Raisuli

Alright, fine! You've made it impossible not to take another look! But first, since Cairo International Airport has shut down operations and cleared out all their equipment so I have a place to lean how to fly the AH-64 I should go crash fly one while the opportunity is there.

Not a fan. I have one mod (Community A4C) installed. Mod managers proved to be more trouble than I like and Quaggles is a mod to do what I'm already doing in a different way; in either case a script is required, and I really do have something like 368 individual controls. LeCuvier's additions are a fraction of what I need, and if I remember correctly they're mostly on/ff and I need separate controls for each. Since ED has gone to a release a month, if that, I just look at the notes and decide if it's worth the trouble. The lack of bindings, the inconsistency between modules for how those bindings are implemented, and the fragility of the binding management files is huge reason I don't fly more modules than I do. It takes about an hour to configure an aircraft once I have the bindings, and if something goofy happens with USB addresses all that goes away in and instant and I can start over from scratch. In the end ED is letting other people cobble band-aids for problems they don't consider important enough to solve. That's certainly their prerogative. It is a little disappointing that the F/A-18 had about 90% of the binding already done, and the A-10C II has about 10%. Between them I have a whole aircraft! After all, this is a game. About the time I get frustrated I try to remember that

I've seen other third party developers willing to add bindings as well. To their credit I've seen ED add bindings in the last five years; I think three, so just under a binding a year if you are persistent with them... I have around 300 controls, so I expect ED to add the bindings I'd like in about a millennia. Per aircraft. I'm pretty patient, but not that patient, so I do LeCuvier's thing and add them myself. The A-10 is going to be a BIG project and I've been putting it off, which means I don't fly it much. I could set up DCSBios, but there are valid technical reasons why I don't. The biggest being DCSBios doesn't know what plane you're flying, and can't change a control based on that. I use Notepad++ and just re-over-write the luas on every update. I also have records of what changes go where, but it's a pain in the butt. If ED would do one thing for those of us with too much hardware it would be to leave those files alone on updates unless ED has actually updated something. Still, DCS is only a game; you don't have to look hard to see what a real problem look like.

Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> DCS -> Uninstall worked for me, then go to the DCS directory and clean up. If you really want a clean install smack the saved games folder as well. <edit> Forgot what I was doing there for a second </edit

Wait, what? But...that would make flying helicopters...hard! I remember Choplifter, so that can't be right! The fix, and I really appreciated all the input, is being gentler with...everything. Oh, and patience. Casmo was also right that helos are a lot harder to fly. As much as I gave a couple 'future rotorheads' grief back in the day I'm really starting to enjoy them. When I can land consistently I'll enjoy them more...the most recent attempt is immortalized as a background screen titled "Apache Flambe". Back to training!

Yeah, ok, it's a nit, but when I take off from Gaza in a Huey the first thing I noticed are all the satellite dishes on the low-rise buildings. Those dishes should be aimed at geostationary satellites, which means equatorial, which means around 75% of them are pointed the wrong way. They don't all have to squirt the same bird, but they're going to be pretty close. Actually the sheer number is a bit crazy; I've never been to that part of Gaza, but I've also never seen dish density quite like that anywhere. Of course I've never seen buildings copy/pasted quite like that, even in Russia where residential buildings are copy/pasted everywhere (there's actually a movie that parodies the way the Soviets duplicated buildings) If you lost anything not pointed south it would still be too much, but better.

Hrm. So now I've got people saying cyclic, and people saying pedals. Maybe I should have joined the Army after all. Anyone want to vote for the collective? Whatever I'm doing it's getting better. Slowly. Had some good landings (I could limp away with only a few broken ribs and a herniated disc or two) but no great landings, where the aircraft could be reused. George? Better if we don't talk about George.

Totally bugged! I really wish DCS would issue a patch for a meatware actuating the stick, because it needs a patch badly!

You nailed it, apart from the over-corrections and tip this way and that and really make things exciting for the ground crew (most of whom cower in a bunker any time they see me on the flight line) right up until it falls over. I figured out George is actually a blow-up doll with a helmet, because no person would possibly sit up there with me flying... Apparently the LSO from Supercarrier called and warned them about me. This. I suspected as much, but thank you all for the confirmation. Actually got into a dead-steady hover for a few seconds at a time before I decided to start over-correcting this weekend; about the time I get it perfect my brain turns back on and decides it wants control back. The ground crew never left the bunker, so they were all safe. Probably a good thing I declined the offer for Army flight school all those years ago...

I started DCS and went to Portugal for two and a half weeks. It was almost done loading when I got back. Generally that's where I get most of my sleep, though.

Ha! I've still got to get an Apache off the ground without lopping off half the rotor disk, my carrier landings are far from consistent, my first attempt to put the F-15E on a carrier resulted in a broken nose gear, there are about fifteen or twenty modules I've never flown, and I have a 38" monitor arriving tomorrow (it's curved, so I can claim "3D" as long as nobody asks too many questions). I've got so much to do in DCS if they waited until after I die of old age to release another mod I'll stay busy and still won't get caught up!

Decided to bite the Hellfire and learn the Apache. I can fly the Huey, if you call what I do 'flying', so not my first egg beater. The Apache always wants to tip. It doesn't roll, it doesn't slide, it tips and so far the ground always wins when rotor blades come in contact. Statistically this is pilot error, but I can't seem to figure out what the fix is. Any thoughts up front? So I did Casmo's checklist: 1. Try to fly the Apache. Check. 2. Get frustrated. Check. 3. Go fly a jet. Check 4. Which is lame...

You pre-ordered and can use it when it's released. Things just get released into beta before they get released into stable. If you don't want to deal with software that might not be ready for prime time you don't want to fly the F-15E in its current state anyway, so be glad they're going to give it a fresh coat of wax and Armorall the tires first. It's not BS, it's how software gets tested before release.

Yes the Eagle did land on my first attempt! Broke the nose gear, but the crew on that carrier were quick to repair it for me. Might need to figure out how to restart the engines, but it's lobster night in the wardroom so maybe I'll just hang out. Even got the IFOLS on approach. How cool is this?

Oh the humanity! They expect me to fly without my MFD exports? How cruel! Ah, well. That's 84 fewer buttons to map, which will get me in the air cloud surfing a little faster; windows rolled down, Beach Boys on the 8-Track... I missed that in the notes for some reason that must be someone else's fault, so thank you!

Immersion is DOWN, the ability to VTOL an F-14 is UP! It would be nice to move that slider and pitch the decks, even with reasonable wind going the right direction. Even in (relatively) calm seas the deck still moves, even if only a couple feet; Carriers are a big cork on a bigger ocean, and the closest thing you get to a stabilizer is a bilge keel. Well, except the Enterprise seemed to have a contest to see how long it would take the navigator to scrape one off. She was home ported on the pier next to ours for a few years, and seemed to spend a lot of time in dock getting those bilge keels replaced. I think we're arguing the same thing.

Ever been on the Caspian Sea? Or off the coast of San Francisco? Swells are not locked tight with wind. The storm we went through between Pearl and Kamchatka was not wind driven, but the sonar dome and the screws came out of the water. The North Sea has waves that will really rock your boat, even under water, but that's not wind, either (though there usually is a bit of that, too). I've seen bright sunny days and twelve foot seas. I've seen clouds, wind, and rain with four foot swells and a lot of spray. Yeah, I would love a sea state slider. You can adjust the limits on wind and weather, which does make sense, but saying 40 foot waves with 25 knot winds in deep water is physically impossible is simply not true. Four days I won't forget, and that Hyundai freighter nearly rammed us. Green water to the ASROC launcher, and we had to get a new ship's bell (we also had to hit the dry dock at PSNY to repair the sonar dome). Gotta tell you, Petropovlovsk was a nice change from all that! Cold and windy, but relatively calm seas with just the normal in-shore swells. Took a week to get everything re-stowed because not much got done during that storm, and we really shouldn't discuss the number of engineering logs gun-decked because the watch standers were too tired, or sick, to stand watch. Five people on the mess decks during meals. Captain up in his chair on the bridge puffing away at a pipe full of Captain Black with a huge smile on his face. Pretty wild stuff. As for 'impossible', ever see a carrier in the Black Sea? Neither have I. Seems to happen a lot in DCS.

The graphics are bad, the front office needs redecorated, the wings fall off, the guns can't hit much, the radar can't see a flat metal plate the size of a barn door 100 meters away, the RWR is twitchy...honestly, there's nothing there not to like. She still one of my favorites, warts and all. In theory ED is giving her some attention, which will be nice if it happens in my lifetime, and if not, no worries. Also got the F-14 and the F-4 coming up for cold war, but the F-5 has her place.

Try with a KC-130 and no wind. For me, at least, the KC-130 is much easier than the KC-135. Unless you fly one of those planes that need penetration, then you're more or less screwed...

Yeah. We've given them the code for five or six additions, made sacrifices at the altar, done penance, offered tithes, and fifteen years later they added one. Don't waste time expecting ED to do much on this front. I have a notepad++ file with all my .lua edits; I try to open it before updating, then not allow Notepad++ to update files from disk and re-save my versions. ED seems to have a moral objection to control updates (unlike some third party providers). If the update is big enough I might just recopy all the changes, but it's a PITA. I have line numbers so I know where to put them...

This is not all that much different than pulling the paddle switch in the -18. Some people game the game, some people play the game. It's hard to draw a line and say 'everyone will play this game my way'. There's a very popular Youtube content creator who keeps a rubber band around the F-18 paddle switch and doesn't think twice about doing things that nobody does out where the atmosphere hits the airfoil. If it works in game they're game to use it. Stick stirring has been around as long as combat flight simulators; I ran into it when Warbirds started in the mid 90s, and so far a lot of very smart people have utterly failed to put an end to it. Anything you do risks pushing that 'you will play the game my way' line. Is it annoying? Always has been, and I don't expect that to change. Add it to the list of differences between real life and video games. And, really, it's hard to distinguish between 'ham fisted' and 'stick stirring' from the outside. As an experienced pilot I suspect you have a much better feel for aircraft control than someone who's never been there or done that and only has a joystick sitting on the desk to gauge inputs.

It sounds like you're locked on to the ACLS; in autopilot CPL mode or manual? Was this 'live', or were you watching a track? Track files can end with hilariously wrong results; it's a known issue. See if you can reproduce it and save the track file. That will help.

Wow. Can 'o worms here... Laobi: We need more Laobi. Hope he's okay, even if not producing content anymore. The guy is brilliant. Ralfidude. Never fail to watch a new release, and because of him I learned how to pronounce Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz. Even if the video isn't DCS I'll watch it. He's pretty much good at whatever he does, and the instructional videos are all referenced. A-10 is on my short list, and the Zero to Hero videos are A-10 101. Nothing on the channel in a while; apparently he's been working long hours, but in my best Yenta voice: "So you have to work, why should I suffer?" He's near the top of my 'love to fly with someday' list. GVad. Even higher on my 'love to fly with' list, because he's pretty good at demonstrating what I'm worst at. Actually, I'm exceptionally talented at intercepting air-to-air missiles and even bullets, but apparently that's not the point of the exercise. Wish he did more, wish he did some specific match-ups that are kicking my butt. Jabbers: His Case 1 and Case 3 videos deserve the Pulitzer for DCS content, but he doesn't seem to do much DCS anymore. BogyDope/Tricker/Casmo/PSS: These are relatively new discoveries, and get checked frequently, particularly Casmo's AH-64 stuff. That's on my short list, too (played with trim last night). PHH did a plug for Inherent Resolve as a campaign for non-real-pilots, and it's in my shopping cart waiting for the next purchase (probably the F-4, maybe, hopefully). Reflected Simulations: Not a real pilot, so that level of realism is over my head. I have most of his campaigns on a shelf for the day I have time to learn the basics. From what I've seen actually being a pilot and understanding all that pilot sh...tuff is a prerequisite. Watched Tricker get an unsat in Speed and Angels, thinking all the things Paco would say to me... Air Combat Tutorial: This is the YouTube video library that covers some of Shaw's text descriptions, and worth the time Enigma: Yeah. My thing with online is I last just long enough to intercept the first air to air missile (or bullet). I'm just there to boost scores, so I don't bother. If I ever get out of the suck phase it's something I'd like to try, but so far I'm stuck at suck. Phil Style: Love the WWII stuff, but this is entertainment. I'm not up to the level of participation. 104th Mav: The reason I'm reasonably good with the F/A-18 radar, among other things. Love his content, and the beret... Redkite: Great tutorials, but some Redbull, please. That voice can get hypnotic! Grim Reapers: My court of last resort for training; some days it seems like Cap knows less than me, but he always manages to teach me something along the way. Their scenarios and war games run the gamut; you like them or don't, but in that case watch them or not. How can you not like Cap? The guy is a much better pilot than his commentary might make you think, and he can do that in pretty much every module on DCS. Some days he reminds me of a two year old who got into a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans. For someone who appears to be a professional game player he's guileless and has almost no ego; smack talking someone one second, dying the next and never gets upset about it. As opposed to... Growling Sidewinder: DCS celebrity, it would seem, with all the baggage celebrity implies. I know nothing about the guy, so I'll leave it at that. I'd love to get some GS time to get out of the suck phase, and if I wanted to donate a kidney I could buy it, I guess. I come and go on his channel, and have learned which videos to avoid. Tactical Blaise (Pascal): I run into this stuff now and then. Should bookmark it. Kortana: How can you not like someone who jumps out of airplanes and manages to fly them well in a game? Watching her level of focus and discipline with Cap, who is pretty much the opposite, makes me wonder what's going through her head some days... Spudknocker: At the risk of being negative despite his obvious knowledge I can't watch this, which has everything to do with the scripts and delivery and nothing to do with production or content. Dialog is one of my quirks. Content Providers: Wags/DCS/HB are all given. I've pre-ordered the -15 but don't watch the Mudhen videos because I have no intention of dropping everything to fly it when it comes out. Probably set up a few controls and cloud surf, then back to my normal stuff. I have every aircraft, but don't have the time to fly them all. Some of the others need to be checked out now that I know about them. Some I've seen and not terribly interested, which is true of most professional gamer channels.

I think in DCS there's a lot that doesn't go wrong that can out in the real world. All we worry about is PIO and plugging in; I can't count the number of times I've done something that would likely be catastrophic if this wasn't a game, and that doesn't even get in to mechanical failures. Having the basket fly through the pilot's head is an annoyance in DCS... Of course I still make my tankers invulnerable out of habit. I used to get so frustrated that the gun would accidentally fire (uncommanded, of course) and cause wing damage on the tanker. That's not a problem anymore, but just in case...

I discovered tonight I have a major problem, and maybe HB can help. Put a static F-4E in the hanger next to where I launch my aircraft and realized the graphics are pretty horrible. I have to wonder if HB has a model that perhaps replicated the -E and would do a better job of representing that aircraft in my hangar. Not that I'm suggesting they release anything, but such a nice map and such a poor model... You know...