I guess I’d like to see BMS become Open Source, and WELL documented for 3rd party coders. I’d like to see BMS become far more modular and standardized, with adequate documentation for any developer to code models of any sort for addition to the sim.

Personally, I could give a whit about VR…but that’s just me. BMS does far more - and more real world - than anything else I’ve seen out there. I’d certainly like to see that continue, and continually improved upon.

@Buttons - MAV is primarily a CAS weapon. The MAV E/E2/L in particular.

Firstly, you can’t hit more than one target in one pass with any MAV. That is one of the things that is totally unrealistic that has been fixed. One pass/one shot…that’s how it works in the RW.

Second - a laser MAV is your single best choice for taking out tanks from any approach aspect. You can steer it manually or let it guide using auto lock/lase…and you can also use it pretty much like you would a gun for hitting a pinpoint on a building, etc.

You also get more options for employment in more scenarios - if you are working with a ground FAC, the FAC will shine the laser, and then it is “fire and forget”. This is also the only method that might accommodate a multiple launch, but I don’t know of anyone that operates that way.
But you can also self designate, or buddy lase.

@coral36 - yes, for that I’d have to use TARGET and not Foxy because I usse a Warthog stick (but you can also use TARGET with the Cougar). And I can’t use Foxy with my Cougar TQS because all of the “smarts” are in the stick, and I don’t use the stick - the TUSBA has it’s own setup software package, and also upgrades the throttle from 10 to 12 bit resolution…which is VERY nice!

One of the other tricks to remember when using direct assignments is to use the generic assignment and let BMS figure out what the button is supposed to do - I generally try to use RL HOTAS function and not “add” functions. If the jet don’t do it, I don’t want my setup doing it.

With my FAF setup on my Mac I had a utility called ControllerMate that is WAY easier to use than Foxy or TARGET because it has a graphical interface and is like building flowcharts vice programing. Really, really too bad ControllerMate can’t be ported to the PC. Very, very, powerful utility that works with ANY HID USB device. I didd some wild things there like assigning my Cursor to arrow keys to halt drift, making proportional brakes by modulating key rate, and Paddle+Pinky to command Eject. But once I have my pit built I won’t even need any of that.

“Darkness” has no effect on a FLIR or EO weapon - like an IR MAV; only thermal contrast. OTOH, an NVG is a light amplifying device, so yes - they are at their worst in mean starlight/no moon, and may also be bloomed if there is too ambient much light.

…forex, the plume from a MAV launch can bloom NVG in some circumstances. Which I managed to find out when performing a RL shot from
a Harrier at night for the first time.

@drtbkj - more good info…

https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/5306/

…these keep popping up at the oddest of times.

@Kavelenko - a Harrier doesn’t have a hook. Or a launch bar…

…and actually, you need to clear the touchdown spot as quickly as possible to prevent blowing the tires on the heated deck below the exhausts.

@Kavelenko - yes. I always reference RL. This is supposed to be a sim, not a game…

@drtbkj - yes…my problem is that I’m just WAY too familiar with the RL grip!

Even when I use my WH stick I always put it in the chair with my knees/thighs against the base if I’m using it for a sim that is of a jet with a centerline stick…the WH base is wide enough to “sit” on and stablize it in a chair.

But even if I were to do that with the WH Hornet grip the reach to the top buttons is still overly far - probably only by 1/8" or 3/16", but very noticeable to someone like myself. I end up having to lift my palm to make actuations, and I don’t have to do that with a RL grip - bench mounted or in a jet. BTW - the grip should be in your lap in a RL Hornet, with top of the stick just above your thighs by a couple inches. At least, that’s how I fit.

Also - I didn’t personally note an issue with switch rotations. Once I figured out how to reach the switches they felt like switches, but again, I had to stretch my thumb in order to get to them and that felt way “un-natural” to me. I also think the grip may be/feel “fat” because of the extra position/throw on the Weapon Select switch because of it being a 5-way (though the WH grip doesn’t seem so)…which I could certainly do without, seeing as it’s not on a RL grip.

@coral36 - not really “difficult”. I use a Warthog stick, so I don’t use any Profile at all, nor the CCP. I just assign the buttons from within BMS Setup, and it’s all plug and play - I don’t use TARGET either. I use a Realsim TUSBA with my Cougar throttle.

The only “difficult” assignment was the Trigger Detent 1/2 - the trick is to assign Detent 2 first, and then Detent 1, because of the way the switches engage. Once done, it all just works.

You can do the same with a Cougar.

<p>…no RL Naval Aviator refers to any model Hornet as a “bug”. I’ve been hanging around them for over 30 years and they just flat don’t do that. “Bug” is something that (civilian) commercial actors came up with to keep the lawyers off their backs. </p>

@drtbkj - it’s not an “override”…it’s an actual reserved operating Mode of the TGP.

The key thing to remember is that it is an undesignated mode, and that in this mode all control is selected to the Cursor for control of pointing…as long as the TGP is SOI and a designation is not made. Once a designation is made on any sensor, all other sensors (including the TGP) should slave to that designation.

@Fish44 - so, yes. In RL the TGP would just plow along at whatever depression angle the pilot has selected it to - it has nothing to do with the FCR, or HUD optical center, or anything else because there is no target designation. That’s why it’s called “Snowplow”…it acts just like that and just “plows” along.

@hellsguard - I guess I’d have to see just what you were doing - if the TGP is not locked and just plowing along, it’s at a fixed angle below your nose (maybe even outside of the HUD FOR) and moving along with the jet, and so your reticle should also be dragging across the ground in front of the jet. It’s of no real use to show that in the HUD.

But if you lock the TGP on a target (or slew it) then t needs to show you where it’s looking relative to your position, since you are moving but the TGP lock will now become fixed.

It makes the most sense to use Snowplow during low level nav, when you want to see where you are headed and not actively trying to lock something - unless that something is a pretty long way in the distance…and then the reticle should pop up in the HUD when you slew to take the lock, but you’ll be heads down at the start, trying to get the lock.

When you are in Snowplow you don’t have a designation, so nothing should show up in the HUD.

Not that I’m aware of, as far as display of the settings goes - the book says you have to look at the MAN TRIM panel.

I do recall a key command to center the stick from way back, but I can’t find it in the manual just now, and I bet it won’t center yaw Trim if you have any dialed in.

EDIT: according to the keyboard reference, alt+return is the key command to Reset Trim.

@piston - yes, I know the model is young and flawed…I hope it matures.

Master Arm should be OFF, for one. The large X is the seeker position, and it should be stationary in the center - i.e.; LMAV Caged.

I seriously don’t get slewing around the MAV display to set the laser code…I should think that would be an option on the DED and that you would just hammer it in from the ICP. Really doesn’t make sense to me…

@HoustonHeat - Yes, that is correct.

@HoustonHeat - if you have changes you made to your Config file in the previous version, or additional Theater installs (and some Theater installs may have you do this as they are matured), you may want to hang onto the old version so you can launch and compare, or look over those file alterations in the previous install - any alterations you made manually in the previous install won’t show up in the new install unless you put them there.

Also - you need to remember to point WDP at the install folder for the version of BMS you are currently using.

No, you don’t need both. Each version will install as a standalone, and you may want to keep the previous one until you get the latest fully installed and updated to match.

I personally keep three versions on my rig, but there is no real need to do that.