From: dbr@ocf.berkeley.edu (Daniel Rosler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: Re: Flight sim news from CGW
Date: 15 Aug 1992 10:11:16 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: lightning.berkeley.edu

>IFF tone still rarely remains on (very minor).

hasn't happened to me in "D" thankfully.


>Fuel management is f*cked:
> Jet has greater range at AB1 than at 60%,100% power (complex).
> Jet has greater range at sea level than high altitude.

I always thought Falcon for Amiga was great.  Every mission would run you
out of fuel... :)

>Performance not very load dependent (31500+ vs empty weight):
> Same cruise speed (mil power) with high load/drag as in empty (hifi)
> Approx same climb rate with high load/drag as in empty (complex, hifi).
> Rated G loads are ignored (8+ G at any load).

This is so true.  Even more so, how come one needs to get down to 20% thrust
to maintain speeds like 400kts?  Meanwhile, the autopilot does the same thing
at 90%.

 Jet will reach supersonic speed in a 60 degree climb from takeoff
 (complex).

>Nose wheel steering (and rudder?) is flakey.  Sometimes doesn't respond,
>sometimes over-responds (not talking dependence on airspeed).  Seem
>better now that I use pedals.

NWS will even work whe damaged.  The rudder too sensitive  Also, how come
the rudder doesn't work when the gear is up?  I can't do some of Shaw's 
(Figher Combat) neat ACM.

> Seen an SA-6 battery travel at a ground speed of ~400 knots!

I've seen tanks and trucks go about 400kts too.

> Has anyone ever gotten the "bracket" or "drag" commands to work?  All I
> get is "unable".  Yes I'm following the manual's procedures.

I have used this often now.  It requires you giving the command when the
enemy is atleast 10-15 miles away but no more, b/c then they don't know 
about them.

>Medals given to pilots who did NOTHING.

Yes, but we all need positive reinforcement.

>You need to kill seven targets in ground strike missions for a success.
>I had one where my ground forces killed them all before I got there.
>End result...failure.

I just talked to SH about this and they said, "tough luck, oh well."

>Remember getting CAP'ed by A4's.  Isn't this bass-ackwards?

How about when the F-16 is CAPing F-14's.

>Time based option to waypoints.

Time-base waypoints are a MUST!!  This relying on fixed speeds is stupid.

Here's a method I've thought of:

The user puts the waypoint marker on the desired point and fills in the
"game" time the flight should be there, e.g. 18:30.  The computer automatically
calculates an estimated speed for the distance and fills in the necessary speed.If it is too fast or slow, the computer prompts for a different time.  Then in 
the flight, the autopilot will set the necessary speed.  

The current system fails like this:  If a flight gets into some bogey or
ground action, it'll stay and fight, then resume at the set speed, arriving at
the target later than planned.  With the time based system, the autopilot would
recalculate and set the necessary speed to get the flight to the next waypoint
on time (AB5 if necessary).  If it is too far behind to catch up, it would
go to max. speed, but would request permission to return to base.  This would
allow the human to decide if the flight is still usable.


Here are some other bugs and suggestions I have.

1.  Sometimes extending flaps increases speed. 

2.  Toggling flaps or auto-pilot causes small jinks to the left.

3.  Ejecting at low altitudes can cause system crashes.

4.  Ground strafe never works for me... 500 rounds into a truck, and it just 
    keeps on going at 400kts.

5.  AGM65D's should be loaded automatically on night missions.  The computer 
    knows it's 2100hrs, why do I have to keep replacing the 65B's.

6.  AIM-9P's are all-aspect locking!! BAD!!

7.  Some gray and brown dots turn out to be bogus.. maybe this is a feature....

8.  In Isreal and Kuwait, when the take-off flight model switches to the 
    in-flight model (all hi-fi) the plane jinks quickly to one side.

9.  When at the top of a stall, the view jumps around and all orientation is
    lost.  It's hard to follow a bogey when he's suddenly on the other side of
    the screen.

10. The wingmen should land!!!!

11. AWAC's should do what AWAC's REALLY do and provide threat information.  For
example, they could warn about various threats (to ground installations, yours
and other flights) and provide intercept vectors.  Most importantly, with this
feature, one wouldn't have to broadcast their location by doing 360 degree radarsweeps to asses the threat environment.  In war, pilots don't do these circles
to find targets, the AWAC's tell them.

12. One should be able to tell the wing-men to TURN OFF their radars to run
silent.  This works well with the AWAC's possibilities.  Currently, even though
you're trying to sneak up on someone, your wingman is squaking "target, target,"
with his radar painting everything in the sky.  DAMN this pisses me off.

13. Edit Waypoints should have a copy waypoints option to coordinate ESCORT 
flights or multiple bombing flights w/o having to create each one.

14. The "select pliots" screen should show the actual formation and perhaps 
allow one to move the F-16 icons and set their own spacing and position.  It
would need a side, front and top-down view.  The icons could be small with a
number on it corresponding to a side chart numbered for the pilots' names.

Unable. Unable. Unable. Unable. (Of F*ck you, I'll do it myself)
-- 

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Dan Rosler                       Internet: dbr@ocf.berkeley.edu
Because you never get a third chance to make a second impression.
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