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[Fly On] DCS A-10C / DCS Black Shark 2 / LOMAC: FC3 - Join us in the skies
krylon666
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
As some of you may know, I'm a big war gaming fan. I like to play on all levels from grand strategy / operational stuff, down to soldier combat. But with the recent release of DCS: A-10C (and the recent upgrade of my computer!) I've turned my PC gaming attention back to the greatness that is combat flight sims!
In this thread I'd like to discuss flight sims that are truly simulations, or pretty damn close. No arcade stuff. I love those games too, but we're talking a little more heavy duty in here. So the games I'm currently playing:
DCS: A-10C Warthog
From the site: "DCS: A-10C Warthog" is a PC simulation of the U.S. premier Close Air Support attack aircraft. This is the second aircraft in the DCS series, following DCS: Black Shark, and raises the bar even higher in the DCS series. Warthog brings the most realistic PC simulation of a modern fixed wing combat aircraft in regards to flight dynamics, avionics, sensors, and weapon systems. You also have the option to play Warthog in "Game" mode for a casual game experience. Fly missions in the Caucasus region of the Black Sea against and with a wide array of air, land and sea forces with new and improved intelligence. Create your own missions and campaigns with the included Mission and Campaign Editors, and fly with and against friends online using the included online game browser.
From me: Fly one of the coolest aircraft that the US military ever made! It's a little slow, but it's very agile and extremely tough. It can carry a devastating armament, capable of taking out many kinds of ground targets. The "C" variant has seen a vast upgrade from its earlier counterpart. The cockpit has been upgraded with much better computers, sensors, and flight systems. It's a lot of fun to fly, and not overly complicated. The training missions in this game are amazing. Fully voiced and very helpful at getting you familiar with all the systems on the aircraft.
Multiplayer support: You can play with/against other people who own A-10C and eventually you can fly in missions with people who own DCS: Black Shark.
Screenshots:
DCS: Black Shark
From the site: DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark is a PC game of the Russian Ka-50 attack helicopter and is the first title in a new Eagle Dynamics and The Fighter Collection simulation series: Digital Combat Simulator (DCS). Following Eagle Dynamics tradition of excellence, DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark will bring an even more realistic simulation experience than its predecessor LockOn: Flaming Cliffs.
DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark will offer an unprecedented level of realism in regards to flight dynamics, instruments modeling, avionics systems, and weapon systems. The artificial Intelligence of ground vehicles and helicopters has been improved dramatically as well as weapon modeling. A new Mission Editor includes a powerful electronic mapping system that allows user to easily create missions and campaigns. A new campaign system allows the front line of the battlefield to move back and fourth according to your mission success or failure. Due to the increased flexibility of the DCS system, additional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter add-ons will follow shortly.
From me: This was the first of the DCS games. I picked it up mostly because I love sims and I didn't have a lot of helicopter experience prior. This guy is a bit daunting at first. Flying a helicopter, especially a one-man attack helicopter, is serious business. It can be tough to get into a stable or safe run and fire off your weapons, but when you finally get in the groove its very fulfilling! I haven't spent enough time in the Ka-50 to be very proficient, but the level of detail is amazing and well worth giving it a try.
Multiplayer support: You can play with over Black Shark people and some servers running Lock On Modern Air Combat (LOMAC): Flaming Cliffs 2 maps. This is very cool as the mix of people playing on a particular server can cover almost all air combat roles. Eventually DCS: BS will mix with A-10C.
Screenshots:
Lock On: Flaming Cliffs 2
From the site: LockOn: Flaming Cliffs 2 is a further evolution of LockOn: Flaming Cliffs. In Flaming Cliffs 2, all of the player-controlled aircraft available in Flaming Cliffs have been transferred to the virtual environment created for the Digital Combat Simulator series, started with DCS: Black Shark. Flaming Cliffs 2 is a PC-based combat flight simulation of the following modern combat aircraft: Su-27, Su-33, Su-25, Su-25T, MiG-29, MiG-29S, F-15C, A-10A. The geographical territory modeled encompasses the region of the western Caucasus mountains from Kuban to Georgia.
From me: So while the other two games only give you a single (and painstakingly accurate) aircraft to fly, LOMAC FC2 gives you 8 to choose from. They cover the roles from CAS to Air Superiority, with very nice representations of the systems involved in all the aircraft. You won't find the same level of detail as the DCS games - that is, not every switch in the cockpit is functional. But it's a great entry point into the series of games. The flight model is a bit more forgiving and the documentation is great to get you up to speed on the weapon systems.
Multiplayer support: I'm going to guess that of the three games this one still has the biggest online population. The variety plus all the custom mission / map servers people running is great. That and the fact that it supports DCS:BS just gave it even more life.
Screenshots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99_hoJNj3ys
Where can I buy these awesome games?
You can get both of the DCS games from Steam or directly here. I own the steam versions and never had any issues with mods or anything.
FC2 requires that you have Lock On installed already, but they released a Platinum Edition which has everything you need. http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Platinum-Pc/dp/B003UEREBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1306192269&sr=8-1 It should also be available in retail form at Best Buy etc.
What are some good peripherals?
HOTAS
I'm gonna say that a nice HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) setup is essential for really getting into these games. I personally use the Saitek X52 hotas + rudder kit and have no complaints. CH Products is also a very popular brand as well. If you really want to drop some dough and get the full experience buy this (then buy me one!):
http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Joystick-2960720/dp/B00419ZUXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306192950&sr=8-1
But in the end, a decent stick + throttle control will go a long way. Having a shitload of buttons is good too.
TrackIR / Head tracking
The next thing isn't really essential, but its damn helpful: TrackIR. Head tracking to look around the cockpit and for situational awareness is soooo nice. You could map one of your joystick hat switches to look around, but having nice 6 degrees of freedom is great. There is a FreeTrack program as well that you can use, but you have to make some of the hardware.
Some videos of it in action:
Helpful Links
http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ - main DCS site
http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=53 - official forums, surprisingly good crowd in there!
http://www.simhq.com/ - good reviews and lots of info on the forums
Other noteworthy games
So, what are we gonna do now?
Let's talk about these games, and better yet, lets start getting some multiplayer going! I've been playing DCS: A-10C a lot lately. And when I play LOMAC I usually fly the A-10 or the Su-25t - I guess I like flying CAS
I'd definitely like to start learning the F-15 or the Mig for some air to air combat.
In this thread I'd like to discuss flight sims that are truly simulations, or pretty damn close. No arcade stuff. I love those games too, but we're talking a little more heavy duty in here. So the games I'm currently playing:
DCS: A-10C Warthog
From the site: "DCS: A-10C Warthog" is a PC simulation of the U.S. premier Close Air Support attack aircraft. This is the second aircraft in the DCS series, following DCS: Black Shark, and raises the bar even higher in the DCS series. Warthog brings the most realistic PC simulation of a modern fixed wing combat aircraft in regards to flight dynamics, avionics, sensors, and weapon systems. You also have the option to play Warthog in "Game" mode for a casual game experience. Fly missions in the Caucasus region of the Black Sea against and with a wide array of air, land and sea forces with new and improved intelligence. Create your own missions and campaigns with the included Mission and Campaign Editors, and fly with and against friends online using the included online game browser.
From me: Fly one of the coolest aircraft that the US military ever made! It's a little slow, but it's very agile and extremely tough. It can carry a devastating armament, capable of taking out many kinds of ground targets. The "C" variant has seen a vast upgrade from its earlier counterpart. The cockpit has been upgraded with much better computers, sensors, and flight systems. It's a lot of fun to fly, and not overly complicated. The training missions in this game are amazing. Fully voiced and very helpful at getting you familiar with all the systems on the aircraft.
Multiplayer support: You can play with/against other people who own A-10C and eventually you can fly in missions with people who own DCS: Black Shark.
Screenshots:
DCS: Black Shark
From the site: DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark is a PC game of the Russian Ka-50 attack helicopter and is the first title in a new Eagle Dynamics and The Fighter Collection simulation series: Digital Combat Simulator (DCS). Following Eagle Dynamics tradition of excellence, DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark will bring an even more realistic simulation experience than its predecessor LockOn: Flaming Cliffs.
DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark will offer an unprecedented level of realism in regards to flight dynamics, instruments modeling, avionics systems, and weapon systems. The artificial Intelligence of ground vehicles and helicopters has been improved dramatically as well as weapon modeling. A new Mission Editor includes a powerful electronic mapping system that allows user to easily create missions and campaigns. A new campaign system allows the front line of the battlefield to move back and fourth according to your mission success or failure. Due to the increased flexibility of the DCS system, additional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter add-ons will follow shortly.
From me: This was the first of the DCS games. I picked it up mostly because I love sims and I didn't have a lot of helicopter experience prior. This guy is a bit daunting at first. Flying a helicopter, especially a one-man attack helicopter, is serious business. It can be tough to get into a stable or safe run and fire off your weapons, but when you finally get in the groove its very fulfilling! I haven't spent enough time in the Ka-50 to be very proficient, but the level of detail is amazing and well worth giving it a try.
Multiplayer support: You can play with over Black Shark people and some servers running Lock On Modern Air Combat (LOMAC): Flaming Cliffs 2 maps. This is very cool as the mix of people playing on a particular server can cover almost all air combat roles. Eventually DCS: BS will mix with A-10C.
Screenshots:
Lock On: Flaming Cliffs 2
From the site: LockOn: Flaming Cliffs 2 is a further evolution of LockOn: Flaming Cliffs. In Flaming Cliffs 2, all of the player-controlled aircraft available in Flaming Cliffs have been transferred to the virtual environment created for the Digital Combat Simulator series, started with DCS: Black Shark. Flaming Cliffs 2 is a PC-based combat flight simulation of the following modern combat aircraft: Su-27, Su-33, Su-25, Su-25T, MiG-29, MiG-29S, F-15C, A-10A. The geographical territory modeled encompasses the region of the western Caucasus mountains from Kuban to Georgia.
From me: So while the other two games only give you a single (and painstakingly accurate) aircraft to fly, LOMAC FC2 gives you 8 to choose from. They cover the roles from CAS to Air Superiority, with very nice representations of the systems involved in all the aircraft. You won't find the same level of detail as the DCS games - that is, not every switch in the cockpit is functional. But it's a great entry point into the series of games. The flight model is a bit more forgiving and the documentation is great to get you up to speed on the weapon systems.
Multiplayer support: I'm going to guess that of the three games this one still has the biggest online population. The variety plus all the custom mission / map servers people running is great. That and the fact that it supports DCS:BS just gave it even more life.
Screenshots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99_hoJNj3ys
Where can I buy these awesome games?
You can get both of the DCS games from Steam or directly here. I own the steam versions and never had any issues with mods or anything.
FC2 requires that you have Lock On installed already, but they released a Platinum Edition which has everything you need. http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Platinum-Pc/dp/B003UEREBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1306192269&sr=8-1 It should also be available in retail form at Best Buy etc.
What are some good peripherals?
HOTAS
I'm gonna say that a nice HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) setup is essential for really getting into these games. I personally use the Saitek X52 hotas + rudder kit and have no complaints. CH Products is also a very popular brand as well. If you really want to drop some dough and get the full experience buy this (then buy me one!):
http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Joystick-2960720/dp/B00419ZUXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306192950&sr=8-1
But in the end, a decent stick + throttle control will go a long way. Having a shitload of buttons is good too.
TrackIR / Head tracking
The next thing isn't really essential, but its damn helpful: TrackIR. Head tracking to look around the cockpit and for situational awareness is soooo nice. You could map one of your joystick hat switches to look around, but having nice 6 degrees of freedom is great. There is a FreeTrack program as well that you can use, but you have to make some of the hardware.
Some videos of it in action:
Helpful Links
http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ - main DCS site
http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=53 - official forums, surprisingly good crowd in there!
http://www.simhq.com/ - good reviews and lots of info on the forums
Other noteworthy games
- The Enemy Engaged series is another excellent helicopter sim. The modding community has kept it very fresh and the vehicle models looks great. Sadly the terrain is very bland. The gameplay is excellent however. You can buy it from GOG now very cheap. You only need to buy Commanche vs Hokum to use the big mods, and everything is included from the other game.
- Thirdwire makes the Strike Fighters series of games. Until somewhat recently they only ran on windows XP, but I think all the "2" versions of their games are Vista+ compatible. I've never played them, but I am going to pick up SF2: Vietnam at the very least. I've read that they're "sim-light" but everything I've seen about them looks like a lot of fun. Sadly, I don't think any of them have multiplayer support.
- Falcon 4 - from what I can tell there are a few versions of this game available right now. It's something I definitely want to get into, but I have to figure out which version I need to own (if any). I know there's a huge free mod for it, but I'm not sure if it requires a previous game. Maybe you guys can tell me more!
- There's the IL-2 series, which is definitely one of the best WW2 games. I haven't played it much recently, but the new one is coming out soon. It looks beautiful, hopefully it holds up.
- Wings of Prey - another WW2 flight game. I only played my copy a little bit. The flight model wasn't clicking for me, but I didn't give it enough time.
So, what are we gonna do now?
Let's talk about these games, and better yet, lets start getting some multiplayer going! I've been playing DCS: A-10C a lot lately. And when I play LOMAC I usually fly the A-10 or the Su-25t - I guess I like flying CAS
I'd definitely like to start learning the F-15 or the Mig for some air to air combat. krylon666 on
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Are you any good at Black Shark? I can now just barely get into the air but then my helo promptly flies apart and crashes.
OP needs to talk more about TrackIR too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm8NIBjTDvs&feature=grec_index
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITrCeAau2_s
I mentioned TrackIR, but I'll make it a little more prominent
I haven't tried to fly the BS for awhile now, but when I was playing more frequently I could take off and navigate decently. I had trouble setting up stable hovers that quickly allowed me to focus on the weapons though. I can't remember exactly what I did, but I remember reading about some settings to turn off on the BS so you can fly it more like "stick and rudder". You would still have to trim, but it allowed you to adapt a little easier.
Did you get used to the trimming concept in the BS? How it basically makes the neutral position of the stick be however it was before hitting the trim button? For instance, if you pitched the stick forward then hit the trim button, you would then want to let go of the stick since it was essentially "stuck" in that forward position.
Yeah I meant to say talk more about it, I've played around on it once and am really hoping my fiance gets it for me for my birthday, if not it'll be my wedding present to myself. I know quite a few flight sim nuts who would rather go back to kb+m than give up their head tracking.
Yeah, I've gotten that far, my problem is that when I get up in the air any significant amount (I'm guessing) I fuck something up and my rotors hit each other. Or I don't have the EEG properly engaged and the rotors over-speed and fly apart. Kinda hard to tell which.
I'm gonna pick up A10C if it goes on sale, I know it. Have you ever done any multiplayer?
From what I remember, rotors hitting together mean you were moving to fast vertically and staying in one position. That causes that vortex effect. Always supposed to be moving horizontally I think. But again, I haven't played that one in a awhile so I'm sure it's fresher in your mind than mine.
The only MP I've done so far was in LOMAC. I hopped on a server and flew an A-10 around trying to take out SAM sites. Not the easiest thing, but it was good times. I never really played in a coordinated effort though. Stuff like this looks like great fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtobuexLZ8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGlYxJ5ybNo
I just flew a practice mission start to finish and barely needed to use the mouse. Mostly only in the beginning when I was flipping switches to turn on my targetting pod, counter-measures, etc. This game rules btw
I never played as much DCS: Black Shark as I should have. Not certain if I'll get DCS: A-10--unlike arcade games, in these sort of strict simulations, I'm not nearly as interested in ground support (as strange as that might sound, I admit), and the A-10 itself is one of my less favorite American aircraft in general. Still, no doubt it'll be extremely polished, with a great editor.
I have to admit, what I'm really looking forward to is the Mi-24 version of DCS, for reasons of the helicopter itself and the unique missions you can get it in. That, or an Mi-28 would be great. I was kind of disappointed with the choice of the Kamov for the first DCS, but the game was still awesome for it.
As far as those choppers go, you can pick up Enemy Engaged: Commanche vs. Hokum (EECH), like I mentioned above and install the "all-mods" community patch (http://www.eechcentral.com/). The game has a 2D cockpit Mi-28 but the community mod added a fully 3D cockpit Mi-24 and it looks amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHDITLpWkfA
Ever since DCS: BS they switched over to an online activation system. There's no pervasive drivers or bullshit. When the game loads it asks you to put in your serial and it phones home to authorize your game. You have a set number of activations, but it's actually unlimited from what I read (you can call them and they will give you more). After you auth once, you never see the copy protection again.
For FC2 I ended up grabbing an old copy of LOMAC from a friend, then downloading all the FC2 files (and patches) from the main site and installing. It doesn't actually use LOMAC, it just wants to see that its there. Then I bought my serial from the site and activated. It's all worked fine ever since.
Dumb question, but can you register it on Steam?
We should totally get some games going; I'd love to fly some CAS with actual human players.
But yeah man, definitely grab LOMAC. I've been splitting my time between the two games lately. Jumping in the Su-25t is always good times. Oh, on that note, I'll post these links:
Su-25 training flights
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2142529/All_of_the_LOMAC_FC_Training_M.html#Post2142529
A-10 campaign AARs
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3042569/FC2_A_10A_The_Valley_Campaign_.html#Post3042569
This guy BeachAV8R from the SimHQ forums always makes real nice AAR posts. Those Su-25 ones really got me into the game. It was cool seeing him learn the systems and make mistakes. He's a real pilot too, so he compares the sim to the real thing at times.
As far as steam goes, I guess you mean just adding it to your games list so you can use the steam overlay etc? I never tried it actually. I guess some games don't like that right? Everything I ever tried it on has worked though.
Great mission though, I'll definitely run it again. I need to get better at the LGBs thoughs. I can deploy the GPS guided bombs using CCRP no problem. And mavericks are real easy, especially if you mark a SPI first with your TGP. Then you can just automatically slew the maverick seeker head to the SPI and just fine tune it / lock on from there. LGBs though.. not sure when and how long to lase the target. I don't think you want the laser on the entire time because then the bomb wastes all of its energy trying to "ride" the beam, instead of just making an adjustment closer to impact.
I've found using the ALT and ALT/HEADING auto-pilot modes are clutch when trying to survey the target area or mark some targets prior to running in. So yeah, good times tonight. Oh, I also started the first A-10 campaign mission in LOMAC but I locked the game up right as I was landing (think my controller profile is borked for that game) - so that annoyed me and I didn't redo the mission. It's weird switching between the two A-10s.
On that subject I had a play with freetrack, but it hasn't been updated in almost two years and doesn't play nice with x64 Windows 7 and Logitech drivers. An alternative I have found that works is FacetrackNoIR which has the bonus of not requiring a silly hat. There is apparently a known bug with it not working on i5/i7 series processors, but I haven't encountered it.
I haven't got it usable yet (too jittery), but I haven't had a lot of time to play with the output settings.
Only needing a webcam is a nice, low barrier to entry so it might be worth checking out if you're interested in headtracking but don't want to shell out for TrackIR.
Yeah I heard about that Facetrack app, sounds cool. Definitely nice that all you need is a webcam. If the TrackIR is outside of the budget, I'd definitely give it a shot. I'm not sure if you can still get the TrackIR 4s (the current version is 5) but if they're available and cheaper, it's well worth it. That's the model I use and it's great.
How is Lock On?
I have very limited experience with Il2.
There's also a big community and modding community. So lots of good documentation, training missions, campaigns, and texture/model updates.
I was a huge flight sim aficionado (in the same way that other people are cigar aficionados, perhaps) ever since playing SubLogic's "Jet" on an Apple IIGS, which would have been way back in...
...well, that's frightening. Let's not go there.
But then both my free time and my attention span shrank, as they tend to do with age, and I just didn't have the time or gumption to learn how to fly these things anymore.
However, DCS A-10 was what finally sucked me back in. By merit of being so damn REALISTIC, it's actually easier to learn in one very important way: All the buttons, knobs and dials are RIGHT THERE IN THE COCKPIT, where they are in real life, fully clickable. Waaay easier to remember than a bazillion keyboard commands. Add a good HOTAS setup, as recommended in the OP, and you essentially never even touch the keyboard.
A few more things:
-For HOTAS, personally have had excellent experiences with CH Products' stuff. Fighterstick is basically an F-16 stick, which is what's in the C version upgrade of the A-10, so you can map your buttons 'n hats exactly as they are in reality. CH stuff is extremely durable, reliable, and super-flexibly programmable.
-Yeah, you're gonna want one of them head-tracking thingies. TrackIR, if you don't mind the silly hat (or are willing to endure the taunting from others that see you wearing it), or whatever you can get to work for you. That face thing-tracking thing sounds intriguing. Anyone tried it?
I just hopped in the Black Shark and things went pretty well (you know I used Left Win + Home to start that baby up though). I was able to take off and fly to a few way points and come to a hover. I'm pretty sure you have to be at a decent altitude in order to engage the auto-hover - but it worked out. I didn't change any of the flight settings either, just adjusted the stick and hit the trim button as needed.
This is a pretty good guide to get you started: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2626185/Tutorial_How_to_take_off_and_b.html#Post2626185
edit: now that I think of it, I was using the trim button wrong a minute ago.. I was adjusting the stick, then hitting the button, then releasing everything. I think you're supposed to hold the trim button, adjust the stick, release the button + stick.
Indeed, the CH stuff looks l little plain. They also make industrial joysticks, maybe that's why. Has a great feel to it though. One downside to their Pro Throttle is that the throttle movement is linear rather than an arc, so it's harder to tell just by feel what you've got the throttle set at. One thing I miss from my old Thrustmaster WCS.
My proficiency still leaves a lot to be desired. I know my way around the weapons system reasonably well and can cluster-bomb the bejeezus out of an armored column...unless it's shooting back, that is. I've even managed to be shot down by MG fire from tanks when getting too low on a strafing run. So much for titanium bathtub with wings
I practiced my LGBs a bit last night and I think I got it down. I'm sure there are situations where you'd want to change this, but I like taking the tutorial's advice and setting up the bomb profile to auto-lase 10 seconds prior to impact. That way you don't have to do anything but line up your CCRP shot well. Well that and you have to keep the TGP pointing at the target so its properly marked the whole time - which is what I think I was doing wrong in my previous attempts. I either didn't keep the TGP locked up in point mode or I turned too much causing the laser to move. Once I kept the cross on the target during the drop, it was a perfect hit each time.
Chainsaw, depending on the SAM situation, you can keep a pretty good height when doing bombing runs. But yeah, even a BMP can rip you up if you let him get some good shots on you during a strafe. We should see about trying to run that "Hideout" mission I mentioned earlier in multiplayer. Assuming you can run any mission as multiplayer - maybe we'd have to add another player controlled A-10 to it or something.
I finally got some new Arctic Silver thermal paste, so I'll be swapping in my scythe cpu cooler and maybe OCing my machine for fun. Therefore, I'll most likely be playing a lot of PC stuff this weekend. If you see me on steam or here, feel free to hit me up.
I started the first mission of the first campaign as well. It went pretty well, but I don't think my CBU bombing runs were as effective as they could be. I was loaded with CBU-87s and CBU-97s.. and I forgot that those were "dumb". Not sure the best way to drop those on a moving column. I used CCRP since I was flying pretty high and there was a lot of SAM threats. I think you need to line up the shot so you're running along the road with them. Then as the column moves up you still catch a lot of them. Probably a good idea to ripple them as well.
I saw one of you guys playing IL-2 the other day.. tempted me to reinstall that. Are you running any mods? I remember there being a couple good ones, but its been awhile.
I probably had a few gigabytes of awesomely detailed aircraft skins, but that's it. I suppose there are two "mods"--mods in a sense anyway: Il-2 Mat Manager, which allows you to replace those godawful decals the game default comes with, with historically accurate or inaccurate replacements, and Il-2 Stab, which allows some tweaking of various aspects of the singleplayer experience, as well as the creation of a flight/mission journal, recording medals, etc. Gives the singleplayer game what amounts to a roleplayer experience if you're creative enough.
I noticed that a lot when I was big into Silent Hunter (3+4). There were a few mega mods that everyone swore by it seemed, but when you went to the threads for the mods they never had an "about this mod" section. It was like "you know what it does, you've been using it for awhile now" - which I guess I can understand when it comes to more niche games like these sims, since the community is relatively smaller.
Anyway, I'll probably end up installing IL-2 again just so it's available but I'm not really itching to fly ww2 stuff right now (always down for some multiplayer though!). WW2 subs on the other hand... I'm about to bust out my notebook and calculator and sink some tonnage
I wanna fly and shoot.
My desk is deep enough that I just push the keyboard forward and keep the stick/throttle in front of it. But I can still reach the F-keys (all you really need). I would like a way to mount my HOTAS to my chair though, or have like a shelf so I can put them on my lap or something. I'm trying not to go down that path cause I'll end up building a cockpit.
Normally I use the upper part of the desk to the front and sides of the screen to keep like, my phone and glasses case and important papers.
Really I just need to find better homes for this crap so I can play me some dogfights.
I REALLY want to buy that thrustmaster A-10 stick.. but I really don't want to spend the money right now. There's nothing wrong with my X52, but that one is so sweet.
I really enjoyed that program (and plan to continue once I have the funds for membership and a TrackIR), and learned a lot.
I'm loving DCS A10, but I feel nowhere near ready to even try shooting the gun. I'm really trying to get all of the flight stuff down. ILS is crazy hard.
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
My landings aren't perfect, but I do have a decent idea of how to setup the plane for an ILS landing. Most of my problems landing all have to do with coming in too fast and too high
Re: CoD - I haven't been following its progress, sucks that all chatter I hear about it has been negative. Is there a beta out or something?
Also anybody see the A-10 stick? Anybody use it?
Steam: betsuni7
- LOMAC runs fine on win7 64-bit - i'd grab flaming cliffs 2 however, since its the most up to date version. its stand alone but requires lomac to be installed
- DCS:A-10 runs great from steam (so does Black Shark), again in 64 bit no problems
- The thrustmaster A-10 HOTAS looks amazing and supposedly built well. I use a saitek x52 but maybe I'll by the TM one day
Everyone should get DCS A-10!
You're able to access the Steam overlay and various features? And you're sure Steam is actually running the 64bit version, since it comes with both?