My new sim

[dfish 1]

I've been on hiatus form fs9 for most of the summer. I think I was just burnt out and with the weather in the low 30's, that's in the high 70's F. I felt the need to get outside. Then I came across Falcon 4 Allied Force. I had the original way back when, but this is a new beast. A scan of the manual gave me a hint at what I was in for. This is not a takeoff and shoot the bandits sim. 716 page manual, yes you heard me right 716 pages!!! Thankfully there are dozens of traing missions. I will be a few months before they'll allow me to go on a real mission. I do love learning something this complexed. In some ways it remimds me of buying my first realistic 737 from Dreamfleet for 2002. Now I can say that I can find my way around a transport aircraft, with proficiency. So, here I am in front of the computer, my head buried in a manual trying to figure out why my Sidwiders can't hit the broad side of a barn.Wish my luck. BTW I'm getting 100+FPS right out of the box, imagine that? There is even a freeware/paywear community.Dave FisherCYYZP4 Prescott 3.2e 478p 800mhz 1mg CPUP4P800SE Asus Motherboard2.5 gig PC3200 DDR RAM 400MHZGeForce 7600GT/512 OC'dMaxtor 80 Gig ATA 133 HD x2WDC WD800 80 Gig HDAntec 500watt true powerSharp 19 inch LCD MonitorSaitek AV8R-01 Joystickhttp://fs2crew.com/linepilot.jpg

[Chock 17,769]

Yup F4AF is definitely the PMDG of the fighter plane world, and the really great thing is, that it runs absolutely brilliantly in co-operative mode online with lots of other pilots (although it can be a bit tricky to set it up for online initially). Flying as a pair online with a buddy in F4AF is one of the best things you can do with your clothes on! It's also blessed with one of the best reactive campaigns of any simulator ever.

[dfish 1]

Hi Chock, I understand that, not only can you fly your mission in the F-16, there is a way to control the game by playing in Commander-in-Chief mode, assigning air ground and naval operations. If that's the case how do I do it? Look at http://www.lead-pursuit.com/downloads.htm under the heading Flight Gides, there are 2 manual downloads called "Mission Campaign Planning Guide".Dave

[Chock 17,769]

All you really have to do is plan flights on the campaign map, if you have the assets and you do not jump into the cockpit and take the flight yourself, then other AI pilots will fly it.If you don't do this, the campaign will of course generate flights for you, but they are not always against the smartest choice of target.So, essentially you run the campaign the same way as you would when planning your own flights against a target, it's just that if you want to 'run the campaign overall' you have to plan a lot of flights.As tedious as this sounds, it is actually quite good fun, because you find yourself studying things like web pages on how the Gulf War missions were planned and what targets they went for first. Another thing which makes it fun, is the fact that you haven't got unlimited assets, so choosing which F-16 squadron (bearing in mind its capabilities and what model F-16 it flies), becomes a factor.Co-ordinating missions so that your strike packages have decent air-to-air support flights is a tricky business you will find, because most of the maps are pretty hot with SAMs, and the F-16 cannot haul a large number of anti-radar missiles, so you might want to see if there are some F-18s available to fly 'iron hand' strikes for you.Or, you can do them yourself, in which case I strongly recommend you use TrackIR, as it is invaluable when those SAMs start coming up at you!Another option is to use terrain following attack choppers to take out air defences (like they did in the Gulf War quite a bit), but as you'll discover, for a lot of missions, it's a case of 'if you want something doing right, do it yourself' in which case you'll be flying those strikes.Chock

[Guest christianholmes]

F4AF is awesome- I setup the first website for people to share multiplayer information. I had a public server, and a teamspeak server. Flying with a bunch of guys online, each in different packages is just awesome. You can use teamspeak, and each package has it's own channel.The campaign, and systems simulation in AF is unprecedented, and will probably never be matched- it's just too niche, but somehow it did get made in this circumstance.A few things bug me- like the horrible ground handling of the aircraft- it kind of ruins the immersion when you are doing a ramp start and taxiing for takeoff.But the ramp start is just too #### cool- I mean, there is actually a training program that comes with it on how to start the F-16! And unlike an FS addon, there are no limitations because of the program engine, or things you have to just "accept" because there are no workarounds.AF can be BRUTALLY difficult at times. Like when you spend two hours on a mission and manage to put a couple thousand pound bombs on a nuke facility, skirt out under radar, and then all of a sudden explode because you flew over a AAA battery that either was on the move, or recon failed to pick.Not only that, but the electronics are so complex, that sometimes you won't be able to wrap your head around the way something works. You'll find yourself spending hours and hours combing through the forums at Frugal's World trying to figure out why a bomb isn't hitting it's target as described, only to realize you weren't lasing the target correctly. There will be many "a ha!" moments when you figure something out, only to run into another confusing problem shortly thereafter.You will spend hours and hours perfecting your HOTAS setup. In fact, you will never leave it alone :)

[dfish 1]

I've already spent hours studying the manual I mentioned above. I find it just as exciting, planning missions as I do flying them. There are thousand's of variables. No mission or campain is predictable. I just love it. I'm like a kid at Christmas, getting that one sepecial toy. I can see many hours-years of enjoyment. There's just sooooooooo much to learn.Dave FisherCYYZP4 Prescott 3.2e 478p 800mhz 1mg CPUP4P800SE Asus Motherboard2.5 gig PC3200 DDR RAM 400MHZGeForce 7600GT/512 OC'dMaxtor 80 Gig ATA 133 HD x2WDC WD800 80 Gig HDAntec 500watt true powerSharp 19 inch LCD MonitorSaitek AV8R-01 Joystickhttp://fs2crew.com/linepilot.jpg