VATSIM like service for BMS?

[Eagle-Eye]

From time to time, I do ATC / GCI for my virtual squadron, using F4AWACS (despite its missing features), but there is no VATSIM- or IVAO-like service out there. As far as I know, there are only a few servers that are running (sort of) 24/7 too, and even if they are running 24/7, they generally aren’t crowded continuously, so a dedicated ATC / GCI seems a bit of a waste of time and resources.

Most important missing feature for human ATC is (in F4AWACS) the inability to see AI aircraft at all, and even if we could, BMS does not allow players to change AI routes once they are airborne.

[SemlerPDX]

^What he said.

Too many AI flights coming and going, no ability to control them, and even at human-only airbases (like we have in our 24/7 Public Multiplayer Server) would never have enough traffic to make it worthwhile. Also, while some of the airbases can be rather busy, they simply are not as busy as a simulated civilian airport with dozens of online players taking off and landing in so many different types of aircraft with so many different destinations. Apples and oranges. For civi’s, the ATC interactions is pretty much the entire lot of fun to be had, aside from some views during flight, but in BMS, it is just a tool to get clearance to take of and land again. Using the radios for AAR, IFF, and CAS is far more useful and entertaining. If VATSIM was gonna be a thing in BMS, AWACS should be as well, along with human controlled tankers - but it would take a lot of people doing “jobs” that were IMO far less entertaining that the actual BMS flight sim.

[Blu3wolf]

Yes and no - For some folks, myself included, those jobs would be entertaining and valid in their own right. I might not want to do those jobs exclusively, but they would be worth doing.

Would want some (significant) code changes before having a Virtual Air Battle Managers Network for BMS, a la VATSIM, would be a thing!

[HILOK]

maybe: https://www.pilotedge.net/
at least they do DCS. quite costly though, if you ask me. but if you share the price amongst your mates…

[Buster]

The most recent Tacview has a ‘real time’ option. (Haven’t tested it yet TBH)

[SemlerPDX]

@HILOK:

… at least they do DCS. …

Where does it say they do DCS? There doesn’t appear to be any Combat Flight Simulators supported, though they do say that “case by case basis” line, the list seems to be inclusive of the sims they support right now.

Which simulators are supported?

Additional simulations platforms can be integrated with manufacturer support on a case by case basis.

[Nikolas_A]

What I’d like to see is real AWACS. A flyable a/c with human pilot and human controllers. It would be more fun for controllers and more realistic (and more work to protect the valuable asset…)

[HILOK]

@SemlerPDX:

Where does it say they do DCS? There doesn’t appear to be any Combat Flight Simulators supported, though they do say that “case by case basis” line, the list seems to be inclusive of the sims they support right now.

you realize you could just have googled it?
e.g.

[Fieters]

There is no real service as the BMS community is quite small but due to all the different squadrons and the missing of a “global” server it’s quite broad. I enjoy beeing a GCI as it’s a good way of keeping myself in training and I like the task. Even so much that I turned it in my RL career.

[b.s.]

I tried setting up a GCI/AWACS community but it didn’t get a lot of momentum.
I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from doing human awacs/gci at FO,
but honestly, who wouldn’t rather be flying.

,that’s not the same thing as VATC though, yeah.

[SemlerPDX]

@HILOK:

you realize you could just have googled it?
e.g.

You realize my question was “Where does it say they do DCS?”, as in, referring to their website where they list the products they support, right? Fairly certain I did not infer that this was incorrect, simply that the website does not have any official statement by PilotEdge supporting DCS. I was curious where you got that information, as in “you” specifically. I went to the PilotEdge website to learn about it, and after a little while coming up empty on any combat flight sim support or any information on that website showing DCS action, etc., I decided to ask you where you saw that, and I did so with respect. No need for you to be so trite, my friend.

If one googles this information now, one can find a few YouTube videos and even a facebook post by PilotEdge from a few years ago stating that DCS is coming in a few weeks… sure. You’d think that after 2 years, it would have made the list of supported titles on their products page, since that format is inclusive rather than a list that ends in a “…and many more”.

So is it a thing, or “was” it a thing? This was more along the lines of what I was curious about, as opposed to being so lazy I asked some people on this forum rather than looking it up myself, or calling up PilotEdge to get the answer straight from the source.

…
This is why I often do not participate in forums, but I’ve tried to force myself to participate in order to be more active in the group. But for the majority of the time, I do my own research, and have rarely ever needed to ask a question on a forum as most questions have already been answered if one uses forum search tools (whether BMS or any forum anywhere), reads the manual, or watches a few videos on YouTube. Social anxiety (the minor sort that everyone deals with) is a hurdle that some have a harder time with than others, and dealing with statements such as yours is part of what makes it difficult. I asked a simple clarifying question, that is all. Thank you.

[CaptCanada]

Thanks for all the great replies.
I kinda thought that having an ATC system like VATSIM wasn’t feasible given the nature of our sim.
I guess it would only be an option for any big “fly ins” that the community might have or a massive online campaign, say something like the recreation of Desert Storm where ATC would become a necessity.

Cheers!
P.S.
This thread can be closed at this point.