Storm of War

[DD_Fenrir]

Hello chaps,

Just a heads up to keep you abreast of developments that are emerging on the horizon.

Storm of War (SoW) multiplayer campaign is working towards a new Normandy 1944 campaign to be flown in DCS. This makes me VERY  happy, and I'm sure some of you will find this news equally pleasing.

Provisionally it looks like Friday European evenings are shaping up to be the event night - until such time as it may become a 24hr a day deal. 

For those unfamiliar with Storm of War, it is a full switch (no externals, no map icons, but custom labels to help spotting in DCS), dynamic campaign server. 

What this means is tracking of unit losses and target destruction is persistent from one mission day to another - you hit a target on day 1, day 2 that target stays destroyed and persistently so into days 3,4 ,5, etc., unless resources are dedicated for it's repair. There are fixed stocks of aircraft (and possibly vehicle units) for each side which suffer attrition as the campaign progresses; there is resupply but if your losses (at both squadron level and for all units ground, sea and air!) outstrip your supplies then prepare for some restrictions to your operations. 

If they are able to integrate the features from the old CloD SoW, this could mean tracking of your allotted a/c serial numbers, repair of damaged airframes, logging of your mission hours, tracking of your statistics and victories... and also your deaths!

So, may be you're interested - what do you need?

The first thing is DCS World 2.5, with the Normandy 1944 map and the WW2 Asset Pack modules.

We've been provisionally allocated as an Allied squadron so Spitfire IX or P-51D (not TF-51) Modules would be required.

There is  a move towards Simple Radio Standalone: https://github.com/ciribob/DCS-SimpleRadioStandalone/wiki

This uses the in cockpit radios in DCS as the primary voice communication system - we still  use TS3 as a lobby and back-up but you communicate through the frequencies set in the DCS cockpit radio - clever stuff! I'm investigating this currently and will expound further on this as the requirement matures. What this means generally is for the Mustang and Spit that you will have to have the correct radio button (A, B, C, or D) pressed to communicate with your Squadron, Air Traffic Control, Ground Control or other respectively; if you takeoff from your home base and forgot to switch your channel from ATC to your squadron channel, you won't hear your flight leader's orders!

That's it from the software requirements!

There will be further requirements in terms of competency

1. You'll need to be able to get on or off the deck 9 times out of 10; or at the very least doing so with minimum damage (damaged airframes could be taken out of availability for a variable period of repair dependant on how bad you broke it - do so regularly and it will limit the airframes available for operations and detrimentally affect your squadron's sortie rate).

2. You'll need to be able to keep loose combat formation - no Blue Angels stuff here but to be able to keep well up on your leader so you can in the same breath look at them for station keeping but also clear their tail without losing peripheral vision of their plane - and just as importantly so that he can do the same for you. From our previous experience in SoW this is the single most important tactical consideration because the opposition are some of the sneakiest and well disciplined opponents you will face they will bounce you at every opportunity and good cross-cover is essential.

3. Be conversant with systems for arming/selecting and dropping of tanks/bombs. Nuff' said.

4. This is less a requirement but  is definite must if you hope to maximise your enjoyment of the campaign and make the most of fleeting opportunities as they present themselves. Work on your gunnery - understand how crucially important keeping the slip ball/needle centred is and how changes in power and airspeed affect your directional trim so you can compensate instinctively.

If you feel lacking in any of the above then contact me and I'm happy to do some 1-to-1 or small group training sessions to help you refine these.

Otherwise please let me know below if this is something you'd be interested in taking part of!

Cheers!

Fen

 

 

 

 

[Gypsy]

You got my attention. As I said the other nite, watching Phil Style's YouTube vids on SoW a year or so back is what gave me the urge to return to the virtual skies. But, I will needs oodles of practice in the Spit (And a bunch in the 51) in gunnery/bombing to be effective as a squadron mate. I am up to 3 out of 5 on takeoffs and landings and will keep working on that!

Thanks!

[wingflyr]

I as well, reporting for duty sir,

Also need much more, but ever so willing to go Sir!

[FoolTrottel]

(I'm still working on my landings  - though I must state I do very little training ... can't find the time/inspiration/motivation for it at the moment ... while I did buy that Normandy Spit campaign ... silly... oh well)

[Gypsy]

22 hours ago, FoolTrottel said:

(I'm still working on my landings  - though I must state I do very little training ... can't find the time/inspiration/motivation for it at the moment ... while I did buy that Normandy Spit campaign ... silly... oh well)

I think the Spit campaign was/is to give us practice/confidence in flying the Spit. But I need more practice to get to the level of airmanship to be able to fly the campaign to get the practice and....... around and around we go ?!

[APHill]

A shaky yes here, but I would welcome (need) help with the small stuff like landings,  formation flying, dog fighting, engine management, and so on and on.

[Gypsy]

4 hours ago, APHill said:

A shaky yes here, but I would welcome (need) help with the small stuff like landings,  formation flying, dog fighting, engine management, and so on and on.

Hey we did good today with Fen; me as bait and you the shooter ?!

[Gypsy]

After seeing my non-success as of late on airmanship in the DCS Spit (and for that matter the P51 now that I have not flown it in a bit), I think I will sit this round out. Don't want to be a drag or hindrance on DD in the SOW campaign. After I get finished upgrading my system, I will get back to practice in both AC. And Fen, if you set up that practice range for ground attack, hopefully I can get in some practice on that as well.

[DD_Fenrir]

I should clarify that the SoW mission tonight is more a test/practise session, testing the system, seeing what works and what doesn't, finding out some of the inevitable bugs and ensuring the format and DCS are going to be compatible. I doubt that any bent airframes at the end of this event will be an issue for further missions just yet.

Ergo, the pressure to be on your best form is off; I would suggest those who are curious come and try it out just to see if it's your thing, and we'll worry about the tidying up of our airmanship later!

Event starts at 1930hrs BST UK time. I'll be on as close to that hour as possible given sproglet responsibilities.

I would recommend that you install Simple Radio Standalone: https://github.com/ciribob/DCS-SimpleRadioStandalone/wiki so that we can figure out how we're gonna use it going forward in the campaign, plus all other participants will be on it. We'll be using our TS3 as a backup.

Turn up on the DangerDogz TS3 and we'll go from there.

 

[DD_Fenrir]

Further information coming forward from Storm of War admin:

Server is running on the latest OpenBeta version of DCS: 2.5.2.20143 Update 8 Hotfix, released today (03/08/18)

Server is running on the latest Simple Radio Standalone version, 1.5.3.4, available here: https://github.com/ciribob/DCS-SimpleRadioStandalone/releases/tag/1.5.3.4

Server live from 1900BST.

[Redtail]

Hello Fenrir and to all,

I have just joined the forum and I am very interested in taking part on the SOW server.However some assistance/advice flying the Spitfire in a training session would be very good.

Being retired makes life easier when sorting suitable times re training  sessions.

I look forward to flying with others rather than AI pilots!

Thanks.

[Crash]

Welcome Redtail I am sure Fen will be very pleased to have another DCS flyer and he will certainly give a lot of helpful hints on all matters DCS

[Redtail]

 

 

Thanks Crash for the welcome. That's what I was hoping.Having seen a couple of Fenrir's vids I thought I had to track him down.

I hadn't fallen over your forum before so I was very pleased to find it.

[DD_Fenrir]

Hi Redtail, and a hearty welcome to the kennel!

Firstly, to address the status of Storm of War:

SoW development in DCS is best described currently as slow but steady - part of the issue is the various DCS bugs that have crept in vis-a-vis labels and cockpit transparencies recently, another is them hanging on in the hope of seeing more WW2 content to flesh out the environment and developing passable workarounds where possible in the interim, and a further delay in the hope of the release of the promised revisions to the DCS WW2 planes damage models. 

It's coming together but we will have to be patient.

Regards Spitfire training, I am always more than happy to provide mentor ship. Our Primary DCS night is Monday from 2030BST/GMT, and we often have a sneaky DCS fix, generally at or about 2230BST/GMT after our Thursday Cliffs of Dover session. Otherwise, I can often be found online in DCS between 2200-2230 on other nights, depending how knackered I am from the rigors of the day! At any of these times I will be happy to give you any assistance you require to further refine your Spitfire airmanship!

Regards The DangerDogz, come in, make yourself at home and enjoy all we have to offer; as a rule we don't take ourselves too seriously here (if at all!) and there's a wealth of characters, knowledge, entertainment  and plain old fashioned good-will round these here parts. 

If you're in to other forms of flight sims, we do Il-2:1946, Il-2: BoX, Cliffs of Dover and some rather insalubrious types even mess around in Rise of Flight still, and whilst some of these titles are showing their age, an evening in them with the Dogz is still guaranteed some hilarity, bawdiness and delightful fun - you'd be remiss if you didn't check them out sometime.

I've had the privilege of being introduced to some of the finest people I know by joining the Dogz and I wouldn't be without them (but don't tell them that).

Looking forward to catching you online soon, 

Regards,

Fen (AKA Tom, AKA Tomsk, AKA Britney)

[Redtail]

Good evening Fen,

Thank you for welcome and all the info.Two years ago with no available broadband here in the frozen North! We had to use satellite broadband.

I had started flying on the SOW server and realized thanks to 'Joker ' that my ping reading was no good.COD froze with more than two aircraft!!£££$$$%%%

Move on two years and Mobile broadband means that Redtail is back in business again, but still no BT broadband. We are 6 miles from our exchange box!

Do I need to know the Teamspeak channel you operate on? I have the SOW one but that is all.Which map do you tend to use?

I noticed the server list at the top of the forum, but they all require passwords.

I look forward to joining you online and in the air soon.

Mark.

 

[Gypsy]

Welcome to the fun Mark. I can surely attest to Fen's (Tom)skill as a mentor. I can takeoff and land (and on rare occasions dogfight) in the DCS Spit (and other ACs because of his tutelage). I am a newbie to the Dogz but I've  felt "at home" with all of them from the beginning. So come on in, the water is just fine. BTW: Howdy from Texas, USA!

 

 

 

 

 

[Redtail]

Thanks for the welcome Bill from Sutherland, the Northern Highlands of Scotland.I gathered from seeing Fen's YouTube footage he would be worth talking to.I didn't realise he was part of a Forum flight group.

 So here I am! Yes,early days for flying the DCS Spit.Takeoff and landing reasonable.Spotting bandits Oh dear.I blame the monitor.A good reason perhaps 

to get a new one! I also dabble a bit with the F-86.

I haven't looked at your time difference yet, but I assume its a late or early flight slot UK time?

 

 

[Gypsy]

5 hours ago, Redtail said:

Thanks for the welcome Bill from Sutherland, the Northern Highlands of Scotland.I gathered from seeing Fen's YouTube footage he would be worth talking to.I didn't realise he was part of a Forum flight group.

 So here I am! Yes,early days for flying the DCS Spit.Takeoff and landing reasonable.Spotting bandits Oh dear.I blame the monitor.A good reason perhaps 

to get a new one! I also dabble a bit with the F-86.

I haven't looked at your time difference yet, but I assume its a late or early flight slot UK time?

 

 

I think I am about 5-6 hours time wise behind your part of the world. Being retired and pretty much a homebody, allows me to join the fun in the early afternoon my time most days. I have put Fen to bed at midnight his time many times ?!

 

[Redtail]

That's good to know Bill, I am also a gentleman of leisure so I should be able to fit in with your times,before others start to appear.

I don't think my wife quite knows what I have let myself in for?

I noticed some very interesting two wheeled beasty in some of your gallery pics.I used to own bikes for many years and ride one at work.

Except mine had blue lights and had a siren?

[DD_Arthur]

Hello Redtail and welcome to the Dogz

My dad spent most of the 'fifties looking very much like this

 

[Redtail]

Thanks DD_Arthur for the welcome.I take it he would have been well trained at Exeter?

When I started I did have an open faced helmet.However I retired with a full set of leathers and a flip up lid.  Times move on.

What a great picture.

[Redtail]

Good morning Fen and all the DD flyers for last night.It will take time to recognize voices and call signs, but we will get there.

 Work to do on the flight side and also getting used to having your performance monitored by several sets of eyes.That has not happened for some years. 

It was also interesting hearing voices other than computer generated ones.

A whole new experience for me! 

Thanks to all for my first real taste of online flying.

 

[DD_Fenrir]

Was a pleasure old bean. 

An audience does raise the stakes and the heart rate, n'es pas?!

Well flown - as discussed, your fundamental technique is about right, it's just a case of tidying the edges.

Oh, and bloody good gunnery by the way. You could teach some of the chaps a thing or two!

 

[DD_Fenrir]

Storm of War test server running over this weekend:

http://www.stormofwar.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6860

 

[Gypsy]

1 hour ago, DD_Fenrir said:

Storm of War test server running over this weekend:

http://www.stormofwar.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6860

 

May just have to try me some of this! If I can takeoff from somewhere remote and hide ?!