EinsteinEP

Fraps videos are uncompressed. Import the clip into Windows Movie Maker (or any movie maker utility) and make it into a movie, using a compression option.

In other sims, such as Falcon 4.0, helpful independent developers (i.e., hackers) created flash-based applications to help with the start up procedure. As for help while in the procedure, that's what checklists are for! ;)

Remember both the stick and rudder pedals have to be returned to center!

That the A-10C module won't be coming out until 2012..ish?

Wow. That's not a little creepy.

Do Russian trains ever run on time?! ;)

omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg

Looking at a track may help, but I think Arclight's nailed it: unlike convetional single rotor choppers, the Ka-50 needs right rudder and left cyclic to maintain level coordinated forward flight. The amount of rudder and cyclic needed increases with airspeed. While you may have had the controls trimmed nicley for a hover, as you pick up airspeed, the amount of rudder needed in cruise can be more than the autopilot's control authority. Trim, and trim often, to keep the controls within the autopilot's control authority!

<sarcasm>Sure, and, while they're at it, maybe they can add an RWR, an active radar, and air-to-air missiles! Ooo, and what about Super-Pursuit Mode?</sarcasm> DCS stands for Digital Combat Simulator. The developers have, to the best of their ability, created a simulation of the Kamov 50 helicopter system. Any complaints you may have with the design and function of the helicopter itself should be directed to the Kamov Design Bureau, not the good folks at Eagle Dynamics. Sorry for dragging out the soapbox, but, as a simulation enthusiast (as opposed to an arcade gamer) I get tired of reading posts that knock ED for modeling the helicopter system CORRECTLY. Great job, developers! I am very much looking forward to your next accurate simulation product!

I haven't downloaded the mission, but I can give you a comment. Repeated pleas/demands for help in bright red capitalized text accompanied by excessive punctuation comes off as petulant and annoying.

Ow, my eyes!

Bee_Sting, You're probably about to get half a dozen posts with the same message: 70 km/hr does NOT equal "slow"! Ideally you should be in a trimmed hover before engaging Auto Hover, but I think it's great that you found a method that works for you. Just realize that when you engage Auto Hover, it takes a snapshot of the point on the ground directly underneath the chopper and tries to hover directly over that point (that's the square box that slides around in the HUD, or the lines that scoot around in the HSI). If you're moving at 70km/hr, that point is moving away pretty fast, well beyond the capability of the autopilot to capture. This reference point gets updated every time you release the Trimmer button, so frequent use of the Trimmer will help, but it would be a more robust practice to enter the hover first, trim so you can practically take your hands and feet off of the controls, then engage Auto Hover. With some practice, I think you'll find it takes just as long as the method you described, but with even better results! Can you recreate the condition where the autopilot disengages on you? Although you found a workaround to it, I'd love to see the track file and/or reproduce it myself. Thanks!

Couldn't an interested person reverse this process to un-protect the mission?

KidBomba, On the DCS website, under Files, there are a number of fantastic videos about the startup process. There's also a detailed checklist somewhere in this forum (check the search function!). As for the restart, I don't know of any shortcut key to restart, just esc, Quit, Refly. As Huckle points out, there is a RCVR (short for Recover) option you can enable to start from where you left off, though. Also, in the link Huckle gave there's a great tutorial mission that you can fly over and over to learn the basics. It's an excellent training tool, can't recommend it enough!

Fraps works in my configuration, both for screenshots and video clips.

Yay! ED Rulez! Thanks, bumfire, for making the post here!

mrniel, I love the TrackIR mount! Good idea!

Air data probes, like those on the nose of the Ka-50, have several functions: Although it's just about impossible to tell from looking on the outside, the probe has several openings, or ports, that lead to pressure sensors. At least one port (static port) is flush with the side of the tube (or the aircraft body) so that air rushes by it, not into it. Static pressure is a good indication of altitude. At least one other opening (pitot tube) points directly forward and measures the ram air pressure. This pressure increases the faster you go, so is a good indication of airspeed. Ram air pressure and static pressure are used to determine airspeed as well as barometic altitude and descent/ascent rate ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitot-static_system ). The flappy wing things (vanes) measure two angles: alpha (angle of attack) and beta (side slip). More advanced air data probes get this information from multiple pressure ports instead of mechanical vanes. I seriously doubt that any part of the probe was intended to serve as a visual indication to the pilot, but, instead, provides information to the flight instrumentation on board, including the autopilot and the in-flight data recorder. Of course, if, like talisman pointed out, it's the only instrumentation you have, then better it than nothing!

It does. You can put something else on your Patch 1.0.2 wishlist now... ;)

Warden, Holding down the trim button disables autopilot control feedback, but does not disable stability augmentation, so not exactly the same thing as turning the autopilot channel off. Tucano_uy, The middle position of the altitude input switch is "automatic" - if you're low enough (<300m) for the radar alt to pick up a reading, the system uses that altitude. If you're higher than that, it uses baro. Arclight, In the real chopper, the collective brake keeps the collective from moving during maneuvering or accidental bumps, so the pilot doesn't always have to keep a hand on it. To release the brake to make a collective input change, the pilot has to squeeze the brake handle on the collective grip. It's spring-loaded so it pops back once it's let go. In the sim, of course, you can fly all day and never touch the brake, but the method you described is the most representative of the real thing. Also, I wanted to second your last point, about trimming close enough to the desired attitude/airspeed/altitude so that the autopilot isn't exercising the majority of its control authority: it seems that many of autopilot "problems" reported are due to pilot controls or trim settings forcing the autopilot to use most or all of its 20% margin, which can result in unexpected behavior if the flight conditions change. Also, all that autopilot control feedback gets temporarily disabled if the pilot holds the Trimmer button down, which may cause the chopper to suddenly move, just as if the controls were bumped. Keeping trim updated for all flight conditions is important for stable, smooth, and predictable control, especially when using the autopilot control feedback functions.

Personally, I'd gladly pay more to pick a good game off of the shelf than pay 100s of $$$/year to play any game, no matter how awesome it is. I know this philosophy keeps me from such games like World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and Star Wars Galaxies, all reputedly great games, but it also keeps about $15 a month per game in my pocket (... to pay for the next good game 3 months later!). I know my opinion differs from many of you out there, but I know I'm not the only one who feels like this, and I sure hope that will weigh on ED's decisions in future developments.

Already posted earlier, but a life-size helicopter with dual contra-rotating coaxial rotors and an advanced hydraulic control sytem with a complex feedback control system should be expected to act differently than a conventional toy helicopter. In fact, if ED's Black Shark handled just like the bit of plastic in that youtube video, there'd be a lot more people crying foul about their dynamics engine! I think if you start to really research your questions/concerns you'll find some very interesting things about the actual physics of the Ka-50 helicopter design, the idiosyncrasies of the pilot/helicopter interface, and ED's implementation of the whole shebang. Just like getting into RC choppers for the first time, the learning curve is the fun part!

As long as at least the Bank Hold and Pitch Hold autopilot modes are on and Route Mode is not engaged. Yes. There will be an indicator light on the upper panel I don't know for sure, but I would expect that the doppler velocimeter and the radar altimeter need to be functioning. No cockpit instrumentation is required, although the HUD and HSI both provide useful information during autohover. The autopilot will attempt to correct, however, it will not be able to instantly zero out whatever inputs you provide, and is overall limited to only 20% of the max control available. If you provide more than 20% input, the autohover will not be able to maintain a hover over the specific point ( or at the specified altitude, if altitude mode is engaged) and, when you release the control pressure, the autopilot may overcompensate. If you need to make large control changes, you should disengage the autohover, or use the trimmer accordingly. Autohover is a function of the autopilot.

Timm, Your description of your process sounds good. The first screenshots seem to show that helo *is* pointed at the target, but, based on your posting (and follow-on screenies), I assume you have to point it there manually? Any chance you can upload a track file? It would be easier to visualize/troubleshoot without looking over your shoulder. The rctrl-enter display looks a little off: in a trimmed hover, the cyclic should be a noticable ways forward of center. The fact that it is perfectly centered is a *little* worrisome, as this means the autopilot is using a great deal of its cyclic margin. The rudder inputs look good though, so this probably isn't the main cause of the Auto Turn to Target not working. [edit: you can clear the Ekran warnings left over from startup by repeatedly pressing the Master Warning Light (rectangular red light on the left side of the front panel)]

Wow! As a non-LockOn guy, I had no clue this feature was here. I've been asking on forums how to get data from the game, but have been asking the wrong questions. :smartass: Thanks, Timmeh! I second the request for update of info on Export.lua for Black Shark. Are you making your utility entirely using .lua files in Black Shark or using an external app (c++, etc.)?