Spidey209

I find, as a nOOb, the biggest barrier to improving is sheer volume of incoming information is overwhelming, so instead of assessing a situation, formulating a plan and then executing that plan, I spend most of my time like this; CrapWhereIsHeHeShouldBeRightInFrontDidIActivateTheRadarProperlyYupTheLittleScannyThingyIsZoopingBackAndForthProperlyMMMMWrongModeMaybe?NopeHeIsSupposedToBeAt40kmSoMode2Whaddiyacallitagain?Doesn'tMatterIAmSure2OhYeah!!!OMG!!!NOOOBBB!!!ForgotToTiltRadarBOOOOMMMM!!!!! I find it helpful to break the process down and then practice each bit and then put it all together. To avoid tunnel vision, practice radar intercepts 5x, then Helmet Intercepts or Gunzo 5x and mix it up. Try a few with all your sub-uberLee7 skillz and see if it works. etc.

Sorry GGTharos, I didn't convey my meaning very well. Don't use Free Track ONLY AS AN EXERCISE!!!! Then when you get to the real deal you have uberLee7 radar skillz to match your uberLee7 visual skillz and all who oppose you will fall before you like expended chaff bundles wafting in the breeze. The biggest problem most n00bs have when starting out is learning to use Radar properly.

Like Liotczik I have been using the Fast Battle Planner to set up practice engagements; Here is a quirk I have been adding the to equation. - Don't use TrackIR or pan view at all. This forces you to use Radar + RWR to find the baddies. You learn to keep a mental 3D picture in your head of where everyone is; This picture is updated by the information fed to you by your equipment. Because you are solely relying on radar and tews to find the NME(s) you will learn to use them effectively. - Use Tacveiw to analyse your engagements. Tacveiw will spit numbers at you that are more reliable than "impressions". e.g. Missile terminal velocity directly equates to the effectiveness of your evasion maneuvers. Think you are turning tightly?, check the instantaneous turn rate numbers, compare them to your opponent(s). etc.

CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_27] = {20.0, 120.0} 20 = minimum Feild of Veiw = maximum magnification 120 = maximum FOV = maximum fisheye This is where I get a bit fuzzy; Your default or middle head position lies between these two numbers <pulls out stone tablet, hammer, chisel) ((120-20)/2)+20=70 degs middle point. Assuming your default lies at the mid-point (in this case 70 degs) It can be over-ridden by the CockpitViewAngleDefault = 60.0; line in the other file USE THIS METHOD TO SET YOUR MIDPOINT DEFAULT VIEW ANGLE because then your midpoint view angle matches the middle of the deadzone in Free Track (shameless plug for excellent Open Source Project) You should be able to move your head back to widen your view angle so you can pull out and have a quick scan to orient yourself if you need to. It helps to calibrate your head. Ferinstance, you are concentrating hard on your radar when a bogey pops up at 9:00 wanting tea and scones. You look left to get a visual. By some miracle the bogey has brought tea cakes and you see her. If you can see the bogey and only a bit of your plane, or none of your plane, it is hard to get an impression of range. If you pull back so you can see a large chunk of your cockpit and some ground and then zoom back into the bogey I find I have a better feel for the range to bogey and my relative place in the 3D fish tank.

My config file is not from Black Shark unless some kind person snuck into my house and installed it when I wasn't looking. Its possible. The only reason I am playing LO at all is because some kind souls donated me a kickass PC. No, I don't have BS. I am carefully watering my money tree in the back yard, waiting for it to mature and bear fruit. Cheers, Jase.

I see the online servers use a mod that causes the F15 HUD to flash if you lock up a friendly. I have changed my .lua file so that my default HUD colour is red, cause that gives me the best contrast. Unfortunately, online, when I lock up a friendly the HUD flashes Red|Nearly Red|Red|Nearly red which is easy to miss when you are in a scrap. Is there any way to keep my default red HUD and have it flash to green? Cheers, Jase.

I have a "Lock On 1.1" and a "Lock On 1.1 Flaming Cliffs" folder There is only 1 path key in the not Flaming Cliffs folder. Yours may be different it you have a multi install. Not sure, I am out of ideas.

You are on the wrong track I think Zakobi. You do not need to alter any files. You need to edit the registry (if this in fact your problem) using your registry editor. To find if this actually your problem you need to start the Registry Editor by typing "Regedit" into the Run command field. If the sentence above doesn't make sense then you should STOP because you can do terrible things to your PC if you have an ooops in the Registry Editor. If you can start the Registry Editor and know how to you use it, then navigate to; "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Eagle Dynamics\Lock On 1.1" There you will find a key called "Path" The value for Path should match the file path to your "Lock On" folder where Lock On is installed. Ferinstance, on my PC, the key "Path" has the value ""C:\Games\Ubi Soft\Lock On" If the value of Path is not the same as the location of your install folder, congratulations!, you have found the problem. Right click the key in the right window, select Modify and change the value of the key to the correct value. Then give the key to the hobbit who will give you a silver sword that you can take back to the king who will then give you the princess' hand in marriage! The above is null and void if you are using a version of Windoze that has changed the name of regedit to something else. Vista or W7 mayhaps. I accept no responsibility should anything bad happen to you and your pc whilst following my suggestion. This includes memory loss, electrocution, 3rd degree burns or genital warts.

Don't use the move your head, hit center, then move back to your normal position technique. It means that your head is outside the reduced sensitivity zone in track IR and your default view will jump around more. Instead edit the settings in view.cfg -- CockpitViewAngleDefault = 60.0; You can also edit the FOV values in -- Camera view angle limits {view angle min, view angle max}. CameraViewAngleLimits = {} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_27] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_33] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_25] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_39] = {15.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iMiG_29] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iMiG_29K] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iA_10] = {20.0, 120.0} CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iF_15] = {20.0, 120.0} The normal view angle (zoom) lies between these two values. Altering 1 value will move the centre point unless another value overrides the centre point. You also might wanna play with the numbers in server.lua to alter how far your in game head swivels i.e. -- Camera angle limits {horizontal angle max, vertical angle min, vertical angle max} CameraAngleLimits = {} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_27] = {160.0, -75.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_33] = {160.0, -75.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_25] = {160.0, -65.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iSu_39] = {160.0, -80.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iMiG_29] = {160.0, -75.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iMiG_29K] = {160.0, -65.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iA_10] = {160.0, -65.0, 90.0} CameraAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iF_15] = {160.0, -80.0, 90.0} This will let you actually see out the back of your canopy. If you go online, the server settings will over-ride these though. It also reveals a strange texture mismatch in the Su-27, but hey.

Thanks for the feedback GGTharos. I realise that RL is several orders of magnitude more difficult so I am limiting myself to LO, keeps the fanboi's out of the thread too lol! I think my winning strategy is go and find some dumb, fat, happy targets. They seem to be in short supply these days! My Brag - I have a missile to missile kill! I don't ever expect to do it again!! Maybe I should stop now! My gorgeous wife with the huge knockers says that you should stop being sexist 'cos chicks fly too!

H'mmm, these things really are quite simply as long as you don't over think them. The constant angle technique is used in yacht racing and in general boating to determine if you are going to have to yield to an opponent. So a HOJ shot can use a pure pursuit profile as it has a direction to the ECM emitter and doesn't need range info? I did some experiments last night F15 vs Mig29S to see if there were any ways to exploit this info. Some observations \ hints 1. AI first launch at 32 km max range. It is a completely hopeless shot as any kind of maneuver will defeat it. 2. Coming off the rail, a missile is traveling at ~3300 kph. This speed decays to between 1700 kph no maneuvering ( i.e. keep heading straight forward ) or 850 kph max maneuvering. At 850 kph the missile is about as dangerous as a dead fish and is easily defeated. 3. If you fire a AIM120 at 32 km it will barely arrive at the intercept point doing approx 850 kph ( AI performing its normal routine ). If you wait 10 secs and fire a second missile it will arrive at the intercept point at nearly the same time but doing 1100 kph. i.e. a max range Hail Mary is really a wasted missile unless you think the guy has put his jet on auto pilot and gone to get a coffee. 4. If you wait until the Launch lights come on (15 km) the missile will arrive at the intercept point doing approx 1700 kph which seems to be about the minimum required to have a reasonable chance at scoring a kill. 5. If your strategy is to drain the missiles energy then get your maneuvers underway immediately when the missile is traveling the fastest. 6. Missiles launched later in the engagement are travelling significantly faster so your response time is reduced and your anti-missile maneuvers need to be more accurate\aggressive. The leisurely turn to 30 deg off and gazing out the window until it is time to pull up will defeat a missile launched at max range, but a missile launched at within the NEZ is very much more deadly. 7. Launching at max jet velocity doesn't seem to be much of an advantage. Maybe 200 kph extra missile speed at the intercept point. Not enough to make a huge difference when you want the missile to be travelling at 1500 kph + at the intercept point. I think it is better to keep your jet at a speed that will allow you to pull max instantaneous turn rate when you need it, say 800 kph or 450 kts. This is above corner velocity, but means that you have energy reserves to pull multiple max g dodges when required. Hitting the AB and sprinting towards your target has +'s and -'s. It gets you into effective range sooner reducing the time your opponent has to get off effective shots. You can rush your opponent, overwhelming them and giving them too much to deal with ( not really, but worth a go ). The disadvantage is AB is big NEON SHOOT ME sign. If the Mig switches to Optical system, she doesn't show up on your RWR and you only have eyeball and radar to find her. Also hitting the knife fight with too much speed reduces your turning ability. On the other hand, she is so close she doesn't need AB to spot you. She may have friends though. 8. Avoid launching missiles from off angle positions. The initial turn your missile makes to get on course is an energy killer. Aim at the aiming dot when shooting, I guess that is what it is there for. 9. Beware the IR missile, no radar, no warning 10. One thing I haven't investigated is high altitude encounters. Lower air density will change things I am sure. Most online kills I see are in the weeds with the Russian planes sneaking around with EOS so I am not sure high level co-altitude tactics "matter" as much. A suggested strategy for F15 vs X, medium altitude, head to head. 1. stabilise speed around 800 kph ( 450 to 500 kts ). 2. Wait for missile launch. When it comes, immediately begin your avoidance routine. Beaming the missile should be high on your list. 3. Wait for the launch lights before launching, anything launched before this is a waste of ordinance 4. Launch your missile when aiming directly at the aim point. Launch several with some seconds between them. Lets face it, they are useless. If you fire multiple missiles at the same time, they all use the same solution to get to the target and 1 maneuver will defeat them all. 5. The deadliest missiles are the ones launched within 10 km. They have tonnes of energy and very little flight time. 6. Life in the F15 is made more difficult by the fact that it is hard to gauge incoming missile distance from the RWR so it is hard to judge when to pull your max G dodge. At close range this is not a problem because, as soon as the missile is launched you need to be dodging. The solution is to practice, maybe with a clock\second hand in front of you. The cockpit clock is too far away from the action and too small for me to use. With practice you get a feeling for when the missile is coming. 7. Assume an IR is coming your way, always. Once the battle closes and you are within launch range, always pull G's, as many as you can while maintaining energy. Use flares. 8. Now you are into the knife fight. Someone else can write this bit because I never get that close online lol! For me, launching outside 15 km seems a waste of time. Using the techniques demonstrated by Ironhand (all hail!) your opponent will laugh at your missile and remain on the offensive. How well does a TWS launch work on line? It is useless against AI as they have telepathy. Please consider the above a purely academic treatise. I have only just gotten into Lock On. I have been online 5 times, and been shot down multiple times. My only kill was a heater shot on a friendly. The flashing HUD confused me! Someone please pick holes! Cheers, Jase

Your screen shot is too blurry for my old eyes :( , but it looks correct. DoctorK's thread showed the exact key that needed to be changed. Be careful, the key may actually be correct and your problem may be somewhere else. Cheers Jase

I am not sure what you meant in your post about "thrust-drag-intercept points". Missiles can pull massive G's, but it costs them energy to do so. The secret to missile evasion in LO is to minimise the amount of energy the missile has at the intercept point so that it cannot pull those massive G's and hit you. The equation the missile has to solve is a bit more complicated than just determining where the target will be in a future point in time and trying to get there as fast as possible. The missile also needs to arrive at the intercept point with sufficient energy to maneuver and hit the target. I have little idea what the intercept logic for a LOMAC missile is but would like to hear from anyone who has studied it. I spent a few years selling Process Instrumentation and Numeric Controllers so control logic is an interesting subject for me. A "really dumb" missile would just head straight to the target. ( HOJ shot ?? ) A "less dumb missile" would just calculate the targets motion vector and aim for a point ahead of the plane ( Lead pursuit? ) maybe switch to aiming directly at the target just before impact ( Pure Pursuit? ). A "smarter" missile would leave the rail and ( assume a "long" intercept flight ) immediately start climbing. Why? Air resistance is a speed^2 function so the slower the missile flies the less energy it loses to friction. It can also get that Gravitational Energy back at the end of the flight when it comes downhill to hit the target. Lower air density will allow the missile to fly further and faster too. The above is just some thoughts. From watching Ironhand's tutorials and replaying my own Tacview tracks it appears the Medium and Short range missiles just fly a "less dumb" profile, although the ER seems to initially climb when coming off the rail in a direct head-to-head. I am interested from anyone with some LO data they would like to share. Cheers, Jason (Spidey209)

The file path DoctorK refered to in the other thread is a "Registry Key" You get to it by Start Button > Run and typing "regedit" into the box and hitting enter. This will bring up the registry editor which you can use, following DoctorK's instructions to edit the path entered into the appropriate key. If the above is unfamiliar to you then you need to be very careful. You can severely FUBAR your PC by messing around in the registry.

I have the problem of no stats showing up and I have English XP, maybe I have Asia\Pacific version of XP? I am not sure. My version is XP Pro ver 2002 patched to SP3. I don't think there are "non-english" versions of XP. Just 1 version of XP Pro that can be set to different languages. DoctorK already answered this question in another thread Zakobi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Hi, The problem happens when you moved Lockon files from the installed location. Ramgen tries to find those files at the location described in the registries which can not reflect the move. So, you can update the registries to solve it. The key is "Path" in "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Eagle Dynamics\Lock On 1.1" Please edit it to the current path. Sorry for your inconvenience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you saying that this is not the situation for you? or it didn't fix the problem? or you haven't tried it? Have you started Lock On and created your pilot and then started RamGen and tried to find the pilot? Cheers Spidey209

Dun all that and still no results showing up for a completed mission. Do I need to click "save" at the end of the mission, like for the campaign's (otherwise you don't progress) Do I need a proper pilot and not "Pilot1" who isn't actually in the pilot list? Cheers, Spidey209 p.s. very cool app DoctorK (sp?)

"Generally it’s a giant plant which needs to grow into branches." FC2.0 will bring LO into the DCS garden where it will continue to flourish and the mod community (ups to youse fullas) will continue to add branches. Metaphors getting a bit deep in here <lifts feet>

I fully realise that some work needs to be done to polish this technique. <Removes tongue from cheek> p.s. I just double checked, It was my ET vs her 73, heater vs heater.

When the missile leaves the rail it has a fixed amount of energy in the form of Kinetic Energy ( its initial velocity ) + Stored Chemical Energy ( the rocket fuel ) + Gravitational Potential Energy ( altitude ). The rocket motor burns converting the Stored Chemical Energy into Kinetic Energy and\or Gravitational Potential Energy As its target, you need to bleed as much of that Kinetic energy as you can before it gets to you. All the time the missile is tracking you it is using its total energy store ( Kinetic + Chemical + Gravity ) to alter its velocity. Remember, a change in direction is a change in velocity, even if the speed remains constant. So turning away from the missile causes it to change direction, changing direction uses energy. All the time the missile is in flight, it is having to overcome air resistance, i.e. drag. This also uses energy. Causing the missile to change direction creates an Angle of Attack, increasing drag, using more energy. Coupled with this is the need for the missile to deflect its control surfaces, more drag, more energy used. The less energy the missile has in the end game, the less able it is to alter its own velocity vector, i.e. maneuver close enough to get the kill Since aircombat seems to demand proper energy management, I find it useful to be clear about what that energy exactly is. I do have a couple of questions. 1. Ironhand advocates steering the missile into the lower atmosphere where the air is thicker, more drag, more energy used. Wouldn't it be better to make the missile climb causing it to convert its kinetic energy into gravitational energy? 2 Can anyone direct me to a useful set of Energy Management diagrams for the aircraft in Lock On? Cheers, Spide209

I have just been practicing 27 vs 29S where I discovered a new missile evasion technique. After practicing Ironhand's head to head missile dodge I was starting twig to the idea that the 2nd AI missile comes in a lot faster and requires a bit more aggressive action to dodge. On one particular pass i had just dodged the first missile and lined up the Mig for a second shot. Pull the trigger then crapmypants when an explosion goes off right in front of my canopy. After double checking my Tacview track I confirmed that my 27ER had just intercepted her 77!!! Awesome!!! no worries about losing lock on the bandit using this technique!!! Cheers! Spidey209 Tacview track attached (I hope!) MissileIntercept.zip

My Pappy always said "Beggers can't be choosers" Thanks for the peek GA.