The Double D's

[+hgbn 91]

 

Must admit your tactics are working. Got this when I was ordered to bomb a PT boat at Vihn. My best DiD mission so far

[+hgbn 91]

I think I'll needs to learn not to play to many missions in one day. I lost focus and lost Bily Fartbag... Did the classic failure. Mission accomplissed RTB. Sat the course home... cycle through F6 key to watch some of the action. Yeah you guessed it. Hit a mountain side hidden in the clouds... Forgot that 5000ft aint enough over the central highlands

[Lt. James Cater 62]

I think I'll needs to learn not to play to many missions in one day. I lost focus and lost Bily Fartbag... Did the classic failure. Mission accomplissed RTB. Sat the course home... cycle through F6 key to watch some of the action. Yeah you guessed it. Hit a mountain side hidden in the clouds... Forgot that 5000ft aint enough over the central highlands

 

Depending on where i'm at,10,000ft is usually the minimum before i relax and look for screen shots.

[vicar 1]

Oh man I'm excited. Can't wait for the first.

 

I've been training day and night. The best I've done yet is almost making it through The War for the Waters (early 1967, IIRC). 6 AA kills with that Israeli Mirage III, almost all of which were from guns (those early missiles were about impossible to hit anything with. Maybe I'll get better. Maybe I won't. Who knows). One thing I did discover, me being brand-spanking new to jet sims (all my time prior to this has been spent in CFS2 and IL-2, and not a whole lot of time at that. I've been gone from the sim scene for about 10 years) and all, you guys probably know this already, but you really start wishing you'd brought along some more friends when it's only the 2 of you in a knife-fight against 4 MiGs, and your wingman can't seem to be able to turn to save his life.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Since doing a tour flying up North is difficult to say the least, i thought i'd share some of my personal intell concerning certain landmarks which can help you in the mission and most importantly, to stay alive.

 

1...SAM knoll-Anyone heading to a target in the Hanoi area WILL encounter SAMs as soon as they are here if they are coming from the west. For those egressing it can act as a shield when evading a 6 o'clock SAM shot but you have to be careful with the terrain.

 

2...The Dogbone-Right up there with SAM knoll as far as SAM activity goes, but hairier to use in avoiding SAMs due to AAA in the area.

 

3...The Clown's Nose-Anyone coming in off the water should avoid this place. SAM is really agressive here. Stay at least 20 miles away.

 

4...3 and a half Isles-Nice place for pre and post strike re-grouping for targets in the Haiphong area. Just keep in mind that half an isle is in range of SAMs.

 

5...3-9 Valley-Best way to hit targets behind the Clown's Nose is to come up over the hills and turn down this valley. Keep alert though, because you can be engaged by the Dogbone SAM site during ingress and egress if you are slightly off in your navigation.

 

6...The Line Of Departure-This river is a reminder that you are now in serious bandit territory. At no point should you relax until you are south of here. Even out over the hills and over the water this river can be seen from altitude. Those flying closer in are now in the big leagues! Take heed or perish.

 

7...The Garden-Not only is wonderful for navigational purposes, but it is the shortest path between the hills and water up North.

 

8...The Arrowhead-The nastiest flak south of Vihn can be found here. Complacency will get you killed due to the remarkably dense light AAA and the alignment of the terrain. Navy pukes can use the area as a convenient marshalling point provided they stay above 5,000ft.

 

BTW the red dots are SAM sites in the stock WOV.

 

I have a few more spots to show but that is all for now. I hope this helps.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Lt. James Cater

[+hgbn 91]

Thanks Lt. Could be very usefull. Looks like most of us are going to Nam for a tour..

 

GOOOOOOOD MOOOORNIIIIING VIETNAM.

 

 

Just a tip.

 

If anyone is going for a strike mission and using HUD and Visual Targeting on Hard. You can press the E key or whatever you have configured it to. Press F8 to look at the target. Then press Ctrl+ F12 to aquire the free view mode. Zoom back a bit and look at the area. Nearest thing to a pre strike intell you can have. And no I dont think this is cheating since we cant have a prober briefing.

 

I usual use this metode underways when I have hit one of the long legs and turned the wing leveler on.

[+EricJ 4,249]

Since doing a tour flying up North is difficult to say the least, i thought i'd share some of my personal intell concerning certain landmarks which can help you in the mission and most importantly, to stay alive.

 

1...SAM knoll-Anyone heading to a target in the Hanoi area WILL encounter SAMs as soon as they are here if they are coming from the west. For those egressing it can act as a shield when evading a 6 o'clock SAM shot but you have to be careful with the terrain.

 

2...The Dogbone-Right up there with SAM knoll as far as SAM activity goes, but hairier to use in avoiding SAMs due to AAA in the area.

 

3...The Clown's Nose-Anyone coming in off the water should avoid this place. SAM is really agressive here. Stay at least 20 miles away.

 

4...3 and a half Isles-Nice place for pre and post strike re-grouping for targets in the Haiphong area. Just keep in mind that half an isle is in range of SAMs.

 

5...3-9 Valley-Best way to hit targets behind the Clown's Nose is to come up over the hills and turn down this valley. Keep alert though, because you can be engaged by the Dogbone SAM site during ingress and egress if you are slightly off in your navigation.

 

6...The Line Of Departure-This river is a reminder that you are now in serious bandit territory. At no point should you relax until you are south of here. Even out over the hills and over the water this river can be seen from altitude. Those flying closer in are now in the big leagues! Take heed or perish.

 

7...The Garden-Not only is wonderful for navigational purposes, but it is the shortest path between the hills and water up North.

 

8...The Arrowhead-The nastiest flak south of Vihn can be found here. Complacency will get you killed due to the remarkably dense light AAA and the alignment of the terrain. Navy pukes can use the area as a convenient marshalling point provided they stay above 5,000ft.

 

BTW the red dots are SAM sites in the stock WOV.

 

I have a few more spots to show but that is all for now. I hope this helps.

 

Nice piece of work Lt. Cater, though usually if I'm visiting Hanoi I go inbetween 1,2, and 5, sort of a NE to E flightpath and then inside the area. Same with egress, seems always my favorite route, and usually if you go nape of the earth you can avoid the SAMs, but may get hit with AAA but if you do it right you won't get hit at all, especially fast and low. Only problem with that is getting Red Air in that pocket, and you're pretty much screwed. Tight area and defenses around you... And the NW corner of the Line of Departure, up to the forest edge (for lack of a better term) allows you to fly in and either take a Bullpup or Maverick shot and allows you to quickly turn around and dive back, allowing the mountain to shield you from any SAM or triple-a, provided of course your target is in range. Plus it's a great egress in itself, head west and head for the mountains if you hit your target. Sure you got the airfield at your South, but overall... it's a great route for infiltration. I admit most of my tactics are more modern focused, and therefore my weaponry tactics vary, but with eburger68 redoing the Bullpups, may be worth a way to get in.

 

Regardless though, excellent post!

 

9. The Finger (as per image below). Simple Eest to West depression just West of The Garden, if you need to skulk in and get a good shot in, say at the PT Dock area, the airbase just North of it, and it's a good radar blind spot from everything North and South of that position. Egressing West allows you to hit the mountains and try to dodge Red Air if you need to, without sticking your nose out in the water. After that you can go to Ubon, and a few others just SW-W of that entrance. Note it's a good solo tactic.

Edited December 14, 2009 by EricJ

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Hey Eric,

 

I've never seen Migs south of Vihn. Good thing to know just in case!

 

The next two are almost exclusively for the Air Force guys flying out of Thailand. For Thud drivers heading Downtown it is required knowledge.

 

10...The Peaks-This is a good place to go before swinging east and heading towards Thud Ridge. Gives you a bit of distance before the Red river to get everyone set up properly so you can get up to speed in case the Migs are active over the valley. Another plus is that it allows you to avoid SAM. Also a nice setup spot for strikes into Yen Bai.

 

11...The Lineup-This area is the moment of truth. It is THE most important spot on the map for Thuds. It puts you in the right place to begin your attack on targets downtown. A full power dive from altitude and away you go. Any Mig Problems are now over seeing as nothing around is going to keep up with a Thud on the deck. Personally, i've made all runs using the east side so i can't comment on the west.

[+EricJ 4,249]

Now that you mention it... not much does go south of Vinh... Though if you go west and attack the NW bases you'll get some MiG/or whatever attention quite a bit.

 

As for the west.. most of it is pretty easy, since most of the defenses are concentrated on the eastern portion of the map (least SAM/AAA-wise). You can run the mountains quite freely, only consideration is MiGs pulling CAP or sweeps. And in foggy weather of course the main concern is possibly running into a mountain.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Just wondering..How many people are practicing by flying combat missions vs those who are not?

 

I'm trying to do it the "purist " way and am just using the Range to check things out and try new weapons and tactics.

[+Cliff7600 1,148]

In my case I'm playing a non-DiD Uk vs France campaign and I die all the time.

I stopped training with combat missions because I was shot (midair colision/landing crash...) too many times.

 

I'm just practising carrier landing, and it's getting better :)

Sometimes a quick unloaded carrier CAP...

 

I like the "purist way" too!

 

Cliff

[MaverickMike 10]

I'm not flying any missions at the moment. Having a break from flying untill the week before we are due to start when I will start training. Although I did go for a spin earlier to check out the new hi red germany tiles. They are amazing. Great work stary...

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Ok, i'm ready to declare my info.

 

Pilot-Miguel (Mike) Perez

 

Campaign-Steel Tiger

 

Aircraft-A1H Skyraider

 

Squadron-602nd SOS

 

Base-Pleiku Air Base

 

Difficulty-Hard. Enemy hard, Campaign length hard, weapons, collision, ammo, fuel hard. All else normal at the moment(still need new gear)

 

MOD(s)-WOV Air And Ground War Expansion Pack, Ejection Mod

 

I know i was all hot to fly Thuds but once i did a couple of check missons in a SPAD i knew i was in for something else.

 

For starters, EVERYONE doing WOV should get the pack mentioned above. The experience is so radically different it is vitually a new sim. The Triple A is incredible now! So good i have to rethink tactics seeing as i got shot down while cruising home at 10,000ft. A situation i would have easily ignored in the past.

 

Many, many salutes to everyone involved in producing that MOD

 

I even have a back story for my pilot!

Edited December 18, 2009 by Lt. James Cater

[MaverickMike 10]

That looks like a good format that we can all use when declaring our pilots etc lt. I agree with you on the expansion packs. They are a must for anyome flying the vietnam games. Takes it to a whole new level. Judging by your quick decision lt you can't wait to get started? :)

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Oh yeah, i can't wait!

 

I've resisted the temptation to do some more combat and so am just on the Range. I've even been working on a new approach to dive bombing seeing as the flak has some real punch now. I'm still thinking about how i'm going to get out of the target area in one piece after weapons release.

 

I've really wanted to fly A1s for a long time and with the new MOD, it's a whole new ball game.

[MaverickMike 10]

Yeah iv flown A1 in the SF2:V version of the expansion pack. Its great flying through the highlands in that machine + i love CAS missions. I already chose my aircraft (F4-B) for the DiD campaign but now you have me questioning whether or not to change my mind

 

Mike

[Lt. James Cater 62]

The way i look at it, having 1965 as a starting date gives the chance for a lot of flying. Well, provided you stay alive.

[+Typhoid 231]

I'd like to suggest modding one rule after some test missions. I think the hard setting on black-out is too hard and somewhat unrealistic for modern aircraft with G-suits. I suggest normal for blackout.

 

Andy

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Just a reminder,

 

It's getting close to the starting date and so time to declare is pretty much at hand.

[xclusiv8 35]

Ill be flying a NF4+ Campaign. Havent decided what wing and country yet tho.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Does anyone else know of anything other than IRfanview? I've found it pretty much impossible to work with. Of 8 times trying for a debrief screen, i've only had a single success.

 

Edit-Please disregard everyone.

 

Got ticked off, went online, got really lucky in use of Google to find XNview.

 

Things are just dandy now after install and three quick tests.

Edited December 24, 2009 by Lt. James Cater

[xclusiv8 35]

Does anyone else know of anything other than IRfanview? I've found it pretty much impossible to work with. Of 8 times trying for a debrief screen, i've only had a single success.

 

Edit-Please disregard everyone.

 

Got ticked off, went online, got really lucky in use of Google to find XNview.

 

Things are just dandy now after install and three quick tests.

 

im using fraps. its snaps pics of everything without any problems :)

[Lt. James Cater 62]

im using fraps. its snaps pics of everything without any problems :)

Thanks for the info.

 

I just needed something to take shots of the debrief screen. IRfanview was such a hassle that i bailed on it. XNview is much handier for that task.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

A few days left to get things together and commit to a course of action!

[MaverickMike 10]

Ok im ready to declare my DiD campaign. (Borrowed your format LT, hope you don't mind)

 

Pilot-Mike (Pyro) Davies

 

Campaign-Rolling Thunder

 

Aircraft-F-4C

 

Squadron-433 TFS 'Satans Angels'

 

Base-Ubon RTAFB

Difficulty - Everything on HARD apart from Campaign difficulty (Normal) Weapon supply LIMITED. I will also be playing with the rule that I cannot change aircraft loadouts until I am a higher rank. I am also only able to use the shark mouth skin for the aircraft if I become an ace so it will act as a sort of prize.....

 

MOD(s)-SF2:V Ground and Air expansion pack gold, ENB series (Falcon's version)

 

Although the pilot uses my own name im currently in the process of thinking up a fictional background story for him. Not to go into to much detail here (I plan on posting a full background story for this pilot before the campaign begins) 2ndLT Mike Davies joins the 433TFS 2 months before their tour of duty begins in December 1965. He is given the callsign 'Pyro'. Many people will relate this callsign to the use of pyrotechnics and explosive materials but it also is a name for an ancient demon. I thought it would be a good idea to give all squadron members callsigns of demon names and the CO callsign as 'Lucifer' (hence the 'Satans Angels')

 

Does anyone know how to get callsings to appear in the roster as they do when you are in a merc campaign? This would bring a bit of realism to the callsigns.

 

Mike

Edited January 1, 2010 by MaverickMike