ED forums announcement

Related posts:

1. upcoming DCS:Blackshark campaign engine
2. DCS forum highlights – Aug, 2008
3. DCS Blackshark (Russian version) goes Gold!

The flight manual is 385 pages of text, diagrams and color photos, and teaches you all the detail about the KA-50 systems, including avionics, comms and the ABRIS Moving Map/GPS system. It contains checklists for practicing those cold ramp starts, and some basic operating procedures.

The User Interface (GUI) manual is 162 pages, and teaches you about the mission editor and the new pilot logbook.

What are you waiting for?

Related posts:

1. upcoming DCS:Blackshark campaign engine
2. DCS forum highlights – Aug, 2008
3. DCS Blackshark (Russian version) goes Gold!

Unfortunately, the localization for western languages is still in process, and then the game will need to spend time being rated, so we may not see the North American version until Jan 2009.

Between now and then, they plan to release the ~550 page PDF manual, and a playable demo.

I believe that the Russian version will have option for English labels in the cockpit, or there will be options to add the localizations later.

Will you consider purchasing and downloading the Russian version?

Related posts:

1. upcoming DCS:Blackshark campaign engine
2. DCS forum highlights – Aug, 2008
3. DCS: BlackShark English Manual now available

08-23-2008, 12:08 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by hitman_214th
1) Will CG [Center of Gravity] be static or dynamic in BS? Obviously with weaps release the CG will change, but what about fuel bladders? Hydraulic fluid? Also pertains to question 2.

Yes, the CG is dynamic and will change as the stores/fluids/airframe structure are affected in real time. Whether the change will be enough to you to appreciate it, however, is another question. (Opps, see Alpha’s response below).

2) Is fluid dynamics figured into the simulator? Fuel leaks into separate compartments, hydraulic fluids being dumped overboard, ballast, liquid sloshing in half-filled reservoirs?

The available pressures and flows of the fluids are modeled dynamically and mainly within their respective systems (e.g. the fuel system <-> engine <-> APU, etc.), including pressure dependencies, pumps functionality, etc. The fluids themselves are not modeled according to fluid dynamics.

3) Kind of a dumb question, but would there be a way to load the aircraft in such a manner to make it unstable in certain flight characteristics? (flying forward with tail heavy tendency makes it harder to lower the nose and accellerate, a means to adjust tail heavy a/c to nose heavy)

I don’t think you can configure the aircraft for instability. However, damaging the airframe can be fun.
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EvilBivol-1
Online Community Manager
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08-24-2008, 08:22 PM
Free fall bombs are wAFMed [weapon Advanced Flight Modelled]. I’m not sure if the same is true for the individual bomblets of the KMGU dispenser or cluster bombs, but I do not believe so. Will test and get back to you.

UPDATE: I ran a test, but couldn’t reach a 100% conclusion. However, it looks like each bomblet may be wAFMed afterall, because your helicopter’s trajectory during release definitely affects their dispersion pattern. In most cases, the difference isn’t large, because you will typically release from a relatively low altitude, but it is there. Again though, without a definitive answer from Yo-Yo, I’m not sure.

All bombs simply explode on impact.
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EvilBivol-1
Online Community Manager
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08-30-2008, 02:16 AM
In regards to trees – next engine, as mentioned previously. Making trees solid is just too impractical in the current engine.
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EvilBivol-1
Online Community Manager
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08-22-2008, 06:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by thamuff
Has the decision been made about any digital distribution, Steam etc?

While we have been talking with Valve/Steam, no final decision has been made.
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Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics
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08-22-2008, 06:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poko24
So good to hear. How is the english manual?

Pretty much done, just little edits here and there. Once the game goes into duplication, we will probably release it for free.
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Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics
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08-22-2008, 07:57 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by patricio_z
Can anyone point me to the thread where the specs of this [Producer's notes] system are mentioned??

Thanks for the update!

E6850 @ 3.0 GHz
2 GB RAM
8800 GTX
XP SP2

Nothing overclocked

Video recorded at default HIGH settings with FRAPS.
__________________
Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics
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08-22-2008, 04:53 PM
Today we will be downloading Build 50 which is code frozen for the Russian version except for any critical issues or crashes found in final testing. The primary issue that remains for the western version is to complete the German, French and Spanish localizations (these will all reside on a single DVD). It has been a long haul but we are getting close.
__________________
Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics
source

Related posts:

1. upcoming DCS:Blackshark campaign engine
2. DCS – Producer’s Note 2 – ABRIS GPS System
3. DCS Blackshark (Russian version) goes Gold!

Recent info has been posted in the forums by Producer Matt Wagner about the campaign system.

Here are what I thought were the relevant quotes:

Recently, there have been a lot of questions and misunderstandings about the campaign system for DCS: Black Shark. What follows is a brief description that I hope bring a bit of clarity.

The campaign system in DCS: Black Shark is not linear, branching or dynamic; it is phased. Let me try to describe this: using the embedded Campaign Editor, you can create as many phases in a campaign as they wish. The one I’ve been working on for example will between 25 and 30. You can think of each phase as a folder. Now using the Mission Editor, you can create a mission using many of the new functions such as a trigger and resulting action system, defined random chance of units appearing, new targeting system that sets “zones” for units to search for and attack targets, etc. After you have created a mission, you can then assign the mission to any of the phases. You can place as many missions within a phase as you want. Obviously, putting more missions in a phase will reduce the chances of the same mission being flown when the user is in a phase multiple times. This process can actually go pretty quickly when you create a base-template for each phase and then add and modify to the template to create multiple, separate missions.

When the mission is created, you assign goals. A goal can be such things as the player surviving, primary target(s) being destroyed, friendly units not being destroyed, time limits, etc. Each of these goals can be assigned a numeric value. At the end of the mission, the goals are evaluated to determine if the player stays in the same phase, drops back to a previous phase or advances to the next phase. The only thing linear about the phased system is that the flow of the phases is linear (although it can flow forwards and backwards). In this manner, a player’s progress in a campaign can go back and fourth according to how the missions turn out. When you tie phases to front lines, it is easy to set up a situation where you have front line that ebbs and flows according to mission results. You will never had to re-fly a mission to progress in the campaign (unlike Lock On).

As you can see, this is not really not linear, branching or dynamic.

In later iterations of the campaign system (it’s is a work in progress), we plan on adding such things as resource management (units and stores) and squadron pilot management.

While it is certainly not out of the question that we will also do a dynamic system that algorithmically generates missions and a battlefield environment, the phased system is what we wish to perfect fist. In addition to providing much better game play possibilities than the linear Lock On system, it takes much better advantage of our Mission Editor system that we are developing for both the entertainment and military markets.

Thanks,
Matt
__________________
Matt Wagner
Producer, TFC/Eagle Dynamics

For me, I create a template for each phase that represents a current forward line of troops, and then add and modify the template to create the individual missions for that phase. I personally should for between 4 and 6 possible missions per phase, but this number of course can be determined by the campaign designer.
The campaigns for DCS:BS are currently in work and will focus on attack helicopter operations and fixed-wing CAS.

You can easily create a “depot” of units that will “activate” when another unit is destroyed. When activated with this trigger, the unit would then drive/fly to what location you specify.

You can certainly create unit activity outside the mission objective and assign such units value to the overall mission evaluation. So, even if you did not accomplish your assigned objective, doing extensive damage to the enemy in other areas along the battle front could still progress you forward to the next phase. It’s really up to the mission designer how they wish to set up the mission.

source:
http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=30053

Sounds pretty close to the flexibility of the old Janes Longbow 2 engine, plus the ability to actually edit individual missions and create your own phased progression.

What do you think?

Related posts:

1. DCS forum highlights – Aug, 2008
2. DCS Blackshark (Russian version) goes Gold!
3. DCS: BlackShark English Manual now available