Steve Davies

Sorry to hear this, Gazza. I don't have any real technical knowledge of how these campaigns work, but I will ping Wags and ask if he is aware of anything that can be done.

SH I can tell you that we've refined all the F-15 campaign missions so that there is concordance between the briefings, lineup cards, maps and the actual missions. In addition, we've fixed the errata reported to us (and fixed some things not reported to us!). Wags has also added two tanker tracks in the Caliente airspace to the east of the NTTR ranges, and added reference to these (position relative to BE, altitude block, call sign etc.) to the briefings. I don't have any involvement in the technical aspects of DCS (so, I don't know anything about the radio bugs being reported in the A-10C RF campaign forum, for example), but as far as the narrative and documentation perspectives are concerned, you're good to go.

Not planned as far as I am aware.

Sounds like a bug, Gazza. Try flying the mission again and see if it repeats.

Eagle pilots There's no excuse for crossing the FEBA because the maps aren't detailed enough or you don't know the terrain. The briefings typically tell you where the FEBA is in relation to your waypoints or BE. If the briefing doesn't give you the information you need, use the mission editor to measure the distance, then note it down on your lineup card (or remember it). It's your responsibility to use the DME feature of the HSI and keep an eye on how far west you stray from your most western waypoint. Stay fast and check six!

Thanks, Boxin!

See this post for more help on the matter (this will all still apply, even after the update on Friday). http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2648341&postcount=9

Gantoo This coming Friday's update should fix this, Gantoo. Wingmen will be prevented from using afterburner during the administrative portions of the sortie (i.e. flying to and from the area).

Thanks for this helpful feedback, Bunyap. Will take a look and check again the latest version.

Thanks, Zeke. We've fixed this in the forthcoming update :)

Zeke Ah, I might have been flying mission 5, then - it was dark, so couldn't see a thing! Yeah, like your TTP for the Slammer shot. I tend to shoot early to stiff arm the Gomers and put them on the defensive - it results in a lower Pk, but with the WAI in particular requiring some work, it seems to give them a better chance of pressing home the engagement. Doing more campaigns is certainly a possibility, but they take a lot time and require lot of back and forth with Matt (even post-release, I've been working with Matt to update and improve the missions this week), so I guess we'll have to wait and see what the community's overall reaction to this one is like :).

Nice work, Zeke. When I read you had pickled inside of 10 miles, it reminded me of what happened when I flew mission 4 on Wednesday and used the same technique... I was not so lucky: got nailed by an R-27ET from the southern group - no RWR indication, of course, just here one minute, dead the next :mad::cry:

Just an FYI, the briefing is incorrect (it has been fixed in the forthcoming update) - Vul time is 20 mins, from 0900 to 0920.

Really enjoying the debriefs, Zeke. Yeah, if you cross the FEBA, you will end up in the SA-11 MEZ during the sweep. That means you have to take it down low and return to east of the FEBA after you've killed the southern Gomers (just watch for the SA-19s west of the FEBA) - it's a valid tactic even if you don't think you've been targeted. The Blue Air SEAD flights will not be too far behind you, so as you head back west towards WP9 again, the HARMs and ALARMS will already be in the air.

You're welcome. Honestly, start with the manual that comes with the DCS F-15 module. It should be in the documents folder of your installation. The radar has three main modes of operation - Range While Scan (RWS) and Track While Scan (TWS), and Single Target Track. Learn about these and gain an appreciation for the differences between TWS and RWS. Next, learn about the AUTO ACQ (acquisition) modes - these are made for close combat and are designed to lock the first target that the radar detects within 10 miles. You don't really need to understand radar theory to get the most of the F-15, but it certainly helps. So, in addition to the manual, you can researching the following: Clutter Doppler Notch Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) Drop us a note here with any questions. :thumbup:

My set up is as follows (Warthog): Stick: TMS: AUTO ACQ modes (down = VS, left = Boresight, right = FLOOD) and BVR (up) DMS: Nav modes (up = next SP, down = previous SP, right = nav mode) ECM: ECM on (press), RWR Volume (left and right to decrease and increase), RWR mode (forward to switch between all and only locked indications) and CMD dispense (back to dispense all) NWS: toggle high-rate NWS Trim: trim Throttle: Mic: TWS/RWS (forward), PRF (rear), Scan volume increase and decrease (up and down) Coolie: radar scan up, down, left and right China: missile step/weapon change (forward) Left Throttle Button: unlock TWS target / RTS Slew: TDC and (press) lock contact Hope this helps.

SP3 is about 20 miles east of the FEBA. So, you have to keep an eye on your DME on the HSI - if you have SP3 selected and are west of it (the pointer arrow will tell you which direction it lies relative to you), you don't want to see a figure greater than, say, 10 miles. The reality with the Eagle in DCS is that, with no moving map display, data link or steerpoint indicators in the HUD or radar scope, you have to pay extra special attention to mission planning (use the measure tool in the mission planning screen) and to your HSI once airborne. It's old school!

I deliberately left the tactics vague because there are many online squads who have their own tactics and I wanted to leave it open to the single player pilots to decide what to do... However, if you want to ask some specific questions, there are lots of people here who can help you, myself included. In answer to your question about Sweep versus CAP, there's a metric tonne you could write. Here are some pointers from me: 1. You'll notice that the line up card advises on speeds and altitude blocks. You'll see that for CAP, the legs are about 15nm each and are oriented in the direction of the threat. You should man your CAPs so that while one element is 'nose cold' to the threat axis (pointing away from it), the other is nose hot (pointing towards it). This ensures that you always have a set of radars looking at the expected approach of the threat. 2. From a tech standpoint, ensure that you vary your PRFs to get the most out of the radar - in high PRF you can detect a co-altitude target in the DCS F-15 at about 60 miles, but in interleaved PRFs you will see it at maybe 40 miles. 3. Similarly, use the radar elevation controls to make sure you are searching for high- and low-flying Gomers who are trying to sneak above or below your radar coverage - your threat briefing should tell you where the Red Air CAPs are, but it's worth bearing in mind that when you commit to an engagement, you don't want to get flanked, so sanitise the airspace left and right of the guy you are going engage before you lock him and shoot him. Also, check that there are no trailers who are going to cream you if your bandit drags you left or right 4. When you commit from the CAP station, get high and fast >Mach 1 and 30k' - this will extend the range of your AMRAAM. Once you shoot, retard the throttles and begin a left or right descending turn, keeping the target within the mechanical limits of the radar (i.e. within the scope) - this will reduce the range of the bandit's missiles 5. Have a 'commit range' in mind that you will want to turn and run if you don't have a lock on a target, and at which you commit to the engagement if you do. So, if you lock up a bandit, get to about 15 miles and then suddenly lose the lock, do you press and try to find him again, or do you turn tail and reset the engagement? And if you lock a bandit, at what range do you commit to driving the engagement home? I use a rule of thumb of about 12 miles, which is about the minimum range in the sim at which I can execute a 180 and run away from an AA-10 (IIRC!). You'll also want to have a commit range in mind for pop-up threats - personally, if AWACS or WAI call anything within 10 miles of me that I have not seen or detected, I will honour it and point at it if the tactical situation allows. When this happens, go straight to one of your AUTO ACQ modes, which will lock up the first radar contact the radar detects. Just bear in mind that this could be friendly, so check before you shoot 6. You'll also see that, while CAP legs are flown at the same speed, the legs of a Sweep are flown at different speeds. You fly faster leaving the sweep because you don't want to turn your tail to the threat and let them catch up with you and shoot you down. 7. When you sweep, make sure you know which direction to fly to safety - usually East in the RF campaign. That way, if it all goes to shit, you can just point the nose to the East and fly as fast as you can to get away from the bad guys 8. Stay fast. Honestly, it didn't become a mantra for no reason. Well, that's pretty much a brain dump from me. There are lots and lots of other things you can weave into your tactics, but these are the ones I would start with. When you've comfortable, you can start looking at formation tactics, controlling WAI and so on. Have fun!

Nice!

That's the effect we were hoping for. Great to hear it's working :book:

Great to hear that :thumbup:

Zeke, that's how it's done in the Eagle IRL.

Yes, AWACS is in some of the later missions.

Great to hear! Have you tried using the recommended Mach number instead? When I was testing, I used Mach once I had climbed above 18,000'.

Matt is the authority on this, but that's my experience, too. Don't enter the Container, cross the FEBA or fly over Tonopah. Make sure you land and taxi to parking (ideally, return to the same apron as you started at).