streakeagle

Along with Falcon 4.0, this was a precursor to what DCS World is now. I periodically fired it up to enjoy the complexity/realism. But I never took to the Super Hornet. The Blue Angels were flying the F/A-18A and later F/A-18C "legacy" Hornets. Interestingly enough, just as the legacy Hornets were being retired, DCS World added the F/A-18C rather than the far more contemporary F/A-18E Super Hornet. The irony of the old sim modeling the future while the new sim models the past. I was running Windows 98SE on an intel Pentium 3 Tualatin 1.2 GHz with PC133 RAM (512/1024 MB?) and a Voodoo 5500 gpu, later an ATi Radeon 8500 128MB. Of course I downloaded and installed all of the mods that kept it going for years even though I rarely played it. "Team Super Hornet" kept Jane's F/A-18 going for many years with resolution/graphics fixes and extra features -- I seem to remember them adding a flyable F-14 at one point. The only thing holding Jane's F/A-18 back was the fact that the source code was never released, which was the key to Falcon 4.0's longevity. So, Jane's F/A-18 is relegated to being almost unplayable on modern hardware and even if working 100% correctly, it looks dated while Falcon 4.0 is still getting major updates from the BMS freeware team while the new Microprose prepares to release Falcon 5.0. DCS World provides the absolute best F/A-18C experience possible, especially if you have the Super Carrier module with realistic flight deck crew. But it isn't a Super Hornet. For now, the best option is the VRS Superbug for Prepar3d, which cannot match the combat experience of the old Jane's F/A-18 much less the DCS World experience. I still have my Jane's F/A-18 install CD and keyboard map, but it has been quite a few years since I last installed and played it.

AMDs Adrenaline software also supports recording and streaming. I have used both nVidia and AMD to record/stream. There are parameters you can adjust to trade off between image quality/frame rate and file size/performance hit.

SF2 is codes for TrackIR, so any head/eye tracking system that can hook into TrackIR games will work. At only point, the payware app, VorpX, allowed VR to work with SF2. CAStarry had made a profile that worked for several years. But VorpX is constantly updated and around 2020 a patch broke the profile CA Starry had developed. I haven't ever got it working again.

M1's sent to Ukraine had their advanced armor plates removed to prevent capture by the Russians, not unlike export T-72's sent to the middle east that didn't have their advanced laminate armor plates installed, which allowed M60A1 tanks to 1-hole them with 105mm at maximum range.

Did you find and apply the BDG MiG Alley 0.85 patch that improves the stability and supports TrackIR? I was disappointed when they never upgraded/re-released MiG Alley the way they did Battle of Britain. I don't have many mods, just the patches and a couple of basic skins: F-86_Generic_BWStripes, F-86_Generic_YellowStripes, and "The Huff".

That looks great! You are always pushing the limits.

It is a shame that the Strike Fighters 2 series cannot easily be adapted to VR. Due to its older game engine designed for much slower PCs, it runs smooth as glass in VR, which can't be said of MSFS or DCS World. If the interior cockpits were fully modeled for 360 degree views and SF2 natively supported OpenXR, it would be a great VR sim.

Ironic that the master thief didn't want anyone stealing property that he had stolen. He didn't want anyone posting screenshots that he didn't approve of. He accused Third Wire/TK of trying to intentionally sabotage his project with the changes TK made to SF2. The goal of accurately recreating the history of Vietnam was great. His execution of that goal is not a legacy I would want to honor in any way. I respect his service to the country as a fighter pilot who risked his life in combat. But that doesn't pardon his behavior in this community.

Great information. This entire thread was quite the learning experience.

"Sonic boom buster" is an aerospike. Still curious why it is only seen on this one variant. Maybe they were trying out a new idea. Or compared to earlier designs, the AIM-4F needed a drag reduction to reach performance goals?

I would agree that looks plausible. In the other examples, the shape of the cone is very flat or blunt requiring a fairly long spike. Maybe the AIM-4 was sufficiently aerodynamic that it only needed a relatively short one to get the desired drag reduction? My question would be why only this version of the AIM-4? It seems the aerospike concept was first utilized in the 1970s, a bit before the AIM-4F's time. I would bet that even though it may not have been intended to be an aerospike, that it certainly acted like one.

AIM-4F has two claimed improvements: better SARH guidance and better ECCM. The nose probe is probably an antenna involved with one of those two improvements. But I can't find any documents online that go into any real detail on the AIM-4 series of missiles.

What year does the base (fictional map) SF2 install stop? Did a quick install. Base SF2 stops at F-4D_75 and F-4E_75, both of which are the latest year variants included.

Great work!