David Hingtgen

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15422

That was kind of my point-----I couldn't care less about fakey bridge-lighting on the CG warships, so long as the AIRPLANES look good. I do hope they totally re-do the Shornet's speed-brake application, compared to the demo. Currently the most-wrong thing. (I think they confused the bleed air doors and the speed brakes)

Semi-OT rant: I hate AI controlling "the other members of my party". In both RPG's (REALLY hate it there), and any game where you're in control of a small group. AC5 lacks the wingman option I really want: "go fly off really far away from me, and stop stealing my kills". Was trying to test Sparrow vs AMRAAM differences, and thought I'd found a damage difference on the cargo planes, but it turned out my wingmen had all damaged that group already... How are you supposed to get lots of kills and money to "evolve" your plane when there's 3x as many wingmen as you, and they're out getting all the kills?

Now where's Red Wolf?

I'll see what I can about flight models. There's just so many things, that even 1 thing can completely "blow" an otherwise realistic flight model---you can't just have "some" aerodynamic effects disappear when they're all related. Still, my "ideal" game would have a 100% accurate flight model, just "sped up" (faster acceleration and turn rates, but still all proportional to other planes and real life), and lots of missiles. Basically, give me a "fast" Jane's sim, with lots of missiles. Music---the Operation Skyscraper music was the only track I liked in AFDS. Having played AC2 again, I get the same impression I did the first time I replayed it----you only really remember the good tracks when you think back and reminisce. But if you actually go through again and listen to the entire soundtrack, a lot of it is "meh". Yes, there's a few tracks that are just awesome and some of the best game music ever, but there's a whole of "average" stuff. Simply having a metal guitar or fast pace isn't enough. IMHO, there's about 3 insanely awesome rock tracks, 2 or 3 good more "emotional" tracks, and a dozen tracks that are all distinctive but don't really stand out as being really good. AC3--dont' remember, but remember I didn't like it. AC4---best by far, IMHO. I like most every track, love quite a few. I actually want an AC4 style track, not AC2 (like they say it is), for AC5. We'll see how it is--I doubt it'll be hard synth rock for every mission. (I *love* choirs, btw, which is the main reason I replay AC4's final mission a LOT)

I've got ALL the Flankers in AFDS. Nothing else to buy except the Chinese fighters now... Off to go play the trial missions in AC4. (Which I actually totally neglected until like the 5th time through) Whoops, forgot XFA-27, despite using it last night. Still one of my all-time favorite fake planes. Interesting---Comona Island is the ENEMY space facility in AC2, but in AC4 you're defending YOUR space facility there...

My new stance: Su-30MKI vs Anything: Su-30MKI http://vayu-sena.tripod.com/info-su30mki.html

ADF-01 can't be used. Red top half, black bottom half. Very futuristic/fantasy. Definitely along the lines of Delphinus etc in AC3. Forward-swept wings. Rearward-firing missile. Take out every ace in hard mode, and it'll show up in the model viewer. (As well as the final mission, assuming you took out all other aces before getting to it--otherwise he'll fly an F-15S I think) PS---having recently read the latest stuff about the Su-30MKI, I'm fully convinced it is by far the most bad-ass plane flying at the moment. Blows away the Su-37. http://vayu-sena.tripod.com/info-su30mki.html

A third weapon would be great. If I was a programmer, I'd give every plane a permanent "special" weapon, then the player gets to choose the third weapon. Like, F-15E's would have Sidewinders like every plane in the game gets, then because it's an F-15 it gets AMRAAMs as the 'special' weapon, then the player gets to buy/choose the bombs. (Basically, most fighters would get AMRAAMs and most bombers get Mavericks or Paveways, then the player can pick a specialzed weapon like the Harpoon, HARM, or JSOW) Mainly, because no plane should be limited to Sidewinders and 1 other special---AMRAAMs shouldn't count as a 'special' weapon, etc. I mean, your every day F-16C B.50/52 load is 2x AIM-9, 2xAIM-120, 2xAGM-88. Similar loads for Hornets. Other things: I don't recall getting the F-108 in AFDS, though I thought I got all the "regular" planes except Jamie's. Super-plane in AC2 is the ADF-01. Mission 8 in AC4 is over Comona Island, I think that's the site of a mission in AC2 as well. Going to play more AC4 and AC5demo tonight. I really need to get used to the slightly different controls in AC5. I keep getting weapon/view changes mixed up. PS---if you go to the music player in AC4 (which I do a lot), there's 2 tracks after the final mission tracks--"North Point" and Mega-something I think. Unused mission tracks? They both rock IMHO. I hope that AC5 actually starts you off with really old planes. Gimme an F3H and a F-100... I do like to EARN planes GRADUALLY, not get the F-16 2 missions in, then the F-22 half-way through, then use it until the end of the game...

Think I'll play AFDS tonight. (I've been reading about control schemes lately, mainly V-tail and tailless deltas). Still can't find a good, basic explanation of how delta-wing planes control pitch without totally messing up their trim/lift. An elevon is more than just a fancy elevator on a delta, it's the wing's trailing edge---if you move it up and down for pitch, it should have a severe, opposite effect on lift, unless it's instantly countered by the change in lift caused by the change in alpha... And then I want a 'reflex' delta airfoil explained...

I don't know if it is a spoiler or not, since I'm not going to click on the link to read the discussion. Basically--if it's not in the instruction book, it's a spoiler, IMHO. (Unless it's a featured picture at Namco's site or something) And "good guesses from over-analyzing snippets of trailer footage" counts too. Since you can get 90% of a movie's plot that way.

I consider that a spoiler too...

The Osprey Crusader book is GREAT. F-4 books are just as good (I have 2, need to get the rest). Anyways---just picked up another issue of Air Forces Monthly. Very interesting Israeli F-15I pic---had CFT's like an F-15E, loaded with training bombs. I didn't know the F-15I had the full weapons-carrying capability of the F-15E.

I don't think any ADV Tornados got desert camo. There is a special recon Tornado, the GR1A. The 13th Squadron (best markings of all Tornado squadrons IMHO) has them, maybe others. The guns are removed to make room for the cameras, etc. And just FYI there's also the GR1B, modified to carry Sea Eagle ASM's. Still, I want GR4's now, to carry Storm Shadow missiles.

First, here's the Iranian F-14 book review: http://misc.kitreview.com/bookreviews/iran...kreviewkb_1.htm Secondly---the main reason US planes don't have canards is simply because most US designers don't like them, for reasons unknown. Most famously they're not on the F-16, because the chief designer said something along the lines of "The best location for a canard is on somebody else's plane". An F-16 with canards would be insanely agile, since they generally allow a plane to be even more unstable. Canards are much more useful/effective on delta-wing planes (which Europe loves), but as the F-15ACTIVE and Super Flanker show, they can still make a "normal" plane a lot more agile. Can't think of any inherent stealth problems, or the Eurofighter wouldn't have them. And if you add them to a YF-23, it'd still only 4 stabs total, same as an F-22.

I don't have the Iranian F-14 book (yet), but I found a review of it somewhere, those were some highlights.

The F-4X never happened. The F-4E(S) is the successor, and is little more than an F-4E with the gun removed to make room for cameras. They actually exist, and are pretty easy to tell, even though the nose is painted to hide the different shape, so that it looks like any other Israeli F-4. AFAIK they have no performance mods, like cooling tanks etc. But the F-4 is inherently fast, even by modern standards. Will out-run any recon-Hornet or Tornado. Shin--I think you're thinking of the F-4 CCV: http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f4_30.html

Oh, that map. Thought you meant one "pieced together" by a fan showing AC2 overlaid onto it or something. Going to go through AC4 again tonight real quick to see if anything looks familiar from AC2. (though there's a few branching missions in AC2, so I didn't see EVERYTHING)

Back when the Navy and Air Force had separate designation systems, the F4H (Navy designation) needed an Air Force designation. Next one up was F-110. There technically never was an F-4A equivalent (YF4H maybe), so the F4H-1 became the F-4B for the Navy, and the Air Force's F-110A Spectre became the F-4C Phantom II. All other models continued with the "joint" designation system--thus the F-4D/E/F/G for the Air Force, F-4J/N/S for the Navy. (no Navy F-4 ever had a gun, thus fewer variants) Here's an F-110: http://www.strange-mecha.com/aircraft/Cancel/f110a.jpg Now, the F-110A is the F-4C. However, all F-4C's came into existence after already being re-named F-4C. Any F-4 painted up as "F-110" is actually an F-4B, since the F-4C didn't exist yet. But the USAF wanted some for training and photo ops, so they borrowed some from the Navy. All you could ever want to know about F-4's: http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f4.html His site is actually an incredible wealth of info for planes, beats GlobalSec/FAS.org http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/uscombataircraft.html

Shin--would you mind not posting potentially large spoilers? (death of somebody) I know, it's apparently in larger version of the trailer, but I hadn't watched it yet, and hadn't planned to. I was just about to post a "when the game comes out, try not to spoil it until at least most of the people here have gotten that far" post... This isn't an RPG, but I do think AC4 had a AWESOME story IMHO, and hope AC5 matches it. Feel free to "spoil" planes, but players and even locations could be pretty big spoilers IMHO. As in, if the last stage in the game ends up being Farbanti or something... Yes, I am the type of person who dislikes even speculation/guesses on plots, as someone always does guess correctly, and then you're thinking about it as you play, and it's little/no surprise when it happens.

The Hawk seems to be on pretty standard-looking Phoenix pylon.. Anyways---I've got to get the new "F-14's in Iran" book. Seems that they flew and fought a lot more than thought. Basically, since the F-14's were pre-revolution (and capitalist, American, and everything else) a LOT of their victories were credited to post-revolution weapons, etc. Massive and instant 'revisionist history' is basically what we've always heard about the Iranian F-14's. They apparently embarked on a massive program to replicate the critical parts they needed, and actually kept quite a few flying. A quick review I saw listed 159! kills for Iranian F-14's. Including occurances of when a single Phoenix (of the few working ones they had) took down 3 or 4 MiG's at a time, the blast radius is THAT big, if they're in close formation they'll all go down. (If you catch them unaware, and do a max range launch, entire groups go down with no warning)

I want an F-4C with a gunpod. Or an F-4S, the final front-line Navy version. Or it'd be *really* cool to start with an F-110A. AC2 really has no story, having just played through last night. They're only called "rebels". So they (Namco) can pretty much ret-con any story they want for AC2.

I'd like the SU-30MKI as well----the SU-37 is a one-of-a-kind demo plane, whereas the MKI is actually in service in decent numbers with a major air force. Though all I really want is a Sea Flanker. Su-27K/Su-33. Good, F-5 family is there. Finally---you know, I wish they actually "delayed" the availability new planes a bit in most flying games. I mean, how are you supposed to have fun with the F-4 and F-5 etc, when they make the F-16 and MiG-29 available like 2 missions in? Once you get them, you don't really need to buy anything else until the F-22 or Super Flankers become available. Ok, post-finally: I would make the biggest line possible for the Hornet: YF-17>>>F-18A>>>>F-18D>>>>>F-18E>>>>EA-18G F/A-18D because the C wouldn't be much different from the A, but the D could be the USMC version optimized for night ops, and have much greater ground-attack potential than the A.

I'm wondering if they know enough about the X-29 to actually make it an "upgrade" and not just toss it in. It'd have an awesome pedigree: F-5A>>>>F-5E>>>>F-20>>>>X-29. But I haven't seen any F-5E's etc. Heh heh, I wonder if the YF-23 is unlocked by maxing out the F-15 and F-18. (There are a lot of those plane's parts inside it, only the engines and airframe itself was new)

I looked but couldn't find it. Link? Did find this though, very interesting and cool: <<<Unlocking new aircraft is a bit more complex than simply beating a mission and getting a new plane. Instead, the game totals up a record of how many kills you've earned with each aircraft -- once the kill meter is full, it unlocks a new plane that descends from the first plane. Racking up kills with a vanilla F-16, for instance, might unlock the improved Block 60 variant. Focusing on a particular plane you like, then, will unlock more planes like it, but at the same time, you'll have to develop skills with a wide variety of aircraft types to unlock the complete selection of 50+ planes. >>> That'll rock. Start with F-14A, then you can get the B, then the D, as you gain more experience. Which also explains the many F-16's we've seen. Hmmmn, wonder if the Super Hornet comes from the Legacy Hornet, or is considered its own line. And it also means you won't get a dozen different Flankers unless you want to spend time doing it. I think this is a great idea---if you really like a plane, you can get better versions of it. Wonder if you still have to save up money to pay for them, or buy weapons like in AFDS?