Building a F-5E Install...

[Tappedops 18]

As you guys know im a noob... im putting together a F-5 install--- with probably the Early Versions pack, but im not sure what Nam campaign would be the best insert...can you guys give me some ideas here---I know how to insert ships into camps, so that's a plus...any comments please--Thanks Pilots..

[Tappedops 18]

Well..i just stuffed the "Tiger" into the first camp Burnsands...and ill tell ya---this puppy turns-n-burns and takes names bigtime...

 

This addon ship is a must-fly for Nam pilots (F-5 Early Versions Pack) ---kind of a missing piece in the VN disk...the pit is a gem, and the FM is true-blue MF perfection...

[Tappedops 18]

Well after logging a number of Tomcat camps I can tell you the 5 can more than hold its own up against it---the docs ive seen say yes ...fine, but the MF F-5 model more than equals, and in some instances surpasses the  (MF)Cat in battle...much as I love the Cat, I feel safer in the 5 even if im down to guns and dogging 4 my life.... comments?

[Caesar 305]

All a matter of personal preference.  I'd prefer the F-14B or D over any other aircraft in the series for dogfighting, bar none.  Long range, I generally do as well, until you get into 5th gen fighters; then there's no contest at long range.  Can't shoot what you can't see!  That's where the F-22 is just ridiculous.  Other folks here can fly the snot out of an F-4, or a Mirage III, EricJ's common mount was the Super Hornet; haven't seen him around much lately, though.  So, if you feel the F-5 is your mount for dogfighting, great!  You might also try the Viper or Hornet pack.

 

One thing to note that the community is generally aware of: the AI does NOT handle big fighters well at all at visual range.  Airplanes such as the F-14, F-15, Su-27 and the like aren't the most challenging opponents in a dogfight.  We made a set of AI F-14s for the next patch which have limiters on them, and they handle a lot better in the hands of the AI.  They're still not super challenging, but they survive a heck of a lot longer than before, that's for certain!

[Tappedops 18]

Thanks for chiming in Caesar...and no, I didn't mean to bait the Cat pilots...(well, sort of...)... I think a lot of pilots wrote off the 5 because of its stock FM---the MF model is a totally different rig IMHO...don't get me wrong---I love the cat and its brawlability (is that a word) its just got that special something...which ive also found in the 5...I think that's what makes SF2 so cool...so now all I need is a wingie who flies as well as you Caesar... can you hook me up?

[Caesar 305]

I was pretty impressed with the new F-5 myself.  I flew it against the F-14, 15, 16, and I think 18 and posted the results in the DACT thread.  Very capable little bird.  I recall what made the old F-5 kind of "meh" in dogfighting in the past (when controlled by the AI) was that one of the patches kind of broke it during defense.  If you got on its six, especially at slow speed, it would start this "pitch/push" porpoising motion.  What was happening (you could see it if you turned the debug on) was that it was pulling hard in a defensive break, running into its stall limit, and unloading for stall recovery.  It would then immediately pull back to the limit, and unload, then pull back to the limit, etc. making itself an easy target.  The new F-5 doesn't do that, and I want to say there had been FM updates in the past to fix that problem on the old model, but I can't remember for certain.

 

For the AI, you're never going to have player-like skills.  Different patches had better AI, the current one is kind of "dumb" because people complained they were getting killed too easily in some of the former patches.  That being said, if you want to test out an F-14 with a limiter on it for AI, here's what you can do:

 

Copy the desired F-14 folder and add _AI to the file.  E.g. if you want to make an AI F-14D_96, copy F-14D_96 and rename the folder F-14D_96_AI.

 

Using the same example, open the new folder and rename the F-14D_96.ini to F-14D_96_AI.ini.  Open the .ini and change the aircraft name to differentiate it from the player F-14.  In this case your AircraftFullName= becomes:

 

AircraftFullName=F-14D Super Tomcat (96-AI)

 

Save.  Now open F-14D_96_DATA.ini.  Under [Fuselage], in the SystemName[] section, add the following entry:

 

SystemName[030]=CAT1_G_Limiter

 

Then, below the last [RightStab] (just a convenient place to put it) entry, add:

 

[CAT1_G_Limiter]

SystemType=HIGHLIFT_DEVICE

DeploymentMethod=AUTOMATIC_G_loading

CLiftdc=-2.7500

CDdc=0.0

Cmdc=-0.350

AreaRatio=2.000

SmoothDeployment=TRUE

Setting[1].Angle=45.0

Setting[1].DeployValue=7.33

Setting[1].RetractValue=7.25

MaxDeflection=20.0

MinDeflection=0.0

ControlRate=5.0

ModelNodeName=Internal

 

Save.  Now you have limited the AI to a maximum 7.33g turn, which will prevent it from pissing away all of its energy right at the merge.  If the AI gets slow, it can still perform high-alpha maneuvers, since this is a "g" based limiter, not an "alpha" based limiter.  This makes the plane much more survivable.  (Think it was Fubar512 who figured out this limiter.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

[Tappedops 18]

Cool Caesar...I knew in the right hands it would shine...what page is your report in the DACT?

[Caesar 305]

Took me a moment to find it: Page 51.  Have the report for F-5E vs F-4E, F-5E vs F-14A, F-14A vs F-5E, then a little further down the page, F-14D vs F-5E, followed by F-5E vs F-15C (79) and vice-versa, vs F-16C blk 30 and vice-versa.  I did not fly it against the F/A-18.

[Tappedops 18]

Copy...

[Tappedops 18]

Pretty good overview doc... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMhByYUPfYA

[KJakker 910]

Tappedops, you should read this thread... A Soviet test pilot F-5E evaluation.

[Tappedops 18]

Thanks KJakker, for the nice read, and not to sound stupid but it went right over my head cause im not sure of a whole heck of a lot of things that you guys already know...

 

First..i read some background arts about why we used the F-5 in Nam---but whats the truth?

 

Second... how does your read relate to my first question...sorry to noob out on you...