Cold Start Procedure -- will it ever be consistent?

[streakeagle]

If you read the real F-14 manual, then read the DCS F-14B manual, then do the DCS F-14B cold start tutorial none of them are the same and due to incomplete systems modeling and/or incorrect procedure sequencing, you can really follow any of them without skipping steps or ignoring the response or lack of response to the player's inputs.

 

So, what would be nice to see is the DCS F-14B manual and DCS F-14B cold start being the same and sequenced so that what you see agrees with what the manual/tutorial voice says. Of course, the closer they follow the real manual, the better.

 

For example, in the real manual, the preference is for starting the left engine first. In the tutorial, the right engine is started first. The hydraulic tests conducted after starting the first engine don't behave the way the tutorial says they should. If you follow the manual's preference for the left engine starting first, the hydraulic test works perfectly.

 

The diagnostic tests performed by lifting the knob, rotating, and then pushing the knob back down generally don't show the results specified in the tutorial. Waiting for a go/no-go light, waiting for spoilers to drop, or the stability switch to reset to off are pointless because they won't happen and you have to pretend it worked and skip to the next step. Yet other ineffective/unimplemented steps from the real manual and some in the DCS manual, aren't even mentioned in the tutorial. What would make sense to me is either omitting all of the pointless/dysfunctional tests or including all of them instead of cherry picking which ones are in the DCS manual and/or the tutorial mission.

 

Compared to releasing the F-14A, this is a trivial problem. But will this cold start procedure ever be made fully functional and mostly follow the real manual?

[sLYFa]

The is no preference to which engine should be started first. The hydraulic transfer pump check works either way (i.e. whichever engine is started first and thus provides power to the bi-di pump).

What you are basically saying that we are missing OBC, emergency generator and stick switch check functions. I would also love to have that but I'm afraid its not trivial at all and requires substantial coding effort.

[draconus]

I believe these things will eventually be added/fixed like many others awaiting completion at the end of the early access.

What I heard the left engine is always started on a carrier first because it provides hydraulics to the brakes (which is most important there after unchaining the bird). The right one is started on an airfield first by default. This could be taken into consideration when fixing checklists.

Some of the other things are different too on a carrier - ground crew tells/show signs what to do.

I do my own startups atm but I miss attitude indicator caging and checking eject cmd during shutdown.

[Spiceman]

The initial start procedure and ground crew participation is no different on land vs. boat. The right engine is always started first. On the boat, you don’t do any wing movements or kneeling. You do the hook check if the tail is over the deck. But typically you do the start, OBC, trim checks and then that’s it.

[streakeagle]

The is no preference to which engine should be started first. The hydraulic transfer pump check works either way (i.e. whichever engine is started first and thus provides power to the bi-di pump).

What you are basically saying that we are missing OBC, emergency generator and stick switch check functions. I would also love to have that but I'm afraid its not trivial at all and requires substantial coding effort.

 

There is a specified time delay. The two engines power opposite sides, so the one you start affects the response time of the needles to the test. If you follow the manual, the system meets the specification (as stated in the tutorial). If you follow the tutorial's procedure, it takes much longer to charge/discharge pressure and will never meet the specification.

[Skysurfer]

The is no preference to which engine should be started first. The hydraulic transfer pump check works either way (i.e. whichever engine is started first and thus provides power to the bi-di pump).

What you are basically saying that we are missing OBC, emergency generator and stick switch check functions. I would also love to have that but I'm afraid its not trivial at all and requires substantial coding effort.

 

As well as the AUX and ACCU brake bressure gauges and the respective sybstems being modelled. That plus obviously the missing OBC stuff - some day down the road hopefully.

[QuiGon]

 

As well as the AUX and ACCU brake bressure gauges and the respective sybstems being modelled.

 

This!