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F-15C Training Missions!


N22YF

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I regularly see people asking about whether F-15 training missions exist, so I figured, why not make some? These missions are aimed towards players who are new to DCS and fairly new to flight sims in general, and so attempt to strike a difficult balance between accessibility (avoiding information overload) and covering everything important. However, I also recommend these to anyone interested in becoming more proficient in the F-15 (I learned a lot myself through putting them together). They're generally intended as a supplement to the DCS F-15C manual, but I also go over some aspects that are undocumented (i.e., not in the manual), such as the glide slope deviation scale, air-to-air refueling, and setting the bingo fuel index.

 

The missions can be downloaded from the User Files section: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3313014

 

The missions are:

 

1. Introduction and basic controls

2. Angle of attack and Gs

3A. Cold start, taxi, and takeoff (just the basics)

3B. Cold start, taxi, and takeoff (advanced)

4. Navigation, autopilot, and fuel management

5. Visual landing

6. Instrument landing system

7. Instrument landing

8. RWR and countermeasures

9. [Practice mission for lessons 1-8]

10. Beyond visual range radar modes

11. Beyond visual range missiles

12. Basic BVR tactics

13. [Practice mission for lessons 10-12]

14. Close combat radar and missiles

15. Aerial gunnery

16. Air-to-air refueling

 

To install, place the whole folder "F-15C Training (by N22YF)" into your Saved Games missions folder, which is typically in a location such as

C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS\Missions\

or

C:\Users\[your user name]\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Missions\

Then, the "F-15C Training (by N22YF)" folder will show up in DCS when you click on "Mission" (not "Training") and then “My Missions”.

 

Subscribe to this thread to be notified about updates/bug fixes!

 

If you try these out, please let me know if you have any feedback, suggestions, or bug reports! You can reply to this thread or send me a private message. Would be great to hear thoughts from both newbies and experts. I'd love to hear from y'all about:

  • Did anything not work?
  • Was anything hard to follow, or could be explained in a better way?
  • Did I make any mistakes or typos?
  • Is there anything I left out that I shouldn't have (or anything I should have left out)?

Some example images:

 

F-15C training missions.jpg

 

Close Combat Radar and Missiles.jpg

 

Visual landing briefing.jpg

 

Visual landing.jpg

 

Air-to-Air Refueling.jpgHope these are useful!

 

(Also, is there any interest in A-10A training missions? If so, I might look into taking that on as well - a lot of these would be easy to redo for the A-10A.)


Edited by N22YF
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Thanks for sharing, they seem really nice :thumbup:

 

For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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Thas was ideed missing for a long time! Very nice idea to add proper training missions. I get why u implemented this in the Caucasus map, new users and all, but this sounds perfectly suited for the NTTR map. So if you get the itch again to port this to Nevada, this might be an even more immersive training experience. Anyhow, i sure gives this a try anyways!

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These are excellent!

 

At first I thought the talking was too fast but its just right when a mission is ran more than once.

I've only gotten through 6 missions. That 7th missions is a killer - literally! I've died 6 times so far and haven't seen the runway yet. LOL

 

What I like about these missions are that they don't try to cram everything about the aircraft into 4-5 missions.

I can take my time and re-run them easily and quickly if I don't understand something.

I've even ran through the start-up and taxi missions a few times trying to fine-tune my HOTAS settings. :)

 

Thanks for putting these together!

I'll leave more feedback as I go through them.

 

Oz

 

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Very nice idea to add proper training missions. I get why u implemented this in the Caucasus map, new users and all, but this sounds perfectly suited for the NTTR map. So if you get the itch again to port this to Nevada, this might be an even more immersive training experience.

 

Thanks! Yeah I had the same thought! Maybe someday I'll make an NTTR version, but probably not in the near future - would be a good amount of work to recreate all the triggers etc., unfortunately.

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These are excellent!

 

Thank you!

 

At first I thought the talking was too fast but its just right when a mission is ran more than once.

 

In many training missions for other modules, I get impatient with how slow the instructor talks, so I decided to talk faster and figured it should be fine since there are subtitles. Glad to hear you thought it was just right!

 

That 7th missions is a killer - literally! I've died 6 times so far and haven't seen the runway yet. LOL

 

Yes the instrument landing one is super hard! It takes some practice to get used to following the ILS cues well when you have no visual references to back you up. But it's very rewarding when you nail it and come out of the clouds lined up on the runway!

I intended that mission more as an optional fun side challenge than a required training step - did that come across? If not, I'll make that more explicit whenever I release an update.

 

I'll leave more feedback as I go through them.

 

This is all really helpful feedback! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it up!

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... would be a good amount of work to recreate all the triggers etc., unfortunately.

 

yes, that is the greatest failing of the mission editor: the inability to copy trigger logic from one mission onto another :(

 

 

 

For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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I have only the crudest knowledge of the ME, but what you are referring to by "copying the trigger logic ain't possible" means that this not accessable as a scrpit or any other text form (inside or outiside dcs), but indeed must be clicked through various menu levels in the ME to create/recreate? So even if you want to use the same trigger (configuered exatcly the same way) mutiple times in one mission you have to redo the clicky stuff each and every time?

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I have only the crudest knowledge of the ME, but what you are referring to by "copying the trigger logic ain't possible" means that this not accessable as a scrpit or any other text form (inside or outiside dcs)

 

Not exactly, you can access it as a LUA text stored within the mission, it looks like this:

 

XnB2tlo.jpg

 

However, the structure of such text is very different from what you see on the ME, so much so that it is easier to just re-create the trigger sentence on the new mission, than attempt to copy it at this text level. The highlighted text on the above illustration, corresponds to this trigger, as seen on the ME:

 

22lrhlg.jpg

 

Please note that the text version uses Data Dictionaries that make non-trivial a conversion from one format to another, as many variables are represented by texts such as "ResKey_Action_1468"

 

... but indeed must be clicked through various menu levels in the ME to create/recreate?

 

Not so many menus, but yes.

 

So even if you want to use the same trigger (configuered exatcly the same way) mutiple times in one mission you have to redo the clicky stuff each and every time?

 

in one mission? ... no, you can clone triggers for re-use within the same mission ... the problem is when you want to re-use a trigger on a different mission, say a Nevada version of a Caucasus mission.

 

Best regards,

 

Eduardo

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For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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Thanks for the insightful explanation! If i recall correctly, ED has started to look into improving the ME a couple of months back seeking feedback from mission designers as to how best improve the ME. I guess this one is pretty high on the list mission builders have been pushing for.

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...If i recall correctly, ED has started to look into improving the ME a couple of months back seeking feedback from mission designers as to how best improve the ME. I guess this one is pretty high on the list mission builders have been pushing for.

 

Yes, on that thread I suggested that simply extending the Static Templates feature, to include both trigger zones and trigger statements, would be a huge time-saver.

 

 

 

For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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Just started using this as new to DCS and wanted something else to get upto speed with the F15c.

 

Many thanks chap great contribution to the community and DCS. If I may I'd like to buy you a few beers as thanks.

 

I've PM'd you.

 

Pete

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VR user Varjo Aero, Virpil Throttle and Base with Thrustmaster sticks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mission 04 feedback.

 

Between Waypoint 2 and 3 another F15 catches up to me and takes up a position about 2 meters right behind me. It follows my every move, turn for turn, up or down.

I've flown this mission several times but always ended the mission after flying past waypoint 3, so that F15 has never been a problem.

When I decided to fly to the next waypoints and actually try land - I ran into an issue.

 

As I was making my final approach the plane behind me, dips way down and then back up and crashes into me.

Killing both of us.

At mission end I received this message: "You have committed Fratricide. You have lost all your combat scores."

 

 

I'll fly it again in order to make sure I didn't do anything stupid.

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On 11/29/2020 at 8:01 AM, Ozmandi said:

Mission 04 feedback.

 

Between Waypoint 2 and 3 another F15 catches up to me and takes up a position about 2 meters right behind me. It follows my every move, turn for turn, up or down.

I've flown this mission several times but always ended the mission after flying past waypoint 3, so that F15 has never been a problem.

When I decided to fly to the next waypoints and actually try land - I ran into an issue.

 

As I was making my final approach the plane behind me, dips way down and then back up and crashes into me.

Killing both of us.

At mission end I received this message: "You have committed Fratricide. You have lost all your combat scores."

 

 

I'll fly it again in order to make sure I didn't do anything stupid.

 

Thanks so much for this feedback! I actually never tried flying this mission all the way to landing - I'll make sure to fix this issue when I release an update! (I doubt you did anything stupid! The AI can do funny things like this when left to its own devices.)

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@Ozmandi please care for your wingmen and either order them to hold before landing (and then RTB after your landing) or let him RTB first, then yourself :thumbup:

Edit: not applicable here but good advice anyway.


Edited by draconus

🖥️ Win10 i7-10700KF 32GB RTX3060   🥽 Rift S   🕹️ T16000M HOTAS   ✈️ FC3, F-14A/B, F-15E   ⚙️ CA   🚢 SC   🌐 NTTR, PG, Syria

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6 hours ago, draconus said:

@Ozmandi please care for you wingmen and either order them to hold before landing (and then RTB after your landing) or let him RTB first, then yourself :thumbup:

 

It's not a wingman, actually - it's a separate AI flight that follows you. (I had to do it this way because the lesson starts in active pause, so a wingman would fly around in confused manner until active pause is released. Instead, I have a separate AI flight which is activated when active pause is released. I just need to adjust the tasking for the AI so it doesn't follow so closely during landing approach.)

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14 minutes ago, N22YF said:

 

It's not a wingman, actually - it's a separate AI flight that follows you. (I had to do it this way because the lesson starts in active pause, so a wingman would fly around in confused manner until active pause is released. Instead, I have a separate AI flight which is activated when active pause is released. I just need to adjust the tasking for the AI so it doesn't follow so closely during landing approach.)

 

Very clever .. thanks for the explanation .. I learned something new 🙂

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For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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Lol..Finally this is made.

 

Thank you.

 

I just did F-15C Georgian War somehow finished it.  Usually after blowing up enemies, I got mission complete - I just ended the mission.  I could never figure out the ILS landing on it.  But these tutorial will help as I try to switch between M2000C and this bird.  

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Specs: i7-5820K - 4.4 Ghz OC, 64GB Ram, RTX 2070 Super, Rift S

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1 hour ago, N22YF said:

 

It's not a wingman, actually - it's a separate AI flight that follows you. (I had to do it this way because the lesson starts in active pause, so a wingman would fly around in confused manner until active pause is released. Instead, I have a separate AI flight which is activated when active pause is released. I just need to adjust the tasking for the AI so it doesn't follow so closely during landing approach.)

Oh, I might have seen such friendly AI in BFM campaign and as enemy in others. They don't take orders of course. Useful for interceptions.

🖥️ Win10 i7-10700KF 32GB RTX3060   🥽 Rift S   🕹️ T16000M HOTAS   ✈️ FC3, F-14A/B, F-15E   ⚙️ CA   🚢 SC   🌐 NTTR, PG, Syria

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Overall, these missions have been fantastic! Exactly what I was looking for to get started in the F-15C. I'm new to DCS and FC3 was the first "module" I purchased. Couple of suggestions for improvement would be either another "advanced landing" mission that isn't quite as crazy with the cross winds and such to practice the instrument approach with little to no visibility, or toning that down just a bit in that mission. I've yet to successfully get this one done. I'm also still struggling to consistently find contacts on my radar, especially at extended distances like 40+ miles. I know they are out there based on RWR, I'm scanning from 0 to 40-50K feet in different aspects and still can't seem to get any blips on the radar. This isn't specific to your BVR mission, but just playing in general. A longer, more detailed and maybe somewhat slower paced BVR and Radar lesson would be great. 

 

Also, I can confirm Ozmadi's statement about the tailgating F15C. I did some high G, high speed maneuvering through the mountains a bit and both it and the F15E that was off to the side couldn't keep up and never rejoined, but it was a bit of an issue.


Edited by ia_pro1691
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On 12/4/2020 at 2:29 AM, N22YF said:

 

Thanks so much for this feedback! I actually never tried flying this mission all the way to landing - I'll make sure to fix this issue when I release an update! (I doubt you did anything stupid! The AI can do funny things like this when left to its own devices.)

 

I try to use every opportunity to practice my landings; so that's why I was going that far.

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I was finally able to land mission 7 🙂

The first time I got so excited I forgot to apply the wheel brakes and ran off the end of the runway, but hey I landed 🙂

I've successfully landed it 3 times so far. 

 

I agree with @ia_pro1691 maybe breaking that mission into parts A and B would be better: Part A would be without the crosswind and rain and part B with the crosswind and rain. 

 

 

Overall I am learning how to operate and fly the F-15 with your missions, so great job!


Edited by Ozmandi
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