WDP - Three big Start-up Questions
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Hello,
This is an edit after schnidrman provide the first answer.
Edit to make it less verbose, also because I have gained some - some - more understanding which makes my first post look stupider than this current post. So I leaned it up.Okay, I was having some frustration with meshing WDP to BMS. Couldn’t “see” my package/mission from a campaign in the WDP. Was the first campaign, first mission, 0502hrs on the first day. I THINK - and schnidrman’s answer alludes to it - that the problem was there wasn’t yet a “save” file for the campaign.
I was also having trouble trying to print out WDP products to paper. Was looking for the Print command in the file mneu up top. There is a big fat Print and Print Preview button midway down the left panel staring me right in the face. THERE be the print button.
Bonus Question:
Are we able to integrate WMD with BMS and start at Ramp Start? Or does it have to be taxi or take off? I ask because WDP has settings for things such as Rdr Alt “ON”, etc, that if one tries a ramp start those items would be without power. -
Create a package/flight and save. Then open up WDP and open the current save. Don’t forget to save your DTC before saving the campaign.
HTH
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Hah! It worked! Thanks.
Alright Rocket Man, yo SA2s are going down. Downtown to chinatown! (I figure SA2 hunting is a good start to any campaign, eh?)
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Yes, go in under 100 feet and loft CBUs
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Hello,
This is an edit after schnidrman provide the first answer.
Edit to make it less verbose, also because I have gained some - some - more understanding which makes my first post look stupider than this current post. So I leaned it up.Okay, I was having some frustration with meshing WDP to BMS. Couldn’t “see” my package/mission from a campaign in the WDP. Was the first campaign, first mission, 0502hrs on the first day. I THINK - and schnidrman’s answer alludes to it - that the problem was there wasn’t yet a “save” file for the campaign.
I was also having trouble trying to print out WDP products to paper. Was looking for the Print command in the file mneu up top. There is a big fat Print and Print Preview button midway down the left panel staring me right in the face. THERE be the print button.
Bonus Question:
Are we able to integrate WMD with BMS and start at Ramp Start? Or does it have to be taxi or take off? I ask because WDP has settings for things such as Rdr Alt “ON”, etc, that if one tries a ramp start those items would be without power.Part one was already answered, procedure is in-game BMS frag a package, save your DTC - then alt-tab or w/e to WDP and open saved mission, select correct option regarding saved DTC, and then find your package in the list (note the number and enter it at the top to find it fast).
Part two and all that other stuff should be set and saved long before any flights – WDP already hooks directly to your BMS profile, if working the DTC tab will display your pilot name. You can set all sorts of things that a real pilot would have saved to his DTC (basically a portable/external hard drive that they carry with them into the cockpit and plug in prior to RAMP), and a few things helpful for operation of this simulator software. Mostly self explanatory, but anyone here will help if you have a specific question on one of the items.
Bonus Answer is, it already does hook in pre-RAMP as described in the paragraph above - it’s a great pre-flight config tool. So is Mission Commander, but that’s for another topic.
Best wishes and have fun!
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Yes, go in under 100 feet and loft CBUs
Eww. So THAT’s how it’s done? I’ve been coming in at FL200+. Because HARM is why. HARMs can’t hit squat from 100’. But you might be right… Seems the freaking SA2s don’t turn on when I’m 60 miles away (HARM max WEZ) until I’m well inside their yellow (red) circle and by the time I fiddle around making the correct MFD the SOI, and fiddle around with Shift-arrows to move around the cursor onto the stupid blinking red “2” and “TMS Up” (whatever the heck THAT is when I don’t have a $1,700 HOTAS and only have a $29 flight stick) and loose the HARM, I’m already having to jink those upcoming smoke plumes. Sometimes I get away, most times I don’t. Okay, so HARMs aren’t as successful as we hope they should be. Fine.
Okay then. Let’s talk the 100’ approach with CBUs. At risk of hijacking my own thread off-topic - but because the natural flow leads us - I have so many questions about super low level approaches and CCRP that I am ‘this close’ to declaring shenanigans on low level attacks. I’ve never been lucky enough to have the campaign’s generated steerpoint be actually on top of an enemy piece of hardware. So if I come in at 100’ and loft, the bomb probably does impact the steerpoint, but the problem is the steerpoint is not exactly on top of any hardware. So…let’s do a CCIP then. Hmmm… That doesn’t work either because there’s not enough time to pop up high enough to acquire an actual enemy piece and put the circle dot on it; if I pop up far enough away to have the time to do that, well then it’s no longer a 100’+loft anymore, is it?
I just don’t “get it” how people can fly low and not see anything and blindly loft a steerpoint and actually hit anything of value. When I do that I get a big fat zero back at base for missing the entire ground unit. WTH?!!?? -
I was also having trouble trying to print out WDP products to paper. Was looking for the Print command in the file mneu up top. There is a big fat Print and Print Preview button midway down the left panel staring me right in the face. THERE be the print button.
Although the PRint button is there, its much much better to first save your datacard. (button is slightly more down)
Then go to the cards directory, one more button down
There you find all datacards, wx and other planning data.
As these are all pictures, you can now access them directly with a portable device (iPad) or print these pictures.gr Falcas
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I’ve never been lucky enough to have the campaign’s generated steerpoint be actually on top of an enemy piece of hardware.
As you already noticed, the target steerpoints are generated in the general area of the enemy target, so they can’t be used for “blindly lofting”.
What you can do, instead, is to use the “recon” screen to assign accurate coordinates to your steerpoint, in order to use it for bombing.
The procedure is explained in detail in the “BMS-Manual”, section “6.1.2 TARGETS”.
With this precise target location, you can use the POS mode of the HARM with better chances, or use CCRP to loft bombs without needing to identify the target.This is particularly useful for static targets such as buildings, runways, and in this case the SA-2 components; if the target is a moving one (e.g. tanks or mobile SAM launchers) then the steerpoints obviously can’t be used for “blind” bombing.
As for the matter of the first mission of the campaign, I personally use SDB released from high altitude, which have a range superior to the SA-2 and can be carried in quite a big number. By setting multiple target steerpoints, you can kill the radar and some launchers of more than one SA-2 in a single mission.
Incidentally, some people will think that this procedure is a bit of a “cheat”, as it relies on advanced guided munitions and perfect satellite recon information, but within the confines of our BMS game it’s a valid one.
Lastly, I’m also sure that flying low and lofting unguided bombs is a more exciting and “technical” experience; you may want to do it anyways as practice for situations in which you can’t rely on SDBs.Bye, have fun!
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Eww. So THAT’s how it’s done?
Nah, that’s “a” way to do it, not “the” way to do it. It’s a sim, we can do as we please and ignore real world procedures or doctrines, or try to simulate them. If you’re using HARM’s, altitude is your friend - gives you range, keeps you out of MANPAD danger…
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…What you can do, instead, is to use the “recon” screen to assign accurate coordinates to your steerpoint, in order to use it for bombing.
The procedure is explained in detail in the “BMS-Manual”, section “6.1.2 TARGETS”…Okay, thanks for that specificity, I’ll definitely check that out.
…I personally use SDB released from high altitude, which have a range superior to the SA-2 and can be carried in quite a big number. By setting multiple target steerpoints, you can kill the radar and some launchers of more than one SA-2 in a single mission…
I just graduated from “Ramp Start”, did a couple of HARM and CCRP/CCIP training missions, so… I Can’t even spell SDB nor tell it apart from my TCP/IP that my ISP provided me… someday this padawan will get to play the SDB. I’m so disheveled in the cockpit, in the action, I can’t even imagine adding more SDB and TGP after a TFR and the SMS onto the pile of excrement that is my soup sandwich. I know I should master every training first, but it was getting kind old doing only training missions, and I think I’m at the point now where I gotta fail a bunch of missions the hard way for a season and then go back into some training missions to better internalize the “ah-ha!” and “I coulda had a V8”.
It’s definitely a fun journey though. And I am gaining even MORE appreciation for all who make BMS, YAME, WDP, etc things of joy and wonder.