Total

I already said that :) If they put everything ingame from "For Dummies" to "Expert" then it would be so huge, that no one would download it. Everything the guy listed there is in the manual tho :) To me, the reason I play DCS is that I like to be around people who really don't look for the easy way into things. Just me though.

It takes years for real pilots to fly missions. If it takes several weeks for a person to get the hang of a simulator, that's a heck of a deal. The success in these sims is not blowing stuff up. The success is conquering the challenge of a near vertical learning curve :) As far as Blackshark (referring to your linked post), there's plenty of resources out there to show you the proper start up procedure. There's really now ay to simplify the operating procedures for the chapper. It's a very operator intensive aircraft. The highlighted guides would help in that one, but there's no way to (or sense in) simplifying things.

My X-52 will get off axis occasionally. I have always done the same thing. Unplug the stick from the throttle, don't touch the stick, and plug it back in. I do it while ingame in DCS BS, DCS A-10, LOFC2, ArmA2, IL-2, X3 Works every time. The logitech I had though - it never would recenter. Logitech always told me to send it back or buy a new one. Pffft!

what do you do with the HELIOS monitor when you're not flying?

I'll be using these guys: http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=EG4614-ND Illuminated...and green too. Paint the caps, engrave the text, and voila :) They have green round ones in stock as well: for the Funct and LTR keys. http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=EG4681-5-ND Going with all square on mine as I'm not building a pit. Making a kind of universal DCS interface panel. So, I'm not going for tit for tat realism. Just don't have the room for a pit, but still tired of using the mouse lol!

I searched all over as well. I did find some, but I'm not going to pay around $10-20 for a switch only for it to have a 28 week lead time. I laid out my UFC with regular pushbutton momentaries and used two for the rockers. The UFC and the CDU both use a rubber membrane over tactcile switches, so they're not really using On-Off-On rocker momentaries either.

FYI - Saitek is has relased drivers for the X-65 that include calibration for the axis. Whle still not perfect, they are working on the problem. Kind of a pickle at the moment between the X-65 and the Warthog. The X-65's seem to have a number of people with the X axis not being centered (for some it only shows in the windows property screen and not ingame or the Saitek software). The Warthog is suffering sudden deaths and not being recognized by Windows. That and firmware updates that can go wrong and require the stick to be replaced. I'm just sitting back, continuing to use my old trusty X-52 and waiting to see who gets their software/driver/firmware issues worked out first :D

For years I operated without TrackIR. Then I built a freetrack unit just to see what it would do. I was immediately hooked on head tracking I went thru several variations of my freetrack setup until I buckled down and got TrackIR with the proclip. Headtracking gives you the ability to gain one thing that is paramount in all military lessons - more situation awareness. As far as tatics, to each their own. The "fly in and see who gets the first shot" style of play is the reason I do not play in online pubs. I prefer coordinated flight using actual tactics. Granted, I suck in either venue, but the challenge of realistic play far out reaches that of death match play. I also do not use the "zoom in" feature. I used a fixed FOV and that's it. There's no way the human eyeball magically make the world zoom into a fine point. Yet many do. Another reason I avoid the pubs. I just don't agree with magic vision. There's alot to learn in FC2 and the DCS series. The greatest challenge is learning how to use proper tactics and strategy. That's where the real joy in these sims lie :)

I told Grimes last night that 95% of Steam users have gamepads - not joysticks. That being said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to tap into this Steam sale. Blackshark is already 2 years old (download form) and, although DCS:BS has infinite replayability and is ahead of the hardware curve in many areas, that two years makes it an ancient release in the eyes of most consumers. Having it and Lock On Platinum in the sale could really provide some additional exposure to DCS A-10C for possible sales. These days, game come and go in six months. Alot of players are looking for games that will give them more than a few months of bang for their buck. FC2, BS, and A-10 would do just that.

"Dome switch" is the normal terminology :) The 188th is repairing the UFC's and throttle for the Air Force since vendor support was no longer available. No doubt that the UFC and the CDU share the same style keypads. Here's an excerpt from the following article: http://www.swtimes.com/news/collection_d65eca3e-a0db-11df-903d-001cc4c03286.html I work with dome switches and regular tactile switches on a daily basis and their reliability is not really high. The domes tends to collapse and not snap back. This results in that key always being being pressed since the dome is making contact. IMHO, they have no place in military or any other type of rugged equipment. The front piece of rubber with the keys rasied on it is surface referred to as a membrane. In some circles, dome switches are referred to as membrane switches. Just depends on the application really. As far as a simpit is concerned, I would suggest going with push button tactiles or regular pushbutton switches with a plastic cap that snaps to the switch shaft. You'll spend alot less on these than you will having a membrane made and etching the board for SMT or thru-hole dome switches. That and getting the clearances "just right" will drive you nuts as well.

http://www.armaholic.com ...and also check the User Mission forum at the BIS forums. Also, many of the SP missions are also made as MP coop missions which are great to play on a locked server with people you know so you can play it correctly.

I played Invite Leagues in AAO 2.X in both CAL and TWL. I also gave AAO 3.0 one helluva shot. AAO 3.0 is a PC game made to play like a console game. AAO 2.X, well, 2.3 and earlier, were more realistic than the later versions. What makes ArmA2 and ArmA2:OA standout, is the infantry war. Get into a server running Takistani Force (TFOR), Warfare, or a tightly run Domination. There's many small missions as well, but too many to list. The character animations are not smooth like the MOCAP was performed on a person wearing a spandex suit. Example - Go to 3rd person, run, and hit the prone button. You will notice that your character actually slides on their knees before going prone. Having been in combat (actual combat) four times, I can tell you that's realistic. AAO is not. Also, the projectiles in ArmA2 originate from the gun itself. In AAO they originate from camera level (aka - the player's forehead). Again, AAO is not realistic. AAO is a corridor shooter with limited abilities to flank. It's a memorized route each time based upon predictable behavior. Not realistic. ArmA2 on the other hand, provides a near infinite number of ways to approach. On the flip side, the enemy (even the AI) will flank you on the blind side. ArmA2 series is not about high-paced action. There will be moments on intense combat, but also moments of scanning, searching, and avoiding firing to keep from being discovered. I played ArmA2:AO last night in my server with players I knew who used alot of teamwork. I kinda hated to log off. Going building to building, clearing them, and pushing towards the objective took us every bit of an hour. That was only the first objective and many, many more come after that. The "free for all" servers where everyone can drive or fly anything at anytime are the ones to avoid unless you are looking for a reduced, BF2 style experience.

So, uhm,you're saying he has your permission to touch your stick? :lol:

I'm just going to bridge it into my X-keys USB matrix board (I have some ope assignments on it) and make the panel myself. For 128 programmable buttons, it ain't a bad little board to have around :D

Sim-Lite games are never a bad thing. There were players who never played any flight sim before who picked up Wings Of Prey and now have either purchased IL-2 or FC2. Introductory genre games are never a bad thing. It helps more when seasoned sim-vets are in there too helping the rookie pilots along. This also provides the gateway to more serious sims for the rookies. Never snub your nose at a Sim-Lite game....especially if it is somewhat popular. Get out and cultivate the fields. Maybe some pilots will come out of it :)

I was wondering how you were going to do that. I thought of copper as well. Ferric Chloride is wonderful stuff ain't it? :D My only concern would be the copper curling since it is a very soft and pliable metal. This may sound a bit corny, but how about reinforcing the copper with a thin layer of JB Weld to reduce the risk of the needles bending on their own?

I was running three monitors for a while: and My system specs at the time are in the youtube video description. Note, the SINGLE GTS8800 in the system specs. My interface was the triplehead2go. I no longer run this set up simply because of space constraints. (consequently, I am selling the TH2G and two of the monitors heheh) The DCS games natively support 3 monitors, but some config file editing MAY be required. There's plenty of threads in the forums for multi-monitor setup. Just use the search :)

Instead of building a whole new panel (as that one looks really good), why not put a sheet of green gel (as in lighting gel sheets) between the panel and the LED's? Get a few different shades so you can determine which one will illuminate only the desired area without bleed-over, but still have adequate visibility.

Scoured the net to find these cuz there's no way I could remember them all in one shot in order to compile the list lol! Feel free to add on anything that's left out. I'll update the document and annotate the date of upload. brevity codes.doc

Personally, I'd go with the regular X52. Same control options for a lower price. I've been beating the hell out of my X52 for years without any issue. The Pro has the MFD screen that can display some parameters, but cockpit gauges or additional monitors are far more useful than the small text on the stick. The only upside to the Pro is that it has a bit more robust construction, but that's about it. Unless you're prone to dropping your HOTAS or baning them around constantly, the regular X52 should fit the bill nicely. All that being said, I still drool over the Thrustmaster Warthog and the Saitek X5F, but those are way beyond my realistic budget.

Loving your pit Ricardo and can't wait :D If Bucic had never pointed it out, I would have never noticed the threat warning lamps, but now that he has said something..... Former military myself and well acquainted with these style of lamp covers. The rest of the cockpit being weathered like you have it is dead on for these aircraft as they haven't built a new KA-50 in a long time. The lamp covers in question, by this age, are going to be a dark, dull red in color. They also will have a what's called the "haze effect" meaning that they'll no longer have a real shiny surface. Rather they'll be a bit dull. They'll still show when they are illuminated though. Now, when I was in, hazed over lamp covers were actually sought after by aircrews. The pilots preferred them over new ones. Because of the haze, they didn't throw they're light all over the place when they were on, but were still easily visible. Make it how you want it. I'm gonna love it regardless :D Just wanted to clear up this little bit of "how they the lamps should look" :)

Fully Compatible with the Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA 2 5.1 surround sound headsets.

Back in 1998, I played Unreal online with the monicker "Totalitarian" Hooked up with the Rest In Pieces clan, they kept saying just "Total" cuz it didn't take as long to type (this was before TS, vent, or Roger Wilco), and "Total" stuck. So, it's not cereal :D

On topic of shared lasers: I would like to see this. None of us knows if it would be actually possible due to the info being classified, but it could be used to great teamwork effectiveness in coop play. Ont he topic of achievements: I agree 100% on not having Qauke-airwars achievements. That would negate the prupose of the sim. Let's take the KA-50. example: "Complete 10 successful manual start-up's of the Blackshark" Now there's one that promotes learning the aircraft. Let's bridge that over to the A-10C. example "Complete the campaign without ever getting show down." OR "Complete (mission name) 10 times without losing an aircraft in simulator server settings" To get those achievements, players would have to fly smarter. I know I would feel a sense of accomplishment in getting ones liek those. But those who think achievements will actually improve the teamwork atmosphere, I think that's a bit of a reach. It may for the period of the player getting that achievement, but alot of people either don't care about achievements or they revert to being a lone-wold smartass player once they get the achievement. In the end, like all other flight sims (and ArmA), you either get lucky in a pub by having like-minded pilots in there with you, or you fly in a locked server with your buddies so nobody can screw it up.

They transferred all their business to China. Been deleting Chinese IP's by the dozen everyday on my forums. It started the very day the Russian rule went into effect. Case in point, this is just since the last deleting of accounts 24 hours ago. Every one of them a Chinese IP and a spammer. I have my forums set to Admin validation for this very reason. Alot of these spammers will hit the forums with SQL injection exploits to take over the browsers of those going to the forums or to try and take over the web host's server box.