircraft I already know pretty darned well. As for the F/A-18 or F-15E, by the time they get to releasing that, there's a good chance that someone with access to Falcon 4.0's codebase (Lead Pursuit or otherwise) will have done or announced similar. And there's a possibility we'll see Fighter Ops do the same, although I'm not holding my breath there. With 1, 2, and 3 F-16's over the last 10 years, and 1, 2, 3 F/A-18's, as well, not to mention mods that have kept the latter of each on the lists above up-to-date, and considering that there is a real possibility we're going to see 3 more F-16 or F/A-18 sims (from Lead Pursuit, an "illegal" update from another group, and possibly Fighter Ops), I just can't vote for these aircraft. And sorry, an F-15E can carry some slightly different weapons, but it's basically doing the same missions with the same equipment as the F-16. It's got most of the same systems (Sniper Pod, radios, up-front-controls, TSD vs. HSD, more powerful, but very similar radar) as the F-16. Again, given that it was done pretty well 10 years ago, and the possibility that we're going to see some good mods for other sims, I'd rather see something else. If it's done right, you can bet I'll fly it, but I'd like to see something a bit more untouched. AFMs? Sure, great. But do it with another aircraft. I'd almost argue they should have done the Cobra, rather than the Apache. When's the last time we got to land a chopper on a boat? DI's Apache? 12 years ago?