Community A-4E-C v2.2 (October 2023)

[Knock-Knock]

Just want to say thank you for this fantastic gift.

[plusnine]

Howdy folks~ I will not be reading too in depth on this forum or too frequently, so the best place for bug reports, feature requests, etc. (for example, if you suspect something is off with the altimeter or some other issue) is on the link the OP under "Report a Bug". Ditto any feature requests, as you may find there's already an issue filed on the subject. The other place to get quick help from the user base is the A-4E-C Discord, there are loads of helpful people there who can provide quicker answers than I am likely to make on a consistent basis on this thread.

As for the roll rate, the A-4E has a staggering 720 degrees of roll per second, which was hydraulically limited to 360 degrees in later aircraft models; you could really slam your head against the cockpit throwing the stick around. If you don't have a fancy stick extension, there is no shame in setting some input curves. I fly with 20 Curve and 80 Y Saturation for the roll axis on my T16000M (no extension), but IMHO you can set that Y saturation as low as 60 and be perfectly capable of performing all in-flight requirements. This is just one of those things that is going to vary by user and input method. I don't find I need any curves on the pitch at all, but you might.

I know that ground handling with differential braking is a challenge for many people at first. The best guidance I can provide is what I already put in writing on the PDF/Kneeboard Manual: the Taxi/Takeoff page includes some useful benchmarks for where you want the throttle and how to use the Controls Indicator at first, which shows the nosewheel's castering position, and is really useful while you get the feel on how to tap those brakes and get a castering change without overdoing it or causing the aircraft to stop.

As with practising anything remotely difficult, doing a few repetitions a day is the best pathway until you can do it without thinking too hard about it. It took me almost two weeks, an hour a day to get the Spitfire safely to the runway, so trust me: if I can learn do the A-4E-C with a PS4 controller, you can do so with a HOTAS and keyboard! I am sure Sidekick65 and Sport's channels on YouTube will feature some nice tutorials before too terribly long to assist folks in learning this stuff.

If your input axes are limited and the Left and Right wheelbrake keybinds are just too much for you, try enabling the Simple-Braking (Rudder-Assisted) checkbox in the DCS Special Menu for the A-4E-C. This makes it steer like the MiG-21 (using the rudder axis to decide how much left or right brake is applied when pressing the single-wheelbrake input). Provided you're not overdoing the braking or the throttle and keeping your speed at the appropriate 10 knots, it feels an awful lot like the old NWS once you can make a few corrective inputs to straighten on out.

As for the gunsight knob, this knob has a second off position on the middle, to divide use of two different bulbs: if one bulb went out in flight, you had a backup.

As for the Clemenceau or other carrier mods, each unit type needs to be individual catalogued by our code to establish where the LSO needs to be positioned. Filing an issue on that with a link to the carrier's download will be required in order to figure out what special accommodations it needs. As of this posting, the only two ship mods we've accommodated in this way are the Melbourne and Hermes carriers.

Edited January 4, 2022 by plusnine

[Aries101]

Hello.

I wanted to try out this mod finaly, but I am having hard time to map all needed settings on my Hotas X. I know basic joystick but it is all i got.

I am having problems with finding target marking settings (slew and target mark), also, please do suggest if I need somethinf special, Like selecting A/G mode or something.

More detailed mapping instructions would also be most welcome.

[mercator650]

First of all: What a great mod! It is so much fun to fly the Scooter! Thanks to all the developers for their effort to make this aircraft such a gem!

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it seems the "unlimited fuel option" in the ME doesn't work with the A4E. Are their any suggestions, what may cause this problem/bug?

Thanks for any help!

Greetings and a happy new year to all DCS-pilots out there!

Edited January 4, 2022 by mercator650

[scoobie]

Thank you very much @plusnine, beautifully explained! Have a great day

[Phobon]

First of all: Thank you for this awesome plane! Everything from systems to flight modelling feels extremely detailed and convincing.

Regarding the removal of NWS, I think what we really need is one of those blue shirts (check 6:15-6:34):

Simulating that is probably impossible with DCS right now, but maybe allowing NWS (maybe even toggleable per mission?) would help get around the fact that we don't have ground personnel to help us turn.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Phobon

[sobe]

While I have CH rudder and toe brakes, the brakes are not working to well.  So I just use the CH rudder and a button for brakes.  I am trying to use the Simple-Braking (Rudder-Assisted) option in the special menu.  I am using my rudder pedals and trying to figure out the best button to use for brakes.  Currently, I am using stage 1 of the trigger on my WH HOTAS as the single brake button.  Does anyone have any other suggested buttons to use for the brake?

 

[Sarge55]

Warthog paddle might be better. 

[JNelson]

19 hours ago, mercator650 said:

First of all: What a great mod! It is so much fun to fly the Scooter! Thanks to all the developers for their effort to make this aircraft such a gem!

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it seems the "unlimited fuel option" in the ME doesn't work with the A4E. Are their any suggestions, what may cause this problem/bug?

Thanks for any help!

Greetings and a happy new year to all DCS-pilots out there!

 

Yea the cheats/easy mode stuff I just never enabled since I never happened to use them myself, please submit and issue on github and I'll get round to it.

[sobe]

The paddle would be great except I use it to center Trackir and as a modify button. 

[mercator650]

5 hours ago, JNelson said:

Yea the cheats/easy mode stuff I just never enabled since I never happened to use them myself, please submit and issue on github and I'll get round to it.

Thanks a lot!

[EagleEye.DCS]

It's an amazing mod. This should be included in the official module @BIGNEWY 

[Rudel_chw]

8 minutes ago, EagleEye11 said:

This should be included in the official module

Why? Why cant you enjoy it just like it is now? 

[Harlikwin]

3 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

Why? Why cant you enjoy it just like it is now? 

I think alot of of MP servers want to use this mod, however due to the way DCS handles IC for mods its not really tenable for alot of them, especially PVP servers. I would personally love to see this on several popular cold war servers but its not gonna happen due to the IC issues/potential for abuse.

Frankly its a shame. And I really don't blame the Devs since they can't really do anything about it. ED "could" enhance mod support this way, but given what I've seen of the company over the years I very much doubt they will since they wouldn't make a dime on it, and possibly undercut their paid modules. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Harlikwin

[Sarge55]

2 hours ago, sobe said:

The paddle would be great except I use it to center Trackir and as a modify button. 

Ah, I use the CMS "Push" for center TrackIR.  Interesting how different people setup their controllers, eh?

[=Skywarp=]

7 hours ago, sobe said:

The paddle would be great except I use it to center Trackir and as a modify button. 

I use my paddle for Zoom Out Slow / Zoom In Slow

Edited January 5, 2022 by =Skywarp=

[sobe]

I have 2 questions on the nav computer.  I have programed my TM WH MFD for the longitude and latitude set of buttons and dials.  When I use the buttons and dials in the cockpit everything works.  However, if I use the MFD buttons, only the bottom row of destination L/L dials work no matter if I use D1 or D2.  It's like it does not recognize the D1 and D2 switch on the MFD-even though the dial in the cockpit will change from D1 to D2 when I press the D1 or D2 buttons on the MFD. 

Second, what does the push to set commands do?  The slew commands change the L/L numbers but the push to set commands just seems to rotate the push knob and nothing seems to change.  The push knob does work.

[JNelson]

10 hours ago, EagleEye11 said:

It's an amazing mod. This should be included in the official module @BIGNEWY 

Please stop bothering ED about this.

[plusnine]

11 hours ago, JNelson said:

Please stop bothering ED about this.

Indeed, please, let's be fair to already beleaguered ED staff. This is not their issue, let them do their jobs in peace, please.

Circling back to tutorials and ground handling, thanks to DCS_Sport and Sidekick65 for these two excellent tutorials on start-up to taxi:

 

 

[sobe]

I did some further experimenting with the destination computer by programing my WH throttle buttons with the destination computer commands and the same thing happened as I previously described.  That is, no matter if the dial was on D1 or D2, only the bottom row of L/L would change with the throttle buttons.  Either I am doing something wrong (a good chance) or the D1 and D2 buttons have a programming issue. 

         I have 2 questions on the nav computer.  I have programed my TM WH MFD for the longitude and latitude set of buttons and dials.  When I use the buttons and dials in the cockpit        everything works.  However, if I use the MFD buttons, only the bottom row of destination L/L dials work no matter if I use D1 or D2.  It's like it does not recognize the D1 and D2 switch on the MFD-even though the dial in the cockpit will change from D1 to D2 when I press the D1 or D2 buttons on the MFD. 

Second, what does the push to set commands do?  The slew commands change the L/L numbers but the push to set commands just seems to rotate the push knob and nothing seems to change.  The push knob does work.

 

[plusnine]

43 minutes ago, sobe said:

I did some further experimenting with the destination computer by programing my WH throttle buttons with the destination computer commands and the same thing happened as I previously described.  That is, no matter if the dial was on D1 or D2, only the bottom row of L/L would change with the throttle buttons.  Either I am doing something wrong (a good chance) or the D1 and D2 buttons have a programming issue.

this behavior is already documented in the kneeboard manual - the push-to-set knobs function only in STBY to set D1. with the system in D1 or D2, you must use the slew knobs for input.

i assume this reason is two-fold: they didn't want a pilot brushing the thing with their hand and making unwanted changes, and also wanted the pilot to be able to make larger changes in coordinates without having to continually monitor the display while in flight or require repeated hand motions. these kinds of quirks translate strangely when your interfacing does not match the original aircraft's.

if you need additional detailed instruction on the quirks of the navigation system, i refer you to the gold standard for A-4 documentation, the NATOPS manual (most any 1970's edition will do, there are several good ones out there).

Edited January 6, 2022 by plusnine

[Stilgar]

Hi, i installed the mod, in the mission editor  i can place the a4, but when i start to fly the mission, the mission start with yhe external view, and i cant control the plane! like i havent selected the plane to be playable.

[Hiob]

3 minutes ago, Stilgar said:

Hi, i installed the mod, in the mission editor  i can place the a4, but when i start to fly the mission, the mission start with yhe external view, and i cant control the plane! like i havent selected the plane to be playable.

Have you tried to put it on „client“. For me it works without problems. Single and Multiplayer, but always set it to client instead of player.

[plusnine]

15 minutes ago, Stilgar said:

Hi, i installed the mod, in the mission editor  i can place the a4, but when i start to fly the mission, the mission start with yhe external view, and i cant control the plane! like i havent selected the plane to be playable.

Please consult the provided installation troubleshooting for common errors like this one at https://08jne01.github.io/community-a4e-c/#installation-troubleshooting

• If you can load a mission, but can’t take control of the A-4E-C, ensure you have installed Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019 Redistributable libraries. Restart your computer after installation of the appropriate libraries. For most users, this is vc_redist.x64.exe

Edited January 6, 2022 by plusnine

[Stilgar]

I installed  Microsoft’s Visual Studio, but nothing changed, i dont have the control of the airplane