Istari6

Script editor inside DCS? Or TARGET?

Huh. I tried mapping the RWR Search directly in DCS, and it still didn't work. Only when I used TARGET with Hold did it finally respond to my HOTAS. But in general, I'll try out doing it all direct in DCS. Would seem to cut out the middleman.

What else should I be using? This was what was recommended in the HOTAS documentation. Is everyone mapping directly into the Config of DCS?

OK, I figured out the problem. It turns out that the T.A.R.G.E.T. "Pulse" setting simply isn't long enough to flip the RWR Search switch. It doesn't matter what keys are used, nor which buttons are assigned on the HOTAS. Only once I switched to "Hold" did it start working. Strange, since nothing else seems to work like this in the cockpit (except the Drogue Chute, which needs a long hold to jettison the chute after deployment). Hope this helps someone else who may have trouble configuring their HOTAS.

How funny, I just tried this mission for the first time last night and had a different experience (but also failed). I used BOGEY DOPE to close on the nearest contacts, climbing towards them in maximum AB. However, AWACS didn't mention their closing speeds, so only once I was near them was it apparent they were Su-24s in full AB at 25 or 30,000 ft. They blew past us, dropped bombs on our airfield and continued away in AB, untouchable by our F-5es in rear pursuit with AIM-9s. I figured we were unlucky with the leading aircraft being Su-24s, so I turn towards the next contact. AWACS is not giving me their type, heading or speed, making it difficult to know how to position properly for an intercept. Once again, my wingman and I are caught out of position as another pair of Su-24s rocket past at maximum speed. By this point, we're getting low on gas and haven't intercepted anyone effectively. I quit the mission and decide to try again this weekend, now that I know the challenge here. I never saw any Su-27s. Any tips on how to intercept in F-5s when the enemy is supersonic, yet AWACS is only giving current position? It seems that we need to be in exactly the right place at the right time to get AIM-9 shots off, given we're dealing with multiple waves of speedy Su-24s.

I'm also having no luck running KBB with OpenBeta 2.5. I've downloaded several times, deleted and re-extracted several times. I've also confirmed .NET updated and even tried deleting the Mod/Caucasus terrain folder, then reinstalling. Nothing changes the pattern. Specifically: 1. First time running after fresh install, long pause, then error that Bin/DCS isn't found 2. Goto Preferences, select OpenBeta and Save 3. Brief pause, then crash with "Kneeboard Builder has stopped working" 4. Every time after crashes on attempting to run with same message. Any other suggestions?

OK, weird troubleshooting issue here, hoping for some advice from someone who's been successful. Given the current ALR-87 implementation, having the RWR Search button mapped to the HOTAS is critical. Need to flip back and forth to build up a picture of who's in the area and who might be locking me up. However, I can't seem to get this function mapped successfully. Default was RALT+7, and I mapped that to my HOTAS Warthog throttle Button 24 (the far lower left switch). While Event Tester showed RALT+7 was being triggered, nothing happened in-game. So I tried changing the config to map that to RALT+P, then did same for HOTAS Warthog. Still no action in game. Yet hitting the key commands directly does press the RWR Search button appropriately. I had another issue like this with the ACQ button. No matter what I mapped it to, it wouldn't work on my HOTAS yet would work if I hit the key directly. Event Tester shows Warthog is sending right response outside DCS. Any ideas on where to go to troubleshoot a problem like this?

Jenrick - great comment. What makes this match trickier than the F-86/Bf 109 or F-14/A6M2 is that in both of those cases, the F-86 or F-14 can just go 100% and start climbing or zooming using weight & energy advantages. They can start "zooming" from a coequal head-on position. I did the same when I first transitioned from the P-51D to the F-86F-35 in DCS. I had great fun practicing using the Sabre's superior energy to soar above a flock of Bf 109s or Fw 190s and then swoop back down through them. This is my first time flying a more advanced fighter when I can't use turning OR sustained climb/zoom climb to beat an older airframe. Your comments (and others here like Probad's) are helping me rethink my approach, which is exactly what I was hoping to gain when I posted the question. I'm definitely going to work on first getting supersonic, then using (and keeping) that energy advantage for the rest of the fight. BTW - this line is a keeper: "Make no mistake a good (from way higher, and way faster) boom and zoom is straight up premeditated murder."

Ricktoberfest - Yes, I was wondering why a much more "advanced" fighter would be so impotent against an older airframe (see your F-86 vs Bf 109 example). Then it occurred to me that fighter-v-fighter combat isn't actually the most critical factor in the direction of these airframes (2nd gen -> 3rd gen). t's about knocking down all the rest of the enemy's flying machines. Their bombers, CAS, transports, helicopters, etc. As I thought about what an F-5 could do to a fleet of Tu-16s or Tu-95s protected by MiG-15s, I realized that the F-5 is still a major leap forwards :). Jenrick - good training tips on the different approaches. As for boom-and-zoom, I was trying that as my starting strategy against the MiG-15bis, but that's where I was surprised at the MiGs ability to stay with me in vertical maneuvers. So no ability to outturn, and little or no ability to "zoom" means I'm largely neutralized in a 1-v-1 fight. As you say, if the MiG-15bis is already starting coaltitude, cospeed and head-on, then perhaps the F-5 has already lost the advantage and needs to disengage until it can come in supersonic.

Another request for a fix here. Very strange to be needing to map Search switch to HOTAS to flip back-and-forth during combat to ensure not missing key threats. Realism is the highest priority, so if this is how the actual F-5E3- works, then OK. But given the F-5E-3 shows the integration of so many other "lessons learned", seems surprising this is how the actual RWR works.

Like ricktoberfest above, can confirm the same problem with 2.5 open beta.

Probad - good point. I like that phrasing "some options are more powerful than others" :). If I was a real pilot, flying the F-5E would still be preferable because I always have the option to engage or disengage at will. The MiG-15 is trapped until the F-5E runs out of gas. Svend_D - what had me surprised was that it seemed the only reliable way the knock down a 1950 vintage fighter was dependence on a mid-late-1980s weapon (the AIM-9P5). I was curious how a 3rd generation fighter would do against a "1st generation" fighter (yes, I know Me-262 and Meteor were technically 1st gen and F-86/MiG-15 were later). Without the AIM-9P5, I'm not sure how to use speed and roll rate alone to win consistently. With roll rate, I can certainly get a scissors going, but my advantage in roll rate gets neutralized by his much better turn rate, right?

Further thought: given the number of aircraft that are sitting at Nellis, would it help to open the Mission in the Mission Editor and manually edit to remove all nonessential aircraft?

Thank you for continuing to work this issue. I've been having a blast training up on the F-5E, many hours mastering the systems so I could dive into the BFM and AFM campaigns. I've purchased both. However, I just tried flying the FAM hop (mission #2) and I came here because I have the same issue. The FPS are far lower here than any other DCS mission. I'm running a new 8700K CPU with a 1070 GTX card. Yes, I'm looking at updating to an 1080ti in the future, but the frame rates shudder really makes the experience unpleasant, even with PD turned down to 1.2 and most other settings off. I'm flying over NTTR at Tonopah in my own missions with smooth frames. Will hold off on proceeding in the campaign for now in the hopes there can be some further optimizations in an update. Appreciate your continued attention to this issue.

Thanks both for the replies. I've read some of those threads and I was fine with the AI having perfect vision, simplified damage model, etc. Figured he'd know I'm there and I'd have to really maul him to bring him down. I know the AI also flies to the razor edge of the available envelope, but I guess I was surprised at how it all combined to make the MiG-15 a match for the F-5. I'm convincing myself it's also the simplified flight model which is giving an extra advantage even the best human pilot couldn't wring out of the old MiG :). As you say, sounds like I'll need to focus on leveraging the few advantages of the F-5 and just keep opening distance. I will say that I accidentally found a way that is killing the Excellent AI regularly. Zoom climb up to 30,000+, bring the MiG-15 up with me, then dive down supersonic. The MiG tries to follow and as I pull away and look back, there's consistently a black smoking hole in the ground. Guess the AI isn't anticipating the MiG's tendency to depart controlled flight on pullup above M0.92.

First, many thanks to the Belsimtek team for a terrific module. I've spent dozens of hours learning the F-5E-3, enjoying every step of the process. Now that I've "mastered" all the systems and completed all the training missions, I'm starting to practice dogfighting in the Tiger II. Having previously flown the F-86F-35, I've been looking forward to experiencing the "great leap" of a supersonic 3rd generation fighter. With many combats against the MiG-15bis in the Sabre, I figured I'd start there to see how big a leap the Tiger II represented. So I began to develop a gameplan to fight a MiG-15. Hmm... don't want to turn with the MiG (wing-loading ~45 lb/ft2 vs Tiger IIs 84 lb/ft2). Got it. I'll use my power against him. But then I checked T:W ratios and see that the MiG-15 is equal to the Tiger II, both around 0.60 (with F-5E in afterburner). Thus, in any sustained climb, the MiG-15 will likely outclimb me (similar T:W + lighter wing-loading). Ceiling? Both are about the same at ~51,000 ft, and the F-5s heavier wing-loading really hurts at that height. What about zoom climbs? Well, the Tiger II IS slightly heavier, so I should get a very small advantage, but it'll disappear quickly as the MiG-15 does a sustained climb. To my surprise, I seem to be left with supersonic speed and roll rate as my only maneuvering advantages over a much older fighter. Sure enough, when I take on an Excellent MiG-15bis over Nevada, I'm completely stymied at the merge. He easily outturns me. When I plug in the afterburner and climb, he stays with me. I can stay out of reach by accelerating supersonic, and I can shoot him in the face with AIM-9P5s, but that feels like cheating. I can escape nearly at will, but I'm surprised at how well a fighter from 1950 is able to neutralize a 3rd generation fighter - neither turn fighting or energy fighting seems to work once merged. I'm still new to dogfighting in the F-5E, and I'm sure there are many things I'm missing here. Any advice on how to beat a MiG-15 once merged? Is the only game to separate and try head-on passes?

Agreed. It's much easier to take on and off (just spin the dial), and it's more comfortable while you're flying in DCS. Not worth $200, but I found it worth the $99 asking price.

I have the same problem under 2.1.1. Very noticeable right outside canopy on fuselage. I wonder if it's that some of the MiG-15 skins haven't been updated for the new deferred lighting feature?

Agreed. I tested the MiG-15bis in the latest 2.1.0 Alpha last night, and it flies VERY differently. The problem is definitely fixed there. I can do complete aileron rolls with almost no speed loss. It feels like it should - a rocketship just bursting with power (albeit a glacial roll rate :>). Hopefully we can get confirmation for the 1.5.7 release on July 7th. I'm looking forward to getting back into Museum Relic (which is dependent on the Caucasus map).

Yes, could we get some confirmation this will be fixed in the 1.5.7 patch once released? I just started flying the MiG-15bis (after months of flying the Sabre), and I've been astonished at the speed bleed during simple aileron rolls. I scrubbed 100 kts of airspeed in a simple 180 deg roll. I understand these kinds of bugs can appear with constantly evolving software, just hoping it'll be fixed soon.

I literally just completed this mission in the MiG-15bis. Like you, I was having real trouble hitting the speedboats, given the MiG-15's unsteadiness as a gun platform, the difficulty trimming (given the switches on the cockpit wall) and the speedboat's own movement. Ultimately, I determined which way the speedboats were moving, then setup my attack along that same axis. I was able to sink one speedboat with just 1-2 hits of 23mm (seems overly optimistic), but the other speedboat blew up under 3-4 37mm HEI hits. Hope this helps!

Completely agree. I finished the campaign last week and found it an amazing experience. I was originally planning to graduate from the Sabre to the F-5E, but I'm now training on the MiG-15bis, so I can experience Museum Relic again while learning the "Red Scourge" of the Korean skies :).

Thanks! I fly out of Santa Rosa, California, about an hour north of San Francisco. Beautiful area. Best memory is getting a chance to go up in a Pitts Special and do acrobatics over the Wine Country. Highly recommended. Yes, Mission 9 made me appreciate modern fighters that can climb at 35,000-50,000 fpm. The Sabre took quite awhile to get up to that 28,000 ft altitude. BTW - is this accurate? I've read the F-86F had a climb rate of >9000 fpm. Yet only loaded with 2 x LAU-7/AIM-9Bs, I was struggling to maintain 3000-4000 fpm. Perhaps I need to retest with empty load and 1/2 fuel load. And let me echo the other comments in this forum about Mission 10. That was *excellent*. Beat it on my first try, but took some careful pre-planning and mentally rehearsing the turns ahead of time. One of the best missions I've played yet in DCS. I'll check out the other missions you've created, including the one you reference. Hope you'll be involved in creating some future campaigns for DCS!

Actually, it was 736 (180+576) hits with 12.7mm and 1 hit with an HVAR out of 16, so I still need to work on my aim with rockets :) You're correct that I was able to complete the mission successfully even though I didn't knock any of them down. I really like that feature of your mission design - that not every combat mission is perfectly successful and the war grinds onward. That feels more realistic. Just wanted to be sure that if there were any easy fixes, you were aware of it. Users can definitely live with it as it is now. I'm looking forward to tackling Mission 9 tonight! BTW - have you created any other campaigns or missions for DCS? Your real-world experience as a pilot shows. I'm a VFR-only low-time private pilot, but it's been fun using radio beacons and dealing with mechanical failures outside the pure combat arena.

Apache, Compliments on a great campaign! Love the variety of challenges: navigation, weather, mechanical failures, CAS, interdiction, CAP... very creative mission design. Wanted to report an issue with Mission 8.5: Unleash Hell as the F-86. ***SPOILERS*** I dropped in behind the Mi-26 and attempted to shoot it down from close-range at six o'clock. Fired my entire load on two gun passes, didn't go down. I hadn't used my rockets yet, so crept quite close, and managed to score a hit with an HVAR. Still flew on untouched. In the AAR, it showed I'd scored 180 hits with 12.7mm, then 576 hits with 12.7mm, then an HVAR hit. I returned back to base with zero aerial kills and marveling at the solid construction of Soviet heavy helicopters :). Is the Mi-26 somehow set for invulnerability?