ST0RM

Wow, that is incredible. The ability to interact with a sim like that is just too cool for words. On a side note though, Dang the Ka-50 has a huge amount of switches to activate just to get it powered up. Believe it or not, our KC-135's preflight doesn't involve that many switches. -S

I dont think it's a point of "not being in the proper mindset for simulation gaming", but as you said, the maturity level of some of the people crossing over. I dont have the skill (or time) to do any 3D building so I try and do various skinning, but there are kids nowadays that are learning graphic/digital imaging in school and are quick to learn and contribute. Then there are the ones I mentioned before who come in and expect their favorite aircraft modelled and placed in game tomorrow and are impatient when they dont get the result they want. These are the ones who give the rest a bad name and lead the more seasoned simmers to avoid helping, when repeated pushes toward the README/FAQ/Knowledge Base have fallen on deaf ears. We need more younger simmers to make the jump from console to PC simming in order to keep what few producers we've got left, to keep putting out something new. But at the same time, they need to be willing to learn a few things to keep the sim going. Glad we can chat about this in a civil manner.

Nice idea, but I think it might be lost on all, but the few Phanatics. Knowing what rack went with what bomb/missile combo would be a real PITA without a visual diagram in front of you. While this is probably an obvious question, can you simply hardcode the pylon/rack to the loadout.ini? For example, the AGM-65. You can specify the LAU-88 rail in the loadout.ini and it will use that. Or is there a way to force the pylon/weapons either through the actual weapon station in the data.ini like with the aux fuel tanks? Great work though Mike. Love the passion you show for making the Phantom perfect. -Jeff

WOW! That looks great. Were the Bomarc sites single or in groups in conjunction with a radar globe? Thanks for the update. -S EDIT--- Is the shed enclosure animated to open and close also?

I'm rather partial to the A-to-G turn A-to-A mission. Having to ingress with a butt-ton (yes, this should be a true level of measurement) of bombs and take out a ground target, and after, having to fight your way back out against the enemy CAP. This is true excitement. Knowing when or if to jettison your ordinance, or press through. -S

Any luck with an Adour sound for the Jag? Thanks for the rest of the pack. It's an awesome sense of immersion having various engine sounds. -Storm

Very well thought out reply. Please forgive me in that I've only quoted a portion, in order to address the last part. Unfortunately, it is the inexperienced members who've crossed over from consoles who make it hard on themselves. Most log in and want their questions answered NOW. They dont want to or be directed to read a FAQ/Knowledge Base or to simply do a keyword search, before posting a desperate plea for help because they couldnt get something to work right the first time. They expect the answers to be given to them, instead of working a bit for it. I guess the words I'm searching for would be "proper online etiquette". This is just my opinion based on observations here and over the years on several other boards. It's the same no matter the subject though. It all comes back to the "I want it now" attitude. Scripted consoles games are just for that.

From what I've seen and used of the work produced, this is definitely a plus for the TW sims. Question? Are they going to limit their focus on WWII era aircraft using the TW engine? Or are there plans to branch out and create some modern stuff as well? Helicopters would be great!

You cant, unless you go into each of the ground objects and either delete them or change their mission type. Personnally, I like having a mixed force of tanks, armor assault vehicles or SAMs. Hope this helps you out. -S

Unfortunately Dogfights was killed off by their programming director, who was more interested in keeping up with all of the Reality TV shows. This is why they have shows like Ice Road Truckers and Axemen, plus Monsterquest and many other non-historic shows. Dogfights was pushed to a later timeslot (Midnight or later in some parts of the US) and then cancelled when "ratings did not reflect a large viewing audience". Being a huge fan of the military aviation documentaries, I loved Dogfights. The level of detail with the CGI was incredible. It reminded me of what the TW series could look like in a few years.

Please post your findings. I've noticed the lack of a prox fuse also, but never thought to bother with it. -S

Then the noobs wouldn't have anything to post about.

Had some time to fly it once over Baghdad. Did well A-to-A, but when I snuck in down low to strafe a pesky C2 site, I took some hits. Sorry Bob, but I broke your jet.

You acting as Dungeon Master on this one Dave? I know you've been waiting on DoW2 for a while. Enjoy your time with it. -Jeff

Wow FC! If this works as you hope it does, you've reached another milestone for this sim engine. I wish you luck on your "test flights". -S

Missed it by a day. Happy belated!

Then the Navy would give them an escort to their choice of land bases. And maybe toss over their own shipboard JAG officer.

The Navy uses JP-5 on the carrier, but I dont know if they use it on the land bases also. JP-5 has a higher flash point than our JP-8, making it safer for CV use. Another reason for different colors in the burner flame is the age and type of the engine itself. A P&W engine will look different than a GE. Even amongst the same manufacturer, the individual models will differ. -S

A typical load that I saw were GBU-31 2000lb JDAMs. They make a nice big bang. -S

I'm looking to add the quick take-off ability to the Op DS install. But, if I simply drop in the X_airbase.ini files, it will overwrite the existing files. So does anyone have the text so that I can add it manually to each of the files? I'd also use it on my Germany terrain since I've added the new HAS's and airfield lights (thnx Paul!) and dont want to wreck those either. Thanks in advance.

I watched "Cities of the Underground" today on the History Channel and they were doing a show on San Francisco. One portion highlighted the former Nike-Hercules Nuc SAM sites that were all over the Bay Area. The CGI Nike site they had was pretty sweet. I look forward to seeing your Bomarc done. -S

Article While not a true "Ace", he was the last pilot to get close (3 kills) and most likely the last. I haven't finished the whole thing yet. But what I've gotten through so far, has been a good read. I'm curious about the picture and wonder how it could have been captured/retrieved. -S

They've replaced the Camaro with the new GTO. Nice to see someone knows when to replace some of the older gear. -S

I was given the Red Eagles book for Christmas by my awesome wife and have been reading it nearly every night. Well, for those of us who arent actual fighter pilots (or actively flying fighters anymore) and are interested in learning, it's not a bad way to teach yourself to fight a MiG or fight in a MiG. Will it make you the next Jabara, Cunningham or Ritchie? Probably not, but it will give you a few tips to enhance your virtual flying. So last night, Matt "Supercoupe" McKee and I did a little M/P over Hamachi. We set up in a 1v1 Dogfight using stock WoE w/the Nov 08 patch. At my request, he took the Eagle and I took the Fresco. I explained that I was reading the above mentioned book and wanted to try out all that I had read so far. We both got into the game and were started with a spread of approx. 10 miles, while each being level at 6k. At the merge, Matt went into a hard turn, as did I, knowing this to be an advantage in the MiG-17. Throughout the circle, I quickly got on his 6 and kept the pipper on his jet. Talking to him via phone (CA's Teamspeak server is not working BTW), I explained what I was doing and seeing, and he the same from his end. Keeping the MiG around 300-330kts, I had no trouble tracking the Eagle and called a guns kill, even though I didnt. We again separated to set up for another engagement, but this time I wanted Matt to use the vertical and superior power of the Eagle to keep me from getting a shot. Into the merge and up he went. I tried to climb as well but couldnt keep up. The VK-1F just doesnt have the push and the speed rapidly drained off. Instead of stalling, I rolled onto my back and tried to dive for the deck, hoping to lure the F-15 back into a low sepped turning fight. Having the height advantage, Matt easily picked my silver jet out from the surrounding sky and took the relatively simple guns kill. For our third setup, I asked him to Alt-D to get rid of the visual cheats and use only his radar and Mk.1 eyeballs to pick me up. This proved to be a bit more difficult as I intentionally stayed low and used the ground clutter to hide my jet. Banking it up to allow him a smaller side profile while he was high and keeping the jet in min-burner to keep from producing smoke. I ended up getting him into a turn and as he climbed to regain the advantage, was able to stay close enough to put some 37mm into his jet. A few more fights like this over the next hour or so and we ended the session 2 to 4 in his favor. But we both learned something and validated what guys like Jug, FC, Wags and a few other real-world pilots have been trying to explain. Plus we had a great time! Some key notes to pass along: - Keep the MiG-17 around 300-330kts. Any faster and you increase it's turn radius and negate any advantage you start with. - Against the Fresco, use the vertical and utilize slashing attacks. Boom & Zoom - Be patient. If you have a height advantage, dont be quick to drop in for a shot if it's not right. But if you do, keep your speed up in order to disengage at your leisure. What's next? More MiG flights. I'll probably follow the HAVE program and take the MiG-21F up for a few fights and learn about it. Of course one night in the MiG-17 doesnt make me an expert, so I keep "current" in it also. Hope you've enjoyed reading this, as much as we enjoyed flying it. Storm

Damn! You have to love modern avionics.