Su27 Flanker1 Unofficial FAQ

What's New

• Final version. There will be no more changes. For FAQs about Flanker2, see FAQ2.

Contents

1. General
   1. What Flanker accessories do I need?
   2. What are the Su27 sim performance records?
2. Versions current and future
   1. Which version are we up to?
   2. I want to run both v1.1 and v1.2
   3. What versions are planned for the future?
   4. What is OpenGL?
   5. Flanker v2.0
   6. How do I become a beta tester for future versions?
3. Bugs and limitations
   1. What are the remaining bugs in v1.5?
   2. It is jerky even on a P133.
   3. Is ECM broken?
   4. There is no six o'clock view.
   5. Missile performance (range) doesn't match the specs in the manual.
   6. The keyboard card is wrong.
   7. I can't find the enemy planes with my radar.
   8. What are all the new views?
   9. What's with the pink camouflage scheme?
4. How do I ....?
   1. Missiles
      1. I cannot get the lock key (TAB) to work.
      2. Missiles don't fire.
      3. How do I get the HUD to show knots and feet?
      4. I can't get Kh-29 air-to-ground missiles to lock on no matter what I do.
      5. The Kh-31 antiradar missiles don't lock on.
      6. I can't sink the ships with the antiship missiles.
      7. I always miss with the R77.
      8. The R27te only locks on at visual ranges.
      9. Why don't I get a launch cue for my freefall bombs?
   2. Mission editing
      1. I have created my own mission, but I can't start it.
      2. How do I set a different mission start time?
      3. How do I change sides?
      4. Can I fly GAI missions?
      5. How do I get the airshow SU27 into one of my missions?
      6. How do I get AI to drop more than one bomb at a surface target?
      7. How do I declassify missions?
      8. Why can't I edit any missions?
      9. How do I create H2H mission under v1.5?
      10. How do I use the new camouflage schemes?
   3. Setting-up and Running the program
      1. How do I get it to run full screen under Win95?
      2. The smooth shading preference box is always grayed out!
      3. How can I get the game to run without the CD?
      4. How do I set my throttle to idle?
      5. How do I get my Thrustmaster kit to work?
      6. And MS Sidewinder 3D?
      7. How do I get sound under Win NT4?
   4. Miscellaneous
      1. How do I padlock a runway?
      2. How do I dump fuel / refuel?
      3. How do I do the Cobra? The K key doesn't work.
      4. The tilde key doesn't work
      5. My wingman doesn't follow me on take-off.
      6. How should I adjust alt/az of the radar in BVR mode?
      7. The radar works funny.
      8. How do I disable the alpha- and G-limiters in-flight?
5. Flying skills
   1. I get disorientated in padlock mode.
   2. What exactly do the wingman commands do?
   3. How do I beat the AI? Or anyone else for that matter?
   4. PapaDoc's BVR hints (with help from Wags and Talon)
   5. PapaDoc's Guide to the Merge
   6. Wag's BVR tips - Part I
   7. Wag's BVR tips - Part II
   8. Auger's Su-27 Flanker Online Gunzo Primer
   9. Tony Volk's Guide to killing the AI
   10. How do I avoid the SAMs and other missiles?
   11. How do I find out more about fighter tactics?
6. Head-to-head (H2H)
   1. How do I go H2H?
      1. Dialup
      2. TCP/IP
      3. Kahn / Kali
   2. How do I find H2H opponents?
   3. How do I set up a LAN for Flanker?
7. Extra missions, tools, resources.
   1. Flanker mailing-list
   2. Flanker IRC chat
   3. Where can I get more missions to fly?
   4. The TRK files I download don't work!
   5. Are there any tools to help me make new missions?
   6. WarRoom (dynamic campaign) and Xedit
   7. Booklist

What Flanker accessories do I need?

• Fuzzy dice on the rear-view mirrors
• 8-track playing "Frampton comes alive"
• Carpet-covered avionics dash
• Chequered flag knobs on the throttles
• Bell radar detector (for when your radar and EOS are shot-up: just clip it to the HUD)
• "If you can read this you are too close" rear sticker
• Bright red airbrake / Cobra warning lights (for use with sticker)
• Stick-on wide-angle extensions for rear-view mirrors
• Roof rack for extra two R73s
• Klaxon that plays "Volga boatmen"
• Inflatable Kuznetsov carrier for emergency landings in the middle of Black Sea (store it under the seat)
• Auto-adhesive canards
• Halogen lights to paint stealth bombers
• A "This is NOT an Airbus" answering IFF, to infiltrate through US Task Force's air defenses
• Sony Discman playing ZZ-Top's "Gimme all your lovin", interpreted by Leningrad Cowboys and The Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble Alexandrov, live at Helsinki (as seen in Aki Kaurismki's film "Total Balalaika Show")
• Michelin Guide to The Caucas
• "WARNING: Rearward-facing missile equipped unit" rear sticker
• Mindscape mug, tee-shirt and fur-collared cold-weather flying jacket

What are the Su27 sim performance records?

Altitude: Y. Bibikov, 32960m

Speed: Y. Bibikov, John Kawamura and Al Bergen, Mach 2.68

Well ... that's not strictly true anymore. There is a rarely encountered bug in the flight model which can put you into a flat gravity defying spin at speeds in excess of Mach 6.5, reaching heights only NASA can dream of.

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Which version are we up to?

 v1.5 may still be available somewhere near you, either as an add-on CDROM or an all-in-one Commander's Edition.

What is v1.5?

• An upgrade to v1.0, v1.1 or v1.2, Win95 only
• 156 missions and 96 TRKs, though many of these are already out there somewhere on the Net.
• copies of the freeware programs, Random Mission Generator and Flanker Campaign Shell.
• new upgraded version of Flanker to v1.5.

What does it have?

• Optional Gouraud shaded graphics in external views (nicer aircraft and transparent flame / explosion effects). This uses 16-bit color and so the sky is now smoothly shaded. These graphics use the OpenGL API. They look nice, but have a startling hit on framerate on any system without a supported 3D card. Don't plan on using these unless you have a 200Mhz+ or the right video card. You do not need to bother with these graphics - you can continue using the original v1.0 graphics if you prefer for framerate reasons. I do not consider them a major selling point of the new version - it is all the other features that pack the punch.
• LAN capability allows up to 16 people to fly at once. Awesome. The master can be left running for hours at a time with a mammoth mission whilst the virtual squadron does battle. Due to ping times over the Internet 3-player missions seem to be about the maximum reliably achievable, though I expect that if you were all on ISDN to the same provider, you might get a lot more.
• The multiplayer missions are arranged a bit differently from v1.2. In mission planning the "Remote" plane no longer exists. Instead the master sets up the overall mission, with all AI friendly and bogie flights, air-defenses etc. This can be set up to run over several hours of real-time if you like. The master then starts the mission - it starts immediately without waiting for anyone to join in. The master mission can but does not have to contain a "Me" Flanker. Each slave has to make his own sub-mission file containing his own flight only. He is allowed wingmen if he wishes but cannot add anything else - no extra friendly or bogie flights. He can then join the master mission. Each slave does the same in turn. If a slave is shot down he can either sit back and watch the action, still connected, or quit and rejoin the same mission. If the master is shot down he has to either sit back and watch the action or shut the whole master mission down - he cannot rejoin.
• LAN and Net H2H missions can be recorded as TRK files and replayed. Quite incredible. For example, in a H2H match both of you can record TRK files and then exchange them afterwards. You can then see the fight exactly through your opponent's eyes - what did he do, where did he look, what inputs did he make to his controls. You have got to try this. It sounds pretty good, but when you first actually use it I guarantee it will blow your socks off.
• Off-line missions can be saved halfway through and edited. Saving preserves damage to ground objects (e.g. damaged SAMS, half-shattered airfield) but is not "perfect": i.e. flights will not precisely continue the same actions as they left off, especially if halted halfway through a dogfight. Think of it as a strategic-level not tactical-level save. Very useful for building one mission onto the successes or failures of another. And the mission planner now can count elapsed days as well as hours and minutes. LAN/Net missions cannot be saved in this way.
• "AWACS type" view. Linked to the F10 key. Live overview with zoom and pan of the whole battlefield. Planes SAMs and missiles are represented as icons. You can click on an icon and then jump to that object with the other external view keys. You can choose to show only the objects visible to your own radar AWACS and EWR or to see all active objects.
• Optional recovery mode (restart in a new plane straight away if shot down or crash). For wimps.
• 26 new camouflage schemes especially for use in LAN or Net play. Many of these are horrible and garish (pink, black) but there are a few nice fairly realistic ones too.
• Improvement to AI - for example they now dodge SAMs.
• Some other bug fixes, eg the 6000m radar bug.

What doesn't it have?

• Stutter. Well, not really. See here.
• It does not have a new theater or terrain.
• It does not have any new planes or objects.
• It does not support DirectX or Direct3D.
• The Gouraud graphics are not available from within cockpit views.
• A flight school. This is held back for v2.0.

Older versions

• v1.0, the original. Win95 only, numerous bugs, no multiplayercapability.
• v1.1 was both a patch and a re-release which included both DOS and Win95 versions on the same CD. The sim part of the DOS program is identical to the Win95 version, the mission planner is very similar but limited to 640x480 resolution. The videos are not accessible from DOS. The framerate under DOS is a little better - this makes the stutter worse on many fast machines. v1.1 fixes the ECM light bug, improves framerate for ground attack, introduces mirrors, gives much better views including dogfight, selective friend/enemy views, instrument glance and ground padlock, increases rear visibility, increases RWR functionality, enables the Mig-31, enables screen size autoswitch, etc. etc. and fixes various bugs introduced during the patching process! V1.1 also introduced 2-player capability over a LAN via IPX.
  • WARNING: There was also a floppy-only DOS-only version 1.1 available in the UK only. Check the box carefully before you buy!
• v1.2 was only for Win95. There is no DOS 1.2 patch. Net play in v1.2 over Kahn and Kali seemed both better and worse - far fewer dropped connections and able to hold up against a longer ping time, but at the cost of the slave experiencing pauses and displacement on poor connections.
• v1.2a merely improved the backwards-compatibility of v1.2 in playing TRK files that were recorded with v1.0 and v1.1.

Patch file location

Full list of enhancements from v1.0 to 1.2a:

1. ECM light bug fixed (it's no longer stuck in the 'On' position)
2. Improved frame rate for ground attack
3. New rearview mirrors
4. New selective friend/enemy views
5. Instrument glance and ground padlock
6. Increased rear visibility. The pilot's field of vision has been increased to 240 degrees (4 to 8 o'clock ).
7. Increased RWR functionality
8. Mig-31 added with two new missiles: R-33e and R-40TD.
9. New screen size autoswitch
10. Mirrors have now been incorporated.
11. Clouds have now been incorporated.
12. Head-to-head play has been implemented over IPX (cooperative and non-cooperative); play over a network can also be achieved using TCP/IP for Windows '95.
13. You cannot be hit by AAMs or SAMs without prior warning of your aircraft being painted in formation.
14. Neutral trim light fixed
15. The CCIP pipper no longer jumps when dive bombing.
16. No more keyboard inactivity after selecting CTRL+Q; "NO" will now allow you to return to the mission screen.
17. Requester boxes now display in the correct resolution.
18. Missiles do not pass through certain areas of target models anymore.
19. Missiles, rockets and shells now explode correctly (nearer target).
20. The Grisha frigate will now engage targets.
21. BetAB-500 does not veer off and miss runways anymore on the final leg.
22. S_LEAD_4 is now classified as Sq. Leader mission rather than Pilot.
23. The spin ball now functions correctly.
24. Ctrl F6 'view last launched weapon' has been enabled.
25. Editor-Color preferences has been implemented. WINDOWS '95 ONLY
26. Preview of aircraft, ships, SAMs and ground objects has been implemented.
27. Network play option has now been added to the Flight menu.
28. Selecting OK will now save changes to all Preference pages. WINDOWS '95 ONLY
29. F1 key now invokes the on-line manual. WINDOWS '95 ONLY
30. Detail levels are now in the correct order.
31. Dialogue boxes will not 'disappear' off screen anymore.
32. Ground attack and ground attack / CAS payloads are corrected.
33. Threat areas are now implemented.
34. The tilde key (~) can cycle through padlock targets in visible range in CAC, Helmet, F10 and LMA modes.
35. Radar detection ranges now depend on the target's aspect angle.
36. GAI aircraft can now spot targets within a 10 km range. To let them see beyond 10 km, place an EWR station nearby.
37. Deployment of unguided rockets in mountainous areas is more effective.
38. AI aircraft use their guns more effectively.
39. Drogue chutes are now replaced when refueling.
40. CTRL+W reloads your weapons when you are on the runway.
41. The range of the R-77 has been increased slightly.
42. The recharge rate of the IGLA has been increased to 2 minutes.
43. Spin and stall modeling has been improved.
44. Missiles are now visible at 8-10 km, aircraft at 10-14 km, and ships and SAMs are now visible earlier.
45. External view rotation can be increased by using the CTRL key.
46. Computer aircraft now deploy guided bombs.
47. Bombs can now be hit by missiles; IGLAs, for example.
48. The sun graphic has been improved.
49. Mission Editor implemented
50. Fuel consumption estimates have been added to the summary dialogue box.
51. External views can now be disabled.
52. The mission editor can now run in a higher resolution than 256 colors. WINDOWS '95 ONLY.
53. An auto resolution mode switch to 640 x 480 has been incorporated. WINDOWS '95 ONLY. Please note: This only applies when in 256 color mode.
54. Additional missions have been included.
55. You can now padlock ground targets in A2G mode.
56. Dog fight view (F9) has been added.
57. Right shift with the function keys (F2 to F9) will cycle through friendly objects, and left shift will cycle through enemy objects. CTRL and either shift key will cycle through objects in reverse.
58. An instant cockpit view (0) has been implemented.
59. Wingmen messages have now been added.

I want to run two versions on the same computer

Make yourself copies of the above files - new and old e.g. su27exe.v11 and su27exe.v12, fsim.v11 and fsim.v12, then you need two .BAT files:

SU27V11.BAT
copy su27exe.v11 su27.exe
copy fsim.v11 fsim.lbb
su27.exe

and

SU27V12.BAT
copy su27exe.v12 su27.exe
copy fsim.v12 fsim.lbb
su27.exe

Now create two Windows shortcuts to the batch files.

Remember you can set the icon using Properties->Program->Change Icon->Browse and find the Su27.exe file. You get a choice. Oh - and tick the "Close on Exit" box as you whiz past the Program page.

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What versions are planned for the future?

• Flanker2!

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What is OpenGL?

No matter what 3D accelerator card you have, whether it has OpenGL now or in the future, it isn't going to accelerate the in-cockpit graphics in v1.5. These are always old-style Flanker graphics, whether you select the new smoothed graphics or not. The new smoothed graphics are only for external views. Bummer!

And finally ....

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First glimpse of v2.0

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How do I become a beta tester for future versions?

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What are the remaining bugs in v1.5?

1. Your wingmen can catch up to you and pull into formation even with identical loadouts and fuel levels while you're in AB. This shouldn't be possible.
2. Computer aircraft have advantages in power thus are harder to fight in the vertical.
3. Computer aircraft apparently burn less fuel than the player's aircraft. If any.
4. AI pilots never lead turn or try to create lateral separation before the merge, ie they are not aggressive in guns only fights
5. AI has unlimited ammo
6. AI planes cannot crash into each other and fly through buildings

• TRK files do not always play back correctly, especially in on-line play. The slave's TRK often shows the plane in the wrong position on playback. The master's TRK is better. Some problems have also been reported in off-line play. This may get a fix.
• Stutter? No!
• R27TEs now only lock on when the target is within range of the IR seeker. We were told by Eagle that this was more realistic modelling but some are not so sure. The advantage of the R27TEs over R73s is the vastly better weapon envelope for tailshots. But then tailshots always miss anyway ....
• A few people are getting program crashes, perhaps more likely to happen when recording TRKs.

It is jerky even on a P133.

The "freeze"

The freeze only affects the Win95 version and only if:

• you have a Network Interface Card plugged in and
• It is bound to the TCP/IP protocol (the default) and
• you do not have a static IP number set for the network card and
• you do not have a valid DHCP server to allocate you a valid dynamic IP number for the card

If you understand Win95 networking then I should have told you enough to allow you to get rid of the problem. Note that the IP number for the card is quite different from any static or dynamic IP number attached to Dial-Up Networking.

If you don't understand Win95 networking and want to try to get rid of this AT YOUR OWN RISK, and if you have no more than a stand-alone PC with a modem, or a PC+modem on a Windows Network, do the following:

Go Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network
Delete the protocol TCP/IP -> [your network card].

You probable didn't need TCP/IP over your Network card. If you did, you are going to have to reinstall it. I warned you!

Don't do this on your work PC or you may end yourself up in a whole load of trouble. If you're not sure you know what you are doing, ask a guru to help.

A different solution is to set up alternative Win95 boot-up configurations, one with a Network card and one without.

Does v1.5 stutter?

Well, yes.

I mean, no, not really.

Let me explain....

• v1.5 does seem to have a slightly slower framerate than v1.2. This is more noticeable if you start Flanker in 16bit or 24bit color mode. The 640x480 autoswitch no longer goes to 256 colors automatically, and so if you start in 800x600x24bit color you will end up flying in 640x480x24bit color (although you only get 256 on the screen) and this is not the most efficient use of your video adapter. The solution is to use Quickres to switch to 256 colors before starting Flanker.
• Excepting this slight framerate drop, v1.5 does not stutter except when playing back TRKs recorded with older versions of Flanker! Presumably this is because "legacy code" had to be included in order to play back the old AI correctly in the TRK - perhaps this could yet be fixed.

Is ECM broken?

Sorbitsya ECM pods are automatic and switch themselves on and off. This means you have 4 levels of ECM:

• None
• Sorbitsya only
• Onboard ECM only
• ECM and Sorbitsya

Some example ranges of engagement:

TARGET: inbound Su-27 at 2000m altitude, 1120km/h.
 

S-300PMU SAM system

	Range of engagement  (SAM launch)
No ECM / No Sorbtsiya	69.0km
Sorbtsiya but no ECM	54.1km
ECM / No Sorbtsiya	62.1km
ECM and Sorbtsiya	45.5km

KUB SAM system

	Range of engagement  (SAM launch)
No ECM / No Sorbtsiya	24.4km
Sorbtsiya but no ECM	17.9km
ECM / No Sorbtsiya	20.0km
ECM and Sorbtsiya	14.7km

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There is no six o'clock view.

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Missile performance (range) doesn't match the specs in the manual.

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The v1.0 keyboard card is wrong.

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I can't find the enemy planes with my radar.

Bogies suffer an unfair advantage over you. They detect you by extra-sensory perception, not by using their radars or EOS. They also have an unfair advantage in that they can "beam" your radar but you cannot beam theirs.

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What are all the new views?

Right Ctrl key accelerates object panning / rotating with keyboard arrow keys twofold.

Select a plane with F2 or F5, then the F9 key will switch to dogfighting view - cycles through a view from the original plane towards other planes within visual range (6km?). You can use Rshift and Lshift F9 as described above to choose friends and foes.

Tilde ~ key now allows you to switch visual padlock between multiple planes in your current field of view, so long as you have not locked them up and you are in a close air combat mode.

* key allows you to visually padlock ground target. Whilst in ground attack mode, put the circular target designator in the HUD onto the target and lock using *. This is the CCIP marker with appropriate munitions, otherwise it is the centre circle. The effect lasts about 2 minutes.

Keypad 0 allows you to quickly glance at instruments no matter where you are looking. Works only as long as key depressed. Absolutely invaluable for dogfighting.

The backspace key now duplicates the Caps Lock key - weapon selection.

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What's with the pink camouflage scheme?

Visit http://home.earthlink.net/~plegrand/PINKFLAMINGO.htm

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I cannot get the lock key (TAB) to work.

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Missiles don't fire.

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How do I get the HUD to show knots and feet?

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I can't get Kh-29 air-to-ground missiles to lock on no matter what I do.

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The Kh-31 antiradar missiles don't lock on.

You cannot lock onto EWR or search radars. This is said to be realistic, but has been disputed.

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I can't sink the ships with the antiship missiles.

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I always miss with the R77.

Assuming the target doesn't maneuver, you can guesstimate using the following formula:

TTL = Time to missile lock-on (count seconds until this period has expired before switching to a second target)

TOF = Total missile time of flight (you must memorize the time of flight number shown at launch time on the HUD)

DT = Total distance the missile will travel. This is tricky to estimate since the target is moving. If it's coming toward you, a very conservative estimate is the range to target at launch time.

TTL = TOF * (DT - 15)/DT

Pretty tough to calculate on the fly, eh? :^) When launching at maximum range at a target that is not running from you (if it was, you probably wouldn't be in a hurry to get two missiles in the air anyway), the rule of thumb I use is to count down half the time of flight I see when I launch (remember this number is no longer valid after you launch). It works for me.

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The R27te only locks on at visual ranges.

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Why don't I get a launch cue for my freefall bombs?

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I have created my own mission, but I can't start it.

(ii) To fly yourself in the mission make sure that you have one Flanker designated as "Me". You can only do this on a flight leader of "your" side.

(iii) If you have assigned a start time after the default to "Me" you will have to watch the "prequel" unfold before you automatically jump into your plane at the designated time. See also below.

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How do I set a different mission start time?

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How do I change sides?

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Can I fly GAI missions?

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How do I get the airshow SU27 into one of my missions?

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How do I get AI to drop more than one bomb at a surface target?

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How do I declassify missions?

However declassified versions of the original missions on the CD are to be found here

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Why can't I edit any missions?

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How do I create H2H mission under v1.5?

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How do I use the new camouflage schemes?

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How do I get it to run full screen under Win95?

For some display cards this will only work if you are running in 256 colors, for others it works from any color depths. If it doesn't work for you, you will have to switch resolution yourself before starting Flanker. This can be made pretty painless by downloading the QuickRes add-in, to be found in the Win95 Powertoys on http://www.microsoft.com/

If you have managed to get Su27 running full screen but it doesn't seem centred, you need to adjust the vertical and horizontal controls on your monitor. Your video card may have software that can do this for you.

New!

From v1.5, autoswitch never changes the color depth. The sim does run faster in 256 colors - use Quickres to change to e.g. 800x600x256 before starting Flanker.

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The smooth shading preference box is always grayed out!

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How can I get the game to run without the CD?

However, when networking using Win95, you don't need a copy of the CD in both computers. Just share the CDROM drive that contains the game across the network, and connect that drive to the other machine on which you wish to run Su27.

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How do I set my throttle to full idle?

Those max and min RPM buttons apparently come into their own if you have a Thrustmaster throttle with palpable detents to mark afterburner settings.

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How do I get my Thrustmaster kit to work?

However, try the following. If you know better, tell me.

Thrustmaster FLCS

• Calibrate the joystick from Win95 control panel. DON'T choose Thrustmaster, select 3-axis, 2 or 4-button stick instead. (4-axis if you also have pedals.) Then select Thrustmaster from Su27 Preferences.
• If you have ACM gamecard and Soundblaster there may be a conflict in game ports. Uninstall both, then reinstall first ACM then the Soundblaster.
• Pick up your .M50 and .B50 files from http://www.su27-flanker.com/Missions/tm.html

Thrustmaster FCS, no throttle

• Calibrate it under Windows 95's control panel as a TM Flight Control System.
• In Flanker(win95 version) calibrate it as a 'FlightStick PRO' without throttle.(because the 'hat uses that 'channel'). This gets all four buttons to work.
• Download a program called 'Pov2k.exe', written by Charles Plamondon from the Unofficial Su27-Flanker site: http://www.su27-flanker.com/Missions/misc/POV2K.ZIP. It's a program written for su27 and Logitech Wingman. This program produces key-commands (for radar/EOS scan movement) from the 'hats movements. Run it before Flanker, then minimize it.
• The 'hat trick' works only in the win95 version, but you can get all four buttons working in DOS too by choosing FlightStick PRO as joystick type.

What about MS Sidewinder 3D?

1. Set it to emulate CH Pro mode. Calibrate first using Control Panel joystick - choose CH Flightstick Pro, then from Flanker. The buttons won't work this way. If you tick rudders you will be able to use the stick twist for rudder control.
2. Set it to MS Sidewinder mode. In this case the coolie hat doesn't work unless you first load up the utility POV2K.EXE which can be found via the Unofficial Flanker Site: http://www.su27-flanker.com/Missions/misc/POV2K.ZIP.

• This is a free utility from Microsoft which allows you to map the buttons on the stick to any function you like.
• If you want use MS Game Profiler for buttons programming in Su27, you should specify FSIM.LBB and not SU27.EXE as the executable program in MS Game Profiler options. (SU27.EXE is the map editor, FSIM.LBB is the flight-sim module.) You can't choose this file name from the list. Type it manually from the keyboard while staying in the Su27 directory.
• Sometimes MS Game Profiler stops working. In this case you need to unload it from memory (right mouse button click on the icon in the tray), and restart it.
  C:\Program Files\Microsoft Hardware\Gaming Devices\daemon32.exe. You need not restart the game or Windows95.

How do I get sound under Win NT4?

http://www.larch.demon.co.uk/su27nt4sndpatch.htm

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How do I padlock a runway?

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How do I dump fuel / refuel?

If you have made a deadstick landing having run out of fuel, you may have worried that you cannot restart your engines. Do not worry - refill up to 3 to 4 tons and they will restart themselves. Having your throttle at idle at this point will help prevent any nasty surprises.

EXPOSED AS SCUMMY CAPITALIST DISINFORMATION AND LIES: "There is a third way to refuel - fly really close behind one of the heavy iron (AWACS, Tu-95, IL-76) for 40 seconds and your fuel level will jump up again."

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How do I do the Cobra? The K key doesn't work.

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The tilde key doesn't work

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My wingman doesn't follow me on take-off.

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How should I adjust alt/az of the radar in BVR mode?

Fixed in v1.5

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The radar works funny.

Firstly, in scan mode or when receiving downlinked data from AWACS or EWR, the position of the bogies is only updated every few seconds. This is surely how the real thing works.

In track mode (locked up target) the position and velocity of the target is continuously updated.

When a target achieves a radar lock on you, the "emitter" symbol on the radar display may not correspond with the position of the bogie. I think this is also realistic, the display is showing but not combining data from two separate pieces of equipment, the radar and the radar warning receiver. The RWR can only determine bearing and strength of signal - the distance is only estimated according to signal strength and so the emitter may be calculated to be somewhere other than the radar return. It would not always be correct to assume that you are being painted by the same bogie that you are painting!

You may sometimes lose lock on bogies, especially after firing a missile. This happens for two reasons - firstly the bogie may maneuver and put himself into your Doppler notch. The Doppler notch is a blind spot that your radar has for targets traveling perpendicular to your direction of flight, plus or minus a few tens of kph. The notch exists because your radar is designed to filter out returns from objects which have zero groundspeed relative to your direction of flight, it is done by looking at the Doppler shift of the returned signal. The purpose of it is to get rid of vast amounts of ground clutter (this is why hills, buildings, vehicles etc do not show up on your A2A radar) but it does give the bogie somewhere to hide. You can use the notch defensively yourself to defeat human opponents in H2H, but sadly the AI seems able to see you even if you are in their notch.

The second reason you may lose lock is when the bogie releases chaff - indeed you may see false returns on your radar and even lock onto the chaff for a few seconds.

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How do I disable the alpha- and G-limiters in-flight?

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I get disorientated in padlock mode.

Many of us think that the padlock implementation is one of Su27's best features - but probably none more strongly than Papa Doc.

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What exactly do the wingman commands do?

• Ins (toggle loose/tight formation) works anytime wingie is joined up on you. Wingie responds either roger or negative.
• Home (join up) requests wingie to re-join on your aircraft. They will only roger this if they are not engaged in another task. If you tell your wingie to attack a target, he will reply negative to your calls to have him re-join on you until he kills the target, or until his task is complete. Wingie responds either roger or negative.
• End (dispatch wingman on mission) wingman will follow all waypoints in sequence. This can be a turning point or a bombing waypoint etc. If the next waypoint is a weapons release waypoint ie bombing, then the wingie will proceed to drop/launch weapons at that waypoint, he will then continue following the waypoints until he reaches the last waypoint and/or lands. Wingie responds either Bugout or negative. **NOTE Wingman will incorrectly respond "Bugout" for some strange reason... (Bugout actually means that he is disengaging and heading for home) however he is really not bugging out.
• Del (dispatch wingman on mission then join up) This is almost identical to the above "dispatch wingman on mission" command, except that the wingie will rejoin formation rather than proceed home after launching weapons. The wingman will follow all waypoints in sequence. This can be a turning point or a bombing waypoint etc. Upon reaching a weapons release waypoint the wingie will proceed to drop/launch weapons, and then will announce "rejoining" and will re-join your formation. Wingie responds either roger or negative.
• [ (attack my target) works on air targets only.
  • At long range, you must locate airborne targets on your radar, go to BVR mode, then select the target you want your wingie to attack by placing the target designator box around the desired target (with the tilde ~ key). **IMPORTANT DO NOT lock onto the desired target.
  • At short range (<10km) just lock up the target in any radar mode and issue the command. Wingie responds either roger or negative.
• ] (cover my six) works on air targets only. **DOES NOT mean clear my six, which would imply that the wingie is actively scanning your six to ensure you are clear of bad guys. It actually means that if your wingmen visually detect a threat aircraft closing to within 15 km of your six o'clock, then the wingie will attempt to eliminate the threat. The wingies are apparently visually picking up any threat aircraft which close to within 15 km of your tail.
  • This command will not work if the threat aircraft is ahead of your 3/9 line, unless you have your radar or EOS turned on and have selected BVR mode. If your radar is on and you have selected BVR mode then your wingmen will roger your command as soon as the target gets to within radar range.
  • For example; if you are making a head-on pass on a bandit, with your radar/EOS off, your wingies will respond negative to your "cover my six" command until the bandit passes your 3/9 line, once he passes your 3/9 line they will be more than happy to help you out. If you make a head-on pass on a bandit, with your radar/EOS turned on, and BVR mode selected, your wingies will roger your "cover my six" command and they will be more than happy to help you out. Wingie responds either roger or negative.

The position of the wingmen responses on the top of the screen indicate which wingman is responding. if the response is in the left side of the screen it is coming from your #2 man, center from #3 man, left from #4 man (assuming you've got a flight of 4). When they break from formation this still applies.

When you give a command to the wingies it goes first to the farthest wingman (#4, if he has already been given a task or is unable to comply the command is received by the next wingie in line the #3 man, then #2 etc. (The human player is the #1 man or lead)

If your wingman or any aircraft reach their last waypoint and if that waypoint is not a landing waypoint, the aircraft will disappear.

Even more notes, thanks to Mark "Stinger" Shepheard

Here's what I have found in regards to wingman control:

If you are following the waypoints on your Nav display, and say, you are inbound waypoint 3 but find a target on radar, switch to BVR mode, and then go after them. After you kill the bandit, you notice you have passed waypoint three and four, so you just continue on to waypoint 5. Now, If you "dispatch wingman on mission" he will fly BACK to head for waypoint 3 because that was the highlighted waypoint on your Nav. So, what you have to do before you send them, is go back to your Nav display and update your inbound waypoint. What I usually do is highlight the target/intercept waypoint and then dispatch them. This is a must for getting wingmen to hit ground targets. - If you have your wingman sent to attack a ground target, and you get the "missile away" message from him followed by a "rejoining" message, and there are still targets left to destroy. Toggle, "send wingman on mission and rejoin" again, and continue this process untill your wingman has either fired all his air to ground missiles, or all targets are destroyed. Works very well, but you have to KEEP resending him after you get the "rejoining" message, and again, make sure the target waypoint is highlighted. I have had my wingmen kill airborne targets, ground/naval targets, and a number of times get a bandit off my six while I was heading home in a crippled ship. Just be very repetitive with wingman commands. Oh ya, one other note, if you are crippled, say, with only one engine, and a wingman is on your wing, make sure that before you land, send him away. I have had him crash into me on short final cause I was trying to get a wounded bird down in a strong crosswind.

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How do I beat the AI? Or anyone else for that matter?

Guns kill hints, by Sankar.

1. Know thy aircraft.
   • It is vital to know the performance envelope of the Flanker. Some of the things to watch out for include the corner speed, which is around 750 kph IAS, the A0A limit, which is pegged at 28 degrees soft-limit, the usage of flaps at speeds less than 500kph to reduce the stall speed, the usage of rudders at speeds less then 400kph (you will be surprised that you may have to fly even slower than this airspeed, sometimes.)
2. Know thy enemy.
   • This is order of difficulty that most of us have come to agree upon: 1. Su-27 2. MiG-29 3. F-16 4. F-15
   • If you make a mistake when flying against an Su-27, you have very little chance of survival. It is easier to shake the American a/c than it is to shake the Russian a/c. Better not let them on your six if possible.
   • The AI is primarily an energy fighter. I've yet to catch one doing a turn/burn manoeuver. This also makes it a tad bit easier to shake the AI, provided you execute a drasitic out-of-plane maneuver just as you hear the lock tone. The AI tends to use the radar even for a guns kill, so it makes ones life a li'l bit easier.
   • The AI seems to have an advantage in the vertical. You'll see an F-16 maintain its speed while climbing at a steep angle and you'll have a tough time trying to play catch-up. Well, don't try to catch up. What goes up should come down. Keep tracking the AI while maintaining your energy to match its energy level, and catch him up when he gets down to meet you. If he doesn't have good angles on you when he gets down, he'll try to climb back up and repeat the routine. If you dictate the terms of engagement, you'll soon get the upper hand.
   • The AI at the merge is dumb. You will not find the AI performing a lead-turn at the first merge. Some folks take this to their advantage and lead-turn at the merge to get behind the AI. You can use this initially, to hone your guns kill, and then eventually proceed to conform to the ROE of not lead-turning at the merge.
3. Padlock view is your saviour
   • You can forget barking with the big dogs (real humans in h2h) if you don't want to master the padlock view. Tho it is a bit disorientating at the beginning, "Flanker" has an absolutely awesome padlock view. The time spent in mastering this is a very good investment. Even when you choose to use the funnel, the padlock view will help you get a better aim.
4. Use EOS to lock the target
   • EOS is by far the most effective tracking system for locking a target to score a guns kill. This is preferred over the radar because it doesn't alert the enemy of your lock, and is preferred over the funnel because it helps you get an accurate aim. If you remember to stick to a lead pursuit before firing the guns, you will soon forget the advantage of the funnel, which offers you the information on your shell trajectory.
5. BFM comes to the rescue.
   • Get Shaw's Fighter Combat book, or Pete Bonanni's AOTK book, or if possible both of them. Just about everything they state about BFM is true in Flanker.
6. .trks help one learn from others
   • I wish there were a lot of .trks on BFM. But, I do have a couple of them, one going against a lone F-15 on just mil. power, and one going against three Su-27 Flankers set at excellent skill level, with no lead-turn maneuver at the merge. I'm sure there are others out there with better BFM and ACM techniques.
7. There is more than what is stated in this message
   • heh..of course, just that I don't know much more than what I've stated :-)

PapaDoc's ("Aunt Mary's") BVR hints (with help from Wags and Talon)

What follows are some general guidelines, that will be subject for revision as we get better at flying them. In essence when fighting the same type of aircraft i.e. Su27 vs. Su27 armed with the same loadout--as would be standard in H2H Match play, the person who gets to the launch parameters quickest at the highest speed then stops his ingress into the range of the bandits missile envelope the quickest will win. This article discusses the use of the R-27re, R-27r, R-27t,(R-27te, and) R-73. Keep in mind that you must keep lock on the bandit, you are playing a game of chicken and the first one who blinks is at a distinct disadvantage. In the first launch of SARH missiles the lock must be held through the flight till impact.

The following are the steps involved in a typical BVR fight. The setup is 2000m alt, 55km separation head on aspect.

1. Upon entering the cockpit full afterburner and a dive to gain speed as quickly as possible. Gaining altitude is not a viable alternative for a couple of reasons.
   • Apparently the missiles do not model less range due to having to climb to height (I would love to be corrected on this point).
   • It is imperative that you gain more speed and get into firing parameters before your opponent. Be careful of your dive angle. If you dive too steeply you will bottom out too soon and will be forced to fly level and thus lose speed. Rather, if you fly at ~15 degrees down, you can build up more speed than someone who dives at ~45 degrees who has to level out.
2. On your way down go to BVR mode engage IR and Radar and lock up the bandit. This will give you some indication of what's what's going to happen. If the bandit is gaining speed more slowly than you, your missile will be launched first and if you fly correctly arrive first. The missile will be able to travel farther with a higher aircraft launch speed - and to quote a Civil War General to win battles you need to get there "first'st with the mostest" <G>. To gain even a little more speed, remember to unload (zero G) your aircraft as it is descending.
3. When you get the launch signal NP, launch! A moment wasted here is going to get you killed. I generally launch two missiles here but this may be incorrect because of the next part is so essential.
4. After launching your missiles YOU MUST HALT your ingress into the range of the bandit's missiles without losing lock. This is imperative. This is usually done by deploying the airbrake, and turning in the horizontal hard, put some G's on the airframe, but don't forget to keep lock as all will be for naught if you lose lock. Deploy flaps and maintain around a 20 degree nose high AoA. This will slow you down even more. I generally won't clean up the aircraft until around 600 kph. You don't want to get too slow or you'll be unable to maneuver quickly enough if you need to crank into the notch.
5. Now the playing Chicken part comes into play. You were paying attention to your bandit's speeds weren't you? If his speed was significantly lower than yours at your launch time then you may (only may) assume that yours will arrive sooner. Because the next step requires you to either honour the threat of the missile warning and evade the missile or ignore it and keep lock. It helps a great deal to watch the skies as the missiles are visible, at first as smoke from launch then as a black dot, then it will sparkle white- this is when you missile warning will go off. If you evade by turning hard to put the missile on your 3/9 at this point you can usually avoid significant damage, but you will lose lock. I have forced people to lose lock at the last second and the missile R-27re will explode harmlessly and I have waited too long and gotten a R-27 in the face - it carries a significant punch and will kill or disable. Your decision will be based on your observation of the bandit's speeds at launch. You can get a good idea of what the other guy is doing by monitoring his vector on the BVR HUD mode. His flight vector is represented by the arrow connected to the bottom portion of your missile engagement envelope on the HUD. This gives you a constant update of his nose angle on you and is much more accurate/timely than the information given on the MFD. By monitoring the vector on the HUD, you can tell when he has broken defensive and thus that your safe from this incoming AAMs. Watching the MFD is somewhat useful at this point as you can see in a delayed fashion your opponent's reactions and whether is blinking first or not. Keep in mind that it may be possible to force him to lose lock and keep lock yourself by observing his aspect angle and taking advantage of it. For instance if he is moving to his right his radar coverage may be less than what you may be capable of and so he may lose lock and lose the fight. One should be using the MFD for two things at this point.
   • If you are forced to go defensive, use the enemy emitter reference on your MFD to place it at exactly 90 or 270 degrees from your line of bearing. While keeping the bandit at your 3 or 9 o'clock, dispense chaff and flare as fast as possible and either be nose up or nose down - don't fly level. By doing this, you have a good chance of avoiding his AAM. Once his missiles have sailed by, crank back into the bandit and engage.
   • The key to successful engagement is keeping the bandit at the absolute gimbal limit of your radar. This is generally 50 degrees right or left. By keeping your nose as far as possible off the bandit while maintaining lock, you are increasing the flight distance his missiles must fly to reach you. The tricky part is finding that gimbal limit without going too far and losing lock. Once you lose lock you are screwed and must reacquire.)
6. If the first volley misses the process starts anew.....

Some things to practice.

1. How far can you turn while keeping lock.
2. Missile evasion is required - you will have to be able to beam missiles. Turning away completely will allow the bandit to close on you and I guarantee that a human will take advantage of that - you will have a nice spread of missiles coming your way when you decide to bring your nose back into the fight. Keep in mind though that if you have brain overload go completely defensive and release chaff and flare - better to stay alive for five more seconds than to just take a missile in the face. Then vow to practice some more so that next time you make him have brain overload, and stick him with the missile. More fun trust me...<VBG> Once you have a guy on the defensive, it is best to have at least one missile in the air at all times to keep him on the defensive and thus not be able to put his nose on you to take a shot.
3. Another possible way to fight this fight is stealth, force the bandit to lose lock and to lose you by going low, below 25p, and behind obstructions.
4. Practice using all the missiles against AI targets, learn how they work. For instance the R-27t must be locked then unlocked and relocked for it to be launched.
5. Another tactic - you can notch the guys radar until he closes within heater range and thus eliminating a SARH F-pole fight.
6. It's completely crazy to fly straight into the battle waiting for a shorter range shot - the R-27r will hit the target from maximum range if lock is maintained, and besides you want the other guy worrying about something. If you don't put a missile in the air he will be playing solitaire on his way to killing you.
7. Practice practice practice. To me BVR fights with a worthy opponent may be more fun and intense than gun fights, and I never would have thought that. Indeed I thought BVR fights would be boring. THEY ARE NOT. What they are is a great test of your ability to keep several balls in the air at once. And its not a bad game of chicken either <VBG>.

PapaDoc's Guide to the Merge

I will try and be brief. But keep in mind that much of this is gonna be a bunch of bull....WHY..? Well because situations in H2H are fluid....you shouldn't EVER be predictable.....What was brilliant last time may not be so brilliant the next time in seemingly the same circumstances...this is CRUCIAL DO NOT FORGET IT.....I cannot tell you the amount of flights I've won because the other pilot was going the same way each and every time....WHA..????? That's right he died the last time and instead of modifying his tactics....he COMES at me the SAME way....WHA...????

Then also consider that if you won the last match doing a particular maneuver that if you're flying someone competent he may counter that particular move this flight.....DON'T BE PREDICTABLE...which kinda makes advice useless. But hey you need to start somewhere. So here are a couple of examples and my thoughts on why they are useful.

To the more technically inclined I apologize, I don't use the LINGO...because the people who know the lingo don't need to read my advice...the people who are asking don't know the lingo..so I tend to put all my advice in hopefully simple terms.

Coming into a merge (when you pass each other nose to nose) it's wise to know the bad guy's speed - this will tell you a lot of where to go. To those who ask about what to do after the first merge and you are approaching nose to nose the second time...treat it like the first merge except that if the ROE [Rules of Engagement] called for a clean pass first merge you can now shoot, or lead turn (more on that later). Also make sure to be flying with Mirrors.

Two major styles of fighting

One is called the energy fighter. He keeps his speed very high, around 1200km/h into the merge and tries to force his opponent to bleed his speed by taking a slow angles fighter vertical. An impatient angles fighter will be continually trying to pull his nose into lead (pointing his nose ahead of the energy fighter's flight path) to get a shot and the energy fighter is always just a nick ahead of the bullets....then all of a sudden the angles fighter will notice that he is no longer flying a sleek killing machine, but instead he is flying a large paperweight and he no longer has control. Then the angles fighter discovers that he has deftly placed the energy fighter into his deep six (behind him).

The other is the angles fighter....this is the predominant type on the net because it's the most natural. Most people want to pull hard on the stick. And this is the main reason that anyone flying Flanker should for the first month or so fly with the ACS off....that will force sane treatment of the Angle of Attack as pulling hard on the stick is an extremely bad habit that causes death and destruction. The angles fighter is trying to use his reduced speed to turn inside of you and get a shot.

The angles fighter comes into the merge anywhere between 750 to 950. If he is at 950 watch his airbrake at the merge and act accordingly, in other words if you are flying a known angles fighter and he comes into the merge hot, WATCH his airbrake to see if he is a cat that has changed his spots or if he is actually trying to sucker you into a bad move.

Things to do at the merge

Ok here are some very rough ideas on things to try at the merge.

1. Coming into the merge his speed is more than 150km/h faster....and he turns into you.....in the horizontal...and you don't see a brake. Then you put the brake out and turn away in the horizontal plane (same plane of motion as him)...when you regain tally you reverse your turn putting you inside of his circle. Imagine him flying a large circle and you flying a S pattern within the circle. Don't let your speed bleed too much in this maneuver cause if you miss....big problems will ensue....stay above 600. This is a wonderful way of messing with a person's head. Cause usually he is thinking everything is peaches and cream as he is at corner speed (around 900km/h) and your not...(your at 750 or so into the merge)...I've had people repeatedly come at me, not believing that I was gonna turn inside them....bang bang your dead each and every time.
   A word about missing with guns...missing is bad. Don't miss. Practice with your guns in both modes until you can hit the knat off of a pin at a thousand yards....why both...??? Because you might accidentally get shot and lose your radar gun sight. So learn the funnel....also shoot from padlock.
   Speaking of padlock....its gonna be really painful to fly H2H if you don't understand padlock inside out. So make sure you do. Outside views are for pussies. Besides most old timers will disable them if they master and then where are you if you depend on them.
2. Coming into the merge he is at 1200 and your at 850....its gonna be a long day. So settle down and be patient. Rushing a shot will bleed way too much speed and you will die. Now he goes past and probably goes up....now all that practice you have had against the AI is gonna come in handy.
   side note...its a very good idea to practice against the AI by going 1vs many...but its even a better idea to load yourself up with fuel. NOW you're gonna learn something. Pulling hard is a very bad thing....hehehe. My observations about the AI is that while they have a slight advantage (I mean very slight) in the vertical, its easily taken away. I continually and with reckless abandon kill AI in the vertical.
   Anyway back to the merge....as he zooms past (give him the finger) dip your nose slightly to gain a bit of energy...no need to immediately pull into a turn...at the speed of heat he is going his radius is gonna be REAL big...and you need energy like a man in the desert needs water. Ok now one of the ideas I have for this situation is to pull up gently so that you match his radius while keeping your speed somewhere in the rational zone. If you waited a bit before going up...he will have almost started to pull over the top on his immelman....and you will be about half way up. What you're gonna do is LEAD turn his ass...what's a lead turn? It's when you are coming into a nose to nose merge and you start your turn into him before reaching him....(you probably see that much of this is speculative) since relative to him your speed is low you can turn with a much tighter radius, but to not lose too much in the turn make sure to not go up when turning anymore than is required to bring your nose around....a bit of lateral separation here is not a bad thing... to help picture this put your hands up in the air (hehe and sing after me) the left at 11:00 heading down to your 4:00 and the right heading up from your 4:00...as you bring them together the right hand will begin turning before you reach your left....as you can see if you move your right a bit off the flight path towards your chest and then turn away from your chest your turn will have more room to come around his six....(all assuming much predictability on his part). A little guns in the face while passing him is a great wake up call for the overconfident energy pilot. Even if it's just tracers passing his general vicinity...but your practice should have made you able to at least connect with a few.
   When lead turning in these situations to make things simple always pull towards the bad guy...when your first starting out its easy to get too cute with lag and lead pursuits and usually just getting your nose on the person is the biggest challenge.
   Ok so now you have lead turned the bad guy and you find yourself behind him...and y'all are going around a big loop. BUT he is pulling away from you. NOW comes the patient part....BE PATIENT....what your gonna do now is what I do against the AI....DON'T try and pull into lead immediately for a shot...your probably too far away and will burn too much energy. What your gonna do is keep him somewhere in the top of your HUD or out the top of your canopy and gather him up slowly. This takes lots and lots of gentle practice...when you start getting close you will every now and again take a long distance shot to keep him honest and try and disrupt him. (The truth of the matter is that if he is good and doesn't get flustered he has an advantage) this is where all that gun practice will come in handy. Remember to pull in the flaps when going up.....and to push out the flaps when going down and pulling for a shot...then pull them back in.
   Now sometimes its also possible in this situation to not go up with the energy fighter and to instead just Slice (nose low 10degrees turn, put your nose 10 degree's below the horizon and pull) and meet him on the other side of his loop....this has worked well for me with some and not so well with other and because GOOD energy fighters are so rare I haven't been able to do it enough to find out why it works sometimes and not others.

The Basics

1. When your first starting out try and not be CUTE....(I've seen a lot of cute) PULL TOWARDS THE ENEMY....put your nose on him and shoot.
2. Corollary of the above DON'T PULL TOO HARD...hehe..confused..? What I mean is be aggressive always be going after the bandit. I see some doing aerobatics to get a shot somewhere in the future...NOT GOOD.
3. Be very very very good at shooting your guns. All the most wonderful flying in the world means diddle squat if you can't hit the bad guy with guns. What's the secret? PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....and then more PRACTICE.
4. Padlock is my friend...outside views are for pussies.
5. I Promise PAPA that I will fly with ctrl j selected all the time so that I can see me screwing up...when I'm pulling too hard.
6. I will continue to check my instruments to be sure that I'm not flying around with my brakes out...(I lost a match doing that, stupid shit that I am).
7. I promise PAPA that I will try and not be predictable.
8. Use the radar gun sight...but know how to use the funnel.
9. Be wonderful at recovering from spins...actually be miraculous...(yea I know I need a spell checker) [you think that will fix it?]
10. In tight turning fights FLAPS are REQUIRED....you will die without them.
11. When out of guns range don't be so anxious to pull into lead for a guns shot....DUH..!
12. Pulling too hard is for when I'm alone in the bathroom...not for when I'm flying my JET. [??]
13. Reversing turns is for the brave, the skilled and the dullards...try not to be in the last category. hint: There aren't too many legitimate opportunities to reverse your turns against a good opponent.
14. When all else fails, keep trying....stay alive for a second more...you never know when the other guy will have a brain fart....be ready to punish him.
15. AS ALWAYS A BANDIT ON YOUR SIX IS BETTER THAN NO BANDIT AT ALL. [But not as good as a Papa in your gun camera]
16. Aerobatics tend to allow the badguy to slip out of your view...its very difficult to shoot something you can't see. Stay on him.
17. Match his nose.
18. Match his wings.
19. The ground is hard...attempt to avoid the ground unless taxing.
20. The guy with the least amount of weight has the advantage....unless he is light because he is out of stuff to shoot....then he is a target. Running out of bullets in a H2H match is unforgivable.

PAPA DOC Infamous Flanker Pilot.
The one your mother warned you about.
Flying the Pink Flamingo... Damage, Inc.

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Wag's BVR tips Part I

First off, remember that the type of missiles being used will dictate how the battle is fought. To illustrate this, I'll take each category of missile (based on seeker type) and investigate the do's and don'ts. I'll intersperse other tid-bits regarding missile avoidance, baiting, and warning indicators. I don't pretend to be the know-it-all of BVR, and I welcome comments and further discussion. I sincerely hope that the following will be of help and interest to those of you still struggling with intricacies of BVR combat.

SEMI-ACTIVE RADAR HOMING (SARH) MISSILES

The primary drawback to the R-27R/RE is that, like all SARH missiles, they require you to keep your target locked the entire time of missile flight. So how do you go about taking advantage of the "long stick" R-27RE? The best way to illustrate this is to diagram a target engagement. During the course of this diagram, I will also be illustrating the use of off-angle targeting and speed differentials to increase your F-pole--the distance between your aircraft and the target aircraft at missile time-out. Contrary to was what written in Aunt Mary's, there is NO advantage to coming into the engagement at a higher speed than your adversary.

Regardless of your air speed versus your opponents, both aircraft will reach RMAX (the maximum distance at which the selected missile can be fired and reach the target given the targets current heading and speed) at the same moment. So what's the advantage into going into the fight faster than your adversary? None. That being said, it's best to go into the fight at a speed with sufficient closure to ensure a large RMAX (the higher the closure rate, the larger your RMAX) yet not significantly faster than your opponent because it will give him an advantage in getting slower faster (I'll elaborate on that in a bit).

As a rule of thumb, I generally come into the fight at approximately 800 KPH. Going slower may not be a wise option if you choose to go into a bait maneuver (to be discussed later).

Upon reaching RMAX with R-27R/RE, it's best to fox (generic term for an AAM shot) twice due to one AAM not necessarily killing the bandit every time. Also, if the bandit defeats the first missile he may assume there is not a second in trail and will attempt to crank (a high G turn) back into you to go sensor nose on (bringing the aircraft sensors - radar, IRST, missile seekers - to an azimuth capable to detecting/tracking target.) Sorry for all the work jargon. After foxing, your primary goal is to maximize your F-pole. We do this by two means: off-angle closure and speed kill. Once done foxing, put the brake out, put the flaps down and cut throttle to idle. At the same time crank hard into a nose-high (20 degree works well) bank. During the course of the crank it is imperative to retain lock of the target.

Remember, that if you lose lock, any missile you have in the air will go dumb and explode harmlessly. Keep an eye on your MFD and bring the locked bandit to approximately 60 degrees right/left of center and then roll level, yet nose high. Now that we have the bandit still locked up at the gimbal limit of our radar, we are nose high with brake and flaps out, and we will be bleeding speed like a stuck pig. The reason to keep the bandit at your gimbal limit is to increase the distance any AAMs your adversary fired will have to fly. By flying with the bandit locked at gimbal limit, you are forcing the enemy AAM to fly a curved flight path, and as we all know: the shortest path from A to B is a straight line, not a curved line. By concurrently cutting our speed, we are decreasing the closure rate between our aircraft and the incoming missile. What this all amounts to is that assuming the bandit continues to fly a pursuit/high speed intercept, our missiles will arrive on him before his can reach us. (Note: There are two ways to tell if you killed the bandit, 1-fast decrease in alt, 2-sometimes you will be given an audio impact sound.) What this forces the bandit to do is either take the hits, and likely die, or go defensive to avoid your missiles and thus lose lock and have his missiles "go dumb". Again, we are assuming the bandit fired the same missile as us - either an R-27R or R-27RE.

MISSILE AVOIDANCE

The first thing to do is put the enemy aircraft that launched the missile on your three or nine o'clock line. This is termed flying the notch. Pulse Doppler (PD) radars rely on a velocity change difference between background and the target in the main-beam lobe to detect the target. By flying perpendicular to the PD emission vector, you provide no discernible velocity change from the background to be locked by a radar in a high PRF mode. Depending upon the sophistication of the PD radar, it will vary in the size of its "gate" (the positive or negative rate-change velocity if not flying truly perpendicular) in regards to background by as much as 200 KPH.

Once you are flying perpendicular to the enemy's radar emissions, you will want dispense chaff/flare at maximum interval-rate and assume a 15 degree nose high aspect. Then, slew your view toward the direction of the incoming missile and attempt to attain a visual tally of the incoming AAM. Initially, the missile will be visible from its motor smoke (if within visual range). The missile itself will start out as a small dot, then grow to a small "plus, + " sign, then turn into a rapidly closing white sparkle. At the moment you see the missile turn from the small plus sign to a white sparkle, initiate nose high 4 G bank into the missile. I have yet to have a missile achieve even a proximity hit on me with this method. I'm sure there are other methods, perhaps better, but this one works well for me. Additionally, as long you continue to fly the notch, or put the bandit at your six o'clock, he will be unable to attain radar lock in H2H. This is a means of achieving closure without fear of an incoming AAM. However, this puts one in a defensive role and this is not advisable against a skilled BVR player.

MISSILE WARNING INDICATORS

BAITING

Upon reaching RMAX in a situation where both players are equipped with R-27RE, R-27T, and R-73, it would be presumable that the opponent will fire off one or two R-27RE. Rather than respond in kind and enter an F-pole fight, you could immediately enter the notch after RMAX. By entering the notch, we will break the adversaries lock and thus his incoming R-27REs will go dumb and detonate. With this accomplished, one can crank back into sensor nose on and fox R-27RE knowing that he will not be able to respond in kind until reaching RMAX for R-27T. Another option would be to put the bandit on your six o'clock. There is a bug in Flanker that prevents AAMs from successfully engaging targets using chaff/flare from their six. Not until one is VERY close is it possible for a six o'clock AAM shot. With this in mind, it is possible to keep the bandit at bay on your six and have them deplete their AAM load on unsuccessful shots. Once the bandit is depleted of AAMs, the player is free to engage the bandit with a distinct advantage.

A final form of baiting is the use of E-pole. E-pole is defined as the distance one can turn away from a bandit while still staying out of its WEZ. Such a scenario would involve flying into the outer WEZ of the bandit, assume he has foxed, and then turn tail 180 degrees and extend. The fired AAM by the bandit will then be unable to cover the "new" distance given to it and detonate harmlessly when it runs out of steam.

ACTIVE-RADAR HOMING MISSILES (ARH)

INFRARED HOMING MISSILES (HEATERS)

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Wag's BVR tips - Part II

For starters, the R-77 (AA-12 ADDER) is king. This is for several reasons:

• Second longest range next to R-27RE
• Active seeker capability once within 15 km of target
• Very lethal warhead
• Very tough to spoof as compared to the SARH missiles in Flanker (in H2H play)

R-77 VERSUS R-27RE

1. Place the bandit on your 3 or 9 line. This will prevent him/her from acquiring a good lock and thus will prevent him/her from employing a SARH AAM. Once you judge you are within the WEZ of the R-77 (the range between you and bandit should decrease as he/she flies towards you), crank back into the target for the shot. The bandit will likely get the first shot off once you come off the beam, but considering that we're dealing with the R-77 and not a SARH AAM this shouldn't be of much concern--as long as you don't wait too long to acquire and launch. When coming out of the beam, use your radar warning receiver (RWR) spike to line your radar up on the appropriate azimuth. Once the bandit is locked, fox one or two times.
2. Rather than keeping the bandit on your beam during the merge until Rmax1 for the R-77 is reached, lock up the bandit and pay close attention to your WEZ range cue for your R-77s. Once your just shy of reaching Rmax1 for the R-77 initiate a hard crank to put the bandit on your beam. Once on the beam dump chaff/flare with altitude changes--this should quickly defeat his lock and thus cause the R-27RE he likely had in the air go dumb. Once you've shaken the spike, crank back into the target for an R-77 shot which should now be within range requirements.
3. Alternately, you could initiate a 90 degrees straight up or straight down attitude and defeat the missile that way too. Finally, you could put the AAM on your six an expend chaff/flare. This final method is the least desirable because it requires you change course 180 degrees after defeating the shot to require the bandit. In the mean time, the bandit could already have follow-on shots in the air or be doing other nasty, sneaky things (I'll elaborate later).

DEFEATING THE R-77

1. Once your MLWS goes off, put the incoming R-77 on your 3/9 line. Next, pan your view over to the side you expect the AAM to be coming from. Once you attain a visual tally of the missile, initiate a 20 degree nose high climb. When you see the missile grow from a gray dot to a white sparkle, begin a hard climb into the direction of the incoming AAM (orthogonal pull). The key here is good timing and getting the tally on the AAM. With practice, this method can be very effective.
2. Put the bandit exactly in front of you, maintain speed of 700 kph, and roll inverted. Once the MLWS goes off, put the engine setting at idle (don't ask why, but it works), and pull a hard spit-S that will put the incoming AAM exactly on your six. It's a good idea to have the radar in CAC mode once you lose lock on the target. This way, you have more range in the rear hemisphere displayed on your MFD for RWR spikes. Use this to place the bandit exactly dead astern. Rather level out once you've changed course 180 degrees, continuing pulling into a nose high climb, while still in idle throttle (speed should be down to around 400 kph). From the beginning of the split-S, one should also be spitting out expendables as fast as possible. If this is all done correctly, you should see all R-77 shots pass harmlessly overhead.
3. Keep the bandit locked at your gimbal limit, ~50 degrees and be at 800 kph. Once the MLWS goes off, initiate a nose low (30 degrees), high-G slice in full AB while dumping chaff/flares. Continue this slice until the bandit is at your six--use CAC mode for broader rear hemisphere RWR coverage on MFD. Bring the bandit just past your six line then crank back the other way. If done properly, you should shake the RWR spike, the MLWS should go mute, and any R-77s will go sailing harmlessly by.

OFFENSIVE USE OF THE R-77

Once the seeker has gone active, one can initiate defensive maneuvers to defeat incoming AAM shots (see above).

SNEAKY STUFF

When in a BVR fight and the bandit is forced to go defensive--and break his radar SA--one has an opening to not be where the enemy expects you to be when he cranks back in after defeating your shot. To achieve this, one must simply initiate a radical altitude change while the enemy has no radar SA. If your at low altitude, grab sky quick and conversely, if your at high altitude hit the deck. If at medium...well you can probably figure that out. Because you are aware of relative altitude positions prior to altitude change, you know where to slew your elevation scan to acquire the bandit. Because he'll be coming back in "blind", he'll be unaware you've changed altitude bands and thus will be searching in vane for you--until he catches on and starts changing his elevation scan patter, which can take awhile. If done correctly, you can have your opponent stumbling around and completely on the defensive.

Also, if in closer ranges (0 to 10 km) one may want to disable the radar and search by EOS. EOS seems to have a much better scan capability in regards to elevation than the radar. There have been countless times when I've been in a fight where I knew the bandit was in my forward quarter, within 15 km, but I couldn't find him on radar. By shutting down the radar and only using EOS, I've frequently found the target. Another advantage to EOS is that it will not trip the other guy's RWR. Considering that the R-77 works quite will in conjunction with EOS, it is a wise choice to shut off the radar when range constraints permit.

On a final note, one must be wise with their use of AAMs and expendables against a skilled opponent capable of consistently defeating your AAM shots. If you double, or even triple fox, you may quickly run out of missiles. Against a good opponent, one may quite realistically expect the fight to move into the within visual range (WVR) arena. Once in WVR, AAMs are much more deadly due the time restrictions placed upon you to set up an appropriate defensive maneuver. Thus, be careful not to expend all your AAMs to early and get stuck short gunned later in the fight. Also, if your trading multiple BVR shots with an opponent, be conscious of your chaff/flare count. Granted it is quite possible to defeat AAM shoots without chaff/flares, but considering the decreased Pk when chaff/flares are present, I would highly recommend to be stingy when playing a capable opponent.

If there are additional areas of BVR combat in relation to the Su-27 Flanker please email me at mailto:%20mwagner@bellatlantic.net, and I'll try to address them in Part III.

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Auger's Su-27 Flanker Online Gunzo Primer

The Merge

Do you want to read more? See the ten accompanying TRK files? Discover about one- and two-circle fights, angles fighting, lead and lag pursuit, the corner and the elbow, the high and low yo-yos, reversals, extensions and scissors?

Auger has put this all together into one fantastic package. Just download http://www.stncroft.demon.co.uk/primer.zip (size about 640k) and away you go.

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Tony Volk's guide to killing the AI

1. Read the manual, read the F.A.Q. and fly often.
2. Try flying with your ACS disabled. This will teach you to respect your energy and not just turn and turn and turn like in Falcon 3. This setting allows a very good pilot to perform even better, and will teach a new pilot to have a steady hand. It also teaches you to be very smooth when you pull the trigger. Any jerk is magnified into missing the target, you must get used to hosing the enemy cleanly with a quick, accurate burst. I still fly this way occasionally to keep in shape. Another good method of learning efficient flying technique is to start with a greater fuel load. A heavier planes means that you have to be even less wasteful of energy, which means better flying.
3. Don't bother with low-probability shots. While these scare humans and can damage their planes, neither of those factors work on the AI. Get good and close. I usually get the OTB cue just before or just after I start shooting, and I overshoot the target a couple of seconds after I kill it (unless I am low on energy, but I still am very close). I am certainly within 0.2km of the target.
4. Learn to use your energy. I haven't gotten into the ladder, but I am told that energy fighters have a distinct advantage there. After I make a kill on one of the AI, I almost always pull 0G's and gain speed to create separation while gaining altitude (at least 3,000M) in order to have lots of energy to fight the AI. Virtually all my kills come from a tight, hard, energy-depleting turn to follow the AI down into the vertical after extending. Thus, I get on his tail quickly, and can recover via my superior altitude (note that this doesn't work unless he goes down - never follow him up with inferior energy, you're dogmeat for the other planes!). The AI also rarely makes medium dives. It's either a quick, shallow dive, or he's going for the deck and is just such easy prey. You may have heard that the AI appears to have a slight advantage in the vertical, but even if this is so, they don't sustain the use of afterburners and so can easily be tracked even if you have double the fuel load!
5. Resist the temptation to try and hose the AI while he is spiraling on the way down from #3. It's tricky to do so, and much easier to simply pop the brake and flaps, stay behind him, and then go clean and full burner in order to catch up when he pulls up out of the vertical. Again, I get 90%+ of my kills in this situation (excluding the first and last kills).
6. On the lead merge, break right in the horizontal and go for the first bandit you padlocked (the one closest breaks away while the others stay in formation). If you perform this right, you come out on his tail at around 650kph and he heads hard for the vertical (bleeding speed) giving you lots of time to build up speed in order to overtake him. Piece of cake. If you don't turn hard enough, he may turn back into you. In this case, try and go for any of the other planes which are pulling into the vertical, or chase him down (that's a bad situation). Remember that you can't ease up too much or the first AI Su-27 who broke alone will hose you.
7. Aim at the cockpit. I don't think that it makes a difference where you hit the plane, but in order to hit it at all you have to lead the plane. sometimes aim in front of the plane entirely, especially during high-g turns (as an aside, it's better in that situation to wait if you are confident that you can get a better shot in the future).
8. Get creative. Every once in a while try something entirely new, but only on one section of your flying. See if it's an improvement or not. And try fighting the other types of planes every once in a while. The F-15s are great in the vertical, a good energy lesson, while the F-16's are tiny and hard to hit (same with the Mig-23's) and make you work on your accuracy.
9. Be confident. Maybe I am a natural wonder, but it certainly seems to me that anyone should be able to take the AI with practice. But you need to practice! After not playing for a week (hey, I'm busy at times!- thankfully rarely that busy!) I can't fly nearly as well as I could before the pause. It takes regular, constant practice to be good at this game, and to stay good. 10-Until you can do this instinctively, you must practice like you do in so many other tasks. Keep talking to yourself in your head. Make note of your speed and altitude, his speed and altitude. After each kill, remember to "clean" your aircraft of flaps and brakes (I've come close to and been killed because of forgetting about one of those). When you see another bandit flying when you are on another bandit, try to project his flightpath and where he will be as well as his energy state. When your are closing in for the kill, you should have some mirrors in view-check them for bandits on your tail. All this and more should be second nature, and will be second nature only if you remember to practice it.
10. When you see tracers flying by you, break immediately unless you can kill the bandit in the next two seconds, or few seconds if you are maneuvering. When you do break, make sure you break in a single direction (and never break up unless you have tons of speed!) since that is the most efficient break. Also make sure that if your energy is low, you don't pull too hard or you will end up a sitting duck (true, this could cause a very close opponent to overshoot into your gunsights, but if not, you will be dead)-and don't forget rudders! After the tracers have stopped, keep pulling for 2-4 seconds, and then unload to 0G's which will allow you maximum acceleration in order to gain separation. Keep evading and unloading until you have gained enough separation to be out of the bandit's gun range. Then climb to 3000M and regain the offensive.
11. This is the most important. Listen to AC/DC as you kill. They have plenty of great songs to shoot by! Actually, while I do love them, it is rather distracting for me in a serious fight. On a good day, I barely have to look at the screen to kill 4 or 5 AI. On a bad day, I have to concentrate entirely in order to get the buggers. So stay sharp, keep your focus on the task at hand and practice, practice, practice! So there you have a few specific tips that should help you along. If anyone wants to chat about it anymore, I'd be happy to over email or preferably, at the o-club sometime. Just keep practicing, and remember that only sissies fly pink jets (that was so flagrant I couldn't resist!:^)). Also remember that while the specific tips in here are useful for defeating the AI, the general tips are equally applicable to human opponents.

Tony "If you want blood, you got it!" Volk
mailto:%20avolk@chat.carleton.ca

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How do I avoid the SAMs?

Brief introduction

Okay, here's a crash course on some of the SAM/AAA batteries in the sim, and the effective way to neutralize the threat. Whatever I explain below applies to a 1:1 type engagement (You against one S2A threat.) You figure out the rest :-)

Long-Range:

S-300. Absolutely lethal. Best tactic is to avoid being detected. Requires at least two Kh-31p ARMs fired back-to-back to neutralize the radar site. You should be prepared well in advance for the shot, since you have a very small window to fire and run away. Align yourself for the kill, while being masked from the radar, hold _down_ on both the lock key (TAB) and the trigger, pop up, wait for the radar lock, and watch the ARMs scream towards the site. Most probably, there's already a missile on its way to greet you, so turn around, dive to the deck, and run like hell, while pumping C&F generously.

Medium-Range:

Kub/Buk/Tor. Lethal, if you don't know what you are doing. But, a lot easier to evade, than the S-300. Has no minimum range that I know of. But, has a ceiling limit of 6000m. Fly higher, and you won't be harmed.

Requires one Kh-31p to take the radar. Use the same tactics as in S-300 for the kill. But, the missile can be evaded just by beaming the radar site, and diving to the deck.

Short-Range:

Shilka/Tunguska. Shilka is a deadly AAA battery. If you find yourself being shot at, reach for the ejection handle, 'cuz you can't do much. Best way to avoid is to fly above 2000m.

Cannot be killed using Kh-31p. Best way to achieve a kill is by using the Kh-29 TV-guided missile. You could also use rockets.

NOTES:

1. Kh-31p requires a radar lock from the SAM site, before it can be fired. So, there's probably a missile headed your way. Act fast, do your job, and get out.
2. Kh-31p only destroys the track-radar. If there are multiple track-radars at a given site, you will have to kill every one of them.
3. The max. range of Kh-31p is shorter than the max. range of S-300. Make sure you are within the Kh-31p's effective range before you go challenging the S-300.
4. Make use of the TWS. Find out what type of radar is painting you, and act accordingly.
5. There are equivalent Ship-borne SAM batteries, but the tactics described above can be used on them as well, with some tweaks.
6. This is order in which you will be notified of a SAM presence:
   • Detection warning tone. You are within the detection area of the SAM search radar.
   • Lock warning tone. Quite distinct from the detection warning tone. You are pretty much locked up by the SAM track-radar. Expect a missile on its way. This is the stage when you can actually fire your Kh-31p missile.
   • Missile Launch tone. A missile has been launched and its headed your way. This is when you do a 180 and run like hell.

Put the missile into your rear hemisphere and pump some chaff. This rarely fails. The missile seeker logic locks on the the closest target - so chaff and flares work for missiles coming from behind but not from in front.

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How do I find out more about fighter tactics?

Get the Bible: Fighter Combat by Robert L. Shaw
Naval Institute Press
ISBN 0-87021-059-9, from http://www.books.com/.
A serious book for a serious sim.

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How do I go H2H?

1. Play on a LAN using the built-in IPX networking.
2. Over a modem. For this you need the Win95 version and the Win95 Plus Pack's dial-up server. Use this to network together your 2 computers using IPX protocols, and then effectively you have a LAN-over-a-phone-line. This works very well.
3. Don't bother trying Internet link-ups with TCP/IP - unless you've got v1.5, in which case that might be the preferred option!
4. If you want to fly over the Internet with v1.1 or v1.2, use IPX and Kahn or Kali.

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Configuring Dial-up Connections

Setting Up as the Host Machine

In order to install the Dial-up Server software, you must have the Plus Pack. If you do not install the Dial-Up Server software, you will still be able to play via dialup IPX but you must be the caller and your oponent must have the dial up server software running.

Dial Up Server from the Plus Pack

1. Install the Plus Pack
2. Make sure you checked the dial up adapter option on the plus pack when you installed it

1. After installation, goto My Computer
2. Click on Dial Up Networking
3. Click on "Connections" on the menu bar
4. You should now see the following list of items on the Connections pull down menu
   • connections
   • make new connections
   • settings
   • dial up server
5. Click Dial up server
6. Click the "allow caller access" button
7. You can leave the "server type" to default and leave all buttons as is
8. You can change password or leave it blank
9. To add a first time password..just enter the new password and re-confirm it..DONT enter an OLD password..leave that line blank. Seems like most everyone is using "flanker' for a password :-)
10. If you decide to not use a password...just let everyone know who wants to connect to you that they wont need a password

1. Now you must bind IPX to your dial up adapter
2. From control panel click "network"
3. Click Add
4. Click Protocol
5. Click Add
6. Click Microsoft on the left list
7. Select IPX/SPX Compatible protocol
8. Click OK and Reboot
9. Thats that!
10. To receive the incoming phone call, leave the Dial Up Server window open. When the phone rings, the "monitoring" field will show the status
11. After the connection is made, run Flanker. Select a H2H mission and click Network play. One must select Master and the other Slave. Select the agreed upon IPX channel number and then click RUN

If you do not have the Windows 95 CD Rom of the Plus Pack, you will not be able to install the Dial Up Server software. To play Flanker via direct modem, you must setup a new dial up connection and use it to call someone who is running the Dial Up Server. You must also install the IPX/SPX protocol. The following steps will guide you through the entire process.

Creating a New Dial Up Connection

1. Click My Computer
2. Click "Dial Up Networking"
3. Click "Make New Connection"
4. Enter a name for the new connection (i.e. Flanker Dial Up)
5. Click "Next"
6. Enter the phone number of the person you are going to call
7. Click "Next"
8. Click "Finish"
9. Drag a shortcut to your new connection onto your desktop

1. From control panel click "network"
2. Click Add
3. Click Protocol
4. Click Add
5. Click Microsoft on the left list
6. Select IPX/SPX Compatible protocol
7. Click OK and Reboot

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TCP/IP

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Use Kahn95 or Kali95 to fly H2H over the Internet

Synopsis

1. Install Kahn95.
2. Find an opponent - can be done from the Kahn servers but it is not necessary to use them at all - you just need to know each others' IP numbers and when to connect. Try the Kahn Netertainment or Netgraphics servers, /join #su27 or even the #flanker-o-club via IRC.
3. Use Kahn to link up with your opponent directly and away you go.

1. Requirements
   • Su27 for Win95
   • Kahn95 v0.90 or later
   • An ISP account
2. You MUST be using Microsoft's own Winsock with your ISP. Custom Winsocks probably won't work with Kahn, e.g. Trumpet certainly doesn't.
3. Don't use the "beta stutter patch". This may introduce some pauses into net play.
4. Go get Kahn95 latest version (0.99 at the moment) http://www.stargatenetworks.com/
5. Install Kahn 95, it has a setup wizard, couldn't be easier. Kahn95 allows an unlimited 3 week trial period. You then need to register - a bargain at only $15 during the beta test phase.
6. You need to make sure that the IPX protocol is bound to your Dial-up Adapter. Go Control Panel -> Network and you should see "IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol -> Dial-Up Adapter" in the list. If you don't see it then do the following: Add -> Protocol -> Add -> Microsoft -> IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol -> OK; you will probably need your Win95 installation disks or CD. Once you have finished and rebooted your PC, you should be ready.
7. Once Kahn95 is set-up, connect up to your ISP as you normally do in Win 95. NB you MUST be using Microsoft's own Winsock, Kahn95 is very fussy about this.
8. When connected to your ISP click on the Kahn Control Center icon
9. Disable (uncheck) Buffered Sends in the Settings/Advanced settings of the Kahn Control Center.
   • I am not sure whether this matters or not - opinions please?
10. Change your nickname to whatever you fancy
11. Choose the Netertainment server and click on Connect. You'll find yourself in chat (probably a good idea to go to or create an su27 channel, just type /join #su27)
12. Meet or find the person you want to fly with. Decide who is master and who is slave, which ipx to use and away you go!
    • You do not need to leave the Netertainment server and go into local mode.
13. You can opt to leave the chat application running as a means of communication in flight, but this does mean extra packets flying about and may contribute to dropped Network connections.
14. Now just fire up Flanker, select Flight, Network, make sure IPX is selected not TCP/IP. Make sure that the correct channel number is set. Set communication mode as either Master or Slave as appropriate. Click Run, and after a few short seconds you'll be in the cockpit!
15. If you like Kahn95 register it! Norm has put a lot of work into getting this thing to work.

Kali works as well as Kahn, and has a superior chat interface. Instructions are similar. The latest Win95 version is v1.1M beta, get it from http://www.kali.net/

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How do I find H2H opponents?

1. A list of willing victims is maintained at the Flanker WWW site: http://www.su27-flanker.com/locator_form.html
2. There is a superb WWW site hosting an Su27 challenge ladder: http://challenge.star.co.uk/flanker/
3. Via Kahn, go to the Flanker_Ladder server. (You can find this by pushing the Tracker button and looking down the last)
4. For online chat drop into the O-Club ("Officer's Club") on IRC.
5. ICQ. To quote from the ICQ help file: "ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly Internet program that tells you who is online at all times and enables you to contact them at your wish. No longer will you search in vain for friends or associates on the 'net. ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real time when they sign on. In addition, ICQ continually tells you who of your friends and associates are online." Very useful once you have found a few like-minded adversaries. Check out http://www.mirabilis.com/. At the moment, it's free.

How do I set up a LAN for Flanker?

CHAPTER 1 SETTING UP THE LAN

Configure all of the systems the same way; viz: a. Ensure each one has a "network neighborhood" icon. If they don't, then they don't have a recognised LAN adapter installed. You would need to get Win95 to recognise the LAN adapter; ie 'Add Hardware' etc. Needless to say you will need a Win95 CD available on the day!

Once they all have a 'network neighborhood', you need to ensure that they all have the same Properties set up:

Configuration:

Installed Components:

(client) Client for Microsoft Networks
(adapter) (Their LAN adapter)
(protocol) IPX/SPX-compatible protocol -> (Their LAN adapter)
(service) File & Printer shaping for Microsoft networks

If they have an Internet connection they may also have

(adapter) Dial-up adapter (protocol) TCP/IP -> Dial-up adapter

All other clients, protocols and services should be removed from the 'Installed Components' list. If any of the top four above are missing, pick "Add", then the type (client, protocol etc). From the dialog that then pops up, pick "Microsoft" in the Manufacturer column and you will get a list containing the appropriate component.

Also on the Configuration properties page, you will have:

Primary Network Logon: Windows Logon

File & Print Sharing: tick both boxes in the pop-up dialog.

Set the other properties tabs, too:

Identification: Computer Name: (enter a one-word name)
Workgroup: WORKGROUP Description: (anything). The important bit here is that the Workgroup is "WORKGROUP". Everyone should be in the same workgroup.
Access Control: Pick "share-level access control".

Now back to the Configuration tab and set the properties of each of the installed components:

(client) Client for Microsoft Networks Select "quick logon" and leave everything else empty and unticked.
(adapter) (Their LAN adapter) Under Bindings ensure IPX/SPX -> Lan adapter is ticked and nothing else. You shouldn't need to touch anything else.
(protocol) IPX/SPX-compatible protocol -> (Their LAN adapter)
Bindings: Client for Microsoft Networks ticked and File & Print sharing ticked.
Advanced: Force Even Length Packets = No. Frame Type = Auto Source Routing = 16 Entry Cache Leave everything else alone. (You might also choose to set the Frame Type=802.3 for everyone)
NetBIOS: Not ticked.
(service) File & Printer sharing for Microsoft networks
Browse Master: Automatic LM Announce: No

If they have TCP/IP installed, pull up the properties of the TCP/IP protocol, go to Bindings, and UNTICK Client for Microsoft Network and File & Print Sharing. When you click OK you will get a warning message. Just click on NO and it will go away.

With this all done, Click on OK. You may need the Windows95 CD to load any drivers needed.

With all the systems configured as above, it should be just a case of connecting them to the LAN. To test, you should:

• Share out the directory containing the mission files you intend to use on the day. (Right-click on the directory in Exporer and pick 'sharing').
• Each of the computers on the LAN should be able to access the shared directory;

• Right click on Network Neighborhood.
• Pick 'find computer'
• Type in your computer's name (as specified under Identification)
• It should list your computer in the Find window.
• Double-click to open the computer, it should show the shared directory
• Double-click to open the directory etc. If they can't, then it's debugging time! See if anyone can find anyone else; double check the settings; find a local guru who can help you on the spot!

Start with just a big free-for-all dogfight. Verify that everyone can join in, and that no-one has bad warping. If you can stop them shooting each other, get them to fly in formation and ensure no-one experiences warping or displacement. If they do, then look for a hardware problem - cabling or bad LAN card.

CHAPTER 2 PLANNING MISSIONS

1. Its up to you whether you have everyone fly on the same side, or split them into teams. I prefer everyone flying together because it creates more of a team spirit. However, live opponents (mixed with AI aircraft) create more of a challenge.
2. For maximum fun, for each mission devise a scenario, then get each side's flight plans prepared by different people. You get more variety, no-one knows everything about any particular mission, and you distribute the workload. (MB 20/1/98 NOTE: we don't do it this way any more; we have one designer do both sides of a mission; it makes for better 'choreographed' missions)
3. Prepare the missions like this:
   1. Create a Master mission with all of the ground units and computer flights. If the master computer is to be used by a pilot, his mission must go into the master.
   2. For each human flight (eg each CAP flight, SEAD, Strike), create a seperate mission with that flight pre-prepared. Pilots assigned to each mission need only load up the corresponding mission and change the plane number to be ready. You can include any other flights & ground units in the missions that would help the human players plan their flight. Each player takes a copy of the mission plan they want to use.
   3. For each human flight have a short briefing that explains their flight plan, role, tactics etc. Hold a pre-flight briefing; assign pilots to flights and explain each flight plan - just as in the real thing.
4. Be aware of the skill levels in the group. People have more fun from a successful mission, even if it was a bit easy. Also, avoid long CAP patrols and transits in which nothing happens. Time is precious at a LAN meeting! However, having said that, also remember to allow enough time in the mission plan for everyone to enter the mission, take off, form up etc. It can take a group of 8 up to 5 minutes just to take off.
5. At first it is best to stick to 'one task' missions - we call them 'Falcon-style' missions. Ie where you have one task - a strike, sink a ship, bomb a bridge, etc. You fly out, do the job, then fly back and end the mission. This is much easier to organise and control than trying to create an 18-hour 'war' mission, with multiple tasks. Seperate missions allow you to control the pace of the day, and fly when you are ready to.
6. There might be several human flights, with different roles, in the mission, but each player has just the one task to complete by the end of the mission.
7. Decide on success/failure criteria for each mission, so you can give people an assessment of how well then acheived the mission goals. (Note: each side might have a different set of criteria, so you might have both sides 'winning').
8. Limit the complexity of your missions. Even on a LAN there is a limit to how many things you can have going on at once. Avoid having lots of static ground objects; they make it hard for slaves to join the mission. Avoid having lots of active ships or SAMs, or lots of aircraft all engaging targets at the same time - this can cause network drop-outs when a heap of missiles suddenly appear all at once.

CHAPTER 3 RUNNING MISSIONS

1. Maintain a Kill Board for the meeting, and track people's scores. This gives them something to work for. If you want to be really serious, scrub their score if they get killed on a mission.
2. If players start by taking off from an airbase, you must enforce a protocol to ensure two people don't enter the mission at once. Allocate a take-off sequence during the briefing. Usually you designate the order in which the flights take off. Each flight leader is responsible for waiting until the previous flight is gone before entering. Each player in a flight must enter in turn, taxi clear of the threshold area, then tell the next pilot in line to jump in. You can choose to do a ripple take-off; each person takes off as soon as they jump in, and the flight then forms up en-route to the first waypoint. More cool is a formation take-off. The flight all enters and taxis into position on the runway, then takes off on signal from the flight leader. Make sure they all agree as to whether they use 100%MIL or full-AB power setting beforehand! (MB Note 25/4/98 - See 62nd FF web page for a standard takeoff procedure)
3. Brief flight leaders on some basics of formations. Particularly, that the flight leader must not fly at full-AB, otherwise no-one can catch up with them! Make sure pilots know their mission cruise speed.
4. Agree during the briefing as to whether rejoining after being shot down is allowed. We often allow the 1st two pilots killed to rejoin as the 'Ready-5' flight.
5. MOST IMPORTANT: Allocate each pilot a unique camo pattern for the meeting, and ensure that they set that pattern for their aircraft whenever they load a mission. Otherwise you have no way of telling people apart in the debrief. (MB Note 25/4/98 - nowadays we use the Pilots Log, and each person logs their own mission at the end of the flight)
6. Sometimes debriefs on different computers are slightly different. For kill allocation, I always accept the debrief on the computer of the person earning those kills. Ie each person must check their own PC's debrief to get their kills. The Master's debrief can be used as a fallback if the players forget. (MB Note 25/4/98 - see previous comment)
7. If no-one is flying on the master computer, I press F11 to turn off the 3D graphics, in the theory that it should improve performance.
8. You can record on the master, but the TRKs can get huge. Beyond about 7Mb (about 30min of mission) they are too big to load back into the mission planner! (MB Note 25/4/98 - We now limit TRKs to 10-15 minutes max, in order to ensure replayability. We use a spare PC, and have somebody quit, save and rejoin on that PC every 10-15 minutes)
9. I assume you won't have any comms gear set up - microphone headsets or CB radios. It could get noisy! Try and seat people in the same flight near to each other.

CHAPTER 4 EXAMPLE MISSIONS

These missions were developed using a branching tree structure, like the Flanker Campaign Shell concept. We are now changing that slightly. We found that using a branching tree campaign meant that you had to prepare 7 missions in order to fly 3 on a day. (the others being down the 'unused' branches of the campaign tree). To reduce this, we decided that the campaign would only advance every four missions (about what we could fit into a 1 day meeting after training etc). Thus we plan four missions set in the same basic situation, then assess where the campaign progresses to, set the new situation, and plan another 4 missions for the next meeting.

CHAPTER 5 TRAINING

Some training missions have included: Bombing bridges using a 'cab rank' arrangement. Fighting A2A in wingman pairs against easy threats. Formation take-offs and landings. Fox & Hounds game.

Another good exercise for training is to record LAN campaign missions and then have someone go through the replays and write up a commentary. This helps people understand what was going on, and gives an opportunity to offer helpful suggestions.

CHAPTER 6 LAN CARDS

[Subsequent discussions...]

Jeroen
Most of us have a netconnection and have more then just TCP-IP protocol installed.. I for instance have TCP-IP, netBui, and IPX/SPX installed. After the very easy installation of the card I found that all protocols were binded to that card as well... I approached the matter by letting the dail-up adapter continue being binded to all three protocols, and just deleted the bindings of the TCP-IP and NetBui protocol to the card.. (NEtbUI can't do any harm I thought?, is needed for that network chat thingy.. under IPX I thought, winchat)

Michael
I haven't yet encountered anything that needed the NetBUI protocol. There might be applications that need it, in the same way that Su27 only supports IPX and TCP/IP, but I haven't found them yet. I like to keep things as simple as possible, to avoid unexpected interactions and to reduce system overheads. Thus I prefer to delete everything but the essential protocols.

Second, I had ( I have no idea why ) also the client for Netware networks installed, I just deleted that one too.. ( except i don't know why..)

Yes, it likes to add that one too - you are quite right to delete it, as it does nothing for you.

Reading thru the rest of chapter 1 I found I could understand and execute all the required settings, up to sharing a drive and finding it in my case. The identification when looking for other drives is a bit weird though, I entered the name of my computer, and it found it after a sec or two, but do you have to enter the name of the PC you are working on, or the one you want to enter, ie the one next to you for example.. Best would be if you got a list of all computers connected to the network right?

The trouble is, the Network Neighborhood is unreliable. Frequently at meetings we will find only some of the PCs listed there - not all. However, you can always find them with Find Computer... if they have a working LAN connection. That is why I didn't suggest using the browser - it can't be trusted. I meant to mention that in my document, but forgot.

I mean other wise we need to place cards on top of each puter with name of the damn thing..;-)

We tend to name ours after each person's callsign - makes it easy to remember then (once you know everyone's callsign)

Oh, and now that I'm on a roll, Does it HAVE to be WORKGROUP? or may we change it into Flanker..

Anything you like. Strictly speaking it doesn't even have to be all the same, but that just makes the browser more clumsy - you can't see everyone at once (assuming you can see them at all :-), and it seems to make it even more likely for people to not turn up in the browser at all.

BTW, one of the guys interested said he only had a p75, and he experienced a slow down with 1.5.... I have not heard of that before, neither has HC, but i want to reassure him, have you had experiences with some slower pc's on a LAN?, will they slow the thing down, or what can we expect?

I'm trying to remember what the slowest PC in the club is now. It used to be quite slow; a P60 or something; but I think everyone is up to P100+'s now. Make sure he is in 256 colour mode, and maybe get him to wind down his detail level, clouds and mirrors etc. I am not aware of any network problems caused by slow machines - just don't make him the master! ;-)

Is there a way to browse thru the other computers besides using explorer?,

Not that I know of.

I for instance love the use of Wincommander, a kind of norton commander in a W95 jacket. Would that program be able to copy stuff from other pc's as well?

If it supports UNC's you can. A UNC is a file path like: \\computer\share\directory\file.ext eg. \\Deep_Thought\62ndFF\missions\training\h2h1.mis where "Deep_Thought" is the computer name and "62ndFF" is the name of a shared directory. Also, if you drag a shared directory from another computer, you can drop a shortcut on your desktop. if you drop it onto your "My Computer" icon it gives you the option to "Map Network Drive", which makes that shared directory look like another hard-drive to your PC. This latter is the only way you can directly read a mission file into Su-27, since Su-27 doesn't seem to understand UNC's and doesn't use the new-style file-open dialog box.

And if I decide to copy some files from someone elses puter, what download rates could I expect?, If we all had a 10mbps card, would that be >10MB per second? I doubt my HD can handle that....

It would be less, due to other bottlenecks, but it will be only a little slower than copying them from hard-disk to hard-disk.

[Michael Barnes, 62nd Fighting Falcons Air Combat Simulations Club, Brisbane, Australia]

[http://www.onthenet.com.au/~kennw/62home.htm]

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Flanker Mailing List

Majordomo is an automated mailing list server, not a human. You will receive full instructions as to how to post to and unsubscribe from the list. Save them somewhere safe! Please note that once you have subscribed you will immediately start to receive e-mails which at first glance seem to be written to you personally from complete strangers. These are of course the postings to the list, and they can be distinguished by the Header "To: flanker@wlv.ac.uk".

If you want to help make third-party support utilities for Flanker, you can join the su27tech mailing list: send an e-mail containing the text-line
subscribe su27tech to majordomo@wlv.ac.uk

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IRC

NEW! For those who can't be bothered with messing about with IRC clients you can leap into the O-Club directly with your browser (so long as you haven't disabled Java). Jump to http://137.222.40.219:8080/ and log-in from there.

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Where can I get more missions to fly?

1. Whizz round the Flanker Web Ring
2. Check out the unofficial Su27 home page: http://www.su27-flanker.com/
3. Michael Barnes and Scott Morgan have created rules for waging a campaign by e-mail at http://www.OntheNet.com.au/~kennw/62ladder.htm
4. SSI have also come out with an updated mission suite, SU27_MIS.ZIP in the Modern Combat section of FSCOMBAT on Compuserve, and on the above WWW sites.
5. Buy v1.5!

The TRK files I download don't work!

SSI disclaim thus:

Old TRK files (those created in versions 1.0 through 1.05) are not supposed to perform identically on v1.1, since there were substantial changes in the AI, weapons systems and flight modelling (spin). However, some old TRKs MAY behave the same way on all versions of the Su-27 Flanker, if they do not touch the areas where the changes has been made.

On the other hand files recorded v1.2 should be compatible with v1.5. But there are persistent user reports of occasional TRK files that don't play back right, especially with Net play but also standalone. Sometimes recording a TRK file causes Flanker to crash, too.

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Are there any tools to help me make new missions?

Michael Barnes has also written a Pilot's Log Manager: http://www.OntheNet.com.au/~michaelb/pilotlog.zip, a remote wingman-adding utility: http://www.OntheNet.com.au/~michaelb/wingman.zip, and an ordnance reporter for Net play: http://www.onthenet.com.au/~michaelb/ordchk.zip.

Mark Hermonat has produced a DOS utility (Random Mission Generator) that generates random missions. This is utter mayhem - great fun! V1.5 was on the Flanker v1.5 CDROM.

Hideo Fukumori is working on a Campaign Shell add-on for flanker - his latest version now with several campaigns to try, is available at http://www.info.waseda.ac.jp/muraoka/members/fukumori/fshell.html

Another useful utility allows you to map any standard joystick button to any key: http://www.sukhoi.ru/archives/patches/joy2key.zip

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WarRoom and Xedit.

Addresses are:

ftp://loonie.net/pub/ross/warroom/

http://loonie.net/~ross/warroom.html

There is also a copy of the windows version of WarRoom at: http://members.xoom.com/Obelovic/Playground.html

Ross has also made a map-object editing utility, Xedit. With this he has even been able to place clouds on the ground and create a heavy fog effect at the runway. Instrument landing guys might get a kick out of this! You can get the mission and utility at:ftp://loonie.net/pub/ross/utils/xedit.zip

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Books relevant to Flanker, list mostly thanks to phil@cs.weber.edu:

Sukhoi Su-27: Design and Development of Russia's Super Interceptor
Hans Halberstadt
ISBN: 0-87938-655-X
This book does not appear in the latest Zenith catalog, so I don't know if you can get it anymore. This book is the only book I know which covers the operation of the Su-27 to any degree. All other books in this list mostly talk about the design and construction of the aircraft.

Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker: Sukhoi Superfighter
Jon Lake
ISBN: 1 85532 152 1
This book also does not appear in the latest Zenith catalog.

Su-27 Flanker
Sergey Skrynnikov
ISBN: 962-361-710-0

OKB Sukhoi: A history of the Design Bureau and its aircraft
Vladimir Antonov, Yefim Gordon, Nikolai Gordyukov, Vladimir Yakovlev, and Vyacheslav Zenkin with Lenox Carruth and Jay Miller
ISBN: 1 85780 0125

Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker
Dennis R. Jenkins and Jay Miller
ISBN: 0-942548-51-5
Standard history and technical info with one of the best photo documentation sections on the external of the Su-27. It also has plots of the obstruction of pilot view and the IR nose sensor.

Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker: The most complete guide to Russia's Superfighter
Jon Lake
ISBN (Aerospace): 1 874023 53 0
ISBN (AIRtime): 1-880588-12-9

Since V2.0 is rumored to have a Mig-29 simulation as well as Su-27, here are the books I have which cover Mig. The next two books were available from Zenith, but I can't find them in the latest catalog.

Mig: Fifty years of secret aircraft design
R. A. Belyokov and J. Mamain
ISBN: 1-55750-566-7
This book has the best coverage of nearly all Mig-29s and its variants including the Mig-29M.

OKB Mig: A history of the design Bureau and its aircraft
Piotr Butowski with Jay Miller
ISBN: 0 904597 80 6
This book is kind of weak when discussing either Mig-23/27 or Mig-29. Lots and lots of coverage of Mig-21. There's practically no info on the Mig-31.

Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire
Alexander Zuyev with Malcolm McConnell
ISBN: 0-446-36498-3
Account of how Zuyev defected with a Mig-29. Fascinating account of Soviet pilots life with sections describing flying of Mig-29.

MiG-29 Fulcrum
Jay Miller
ISBN: 0-942548-50-7
Standard history and technical info with one of the best photo documentation sections on the external of the MiG-29. Contains a supposed image of the computer analysis model.

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