New User First Impressions and Feedback

[fearlessfrog]

I've been hanging on for far too long to pick up A-10C. I took advantage of the recent Steam sale (33% off - cool) and wanted to provide some feedback on my first hour:

 

Context: I've played Lock-on, Black Shark a fair bit, and have played most flight sims over the last 10 years.

 

- First off, install and download was great - easy and all worked.

 

- Sim started up in 1024x768 windowed mode, which I guess is good as a 'fail-safe' default but looked tiny in my 1980x1080 screens. Off to options we go, which I guess is the norm. I'd consider detecting the users resolution and settings though?

 

- I've got two screens but the 'Screens' selector had 1, 3 and various others. I know that I have to manually configure settings to make this work (i.e. some MFD's on the left like Black Shark) but my suggestion would be to put more common settings in there now. Multiple screen seems really common nowadays.

 

- My MS-SWII and TrackIR were all recognized and worked well - good job.

 

- I jump straight to training and 'Take Off' as I was familiar with the A-10A cockpit.

 

- Ok, I have a lot to learn with the C :) That's a lot of buttons now.

 

- First training mission worked great. Loved the 'click this' style of tutorial and really well done. Took off, got used to the VSI and coordinated turns and wished I'd set up some trim assignments.

 

- Second mission was landing, but the tutorial got stuck on the 'Tune to ILS frequency 110.30 (right hand side) instruction. That was disappointing, as there seemed to be no way to carry on the tutorial. I haven't look in the bugs thread yet, but will raise if no-one has already.

 

- I continued the mission and had a problem hitting F2 for an external view. I realized that my 'Function Key Lock' was off due to having to press 'SySRq/Break' to unpause. I'm not sure if my keyboard is that unusual, but that seems like a bad key to be the 'pause' key. I've no idea what F2 unlocked did (speed up time, the sound pitch increased?)

 

- Graphics and smoothness were great on a Q6600@3.6, 8GB, Win 7 64 and ATI4890 - although the default settings (bushes, birds etc) were all off. I noticed it defaulted to 8x AA too which on a high res is a bit much for me.

 

In summary, really happy and feeling good about all the things to play with. Good job, and thanks to all those people that went through the betas and helped out with feedback. Apart from the training mission bug it seems perfect!

Edited July 10, 2011 by fearlessfrog

[EtherealN]

Regarding the broken landing tutorial, there are updated training missions available in the file center, I'll get a link to you in a moment.

 

Your keyboard sounds definitely non-standard. You should not have SysRq and Break on the same key. You should have three keys in that dock: PrSc/SysRq, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break. They should also not require a function-key lock if the keyboard is standard. Is it a laptop? I feel it's sort of obvious why the Pause key was selected for pause. ;)

Edited July 10, 2011 by EtherealN

[EtherealN]

Here's the fixed training missions: http://files.lockon.ru/en/59550/?sphrase_id=47746

[fearlessfrog]

Thanks for the quick response - appreciated. I'll try those new missions.

 

The keyboard is just a standard Microsoft comfort one - they must have a weird function key set, but I've not noticed. Pause is a good key, but 'P' works too :)

 

 

Cheers!

[Kaiza]

My keyboard is the same. Pause/break and scroll lock are on the same key, scroll lock being an 'F key'. I just remember to cycle function off and then back on whenever I pause or unpause. Is a little bit of a hassle but doesn't take long to get used to. I believe BS and FC2 were the same?

 

My keyboard is just a run of the mill Microsoft wireless.

[fearlessfrog]

Those fixed missions worked great - first landing at Batsumi with man and machine all ok, although the light hog almost ran out of runway and I was standing up on those wheel brakes by the end :)

 

Thanks again EtherealN.

[cichlidfan]

Those fixed missions worked great - first landing at Batsumi with man and machine all ok, although the light hog almost ran out of runway and I was standing up on those wheel brakes by the end :)

 

Thanks again EtherealN.

 

That's probably one of my favorite reasons for having rudder pedals. Before I was worried I was going to break the joystick switch that I had the brakes on!!;)

 

Oh, and welcome to the asylum!:D

[Fish]

Gotta get your speed down to 120-125 knots (empty) for touch down. Then you'll have plenty of stopping space at Batumi (8000ft!). :smilewink:

[fearlessfrog]

Here's the fixed training missions: http://files.lockon.ru/en/59550/?sphrase_id=47746

 

Couple of notes on the updated training missions for 1.0.8

 

- In the DSMS stores training it gets stuck on the 'Put EO to LOC and setting a waypoint', in that I highlight the waypoint up/down select but it doesn't continue. I can use up/down select on the UFC but the training won't continue.

 

- The Lightening training gets stuck on assigning the SOI, in that it says press 'K' but I get a 'No Maverick' on the right MFC and it won't continue (which is true, I just have a couple of AIM9's and the lightening pod). Is this just a key assignment change - it happens very early into the training too?

Edited July 11, 2011 by fearlessfrog

[fearlessfrog]

That's probably one of my favorite reasons for having rudder pedals. Before I was worried I was going to break the joystick switch that I had the brakes on!!;)

 

Oh, and welcome to the asylum!:D

 

Thanks - yep, a bit late settling in on the flaps, too fast and should have gone around. :)

[fearlessfrog]

Gotta get your speed down to 120-125 knots (empty) for touch down. Then you'll have plenty of stopping space at Batumi (8000ft!). :smilewink:

 

I kept the tires in one piece so there's that... :)

[EtherealN]

Couple of notes on the updated training missions for 1.0.8

 

- In the DSMS stores training it gets stuck on the 'Put EO to LOC and setting a waypoint', in that I highlight the waypoint up/down select but it doesn't continue. I can use up/down select on the UFC but the training won't continue.

 

- The Lightening training gets stuck on assigning the SOI, in that it says press 'K' but I get a 'No Maverick' on the right MFC and it won't continue (which is true, I just have a couple of AIM9's and the lightening pod). Is this just a key assignment change - it happens very early into the training too?

 

I'll have to run them in 1.1.0.8 and get back to you on that. Might be a couple hours.

[cichlidfan]

Thanks - yep, a bit late settling in on the flaps, too fast and should have gone around. :)

 

Assuming you haven't decided to go around...the speed brakes make a noticable difference as well.:)

[EtherealN]

Assuming you haven't decided to go around...the speed brakes make a noticable difference as well.:)

 

Aye, I usually go final with airbreaks halfway out. Makes deployment quick on touchdown and also allow me an additional method of quickly gaining speed and lift since retracting them will be near-instantaneous while throttle commands always take a few moments to take effect in the engines.

[EvilBivol-1]

- In the DSMS stores training it gets stuck on the 'Put EO to LOC and setting a waypoint', in that I highlight the waypoint up/down select but it doesn't continue. I can use up/down select on the UFC but the training won't continue.

You just have to hold down the OSB button for a little longer to proceed past that trigger. This was a problem in the early versions of the training missions that we managed to get around for the most part, but this one particular steps still suffers from it.

 

The Lightening training gets stuck on assigning the SOI, in that it says press 'K' but I get a 'No Maverick' on the right MFC and it won't continue (which is true, I just have a couple of AIM9's and the lightening pod). Is this just a key assignment change - it happens very early into the training too?

Sounds like you may have opened the wrong page on the right MFCD. You should have the TGP page up, not the MAV (maverick) page.

 

If you have other problems with training, post about them in them dedicated secion, so that it's easier for us and other users to keep an eye on them.

http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=126

[fearlessfrog]

You just have to hold down the OSB button for a little longer to proceed past that trigger. This was a problem in the early versions of the training missions that we managed to get around for the most part, but this one particular steps still suffers from it.

 

Sounds like you may have opened the wrong page on the right MFCD. You should have the TGP page up, not the MAV (maverick) page.

 

If you have other problems with training, post about them in them dedicated secion, so that it's easier for us and other users to keep an eye on them.

http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=126

 

Will do - thanks!

[BlackRazor]

EDIT: doh, I should have read the entire thread.

[lubey]

- The Lightening training gets stuck on assigning the SOI, in that it says press 'K' but I get a 'No Maverick' on the right MFC and it won't continue (which is true, I just have a couple of AIM9's and the lightening pod). Is this just a key assignment change - it happens very early into the training too?

 

'k' is coolie hat right isn't it? Remember to make the TGP SOI you have to hold the coolie hat right for a couple of seconds (called a "long" press), if you dont hold it for long enough it will just cycle the right MFCD to the next page, i.e. the maverick page.

[fearlessfrog]

'k' is coolie hat right isn't it? Remember to make the TGP SOI you have to hold the coolie hat right for a couple of seconds (called a "long" press), if you dont hold it for long enough it will just cycle the right MFCD to the next page, i.e. the maverick page.

 

Yep - that was it, thanks.

 

I hadn't realized so much before how the HOTAS is important to this sim, i.e. you have to learn the various hats as there's no 'do this function' equivalent. All part of the fun I guess..

[Nu-NRG]

Yep - that was it, thanks.

 

I hadn't realized so much before how the HOTAS is important to this sim, i.e. you have to learn the various hats as there's no 'do this function' equivalent. All part of the fun I guess..

And it's really easy. Once you sort the functions and order things the way you like it, it's just something you can't do without anymore :D

[cichlidfan]

Yep - that was it, thanks.

 

I hadn't realized so much before how the HOTAS is important to this sim, i.e. you have to learn the various hats as there's no 'do this function' equivalent. All part of the fun I guess..

 

You really will be surprised how quick it will start to come to you. Also, you may find that this feeling :doh: hits you a bit less as time goes on.:D

[Squid]

Here's the fixed training missions: http://files.lockon.ru/en/59550/?sphrase_id=47746

 

are those files still needed with 1.1.0.9 ?

[EtherealN]

No, they should be fixed.