As Eric pointed out… the closer you look, the more layers there are.
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Talking of Eric… a couple of shots of his F45 from our flight earlier today…
Splash 1.
Bad news heading my way.
I think they could squeeze a few more missiles under there.
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I could use a range / altitude launch chart for the HARM. Or is it safe to assume when you get the SHOOT cue that you are within parameters?
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I know right? And here I am dropping Mk-83s on bunkers using WW2 tactics… 
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It really is isn’t it? Amazing depth for what so many people consider a “light” sim/game.
So doing some testing before I head to bed, the shoot cue just means it has something to target, not that you are in range, or even that it will home. So a range/altitude chart would be a good thing! I am curious if the lack of a DLZ display in the EF-24 is intentional or not.
As far as I can tell, on the MAD4 at least HARMs wont home until it goes to STT. The MAD4 doesn’t seem to engage until about 10 nm if there are HARMs in the air. Ingress was about angels 13, and about 350-400 IAS. I was in a hurry and testing a couple different variables at once (my research methods prof would be so disappointed). I am curious what the engagement range is with no HARMs in the air and no jamming, and the engagement range with the default 50% power jamming off of 1 jammer with no HARMs in the air.
Also the SAM launcher can shoot down HARMs, just in case anyone thought just putting a few HARMs in the air preemptively means it’s a cake walk to go in and drop a MK-82 on the radar.
There is always the possibility I set up something wrong in the mission editor. I used the default island map, put the MAD4 radar on the Southern corner of the city by the airbase, with a MAD4 launcher, and a SAM launcher adjacent to it and both linked. SAM launcher has the LR SARH missile variant loaded (BR66LR I think?). It seems to me that should be all that’s needed, but if I missed something let me know!
For now I’d say fire off a full size HARM as soon as you can get it on the TSD, and you should be able to get close enough to try something. Once I get a better idea what jamming does this afternoon after I get up, I’ll let y’all know.
Honestly the “world” part of VTOL is light years ahead of DCS from what I’m seeing. At least in the ability to make it work. Yes there are scripting mods out there to create IADS and jamming in DCS, but it’s not drag and drop with organic behavior.
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I think to some extent, VTOL is more realistic than DCS in several areas because it doesn’t get caught up in the fine detail .
It is similar to KSP in that regard.
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The EF-24 does provide a DLZ cue if the targeted site is transmitting and the sensor has confidence of distance. If all I get is a “Shoot!” cue, my guess has been that it is getting enough noise to get azimuth but not range.
For ARM shootdowns, the 188 might be better as it’s final trajectory is straight down. Probably sacrificing range for the unique path.
Just thought of something. Tacview integration would be awesome!
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I have a session going. Usual credentials. I plan to leave it up for several hours, but you might find me ‘AFK’ in the briefing room from time to time. Hope to see some of you in there.
First trap, just finished the tutorials and in free flight now, exploring:
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Awesome. How are you liking it?
I’m 3 hours into it so far, and I like it! It seems to be pretty accessible, though at times the tutorials seem to miss a step, or my lack of memorization of the previous tutorial hindered my progress. For example in the AGM tutorial I forgot to make the TGP my SOI and hence the hand controller stick did do nothing. Of course it was explained in the previous weapons handling tutorial…
But overall it feels very solid, the first time I really enjoy the VR experience in a flight sim thoroughly. In DCS and FS2020 I found myself going back to 2D when the VR headset (Varjo Aero) bugged out for nearly two months last year, and I did not return to VR with those games. Maybe I should give them another try in VR though 
I think there are quite a few SP missions included to learn more of the basics of the game. I’m still fumbling around quite a bit 
Cheers,
TeTeT
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There is definitely a learning curve, but it’s far less steep than DCS. It makes a real difference that the design of the game was for VR from day one. With DCS and to some extent MSFS, it was bolted on after initial release.
My session is still up. I have to step away for a bit but please feel free to jump on and fly a few sorties.
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The original campaign is good. But honestly there’s not a lot of meat once you get past that. When you are ready, click on the Steam “Workshop” link. You’ll find enough there to enjoy the game for the next 200 years. Also, consider getting either the F-45 or the EF-24. They both use an amazing display system. It takes an hour to learn, configure and to save profiles. Once I’d made that initial time investment I felt that I had tasted the true modern cockpit experience maybe for the first time.
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I think my next stop will be the EF-24. Ever since playing Downtown, the boardgame, I was intrigued by what’s going on on the EW front. I’ve even added a radar disabling/jamming capacity to the F/A-18F in arma 3 So would be nice to learn how it’s done properly in a game!
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right there with you.
I am thoroughly enjoying trying my hand at being an undersized Sparkvark that shoots back. Honestly all the DLC is $35 USD total, well worth the money for 2 seat F-16 and a single seat Mudhen when I want a change of pace.
I found Downtown years ago on the web, but never had a chance to play it. Did you try the solo rules out? I’ve been debating getting it for years, but never knew anyone who had played it.
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On the HUD? I am either blind or looking at the wrong thing, I am expecting something similar to the range staple for A2A missiles and am not seeing it. I might try using the TGP one of these days with a short range radar SAM and see if that will give me one.
So doing some testing this afternoon.
Setup:
EF-24 angels 17, 500 kts IAS, headed nose on to the MAD4 site. Site equipped with one MAD4 launcher and one SAM-launcher armed with BSM-66LR SARH missiles.
Test 1: With no jamming, site engages at around 20-23 nm, with a single MAD4, killed.
Test 2: Utilize jamming after being shot at, cold until then. Again, site engages at around 20-23NM, utilize 1 jammer at max power for high band jamming, and one jammer at max power for DRFM.
Breaks lock (site goes back to mid band), missile goes ballistic, as I am non-maneuvering for testing purposes, missile apparently impacts (loud bang). Doesn’t seem to detonate though as I’m still flying. Possibility it is just self-destructed in close proximity. I haven’t a clue if you can do replays or look at external cameras, so can’t confirm one way or another. Continued to close utilizing jamming only when locked, shot at multiple times, seems effective until I overfly the site which puts it out of the arc of the jammers and I get shot down.
Test 3: No jamming until locked up, then same as test 2 but I leave the jammers running.
Get engaged initially, and 1 additional time when under 10 nm, shot down as I overfly and loose jammer coverage.
Test 4: No jamming until lock up, then same jamming as test 2 but I leave the jammers running. Fire off an AGM-88 soon as I get locked up, and make a 45 degree turn decrease my closure and give the HARM time to close (notching would have been better, but I had put the jammers on the wrong pylons to aft quarter coverage). No engagement from first lock, SAM launched on second lock up, but HARM kills site before it gets close.
Test 5: Added an EW site to see if that would increase the engagement range. Same setup as test 1 (fat dumb and level), same result engaged around 20-23nm and shot down.
Other notes:
I must recant my earlier comment about the MAD4 not engaging with HARMS in the air, as it definitely didn’t have any issues with doing it this afternoon. I tried a couple variations on test 1 with HARMs in the air at various points, and it would shoot at me no problem.
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I played it with a friend in live sessions a few times, and via VASSAL more often. I even modified the VASSAL module to allow for better solitaire play, but the code didn’t stood the test of time, e.g. it doesn’t work anylonger and I haven’t touched VASSAL maybe in 12 years… The solo rules did work though, but it’s not as fun.
I usually played the DRV and to my US players surprise, he saw that the counter I snuck under his CAP towards his EB-66s were in fact a flight of MiG-17s, who then disposed of the EB-66. With the rather harsh victory conditions this was basically an insta-win for the North. Hard to pull something like this off with the solitaire rules.
Thanks, but before jumping on a multiplayer server I first need to figure out how to deploy those counter measures. Otherwise the sorties will last not that long…