After a few more days with F15 I want to talk about control
systems and give you a feel for the gameplay. F15 is
another incredible entry into the genre by Janes and is as
far beyond Strike Eagle III as Janes Longbow was beyond
DI's HIND or 688I was beyond SeaWolf. In virtually every
way this sim rocks!
First, lets talk HOTAS... hands on stick and throttle. WIth
a complete HOTAS setup you never have to touch the
keyboard. The only problem is that with a sim of this
calibre you have to program about one hundred commands to a
twin stick setup. This means that you have up to six
commands per switch on the F22 Pro, and you have to refer
to a command sheet printout to remember the less used ones.
How do you get around this?
I want to address that question, but first I want to note
my rediscovery of the mouse button on the Thrustmaster TQS
(thanks to Bill Wilson). While not quite perfect, I'm
getting the hang of this thing and in a clickable cockpit
where every switch actually works, its VERY handy to have
mouse access without removing your hand from your stick.
Bill has actually attached ANOTHER mouse device to the base
of his TQS with velcro: a tiny Logitech 3 Button trackball,
the type used for laptops. With this gadget you have more
accurate control and a very effective HOTAS. (Note: the
Saitek
system also has a built in mouse feature).
So, how do you effectively offload the programming of your
HOTAS, while maintaining quick command access and
eliminating that large keyboard? Enter the Quickshot
Masterpilot! I have a complete
COMMS system for F15 programmed to my MPilot console,
neatly divided into WING, ELEMENT, DIVISION, FLIGHT and
AWACS menus. Since you can also customize the labels on the
pad, you can see at a glance what commands are accessed by
which buttons. It sits between my throttle and stick and
makes this HOTAS, along with my CH pedals, very complete.
I've been experimenting with both single missions and
campaign missions, and haven't yet had time to venture into
the Mission Builder. On about my third foray into the
campaign I came up with a scramble mission. Being scrambled
means there are in-bound bandits headed for either your own
location or another critical site. The idea is to get armed
and get into the air right away.
This is where F15s custom armament feature really shines.
You can set this up in advance by editting one of the
supplied loadouts, and I had already designed a special
loadout for a scramble mission. My SCRAM loadout consists
of one centerline fuel tank, four AMRAAM, and four AIM9L. I
armed both my own wing and the two ship element with this
loadout and away we went with four F15Cs in tow for good
measure. (I also flew a later scramble where I was assigned
two F16s as team mates).
A moment later I found myself in the cockpit with engines
warmed up. A female voice from the Tower gave me clearance
and noted the contact name for the AWACS: Crystal Tower.
She then updated me on the vector to the incoming bandits
and noted their distance as one hundred miles. I heard
myself call "Run em up!" to my squadron mates and away we
flew. About halfway down the runway the Tower warned of
some friendly air traffic ten miles ahead of me.
As we gained altitude the F15Cs radioed that they were now
on my wing. Under full afterburner we climbed swiftly to
18,000 feet. I switched to A2A master mode and then
jettisoned my center tank and switched to main tanks. A
moment before my wing had advised me that we were now sixty
miles from the bandits. I switched my radar to RWSH mode
(Range While Search High is best at detecting high-closure
contacts). Immediately I had contacts and called on the two
ship element to BRACKET RIGHT. Three and Four responded and
moved off and I pulled five degrees on the nose to gain
some additional altitude.
I called for an AWACS update and was informed that there
were Tu22 bombers in the rear of the group. I failed to
notice the F15Cs during this time, primarily because I am
still learning the systems and there is a lot to do at high
levels of realism. (You don't do anything to get your
escort to engage, they will do it automatically for bandits
detected within 120nm. They will also limit their response
to the necessary numbers to handle the threat, unless
bandits get within 30nm of the remaining escorts. If you
have a flight of four escorting you, only two guys will be
vectored to intercept 2 bandits).
We were now at thirty miles and closing, and I called my
wing to LINE ABREAST and LOOSE formation. I was considering
ordering a DRAG LEFT manouver but instead ordered the two
ship to ENGAGE to see how the enemy flight would react.
At thirty miles the enemy flight appeared to consist of
three distinct groups. Closure rate was about 950 knots,
not all that fast. When the two ship responded with
ENGAGING it was only seconds later that they launched. I
ordered music on and switched on my own jammers. My TEWS
(Tactical Early Warning System) began to light up like a
Christmas tree as the enemy element split into two distinct
groups, engaging both of my elements.
Somewhere in all this the F15C flight also began to engage.
I was around 22,000 feet but I believe that they were
higher and off to my left. But there was a great deal
happening and I wasn't keeping close tabs. About this time
AWACS chimed in with some additional information about
another group of fast movers at 100 miles. But with the two
ship of my flight sorting and engaging and my wing engaging
it started to become a bit confusing. (I am also making the
transition from a the very streamlined management system on
the F22 to a much more involved system where there are many
more decisions to be made).
Anyway, with lock warning tones, my WSO calling out my
target and warning me of incoming, my wingman and two ship
element engaged, missiles, smoke and fire, things were
getting a bit tense! The growl of the sidewinder is very
impressive. The flare and smoke when launching are also
beautifully done (this was a night mission). I managed to
get two AMRAAMs off before pulling hard left and calling my
wing to DRAG LEFT. I was hoping the bandits would follow
him while I closed on their tails with my AIM9Ls.
From the manual...
Warning tones from the TEWS are provided in the form of
different-pitched tones and warbles. A short, relatively
low-pitched "beep" indicates a new radar spike has appeared
on the display. A brief warble, alternating five times
between a lower and higher pitch, indicates that something
has a lock on you. This warble will be repeated every 30
sec for the duration of the lock. When a threat is
launching a missile at you, another, faster warble
alternating much between a lower and higher tone will
repeat continuously until the threat is gone or you're
dead.
When things get hot you will hear a lot of calls that
you've never heard before, unless you've actually flown in
a real air to air engagement! (Check out this Glossary if
"ENGAGED DEFENSIVE" or "FOX 2" puts you in knots). For
example, when THREE took a hit he let me know that he was
out of the action. A moment later he called that he was
ejecting, and FOUR then called in his location to AWACS
with a request for SAR (search and rescue).
Targetting, weapons and radar systems are all highly
authentic. Not only will you choose between three different
chaff and flare loadouts, you will also choose between
three different methods of employing countermeasures. If
you choose AUTO mode you will use up stores more quickly,
but if you don't expect a prolonged engagement its useful
to be in AUTO mode. When it comes time to engage you have
to manage the APG-70 radar system, but you can also choose
from four A/A auto acquisition modes. Choosing a particular
mode instructs the radar to acquire a target using the
parameters set by the individual mode.
For example, hitting the "6" key places you in ACQ_BST, or
Boresight mode. Boresight slaves the radar to the boresight
line, which is cued to the position of the waterline on
your HUD. In boresight or long-range boresight ("7" key)
the radar locks up the first target within 10nm to pass
inside the 4 degree sized circle (long range extends that
to 40 nm).
Hitting the "5" key chooses ACQ_SS, or Super Search mode.
SS is similar to boresight mode except that the circle is
20 degrees in diameter. The first target that passes within
10 nm of that large circle is locked automatically.
Hitting the "8" key chooses ACQ_VTS, or vertical scan
acquisition mode. In this ode the radar searches for its
target from 5 to 55 degrees above the radar boresight line
(RBL), but only 7.5 degrees in azimuth (that's 3.75 degrees
to the left and right of your ships nose). The 10 nm limit
also applies in this automatic mode. This mode is commonly
used to acquire a target in a turning fight, and a vertical
line appears on the HUD from the watermark toward the
locked target indicating the direction you need to pull.
If you are used to flying the simplified systems of the
F22, you will have some learning to do. If you are used to
flying with only one wingman or flying essentially on your
own, you will have some learning to do. Air to air combat
is not a one man show, and you will be dead very quickly
until you begin to gain some tactical knowledge. I'm doing
some reading in Shaws' Fighter Combat myself and will post
a review soon. We are also working on a sales connection
with a large model and book store and you will be able to
order books like this, or Smallwoods work on the F15, in
Canadian dollars and even get a discount through Combat
Simulations membership program.
F15 is shaping up to be one TON of fun, and may even come
out as the best trainer for LAN and NET play yet invented.
On the other hand, it wouldn't be bad as a trainer for the
real thing either, including actual group tactics! While
the F15 E isn't primarily a dogfighter, using wingman
tactics and managing radar modes under an extremely
realistic flight model is a fantastic experience and there
isn't anything else like it. The Skunkworks crew are going
to give us a great air combat spring! Next article I'll
look at the padlock, views, and an overview of the mission
and campaign structure.
