Dr. Warthog or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Study Flight Sim

[Yskonyn]

The oddest thing has been my experience with the study sim community.  Not always the friendliest and most welcoming of folks...

Lol, you're right here. Often the next dude who has ever taken control of a Cessna thinks he is knowing-all about flightsimming, it's flaws in relation to real life flying and yes.. weapons systems being modelled.
It makes for some exhausting discussions sometimes, but on the other hand, it also shows the passion people have for their hobby. While often not very correct, they do add a lot of interesting topics to the boards. :)
Just don't let yourself get de-motivated to enjoy your own journey in the combat flightsim world.

Other than that it's pretty common forum fare; haters, trolls, peacekeepers, you all find them there as much as on any gaming forums/site.

[republic]

It is strange, for a hobby that I can't imagine is growing significantly...we should all stick together.  If your at the point where you can operate the A-10 or Blackshark...you've got to be somewhat dedicated to the hobby already and should get some sort of 'this guy might be alright'.

I've experienced downright rudeness on Teamspeak.  I'm too old for this "lets pick on the new guy" attitude.  I had one encounter where they didn't realize I was on the TS server...

I've found some nice folks too, but unfortunately for every "Howdy neighbor" I'm finding two "Get off my lawn!"s

[Yskonyn]

I do recognise this 'elitism' and I detest it myself.
You're right, as the community already is rather small and on top of that serious sims have a steep learning curve, people should welcome each new member with open arms.
But there sometimes seems to be some kind of elitist feeling around that is tied to spitting on the sim-crowd by people who have experience with real aircraft, however limited that experience may be. Hence my remark above, but you know what? This attitude is far more common in the general parts of the community like open or general purpose forums and on open servers.
The more dedicated locations (those hosted by serious/mature wings for example) are generally a much more friendly place, let alone much more mature and especially helpful towards new members.

[republic]

I think I've got the A-10 pretty well under control.  I have also gotten to the point where I can fly and fight in the Ka-50 Black Shark...though I need to learn the avionics.

Still looking for a friendly place to fly though...

[jomni]

DCS MiG-21 preview.
http://youtu.be/HCnBIf9Gt44

[republic]

I think I'd pay $100 if they'd make a dynamic campaign module for DCS...  I find myself mainly playing multiplayer because each session is like a mini dynamic campaign.

[Yskonyn]

ED has stated several times that something like a Dynamic Campaign module is going to have to be a 3rd party effort. They have no ambition to make such a thing themselves.
Instead they want to broaden the scope of the mission editor and improve user friendlyness and scripting functions.
ED believes a good heavily scripted mission gives a better experience than a dynamicly generated one.
They rather see a branching campaign (several scripted missions tied together into a campaign where the next mission is dependant on the outcome of the previous one; already possible).

[jomni]

That's the reason why I still play Falcon. :)

The branching campaign is good and less frustrating. Because if you fail, you can just replay the mission.  Most of the time, the front line does not move after a failed mission in DCS... Sometimes it might revert to a previous mission's state.

But nothing beats the feeling of being involved in a full dynamic air war.  ;D 

Both methods have their merits.

[Yskonyn]

I agree.
The way Falcon has its campaign is pretty awesome, however flawed it may be (the ground war still has many issues for example, even in BMS). To be really fair, I think its more the impression of a fully developing war that Falcon manages to pull off so well.
The facts are that a lot of things in its dynamic campaign really don't work that well. ;)
Still I agree that the experience is pretty awesome no less.

But in theory, you should be able to create a very believable experience in DCS as well.
In one of the later builds they have added a very interesting feature; warehouses.
For every airbase you will be able to define an inventory (not functional yet, though the menu is in already) and you will be able to define a hub an spoke system of supply lines.
FOB's are in as well and ground forces can now 'capture' airbases and territory (by means of area boxes in case of territory).
It's not clear wether the inventory of airbases can be restocked by means of flights automatically, but sure thing you can make a script tied to a flight that triggers this.
Once the system works, you would be able to create huge missions with dynamically moving frontlines.
Place that on a DS and you have a multiplayer system not unlike that of Falcon's campaign.
It will be a crapload of work for the mission creators, but it is possible.

But, so far with all things ED; the ambition is there, but the time they need to push things out the door is what holds people back.

[republic]

If they would allow some kind of in mission save, a huge dynamic "mission" would be exactly what I'd want.

[republic]

So last night I discovered I've been flying the Blackshark completely wrong for the past 2 years.  Wow...I feel like a dunce.  I didn't realize the trim was like an autopilot, you have to press the trim button to change direction and speed, then release trim to maintain.   I had originally thought that trim just...trimmed.

:o

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I decided to finally try and tackle A-10C in sim mode but I'm already stymied.  I cannot get the game to recognize the mini-stick on my CH throttle at all.  I want to use the thing for the slew controls on the MFDs but no matter how I try to set up a profile in-game or via the CH control manager, I cannot get it to recognize the mini-stick.

[Yskonyn]

Isnt the ministick an Axis?
If so you need to assign it in the Axis Controls menu, not the normal keypresses one. Use the dropdown filter in the topleft of the menu.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Yes, it should be an axis but I can't get the game to recognize it.  I've tried setting the mini stick as a seperate device with the CH control manager but I still can't get the game to see it.  There is a list of dozens of acronyms in the axis assignment tab but the meanings aren't clear. ARX-JOY or FRX-JOY or any of the other choices may indeed be the mini stick axis but I have no idea which one it might be.

[republic]

You might have to assign the ministick axis directions to key presses in the CH software, then maps the keys in DCS.  That is how you have to do the X52 ministick anyhow.