not good on docs

I have used FC/ED/DCS since day 1,and I go back along way! It appears to me that currently the inmates are running the nut house, pushing stuff out with good info, which make it useless to the average joe!

We get patches/updates/new weapons, etc with little or no documentation as to how to use them.

We get vid from ED which state "this may not be how the patch/release will work but..."

Then we get, and thanks to them, other users posting vids as to "how to", some are great, others lack accuracy.

After spending MANY $ over the years on DCS products if think it is time for them to provide customers with accurate data on their systems.

I have read post here saying it is better to have the new items released rather than waiting for the "how to"! I totally disagree!

It is frustrating to attempt to get a new system/weapon to work by " guess and by God"!

I have spent the last several day working on the laser Guided weapons. Wag's vid is almost useless ("the release may not work this way").

Viewed maybe 4 other "how too's". Posted several items on the forums (thanks for your help guys), but still have no clue as to assure a good lock and drop!

Any weapon, system released should include detailed instructions, or don't release it!

We should be severed better!:mad:

Rant over:doh:

I have used FC/ED/DCS since day 1,and I go back along way! It appears to me that currently the inmates are running the nut house, pushing stuff out with good info, which make it useless to the average joe!

 

 

 

We get patches/updates/new weapons, etc with little or no documentation as to how to use them.

 

 

 

We get vid from ED which state "this may not be how the patch/release will work but..."

 

Then we get, and thanks to them, other users posting vids as to "how to", some are great, others lack accuracy.

 

 

 

After spending MANY $ over the years on DCS products if think it is time for them to provide customers with accurate data on their systems.

 

 

 

I have read post here saying it is better to have the new items released rather than waiting for the "how to"! I totally disagree!

 

 

 

It is frustrating to attempt to get a new system/weapon to work by " guess and by God"!

 

 

 

I have spent the last several day working on the laser Guided weapons. Wag's vid is almost useless ("the release may not work this way").

 

 

 

Viewed maybe 4 other "how too's". Posted several items on the forums (thanks for your help guys), but still have no clue as to assure a good lock and drop!

 

 

 

Any weapon, system released should include detailed instructions, or don't release it!

 

 

 

We should be severed better!:mad:

 

Rant over:doh:

Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

...

 

Any weapon, system released should include detailed instructions, or don't release it!

 

We should be severed better!:mad:

Rant over:doh:

+1 on this one. As soon as the feature hits the stable version, it has to be included in the documentation. It should even be in open beta so people could test against it.

Or you guys could be waiting until the module is out of early access and the documentation is updated to its final state before using it. I think in some cases ED pushes stuff out to early but that the documentation can't reflect all new features from the day they're released is understandable in my opinion. The implementations can change and it doesn't make sense to rewrite the manuals all the time over and over.

The A-10C Manual for example is more than 700 pages big and very detailed.

Just wait till the Hornet is out of Early Access and I am sure ED will provide a more detailed manual for the F/A-18C.

Yep, the old mantra about waiting till E/A is finished applies here, too. But the E/A experience could be made better with just a little extra effort.

I don't think it's significantly more work to keep the documentation current as opposed to writing it when the module is finished. I can understand to postpone doing translations, but not the manual itself.

I can understand, that the official manual will not be complete before EA ended,

BUT would it really be too much work to publish a small PDF with a

instruction how to use the new feature ?

YouTube Vids are of some help, but as it has been said: lots of them are useless or at last boring.

Yep, the old mantra about waiting till E/A is finished applies here, too. But the E/A experience could be made better with just a little extra effort.

 

I don't think it's significantly more work to keep the documentation current as opposed to writing it when the module is finished. I can understand to postpone doing translations, but not the manual itself.

Exactly...

I'm growing increasingly sick and tired of trying to figure out complex aircraft weapons and sensors that are constantly changing, without having up to date documentation. I am looking at you in particular, Hornet and Viper.

The systems themselves are hard enough to get the hang of anyway, they remind me of trying to set the clock on a 1980's video recorder :D

If we didn't have YouTube creators who take the time to work all this stuff out and produce tutorials then the situation would be even worse.

I know its Early Access and all that, but is it really so hard to get someone to add a couple of paragraphs to the existing manual to reflect any changes ?

ED seem to be showing a new commitment to communicating with, and listening to their customers and 2020 looks like it's going to be a great year in terms of content. Just a few lines of text in a manual could make a lot of people happy...

One word...

Chuck.

One word...

 

 

Chuck.

This is what it says in my copy of the guide....has a new one been released ?

I'd rather have the system modeled properly and released with no instructions, than the system modeled improperly with instructions...

Back in the day, none of us used ED / Wags's videos to learn the F-15 radar... we turned to the old flanker vids... :)

This is what it says in my copy of the guide....has a new one been released ?

 

Yes. Check the 31/12/2019 revision.

https://www.mudspike.com/chucks-guides-dcs-f-a-18c-hornet/

Yes. Check the 31/12/2019 revision.

 

https://www.mudspike.com/chucks-guides-dcs-f-a-18c-hornet/

Ta very much Chuck :)

There is a lot of good discussion here, but some are missing the point of Early Access, and the Open Beta model. Users choosing to run DCS OB, and purchase EA mods are consciously choosing to become a tester for ED. To perform useful testing, you need to understand how the mod is supposed to work. I did testing on fighter aircraft (F-4E/F-4G) AN/APQ-120(V)1 radar, and ground radar when in the USAF, and later as a contractor. We ALWAYS worked with the companies developing the new systems to write the technical orders, operating manuals, and developed test procedures. The testers were evaluating the documentation while they were doing the testing.

I understand that Open Beta, and Early Access are voluntary, but if Eagle Dynamics wants to get quality bug reporting, and wants to cut down on the amount of chaff they have to weed through, then good draft documentation is key.

My 2 cents

I can understand, that the official manual will not be complete before EA ended,

BUT would it really be too much work to publish a small PDF with a

instruction how to use the new feature ?

 

YouTube Vids are of some help, but as it has been said: lots of them are useless or at last boring.

Are you joking? Wags does a hell of a good job explaining the functionality of new features for the Hornet and Viper. His videos are not long, not boring and on top of it all, he also reads the comments. Additional details are usually added by him to the mini updates thread.

ED updates the manual in 'chunks', which is the right way in my opinion. Once enough content was added they push an update for the manual. Updating and maintaining a document that is supposed to guide you through the avionics of a modern jet is difficult enough.

Disagree with a "good job on release of new system". Wags say in almost all vid " this may not be what the release looks like,,,but"

Would prefer to wait 2 days and get some good info on system.. understand the "Open Beta" thing, but to perform meaning full test we need to know systems should workings. Understand if there are some bugs, but just how to make systems work would be great!

Some releases make me think of an old NAVY term, and only "old Navy can appreciate it--"Liberty and no BOATS"!!!!:)

I'm usually quite skeptical of these things but I really have not had a problem at all in figuring out the currently modeled Hornet systems. Between chuck's guide, the youtube tutorials, wags tutorials, I've been able to employ every new weapons system out there and test most of the available systems.

What is released and has tutorials generally functions like it should. I wish all modules were more like the Hornet in this regard. Some modules have great documentation, yet everything is broken and doesn't work like it should, rendering the documentation worthless.

Echo the above sentiments, rather have functional systems first, documents later. Less bad habits and bad info circulating that way, and in my opinion ED have done a good job at both.