Feedback on Training Manual
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Hey Folks,
Experienced IRL pilot here, new to BMS and and serious mil-flightsims (in other words, haven’t played much DCS either lol). I’m running myself through the training missions and have hit some speedbumps on the way.
I’m on Mission 18: BARCAP/Radar Missiles. The manual that came with my downloaded version was 4.37. I’m a dad, and often have to step away from the computer, so I also have the docs on my tablet. The version on my tabled is 4.37 U2.
The 4.37 (and earlier) versions of this tutorial start with a simplified overview in Paragraph 18.1 about racetrack patterns, the dimensions of the patrol area, and the counter rotating elements. I paused there thanks to a kid interruption and reopened a few minutes later sitting on the couch with my wife. The new version of the manual skips this explanation and when I picked up I was very lost.
It took me a few minutes to determine the manual versions. Once I figured it out I began reengaging the material and felt instantly lost in the latest version. I had to revert to earlier versions to understand the basic principles. I know accessibility is always a focus of the team, so I wanted to point out this as someone coming in fairly fresh. I know enough about the missiles operation regarding pitbull/self guidance, etec from playing VTOL VR, but the manual as it’s been updated today got me lost very fast. I think the deep dive info would be valuable to retain, but only after basics are presented first.
Also, much simpler issue, on mission 10 there is never guidance that the FCR needs it’s elevation knob adjusted. I spent 2 hours trying to figure out why I couldn’t see anything.
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Welcome to Falcon BMS! The devs are constantly updating manuals so its probably better to stay with the latest version of BMS you have installed. The BMS Training Manual is hugely detailed compared to how it was when I started in 2016 and obviously they cannot put every detail into the BMS Training Manual without duplication. If you want more detail on any particular system including the FCR your best bet is to find out more in the TO 1F-16CMAM-34-1-1 BMS.pdf.
Good luck pilot!
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@mustangs6551 I see what you mean. The new content is good – but it jumps quickly into alphabet soup of TLAs (three-letter acronyms)… FLO, DOR, MAR etc.
And they’re the kind of acronyms that, just spelling out the words (“Desired Out Range”) doesn’t really help much.
Even the long-form definitions, don’t help much, because they define in terms of other jargon that isn’t defined or explained anywhere in the doc. eg. what is meant by “L-D tactics”?
There are diagrams that help illustrate some of this, a few pages later… but it’s still not 100% clear to me.