Dbond, Did you use the excel "BMS Key File" to set up the joystick DX buttons on the controls.
No, luckily the BMS download includes joystick and key files that are perfect for my Cougar. So I'm riding Dunc's coattails. I haven't needed to tweak or change anything. There are a few minor tweaks I might want to do eventually, but for now I'm set.
What stick are you using Jake?
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
So I apparently live under a rock when it comes to flight sims anymore. My very first flight sim was Jane's F-15 which my dad bought for me when I was probably too young to fully grasp but I spent countless hours on that game and studying the flight manual which I still have. I've had this strong urge to play F-15 again but unfortunately I just can't get it to work. I ended up getting IL-2 1946 which I managed to get somewhat proficient at but I still have the urge for jet based sim. So just the other day I came across Falcon 4.0 on Steam and the reviews kept talking about BMS. I'm completely blown away but how much was added/improved through modding and can't believe I never heard of this.
Your thread has been a really fun read and pushed me over the edge to get this game and mod. I feel a little overwhelmed by everything that needs to be learned but also excited that I finally found a game that may bring back some of those nostalgia moments I have from Jane's F-15.
I hope you're able to resolve your PC issues and get back to flying and providing some fun reading.
I'm very much enjoying this thread too, hope you get your PC fixed soon.
Thanks JakeR, I've been following that 1 Hour Tutorial, I have the game installed and managed to get my F-16 up and running this morning but I can't seem to get the tower to respond to my taxi request or remove my chocks. Krause has a video about flying in a squadron, he says if you can ramp start, takeoff, navigate and land safely, you know enough to fly with his group. That could take me a few months to learn at this rate!
Personally, I would not take Krause's tutorials very seriously. He's made some glaring mistakes in a few of them, no preparation for when making his tutorials, and you'll just be starting off on the wrong foot. Use other tutorials when possible.
but I can't seem to get the tower to respond to my taxi request or remove my chocks.
You're flying BMS, right? To set your tower comms, use the DTC. On the lower right of the planning map screen is the DTC button, looks like a USB stick I think. In the comms section find an unused preset channel and click set tower and save. Be sure you're tuned to that channel when you enter the jet and you should get clearance and chocks removal.
Let's say you put your base on channel 18. If not already tuned to it in the jet, on the ICP hit
Comms 1 1 8 Enter
That should get you talking with the tower.
For my campaign flying I've got many of the Blue airfields preset on different channels so I can divert fairly easily. Well that's not true really. It's because when I switch squadrons I forget to change the 'set tower' and I can't talk to the tower. This way it doesn't matter which base I happen to be flying from, I know the preset. And it does make it easy to divert if I want to. If I'm low on fuel headed back to Kunsan, I can easily hit preset 20 near Seoul and get vectors in to Kimpo.
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
Pfft!! Preset-schmeset.... pull up the airport freq charts and dial in the necessary freq like the macho, hotshot pilot you are!! None of these girly-wirly presets...
Dbond, Did you use the excel "BMS Key File" to set up the joystick DX buttons on the controls.
No, luckily the BMS download includes joystick and key files that are perfect for my Cougar. So I'm riding Dunc's coattails. I haven't needed to tweak or change anything. There are a few minor tweaks I might want to do eventually, but for now I'm set.
What stick are you using Jake?
I use the CH Fighterstick and throttle with Saitek pedals, want to replace the stick at some point with a Warthog or similar grade stick with extension soon.
There are good profiles for the CH HOTAS setup for BMS, I just wanted to modify a few of the keys and shifted keys, so had to learn how the BMS Key File works. Like I said it's not bad once the sheet is setup, then you just open it up and copy and paste in the commands you want and where you want them, then export it out into BMS, the excel setup already has a shifted layer like the CH manager has but its done with DX commands not keyboard commands.
Thanks JakeR, I've been following that 1 Hour Tutorial, I have the game installed and managed to get my F-16 up and running this morning but I can't seem to get the tower to respond to my taxi request or remove my chocks. Krause has a video about flying in a squadron, he says if you can ramp start, takeoff, navigate and land safely, you know enough to fly with his group. That could take me a few months to learn at this rate!
This one about the Data Cartridge by Krause is not bad, you can download and save his Data Cartridge setup in the links under the vid to get you started quickly, then modify the setup from there. Think of the Cartridge like. "This is how I want the jet setup every time I hop in it" The MFD screens like this, the radios set to these stations and release this many flares and chaff on this program. Once set up, you can forget about it, you only need to save a new airbase radio station if you change airport as this may not be set to a preset. If you have a list of the airports printed you can enter the station in the pit, unless you want to be lazy like DBond, hehe.
Later on when your ready and want to modify the campaign missions (Sometimes it tries to kill you and your AI buddies) to fly or not fly and create a complete Package yourself or to create your own training missions with no campaign for practicing. Perhaps later, once fully up to speed with the jet first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkBAmUhHDy4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9A9F406Hfc
Pfft!! Preset-schmeset.... pull up the airport freq charts and dial in the necessary freq like the macho, hotshot pilot you are!! None of these girly-wirly presets...
LOL, I have an Airfield Preset Frequencies List. (APFL-1)
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
I use the CH Fighterstick and throttle with Saitek pedals, want to replace the stick at some point with a Warthog or similar grade stick with extension soon.
I just wanted to modify a few of the keys and shifted keys,
OK gotcha, sorry I can't be more help, but I would also like to learn about it so I can make a few tweaks to my setup.
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
OK gotcha, sorry I can't be more help, but I would also like to learn about it so I can make a few tweaks to my setup.
All good DBond,
I've just been out of the loop for a while and haven't been flying BMS much, your posts got me motivated to get back in and to catch back up, BMS are always updating things and if you stop flying, it takes a bit to be proficient again. Sort of like real pilots, they have to fly so many hours consistently otherwise they will be tested again.
No doubt. When I climbed back in I was completely lost. You've read the thread so you know, but I couldn't even remember how to engage NWS on my first landing. Like a noob. But thanks to Ice, Schnidrman, Oden and all of the others I have gotten back up to speed for the most part. Well until the PC gave up the ghost. I went from what the hell am I doing to having completed 3 campaigns and 70 combat missions in a month. This thread has helped me so much and I'm glad to know others have found it interesting and informative.
I still have much to learn, and I am itching to fly some MP with Schnidrman and anyone else who is in to it. My goal is to have a regular group flying campaign missions together here at SimHQ.
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
You've got that right. It's been too long. This problem happened on February 17th. Still waiting on the mobo. Should be here this week. How's your Falcon flying coming along?
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
First of all, I hope DBond gets up and running soon. I know it has gotta suck having a broken rig,
Second, I haven't been flying much since January 1st. It's a bit of a long story and it's not really relevant any way, but suffice it to say, this is maybe the fourth or fifth campaign mission I've flown this year, and the first one in a month, so it's not gonna be perfect.
Third, I know the video quality is not the best, but it is free software and I'm still experimenting, so it "is what it is".
So here we go...
Sitrep- Day1 14:21:45 Heavy enemy presence at/surrounding Chongju Airbase Mission: Interdict and repel enemy ground forces in and around Chongju Airbase Recon:
The mission went OK, but not great. By the time I locked up an enemy column and started a run, I realized the range knob wasn't working on my throttle. This was fixed later in the UI. I handed off my target to my wingman, who missed because I gave him the wrong ordinance for moving targets. The targets were retreating when we arrived because they were already under attack from other packages. I was carrying 4 CBU87's and My wingman had JDAMs. I should've given him LGBs and he would have gotten some kills too, since the targets started moving on our ingress. I had an escort for this flight, but they were not needed for anything more than insurance this close to the FLOT. As you will see early in the video, the Patriots are swatting down the enemy like flies.
There is a patch of bad weather heading south toward the FLOT, so timing is a bit of a factor. Just as my flight enters the kill box, I start to encounter the change in the weather, and while being frustrated about nor having a working range knob, the incoming weather, and my wingman missing his targets (my fault), I decide to pick a target of opportunity on the TGP, switch to CCIP and "strafe" them w/ all four of my CBUs. It was a limited success. 4 kills from 4 CBUs. Only the first one hit anything. The last three missed.
At work and no sound on this computer, so I'll have to watch the video in full later when I get home. But I watched the beginning. Man, when that SAM fired I thought it was a bomb going off at first until the trail became visible. Very exciting opening there Schnidrman!
Thanks for posting this. If I cannot fly, at least I can live vicariously through you
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
Recorded the follow up mission last night. Got hit by a SHORAD, but made it home w/ 8 kills and my wingy got some too. I'll put it up tonight after work if you want.