UnknownPilot

Or said another way.....

That's a cop-out, and incorrect. Is a beaver's dam not nature? What about a monkee's use of a stick to fish out food or as a weapon? What about a bird's nest (including those made from modern materials, which, admitedly don't work as well, but the point is it's still contruction of something for a purpose)? An animal thought of it, it's natural. As natural as the desire for sex, sleep, or status (heirarchy) - which are all part in parcel of aggression. Thus, the point is, whether it's 2 animals fighting over food, mates, land, or a shiny object, it's nature, it's what life is, and what life does.

Nope, it's the N (USN and USMC). http://www.column5.us/aircraft2.shtml 8th one down. Looking back at it, I don't see either MF logo on it, so perhaps it's not actually MF? If so, my apologies, I was just thinking of all planes from C5's site as being MF (just varying levels, like Silver, Gold, etc).

Great (or is it sick? lol) minds think alike. There is something special about a hot red-head. But then again, that is true for all women really. (Personally I'm partial to red and raven hair, but blondes are nice too) That one on the very bottom LEFT (need to be clear there lol) posted by Dogzero in his comparison thread is simply stunning. I love the dye jobs that are obviously unnatural too -

New for me (the video), thanks for posting it. :)

Yeah, pretty much echoing what daddyairplanes said, I found several in the d/l section when I went looking last. There are also some that come with the game stock. And once you get a few that you like, you can edit them to swap planes. For example, I found a small pack of carrier missions for the F-14. It was set in a different terrain than what I had available, so I edited it, and got it working. Then I copied that mission and swapped in the F-4J so I could run it with either one. The only downside is that they won't be random, since everything will be the same except for the edits you make to it. So you could do a LOT of editing, or just go with the same mission (in a different plane) over and over again. - but at least you get to launch from and trap on a carrier. :)

So far, simply installing the RAFJ, N, and S (early and late) all worked just fine with no edits. However, as I mentioned, they all have the triple drop tank loadout when you get on the runway, even when you don't select any tanks, and they don't drop off when you release them (in fact, if you select the gunpod, you see a drop tank that shoots lol). The 3 Kurnass's I had to edit heavily to get them to work. The ones labeled (in game) as "Kurnass (Early) - TMF", and "Kurnass - TMF" both had to have their 'pit textures copied into the cockpit directory, then I had to relocate the pit to the proper position, but after that was done, they seemed happy (can't remember now if I did anything else for that or not). The 3rd one, which just says "Kurnass" in game (no "- TMF") had no 'pit and no 3D model. I had to copy LODs, and edit inis to get it to show up. Even then it was half sunk into the tarmac (ass down), but I did something to stop that, and don't even remember what it was, but then it was bouncing, so I dug into the KB and found the fix for that as well. Interesting, I had read that Beeline was for B to N, and that J to S was likened to Beeline, but wasn't Beeline, and that the S used the E's slatted wing, but that the leading edge flaps (not slats) on the N were locked in place. The inboard part makes sense, though either way, on the MF N, the leading edge flaps (animated with the flap key) are not fixes at all, inboard or out. So the RAF J is identical... hmm, that should make it easier. Though.... I have to say, it's the only time that I've seen an MF model be more sluggish and brick like than the stocker. I was hoping the RAF one was not as good as the actual USN one. So what about the N then? This right now is my favorite one because it's an absolute beast. Great thrust, and good (not great, but good) handling. It feels like a heavy fighter, rather than a flying-brick-cum-bomber-interceptor. Should it really be so much better than the others?

The only way we will ever stop fighting is by going extinct. Conflict is part of what almost all life forms are. The human animal is still an animal, and it's nature. Nature is not bad. No human can know "better" than nature.

Well, that's ok, not everyone can be cool enough to like it.

You think so? Click and have a look at this <-. That girl you posted has nice legs and a cute butt though (if a bit on the too thin side overall).

Bump and a pic.

In the Kurnass I've seen this light up next to the RADAR. It's not all the time, sometimes it comes on then goes out, other times it never comes on at all. What does it mean and what is it telling me?

Ah, thank you very much. That makes a lot of sense (now hehe). Come to think of it, I think I do miss a lot under those conditions. And I have seen it while in tail chase, and Sparrows are all aspect, so I'm guessing then that it's saying that despite being in range, it's a low chance of a hit due to closure rate. Hmm... I'll have to see the next time that comes up if I can light the burners and speed up (assuming it's possible), and also try holding fire to points when that light is not on and see if that improves my hit rate. Makes me wish that the J was that sophisticated (and also makes me think that the gun's presence on the E is not a limitaiton for it's eyes, or at least not as big a one as Biggus was suggesting). But, maybe I can try to take note of the parameters in the Kurnass and manually watch them in the J to try to duplicate the right conditions. (thinking out lout now... lol)

Found the movie I was thinking of, here it is -

A "combat landing"? Hmm.... neat thought. Only really useful in sims though. Not often that you have to get a plane down in a hurry like that IRL. But in IL2 online you really do need to (and it's become a habit of impatience for me as a result), I typically crab it, pull steep barell rolls, even in some cases, hammer head just before the runway or carrier (go vert, pop the boards, chop throttle, and when speed drops, drop flaps and gear and kick over, then pull out in time to land it). Using a cobra maneuver as a giant-sized speed break for that would be effective. But still not an ACM move. I can't find it now, but am still looking, but I have seen a LOMAC video where this group of Su pilots were using the C-M like some here have mentioned, to effectively fire a missile backwards at a pursuer, and they were getting kills doing it. Naturally, it would be high risk, and if the pursuer has sufficient Avi and AAMs, then he'll be able to launch and split before you could lock and launch yourself doing the C-M. Still awesome to see in a "combat" situation though.

Always good to hear. :) Seems like the Crusader is more of a beast than I realized. Hope I didn't offend by my comments as none was intended, just expressing my feeling and the fact that it wasn't based on any evidence (and that I wasn't making any accusations).

I love the stock F-8s in SF2:V. Of course, I love The Mirage Factory F-8s too.... but they seem so agile and lively... I dunno. I don't know enough about that plane to say one way or the other, just that to me it feels like they may be overmodeled. However, their Kurnass and F-14A seem to be spot on, so the Crusaders are probably as well.

Yeah, as I've said before, I can see the Navy mindset on that issue because, you just about have fuel to launch your missiles and bug out, whether you get 8 kills or 1 (due to duds). Gun kill opportunities would have to present themselves during that time. So you might lose a few, but not too terribly much. HOWEVER.... that still isn't reason to bypass the gun. It looks like the E has it's gun mounted where ther used to be some sort of EO thing or something. I've not heard of any limitations in the E's RADAR vs the J's. Is there? I know that in game there is no difference (which is hardly definitive, I know, just saying). But ya know, even the gun aside... why would they not take the E, and if needed, swap out the gun and RADAR, just to get that wing? The J is a dream compared to the B, however, it still can't hang with the E if you really push it to the max. That's the part that blows my mind. And that is why (I suspect) all foriegn sales have been based on the E, rather than the J. I can't really see a reason for the USN to not do it. I mean, it's still a Phantom, so it's still carrier worthy, right? Didn't the E retain the wing fold as well (don't recall)? I dunno... I really wish they would have taken their own version of the E. Wing aside, I wish I had a gun, but really wouldn't mind that wing either, because to me, the Phantom is a Navy plane, and that's what I prefer to fly when in it. But I'm limited as a result. ***sigh*** lol Oh, in regard to the enemy AI difficulty.... I am out of practice with the B, big time. I tried a few last night and my kill numbers were WAY down, but I was still taking out the 17s. However, there is still something missing. Even when they are high skill levels and make you REALLY work for a kill... that's all they do - fly good defense. They almost never pose a threat of any kind. The only times I've ever been shot down by an enemy plane have been when I've been in the midst of a HUGE furball and trying to stay behind one, waiting for a 'winder lock. Basically like I was dragged and bagged. But without a gun... not much choice there (see? if the J had a gun I could stay faster and BnZ him. hehe). Also got it once in the Tomcat because I was knife fighting with 17s in a big furball, playing their game and beating them at it (and loving it), and suddenly got popped. Even took a pic of the bastage that did it. Naturally if I'm in that speed range then I'm vulnerable. Doesn't generally happen with the Eagle though because I can't get that slow, so I just make high speed passes (and that climb rate makes it much easier to do). ....and I'm rambling again, sorry. lol But yeah... AI that is threatening (not just hard to kill) would really be nice to see.

I carry gunpods on occasion only anymore. It's part of my fangs out mind-set. I don't like to leave anything left alive or miss kill opportunities. lol But that aside.... If internal fuel weight is calculated constantly, then that is a very good thing to hear. I have noticed that empty drop tanks feel very much like full drop tanks, and that's a bit disconcerting. The Phantom is so thirsty, I try to get as much combat in as possible WITH drop tanks, just so that I can have enough to make it home (when flying campaigns I don't use Alt-N). I use mostly hard settings. I have read here that AI on hard actually just dumbs down friendly. It might increase the chances of enemy aces, but it's not worth it because friendlies are too stupid as it is and get killed too often or harm mission goals (when they are often needed and for true immersion they should be worth a damn). Also, my PC is so old and slow that combined with TW's stubborn mind-set on distance visuals, the weakness in the limitation MUST be compensated for SOMEhow in order to increase immersion and realism. Ditto for HUD. I have edited the ini file to eliminate the floating radar, and had set the box to a much smaller size and the cones to near zero, however I basically only fly with all that stuff turned off (via Alt-D) - I leave the setting for friends who play on my machine. I do stay in the pit for combat to increase immersion, but I also use padlock for that very reason as well. I wish padlock behaved like it does in IL2, but then, I wish distance visuals and icons behaved that way too as that is ideal for dealing with interface limitations. But, it is what it is, and since IRL stuff would be visible where it is NOT in game, I am forced to rely on padlock to compensate for the interface and bring me closer to a realistic experience. (Plus I don't have Track IR anyway - don't care for it, and one can argue against that as far as realism anyway, so let's not go there) Yes, snap-shots in crowded skies are nice. Also, there are frequent instances where you're angling with one for a missile shot and find yourself in prime gun territory. Not quite a snap shot, but not quite a sniping either. Those are when I curse not having a gun if I went without. Honestly, my biggest challenge is missiles exploding early for no apparent reason or going dumb. That happens a crazy amount, especially with the early/mid 60s stuff. If the missiles worked like they should, a gun wouldn't matter, but then... they wouldn't have made the gun pods or put one on the E in that case either. lol (not complaining about the modeling, just griping the way the actual pilots did, and for the same reason is all hehe)

SE, what settings are you using? I'm looking for more challenge against any MiG. Currently, I can take down 17s with a gunpod and drop tanks strapped on a J. That is not bragging, it's more frustration than anything else. 21s are tricky, but even they aren't untouchable in a J. I do agree about the turn rate of the E vs J however. The E is the superior Phantom. The Kurnass (from the Mirage Factory) rocks as well. However, one thing I've noticed with all Phantoms (indeed, all SF planes) - drop tanks, even when empty, affect the FM as if they were full. Anyone else notice this? Once you clean up any of the Phantoms, they transform. Even the J becomes a sweet plane and feels like a fighter. And the lack of gun isn't too bad either because the bloody thing is so thirsty, you just about have time to get 8 good to decent missile shots anyway, and then need to bug out if you want to avoid swimming back to the boat. Harry, what you are seeing is induced drag caused by the high alpha from you pulling so hard. Increased AoA means increased drag (to go with the lift), and that drag hauls down this already draggy plane even more, as your speed drops, so does/will your turn rate. Also, remember that there is a difference between rate and radius. By turning wider you maintain a higher speed and as such, higher rate. Not all planes are like that, some planes turn faster while going slower - like the Zero. So it comes down to knowing the type of aircraft you have under you. The Phantom is one that will get a better rate with a larger radius. And as so many others have said, get high, get fast - yo-yo when they turn hard or cut across you, separate and use your missiles and radar to your advantage, and never slow down (if you can avoid it). If they end up on your 6 and you aren't going too slow, you can light the burners and go into a vertical barrel roll, that always bleeds them dry and stall them out, then you can ride it out and drop down on them (might be dangerous in the MF Phantoms though, the Kurnass as bitten me a few times trying that). All of this amplifies with the more weight you have slung underneath - tanks, guns, bombs, even missiles. That's something else to play with, mess around with a clean one vs loaded, and various loaded states. The 10 mile advice is good, however the problem is, that really works best (or perhaps at all), when you are either "cheating" (with the target icons on), or are all alone in enemy skies. Because just a couple miles out and you totally lose sight, then have no real way of knowing who you locked onto (even if you use padlock without the icons and know that you are far away and pointed at them, you still don't know if the locked target is a friendly or enemy if you have a furball going on). Would recommend using the latest and greatest AIM-9s you can get your hands on in any given mission, and don't be afraid to bug out with few kills. Sure, with a gun, and depending on the target richness of the environment and missile accuracy, I might come back with 6 to 8 kills, but how realistic is that? In the last F-4 Navy campaign I ran, flying the B mind you (against 17s and 19s), I stopped carrying the gun-pod, because my kill score was out of control and I wanted to go with a more authentic experience. Of course I cursed not having a gun MANY times, but it's all good, just meant a more reasonable kill tally. lol

Cool. Thanks guys! :) Fubar, when you say "relative position", you mean on the proverbial clock, right? So that means that there is no way of determining distance of a radar that is painting or has locked on to you?

I don't mean to drag the thread off-topic, but I have a related question. How do you "read" the RWR? I know that the center is you, and a line going out from center is the direction of the RADAR source, but what does the length mean? I've searched this question here, but haven't found any answers. I'm just wondering if it could be in a manner similar to the ground map RADAR for tracking down targets (in this case, enemy ground RADAR stations, guns, SAM sites, etc). A couple of times I've gotten painted, turned so that the line was at 12 o clock, and fired a Shrike and it never tracked, for all I know I could have been way too far away (or on top of it and it just went dud).

Holy crap Sundowner! If you scroll your windo so that you cut off the bottom (outter-most) part of the right wing (and block out the clouds and terrain with it), and especially if you just casually glance at it, you could mistake that pic for an actual photo. When I refreshed the page, that is exactly what I saw, and had to do a tripple take and scroll down to see that it was an SF2 screenie.