Finally getting to grips with this gem - becoming my new favourite in dcs

[TED]

I felt i needed to post a bit of a counter balance after much of the negative views i have been reading on here. I have to admit it very nearly put me off continuing with the AV8B. However not one to give up as the harrier was always an aircraft that held a special place in my heart, although I never actually got to fly it. A few friends I went through training with flew it both Royal Navy and RAF versions. My career however was with rotors above me instead. I always admired the harrier though for its pure tenacity. It was an act of vandalism in design in its time, but also in that vein also pure genius. The ability to operate from a FARP, FOB and any makeshift forward position as well as smaller landing ships brought a versatility and flexibility to an expeditionary force that was quite invaluable.

From conversations and experiences of those who I knew who did fly it, it was certainly my understanding that it was a somewhat complicated beast at times and in this sense it is well replicated in this dcs module. I think a lot of the negative press here comes partly from the fact that many of us are used to somewhat more intuitive systems on aircraft such as the A10 or F18, whereas the AV8 was always a little less user friendly in its implementation of its suite of systems. It can be frustrating however there are plenty of good resources and tutorials around that have made the process of learning to handle it less traumatic.

I am now finding myself thoroughly enjoying the process and have to give credit to RAZBAM for also having the tenacity to tackle such a tempestuous aircraft. It is not an easy one, but well worth the time invested in getting to know it. I really believe now it is one of the best modules in DCS. Being able to ripple off 10 JDAMS in one pass seems frankly unfair, but it is really quite satisfying! I cant wait now until the Falklands campaign is ready. I am sure it will be an excellent one. To all those feeling frustrated with the AV8 - stick with it. The harrier doesnt always make sense at first, but that is the way it was and certainly not alone in the area of British design, but once it starts to make sense - it really makes sense.

[DarkStar79]

Great writing. Same goes for me i bought the Harrier like 1 month ago, I also heard all of those bugs and so on before, So i didnt buy it. And i have almost all other airplanes. But now its my favorite airplane, its almost the only plane i have been playing for 1 months. Its just awsome, and such a joy to fly when you get the grip off all the systems and so on. I just wich it had a SA page thou! :-)

[Beltza]

Bravo Ted. I have many modules but the Harrier is "my module". And as spanish, I have the luck to have the L61 Carrier mod. All would be perfect if Razbam release the Harrier II Plus.

[XpRiV]

Morning All,

 

I too would like to say how much of an Awesome job RAZBAM have done on this module. I'm new to DCS and tried most of the modules during the free month back in April. The only one i kept going back too was the Harrier. I recently managed to persuade the other half to let me buy it and unfortunately for her, have spent many hours trying to Tame ( Term used Loosely :-) ) this absolute beast!

 

Great Job Guys, keep it up!

[Gascan39]

I have been flying it alot lately. I am a bit of a module slut, moving from one to the other, and I love most of them. I have had the A-10C since it was standalone, but with the A-10C II, I have delved into it and am much better than I was years ago. Yet, I gravitate back to the Harrier. I love the V/STOL aspect, it seems fast, and I live with just some basic weapons capabilities. This was the first jet I was able to refuel from a tanker in. I am using VR, so I have a hang up due to no pilot in cockpit view. They are working it, and if it is anywhere near the Mirage work they did in that regard, I probably won't fly anything else (fixed wing anyway). I sometimes dwell on the "I bought this, and it is FUBAR" thoughts, but man, I do love zipping around in it. Gun kills on helos are thrilling to me, lightly loading up at a FARP and struggling to do a VTOL take off, AAR, SEAD with the Sidearm, all keep me flying it. If you dig USMC skins, the VMA-211 with red tail in the files sections is superb.

[BigMotor]

Good post Ted, totally agree. After many years with Lock On and descendants, I just assumed I would be 100% Super Carrier and Hornet. Imagine my surprise when I became totally hooked on the Harrier and Marine type missions.

Exclusively AV8 for months now! Totally obsessed with setting up FARPS and surprising the enemy, what could be cooler?

 

So glad RAZBAM is continuing support.

 

[exhausted]

So true. I'm not so enamored with the challenge of the Harrier that I think it's time for a Yak-38M lol

[Fri13]

I hope the AV-8B+ would come available as it would allow Harrier to challenge many others.

it is very interesting concept how to fly Harrier. It truly does make unique missions possible. And for somewhat I like the cockpit design and the airframe capabilities.

 

While I don't like the status of systems modeling, I don't know much about it flight capabilities to say anything about it, but I do like how it handles in the air. There is something fun in it how "close to the ground" you are with it, unlike with Hornet. And yet you are not yelling "more speed!" like with A-10C that just feels so slow.

 

It is amazing aircraft and I felt sad that the FARP function in DCS is not really supporting Harrier and Viggen in a ways it should. What is holding back the Harrier performance in DCS.

 

I wish good months to come for Harrier so it could get features fixed that it deserves as such iconic airframe. Maybe the most unique in DCS.

 

 

[westr]

Razbam has become a bit of a target, there are some that are no longer prepared to give them any form of leeway. There are some elements of the avionics that are not exactly as they should be on the harrier, some are noted and are being addressed some I think Razbam have admitted can’t be done because of a lack of declassified information. Thing is as someone who has pc flight simmed for a long time I look at it another way. I have played virtually every flight sim that was available over the years certainly the iconic ones. The MPs Harrier was awesome in its day because it was a harrier. I try it now and it’s no fun at all. Yes I know it’s ancient but we are spoilt now in my opinion, in the way technology has enabled us to experience these aircraft in simulations with breathtaking graphics and avionics so much more complex in comparison it’s laughable, and the single most amazing change to when I started in my opinion, VR.

I also accept that it’s a simulation and will never fully replicate the experience of flying a harrier for real so Im prepared to accept that some elements of the sim are never going to be fully accurate. That’s not to say I don’t want as much realism as possible, that’s what all DCS fans want right, it’s just never going to be 100% possible.

I know there are new standards set now, and I know when the bugs list on this forum sort or disappeared and they started another it upset a lot in the community but I genuinely believe that these guys want to get this done. And when it’s fully done it will be above and beyond anything I ever had as a kid. I still desperately wait for certain features like the VR pilot, and admit it can get a bit tedious waiting but I desperately want these guys to succeed because Im a sim fan, and I’m incapable of doing it myself, personally I accept this because it takes a lot longer than sims we had years ago because it’s so much more complex.

They have even been getting some stick for the flight model which In all honesty I can’t understand, 1 it’s quite a unique flight model unlike any other in the sim and 2 until someone who’s actually flown the harrier tells me it’s useless I’m going with that it feels brilliant to me and to be able to go from conventional flight to hovering and landing on the deck it’s fantastic.

Thing I really like about Razbam modules, they run well in VR, and the cockpits look great.

It’s a really fun module even in its unfinished state certainly if you simmed with some of the stuff I did in the early 90s. So I would recommend it personally, and I will buy their products in the future because we need 3rd party developers with DCS experience, that’s my opinion anyway.

[Gunnar81]

It is amazing aircraft and I felt sad that the FARP function in DCS is not really supporting Harrier and Viggen in a ways it should. What is holding back the Harrier performance in DCS.

 

I wish good months to come for Harrier so it could get features fixed that it deserves as such iconic airframe. Maybe the most unique in DCS.

 

 

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I have seen in the editor that there is now an 'invisible FARP' static object that can be put down. I have not tried it yet but I now assume you could put that down over a stretch of road or short airfield (there are a couple in the Georgia map) and as long as you have the accompanying units to allow refueling and rearming nearby it could possibly work? I'll have to try it sometime and report back...:thumbup:

 

[Vakarian]

 

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I have seen in the editor that there is now an 'invisible FARP' static object that can be put down. I have not tried it yet but I now assume you could put that down over a stretch of road or short airfield (there are a couple in the Georgia map) and as long as you have the accompanying units to allow refueling and rearming nearby it could possibly work? I'll have to try it sometime and report back...:thumbup:

 

That works, I've used it in a mission couple of weeks ago. Place that FARP, added 2 trucks to enable rearming and refueling and that's it. Took off from a highway in Oman :)

[Gunnar81]

 

That works, I've used it in a mission couple of weeks ago. Place that FARP, added 2 trucks to enable rearming and refueling and that's it. Took off from a highway in Oman :)

 

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. That changes things for the better for sure!:thumbup:

[nessuno0505]

Some months ago a harsh widespread criticism struck RB as they decided to move the AV8 out of early access; a lot of well informed users said this or that was incomplete, bugged or not correct, NATOPS procedures could not be followed since RB AV8 was not at all similar to the real one, and the definition of "study level simulation" was anything but true. Now it's just praise. Where are all those well informed users now? What is the real current state of the AV8? Is it somewhat different from how it was when the wall of s##t raised against RB's face? That would be interesting to know about it...

[HedgeSlammer]

Completely agree - I bought Flaming Cliffs after trying the A10C and really struggling with trying to use the clickable cockpit. 

 

Then got a head tracker (I use TrackHat, mainly because I heard it was good, but cheap) and the Harrier, and have hardly touched the other planes since.

 

The systems in the Harrier might not be that intuitive at first sight, at least compared to how my head works, but I love the ground attack role, and the Harrier is awesome at it, and moves way faster than the A10, so the show isn't over by the time you arrive.

 

And you get to land and take off vertically or in ridiculously short spaces.

 

I didn't know about the new FARP - will see if I can incorporate that into my next missions, after the current one in the set is complete and uploaded.

 

PS - thanks for posting - I was getting a bit bored of seeing all the negative posts, and I bet Razbam were too - they seem to be from a small minority of shouty people, but they fill a lot of space - this beings a bit of balance.

[Fisu_MAD]

On 12/4/2020 at 2:40 PM, HedgeSlammer said:

PS - thanks for posting - I was getting a bit bored of seeing all the negative posts, and I bet Razbam were too - they seem to be from a small minority of shouty people, but they fill a lot of space - this beings a bit of balance.

Welcome to the forums. Here there is people who stayed from the beginning years ago. You can read and then get bored about the repeated and repeated and repeated post about the same issues again and again across the months or years. So, you are lucky, you enter in a sweet time where here you can see there is news and advances in this lovely module. I just stop about help in raise bugs or comment here because this times were very annoying me frustrating. I'm more happy now. Just you are new here, and comes without memory, try to help and and let's the others have their opinion. Because this is s brand new look and feel forum but his content have few years. 

[Fri13]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:11 PM, nessuno0505 said:

Where are all those well informed users now? What is the real current state of the AV8? Is it somewhat different from how it was when the wall of s##t raised against RB's face? That would be interesting to know about it...

 

When the things gets fixed, there is reason to praise.

When the things doesn't get fixed after reporting it for years and well raised again at the time of moving it out of Early Access, there is no need to start whining about those unfixed bugs or missing features until they get fixed.

 

If you have a DMT system functionality missing features, it doesn't help that you get a new fancy graphics like changing colors in the HSI etc. 

Waiting the future what does Razbam really do for it all. 

[nessuno0505]

Sorry if your answer is not so clear to me, maybe it depends from the fact that I'm not native english speaker.

So you still suggest not to buy, don't you? I was asking since the AV-8 is a very interesting aircraft IMHO, but I fear to buy a module not on par with the best available in DCS.

Thanks.