The gun and the rockets!

[Conure]

Hello wonderful DCS community! Two questions..(Actually, three...)

 

First, at what altitude should I begin a gun/rocket run? I often find I'm too close to the ground...Whats the best altitude to perform a run from?

 

Second...The cannon lag! I asked in another thread but I don't think anybody answered! Why does firing the cannon on ground units kill the FPS so much? Has it not been optimised or is it just my rig?

 

Finally, my new pc parts arrive tomorrow (hopefully!)...I've not really built a PC before but think it'll be simple..Basically I'm changing my mobo/cpu/gfx and ram..effectively a new PC..Is it best to install the CPU and HFS before I mount the motherboard? If anyone can offer some advice I'd be most greatful as I am quite nervous about breaking it...

 

Thanks again!

[Spartan1-1]

1. Depends a lot on threat environment and target. My suggestion is to stay a little higher with a shallow dive. ID target area and plan your ingress. Then set it up. Good generalization is start at angels 10 at about 10-20 deg dive to have ample time to pick target, line up, and level wings. Usually I'll pickle at roughly 2 miles as indicated on the pipper. Break and release flares, just 2-4 to be careful. Turn away and set up another run from a different direction if able. Sacrifice the attack for your bird if it comes down to it.

 

2. Cannon lag is known issue to be resolved soon. This might be a beta, think I read that somewhere :music_whistling:

 

3. In not a guru... The talent will answer shortly on this one I'm sure.

 

Happy Hunting

[Conure]

Thanks spartan! Very helpful. Following the tutorial alone, is there no real sensor involved in lining up a gun run? All it explained for me to do was to head toward the red smoke signals, though I'd imagine there is a far more precise way to set this up? I think some more study is required :)

[Conure]

I just spent 20 seconds reading your second point "this might be a beta" wondering whether I should let you know that it is...I am up far too late and have had far too little coffee.

[Spartan1-1]

Yea just kidding. Once your good with the tgp you can scan your target area and pick your victim. After that it's pretty easy to use the diamond indicator on your HUD to find the target from a distance.

[nomdeplume]

Gun runs should be done visually, in the game you'll normally need to zoom in at least a little to be able to pick out your target, unless it's thoughtfully parked itself on a road or something with high contrast. You will usually use something as a visual reference to get your eyes into the vicinity of the target. This might be terrain features, smoke markers, or the targeting pod: the diamond symbol on the HUD indicates the location the TGP is looking at and there are steering cues to help you line yourself up with it.

 

The gun is optimized for a dive angle of around 30 degrees, IIRC. I normally don't go in quite that steep, but try to get close to it. Most gun runs I start from around 8,000' to 10,000' AGL. The steeper your dive angle, the more accurate your rounds will be. However, PAC won't function with the speed brakes deployed, so you will tend to find you pick up speed. You could also try coming in from higher with the speed brakes extended, then retract them as you approach firing range.

 

That reduces the amount of time you can spend aiming and shooting before you get too close for comfort; but the speed does come in handy when it's time to egress.

[Mugenjin]

Finally, my new pc parts arrive tomorrow (hopefully!)...I've not really built a PC before but think it'll be simple..Basically I'm changing my mobo/cpu/gfx and ram..effectively a new PC..Is it best to install the CPU and HFS before I mount the motherboard? If anyone can offer some advice I'd be most greatful as I am quite nervous about breaking it...

 

Generally it doesn't matter whether you install CPU before you put in the Mainboard or after.

Depending on the case and whether you have a fancy aftermarket HS which comes with a backplate you may need to install it before you mount the mainboard.

That's what I would recommend anyway, because you'll have more space to work.

[majapahit]

my GUNS:

1. I have a (2) Zoom ('slow' In/Out) buttons configured, to see what's in (behind) the green diamond, tail, circle, dot and square (on top of each other), you have to zoom all te way in, and when passing over, take the time and note where the infantry (or the other AAA) is positioned near the bulls eye.

You could also define a slider for Slow Zoom.

 

DCS has been so nice to program a 'blank transparend' little square smack in the middle of all this, so you have a window/peep hole, in all the mahem, when zoomed in (close to) maximum :)

 

Dont forget to zoom out, or you'll be flying yourself smack into the terrain:pilotfly:

 

2. I have a 'Stage 1' Gun stabilize button configered. Put your dot on the truck, stabilize, you're in 'slow motion' now, rudder to smack on the target, then fire.

 

Dont wait for a result, after a while you know how little to fire (like 50 rounds), the bullets will arrive way later, from all this distance, and you've reposition yourself allready (find the infantry). The target will also explode again quite a while later than when the fire started. Quite clever. So I keep a watchfull eye, and have spent only a couple of hundred rounds on the lot.

Edited January 4, 2011 by majapahit

[hassata]

Building is very easy and very rewarding.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/building-pc,511.html

 

REMEMBER-ground yourself before you touch PC parts. You can do this by touching a metal surface away from the components (so that an electricity buildup will 'spark' away).

[airdog]

Do not mount the heatsink to the motherboard/CPU before the motherboard is mounted inside the case. The HS puts a fair amount of stress on the motherboard so you want the motherboard mounted securely to the case first. As was said above if the HS has a backplate mount that first then mount the motherboard ,install CPU, install HS, and so on

[cerfew]

About the computer building, I prefer to mount the CPU first, then mount the motherboard to the case, then mount the heatsink. Seems to be easiest for me.

[DocSigma]

I would mount the CPU, then the HS to the mobo, then install the mobo with the hs/fan on the cpu into the case. Unless you have a hs/fan that is a top down clip type of mount i guess you could do the hs after you installed the mobo to the case, but a lot of heat sinks are bracketed from the bottom of the mobo mounted with screws atop the cpu. having the mobo in the case already mounted would make mounting a hs in this way not the easiest of tasks.

[JaseGill]

I always insert the CPU, mount the Heat Sink, install the memory and then install the motherboard.

As far as strain on the board is concerned it makes no difference, there is strain as soon as its mounted on the CPU as the weight is there once its on anyway.

If you were to worry about HSF strain on a motherboard you would never mount it in a tower case (motherboard vertical with HSF out hanging) as this has it hanging in the fresh air. No one makes supports to take the strain of the HSF off of the motherboard so you have to assume the weight isn't an issue.

I've built over 100 PC's for personal use, professional use and for friends and not one has had issues with motherboard strain. In fact fitting memory or the HSF once its in the case could induce more strain as its only supported from below by the case spacers. If you do it out of the case you can support it on a non-conductive surface and the weight is spread across the whole motherboard as you fit it and there is no flexing of the motherboard as you sit the CPU, HSF and memory. It also makes it much easire to see what youre doing and easier to get a better, smoother covering of thermal paste on the CPU.

If you want hardly any weight on it do what I did, go water cooled heat sink blocks, much lighter.

Just my tuppence worth.

J.

[Steel Jaw]

Do not mount the heatsink to the motherboard/CPU before the motherboard is mounted inside the case. The HS puts a fair amount of stress on the motherboard so you want the motherboard mounted securely to the case first. As was said above if the HS has a backplate mount that first then mount the motherboard ,install CPU, install HS, and so on

 

My apologies but this is not good advice.

 

Aftermarket HS can be large and cumbersome and the cx difficult without room to work.

 

LAY THE PC CASE ON ITS SIDE, mount the HS to the MOBO (and RAM) and THEN mount the MOBO.

 

In fact, noone here has made that simple recomendation, so I repeat:

 

Lay the case on its side.

[Conure]

Got it, thanks everybody..parts still not here - very frustrating but at least I'm getting work done! From what I understand...

 

1: Static proof bag on a hard service, motherboard down, fit cpu and HSF

2: lay pc case on its side and secure motherboard to case

3: install ram and gtx card

4: connect psu to various essentials/connect the small pin connectors to the on button, case lighting etc

 

done??

[luza]

my GUNS:

1. I have a (2) Zoom ('slow' In/Out) buttons configured, to see what's in (behind) the green diamond, tail, circle, dot and square (on top of each other), you have to zoom all te way in, and when passing over, take the time and note where the infantry (or the other AAA) is positioned near the bulls eye.

You could also define a slider for Slow Zoom.

 

DCS has been so nice to program a 'blank transparend' little square smack in the middle of all this, so you have a window/peep hole, in all the mahem, when zoomed in (close to) maximum :)

 

Dont forget to zoom out, or you'll be flying yourself smack into the terrain:pilotfly:

 

 

 

2. I have a 'Stage 1' Gun stabilize button configered. Put your dot on the truck, stabilize, you're in 'slow motion' now, rudder to smack on the target, then fire.

 

Dont wait for a result, after a while you know how little to fire (like 50 rounds), the bullets will arrive way later, from all this distance, and you've reposition yourself allready (find the infantry). The target will also explode again quite a while later than when the fire started. Quite clever. So I keep a watchfull eye, and have spent only a couple of hundred rounds on the lot.

rudder input should be avoided when on gun runs.

[majapahit]

rudder input should be avoided when on gun runs.

this seems to be parrotted across this board

but rudder works quite nicely

with finger on the Stage1

to get rid of these pesky infantry loitering

or when you - oops - miscalculated your dive ingress

 

unless you have jetfuel to spare

(which, of course, is almost never)

Edited January 5, 2011 by majapahit

[sweinhart3]

I dont know if anyone else has noticed this but I seem to be having almost a sticky airplane in beta 4 that didnt exist in beta 3. When Im lining up on target for a gun run, banking towards the target seems to be too slow when trying to fine tune where the pipper is at. In beta 3 I could add just a small hint of rudder to turn the plane and it worked perfectly every time. In beta 4 if I add a hint of rudder the plane seems to resist the rudder input and keep going straight. If I add a tad more than I usually do the plane suddenly jerks itself in the direction of my rudder input and usually severly throws off my targeting. PAC1 also doesnt seem to be as stable as it was in beta 3. Small stick inputs with PAC engaged seem to throw the plane around too much get any accurate lineup. Dunno if anyone else has seen this but I didnt have these problems in beta 3.