My list of suggestions.

Hi!

So I have some suggestions based on what I've flown in the beta.

• Leaning - I've noticed when you pan in the cockpit, the pilot automatically leans in the direction you pan in. This is an AWESOME feature, because it allows you to peak behind the headrest! It also adds realism. However I'd do away with the automatic part of it. Because of the HUD collimation, it forces you to look dead ahead if you want to see things on the outsides of the HUD (speed/alt.). I think it'd be better if there were leaning keys to assign, that way the feature exists, but isn't done automatically by default. (Maybe include the automatic feature for those who want it )
  
  
• Restart Mission - Not sure how hard this is to code, but one very useful feature I've never really seen implemented in a combat sim before is the ability to simply restart the mission with a simple click of the mouse. That way if something goes wrong, and you wish to restart, you don't have to exit the mission. It'd also be great for multiplayer server hosts.
  
  
• Visor Up/Down - Okay so maybe it's a useless feature, but a cool one! If Seven G chooses to model glare from the sun, or make aircraft harder to ID against bright skies, it'd be cool to have a "lower visor" key, to dim things down a bit.
  
  
• Set A/B - On Falcon, there's a feature where you're able to set exactly on your throttle axis where you want your AB to light. Could we have this in 7G maybe?
  
  
• Vapor GALORE - This doesn't seem like it'd be an FPS hit or anything...and it really adds beauty to the sim. I like what 7G has right now. Looks very natural and dynamic. But what if 7G just went all out!? Dragging clouds...mach 1 flickers etc.
  
  
• Object Visibility - If there's 1 thing I could ask for...it'd be the stability and visibility of objects in the virtual world. Flaming Cliffs does a great job on this. It's easy to spot bandits against the sky and ground, because they don't flicker out and become a mess of pixels. I haven't done any real BFM in 7G yet, so I'm not what this looks like, but if you look at things like MSFS, and Falcon, spotting other aircraft visually is hopeless. They just vanish or become an unidentifiable mess of pixels.
  

Leaning - I understand your issue, and agree it can be somewhat problematic. Perhaps a bigger "deadzone" of when the leaning beings, but when combined with Track Ir, the issue goes completely away.

The vapour, the way it is is fairly realistic, and may be a tad overboard. We are aiming for realism, and while they shock cones look pretty, it can be considered a priority for a combat sim.

Visibility - you should be able to see other fighters at 10 nm or so unaided (TD box, JHMCS, etc), and definitely at 5nm. Of course, a lot depends on your resolution, but right now it is fairly close. Perhaps some tweaking.

Visor- pretend what you see is with the visor down, and that you never ever raise it because it is too bright. That is what it is really like, unless it is cloudy, then it looks about the same. Night is dark but I haven't heard if there is a plan for NVG's yet.

Keep the input/questions coming.

Thanks for the reply cmatt. Does TrackIR work in the 1.03 beta?

No, it does not. But it works well in 2.02 and later.

If you've got too many vapour effects, it looks like your plane is evaporating! 1SQN Rhino low level flying, Mt. Mitchell in late June.

AFAIK F/A-18C doesn't have that much vapour galore.
It seems it began with new design of the >E versions.

what about mach cones though?

Depends on the atmospheric conditions. Up here in the general vicinity of RAAF Amberly (and certainly that day), the humidity lends itself to that sort of condensation above the upper surfaces of the wings and LEX. There was a pic at one stage of a F/A-18A doing the same during exercise pitch black so its not really super bug specific.

Mach cones seem like a lot of effort for such a fleeting effect, would spare a glance if they were included though

How about accurate APG-73 and APX-111 CIT instead? Shock cones are so fleeting and normally found very close to sea level, I would hope that you'd agree that it would be a waste of effort at this point.

I guess I didn't realize the developer was making sacrifices. Hell, why even bother modeling a self shadowing cockpit then.

I'll let Admin decide if my suggestions are a waste of his time or not.

Well, a thing like this could be a major hit on the fps anyway.

cmatt wrote:How about accurate APG-73 and APX-111 CIT instead? Shock cones are so fleeting and normally found very close to sea level, I would hope that you'd agree that it would be a waste of effort at this point.

Is APX-111 the chevron antenna array in front of the cockpit on the A+ Hornets?

APX-111 is a combined interrogator transponder and uses the 5 fan antennas on the nose to send and receive interrogations.

Thanks. Is it production-limited to the A+ model? I thought I had seen it on a Charlie before but after looking through pics for a half an hour I didn't find any reference of it on one.

I think it depends, some C's got it, but not all.

Hello all,

I am aware that such stuff does not enjoy a high priority with this amazing legacy Hornet simulator, though I thought I'd share this here.

Is there any chance of adding the wing-tip vortices effect, which currently shows at high-G and high speed conditions, to appear at Flaps HALF or flaps FULL configuration as well? These vortices streaming from the rear wingtips is not a rare event, me thinks, unless there are Sidewinders mounted on the wingtip missile rails (where I suspect that the fins of the 'winders take out the spin energy of the wingtip vortices, and thus reducing the pressure delta (just like winglets on airliners).
The effect looks very cool and is characteristic for Hornets, IMHO. It can be seen during landing (Full flaps) and even take-off (HALF flaps).
Perhaps the effect could be programmed so it would start as soon as flaps deploy to HALF and the complete range down to FULL position, as soon the airspeed is above ~90 KIAS and AOA's between 0° and 25° or somewhere thereabout, and with the exception that the effect would be deactivated as long there's a missile attached to outer wingtip rail. So, IMHO, since the vortices effect is already there, it might be possible to add the effect when the previously described conditions are achieved. What do you think?

One other suggestion or rather a question I have: Will this sim be absolutely strictly limited to the "C"-Version? I am just curious, as I would really like to see or (perhaps with the help of a possible paintkit of the released version) create skins for Canadian Hornets. As far as I know, Canadian Hornets (A and B models) don't have those "C" antenna bumps on the spine of the fuselage behind the cockpit. So if there's any chance for an "A"-model, at least an external "A"-model, that would be highly appreciated. I have a soft spot for CF-18's, you know.

Please don't get me wrong. I appreciate all the hard work put into this project. I am looking really forward to it. Also, I am not saying that system depth (e.g. Radar emulation) should be sacrificed for visual effects. No. But if it can be done, it would add to the overall great atmosphere of this simulation. Think of all the Legacy Hornet fans here and out there, they'll love it...

I betcha they could have at least have A and C... However that does present a few avionics changes IIRC, if they plan to model them.

RhineHornet wrote:...as soon the airspeed is above ~90 KIAS and AOA's between 0° and 25° or somewhere thereabout...

You don't see vapor all the time just because the Hornet is slow. It depends more on atmospheric conditions. Personally, as a big-time vapes fan, I'm happy with what is already present in Seven-G as is, although using the same particle system already in place for the LERX to do the wingtip vapor would be awesome!

Vapour from the wings are normal on approach if the conditions are right (high humidity). The A+ and the C are essentially the same aircraft now with the exception of the Engine Management panel (EMI) in the lower left, the A's are analog while the C's are digital. It would be nice to have an A+ model and a C model.

The "wishlist" for me at the moment (I understand some of this may be asking too much) would be:

- Hornet versions with ILS in addition to those with carrier landing system
- Skins for Hornet operating nations (USA, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Malaysia .ect)
- Not looking for a dev tool, but leave the sim sufficiently open so as not to stifle our ability to create our own 3rd party campaigns and regions
- Proper training missions. It was annoying as hell to flick between F4AF/FF and the manual to learn how to fly their training sim missions. Perhaps mockup briefs and inflight instruction?
- Realistic inflight emergencies
- It would be cool to be able to see a model of your aircraft and adding/taking payload from pylons and whatnot instead of just a static image, and a good layout for pre-flight planning like weight, balance, maps .ect. I like a good UI

I am all about carrier ops so a part of my wish list would be for the option to trap on the carrier and have the option of taxiing to the cat to launch again. That gives the option of carrier quals.

Perhaps there could be a realistic launch sequence too with the yellow shirts giving all the signals... maybe that is just a pipe dream, but hey, that's what this section of the forum is for, right?

Actually, having come out of a FreeFalcon binge I've got a suggestion that I think would make this game even better. I say this after several attempts at sinking the Kuznetsov with a two-ship flight of Super Hornets and having a pretty hard time with the five or so Su-33's on CAP. So having said that: better ACMI recording. The one for FF/F4AF is very poor in my opinion; its just a very crappy replay of your mission that does little to help you break things down. It would be cool if you could view your performance like this sort of vector style representation (tried to find a more authentic version, this is the best I could do. Pic at the bottom). Would make understanding the A-A combat engagements a breeze. At the moment all I know is that we get into a messy furball that culminates in a few more notches in my belt and a one-way ticket to the big aircrew lounge in the sky

I was always very impressed with the 3rd party "TacView" for the Lock On series.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/pokski/eech/tacview4.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/pokski/eech/tacview2.jpg
http://www.lockonfiles.com/modules/SITE%20IMAGES/TACVIEW/tac-01.jpg

BeakerVBA wrote:I was always very impressed with the 3rd party "TacView" for the Lock On series.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/pokski/eech/tacview4.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/pokski/eech/tacview2.jpg
http://www.lockonfiles.com/modules/SITE%20IMAGES/TACVIEW/tac-01.jpg

Yeah that would be absolutely perfect. Makes me want to pick up LOMAC again

I would like to see different weather conditions and pitching decks during heavy seas.