John Hargreaves

Quick request for advice from our more experienced members: I'm trying to add a few oil platforms to a small mission I am making using the Caucasus map. I have found an oil platform in the static objects list, but it seems to be the old model that we had before the Caucasus update. I was wondering if anyone knew if it was possible to use those new oil rig platforms that are off the coast of the caucasus map and add that to my own mission.

I think the way that you float up to heaven after you crash is pretty cool though. Removing the big centre spring from the warthog joystick made quite a difference too. There is still a light centring effect from the other four small springs, but it's much more gentle.

Best thing I ever did for flying helicopters was to buy an Oculus Rift, makes it considerably easier as it becomes much more realistic and 'three-dimensional'. The rest you can figure out through trial and error, because crashing helicopters in DCS causes no pain or death.

231 pages, always wondered why they had those big pockets in flight suits

I've dealt with ED support a couple of times and they have been exceptionally helpful. It can't change their policy I guess, but the help desk people were really, well, helpful. I agree, you might be better off asking them, as the last time I had an issue, a lot of the input here in the forum was directly contradicting what ED themselves said. Most times you get amazing support in these forums, but when it comes to policy stuff like this, probably only ED themselves know the exact answer. It's tough when you get frustrated, but it's important to keep it polite as you get a much better response from the experienced players, and they are often the people you want on your team.

It's so long since I ordered both, I can't remember what I paid, so it's almost like getting it for free

Having recently been fiddling around with my own extension, (ooh er missus) I worked out that 42 cms was about right for my setup, so your 20cm, plus a couple of bits of mdf or plywood under the metal plate should do the trick, depending how high your chair is.

Nice :)

If they are static objects, would they blow up or would they be inert?

They are great pedals, especially for helicopters. I'm sure you'll be happy. Although not cheap, I think they were good value for money.

I think the fixed foveated rendering used on the Oculus Go might be a useful technique in the short term until graphics power can catch up. I haven't seen it in person, but reports on image quality in the Go sound quite promising considering it's a standalone headset. Eye tracking would add another layer of processing to the image, whereas the fixed foveated method just blurs it towards the edge of the view, just like the human eye does. Seems a simple and neat solution to me, but then I haven't seen it in person yet so what do I know.

How did that work with normal fixed wing aircraft? Did it feel OK?

I've just been working on a home made joystick extension for my warthog this week. It uses some 22mm copper water pipe and a garden hose connector from Lidl. I've got the pipe hooked up and I'm waiting for the mini Din connectors to arrive from eBay. So far it seems to be working ok, the extension makes the joystick much looser around centre, more like a real cyclic. I found the Warthog centring spring a bit strong for helicopter control, so I thought I'd give this a try. It will be interesting to see how the setup transfers to fixed wing craft then, I hope it works well once I adjust the curves.

I think for a long time, the British pilots were kept anonymous, whereas the German Aces were celebrated for their work, in the German media. I'd certainly love to explore the WW1 planes in DCS. Done properly, or at least as close as is possible, it would be an amazing experience.

I've tried rise of flight, it just seems like an old game compared to DCS. I totally agree that WW1 planes have a place in a title that shows great respect for the history of aerial combat.

That made sense when there were different versions between Steam and the standalone, but now that both versions are the same and all modules are available on both, there must be another reason why there is no crossover.

Mine did squeak really badly when I got them, but soon fixed with a bit of silicone spray.

Mine are amazing with all helicopters and the Spitfire. The precision and control of the tail rotor pitch is worth the money alone. The lack of an easy toe brake makes it a bit awkward in other sims with general aviation type stuff. The Spit has the brake and rudder connected in such a way that it doesn't have a left and right brake as such, so they work fine.

We are still very much at generation 1-1.5 of commercial VR. Without a doubt, as has been said on every discussion forum I have ever read on VR, the resolution is the weak spot. If you do your research on current VR, you have realistic expectations and less disappointment. I got my rift nearly two years ago, and I am more than ready to see a proper gen 2.0 set on the market, as I started saving up for it the week I got my CV1. It doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon as the entry price for VR has been kept artificially high by our mining chums. So yeah, resolution ain't great, but immersion and sheer fun factor balance that out.

Mmm, not familiar with that site, I saw a few on google shopping, but they were similar 'no name' websites. I wonder if anyone has had dealings with them? Also a 50% increase over the US price makes it a bit less attractive. That price hike difference is almost half the price of a ticket to New York, it might be worth a shopping trip.

As said above the VKB pedals aren't cheap but they are very good value for money. If helicopters are your thing they are a good buy, they make a big difference to control.

No matter what you might end up flying in the services, whether it's a fighter jet, transport plane or a helicopter, the first thing they would send you up in would be a fixed wing trainer. (A Spitfire pilot might start in a Tiger Moth so let's have one of them too). A lot of people using DCS enjoy learning about the planes and flying in general terms, and aren't even that bothered about blowing stuff up. I think it's great we are getting this plane, and as a project, rather than taking time away from other aircraft, it has paid for further development on the main modules so everybody wins. Also nobody will be forced to buy it.

Has anyone in the UK got hold of one of these? They don't seem to be readily available here. Looks like they are available from Samsung and Microsoft, but that seems to be in the USA, the Odyssey isn't in the UK microsoft store. Not sure if they will send worldwide and then there will probably be import taxes etc. Has anyone any advice for obtaining one?

That Smarter Every Day guy is really good, he's done some cool stuff about helicopter flight, among many others.

Good on you for the 'if you can't beat 'em join 'em attitude'. I don't think individuals have affected the prices of graphics cards as much as the farms that use hundreds at a time.