Black Shark Update, 16 September 2007

[GGTharos]

How long would it take you to add a helo? :)

[Doug97]

3 years to add a helo?? :doh:

Surely they're doing more than just that?

[Glowing_Amraam]

Yeah, tons more.. ;)

[rogue_blade]

such as improving the FM and avionics of the eagle *angry face* *angry face* *angry face* *angry face* *angry face*

[159th_Fusion]

Well ED have been very busy with other things as well, which are far more lucrative than Lockon, so I'm very grateful that they're even bothering to still support Lockon at all.........

[Ramstein]

Well ED have been very busy with other things as well, which are far more lucrative than Lockon, so I'm very grateful that they're even bothering to still support Lockon at all.........

 

Bothering ?? :(

[Flyby]

never to be released?

 

I have a sense of deep dread that Black Shark will never be released. Perhaps I think it's because survival is the first law of nature, and especially so where profit is the life blood of most of our endeavors. ED has to survive, make the bucks, then make some more bucks to keep on surviving. If doing contract work puts the meat on the table the BS is a (in)convenient desert. First it's delayed, then delayed some more, then just finally falls by the wayside. Sorry if I seem to blaspheme here, and I do hope I'm wrong. Yet, deep down inside I have this cold dread. Have we not seen such before in the combat flight sim community?

I must be losing my mind. Or maybe in all my years I still have not learned patience? Maybe both?:wacko:

Flyby out

[GGTharos]

You're way wrong. The black helicopters are coming ... just wait ... for this blasphemy you might find one hovering overyour roof soon :D

[Flyby]

ya don't say...

 

You're way wrong. The black helicopters are coming ... just wait ... for this blasphemy you might find one hovering overyour roof soon :D

Hmmm...soon you say, eh GGT? Well since you're an ED tester I suppose that should carry a bit more weight than my doom & gloom musings. If it were to prove you correct, I wouldnt mind waking to the violent beating of the air above my roof. now where'd I leave that manpad?:pilotfly: Anyway, I shall endeavor to keep the faith, and demonstrate worthiness. So tell me again about the pilot workload I'm in for, and how about a new BS movie?

Flyby out

[GGTharos]

As you know ED wishes to release Black Shark some time this year.

 

Personally I feel that Black Shark is progressing nicely, but I think that's about all I'm really allowed to say.

 

As for pilot work-load, I tell ya, don't screw around with thenav panel while flying NOE, the ground will come up and get ya! O.o

 

It really takes planning to get things done in the heli - though i suppose some people will map a lot of stuff to macros to avoid pushing a lot of buttons ... but then that is no longer representative of the pilot workload. Regardless, no everyone looks forward to lots of button pushing so, who am I to judge?! :)

 

As for a movie, I wouldn't know :)

[Weta43]

I'm prety sure I read that you can sit in the cockpit, programme the nav system & then save your work for future use.

Is there an interface for the nav system to use in the ME - maybe in the same way you can select 'payload', 'route', 'targeting', select 'ABRIS', so you can programme a navigation route/'feverline' etc without having to go to the cockpit ?

[GGTharos]

Hehe, well, let's put it this way ... sometimes it's necessary to mess around with the nav panel, regardless of your preparation.

[ericinexile]

Black Shark will be released--I have very little doubt about that. When it is, it will be the only true heli sim on the market since Janes Longbow (EEAH2 doesn't qualify IMO). There is a big desire within the sim community to get down in the dirt and blow things up. There is also a desire to really experience the feel and complexity of a modern piece of combat hardware. ED knows that Janes fans, EEAH fans, F4:AF fans, along with LO:FC fans will all want to experience Black Shark...unless of course it sucks. Thus the delay. Will it make a bunch of people millionaires like Halo? No way. But will it pay off? Yeah, I think it will.

 

But if I'm wrong and ED does give up, my gaming life (now about 3 hours a week) won't skip a beat.

 

Smokin' Hole

 

(nice sig GG--Now they will have to release the thing or you did all that work for naught)

[Flyby]

Ok guys, I've been reconstituted, and I'll be keeping the faith. Heck, BS will probably blow me away very easily. But at least I won't have to upgrade my system if BS is no more of a burden than LOMAC is. What I look forward to is becoming competent enough in flying the Shark so that I can join in multiplayer missions and contribute to the effort. Still, I find it interesting (daunting) that this gunship might impose a high workload on the pillot. I mean flying a helicopter is a workload all it's own, from what little I understand of that, but is the use and employment of it's nav and weapons systems really going to impede the pilot's efficiency in battle? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Still, it's good to keep this thread going, and try to flesh out as much about BS as possible, and keep the interest strong. Every reply from an ED tester is most welcome. I am always hundry to hear from them concerning BS. We know they can't "spill the beans", but what they do say is always of interest. Now I look forward to flying NOE, properly prepared. Imagine doing that at night!

Well, time to go look at my little collection of BS movies and get my fix again.

Flyby out

[RvETito]

Relax people, BS will be released. The reason that you don't receive the amount of information you want doesn't mean that the project is frosen. On the opposite- it means that there's a steam coming out from ED's office and testers' PCs. Huge amount of work has been done but there are still some issues to deal with. I can tell you that so far you've been informed in time for every certain and proved info or estimation.

I'm pretty confident that you'll like a lot the release, especially if you are a helo enthusiast. It's all I can do to keep up your interest.

[GGTharos]

. But at least I won't have to upgrade my system if BS is no more of a burden than LOMAC is.

 

It might be a touch more burdensome than FC - this is just a guess on my part ... the reasons for this are mainly the fact thatthe helicopter and cockpit models are so much more complex (there is a lot more happening under the hood, AND on display than in FC). But so far I can run it without suffering horribly, and my computer sucks.

 

What I look forward to is becoming competent enough in flying the Shark so that I can join in multiplayer missions and contribute to the effort.

You should do that ASAP actually and join those who are 'in the know' and 'willing to teach'.

 

Still, I find it interesting (daunting) that this gunship might impose a high workload on the pillot. I mean flying a helicopter is a workload all it's own, from what little I understand of that, but is the use and employment of it's nav and weapons systems really going to impede the pilot's efficiency in battle? Inquiring minds want to know.

It's all part of 'flying the helicopter'. Everything you need to do takes time and effort, as small and finite as this time and effort might be. When you are flying NOE or when things are being shot at you or - heavens forbid - both - you'll be under quite a bit of stress. There's no such thing as suddenly reacting to a well-placed ZSU and taking it out. You can to EVADE it once it starts shooting you and approach again now that you know where it is. The gunners aren't slackers, and you're in a slow heli - hitting you is easy, hitting them back is *not*.

Think about it - they're already firing, and you turn in to do what ... line up on'em ... immidiately presenting an easy, relatively immobile target.

See what I mean? You have to plan and prepare -everything-. Fighting at a distance or from a distance gives your heli the advantage, close in - not so much.

 

Also, fly NOE exclusively when you must, and at NO other time! When navigating valleys etc, with potentnial ambushes lurking behind each corner, NOE is not the place to be: You're taking away all your maneuver options and if you are hit, you have no autorotation possibilities - ie. you crash, because you're too low, and if you /don't/ crash, you don't get to pick where you land, ie ... right in the middle of a whole bunch of enemies.

 

Neither of which applies to a sim because you're not really afraid for your life, but you get the idea :D

 

That's the kind of 'workload' and environment you might expect to be up against when piloting a heli.

 

Smokin'Hole: The Beta Tester's sigs were provided to us by rockwelder :)

[Flyby]

AirTito, thanks for your input. It's another confidence builder. I ain't gettin no younger, but I can wait for BS.

 

GGT thanks for the expanded feedback. I guess I'll have to wait to see how my pc performs with BS. Also thanks for a brief description of a day in the life of a combat helo pilot! :D Good stuff amd definitely drool-worthy.

Flyby

[getsno]

will we see some weapon improvment on the various planes, lets say

an Eagle with bombs and missiles against ground targets?

[GGTharos]

I would think that highly unlikely ... the F-15C is not an Air to Ground machine.

[getsno]

I would think that highly unlikely ... the F-15C is not an Air to Ground machine.

Check this out:

http://www.pbase.com/xnir/image/66396332

The Israeli Air Force are using bombs and even missiles(i'll post the photo later on), and yes it is a C model.

Think of it, the "Western" side don't have a serious jet bomber accept the A-10 but i'm not considering it, becuase comparing to the Migs he doesn't

have a chance, he's terribly slow and manuver like s###.

So instead of adding another fighter jet to the western arsenal (not a bad idea) take a plane that already exist in the SIM and improve his weapons

capability.

[britgliderpilot]

Check this out:

http://www.pbase.com/xnir/image/66396332

The Israeli Air Force are using bombs and even missiles(i'll post the photo later on), and yes it is a C model.

Think of it, the "Western" side don't have a serious jet bomber accept the A-10 but i'm not considering it, becuase comparing to the Migs he doesn't

have chance, he's terribly slow and manuver like s###.

So instead of adding another fighter jet to the western arsenal (not a bad idea) take a plane that already exist in the SIM and improve his weapons

capability.

 

It's been known that the air superiority F-15 has the weapons software for dropping iron bombs for a little while - the USAF no longer trains for that role, though, so it's still of debatable realism.

 

Fitting A2G missile to a single-seat F-15, though, is something altogether different. Would be interested to see the source on that.

[GGTharos]

My statement stands :)

[getsno]

My statement stands :)

here you go, it's the D model but not the E or thr I (Israeli model).

and it was adjusted to carry ground missiles although he's an air supremacy jet.

 

 

 

so, maybe you'll add another plane, maybe the F-15E or a Real F-16.:smilewink:

[GGTharos]

I think adding an F-15E or F-16 would be better than trying to figure out what the Israelis did to their F-15's, because I'm pretty sure that in terms of avionics they don't exactly correspond to the USAF ones :)

[getsno]

because I'm pretty sure that in terms of avionics they don't exactly correspond to the USAF ones :)

 

No dought about that!

As a forum manager of LoMaC in israel, believe me i have been asked

this questions so many times that i really think (and i'm sure i'm not alone here in this forum to think like this) it's about time to add another western

jet (at least:) ) to the western arsenal planes with air to ground capabilities.

Please, consider it seriously.:thumbup: