Helosim Black Shark review

[Onkel Neal]

Full review by our very own "Periscope Depth". (http://www.helosim.com/)

http://www.subsim.com/nucleus/media/1/20090313-Ka-50_cut.jpg

Now that I have a new, mega powerful computer, I am going to download this sim tonight!

[Kratos]

Good review :up: But HEY HUNTER is the boss allowed to put stickies in our little corner :03: :rotfl:

[HunterICX]

Good Review,
but the green background colour made it hard to read.

HunterICX

[Skybird]

Good Review,
but the green background colour made it hard to read.

HunterICX
Green? Check your monitor, maybe it is broken, or colour template needs to be adjusted. The background for me is light brown/dark beige, a bit darker than in this forum.

[HunterICX]

Good Review,
but the green background colour made it hard to read.

HunterICX Green? Check your monitor, maybe it is broken, or colour template needs to be adjusted. The background for me is light brown/dark beige, a bit darker than in this forum.

My Monitor is NOT broken.
when I posted I was at work, and at home the same thing.

Helosim frontpage:
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7517/82955808.jpg

the Black shark Review:
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7020/bgc.jpg

HunterICX

[Fincuan]

The background is bright green(about 00B020, ie. very annoying) with Opera. Using Firefox it looks the same as Hunter's, and Helosim frontpage looks the same as Hunter's with both browsers.

Nice review though :up:

[Onkel Neal]

Green? Huh, you must be using one of those outlaw browsers, you know, the kind that gag over every little thing :haha:

oookkkk, I'll fix it for all the non-IE users :shifty:

Stupid firefux :stare:

:fff:

[Fincuan]

Psst: According to most comparisons IE is the worst standard-follower of the three browsers mentioned here :yeah:

Here's one test you can run on your own browser:
http://acid3.acidtests.org/

At my end the scores are(with default settings in all browsers):
Opera 10 100
Minefield 3.2(Firefox 64-bit version) 93
Opera 9.6 85
IE8 64-bit version 21
IE8 32-bit version 21

[Onkel Neal]

Hey, standard followers, smollowers... IE can show the page correctly.

FF is like an ex-gf who has to have EVERYTHING just exactly her way or she goes crazy. :O:

Anyway, I didn't code that page, it was Lionpride.

[Onkel Neal]

Good Review,
but the green background colour made it hard to read.

HunterICX Green? Check your monitor, maybe it is broken, or colour template needs to be adjusted. The background for me is light brown/dark beige, a bit darker than in this forum.

My Monitor is NOT broken.
when I posted I was at work, and at home the same thing.

Helosim frontpage:
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7517/82955808.jpg

the Black shark Review:
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7020/bgc.jpg

HunterICX

Hey, at least you didn't block my Google Ads :salute: For that, I'll go through and fix every page :)

[Onkel Neal]

...and I'll go on to say that Firefux is like Windows 3.1, while IE is like Linux (how's that for irony?). IE deals very well with the odd error and rogue html and as a result, you are very unlikely to have the whole page crash on you....

...oh, wait, is this discussion already done? :O:

[Fincuan]

IE deals very well with the odd error and rogue html and as a result, you are very unlikely to have the whole page crash on you....:

You might want to try to run the test I linked on IE and rethink that statement after that :D It was the only one of my browser that fubared the entire test-page. The practical problem here is of course that some sites are designed for IE and not by the standards, so they'll work on IE but possibly not on other browsers.

Anyway the review now works fine(thanks for that), so I guess we're done here.

[Lieste]

I'd already read it by the simple expedient of selecting the text and reading it white-on-black... but it was definately broken ;)

[porphy]

Nice review Periscope, thanks.

I agree with everything said in the write up, and I also like Black Shark very much. This is a very good study sim and it deserves a high star rating. It's simply wonderful to fly the Shark around the map, doing the occasional cool helicopter move. :cool:

There is one thing though which isn't mentioned in the review, and that is the "tree problem".
Trees are plenty and they look good in the sim when you have all the graphics enabled. The thing is that they are not solid. You can fly through them. But even worse is that the AI can see through them, but you can not... Using trees as cover is a non option. If you do that you might very well take a good hit from SAMs, AAA gunfire or mandpads coming through the foliage. :nope:

To be honest. I haven't had big issues with this so far. Mainly because you are flying very low when staying behind trees, anyway, which tend to be sufficient to keep you out of harms way. But on a few occasions I have suffered from this problem. Especially if you are getting a bit too close to the bad guys. You have to remember that the enemy is probably tracking you already, and as soon as you are within firing range they will shoot. As you do a bob up attack from behind trees and try to quickly get a lock, they are already firing at you.
The thing is to think and perform the attack and approach as if the trees were not there. Use ridges, small elevation differences and even houses for cover. Stand of tactics and coordinated attacks with wingmans also do wonders. This works very well indeed, just remember that there is no hiding in the trees here.

ED is fully aware of the problem and there might be a solution for this coming up.

cheers Porphy

[Skybird]

For the record, over here both the helosim frontpage and the review page are brown. The review with a lighter brown, but still: brown (or beige).

On IE, security-wise it is better than it'S reputation - if you set the security settings to high. And whether Firefox loads a page a second faster than IE or not, is so absolutely uninteresting for me. All in all FF2 and 3 have given me many, many more troubles, than IE ever had. Therefore I no longer constantly fiddle around with FF3 which I tested for 2 months last year. Neal's description of it being something like a teenage primadonna is hitting the nail on top.

[PeriscopeDepth]

Nice review Periscope, thanks.

I agree with everything said in the write up, and I also like Black Shark very much. This is a very good study sim and it deserves a high star rating. It's simply wonderful to fly the Shark around the map, doing the occasional cool helicopter move. :cool:

There is one thing though which isn't mentioned in the review, and that is the "tree problem".
Trees are plenty and they look good in the sim when you have all the graphics enabled. The thing is that they are not solid. You can fly through them. But even worse is that the AI can see through them, but you can not... Using trees as cover is a non option. If you do that you might very well take a good hit from SAMs, AAA gunfire or mandpads coming through the foliage. :nope:

To be honest. I haven't had big issues with this so far. Mainly because you are flying very low when staying behind trees, anyway, which tend to be sufficient to keep you out of harms way. But on a few occasions I have suffered from this problem. Especially if you are getting a bit too close to the bad guys. You have to remember that the enemy is probably tracking you already, and as soon as you are within firing range they will shoot. As you do a bob up attack from behind trees and try to quickly get a lock, they are already firing at you.
The thing is to think and perform the attack and approach as if the trees were not there. Use ridges, small elevation differences and even houses for cover. Stand of tactics and coordinated attacks with wingmans also do wonders. This works very well indeed, just remember that there is no hiding in the trees here.

ED is fully aware of the problem and there might be a solution for this coming up.

cheers Porphy

Thanks for the comments porphy. I didn't know about the tree issue. I've had one incident where an ATGM seemed to come out of the trees at me, but I just assumed it had skimmed over them.

And BTW, I understand Neal's downloaded Black Shark recently. Liking it Neal?

PD

[Onkel Neal]

Doggone server transition is getting in my way of installing it :wah:

Soon!

[porphy]

Nice work. The forum is really fast now Neal. :up:


Time for you to start up the Shark, me thinks. Be careful the first time taking it out though, it can be a bit wild. :DL Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DYiyZ6F8VM)

I guess you already have read about how trim works in the Shark, but it really is essential for flying this one! All kind of bad things happened to me before I got that technique down.

cheers Porphy

[Konovalov]

That was a nice review. :up: I just love the attention to detail in the startup process. The amount of detail in the cockpit is immense. What was written in the review sounds spot on. You could immerse yourself in this simulation just flying it without geting to the part of employing it's weapon systems.

While I haven't yet installed the game I did watch a display of it by the owner of RCS Simulations here in the UK on his full on fancy simulation machine with triple screens, mounted on a moving platform. Ayway the purpose of the demo was to look at how the Track IR4 Pro works with DCS Black Shark.

First he flew it without TRack IR 4 Pro. I was struck by just how much of a workload the Blackshark pilot has. Then he ran a demo with the track IR and it's full 6DOF functionality. This display convinced me to finally purchase a head tracking system beng te Track IR4 Pro. Quite frankly I'm not sure why I didn't get around to it a while ago cnsdering how many hours I have spent in IL2, Janes F15, Janes F18, and so on.

Ayway the drive to Bristol was well worth it and I have my Track Ir4 Pro which is great in GTR2 and no doubt will come in for some heavy use with DCS Blackshark. So my advice is to purchase hardware such as the Track IR4 Pro. I also own a Saitek X52 Pro HOTAS system along with the Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals. :D

Fingers crossed that there is more to come frm DCS with at least another module being the A10.

[Arclight]

If all goes according to plan, there should be quite a number of modules. Possibly Apache, Flanker, Eagle, Fighting Falcon and Hind. Just rumors as far as I know, but very promising.

[GSpector]

I've heard that KA-50 is available in Russia. When will it be available in the US? I have yet to see it in the stores.

[Task Force]

It is avalable in english, im currently useing it... I realy like this game also, dont think ive ever seen a cockpit with sutch detail.:yep:

[Arclight]

Best thing ever. Been waiting for a sim of this fidelity from the first time I played a flight-sim. If you're into this kinda stuff, it simply doesn't get any better. I'm talking about the flying aspect; some might say it could do with a dynamic campaign (personally I don't have any complaints about what's in place).

Considering the rarity of a product like this, flight-sims being a niche, there's absolutely no excuse for not getting this. A must-fly. :up:

[Task Force]

Yep, great game, just cant hover... (never been able to since I first started.)

[Arclight]

Ehr... auto-hover? :06:

If you trim it right, it practically hovers on it's own. :yep:

[Task Force]

whenever I try that I usualy go WEEEEE WEEE WEEEEE in circles.:rotfl:
and my joystick is acting us, my z axis is leaning towards the right.

[Arclight]

Takes some time to learn to work with the AP. If you're spinning around, you might have trimmed some rudder. Use ctrl+enter to bring up display of control input, easy to see how much input you're giving or how much trim is applied to cyclic and rudder. Also make sure the FD isn't active; the "hold" functions of the AP are overridden and only dampen movements.

Increasing the deadzone on an axis should allow you to tune out unwanted input when it is centered.

So much to learn, so many switches... fantastic. :yeah:

[Task Force]

I use the "push all the buttons" method....
I look at it this way.... all the buttons have to do something...

Well... that method has gotten me halfway there.... but sadly all I get is the sound of the starter and no engine...:rotfl:

[Dowly]

I use the "push all the buttons" method....
I look at it this way.... all the buttons have to do something...


I'll quote a finnish game review of Blackshark:

There's a million vital buttons and switches in a helicopter which just wait for the smallest excuse to cause a spectacular catastrophe.:salute:

[Arclight]

Guess we could always try a small MP session, walk you through the start-up procedure. Or head over to the DCS forum, or read the pilot's manual. The videos can help, but are a little fast paced for a beginning pilot. :doh:

There's a million vital buttons and switches in a helicopter which just wait for the smallest excuse to cause a spectacular catastrophe.
Those cut-off switches in particular can be nasty. :oops:

[Task Force]

I learnt about letting the helocopters blades get two close... and hour of flying almost for nothing...:shifty:

[Arclight]

Yep, pulled the rotors to pieces a few times as well. Even one of the wingmen managed it once. :rotfl:

[Arclight]

Readme for the upcoming patch has been released. :up:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=43547

[porphy]

Good stuff. I prepare to hear this a lot when flying the shark in the future * Added a trimmer “click” sound effect. :DL

[PeriscopeDepth]

Good stuff. I prepare to hear this a lot when flying the shark in the future :DL
You'll no longer associate the whop whop whop of rotors with choppers. It'll just be the trimmer clicking. :)

PD

[Task Force]

I wish that a modding community would start...:yep:

[porphy]

I need more trimming and to control my landings. This bird does not like a rough touchdown. I thought I would manage to eject and escape with my chute down on the other side of the mighty dam at the reservoir , but it seems I hit the concrete instead. :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/Porphyr/ScreenShot_003-1.jpg

[Task Force]

Try to autorotate landing...:rotfl:

I fugured out auto hovering... get slow, leveled, press T, and then t Alt (left Alt)

[Arclight]

Yep, you need to be trimmed for near-hover before you engage auto-hover. The AP can only use 20% input, so if the trim is way of, it can't provide enough correction to maintain it.

Auto-rotate... tried that few times, not too succesfull. :roll:

[Task Force]

I myself dont land that way. I land like a airplane... lineup with the runway... and decrese power till I can touchdown and stop.

[porphy]

I myself dont land that way. I land like a airplane... lineup with the runway... and decrese power till I can touchdown and stop.

Try that landing on the dam or on rooftops... :)

[Arclight]

Or on a FARP for that matter. ;)

Rolling touchdown is preferable though.

And remember; lateral speed kills. :D