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.

@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.

Yes - you need to have a target lock if you don’t, in order to actually solve the bombing triangle. The cool thing about Visual bombing (CCIP/CCRP) is that you don’t actually need to lock the target, but you do need to lock something prominent that is at the same elevation as the intended target.

A target (or any attack coordinate) requires a lat/long/elevation set in order to be able to calculate a valid solution from sensor range/mil depression. The CCIP/CCRP Release Cue is showing you the mil depression you need to be at based on your relative position and speed wrt the target, but you can visually “steer” your impact point based on the cross and put your weapons on what you can see in lieu of what you’ve actually locked…provided that the two are near to co-elevation.

@drtbkj - on the RL grip/stick the Paddle isn’t part of the grip - the only one to get this right and leave the Paddle off is Real Sim, even though they didn’t get the part anatomy and/or number of switch positions strictly “correct” either. In RL the Paddle is part of the stick itself, mounted on the top of an electronics box on the stalk.

The issue with small hands is what concerns me most - someone with smaller hands is really going to notice. I have pretty medium-sized mitts and the RL grip fits my hands like it was made for them…and I really notice how much bigger the TM one is. An even bigger issue would be if the button forces were to match the RL grip - they are much lighter than a real one, and maybe this is a reason why.

Personally, I like/prefer the heavier buttons and stick forces. Just plain feels more like an airplane.

Check BMS Setup and insure your stick is actually zeroed - there’s a button for that there.

Also make sure the same is true for your rudders, and then make sure you’re not simply carrying left rudder in the way you’re sitting…adding rudder and not realizing it is easy to do if/when you’re not paying attention.

@MaxWaldorf - that sounds like the way it should be - pretty much a long range Mk20 - for JSOW A.

The F/A-18 stick is not angled. Neither is the F-14 grip, as far as I can tell. Both are straight up and straight forward.

I think I recall that the A-10 grip is rotated, but not angled - to the left.

@white_fang - that’s what I was thinking…that mainly I’d break Multi-player, and mainly because what I’d hack would be armament or related. And I’d prefer those hacks to be universal, so…I’d have to give somethings up. Time will tell…once I have time on my hands!

@white_fang - I’m not reading much of anything I agree with that they’ve done to AIM-120 in 4.36…got me thinking about doing some hacking. For the first time. Or rolling back…

@white_fang - there’s a laser JDAM now too…so you can not only drop it where you think it should go, you can steer it as well.

MAVG is over-modeled in BMS too. But what’s been done is pretty well done. Just get rid of those triple racks and pesky dome covers!

@white_fang - yup. I’ve also heard that laser MAV has become a big deal in urban warfare because of the ability to place it, and limit collateral damage. I love MAVs…and laser ones in particular.

@white_fang - all correct. In the case I site it was determined that the shot geometry was just plain wrong for an airborne buddy, aggravated by the fact that it was a night op.

…and because they’d all end up in the same hole on a single code/spot, I’ve oft suggested building laser guided Zuni rockets…talk about ripple on steroids!

@white_fang - yes, but a single laser can only use a single code. So unless you are have done and are doing some pretty strong pre-coordination and using multiple lasers, you are not going to be able to do this - particularly in an on-call CAS scenario.

Yes - every chopper has it’s own code, and every chopper fires ONE Hellfire at a time…and that brings up another hazard - Hellfire is usually fired into a “basket” sort of like lofting an LGB. I know of one RL instance where a Hellfire was lofted during a training exercise and locked the wrong end of the laser - the muzzle end of an F/A-18D laser - vise the target, as it crested the toss. Fortunately the weapon didn’t fuse…but it took out a chunk of the Hornet’s left Stab passing by…it was night, so nobody even realized what had happened until the Hornet was taxiing in. Lucky…VERY lucky…

…and MAVs don’t have/use a DLZ as we’d think of one. None of them, in any case. So the model is ok there.

@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.

@Tumbler31 - check out the VRS Superbug (man, I hate that stupid name…) AGM-65E model. They have the best one I’ve seen so far. In fact, they are my fav Hornet overall really -

https://forums.vrsimulations.com/support/index.php/AGM-65E_Laser_Maverick

When it comes to MAVs it’s pretty much going to work the same way for all, other than for how the actual HOTAS setup is built. Look over all the sims out there, and pay more attention to function over style. Never overlook other sims as good references!