testudine2002

I was thinking this too. 1) I'm not a steady pilot coming in 2) I haven't learned the best altitude to drop from 3) I lack experience with this game in general. With all of this said, I am still dropping 6 83's all together on a single tank, and they are landing all around it. Not only is the tank unaffected, but the crew is still shooting cannons at me while I pull up. These are very big bombs, and I can't see how this would be true irl. I think they leave craters 30 feet wide. They crew would at least be covered in fecal matter and unable or unwilling to shoot at me. I know there is a huge attention to detail in this sim, so I assume they are simulating something, but I don't understand this. I believe they've been taking out tanks with unguided bombs for a while with way less stuff than this Hornet has now.

Yes, I thought about all of your suggestions. Even though I thought that I needed a "high fidelity" module, I realized towards the end, that was just a pride thing. What I really wanted was something cheap and easy to learn to dogfight in with copious content / instruction released. I did get the Eagle, and this could be the best $12 I ever spent. I'm going to buy the Nevada test map next and the BFM mission pack later today. This was my perfect solution--thanks for helping me make it.

I just bought the F15 for $15 which I already thought was a good deal. They gave me $3 in bonus bucks. That's a 20% discount! That was nice. How much of a discount do we get around Easter?

Perfect!

I'm assuming that big heavy tanks would require more damage to destroy than light armored vehicles like Hummers. Traditionally, in-game objects are assigned hit points to quantify this. Does DCS have a system like this? Is there a way to see how "strong" ground objects are in comparison to each other?

I'm new, so I don't understand. If the 83 is good, wouldn't the 84 be better to destroy tanks?

The Maverick F seems to be the best solution for now. I find that locking them on is even easier than the shkval in the su-25t. Every shot was a dead tank so far--at last!

Awesome. I'll compare the f-5 and the m-2000. I'll get one or the other during the Easter sale just to practice / learn my bfm while they finish up the Hornet. I'm afraid that while FC3 offers a lot of bang for the buck, I'll be disappointed with the simpler systems. Unless there's an argument to be made that learning BFM in FC3 is easier since there are less distractions with fewer systems. I'm more here to learn to dogfight than learn the planes start-up / emergency / NAV procedures after all.

awesome.

I did click that. The tanks do not move, but they still shoot cannons at me when I come in for a ccip run. I ticked one box and then added the rest of the units. Maybe that glitched and I need to make each unit one at a time?

How do we put ground objects on the map like tanks and transports and just have them sit on the runway and let me have my way with them? I've fiddled with the option, and it seems like they are either moving and not shooting or staying still but still shooting. How do I place these guys? Not static objects mind you--just dummy tanks and artillery that don't do anything. Thanks!

I got this game to learn about modern fighter A2A combat. My first plane was the F-18 which I am still learning and I enjoy a lot. I'm thinking of the Easter sale, and I wonder if buying the F-5 and some of its campaigns would be worth it. The main reason for getting the F-5 is for the extra content that I can buy in the form of campaigns and missions. I'm not a fighter enthusiast who feels like he needs to collect and learn a bunch of planes. One solid fighter is all I need. But maybe the F-5 could teach me useful info that I can apply to the Hornet later. I'll also admit that for someone who is completely new to DCS, it is a little hard for me to learn the Hornet because it is WIP. It would be nice to have a time tested user's guide and a plane that is not changing so much to learn with. Would this be a waste? Would the F-5 bring anything to the table that is worth mentioning in terms of learning BFM skills? Did I "miss a step" in the progression by starting with the Hornet? Should I just stick with the Hornet and wait for it to develop around me? I do enjoy a lot of things about the plane. It's just that I finished the tutorial and all the free content that it came with, and I'm not sure what to do now. I still feel like I have everything to learn. I'm not interested in an A-10 c or a helicopter. I like fighters. The user created missions tend to be advanced and complicated. Easter's coming, so I'm gonna buy something. If not a plane, then another map.

ok, thanks for the tip on the maverick too system. I missed that. Also, I thought we had the HARM's already. I believe I saw a video of Wags shooting SAMS from like 30 miles away.

I just want to confirm that we need a JTAC (spotter) to paint the target with the laser for GBU's and mavericks. Is there any way I can laser the target myself from the F-18? If not, what is that called, so I'll know to look for it. I was doing this on the SU-25t I think.

wow, thanks for all the quick answers. I'm glad it's not just me with the bombs. I'll try the Rockeyes with the VT settings indicated and some laser guided bombs too. I'll also try to roll in like wags from 20,000 feet and try to come straight down. The Zuni's are ok too, right? I find that a two rocket salvo usually does the trick against a tank, and they seem easier to aim. Plus, we can carry a lot.

I'm new and I can't destroy any tanks with my bombs. What is the easiest unguided bomb / fuse setting to take out tanks in the F-18? I'm doing CCIP at a 30 degree angle from all altitudes. I think I tried all the bombs already. They blow up around the tanks, but the tanks don't seem to get destroyed. I'm only doing unguided bombing. Is that a waste of time anyway since I think we have laser guided bombs now?

this was helpful--thanks.

No, this is plenty of stuff. I'm new, and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything new released or if I missed something important. I noticed that not only are there lima, mike, and x-ray variants of sidewinders, but they can also be launched from different launchers like lau 115 and lau 115 c and lau 127. I'm not sure what the different launchers do yet. I'm guessing not much.

Can I just verify that these are the only 4 types of A2A weapons we have in the Hornet right now? 1) sidewinders 2) Sparrows 3) 120C's 4) guns / cannons

What about the choice of launchers? That doesn't matter, right?

This was sort of the picture that I had in my mind after reading Wiki. I guess my question would be why would anyone ever use the lima if the others are better? I also noticed that we has the choice to fire these out of different launchers too like lau 115, lau115c, and lau 127. So there's three different sidewinders and each can be fired from three different launchers (I think that's what this means). That's 9 different permutations of firing sidewinders. While I like the variety, I'm struggling to understand when to use what. I guess I should always use the AIM X because it is the best one, right?

I read about these missile online which was interesting, but I don't understand how to apply this knowledge in game. Practically, when would I use the l, m, and x versions of the aim-9 and what would be the difference?

Flying with more experienced F-18 pilots is a great idea. I'm going to post a request for this in the general forum. I guess I just need Discord or something, right? As far as the sticky thread with the updates, it's like over 20 pages or so. I don't mind reading it, but isn't there just a running list of features added somewhere?

I read the instructions for the F-18, but when I finally got in the plane I noticed there were extra weapons like the Maverick in there. Is there a running list of all the weapons and systems that were introduced for this plane since the guide was written? Otherwise, it's unlikely, I'll be aware of the features that were added. I also have a second question. I'm a total rookie with a modern fighter like this. I've heard of sidewinders, but not many of the other weapons. I enjoy reading about them on Wiki. The problem is I don't know how to practically apply this knowledge in the game. I think this second question is deep, so I'm not really expecting anyone to write out an explanation (unless there is a quick summary anyone could add). I was mostly hoping for some recommendations on good study links / videos on learning this from step one. I read the guide and watched all of wags, red kite, grim with computerized sherman, spud videos, and now I'm working through the tutorials and missions. Thanks millions to all these guys, but these videos were meant to explain how the plane works. Not really tactics and strategy which would take a lifetime to learn without instruction. I know all this info is out there. A little guidance with the right path to learn please? Which weapons / tactics to learn first, etc? It's for the F-18 obviously, and I enjoy A2A more than A2G now. I know how to use the ME. This is my first plane and DCS experience, but I fly a Cessna-172 irl. So my questions are mostly combat related not GA or NAV.

That sounds like fun. Instrument flying at night or in bad weather was a great idea. How about take-off and landing from a carrier too. We should start a thread on the cool aspects of hornet vr until they address the spotting issue. I do want to enjoy that aspect of the game, so I guess I can get track ir.