Rambler 1-1

washing walls because we're selling our house. Armstrong Fair on saturday should be fun, though. And then I'm gonna spend my last day of freedom buying school supplies. woo-hoo.

so maintain a lock I shall!

many happy returns, old timer!

every time I take phoenixes on a mission, I find myself against MiGs, not Tu's. Nonetheless, I get steady 75% accuracy from about 70nm. do you have to maintain a lock in the game, or are the phoenixes fire-and-forget like in real life?

naw, we all know how well copyrighting words and phrases goes. Look what happened to Trump and "you're fired". Besides, I'd rather have "Liberty city 2009" then "Super Grand Theft Auto XVII" or something.

Buying the stairway to heaven, are we?

also try setting your flight model to normal or hard. Or just pretend to be supermanuverable while you blow down MiGs BVR.

well, I upgraded from the A-10A 2.5 to the A-10A early 3.0, and I have to say I love the improvement. Less lag, and a REAL Maverick screen! However, I'd like to do some changes with the HUD. I usually fly late 70's to mid 80's (less SAMs, less lag), and the HUD seems a bit advanced for that era. I really liked the HUD on version 2.5, and I perfected my bombing technique with the fixed AG receptacle. However, the HUD on 3.0 has Lead Computing Gunsight and CCIP, neither of which I really like because it takes the skill, fun and luck out of gunning and low level bombing, respectively. Also, when I turn, the HUD reminds me how careless a pilot I am by dissapearing off the reflector. All this *shudder* automation makes me think I'm turning into another hapless arcader. I'd really like to take the HUD straight from version 2.5 and plunk it in version 3.0, but I'm not sure how to do that, and then I'm afraid that the Maverick targeting system won't work with the HUD. Is there a way that I could either downgrade the 3.0 HUD or add the mav targeting to the 2.5 HUD? Thanks.

Success! All I had to do was go into the Avionics.ini and make the ICCP icon a fixed pipper using the gunsight .tga and then reposition it lower in the HUD. Works like a charm! I suppose the thread wasn't totally necessary, I thought it'd be more complicated then some simple substitutions.

Hooray for trial and error! can't get the old cockpit to work right with the mavs, so I'm going to replace the CCIP with a conventional fixed pipper. I'm just guessing at how to do this, though.

Try THIS in the downloads section. I got a really good IR seeker/lock sound combo from the Operation Tainted Cigar pack in the missions/campaigns section in downloads.

I DIDN'T see the closing ceremony because CTV didn't re-broadcast it at a reasonable hour like they advertised. And as far as I'm concerned, 7AM IS NOT A REASONABLE HOUR! I missed most of it because I was at mass. Fortunately, Radio-Canada showed it in french, but I still missed everything exept for Jackie Chan singing.

Knowing EA, they'll just re-release GTA 4 and call it something like "Liberty City 2009", just like they do with all their other games.

I agree with the sticky request, this would be valuable KB info. Also, that screenshot looks like a piece of sopisticated moderen art, showing a change in perspective. Way cool.

sorry about your vid card, but it's a good thing you backed up your mods! The mod gods will be pleased.

I just saw somebody begin a reputation with their first post. Welcome to CombatAce.

Tried everything, you say? Did you have a priest come in and preform an exorcism? Did you douse it in holy water? I had the same kind of look on the screen when I tried to run fraps, which took wayyy too much ram when combined with SF. Maybe the power outage somehow fried the ram chips on your computer or something in the graphics card...? Just a thought.

Wow. If that's not the essence of dogfighting, I don't know what is.

Tisk tisk. Picking on poor, defenceless scooters with a MiG 21? Hardly a fair match. Nice shots, though.

I always get my MiG in a tomcat, even if there's an 8 to 2 advantage. Knock off two from long range with phoenixes, two from medium range with sparrows and finish the rest with guns and 'winders. And that killer radar sure helps for orienting yourself in a fight that spreads out quickly.

There's been missions that were supposed to be easy and were. There's been missions that were supposed to be easy and were not. There has even been missions that were supposed to be suicide and ended up as milk runs. This mission was none of the aforementioned. It seemed that this mission was created for the sole purpose of killing aviators and losing planes. Fortunately, we were not the ones directly in harm's way. Directly. It was at first just an Air Force mission. A simple exchange of prisoners smack in the middle of this wasteland, surrounded by minefields. Our 23 Parani prisoners were to be flown in on 2 C-130s, to be exchanged for 31 NATO prisoners taken by the enemy. The prisoners would be marched off both planes under heavy guard, and then would march on to the planes to take them back behind their lines. Sounds foolproof. However, both sides agreed on no additional support, aka no fighters for cover and no attack planes for backup. We had other plans, though, and that's where Phantom flight came in. the exchange was taken care of by the Air Force, so the enemy wouldn't be expecting air cover from the navy. Furthermore, Phantom flight's F-14s would be at maximum service ceiling, which, combined with strategically placed jammers, would make us all but undetectable. We were to circle above until we were needed, and if all goes as planned we wouldn't be needed at all. But we knew the enemy, and we knew that if we have a trick up our sleeve, they must have their shirts full. The first thing we learned on this mission was that it would be unbearably long. It called for two refueling stops, one just before our loiter and one after. And with an F-14, two refuelings means a lot of time in the air. The jets were loaded out with four sparrows and 'winders each, along with EFTs, an even with this load, maintaining "48,000 to 50,000 feet" was a real pain. above 45 grand, the cat is a real bear. There were also only two of us, me and Squid in Phantom 1 and Rusty and Tex in Phantom 2. God knows why they cut the other two cats, but we've learned not to ask questions. From angels 50, it's suprising how much radio chatter you can hear. Despite an overcast down at 19,000, we could still tell what was going on down there just from radio quips. "I see the patch" "put 'er down there" "here come the cubs" "if they ram us..." "ok, ok, drop the gates" "s**t, look at those poor bastards..." "Ok, start e'm up. Let's get outa here." "Two's up" After that the chatter stopped for a while, and we were pretty sure that they had gotten off clean. Then, just as we were heading for home... "what's that" "It- it-s not... wha" "Jesus christ!" "Phatom Strike! PHANTOM STRIKE!!!!!!" That was our que. "Rust, I'm rollin' in. Wait 15, then drop in too." "Gotchya." "Phantom flight, we've been jumped! get the f*** down here!" "Ram, I got a fix. roll starboard 30 degrees and then up about 15" "got a lock yet?" Airspeed was rocketing as fast as altitude was plummeting. We were already at mach 2, and it wasn't even in burner, coming through 24,000 "No lock, too many weeds" "s**t! We're hit! We're hit! Herc two took rounds through the cockpit! Pilot's- s**t" Poof, through the overcast, mach 2.6. Sure enough, right ahead of us was a trail of thin smoke and some little camo dots whizzing arond. "Herc 2, engine two out, pilot kiled, copilot's out. I'm taking controll." Jesus. That voice sounds familliar... "Christ, Lunk, Is that you?" "Rambler?" dropping through 6,000, ground coming up faster then I had expected. Mach 2.9 and the cat was shaking apart. "Squid, brace!" "ourfatherwhoartinheavenhallowedbethyname..." "Where the hell are you?" Pulling out of a straight dive, holding 7Gs, 8Gs, ground still coming up fast, GIB praying, Cat shaking "sshiiiiiiittttttt....." We were out of the dive, altitude less then 150 feet above the trees, bolting along at mach 2.4 with one hell of a battle up ahead. It looked like there was 6 MiG.... 23s. Oh boy. "Goddammit, do we have a lock yet?!?!?!" "yeah, I think praying helps" I launched off a sparrow at whatever Squid had locked, and I hoped it wasnt a herc. The sparrow squiffed off in front a lot slower then usual. BOOOM the Mig that got locked couldn't have been 3 miles in front of us, but the FOD came up so fast that I feared for my plane. Then in a flash, it all was past. We had blown through the battle at mach 2.3, and the MiG didn't know what hit him. "Rambler? you copy?" "Lunk. gotchya." "What the hell wa-" I heard a second snic boom over the radio. "What were those?" "Those?" I was pulling up and around maintaining as much speed as I could for another pass. "Yeah, two... things just flashed through, and each one took down a MiG!" "Well, I was the first one." "En I was the second" "Rusty, you got one?" "Yoo bet!" "I'm rolling in again" "Ram, I got a MiG on my six. One engine's out, and he's trying to finish the job." "Tallyho. Rusty, you clear off the other herc." "Will do." I saw Lunk's C-130, it was smoking bad from the port inboard engine, and there was a green and sand camo flogger right behind him, trying to line up. Lunk wasn't making it easy for him, though. I had never seen a herc wiggle like that. "Squid, can you get a lock?" I was coming in behind, closing fast from about four miles. "No, too risky." "How about a 'winder?" Two miles, and I didn't want to waste my speed. "His engine's flaming." Godammit. "Going guns." I popped the binders and slowed to 400 knots, bumping all the way. Then I switched to caged, popped up so I was above him, and fired off a short burst. It flew just in front of him. He must have freaked, 'cause then he lit the burner and tore off the the left, but I rolled in and fired another short burst, which found it's mark and drew a neat line from the tip of the nose to right between the wings. Three down. "Got him, lunk" "It's about time." "Shove it, bus driver." "I got wun! 'winder! woo!" two left. "SHEEE-IT! I'm waxed! Sheet!" "hold him off, rusty, I'm comin'" he was in a turning climb after getting his MiG, and this one had come from below and was popping off shots while rusty jinked. I was coming from the side and selected a 'winder. I got tone and fired two off. The first didn't track, but the second blew just behind the MiG. He had to kick off his attack as I flashed underneath him. Rusty rolled over and got behind him. "Herc 1, Phantom, where are you?" it was the other herc. "I picked u p a MiG, and I took some cannon. Get him off m-" "-me!" I climbed up a bit to find the herc and saw him off to the right, trailing smoke and with a MiG right behind. I put the Cat into zone 5 and flash climbed up, then nosed down to attack from above and behind. "Got a lock" even though we were too close, I fired a sparrow. it went straight down, but the MiG still tore off to break the lock. I switched to 'winders as he lit his burner, and that flogger was no more. "I think that's it" "Ram, we cleared 'em out. That damaged guy pancaked." "Roger. Lunk, how you doing?" "Umm, well, we lost the pilot and copilot, the whole cockpit is full of blood and I'm in dire need of some clean pants, but otherwise, just peachy." "Okay, Phantom flight is bingo. Lunk, just follow the other herc home." "Got it." We didn't make it back to the carrier, but we landed at an AF base and got news that we had a week's leave while some navy guys checked out our Tomcats. I guess that a mach 3 8g pullout was a bit much. I got on a commuter flight the next day to go see my "dead" flight lead in hospital, where he was making a full recovery.

I saw a T-28 make strafing runs on our cabin at a lake in the middle of nowhere, and on his second pass he was so low that I saw his face through the canopy. Then I saw 4 T-6s in fluid-4 formation over the lake. Musta been on their way back from the Abbotsford Airshow, which I missed again because I had to tear up carpet. Blech.

this was weird. I got the Heinkel He-111H-2 from capun's site, in the 3rd party mods section. I believe it was modified by Charles. Anyway, I went off after one in my La-7 (wonderful plane), and I managed to dodge the tail gunner fire long enough to put some shells in the left engine and fuselage. It was kinda fun watching the thing go down, it actually sorta glided down to it's demise, unlike the TW planes which spin like crazy into a firey ball of oblivion. However, when it hit the ground, a bunch of pieces fell off, but it just slid along the ground, and I got no "You gat 'im!" or "Nice Shooting!" over the radio. Furthermore, I could still select it by pressing F6. After I stopped laughing ("I'm not dead yet!" ), I decided to put it on the cart for good by blowing the bajeebers out of it with my three 23mm cannon. However, no matter how many passes I made and how many more parts fell off and how many hits and explosion sounds I got, It still stood there, sliding at about one knot with one foot (or, in this case, the whole foreward fuselage) in the grave. I ran out of ammo and sidled up beside it for a photo ("man, the guys are never gonna believe this!") , and went home. My question is: Is there a .ini tweak to make this thing blow up once it hits the ground? I thought of getting rid of all the armor or making the fuel tanks non-self-sealing. I could just go get a different He-111, but the H-2 is my favorite to shoot at (closest to production form, but not totally helpless).

whoops, sorry. Guess I've been watching too many Jackie Chan movies lately...

I find the easiest plane to get a kill in is the Tomcat, or maybe the F-4S. Half the time I don't even have to engage the the MiGs, just launch off some sparrows or Phoenixes BVR. and, uhhh, is that James Carter, as in James Carter from Rush Hour?