Reviews...in depth?

[Flyby]

thanks Viper!

 

more great shots there.:thumbup: I especially like the low-flying over the water, in the valley shot. It's mouth-watering. Hey man, what kind of missions do you think you'll be favoring if you build them. Also, so you plan to fly online? I hope someone get's Hyperlobby to set up Black Shark.

Flyby out

[159th_Viper]

...Hey man, what kind of missions do you think you'll be favoring if you build them. Also, so you plan to fly online?

 

Probably still a bit too early to contemplate atm, suffice to say that we (159th) are fortunate enough to have members who have extensive RL Military Experience, in particular Attack Helo Ops, who will no doubt bring their experience and expertise to the front insofar as Mission Building is concerned.

 

And yes - Flying Online is where it's at. After Squad Flights, single player just does not do it for me any more.....:)

[Flyby]

And yes - Flying Online is where it's at. After Squad Flights, single player just does not do it for me any more.....:)

I agree 100%. Maybe your squadies can come up with some interesting Black Shark mission scenarios, given their experience. I don't know that the Ka50 would be considered a front line gunship, at least I don't think so, given the limitations of the version in the sim. I guess I need to read a bit more on the subject.

Flyby out

[deviletk]

I don't know that the Ka50 would be considered a front line gunship, at least I don't think so, given the limitations of the version in the sim. I guess I need to read a bit more on the subject.

Flyby out

 

Check this out (KA50 in chechnya): http://www.aeronautics.ru/news/news001/news030.htm

 

Didnt have time to read too much, but seems interesting when building a mission around the KA50.

 

EDIT: Searching a PDF i had with tons of info about the KA50 and its roles etc... Search continues.

 

Regards

Alex

Edited November 9, 2008 by deviletk

[Havner]

 

What's that round thing mounted below the SHKVAL?

[GGTharos]

It is a FLIR/DTV type setup similar to that of the Apache.

 

This is an experimental Ka-50 model so no, we aren't getting it :)

[Havner]

This is an experimental Ka-50 model so no, we aren't getting it :)

 

You just had to do it :(

 

Anyway, after a closer look it's not only the FLIR. It's whole nose is different. SHKVAL is actually built in in the nose itself, not below. The stick with sensors is lower and FLIR is where SHKVAL should be. I didn't know there was a version for night-ops. I only knew KA-52 had those.

[GGTharos]

Again, the Ka-50 doesn't have this. It's an experimental model. The proposed night-capable versions of the Ka-50 have so far not been adopted by Army Aviation.

 

I believe they will simply use the Mi-28 in this role, thus saving themselves some money.

[Flyby]

Check this out (KA50 in chechnya): http://www.aeronautics.ru/news/news001/news030.htm

 

Didnt have time to read too much, but seems interesting when building a mission around the KA50.

 

EDIT: Searching a PDF i had with tons of info about the KA50 and its roles etc... Search continues.

 

Regards

Alex

Alex, interesting report there. The penetrating power of the Vihkr seems awesome, and at good range too. Now that makes for some nice mission concepts, and online coops.

Hey Viper (or anyone) how about some night-fire screen shots of the 'Shark letting loose some rockets, or maybe that 30mm cannon? Yeah I know. I'm getting greedy!:D

Hey GGT, is the Apache going to be released after the A-10? I think night-fighting in a gunship has a certain mystique to it.

Flyby out

[deltahawk2008]

Just on the flying the KA-50 in BS. When flying the SU-25T in Lomac FC, my strategy is to fly the autopilot which in turn fly's the aircraft, with exceptions in combat etc. Does the KA -50 employ extensive auto pilot options and are people making the fullest use of them?

[159th_Viper]

Hey Viper (or anyone) how about some night-fire screen shots of the 'Shark letting loose some rockets, or maybe that 30mm cannon?

Flyby out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wags]

Just on the flying the KA-50 in BS. When flying the SU-25T in Lomac FC, my strategy is to fly the autopilot which in turn fly's the aircraft, with exceptions in combat etc. Does the KA -50 employ extensive auto pilot options and are people making the fullest use of them?

 

Please watch the producer note on navigation.

[deltahawk2008]

Thanks Wags

[GGTharos]

As always, pie in the sky until announced :)

 

 

Hey GGT, is the Apache going to be released

after the A-10? I think night-fighting in a gunship has a certain mystique to it.

Flyby out

[deviletk]

is the Apache going to be released after the A-10? I think night-fighting in a gunship has a certain mystique to it.

Flyby out

 

Going on a mission to a forest on a hill. Intel say there are rebel camps there... Forest is thick, its evening and its hard to see... Thermal optics go on... Hey, look! I think we got ourselves some rebels lurking down there - MG ready!

 

-"**** em up!" :)

 

...and then we find 2 camps up there as well that we mess up with a couple of FFAR's... not to mention the fleeing truck that we put a hellfire up its tailpipe.

 

Argh i want the sim damn it! Where is it? :D

 

regards

Alex

[Gary]

All,

 

Hardly an in depth review, but thought id mention this.

 

As others have noted...setting the auto pilot functions is crucial..once you understand what the AP is, and is not, helping you maintain it all becomes a lot easier to understand and effectively control.

 

I crashed my first 8 landings at least, but now can land pretty consistantly (and the last 6 or 7 landings havent involved any taxi fares back to the landing strip either!)

 

I can also now fly NOE fairly effectively and its quiet something lifting over ridges and dropping into valleys at speed.

 

On my last flight I was flying under and over the power lines to hone my skills and it got me thinking..

 

I know the trees are not collidable but are the power lines and pylons?....I easily find out of course but it just doesnt seem right to crash this bird on purpose!

 

btw, when you think you have decent control of this bird, just go watch the first demo in the replay section....the one with the pilot doing dognuts inside the hanger!!!

 

Regards,

 

Gary

[Havner]

I know the trees are not collidable but are the power lines and pylons?....I easily find out of course but it just doesnt seem right to crash this bird on purpose!

 

Yeah, they are, I was curious myself :lol:

[Stalintc]

Yeah, they are, I was curious myself :lol:

 

I name you the community crash test dummy!!! :D

 

Thanks for the heads up!

[funkman]

I finally managed to play it over the weekend. Most of the things have been already said so I'm not going to repeat them. There is a real sense that you are flying a real attack helicopter the simulation is breathtaking. Took me a few hours before I could start the engine with switches and fly around, by the end of my stint I was practicing hovering as it seems to be the key to everything.

As I am a developer myself, several pointers in terms of how in my view a Western publisher would see the game and would help the game to sell more units to a broader market. Good idea about installing with the arcade settings as a default. The interface is really clean, simple and looks great but is very static, I would introduce something simple and perhaps gimmicky but visualy pleasing, perhaps the rotor blades could follow the cursor movement or maybe the entire background helicopter could have a hovering effect and would turn to where you point. I know the tutorial system probably can not be changed at this stage but it would have been so much easier with "I tell you what to do and show you how then you repeat" system. The biggest put off for me and I would imagine to any publisher would be the fact that the separation from the interface to the game is far from smooth, I was forced to look at my desktop for up to 5 min wondering if it has crashed or is anything happening at all, I bet casual user would have tried to launch it again or reset the computer by that time.

Overall awesome game and worth every minute of my many years of waiting.

[deltahawk2008]

Just a note on performance-I am pleasantly surprised how well it runs on my rig, given that my graphics card is below minimum specs. Of course graphics in options are toned down. Nonetheless, kudos to the developers for exceeding my expectations. It is playable. My fear was that it wouldn't even install due to specs not being met.

[Gary]

Funkman,

 

I agree with your comments about interface and flight changes....for the casual gamer

 

Now this maybe controversial but just my 2 cents worth......

 

I have often wondered how you go about instilling in the flyer a real sense of the need not to crash....(in real life its easy, you usually die if you crash!)

 

The prolonged load times actually add to my sense of doing things right.

 

Let me explain..

 

In normal circumstances if my approach to land isnt quiet right, its often tempting to think "oh go for it" usually resulting in crashes to be honest..

 

Now with this software I find myself taking the extra care to land properly because id rather stay in the shark flying than watching the load screen again!....

 

Maybe in the western version this can be taken on a level...with a routine written in that activates when you crash that formats the hard drive...

Now that would focus the mind and encourage people to read up first wouldnt it...lol

 

Regards,

 

Gary

[Havner]

Now with this software I find myself taking the extra care to land properly because id rather stay in the shark flying than watching the load screen again!....

 

Annoyed me as well ;)

Easy solution to this, turn "Allow plane recovery" in options (or something like that, you might need to turn "use this settings for all missions" as well, depends on mission).

You crash, ESC -> Recover and you can practice again, no loading screen.

[Gary]

Havner,

 

Thanks, thats really useful to know...

 

Regards,

 

Gary

[Zorrin]

I had originally ordered a DVD version from qpig.ru but as an impulse bought the download version from 1C. And what a revelation DCS Black Shark really is.

 

Initially the GUI is very slick and so easy to use I’m half expecting to come home and find my cat tapping away changing all the key commands for me! Thankfully the incoherent babbling Menu Music of Lock On is gone for good. Replaced with orchestral and soothing sounds that actually build tension rather well.

 

Changing key commands isn’t such a great idea… Printing them out on the other hand is what you’ll need to do. There are only 9 pages of them…

 

Right, that’s enough rambling about the GUI. On to the main course, and what a delight that ED have cooked up for you!

 

I jumped straight into the Mission Editor to set myself up ready to roll on the runway in the post-summer dawn with a few wispy white clouds and a gentle 3m/s breeze blowing in off the coast.

 

Hit fly, and at this point you are wondering what’s happening. It may take an eon to load but it is worth every second of anticipation.

 

You are finally in your noble steed and hit unpause… The whirl of the blades and whine of the turbines and vibrations are making this sim come alive. You really feel a part of it. No other sim has ever made me feel like I am actually in the cockpit like Black Shark does.

 

Just lifting the collective you can feel it getting light on its wheels, it already wants to weathercock into wind as your mind boggles at just how lightly you have to use the controls.

 

It twitches just like a real helicopter does and as I lifted off I had flashbacks to sitting in Robinson’s R22. Pull too much collective in and you’ll soon find out the hard way as to what happens.

 

The damage modelling is as good as the developer’s claim it to be. And oh boy can you abuse the Ka-50.

 

Rather than follow a structured flight plan I ignored the Arbis. Set it to display NAV mode and went about my determined cataclysmic destruction of my Ka-50. First up lets try some high-speed on the deck turns. Oh boy does the Shark accelerate fast. In no time at all you can be approaching VNE and the nasty effects that going past it can bring on.

 

Turn number one involved rotors hitting the ground and subsequently an impromptu need for a new machine. Second Ka-50 is ready to go… Lets try breaking it in another spectacular ball of fire and twisted metal.

 

Pedal turn in the vertical just after lift off… Lifted off, nose forward keeping it low and letting the speed accelerate. Pull it into the vertical let the airspeed decay and feed in right pedal… Seems simply? Well on this occasion the airspeed dropped to much and before I knew it I was in reverse and seemingly on track to kill my virtual pilot… again. Welcomed by a bang and Naggging Nadia there’s what looks like a fuel leak.. Switch to external and the entire tail is missing… But it still flies! Off we totter to maintenance and beg for another.

 

The systems truly present a humungous challenge. My first Cold and Dark start ended in an engine fire after 23 minutes of infuriating frustration. I have to say, I am totally hooked and I’ve not even got as far as loading a single Vikhr onto my whirlybird.

 

It’s possible to just jump in and really enjoy the flight model and damage modelling. Seeing how hard you can push it before you end up having rotors touch and that inevitable drop from the sky.

 

The Vortex Ring modelling is truly impressive. You get the Shark into it and it scares you rotten… It just drops as it truly should.

 

Enough rambling… What do I like about it after just a few hours? I love the damage modelling and how you can almost feel what the Shark is doing. The head movement is brilliant and really immerses you. You really can almost feel it… At the moment I’m using my old MS Sidewinder 2 over my Cougar. Simply because I have no pedals and while in other sims you could get away using one of the rotaries for rudder, a set of pedals will be high on my Christmas wishlist. What is there I don’t like about it? So far nothing, other than one bug I have found… Seems the SU33 AIs like to land on Neutrashimys instead of the Kuz… Most bizarre.

 

What’s the first thing you should do when you get your Black Shark on the runway ready to go? Abuse it. Push it hard and sit back and watch it crumble. Then go and read the manual and understand how it works!

[deviletk]

Thanks Zorrin for that insight. That was interesting and great fun to read! :) Now i gotta learn what vortex ring and all other heli stuff is and how it works, and how to save my butt from it. :D

 

Regards

Alex