Kula66

Will there be any changes to the logic giving 'down-hill' shots a significantly (x2) greater range than low-to-high shots, ie. like RL?

Start with a couple of gun pods ... not as good as the GAU-8, but great fun. Add four of the mid-sized rocket pods and you're good to go. Early on I used to make the mistake of loading too much on the Frog and it would really struggle.

I used to love it when this happened ... Can't wait for DCS:Eagle!

Thanks AlphaOneSix, that's great! So practically a full HUD equivalent.

Anyone have a pic of what the general symbology is? I'm reading Ed Macy's latest book and he keeps referring to info present. Thanks

Oooooo ... self shadows are back :)

Now you are being funny ... The A-10s data link system is more sophisticated that the horrendous collection of electronics that make up the Eagle ... I really don't think so. And they do have ESM you know, ESM includes radar warning systems ;)

Well, we'll just have to disagree ... Not the A model ... and I don't think a data-link is quite it the same league as a radar with NCTR, various modes of operation etc ... but again, you are entitled to your opinion, ;)

I think the A-10 has far fewer high-tech secret systems that the F-15/Su-27 ... Yes. No radar, on-board jammer and only basic ESM. Or are you saying ED has been contracted to produce a 15 sim for the USAF?

Its probably do'able on current hardware IF you could use those other 7 cores! But, being a programmer, I fully understand how much of a leap that is!

How is this going to work? ... The military will never allow details of their key fighter systems to be released to either the public or a Russian sim developer, so if they are funding/steering development decisions, this implies we will never see things like the F-15 or Su-27s in DCS?

I think that says more about other sims than about how good BS is ... lack of tree modelling and large terrain mesh sizes being the most obvious points. Yes it looks stunning from up high, but near to the ground it looks decidedly 90s. I am really hoping this is an area that gets addressed in the A-10 mod. I've only ever seen military sims on TV and have been appalled by the poor video definition - I guess they focus on 'switch-ology' and procedures. A2G needs good terrain - it DOES influence RL tactics.

DCS:BS is great fun as a helicopter flight sim, but IMHO poor as a combat sim. I love flying the thing around but the AI and terrain modelling are poor. When you get that close to the ground that slow it needs to be dramatically improved to work. Nothing like the feeling of BVR on-line in the early days before the cheats prevailed - when you had the bad guy on your radar screen, an AMRAAM about to go active and he knew nothing about it ... absolutely awesome !

I think in RL, wingman have to expend more fuel to follow their leader. Leaders should fly accordingly, ie. not force the wingman to use AB to catch up etc,

Tez, You are a star - that seems to have fixed it! Many thanks for your help and also Natalya & Alexey at StarForce! Regards, James

Ok, I've contacted Starforce (and they responded very quickly) and they say I installed the wrong patch and need to contact ED. I purchased the game when it first came out and downloaded the Russian version (it had Russian menus) so when the patch came out, I downloaded the Russian patch. Here is thir response: "The point is that mentioned by you serial number is for the game DCS Black Shark published by "1C Multimedia" company (see full information about your serial number below). But you have installed and are trying to activate another version of the game published by "The Fighter collection" company. You can check it through protect.dll file in the game folder, right click on it, go to Properties tab and check Company Name value there. Most probably you've installed the wrong patch for another version of the game (not for your one) or install the wrong distributive of the game initially." All seems a bit of a mess! How can I get this game working? Thanks, James

I've tried that site before and it is not very helpful. It just tells me something is wrong. How do I contact StarForce directly? I can't see a contact email on their site. I bought DCS:BS from ED, not from StarForce - doesn't ED have the ability to fix the license problem?

Thanks Alexander, The clock is accurate ... I'll check to see if it changes. Given that it has only ever been on this laptop and I haven't changed the disk or amount of RAM etc. don't I get a number of activations or similar? Where have they all gone? Regards, James

Cheers Boberro, However, the site isn't helping much, all I get is: Attention! • Invalid Hardware Code. Make sure the Serial Number used is valid for the product you are trying to activate, generate a new Hardware Code and try again. I guess my hardware code has changed when I had to restore my computer from a backup. I'll drop them an email.

I purchased BS shortly after release (I think I ended up with the Russian version). About a month ago I had to rebuild my laptop due to a full disk encryption error and now it is asking me to activate BS and will not let me 'play'. I've tried putting in the original activation key, but to no avail. I have only ever played it on this laptop. I also have LockOn installed and this has been working fine. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks, James

Great pics ... in RL has an attack helicopter ever been shot down by an MBT? Seems to happen far to often in BS!

I thought the F-15E also a had a load of strengthening (and weight) added to handle the low level flight ... you can't drop that! F-15Es could go A2A in the airforces that have purchsed them and don't have a dedicated A2A bird - F-15S/K I think are based on the E.

Agreed - plus in the latest a/c pilots spend about 80% of their time managing the systems!

Perhaps FC will be used as a test bed for new missile and seeker modelling ... I can dream!

No, IMHO, LockOn was/is great, but too much is broken for an addon to fix - it would be a new game ... if DCS:FastJets gives us more details, working missiles/seekers, better AWACS, working ECM, working counter measures, cheat free on-line play etc etc - Thanks, but I'd rather wait.