Fighter Pilot Podcast Starring "Wags"

I don’t have a problem with the rate at which ED releases things. They’ve consistently taken 3-4 years to release products with the complexity of the Hornet, A-10 and Blackshark, and that’s fine. Quality takes time.

My gripe is that given the choice of the next project being:

  1. The F-4E Blk 48, which is look at a legendary aircraft at a relatively unexplored period in its life cycle offering complex, novel takes on multi-crew concept along with air to air and strike capabilities radically different than what we’ve seen before.

  2. The F-16C Blk 50, which has existed in varying complexity for twenty years, offers no capabilities in excess of the Hornet, and is on many levels less flexible than the Hornet.

ED went with option 2. I don’t have their market research, maybe there is an overwhelming demand in Europe and the US for aircraft totally devoid of personality. Novel gameplay being pushed back for another take on what already exists feels like a missed opportunity.

Different Rhino, but I’ll definitely buy what you’re selling too.

Now who wants to talk about LSOs?

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I honestly think that’s why they went with option 2. Take a bit of what they did with the A-10C and F/A-18C, put it together, boom – F-16C relatively quickly and easily. Coupled with the popularity of the airframe, it makes a lot of sense, especially if the funds keep the lights on to pursue different aspects of the simulation.

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I wouldn’t go that far, but if all goes well with the Hornet, the F-16 will be the first gen4 module ED does where all key technologies are in place. That should make it at least somewhat quicker to develop than the Hornet. Will be definitely interesting.

Sure, who doesn’t love lutetium orthosilicate? :wink:

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I started listening to this podcast based on the DCS content and it’s absolutely fantastic. Now 3 episodes in and can’t wait to listen to more.

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I thought Wags and Jello did a wonderful job explaining the sim and The Hornet,I thought Jello would be [like me] hugely impressed with the VR aspect of the sim,I think maybe Wag’s Rig could be a bit more “Beefy” for VR,as Jello mentioned he was getting some motion sickness.

Great to hear also DCS are working to make The Carrier deck a more lively place with various color shirts working the deck after Jello mentioned it was missing that aspect.

I loved the part when Jello and Sunshine wrapped it up and described a FFB-Stick without even knowing something like that exists. (“If only there was a stick sending forces back based on G-Loading, Pitch Rate, AoA”). Also they pointed out that this is quite an important factor for the feel in a desktop simulator.

I never understood why the FFB concept was discontinued for flight sim peripherals but is very en vogue in racing wheels.

I’d also like to point out that there still are (used) FFB sticks but that the software support in the sims for them is lacking. DCS Hornet has only some stiff centering spring as far as I can feel with my G940. It shouldn’t be too complicated to programm the resistance similar to the real deal (when fast, more force for more G, when slower more force for more pitch rate and AOA for landing). This would make it a lot easier to knife fight someone without bleeding all the airspeed because of pulling too hard.

It is a patent/licensing issue. I really dislike patent trolls.

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Wasn’t there also some driver support issues? I seem to recall that MS switched to a different system for their Xbox rumble controllers and FFB sticks used a different driver mechanism.

Yep, an outfit called ‘Immersion Corporation’ won a case against Microsoft in 2005(?) ish. Microsoft ended up having to pay $25 million+ (!) just to license the haptic tech. That gave Immersion Corp a huge bunch of money to buy more patents in the area, and here we are - no force feedback sticks without a big licensing question mark over them. I think Logitech licensed some stuff, but even they found it hard to make money doing that.

The only ray of sunshine is that (I think, I need to look this up again) that the last force-feedback device Immersion patents were about 1999, so that would mean the tech might open up again in 2019 (10 years for the patent to expire).

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The fact that their G940 force feedback set was ambitious, expensive and hilariously bad for the price asked must have had something to do with that. (I own one)

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I am happy that Wags was using a (4th) late? prototype of the Hornet stick. We haven’t heard much since E3.

The scuttlebutt is we won’t see it until 2020 to align with TM’s business plan.

IMHO the stick wasn’t even that bad, just the pedals and especially the throttle sucked.

Plus they compounded their inferior hardware in throttle and pedals with some really bad software “remedies” that made it even worse. The hysteresis on the throttle is the pinnacle of bad signal processing choices. They must have been under immense financial pressure.

You guys, you guys, check this one out!

https://www.fighterpilotpodcast.com/episodes/046-a-6-intruder/

@komemiute you do not want to miss this one bud!

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Fantastic!! Looking forward to this one!!!

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:star_struck: :heart_eyes:

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For those of us that are unable to listen to podcasts, at the moment…
What are they saying?

Same question, do they have written transcripts?

You can listen to an episode on their web site with a web browser in the background while you learn how to C&D start the I-16 :grin: