Lace

At least you don't have any actual Gs to contend with. I could never go back to 2D flying. I briefly flirted with TrackIR, but it just felt wrong on so many levels (no 1:1 movement, no depth, can still see the room around me). The way I see it is that VR quality can only improve, whereas flat screen immersion will never improve. I get that some people have motion sickness issues, or limited mobility, but for those who can, VR is a must IMHO.

Thanks for the feedback. To be honest, things just got a little busy at home and at work and the mission creating took a bit of a back seat. I wasn't sure there were many still flying these missions. You are right though, it does need some kind of closure. I'll look into uploading to 'User Files', is there much more traffic there than on the forums? Regarding M1, although not strictly accurate as a D+0 target, I did want to set a scene of isolation, which I feel the open water and poor weather helped create. I have started another mission set you might like given it involves the Hind. This will be multiplayer, with REDFOR comprising a military coup which has taken over a nearby island from a BLUFOR ally. REDFOR playable units will be Mi-24 and Mi-8. BLUEFOR will be land-based F-5s, and AV-8Bs from a small amphibious task group sent to assist. Weather should be better though (although, you can get typhoons that time of year...). The only thing holding me back on that one at the moment is the poor performance everyone seems to be experiencing with the Marianas map.

Fair enough. The Tacview images show them pretty much touching.

What about FGR.2 Phantoms?

Your enemy site seems rather densely packed. No surprise the CBU made mincemeat of them. Push the tanks further apart.

FWIW, my Sabre liveries do have the same effect.

Off topic but... +9999 A Combat Caravan, (or maybe a PC12/U-28) would be a great DCS module. Configurable as cargo transport, Medevac, SOF extract/insertion, ISTAR and even light CAS.

Are you moving the a/c before alignment is complete?

You don't need to pull 9G every time. Try to keep the G loading lower. I spent ages practicing BFM without using the afterburner. Just stick the throttle in mil and leave it there. Forget you have an afterburner and keep a close eye on your speed. This will force you to learn how to conserve energy, as once lost it will take a long time to regain. But remember, the FM is still WIP.

You will both need the Yak to fly two player. Use the free-to-fly scheme to try it out first before you commit.

The Yak is one of my favourite modules. for a simple sunset aero flight with the cockpit open it takes some beating. It has a few issues (show me a module which doesn't) but nothing that major. I would recommend it as an aircraft in its own right, never mind as a stepping stone to the more complex stuff. It is good for practicing the fundamentals, but I find the concept of a trainer within a sim a strange one. The best aircraft to learn in is the aircraft you wish to fly (be that Spitfire, Viper, etc.). There are no consequences for crashing , you aren't going to be binned from flight training, and there are no cost implications for training in a fast-jet, all of which apply to real life, but are irrelevant in a game.

So, don't move your neck in a way that your head protrudes through the glass? I'm not sure I've ever accidentally poked my head through the canopy. If you want realism, then do what people do IRL and move your head in the same way.

This. And this. There are numerous ways to cheat. The biggest is the consequence free exceeding of a/c operating limits. Players can choose to fly within the limits, or outside of them. If you are worried about cheating on MP servers, then find a better server. For the vast majority who never play MP, this is a completely insignificant issue and not worthy of EDs precious time IMHO. There are far bigger issues to address.

To each their own. I'll be up ahead spotting targets for you in a Kiowa.

That makes my head hurt, the amount of button mapping that will be required. I just know that I'm going to buy the Apache, and I also know I'm never going to spend the time learning it.

Any skinners want to take this one? Will we get to 'pickle' Rick?

How much time do you have on NODs? They are more limited IRL than you might imagine, especially without active illumination.

The M61. It's one of the few weapons carried which require a bit of skill, along with an appreciation of tactical manoeuvring and actually 'beating' an opponent, rather than just pickling off a suicidal robot. It's the weapon the Viper was made for.

WWII I'd imagine. It is the same in the UK. Often invisible from the ground, but once airborne you can see hundreds of familiar three-runway triangles typical of WWII bomber fields, especially over Yorkshire & Lincolnshire. Most now absorbed by farms or industrial estates but there are a few still in use as airfields.

Snap. Been flying the Harrier out of RAF Akrotiri quite a bit recently too. Ugra have done a great job with the Cyprus addition.

I have used the trigger zone/explosion for IEDs in missions, but the idea of actual mines would be good as part of the CA. Trenches/berms etc might be tough given they would need to modify the underlying terrain mesh (I guess the reason we don't have any decent anti-runway munitions). I also like the idea of destructible trees.

In an ideal world, then yes. However the time taken to model each individual net would be a huge task, compared with three or four generic ones in different sizes.

So, two weeks then? Pre-ordered. First WWII a/c I've been looking forward to getting.

As a placeable static object in the ME. A couple of different sizes and colours would be great for artillery, FOBS, SAMs, and general mobile and semi mobile units. A versatile, non timeframe specific and realistic addition.

If you only have 2 hours a week, then my suggestion is stick with the Hornet. You already love and are familiar with the it and carrier ops element, and at 2 hours a week it could take you months to get trained up on any new module. Can you not spend some other time, lunch break, daily commute, etc. to study up the manuals. Make an A5 QREF cheat sheet and look over it every time you have a spare five minutes. Carry simplified checklists on your phone and look over them regularly. Make your desktop wallpaper an F-18 cockpit, so every day you are looking at the position of buttons, instruments, controls etc. Focus on the Hornet, but maybe simplify to one or two mission types, rather than the full gamut. Pick a few weapons and forget the others (for now at least). Chair fly the missions and have a plan for each two hour flight, with a specific learning objective, and then debrief the next day away from the computer and with the manual/guide.