Bahger

Please accept my apologies in advance, as I know there are threads and YouTube vids aplenty on this subject. However, the vids are often too low-res for me to follow the button-presses and I just cannot find a step-by-step explanation in a thread that provides the relevant CDU settings in detail. I'm not asking about making a new flight plan. I'd simply like to know how, step-by-step, including CDU page/mode settings, I can input the UTM coordinate given by JTAC and then make it show up as either a markpoint or a waypoint in the TAD (preferably a markpoint, as it is a ground ref), which I can make SPI and slave sensors to it. Again, sorry to ask yet again but I'm tearing what's left of my hair out. If you are kind enough to provide an explanation, do not over-estimate my intelligence in this matter when doing so. Thank you!

Sounds great, Speed, but how does this enable the player (i) to get his wingman to target a bridge and (ii) set bridge as tactical object in the ME?

Unfortunately, for an object to be recognised as attackable, it has to be placed and classified as such in the ME. The player can destroy bridges at will -- and it's very satisfying -- but unless you use an ME trick of placing an invisible enemy unit under the bridge and naming it "Bridge", it cannot be a tactical goal in a mission. For me this is unfortunate, as bridges affect infantry and armor mobility and are very tactical.

What is the SOP? Do we both taxi onto the runway once ATC has given clearance for takeoff, and then takeoff in formation, or do we get separate clearances and take off separately?

"Request takeoff" I realise that ATC will not grant permission for takeoff unless you hold short of the runway but today my wingman got onto the taxiway to the runway at Beslan before I did. There was only room for one a/c to take the runway and my requests for takeoff met with silence from ATC. What did I do wrong here? Thanks.

Wow, it's been much more of a palaver for me than I expected. Biggest problem of all is that the virtual throttle blocks the forward radio dial until I can move it for engine startup, so I can't call ATC to request startup as I cannot see the dials to rotate in the freq! Luckily I can make the call later and it will get me to the next point in the radio flow but, using realistic radios, does anyone know if I can set a freq without using the virtual dials in the cockpit?? EDIT: OK, one more question re "Request takeoff: I realise that ATC will not grant permission for takeoff unless you hold short of the runway but today my wingman got onto the taxiway to the runway at Beslan, before I did. There was only room for one a/c to take the runway and my requests for takeoff met with silence from ATC. What did I do wrong here?

WarriorX, many thanks, as always. It's in reference to "Smerch Hunt", which I am using to refine srartup/taxi and manual UTM coordinate entry into the CDU, as i have noticed that, even with both NET values at 01, you don't get a datalink triangle from JTAC. First things first, I just want to start up properly and get #2 onto the runway with me. Your advice is most appreciated.

I'm having a slightly frustrating time mastering the necessary procedures to get started and onto the runway with my wingman in tow. I'd really appreciate guidance. Here are my issues: - As soon as I get into the mission I radio the ground crew for ground power ON. And yet once I complete the startup process and start to taxi, I hear "What are you doing??" from an indignant crew chief. - Where are the radio menu items for permission to taxi? I see only "Request Startup" on the radio menu for the airfield. Is this because I'm supposed to have made that call immediately before engine start, in which case, the taxi radio options will appear? - How do I know which is the active runway at the airfield? - Why will my #2 not follow me to the active runway and position himself for takeoff? This is a biggie. Again, guidance is much appreciated, thank you.

Flaming Cliffs has a very good Mission Editor guide in its official documentation. It's essentially the same ME as A-10's with the exception of A-10's overhauled trigger/AI system. By using the FC ME manual in conjunction with the guide to the new trigger/AI system provided with A-10, you'll be up to speed with the A-10 ME in no time. The ME for this series of sims is a powerful, relatively easy to use and satisfying scenario design tool but it has its quirks and the only way to navigate around these -- with the help of the above-cited docs --is to dive in, starting with simple tutorial missions and building up to larger-scale conflicts.

I had been running the highest possible cockpit resolution when I saw Wags' game settings in his sig -- he has very similar PC specs to mine -- so I figured, if cockpit res of 256 is good enough for Matt... After changing this setting I saw my average framerate leap from around 35 to 60 FPS. The lower resolution does not noticeably affect the clarity of the cockpit displays but the big trade-off is Maverick video, which is quite degraded but still completely usable. I'm going to see if the intermediate res (512?) offers the perfect compromise between clarity and FPS. Meanwhile it would be interesting to get opinions about the difference made by the "every frame" option offered in the settings menu. Finally, I have a theory that certain crashes I experienced in both the Beta -- when they were a frequent occurrence -- and, in one mission only, in the Release, are related to Maverick video rendering in an over-ambitious cockpit res setting. I have no solid confirmation of this theory at all but will test the troublesome mission with the amended cockpit res setting...I am cautiously optimistic.

Ha, glad my somewhat dopey question had collateral benefits!

Got it, excellent advice, guys, many thanks.

Many thanks EtherealN, I believe I understand the process but what's baffling is that, even with Program B edited merely to eliminate chaff and dispense 2 flares per cycle -- with everything else left alone -- on MAN and SEMI, one press of CM Forward in-flight pumped out flares without limiting the quantity as programmed, and it seemed it would do so until it ran out, or I terminated it with CM Back. As I said, I must be missing something very simple so thank you for bearing with me.

Thanks, gents. I tried "Down" by pressing down on the CM button but my CH CM button appears not to have that function. It's no big deal, I will map Initiate Jammer to a shifted function to keep it on that button. Any intel on my failure to program a 3-flare burst? It's annoying when I seem to be missing something obvious but I really appreciate the assistance on offer here.

Understanding the A-10 CMs are a weak spot for me so I did the tutorial twice yet two things continue to baffle me: - I edited one of the CM programs ("B", I think) to release 3 flares only. I therefore set the flare quantity to 3 and reduced chaff to zero. I then selected this program and, with the CM mode set first to MAN and then to SEMI, found that when I push UP on the HOTAS CM button, it dispenses flares until I manually stop the program with CM DOWN. The manual refers to something called "continuous dispense" but, if this is enabled by default, I do not know how to disable it. So, embarrassingly, I cannot figure out how to dispense 3 flares only per press of CM UP. - The tutorial refers to HOTAS CM "Down" and HOTAS CM "Back" (also keyboard "-"). On a standard four-way HOTAS CM joystick button (the same one on every joystick I've seen, including the r/l A-10/TM Warthog) how can this be? How can CM "Back" and "Down" not be the same action? I know this is a common issue in DCS A-10 naming conventions but this is the first time it has me baffled, as, in my CH profile, "extra" button functions seem to have been assigned to other HOTAS buttons. However, it is preferable to have all CM functions on one button, if possible, so I'd appreciate guidance. Thanks!

Does it work? Are there still problems with tanker tracks or tankers that fly too fast? Has anybody mastered it with a CH HOTAS? Are there any tutorials or tracks out there?

The problem with that is -- correct me if I'm wrong -- I don't think you can record ME activity in FRAPS or similar program. It would have to be done as a series of screenshots.

I've spent a LOT of quality time in the Beta ME. I'm a bit rushed ATM but will try to figure out the best way to help you out. Sometimes it's easier to do than describe, that's the problem. If you post specific questions here I will try to answer them.

It'll do in a pinch but there has to be something better (and more printer-friendly...)

Thanks. It's good but I cannot format it to print properly on standard-size paper. Any others?

Is there a setting in the ME for this? I never had to set Net I/D in JTAC missions in the Beta but knowing this could save some trouble.

There are some great startup checklists but what has eluded me is a good, comprehensive cockpit layout guide so I can match the items listed to the relevant switches. There was once an ingenious little interactive cockpit guide for Falcon but, failing that, can anyone refer me to a good schematic? Thanks!

This is very helpful, thank you. My main area of interest is in SP mission design and anyone who played my missions in the Betas will recall that there is extensive use of JTAC. If JTAC datalink is broken, it will not be worth the trouble of building missions around it. So can someone please provide final confirmation re. whether or not it works properly in SP and if the above solution is the right one and applies to SP? Thank you.

I was alarmed to hear that JTAC target i/d -- the red triangle in the TAD -- is borked in SP in the Release version. Maybe it's just MP. Can anyone confirm? Thanks.

Well, I flew the "Weapons Training" mission last night, the stock version with WPs at 9k, in order to test Bivol's advice to use the TAD as SOI and TMS right/short to overlay a markpoint on a target WP; it worked flawlessly. It does not really increase pilot workload at critical moments, as MPs for all target WPs can be created on the ground or before fence-in. And as others have said, you shouldn't need a HUD reference for egress, you should know a direction of turn, heading and altitude. This has caused me to reconsider flight planning in the ME. On the one hand, if I use WPs strictly as flight planning references, I will need to assume that the player knows how to create MPs for targets. On the other, if I place target WPs at ground level, at will require humans to fly all such routes, as, left to its own devices, the AI will take it literally and fly NOE from IP to target. I think I will place WPs at altitude and include a note about markpoints in the brief or supporting documentation. I believe that it's a good rule of thumb for mission design always to incorporate either JTAC/FAC/AFAC for target i/d where there are no pre-briefed targets, or, briefed targets with co-located waypoints. Missions requiring a wide-ranging optical search of a defended area without appropriate support assets, are both unrealistic and frustrating.