Wags

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet - Litening Targeting Pod Intro and GPS Weapon Use This is a first look at the Litening pod for the Hornet! It’s still early days, and this is very much work-in-progress. As an introduction video, this is provided to help you understand some of the basics and how to use it to set TOO targets for INS/GPS-guided weapons. In videos coming soon, I will delve into using the pod with laser-guided bombs, laser Mavericks, Laser Spot Search (LSS) mode, and setting target points for AUTO unguided bomb attacks. Other elements will be coming to the pod like HUD symbology, INR and snow plow modes, additional reticles, AA mode, and more.

Hey everyone, Viper update day! As most of you have probably already discovered, this week we released the first cinematic trailer for the Viper. Cato did a fantastic job as always, and the trailer brings across the just how fun this aircraft will be. Flying the DCS: F-16C Viper is great on a 2D monitor, but it really shines in VR. In August I will start the Viper academic videos, with the first being a cockpit tour (like what I did for the Hornet). After that will come navigation and then takeoff / VFR pattern landing. Much of the work is centered on tuning the flight model and FLCS, programing the Stores Manager System (SMS), and initial weapons. “Viper Team” is making fast progress and it is coming together at the fastest rate I have ever seen a module develop. On the art side, most of the focus is now on the landing gear (animations and texturing), and after that he will overhaul the external textures (we have a placeholder currently). In addition to open source documents and Subject Mater Experts (SMEs), another very helpful resource is visiting Viper squadrons to talk with pilots and get seat time in the real simulators. I was earlier at Luke AFB, but it was largely a bust due to Lockheed Martin. However, this week I was down at the 192nd FW in Tucson with T-Day and I got over an hour in a Block 42 simulator. While not Block 50 and using a different OFP than our planned Viper, there was a huge amount of commonality. There were many “light bulb moments” in understanding the operation and how to properly fly the Viper. It is a very, very different bird than flying the Hornet, and it took me a bit to stop trying to fly it like a Hornet (particularly how you land it). Fun fact: When T-Day was flying our Viper in VR, he fractured the metal attachment between the stick and the base due to the amount of force he is used to applying. The force sensitive stick took awhile to get used to (much greater pounds of force per G than I expected), but it was very much like the Realsimulator FSSB base. It is also an incredibly easy aircraft to get up and running. Assuming the ground crew set up the cockpit, it’s a much, much easier aircraft to cold start than the A-10C and Hornet. It was also an ideal time for me to be down at the 162nd FW because a buddy of mine, “Frodo”, graduated the F-16 Basic School (B-School) and I was able to attend his gradation ceremony. Frodo is also a big DCS fan and it’s great to see that some of the products I worked on over the years perhaps played a small part in his great accomplishment (he also won the AA and AG awards for his class). Onward an upwards, Wags

I forgot you were down there, I was at the 192 yesterday.

I use an FSSB L3 and TUSBA and am quite happy with them. Quality stuff.

It's a placeholder texture. Thanks

Hey everyone, Probably the the most anticipated new feature of the Hornet is the targeting pod. As mentioned earlier, we will start with the Litening pod due to it being used by the USMC and similar to what we already created for the A-10C (hardly a cut-and-paste though). Attached is an image of it in action. It is important to understand that this is neither an ATFLIR or Litening pod ala A-10C. It is a Litening pod that uses standardized Hornet Mission Computer (MC) data export. Most of the core AG functions are in the game and working, with the big ones still being worked on being the setting a Target Point via the TGP (critical for AUTO and TOO mode attacks) and, AREA vs POINT tracking . After the initial release, we will continue to flesh out the pod to include AA mode, control pages, and additional functions/symbols. Our engineer assigned to the pod is working very, very hard on this and we are pushing to release it as soon as possible. Thanks, Wags

Attached is the mission I use for SA testing. - Wags SA-Test-1.miz

Looking forward to this! My guess (based on the helmet and cockpit in the attached scene) is that he'll pilot a high-altitude recce bird with son-of-Goose (Lt. Gosling) in the back. They get shot down over Iran, sneak into an IRIAF base and steal a Tomcat to get back home with a fight along the way.

Due to our video producer being under the weather this week, I'm afraid that we must push the Viper Trailer back to next week. Sorry for the short delay. Thanks

Correct QuiQon, thanks. If anything, there is more work ongoing with the Hornet than ever before.

One systems is set up for the Hornet and the other for the Viper.

With the DCS: F-16C Viper undergoing internal testing and that I demo or software to professional customers, I’ve updated one of my two workstations to act as an F-16C VR simulator. The biggest change is the addition of an Realsimulator FSSB R3 Lightning that uses a high-quality force sensor (just like the real F-16C). I combined this base with a Thrustmaster Warthog stick. Between this and side-mounting stick using Monstertech desk mounts, it really feels like sitting in a Viper cockpit when in VR. Realsimulator was also kind enough to send me a Throttle USB Adapter (TUSBA) that allows my old Thrustmaster TQS throttle to work as a DirectX USB input device. Although there is no Gucci seat, it provides a great, low cost F-16C HOTAS facsimile.

In addition to PLID, the STEP function is also coming soon to the Hornet SA page. By successive presses of the STEP option at pushbutton 14, you can cycle through the contacts on the SA page. When a contact is selected using STEP, a rectangle is drawn around it, along with its Mach and altitude to either side. Being selected, its data is also displayed in the bottom, right corner of the SA page. Following STEP, we will add the EXP (expand) option that will allow you to zoom and center the SA page on a contact. This will be useful when several contacts are close together. Thanks, Wags

There are interactive Hornet training missions in the game. Training / Hornet. Perhaps I am not understanding your question. Thanks

Yes.

FYI, I've been using the TM Cougar throttle, and the throttle detents match up nicely with idle and AB in the game. Thanks

Hey everyone, I want to give you a little Hornet update on the targeting pod and other items coming to the F/A-18C. After talking with the team today, the Litening targeting pod will need a bit more time in the oven before we can release it. Given how integral this feature will be for the product, we want to further flesh it out before releasing into an open beta. We do apologize for this delay. Please note that all dates and time projections are best estimates at the time and can change. I mention this a bit here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=244404 In parallel though, other tasks are steaming ahead like new features for the SA page including STEP, EXP, TXDSG, and other elements to complete this system. We are also making great progress on the Harpoon and it went into internal testing today. As noted, before, initial implementation of the air-to-ground radar rendering technology is now being used to create the Real Beam (RB) mode for the radar. Once RB mode is done, we can then use that as the foundation for other modes like SEA, EXP, GMTI, etc. On the GPS-weapon front, work continues on dynamic launch zones for JDAM and JSOW, Track While Scan (TWS) radar mode is underway, and other items and bug fixes. Thanks, Wags

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet - High and Low Angle Strafe This is a short video on the basics of low- and high-angle staffing in the Hornet. A low angle strafe is generally done at a 15-degrees nose down angle, while a high angle strafe is generally 30-degrees. The higher the angle, the greater the concentration of fire on the aim point. You could go greater than 30-degrees, but controlled flight into terrain (CFT) becomes more likely. When done properly, a quick burst of less than 50 round should be enough to destroy unarmored targets. Here is a great real-world example: Thanks, Wags

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet - SA Page, Pilot Identification (PLID) In an upcoming Open Beta we will be adding the Pilot Identification (PLID) function to the Situational Awareness (SA) page. PLID allows you to manually set the top half of a HAFU (your identification) for a non-PPLI contact on the SA page. The top half of the HAFU can be manually set to friendly, hostile, or unknown. This video talks about how to use this why you would. - Wags

Thanks for the kind words, and I'm very happy that the game brings you such good times. In the end, the platform allows me to help make the game I want to play and fulfill my Walter Mitty fighter pilot dreams. Thanks!

Hey everyone and welcome to this first post of Viper mini-updates! As the project progresses and different Viper elements come online, I’ll be posting here to keep you update-to-date as much as possible. Just like the Hornet mini-updates. One important note: any date or time frame mentioned is only a best estimate at the time of writing. Particularly over the past two years, we’ve been trying to be a lot more open about our plans and intentions. However, due to a variety of reasons like unforeseen technical challenges, staff changes, holidays, changing priorities, etc., plans can and will change. So, while we will try to be open and honest about our plans and intentions, but please bear in mind that these can and will change. The alternative is that we go radio silent until a feature is released into an Open Beta. Anyhow, moving on… For the first academic video, it will probably be regarding waypoint navigation and how it relates to the Data Entry Display (DED), Horizontal Situation Display (HSD), and HUD. Yay, more acronyms to learn! After that will be a talk about bullseye in the Viper. You might be thinking that a cold start video might make sense to lead off the academic series, but you would be wrong Doug Masters. The cold start sequence touches on a many element of the aircraft as a system and many of these systems will be under development from now and until early access release. As such, much of this can change, and coding to make it work now will probably need to be re-written later (very inefficient use of coding resources). Much of the work now is focused on the engine (GE-129) and Digital Engine Control (DEC) with PRI and SEC modes, fuel system, electrical, hydraulics, oil, Jet Fuel Starter (JFS), landing gear, flight model basic envelope, Flight Control System (FLCS), NAV HUD and functions, initial Stores Management System (SMS), gauges including ADI and electronic HSI, external textures, tuning the cockpit, internal and external audio, and completing racks, adapters, and rails. Once the external graphics are where we want them to be, we will release a stellar trailer video. A critical aspect of building a simulation like this is the research. Such a complex aircraft requires a huge amount of data, but this must be in the confines of public documents without export controls. We have though located what we need, and much of what we are doing now is focused on working with Subject Matter Experts (SME) on appreciating the qualities of the aircraft that you never find documented. To that end, I was at Luke AFB yesterday with a retired F-16 pilot with over 4,200 hours in the Viper. He and the other Viper pilots I met at the squadron bar had amazing stories and insights into flying the Viper. I was also scheduled to have an hour in the big dome simulator at Luke AFB, but Lockheed Martin nixed the idea due to my mobility issues, bastards! All in all, it was a very interesting trip and I have more such trips planned this summer, with some Viper simulators time that should work out. Now, if I can just finagle myself into the backseat… Stay tuned for the first academic video in July. Thanks, Wags

Keep telling yourself that when it's 115 F.

There is a difference between the core AG radar rendering technology and the implementation of that tech to a specific pod. The latter just started. Thanks

Two weeks ago: https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3947387&postcount=159 Please consult the mini-updates for the most recent news. Thanks

For the DCS: Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier module, we plan to allow you select any of the Roosevelt sub-class ships. Not just the obvious ship name and number, but also each will have unique deck textures. Thanks