DCS Resources A-10A

Flight Sims
1

Hey guys! Just found MudSpike and congrats on getting it up and running! And glad to see BeachAV8R again. I read all his AAR’s back at SimHQ and always enjoyed them. :slight_smile:

I recently got back into flight sims again after a multi year break, and BOY am I rusty… I grabbed the FC3 DLC and started out with the A-10A campaign, and I’m really struggling. I spent most of my gaming time yesterday setting up my old HOTAS (X45) and it seems to be as rusty as I am. It’s jittery across all axis and I had to set up some generous deadzones to get it to not pull my aircraft to the left all the time. This helped a bit, but I still struggle wildly with acquiring and locking targets for the AGM-65. Part of the problem is actually seeing the targets on the display despite being zoomed in, but the bigger issue is keeping the A10 relatively stable when heads down in the cockpit. Any hints and tips other than liberal use of trim and prayers?

2

@Henric - Welcome aboard and thanks for the kind words. The FC3 DLC is a good starting point for sure - the A-10A is a bit less complex. But that doesn’t really help with regards to spotting targets and surviving on the battlefield for sure. DCS missions can be really hard (brutally so). Also - you may investigate the controller settings to see if the pulling to the left might not be a function of the sim having the axes mapped to multiple controllers. This is a default setting with DCS for some reason…where the rudders, ailerons, and elevators will all be mapped to ALL of your controllers and sometimes you will find conflicts in there. The best bet is to go into the configuration menu and clear out all the axes for all the controllers and then make set them one by one. You could even go so far as to clear all the axes, go into the sim, and move your controllers to make sure that none of them are inputing stuff to the sim before going back into the configuration menu and setting them individually. Nothing more confusing than pulling back on your stick and having the plane pitch AND roll at the same time (exciting stuff!).

Regarding targets - in some cases I don’t feel that using labels is a cheat. Also, the good news is that DCS World 2.0 is going to have some sort of smart scaling that will allow us to see things a little better. But I don’t know if it is only for air-targets or all targets.

Anyway, I’m sure some other guys will chime in with some useful stuff. Glad to see you here.

Regards,
BeachAV8R

3

Thanks Beach! This I need to check on, because something is a bit off. It did get better with some deadzone on both toll and pitch. It’s an oooold HOTAS… And even after that something is a bit off in terms of stability, so if it isn’t the controller settings as you suggest, it’s my controller. :slight_smile:

4

You might wanna dive into the configurations menu of your computer then, and do a calibration of your stick. You could see if there’s something wrong with it. Also, most planes in DCS allow you to review your inputs by pressing right CTRL ENTER. these values are even corrected for trim and the like, atleast on other aircraft.

1 Like
5

Thanks! Will have a look at the input review. I need a good tutorial on setting up curves I think. :smile:

6

So last nights attempt at mission 1 in the A10-campaign went something like this.

Set altitude hold and went heads down hunting tanks with mavs.

“The f*** is that? Tank or smudge on my screen?” rubs screen

“Tank. Probably.” locks on to bridge
“Fuuu… come on…” locks on to house
“Jesu… COME ON!” wobble, wobble Hog slips around like a soap in a bathtub. My slewing got to intense and autopilot disconnected.

“Screw this. GUNS, GUNS, GU… EJECT, EJECT, EJECT”!

Got some serious learning to do. Love it! :sunny:

1 Like
7

@Henric - That pretty much summarizes most of my missions… LOL… It gets better though. Soon, your fingers will be dancing on that HOTAS like a master pianist…and when it all comes together (1 in 100 for me)…it is great!

BeachAV8R

8

I had fun! My SO as well. Going heads down in the virtual cockpit apparently looks a bit like making out with the monitor IRL. Or so I’m told. I was so target fixated I didn’t even notice her observing me in disbelief. She also wasn’t as impressed by me actually busting one of those tanks as I had imagined. Weird. That target scaling thing in DCS 2 will do wonders for my sense of pride and self esteem.

9

Why do they build the runways so bloody short! Bug?

2015-07-14_00001.jpg942×530 125 KB

1 Like
10

something tells me you came down to fast or flared to hard, I mean, who needs the nosewheel anyway :stuck_out_tongue: anyway for the A10C it’s possible to ground-stabilize the seekerhead of the maverick. wich makes targetting a little easier. Also, the D variant comes with an IR-head that’s great for targetting during night or low visibility conditions, while the H has an eloctro-optical head that’s great for daytime good visibility conditions. If you’re flying during the day, like in those screenshots. You can specify what weapons you want in the mission planner before any mission. or as an alternative, by asking the groundcrew to rearm you when you are landed. ofcourse I don’t know how much of this holds true for the A-10A.

a lot of people have 2 screens or more in their home setup these days. I don’t know if that also counts for you. You can easily set up your other screen to display the screen in your cockpit. just go into options and set the screens to display either RMFCD or LMFCD on your other screen, it’s a matter of finding out wich MFCD ( Multi-function color display )it is. You don’t need to do anything tricky with AMD Eyefinity or Nvidia surround. I’m sure that would help a lot with aquisition! to give an idea what to expect, here’s a screenshot of my 3 screen setup in the Ka-50 ‘kamov’ with the cockpit in the middle. the ‘shkval’ targetting system on the left and the AMMS ‘advanced moving map system’ on the right

bug3_zpsru1dwybn.png1024×192 160 KB

hope you can work it all out and have some fun in the skies!

1 Like
11

Thanks! Yes, I might have been slightly fast. I think the nose wheel is still rolling… :joy: I only have one monitor at the moment but I’ll get a second later on. Invaluable when doing dev stuff, but now I might have to get two more seeing you screens!

Had a pretty decent run last night. Eventually managed to get the bird down in one piece and taxied around and tried out the re-arming. Then did campaign mission one again, and after fiddling with the curves a bit I now have a stable plattform after a bit of trim is applied. Don’t even need the autopilot. Still, I got shot down but I am making progress!

12

I’m really pleased with how the A-10A Manual turned out. Will do the full A-10C or FC3 manuals next week. Will upload some photos of the result when I get home, but great readability and handy format.

13

there’s no need to go for three screens right away if it servers you no other purpose or it might pressure space or budget. you can put 2 MFCD’s on a single screen. ofcourse that leaves you with some empty screen estate, since the displays are square but the screen is 16:9. Later on you might be able to fill that estate with information, like from the external tool helios, but that might be to much for now, especially since you only just started getting back at simming. Not to mention that I think most FC3 level aircraft only have 1 MFCD at max. Some of the higher fidelity aircraft, like the A10C and Ka-50, incase you consider getting them later, have 2 displays. and some of the upcoming planes, Like the F/A18 Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon even have 3 displays wich will leave even me looking for a new solution.

it sounds like you had some fun last night, but I’m still sad to hear that you are shot down. Do you know what killed you? did you make use of the RWR ( radar warning receiver ) to make sure there where no threats?

in case you don’t know, the RWR is that sniper-scope shaped device. it’s very important, wich is why you can find it so high on the hud, here is what it looks like. http://i.imgur.com/csVqB.jpg without bombarding you with a lot of information, I’ll quickly explain how it works. it looks for radar signals from possible threats. it can tell you where it is coming from, but now how far away it is. Numbers below 15 could mean you are in trouble! these actual numbers are 3 for SA-3 ( SA means surface-to-air ) ‘goa’, 6 for SA-6 ‘gainful’, S6 For 2S6 ‘tunguska’, 8 for SA-8 ‘gecko’. 10 for SA-10. 13 for SA-13 and 15 for SA-15. numbers above 20 might also mean you’re in danger. 23 for MiG 23, 25 for MiG 25, 29 for MiG29, Su27 and Su33.

The F4,F5, 14(F14),16(F16),18(F/A 18) and M2 ( Mirage ) signals are NATO fighters, the 15 for F15 could also be an SA-15 so it’s best to check the actual source before assuming you’re safe. the A stands for AAA ( anti-aircraft artillery ) and could mean friendlies like the Gepard or PIVADS, but also enemies like the shilka.

there’s a lot more the RWR can display, friendly sams also have codes like RO for roland PA for patriot. complex SAMs like the SA10 and 11 have multiple radars with different functions and each has their own code, like CS and BB for the SA10 clamshell and big-bird radars ( the actual tracking radar, wich locks on to you and kills you carries the 10 ). I think this might already be more then enough to take in in one go. it’s perhaps perhaps to read to the briefing of a mission, and then familiarize yourself with the codes of potential threats enlisted. MANPADS like stingers and IGLA’s are not detectable by the RWR and hard to see by eye, so it’s perhaps best to fly at atleast 4km or 13000ft above banditcountry, as these weapons typically have an max engagement altitude of 11000kft.

14

I’m was about to get another screen anyways since I do a bit of programming stuff at home and have gotten so used to having at least two at work. I really just haven’t had the time until now. A third will probably be some ways into the future. :smile: Next upgrade is probably a TrackIR. The cheapest place here in Sweden are out of stock now, but I’ll definitely get one once the get restocked.

Yup, I know exactly what killed me. Lack of situational awareness! I’m quite comfortable with the RWR, I’m just too rusty too remember to keep checking it. In this case I was doing the Maverick TV-display/lock dance I just plain forgot I was in AAA range. Bad on me. Up until then I was sitting quite comfortable in a stable platform. I did one run on the target, couldn’t get a good lock and swung around before I got into range of the nasty stuff, but on my second run I got too greedy. I tried to lock up a tank when I should just have noted it’s position and headed out for a third try. Took out my engines and down I went.

All in all I had much more fun last night. Making progress, getting into the groove again. Did a few touch and go’s before the mission and actually got a pretty decent feel for how to handle the Hog during take off’s and landings. Hopefully I’ll get an hour or two in the cockpit tonight and I might even make it past that first campaign mission. :smile:

15

Some images of the printed manual. Simple ring binding with slightly thicker card stock in the front and back:

Front:

20150715_121414.jpg530×942 173 KB

Good image quality as well:

20150715_121449.jpg942×530 135 KB

2 Likes
16

Looks good, I need to bug them to fix the page number formatting on that one, pages numbers are all to the right, should alternate with even and odd pages, but the ED manuals are formatted for PDF anymore, not for print. But looks good anyways.

17

Oh man…that’s beautiful!

18

Yeah, I feared the worst based on what @SiThSpAwN mentions above. I’ve never used this print shop before (local University does prints for the public as well), but he really came through. It would obviously have been better if there was a proper print version. I’m really tempted to just send him the A-10C manual for 600 pages of pure goodness, but I need to temper myself a bit. And get the module! :smile:

19

Had a really great run last night! I haven’t had much time to play, but last night I managed to smash 2 of the T72’s. The third managed to elude me, but my wingman took him out after I was out of Mavericks, so no need to go to the dumb ordnance for me. Thank you Two! :slight_smile: Things are kind of coming together finally, and I feel much less stressed out now that I have some procedures down. Looking forward to progressing and trying out the C model.