Jumped into this Flight SIM yesterday - after not playing one in over 10 years. WOW!

[WIpump]

First off, hello all. I'm excited to learn all I can, but not without intimidation (vast understatement). I'll try not to bore you.

 

I'm sure you hardcores have seen this song and dance before, here's a little background on me. The only flight SIMS I've ever played were the take off and fly kind. I've always had an interest in combat sims, but that diminished years ago when the gaming community didn't seem to produce or "keep up" with the other genres.

 

I see the reviews on DCS - A-10C (being my favorite aircraft ever) and think "hallelujah!!!" I couldn't wait to download the game. So I did just that... I definitely have the PC hardware to run it beautifully, which it absolutely is. I knew even before going into this I'd need a flight stick.

 

Okay, but I couldn't wait to at least give it a test flight with the standard keyboard and mouse. How hard could that be? After all, I'm an expert pilot in all the other games I fly (battlefield, :lol:)

 

Mind you, by downloading the game... I get absolutely no manual.

 

Naturally I enter the training mode in sequence, beginning with the A-10 overview, and Pre-flight school. Immediately I think how cute it was to show how the real pilots do it, going through every little nuance. I then thought to myself, there's no way I'm expected to do all this right? How the heck am I supposed to know what OSB-6, 15, 18 means??! All I could think was wow, this is hard... and as the training went on it got even more difficult. :huh:

 

I couldn't wait to fly so I skipped the rest of the training, and that's just what I did... or tried to do, many times resulting in epic failure.

 

I'll cut it short and just say WOW! I know this will take a long time to simply learn, and months to master. I work fairly long hours, with somewhat limited free time. Thankfully, I'm a quick learner... but this is a whole new ballgame for me. I'm not going to give up, I'm so happy there's a combat simulator of this caliber.

 

If anyone can point me in the right direction for any sort of newbie tutorials I would really really appreciate it. Forgive me in advance, I have not scoured the forums just yet... I really wanted to make this thread.

 

I did just purchase a saitek x52 flight stick and throttle. Will that be sufficient?

 

Thanks all.

[Zeke]

Welcome aboard! Take your time and learn the systems one at a time. I just jumped into this sim also a few months ago after a long lay off of simming.

 

There is a ton of information on this forum and a ton of nice folks here that are more then willing to help out. I had the manual printed at Staples for around $60. More then worth it!!

[WIpump]

Welcome aboard! Take your time and learn the systems one at a time. I just jumped into this sim also a few months ago after a long lay off of simming.

 

There is a ton of information on this forum and a ton of nice folks here that are more then willing to help out. I had the manual printed at Staples for around $60. More then worth it!!

 

Thanks!

 

This is the daunting 650+ page manual we are talking about, right? Will I be able to walk onto an airforce base and operate a hog?:lol:

[ilikepie]

 

Mind you, by downloading the game... I get absolutely no manual.

 

 

I did just purchase a saitek x52 flight stick and throttle. Will that be sufficient?

 

There is a manual, its in PDF form in the docs folder in your DCS A10C folder of your install and its useful, bit of lite reading at bed time for me :lol: but a mine of info. The x 52 is more than enough to play, check out JackBauers profile (in his sig i think) as many people use it and i have heard nothing but good reports of it. it could be a good starting point for you.

 

Welcome aboard.

[EvilBivol-1]

Suggest you begin with the Quickstart manual to get up and running quickly. You will find the Quickstart in the game's Doc folder and also on the Wiki page linked below. Then go through the training missions and the complete Flight Manual.

 

Also, a lot of guides and extra tips in the Training Supplements page here:

http://en.wiki.eagle.ru/wiki/Main_Page#DCS:_A-10C_Warthog

[EtherealN]

Thanks!

 

This is the daunting 650+ page manual we are talking about, right? Will I be able to walk onto an airforce base and operate a hog?:lol:

 

The manual can be found either in the doc folder inside the installation, or through the start menu (Start > Eagle Dynamics > A-10C).

 

As for operating a real one, assuming that you get a ground crew to prep the jet for you, and you have trained properly in the simulator, you will indeed be fully capable of starting it and (theoretically) "operating" it. Now obviously I wouldn't rate your chances of surviving your takeoff roll extremely high unless you have experience with jets, but assuming you get airborne and take it easy you could probably even fly around and use a few of the weapons. Landing... again, unless you have a good amount of real-life jet practice, don't bet on surviving. :P

 

A lot more to real flight than the "switchology" you can learn through a simulator as I'm sure you understand. I had a whole childhood of flight sims under my belt before I started flight school, and my first flights were still extremely rough (to the point of my instructor taking control to save both our lives a few times :P ).

 

But yeah, the only thing you'd be missing is the "flying" part. (Being combat effective and/or a safe pilot around other planes is also a different thing of course. :) )

 

Welcome to the forum. Hope you'll enjoy DCS and don't hesitate to ask around if you have questions. :)

 

x52 is good kit, and pretty much unrivalet in it's price point. Not "optimal" for this simulator of course, but if you get a good mapping going you'll do fine. (The "optimal" setup of a TM Warthog and good pedal set would cost 5 to 6 times more than the x52. I'd say you should save that money for a TrackIR.)

Edited June 20, 2011 by EtherealN

[Nate--IRL--]

Welcome. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we were all in your shoes once :)

 

Nate

[EtherealN]

Welcome. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we were all in your shoes once :)

 

Nate

 

Adding to this from my own experience: take it SLOOOOOOW. It is very easy to get tempted into doing a lot of things at once and trying to learn to "kill stuff" as soon as possible, but this can backfire and cause you to have a sensory overload which will make retention of what you study a lot harder.

 

QuickStart helps, and then I'd recommend doing the excellent Flight School missions. When each mission is done, fly around in an empty map and do what you learned a few times to make sure it "stuck". Then you can move on.

 

Fortunately there are some weapons that are fairly easy to learn to use, so you always have that to fall back on when you need some "time off" from the schoolwork. :)

[WIpump]

Thanks all for the help and advice - I've obviously got some studying to do. Rest assured, I'll be back with more questions.

[WIpump]

Is anyone familiar with steam (that's where I purchased it)? I tried navigating/searching the a-10 files in my computer with no luck. According to steam properties it says "manual" not available.

[Nate--IRL--]

Here's mine --> H:\Steam\steamapps\common\dcs a-10c warthog\Doc

 

Nate

[WIpump]

Here's mine --> H:\Steam\steamapps\common\dcs a-10c warthog\Doc

 

Nate

 

excellent, thank you!

[Lange_666]

x52 is good kit, and pretty much unrivalet in it's price point. Not "optimal" for this simulator of course, but if you get a good mapping going you'll do fine. (The "optimal" setup of a TM Warthog and good pedal set would cost 5 to 6 times more than the x52. I'd say you should save that money for a TrackIR.)

 

+1 (you can get a TrackIR 4 quite cheap these days)

Edited June 20, 2011 by Lange_666

[Ace Cobra]

Hello All

 

Hello all!

 

And gongrats to you WIpump for getting this game. Believe it or not I did the same from Steam yesterday evening. It all happened that I went shopping with my son on Saturday and while waiting for my wife to come from curtain store we went to look at games. This one picked my eye and I was excited right away. Did some thinking as I also play BFBC2 (have preordered the BF3) and Eve Online (my eternal project which has lasted for 5 years allreay) and should work and take care of the family also but hey, nothing beats gaming! ;)

 

Now I made a forum profile and will be joining this community. My previous real simulation experiences are Flight Simulator X and Falcon Allied Force. I do love flying and have even gotten me a VFR license but unfortunately have not done real flying in ages due to the limitation of the time. As my age is what it is the first proper simulator I played was propably Flight Simulator I 1/4 of a senture ago...lol.

 

Oh well, now the learning begins...did some touch downs allready and managed to land and take off without the technical engineers kicking my ass after the flight :)

 

But I do too have a problem with the joystick. I own the CH fighterstick USB and only the main trigger, the stick itself and the POV works. I know it is a programmable joystick and there is the options menu but I have to admit that I am ridicilously bad when it comes to programming and computers. So I have no idea which button is what and which slider is what as there are a ton of choices...so will deffo need som assistance on that. At least to get the throttle working if nothing else.

 

Anyways, I look forward to this game very much and tonight I'll dive deeply into the weapon systems! :)

 

:thumbup:

[Nu-NRG]

Adding to this from my own experience: take it SLOOOOOOW. It is very easy to get tempted into doing a lot of things at once and trying to learn to "kill stuff" as soon as possible, but this can backfire and cause you to have a sensory overload which will make retention of what you study a lot harder.

 

This. I was there as well but I took it slow, tho in the back of my mind I wanted to get down to business. All I can say is, go trough entire training missions more than once. Do the landing, free flight, low level flight, fly high 20+ ... till you get comfortable with how she handles.

 

So when you say okay, I'll fly here and there and land her ... it will be like another day in the office.

 

Then dig in to HOTAS and systems :D

 

It's so rewarding!:pilotfly:

[Conure]

Hi there, welcome to the forums and to the most in depth commercial flight sim currently available :-)

 

The X52 is a great piece of kit, with a couple of downsides. It has a sloppy centre point...Basically, it's fine for everything though you will need to set up your curves well to ever find A2A refueling anything other than very difficult.

 

Other than that it's precise and great. Make sure TrackIR is your top priority - It entirely 100% changes the game. With TrackIR you feel like you're in the cockpit, and after a few hours practice and a good profile looking around will feel as natural as the real world.

 

Absolutely incredible piece of equipment.

Enjoy the sim :)

[Cibit]

Welcome to you new pilots:)

Enjoy it and the learning is easy. Big thing is not get frustrated and as mentioned above please ask any questions you have, even at the risk of sounding dumb you won't be fobbed off with RTFM most posters here are very patient and polite;)

[RAF74_Raptor]

Welcome and I will add my two cents. As everyone else has said take your time A-10 is like a fine wine it is meant to be sipped and enjoyed. Ive been flying ever since Beta 3. I am currently trying to learn to aerial refuel:cry:.

 

 

Welcome to the madness also its a good idea to join a squadron it really ups the fun level of the Sim. I can recommend a good one in my Sig :joystick:.

[WarriorX]

Glad to have you new pilot's with us! Welcome.

 

Here are some resources for you that may help: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=72125

 

...and there are some Tutorial links in my signature line of this post.

[Ace Cobra]

Thanks

 

Thanks WarriorX for the link to the tutorial thread! Was having great time last night. Was doing more touch and go's and getting familiar with flying the lady.

 

I noticed that some of the learning missions are some how bugged in my version as the tutorials on the missions suddenly just stop although I have done everything as asked and waited for a long time without altering the heading/speed/altitude etc.

 

But no worries, was able to practice targeting and shooting cannon/mavs and even A-A missiles with success. And I am getting even used to the fact that my throttle is with keyboards as the joystick throttle does not work. Still need to go through several other weapon/navigation configurations etc. so will practice still a few weeks so that when I hit the action I will come back in one piece.

 

:thumbup:

[MemphisBelle]

Welcome new Pilot...

I´ve got some information for you...I am not advertising here....:D,

so take a look in my signature and get my Start up manual. It´s espacially made for the new guys within this Community.

I also have running a Saitek X52Pro Joystick, so I created a certain Profile and shared it with the Community. But not everyone has a pro, so by following my signature profile link you´ll also find a X52 normal version of my profile. It´s well documented with a printable map about what is maped to which stick, button, slew what ever.

 

Dont hazitate to ask questions, even if you feel to go through the manual first, not everythings can be expalined just by reading the book, experiences from other players are helpful quite much as well.

 

Have fun and see you in the Air :thumbup:

[ivanwfr]

.../...

I noticed that some of the learning missions are some how bugged in my version as the tutorials on the missions suddenly just stop although I have done everything as asked and waited for a long time without altering the heading/speed/altitude etc.

 

Not that I am 100% positive about this, but you should have a look at the training .miz trigger zones with Mission Editor. When nothing happens, that means some trigger will never get activated as you missed some expected path and you probably have no way to catch up as long as you're expected to keep your heading :huh:

[triumph]

Hello all!

 

 

 

But I do too have a problem with the joystick. I own the CH fighterstick USB and only the main trigger, the stick itself and the POV works. I know it is a programmable joystick and there is the options menu but I have to admit that I am ridicilously bad when it comes to programming and computers. So I have no idea which button is what and which slider is what as there are a ton of choices...so will deffo need som assistance on that. At least to get the throttle working if nothing else.

 

Anyways, I look forward to this game very much and tonight I'll dive deeply into the weapon systems! :)

 

:thumbup:

 

the x52 pro stick and throttle, are indeed fine tools......but i switched to the ch fighter stick and throttle...my engineering background has given me a dislike of solutions that involve a rising ball, cone, and spring loaded sliding tube and shaft....in my personal opinion a dire engineering solution to a problem..that works sometimes, but is always tempting sliding shaft stiction..the ch fighter stick has two axis sliders, in the horizontal plane,and will not suffer from stiction....takes a little while to get used to but works like silky smooth....

 

i do not use prog software...the disks that came with the ch are unopened..

i set my stick thrott, pedals, in hotas...delete duplicate assignements...adjust axis as needed...only needed a couple of modifiers, to add all hotas....stuck sticky labels all over my controls...when they wear out.i will have them memorised.....

this sim is so damn realistic, that the top guns on this site, have a special patch. if they get injured, instead of a virtual broken leg, they get a real world broken leg......ummm that may be just a rumour...jim

[aaron886]

the x52 pro stick and throttle, are indeed fine tools......but i switched to the ch fighter stick and throttle...my engineering background has given me a dislike of solutions that involve a rising ball, cone, and spring loaded sliding tube and shaft

 

 

Although I agree, CH Products have their own faults... the axes on CH sticks are incredibly "clicky" at neutral, and feedback is floppy at best. Their buttons, however, are incredible. I have used my CH Pro Throttle for 2.5 years absolutely non-stop with no complaints about the buttons. The stick I've built uses the buttons from a CH stick as well. They're tough.

[xWARGOx]

Welcome. Get ready for a long yet rewarding experience. Be patient, read and watch plenty of tutorials and just enjoy the massive amount of badassness. If you ever need someone to fly with hit me up on steam (xwargox)