streakeagle

I am in the process of developing a MiG-21bis combat range similar to the online multiplayer mission I enjoyed so much for the F-86F. For several weeks, I have been trying to get the waypoints and commands correct for B-52s to take off, form up, and carpet bomb an air base. I now have 6 B-52s take off from the same base, climb to 30,000 feet and cruising at 450 knots with one 3-plane "vee" trailing another 3-plane "vee". When the AI doesn't act up, they drop all their bombs at almost the same time and blow the hell out of the runway, taxiway, and ramp from one end of the base to the other. So, now my MiG-21bis targets are ready... I go up as fast as I can from a cold ramp start. I intercept the lead formation just as they are hitting their peak altitude and formed into a "vee". I take the formation leader out with 2xSARH AA-2C Atoll. I take his right wingman with 2xIRM AA-2D Atoll. I run down his left wingman and take him down with the 23mm cannon. Despite having little ammo left, I catch the second "vee" before they have reached their target. I close to point blank and the AI has two B-52s crossing in front of me. I score hits on both and kill one of them. I am now out of ammo. With a little more patience/practice, I would not have spent as much ammo on the first gun kill and might have been able to kill the remaining two B-52s. Lessons learned: 1. Late model Atolls are quite effective in DCS World. 2. It usually takes at least two Atolls to down a B-52 between the small warhead and decoys. 2. B-52s are extremely vulnerable to gunfire, especially when the wings and belly are loaded with Mk82 bombs. 3. Without tail guns, the B-52s cannot repel gun attacks -- they are sitting ducks for cannon armed supersonic fighters. 4. The DCS MiG-21bis eats B-52s for breakfast as the original MiG-21 design was intended. I want to add a lot more things to this mission besides B-52s on a short range carpet bombing run. When I am done, there should be as many things to do as the F-86 Combat Range: 1. Fighter intercepts of escorted bombers. 2. Fighter sweeps leading to pure dogfights. 3. Ground attacks against armor. 4. Helo attack and rescue/transport missions. I intend to provide assets for players to play on both sides. Blue flyable fighters will include a pair of F-15Cs, but mostly F-86s. Red flyable fighters will include a pair of Su-27s, but mostly MiG-21bis. But given the time it took me to figure out how to get the AI to behave half decently with B-52 formations, it might be awhile before I try hosting anything publicly.

Unforgettable movies from my childhood that I have now shared with my son :)

Took the F-15C for a spin... dogfight 1xF-15C vs 4xMiG-21bis guns only... F-15C feels the same as it did since PFM was added. AI MiG-21bis has been detuned a bit: as easy or easier to get behind as any other AI MiG/Su and you don't have to empty your ammo to get a kill. MiG-21bis now blow up with a short burst on the right spot as they should. Tips on the F-15C with PFM: the wing doesn't have high-lift leading edge devices, so to keep lift-to-drag efficient, keep speed at 450 knots or higher. It will dogfight just fine down at the lower speeds, but per reality, it starts to buffet and struggle at high AoA. I regularly drop down to 250 knots or less to avoid overshoots, but at that speed, the F-15C is supposed to be using flaps and lining up for a landing, not trying to precisely point the nose at a target. I also did an AMRAAM shot against a MiG-23 and the AMRAAM behaved flawlessly up high against a head on target. I can't really say I observed any changes in my F-15C experience.

If an artist has the legal rights to their work, why should they hand it out for free when they can make a decent profit? It doesn't matter what we think should be legal or illegal, all that matters are the laws on the books at the moment. Apparently, VEAO's intent for future use needs legal consent (whether DCS needs it or not), so they followed their understanding of the law. The only suggestion I have for DCS third parties is that if they feel they need a legal license, they should secure those before planning and posting their development/release list or spending even one man hour on the project at all. I am concerned, because if they won't license the A-4 for a reasonable price, where does that leave the F-4? Yet the F/A-18C is definitely being done by ED. We don't know the legal details, so we can't really know why the A-4 is too expensive but the F-15C and F/A-18 are are not.

I haven't flown the F-15C much since the F-86 came out and almost not at all since the MiG-21bis came out, so I don't know if the PFM changed over the last couple of patches. I flew it a lot from the time the PFM came out until the F-86 arrived and generally loved the feel. The AI MiG-21bis of that time frame unrealistically gave me more trouble in a dogfight than the MiG-29 or Su-27, though I think that was as much because the MiG-29 and Su-27 are undermodeled (more like underflown by AI since I can easily beat the F-15C when I fly those planes). If I try to fly the F-15C now, it has been so long since I have time on it, that I would only be able to notice a big/obvious difference.

From this thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=125860&page=23 I remember when licensing issues hit IL-2 and Strike Fighters Project 1. How can the F-15C Eagle be available to DCS, FSX, etc. and not the much older A-4 Skyhawk? Presumably, others did not ask to license, but VEAO did... and got burned by the negotiated price. How many DCS projects will ultimately be affected by this? I find it depressing... Both for the loss of the ever so great A-4 Skyhawk and any other future aircraft that will be lost to licensing issues.

Talk about work horses!

I used to cold start the A-10C, but I haven't flown it in so long for a few reasons: 1) I have to change my stick setup to fly it since I don't normally use the Warthog stick, only the throttle. Using the Warthog stick is an absolute must to have all the functions of the real A-10C at your fingertips. My F-4 Phantom B-8 stick doesn't have nearly enough buttons or thumb hats. 2) There are a lot more aircraft available now that I would much rather fly and fight. From the arrival of the UH-1 and F-15C flight model, my flight time in the A-10C fell to zero. Add the Mi-8, Fw190, F-86, and MiG-21... never have to fly a modern plane again and won't get bored.

Real men fly the A-10A :) Tape a map to your knee, stay below a hard deck of 500 feet on the way to the target, and arm the gun!

What kind of DCS multiplayer would you like to do? I am open to suggestions. I like flying the UH-1 whether as a rescue/transport type mission or a ground attack as long as the opposition isn't too lethal. I was just starting to learn the Mi-8 for combat when the Fw190 and F-86 popped up and distracted me. F-86 co-op against AI MiG-15bis or F-86 vs F-86 is great fun if you can get 2-4 guys flying at the same time. I should start flying P-51 and Fw190 online, but I am scared to see the results despite doing very well in the F-86 against live players.

The problem I have with playing online is finding a server (or providing one) that attracts a group of people with similar interests that play well together in co-op and/or team vs team. The F-86 server was great while it lasted, but the arrival of the MiG-21bis terminated the F-86 server and the crowd that was drawn to it. I found a cool MiG-21bis online mission with players vs. B-52s and F-4s in a desperate cold war intercept situation, but the host rarely if ever has it up. I have extracted both the MiG-21bis and F-86 missions for offline use, but feel uncomfortable hosting someone else's work. In fact, the F-86 host was shocked to hear that I had easily been able to replicate his mission and host it on a night when his server was down. So, now I am trying to make some missions I can try hosting that are comparable, but unique. If I had a historical Korea or Vietnam map, the task would be easy. But choosing red and blue side bases and "storylines" in a purely fictional Georgia map situation requires too much creativity on my part. I don't want to build a "world", I just want to fly immersive/believable missions similar to the servers I already experienced without wasting a lot of time testing out the timing of the waypoints, force balance, etc. In the mean time, the only server that appeals to me is the one popular WW2 P-51D vs Fw190D9 mission. But, having spent so much time on the MiG-21bis in recent weeks, I have already lost too much proficiency in the Mustang and never got beyond just hosing the Mustang AI with the Dora. The F-86 remains the best/easiest module to operate in full realism and enjoy dogfights without having to spend tons of time maintaining proficiency. The only thing that has suffered with all my time flying the MiG-21bis is gunnery accuracy. If I could build a viable server mission that allowed players to fly MiG-21bis vs F-86F, that would be pretty cool. More or less the same as F-4 vs MiG-17, but with the option to carry AIM-9B's on the F-86F. But a more historically correct server would be lots of player and AI MiG-21bis vs a handful of player and AI F-15C with limits on the missiles to AIM-7F and AIM-9P to keep the F-15C's from stomping the MiG-21s (essentially filling in for early F-15A that had AIM-7F and AIM-9Js). I hope the MiG-15bis comes out soon and is modeled in a way that is both realistic and competitive with the F-86F. Until a more historically correct opponent is available for the MiG-21bis, I would fly F-86F vs MiG-15bis for most if not all of my online time and choose whichever side is undermanned. In the mean time, I should probably fly a lot of P-51 and/or Fw190 and fly with those guys every night to sharpen my player vs player skill, which is quite a bit different from fighting AI.

SF2.fcf for Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS View File With this profile running, you will have to configure the SF2 in-game snap views (or other functions according to your preference) to the gray primary POV hat (trim switch) on the Warthog joystick to function as intended. Otherwise it will serve no purpose. This is a fairly complex profile that uses almost every switch available and some switches have "shifted" modes according to the gray rocker switch just above the red thumb switch on the throttle. Submitter streakeagle Submitted 10/19/2014 Category Joystick Config Files

Less of a "chat", more like sign language with physical contact. Gunshots to the knee caps would be a great start. Though a simple police baton or baseball bat would be an effective tool for communicating with this guy.

You have to understand... I have been playing DCS for weeks with little or no SF2. But I have flown SFP1 since the Walmart release. Returning to the SF2 unslatted early F-4E is like heaven to me. The F-4E in SF2 has a great feel to its flight model... as good as the DCS MiG-21bis IMHO. TK could compete with DCS if he could afford to put just a little more polish into SF2. I love flying the MiG-21, especially the DCS:MiG-21bis, but I love killing them with F-4's even more :)

While I really want a Vietnam era F-4 or even an F-8 or F-105, they have no contemporaries to fight. The MiG-21bis is the wrong aircraft for a Vietnam era fight. The slatted F-4E is the perfect contemporary for the MiG-21bis, but given the complexity of its radar and two seats, a Mirage III/Kfir or F-5E are much more practical. If any aircraft fought MiG-21s as much a F-4s and F-15s, it was the Mirage III's flying for Israel.

Of course I would love to have the F-4E, but the MiG-21bis is an adequate substitute. Here is a video of another kill I made last night:

I have the track file, which I could record and upload. It was too late to even post a screenshot last night. Paid for lack of sleep at work, but well worth it! Been waiting for this addon for quite a long time.

I spent some time getting my stick and throttle mapped. I tried a takeoff and a little flying... Then I jumped into the instant action Dogfight: guns only vs an F-4E Phantom. It only took a few flights to figure out how to get my nose around on the F-4 in a way that set up a classic 6 o'clock gunshot. Took a few more flights to get a feel for the lead angle I would need as the gyro sight isn't as useful as US gunsights on the P-51D and F-86F. Squared up and fired two small bursts. F-4 went down in flames. So far, the MiG-21bis is everything I hoped it would be. It is going to take awhile to get all the clickable switch locations and/or key mappings down. My F-4 B-8 grip is perfect for modeling the MiG-21 stick... just missing the wheel brakes paddle (using the left throttle stick on the Warthog Throttle). The Target software allows a decent way to model the landing gear lever and lock operation as well as the 3-position flaps. Clearly, with so many toggle switches, it would be better if I built my own MiG-21 control panels!

F-86 vs F-86 is great fun, with 3:1 odds even more fun. Love this plane and real people instead of AI.

I am not really excited by this map. I pretty much want the same maps that SF2 has: Vietnam, Israel, and Cold War NATO vs Warsaw Pact Europe, plus Korea... although what I really want is a globe that gets filled in as the different maps are released. I am guaranteed to buy the map for variety and general support of ED the same way that I bought everything TK/Third Wire released. Given the current plane set... Korea for the F-86F vs MiG-15bis, though a Vietnam terrain for the UH-1H would be sweet, too! MiG-21bis would thrive best in a Syria vs Israel (F-15C as stand-in for F-15A) setup, though quite applicable to many theaters with late MiG-21 owners.

I will reserve my excitement for the moment I am in the air with gear retracted on my own PC. For now, I remain dedicated to the F-86F.

If you are going to find anyone flying SFP1/WoX online at all, start with Hyperlobby, the only place to find such people. There was a very small core group that was there for years. Just a year or two ago I was trying to get back together with them. Hyperlobby is just a meeting place. They ultimately fly using Hamachi if they are still flying at all. So hang out in the Wings Over Vietnam lobby or Strike Fighters lobby during all hours, and maybe you will see someone, if you are lucky. If you never see anyone within a week, there is no one left to fly online.

After their recent announcements, if 2.0, Edge, and the MiG-21bis don't make it by the end of the year, there will be big problems among many if not most of the current DCS community. I could spend 2 to 4 years just enjoying the game in its present state, so I might be a bit more patient than some. But I will be strongly disappointed if the MiG-21bis misses yet another release date. I like the World War 2 aircraft, but I don't really want them. Give me the Strike Fighters plane set or other mainstream aircraft from that generation in DCS if you want my continued support (F-5E would be a great complement to the MiG-21bis!). In the mean time, I am going to keep flying the F-86F awaiting the MiG-15bis for great historical player-vs-player jet dogfights.

Aside from a clickable cockpit with more detailed radar operation, SF2 captures everything up to the F-15A exceptionally well. No other sim will let you fly anything from the Wright Flyer to the F-14/F-15/F-16 in a comprehensive combat environment. Until aircraft start having search radars with displays and knobs, SF2 isn't really lite. Very little has changed between me flying F-86 vs MiG-15 dogfights in SF2 KAW mod and DCS other than I have the option to do a full cold start and can break my engine. The flight models are different. I presume Belsimtek's model to be better, but haven't done any studies of my own to prove it one way or the other. The transonic region matters a lot with jets, and SF2 doesn't normally handle that well unless a very high resolution FM data ini is created and populated with good data. I would like to see a current or past F-86 pilot's opinion of the DCS F-86. P-51D pilots love the DCS P-51D, very few complaints and lots of complements of how well it mimics the things they experience at the edge of the envelope while performing air shows. I hope the F-86 is just as detailed/accurate.