New to sims, got a chance..?

[Bedouin]

Hi, guyz.

 

This look like a very nice community, and i really like the A-10 and feel like this will be a super flight sim, but i am new to flightsims, do i got a chance with the A-10 from DCS ??? and how can i start preparing... :cry: was looking at manuals thread but dont have a clue where to start...

 

Is there a wordlist some place, because when i am reading the forums i see a lot of abbreviations and dont know anything of what they mean..?

 

Sorry for lack of better english skills, but hope my message still is understandable.

 

Thanks in advance :)

Regards,

Mo'

[Steel Jaw]

Baby steps.

 

Learn to fly the jet before trying to fight in it.

 

I have been into hardcore flight sims for years and fulluy expect it to take months to learn to fight in this wonderful jet.

[mikey]

I started flightsimming with Black shark, so it's definitely possible.

 

All the used abbreviations for the A-10C are in the back of the manual btw.

[Bulletstop]

Bedouin,

If you can grab a manual in your native language, do so and start reading it. It will clear up so much and it is necessary as the sim is quite in depth.

Hell I am only half way thru it and I still have to go back and read, practice, read some more.

You do have a chance, just be patient and always consult the manual, and if still stuck, come here and ask questions. Folks have lots of knowledge and are always helpful.

Bullet

[pitbldr]

Sure you can! All of us were "new" at some point! :D

 

Like others mentioned, get the manual and start reading, but keep in mind, it's not finalized, so there's errors and things that will be changed. You can also start in Game mode, which is easier and work up to Simulation mode.

 

Good luck!!

[SNAFU]

Welcome Bedouin,

 

Surely DCS Sims are a challange for a beginner, but not impossible, if you try not to have it all done in one day. If you try to learn system by system in small steps you will have it as easy as every one else, despite that some terminology might be new. But anyway it is no rocket science, otherwise the AirForce would have some serious problems. ;)

 

But remember that in the end of the day, you require a HOTAS (Joystick and Throttelsystem: HandsOnThrottelAndStick), TIR (Head-tracker) and a lot of time to enjoy the sensation of DCS fully. Not everyone can effort to spent that all. ;)

 

Some might say, well you also play with gamepad or a 10€ joystick and yes, you can... but that is like mixing a 18 years ols single malt with pepsi.

Edited October 15, 2010 by SNAFU

[Bedouin]

Welcome Bedouin,

 

Surely DCS Sims are a challange for a beginner, but not impossible, if you try not to have it all done in one day. If you try to learn system by system in small steps you will have it as easy as every one else, despite that some terminology might be new. But anyway it is no rocket science, otherwise the AirForce would have some serious problems. ;)

 

But remember that in the end of the day, you require a HOTAS (Joystick and Throttelsystem: HandsOnThrottelAndStick), TIR (Head-tracker) and a lot of time to enjoy the sensation of DCS fully. Not everyone can effort to spent that all. ;)

 

Some might say, well you also play with gamepad or a 10€ joystick and yes, you can... but that is like mixing a 18 years ols single malt with pepsi.

 

I got a Saitek X52 Pro and is looking to buy a Trackir 5, should this be suffient hardware for the sim..?

 

And thanks everyone for the encouraging words, i will for sure try to stay patient, and having twin girls, has already teached one a lot of patience..!

[thisisentchris87]

An X52 pro and Trackir 5 is very sufficient. I don't own a Trackir system (its expensive) and I find that the numpad is sufficient, but a Trackir is still the best for veiw control.

 

Overall, a HOTAS, like the X52, system is practically required for a sim of this level. So that's your most important piece of hardware.

[JG-1_Vogel]

Hey Bedouin... I'm sure you will be ok with the A-10! You have an X-52 which is good, although in the future you may want to buy a set of rudder pedals. I have a cheap Saitek set which have held up ok for the last few years. I highly recommend getting a Track IR though, initially I was unsure how good it was until mine arrived through the door and I started using it... it's amazing and I would find it hard to fly without one now! It just becomes second nature to look around and makes the sim all that more immersive.:thumbup:

 

Like Mower said, baby steps. Don't try to fight before you can fly. It might sound boring, but it really works. I spent ages just throwing the Ka-50 about to get a feel for it and navigating before I even flicked the master arm switch.:book:

 

You might also want to look into joining a squadron. When I started flying Falcon 4.0 years back I was slow to pick things up until I joined a squadron... with help from friends I was swatting MiG's outta the sky very quickly and having an absolute blast doing it. There is a fantastic community out there willing to answer any questions you have.

 

Oh, and by the way.... might want to check the credit limit on your credit card, simming gets expensive! Lol :joystick::pilotfly:

[Steel Jaw]

Don't try to fight before you can fly. It might sound boring, but it really works.

 

IMHO if you enjoy flight you will enjoy learning to fly the Hog. No FBW to save you: you got to FLY it.

 

Combat is the icing.

[sofie_59]

Bedouin,

If you can grab a manual in your native language, do so and start reading it. It will clear up so much and it is necessary as the sim is quite in depth.

Hell I am only half way thru it and I still have to go back and read, practice, read some more.

You do have a chance, just be patient and always consult the manual, and if still stuck, come here and ask questions. Folks have lots of knowledge and are always helpful.

 

Bullet

 

I dont think he will ever find a DCS A 10C manual in danish!

Meybe if he use google translate! :music_whistling:

But of course I would like to have one in Swedish if I had a choice!

I remember back in the god old days,Longbow 2 was in swedish!

Edited October 15, 2010 by sofie_59

[andysim]

Track IR opens the sim (even FS9/FSX) up and makes it much more dynamic feeling. I was practicing with some enemy tanks, I wanted to see how much damage they could do to the A-10c so I ran circles round them at 150knots using track IR to keep them right in the middle of the screen!.

 

After a week flying with it you will be so used to it you wont be able to fly without it. Losing headtracking to me would be like losing an arm or leg.

[GGTharos]

Hi Bedouin,

 

A flight sim is not difficult to master as long as you do it in a reasonably organized fashion. You have a lot to learn, but you don't have to learn it all at once.

 

Learning to operate the aircraft is not hard, it's like operating a car, just with more buttons. Anyone can learn to do things off a list if you know what I mean - the more interesting and challenging part is learning WHY things work as they do.

 

All that said, the first thing you should do is practice straight and level flight. Forget takeoff and landing at first - just learn how to fly straight and level and how to make 30,45,60 degree bank turns (incidentally, 60 deg bank level turn = 2g, so you won't exactly be hauling ass :D ). Learn to trim the aircraft, how to make it go exactly where you want to without accepting gross deviations from your intended course and altitude. Do NOT allow the aircraft to fly you, or itself. Always fly the aircraft - ie. you don't want a situation where you look away and you suddenly find yourself +2000' altitude when you didn't intend to.

 

That's the most important part. After that, turning on engines is child's play (just more buttons to push) and takeoff and landing will be a little easier.

 

Hi, guyz.

 

This look like a very nice community, and i really like the A-10 and feel like this will be a super flight sim, but i am new to flightsims, do i got a chance with the A-10 from DCS ??? and how can i start preparing... :cry: was looking at manuals thread but dont have a clue where to start...

 

Is there a wordlist some place, because when i am reading the forums i see a lot of abbreviations and dont know anything of what they mean..?

 

Sorry for lack of better english skills, but hope my message still is understandable.

 

Thanks in advance :)

Regards,

Mo'

[Lio]

Få et ordenligt HOTAS setup :D

 

At spille DCS:A10C uden et 4-8 knaps joystick uden 5 hats er nærmest umuligt.

 

Ho Ho Ho another Dane!

[Squid_DK]

Bedouin,

Start with the quick start guide, take your time setting up the controller for the sim, then get to know the plane, learn the position of the switches and controls, learn the absolute basics before embarking on any more advanced stuff, don't let up just because you haven't gotten everything after 10 or 15 hours. get started on the manual, take your time maybe read a little then try to fly, get to know procedures, you can't fight with it if you can't fly it.

Finally any questions and this place is the way to go, I'd go out on a limb and say the only dumb question here is the one you don't ask. but do yourself a favour and try the search function.

 

Staffan

[Spartan1-1]

I was new to sims when I started at 12 years old. My father bought me Falcon AT, and Flight Simulator for our Atari. After 16 years its still a challenge learning new equipment. Thats where the enjoyment is. When you ramp start the first time, when you land the first time, or your first kill is the best part of simming. The feeling of intellectual accopmlishment. Read and learn man. Spend %40 time in the manual, %40 time in the forum, and %20 time in the sim and youll pick it up quickly.

Edited October 15, 2010 by Spartan1-1

[Tango]

Hi, guyz.

 

This look like a very nice community, and i really like the A-10 and feel like this will be a super flight sim, but i am new to flightsims, do i got a chance with the A-10 from DCS ??? and how can i start preparing... :cry: was looking at manuals thread but dont have a clue where to start...

 

Is there a wordlist some place, because when i am reading the forums i see a lot of abbreviations and dont know anything of what they mean..?

 

Sorry for lack of better english skills, but hope my message still is understandable.

 

Thanks in advance :)

Regards,

Mo'

Start with the basics - learning to just fly and handle the jet.

 

I've got a mission set up with nothing but an empty A-10 and some fuel ready to go on the runway for practicing basic flying skills. See the attached.

 

Use the rudder to keep the aircraft on the runway, and pull back smoothly at around 130 kts to lift off.

 

To land, use full flap and approach at about 130 kts.

 

Just fly gently at first until you get used to it, then start getting into steep turns, etc.. to get a feel for the aircraft.

 

Try climbing and descending at a particular airspeed, to get a feel for the aircraft performance and power.

 

Once you're happy with climbs, descents, and steep turns, start doing some aerobatics.

 

Know which keys in your setup perform the following:

 

* Trim (pitch and roll)

* Gear up/down

* Flaps retract/extend

* Speed brake retract/extend

* Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) engage/disengage

 

Best regards,

Tango.

Test2.miz

Edited October 15, 2010 by Tango

[tusler]

YES you can learn with this

 

If you learn with the A10C everything else will be childs play! :music_whistling:

Read the manual all the way through, even if you do not understand what it says just read it. It will sink in and make sense later.

Remember real pilots spend a lot of time in ground school before they ever get close to an A10 so don't expect to learn a hi fidelity sim like this in 1 week or even 1 month.:smartass:

This is one of those programs I can use for years and still learn a new tactic or a better way of killing a tank or a sam. :joystick:

I don't know of to much I can buy for $60 and say that about.:thumbup:

[StrongHarm]

It's important to remember that SIMS aren't games, but they're much more rewarding. I think it's good that this is your first sim. You don't have bad habits to break. There are some people that have flown previous sims that were simple, that haven't taken the time to understand the manual for this one. You'll see them asking questions about things that are on page 1 of the manual because they thought they could jump in the warthog and click-learn. You won't make that mistake. Follow the manual in the order it's in. Read it through once.. get in the sim and do some ramp starts and review the material.. then take off and go through the weapons employment chapter. I think you'll find that if you don't take shortcuts you'll enjoy your new hobby much more. Expect the learning process to be lengthy but GREAT FUN!

[kylania]

Thanks for that little mission Tango! Having something without all the distractions helped me

:) Edited October 16, 2010 by kylania

[MadTommy]

It's important to remember that SIMS aren't games

 

Oh really! Stop living in denial.. yes you are still playing a game, you might have convinced your wife but not the rest of us :music_whistling:

 

What i love about the DCS series is they can be played at many levels, you can start playing with many helpers enabled, and later adjust the setting to full sim hardcore and do the full startup procedures etc.

 

Personally i prefer all simulator settings enabled, and having a steep learning curve.. but it may suite you to us some of the built in helpers.

 

Bottom line.. if you are willing to but the time to learn this game/sim you will be rewarded for many years to come with some challenging game time.

[Tango]

Thanks for that little mission Tango! Having something without all the distractions helped me

:)

I'll give you credit for not hitting the tail!! :D

 

See the following screenshot for correct approach attitude and the "view out the window" (aka "the picture") for approach/landing.

 

A very cool thing about the TVV (the little pipper that flies around the HUD when flying) - where it points is where you'll hit the ground.

 

If you set up as per the screenshot, use thrust to adjust the flight path (increase thrust to move the pipper up the HUD, decrease it to move it down). Only use small thrust corrections and wait. Do not use large thrust corrections otherwise you could stall and be unable to recover in time, and use small stick inputs to counter the thrust and speed changes.

 

I also suggest you trim the aircraft so the stick is neutral around the correct speed.

 

If you look in the HUD you will notice a couple of things.

 

* Gun cross is over the +5 degree pitch line

* TVV is at -3 degrees pitch (this is also a numeric, below the airspeed).

 

AoA should be 8 degrees as a result.

 

Just keep the pipper between the threshold and the touchdown zone of the runway and maintain the attitude all the way down.

 

About 20 feet above the runway (as the "piano keys" disappear under the nose) retard the throttle at a rate such that you will achieve idle thrust just as the wheels touch, and at the same time, slowly raise the nose so the pipper is now on the far end of the runway. This maneuver is called the "flare", and just arrests the rate of descent.

 

The aircraft is quite sensitive even at low speeds, so be gentle.

 

Best regards,

Tango.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Tango

[Steel Jaw]

Oh really! Stop living in denial.. yes you are still playing a game, you might have convinced your wife but not the rest of us :music_whistling:

 

That's the WRONG thing to say in the A10 forum, bud. :joystick:

 

Take your "game" remarks over to the FC forums. :P

Edited October 16, 2010 by Mower

[JG-1_Vogel]

Oh no, don't start mower off with Lock On lol... it's worse than his Allied Force rants :P

[evilnate]

My suggestion is to learn one thing at a time and savour it. Learn how to start up the hog from a cold state. You will learn how to enable the battery, enable AC generator, etc and if you find yourself flipping a switch that is part of the procedure but you have no idea what it does you should stop. Close the game and google the switch or look up what it does in the manual. Once you understand what the functions actually do, the mystery goes away and you start having fun. Imagine operating a car and not knowing what defrost, hazard lights, turn signals, cruise control actually do, but just knowing they should be used.. Once you figure everything out in the A-10C, you will have a desire for the next module to be clueless again :)