General Category > Unofficial F/A-18 Acceleration Pack board
Simviation Updated F/A-18 Hud
Sludge:
WOW!! Just had a hell-a-time trying to record 30secs in Fraps. I was all over the place in the plane.
Any quick and dirty tutorials on how to make a decent .wmv video thats only about 22 mb's or whatever Spaz's video is? Its a pain in the rear to switch on the f9 hotkey while holding a tab backpressure on the stick and keeping the throttle tended to, as needed.
Well, any ideas or any other good recording programs, give me a holler.
Laterz
Sludge
SpazSinbad:
Sludge (I guess I should call you that rather that fgrimley32), Yep I scares meself. What you see in the video is one of my first attempts to use the new HUD at that zoomed level. Believe me if you were scared - I was scared - but that is the nature of flight ops. ;D Download my PDFs from suggested sites earlier or see me and me mates doing A4G ops on HMAS Melbourne at: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=bengello&view=videos
my favourite clip is: (these greyscale videos are RAN Official, taken to record any problems as required, otherwise the film was not developed if flight ops were OK). ::) Of course that was 35 years ago in a galaxy far far away....
What I have been doing is not much in the way of carrier landings in flightsims because up until now they were extremely disappointing for various reasons (described in other threads). However I'm realising that this 'new' method (for me) is satisfactory as I have been describing. I'm not used to all the Hornet doodads so I try to ignore them but get distracted (at this early stage) by the new learning curve required in FSX with the new HUD. So my video as shown was not an attempt to show how things should be done but HOW THINGS SHOULD NOT BE DONE. ::) Yeah it was poor through and through but instructive to me at least.
IF FSX users want to master all the Hornet features then that will be good. However 'flying on instruments' is not what I want to get out of the sim. I would prefer to fly visually and monitor the AoA indexer and altitude as required but otherwise fly visually. This is more difficult with only the HUD and small horizon for reference although I think I will get used to it. Now I need to practice and practice and practice. Most of my FSX flying has been this testing of the KAHU Skyhawk under the same conditions at NAS Nowra Runway 26. Sadly that development has stopped - not sure when it will continue now.
BTW I'm not rejecting your advice about how to fly the Hornet in a carrier circuit. My knowledge for the Hornet would come only from diagrams - online stories and or the Super Hornet NATOPS (which is different). My actual carrier day flying was done at 300 feet for a very short finals where we picked up the ball half way around. This is a nice feature of an actual mirror - rather than the Fresnel Lens systems. The downside is the accuracy especially at night where I know how to scare myself (and others - the LSOs hit the net). See this online PDF: http://www.filefront.com/12844254/RampStrike01Sept71storyA4G.pdf/ (7.5Mb)
Your advice is specific and well explained so I will give your suggestions a try. Yes carrier flying needs to be as simple as possible so that any variables are minimised. However there are a few drawbacks to the sim that cannot be overcome with only computer monitors. I would like to see an actual up to date Hornet simulator to have a go but I guess not in our RAAF part of the world. My first carrier landing was in an A4G Skyhawk on HMS Eagle. Most RAN pilots train with the RAAF for basic/advanced then go back to the RAN FAA. HMAS Melbourne was in refit when our front line squadron had the chance to use HMS Eagle (visiting) for deck ops. I thought that deck was small but then later saw the MELBOURNE deck for the first time. :o
Because it is a sim I would recommend that users try 40 knot Wind over the deck (is the carrier actually moving in those missions? I have not figured that out yet). Anyway I'm guessing that that wind includes carrier movement to be a proper WOD. Having a stronger wind does help with more time in the groove and more power. I like to have the speedbrake out anyway (even though that is not real but this is a sim after all) for the same reason to have a bit more power on during the approach. I guess it is early days for me now because (to answer your question) I fly with the zoom view you see in the video. That video is recorded by FRAPS as I'm flying - seeing the same view. Otherwise the other videos are recorded playbacks (at Nowra). I have not looked to see if I can play back the mission now that I can save it. As I say early days for me in this 'new' version of the sim.
My screen is 1600x1200 (old cathode tube - can't stand the flat screens) at a no flicker refresh rate. Scenery and all frills set to zero with now the realism slider all the way to the right. Before it was set for the KAHU testing.
My suggestion for those who master all the tricks would be to fly more without looking at the HUD except for altitude and concentrate on the view during approach (when sometimes all the green stuff gets in the way) to fly 'meatball line up and airspeed' (ad nauseam). And have fun of course. ;D
SpazSinbad:
Sludge, I have been typing a lot so have not had a chance to get back to FSX. My suggestion would be to use the latest version of FRAPS (if you don't have it already). I use the '`' (last key top left lower case) to start a FRAPS video recording. In FSX this key will bring up a check list or something which can be stopped easily enough. I start the video on the deck then do a free takeoff (GASP) because I can't be bothered messing about with the catapult. I would rather be flying. Anyway because that is out of the way I try to get setup quickly and then do the shortest circuits (you see that in the Nowra videos) just for the heck of it. Carrier circuits by their nature are usually short and sweet. Long in the groove is a no no for the LSO because he knows that more mistakes will be made etc. Also it is a hassle for others if they are in the circuit.
My computer can handle FRAPS recording at the max of 60 frames per second at max resolution (full screen). I have a lot of free space on the disk for FRAPS to record the large .AVI files. Then because I'm using either Vista or Win7RC the Windows Movie Maker will 'publish' the video into a suitable .WMV format. Accept the standard format for best results but you can vary it in Movie Maker. This is where I add music. I never fly with sound.
To end the video I hit 'cntrl + break/pause' and then stop FRAPS. Movie Maker will crunch the VERY LARGE .AVI file down to a reasonable size OK. For example the 22Mb .WMV 'bad carrier HUD demo landing' came from a 1.8GB FRAPS .AVI (recorded at max speed / resolution for best result at standard .WMV publish).
SpazSinbad:
Just to clarify why I posted the 'how not to carrier land video': it was only to show the new clear HUD at that zoom level to show how I was using it and to demonstrate that I found it useful. Whereas any other HUD / method of zoom or view was totally unsatisfactory as far as I was concerned. Of course other people will have their own opinions and that is fine with me.
What I think some do not understand about my methods is that I'm looking at only a few cues - nothing else. Hence the need to see clearly OUTSIDE the aircraft and through the HUD (because it is in the way!) to see the 'meatball, line up and airspeed (Optimum Angle of Attack)'. Now I'm not dense enough to not understand that things are done a little differently today because of the convenience of the HUD. Never mind - I'm not trying to fly an instrument approach but a visual one to the carrier. This 'method' will always be difficult due to the nature of the sim, with small computer monitors. Probably a combination of initial instrument approach, switching to a visual landing will be required. Whatever. What I will stress is that it is doable - both methods - with the Clear HUD zoomed to fill the screen with the AoA indexer in view. I'm open to people using other methods and doing their approach by the numbers. No problem. However I'm trying to describe is: how I go about it.
What needs to be remembered about the 'bad landing video' is that is was done at full fuel weight so I got 'underpowered' during the approach to be low and flat at the ramp etc. Before that my circuit height went haywire because I was looking at the non-essential stuff in the HUD. Silly me. Personally I don't see the point of putting a perfect carrier landing video anywhere; because these videos are online already (most would be edited - unlike mine which is the 'full monty' - unedited with all the errors). Showing error is instructive in itself because despite them I recover to land in what would only be described as 'adverse circumstances'. However this was not - nor is - my point. My point only was to provide some humour (albeit self-deprecating) to show the HUD and how I had come to grips with it (almost). ;D
I have an amazing video clip to show my method of 'flying the aircraft' and not allow the 'aircraft to fly me' method - which some people mistakenly use but I'm loathe to show that video now. Don't despair - I will work on making the perfect carrier landing video but it will take time because it will be done in one take.... I was hoping that it would be done in a KAHU Skyhawk but that is only a dream right now.
Doum76:
--- Quote from: fgrimley32 on September 23, 2009, 07:28:22 am ---WOW!! Just had a hell-a-time trying to record 30secs in Fraps. I was all over the place in the plane.
Any quick and dirty tutorials on how to make a decent .wmv video thats only about 22 mb's or whatever Spaz's video is? Its a pain in the rear to switch on the f9 hotkey while holding a tab backpressure on the stick and keeping the throttle tended to, as needed.
Well, any ideas or any other good recording programs, give me a holler.
Laterz
Sludge
--- End quote ---
When i record with Fraps i, afterward compress it using http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/#
A Fraps 1-2 gig video ends up about 100 megs video. i use on the right hand option in the main window:
Video Option:
Codec: mpeg4
Size: Original
Bitrate: 4000 (The highest, the bigest, better quality movies)
FrameRate: 25
The movies i updated on youtube are compressed with those settings
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