animaal

A phrase has been on my mind - the "golden age" of consumer flight sims. Right now, we have study-level simulations of the F-16, F/A-18 and F-15, variations of which are all in use today by the USA. In contrast, the F-22 and F-35 are still too secret for study-level simulation, even though the F-22's days are numbered. Is that the way things are going to be from now on - combat jets having so much tech in them that the details can't be published (at least while they're in service)? Or can we be more hopeful that the F-35 can eventually be simulated to the degree that the F-15/16/18 are today - it's use outside the USA perhaps limiting the effectiveness of attempts to keep it under wraps?

"Consider adding a head-tracking solution (e.g. IRTrack, TrackHat etc) to make flying easier and to increase situational awareness."

I had the same, but tried again and it worked the second time. I think I might enable offline mode, so at least single player mode should be ok over the weekend...

This, please. I have two virtual buttons for my throttle that trigger to represent cutoff and idle.

Just a quick comment: the pre-order of the F-15E does appear to extend the expiry date of pre-existing miles we have collected. I wasn't sure that would happen when this module is not taking part in the Miles programme.. So thanks!

I use it for radar off/standby/on. That's a set of controls I want at my fingertips. On the F16, I reverse it - Normal/quiet/silent.

New aircraft: - SU-47 - Hawker Hunter New Maps: - Milton Keynes - Idaho

I think DCS has the ability to define one or more "modifier" input. Can you define the 2,3,4,5 positions on the throttle as modifiers? I notice that the buttons representing the positions on the dial are always-on. I think the latest firmware (July 2022) may have added this...

I know the instruction is to move the throttle to idle but when I do, the engine immediately cuts out for me also. What does work for me is to instead move the throttle to maybe 40%. Then when the engine spools up properly, move it back to idle.

Ah yes, good spot, thanks @Rudel_chw

I have the F1, very happy with it so far. I find more modern jets to be really great weapon platforms that just happen to be in the air. The older jets give me a better sense that I'm actually flying. I gather that what we have with the F1 is a single "CE" model, with possibly another three varieties yet to come. Will each of these four need completely separate control Bindings? I guess nobody knows yet, but is there any precedence in other modules for shared control bindings between multiple varieties of a single module? All that comes to mind for me are the "general" controls (e.g. active pause), but they might be implemented differently than module-specific controls. (I know the JoyPro application can manage this kind of thing but it didn't "click" with my way of doing things)

Yeah, I don't think there's a black&white objective answer to this question. For myself, I prefer the Hind. I find that with more modern airframes (KA50 / F16/FA18) I find myself letting the aircraft fly itself while I spend my time with my head stuck in a set of MFDs. But with the Hind I spend more of my time flying. But that's just my preference.

Heh, interesting comments, thanks. It's a good point that the countries using an aircraft will generally have the labels in their native language, so to do otherwise is putting ourselves at a disadvantage. I'll certainly feel less guilty about that. And it looks like people are mixed on the question of HOTAS mappings. Vive la difference! I'll draw the line though at inverting the throttle of the F-14 throttle to match Top Gun.

Just looking to get people's thought on realism, and to see if I'm an outlier... One of the strengths of DCS is the realism it reproduces. I like to keep flight models etc on high realism. But there are two particular areas where I sacrifice fidelity in order to make things easier jumping between modules. 1. Cockpit languages. I don't know if the KA50 was ever produced with an English cockpit but I fly with one. The MiG-21 might have been, but I'd imagine not a lot. I don't fly often enough to remember what all the switches do in all modules, so I tend to revert to English cockpits]. 2. HOTAS controls. I keep controls consistent between my modules, rather than how each aircraft had its controls configured in reality. I'd never remember otherwise. So although it pains me, in the Hind I use the trigger for guns rather than to activate the microphone. Likewise, I always use the hat on the side of the stick for CMS, even though I know in the F/A-18 it's really used for weapon select (and I think sensor select in the Jeff?). So for people with many modules, do you do similar? As the number of modules grows, it becomes more and more necessary for me.

This is my favourite helicopter module. I can't say whether or not it's better made than the others, but I do think it's most fun. It's got the balance right for me - assisted aiming and enough firepower to rain hell on ground units. But my time is spent looking out the windscreen, not at a simulated screen/MFD. I was worried that I'd end up depending too much on the Operator (2nd guy), but in reality he seems to be mainly used for firing guided weapons. It still feels like I'm the one in control. The Hind is well recommended!