Questions from a newbie

[Mr_Ripley]

Hi folks.

 

I have a few questions I hope aren't glaringly obvious even to a newbie such as I.

 

I have just bought A-10C and am overwhelmed by the amount of info available, and the fact that the learning curve is exponentially steep, so please bear with me.

 

1. Do I have to patch in order from 1.1.0.6 up to 1.1.1.1.?

 

2. Will the interactive training missions still be available if patched to the latest update?

 

3. Are there any UK or English speaking sites where a newbie such as myself can benefit from on-line training with a very patient individual? ( I am fully committed to learning how to fly this beast, I also now have a lot of spare time to devote to this.)

 

4.Track IR. I know this is probably a matter of opinion, however, do people regard it as invaluable, or is it just a nice toy to use? (I currently have an X52 throttle, stick and Saitek Pro Flight rudder controls).

 

5. Wot's a cockpit? :) :)

 

 

Many thanks in advance for any help. I hope to see you in the sky's in about 5 years or so. :book:

[Username455]

Its probably best to download the full 1.1.1.1 version off the ED website, and use whatever activation key you have to activate it. Easier (and generally better results) than patching.

 

Yes the training missions are in all versions.

 

If you look down in the multiplayer thread, there is a squadron listing for various groups to fly with. Im sure all of them enjoy new people to fly with!

 

I got trackIR a few months ago (upgrade over the free software "FacetracknoIR") and would never fly without it

 

a cockpit is what you sit in when you are flying :)

[GregP]

Welcome to the forum, Mr_Ripley!

 

Username455 pretty much answered your questions above, but I just wanted to mention that there are a TON of amazing online resources for learning DCS: A-10C even on your own. Some good places to start:

 

DCS: A-10C Wiki, especially in the "Guides, Tutorials and Reference Documents" section

 

 

ExcessiveHeadspace's videos

 

And, of course, this forum.

 

My suggestion would be:

 

1) Read through / skim the manual

2) Do all the training missions

3) Read everything on the DCS wiki

4) Watch all Fish's and EHS's videos

5) Read as much as you can on this forum -- there's a TON of helpful info here on every topic you can imagine

 

And after all of that -- even if you've never gotten online -- you should be a fairly proficient A-10C pilot. Good luck!

[Rusty_M]

One group which seems very welcoming to new pilots.

http://flight-sim-fanatics.com/index.php

[WildBillKelsoe]

You should apply the patches in their order. Don't forget to restart after applying each patch and the more you restart, the less corrupted your registry becomes.

[jacksos101]

If you have the time I'd strongly recommend reading the flight manual thouroughly, it gives you a good knowledge foundation. Just learn one panel/display at a time and before long you'll know what everything does, and then you can practice putting your knowledge to use.

[aces_full85]

The manual is a great resource but if you try reading the whole thing before you have any flight time (or have questions about it), it's unlikely that you'll retain much of it. I recommend reading the quick start guide before even thinking about the actual manual. It covers a lot of material in an easily digestible way just to get your brain juices flowing, then go and tackle the tutorials afterwards.

 

As you start to develop questions about the tutorials, write them down then reference to the manual and read the relevant section. Others might disagree on this, but the DCS manual reads like a reference book and I feel that treating it as such and not reading it like a novel is the best way to learn it it. Eventually you'll end up reading all of it but depending on what kind of learner you are, you might end up spending a lot of wasted time trying to decipher the CDU or other systems through text when you really aren't ready to absorb the info.

[FreeFall]

Eventually you'll end up reading all of it but depending on what kind of learner you are, you might end up spending a lot of wasted time trying to decipher the CDU or other systems through text when you really aren't ready to absorb the info.

 

Yes. There are tens of pages of CDU stuff only, which info mainly IMHO is not essential for a newbie. Maybe the nav/divert sub-page is an exception.