blaster454

I, too, would rather give the money to TFC. But my question is not on the shipping costs but rather on the shipping transit time. I am in the US and with Amazon prime can have 1- or 2-day shipping at little to no cost. What would the shipping method and transit time be from the UK to the USA?

Would KA-50 pilots carry binoculars and maps to aid in target ID (like A-10 pilots do in real life)? In that case, the zoom function might be considered more realistic. Not sure of Russian chopper battle doctrine in this case but it seams realistic to assume they might carry CAS aids.

If the manual is in fact on the way to distributors, I wonder why amazon.com (US) is not listing it for pre-order and has no availability date. Can ED "clue them in" so we can pre-order like the guys in the U.K.?

Extraordinarily interesting discussion for a sim board :smartass: .. I'm enjoying it As food for thought, would it not be interesting if the flight sim developed similarly to the operating system (ala MS or Apple or <<cough>> Linux)? Suppose there was a powerful enough factor within the flight sim development world with the resources (meaning capital and talent and vision) to develop and support a flight sim set of interfacing rules. A flight sim OS, so to speak, which took the overall design and broke it down into specialties and then defined the rules to glue it all together. Further suppose that this entity was able to foster the development of splinter development groups who specialized in various aspects of flight sim development. I'm thinking here groups doing graphics engine development, flight model design, avionics design, weather design, terrain mapping, modeling, .... With each group being satisfied to take their piece of the economic pie (guess that sounds socialistic but maybe not evil ;)) and continue to develop and refine their specialty area. And all developing to a set of accepted specifications that would insure "minimal" effort at putting all of this together into a major flight simulation program :pilotfly::joystick: . Historically, this is how world standards groups developed over time. The issue would be on how to grow the marketplace so that it could become self sustaining and profitable to all. Is this so far fetched?

You're welcome. No, I'm afraid I am the "tool" ... I used a utility called DirectoryPrint (via CNET's download.com) to compile the list then cut & pasted into Excel. The pasted data is usable but I "had" to fiddle with it. Generally, I just used some text-to-columns work and formatting for readability. I guess you could do a VBA macro to automate some of the task but I've not played with macros much in Excel 2007 -- which I like a lot more than the older versions. I use an add-on called ASAP Utilities which simplifies a lot of standard Excel tasks ... it's a free add-on and very useful.

Moderator Note: I'm not sure if this is appropriate for the general discussion area or the mods area. Please move as needed. In addition to trying to learn to fly my K-50, I've developed a curiosity about the mechanics of the sim...that is, how is it put together and what makes it tick? It's clear to me that a big part of the answer is in Lua programming. There are a lot of Lua files in DCS:BS (over 900 in my installation:)) and I was having problems locating files that might have some effect on the sim...how it is displayed or how it might react or .... So I decided to do a recursive folder search to find all of the Lua files in my installation. I've not even begun to scratch the surface of what some of these files do (other than the common ones I've seen discussed here). But it looks like there is a lot of good information here and I wanted to capture it for future use. I thought there might be others with similar interests so I am attaching a zipped Excel spreadsheet that lists all of the DCS:BS folders that contain Lua files, along with the file name, size, and modification date (at least as shown on my installation...yours may vary somewhat depending on controller setup or monitor config). If you find this useful, feel free to download and modify or use as you wish...I plan on adding a notes column with remarks on file use information as I plow through some of these. Warning & Disclaimer: Modifying Lua files can have disastrous effects if you do not know what you are changing (and maybe even if you do ;)). It's common sense to have made a backup copy of the original file before you try any changes so that you can always restore to the original. I also make comments inside the files and comment out the original line if I make a change so I can remember what I've done and why I did it. Hope this proves useful to someone. DCS-LUA Files.zip

I will probably buy it as the price in the U.S. is quite reasonable and the content seems to be comprehensive. I'd like to add that I am also disappointed with the Russian labeled pictures. It would be nice if we had access to some picture resources showing the English labeled panels other than trying to do screen captures and editing the picture to get the content desired (easy to do for some panels and hard for others). Do picture files exist for the English cockpit (I assume something was used to build the cockpit display files)? Any chance of getting access if they exist? I have a question concerning this manual's content concerning patch changes. Has it been updated to include any significant changes scheduled to be implemented in the patch? I'd hope that the manual would not be out dated as soon as the patch is released (or perhaps there are plans to release manual page changes with patches? maybe in .pdf format?). I am assuming that some of the changes anticipated (e.g., control trimming, ...) would require manual updates. All in all, good news on the printed manual! Congrats to ED for adding to an already great simulation :thumbup: Blaster

I voted that I would buy it. If AlphaOneSix is correct that the cockpit images and explanatory text is identical to the current soft manual, then I would have to seriously consider what additional content is available. Realism objections aside (since not all of us are concerned with strict realism), the current manual's cockpit images and text explanations are sometimes confusing and make it much harder to compare to the cockpit you are using if flying with the English options. Contrary to what some may think, this is not nit-picking. I feel it's a valid issue. Is it a deal breaker...not at all. The sim is fantastic and fun to fly & fight. But there would have to be something to offset the $50US price for me...checklists, emergency procedures, expanded weapons use data, .... If the printed manual is nothing more than a rehash of the current soft manual, then I would probably not purchase it.

Many thanks, Oakes. This is a fascinating process and one I've always wanted to do. Unfortunately, I am as far from mechanically gifted as it is possible to get :cry:. I really appreciate the opportunity to see a master at work :thumbup:

An alternative to the above touch screen overlay is one from Keytec (Magic Touch) that fits over your monitor screen with two "clamp arms" that fit on the top edge. It is a self-contained frame that houses the screen grid and a glass (or plastic) protective panel. It's fairly robust and I've had mine for about a year and a half--works well with either finger pressure or with the "pen" they provide. They make it in sizes to fit most common LCD monitors and I have a 15-inch overlay mounted on an older Sony monitor. You sometimes have to fiddle with the way it's mounted with spacers to make sure the overlay aligns well with the screen and it pays to secure it in place--I use velcro sticky pads to hold mine. It's a quality piece of kit but not very inexpensive. You can sometimes find them on e-bay but they seem to command a premium.

I can appreciate that, but ED's wiki is in Russian and that doesn't do other language readers much good. Is there a plan to provide other translations of the ED wiki page?

Very nice! The graphic is excellent! To the ED Team and TFC -- take some time with family and friends to enjoy the holiday time. You have made a lot of people happy with your work and deserve a bit of rest (not too much, though...there work to do on the A-10C! :smilewink:). And to all the faithful here on the forums, here's hoping that Santa or Father Christmas or Kris Kringle or whoever it is in your culture brings you goodies (TrackIR's and Matrox boxes and Cougars and monitors and ...) and peace and happiness to you and your families. Happy Flight Simming! :joystick: Holiday Greetings to all!

I didn't see a copyright notice in the BS documents (at least not in the usual place inside the cover) and the PDF files allow copying text and pictures as needed ... so I'd say that most copy businesses would have little problem with printing personal copies. IIRC, the Falcon 4:AF manual had a copyright notice on the inside cover. It would simplify things a lot if game developers/publishers would place a notice in their documents stating that printing for personal use was permitted. That should give them the IP protection they need while permitting users to make working copies. BTW, a ++ to ED for allowing copy & paste with the documents ... sure makes checklists easier to put together.

Seems some are waiting for the demo if it is to be developed and released. Others are satisfied with either the RU or English download versions and still others are waiting for the CD release. The Poll question is: Should ED spend resources on developing and releasing a Black Shark demo? My response is no, precious resources should be devoted to ED's planned tasks (releasing the A10, maybe further engine development, who knows?). After saying that I was not going to get involved with BS, when the English version was released I took the plunge and purchased. And I am very happy ... this is perhaps the best flight simulation I have seen since PC's first appeared (that is IMHO, of course :thumbup:).

:thumbup: I had almost 6 years combined between Eglin AFB & Hurlburt Fld. (late 60's early 70's) ... loved that area -- including the snakes and aligators and SF troops we supported sometimes :)

Retired USAF (1961 - 1981). Was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal tech (E-7) when I retired. Never a pilot but I did have a combat tour in Vietnam as a lead gunner on an AC-119K gunship (crew of 10 or 11)...enough excitement for one life ;)

Well, I run two LCD's: a 17" (VP-171b) and a 20.1" (VP-201b), both from Viewsonic. I run sims like Lockon, Falcon4, and MSFS2K4 and also FPS's like HL2, Far Cry, Doom3, Splinter Cell, ... I think both of these monitors are better than the CRT's I had before...they certainly feel better on the eyes after long play periods. The colors are great & I have not noticed any smearing or image degradation in any of the games that I play and I run usually at max resolution (1600 x x1200 for the 20" and 1280 x 1024 for the 17"). I prefer the "b" Viewsonic versions because they have a thin black bezel which is not noticeable when playing with the lights dimmed. Also note that these are the Viewsonic VP series...they have others (less expensive) which are not as good IMHO. I don't think I made a mistake when getting either of these. And as a bonus, they both rotate 90 degrees and the 201b has a 4-port USB hub built in. Both also have internal power supplies so plug directly into the power socket with no transformers. They run cool so I have nio concerns with my TrackIR on top of the big one. I purchased from NewEgg and had no pixels out when I received them. There are lots of others out there as well. Good luck...

I found this useful for determining free keys to map. Hope someone can use it... Key SortKeyCommands.rar

Just curious if anyone mixes hobbies :p Cheers and 73 :beer: NK2X

Well, it's surely not as neat sounding but I'm from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA -- about 75 miles west of New York City. Good to meet you! Hmmm...I'm a "youngish" 61 and work as a manager for one a chip company (no, not saying which one :rolleyes: )...

http://www.lucas-digital.com/gaming/lomac/training/su25_instruments.html SU-25 cockpit familiarization...

I am having a ball with FC...no stuttering, no crashing, decent or usable FPS, flawless dl, only 1 activation, ... And I'm OK with the way ED are handling this release...there are problems and bugs but nothing that cannot be worked around. And as soon as the Verisign is up and running the flow will start again. I just added the TrackIR 3 Pro and Vector expansion yesterday and it is fantastic. It is so smooth that it makes flying, ground attacks, and approaches almost easy. I can easily recommend it to anyone. I've not been a fan of the russian birds till now--those SU-25T demo tracks are gorgeous. I've been an A-10 pilot since LOMAC came out and prefer A2G missions. so what am I doing now? Not complaining for sure...I've got a Cyrillic alphabet sheet and SU-25T cockpit pics and I'm learning the instruments to fly the 25T. I've been a silent member here for a while and on UBI's LOMAC page since they released 1.0. Just want ED and others to know that not everyone is complaining. Thank you ED for a good SIM. Thank you to the ED testers for doing a difficult job. Thank you to the mods here and on UBI's site for putting up with a tremendous amount of negative feedback (most not deserved). BTW, I am not an ED "fanboi" --nor anyone elses ... I fly Falcon4, WOV, MSFS, and play a number of FPS's and RPG's. Been playing with and using computers since the late 70's and I've seen a lot of mishandled, buggy releases. This is definitely not the worst! It's a very flyable and enjoyable sim and I look forward to future releases to make it better.

Everything went smooth as silk. I had a paypal account so that was not an issue. My DSL is slower than most so the dl took about 1.5 hours. Took the old LOMAC off my system, cleaned up, defragged, installed FC1.1. Activation went fine using the automatic method for the first one...I'll use manual for anything following if needed. Installed the season pack this morning with also no problems. It's flying well and I am really impressed with the SU25T although I have to learn the RF birds to fly it. The A10 was great and I see some small FR increase on the order of 2-4%. Maybe the problems people are having are directly proportional to their level of experience with downloads and activations or perhaps there needs to be a simple step-by-step set of directions for the whole process. Thank you ED for an excellent expansion! Blaster

Hi, all. TR2 user here and I just ordered the TIR3 Pro & VE tonight so I'll let you know when it gets here :) ... I am expecting that it will be nothing short of fabulous! [s!] Blaster