MigBuster

Don't know I guess I could try closing one eye. Basically in the one I have Rift S you get a little monitor for each eye in the scuba mask with separate images......termed stereoscopic vision maybe. https://immersionvr.co.uk/blog/monoscopic-vs-stereoscopic-360-vr/

Yes....have been using TiR since TiR 3 Takes a while to get used to but once you do the ability to look around with your head opens up more of the 3D world especially regarding dogfighting. Have not used any other head trackers like this (I have VR as well) Tip with TiR best to place the sensor so it doesn't look direct at windows (even then you need thick curtains or blackouts in some cases)

We are pleased to announce that DCS: Supercarrier is available for pre- order with great savings! Pre-order DCS: Supercarrier and save 30% off the $49.99 retail value. Owners of DCS: F/A-18C Hornet will receive an additional 20% off, for a total savings of 50%. This is on top of ED Miles, you may apply. The pre-order and savings are only available from the DCS World e-Shop. DCS: Supercarrier includes: Highly detailed and animated Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Abraham Lincoln, and the USS George Washington. While in early access, additional ships of the sub-class will be added Fully modeled sensors and weapon systems Interactive carrier radio communications that include CASE I, CASE II, and CASE III flight operations that range from daylight/good weather landings to night-time/foul weather operations Animated deck crew to launch aircraft from all four catapults Numerous deck starting locations for aircraft in multiplayer New static objects for the Supercarrier that includes static deck crew and support equipment The DCS: Supercarrier module also includes the Russian Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and the Su-33 Flanker D fighter. The Lunar New Year Sale Starting today, you can save up to 50% on most DCS World modules until January 27th. We will also be taking part in Steam’s Lunar New Year Sale; check Steam for the Lunar Sale start date and duration. The DCS World e-Shop will also feature the Naval Warfare bundle for just $64.99 that includes DCS: F/A-18C and DCS: Supercarrier (Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the Su-33). Head over to our E-shop to save on most of our library of aircraft, terrain and campaigns: Open Beta Update This week saw our first update since the holiday break, and the team jumped right back into action. Here are some of the highlights: WIP version of the AI short-range missile Scud-B launcher Many DCS: F-16C fixes that include INS adjustments Numerous fixes for the DCS: F/A-18C and other ED modules 3rd Party fixes for DCS: JF-17, DCS: AJS-37, and campaign fixes You can read the entire changelog here. As always, thank you all for your continued support! The ED Team

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.34 U2 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.34 U2 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U2 is an incremental update on top of 4.34 base + U1, so you need to have the BMS 4.34 Full Installer package and Update 1 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.34 base + U1 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.34 base + U1 + U2 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. NOTES: — The build number string in the Falcon UI will read "4.34.2 (x64) Build 20805" after the update. — The shortcuts in the start menu and on your desktop will NOT be renamed to U2, they will still read "Falcon BMS 4.34" after the update. — If you have any questions or found bugs regarding the change log items please always! reference the revision number, e.g. "(r12345)". — The 4.34.0 manuals remain valid. — None of the .ini or .cfg files will be changed. U2 FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS: — CTD safeguard in case of bad PT crossing definition in DB. (r20778) — CTD fix for a CTD during BMS exit. (r20771) — CTD fix on Choongwoon. (r11869) — Fixed BMS Editor messing up data when exporting / importing objective data. (r20767) — TvT: Set "Lock Client MP" flag for all ground units, relocated Awacs, Tanker and Jstar squadrons, VALIDAC.ACT file adjusted accordingly. (r11887) — All Airbases: Checked and fixed lettering & crossing. (r11869) — Fixed F-16 RSAF cockpit RWR issue. (r11868) — Corrected stations+ils.dat file due to wrong ILS frequency for Taegu airbase. (r11867) — Fix for cloud restriction being incorrectly applied in deterministic / probabilistic weather. (r20779) — Fix for g_nFairCloudRestriction and g_nPoorInclCloudRestriction not reducing the number of cells displayed. (r20779) - Fixed interpolation issues with fog and skyfog. (r20801) — Fix Power Engine P1 vs RPM Idle interpolation chart. (r20780) * This bug was responsible of a wrong deceleration of our current model vs HFFM in the high supersonic region for GE engines. — Fixed an error at manual flight fragging in campaign due to bad team assignation. (r20781) — Fix flights being automatically started in flight if the Take off Time or TOT was moved 1H backward in the package page. (r20781) — Fix error of "no Slots available" when moving Take off Time or TOT despite slots being obviously available. (r20781)

DCS World 2020 and Beyond – Non-Aircraft Projects In last week’s newsletter, we reviewed our 2020 and beyond plans for aircraft in DCS World. One aircraft we forgot to mention was the MiG-23 from RAZBAM. This will be a great eastern aircraft addition to the stable of jets to DCS World, and it is being created by the same RAZBAM team that created the MiG-19. For this week’s newsletter, we are excited to discuss the many other DCS World projects that are not aircraft. This includes both new modules and core features to DCS World. Like the aircraft, this is a listing of what we will be working on this year, but unless specifically noted, we cannot promise that all these projects will be completed by the end of 2020. In fact, some of the larger projects may extend past it. DCS: Supercarrier In the latter part of 2019, we released a video showing off some of the early fun parts of this project. We are now nearing the finish line. Much of the remaining work involves adjusting the complex deck crew animations to support the launching of aircraft from all four catapults; ship lights that include the floodlights, the Improved Fresnel Optical Landing System (IFLOLS), and landing area lights; damage modelling; network copy protection; and up to 14 spawn points in multiplayer for client aircraft. Following the early access release, more features will be added that include a briefing room, more ships of the class, player IFLOLS operation, and more. We are pleased to announce that the DCS: Supercarrier module will also include a greatly updated Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier (without deck animation), the Su-33 Flanker D for DCS World (for those of you who don’t already own it), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer! The Kuznetsov is a Russian-built aircraft carrier that is substantially improved over the existing version in DCS World. It is a completely new model with detailed geometry, textures, lighting, and animations. Players can operate the Su-33 Flanker D from the Kuznetsov, including carrier landings and ski-jump ramp takeoffs. In addition to a formidable suite of surface-to-air defenses, the Kuznetsov is also armed with P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles. The Kuznetsov sister ship, the Varyag, was sold to China and now serves in the Chinese Navy as the Liaoning. A cornerstone of today’s American Carrier Battle Group (CVBG) is an array of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. Built around the SPY-1D radar and AEGIS battle management system, the Arleigh Burke-class provides an effective air defense umbrella around the CVBG and is also armed with Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles, close-in gun systems, torpedoes, and a 5-inch deck gun. These new naval elements to DCS World will be at home in the recently announced Mariana Islands map. Although the island portion of the map will be approximately 400x400 km, the overall map size will be 1000x1000 km in order to provide realistic ranges for modern-day naval operations, sensors, and weapon systems. As with the new Nimitz-class aircraft carrier model for Supercarrier, the Kuznetsov and Arleigh Burke will be visible to all in multiplayer, regardless if you own the Supercarrier module. DCS: Supercarrier will be available for pre-order on January 17th with a 30% discount and will deliver as an Open Beta by the end of Q1 2020. Owners of DCS: F/A-18C will receive a discount when purchasing DCS: Supercarrier. Maps The Channel Map In addition to the Mariana Islands map, we are pleased to announce the first dedicated World War II map for DCS World that is created by Eagle Dynamics: The Channel map! This map will represent southeast England, the English Channel, and portions of the low countries and north eastern France. The map is built to support missions and campaigns between the late 1930s and 1945 with a new level of detail and realism not seen before in a DCS World map. Airfields of the map include: Manston Detling Hawkinge Lympne Dunkirk Mardyck Saint-Omer Longuenesse Merville Calonne Abbeville Drucat It will also include detailed renditions of the cities, towns, road and rail network, forests, rivers, canals, communication lines, radar stations, of this important region during the Second World War. DCS: The Channel Map will be available for pre-order with a 30% discount in early February 2020. Third Party Maps While we are focused on the Mariana Islands and Channels maps, our third parties will also be quite busy! Falkland Islands Map The RAZBAM map team is making great progress on their Falkland Islands map, while at the same time creating new assets and player-units to suit. Syria Map After completing a great update to their DCS: Normandy 1944 map, Ugra Media will continue their work on the ambitious Syria map. This map spans from Turkey in the north to Israel in the south, with Syria and Lebanon in between. After an initial map review, the Ugra Team will be implementing the feedback to move forward on an early access release. DCS: World War II Assets Pack Work continues on the World War II assets pack, with the addition of several important air, ground, and naval units including: Ju-88A-4 medium bomber A-20 Boston medium bomber C-47 transport MK.VIII Centaur IV tank Mk.IV Churchill VII tank Elefant self-propelled artillery Stug III tank destroyer M10 tank destroyer QF 3.7-inch AA gun 37 mm Gun M1 M45 Quadmount that can be used on different platforms 8.8 cm Flak 41 AAA Flakscheinwerfer 37 and generator support unit Schnellboot Type S-100 E-Boat Type VII U-Boat We are also looking at adding some exciting new features to the Asset pack, which include Torpedoes, Paratroopers and functional searchlights. DCS World Core Updates The core DCS World program will continue to grow and improve in 2020 across several key areas. In fact, more than half of Eagle Dynamics staff is devoted to improving the core of DCS World and not for-purchase products. Vulkan API Support In order to improve game performance, particularly in VR and take advantage of today’s hardware, we have been working on the integration of the Vulkan API into DCS World over the past year. This is an important undertaking, but we believe it will be well worth the end-results. DCS World 2.5.6 Lighting Improvements This month we begin the testing of version 2.5.6 of DCS World that will include improvements to the lighting system. This will be most evident at night when viewing the cockpits. In addition to cockpit lighting, overall world lighting will appear more natural and balanced with improved tones. Following this, our goal will be to further enhance world lighting by allowing multiple world-lighting sources. This will provide a much more natural and realistic appearance to the world. Clouds and Weather Another important DCS World enhancement in 2020 will be the delivery of substantially improved weather and clouds. The first step is our new system will render many different types and sizes of clouds in multiple layers. These clouds will impact certain sensors, and be synchronized in network play. We are setting a high bar for ourselves, and it is taking a bit longer than expected. However, we trust that it will be well worth the wait. In parallel, we are also working on significant improvements to the dynamic weather system of DCS World that will also take advantage of this new cloud system as well as pressure fronts. Voice Chat (VC) In late 2019 we released the first test version of our free, integrated voice chat system into DCS World. Since then, we have been analysing your feedback to make further improvements. Thank you for all the great comments! In 2020, we aim to deliver peer-to-peer connectivity and user chat “rooms” generation. The next step thereafter will be to support radio modulation and frequencies as well as varied mic and audio characteristics of helmets and radios from different eras. Our final goal will be to include communications jamming and secure voice capability. This will continue to be a free and fully integrated feature of DCS World. Damage Modeling Another new feature of DCS World 2.5.6 will be the initial release of the improved damage system for the WWII fighters in DCS. As we have discussed in prior newsletters, this system includes a complex and realistic accounting of damage to aircraft systems, round trajectory and penetration, deflection, and localized damage. We have also added substantially enhanced visual damage effects that include missing structural components, fuel and hydraulic leaks. The new damage model will provide a much more engrossing and realistic experience. Once we and our clients are happy with the warbirds damage model system, we will implement this new damage modelling to the more modern aircraft, ground units, and naval units. Aircraft Artificial Intelligence (AI) In 2019 we made initial improvements to the dogfight AI that delivers more realistic and human behaviour, this also includes implementation of modern control theory Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) to all our AI aircraft in DCS in 2020. The new approach will extend flight envelopes and improve AI control quality and control response in mass and moment of inertia changes. In 2020 we will continue this effort, but also devote resources to improve other AI areas to include: Beyond Visual Range (BVR) offensive and defensive behaviour Formation keeping and correct use of external lights Air-to-Ground attack maneuvers Very-low level flight and terrain following Defensive threat responses (SAM and AAA) Airfield Air Traffic Control (ATC) Another AI task that we will kick off in 2020 is a new implementation of ATC radio communications for airfields. This will be a more realistic and complete ATC system to account for ground, tower, departure, and approach controllers, as well as account for variables that include VRF/IFR and overhead/straight in. We will be working with subject matter experts to ensure that this new ATC system is a valuable addition to DCS World immersion and enjoyment. Air-to-Ground Radar and Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) Critical to complete the F/A-18C and F-16C, will be the inclusion of completed air-to-ground (AG) radar and Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor systems. Last year, the JF-17 Thunder used our AG radar application programming interface (API) to great success. We will continue to improve the AG radar API and use it for both the Hornet and Viper. We will continue to enhance this area of expertise and work to improve radar shadowing, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) support, and varied resolution based on the type and era of radar. The updated FLIR API will be used to improve the targeting pod’s infrared (black hot/white hot) cameras. This is a rather large undertaking because it not only involves programming tasks to account for thermal dynamics of world and unit objects but also creating thermal maps for all objects in DCS World and how they behave under different conditions. Missile Dynamics Last year we used the AIM-7 as a testbed to implement several air-to-air missile performance and guidance improvements. Early this year we will be doing the same for the AIM-120. The AIM-120 performance in 2020 will be closer to claimed specifications given adjustments to G-induced drag in the trans-sonic region, and we improved the efficiency of the lofting profile. New AI Units In 2020 we will continue to update older DCS World units. We are currently developing the SA-5 surface-to-air missile and the SS-1 SCUD surface-to-surface missile (we still need to develop the Short-Range Ballistic Missile flight model), the S-3B Viking, and cows of course! There are other units we hope to revisit to like the B-52H, C-17A, Tu-95, and others. Dynamic Campaign Work on the dynamic campaign has been underway for over a year, and the progress has been steady on this very complex task. We understand that this is one of the most awaited features in DCS World and we are giving it the attention it deserves. Much of the work is focused on the dynamic campaign creation tool layers as part of the Mission Editor, developing machine learning mechanics, and creating an AI neural network for the RTS element of the system. The machine learning and neural network tasks are particularly challenging, but we believe they should provide a unique dynamic campaign experience. We expect to start testing this feature in the latter part of 2020. Thank you for the support and kindness, The Eagle Dynamics Team

With so many different aircraft in Strike Fighters it is often the case of selecting an aircraft and fudging it around the skies with only vague recollection of how the radar works and how it is supposed to handle because you didn’t have the time to refresh. The Last of the Lightnings is a mod that unusually for SF2 centers mainly on getting familiar with a certain type of aircraft and its systems. You might even term it DCS lite however I can’t imagine seeing any of the aircraft in this mod featuring in that sim in my lifetime. So, what is it about? The Last of the Lightnings (by comrpnt) is a set of scripted single missions (like YAP) that take the player through an RAF Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) training program and is based on the writings of ex Lightning and F-4 pilot Ian Black. This takes place in 1976 and you are flying the English Electric Lightning F.mk6. The what you say? or as FastCargo once stated before being put under court martial by the USAF for blasphemy [or not]. The Lightning was the last fully designed British supersonic fighter to enter service and its only requirement seems to have been performance above everything else [especially fuel]. Strike Fighters 2 comes with all seven of the single seat variants: Lightning F.mk1 Lightning F.mk1A Lightning F.mk2 Lightning F.mk2A Lightning F.mk3 Lightning F.mk6 Lightning F.mk53 Okay if you are wondering where your Lightnings are then you didn’t buy SF2 Expansion Pack 2 did you, in which case you are one of the reasons TK is now doing crappy phone games only………[hey his words] not to make you feel too guilty! Shame really because it comes with some of the best 3D pits Thirdwire ever did, and probably unique as far as combat sims go with the Lightning: The centrepiece of the mod is a pdf guide that must have taken some time to do and is quite detailed in places. So the point of this is that you will be learning to fly the Lightning or at least be better at it. On Hard flight model (~SFM in DCS) it can be tricky to handle so you will be dragged through formation landings, flying, A-A refueling and even learn how to use the radar to properly intercept targets and actually read the radar symbology. Some of this should be useful for other aircraft at least. Install So yes you need SF2E and SF2 Exp 2 to run this minimum. I was running this from a full merged install, of which I created a separate install by copying the game exe file and running that to create a new Mod folder called LastOfTheLightnings for it. Full instructions are on the PDF and is mostly drag and drop with some ini file editing. For the training rounds I created new folders in the weapons folder and not the old-fashioned way recommended. Mods So once up and running I added mods and changed them as I went through the course. Because of the changes that come with the mod I only changed the terrain tiles, runway, and sky using Better Widesky (Cellisky/Orsin). I have also put in mods to give more head movement and darker nights. Up and running Firstly, you go to single mission only and choose the missions using the date code e.g. [760522] then ignore the text the game puts in because it is wrong [only go by the date code to get the correct mission per the guide]. Check your loadout - obviously the training rounds should be there otherwise don’t touch or change anything just look at the map and then launch. So you start either on the runway or the taxi way on these missions. At the beginning the tricky parts are landing on formation with your Qualified Flying instructor (QFI) and playing chase the QFI. Especially at night you need to be on your feet to keep track of the guy initially! You are then given instruction on how A-A refueling should be done, e.g. fly in formation on the port side before refueling then fly formation on the starboard wing. You then have to try it at night and in clouds. Yes the amazing Ravenclaw Bucc is in this pack. The Intercept phase is interesting and you will be going after low and high targets before flying in formation with them, so you will need to learn what those dots and lines mean After basic intercepts you get to do ACM against the pesky aggressor F-4Ms, although don’t pay too much attention to the instruction for this because they will spam those AIM-7s at you, luckily they are only training rounds [if you installed them properly] and wont kill you. Next live weapons are used to intercept remote controlled unmanned drones (Hunters). The early ones fly straight but the later ones give you problems by turning a lot. After basic strafing there is a pretty cool finale for your graduation, firstly you fly an F-4M as a photo chase plane: Then you get to fly position 9 in a graduation formation fly over of RAF Jever. Final salute to comrpnt for a fine job six years later.

He has got that wrong....the radome is not painted on operational F-16s but coated in a material that works with Radar...........and they are all different shades depending on their age usually. In fact they have "Do Not Paint" written on it when you see it up close.

DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka released! The DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironworks is now available for download: DCS World e-Shop DCS Steam JF-17 is a single-seat, single-engine, multirole light fighter that jointly developed by AVIC Chengdu and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The design phase of JF-17 "Thunder" finished on May 31st, 2002, and the maiden flight was made on August 25th, 2003. The first plane delivered to PAF (Pakistan Air Force) in 2007. Currently, several different blocks of JF-17s are in service in Pakistan and Myanmar air forces. There are also several countries interested in purchasing this fighter jet. On February 27th, 2019, "Thunder" has withstood the test of actual combat and helped PAF win an appreciable victory. Trailer "Thunder" is a type of fighter that specifically tailored for PAF. The development plan of her predecessor can even be traced back to 1985. At first, PAF was only looking for a fighter that can replace Shenyang J-6 (Chinese version of Mig-19), but they were not satisfied with Chengdu’s J-7M. After more than 20 years of development, the final product "Thunder" becomes completely different from J-7M. "Thunder" has a bubble canopy of great view, pretty strake-wing layout and advanced avionics. KLJ-7 radar provides excellent air to ground capability. WMD-7 targeting pod can help "Thunder" searching for targets in combat. Although "Thunder" has small size, remember that: she is one of the most advanced fighter jets in the DCS World. Key features of the DCS: JF-17 "Thunder" include: Nonlinear industry-level high fidelity 6DOF rigid-body flight model with real-life aerodynamic coefficients Line-by-line recreated real-life full authority longitudinal fly-by-wire system and lateral/directional control augmentation system with various modes and control law reconstruction on malfunction Highly detailed aircraft exterior model: skin winkle, faded paint, oil residue and other details; even the position of each rivet is faithfully restored A highly-detailed 6DOF cockpit. Three massive MFCDs with advanced HOTAS interface help you master the plane, as well as the battlefield Accurately simulated sub-systems: communication and navigation systems, fire control systems, store management system, electro-mechanical management systems, air data system, DTC card, warning system, defense system, hydraulic system, pneumatic system, electrical system, environment conditioning system, oxygen system, external/cockpit light system, power plant control system, zeroizer system, eject seat system, and g-suit etc Detailed malfunction/failure simulation: the module has over 200 system malfunctions and more than 100 damage partitions covering near 100 onboard devices; mutual malfunction effects between systems are also simulated KLJ-7 radar can track 10 targets and attack 2 targets at the same time. KLJ-7 can also search/track surface (ground and sea) moving targets Advanced stand-off attack capability: including LS-6 and GB-6 glide bombs, C-802AK anti-ship missile and CM-802AKG Man-In-the-Loop (MITL) missile WMD-7 targeting pod can be used to search/track surface targets, identify air targets and provide guidance for laser-guided weapons Advanced electronic warfare system: including chaff/flare dispense systems (OESP), KG-600 self-protect jamming pod that can locate radiation source and missile approach warning system (MAWS) installed on the tail On-board datalink supports battlefield situation sharing between JF-17s and between AWACS Detailed radio command options for ground crew interactions Player-friendly configurations in Special Option Air to air refuelling capability (Plan to add later) Campaigns for JF-17 in the Caucasus theatre (TBD) DCS: JF-17 Thunder Tutorials If you have purchased, or are planning on purchasing the JF-17 and want to learn how to get her in the air, then check out some of these great tutorials. You can find a collection of them in our new Tutorial section here, or check out some of the content creators directly such as Jabbers and Redkite! DCS: Supercarrier Preview Video We are excited to share with you the first, extended look at the Supercarrier module coming to DCS World! Supercarrier includes an incredibly detailed Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with all the details you’d expect like realistic 3D objects, textures, lighting, and animations. This module also introduces new features to DCS World like an animated deck crew, interactive Landing Signal Officer (LSO) station, and CASE I, II, and III carrier landing radio communications. Stay tuned for more details as we approach its release. Thanksgiving Sale Ends Soon! You still have until December 8th to save up to 50% on most of the DCS World Library. Visit the E-shop now and get that module, terrain or campaign you have been wanting! You can see everything available here with the following exceptions: DCS: F/A-18 Hornet by ED – 25% off Persian Gulf Map by ED – 25% off DCS: F/A-18 Hornet + Persian Gulf Map bundle – 35% off DCS: Christen Eagle II by Magnitude 3 LLC – 25% off DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations – not on sale at this time DCS: F-16C Viper by ED – not on sale at this time DCS: UH-1H Huey - WORLDS APART Spring 2025 – 50% off DCS: F/A-18C: Aggressors BFM Campaign – 50% off DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka - not on sale at this time Open Beta Release This week we released a new Open Beta update with the following highlights: Early Access release of the DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironworks Updated RWR sounds for the DCS: F-16C Updated P-51D Mustang Sounds (External, Internal, Distance, Startup/Shutdown) MP. Fix crash when a client is entering a server with JDAM in flight You can read the complete changelog here. Thrustmaster Special 10th anniversary Release There was an exciting announcement from Thrustmaster this week as they released a new HOTAS Magnetic Base and the F-16C Viper™ HOTAS Add-On Grip. Both of these coming to celebrate 10 years of the HOTAS Warthog™ Flight Stick and to celebrate the release of the eagerly-anticipated DCS: F-16C Viper module. HOTAS Magnetic Base Thrustmaster is now giving members of its flight sim community the opportunity to totally customize and build their own dream setup from the ground up, thanks to the launch of a standalone version of its beloved HOTAS Magnetic Base for the very first time ever. The ability to purchase the base on its own gives simmers a level of adaptability that they’ve only been able to dream about until now, allowing them to use any of their favorite Thrustmaster add-on flight sticks (sold separately) with the base — and ushering in a brand-new era of optimized, fully customizable flight experiences for each and every user. The HOTAS Magnetic Base also proudly sports an eye-catching logo paying homage to the HOTAS Warthog™ Flight Stick’s 10th anniversary, sure to appeal both to collectors and old-school simmers looking to give their flight setup a dramatic instant upgrade. HOTAS Magnetic Base key features: Detachable metal plate for desk or cockpit-style use, with special 10th-anniversary graphic The base features H.E.A.R.T Hall Effect AccuRate Technology, with 3D (Hall Effect) magnetic sensors for surgical precision that won’t decrease over time Super stable weighted base (weighs more than 4.4 lb / 2 kg without a flight stick grip installed) The base is compatible with all flight simulation games Compatible on PC with the following Thrustmaster flight stick grips: HOTAS Cougar™, HOTAS Warthog™, F-16C Viper™ and F/A-18C Hornet™ F-16C Viper™ HOTAS Add-On Grip The availability of the Thrustmaster F-16C Viper™ HOTAS Add-On Grip, a life-size (1:1 scale) namesake replica of the real F-16C Viper™ flight stick, coincides with the recent early-access launch of the F-16C Viper module in the legendary DCS combat flight simulation game. Inspired by the incredible success of the HOTAS Warthog™ Flight Stick (still the benchmark against which all other joysticks are judged), the grip integrates perfectly — and natively — with the DCS: F-16C Viper module, specially designed to replicate in minute detail the strike fighter aircraft whose outstanding versatility continues to make it a favorite of air forces around the globe. The real-world F-16C Viper™ is a supersonic multirole fighter jet in large-scale production, featuring renowned adaptability to meet the demands of a wide variety of different combat situations. This is certainly an exciting chance for members of Thrustmaster’s community to once again access the very best in terms of flight sim quality and feel currently available, in order to truly get the most out of the breathtaking gaming experience delivered by this new DCS module that simmers everywhere can’t stop raving about. F-16C Viper™ HOTAS Add-On Grip key features: Life-size (1:1 scale) replica of the real F-16C Viper™ flight stick 100% metal design incorporating durable, industrial-grade materials for an authentic feel and maximum product lifespan 19 action buttons in total, plus one 8-way “point of view” hat switch Native integration in the game DCS via the dedicated DCS: F-16C Viper module (core game free and module sold separately) Backward-compatible with the two key joystick bases in Thrustmaster’s revered flight simulation ecosystem: HOTAS Warthog™ and HOTAS Cougar™ (sold separately). Easily place the grip on your HOTAS Warthog™ or HOTAS Cougar™ base! Although the product is, of course, compatible with all of the most popular flight simulation games, the F-16C Viper™ HOTAS Add-On Grip above all represents a real extension of the DCS: F-16C Viper module, for which — and this bears repeating — it features native integration! The Development report will move to bi-weekly so we have less of a chance in repeating ourselves. Stay tuned for Development Report #8 next week! Many thanks to all our faithful community. Yours sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

Note CV-16 = Laioning CV-17 = Shandong

The latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.34 U1 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.34 U1 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U1 is an incremental update on top of 4.34 base, so you need to have the BMS 4.34 Full Installer package available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.34 base installation as well as perform a fresh 4.34 base + U1 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. For those of you who are still in need of a legit Falcon 4.0 version, note that Retroism currently has a holiday sale (lasting until Jan 3rd 2020), you can grab the whole Falcon Collection there with a hefty 60% discount: https://retroism.com/falcon-collection/ This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you.

They are supposedly building 2 more carriers currently but of a different design with catapults.

The JF-17 Thunder is one of the rarest and least known fighter aircraft in the world. Operated solely by the Pakistan Air Force, it is a capable fighter in the same class as the F-16. On conditions of anonymity, we spoke to one JF-17 pilot to learn more. https://hushkit.net/2019/07/19/flying-fighting-in-the-jf-17-thunder-interview-with-pakistan-air-force-fighter-pilot/ Also it seems Flying and fighting in the Su-30 - must be bonus week! https://hushkit.net/2019/07/20/flying-fighting-in-the-sukhoi-su-30-flanker-a-pilot-interview/

Yes there are random weapon failures........... TK did originally try to make things behave as they were historically especially the Nam era where there is a ton of info on combat firings....and reliability was a massive issue. I can't tell whether what you are getting is due to that from what you have written. Will say that even in 1991 AIM-7Ms were dropping off without firing on occasion...and the AIM-54A was an AIM-7E era missile and probably just as reliable although even happened to the last AIM-54C+ variant when two were fired in 1999 and they both dropped without firing (however cause might have been Human error but not sure). There is a weapons editor for SF where you can tweak most of the things to how you want them......

That's about right!

Very difficult to summarise such a complicated subject. The Red Eagles flew a Gen 1 MiG-23 or the MiG-21MS (Flogger E) which was a terrible export version of the MiG-23MF but was still very fast in a straight line. The Gen 2 MiG-23s (mainly MiG-23ML/MLA/MLD ) had a few improvements to make them a bit better in a turn fight. Looking at a recent analysis of the ML flight manual (the lightest) it had a better turn at slow speeds (rate and radius) with the wings out.............but at typical fighting speeds was closer to the F-4E etc. At higher speeds turn performance using traditional metrics puts it around the F-4E and others of the 3rd gen era. Accel and climb put on par with F-4E Block 41 but the ML seems to be slightly better than its contemporaries in the oblique plane.

Most AI has workarounds for various reasons a lot of it so they can actually provide the player a fight. In DCS I can say with a fair amount of certainty that the ACE AI level does cheat......they simply give it a very high power and performance boost so if you are in the same platform little chance you can compete on the same kinetic level. It is a game feature I suppose in that it was a simple way to make it more challenging. If you can set up single missions then you could experiment with the different AI levels and find a better level. Failing that the DCS airquake servers will have humans with the same flight model (this may depend on server settings) at least and nothing to set up.

Seems to be a video going around of them bringing the knife guy down - one guy had a fire extinguisher. May have to scroll down there are others: https://10daily.com.au/news/crime/a191130pinok/hero-citizens-used-narwhal-tusk-fire-extinguisher-to-stop-london-attack-20191130?taid=5de34c84ee0d2300017c783c&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter Better maybe

I enjoyed it overall myself.....a quality production that was thought provoking I guess.

You could try different drivers however I doubt that Laptop and that chipset is able to run the game.

Thanksgiving Sale 2019 Starts today! Get great savings on that module you have been waiting for! The Thanksgiving sale starts today, November 22nd, and runs until December 8th. Save up to 50% on most DCS World products, the only exceptions being: F/A-18 Hornet by ED - 25% off Persian Gulf Map by ED - 25% off F/A-18 Hornet + Persian Gulf Map bundle -35% off DCS: Christen Eagle II by Magnitude 3 LLC – 25% off DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations – not on sale at this time DCS: F-16C Viper by ED – not on sale at this time Note: the sale only applies to released, non-pre-order products. Open Beta Delay We planned and announced the release of our next Open Beta on the 20th of November 2019. However, due to substantial technical issues faced in the development of certain F-16C Viper features we were compelled to move the Open Beta release to the 27th of November 2019. As a small bonus for your patience we have prepared a Thanksgiving gift – our new VoIP in-game feature: DCS Voice Chat gives our players the possibility to talk within DCS multiplayer sessions without the need to use other applications. It's based on WebRTC technology and brings high-quality audio communication to the game right out of the box. For the initial release, DCS Voice Chat contains one common room and separate rooms for each coalition with free movement between common and chosen coalition rooms. Soon after the initial release, we'll add support of user-created rooms with the possibility to create a personal audio chat for you and your friends. Also, you can choose to use an open mic or Push-to-talk function. We have huge plans for further development of the feature including automatically created rooms for multi-crew, radio support with real radio visibility depending on the power of actual radio units and terrain, frequency-based coms etc. F/A-18C Aggressors BFM Campaign Released to Steam The F/A-18C Aggressors BFM Campaign is now available from Steam. The FA-18C Aggressors BFM campaign puts you in the cockpit of an FA-18C Hornet as a new Aggressor pilot with the VFC-12 the "Fighting Omars" on loan to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base. Based on real-world procedures, you will fly as Red Air against Blue Air forces. Upon arrival you will fly a familiarization flight around the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and then face a series of challenging Basic Fighter Maneuver (BFM) missions against similar and dissimilar aircraft. Your opponents include the F-4E, F-5E, F-14A, F-15C, F-15E, F-16C, F/A-18C, M-2000C, MiG-29G, CF-188, MiG-21 and Su-27. 12 single player practice missions with in-air starts to help you perfect your BFM tactics, techniques, and procedures. Over 1000 voice-overs and over 45 pages of briefing material that includes RED FLAG Spins, Red Forces In Flight Guide, Maps, Diagrams, Custom Knee-boards, and Mission Data cards. DCS World Tutorial & Training Range DCS World can be a bit daunting to new players, so this week we introduced a new forum section for those just getting started in DCS World, those still learning, and those that enjoy helping others. You can find it here. If you are a new user, this section is for you! We will be building a repository of the best DCS World tutorials and guides. You can also meet players that want to help you and squadrons looking for new members that want you to have fun and learn. If you are a video tutorial or guide creator for DCS World, this section is also for you. Here you can share all your great content and get feedback from your audience. Do you enjoy helping new DCS World pilots? A rewarding aspect of this hobby is working together to spread knowledge and give a helping hand to new pilots. The goal of this new section is to help flatten the DCS World learning curve, and we look forward to your participation and feedback on how we can further improve it. Development Report #6 Working with our partners at Deka Ironwork, we plan to release the DCS: JF-17 Thunder on December 4th, 2019. It will be available from both the DCS World e-Shop and Steam. Stay tuned for more details! The team has been cranking away on the F-16C Viper, but we needed a few more days to complete the announced features for the next Open Beta. Eagerly awaited features of the next F-16C update will be the Track While Scan (TWS) radar mode, initial data link, external lights, centerline fuel tank, and more. Following this Open Beta, our modern-day fixed-wing jet dev team will focus on the Hornet’s targeting pod, TWS and other radar modes, updates to weapons like the JDAM and JSOW, and more. Supercarrier work continues to revolve around the deck crew animations, improved lighting and visual effects as well as the LSO station. We are on track to release the Early Access of this module in the very near future. Both the A-10C and Ka-50 new cockpits are progressing well with a lot of work invested into realistic textures and effects. We will use these products to take cockpit night lighting to the next level. The Mi-24 cockpits are progressing well and we should be able to show you the first renders in the very near future. The P-47 is looking beautiful inside and out and our flight model engineers have been very busy tuning the flight dynamics to match the real aircraft based on excellent references and first-hand pilot experience. The visual effects of the new WWII damage model are now getting most of the focus because the internal damage effects and the physics are nearly complete. It’s just as important for the damage to look correct as the impact on systems and aircraft performance. The basics of the dynamic campaign simulation engine are working in the map view and we’ve been using this to test the RTS element of the system. To support this, we’ve been adding new icons to the map for items like factories, warehouses, logistic units, and more. Work is also underway on providing visual indications of ground force movements and emplacements in the map view. Thank you all for your passion and support. Sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

Master Server Infrastructure Maintenance We will have infrastructure maintenance works to be performed on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 from 04:00 to 06:00 UTC. All users will not be able to connect to the DCS Master server and all account sessions will be reset. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this short downtime. Stable Release updated After a relatively large number of Open Beta updates, we have released a substantial update to the Stable version of DCS World. Among the many highlights of the new Stable version, users will now be able to enjoy the Early Access version of the DCS: F-16C Viper. Other highlights include: AGM-62 Walleye II and AWW-13 Data Link Pod for the DCS: F/A-18C Hornet Many updates and fixes to 3rd Party modules such as the C-101 and M-2000C You can read the entire changelog here. Our next Open Beta is set for 20 November 2019 and is planned to include: F-16C Viper features Track While Scan (TWS) radar mode AUTO steerpoint sequence mode Corrected flight director (sherm) behavior Functional CMDS (countermeasures) DED page New stores drag implementation Initial data link (Link 16 / MIDS) External lights Centerline fuel tank Corrected lock hold when switching master mode Corrected radar lock-only RWR indication Corrected INS steerpoint change Corrected HMCS enable/disable HOTAS command F/A-18C Hornet features Aft Pod Antenna Option Following the 20 November 2019 Open Beta, we will heavily focus on the Hornet to include such items as Track While Scan (TWS) and AACQ radar modes, updates to the targeting pod, and updates to existing weapons systems and countermeasures. Development Report #5 Supercarrier - "Population" of our new aircraft carrier is not limited to the flight deck but also the sailors and pre-flight crew of the island. Following the early access release, it will later it will be possible to occupy the Air Boss and Landing Signal Officer (LSO) locations in both 2D and VR. All of this will be available in the new DCS: Supercarrier module. In the meantime, please enjoy these work-in-progress images. Spitfire Sound Updates - We have greatly improved all the Spitfire LF Mk.IX engine and propeller sounds. New sounds were recorded from an actual Spitfire Mk.IX and added to the game. Our sound engine factors in altitude, airspeed, engine RPM, manifold pressure, and many other elements. You can hear the dramatic difference from within the cockpit and outside the aircraft. The update is available in the current Open Beta and will be available in today’s Stable version! Enjoy this video highlighting the updated sounds DCS: M-2000C by RAZBAM Updates - Working closely with the French Air Force, RAZBAM brings you an all-new Mirage 2000C cockpit! This cockpit features all-new textures, radio panel, ECM, NVGs, and much more. The cockpit mesh has been extensively overhauled with new edge loops for better edging and a doubling of the polygons to improve both the on screen and VR experience. Using their relationship with the French Air Force 2/5 Squadron, RAZAM has created an M-2000C cockpit that is as close as you can get to the real thing. Using this opportunity, RAZBAM has fixed various inaccuracies by using our latest workflow and tools. New Features: New cockpit model New cockpit textures New cockpit lighting New radio panel New ECM panel New Seat Harness New INS Screen Added NVG’s with Mount Added under glare shield lighting assembly Added flashlight Cockpit Update Video The Virtual Festival of Aerobatic Teams 2019 The Virtual Festival of Aerobatic Teams or VFAT is a virtual, international airshow like RIAT or MAKS. The pilots simulate the displays of real aerobatic teams like the Patrouille Suisse, Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, Russian Knights and Blue Impulse; however, many teams also create their own spectacular displays. VFAT is currently the only virtual airshow where such a large group of teams gather to create an event of this size. Spectators can watch the event live using internet streaming technology. VFAT takes place once a year and offers the opportunity for virtual aerobatic teams and solo pilots to present their hard work for the enjoyment of the general public! Watch live Dec. 7th & 8th on Twitch. VFAT Video Yours sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

Got to see Midway yesterday at the cinema and was pleasantly surprised at the historical story and characters included. There were a few over the top action moments but overall really good considering some of the WWII films of recent years. This was more towards the Tora Tora Tora direction and certain critics seem to have got this film so wrong.

The technology for Virtual Reality (VR) has come on enough in recent years for it to be considered viable for home gaming including in some Flight Simulators. The latest set of Headsets released this year have improved on what there was somewhat with some calling them 1.5 or 2nd Generation. Even so opinions on these seem to be mixed with some declaring they are the new messiah and others putting them in the box and sending them back to the shop. So is it the new messiah or just a very naughty Scuba Mask. After patching up my hands (more later) the subject on trial is the Oculus Rift S, which improves on somethings over the Rift CV1 such as: • Resolution and clarity. • Ease of Use. • Price. but is not so good on some other aspects • Sound. • Lack of mechanical IPD setting. The Rift S price seems competitive and includes 2 controllers however, like myself and others you will likely be plugging your own headphones into the provided Jack to improve sound quality: Those ultra cheap earbuds plug right in to the headset! Rift S also has internal tracking using 5 cameras so doesn’t use or need external base stations (Lighthouses) like the Pimax 5K+/8K and Vive do. This means 6 Degrees Of Freedom (6DOF) comes included. Rift S is also said to be one of if not the easiest to setup and live with. All you do is install the Oculus App, plug in the headset and pair the wireless controllers with onscreen tutorial. A spare USB 3 and DisplayPort is what you need to plug in the hefty cable. I am also running Windows 10 with an RTX2080 card which specifically had a USB type C connector on it for VR. So, taking advice from other users I plugged the headset directly into that using a USB 3 to USB C adapter. (Note I am running a mid to high end gaming PC currently and quite frankly anything less might see you disappointed regarding performance if you were say using it for DCS.) Once I had stuck in the AA batteries onto each controller both paired straight away so setup was no issue at all for me. Earlier headsets and others like Pimax 5K+ have a mechanical InterPupillary Distance (IPD) setting. Being a single display Rift S only has a software controlled IPD setting and this seems to be a large negative point people are throwing at it. This is basically the distance between your pupils and so is important to know so you can set the correct value. Rift S comes with snazzy box and two controllers! The initial Oculus “First Steps” program (App) is a joy and really gets you into being able to use the controllers to grab and throw objects and interact with the world. The Oculus App store is an advantage for Oculus being one of the most developed. Here you can find some free gems like BBC VR spacewalk and 1943 Blitz. Screenshots alone are useless on conveying what VR is like you have to try it and get your VR legs, which translates as getting used to things to stop that part of the brain that thinks it is real and making you feel sick. Try a VR spacewalk or a Dogfight in DCS and this is what you initially will be fighting as well. Impressions After using Rift S for a few weeks this is a real showcase for the potential of VR especially concerning interaction with computers and even VR games such as Robo Recall which are really pretty amazing. But I don’t want to give the wrong impression because you still basically have a 3D monitor in Scuba type mask at the end of the day and this will not be for a lot of people. It is advised that you have lots of space around you for games such as this because you are essentially flailing yourself around pretty much blind. Also you will find that although your in game hands can rip robots apart and throw them about – your real hands are no match for the wooden furniture you just hit and need patching up. In fact possibly the first time blood has been shed for real during a computer game. Robo Recall - the only blood shed was outside the game! (Oculus.com) VR games make you sweat and so your VR lenses will steam up. Some get around this by blowing a fan in their face others like myself came up with this solution which also lets me stay in touch with the real world but makes things less comfortable: Yep I have pulled the rubber mask off! Speaking of which Rift S has a promising feature maybe for the future called Passthrough where I can be in any game and switch to a view through the external cameras. If you are thinking just like the F-35 helmet! – erm sort of like the F-35 helmet…….…in 2001 maybe. Was thinking I might be able to make out the keyboard but no chance. (maybe in a few years) When it comes to flight sims there are lots of mixed views and opinions. I can see why some have returned it because some people won’t put up with headaches or bother trying to overcome sickness for computer games. Some will be disappointed at the view in the Rift S which is better than the original Rift but still less than a 1080p monitor. Track IR 5 V Rift S Let me say I have used TrackIR for over 10 years and so SA and positional awareness in Dogfights is not an issue. Nor is Air to Air Refuelling in fact recent DCS patches seemed to make things a lot easier. In Falcon I find it easier to join when the tanker is turning for some reason and do most of this automatically. These are things it seems I will need to spend time practising in Rift S / VR before I can be as proficient as before. The Field of View (FOV) is similar with both but with TrackIR I can still get a more realistic range and look around a lot easier with much better clarity. If I compare 1 v 1 tracking with the Rift S and my head then the FOV is much too small on the Rift S, so it is not just a pain in the neck I am getting. (Note I don’t wear glasses). With Track IR I often have to F12 reset the view or shake my head to get it back to where it is supposed to be (things I do now automatically). The Rift S doesn’t have that issue but it is also not perfect with for example sometimes presenting the HUD display too low or high to use. Other differences with Rift S include a 3D rendered cockpit thus the cockpit switches stick out in a way you won’t be used to if you used a 2D monitor. Also, the sense of scale is different and you can do things like stick your head out of the side of the aircraft which might be Useful for Choppers maybe (something I don’t fly). Also…. Of course there are other changes you need to adapt to……..for example with the VR Headset I can use HOTAS, rudder pedals and mouse fine, but a keyboard is a no. Also not so great having to lift up the scuba mask to look at the many docs I have on tablet for the more complex sims, also if you need to write anything down like coordinates during a CAS mission forget that. So, for example trying out the A-10C the other day and need to eject but no practical way to get at the keyboard and no clicky way to eject myself. Alternatives might be using Voice command software instead and there are ways to get some documentation into the DCS kneeboard such as the third party DCS Kneeboard Builder which may help to a degree. Natural-point Track IR 5 - the King (naturalpoint.com) Potentially I suspect Generation 3/4 headsets could address some of the the current issues and be very good. Something that could add to this in future is Hand Tracking so you can manipulate controls in clicky pits with your hands / fingers. So, in summary if you are tempted by one of these then do research into it and look up the many Pros and Cons or at least make sure you buy from where you can return it easily. Whether it is for you is entirely down to who you are.