OH-58D Announcement

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

7 hours ago, Jonbloor7 said:

I guess I don't pass the Turing Test

It's okay, bro. The mazes on the back of kids' menus vex me, eternally.

[richskinns]

Congrats to Poly Chop this aircraft is a blast to fly and operate. It will only get even better with time. 

[Viking 1-1]

Good work, Polychop!

Awesome module, really a lot of fun to fly and a very well made aircraft.

[Slippa]

Yep, well done Polychop. 

Spent a couple of hours in it earlier learning the cold start and flying around. It’s no trouble to fly already and I’m pretty green in choppers. Nice one .

 

[Gorn_GER]

The OH58 looks nice but at the moment, I hold back my wallet because I do not know how ED will handle 3rd party modules in the future. Still waiting for official announcements if it is worth spending money in non-ED modules. I already got UH1, AH64 and KA50. the OH58 would look good between them but it is not an ED module. 

[cfrag]

9 minutes ago, Gorn_GER said:

I hold back my wallet because I do not know how ED will handle 3rd party modules in the future. Still waiting for official announcements if it is worth spending money in non-ED modules.

Huh. I don't know if or how that kind of paranoia would help you. I mean, ED could officially announce "the bestest ever". Would that change your mind and purchase? Why? Are there guarantees that the words will be kept? Announcements rarely change anything. I have the Kiowa. It's worth every penny IMHO. The module's worth to me will not change no matter what some other company announces. The dispute between ED and RB is unprofessional on so many levels, and helps no-one. I recommend we ignore it and look the facts. To me, fact is a wonderful module from PC that can be had at this very moment.

And yeah, I also own the Mudhen, and the Hawk. I still bought the Kiowa. Slow learner? You decide -- while I try to stop grinning taking the Kiowa through Beyruth's streets.  

Edited June 8 by cfrag

[Hiob]

@Polychop Simulations

First: Congratulations on the module. I love it, it flies great and it will for sure be one of my most used modules in the future.

However: There are some flaws, I‘d wish you could address in the future.

- button bindings, some are missing (important fuzes e.g.), some are weird (try to properly bind a virtual three position switch to a physical one)

- sound design, its somewhat inconsistent. Some switches have a nice click to it, others are complete silent. The volume levels are a bit off in general. Your own Gazelle is much better in that regard.

- when handing over to the AI - at least make your copilot model put his hands on the controls! 

- Personal weapon, please make a virtual camera or view that looks straight along the barrel for 2D users. And maybe have the armor plate swing open per default when operating the personal gun.

- „dead“ buttons and switched. There are too many buttons and switches that are inop for a full fidelity module. Even if they don’t serve a function in game (because the system they operate is not implemented e.g.), at least make them interactive/flipable (like ED does e.g.). It really throws you off when the curser gets yellow when hovering over a switch.

That‘s merely a wish list or suggestion list for future polishing. Doesn’t take away from your accomplishment!

Cheers!

[Guille H. Mono]

3 hours ago, Gorn_GER said:

The OH58 looks nice but at the moment, I hold back my wallet because I do not know how ED will handle 3rd party modules in the future. Still waiting for official announcements if it is worth spending money in non-ED modules. I already got UH1, AH64 and KA50. the OH58 would look good between them but it is not an ED module. 

It is sad and understandable. I've been long enough to see every 3rd party struggle at some point but they kept it professional and now they are delivering. In my opinion Polychop became the best example after this release.

[BIGNEWY]

folks please do not derail this thread with the RAZBAM drama. 

This thread is for the OH-58D Kiowa warrior. 

thank you 

[Moxica]

Congratulations on finally releasing the Kiowa. I have been impatiently awaiting that day. And what a wonderful piece of work it is!
Sure it has a few flaws if one nitpick, as I have done.
But pointing them out just goes to show how insignificant they are; the white paint and red buttons on the chronograph, and the metal switches looks brand new.
A little dust and some wear and tear would go a long way when it comes to "feel"
And then there's the sound of th .50 that you have mentioned yourself.
But after just one and a half day, It has sailed up right in to my favourite spot.
And the AI implementation is elegant and very creative, and has a very good functionality. Congrats to that one alone.
I like it so much, I hoped for rain this weekend, so I could bingefly this thing. But sadly, the sun is out, and there's a beautiful day outside.   
Cheers, and keep it up!   
 

Edited June 8 by Moxica

[LuseKofte]

This thing is like an onion. The more you peal off the better it gets. I have thoroughly had a blast with it. It can really be flown with a single pilot and still do its job. 
Very good job. 

[shagrat]

Am 5.6.2024 um 18:18 schrieb Hiob:

Okay Guys,

so I just set up and tested the AI Pilot and it is glorious.

Suggestion for keybindings (on a warthog grip).

AI Pilot on\off - Quick disconnect lever

AI HUD - NWS button

Command Hover - Missile Step button

Increase/Decrease Altitude - DMS up/down

Drift  left/right - DMS left right

Speed increase/decrease - TMS up/down

heading left/right - TMS left right

 

Everything else is specific maneuvering commands that doesn’t need to be on the hotas imho.

 

I recommend to combine the 5-way CMS hat with the disconnect lever, or Pinky button, as modifier. Gives you 10 commands with 6 buttons.

- CMS press: AI on/off

- CMS fwd/aft: speed

- CMS left/right: heading

with lever/pinky held as modifier:

- CMS press: Hover

- CMS fwd/aft: Altitude 

- CMS left/right: drift 

I put AI HUD on the equivalent of the Master Mode button (right side of the stick) with modifier.

[71st_Mastiff]

I finally got to fly this bird!!!! It flys awesomely!! I love it!! Thank you PolyChop Simulations!! 

[pcartier]

I also just purchased this, at first I held back because the cockpit textures did not look that good in some of the videos but now that I have it the textures look fine. What a flight model!. Great Job guys!

[Hiob]

On 6/10/2024 at 10:21 PM, pcartier said:

I also just purchased this, at first I held back because the cockpit textures did not look that good in some of the videos but now that I have it the textures look fine. What a flight model!. Great Job guys!

I have seen some Youtubers flying with shadows low or disabled. That has a very negative impact on the visual appearance of the cockpit…..

[jimcarrel]

This thing flies so sweet, I don't think any Heli lover could resist it. It is unbelievably good. Can hardly wait for what has been learned from creating the Kiowa to rub off on the Gazelle. 

[jye0622]

I might be one of the community who knew about the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior (KW) before PolyChop Simulation (Pc team) released it and already had a understanding of all the systems and learned the cold-start procedures. In fact, I started to pay more attention to the KW when the Pc team started to update the SA342 Gazelle, after all, refurbishing an old product doesn't necessarily increase the sales volume of the helicopter, but inevitably it takes time to modify the old product (and update it for free).
My interest in the Pc team came from their can answers to some of the questions they asked during an interview with Youtuber, and their direct response to concerns about why the release was delayed for four years. I decided to buy the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior without the special price.
Here is my personal opinion about KW:

1. Good field of view
The field of view is very wide, remove the door than the UH-1 has a better field of view.
2.Traditional control without FBW, but with MFD.
When I took off for the first time, I had a similar feeling of UH-1, but it was much lighter than UH-1.
There are a lot of physical buttons, even the Cyclic stick and Collective stick buttons can be clicked directly, so some minor functions don't need to be set on the joystick&throttle. The physical buttons can also increase the location memory, so that you won't forget which page of the MFD and which location to set parameters or activate functions.
3. Dual-player but single-player operation of all functions is allowed.
This is a great idea and has been well received by players. Pc team was asked if there will be an AI pilot (similar to AH-64D George)? Will there be Auto Hover? Pc said, there will be AI function but not like George, because 80% of the players are playing the game alone, so they decided to make KW can be controlled by one person. The AI is designed to be stable, and it is not the goal to create a humanized virtual pilot that is so realistic that it could go wrong.
Personally, because I'm just a PC Pilot, relaxing with OH-58D after work and having fun with my friends! It can be very realistic, but I hope it's also fun ! After work, on vacation, I should be able to decide between rigorous military training and fun gameplay as a gamer.
As a result, the AI feature of KW has been very well received since its release.
4. Lightweight Machines that can fly to everywhere
KW is able to go to many places . (UH-1 is a bit fat... )
5. Simple operation interface, easy to use weapons.
After all, KW is a Scout, Scout's role. ( AH-64D gunship role, full-featured but complicated).
6. Almost everything is up, no need to wait!
50 machine gun, rockets, APKWS, AGM-114K, air-to-air stinger missiles... Accessory system, NVG+ODA, PDU...
MMS can be removed, or the AN/ALQ-144 IR countermeasure system can be added (to the old version).
7. The only helicopter that can be flown with a keyboard.
8.Reliable M4 Carbine! Dual front & side airbags!

 

[LuseKofte]

23 hours ago, Hiob said:

I have seen some Youtubers flying with shadows low or disabled. That has a very negative impact on the visual appearance of the cockpit…..

I fly with flat shadows and think my pit look nice in my g2. But as a vr user , you pretty much are used to less eyecandy

[Hiob]

4 minutes ago, LuseKofte said:

I fly with flat shadows and think my pit look nice in my g2. But as a vr user , you pretty much are used to less eyecandy

That‘s totally fine! It‘s just that most youtubers showcase pretty much maximum visual fidelity (which makes sense for their purposes of course) and when you then have someone who is uploading his VR-mirror with lowered shadows etc….. it looks poor in comparison.

[LuseKofte]

3 hours ago, Hiob said:

it looks poor in comparison.

It might. But I am very satisfied with the pit. The only problem with this chopper is the pilot( me). I tend to get shot down in hot environment that also is made by me. 
But I learn faster when in hurry and danger. Do or die is my motto

[petsild]

Hi,

Now SimShaker for Aviators beta supports KW.

SimShaker for Aviators

[Crash *]

So, after a few hours with the Kiowa, I think I can allow myself a first judgment:

You've done a really great job! It's really fun! Really great. It's great that you pay so much attention to detail. Sunglasses, to name just one.

It's great that you persevered and defied all the obstacles. The result is impressive. The fact that you keep updating the Gazelle is also really remarkable. The Polychop brand now has a good reputation with me. And I'm probably not alone in that opinion.

Thanks to everyone involved!

[Slippa]

After having it for a while I think it’s definitely worth the money. I love the look of it, it flies well and has to be the easiest heli to fly. It’s packed with plenty to mess with and there’s an unintentional bonus that I get every time I fire it up too.

By coincidence, the night before the Kiowa was released I put a film on. I hadn’t heard anything about it, just a stab in the dark and have a look sort of thing. The film turned out to be absolutely mental but in a really good way. I was in stitches and fell in love with the characters from the off. 

The following day I was sitting in the Kiowa learning to cold start it when the ‘voice’ of my new hero Charles Petrescu piped up and started counting. I called in Mrs Slippa to have a listen and she thought I was winding her up. Gives me a chuckle every time I go through the startup now. All I want is some boiled cabbage stowed somewhere in the Kiowa and I’ll be sorted.

 

 

[bart86pl]

Got the module today and I`m very impressed with the flight model, the feel, the systems, just everything feels good! Absolute banger Polychop, thank you for this module!