Someone help please!

[Synical80]

I am new to DCS and have the F/A 18. I have done all the tutorials and am still having problems with weapons and navigation and every time I do find a bandit I get killed before I can do anything. Anyone willing to teach me?

[pete_auau]

Set the  bandits  in the  Mission Editor  with no   guns or  missiles    so  they  cant  shoot  you  down,    set  the  bandit  in a  orbit  so he  only  flies  in a  orbit  than its  a matter of locking  him  up  and  firing  when  you  get  the  cue  to shoot  flashing  on  your  hud with the  120 or  if  you miss   than  select  the aim  9  and  shoot  when  you hear  the  tone  get  louder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_VNwg4gVHo&list=PL3kOAM2N1YJc5x-z99XdX-XxWg4I0Of-a&index=31

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y850VkmNTA&list=PL3kOAM2N1YJc5x-z99XdX-XxWg4I0Of-a&index=38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtd6UOaEYwE&list=PL3kOAM2N1YJc5x-z99XdX-XxWg4I0Of-a&index=42

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by pete_auau

[Synical80]

i have done this but i have issues switching to guns i hit shift d and it just changes missles wont go to my guns for when im too close. But thank you very much for the help

Edited February 4, 2021 by Synical80

[pete_auau]

14 minutes ago, Synical80 said:

i have done this but i have issues switching to guns i hit shift d and it just changes missles wont go to my guns for when im too close. But thank you very much for the help

 

ok  i  got  my  missiles  mapped  to my 4  way  switch on my throttle  and  on my  key board  its  left  shift  and  x    so  my  guess  is  that  you have  mapped  your  guns  wrong.   easy  to  fix  whilst  in the  game    go  to  controls      go  the  press   your  key selection if  you  press  left  shift  and   d  it  will bring  up  the  gun  selection if  it  doesnt  than  you  got  it  wrong.  than  change  it  to what ever  you  want  it  to be  as  long  its  not  mapped  to another key  bind in the hornet  edit  you didnt  specify  left  or  right  shift  makes  a big difference

Edited February 4, 2021 by pete_auau

[Burt]

Try using labels when training and use the F10 map and zoom in so you can see the missile coming for you. It helped me getting started but then once you get the hang of it disable them. It’s always best to not use labels but if your new use them. It takes a lot of patience... watch a lot of training tutorials there’s a lot out there. Get involved in some of the discord groups 

Tactical DCS is a very good one and there are a lot of friendly people in there that will teach you. They have training almost everyday of the week

https://discord.gg/Z46AswZn

go to the pilots lounge and ask questions that will lead you to the right place.

good luck but most of all have fun !

Edited February 5, 2021 by Burt

[CBStu]

On 2/4/2021 at 12:21 AM, Synical80 said:

I am new to DCS and have the F/A 18. I have done all the tutorials and am still having problems with weapons and navigation and every time I do find a bandit I get killed before I can do anything. Anyone willing to teach me?

In the Caucuses try the missions;

'Combat Mission- Hornet 1989: Alert 5'. These guys shoot at you but there are maybe 10 of them and they are not real aggressive. It's a launch from the carrier w/ the plane ready to go.

'Weapons Qualification- AIM-120 Amraam'. I think there are 8 of these and they don't shoot at you. It's an air start.

In all missions, when you get shot down, hold down 'L Shift' key and hit the 'R' key to do a restart. Like Pete, I also have my missiles and gun set to a 4 way switch on my throttle. If you don't have that, figure a way to set keys to AIM9, AIM120, and GUNS. These;

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kyTmp8][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50911618341_9717203987_z.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2kyTmp8]Missile select[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/152454123@N04/]craig stuard[/url], on Flickr

Turn on the MASTER ARM switch and then you should be able to switch instantaneously between any of the 3 missiles and gun.

[Synical80]

On 2/4/2021 at 3:12 AM, pete_auau said:

ok  i  got  my  missiles  mapped  to my 4  way  switch on my throttle  and  on my  key board  its  left  shift  and  x    so  my  guess  is  that  you have  mapped  your  guns  wrong.   easy  to  fix  whilst  in the  game    go  to  controls      go  the  press   your  key selection if  you  press  left  shift  and   d  it  will bring  up  the  gun  selection if  it  doesnt  than  you  got  it  wrong.  than  change  it  to what ever  you  want  it  to be  as  long  its  not  mapped  to another key  bind in the hornet  edit  you didnt  specify  left  or  right  shift  makes  a big difference

 

i got my missles and guns mapped to my hat switch now still cant find where to select rockets or bombs. I think i need a better joystick mine is about a year old thrustmaster x and its just too wobbly at low speeds for air refueling and carrier landing im having a lot of issues. i have gone in and added dead spots and a curve but still not helping. Thank you for your help

[pete_auau]

3 hours ago, Synical80 said:

i got my missles and guns mapped to my hat switch now still cant find where to select rockets or bombs. I think i need a better joystick mine is about a year old thrustmaster x and its just too wobbly at low speeds for air refueling and carrier landing im having a lot of issues. i have gone in and added dead spots and a curve but still not helping. Thank you for your help

  you need  to  select  a/g   and  than  select  what type  off  bombs  on the  ddi on the  stores page

Edited February 13, 2021 by pete_auau

[...]

En 4/2/2021 a las 6:21, Synical80 dijo:

I am new to DCS and have the F/A 18. I have done all the tutorials and am still having problems with weapons and navigation and every time I do find a bandit I get killed before I can do anything. Anyone willing to teach me?

Go little by little. As they say, it is best to start attacking unarmed enemies to start mastering weapons, behavior, and range. I don't recommend labels, you have to develop your situational awareness. You must learn to trust RWR and radar. To select rockets and bombs, you must first arm the air / ground mode and select the store screen in the DDI, where you can select the desired ground attack weapon, but I advise you to go little by little, each weapon requires an individual study.

 

My joystick is worse than yours. I fly with Logitech Extreme 3D PRO.

[Synical80]

49 minutes ago, La Unión Atazar said:

Go little by little. As they say, it is best to start attacking unarmed enemies to start mastering weapons, behavior, and range. I don't recommend labels, you have to develop your situational awareness. You must learn to trust RWR and radar. To select rockets and bombs, you must first arm the air / ground mode and select the store screen in the DDI, where you can select the desired ground attack weapon, but I advise you to go little by little, each weapon requires an individual study.

 

My joystick is worse than yours. I fly with Logitech Extreme 3D PRO.

Thanks I'm trying to go little by little. I have set up a training mission for myself with a carrier and KC 130. I have a few drone helicopters just to have something easy to shoot at. You are right about the weapons each is totaly different. I think I just get frustrated cause I wanna be decent at this and I know it will take time. Wish I had someone to fly with just to help a little. 

[dburne]

Also for the Hornet I have found Chuck's Guide to be a great resource to use during the learning process.'

 

[CBStu]

There is a key combination to do this but I have my screen set up so buttons for the web and for my files still show across the bottom when I have dcs running. I use the pause and active pause buttons a lot. So when I am having trouble w/ anything I hit pause and open either Chucks Guide, some text documents I have saved, or go to youtube and search for a tutorial. W/ any of those open, I often pop back and forth between it and dcs. Read or see video on how to do steps 1 and 2, go to dcs and do them, pause dcs and look for step 3, see how to do it, go to dcs and do it, etc etc. I am way into my second year w/ dcs and the FA-18 and am still learning. If you get frustrated, stop what you are doing and run a mission you like and shoot down some planes or blow some buildings, or just do 10 landings. The FA-18 is not an easy learn so sometimes take a break from learning and have some fun. 

[Cruizzzzer]

I believe, that "diving" directly into the hornet's weapons system is hardest, cause there are so many things to consider (A/G, A/A, TPOD, JSOW... whatever). Of course it's the most fun blowing something up... When started flying the hornet I jumped directly into weapons, and that was too frustrating. Stepping a few steps makes it lot easier, cause if you just don't know what all the buttons and switches do in the cocpit it's just a hell of a time...

 

I would rather start learning the hornet doing startups (cold&dark), doing patterns on an airfield. Then moving on to taking off from carriers, doing case I afterwards. Then case III landings. And not to make it not too dry, load up some sidewinders (easiest to use) to blow something out of the sky.

 

Chucks guide is pretty good way to learn the hornet.

 

But of course, if there is someone who can help you out (flying a mission) would make it a lot easier... maybe just start flying some trainingsmissions in dcs and then move on flying with someone who can give you a "helping hand"

[Cruizzzzer]

Also the youtube channel of the grim reapers is a perfect source to learn...

 

(3534) FA-18C Hornet: Setting HOTAS Joystick Controls | DCS WORLD - YouTube

[silverdevil]

@Synical80 its not a saying i coined. but it is wise nonetheless. "first become a pilot and then become a warrior". it makes no sense to go on a mission and ace it to come back to the boat and deck strike. or worse cannot find your way back to the boat and crash into water in an empty hornet. take your time. you will get it.

[CBStu]

Also be careful w/ Chucks or any tutorials that it is teaching exactly what you are trying to learn. 1- There was a thread recently where a flyer was trying to learn Mav Es- the laser guided version. Chuck went through a process that was close but....not quite what the DCS mission needed. I don't remember the details but somewhere he said something like, if you are self lasing do 'this'. Well that was fine except he didn't elaborate on which steps in the process should be ignored and which step to back up to do 'this' instead. 2- Also some tutorials are a little older and may no longer be exactly correct due to new systems that did not exist when the tutorial was first put together. 

[Charly_Owl]

@CBStuCare to elaborate? If I made a mistake, I'll gladly fix it.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Charly_Owl

[silverdevil]

12 hours ago, Charly_Owl said:

@CBStuCare to elaborate? If I made a mistake, I'll gladly fix it.

 

@Charly_Owl what is the best way to share inconsistencies when discovered? i think your guides are great. book learning is part of all flight training

[Charly_Owl]

Private Messages or the forum boards.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Charly_Owl

[CBStu]

16 hours ago, Charly_Owl said:

@CBStuCare to elaborate? If I made a mistake, I'll gladly fix it.

 

Charly, I just found the thread I was thinking of from a few weeks ago. I will send you a PM. For others reading this I want to say that I may not have worded my comment above as well as I could have. I use your Guide very often and find it super helpful. I also realize it is probably impossible to cover every iteration completely, especially when we now have the pod which puts a whole nother layer of technique on top of those we have been using.

[CobraKhan]

Part of the problem with watching YouTube and I guess even possibly Chuck's information is that ED updates the game so often. Not suggesting that ED should not, but it has some side affects.  Information that is put out today becomes outdated, insufficient, and/or possibly even inaccurate in just a short timeline.  You can watch a 'How To' video from six months back, and find that things have changed.  By in large they are still the same, but likely there are some slight nuances from what is described. Stuff from three years ago, well you might not even recognize the procedures!

 

Chuck's Guides are amazing in detail.  I can't imagine being able to keep that current with the rate that ED makes changes to the game and all of the different modules.  Hats off to you Charly!

 

 

[Burt]

Tactical DCS discord 

they have training there. Don’t be shy ! Those guys are awesome. Also “Juice” from The Air Warfare Group is apart of that group and a super ...super nice guy and was a real fighter pilot... actually there’s a lot of Real retired pilots in there, jet and helicopters and are welling to share there knowledge ... for free. 
 

https://discord.gg/tacticaldcs

And Chuck is the DCS rock Star ! I have put a lot of coffee away going through his manuals... man what a guy !

[Synical80]

21 hours ago, Burt said:

Tactical DCS discord 

they have training there. Don’t be shy ! Those guys are awesome. Also “Juice” from The Air Warfare Group is apart of that group and a super ...super nice guy and was a real fighter pilot... actually there’s a lot of Real retired pilots in there, jet and helicopters and are welling to share there knowledge ... for free. 
 

https://discord.gg/tacticaldcs

And Chuck is the DCS rock Star ! I have put a lot of coffee away going through his manuals... man what a guy !

Thats great info but I have no clue as to begin to use discord lmao. I have watched a video on using it and i just dont get it lol. And no im not dumb just not interested in it i guess lol.

On 2/15/2021 at 12:52 PM, silverdevil said:

@Synical80 its not a saying i coined. but it is wise nonetheless. "first become a pilot and then become a warrior". it makes no sense to go on a mission and ace it to come back to the boat and deck strike. or worse cannot find your way back to the boat and crash into water in an empty hornet. take your time. you will get it.

I hear you on that I have been doing just that lately I have not even been going after targets. I made a mission just for flying only not threats. I landed the other day at Kutasi with a perfect aoa and everything and was so proud at myself for doing better. I agree with you that I shouldn't rush it and become a good pilot first. 

[Burt]

25 minutes ago, Synical80 said:

Thats great info but I have no clue as to begin to use discord lmao. I have watched a video on using it and i just dont get it lol. And no im not dumb just not interested in it i guess lol.

I hear you on that I have been doing just that lately I have not even been going after targets. I made a mission just for flying only not threats. I landed the other day at Kutasi with a perfect aoa and everything and was so proud at myself for doing better. I agree with you that I shouldn't rush it and become a good pilot first. 

haha ! I was too a couple of months ago but once you download it and create an account and get your first invite it’s really not that bad. I would say honestly it’s a must for DCS if you wanna play multiplayer. DCS has its own comms under the UI Layer settings but it really doesnt compare to discord. Just PM me if you decide to add discord and I will help you get started the best I can, Im fairly new to it but I have learned how to navigate through most of the setting.
It’s  actually a super communication program. 

[Synical80]

22 hours ago, Burt said:

haha ! I was too a couple of months ago but once you download it and create an account and get your first invite it’s really not that bad. I would say honestly it’s a must for DCS if you wanna play multiplayer. DCS has its own comms under the UI Layer settings but it really doesnt compare to discord. Just PM me if you decide to add discord and I will help you get started the best I can, Im fairly new to it but I have learned how to navigate through most of the setting.
It’s  actually a super communication program. 

Thanks, I have already downloaded it just dont know how to use it lol