Games PC JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER User Manual

EPILEPSY WARNING
PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE DURING USE
Please read before using this video game system or allowing your children to use it. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of consciousness when exposed to certain flashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may have a seizure while watching certain television images or playing certain video games. This may happen even if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had any epileptic seizures. If you or anyone in your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to flashing lights,consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video games by their children. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any i n v o l u n t a ry movement or convulsion, while playing a video game, IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your doctor.
• Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the television screen, as far away as the length of the cable allows.
• Preferably play the game on a small
television screen.
• Avoid playing if you are tired or have not
had much sleep.
• Make sure that the room in which you
are playing is well lit.
• Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per
hour while playing a video game.
CONTENTS
PREFACE 3 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL 3 HEY I WANNA SHOOT SOMETHING 3
SECTION ONE INSTALLING/UNINSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER 4
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 5 INSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER 5 UNINSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER 6
SECTION TWO BACKGROUND OF THE JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAMME 7
SECTION THREE NAVIGATING THE MENUS 12
MAIN MENU 13
Dogfight Menu 13 Campaign Menu 13 Multiplayer Menu 13 Quit 13 Select Pilot 13 Options 13
SELECT PILOT MENU 13
C reating a New Pilot 14 Selecting a Pilot 14 Deleting a Pilot 14 Viewing Pilot History 14 Resetting Pilot History 14
View Information Mov i e s 14 OPTIONS MENU 14 GAME CONFIGURATION SCREEN 15 GRAPHICS CONFIGURATION SCREEN 16 SOUND CONFIGURATION SCREEN 16
SECTION 4 DOGFIGHT: GETTING STARTED FAST 20
Time of Day 21
Weather 21
Guns Only 21
Scenario 21
Playing 21
Statistics 22
SECTION 5 FLYING A CAMPAIGN 23
Starting a Campaign 24 MISSION PLANNER 25 MISSION PLANNER MAP 25
Icons 25
Waypoints 26 MISSION PLANNER WINDOWS 26 PLANNER MANAGER WINDOW 27 EDIT MODE 27
S u g g e s t 27
Te r rain Follow i n g 27
C l e a r 27
Statistics W i n d ow 27
Ta rget Info Mode 27 MAP MODE 28
Object Category 28
Ta rget Class 28 MAP SETTINGS 28 SAM MEZ 28
NAMES 28 GRID 28 TIME SKIP WINDOW 28 WINGMEN WINDOW 29 ARM PLANE WINDOW 29 DRAG AND DROP WEAPON SELECTION 30 CHANGING THE DEFAULT WEAPONS 30
C o n f i g u ra t i o n 30 CAMPAIGN STATISTICS WINDOW 31 MISSION PLANNER USAGE 31
Planning a Mission 31
Selecting a Ta rg e t 31
Getting Information on Enemy Ta rg e t s 31 PLANNING A ROUTE TOTHE TARGET 32 GENERATING WAYPOINTS TOTHE TARGET 33
The Suggest Option 33 MANUALLY EDITING WAYPOINTS 33
U s a g e 33 ZOOMING 34
U s a g e 34 FLYING A MISSION 34 HOW TOTAXI AND TAKE OFF 35 GETTING TOTHE TARGET 36
Autopilot 36
Manual Approach 36
Attacking Ground Targets 37
Remember the Hatch 37 ENDING THE MISSION 37 THE MISSION DEBRIEFING 37 THE MISSION DEBRIEFING MAP 37 FLIGHT PATH 38 THE MISSION DEBRIEFING WINDOWS 38 MISSION DEBRIEFING 39 USING THE DEBRIEF MANAGER WINDOW 39 CONTINUING A CAMPAIGN 39
SECTION 6 MULTIPLAYER DOGFIGHT 40
Starting Your Own Game 41
Joining an Existing Game 42 RULES OF PLAY 42
Team Score 42
Duration of Game 42
Replenishing Fuel and Ammo 42 GAME LOBBY 43 STATISTICS 43
Simple Statistics 44
Full Statistics 44
SECTION 7 THE IN-FLIGHT MENUS 45
DOGFIGHT 47 DIFFICULTY 50 ENABLE MESSAGES 51 CONTROLS 51 MODE 53 GRAPHICS 53 FEATURES 54 SOUND 55 HELP 56 CREDITS 56
SECTION 8 FLYING THE PLANE 57
Flight Handling 58
Taxiing on the Ground 58
Takeoff 58
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In-Flight Operations Hatch 59 Airbrake 59 Flaps 59 Gear 59 Jettison 59 Eject 59 Landing 59
FLIGHT ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS 60
Autopilot 60 Terrain Avoidance System 61 Terrain Following Box 61 Level Function 61
AVIONICS 61
Active Radar 62
VIEW MODES 62
Forward Looking Infra-Red 63 Global Positioning Systems 63 Anti-Radiation Targeting Systems 63 In-Flight Data Link 63 Satellite Landing Systems 64 Altimeter 64
AUTOMATED DEFENCE SYSTEMS 64
Decoys 64 Radar Decoys 64 Infra-Red Decoys 64 Radar Warning Receiver 65 Infra-Red Warning Receiver 65 Identification Friend or Foe 65 Electronic Counter Measure 65 Defence Subsystem 65
COCKPIT ENVIRONMENT - MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAYS 65
Control MFD 66 Status MFD 66 Information MFD 66 Attack MFD 66 Strategic MFD 66
Offensive MFD 66 MFD FUNCTIONS 67 MFD COLOUR CODES 70 HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY (HMD) 71 TAPES AND SYMBOLS 71 MODES OF OPERATION 72 WEAPON SIGHTS 73
Aspect Angle Indicator 73
Hatch Closed Indicator 73
Cannon Sight 74
Missile Sight 74
Bomb Sight 74 SYNTHETIC OVERLAYS 75 VOCOM 75 RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 76 AWACS 76 ORDERING WINGMEN TOATTACK TARGETS 77 ORDERING WINGMEN TO RETURN TO FORMATION 77
SECTION 9 PLANE PHYSICS 78
Gravity 79
Drag 79
Lift 79
Thrust 79
SECTION 10 AERIAL MANOUVRES 80
Dogfighting Introduction 81
Manouvres 81
Terrain Masking 83
Wing Co-Operation 84
Formation Layout 85 Formation Separation 88
APPENDIX 1 KEYBOARD QUICK REFERENCE 89
Basic Flight Controls 90 Engine 90 Emergency Controls 90 CameraViews 91 Radio Communication 93 Weapons Control 93 Defence Controls 93 MFD Controls 93 HMD 94 Dropdown Menu 94 Radar 94 Auto Pilot 94 Miscellaneous 94
APPENDIX 2 JOYSTICK AND GAMEPAD BUTTONS 95
INPUT DEVICE CONFIGURATION 96
Configuring the Keyboard 96 Configuring the Mouse 96 Default Button Mappings 96
APPENDIX 3 MULTIPLAYER DETAILS 101
CHOOSINGTHERIGHTPROTOCOL 102
Serial Connection 102 Modem Connection 102 IPX Connection 102 TCP/IP Connection 102
CONFIGURING THE CHOSEN PROTOCOL 102
Serial Connection 102 Modem Connection 102 IPX Connection 102 TCP/IP Connection 102
PLAYING JSF ON THEW MPLAYER™ INTERNET GAMING SERVICE 103
APPENDIX 4 RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 105
RADIO MENU 105 MESSAGES 111
APPENDIX 5 WEAPONS OVERVIEW 113
APPENDIX 6 UNITS/PLANE INFORMATION 120
ENEMY AIRCRAFT 121 FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT 124 GROUND TARGETS 126
Armoured Fighting Vehicles 126 Air Defence Vehicles 127 Transport Vehicles 128 Enemy Naval Vessels 129
PICTORIALOVERVIEW (AIRCRAFT/VEHICLES/VESSELS/STRATEGIC TARGETS) 132
APPENDIX 7 TROUBLE SHOOTING 141
CREDITS 144 CUSTOMER HELPLINE / TECHNICAL SUPPORT 147 GLOSSARY 148
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PREFACE
Thank you for purchasing Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The software you now hold in your hands came about as a result of thousands of hours of design, program­ming, graphic artistry, and just plain hard work by a great many people. We believe that we’ve captured the essence of these truly remarkable aircraft.
The Joint Strike Fighter can fly NOE (Nap Of the Earth) at supersonic speeds by virtue of its sophisticated Te r rain Following Radar (TFR) and is nearly invisible to enemy ra d a r due to its stealth tech n o l o g y. As a fighter,i t carries a variety of air-to-air ord n a n c e including both heat-seeking and ra d a r guided missiles. As a strike airc ra f t ,the JSF carries a wide array of ground attack o rdnance including rocket pods and anti­tank cluster munitions.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
The purpose of this manual is to familiarise you (the player) with key commands, user­interface and gameplay features of Joint Strike Fighter. Reading this manual will not make you an expert pilot,- only playing the game will do that. But after browsing through this manual, especially sections pertaining to Dogfight : Getting Started Fast, you’ll be able to jump right in with c o n f i d e n c e. You’ll be planning and executing combat missions in no time.
This manual is geared towa rd use of the ke y b o a rd commands, especially the in­flight portions of the directions. Players with j oy s t i cks and flight systems should refer to Appendix 2:J oy s t i ck and GamePad Buttons, for complete button mappings for GamePads, J oy s t i cks and Rudder systems.
Joint Strike Fighter gives you an opportunity to experience all the unique features of these high-tech, sophisticated a i rc raft in both single player and m u l t i p l a yer modes. It comes complete with a Dogfight : Getting Started Fast environment and four different campaign theatres representing potential hot-spots around the globe. Regardless of where you wind up, the action is fast and furious. You’ll be facing some of the most modern threat aircraft in existence, including the deadly Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker and Mikoyan­Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum. Enjoy.
HEY I WANNA SHOOT SOMETHING
We’ve also set up the structure of the manual to allow you to get flying fast and ch e ck out the flight simulator portion of the g a m e. Read Section 4 (Dogfight : G e t t i n g Started Fast) first to get right into the action.
Ti p : T h e re are many player view commands not covered in detail in this manual. We recommend you keep the Keyboard Layout Card handy or refer to Appendix 1: Keyboard Commands section the first time you fly a Dogfight mission and check them all out. If you get lost or confused about what viewpoint you’re in,
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SECTION ONE
Installing/Uninstalling Joint Strike Fighter
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pressing the F1 key in flight will always return you to the forward cockpit view.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Configuration:
Pentium 90 processor, W i n d ows 95 or Windows NT operating systems (Windows NT version requires DirectX 5.0 or newer), 16Mb of RAM, 16bit graphics card, 60Mb H a rd Drive space, Double-speed (2x) CD-ROM drive (4x in order to view movies smoothly), keyboard and mouse.
Recommended Configuration:
Pentium 133 or faster processor,Windows 95 or W i n d ows NT operating systems (Windows NT version requires DirectX 5.0 or newer), 32Mb of RAM, joystick, 16bit graphics card, 160 Mb Hard Drive space, Quadruple-speed (4x) or faster CD-ROM drive,any Windows supported sound card.
Satori State Configuration:
Recommended Configuration, plus: 3DFx G raphics A c c e l e ration Card , t h r o t t l e system, rudder pedals.
Installing Joint Strike Fighter
1. Insert the Joint Strike Fighter CD in
your CD-ROM drive. If you have
Windows Autoplay enabled, the Joint
S t r i ke Fighter Launch Program is
invoked automatically. If Autoplay is
not enabled, you can start the
installation by double-clicking Setup
on the CD’s root directory. Once the
program has started, press the Install
Joint Strike Fighter button.
2. Joint Strike Fighter will prepare the InstallShield® W i z a rd. Read the instructions on the Welcome screen; when you’re ready to proceed, click Next.
3. Using the mouse, select one of three install options:
Small: Copies approximately 50 meg. of files to your hard drive. Sacrifices some game performance in favour of saving hard drive space;
Medium: Copies about 70 meg. to your hard drive; balances disk space and performance;
Large: Copies about 150 meg. to the drive; optimum game performance at the expense of hard disk space.
4. The installer automatically defaults the installation folder location to C : \ P r o gram Files\Eidos Interactive\ Joint Strike Fighter. Click Next if this is OK or Browse if you wish to select a different drive or folder. Joint Strike Fighter will now install the program files to your hard disk drive.
5. JSF requires DirectX version 5.0 or newer. If this is not already installed on your computer, select Install DirectX
5.0 in the Joint Strike Fighter Launch Program. This automatically invokes the DirectX 5.0 setup which updates
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your hardware drivers.
6. If you have a 3DFx based card, JSF will automatically detect this and load the appropriate drivers. If you have a newer Voodoo Rush acceleration card installed in you computer, select Install 3DFx Drivers in the Joint Strike Fighter Launch Program. This will enable Joint Strike Fighter to take full advantage of your Voodoo Rush 3D hardware.
7. To run Joint Strike Fighter, press Run Joint Strike Fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter Launch Program. Alternatively, c l i ck the W i n d ows® 95 Start button and go to Programs>Eidos Interactive>Joint Strike Fighter>Play Joint Strike Fighter.
Uninstalling Joint Strike Fighter
In order to uninstall the game, p re s s Uninstall Joint Strike Fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter Launch Progra m . Alternatively, click the Windows® 95 Start button and go to Program Files>Eidos Interactive>Joint Strike Fighter>Uninstall Joint Strike Fighter. Note that this removes Joint Strike Fighter completely from your computer,including all saved games.
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SECTION TWO
BACKGROUND OF THE
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM
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Background Story
The Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) was launched in 1993 as the Joint A d vanced Strike Te chnology (JAST) program. This followed the cancellation of two projects in the Clinton Administration defence review of 1993:the A/F-X,a heavy attack aircraft for the USAF and Navy, and the Multi-Role Fighter (MRF), which was intended to replace the F-16 with the USAF.
JAST was originally planned as a technology program, intended to develop features which could be incorporated in future aircraft. However, this emphasis changed during 1994-95, for a number of reasons. One was that JAST took over a Defence A d vanced Research A g e n cy (DARPA) project,under way since 1991, to develop an advanced short-take - o f f, vertical landing (STOVL) fighter for the US Marine Corps and Royal Navy. Another reason was that planners realised that there would not be enough money in the foreseeable future for more than one new fighter program, and that the technology existed to meet a very wide range of post-Cold War needs in a single design.
JAST accordingly morphed into JSF (the name was changed officially in early
1996), an ambitious project to develop a
versions:
• STOVL version for the US Marine Corps (642 airc raft) and Royal Navy (60 aircraft).
• Long-range, stealthy attack aircraft for the US Navy (300 aircraft).
• L ow-cost F-16 replacement for the USAF (2036 aircraft).
It is also likely that the JSF will replace many of the 3,000-plus F-16s and F-18s which have been exported since 1978.
In November, the Pentagon kicked off the most competitive phase of the JSF competition by awarding Concept Demon­stration contracts to Lockheed Martin and Boeing; the latter scored an upset victory over McDonnell Douglas, the third contender for the two contracts. T h i s stage will take four years. A single winner will be chosen in 2001 to start engineering & manufacturing development, and the fighter is expected to enter service in 2008.
Lockheed Martin and Boeing will each fly two prototypes in the current phase, with tests starting in 1998. The prototypes will be designated X-32 and X-35 (probably in alphabetical order with Boeing’s design being X-32). Out of each pair of aircraft, one will be designed to land and take off from a conventional aircraft carrier and the other will be a STOVL variant: one of each pair will also be tested in the Air Force configuration. The two teams will
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also conduct extensive demonstrations of systems and avionics. The idea of JSF is to produce a largely common aircraft,in different versions that meet the services requirements where they differ. Common requirements include:
• Longer range than the aircraft they replace (an 800-1000 km radius of action for the Marines, more for the other services).
• Subsonic cruising speed and super­sonic dash (about Mach 1.5).
• Air combat manoeuvrability at least as good as the F/A-18 or F-16, and preferably better.
• Stealth characteristics similar to the F-117 or B-2.
• The ability to carry two pre c i s i o n ­guided bombs and two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles intern a l l y, for first-day missions where stealth is p a ra m o u n t , and to carry more weapons on pylons later in the war, as the defences are beaten down.
• Comprehensive avionics (multi-mode ra d a r, F L I R , l a s e r, self-defence s y s t e m s ) , p e rmanently installed i n t e rn a l l y, in a stealthy manner.
• Te chnology to reduce the cost of d e s i g n i n g, b u i l d i n g, o p e rating and upgrading the fighter.
Service Requirements:
U S M C / R oyal Nav y : Ta ke off without a catapult from a short deck and to land vertically aboard ship, carrying unused
weapons and reserve fuel. RN version must fit Harrier-sized elevators on Invincible-class carriers. Podded gun. Internal weapons:AMRAAMs and two 450 kg class bombs.
US Navy: Stronger structure and landing gear for carrier landings. Lower approach speed and low-speed handling and visibility re q u i rements set by carrier­landing re q u i rements. Spot factor (the space the airc raft occupies on a d e ck) same as F-18. No gun. Intern a l w e a p o n s : AMRAAMs and two 900 kg class bombs.
U S A F : Minimum cost. Refuelling receptacle for Flying Boom. Permanent internal gun. Internal weapons: AMRAAMs and two 450 kg class bombs.
Boeing X-32
Boeing has been working on a tri-service fighter since 1992, convinced that this is the only way to achieve low costs.
The most important feature of the Boeing JSF design is that it has a single common engine with no extra powered-lift devices. The largest available engines are modified versions of the Pratt & Whitney F119, being built for the F-22, and the General Electric YF120,which was the F119’s rival. The thrust of these engines, fitted with a new fan, limits the landing weight of the Marine version, which in turn limits its empty weight to about 10t.
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To keep the empty weight down while providing enough fuel volume to meet the N av y ’s range re q u i re m e n t , Boeing has chosen a thick-section delta wing with no s e p a rate horizontal tail. Because it is difficult to design a fold joint in the thick wing,Boeing has eliminated the wing fold. I n s t e a d , the designers have kept the fighter short, so that the spot factor is still small. (The Marine/RN version has clipped wingtips to reduce its size still further.) The restriction on internal length has forced the designers to a radical chin engine inlet.
In the USMC/RN version, the engine exhaust is ducted forwards, for landing and take - o f f, to a pair of re t ra c t a b l e nozzles located on the centre of gravity. In the other versions, the ducts and nozzles are removed and some of the space is used for a larger internal weapons bay.
Lockheed Martin X-35
L o ckheed Martin’s JSF design is very reminiscent of the F-22, with a clipped­delta wing and aft tail surfaces. This was d e l i b e rately done to reduce risk: t h e a e r o dy n a m i c s , s t r u c t u ral and stealth t e chnology of the JSF is drawn from the F-22.
Externally, the three versions are identical out to the wing box. Compared with the Marine version, the Navy/AF aircraft have
larger wing flaps and bigger outer wing panels (providing more wing area) and l a rger horizontal tails. The USMC/RN version has a thrust-vectoring nozzle on the engine, which can tilt down through 100 deg for vertical landings. To provide more vertical thrust, however, it has a lift fan behind the cockpit. This resembles the fan section of a jet engine, but is actually driven by a gearbox and shaft of the main engine.
JSF Deployment
The JSF will be expected to take on a wide spectrum of missions for its va r i o u s operators. For the US Marine Corps and Royal Navy, it will be the sole combat aircraft available. It will be used for air defence of the fleet (replacing the Marines’ F-18s), strike against land and sea targets,and even close air support.
Typical weapons will include Joint Direct A t t a ck Munition (JDAM), a bomb with inertial & GPS guidance which will replace many of today’s laser-guided bombs, and the BLU-108 smart anti-armour weapon. In the air-to-air role, it will probably carry up to six AMRAAMs,or four AMRAAMs and twoAIM-9X close-range missiles.
The US Navy will use JSF for deep-strike missions, going ‘downtown’ against its most critical targets (such as head­q u a r t e r s , command centres and air b a s e s ) , using heavy pre c i s i o n - g u i d e d weapons such as the 2000lbs JDAM and
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short-range stand-off weapons such as the JSOW glide bomb. In this case, the AMRAAMs will be used primarily for self­defence against a look-down, shoot-down fighter that is close enough to represent a threat. (The F/A-18E Super Hornet will continue to be the Nav y ’s primary air-defence fighter, and will also be used for defence suppression and stand-off attack.)
USAF JSFs will be used as F-16s are used today. In the first days of the campaign,they will be used with AMRAAM and AIM-9X to destroy the adversary’s air force in the air by day, and (given their stealthy qualities) will also take part in the nocturnal attacks on air bases and air defence systems. Once air supremacy has been established, they will become the asset of choice against many mobile t a rgets (missile launchers and gr o u n d forces) with weapons such as BLU-108. The JSF is also the most likely candidate to take on the suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) mission, using JDAM, JSOW and HARM. In operations other than war, JSF would be the most likely aircraft to protect airlifters from SAMs and ground forces from missile or artillery attack.
operating areas for carriers are distant (as was the case in Desert Storm). The USMC/RN version will be able to operate almost anywhere. For example, S TOVL fighters could operate from a land base with a restricted runwa y (supported by C-17s), something which might be useful if an adversary could attack land bases with missiles. Sea platforms could include converted merchant ships, and the Navy has looked at very large, austere off-shore platforms that could support C-130s and STOV L fighters, and would be pre-positioned in possible conflict zones.
The JSF will be unusually flexible in terms of basing.The US Navy version will be able to share bases with the USAF, because the two versions are almost identical in terms of support re q u i rements. This will be useful if land bases are available but
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SECTION THREE
NAVIGATING THE MENUS
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Main Menu
General
After the intro and the title screen, the first s c reen presented when you run Joint Strike Fighter is the Main Menu, shown in the screen below.
The Main Menu
The Dogfight Menu
The Dogfight menu allows you to set up and fly a combat mission in any of the wa r t h e a t res included in the Campaign version of Joint Strike Fighter. If this is your first time playing the game, we recommend you use Dogfight to learn how the planes handle in combat and to become familiar with the in-flight game commands. Refer to section 4 for details on how to jump into the c o ckpit and plunge directly into the action.
The Campaign Menu
Accessing the Campaign menu enables you to start playing on the war theatres. Here all your missions are planned using the s e c retly acquired intelligence data and the line between success and failure is dra w n . Experience in Dogfighting is pre f e r re d b e f o re starting on the campaigns. Refer to
Section 5 for more detailed information on the workings of the campaign mode of JSF.
The Multiplayer Menu
On the multiplayer menu you can team up with up to 8 other human players over
various network protocols. Use the
M u l t i p l a ye r > C reate Game menu to configure your own multiplayer game or choose an existing game from the
Multiplayer menu. Decide your team colour
and teammates in the Game Lobby and play the game in any of the 4 war theatres available in JSF. Please refer to Section 6 for the complete description on how to configure your multiplayer games.
Quit
This selection will quit the game and return to Windows. Choosing this will save all settings and player data.
Select Pilot
This option allows you to create new pilots
or select previously created ones for
play. It also displays the cumulative career score for each pilot, allowing you to judge your progress in the campaigns. This is discussed in detail overleaf.
Options
The Options command provides access to
the game control and viewing options. A detailed description of these options are given below.
Select Pilot Menu
General
By pressing Select Pilot on the main menu,y o u a re taken to the Select Pilot Menu. This menu
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a l l ows you to cre a t e, modify or delete pilots.
The select Pilot screen has been clicked
and the Edit Pilot screen is shown
Creating A New Pilot
Press New on the pilot screen to create a new pilot. Click on the Name box to change your name, and the Call Sign box to change your call sign. Assign the pilot an aircraft, either the Boeing X-32 or the Lockheed Martin X-35.
Selecting A Pilot
C l i ck on a call sign on the Duty Roster to select a pilot. That call sign is highlighted in ye l l ow and is now considered the active pilot.
Deleting A Pilot
In order to delete a pilot, first select your choice by clicking on the Duty Roster.After the selection is made, click the Delete button at the lower left of the screen. You will be asked to confirm the deletion; click on Yes to complete the deletion or No to return to the Select Pilot menu without deleting the pilot.
Viewing Pilot History
In addition to name, callsign and pre f e r re d
p l a n e, all pilots have a history where all a chievements are re c o rded. This is accessed by selecting Stats on the pilot screen. Use the arrow buttons to cycle through the d i f f e rent scenarios to see how the pilot has p e r f o rmed on the different campaigns.
Resetting Pilot History
If a campaign has turned from bad to wo r s e, and disaster seems certain, you might feel l i ke starting ov e r. This can be done by p ressing Stats in the pilot scre e n ,and then c l i cking on Reset Scenario. You’ll be aske d to confirm that you really want to reset the scenario - click Yes to perform the reset or No to re t u rn to the Select Pilot scre e n without clearing the history.
View Information Movies
Details on the JSF program, the weapons systems and the selected airc raft are available in FMV format. These movies can be played by clicking on one of the three film icons in the lower right of the screen.
The Options Menu
General
The options menu really consists of three different screens: the game menu, the graphics menu and the sound menu. From these three menus,you can use the mouse to activate or deactiva t e, adjust or reconfigure various settings of Joint Strike Fighter. Most elements are also available from the in-game menus. Each of the screens are described below.
Tip : Players using slower computers are encouraged to adjust terrain, object and
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graphical details features of the game to achieve optimal performance during flight.
The Game Configuration Screen
General
benefit of learning new skills and maneuvers from the more ex p e r i e n c e d pilots. As they advance through the skill l e v e l s ,they learn more maneuvers,d e v e l o p better gunnery and bombing skills and become more willing to use both in combat.
Aces are wily, c rafty opponents, t h e s u rvivors and victors of many aerial combat missions; they should not be u n d e restimated. They know all the standard air combat maneuvers and aren’t afraid to use them at any time, and have
The Options menu with the Game tab selected
also developed excellent gunnery skills.
The Game Screen is where you are able to configure how the game behaves during play.The following items are available:
Input Device
This item simply lets you select whether to play using keyboard, mouse or joystick. Further configuration must be done from the in-game menu, or alternatively (for basic hard wa re installation) in the W i n d ow s Control Panel.
Enemy Skill
This option sets the skill rating of the pilots you and your wingmen will be flying against. Select one of five (5) settings: Rookie, Novice, Average, Veteran and Ace. The default setting is Av e ra g e, with Rookie the easiest type of enemy pilot to fight against and Ace the hardest. Rookies know only basic flight skills; they’ve been rushed to the front straight from training school. They haven’t had the
Remember, you may be a match for the Aces in the game, but your wingmen may not be so skilled. Think carefully before selecting the Ace opponent skill, or you may find yourself going through wingmen by the bushel. Commanding officers have been known to take a dim view of flight leaders who continually come home as the sole survivor of a mission. Besides, who wants to write a lot of letters that begin with the sentence, “We regret to inform you…”?
Start On Runway
This allows you to start the mission with your aircraft ready on the runway, without the need for taxiing.
Easy Aiming
This is a toggle-option. When selected, your plane’s cannon lead sight will be in Easy Aiming mode. You won’t have to think much about
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leading the locked target; the cannon rounds will actually lead themselves and try to ‘chase’ the target. This is not a guaranteed, automatic hit; however, the closer the locked target is to the centre of your aiming sight,the better the chance of a hit with this option selected.
Most pilots would look at you like you were from another planet if you used anything else than feet and knots to m e a s u re distances and speeds respectively. Check this box, however, if you are a novice and find the metric system easier to get the hang of.
When not selected, cannon rounds will behave using the normal laws of physics. This will result in a wonderful aerial display of tracer lights but far fewer gunnery kills.
Easy Landings
When toggled on, your undercarriage can t a ke more of a beating, making it significantly easier to land.
No Wind
Though not obvious when cruising at high a l t i t u d e s , a strong wind may prov e problematic during landings and takeoffs. When this option is checked,your plane is not affected by wind and weather.
No Fadeouts
When this option is selected, pilots won’t experience red-outs or black-outs when pulling extreme G-forces in combat due to tight turns, dives or climbs.
No Turbulence
Even with no wind, hugging the terrain at low altitudes makes for a bumpy ride. Checking this box will disable low-level turbulence.
Measurement System
Network Protocol
This option allows you to select which n e t work protocol to use. The most common protocols are IPX and T C P / I P, but the game will take advantage of the Mplayer system and any protocol supported by Direct Play. Refer to Appendix 3 for details.
The Graphics Configuration Screen
General
The Options menu
with the Graphics tab selected
This screen allows you to configure how the game looks during play. Configuring these options can dramatically change the performance of the game, so you are strongly encouraged to play around with different settings until you determine what is right for you. The following items are available:
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Screen Resolution
This option allows the player click left or right to select screen resolution from the list available on the computer. T h e available modes may va ry between d i f f e rent mach i n e s , from as low as 320x200 pixels (lo-res) to super- h i - re s (1280x1024 or higher) and everything in-between. How e v e r, p l a yers using computers with slower processors may experience some jerkiness when game graphics are set at the higher resolutions. We recommend experimenting with the lower resolutions until you find the one that performs best for you.
Big Pixels
If you want to run the game in low­resolution modes, and your gra p h i c s card/driver does not support this, JSF can emulate low - resolution by re d ra w i n g using big pixels. This means that the game is redrawn in low-resolution internally,and then doubled to fit the physical screen resolution. This option is not available in modes less that 640x400.
Black Lines
If the Big Pixels option is enabled, the Black Lines option lets you select how the scaling of the screen is performed. When checked, every other line is not redrawn, but left black. This is slightly faster than the alternative, when all lines are drawn.
Screen Pageflip
(This is one for those familiar with the inner workings of their PC. You may need to play around with this option in order to get the best possible results.)
Internally,the game is able to render both to System Ram or (if enough memory is available) to Video Ram. Enabling Page Flipping may increase your frame rate on computers with relatively fast graphics cards; on the other hand, performance may suffer if your graphics card is relatively slow.
Object Detail
This slider adjusts the relative amount of polygons used for rendering the 3D objects in the game. Moving the slider to the right increases detail, but possibly at the expense of performance.
Terrain Detail
This slider works in a similar way as the object detail slider, only this adjusts the detail level on the terrain. Moving the slider to the right will increase the definition of the landscape and increase the number of ground objects,but again at the expense of refresh rate. Keeping this value around the centre is recommended.
Transparent Smoke
When checked, this option improves the a p p e a rance of the smoke - t rails in the
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game by using transparency. Performance may suffer on slower computers.
Transparent Shadows
When this box is checked, shadows are projected onto the ground with tra n s ­p a re n cy, rather than as single colour silhouettes.
Transparent Explosions
Using transparent explosions will improve realism, but can be a serious performance hit. Keep this in mind if you are experiencing slow d own when viewing large explosions.
Lensflares
L e n s f l a res emulate the optical effect created by a camera when exposed to strong light sources, for instance from the sun or a rocket blast. When checked,these effects are enabled. Disabling the effects will, however, improve performance.
Particles
When enabled, a particle system is used for rendering weather effects like wind and rain. This may reduce performance on slower computers.
3Dfx
H a rd wa re rendering is enabled by ch e cking this box. By default, 3 D f x acceleration is enabled if a 3Dfx card is detected in the computer. If no card is detected,this item is inactive.
The Sound Configuration Screen
The Options menu with the Sound tab selected
Sound Effects
Most actions performed in flight, such as firing a weapon and raising the landing gear, have sound effects that play when the action is performed. This box enables such sound effects.
Sound Volume
When sound effects are enabled, t h i s slider adjusts the volume of the sound effects.
Music
JSF features several original music tracks that play during flight. This check-box determines whether music is played.
Music Volume
If music is enabled in the item above, the music volume can be adjusted here using the slider.
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Speech
In-game speech is enabled by default, as this is one of your primary sources of information. It can, however, be disabled by unchecking this box. Note that this makes you totally rely on text messages for such things as radio communication and flight computer messages.
Speech Volume
When speech is enabled, this slider determines the volume of the speech.
Reverse Stereo
On some computers, the placement of the l o u d s p e a kers are ex changed. Check i n g this box reverses this.
Mute
When checked, all sound (sound effects, music and speech) are turned off.
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SECTION FOUR
DOGFIGHT: GETTING STARTED FAST
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General
Selecting Main Menu>Dogfight takes you to the Dogfight Settings menu. T h e Dogfight option allows you to hone your skill in the noble art of dogfighting, something which will come in handy as you progress through the campaigns. You’ll be able to challenge increasingly more difficult enemies in the different scenarios in a variety of different settings. These parameters are described below.
By clicking on this item, you’ll be able to select in which weather condition you wish the fight to take place. Different regions on the globe have differe n t weather types, w h i ch means that the available options will vary from scenario to scenario.
Guns Only
This option disables Air to Air missiles in the Dogfight session. Though not strictly realistic, it makes for some interesting aerial duels in the true spirit of the great aces of WWI and WWII.
Scenario
H e re you set the theatre in which the dogfight t a kes place. Not only do the enemy airc ra f t become increasingly more capable on the later scenarios, the enemy pilots are also m o re skillful,a g gressive and lethal.
The Dogfight Menu
In order to customise the Dogfight session you have a set of four options which determine the combat conditions:
Time Of Day
This option lets you decide at what time during the day the dogfight will take place. While the enemy may be easily seen at d a y - t i m e, you may have to resort to systems like night vision and the synthetic object overlay when battling it out at night.
Weather
Playing
When you start the Dogfight session, you start out against a wave containing just one single enemy plane. If you destroy this first plane, your weapons are replenished and a new wave appears.
For every wave destroyed another plane is a d d e d , t h e re by giving an increasing difficulty level. This is further enhanced by the fact that, as time progre s s e s , t h e enemy planes also are of increasingly better types. The dogfight session ends when you eventually are killed or when you decide to leave the session.
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Statistics
Dogfight Statistics
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SECTION FIVE
Flying a Campaign
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General
While an individual mission has specific tactical goals (the destruction of a convoy or interdicting airspace over an enemy t a rg e t , for ex a m p l e ) , a campaign is a series of individual missions designed to a chieve one or more long-term or strategic goals. Take the air battle in the Gulf War, for instance: One of the major strategic goals of the campaign was to hurt Iraq’s air and ground forces badly, making it easier to drive Iraq’s army out of Kuwait and, in the process, save Allied Force’s lives. To this end, thousands of individual air missions were launched to bomb ground units, shoot Iraq’s air force out of the sky and destroy command and communications links. In a JSF campaign, you are given similar strategic goals, based on one of the four hypothetical campaign scenarios included with the game. As a wing commander, your job is to plan and execute a series of tactical missions to help achieve the campaign’s strategic goals. You accom­plish these goals by destroying all the primary targets indicated in the mission planner.The object category is determined by a higher command.
The Campaign menu.
Select your campaign to start or re-enter
Starting A Campaign
1.To begin a new campaign or enter one in p r o gre s s , select Campaign from the Main Menu. The War Theatre selection
screen will appear.At any time you may
select the Back button at the bottom
right of each screen to return to the one previously displayed.
2.Highlight either one of the four scenarios using the mouse or the
keyboard. In the box at the bottom of the
screen a brief background story and a
mission summary will appear, relevant
for your current selection. Activate the scenario by clicking the mouse or hitting
enter.
3.The first time you activate a scenario the complete mission text will be printed to
the screen. You may speedup the text by hitting enter, space or by clicking the m o u s e. After loading, the Mission Planner will appear.
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The Mission Planner
General
As a wing commander your main objective is to plan the best possible campaign for you and your wingmen so the main s t rategic goal can be re a ched with a minimum of casualties. This means you will have to plan your missions carefully before getting airborne. All planning is done prior to take-off in the Mission Planner, which loads automatically when you select a scenario.
The main Mission Planner screen
The Mission Planner is essentially a topographical map indicating the position of anything essential and important for planning a mission. This includes cities, factories, airports and roads (in grey), but most importantly all friendly installations and enemy targets indicated by the c o l o u red icons. The icons pinpoint all enemy, friendly and civilian/non-combat ground and air units in your area of operations. The planner operates in two differe n t modes: Edit and Map mode. In Editing mode you can manually or automatically
form a mission by creating waypoints and selecting targets. Map mode allows you to manipulate the map information displayed in the mission planner, this is detailed in the section entitled Mission Planner Usage below.
Mission Planner Map
General
The Mission Planner map is a topo­graphical map displaying the curre n t situation in the activated scenario. All enemy targets and friendly installations are displayed using several different icons and colour codes. The position of each icon is altered according to the movement of the unit as the game progresses. If the unit is destroyed you will be notified and the icon will be removed from the mission planner. Together with the icons marking the targets you will also see the waypoints and flight path displayed on the map. A waypoint is a position used by the flight computer for navigation placed in the mission planner prior to take-off. For more i n f o rmation on how to manipulate wa y p o i n t s , refer to the section below entitled Mission Planner Usage.
Icons
Each icon on the map marks an enemy unit. This means an icon usually symbolises more then one target. The icon position is the centre position of all the objects included in that particular group. Each icon is colour coded, indicating the
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object category. On the mission map you may find icons with the following colours: red, green and blue. Any red icon is an enemy target and should be considered as a potential threat. Both the green (neutral) and the blue (allied) symbolise friendly icons. Destroying these will have a negative impact on your statistics. When you look on the mission map you may notice a red circle centred on some of the icons. The red border is a Surface-to­Air Missile Engagement Zone (SAM MEZ). When flying within this zone,you and your wingmen are subject to being detected and fired upon by enemy SAM installations.
Fighter/Bomber Helicopter Air Transport AWAC Aircraft Airport Military Base Military Camp Factory Nuclear Facility Harbour Radar Installation SAM/AA Installation
Oil platform Warship Cargo Vessel Submarine Transport Infantry Vehicle SAM/AA Vehicle.
Waypoints
Waypoints are fixed three dimensional positions (longitude, latitude and altitude) used by the flight computer for navigation. They are easily created with the mouse or automatically with the Suggest option when in editing mode. Read more about waypoints and the their usage under the section Mission Planner Usage.
Mission Planner Windows
General
The Mission Planner Windows contains all the text, buttons and bars displayed in the mission planner. They may be hidden by selecting the button in the upper right c o rner labelled Mission Planner or by tapping the spacebar. Use this when planning a mission if any icons are concealed by the mission planner i n f o rmation text and the buttons.
N o t e :While any pop-up window is activa t e d the Mission Planner W i n d ows will be disabled and the buttons, bars and tex t -
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boxes will be changed in intensity. to get focus back to the windows you have to close the active window.
Planner Manager Window
General
The Planner Manager is the window in the upper right corn e r, b e l ow the Mission Planner caption or button. The manager has t wo tab dialogs which decides which state or mode the planner currently has active.
Edit Mode
General
To get in Edit Mode you select the Edit tab dialog from the Manager Window. When you are in editing mode you can create and alter your waypoint path by changing the position and height of your waypoints. The waypoints are uploaded to the on­board computer upon takeoff and used for navigation by the autopilot.
Suggest
The Suggest option will automatically suggest the closest visible primary target. If no primary icons are displayed the nearest secondary target will be selected. If you are not content with the target selected you may cycle all targets with the arrows left and right of the Suggest label. In Map Mode you may select which icons will appear on screen by checking the corresponding options, refer to the Map Mode section below for details.
Terrain following
If you enable the Terrain following option the suggested waypoints will be forced to the minimum height for low-level contour flying, keeping the fighter below radar. If no waypoint path or target have been p reviously suggested,enabling or disabling this option will automatically select a target and suggest a path.
Clear
Selecting Clear will delete all waypoints and target selections from the mission planner.
Statistics Window
From the Edit menu selecting Statistics will display the current scenario statistics. Select the Done button to close the Statistics Window.
Target Info Mode
When you click on this option the Mission Planner enters Ta rget Info Mode. T h e change of state is indicated with a question mark in the lower right of the mouse pointer. In addition all the icons with target information visible in the Mission Planner Map are highlighted. Selecting a highlighted icon from the map will display the relevant target information with the corresponding photos and images made available by Mission Control. You may close the window by selecting Done at the bottom right corner of the window. At any time you can return to normal planner operation by clicking the right
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mouse button or just by selecting any function from the Mission Planner Windows.
Tip: When in editing mode, pressing and holding the CTRL key will activate the Target Info Mode. It will remain active until the key is released or you exit Target Info Mode as mentioned above.
Map Mode
General
To get in Map Mode you select the Map tab on the Manager Window. When this is selected you will see on the Map menu a list of options divided into three groups: Object category, target class and map settings. Checking any of these settings will influence the information that appears on the Mission Map.
Object category
Only the targets that match any of the checked priorities will be displayed. This means if you only ch e ck the primary option, only the primary targets will be displayed.
Target Class
There are three different target classes and only the icons containing objects of the selected class will be displayed. When you plan a mission you might want to focus only on airborne targets. To do this, you would only check the air option and leave the ground and mobile blank.
Map Settings
General
The Map Settings are useful feature s when planning a mission. Both the SAM MEZ and the names option are checked by default.
SAM MEZ
If the SAM MEZ is checked the missile engagement zone will be displayed. Use the MEZ to avoid unnecessary contact with SAM sites on your way to the designated target.
Names
When the names option is checked the city and area names will be plotted on the Mission Map.
Grid
The grid is useful for calculating distances when planning a mission, but maybe most importantly for easier tra cking of the enemies movements. The grid scale is 5400 NM.
Time Skip Window
In the upper left corner is the Time Skip bar indicating which scenario has been activated,the current day and the scenario time.When selecting this bar a dialog box will be displaye d , giving you the opportunity to skip a maximum of eight hours at once to avoid bad weather and/or night flying conditions.
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Wingmen Window
In addition to the two JSF contenders, the F-22 Raptor is also scheduled to be in active service at the time when the action in Joint Strike Fighter takes place. Your wingmen will always have the option to fly any of the three aircraft,at your discretion. You’ll need to select which plane your wingmen will be flying, and whether to optimize the payload for stealth or mission effectiveness. This is done from the Wingmen Menu.
The Wingmen Window
To activate and use the menu:Click on the Wingmen option in the box at the lower right hand corner of your screen. The Wingman menu will be activated. Click on the arrows next to each wingman to set his aircraft. Click on the Force Same Aircraft box if you want all three wingmen to use the same aircraft at all times. Under the Weapons Load section,click the radio button next to either Maximise Stealth or Maximise Payload. If you choose Maximise Payload,every hard point on the aircraft will carry either a bomb or missile. However,this will make it easier for enemy radar to detect the aircraft. Selecting
Maximise Stealth reduces the payload,but makes it much harder for the aircraft to be detected. When you’re finished, c l i ck the Done button. Now you’re ready to check the aircraft payload and, if you wish, change the weapons your airc raft will carry into battle.
The Arm Plane Window
Arm Plane Window
Beside the cannon, there are a variety of Air-To-Air (A2A) and Air-To-Ground (A2G) missiles and bombs that can be carried by the JSF. Choosing the right payload to complete the mission is vital; cluster bombs are effective against mobile units, but JDAM are more effective against fixed targets. The game will automatically select a payload configuration that includes both A2A and A2G weapons. However, you may h ave your own pre f e rences on what weapon best completes the mission; the Arm Plane menu allows you to check and alter this configuration before flight to suit your needs and preferences.
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In the previous screen, you can see the A rm Plane W i n d ow with the curre n t weapon configuration shown on the graphical re p resentation of the fighter. There are eight hard points on the JSF; four of which are internal attach points. Except for the rocket pod, which may only be fitted on the wings, most weapons available can be fixed to any hardpoint on the aircraft. The weapons are shown to the right, divided into Missiles and Bombs. To see a description of the weapon and its c a p a b i l i t i e s , simply move the mouse pointer over the weapon; the description will appear in the text box at the bottom of the screen. See also Appendix 5:Weapons, for full descriptions.
Drag-and-drop Weapon Selection
The Arm Plane Window functions as a drag and drop editing box. To arm the plane with a missile, simply select the weapon with the pointer before draging it and place it on any of the hardpoint on the image to the left. When you drag a weapon to a hardpoint a l re a dy holding a weapon, the new selection will replace the former. If you drop a weapon anywhere other than a hardpoint, the selection will be discarded.
Changing The Default Weapons
Configuration
You may carry any or all of the weapons in the game, limited only by the carrying
capacity of the aircraft and its number
of hard points.
To add a weapon to an empty hard point or swap out the current weapon for a
new one, do one of the following:
• Move the mouse pointer over one of the weapon icons in the right-hand list;
• Left-click and hold down the mouse button;
• D rag the weapon to the desire d
hard point;
• Release the left mouse button. The
weapon is now loaded onto the hard
point.
To add or subtract fuel from the aircraft: Locate the Fuel load gauge, located under the aircraft silhouette;
• Click on the black arrow icons to the left and right of the gauge to subtract or add
fuel to the aircraft.
• Removing fuel from the aircraft will not allow you to put more ordnance on the
a i rc raft. It will, h ow e v e r, m a ke the aircraft more agile in flight, giving it an advantage in combat.
• The selected configuration will be
automatically saved for future use. You
can go back to the default configuration
by clicking on the Default button at the
bottom left of the screen. When you’re re a dy to jump in the cockpit and fly the mission, click Done.
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Campaign Statistics Window
To view your overall campaign statistics from the Mission Planner, click on the Statistics button. When you’re finished examining the stats,click Done to return to the Mission Planner.
The Mission Planner Statistics screen
Mission Planner Usage
Planning A MIssion
Planning missions is quick and easy. It involves a five step process:
1.Decide on one or more targets;
2.Plan and select flight waypoints;
3.Choose which aircraft your wing will fly;
4.Arm the aircraft;
5.Fly the mission.
There are four clickable windows to assist you in these tasks, accessed from the Planner Manager Window on the right­hand side of the screen. Detailed i n f o rmation about both these window s and their functions are given in the section above entitled Mission Planner Windows.
Selecting A Target
To plan a mission,first locate your take-off position. Your plane is indicated on the map by a blue plane icon surrounded by a green circle.The green circle indicates the Base or waypoint 0 and cannot be re m oved. After you have successfully located your fighter it’s time to select a target. Though the primary targets should be your first concern, any enemy unit should be c o n s i d e red a threat. All red icons are hostile, so selecting any of these are fine for a mission. But if you want to focus on campaign progress you might want to select only primary targets. This is easily done by clicking Suggest from the Edit menu. A l t e rn a t i v e l y, ch e ck the primary object category checkbox from the Map menu. This allows you to locate and identify just the primary targets for better mission planning. When selecting targets you should consider the target composition. If the target is only lightly protected, you might want to leave some wingmen behind.
Getting Information On Enemy Targets
While you may plan a mission to any target in the Mission Planner, Headquarters will have designated priority targets that they wish attacked. You cannot complete the Campaign until you’ve destroyed all of primary targets. With the CTRL key held down or while selecting Target Info from the Edit menu, certain targets will be highlighted on the
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Mission Map. Intelligence inform a t i o n about these targets, including information on the weapons and installations in the target area is available by clicking on it’s icon. This information can be crucial in planning what payload to carry on an a t t a ck mission. Rare l y, if ever, w i l l intelligence information be available on non-priority targets.
Target Info screen showing
information on a priority target
To see the intelligence information about a priority target:
1.Click on Target Info, on the Edit Menu;
2.Left click on one of the priority targets on the Map;
3.The Info screen will appear. When you’re finished,click on the Done button to return to the Mission Planner.
4.You may also right-click when no Info screen is displayed to cancel the Target Info command and return to the Mission Planner.
Once you have decided which target you’ll be attacking for the mission, it’s time to plan a route to it.
Planning A Route To The Target
General
It’s important to remember that the JSF is designed to be stealthy. Not only is it built using stealth technology (which gives it a greater reduced radar signature ) , it is designed to be able to sneak into a target at very low altitudes, using terra i n features to help hide the aircraft from enemy radar. To this end, it has a new version of the terra i n - f o l l owing ra d a r / autopilot electronics package. When the aircraft is placed on autopilot, it uses the o n b o a rd Te r rain Following Radar to maintain a low altitude and steer itself around terrain obstacles. Your objective as a wing commander should be to plan a route to the target that takes advantage of the surrounding terrain as much as possible.
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The Suggest button has been clicked
Generating Waypoints To The Target:
The Suggest Option
The Mission Planner has an option to help you plan a route to priority targets. Here is how you take advantage of this option: On the Edit Menu,find the Suggest option. There are black arrows to the left and right of the Suggest button. Click on them to scroll forwa rd and back through the current list of priority targets. As you click to scroll through the targets, the Mission Planner suggests a route both to the target and back to your Base. These routes are denoted with a bright green line,interspersed with bright green boxes. The boxes are the actual waypoints which the plane will fly towards. Each waypoint includes altitude information. If you want them to be terrain following you check this option, if not the altitude will be set to 32000 ft. All targets which have been selected will be surrounded by a green circle, in the same way as your own plane. To get information about each waypoint move the pointer over it, and the text will appear in the text box on the right-side of the screen. If you wish to accept this route,you need do nothing else; move on to the Arming The Fighter and Wingmen sections below.
Manually Editing Waypoints
General
As a general rule you always add wa y p o i n t s with the left mouse button and delete with the right mouse button. you can not edit waypoints in Map Mode.
Usage
To create your own waypoint, just move the mouse pointer to the point on the map where you want the waypoint to appear, then left-click. You can use this method to plan your own route to a target, without using the Suggest option.
Note: All waypoint editing features will work for both your own created waypoints and those created by the Suggest option. If you wish to delete a waypoint,centre the mouse pointer on the waypoint box and right-click. The waypoint will disappear and the Mission Planner will fill in the route line.
If you wish to move a waypoint,centre the mouse pointer on a waypoint, then click and hold down the left mouse button. Now move the mouse; the waypoint and route line will move with the pointer. Move the waypoint to your desired location and release the left mouse button. If you wish to alter the height of a waypoint, just left-click on the waypoint box to toggle through a range of preset waypoint altitudes. The height will be displayed in the textbox. All waypoints currently on the map can be cleared by clicking on the Clear menu option, on the Edit Menu.
Tip: If you press and hold the ALT key, left-clicking on a waypoint will shift the altitude between terrain following and the maximum height.
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Zooming: Getting A More Detailed Look At The Map
General
If you wish to get a more detailed look at the map this can easily be done with the mouse. Select Map mode and left-click to zoom. The map will be centred around the mouse pointer. If you want to continue editing waypoints when the map is zoomed, you just have to switch back to Edit mode.
Usage
The first thing you need to do is to select the Map tab dialog in the upper right corner of the screen. This will activate Map mode enabling you to manipulate the Mission Planner Map. When you are in Map Mode the mouse pointer will change to a magnifying glass until you go back to waypoint editing. Move the cursor to the point on the map you want to examine and left-click. The map will zoom in for a closer look. To re t u rn to the larger map, l e f t - c l i ck again. Repeat the procedure for each spot on the map you wish to examine in more detail. When you’re finished, click on the Edit button to return to Edit Mode for creating and editing waypoints.
The Mission Planner with the Map tab selected
Flying A Mission
When you’re satisfied with your route and wa y p o i n t s , weapons load and the wingmen’s aircraft,it’s time to load up and fly the mission. To do this,simply click the Take Off button in the lower right hand corner of your screen. The flight simulator will load and you’ll be in the cockpit of your aircraft, ready to take off.
Ready for Takeoff!
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General
The very first time you start a campaign and click on Ta ke Off in the Mission Planner, your aircraft will not be on the runway, but nearby on a taxiway. You’ll need to start your engines, add some power, brake while on the ground and steer the aircraft to and turn onto the runway to takeoff. refer to section 8:Flying the Plane for details.:
1.Request takeoff permission.
2.Turn on engine and increase to taxi speed (approx. 15 knots).
3.Taxi to the runway.
4.Extend flaps and go into afterburners.
5.Pull the stick back and when airborne retract the your gear.
How to taxi and take off
Whenever you start a mission there are several things you may do to facilitate your takeoff. One of the first things you should do is to radio the tower and ask for take o f f p e rmission. Doing this the tower will normally grant you permission to takeoff and turn on the runway lights. This makes taxing easier as also the taxiway will be lit. For more information on how the radio wo r k s , see Appendix 4: R a d i o c o m m u n ication. When you have located the corre c t taxiway you are ready to increase the thrust and accelerate to taxing speed and manoeuvre to the runway:
• To add power to your airc raft and increase speed,press the 1-9 keys.
• To steer your aircraft, use the rudder
keys, the ‘,’ (comma) key to steer left
and the ‘.’ (period) key to steer right;
• To brake your aircraft and slow down,
use the B key;
Tip: Press F11 for satellite view, using PageUp and PageDown to zoom in/out. Steer your aircraft forward and turn onto the runway, using the brake as needed, and coming as close to facing down the centreline stripe as possible. Then use the rudder keys to turn left or right, facing d own the runwa y, with the centre l i n e down the middle of your screen. Press the CTRL + 0 (zero) key to engage afterburners. When the speed indicator on the HMD is at 150 mph or greater,lift back on the joystick to pitch the nose of the aircraft up and take off.
Tip: To save the time and trouble of taxiing out onto the runway each time you fly a campaign mission, use the ESC key to activate the in-flight menu while in the cockpit, then press the Right Arrow key until the Game menu is highlighted and press Enter. Then use the Down Arrow key to highlight Start On Runway and press Enter again. From now on, all campaign missions will start on the runway,ready to start engines and fly without the need to taxi onto the strip. Press ESC again to return to the cockpit.
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Getting To The Target
General
The general idea is to manoeuvre your fighter according to the plan you laid out in the Mission Planner. This can be done either manually or by activating the autopilot.
Autopilot
Once in the air, getting to the target is pretty easy,if you follow these steps:
1.Gain at least 1000 feet of altitude;
2.Press the A key to activate the Autopilot. The HMD will display the word WAY a b ove the altimeter tape; when the autopilot is set to follow waypoints and it is activated you can read the word WAY on the upper left side of the HMD.
3.With the Autopilot activated, the aircraft will automatically move from waypoint to waypoint.
4.If you wish to bypass a waypoint, press the W key to instruct the autopilot to take you to the next one in the route. Use the CTRL + W key combination to cycle backwards to a previous waypoint.
5.When you reach the target, press the A key to deactivate the autopilot and make your attack.
NOTE: Your autopilot will never turn itself off, even if you are bounced by enemy aircraft. If you are bounced by the enemy, you need to manually deactivate the autopilot if you wish to turn and fight.
Manual Approach
When you are airborne you can easily follow the waypoints manually,but for this to be feasible make sure the HMD is t u rned on. Press the Del key on the numeric keypad to toggle the HMD on /off. You will be manoeuvring using the heading tape on the top of the HMD screen. The bearing (compass direction) of the currently selected waypoint will be indicated on the tape by the waypoint carat pointing in the direction you need to turn. You should direct the nose directly towards the carat, which means keeping the carat at the middle of the screen. When you have reached the waypoint you will be notified by the on-board computer, and you need to activate the next waypoint by pressing the W. There are three types of waypoints, which waypoint you are following can be seen in the lower right corner of the screen,if you are heading towards a Engage waypoint it means you are flying towards a selected target. When you have reached your target select the appropriate weapon and attack.
Note:To see the waypoint information you have to be in navigation mode; press the N key to activate Nav mode. To cycle back wa rds between the wa y p o i n t s press CTRL + W.
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Attacking Ground Targets
1.Deactivate the autopilot;
2.Use the Backspace key (or the proper button on your joystick, see Appendix B) to cycle through your A2G weapons, until the one you want shows as active on the HMD.
3.Using the radar and arrow information on your HMD, manoeuvre your aircraft to line up on the target.
4.When the target reticle is over the target or you achieve a target lock, press the Spacebar to drop the bomb.
Remember The Hatch
Ending The Mission
General
When you have completed your mission and returned to your airbase, you are ready to end your mission. When you have parked on the tarmac it is time to Quit & Save.
Go Home!
To return to your base:
1.Activate the autopilot by pressing the A key;
2.The autopilot will follow the waypoints to your home base. If you haven’t
planned a return waypoint path,activate
waypoint 0 (zero) to get back to base.
3.When you have re a ched the base de-activate the Autopilot by pressing A
again;
4.Land the plane on the runway.
The Mission Debriefing
General
When you have finished a mission select Quit & Save from the in-game menu. You will exit the game and automatically enter the Mission Debriefing. The Mission Debriefing screen will give you a summary of your mission’s success or failure. It will include the area map, with points of action during the mission shown as small explosion-icons.
Mission Debriefing Map
General
This is the same map as you have seen in the Mission Planner. This includes all the icons and additional information displayed on the Mission Map.The only addition is a explosion-icon pinpointing the position of any destroyed objects and a blue line that shows that path you have flown.
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Flight path
When you are in the mission debriefing you have the option of displaying your flight path. If you check the option in the Manager Window you will see a blue line. This is the distance cov e red by your fighter during your mission.
Mission Debriefing Windows
General
Note: While any window is activated the debriefer will be disabled and the buttons, bars and textboxes will be changed in i n t e n s i t y. To get focus back to the debriefer you have to close the Statistics window,
Scenario Bar
The scenario bar indicates the scenario progress. If everything is the way it should be,and your game is progressing normally the only text printed in the scenario bar will be Scenario Progress. If you on the other hand have for some reason failed, and the scenario is lost you will be notified in the scenario bar – in addition to the information screen that will be displayed when you exit the Mission Debriefing.
Debrief Manager Window
In the Debreif Manager Window you may select the information you want displayed on the Mission Map. The options are similar to the Map menu, refer to the Mission Planner W i n d ow s paragraph above,except for the additional options: Flight Path and Waypoints. To see
your flight path or waypoints, you select the corresponding checkbox.
Statistics Window
To get the overall statistics of the mission, click the Statistics button. This window lists several details regarding your last mission; such as flying time,the number of allied and enemy object destroyed and weapons in percentage. When you are done reading the statistics you close the window by selecting the Done button in the lower right corner of the statistics screen.
The Mission Debriefing Statistics window
Progress Bar
The progress bar is located in the bottom left corner of the screen. This is where the game status will be printed. If you have failed completing the scenario or you have successfully finished the campaign the text will change accordingly. If everything is normal and no special cases have occurred the text will read “Scenario Progress”.
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Mission Debriefing - General
Move the mouse pointer over any of the explosion icons to see a brief action des­cription of what was destroyed and when it occurred.
Using The Debrief Manager Window
Exiting Mission Debriefing
After ending a mission the debreifing is automatically loaded. On the mission map you will be presented with a mission summary. When you are done studying it and you are ready to move on,the mission planner will be loaded and your plane prepared for your next mission. To exit the mission debriefing click the Mission Planner button in the lower right corner.
Continuing a Campaign
When you exit the Mission Debriefing your plane will be pre p a red and the game p r o gress saved. The campaign will automatically continue from where you left off.
Note:The game progress does not include waypoints or target selections, w h i ch means all waypoints will be lost when you quit the Mission Planner.
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SECTION SIX
Multiplayer Dogfight
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General
The JSF Multiplayer Dogfight option allows you to go head to head with up to eight players at the same time. In this section you’ll find out how to start or join a network game and how the game behaves when started. A closer description of the individual network protocols can be found in Section 3.
Starting your own game
The following steps need to be undertaken in order to start your own multi-player game:
1. Choose the protocol you wish to use on the Options>Game menu, and then continue to the Multiplayer menu by selecting the Multiplayer item on the Main Menu.
Multiplayer Menu
3. The Multiplayer>Create Game menu contains five options that allows you to modify the default multiplayer game:
Time Of Day:Allows you to change the hour at which the multiplayer game takes place. Using the late hours of the day decreases the possibility of visual detection, which will force players to fly and tra ck using instruments instead.
Weather:Switches between the differ­ent weather conditions. Note that the different theatres have different types of weather e. g. :S n ow, rain and clear.
Number Of Kills: This options selects the duration of the game. You can choose from a list of 5, 10,15, 20, 25, 30 or UNLIMITED. If UNLIMITED is selected, the game will last until the last player leaves the game. Otherwise the game will continue until a player or a team has re a ched the selected number of kills.
Guns Only: Enabling Guns Only will remove the Air to Air missiles from the multiplayer game.
Theatre: Lets you choose the theatre to use for your multiplayer game. Choosing between the different scenarios also changes the weather, thus increasing the difficulty of flying on scenarios with demanding weather conditions.
2. On the Multiplayer menu select the Create item. This activates the Create Game menu.
Multiplayer Create Game Menu
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4. After adjusting the multiplayer game to your needs, select Start to create the multiplayer game and proceed to the Game Lobby.
Joining an existing game
1. Choose the protocol you wish to use on the Options>Game menu, and then continue to the multiplayer menu by selecting the Multiplayer item on the Main Menu.
2. On the Multiplayer menu select the Refresh item, this will, after a while display a list of active games in the Games in progress window. Each game has its own title (e.g. “JSF ­Game created by Snapper”) and also displays the number of free slots for new players. For more information on a multiplayer game, highlight a specific game. This will make a more specific description (including a t h e a t re, weather and time of day) appear in the Game information window.
3. Now just select the active game you want to join,and you will automatically proceed to the Game Lobby menu.
Rules of play
General
When you’re spawned in the game, you start of with a set amount of weapons and about two minutes of fuel (at 90% thrust). The rules of the game are described below.
Team Score
The score of a team is counted as the average of kills achieved by each team member. This means that playing in a big team is not necessarily an advantage, as players who do not contribute significantly will lower the team average.
Duration Of The Game
Depending on the settings selected by the host of a network game, the play may continue indefinitely (when unlimited kills a re selected) or until one team has achieved the selected number of kills. At this time, the game fre e z e s , and the statistics screen (described below) is shown.
Replenishing Fuel And Ammo
When blasting away at your opponents, you’ll soon find your fuel and ammo running low. T h e re are two ways to replenish these: Fly through a reset point: In each theatre there is an object suspended in the air close to your starting position. Flying through it gives you fuel and weapons, but leaves you vulnerable while approaching. Land at a nearby airbase:Close to the area where the multiplayer game takes place, there is an airbase which can be used for replenishing your plane. This also leaves you extremely vulnerable while approa­ching the landing strip, so it should be
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attempted only as a last resort when you are out of fuel.
player has died.
The Game Lobby
Multiplayer Lobby
When you enter the Game Lobby you’ll see a window that displays the active p l a yers in the multiplayer game. T h e window shows all the information about you, the highlighted player, and the other players. The player information is split into five groups:
Team: Each player is initially given their own team displayed as a colour­bar in the team colour. Selecting your own colour-bar will result in a team ch a n g e, w h e reas selecting another player’s colour-bar will join the team of that player. NOTE: The player who’s team you joined,might change his own team. So you’ll have to re-select his colour-bar to rejoin his team.
P l a ye r : Displays the call-sign identifying the player.
K i l l s : Displays the kill count of the player.
D e a t h s : Tells how many times the
S t a t u s : This indicates the players’ states in the game (i.e. Playing, Dead or Loading).
Just below the Players Window is a status bar which displays your status in the m u l t i p l a yer game. T h e re are thre e different states, as follows:
Waiting for server re s p o n s e : This means that you haven’t been accepted in the game yet. Don’t worry if this takes a while - if for instance the G a m e S e rver is busy loading, no p l a yers will be accepted until it’s finished loading.
R e a dy to go: The GameServer has accepted you as a participant of the game, and you can now select Go to start playing.
Game over: This means that a team or a player has reached the number of kills set by the game host. All you can do is to leave the game and find another game to join.
After attaining Ready To Go and having selected your team colour, simply select Go to start the game.
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Statistics
General
When playing you are able to view the advancement of the players by using the statistics screen. JSF has two different statistics screens that can be used during a multiplayer game:
Multiplayer Statistics
Simple Statistics
If enabled,this displays a horizontal list of the different team colours. The team values are listed so that the team with the highest average of kills is shown first.
same as on the Game Lobby (i.e. Playing, Dead and Loading).To toggle between the statistics modes press the CAPS LOCK key.
Full Statistics
When using the advanced statistics, the horizontal list from the simple statistics is moved to middle of the screen. Below the list is a spreadsheet containing a list of players. The players are listed so that the player from the team with the highest average is first. Within the team, players are listed so that the player with most kills and least deaths are first. Each player listing show the player name, the player kills, the player deaths and the status of the player. The status of the player is the
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SECTION SEVEN
THE IN-FLIGHT MENUS
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General
The in-flight menus are accessible at the top of the screen at all times while you are flying. It allows you to change, adjust or reconfigure basic game options, including resolution mode, sound volumes, graphic detail of the terrain, buildings and other aircraft, enemy skill and more. Most of these options are also available from Options on the Main Menu, though the in­flight menu also includes a few other features, such as the ability to accelerate time to reduce Time to Target.
To access the drop-down menu bar, press the ESC key,located in the upper left-hand corner of your keyboard. The menu bar will appear across the top of your game screen. The game default is set to pause flight while the In-Flight menus are active. The menu is navigated using the arrow keys, and features can be selected by pressing Enter. To close the in-flight menu and re t u rn to active flight, p ress ESC again.
The seven submenu sections of the Dogfight in-flight menu are:
Mission
Allows you to restart the mission, quit the mission or save your progress.
Dogfight
Allows you to restart or quit the game
Network
A l l ows you to quit the network game
Game
Set up time compression, Gameplay and menu options.
Cheats
Allows you to cheat by simplifying certain aspects of the game.
Difficulty
Allows you to select the skill level of your opponents
View
Camera and External view options.
Campaign In-Flight Menu bar
Controls
Select plane flight control methods and alter/adjust options for them.
Mode
Select graphics modes and re s o l u t i o n options.
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Graphics
Change terrain and transparency details.
Sound
Volume and stereo options.
Help
Display ke y b o a rd commands and game cre d i t s .
Please note that some of these sub-menus are only available in certain play modes (dogfight, campaign or network dogfight). This is described in greater detail below.
mission planner. If you’re flying a cam­paign and select Quit, you’ll have to plan your mission again from the start.
Quit & Save
You may select Quit & Save at anytime from the in-game menu; when you do,you will enter the Mission Debriefing screen. When you exit the mission debriefing s c re e n , one hour will be added for preparing the aircraft for the next mission. If the mission is a success and you return to a friendly base with your aircraft, no additional penalties of any kind will occur.
Mission
This sub-menu is only available when playing a campaign. When you select the Mission menu, you have access to three options: Restart,Quit and Quit & Save.
Restart
This option cancels the current mission and reloads it from scratch: your mission is restarted as if you had just left the mission planner. All of your mission waypoints are uploaded to the flight computer and the scenario time is rolled back to your current mission’s initial time.
When you select Restart, no penalties of any kind are imposed, even if you have c rashed or been killed; you will lose neither a fighter nor a pilot. It also means that any targets destroyed during your current flight will be not be scored.
Quit
Selecting Quit takes you back to the
This is not the case if you quit and save before reaching a friendly base. In this case,you’ll lose an aircraft and,unless you eject and return to a friendly base on foot, you will lose a pilot, as well. In other words,try to get as close to a friendly base as possible before bailing out, in order to reduce the distance you’ll have to cover on foot and the chances of losing a pilot.
Mission In-Flight Menu
Dogfight
This menu is only available when you are playing dogfight. It gives you access to items: Restart and Quit.
Dogfight In-Flight Menu
Restart
This option quits and restarts a new dogfight game with your current settings.
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Quit
Selecting Quit takes you back to the Dogfight main menu screen. You’ll be able to alter the Dogfight settings and relaunch into a new set of attack waves.
Network
The network menu is only available when you are playing multiplayer dogfight. There’s only one item:
s e t t i n g. This means that every t h i n g happens at twice its normal speed.
Normal x3
Triple the compression of the Norm a l setting,thereby making everything happen at three times normal speed.
Normal x4
Sets four times the compression of the N o rmal setting, effectively making everything happen at four times normal speed.
Network In-Flight Menu
Quit
This selection quits the network game and returns you to the lobby.
Game
T h e re are three sub-menus you can alter in this menu,Time Factor,Gameplay and Menus.
Game In-Flight Menu.
Time Factor
This allows you to use time compression to speed up the action. T h e re are four selections:
Normal
The default, which means that there is no time compression.
Normal x2
Double the time scale of the norm a l
N o rm a l l y, time compression is only desired in campaign mode. Please note that due to the complexity of the simulation, the processor may not always be able to run the game internally at the requested time factor.This may result in a lower framerate and jerky graphics.
Gameplay
There is one option under Gameplay, Start On Runway.This toggle option is only used in the Campaign games, though it can be t u rned on and off at any time. W h e n checked, all campaign missions start with the aircraft out on the runway instead of in a taxi area. This saves you the time and trouble of taxing to the runway before each Campaign mission.
Menus
There is one option under Menus, Pause Game. When selected, pressing ESC to a c t i vate the in-flight menus will also pause the game. When not selected, your
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aircraft continues in flight,even when you are checking the in-flight menus.
Cheats
These options are intended to make missions easier to fly and increase your chances of survival. They are divided into the following categories:
Cheats In-Flight Menu
View
This has just one customizable item:
No Fadeouts
When selected, pilots won’t experience red- or blackouts of the field of view when pulling extreme G-forces in combat due to tight turns, dives or climbs.
Physics
Here you are able to simplify a few options w h i ch affect the way physics are simulated in the game:
problematic during landings and takeoffs. When this option is checked,your plane is not affected by wind and weather.
No Turbulence
Even with no wind, hugging the terrain at low altitudes makes for a bumpy ride. Checking this box will disable low-level turbulence.
Cannon
This section determines the behaviour of your gunshots. It has just one item:
Easy Aiming
This is a toggle-option. When selected, your plane’s cannon lead sight will be in Easy Aiming mode. You won’t have to think much about leading the locked target; the cannon rounds will actually lead themselves and try to ‘chase’ the target. This is not a guaranteed automatic hit however, the closer the locked target is to the centre of your aiming sight, the better the chance of a hit with this option selected. When not selected, cannon rounds will conform to the normal laws of physics. This will result in a wonderful aerial display of tracer lights but far fewer gunnery kills.
Easy Landings
When the checkbox is toggled on, the undercarriage can take more of a beating, making it significantly easier to land.
No Wind
Though not obvious when cruising at high a l t i t u d e s , a strong wind may prov e
Damage Level
This section determines which amount of damage applied to your plane. There are t wo selections possible in this menu, Realistic and Invulnerable. When Realistic is checked, your aircraft can take only a certain amount of damage and survive; modern warfare being what it is,that ain’t
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much.
N o t e : Selecting ‘ I n v u l n e rable’ disables your ability to save your progress in the campaigns.
Supplies
This section consist of a single item:
Unlimited Ammo
When this option is selected, you’ll never run out of missiles, bombs or cannon rounds.
Note : Unlimited Ammo also disables your ability to save your progress.
Difficulty
Enemy Skill
This menu is only available in campaign play. It allows you to set the skill rating of the pilots you and your wingmen will be flying against. Select one of five settings: Rookie, Novice, Average, Veteran and Ace. The default setting is Average, with Rookie the easiest type of enemy pilot to fight against and Ace the hardest.
benefit of learning new skills and manoeuvres from the more experienced pilots. As they advance through the skill l e v e l s , they learn more manoeuvre s , develop better gunnery and bombing skills and become more willing to use both in combat. Aces are wily, c rafty opponents, t h e s u rvivors and victors of many aerial combat missions; they should not be u n d e restimated. They know all the standard air combat maneuvers and aren’t afraid to use them at any time, and have also developed excellent gunnery skills.
View
This menu is designed to allow the player to customize certain view options and has two sections: Camera and View.
View In-Flight Menu
Camera
There are two options deciding how the camera in the game behaves:
Difficulty In-Flight Menu
Rookies know only basic flight skills; they’ve been rushed to the front straight from training school. They haven’t had the
No Shaking
Normally, the camera shakes slightly at high velocities and during tight G-turns. When checked, this options turns such shaking off.
No Head Tilting
When this option is checked, the camera won’t show the pilot’s head experiencing
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tilts due to G-forces during maneuvers.
View
This sub-menu allows you to configure whether or not flight information is super­imposed on the screen. It has three sections:
a i rc raft controls are to your ke y b o a rd input.
HMD Radars
When ch e cke d ,the active and passive ra d a r displays from the MFDs are superimposed on the lower corners of the HMD.
External HMD
When selected,portions of the HMD will be available to certain external views.
Enable Messages
When selected, this displays tex t messages that complement the computer and radio messages into the cock p i t . Examples of such messages are “Enemy Lock-On” and “Shoot”
Controls
This sub-menu is used for configuring the input to the game. In addition to the basic choice of whether to use keyboard,mouse or joystick, it also presents a context­sensitive section that allows you to configure each device:
Keyboard
When keyboard is selected, the controls menu also shows the following item:
Keyboard Sensitivity
This slider adjusts how responsive the
Controls In-Flight Menu with keyboard input device selected
Mouse
When playing with a mouse, the controls menu contains the following items:
Controls In-Flight Menu with mouse input device selected
Pitch Sensitivity
This slider adjusts how responsive the aircraft controls are to movement along the y-axis.
Roll Sensitivity
As abov e, but this slider adjusts the responsiveness along the x-axis.
Inertia
This slider determines how much inertia there is in the mouse controls.
Button Remapping
Here you have two displays. The upper line shows which button to edit (left, right or -
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if playing with a three button mouse - the centre button). The lower line shows what function is currently assigned to that button. Selecting the upper line and pressing Enter changes which button to edit, doing the same on the lower line changes the function. Using CTRL toggles the opposite direction.
to raise it.
Rudder Sensitivity
Works in the same manner as XY Sensitivity above, with the aircraft rudder becoming more or less sensitive to commands.
Joystick
When keyboard is selected, the controls menu also shows the following items:
Controls In-Flight Menu with joystick input device selected
Centre
When selected and the ENTER ke y pressed, this option pulls the joystick and reassigns the centre vector for the stick’s current position.
XY Sensitivity
This is a gradient bar that raises or low e r s the XY coordinate sensitivity to flight m a n o e u v re commands. The higher the sen­s i t i v i t y, the quicker the airc raft will re s p o n d to XY coordinate changes during flight.
To alter this setting, highlight the XY Sensitivity option and press the ENTER key. Then use the left arrow key to lower the sensitivity and the right arrow ke y
To alter this setting, highlight the Rudder Sensitivity option and press the ENTER key. Then use the left arrow key to lower the sensitivity and the right arrow key to raise it.
Slack
On many joy s t i ck s , the input is never completely zero, even when the joystick seems to be in the centre position. Normally, this could cause the aircraft to pitch and roll slightly, even when no force is used on the joystick. The slack slider can be used to define how much tolerance is to be used around the neutral position. To alter this setting, highlight the Slack option and press the ENTER key. Then use the left arrow key to lower the slack and the right arrow key to add to it.
Force Feedback
If you have a Force Feedback joystick attached to your computer, this option allows you to select whether or not it should be enabled. Check the box to turn Force Feedback on.
If no Force Feedback joystick is selected in the Windows Control Panel, this option is
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greyed out.
Button Mapping
This works exactly like the mouse button mapping described above, only here you are able to select the function of each button on your joystick. The upper line shows which button to edit (Fire 1, Fire 2 , e t c.). The lower line shows what function is currently assigned to that button. Selecting the upper line and pressing Enter changes which button to edit, doing the same on the lower line changes the function. Using CTRL toggles the opposite direction.
Mode
This menu allows you to select which screen resolution to use when playing the game. It contains three items:
H ow e v e r, p l a yers using computers with s l ower processors may experience some jerkiness when game graphics are set at the higher resolutions. We recommend ex p e r­imenting with the lower resolutions until you find the one that performs best for you.
Lo-Res Emulation
This is short for Low Resolution Emulation, and features two options:
Big Pixels
If you want to run the game in low­resolution modes, and your gra p h i c s card/driver does not support this, JSF can emulate low - resolution by re d ra w i n g using big pixels. This means that the game is redrawn in low-resolution internally ,and then doubled to fit the physical screen resolution. This option is not available in modes less that 640x400.
Mode In-Flight Menu
Screen Resolution
This option allows the player to select screen resolution from the list available on the computer. This may va ry between d i f f e rent mach i n e s , from as low as 320x200 pixels (lo-res) to super- h i - re s (1280x1024 or higher) and everything in between. To select a new screen reso­l u t i o n , use the Up/Down arrows to highlight the desired resolution,then press the ENTER key.
Black lines
If the Big Pixels option is enabled, the Black Lines option lets you select how the scaling of the screen is performed. When checked, every other line is not redrawn, but left black. This is slightly faster than the alternative, when all lines are drawn.
Graphics
This menu offers submenus which allow you to change object and terrain complex i t y
Graphics In-Flight Menu
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to enhance performance, select certain graphics features in the game and add or remove some transparency effects during flight. Note that subtracting detail and features will enhance performance at the expense of visual appearance.
Detail
This section lets you add to or subtracts from the graphic detail of objects, such as a i rc ra f t , and terrain feature s , s u ch as buildings and roads. It is divided in two:
Object Complexity
A gradient bar that adds or subtracts detail from objects you see during flight,such as other aircraft. To alter the current setting, use the Up/Down arrow keys to highlight the selection and press Enter. Then use the Left/Right arrow keys to va ry the gradient bar setting. Moving the bar to the right will add complexity; move it to the left to subtract detail.
Terrain Complexity
This slider works in the same manner as Object Complex i t y. Use the Left/Right arrow keys to add or subtract from terrain detail.
Terrain Objects
This slider detemines how many terrain objects should be drawn-none, only the trees,or all terrain objects.
Features
The graphics engine of Joint Strike Fighter
contains a number of effects and features which enhance the graphics, yet are not vital to the gameplay. These can be enabled or disabled in this and the following sub-menu.
Enable Lens Flares
Lens flares emulate the optical effect created by a camera when exposed to strong light sources, for instance from the sun or a rocket blast. When checked,these effects are enabled. Disabling the effects will improve performance.
Enable Particles
When enabled, a particle system is used for rendering weather effects like wind and rain. This may reduce performance on slower computers.
Transparency
Certain special effects in the game can be rendered with or without transparency. Though tra n s p a re n cy may reduce the performance of the game, it may add to the visual appearance of the game. The following effects are handled separately:
Smoke
When checked, this option improves the a p p e a rance of the smoke - t rails in the game by using transparency. Performance may suffer on slower computers.
Shadows
When this box is checked, shadows are projected onto the ground with tra n ­s p a re n cy, rather than as single colour
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silhouettes.
Explosions
Using tra n s p a rent explosions will improv e re a l i s m , but can be a serious perform a n c e hit. Keep this in mind if you are ex p e - r i e n c i n g s l ow d own when viewing large ex p l o s i o n s .
N OT E : We highly recommend you ex p e r­iment with the options in the in-flight d r o p d own menu, especially those playing JSF on computers with pro-cessors slow e r than a 166 megahertz Pentium. A d j u s t i n g the options in Graphics and Mode to display less object and terrain detail at lower re s o l u ­tions can dramatically increase the per­f o rmance of the game on these computers.
highlighting the option, pressing Enter to activate it, then using the Left/Right arrow keys to decrease or increase the volume.
Sound Effects
Most actions performed in flight, such as firing a weapon and raising the landing gear, have sound effects that play when the action is performed. Set your desired volume level of the in-game sound effects by highlighting the option, pressing Enter to active it,then using the Left/Right arrow keys to decrease or increase the volume.
Speech
This slider raises or lowers the volume on speech messages to you during flight. This applies both to radio messages and the VOCOM.
Sound
The sound menu allows you to configure how music, sound effects and speech are played back through your loudspeakers. It contains the following sections:
Sound In-Flight Menu
Volume Control Music Track
JSF features several original music tracks that play during flight. Set your desired volume level of the in-game music by
Stereo Reverse Channels
On some computers, the placement of the l o u d s p e a kers are ex changed. Check i n g this box reverses this.
Enable Messages
In-game speech is enabled by default, as this is one of your primary sources of information. It can, however, be disabled be unchecking this box. Note that this makes you totally reliant on text messages for such things as radio communication and flight computer messages.
Master Volume
This submenu has only one item:
Mute
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When checked, all sound in the game is disabled.
Help
Help In-Flight Menu
Keys
Activating this option will display a screen listing the flight keyboard commands. Use [Up] and [Down] to scroll between pages. To return to the in-flight menu, press ESC.
About
Activating this option will display a screen with information on the developer and publisher. Pressing ESC will return you to the in-flight menu.
Credits
A c t i vating this option will display a series of scrolling screens showing who contributed during the development of Joint Strike Fighter. Press ESC to return to the in-flight menu.
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SECTION EIGHT
Flying the Plane
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General
This section is intended to teach you the ins and outs of the Joint Strike Fighter planes. By reading this part you’ll not only get familiar with the flight behaviour of the JSF planes; you’ll also get a deeper understanding of the underlying systems of the aircraft. This includes the Flight Assistance Systems, Avionics Suites, Automated Defence Systems and your virtual cockpit environment.
If you find this too much information to digest in one go, you can always refer to this section later for technical details of the aircraft. Still, it’s well worth the effort try to get an overview of what’s going on “behind the scenes” as you ride through the sky.
Flight Handling
Operating the Engine
To start your engines and power up the aircraft, press the [~] key, located in the upper left of your keyboard, directly below ESC (or next to return).
Taxing on the Ground
A speed of about 15 knots is usually convenient when taxiing on the airport. This is most easily achieved by applying a short burst of power to the engines, and then using the inertia of the plane to keep you rolling. The B key can be used to slow down your airplane if you go too fast.
To steer your aircraft, use the rudder keys [<] and [>] to steer left and right. Steer your aircraft forward and turn onto the runway, using the brake as needed, and coming as close to facing down the centreline stripe as possible. Then use the rudder keys to turn left or right, facing d own the runwa y, with the centre l i n e down the middle of your screen.
TIP 1: To save the time and trouble of taxing out onto the runway each time you fly a campaign mission,check the Start On Runway option on the in-flight menu. From now on, all campaign missions will start on the runway, ready to start engines and fly without the need to taxi onto the strip.
To add power to your aircraft and increase speed, press the 1-0 keys, with 0 being 100% power and 1 being 64% power. To turn the engine off press CTRL and [~]. See also Appendix 1 for a complete list of all keyboard commands, and Appendix 2 for a description of joystick and gamepad configuration.
TIP 2:Throttle control is the key to taxing. Be careful to not go too fast during turns.
Takeoff
Press the zero, 0, key to push your thrust to 100%. When the speed indicator on the HMD is at approximately 150 mph or greater, pull the joystick back to tilt the nose of the aircraft and take off. Once in the air,press G to retract the gear.
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In-Flight Operations Hatch
To use the weapons in the intern a l weapons stations, you’ll need to open the h a t ch. This is done with the H ke y. Remember that having the hatch open increases your radar cross section - so don’t forget to close it after you have delivered your weapon load.
Airbrake
The air brake or speed brake slows the plane down by increasing drag. Holding the B key down while you are in the air achieves this by elevating a moveable surface on the top rear of the aircraft.
Flaps
Use the flaps to gain extra lift during takeoffs. They are turned on and off with the F key. Remember that having the flaps out increases drag, so retract them once you have gained your desired speed.
Gear
Be sure to retract your gear after take-off so you don’t damage your undercarriage. Having the gear down while airborne also increases drag on the plane.Take the gear in and out with the G key.
keys and W at the same time. T h i s command will first jettison ex t e rn a l weapons, and if you invoke it a second time it will jettison your internal weapons.
You can also jettison fuel - this is activated by pressing both CTRL keys and J at the same time. Fuel jettison is turned off again by pressing the key combination once m o re. Note: A l ways ch e ck your fuel storage,fuel consumption and distance to nearest friendly airport before invoking this command.
Eject
When all hope of returning to base is lost, you may want to consider ejecting from the plane. This is done by pressing both CTRL keys and E at the same times. Note, however,that this is not without risk.
Landing
Landing should be performed at approximately 135 kt (250 km/h), depending on weapons load. Fully loaded, you may have to land slightly faster,while a virtually empty plane will allow you to land with reduced air speed.
Jettison
If you for some reason need to reduce your weight during flight you have two options: Jettison Fuel or Jettison Weapons.
If you need to reduce your radar signature or reduce your weight press both CTRL
HMD with correct landing angle
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The key to a successful landing is achieving the correct speed and Angle Of Attack (AOA). The AOA display is intended to help you judge your AOA at any time. It shows angles from 11° - 15°, and for ideal landing the velocity vector should be placed in the centre of this (i.e. at 13°). In addition, the velocity vector should be placed approximately 4° below the horizon for a perfect in-flight landing path.
TIP: If you are a rookie pilot be sure to enable Easy Landings on the in-flight menu. This will make it harder to get wheel damage when touching down
Flight Assistance Systems
General
Autopilot
Almost all modern aircraft are equipped with an autopilot (a computer able to fly the aircraft). To activate the JSF’s auto­pilot, press A. To deactivate its autopilot, p ress A again. The complete autopilot system is available on the Control MFD / AUT, and operates in 4 different modes. You can alter the data used by the autopilot, such as heading, height, speed, according to the situation requirements.
Mode 1: Waypoint
In waypoint mode, the autopilot directs your aircraft to the active waypoint, with the selected height and speed. Useful when you want to study the MFDs,fly with accelerated time or just to enjoy the view.
Mode 2: Heading
When selecting heading mode, t h e autopilot maintains the selected heading, at the selected height and speed.
Aircraft systems overview.
In today’s combat environments, p i l o t s experience enormous pressure and huge workloads. They must at all times maintain high situational awareness while c o m m u n i c a t i n g, monitoring airc ra f t systems,monitoring and evading missiles, positioning their aircraft, etc. Research on easing pilot workload has resulted in a number of sophisticated Flight Assistance Systems, all present in the JSF aircraft.
Mode 3: Tracking
The tracking mode maintains the speed of the active air target. Perfect for lining up a cannon kill, or if you want to maintain a constant distance from a target.
Mode 4: Auto-Throttle
The auto-throttle mode helps the aircraft maintain a constant speed. This is selected by the pilot on Control MFD / AUT. Perfect for situations requiring constant speed, like landing and dogfights.
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Terrain Avoidance System
Too many deaths of fighter pilots are not the cause of an enemy missile,but of their own inattention leading to an encounter with a hard surface - like the ground. This has especially been the case when flying at low altitudes. The designers of the X-32 and the X-35 therefore decided to include a Te r rain Avoidance System in their planes. This system continually monitors the state of the aircraft, and adjusts the direction of the plane if there is a Crash Situation.
While using the autopilot in wa y p o i n t mode,the avoidance system is always on. This ensures that you will not crash while s t u dying your MFD’s. In all the other autopilot modes and when the autopilot is off the terrain avoidance state can be set in the Control MFD / AUT / TRA.
Note: The Terrain Avoidance System is automatically turned off when you extend the landing gear.
Terrain Following Box
Sometimes it is preferable to fly terrain hogging without using the autopilot. In such a case you should take your gear in, turn off the terrain avoidance system, and a small box, called terrain following box, will appear on the HMD. If you keep your velocity vector inside this box you will fly safe at low altitude.
You can adjust the height of the terrain following box on the Control MFD / AUT / TRA up and down, as you can for terrain following waypoints. The recommended terrain following height depends on what kind of mission you are on,the terrain and how many wingmen who join your flight.
Level Function
If you lose control over your plane, press the level button to recover your flight. Your flight computer will then level your plane, and ensure that you gain speed if n e c e s s a ry. Level operation will cancel when you touch the throttle or stick. You can also cancel the operation by pressing the level button again. The level function is invoked with the L-button.
Terrain following box
Avionics
General
JSF features a very sophisticated avionics suite; all combined into an internal suite of sensors and processors performing a wide range of different tasks. These tasks include the active radar, FLIR, SLS, GPS, IFDL amongst others.
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Active Radar
The JSF aircraft features a long-range doppler radar able to detect and track multiple air targets simultaneously. On the Attack MFD / RAD, you will find a wide range of functions for operating the radar, like turning the radar on/off, changing targets, ranging, target information, view modes etc.
Ranging
You can select among four different radar settings:
Range: Cone: 54nm 20º 22nm 40º 13nm 80º
6.7nm 160º
Radar in plan view mode
The Normal Plan View
The normal plan view is the conventional, easy to interpret view. You will normally want to use this view mode.
Radar ranges.
View Modes
The radar cone can sometimes be difficult to interpret; there f o re the JSF airc ra f t features three different view modes to select from on the Attack MFD / RAD:
Radar in side elevation view mode
Side Elevation View
The side elevation view is useful for checking relative altitudes of different air targets.
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Radar in cross-section view mode
Cross Section View
If you want to determine enemy altitude and movement across your flight path,you should select this view mode.
Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR)
The JSF aircraft is capable of detecting and tracking vehicles and other moving objects from which it can obtain an IR­signature. The FLIR is based on the third­generation of ptronic devices, giving it a 360˚ coverage and a range about 20nm. All FLIR targets are projected onto HMD for easy detection and identification. You can cycle through all available FLIR targets and view information about the active FLIR target on the Offensive MFD / ATG. See the HMD chapter for more information about FLIR targets on the HMD.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
The Global Positioning System uses three or more satellites to calculate the exact position of the receiver. In this case, the
receiver is the JSF airc ra f t , and it uses the GPS to pre-designate targets for use with GPS guided weapons, s u ch as the JDAM and JSOW. All pre-designated targets are projected onto the HMD, and the pilot can a c q u i re information about each GPS targ e t ( I D,ra n g e,E . T. A , e t c.) through the Offensive MFD / AT G. See the HMD chapter for more i n f o rmation about GPS targets on the HMD.
Anti-Radiation Targeting System (ARTS)
The Anti-Radiation Target System is able to mark the position of radiating systems within detection range, primarily for use with the AGM88c HARM weapon. The ARST works in conjunction with the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR - see the chapter Systems for more information). T h e positions of the radiating systems are projected onto the HMD for easy localisation and targ e t i n g. To acquire information about the Anti-Radiation (AR) targets, you follow the same procedure as with FLIR and GPS targets.
In-Flight Data Link (IFDL)
The In-Flight Data Link is a communication system primarily used to re c e i v e information about the threat-picture from a nearby AWACS or your wingmen. This allows the JSF to minimise the use of its own active radar, and therefore operate more stealthily. You establish the IFDL by communicating with the AWACS (see the Radio Communications chapter for more information). The status of your IFDL can be viewed on the Offensive MFD.
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Satellite Landing System (SLS)
HMD with SLSactive
The SLS can be activated by setting the HMD in SLS mode (by pressing S) when in the vicinity of an airport. A landing path is then projected in 3D onto the HMD. The SLS is completely passive; it relies only on pre ­d e t e rmined coordinates that have been g a t h e red from satellite data in adva n c e. This means that an airport may be controlled by the enemy, even if SLS data is ava i l a b l e. When an airport has not been verified as safe, the SLS path is displayed in re d ,rather than the normal gre e n .
Altimeter
Up to altitudes of 5,000ft above the gr o u n d , the altimeter displays ra d a r altitude. Basically it uses a small radar to calculate your real altitude above the ground. The altimeter automatically switches to barometric altitude when the altitude above ground exceeds 5,000ft. Barometric altitude means the aircraft’s altitude above sea level. The altimeter is located on the HMD.
Automated Defence Systems
General
The Joint Strike Fighter is equipped with sophisticated automated defence systems. The purpose of the systems are to take care of the defensive parts - detecting and av o i d ­ing enemy fire - as far as possible, w h i l e l e aving the pilot free for offensive opera t i o n s .
Decoys
A decoy is a false target created to fool an enemy tracking the plane. The decoys h ave similar reflectivity to the targ e t , though usually a bit stronger and more attractive. Decoys come in two flavours:
Radar decoys
Your plane is equipped with radar decoys called chaff. Chaff, also known as duppel or window, are small metallised plastic strips, which reflects one half of the radar wavelength. The best moment to release chaff is when the radar is trying to establish a lock on the target.
Infra-Red decoys
Flares are pyrotechnical packages that emit intense heat designed to confuse Infra-Red missiles.
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Plane releasing flares
Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
The Radar Wa rning Receiver (RWR) detects signals from enemy and friendly radar’s. Its reading is displayed on the sensor radar (Offensive MFD). The receiver in the JFS aircraft compares the signals it receives with a database of know n signals, and decides if the emitter is an aircraft,missile or ground unit.
Infra-Red Warning Receiver (IRWR)
The Infra-Red Warning Receiver (IRWR) works similarly to the RWR but it detects IR emitting sources instead of ra d a r emitting sources.
The core of the IRWR is an Advanced Distributed Aperture System (ADAS). This system consists of multiple sensors under the skin of the JSF, designed to detect short range ground-to-air missiles, long­range A2A targets and long range A2G missiles.
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)
The radar depends on the IFF system to determine if an aircraft is enemy, friendly or neutral. The system has two phases; first the IFF interrogator unit sends a radio message containing a coded enquiry that essentially requests friendly planes to identify themselves. Equipment carried by the friendly plane,called IFF transponders, automatically responds to this re q u e s t with a coded message, which in turn is picked up by your plane and fed into your onboard computer. A positive reply
allows your onboard computer to classify the plane as friendly or civilian.
Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
ECM is a wide description, defined as methods to confuse the enemy’s usage of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this context ECM is a device that receives enemy radar signals (ECM receiver unit), and then retransmits them with a slight delay (ECM transmitter unit). The result is that the enemy pick up false signals and are unable to track you reliably.
Defence Subsystem (DSS)
To ease the stress on the pilot during d o g f i g h t , the Defence Sub-System (DSS) was developed. This system automates the release of chaff and flares. It monitors tra ck ­ing data and calculates the right re l e a s e moment. You should normally have the DSS a c t i vated at all times,as it is effective and economical in terms of chaff and flare u s a g e. The pilot can still release chaff and f l a res manually when the DSS is on.
Cockpit Environment Multi-Function Displays (MFD)
Cockpit view of all MFDs
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General
The cockpit is fitted with six (6) different MFD panels; each designed to display easily and coherently information about the current state of your airc raft and mission. They also allow you to alter some of that information to meet the dynamic needs of an ever- changing combat environment.
You can make selections and alter data on the MFD panels by holding down the Alt key to activate the mouse pointer. Then click on the green buttons next to the selections,around the edge of each panel.
Tip: The MFD panels can be viewed while the game is paused. However, you cannot m a ke button selections or alter any information until you the game is out of pause mode.
current damage (displayed in a range of colours from green to red), information about payload (including jettison controls and fuel consumption), RCS (radar cross­section) and IRCS (infra - red cross­section),(including a list of conditions that affect the RCS and IRCS).
Information MFD
The Information MFD includes information and functions for navigation (including waypoint selection, time to next waypoint, range,etc.) and activating/deactivating the Satellite Landing System (SLS).
Attack MFD
The Attack MFD is mainly the active radar panel where you can sort through and select from local, close-in threats and targets. See the Radar chapter for more details.
B e l ow are some general explanations of the various panels and functions of the MFD.
Control MFD
The Control MFD provides the means to operate your HMD, including turning on and off night vision, a c t i vating and deactivating the HMD and altering auto­pilot data.
Status MFD
The Status MFD displays a host of critical i n f o rmation about the status of your aircraft. This includes general avionics,
Strategic MFD
Navigating by map is mainly done from the Strategic MFD, which can also overlay the Offensive MFD display (including wa y ­points and targets).
Offensive MFD
The Offensive MFD is mainly a display of the information from the differe n t defensive systems, the IFDL and the navigation system. It also allows cycling through and selecting A i r- To - G r o u n d targets obtained by the FLIR, RWR and the GPS.
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MFD Functions
General
E a ch MFD has an on/off button located in the top left corn e r, labelled “MFD”. Next to the “ M F D ” button (top row) there may be one or several Mode Buttons. A c t i vating a mode button will activate the rest of the buttons associated with that mode.
Note:In all cases of On or Off toggles while viewing an option in the MFD panels, the On position is indicated by a white-lined border around the option.
Control MFD “HMD” (HMD mode)
Control MFD
“HMD”: Toggles HMD on/off. “IR”: Toggles night vision on/off. “STO”: Toggles Synthetic Terrain
Overlay on/off.
“SOO”: Toggles Synthetic Object
Overlay on/off.
“LCK”: Toggles lock of heading
tape and pitch ladder. When locked, the heading tape and pitch ladder show the aircraft’s heading and pitch,not the pilots view heading and pitch.
“LAD”: Toggles Tapes and Ladders
on/off.
HMD COLOUR
” : Toggles HMD colour
upwards/downwards.
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial
horizon with current speed, heading and height.
Control MFD “AUT” (Auto pilot mode)
Control MFD in Autopilot mode
“AUT” (Autopilot/Flight assistance
systems mode) “ECM”: Toggles ECM on/off. “DSS”: Toggles DSS on/off. “LEV”: Levels the plane
(recovery button). “TRA HEIGHT”: Increases/decreases terrain
avoidance height.
“TRA”: Toggles terrain avoidance
on/off. “AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height. “AUT”: Toggles autopilot on/off. “AM”: Toggles autopilot mode
(waypoint, heading, tracking,
throttle). “SEL”: Selects data-entry
(highlighted in white). “ ”: Increases selected data-entry. “ ”: D e c reases selected data-entry.
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Status MFD “AVI”(Avionics mode)
Status MFD Status MFD in Damage mode
““Dam” (Damage Mode)
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading and height.
“STO” (Stores mode)
Status MFD in Storage mode
“JFV”: Toggles Emergency
Jettison Fuel on/off.
“JWE”: Emergency Jettison Weapons.
Jettisons first external weapons and if activated again, jettisons internal weapons.
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading and height.
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.
“SIG” (Signature mode)
Status MFD in Signature mode
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed,heading
and height.
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Information MFD “NAV”(Navigation mode)
Attack MFD
“RAD”(Radar mode)
Info MFD
“WAYPOINT”: Increases/decreases active
waypoint. “NAV”: Selects NAV mode for the HMD. “SLS”: Selects SLS mode for the HMD
(activates SLS). “LGT”: Toggles external aircraft
lights on/off. “AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.
“ENV” (Environment mode)
Attack MFD
“RANGE”: Increase/decreases active
radar range.
“TARGET”: Toggle target
upwards/downwards.
“RAD”: Turns active radar on/off.
“ZOOM”: Zooms display in/out.
“VMD”: Toggles radar view mode. “AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading and height.
Strategic MFD “MAP” (Map mode)
“AVI”:
Info MFD in Environment mode
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.
Strategic MFD
“OVL”: Toggles overlay of
Offensive MFD on/off.
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“AVI”: Overlays an artificial
horizon with current speed,
heading and height.
Offensive MFD “RAD”(Offensive mode)
Offensive MFD
“EWR”: Toggles display of
information from
the IFDL on/off. “RWR”: Toggles display of RWR
lines on/off. “GPS”: Toggles display of GPS
targets on/off. “IR”: Toggles display of FLIR
targets on/off. “AR”: Toggles display of AR
targets on/off. “ZOOM”: Zooms display in/out.
“WAY”: Toggles display of
waypoint route on/off. “AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.
“ATG” (Air-To-Ground mode)
Offensive MFD in ATG mode
“ATG”: Toggles ATG-Discriminator
upwards/downwards.
“TARGET”: Toggles ATG target
upwards/downwards.
“GPS RANGE”: Increases/decreases operating
range of GPS targets.
“AVI”: Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed,heading and height.
MFD Colour Codes
General
The Attack MFD and the Offensive HMD uses colour codes for different types of targets and target categories. The colour code for each target each target is determined by the IFF system (see Defensive Systems chapter). An active target has a yellow outline in addition to a colour coded square.
Air Targets
Enemy: RED Friendly: BLUE Civilian: GREEN
Ground Targets
GPS: PURPLE FLIR: ORANGE
AR: WHITE Neutral: GREEN Missile: YELLOW Unidentified: WHITE
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Head Mounted Display (HMD)
Tapes and symbols
Heading Tape
The heading tape shows your aircraft’s current heading and the heading to the current selected waypoint. If the waypoint is outside the limits of the heading tape,a carat will appear either to the left or right of the HMD marking the direction of the waypoint.
Forward view from the cockpit in flight,HMD active.
General
Like all modern fighter aircraft, the JSF features a Head Mounted Display (HMD) that projects information directly onto the forward view of the pilot. It provides the pilot with critical information about his flight path, speed, altitude, nearby enemy targets and which of his weapons are currently active and ready to shoot. This information is configurable by the pilot; he can tailor the display to suit his personal needs and the needs of the mission. The HMD is perhaps the single most important source of information you have available. It can tell you where the threats are, how many of them there are, the current state of your aircraft in flight, weapons status; you name it - it’s there.
You also have the option to superimpose the Attack MFD and the Offensive MFD on the HMD for convenience.
Speed Tape
The speed tape shows your airc ra f t ’s current speed,and the rate of acceleration is shown by the speed of the tape.
Above the speed tape,the amount of G you are pulling and the actual thrust of your engines is displayed.
Altitude Tape
The altitude tape shows your aircraft’s c u r rent barometric or radar altitude (indicated by an ‘R’ to the left of the altitude number).See the Altimeter chapter for a more thorough description.
The rate of climbing/descending is shown by the speed of the tape. Displayed above the altitude tape, are the autopilot mode, status of brakes, status of flap and the status of gear.
Pitch Ladder
The pitch ladder shows the pitch (in degrees) and roll of your aircraft relative to the horizon.
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Other Symbols
The nose marker marks your current pitch on the pitch ladder. The velocity vector s h ows your airc ra f t ’s direction of mov e m e n t .
between you and your target changes. A positive number means the target is closing,and a negative number means the target is moving away from you.
Modes Of Operation
The HMD operates in four different modes: NAV (navigation), SLS (Satellite Landing System), A2A (Air-To-Air), A2G (Air-To-Ground).
The current mode is displayed below the speed tape.
NAV Mode
The NAV mode is used for navigation and it displays your current waypoint, including range and estimated time to reach the waypoint below the altitude tape.
SLS Mode
When in SLS mode, the HMD will display a secure in-flight corridor as a range of boxes.
A2A Mode
Below the altitude tape, you can view information about your current air target, such as target ID, range and speed.
All targets on your active radar are projected onto the HMD as bra cke t s around each target. The active target is projected as a square with a number under it. The number indicates Velocity Of Closure. VOC indicates how fast the gap
Using the target toggle key ([TAB>) in this mode will cycle through air targ e t s . Using the target view key ([F12>) in this mode will view the active air target.
A2G Mode
The A2G mode can operate on three differe n t types of targ e t s :FLIR (Infra - R e d ) ,GPS (Global Position System) and AR (Anti-Radiation).
You select the type of targets to operate with the A2G-Discriminator and it is displayed to the right of the HMD mode (only in A2G mode).
All these targets are projected onto the HMD as different symbols.
All GPS targets are projected as two carats. The active GPS target is projected as four carats (forming a marker). All FLIR targets are projected as brackets around each target. The active FLIR target is projected as a rectangle.
All AR targets are projected as crosshairs. The active AR target is projected as a crosshair with a square.
Again, below the altitude tape, you can view information about the current target determined by the ATG-Discriminator.
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Using the target toggle key ([TAB>) in A2G mode will cycle through targ e t s determined by the A2G-Discriminator type. Using the target view key ([F12>) in A2G mode will view the active targ e t determined by the A2G-Discriminator type.
Weapon Sights
Aspect Angle Indicator
The aspect angle indicator is visible on both the missile and cannon sight circles as a carat.
The symbology shows the targ e t ’s HEADING relative to your POSITION. It indicates what orientation (or side) of the target aircraft you would see if you were close enough. The following table simplifies the situation:
Position of aspect carat on circle:
Aspect of enemy:
weapon you need to open the hatch by pressing H.
Note: Keep the hatch closed as much as possible to minimise your radar signature!
Top of the circle Nose Bottom of the circle Tail Left side of circle Left wing Right side of circle Right wing
Hatch Closed Indicator
If you have selected an internal weapon (i.e. you have no external weapons left), and the weapons hatch is closed, a hatch closed indicator as an “X” will appear on top of the appropriate weapon sight. B e f o re you can launch / release any
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Cannon Sight
Historical gunsight
The missile sight consists of three parts:
1. A missile boresight circle.
2. An aspect angle indicator.
3. A range indicator,located to the left of
the missile boresight circle, with a carat indicating range to target relative to the missiles maximum and minimum range.
Note: If no carat is visible on the range indicator, don’t waste your ammo!
The historical cannon sight consists of three parts:
1. A continuously simulated bullet trajectory.
2. A range circle positioned at the targets range along the simulated trajectory.
3. An aspect angle indicator.
The range circle indicates the range to the active target. 1 hour equals 1000 feet,so a full range circle means range to target is 12000 feet.
Missile Sight
Missile sight with target lock indicator
Bomb Sight
Bomb sight
The bombing system is a standard CCIP (Continuously Calculated Impact Point) displayed as a straight line from the velocity vector to the impact-point (indicated by a small circle at the end of the line).
If you have the ATG-Discriminator in GPS mode,and you have an active GPS target, the weapon system will simulate a glide trajectory towards the GPS target. If the glide bomb is able to glide to the target, the impact point will “snap” to the target and the probability of a direct hit is very high.
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Synthetic Overlays
Object Overlay
Synthetic object overlay
The HMD is able to add colour coded velocity vectors to all targets registered by the airc ra f t ’s weapon systems (active radar, FLIR, GPS, AR). In effect, this will show the movement direction of all targets in true 3D space. The colour codes are the same as those used by the Attack MFD and the Offensive MFD.
Terrain Overlay
synthetic terrain overlay on the HMD. Basically,the terrain overlay is a computer generated 3D image of the terrain that helps the pilot fly the airc raft in poor visibility.
Night Vision
The HMD has a built-in electro-optical device that intensifies (amplify) existing light making it possible for the pilot to see objects he would not normally see under poor light conditions (e.g. night). You can toggle night vision on/off using the Control MFD.
VOCOM
General
When the on-board computer detects a situation that is of great importance to the pilot, it can call attention to the pilot by displaying text on the HMD or activating wa rning lights. This is sometimes not enough to get the pilot’s attention. The designers therefore put in an another way of notifying the pilot, called automated voice computer messages or VOCOM. The VOCOM is a female voice that tells the pilot about certain incidents. The VOCOM is female because research has shown that this is the voice pilots focus on easiest.
Synthetic terrain overlay
The JSF carries an onboard terra i n database; together with information from other platforms, it can generate a
Warning Tones
When your cockpit is filled with an annoying “alarm clock” noise, you are in trouble. The on-board computer uses this method to get your full attention in an
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Radio Communications
General
The air pioneers in World War I did not have a radio and had to use hand signals to communicate. In a modern jet fighter a UHF radio is taken for granted, and many o p e rations depend heavily upon it. The radio com-munications menu is i n v o ked by holding down Shift. The menu disappears when Shift is released. A numbered menu is displayed in the lower left corner of your screen. Make selections by continuing to hold d own the Shift key and pressing the keyboard number corresponding to the proper menu item (e.g. Hold the Shift key down and press 1 to issue orders to All Wingmen…).
If the menu item is followed by three periods (…), selecting that item will display an additional menu of numbered items.
You have three available radio channels, one for wingmen, one for AWACS and one for tower communications. If you issue many commands at different ra d i o channels simultaneously, the voice messages you receive may overlap.
The messages you send will appear on top of the screen (if text messages are
enabled), and if you have speech enabled they will be spoken. You will also receive messages in the same manner. You enable or disable messages and speech from the JSF in-game menu.
Tower
The airfield towers are vital to modern air traffic; so be sure to use it to get safe takeoff’s and landings.
Use the menu choices Request Landing Permission, Request Emergency Landing Permission, Request Takeoff Permission during takeoffs and landings.
When your plane is damaged, be sure to use the request emerg e n cy landing permission. The tower will then reroute other planes landing,and you will be given landing permission immediately.
AWACS
The Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft monitors the battlefield and reports relevant information to you if you have an In Flight Data Link (IFDL) established with the AWACS.This consists of an encrypted binary data link that feeds radar information directly into your flight c o m p u t e r, as well as radio messages informing you about enemy air activity. The link is established with the menu choices Request IFDL and disconnected with Disconnect IFDL.Giving Orders To Your Wingmen You can issue a wide variety of o rders to your three wingmen, e i t h e r
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individually or as a group. Wingmen are often crucial to your mission, and it takes a skilled pilot to communicate with them c o r re c t l y. Be sure to listen to them carefully,and give the correct response to their messages and status reports. For a full explanation of all radio commands you can issue, see Appendix 4.
For now, we will take you through how to order them to attack air targets.
Radio communications menu
Ordering The Wingmen To Attack Air Targets
If you are attacked in flight or the AWACS gives you a vector to enemy air targets, you can order your wingmen to attack them.
4. Select Engage At Will by pressing the 3 key;
5. Each wingman will now engage any enemies that come into radar range.
Ordering The Wingmen To Return To Formation
1. Hold down the Shift key; a numbered menu will appear in the lower left corner of the HMD;
2. Continuing to hold down the Shift key, press the 1 key,All Wingmen…;
3. Select Engage… by pressing the 2 key;
4. Select Disengage by pressing the 4 key;
5. Each wingman will acknowledge the order and return to formation.
1. Hold down the Shift key; a numbered menu will appear in the lower left corner of the HMD;
2. Continuing to hold down the Shift key, press the 1 key,All Wingmen…;
3. Select Engage… by pressing the 2 key;
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SECTION NINE
Plane Physics
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Plane Physics
General
Despite the complexities of modern day aircraft, the concept of flying is really deceivingly simple. The positional b e h av i o u r of a plane can really be broken d own into four separate forc e s , e a ch usually working in different directions.
Induced dra g, on the other hand, i s introduced by the lift created by the wings. This means that whenever you increase your speed and/or lift, induced drag will also increase.
Lift
As wind flows across your wings, lift is induced because of the difference in air pressure above and below your wings. When this force equals the force of gravity, you are able to maintain level flight without neither gaining nor losing altitude. When pitching up or down, however, the net result also depends on the thrust of your engines.
Aircraft Forces.
Gravity
Like death and taxes, gravity is one of those things you cannot easily get around. It is,naturally, the number one obstacle to flight,as it has to be overcome one way or the other.There are two ways of achieving this, aircraft lift and engine thrust.
Drag
D rag can be divided into two types; parasitic drag and induced drag.
P a rasitic drag consists of the forc e s c reated between the airflow and the airplane structure,such as gear and flaps. C a r rying ex t e rnal weapons will, f o r instance,increase the parasitic drag.
Thrust
Eventually, your gain in altitude and speed must come from somewhere. T h i s ‘ s o m e w h e re’ is obviously your engine, delivering the thrust that propels your plane forwa rd. For this re a s o n , t h e performance of your engine relative to your mass and drag is of vital importance as far as acceleration and max speed is concerned. In level flight, when the forces of drag and thrust are equal, your speed will be constant.
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SECTION TEN
Aerial Manouveres
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This section of the manual is intended to acquaint you with certain aspects of multi­aircraft fighter combat. In JSF, you take the role of a flight leaderable to make tactical decisions for a strike package of up to four aircraft. This means you will often be re q u i red to determine the formation and spread of your flight. The first two sections of this appendix outline the various formations and separa t i o n distances at your disposal.
Dogfighting Introduction Definitions
Track Crossing Angle.
Closure
The term indicates how fast two aircraft are closing. This is also referred to as the closure rate.
Angle Of Tail (AOT)
The Angle Of Tail says how many degrees off an enemy’s tail your plane is. If you are on tail you have zero degrees A OT; if an enemy is on your tail you have 180 degrees A OT.
Angle off tail.
Track Crossing Angle (TCA)
This is the difference (in degrees) between two planes’ velocity vectors. If the two velocity vectors are parallel, the TCA is 0.
Manoeuvres. Pure pursuit
When employing this manoeuvre, you're pointing your aircraft nose directly at the t a rget. Ideally this would bring you towards 0 degrees AOT, but - as the figure below shows - more often than not, the plane parameters do not allow it. The greatest advantage of this manoeuvre is that the frontal area of the plane is re d u c e d , t h e re f o re making the airc ra f t hard to spot.
Pure Pursuit.
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Lead pursuit
In Lead pursuit, you are pointing the nose of your aircraft in front of the aircraft you are attacking.This can be used to increase the closure rate.
Lead Pursuit.
Lag pursuit
Lag pursuit means you are pointing the nose of your aircraft behind the aircraft you are attacking.The result is a reduction in closure rate.
Break Manouvre.
Scissors manoeuvre
The scissors is really a series of break maneuvers. The goal is to get on the attackers tail and/or deny him a lockon.
Lag Pursuit.
Break
A break is one of the most basic fighter maneuvers. Perform this manoeuvre to reduce A OT. The manoeuvre can be performed in any direction with varying degrees of turn rate. A tight turn will reduce AOT most, but also reduce in a significant speed loss.
Scissors manouvre.
Immelmann manoeuvre
This famous manoeuvre, developed by Max Immelmann during World War I, is heavily dependent on the plane paramers of the plane performing the manoeuvre. A high turn rate is necessary to perform this manoeuvre successfully.
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Immelman manouvre.
High Yo-Yo
Use this manoeuvre to reduce AOT and/or avoid overshoot.
Terrain Masking
One of the main applications of the Joint Strike Fighter is low-level attack missions. In order to avoid detection both visually, from radars and from IR sensors, terrain masking is often crucial. Routing is one important factor in achieving this, a s described in Section 5. When a route is found, it is also a great advantage to fully master the techniques re q u i red for nap-of-the-earth flying.
The obvious way of crossing a ridge is approaching low on the forward face. As shown below,this can result in your plane being thrown high on the rear face.
High Yo-Yo.
Low Yo-Yo
This manoeuvre can be used if you don’t have enough energy to reach your target. Dive across the circle to gain speed, and catch up on the enemy.
Low Yo-Yo.
Low on forward face.
When accepting some exposure on the forward face, however, the amount of ex­posure on the rear face can be reduced. There will, however,still be a penalty.
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Reduced exposure.
Taking advantage of your plane’s ability to pull more positive than negative G’s is the key to a perfect pass. By rolling inverted, the contour of the ridge can be maintained by pulling G. Obviously, you do not want to try this before you are very confident with your flying skills, as this requires you to return to normal flight at the exact right time to avoid crashing into the ground.
Wing Co-Operation General
Since the start of air combat during World War I, aircraft formations and tactics have been heavily developed. New develop­ments in weapons, planes and radar have a l ways resulted in new tactics and formations. During World War II,the typical f o rmation had a wingman 45 degre e s behind the leader with a separation of around 500 ft. The introduction of the missile during the Korean War forced the planes apart because a safety range is needed when the wingman fires a missile, so that he doesn’t hit his leader. Today a separation of as much as 15,000 ft can be used.
The best separation and formation may vary during a mission depending on the dangers you meet. You should try to plan in advance what kind of formations you will use during your mission, but be ready to change if something unex p e c t e d happens.
Positive G capability utilised.
Tight formations can be used with great success if you are trying to fool an enemy radar. Several close planes may show up as a single point on the enemy radar, and the enemy will respond too lightly to the threat. During combat, wide formations should be used.
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Formation layout General
The following formations are available:
• Arrow
• Card
• Four ship
• Decoy down
• Decoy front
• Vertical
As the flight leader, you should position your wingmen so that, in case of emergencies, you know where they are at all times. The best way to accomplish this is through the use of standard i z e d formations.
T h e re are several classic fighter form a t i o n s in JSF that you can choose from. These are : Four Ship,A r r ow, C a rd , and Vertical. T h e s e f o rmations are based on a “ f o u r- s h i p ” c o n f i g u ration consisting of yourself and up to three additional airc raft flown by your wingmen. Each has specific advantages as well as disadvantages that you should be a wa re of.
(wingman) aircraft is positioned out in front. The trailing section,consisting of the #3 (section leader) and #4 (wingman) aircraft is positioned astern of the lead section. Each section leader has his wingman flying tight cover.
The A r r ow is useful as a traveling form a t i o n over enemy air space. By advancing one s e c t i o n ,the chances of both pairs becoming engaged simultaneously is decre a s e d . U s u a l l y,one section will go unnoticed and/or unengaged. This leaves it free to manouvre and assist the engaged section as n e c e s s a ry. The Arrow is an attack formation best suited for engaging ground targets. As the lead section sweeps through the target area and executes its attack, it passes along pertinent information to the trailing pair of aircraft- in effect, acting as a forward spotter. This allows the formation to keep its speed high in the vicinity of the target thus reducing its risk to ground fire.
2. Card
1. Arrow
The Arrow formation divides your four aircraft into two distinct operational pairs or sections. The lead “ t wo - s h i p ” p a i r, consisting of the #1 (flight leader) and #2
The Card (or Box) formation arranges the f o u r-ship into a square or re c t a n g u l a r p a t t e rn with all four airc raft flying at roughly the same altitude. The Card is a basic formation practiced by pilots of every nationality and a favourite among flight
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leaders because it takes some command responsibility off their shoulders. The box­l i ke arrangement is easily managed, e v e n by inexperienced pilots.
A to point B. A Four-Ship formation will quickly dissolve once in combat as the individual pairs break off an engage separate enemy aircraft.
The two section leaders, aircraft #1 and #3, take the two forward positions in the f o rmation. Their respective wingmen, aircraft #2 and #4, position themselves directly behind. Station keeping within this f o rmation is kept simple because the trailing aircraft have two reference points to go by. For long admin flights,the Card is the formation of choice.
In combat, h ow e v e r, the Card is less desirable.This two-dimensional formation is vulnerable on all four sides and the trailing aircraft have their forward firing arc masked by the presence of friendly aircraft. By all means, use the Card when necessary but in situations where enemy contact is likely,switch to either the Arrow or a Decoy formation.
3. Four-Ship
In a Four-Ship formation, the #2 and #4 a i rc raft are flared outwa rd from their respective flight leader. This gives the f o rmation greater visibility forwa rd but makes it more vulnerable to attacks from the flanks and rear. Essentially, a Four­Ship is nothing more than two aircraft pairs flying in a line-abreast arrangement.
4. Vertical
The Vertical (or Ladder) formation is simply a vertical stack of aircraft. Each member of the formation is positioned a little below the aircraft directly in front. One advantage of this formation is that enemy pilots will have trouble judging how high (or low) it extends. It can easily be mistaken for a two-ship formation.
The Four-Ship formation consists of two pairs of f l i gh t lea d wingmen combinations. It is a traveling formation used to keep the two“two-ship”elements in visual range while in transit from point
From a tactical standpoint and reasons of energy management, it’s always best to take on aircraft at higher altitudes first. For this reason, locating and identifying the lead aircraft in a Vertical is extremely important to the attacke r. If the lead elements of this formation go undetected, the enemy winds up going after the lower
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a i rc raft. If this happens, i t ’s a simple matter for the free fighters to come to the rescue.
5. Decoy Formations
In addition to the three standard formations mentioned above, there are also two special flight configura t i o n s designed to lure an enemy force out into the open. They are the Decoy Down and the Decoy Front formations.
The Decoy Front formation places a single fighter (once again, the #3 aircraft) out in front of the main formation at roughly the same altitude. The premise of this form­ation is to once again, spook an enemy into prematurely committing itself. If the Decoy is attacked, the remaining three fighters of the formation are in position to engage.Attackers seeking to take up a tail chase pursuit on the Decoy are them­selves caught from behind.
• Decoy Down
The Decoy Down formation places a single fighter, the Decoy, (usually the #3 aircraft) out in front of the other three aircraft at a lower altitude. The premise of the Decoy D own is to trick enemy fighters into a t t a cking the Decoy. Once the enemy fighters are committed, the re m a i n i n g three fighters in your formation move in to engage them. In cases where the Decoy is ov e r l o o ked and the main formation is spotted, the Decoy fighter is then free to reverse direction and engage the attackers.
• Decoy Front
B. Combat Spreads
Another aspect of formation flying is maintenance of safe separation distances or combat spreads between aircraft. Tight formations are more difficult to spot both visually and on radar. (Two tightly packed a i rc raft may appear as one to enemy radar.)
The trade-off is that close formation flying re q u i res intense concentration. It is physically demanding on pilots and cannot be continued over extended periods of time.As flight leader, you may select from four different separation distances. These are:
• Separation Wide:maintains 2000 meters between aircraft.
• Separation Normal: maintains 150 meters between aircraft.
• Separation Close: maintains 50 meters between aircraft.
• Separation Display: maintains 15 meters between aircraft.
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Formation separation
As well as formation, you can also order your wingmen to keep a certain separation between the planes. The follow i n g commands are used.
Wide
The separation between the planes are approximately 6000 feet. This separation is often the best in modern air warfare.
Normal
The separation between the planes are approximately 500 feet. Though not as compact as Separation Close, it keeps your wingmen within viewing distance.
Close
The separation between the planes are approximately 150 feet. Use this formation if you want your formation to keep tight together,without tiring out your wingmen.
Display
The separation between the planes are approximately 50 feet. Several planes may melt together to a single radar echo when t raveling close enough. Note, h ow e v e r, that Separation Display wears out your pilots quickly and should only be used for a short period of time.
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APPENDIX ONE
Keyboard Quick Reference
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Basic flight controls
[Left] [Right] Roll plane [Up] [Down] Pitch up/down [>] [<] Rudder pedals H Toggle Hatch G When grounded : toggle nose wheel lock
F Toggle flap B Airbrake/wheel brake O When grounded: Back up with plane
Engine
[CTRL] [ ` ] Engine off [ ` ] Engine idle 60% 1 64% thrust 2 68% thrust 3 72% thrust 4 76% thrust 5 80% thrust 6 84% thrust 7 88% thrust 8 92% thrust 9 96% thrust 0 100% thrust [CTRL] 0 Afterburner thrust [-] Increase thrust [CTRL] [-] Increase thrust slow [=] Decrease thrust [CTRL] [=] Decrease thrust slow
When airborne: toggle gear
Emergency Controls
[BothCTRL] [E] Eject [BothCTRL] [W] Jettison first external weapons, then internal [BothCTRL] [J] Toggle fuel jettison
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[BothCTRL] [Arrow] Adjust trim. This needs only be done under
Camera Views External Camera Views
[F1] Player internal: Forward [F2] Player internal: Player virtual cockpit
[F3] Player views: Player external
[F4] Player action views: Player chase
[F5] Wingman views: Wingman external
[F6] Plane views: Plane external
[F7] Vehicle views: Vehicle external
[F8] Generic object views: Object external
[F9] Incoming missile views:
[F10] Outgoing missile views:
extreme situations (i.e. your aircraft suffers serious structure damage)
Player virtual target padlock
Player air flyby Player ground flyby
Player back view Player, below left wing Player, below right wing
Player Wingman Wingman Player Wingman air flyby
Player Plane Plane Player Plane air flyby
Player Vehicle Vehicle Player Vehicle ground flyby
Player Object Object Player
Player Incoming missile Incoming missile Player Incoming missile external Incoming missile air flyby
Outgoing missile external Outgoing missile internal view Outgoing missile air flyby
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[F11] Secondary player views: Player satellite view
[F12] Player target views: Player target external
When applicable,these additional commands are available:
[Ins] Next object in category [Del] Previous object in category [CTRL] [Right] Rotate camera right [CTRL] [Left] Rotate camera left [CTRL] [Up] Rotate camera up [CTRL] [Down] Rotate camera down [PageUp] Move camera closer to object [PageDn] Move camera farther from object
Normal Views
[CTRL] [Arrow] Move head in virtual cockpit. Note that when doing
this, the aircraft radar is connected to the motion
sensor and rotates with your head. [NumPad7] Virtual cockpit look left [NumPad8] Virtual cockpit look back [NumPad9] Virtual cockpit look right
Tower Player Wind Indicator view
Player Player target Player target Player Player target air flyby
By default,transitions between these positions happen smoothly. By pressing [CTRL], however,the view snaps immediately.
MFD Views
[NumPad1] Control MFD [NumPad2] Status MFD [NumPad3] Info MFD [NumPad4] Attack MFD [NumPad5] Strategic MFD [NumPad6] Offensive MFD
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By default, the camera slides smoothly from one MFD to another.As above, however, an immediate change can be forced by keeping [CTRL] pressed while selecting the view.
Radio communication
[Shift] Activate communications menu. The following
commands only apply when shift is pressed:
1..9 Select message 1..9. Greyed out messages are
inactive and therefore not selectable. [BackSpace] Go back one level [ ` ] Go back one level
Weapons Controls
[Space] Fire active weapon [CTRL] [Space] Fire gun [Enter] Next A2A weapon [CTRL] [Enter] Previous A2A weapon [BackSpace] Next A2G [CTRL] [BackSpace] Previous A2G weapon D Next A2G discriminator. The available modes are: None No ground target display IR Operate FLIR targets GPS Operate GPS targets AR Operate AR targets [CTRL]D Previous A2G discriminator [Tab] Next target [CTRL] [Tab] Previous target
Defence Controls
E Toggle ECM C Chaff Z Flare
MFD Controls
[Alt] Enable mouse pointer [Alt] [NumPad1] Active MFD set to Control MFD [Alt] [NumPad2] Active MFD set to Status MFD [Alt] [NumPad3] Active MFD set to Info MFD
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[Alt] [NumPad4] Active MFD set to Attack MFD [Alt] [NumPad5] Active MFD set to Strategic MFD [Alt] [NumPad6] Active MFD set to Offensive MFD [Alt] 12345 Active MFD top row buttons [Alt] QWERT Active MFD left row buttons [Alt] ASDFG Active MFD right row buttons [Alt] ZXCVB Active MFD bottom row buttons
The active MFD is always a little brighter than the other MFDs.
HMD
[Numpad Decimal] Toggle HMD on/off S Set HMD mode to SLS N Set HMD mode to NAV [Enter] Set HMD mode to A2G [BackSpace] Set HMD mode to A2G [CTRL] T Toggle synthetic terrain overlay [CTRL] O Toggle synthetic object overlay [CTRL] N Toggle night vision
Dropdown Menu
[Esc] Toggle dropdown menu [Arrow ] Navigate dropdown menus/Operate sliders [Space] / [Enter] Select dropdown item
Radar
Autopilot
X Increase radar range [CTRL] X Decrease radar range R Radar on/off [CTRL]R Toggle radar view mode
A Toggle autopilot on/off W Next waypoint [CTRL] W Previous waypoint M Match target speed T Autothrottle L Level plane
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APPENDIX TWO
Joystick and GamePad Buttons
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Input Device Configuration
General
Select your preferred input device from the JSF Main Menu > Options > Game > Input Device or the In-Flight menu (revealed by pressing ESC while playing the game) Controls / Input Device.
The ke y b o a rd commands are alwa y s enabled,independent of what input device you choose.
Configuring The Keyboard
The arrow keys are used for pitch and roll, and sensitivity can be adjusted through the In-Flight menu Controls / Settings / S e n s i t i v i t y. The game is fully playable through the arrow keys, but for the best control we recommend that you use a joystick.
Default button mappings:
Button Function
1 Fire 2 Toggle A2A weapon 3 Toggle target
Note:If you want to use a 3-button mouse, be sure to have a 3-button mouse driver selected in Windows95‘ Control Panel / Mouse / General. Configuring Joysticks, G a m e p a d s , throttles and rudders A joystick is the best way to control your a i rc raft. Joy s t i ck s , G a m e p a d s , T h r o t t l e s and Rudders are configured in the Windows 95 Control Panel / Joystick , the JSF In-Flight menu and when required c o n f i g u ration through a manufacture r p r o gram. See the listings below for information on your joystick.
Configuring The Mouse
Vertical movement of the mouse corresponds to a pitch movement on the s t i ck , while a horizontal mov e m e n t corresponds to roll. Pitch Sensitivity, Roll Sensitivity and Inertia can be adjusted under Controls > Settings in the In-Flight menu.
You can also map your mouse buttons to keyboard commands. This is done under the In-Flight menu Controls / Button Mapping. Select the button you want to map, then select the function you want to map the button to.
For more information on controller specific configuration and controller capabilities, see your controller and W i n d ow s 9 5 ‘ manuals.
XY Sensitivity, Rudder Sensitivity and Slack can be configured in the In-Flight menu under Controls / Settings. Rudder sensitivity only applies if you hav e selected rudder in Windows95‘ Control Panel.
The Centre command under Controls in the JSF In-Flight menu reads the controller position and uses this as controller centre
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position. This is done every time you start JSF, but if you for some reason you need to re-centre the controller invoke this command.
Joystick buttons and a POV-button supported by your selected joystick driver can be mapped to keyboard commands. This is done under the In-Flight menu Controls>Button Mapping. Select the button or POV direction you want to map with Enter and the up/down arrow keys to select the function you want to map the button to.
Default button mappings:
Button Function
POV up Look up POV left Look left POV down Look down POV right Look right 1 Fire 2 Toggle ATA weapon
Note: If you have a controller with thrust control (third axis),and you want to disable it, do so in the Windows 95 Control Panel.
Throttles
Controller name Keyboard mapping file Configuration
CH throttle controls\ch_th.key Manufacturer program ThrustMaster F16 TQS Manufacturer program.
Must be used with ThrustMaster F16 FLCS or ThrustMaster F22.
ThrustMaster MARK II WCS Manufacturer program
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Gamepads
Controller name Keyboard mapping file Configuration
ACT Labs Powerramp MITE PHASE 9 Phantom 2 PRIMAX Firestorm gamepad ThrustMaster Phazer Pad
Joysticks
Controller name Keyboard mapping file Configuration Misc.
ACT Labs Eaglemax Windows95 control panel, Thrust
ingame menu,manufacturer prog ram
CH F16 Fighter Stick controls\ch_fight.fsc Windows95 control panel, Thrust
ingame menu,manufacturer prog ram CH F16 Flight Stick Windows95 control panel,ingame menu Thrust CH Force FX Windows95 control panel,
ingame menu,manufacturer program Logitec Wingman Extreme Windows95 control panel,ingame menu Microsoft Sidewinder Professional Windows95 control panel,ingame menu Thrust,rudder Microsoft Sidewinder Standard Windows95 control panel,ingame menu Thrust ThrustMaster F16 FLCS controls\f16tqs.m50 Windows95 control panel,
controls\f16tqs.b50 ingame menu,manufacturer prog ram
controls\f16wcs.m50 controls\f16wcs.b50
ThrustMaster F22 Pro controls\f22tqs.f22 Windows 95 control panel,ingame menu,
controls\f22tqs.m22 manufacturer program controls\f22wcs.f22
controls\f22wcs.m22
W i n d ows 95 control panel,ingame menu W i n d ows 95 control panel,ingame menu W i n d ows 95 control panel,ingame menu W i n d ows 95 control panel,ingame menu, m a n u f a c t u rer progra m
ThrustMaster Pro FCS Windows 95 control panel,ingame menu
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