[Caucasus] Training Missions for the OV-10A Bronco User Mod

[Rudel_chw]

Hello,

I'm editing a series of training missions for the recently released OV-10A Bronco aircraft Mod, I'm opening this thread to get feedback and provide support for them in case of any bugs. I've already completed three Missions for the Basic Training and now intend to proceed with further Missions to cover Weapons Use, for now the Training looks like this:

 

 

The download file link is:  (deleted)

I also added an Encyclopedia entry to the Mod, just to make it more complete:

 

 

Finally, here are some video walkthroughs of each Mission, so that you can see how they work before trying them yourselves:

 

M01 - Cold Start, Taxi & Take-Off:

 

M02 - VFR Circuit Landing, Taxi & Shutdown:

 

 

M03 - Tacan Navigation:

 

Edit: 28/Sep/22 ... added first Weapons Training mission: M05 Gun Strafing

 

 

Edit: 8/Oct/22 ... added mission: M06 Rockets Use:

 

 

 

Edit: 12/Oct/22 ... added mission: M07 Dive Bombing.

 

 

Edit: 15/Oct/22 ... added mission M08 Low-level Bombing with high-drag bombs.

 

Edit: October 27, today I finished the last mission of this Training set: M09 - Air-Air missiles employment.

 

 

This completes the Training set, lets hope that the next DCS version won't break them

 

If a user encounters a bug or mission error, please post it here and I will do my best to fix it.

 

UPDATE 30/Nov/2022:

The upcoming next release of the OV-10 Mod, version 1.08, will include these training missions, so this file is no longer available. Instead, download the latest release of the OV-10A Mod.

 

UPDATE 20/Dec/2024:

A person misunderstood why the User File no longer contained the missions:

"AH_menace

12/19/2024 16:46:20

You have made the missions unavailable, and the download is only a screenshot? You're requiring the downloader to visit your website, create an account, then hunt around in an attempt to find the file?

Nope, not going to happen.

reported...  "

 

So I will simply delete the file to avoid confusion.

 

Best regards,

 

Eduardo

 

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by Rudel_chw
Removed download file, to avoid complaints.

[MAXsenna]

Thank you Rudel!

[Recluse]

Hi rudel,  Just a question:

 

In the PDF that comes with the OV-10, these speeds are shown:

 

The maximum speed for the landing gear is 158 knots.
The maximum speed for the Mid flaps is 170 knots.
The maximum speed for the full flaps is 130 knots.

 

In your VFR Landing, you have full flaps and gear down with 160 knots airspeed.  Maybe the actual NATOPS or other flight manual shows different speeds than the Split-Air PDF. 

Just asking. I have typically flown approaches much slower based on the 130 knot full flaps recommendation.  It all worked out fine for you, though, and higher speeds would be preferable to me for sure!

[skypickle]

Thank you. Is that your voice? Very podcasty-resonant, hypnotic. Or is it AI generated-if so-how?

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, skypickle said:

Thank you. Is that your voice? Very podcasty-resonant, hypnotic. Or is it AI generated-if so-how?

 

No, not my voice .. being a non-native english speaker I'm afraid that many users wouldn't understand what I'm saying. I'm using a text-to-speech engine, this one:

https://ttsfree.com/#google_vignette

It has a lot of different voices, on these missions I'm using US, Eric, with 10% faster voice speech.

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, Recluse said:

Hi rudel,  Just a question:

In the PDF that comes with the OV-10, these speeds are shown:

The maximum speed for the landing gear is 158 knots.
The maximum speed for the Mid flaps is 170 knots.
The maximum speed for the full flaps is 130 knots.

 

Hi,

The speeds you quote are mostly correct (Mid flaps limit is 158 not 170) and corresponds to the ones indicated on the NAVAIR real Bronco manual. I found 158 to be a very odd number, so I rounded it up to 160, which is easier to remember.

 

1 hour ago, Recluse said:

In your VFR Landing, you have full flaps and gear down with 160 knots airspeed. 

 

While using the Bronco on DCS I found 130 knots to be too slow for an easy circuit without losing altitude .. 160 worked for me and so I used that on the mission. However, I enjoy doing things as close to real life as possible, so I will review this aspect of the mission once the Mod's developer brings out an updated version of the Bronco, and if possible will reduce the circuit speed to 130.

 

Best regards

Edited September 20, 2022 by Rudel_chw

[Hiob]

I only watched the Videos so far, but will certainly try them asap.

Great Work! Thank you!

[Rudel_chw]

8 minutes ago, Hiob said:

I only watched the Videos so far, but will certainly try them asap.

Great Work! Thank you!

looking forward to player’s feedback, but unfortunately the File is still waiting for approval at ED’s User Files, hopefully this will change soon.

[Hiob]

2 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

looking forward to player’s feedback, but unfortunately the File is still waiting for approval at ED’s User Files, hopefully this will change soon.

Ah, ok.

You will probably give us a heads up and maybe link them here?

Thank you!

[Rudel_chw]

42 minutes ago, Hiob said:

You will probably give us a heads up and maybe link them here?

here is the link, it just got approved 

 

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3325976/

 

I will edit the first post once I’m at home, as my phone sucks at editing forum entries

 

[Hiob]

38 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

here is the link, it just got approved 

 

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3325976/

 

I will edit the first post once I’m at home, as my phone sucks at editing forum entries

 

Muchas gracias!

[skypickle]

I put the folder inside the Bronco folder. The structure looks like this:

 

C:\Users\Stefan\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Mods\aircraft\BRONCO V1.00\Missions\EN\Training

Inside the training folder is a lua file and three missions.  But how do I access the training? I can open each mission individually if I navigate to the folder. Is that correct?

[Rudel_chw]

On 9/20/2022 at 3:54 PM, skypickle said:

But how do I access the training?

 

They should appear on DCS' training section:

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Rudel_chw

[skypickle]

ok, thank you. 

[Hiob]

Ok, just finished the Tacan mission! Works great! The AI-generated Voice-Overs are pretty decent too. 

[Yurgon]

Wow, these are amazing, absolutely top-notch!

The flow, the writing and the scripting are all just excellent, and if it weren't for a few very minor pronunciation details, I wouldn't even have thought it was text-to-speech behind the VOs.

Some minor details:

OV10A - Training – M01 Cold Start, Taxi & Take-Off (by Rudel_chw)

• All the timings were flawless until rotation. After rotation, several messages overlapped and canceled each other out; those were, if memory serves:
  • retracting the gear
  • retracting the flaps at the proper speed
  • setting the condition levers
  • setting the correct attitude
• If you could make these texts stay on screen, players could read them even in case of overlaps; maybe also add a take-off walkthrough while still on the taxiway to prepare the player for the hectic sequence of events after rotation?

OV10A - Training – M02 VFR Circuit Landing, Taxi & Shutdown (by Rudel_chw)

• Is the Bronco flared before touchdown? If so, a short note to flare just before touchdown should be added; this could come right after the note to reduce throttle just before touchdown.
• Shutdown: the highlights on the conditions levers for the FUEL SHUT-OFF position seem to be reversed (switching the right lever to FUEL SHUT-OFF removes the left highlight)
• Shutdown: Shouldn't Starter, Inverter, Crank Switches, Generators and Battery all be moved to their OFF positions?

OV10 - Training - M03 Tacan Navigation (by Rudel_chw)

• Changing TACAN from 067X to 044X
  • for the outer ring, left clicking increases from 06 through 07, 08, 09 to 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14; instead, players should right click to decrease down to 04.
  • additional note: the right/left click behavior in the Bronco is currently inverted, compared to most other modules; in a future release, the left click may be correct here
• (Same as above) Shutdown: the highlights on the conditions levers for the FUEL SHUT-OFF position seem to be reversed (switching the right lever to FUEL SHUT-OFF removes the left highlight)
• Shutdown: TACAN has been set to OFF during taxi, and the mission does not automatically continue. Pressing SPACEBAR advances the mission. If you add "Press SPACEBAR to continue" here, all should be good.
• (Almost same as above; this time Battery was included) Shutdown: Shouldn't Starter, Inverter, Crank Switches and Generators all moved to their OFF positions?

[nachomaga]

Downloaded, thanks Rudel

[Rudel_chw]

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

Wow, these are amazing, absolutely top-notch!

The flow, the writing and the scripting are all just excellent, and if it weren't for a few very minor pronunciation details, I wouldn't even have thought it was text-to-speech behind the VOs.

 

Hi, Thanks a lot for your very kind words .. I used to employ the ttsmp3.com text to speech, but the user @Tanuki44 suggested that I use instead the ttsfree.com, which turned out is much better and natural sounding, so kudos to him for the suggestion

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

Some minor details:

OV10A - Training – M01 Cold Start, Taxi & Take-Off (by Rudel_chw)

• All the timings were flawless until rotation. After rotation, several messages overlapped and canceled each other out; those were, if memory serves:
  • retracting the gear
  • retracting the flaps at the proper speed
  • setting the condition levers
  • setting the correct attitude
• If you could make these texts stay on screen, players could read them even in case of overlaps; maybe also add a take-off walkthrough while still on the taxiway to prepare the player for the hectic sequence of events after rotation?

 

Thank you so much  for the fedback, I will check the mission today and do my best to fix these issues. It's been a while since editing that mission and I can only remember that my main focus was that I tried to avoid having the user press the spacebar during it, as it would disrupt his handling of the plane at a critical stage of flight.

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

OV10A - Training – M02 VFR Circuit Landing, Taxi & Shutdown (by Rudel_chw)

• Is the Bronco flared before touchdown? If so, a short note to flare just before touchdown should be added; this could come right after the note to reduce throttle just before touchdown.

 

Yes, it should be flared .. will fix it 

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

• Shutdown: the highlights on the conditions levers for the FUEL SHUT-OFF position seem to be reversed (switching the right lever to FUEL SHUT-OFF removes the left highlight)

 

Will fix those too

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

• Shutdown: Shouldn't Starter, Inverter, Crank Switches, Generators and Battery all be moved to their OFF positions?

 

The Battery yes, the other switches are not mentioned on the NAVAIR procedure that I used as a guide:

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

OV10 - Training - M03 Tacan Navigation (by Rudel_chw)

• Changing TACAN from 067X to 044X
  • for the outer ring, left clicking increases from 06 through 07, 08, 09 to 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14; instead, players should right click to decrease down to 04.

 

Correct, will fix that 

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

• Shutdown: TACAN has been set to OFF during taxi, and the mission does not automatically continue. Pressing SPACEBAR advances the mission. If you add "Press SPACEBAR to continue" here, all should be good.

 

OK, will check that too

 

10 hours ago, Yurgon said:

• (Almost same as above; this time Battery was included ...

 

Yes, I deviated from the official procedure here, as turning off the lights after the battery has been turned off, looked odd to me since you couldnt notice the efect of decreasing the lighting knobs, so I intended to first turn off the lights and afterwards doing the same with the battery.

 

Thanks again for the feedback, I flew each mission a lot looking for bugs, but its always best to have other people's opinions and ideas. Best regards,

 

Eduardo

[Yurgon]

47 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

Thanks again for the feedback, I flew each mission a lot looking for bugs, but its always best to have other people's opinions and ideas.

The post may have looked big, but those were all just really minor issues. These missions are at least as good as the training missions that come with the official modules. That's a great service for the community!

  

48 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

The Battery yes, the other switches are not mentioned on the NAVAIR procedure that I used as a guide:

Huh, you're right. Maybe that's something that's done by the crew chief after shutdown.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Yurgon

[cfrag]

On 9/20/2022 at 8:34 PM, Rudel_chw said:

here is the link, it just got approved 

Huh. Just wanted to send those kind people some cold hard cash for their efforts on the Bronco, but the payment was declined. @Rudel_chw -- do you know if they have a Patreon site (like RedK0d) or similar for contributions? I'm a strong believer in supporting excellent work (and boy, that thing is spectacular in VR!).

 

[Recluse]

6 minutes ago, cfrag said:

Huh. Just wanted to send those kind people some cold hard cash for their efforts on the Bronco, but the payment was declined. @Rudel_chw -- do you know if they have a Patreon site (like RedK0d) or similar for contributions? I'm a strong believer in supporting excellent work (and boy, that thing is spectacular in VR!).

 

Their original OV-10 download link included an optional payment box.

 

https://splitair.gumroad.com/l/fwzxn

Edited September 22, 2022 by Recluse

[cfrag]

3 minutes ago, Recluse said:

optional payment box.

Thank you - that's the one that refused the payment.

-ch

[Recluse]

Just now, cfrag said:

Thank you - that's the one that refused the payment.

-ch

Ahh ok.. Took mine, but that was just at launch day. Maybe something happened to the site. FYI, the account on my PayPal receipt was:  theocolin@orange.fr

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Recluse

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, cfrag said:

but the payment was declined. @Rudel_chw -- do you know if they have a Patreon site (like RedK0d) or similar for contributions?

 

Hi, no sorry, I don't really know since I'm not a part of the developer's Team, but you can contact them on their discord: https://discord.gg/MTakR5Tv

 

1 hour ago, cfrag said:

I'm a strong believer in supporting excellent work (and boy, that thing is spectacular in VR!).

 

Me too, the donation button worked for me, I payed using PayPal.

[Recluse]

28 minutes ago, cfrag said:

 (and boy, that thing is spectacular in VR!).

 

Yes it is, but it really causes a performance hit!  I believe it is due to the textures that are very large. They are addressing it in an update, I think.