So @fearlessfrog invited me for a quick multi-crew session in the Gazelle tonight. Having not flown in for the past six weeks or so…I was pretty clueless. I also had to get my install up to speed, so I wasn’t able to use the English cockpit mod…which was hilarious. Fortunately, Frog was the pilot and all I had to do was puzzle through the knobs and switches on the left side until I got the right combo to give me launch parameters.
@near_blind helped us out by putting his server up and giving us a little shooting range type mission. I must say, flying multi-crew in the Gazelle is fantastically fun. Sure, MP online play is always fun…but when combined together in the same cockpit…it really does take the experience to a whole different level. It is going to be super fun to do some missions in this thing. We experimented with taking control from each other (which was also hilarious since my HOTAS was set to push instead of pull…you guys are sick!). The first helo we got in, for some reason I wasn’t seeing the exact same thing as Frog and my cockpit was showing the electrics out and the rotor not spinning. The second helo we got in, everything worked perfectly.
We went and blew up some trucks (we were laughing that we hoped @near_blind hadn’t pulled a fast one on us and installed an SA10 or something at the target range) and then I wrecked the helo so Frog hopped in the gunner seat of @boomerang10’s helo. It was a short session because we didn’t anticipate getting together…but this is something we definitely try to build an event around. It was awesome.
I’m exactly in the middle of two feelings:
One is sheer envy and the other can be summed up with the feeling you get when you get to watch from the fence some of your best friends having fun in the pool.
I’m kinda happy you’re finally having multi crew fun buy at the same time I wish I sooo could be part of it.
Just not that bad.
It really does look bright for the next future!
Sounds like a lot of fun. I’m just getting to the point of wanting to try some multiplayer. Do you all just hang out on Teamspeak to co-ordinate getting together?
Well last night was kind of random - @fearlessfrog hit me up via a PM and I just happened to have some time available (on call, but not flying). I might be around tonight as well…depends on who decides to hold onto a lit firecracker or wants to ride a motorcycle without a helmet at 100 mph.
Somehow I don’t think you will ever be short of work Chris. I’m not sure what I’ll be up to later, but if I’m free I’ll look in and see if anyone is hanging out on Team Speak.
It was enormous fun to do that, and something I had been waiting years to do in DCS, as in co-op operate a complex helo like that. Thanks to @near_blind for the server set-up.
A couple of thoughts on us trying it:
The best thing for me was that it felt like a decent shared experience of actually being in the same cockpit, as in, with teamspeak just set to open-mike rather than ‘operate like radios’ it was good to just chat as we went along as we were both seeing the same stuff, i.e. ‘let’s use that hill on the left and pedal turn to pop up towards the targets on the right’. That was pretty cool.
Flying for me was actually more fun in the Gazelle as normally killing things is so sequentially staged with single player, as in, ‘fly to place’, ‘autohover in place’, ‘switch to WSO’, ‘target stuff and kill’, ‘go back and fly’. With having the two of us it felt so much easier to get stuff done. Massively reduced workload as a pilot made it far more fun. I agree it would be great to try some missions with things trying to kill us.
Incidental stuff like @BeachAV8R fiddling with the targeting TV and flipping it back/forth to BHOT and me looking over and seeing that. It really made it feel like there were two people flying. Things like us both being able to see me switch modes on the NADIR and see the same read-outs etc. I could look over and see Beach at work scanning and targeting away, and seeing those HOT3’s corkscrew away from the right seat. Very cool.
I felt bad if it killed us both, as in I really didn’t want to bottom out and crash on popping up and down. Felt much less cavalier in flying it as it not just you you’ll kill
Up next, a couple of VR headsets, hand tracking switch detection, a shared cockpit between thousands of miles apart - we’re living in the future man…
Nice write up guys. I have been enjoying the multi crew with some others in the 229th and Xtra (Former AH-64 pilot) is going to talk us through some R/L cockpit etiquette and procedures. Will try to get a video if possible, it may be useful I am sure it will be fun
I was having a hard time as weapons rookie. First, I couldn’t seem to get the aiming system to ‘ground stabilize’ and then the missiles would not fire. Didn’t mention it at the time but I forgot about this switch
And back to base … with a small ‘air show’, showcasing the Gazelle’s ‘high maneuverability and ability to hang in an obvious crash orientation yet snap back into a crisp landing’.
It’s going to be fun in two seat fighters/attack. RIP Goose, I’m too close for missiles!
For the Gazelle I wonder if it’ll get a rope for sling loads. I could really do with a human yelling ‘back a bit, left’ while leaning out and looking down. I know there is a camera, but yelling seems better.
I’m thinking about instituting a basic knowledge test before I let anyone in my RIO seat.
You must be able to answer a basic battery of questions such as:
What does 2+2 =? (4)
Why does Ice man dislike Maverick? (because he’s dangerous)
When will I engage? (When I am god damned good and ready)
Point to where the TCS controls are (left side console)
Point to the TID and DDD (fishbowl and gameboy looking screens respectively)
Vasilliy Sergei’ch drunkenly taxis his Backfire out of it’s revetment at Afrikanda at 0400 Zulu, if he arrives near the battle group at 1200 Zulu, should you select RWS, TWS MAN, or TWS AUTO to guide our AIM-7 into his face? (trick question! PDSTT, PSTT, or “lol, i’ma phoenix him” are accepted as correct answers)
