Doc3908

I recently discovered the Su-57 mod, and now I can't stay away from it. :) Here's a video of my second flight - guns-only against two F-15s with AI set to "excellent". Damaged the first guy, shot the second one down while in a flat spin, then trailed the first guy while he limped back to his base. And I wasn't even used to how the Su-57 flies. I can't wait until they refine the graphics, but the flight model is a lot of fun as it is.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post (if not, then moderators, please move!), but my question applies essentially to all aircraft: What are the proper strategies for engaging bandits in a guns-only fight when I'm in a 1-vs-2 scenario. Do I merge with the first guy and immediately go after it (but then the second guy is coming up behind me)? Do I let the first guy fly past and engage the trailing bandit? I know that much depends on what I'm flying and what the adversaries are flying, but still, are there any words of wisdom that you can share? Thanks in advance! Doc

That works in Case I, though 20miles is pushing it when it comes to visibility. In Case III, however, your eyes won't help you until you're less than 3/4mile from the boat. It's all instruments, all the way to touchdown. In Case III, use the ICLS needles when you get close to the carrier.

Sure enough. Just tried by putting the switch in the top position (instead of the middle as I usually do). Jester kept quoting me all the way up to 16000. At that point the tanker told me "refueling complete" and Jester yelled "Thank you, tanker". Thanks everyone!

Hi, When doing air-to-air refueling in the Tomcat, I hook up and Jester starts giving me updates - 7500, 8500, 9500, 10500, 11500. That's where the reports stop. Jester no longer gives me updates, the tanker never reports "Refueling complete". I just sit there - still hooked up - but nothing happens. Eventually I just call "Abort Refueling" and pull out. This happens every time - 100%. By comparison, in all other aircraft - the F-18, the AV8B, the Su-33, the F-16, and the F-15 - I always get a notification from the tanker when the refueling is complete. Just curious if this is a bug with the tanker communication... Doc

I've been experiencing this type of behavior from the enemy AI planes since I upgraded from 2.5.5. When chasing the enemy AI, the AI plane will "transport" itself magically to a new location in a split second. I thought it was a VR issue and assumed it has been reported. Don't have any video to post, but I'll try to get some later today.

My apologies. I was just sharing my admiration for DCS World. Moderators, please delete this thread.

Hi, I set up a refueling mission for the Su-33, and for whatever reason, it always starts with the hook down. Once the refueling probe is extended, I can't retract the tailhook. I have to wait out the two minutes until the refueling probe is retracted and only then I can retract the tailhook. Is this a bug? Anyone else experience this? Thanks, Doc

A little background: I used to play the original IL2, then Forgotten Battles, and 1946, but eventually stopped playing flight sims - until this past January when I picked up DCS. The first DCS module I bought was the I-16 - my favorite plane from the old IL2 days. Well, the DCS I-16 was nothing at all like I remembered the IL2 version. Took me a while to get used to her - taking off in a straight line, landing without wings touching, raising and lowering the landing gear, and yes, that constant back pressure on the stick to keep her straight and level. Within 2-3 weeks she was my favorite WW2 warbird in DCS - and still is. I fly her more than the Spitfire, the Bf109, and the two FWs combined. A couple of days ago, on a whim, I picked up the new IL2 Great Battles. Of course the first thing I had to try was my old sweetheart - the I-16... Well... After getting used to the DCS I-16, the IL2 version was a big let-down for me. In fact, most of IL2 is. The I-16 in IL2 flies like it's on rails - completely hands off once you trim it. The feeling of flight is not there. Not to mention the flight characteristics - I can chase down an Bf-109E7 in my dinky little I-16 within a couple of minutes. The stalls are weird, the acceleration/deceleration is off. The wheels go up and down with a button click. The flaps are either up or down - no fine control like the DCS version. Overall, IL2 feels like a game, whereas DCS feels like a simulator - like the real thing (not that I know what a real I-16 feels like). The one thing the IL2 game has going for it is the AI: In DCS, it feel like I'm fighting alien invaders in their spaceships. In IL2, the AI is a bit more "skilled", though still very predictable. Overall, I'm not sorry I got the new IL2 - it's a fun game that I'll enjoy every now and then. But DCS is my primary simulator now - everything (except the AI) is done superbly and feels like flying in real life. I don't mean to offend any IL2 fans - everyone has their preferences. I'm just sharing my personal experience flying the I-16 in both sims. Cheers, Doc

I respectfully disagree. Of all the WW2 modules, the I-16 is the one I fly most regularly. It's challenging but, once you get to know it, you won't wanna fly anything else from that era (technically the I-16 is from the 30s but the Russians flew it well into 1943). She is not fast, but she is the most nimble thing out there and would easily outturn anyone stupid enough to engage you in a horizontal turning fight. If I had a choice, I'd ask for a refund for the two FW-190s. I don't like the A8 and I really don't like the D9. To each his/her own, though... :) Cheers, Doc

My First A2A Refueling Yay!!! Success!! The huge difference was adjusting the stick curves (20%/20% + 3%DZ worked for me). Far from perfect, but I finally managed to do it. Now it's more practice and then trying out A2A refueling in the other birds.

Yeah, I gave up on the 1.4 version and reinstalled 1.3 back...

I was going to post a question about declaring an emergency, but did a search and found this thread. I totally agree - we need a "declare emergency" call. Yesterday, after a lengthy dogfight, I came back with fuel state .5. I wanted to declare an emergency so I can land straight in. Instead, I had to go around the pattern because there were two AI Tomcats landing. In the end, I managed to get her aboard, but it was literally on fumes. I've no idea how this is handled in real life (is this considered an "emergency"?) but I would think aircraft low on fuel will be given priority.

I'm trying out the Viggens during the free trial. Last night, after my first flight, I landed but then skidded sideways (tiny bit of rudder is all it takes...), and as the plane came to a stop in the middle of the runway, all of a sudden the screen went black and no keys responded. A few seconds later I was back on the Windows desktop. Today, after landing and parking the jet, I clicked the generator switch off and the computer froze for 20 seconds or so, but didn't crash... Nice plane, but not my cup of tea. I'm more of a A2A guy. Still, a big THANKS to Heatblur for the opportunity to try it out.

Practiced spins some more tonight. It's weird, but you can definitely get the V.A.R.S. Edge to spin - at least inverted. What seems to work for me is to start from a knife-edge and then add rudder as if entering a KE-loop. Once past the vertical, keep full rudder and modulate the opposite aileron input until the spin is established. Exit as usual with opposite rudder and elevator. The inverted spin works the same way to the left or to the right. I have yet to figure out the upright flat spin, but it may be possible, too. Anyway, here's the video from tonight's flight: No precision aerobatics in this one - just experimenting with control inputs to get the spins going...

Thanks, Shahdoh. Best wishes for finishing the Edge and I very much look forward to trying out the Extra whenever it's ready.

Hi Shahdoh, First, thank you for a wonderful module - really a great fun to fly!!!! Could you please let us know what control inputs you use to get the Edge to spin (upright, inverted, whatever) and tumble (e.g. lomecevak)? I've been trying and trying the last few days, and I can't figure out the correct control sequence (the standard approach doesn't seem to work for me). I managed to kinda-sort-of get it in a consistent upright spin (to the right and certainly not flat!) last night, but when I tried a second time, I couldn't repeat it. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks in advance! Doc

Yesterday, I returned from a mission, and after landing back on the carrier, taxied to parking, shut down the engines, opened the canopy and waited for my trusty AI wingman to return (I had told him to return to base after he announce he was at bingo fuel). To my surprise, I found him testing out the newest secret weapon: An F-18C what can fly underground - with the engines off, canopy open, and wheel chocks in place... :)

Here's a video from my first flight yesterday. Please don't judge too harshly... LoL! :)

VIDEO: First Flight / First impressions I just came across this thread yesterday. A huge THANK YOU to the developers for all the hard work and for sharing this outstanding module with the rest of us. The video below is from my first flight, so please don't judge too harshly... :) I've tried to share my impressions of the flight model with pop-ups throughout the video. I hope the developers find my input useful. Hopefully, I'll be able to put in some more flights over the next few days and report back once I know a bit more about the flight characteristics.

Buttons are usually "on/off", which is why the rudder needs an axis, not a button. I'm pretty sure that's why they've made it like that.

Took a break from practicing my Case-3 approaches in the F-14 and the F-18 and decided to hop around the carrier battle group in the trusty old Mi-8. Hope you enjoy the video!

Hello Heclak, Thank you for all the work on this wonderful module. I downloaded and tried the 1.4.beta12 version the other day and came across a couple of bugs that I'm demonstrating in the video below. By now your team may have already fixed these issues. If not, I hope you do look into them because they detract from the gameplay. A short summary of the issues I found: 1. The plane explodes by itself occasionally. The first time it happened was when I was taxiing toward the number 4 catapult. I went over the lowered JBD, and the plane erupted in flames and blew up a second later. The second instance is demonstrated in the video. I hooked up to the cat and as it shot me forward the plane exploded at the end of the deck before it got into the air. Both times it wasn't due to crashing or anything - I was on deck. 2. There's some weird alignment issue (??) in the groove. I can start perfectly aligned, but then quickly end up misaligned to the right. It's almost as if the carrier is making a right turn or as if there's a crosswind coming from the left. This is only observed with the 1.4.b.12 version. The old 1.3 stable version works fine. So do the F-18 and F-14 when placed in the same mission. None of them exhibit any tendency to veer off - only the 1.4.b12 version of the A-4E-C. Again, I'm reporting these issues not to diminish your efforts but to help you identify potential bugs that can be fixed (if they haven't been already). In all respects, this is an incredible effort and an excellent mod that I have been enjoying thoroughly. Best wishes, Doc EDIT: I just downloaded and tried stable v.1.4. Both problems are still there for me: Took off fine, had to point left to keep aligned in the groove, trapped, then hooked up to the cat again. Down the track we go and ... BOOM. Great balls of fire... I didn't record video this time, but I can try to recreate if you wish. My setup is as follows: Intel i7 8700, 24GB RAM, NVidia 1080ti, VR with Rift S, DCS v.2.5.6 stable. I'm using the standard F-18 supercarrier takeoff mission and substituting different planes (A-4E v1.3 stable, v.1.4b12, v.1.4 stable, F-14, F-18 ) into it for testing. Hope this helps.

DCS_Updater.exe update 2.5.5.41371@release Did that a few days ago. Much, much better ... except no supercarrier. I do miss that...

I was actually gonna ask about this: I distinctly remember that DCS 2.5.5 had the ships pitching and rolling. I have a video of my first UH-1H landing on a pitching Ticonderoga. The Stennis was pitching too, which made trapping interesting. But since I upgraded to DCS 2.5.6 there seems to be no pitching. I landed a Ka-50 on the Moscow cruiser the other day - bad lightning storm, huge waves. Yet the cruiser was rock solid. I guess they must've disabled pitching/rolling temporarily...