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#4479889 - 06/25/19 11:28 AM SA342 Gazelle worth buying?  
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Winfield Offline
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As per the title.

is it fixed yet and worth investing? I have been looking at this POS for some time but after some research it seems the bugs date back to 2016.
has anyone taken it up recently and seen any changes this year?

I was on the same path back in 2016
Now I am hoping this 3rd party dev has got itself together before I carp on with another ED forum ban worthy review.

So I have something to go off when I review this POS for myself, does anyone who owns this module still have gripes about it today in 2019?

actually....thinking about it, I am certain this is the only module this dev released, am I correct?

someone posted on youtube about "take the money and run" regarding another developer, seems that may all so be applied to this mob.

looking at this from all those years ago.....

[Linked Image]

reminds me of river raid on the Atari 2600 back in the 80's

I hope there has been some graphical improvements over the years since release


Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4479959 - 06/25/19 07:25 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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leaf_on_the_wind Offline
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it is utter sh!te , avoid like the plague (and this is from someone who LOVES heli flying)



Ferengi Rule of acquisition #1 Once you have their money ... never give it back.

#4479969 - 06/25/19 08:40 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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Paradaz Offline
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I took it up twice in 2016....haven't dared re-fuel it since

One of the most devastating disappointments from another rotor head....especially as a Brit too


On the Eighth day God created Paratroopers and the Devil stood to attention.
#4480020 - 06/26/19 08:07 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Paradaz]  
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leaf_on_the_wind Offline
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Originally Posted by Paradaz
I took it up twice in 2016....haven't dared re-fuel it since

One of the most devastating disappointments from another rotor head....especially as a Brit too


My cousin was a gaz heli pilot at a local airbase, I got to sit in one when I was about 10, love the gaz but ....... just not in DCS



Ferengi Rule of acquisition #1 Once you have their money ... never give it back.

#4480028 - 06/26/19 09:43 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Paradaz]  
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Winfield Offline
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Originally Posted by Paradaz
I took it up twice in 2016....haven't dared re-fuel it since

One of the most devastating disappointments from another rotor head....especially as a Brit too


I see what you mean, it looks to have had so much promise.



Seems that once The_Fragger walked out on this project to do his thing with Miltech-5, this project was shelved.

it bugs me why ED keep supporting a project that is never going to be finished? The way I see it, these devs suck people in with the flashy 3d screen shots but the released product is a POS

Honestly can not remember the last time this aircraft stuck out in any official updates\newsletter over the last 4 years.



#4480124 - 06/26/19 10:28 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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ST0RM Offline
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VEAO got axed for pretty much the same reasons. I cant understand why Polysuck hasnt also.
They dont understand that once you take money, it ceases to be a part time gig.

I'm beginning to see ED's long term plan.

Introduce module. Support module for 1.5 years. Back burner it for 2-3 years. Reintroduce same module, with some bug fixes ignored for those 2-3 years, update 2D model and resell.

#4480153 - 06/27/19 01:58 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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If you are looking for an additional helicopter weapons platform on an allied side, it's worth having. It packs a punch against tanks and can hide better than other aircraft can, and it's far quicker and more agile. If you have a FARP somewhere near your targets it can be a force to be reckoned with.

But the flight model is poor and the developer seems to have taken the stance that the SAS system in the helicopter makes it fly that way in real life. Few people believe what the developer has said about the accuracy of the flight model and there are numerous reports from several Gazelle pilots that state it's a very poorly done flight model. It flies on rails even with the SAS system turned off. It's like flying a FSX helicopter with everything set to "easy".

That being said, if you don't mind a flight model that resembles the old Longbow 2 flight models, i.e. very simplified, it can still be great fun. The systems do work. It appears to have some problems with multicrew which probably won't ever be fixed since the studio split. But it is not a useless module and you can still do serious anti-tank and anti-soft target work with it. Just don't buy it expecting the flight model to be as good as the other helicopters because it's not even close. As a weapons platform it's a great chopper to have in your arsenal. If you buy it with a positive attitude of just enjoying it for what it is, you won't be so inclined to hate on it for its FM and multicrew shortcomings.

I would say it's worth a buy at sale prices so long as you're not fanatical about FM accuracy and don't mind a few bugs here and there. As it stands none of its bugs prevent it from being employed as a weapon.

#4480367 - 06/28/19 12:18 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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Winfield Offline
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That is a decent enough review Longbow.

In all honestly, the "buy it with a positive attitude" irks me a bit. No doubt many consumer's purchased this module with a positive attitude and wasted their money after seeing positive reviews. Or they subscribed to
endorsed youtube channels of ED such as wags channel himself, the 'official tester's' or those other member's who hold a position greater than 'professional ED critic" at ED's forums..


I think I will wait for the Hind. Surely that can't be far off presale.

#4480447 - 06/28/19 05:58 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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bisher Offline
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Ya thanks for your input Longbow. I actually learned something about this module from your post.

#4480717 - 06/30/19 11:45 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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Winfield Offline
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On the outside.....it is actually worth buying.
this image was taken back in 2015. It is now 2019. what happened to sloppyflop?
Watch this space as I answer my own question....sit back as I take you on a ride through time. way back when this aircraft was officially announced.


How did it go so wrong that even on presale in 2019 this heap of scrap has the only 1 SimHQ supporter, and even then that supporter has doubts as if the purchase is worthwhile.....

Disclaimer:
I have not been following this developer since day dot. I wasted a thousand hours following another 3rd party which crashed and burned around the same time this helo was released.
but never fear. the end result remains the same. More than willing to get to the bottom of this developer as why it is incomplete and even on presale 5 years later I have not wasted
my money supporting an unfinished project.

Why am I seeing another 3rd party who have given up on their endorsed aircraft and it has not been moved to the mods section like the last arse hatted bunch of circus clowns who came before?
Meanwhile.....Legacy and Mod section to me is one of the same.

[Linked Image]

#4480739 - 06/30/19 02:59 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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VF9_Longbow Offline
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I was one of the first people to buy the Gazelle as I love DCS's helicopter physics, but we're several years down the road now and it has not made real progress with the flight model. So that is disappointing, but what I mean by "positive attitude" is just that if you're going to buy it, just accept it for what it is now, because it's probably not going to change much in the future.

I got into a cat and mouse game with a Gazelle pilot a few weeks ago - he was in the Gazelle and I was in a Combined Arms Shilka. He was wiping out an airfield I was protecting, I had tanks and urals being blown up everywhere, but he was flying under the trees so I couldn't see him.

His teammates were buzzing around nearby in A10's and Hornets, and there was a Bombcat around as well. They were dropping occasional LGB's on my units and the A10 was shooting mavericks. While I was trying to deal with those by spreading out my AAA and SAM perimeter, this guy was sneaking in close and wreaking serious havoc, units were dropping every minute or so, and he'd just keep going to a FARP somewhere, reload and come back to deal more carnage.

I hopped into a Shilka and moved up to the edge of a forest. I shut down the engine to listen and could kind of hear his general direction and headed that way, then flanked to the right edge of the forest. When I came around the edge of the forest I was rewarded with a beautiful side-on view of him hovering there. I guess he was shooting wire guided missiles at my airfield units while in hover autopilot, and he must not have been looking around because he didn't seem to see me. I fired a big long burst at him and sent him crashing to the ground.

It was a pretty memorable experience, and one of the reasons I think DCS can be so fun sometimes. Combined Arms is nowhere even close to the fidelity of something like Steel Beasts, which is something I've owned and loved for 20 years now. But it still manages to be great fun when you set yourself up for success. The Gazelle too does not have great flight modelling but if you hop in with the primary goal of flying carefully and engaging targets, it can be a really rewarding experience. When you go up against a clever person controlling units on the ground it becomes that much more fun as the entire dynamic of the engagement changes, no human player will sit still and let you kill him like the AI units usually will. It forces you to be mobile, make use of clever maneuvering and tactics.

With the sale on, I'd say it's worth it to grab. It is a little bit like a mixup between the Kiowa and Longbow of the old Longbow 2 sim. Very lightweight but decent armament. Will not take much damage so you need to avoid that by using its agility and speed.

#4485191 - 08/05/19 04:34 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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IceecI Offline
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This has some info about the module, although subjective in some parts .
https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=243957


Give a man fish and he gets food, give a man a fishing rod and he asks for another one.
#4485246 - 08/06/19 07:47 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: IceecI]  
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Winfield Offline
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Originally Posted by IceecI
This has some info about the module, although subjective in some parts .
https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=243957


Ah, it will be interesting to see how this bunch fairs after the announcement by Miltek-5

I am curious to see if the the next announcement is the BO-105. Best thing ED did was revoke control from 3rd parties after VEAO called it quits and left with their craptastic module.

My understanding is, if a 3rd party packs up then the associated module files remains the property of ED in it's unfinished state.
ED might give control of the BO-105 back to Sloppyflop. I am only speculating. 3rd party contracts were changed after the falling out with VEAO and ED to prevent another 'take the module and run' episode.

Whoever finishes the BO-105, I will buy it once it is released. The youtube video post shows some real promise.



there is supposed to be an announcement coming soon.

#4485367 - 08/07/19 01:16 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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leaf_on_the_wind Offline
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the new contract with the "if you go down the toilet you will give us your code claus"
is only for new sign-ups (modules) so most ones are not covered by this eg the gazelle



Ferengi Rule of acquisition #1 Once you have their money ... never give it back.

#4485368 - 08/07/19 01:24 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: leaf_on_the_wind]  
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Winfield Offline
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Originally Posted by leaf_on_the_wind
the new contract with the "if you go down the toilet you will give us your code claus"
is only for new sign-ups (modules) so most ones are not covered by this eg the gazelle


I am sure I read somewhere that the rules where changed with ED's agreements after VEAO refused to hand over the Hawk files for completion by ED. I may be wrong, but I will see if I can find the announcement or a post similar to that.


#4485382 - 08/07/19 03:52 PM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: Winfield]  
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It's probably for new licenses though.


--
44th VFW
#4485597 - 08/09/19 10:17 AM Re: SA342 Gazelle worth buying? [Re: GrayGhost]  
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leaf_on_the_wind Offline
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Originally Posted by GrayGhost
It's probably for new licenses though.


yep this is exactly what was stated by ED reps, only new stuff will have this



Ferengi Rule of acquisition #1 Once you have their money ... never give it back.


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