new news when available DCS: F-16C Viper Manual

[DukeAngus]

thank you very much for this addition to the documentation for the fun to fly f-16.  after doing some brief reading i have found some pages that i have some questions and  comments about. i know the manual is a work in progress. 

page 246 says that the slew-able sub mode for dgft is coming in later in early access.

page 251 says that only gm and sea modes for the ground fcr are the only modes selectable.

on page 253 there is some wording that i do  not quite understand.

 

i have currently been using the ground radar to find moving targets with some success and i thought there is no better way than using the newly updated manual that was released yesterday. i thought how much better i could do, by just understanding the full capabilities that the fcr has.  on my way to learning about the fcr i stumbled across these three obvious discrepancies. i am really appreciative of the wonderful work the dcs team has put into the sim lately, we dont need bells and whistles, we just need a manual that simply  reflects the advancements that have been made in the aircraft since it was originally released.

 

thank you

 

[Raptor9]

3 hours ago, DukeAngus said:

.  on my way to learning about the fcr i stumbled across these three obvious discrepancies. 

Please review the most recent entry in the Latest Changes to see what has been revised in the latest manual update.

[ColinM9991]

3 hours ago, Raptor9 said:

Please review the most recent entry in the Latest Changes to see what has been revised in the latest manual update.

I've just read that comment.

That all looks really good. Thank you for putting your time and dedication in to improving the presentation and readability of the documentation.

[DukeAngus]

 "30 Nov 2022 – Revisions performed as necessary for accuracy and correct formatting. Revised/Updated DCS: World Fundamentals, Weapons & Munitions, Cockpit Overview, Hands-On Controls, Heads-Up Display, Upfront Controls, Radio Communications (work-in-progress), Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, Defensive Systems, and ALIC Code Appendix. Added Tactical Systems chapter (work-in-progress), HARM Targeting System chapter, Electronic Countermeasures, Appendix C – HAD/HAS Threat Tables, Appendix E – Glossary of Terms, and Appendix F – Formulas."  

 the first string of words is "Revisions performed as necessary for accuracy and correct formatting." 

having false information in a manual only reflects poorly on whose name is on the manual no matter how much glitter is in said manual! 

[Raptor9]

2 hours ago, DukeAngus said:

 the first string of words is "Revisions performed as necessary for accuracy and correct formatting." 

The entry you quoted explicitly states what was actually revised and updated in the manual with the latest update, hence all the hyperlinks to the updated sections. And nowhere does it state the FCR chapter received any updates.

Further, if you read the notes immediately below it, you will see that it also explicitly states the next series of revisions will include the FCR chapter. Cherry-picking a single sentence out of the three paragraphs that were provided to explain the current state of the manual is disingenuous.

I'm not sure what you were expecting in response to your original statement. It has been stated multiple times that the manual has been under revision after losing the previous manual writer last year. This process will take time as the DCS F-16 module is a complex simulation; and information has been provided as to what parts of the manual have been updated so far and what to expect in the next version.

[DukeAngus]

When I read the f-16 manual change log,  I read it as that revisions were preformed as necessary for accuracy and correct formatting for the whole manual. Then after Revised/updated were the following sections then had been completely revised.

 it only made since that the manual would be brought up to speed of all the features that had been added to the f-16 since the manual had last been updated.  i now know that is not the way dcs works and im sorry for wasting everyone's time.

[Razor18]

In the Docs Download section of ED homepage, the Viper manual is a bit old atm (last update was around March and this one is from January iirc) . Any other place for the up-to-date manual to download (I'm not at my own PC with the manual in the Doc directory, hence the question)...

Edited May 30, 2023 by Razor18

[twistking]

On 5/30/2023 at 12:49 PM, Razor18 said:

In the Docs Download section of ED homepage, the Viper manual is a bit old atm (last update was around March and this one is from January iirc) . Any other place for the up-to-date manual to download (I'm not at my own PC with the manual in the Doc directory, hence the question)...

 

you should always have an up-tp-date manual in the game files. i just use the windows search function on the DCS folder with *.pdf ro show all pdf-files.

[Razor18]

Thanks, I know where to look for the manual on my own PC, my post was rather meant to ask ED to update their own manual at their own download link here

DCS F-16C manual download

in case you are not at home and looking for the latest to d/l from somewhere.

[twistking]

On 6/1/2023 at 6:14 PM, Razor18 said:

Thanks, I know where to look for the manual on my own PC, my post was rather meant to ask ED to update their own manual at their own download link here

DCS F-16C manual download

in case you are not at home and looking for the latest to d/l from somewhere.

my bad... did not read your post properly it seems...

[skywalker22]

There has been some changes lately, and the manual hasn't been updated since July (English version, all others are even older).

[Furiz]

They really need to do something about that, there is nowhere we can refer to when using some weapons and systems, we are just guessing on how to use some stuff. And youtube is just video from people that are same as we are, only difference is that they make videos.

[kotor633]

The manual situation is generally neglected in DCS... although there are good and negative examples. It would be nice if a 'clear line' were introduced here.

[Furiz]

Hey, wanted to ask whats going on with manual for F-16? and other jets like F/A-18, no updates since July 2023. Any updates we can expect?

Edit:

Got the answer on discord:

so fingers crossed to see this soon:)

Edited February 27, 2024 by Furiz

[Raptor9]

To follow up with my comments to @Furiz on Discord (since not everyone may use it or monitor it religiously), I want to assure everyone that this is still underway and provide some clarity as to why it is taking so long.

First off, the intent is not to simply correct the existing Early Access Guide, but to evolve it into the full DCS F-16C Flight Manual. When a module is early in development and a Quickstart Guide or an Early Access Guide is included, these are meant to ensure players can get into the module and start playing it, with the documents updated when able as the module evolves in early access. However, to fully appreciate the complexity of a modern aircraft such as the F-16, and to ensure players have access to a depth of knowledge equal to the complexity of the DCS simulation of this aircraft, a much more thorough document is required than an abbreviated guide. To that end, many elements of the F-16 Early Access Guide have been receiving new graphics and diagrams to explain the abstract concepts that many may find nebulous or confusing, which can be seen in the chapters that have already been revised or updated.

As an example of such a concept, as alluded to in the discord image above, is the question of why a cursor slew in a pre-planned sub-mode such as CCRP slews all the steerpoints and offset aimpoints at the same time. It is important to not only illustrate what is truly happening when the CURSOR/ENABLE switch is used to slew the steerpoint location, but why it is happening and why such a function is even relevant in such a scenario.

The intent with each update to the manual is to provide quality content and revisions. Unfortunately, it has taken longer than intended, as the F-16 manual is not the only document that has needed updates/revisions, but it is the main focus regarding manual updates at the moment. The Tactical Employment chapter will be the most important chapter to get right, since it explains the core of how the F-16 was designed to fight.

[kotor633]

Hi,

I'm currently working through the F-16 manual and noticed a little thing:
null

[Willie Nelson]

That ALT FLAPS switch should be used in the event of an engine flameout landing. When you're assured of a landing, it will extend the flaps manually to ensure an appropriate airspeed/AOA combination to land, try it without it for a comparison, the landing speed is simply too high, therfore so too is the flare height and the sink rate approaching touch down.

 

[Hikaruncat]

On 2024/5/6 at 午前7時32分, kotor633 said:

こんにちは、

私は現在、F-16のマニュアルを読んでいるのですが、ちょっとしたことに気が付きました
。

Oh no! The names of 2 and 3 have been swapped!

Is this a remark?

XD　Yeah！

[giullep]

hi guys...any eta or news about the release?

[virgo47]

On 5/6/2024 at 12:32 AM, kotor633 said:

Hi,

I'm currently working through the F-16 manual and noticed a little thing:
null

Besides this (also found this during the trial), I'm also confused about this:

I guess it's wrong? (My previous experiences often proved my assumptions wrong, hence the question mark.)

[kotor633]

I'm curious to see when things will continue here. The last update was on July 11, 2023...

[Raptor9]

A new version of the F-16 Early Access Guide will be published very soon, with over 100 pages receiving updates/revisions and an additional 100 pages of new information added.

[kotor633]

Ah, okay. Thank you for the information.

[Vortex225]

On 12/6/2024 at 3:59 PM, Raptor9 said:

A new version of the F-16 Early Access Guide will be published very soon, with over 100 pages receiving updates/revisions and an additional 100 pages of new information added.

Thank you for the update! Have these latest changes been published yet and, if so, where is the best link to download? 

[Raptor9]

1 hour ago, Vortex225 said:

Thank you for the update! Have these latest changes been published yet and, if so, where is the best link to download? 

If you have the latest DCS version (2.9.11.4686), it is already present on your computer. The location is listed under this forum section.