Good News

[VMFA117_Poko]

Thanks EvilBivol-1 for keeping us updated.

Second that.

 

Highly detailed ABRIS, modeled ADF and added GPS based on satelites which can give an error in computing position are the serious steps forward into widen navigation and avionic enviroment. It is important to simulate not only advantages of modern aircrafts but also its disadvantages wich pilots still wrestle with. Great news.

[EvilBivol-1]

24 satellites in GLONASS? Sounds like the Russians in the LOMAC world have been very busy. :D Only between 8 and 12 are fully operational at this point, AFAIK.

 

Which is a perfectly valid point, hence the scripts for end-user edit. ;)

 

As an aside, equipping the GLONASS system appears to be at the top of the Russian military's agenda list. They actually appear to do good on their public announcements in this area. Three satellites just went up the other day.

[EricJ]

hehe given the US capability in this area, doesn't sound too surprising :)

[Guest IguanaKing]

Which is a perfectly valid point, hence the scripts for end-user edit. ;)

 

As an aside, equipping the GLONASS system appears to be at the top of the Russian military's agenda list. They actually appear to do good on their public announcements in this area. Three satellites just went up the other day.

 

I understand that the Indian government is helping with that, providing financial support, along with launch sites. I guess its scheduled to become fully operational in 2010. Since GLONASS has the option of being fully operational, does that mean we get the option for Quick-draw and Sniper XR on the A-10? :smilewink:

[EvilBivol-1]

Are those A-10C upgrades? If so, then you're welcome to join the USANG and see for yourself. ;)

[SUBS17]

Awesome news on the Mission editor but I have a question, in game online would we be able to land at a FARPs, refuel, rearm with a new payload type and plan a fresh mission against a new threat? Also could intel be also updated at the FARPs so we can plan our strike against ground targets for the next mission? This could develop into some serious missions online if we could.:thumbup:

[S77th-GOYA]

Hogs are going to blow the bejesus out of those FARPs. :bye_2:

[Wild.Bill.Kelso]

Great news on the new ME.

 

I don't suppose there is a Dynamic Campaign Generator in the works too?

[Guest IguanaKing]

Are those A-10C upgrades? If so, then you're welcome to join the USANG and see for yourself. ;)

 

Nope. Quick-draw has been around on A-10As for a while now. Sniper XR is also in limited deployment on A-10As. I'd love to join the ANG, but my RE code is 2Q ever since late 1991. The AF is kinda funny about taking you back with metal parts in you that they installed in place of the originals. :)

[192nd_Erdem]

So, I suppose triggers are now included with the new editor? :) If not, it wasn't necessary at all.

[33rd_bratpfanne.]

The Blackshark night screens look nice, except for the Snow. Snow looks like a Curtain in front of the window and nothing behind. Wheather, Clouds and Wind could use a big improvement IMHO.

 

S~

 

Brati

[Chizh]

24 satellites in GLONASS? Sounds like the Russians in the LOMAC world have been very busy. :D Only between 8 and 12 are fully operational at this point, AFAIK.

Don't worry.

Before release date we'll cut out excess GLONASS satellites. ;)

[Witchking]

OMG! WOW...A new ME.....that means a whole lot. thank you sooo much ED. I would have been glad to just see the return of "static + other objects" placed top view from the ME screen itself.

[EvilBivol-1]

All airbases now have Outer and Inner Locator Beacons with their individual frequencies.

 

Couple of screenshots with ABRIS navigation data displaying locator beacon info:

 

http://forum.lockon.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=9177&d=1167508353

 

http://forum.lockon.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=9178&d=1167508384

[Shaman]

All airbases now have Outer and Inner Locator Beacons with their individual frequencies.

 

Couple of screenshots with ABRIS navigation data displaying locator beacon info:

 

http://forum.lockon.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=9177&d=1167508353

 

http://forum.lockon.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=9178&d=1167508384

 

Finaly some better introduction of radio-navigation. If we only could set these freq. in other planes then Ka-50. However it's a nice start.

[Specter1075]

Refering to the comment that the ABRIS aspect of the manual is 125 pages long, I'm definately hoping for some kind of printed manual made available for purchase. I know this has been said before, but I dont ever remember seeing an answer, yea or nea.

[Weta43]

The Blackshark night screens look nice, except for the Snow. Snow looks like a Curtain in front of the window and nothing behind. Wheather, Clouds and Wind could use a big improvement IMHO.

 

S~

 

Brati

 

Regarding the wind - I can't remember whether someone from E.D. or one of the testers confirmed this, but in the video of the blades lifting as the collective is pulled, they seem to be moving up & down erraticaly as in a gusting wind. Is that the case? (E.D. - testers ?)

[RvETito]

More translation from the russian forum:

 

You can also listen the morse code of the abreviation that each beacon is transmitting, ref.- see the dots and lines at these screens.

 

It is also possible to slave the ADF to the UHF radio R-800 and measure bearings to other radios, working in transmition mode, fore example the radio of the wingman maneuvering behind you.

 

Q. How the wingmen will transmit target data to the leader?

A. There's a special panel with buttons. You can see it on this screenshot in the upper left conrner, above the panel of the laser wanring system. It has 3 rows with blue and yellow buttons.

It works like that- a wingman lock a target with the Shkval, presses a button from this panel depending on the target's type('tank', 'AA' or 'other'), hits the button that corresponds to the leader's board and presses the transmit button. The leader sees that he is receiving a data-link message(the button of the particular wingman is flashing), he presses this button and the target info(target type and coordinates) is transmitted to his targeting complex and the ABRIS. On the ABRIS the point with it's coordinates' data is marked by an approrpiate icon and sequence number from 1 to 4.

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

Refering to the comment that the ABRIS aspect of the manual is 125 pages long, I'm definately hoping for some kind of printed manual made available for purchase. I know this has been said before, but I dont ever remember seeing an answer, yea or nea.

If you don’t have a printer good enough at home, you can go to your local Kinko or try one of those Printing On Demand companies such as Mimeo (http://www.mimeo.com). Mimeo is printing my training material for my training courses. Our Tech Pub department does not even print stuff any more, all goes to Mimeo.

 

Mimeo installs as a printer driver and you actually build your document on your computer and you get the price before you order, so you know your cost exactly. Color printing is expensive but black and white is affordable.

[Piffer]

Excellent news!

[EvilBivol-1]

I think this was already mentioned, but its 'good news' nevertheless.

 

In LOBS, input controls will be configurable for every flyable individually, including keys, axes, modifiers, and modifier combos.

[TheProphet]

Good news indeed! I've been waiting for such a thing for years now!

 

Thanks for this thread EvilBivol, keep it up ;)

[brewber19]

All I can say is WOW! My imagination is now running completely wild, we could have some rocking missions on the 504 Air to Ground server :woot:

 

I guess with all this going on, I can cope with any delays ;)

[VMFA117_Poko]

I guess with all this going on, I can cope with any delays ;)

I can't wait anymore but I have to, my tongue is reaching floor right now. Don't even mention about any delays mate :D.

[SwingKid]

Okay, so its now public:

 

Thank God! We need to talk about this, more than anything.

 

Disclaimer:

Although SwingKid has official "ED Tester" status, none of the opinions expressed in this message are derived from secret or "inside" information, or from studying beta versions of Black Shark. Rather, they are the result of his analysis of the already-released Lock On/Flaming Cliffs Mission Editor and file format, from extensive mission-building experience and "SkyWars2" dynamic campaign development.

 

I'd be optimistic though. But then again, I'm a fanboy.

If it has copy/paste and multiple step undo options it's already a revolution! LOL

I am very happy about this development. If it is a new editor build from scratch, it can only mean that ED realy has listened to our concerns and suggestions.

 

I hate to be the party pooper, but I think this thread is getting far too optimistic.

 

I remember when Lock On's release was delayed, month after month, and people were excitedly asking, "does this mean that now with extra time, maybe they can update the Russian avionics to the Western level?"

And none of the testers were able to answer, because they were under NDA, so the hope continued to snowball in an uncontrolled way. And then finally at the time of release, everyone realized and was disappointed - the real problems were with the new Western jets, that they had taken for granted would be more correct!

 

Of course, that is how real software development works. You don't intentionally delay the release of a functional product, because you want to add more bells and whistles. You delay it because the basic, most minimum features that you absolutely need in order to release it are STILL not working.

 

Similarly, I think that the development of a new ME may potentially be more bad news than good. If ED is replacing the ME from scratch, rather than improving the existing one, then there can only be one reason: because they have no other choice.

It's not about listening to the community or adding new features - rather, the existing ME is so old and complex, that nobody can anymore fix it to work with Black Shark. The programmer who made it left the ED team many years ago.

Ross and I noticed this during Storm and SkyWars DC development when the new "fortification" building objects were added. They were not integrated well into the existing mission structure, and it was very obvious that someone tried very hard, and barely succeeded. Static objects! Imagine now trying to integrate all the new vehicles and AI planned for BS.

 

How many months has BS been in development? And this decision is coming now? And ED is not even sure that it will actually be in BS?

 

I am pessimistic. I expect the features of the existing ME to be gutted down to the bare-bones minimum that will still put helicopters into the air. No new payload features, no savable debriefings - I'll be surprised if we even still get Mission Goals.

The Lock On ME is not a module like in other sims - it is the core foundation of the whole UI. Starting it now from scratch is like saying "today, we started programming Black Shark."

 

Right now, we should be helping ED with a sad and desperate triage:

deciding which of Lock On's existing ME features contribute little to gameplay, so that we can live without them (e.g. random failures, variable AI skill levels, pilot logbook, IMHO) and which things we desperately need to save for the future, that they would otherwise be tempted not to include because we took them for granted (e.g. Mission Goals and debriefing structure).

 

IMHO, :(

 

-SK