Jarhead0331

Well, at night, you can't use the helmet sights because you have the NVGs equipped! :cry: For the sake of this conversation, I don't think that is a fair comparison. The AH-1 was delivered to the US Army in what? 1967? The Ka50 was designed in the 1980s and first delivered to the Russian military in '95? Clearly night vision technology had improved by leaps and bounds in the approximate 20 year gap in development cycle. I don't think there is really an argument here to be had...I just think its a Russian design philosophy that I personally don't see the logic behind. But thats just me.

So I guess the answer is no. There is no fast method for target acquisition. No, I'm not just stampeding into the combat zone, guns blazing. The issue has come up in a campaign mission specific context. For instance, in a number of missions, you are participating in night operations. Moreover, some of the scenarios involve ambushes where the enemy doesn't appear until a scripted point in the mission. Traditionally, helos/aircraft have been used to draw enemy fire in order for other aircraft to identify and locate targets. Sometimes you just can't find the enemy until they give away their position by moving or firing. I still don't understand why anyone would design an aircraft "not meant" to operate at night or in bad weather. Sometimes in war, we have to operate under conditions not of our choosing.

What is the fastest method of target acquisition...particularly at night? Without having a radar to locate and lock onto targets, I'm finding visual location and acquisition with the SKVAL to be painstakingly slow. Moreover, at night, when I have my NVG kit loaded and no FLIR system with the SKVAL, I've found that using Vikrs or other guided munitions is pretty much out of the question. More and more, even in day time, I'm finding that I'm relying on unguided munitions to get the job done. Rockets, gun pods, etc. I'd like to use guided rockets more often, but I'm finding that in combat, I just don't have the time to 1)locate the target, 2) lock-it up with the SKVAL and 3) engage... Am I doing something wrong, or missing the boat somewhere, or is this just the reality/limitation of the Ka50? Thanks...

Very interesting...thanks for the info.

Will there be maps included with the printed version of the manual, by any chance? I recently flew the familiarization mission in the campaign and the region is entirely foreign to me. I'll definitely require something for reference. If there will not be printed reference materials of this kind, can anyone point me in the direction of a good map of the region that corresponds to the region in the game. Preferably, with stations, airbases, FARPS, etc... Thanks

As I suspected, you were correct...man you hit that one right on the head. I'd think there would be some kind of audio cue when you begin to run low on fuel...:cry:

Awww shoot...I'll bet you that's it! :doh: I'll go play and let you know... If thats the source of the crash, I suppose it would qualify as a scripted event...scripted as the pilot being a moron.

Hey ox...sorry I don't have any tips for you on this particular issue, but I'm glad to see you got the sim and are posting in these forums! :thumbup: S/F

So I'm playing a particular mission called "Courier"...its the one where you need to locate a Ural, recover a package and deliver it to a ship off shore. Its night, its raining, its foggy and visibility is very poor. I've run this mission twice, and both times I've suffered a catastrophic systems failure that essentially ends the mission by turning me into the worlds fastest moving lawn dart. I wish I could give you specific details as to what is actually failing, but since I'm still learning about the emergency systems on this aircraft its hard to say, but it starts with an EKRAN warning which sounds briefly. I believe I then lose oil pressure, but I'm not sure. I definitely end up losing power to the engine and well, the next event usually has something to do with me eating dirt. The first time the failure occurred, I was flying at about 225 kph at about 1200m. The second time it occurred, I was virtually at a hover, probably at about 50m. Eventually I'll learn how to identify these failures and also learn how to best try to respond to them. However, my question here is whether this failure is scripted for this particular mission. If not, what the heck am I doing that has caused this failure twice...I've logged probably 30 to 50 hours flying this bird since I bought the Russian version, then changing to the english version, and I've never had a system failure before. I've literally pushed this bird to the envelope and had no problems. However, twice in this one mission, while flying very carefully, I've sustained this major problem thats resulted in a crash. Whats going on? Thanks in advance...

First of all...how many damn threads do we need complaining about the same thing? If you want to bitch about the cost of the english version, do it one thread. Second of all...do some of you whiners even read what you're typing before you post it? Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? "First we HAVE to buy the Russian version..." then "...we HAVE to buy the english version again..." Excuse me? Did I just read that? Who held a gun up to your head to buy the Russian version. The fact that english speakers were even given the option to purchase the CIS version at CIS PRICES is a gift. You should thank ED for giving you the OPTION to buy the CIS version. Remember, they gave you the OPTION...they didn't MAKE you buy it. If you do not want to pay 49.99 for the english version, then DON'T BUY IT! Unless of course that little imaginary elf is threatening imminent harm or death in the event you fail to make the purchase. OK, so I'm sorry for the rant, but it's embarrassing! I'm actually embarrassed to be an english speaker right now. Lead follow or get the hell out of the way...buy it or don't, but stop complaining. But if you must, pick one of the 400 threads that have already been started by other like minded whiny little girls.

Are there any current or former Russian helo pilots or military aviation ground crew that use this sim and/or post in these forums? With other military aviation sims, there is always a handful of guys who have "been there, done that" who post in the forums and provide some authentic and truly fascinating input. It would be interesting to get a professional opinion on this particular sim. In response to the comment of GGtharos, I'd be shocked if the omission of an RWR is something that helps Russian helo pilots sleep better at night. There are numerous western and eastern anti-aircraft platforms that are radar based. Its a very real threat and I'm very curious how the Russians got onto this design path. Surely the cost of installing RWR in an aircraft is more cost effective than the loss of the aircraft which may occur due to the omission of the system?

Well...it seems as if the version of the Ka-50 modeled in the game does not have an RWR and/or a chaff dispenser. Looks like we've only got LWR and flares. Does anybody know the logic behind this design decision? Seems like a major weakness in survivability of the aircraft. If there are other variants of the Ka-50 that do have an RWR, why was this variant not modeled in the simulation? Thanks for your thoughts and comments...

I think its pretty much a given that the western version will require a separate purchase from the Russian version and that those who purchase the Russian version will still need to purchase the western version separately should they decide to do so. This is the way it should be. Localizing this simulator and converting it into English is not as simple as snapping one's fingers. The manuals need to be rewritten, the code for the game may even needed to be rewritten. Doing this takes a lot of time and resources. I'm still shocked that the Russian version only cost $24.99...that has to be the greatest bargain in PC gaming history! ED...make me pay for the western version...you deserve it.