The provided document is a "Quick Start Guide" for the "Ka-50 Black Shark" digital combat simulator. It covers installation, activation, deactivation, troubleshooting disk protection issues, initial game settings, basic helicopter controls, simplified avionics indicators, combat commands, cockpit indicators, helpful hints, and the end-user license agreement.
Here's a description of the "Ka-50 Black Shark" digital combat simulator based on the manual:
Function Description
The "Ka-50 Black Shark" is a digital combat simulator that allows users to experience flying and operating the Ka-50 attack helicopter. It is designed to provide a realistic simulation of the Ka-50, including its flight characteristics, avionics, and combat systems. The simulator features various game modes such as Campaign, Mission, Training, Instant Action, and a Campaign Builder, allowing players to engage in different scenarios and create their own. It also includes an Encyclopedia for in-depth information and a Logbook to track progress. The game offers different difficulty levels, including a "Game" mode recommended for new players or those who prefer a more "arcade" style experience, which simplifies flight controls and avionics.
Important Technical Specifications
The manual does not provide specific technical specifications for the simulator itself (e.g., minimum CPU, RAM, GPU requirements). However, it does mention:
- Copy Protection System: The game uses a copy protection system that creates a hardware profile of the user's system. Significant hardware changes or operating system changes may require reactivation.
- Activations: Users are provided with eight activations for the product.
- Deactivations: Users are provided with ten deactivations to transfer the license between systems or before significant system changes.
- Disk Protection Technology: The game is protected using DiscFree technology, which allows activation via the Internet and does not require the physical disc to run after activation. It also uses Periodic Disc Check (PDS) technology, which allows the game to run for 7 days without the disc after an initial disc check.
- Manuals: Two PDF manuals are included:
DCS-BS_gui_manual_eng.pdf (user interface and editor manual) and DCS-BS_flight_manual_eng.pdf (Ka-50 flight manual).
- Graphics Presets: The game offers Low, Medium, and High graphics configuration presets, allowing users to adjust settings based on their computer's processing power.
- Display Settings: Configurable options include textures, scenes, CIV traffic, water quality, visibility range, heat blur, shadows, resolution, aspect ratio, number of monitors, and resolution of cockpit displays.
- Audio Settings: Adjustable volume for overall game, radio, engines, mechanical sounds, effects, wind, warnings, in-cockpit sounds, music, and GUI. Options for sound, radio speech, and subtitles are also available.
- Input Controls: Supports joysticks (4-axis with 8-position POV and 6 buttons are shown as an example) and keyboard controls. Specific joystick axis assignments (Rudder, Stick control roll, pitch, and collective) are configurable.
- Windows Vista Compatibility: Mentions potential issues with Windows Vista regarding memory handling and User Account Control, recommending disabling UAC for installation and avoiding missions with large unit counts.
Usage Features
- Installation: Insert the DVD, follow on-screen instructions. Requires Administrator rights on Windows. If auto-installer fails, run
Setup.exe manually.
- Difficulty Levels: "Game" mode is the default, simplifying controls and recommended for new players. Difficulty can be adjusted later in Options.
- Activation: Required before playing. Can be done automatically via Internet, or manually via phone, e-mail, or the ProActive website using a serial number and hardware code.
- Deactivation: Allows users to deactivate their license before making significant system changes to save activations. This process can also be done manually or via the ProActive website, generating a Deactivation Code for future reactivation.
- Initial Settings: After installation, users should configure graphics, audio, and input settings via the "Options" screen, specifically the "System" tab.
- Flight Controls:
- Joystick: Strongly recommended, especially with a rudder axis. Sample configurations are provided.
- Keyboard: Alternative control method. Keys like [Up]/[Down] for forward/backward acceleration, [Right]/[Left] for roll, [Z]/[X] for yaw (turn left/right), and [Q]/[A] for altitude control are used.
- Simplified Flight Mode: In this mode, the helicopter maintains desired velocity and altitude automatically when controls are released, making it easier to fly.
- Aircraft Trim: Essential for stable flight in simulation mode. Allows locking the cyclic position. Re-trimming is recommended when airspeed changes significantly (e.g., >25 kph).
- Simplified Avionics - Indicators (F4 View - Third-person, chase camera):
- Aiming Reticule: Shows the selected weapon's aimpoint on the ground.
- Targeting System Aid: Indicates where the helicopter's nose is pointing.
- 360 Degrees Radar: Displays all units (friendly and enemy) around the helicopter.
- Player's Helicopter: Always assumed to be in the center of the radar display.
- Selected Weapons: Shows current weapon system and remaining ammo (ATGM, ROCKETS, CANNON HE/AP, UPK, BOMBS).
- Optical Targeting System Video: Video feed from the "Shkval" system.
- Target/Target Lock: Indicates the locked target and a surrounding cue.
- Attack Command: Flashing indicator when a target can be engaged.
- Distance to Target: Displays distance in kilometers.
- Green/Red Markers: Friendly/enemy objects.
- Radar Display: Shows North, Locked Target, Player's Helicopter, Altitude Indicator, Radar Scale (1, 5, 10, 20, or 50 km), Current Heading, Current Waypoint, Enemy Units, Friendly Units, and Flight Trajectory.
- Specific Icons: Icons for Aiming reticle, weapon aim point, locked targets (enemy/friendly), aimpoint marker (outside/inside firing range), current waypoint, enemy/friendly SAMs, vehicles, aircraft, and airbase/landing area.
- Cockpit Indicators (F1 View):
- Gauges: Variometer, Artificial horizon, Accelerometer, Velocity indicator, Radio altimeter, Rotor RPM indicator, Barometric altimeter, Clock, Rotor blades pitch indicator, Planning and navigation indicator, Engines temperature indicator, Engines RPM indicator, Fuel level indicator.
- Systems: «Shkval» television system, Backup artificial horizon, «ABRIS» navigation system.
- HUD (Heads-Up Display): Displays Velocity, Velocity scale, G scale, Heading scale, Pitch indicator, Roll indicator, Altitude indicator (with "P" for radio altimeter), Radio altimeter indicator and scale (appears below 50m altitude), Vertical velocity indicator and scale.
- Combat:
- Target Locking: Joystick button 5 for ground targets, button 6 for airborne targets.
- Weapon Selection: Choose appropriate weapon based on distance and armor (ATGM, ROCKETS, CANNON HE/AP, UPK, BOMBS).
- Engagement: Fly towards target, wait for "FIRE" cue, place reticule, press and hold Joystick button 1 to fire.
- Commands (Simplified Game Mode):
- Automatic helicopter start: [Home + LWin]
- Lock aircraft/ground targets: [P], [O], [[]], []], [V], [B], [N], [M]
- Reset target lock: [Delete]
- Radar scale: [=], [-]
- Cycle weapons: [D]
- Fire weapon: [Space]
- Release flares: [Insert]
- View changes: [F4] (Outside view), [F1] (Cockpit view)
- Audio Warning Tones: Overtorque warning (black and yellow light with audio tone) and Overspeed master warning light (red light with audio tone) indicate critical flight conditions.
Maintenance Features
- Driver Updates: Recommends checking for protection driver updates via
protect.exe utility or http://www.star-force.com/support/drivers/.
- Troubleshooting: Provides a guide for generating error reports (text files with error codes and system information) and screenshots to send to technical support (
support@star-force.com) for disk protection issues.
- Emulator Conflicts: Advises deleting emulators (like Daemon Tools) and their drivers using utilities like SPTDinst, or disabling "Ignore media type" in Alcohol settings, if emulators are causing conflicts.
- Minidump Generation: Instructions are provided to configure Windows to generate minidump files in
C:\Windows\Minidump in case of BSODs (Blue Screen of Death) for debugging purposes.
- Reactivation: If the game license is transferred or system configuration changes, reactivation is required, potentially using a Deactivation Code obtained during the previous deactivation.
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