Surf

Well, I just installed 3 Cougar MFD's in my home pit and DUH! They are replicas of Viper MFD's. Thrustmaster has the Warthog HOTAS, and now Viper MFD's. Is there a pattern here? -Surfer

No question. Raptor. How about a squad of Raptors with the flight lead vectoring a pair of X-45's. The combination of uber avionics and an ultra high AoA envelope, thurst vectoring, steath, super cruise, AA/AG... ...anyway, that's just me. I'll love trapping in the Hornet, at night, in a storm, with battle damage...ala Fleet Defender. -Surfer

64 bit Windows 7 Home SP1

>Yeah. This hobby is expensive in bursts.. I have to try to block out of my mind the pace of >improvements of hardware. It's crazy. I dropped in a 2 gig 5850. Fine. It supports 3x1 Eyefinity, so my 23" 1080 LCD won't cut it. Two 23" 1080 LED backlight Acers later... There. Perfect. Insane. Now I must swap the original LCD for a new LED so they line up perfectly. There is no end to this...hehe. -Surfer

I've said too much. *grin* -Surfer

Ubetcha, the team is heart and soul. That said, your contribution to the Falcon 4 project had, ironically, a similar result. I just printed the 669 page manual and stuffed it in a binder. I assume you had some influence on the manual and, yeah...midas touch. Yeah, the dream lives on. -Surfer

Impressive sim. I must say that the combination of world class, grade triple A, TrackIR support, combined with 'world class' 5970 x 1080 Eyefinity support, encasing 'world class' level simulation fidelity creates the most impressive, compelling and challenging sim since Falcon 4. Wags...you killed it. I just bought the release version, and it takes FULL advantage of my hardware. I now have realized my ROI goals on my hardware. Thank you Wags. You guys are keeping the dream alive. -Surfer

With my 3 monitor/all camera views I find that I need to zoom the view in pretty far to reduce that curve down effect on the side monitors. There is a sweet spot that really balances the FOV and enhances the suspension of disbelief. It goes from 'sorta odd' to 'OMG I'm really there'.

>I am having no problem running each screen at different resolutions, even though I've read it's not possible! I'm using 3ea 23" monitors using a 2 gig 5850 running within Eyefinity. 2 are 1920, 1 is 1640. Eyefinity requires the same resolutions for all monitors in the Group so I'm running my desktop at 1640x3. Black Shark is set for 5040. If the camera is the middle screen, the Shkval runs full screen on the left, and the Abris on the right is also full screen. Personally, I'd rather decrease the Abris's width and increase the res. The Shkval is ok, but ideally I'd reduce size/increase res a bit. That said, the 3 monitor camera view is SO immersive that I tend to fly that way most of the time.

I must say that this sim now, without a doubt, has the finest flight model of any sim I've ever had the pleasure to crash in. To think that I used to be amazed at SWOTL...and blown away with the original panning view system of the classic Mac sim HELLCATS OVER THE PACIFIC. Props Wags...and we used to think that the Falcon 3 HiFi *250kts and above* flight model was the bomb...hehe. Well done men...and thank you so very much. -Surf

>Is the patch worth it? I don't really play online. If I insatall this patch Iloose all my custom missions and my LUA settings for my monitor. I can live without the new trimmer. Again, is it worth it? I just patched to 1.02 and for me, it's a different sim now. The flight model has been refined, as well as the overall cpu/gpu performance. I'm running an i7-860 @ 4.13 ghz and a 2 gig 5850 and the difference between 1.01 and 1.02 is stunning, performance and fidelity wise. HUGE improvement in control...I can now fly NOE at 5' backwards and maintain complete control. Whatever they did on the inside of the sim ROCKS on my box...oh yeah... ...4 gig DDR3 1600, 23" 19x10 max detail smooth as friggin glass. TrackIR. Wow. -Surf

Nice Wags. Adding DX11 haze/smoke/water capablities will be great, and improve an already compelling enviroment. -Surf

>More, you can destroy broadcast station tower to stop music. How 'bout being able to dispatch a EW platform and jam the frequency...or over ride with counter-propoganda? "...you have no hope for victory...save your family before it's too late..." -Surfer

I've owned every Thrustmaster HOTAS since the WCS/FCS/RC up through the F22 suite. I also had the Suncom F15 Talon and Throttle, Saitek x36/x36 USB, Sidewinder...you name it. I'm using the Saitek X52 Pro and recommend it. FYI... -Surfer

I'm guessing that the Raptor excels in every aspect of this formula...other than cost of ownership! -Surfer

In my case I tend to never attempt to track a target beyond a 180 degree turn max. *90 degree max is better yet for energy retention* If I can't get off a snap shot within 180 degrees I'll unload *as in wing loading/reduce g loading* in order to maintain what energy I have left, accellerate back to corner speed, then reverse and reaquire. I can push those limits the most with the Mig 29/73 combo *thank you thrust vectoring/off boresight/high AoA* but in the end I try not to ever get too slow. Then I die. *wink* -Surfer

Basically it gets down to what weapon systems you have loaded, i.e., medium range active radar missiles, medium range semi-active, short range IR/radar. RWS/TWS are longer range search and aquisition radar modes on the Eagle. They should be used to search and target using the AIM-120. With the AIM-7 you can use RWS to find targets. But locking the target in RWS mode with the AIM-7 selected the radar will switch to STT, which focuses all the radar energy to the locked target. Following launch you must illuminate the target to impact, which limits your evasive techiques. With the AIM-7 and AIM-9's you can use the Close Combat modes. The vertical mode will paint higher elevation angles while boresight mode allows for finer target filtering/lock on selection. Both of these auto lock under specfic conditions and are used in sub-10 nm ranges. This is very general info and actual use is fairly complicated in a 'busy' sector of air space. -Surfer

>Who would've thought a computer program can write better than most native English speakers? Well, even with English being my 'first' language, it's very believable! Personally I feel that padlock views match labels as immersion killers. Even snap views are in that same category, IMO. TrackIR was a great solution for me to increase the suspension of disbelief. That, combined with the 'view zoom' feature which I've mapped to my X52 Pro precision slider, works for me in offsetting the monitors lack of visual acuity. I even disable the Z-Axis in my TrackIR because I prefer the zoom function mapped to the throttle slider. -Surfer

In addition to gusty cross-winds at low alts, updrafts and downdrafts associated with static objects, i.e., bridges, buildings, trees, mountain/hills, etc., could really increase the sense of immersion in a rotary wing aircraft. It could be cool to see at masked helo using MM radar be suddenly updrafted/unmasked. Surprise! -Surfer

That said... ...I'd love to strap into a Raptor next. -Surfer

Thanks Wags... ...I'm really looking forward the Black Shark. -Surfer

cc that...I started with Flanker 1.0. Back then I was big into Hornet Mac...Flanker was the first PC sim for me that offered a 'hi-res' cockpit from a graphics fidelity standpoint, while offering a pan-able cockpit viewing system with operational gauges. -Surfer

Thanks Wags...great news. -Surfer