Why not make an in depth Tutorial for the simulator ?
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For $99.99 on amazon right now you can get the Thrustmaster T.16000M HOTAS system. For my needs, this has been vastly better than just a stick with integrated throttle. You can do most of what you need in BMS (override modes, CMS, TMS, DMS, cursor, zoom, etc.) with the T.16000M and be pretty happy. I’m not “hard core” into BMS…I’ve read the manuals and know most of what I need to complete A-A and A-G missions and probably spend ~6 hours a week on BMS and this setup works perfectly for me. This HOTAS has a very nice feel (especially the stick…just the right amount of resistance) and won’t break the bank. Just my opinion.
But also, get some head tracking equipment. It really does help. It takes a lot of practice to get used to, but once you do, close in engagements are much easier to manage. I spent probably 10+ hours mastering the “Dogfight” mode using my TrackIR to get comfortable with WVR fighting. It’s very rewarding when you get it right.
Just ask yourself, how much do I want to “get into” this?? BMS is THE best simulation of an F-16…which for the last 30 years has been the first choice front line multirole fighter for the USAF.
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And, boy, are BMS tutorials counter-intuitive and anti-newbie. They start you with a ramp start and bombard you with abbreviations essentially sending you back to read a complex theory.
I tend to disagree. In reality, BMS is a study sim. Learn the -1 and -34 before touching the training missions. Sure there are youtubers out there that have great (and I mean GREAT) tutorials for getting up and running quickly. But that isn’t really the focus of BMS in my opinion. You can do a passable job as a driver in BMS, but you truly have to know the systems (and those pesky acronyms) to get the most out of it.
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I tend to disagree. In reality, BMS is a study sim. Learn the -1 and -34 before touching the training missions. Sure there are youtubers out there that have great (and I mean GREAT) tutorials for getting up and running quickly. But that isn’t really the focus of BMS in my opinion. You can do a passable job as a driver in BMS, but you truly have to know the systems (and those pesky acronyms) to get the most out of it.
Are you serious! Most of the documentation are for pit builders or hard core, I’m not and still enjoy BMS but not taking it to seriously. The original Falcon 4 manual was perfect for me
Marc…
Marc…
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The original F4 manual is so outdated that it will be more confusing to anyone than anything else
if you say that it’s because you didn’t take the time to understand how the BMS manuals are supposed to be used or you probably didn’t even bother to open them.
The BMS manual suite are NOT for pitbuilder and hardcore ppl they are meant for BMS users of ALL level - matter of fact, they are written in a language that is very newbee friendly, away from the techno mumbo jumbo of real documentation of aircrfat systems - on purpose.
Again if you can’t reckon that you didn’t even bother to check for more than 2 minutes.A F-16 is a complicated thing
BMS is trying to replicate an F-16 sim
Therefore don’t expect to find arcade type manuals with BMS
learning BMS will require efforts.
If you don’t use the right documentation suite, the one specifically made for BMS, then you are making your life more complicated than what it is already. Which IMHO is pretty dumb.Dash 1 is meant to learn aircraft systems
BMS manual is meant to explain the intracities of the simulator. (UI, setup systems, config options, …)
BMS training is meant for the first hours of flying
Dash 34 is meant for weapon and delivery use and advanced avionicsLike any sims use you should probably have a peek at the BMS manual until your environment is setup (HOTAS, config options according to your computer, TIR, comms, etc etc)
Then you should probably have a read of the dash1 to learn more about the aircraft system. You don’t have to read all of it, just what is enough for you to have your first basic flights
then you can have the training manual and log your first hours
Then a conbination of the 3 above manual will help you progress using the step by step training mission
Then once you start fighting in the jet (that implies you know how to fly first) you can start using the -34 and continue with the more advanced training missionsSo it is not mandatory to learn all of the -1 and -34 before starting the training mission. I believe a combination of all as explained above work best
But it’s clear that you can’t fly if you don’t know how the jet operates and you can’t fight if you can’t fly in the first place.For casual flyers not willing to invest a lot of time in learning BMS the training manual is more than enough to start with.
The training missions in there follow the EXACT same steps of the original Falcon manual - but relevant to BMS
So advising to use the original F4 manual is utterly stupid.
BMS Training manual does the exact same but is 100% to BMS 4.33So basically, make sure you start with the beginning and not like the fools who expect to be able to fire a maverick from their first flight - that always make me laugh.
Take TRN02 if you just want to fly around without starting the jet. Take TRN01 if you want to learn to start the F-16
Take TRN 03 to learn to land the jet
It can’t be simplier than this gents.
but yes it gets more complicated as the training progress - just like the real deal by the wayYou’re using a study flight sim gents, not an arcade point and shoot game
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We’re not saying the old manuals weren’t great, some of them stand out even today and I still have very fond memories of a number of them; it’s just that Falcon BMS has come so far that much of what the old manuals contain is now no longer relevant or actually factually incorrect.
For 4.33 we decided to no longer assume you’d read all those previous manuals and attempted to give you everything you needed in one place to get started. This approach was targeted particularly at people new to Falcon, as those already familiar with 4.32 would find 4.33 built on what they were already used to and just needed to dip into the more technical manuals to read up on the bits that had changed.
The harsh reality is however that this sim requires a certain amount of commitment in order to get going and even more time to understand things in enough detail to do well. The flipside to this investment of time and effort of course is that rarely, if ever, will you find a piece of software that can be so rewarding when you do get it right
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The Sticks/HOTAS setups which are most accessible to me would be that Extreme 3D Pro, Thrustmaster T Flight Hotas X, and the warthog. As much as i’d love to get the warthog, since just looking at it gets me excited, its not really affordable at the moment XD. So it’d have to be between the first two, which i can get as soon as this week. I could also go for the Thrustmaster T-16000M FCS HOTAS or flight pack, but both of which are somewhat overpriced here/
Should i just settle for the Extreme 3D Pro for a while? Get the Hotas X which seems to be better, and also very accessible for me, or really push it and go for the overpriced T16000M which costs around double what it should
I DO plan on taking the simulator quite seriously, since i’ve been looking for something like this forever, never knew it existed until a few days ago, and eventually would go out of my way for the marvelous Warthog, but thats far into the future.
So what specific order should i read the documents, so i don’t get confused beyond repair.
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Honestly I’ve been flying with the Extreme 3d pro ever since I got back into BMS (around the time 4.33 came out). It’s not the best, but it’s acceptable. What I really feel I’m missing however is a head tracking system. That’s my next upgrade when I can afford it.
Cheers!
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I never fly without my TIR…it’s a game…errr sim changer.
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lets take out 1 fish at a time… it’ll take me a long while to understand anything lmao, curse my taste in things i never understand
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@Chu:
lets take out 1 fish at a time… it’ll take me a long while to understand anything lmao, curse my taste in things i never understand
Well then add women to that list…
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Might be the case for 4.32, but is no longer the case for 4.33 onwards.
I started with Falcon BMS a little more than a year ago and found the tutorials and the requirement to read theoretical manual overwhelming. I then proceeded to watch YouTube videos and in just a week I was already flying campaign missions and completing them successfully. And then I’ve read the manual and tutorials to learn about small things videos omitted.
The fact that the tutorial doc starts with a ramp start where you have to deal with a lot of abbreviations and instruments that you have to read about in a separate manual to understand what you are doing - and that you can’t just skip it (unlike the ramp start in the game itself) and then proceed with following lessons simply because they act like you’ve already learned much - is what makes it counter-intuitive and anti-newbie.
A good tutorial would start small - since you don’t need to learn much to get a plane into the air, follow waypoints and then land it. It’s very basic and quite easy to do, see. Then it would teach you how to fire weapons in the most common and simplest ways (e.g. default dogfight mode versus requiring you to understand what a vertical radar mode does in it and why it is good in one case and bad in the other). And only then proceed with stuff that would require practice, experience and understanding of F16 systems.
Which coincidentally is how Krause’s (and other guys’) videos do it and why they succeed because of how easy they are to wrap your head around, gradually introducing you to complex stuff.
I’m writing this as a guy who has a very fresh memory of being a BMS/flight sim newbie.
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Starting at the hangar, in the base, switching everything on, preping for take off and then taking off is arguably one of the things i’m more into. I mean, it’s more engaging than flying in a straight line… which happens.
Which brings me back to how i’m constantly attracted to things i dont ****ing get. Why must you look so good F-16, why.
Seriously, i decided i’d start off with the manual, i’m barely into it and i had to look up like a million abbreviations, holy crap
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Starting with YouTube and such is fine if you want to fly solo all the time. It’s your time and you can spend it how you like. But if you want to get into the multiplayer world you’d better know the acronyms, the brevity, and the reason things work the way they do. Otherwise you won’t last more than a few minutes up against another pilot. If you are serious about getting into it you can look into VFWs as well. They have excellent training programs.
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@Chu:
So i’d just like to know why/what/when/if.
Because/tutos for newb/as soon as you will do it yourself for the next generations of newbs/if you are not too lazy and have enough courage to start and finish it once you will master a bit more the stuff.
BMS team create the documents of reference. Period.
Up the the community to do anything they think it is more appropriate for itself. -
This self study thing aint easy whatsoever, fml. Well thanks anyway.
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“Fml”?! Is this acronym in BMS manuals?
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Unsure if asking what it stands for or why i said it
oh
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I looked it it appears to mean “ for my life”
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More like **** my life but yeah :munch: wont live to tell the tale