Raisuli

Bit like a Jack Russel terrier that got into a bag of espresso beans. Add it to the list.

You are my hero! Time to fire up the old Prusa and print the whole collection! I just wrote a 'Second Impressions' review and the TDC is still the number one gripe. I ended up using a 5 way hat as a backup TDC; between the two I can usually get the job done, but DCSs hypersensitivity to TDC movement certainly doesn't help.

I bought a STECS Mini last year to replace my old Warthog throttle and in December I rebuilt my simpit from the ground up around the new throttle. Now that I have a few hours, for very large values of 'few' under my belt I thought I'd pass on my impressions. First, and most important, it was a worthwhile trade. No, it's not modeled after anything 'real', but neither is the rest of my simpit. Flying a steam gauge Cessna 172 with a STECS throttle and a stick with an equivalent control density (not VKB, so not talking much about that) means I can even change the 8 track tape with HOTAS controls. Some of the controls haven't found a use yet, but knowing they're there, and as I get used to the new simpit, I keep adding new commands to the throttle and promptly forget where I mapped them. Someone (*cough* VKB *cough*) needs to create a control mapping graphic. Of course...new throttle, old muscle memory goes in the dumpster. It took a while to get formations (A2AR) working without constantly hunting for the right speeds. It didn't help that the stick throw and position also changed, so it was a little like re-learning how to fly. Not that I was much good at that to begin with. The other nice thing is the throttle handles fit my hand pretty nicely, and I can get to everything without any difficulty. I do need to shift my hand a bit to get a couple controls, but on the whole the ergonomics are good. I was pleasantly surprised to find out those aft paddle switches don't get in the way, so as long as I'm not sloppy about my grip they can be safely used for whatever needs done. At the risk of breaking rules I use this with other simulators, and it's been very nice to have all those options available. Now we get to the parts that I struggle with. 1. That thumb mounted TDC makes me crazy. This is due in part to the hyper-sensitivity of several DCS modules to TDC movement. Tossing that cursor around is like playing 'where's Waldo', and it goes from edge to edge with not much more deflection than a heartbeat (1/2 MOA at 100m). I've changed the curves, but thumb control, particularly when the throttle is forward and directional control changes, is a pain. To help with this I mapped one of the forward 5-way switches to also be a TDC. Now I can quick-tap the direction I want to go and it's only the module over-sensitivity causing problems. Unfortunately it's really hard to press one of those 5 way switches and move the TDC at the same time, so I find myself pushing one button and moving the TDC with the other control. In general, clunky and hard to work with. If it wasn't otherwise a worthwhile trade this one thing would put the Warthog back in play, especially since TDC now uses two of the controls rather than the one. They seriously need to consider a module to replace a forward 5 way with an axis and software to make the axis a switch. For me the thumb axis was a bad call on VKBs part. 2. Detents Cool idea. I use black for aircraft sorely lacking afterburners (the KA-50 really needs one) and blue for real airplanes. Originally I used a second detent for idle/cutoff, but the travel arc on the throttle is pretty limited, and with both detents the difference between idle and afterburner is tight; fine throttle control is difficult because very small changes in position result in proportionally larger changes in thrust. I pretty quickly took the idle cutoff off the throttle and use a pair of toggles on a controller to handle that bit. I don't spend a lot of time using that detent anyway. Changing the detent frames on the fly is easy, but changing curves is easier since most of the aircraft I fly kick in the AB at about the same place on the throttle, so I have three that haven't found a use yet. That might change, and having the option is pretty nice. 3. Friction I like my throttles pretty soft and smooth. With the STECS if I dial the friction down the throttles will move on their own from the weight of the handles; with power down to land or taxi, for example, the throttle handles will fall to idle on their own. That means it's a little stiffer than I like, and something about the feel is...off. Not sure how to describe it, but as the throttles move they don't have that crisp feel I got used to with the Warthog; that might be due to the higher friction level though. 4. Minor Gripes from a pit builder The base isn't quite flat, so if you mount to a flat plate you'll need washers under the corner screws to keep it flat without putting strain on the case. The USB cable comes out right over the top of one of those screws; the holes are countersunk, but there's no clearance for a screw head under the USB...make your heads flat! I ended up using a 90 degree USB-B cable to connect it so the throttle bay isn't much deeper than the throttle. Saved a lot of space from from the huge Warthog bay. They don't give you any dimensions for the base; I called support and was told they build these things with no engineering drawings at all; I guess they just whittle a block of plastic until it fits. I got lucky and nailed the throttle opening on my try, though. Nice to have the right tools. Overall? I really like it. There was some concern when I bought it because I don't really need a lot of high-priced flight control hardware on shelves and I don't get trial models to review, so it was a pleasant surprise when this lived up to the hype. Because I have a simpit I don't need a bunch of controls on my throttles, which kept me away from some of the others. This is a throttle, with plenty of HOTAS controls to do whatever needs done on whichever airfame I happen to be in, and none of the other stuff that might be needed if I played on a desk or was a little less OCD about control panels.

So...today's uber dumb question. If I take DCS offline I can run it forever. If I want to update (every six-ish weeks) I take it on-line, do the update, then go off-line again. Apart from not being able to access MP servers, which I don't anyway, is there a downside to this? I'm really, really liking it. <edit> Ok, I have two installations; one for reviewing tracks and creating missions on my desktop, one for playing on the simpit game machine. Offline the desktop version has the time limiter, which makes absolutely perfect sense. I can always RDP into the game machine for that kind of thing or pop back on-line long enough to log the desktop in. Either way that's a me thing and ED did it right. </edit>

Woot! Thanks, BN! I owe the guys a beverage!

Won't even be a blip unless downtime becomes significant. This is the second time in recent memory, though, and the 'offline mode' failed then, too. You only get to 'investigate' so many times, and how many hours does a server need to be down before someone gets an alert? Not exactly five nines. It does set my teeth on edge, though, because I'm about to start a SOC audit (yeah...ugh) and once again we have 100% uptime because my department rocks. EDs IT team might need a review...

Don't they have fish ladders? Barbarians, I tell you! Of course this brings to mind Craters of the Moon National Security Area (the most bombed place on earth, even if most of them are subsidence craters). Sedan crater, that really big one at the north end, was going to be a demonstration of the 'peaceful atom' where nuclear charges are used to dig canals and other large earth moving projects. Mountain in your way? Why tunnel when we can remove the mountain? I recall the Friday Follies (kind of a long, boring, off topic story) that said the light on the D1G ball indicated a submarine was inside being refueled. Never mind how it got there. Nuclear powered ships are just slightly to the left of witchcraft anyway.

Nope. At least not as long as it takes to hit the water after going into a nice ballistic arc with only flaps and some rudder to manage it. Took off from 59, landed on 59, took off again, same problem. 59 is now retired and has been replaced with a different carrier. My gut is it's not likely to come out of mothballs in my lifetime. Incidentally if you run up to AB, then back down to mil salute gets you off the boat. On non-SC carriers all you need is mil. Still need AB to get off the Kuz, though. At least if you want to keep flying after the deck ends.

Yup. Getting Hawk flashbacks. The list of modules that are not authorized and won't be available includes...all of them. Does expose the lie of ownership; we own nothing, we're renting it, and the moment EDs servers go down we're left with an Su-25 and a P-52. I'm in the software business and I do get licensing, but I also get the grace period when our licensing servers go down, and they do go down occasionally. The good news is we have plenty of time to fix them before it's customer impacting. Do we get scammed? Not really; the software is pretty bright, and an uninstall really doesn't uninstall everything. Really wish ED used the same philosophy... Of course you can land. Landing is mandatory. The only variable is the quality of the landing...

There's as much chance of a carrier in Lake Mead as there is finding one in the Black Sea, but we're allowed to put them in the black sea. Neither of those two options are realistic, but we ignore one and enforce the other. I've tried to put a carrier in NTTR with no success. Otherwise my biggest complaint is...desert. I still cruise the strip (at mach 1.3 in an F-16, 1.18 in an F-18, and considerably lower in an F-5) now and then, and use Pahute Mesa as my favorite place to shoot BadGuys(tm), but I can do the same things elsewhere, stay away from the deserts, and have a boat to practice on. South Atlantic is becoming a favorite (no desert at all) and I'm really looking forward to Kola (no desert at all). Fortunately Iraq and Afghanistan are coming. There's no such thing as enough desert. We need Libya and Algeria to get more desert into the game.

Well, back to the carrier at hand, I had to remove it from a mission.. Can take off once; the second time I take off I have no flight controls. Makes flights short and interesting.

So...really dumb question. Is the problem the file for CM programs (CMDS_ALE47.lua in the case of the F-18) or is it a group of .luas, or is it all .luas? Exporting the RWR does much the same thing with IC, but adding control bindings does not (I think? Did that change?). The point being is it a wishlist item to sort exploitable vs 'safe' config files or is that a bit like ordering a sub-safe screen door? Yeah. The latter has been done, but it was messy.

Make sure Silver Dragon signs up, otherwise I'll never know what happens on Discord or Faceplant or any of those other sites...he's my go-to guy for DCS news.

I always have a Minion start my AH-50 while I continue to relax in my ready room. There's realism, then there's realistic. I don't get paid to do this, so it has to fit into the time available. Realistically pretending to fly seems to make more sense than pretending to do walk arounds and review maintenance logs and talk about gripes with ground crew and finally strap in and start up. After an hour or two the brakes might come off. Meanwhile outside my simulator it's time to make dinner...so it wouldn't matter if I had unlimited fuel and ammo set, my play time is over. Then again, some people might have to worry about all those things that seem to interfere with gaming and have virtually limitless time to align INS before every flight. Problem solved in both cases.

Doing CV ops with CV75 and 59 in the same group; 75 1.2-isn nm port of 59 and a little forward. Set up 59 for TACAN and ILS (and mode 4, but didn't try to link up). No ICLS, but that could have been me just as easily; sometimes it doesn't work with SC. No deck crew, radars spin backwards, yada yada. I like the Forrestal. Took off from 75, lined up to land on 59. First pass bolter (probably me flattening out the alpha). Went back around, and as I passed 75 got the IFOLS in my cockpit from what I assume was 75 simply because it was the only thing close. Landed on 59. In this track I go external to check flight controls, (because I've seen all this before). Line up with CAT 1. I've noticed on 59 the aircraft will creep forward forever once it starts, even with the throttles at idle. I've also noticed once I stop with brakes I have to tap them again, because my brakes in the -18 stick. Different problem. edit - DUH! Didn't box ILS...been a while...that's my excuse (among others) and I'm sticking to it! Line up on CAT 1 and launch. Once I leave the deck no throttle, pitch, or roll control. I had rudder, but that was it. So what did I do wrong? Honestly I don't know if this is a 59 problem, a '59 in a SC CVBG' problem, an F-18 problem, or a me problem. My normal mode is to suspect the latter. Sorry for the long track...incidentally why can I save a track anywhere but only load them from a local drive? Another different problem? 2024.02.05 CV59 Ops.trk

4x154A JSOW, 2x2,000 pound JDAMs, TGP, 1x120c, 2xAIM9x, all at 40,000 feet. Way more difficult than doing a show in air thick enough to walk on... Besides, I don't spend any effort thinking about what other aircraft (real or imaginary) can do. I kind of focus on what I can do with the modules available, and what their performance limitations are. Doesn't really matter how fast the National Guard jets that fly over my house can turn, I don't fly one of those...

I have all the trainers. My favorite, hands down, is the F-5. Steam gauges, no autopilot, no hud, no computer, no GPS, no Bettys, or even Betty-Lous, nagging in your ear. The radar is great for telling the enemy where you are and not much else. Phosphor faced CRT displays. The most high-tech thing in it is the HSI, and that's VOR/DME or TACAN, which isn't very new either. Hand flying and endless trim adjustments wherever you go. If you can keep that straight and level over a thirty minute flight you know how to (pretend to) fly a jet. Ok, you can Velcro your own NS430 to the brow if you can't live without an LCD screen in your life. Otherwise it's slide rules and E6Bs and while you were calculating range your nose dipped and that threw the trim off and now you are not where you wanted to be. Time to recover. As for IFR, that's just a tweak in the weather settings, or do formation flights in clouds. You're either bolted in close or you try to maintain speed, heading, and alt on the instruments and hope you can find the lead on the other side without running into them first...

I love my F/A-18A+(C/2). If I had a real F/A-18C I wouldn't even know how to strap in, and forget about wrenching it (or paying for a full tank of gas). Besides, It wouldn't fit in my garage. But I can pretend to take off, use cartoon -154As to DEAD an airfield, then come back in and do all kinds of harm to a pretend ammo dump (with lots of simulated secondary explosions) blow up most of the helo graphics, do a 600 knot overhead break over a representation of a friendly airfield, roll left to break right, and act like I landed all without leaving my home office. All with stunning visuals and seamless integration with my home-built simpit. Plus or minus a few annoyances along the way. Like trying to formation land with a B-1 and getting wake tubulenced into a tree right at the edge of the runway. Pretty awesome! It's the closest a guy who never could be a military pilot will ever get to military aviation, and there's no military BS to go along with it. Doesn't get better than that! For that matter it's as close as 98% of the people who play DCS will ever get to actually flying military aircraft. Is it perfect? Gosh, I hope not. There are people out there who do this for real, and I'd hate for this to be a way to train BadGuys(tm) to cause them harm. I'd much rather the systems be nerfed/changed/different enough that it feels good with minimal risk. We already know what happens when BadGuys(tm) go to flight school, so it's a real danger.

Government manuals. Yeah. RPM and SPM combined exceeded the takeoff weight of an F-4 and occupied about four lineal meters of shelf space. The 'Red Book' probably weighed in at five hundred kilos, and we had to memorize that one. The only thing I remember is 'THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK'. Somewhere there's a manual that talks about 'Faded Giants', though. We did those drills about once a year (or two), and they were an absolute riot. There's also an F-4C manual (T.O. 1F-4C-1 - Flight Manual - F-4C, F-4D & F-4E (01-10-1970)) that covers the F-4C, F-4D, and F-4E, along with the NATOPS F-4J if you dig for them. Naturally not going to post links; I have copies in a folder dedicated to actual military manuals, some of which have cool information in them.

You mean I can't use 10 CBU-97s to clear a few city blocks on the theory that absolutely everyone in those apartment complexes is irrevocably evil and thinks football is something played with an oblate spheroid using your hands? That would complicate the crap out of my urban renewal planning.

If I'm not supposed to shoot C-5s at civilian airliners should I stop harpooning civilian ships?

Knowing how I fly? I always default to the nut behind the stick; it takes a lot of evidence for me to suspect the software. Generally if a problem is common I might think it's something else, but landing on a carrier is only easy for CGI artists, who can put an F-14 down the centerline even after losing an engine in the groove. Come to think of it I haven't even tried since the new simpit build. I'm sure that after two or three months without doing any work around the boat I'll be predictably skillful on those first two or three. Hundred passes. <edit> Yup. As I suspected. Enough bolters and the LSO starts to ask if you've ever considered flying for the Air Force, then if maybe you should try a Cessna, then they send you in shame to an 'alternate'.

Didn't know that was even a thing! Nice catch given the complete absence of anything resembling a useful error message! The problem solved itself, though. Apparently exporting RWRs to a 4th MFD gives me an unfair competitive advantage; of course I need all the advantages I can get flying against MP pros, but I don't want to be unfair about it!

Oh, we really need to talk! The AH-64 is out to get me...