Falcon BMS 4.34: IFF and Comms Tutorial, What’s New

A tutorial for all the new features and changes in Falcon BMS 4.34, including IFF, new comms procedures, ramp starts, and everything else.
Ramp Start - 0:18
New Comms Procedures - 4:36
IFF - 15:11
Everything else - 28:18

[@justsomeguy2759]

I think it's amazing that a community has kept this going. I remember buying Falcon 4.0 back in the 90's when I was a teenager....

[@moraismig81]

I was thinking the same thing

[@craigharris41]

Yeah, me too. I wonder how to download this.

[@theaceofspades485]

@@craigharris41 Go to Steam and download the *original* falcon 4.0 (not allied force) then go to benchmarksims.org and sign up (for free) click on forums and the click on updates click BMS 4.34 and download using the provided torrent link. ....oh and be prepared to read. This game takes a LOT of patience.

[@mrandmrsdogaming]

Same

[@PhantomMark]

@William Burns As a games dev myself I can totally relate to crunch mode :D

[@DJeb86]

First understandable bms tutorial found on youtube 😅, thanks.

[@skippersmg]

Exactly what my lazy a** was looking for, presented easily digestible and visually appealing. You got a subscription. Keep up your style.

[@colderwar]

Couldn't agree more

[@evmanbutts]

Coming back to BMS after a few years is rough, Forgot how to use IFF properly, smoked multiple friendlies from the bottom. Started an escort mission after only to accidentally lead my formation into SAM turrets and watched the friendlies drop like flies while I evaded like a madman. Hard to believe I used to know what I was doing lmao

[@TheRandomSqueak]

Thank you, Tim. This all released while I was in basic training and I am now just trying to get back into BMS. This was an awesome recap on what's new to 4.34

[@960Design]

Nice to see Falcon still evolving. Fantastic video Stretch ( Hag from back in the old 72nd days ).

[@Xynos1]

Thank you very much for a clear and concise overview of changes. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@Alphaviper2003]

just what I was looking for - couldn't find a DCS tutorial for the IFF DED pages and IFF panel, so this has helped massively

[@andydevine5847]

So Glad you Posted this Stretch! I'm working on getting back into the air. Thanks man!

[@BuggSmasher]

Fantastic work with short and concise explanations, for what is becoming an ever expanding and brilliantly complex realistic simulation! For those of us that used to fly Lead Pursuits F4 Allied Foce, I can recall thinking how detailed and somewhat complete that was . . . .And now some 14 years later here we are with IFF, and where some simmers maybe now regretting this level of detail (Not!) . Thanks again (formally ScooterdownUnder from 72nd forums 2004 to 2008 where I remember the old guard lol)

[@SteelbeastsCavalry]

Damn right!

[@romaniachin6751]

Dayum right about the head spin, but it's a very good video, which i will go back to next time before takeoff. Thanks a lot

[@w10rick]

"What's going on under the HUD." Liked that reference Stretch.

[@aaron8862006]

Great updates! Easily the best video covering 4.34

[@MititeluRadu]

meh, except that in good old BMS fassion something is always wrong, buggy, unexplained and so on. They change more in startup then just the EPU pin.

[@SnaxDesAvions]

" *holy* *s**** *im* *good* " lol Thanks for the video, very informative ! Hope to be back in the cockpit soon ! Good hunting, Snax

[@JamesOfKS]

25:59 yea that's funny :)

[@chuckwagon7860]

Excellent video, Tim! Blessings!

[@jerjerferson]

This was very informative. One minor point you got wrong, at 25:54 the Korean jet would likely say something along the lines of 미군놈 죽어라 (die American bastard) instead of go die in a hole (which I laughed at when I saw it)

[@Altrote100]

yeah, same here LOL..!!

[@rglasinovic]

Great video! Thanks a lot for sharing this with us

[@Kimchi_Studios]

Downloading... What a ton of new features

[@elseb80]

Very Good Explanation Thx! I searched for something like that. It is difficult to understand everything. Happy Holidays and Upcoming new Year 2021 :-)

[@keithlillis7962]

Excellent tutorial

[@zhenyujiang3303]

Really nice work!!

[@frederf3227]

Learned some new things! Here are some add'l notes: The comm ladder can go 2-3-4 departure and 4-3-2 arrival if both airbases are the same. If arrival is different then 7-8-9 is the return sequence. I think if arrival and departure AB match then 4-3-2 is mirrored with 7-8-9. And 10-11-12 are for alternate although most don't have anything but tower. All humans should call overhead break if they have AI behind them in the same landing queue flight (eg AI-AI-human-AI flight). The call lets following AI know that you did the break. Datalink goes over the comm radios which defaults to U-6 for intraflight DL and your flight's V for AG DL. You can swap them in the DED. During ops off of U6 you won't get any AI DL replies. It can be very helpful to know which approaches are 1-ship only and which can handle flights. Also 30nm for max range and 20nm flight grouping considerations are good to memorize. Every package's U6 is unique and I think all the flight's VHFs both within the package and compared to other packages. These can be seen on ATOs and briefs.

[@marijandumancic4259]

Nice guide to IFF, useful.

[@quackgarage9551]

Used to play Open Falcon a lot back in 2006 when I was 14, now i'm a pilot myself. Good fucking times.

[@skopeftisnclrp]

26:00 I ROFL'ed HARD!Really love your style!

[@FalcoGer]

22:00 that's only partially correct. The toggle doesn't happen based on position, but based on your heading when in the vicinity of the steerpoint.

[@FlightSimMuseum]

You've inspired me to return to flight simulation's most distinguished dynasty!

[@marcquintin7855]

Well done sir!!

[@drv30]

This is so damn crazy, I was gonna install but I already gave up after watching this

[@-_Nuke_-]

XD

[@SPBurt1]

BMS can be enjoyed however you like. Want to simply iron bomb tanks with Mk82s all day, go for it. No need for any of this comms shit. Want more realism? Add it when you are ready. BMS is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age.

[@Jellybeantiger]

Very complicated,only for smart buggers sigh.

[@oldgoat5]

Thanks stretch this was so helpful

[@funkaddictions]

Thank you, that helped a lot!

[@silentone11111111]

Very helpful. Thanks from a returnee 😀

[@michaelwestmoreland2530]

Hung Start is magic. It's nice to finally have some real "Issues" crop up, things that really give you a chance to demonstrate the degree of experience and familiarity you have with the aircraft. A chance to really be a PILOT, rather than just a glorified weapons operator. Also, though Mode 5 isn't implemented yet, when you said "What target you're looking /at/", you mean that IFF is dynamic enough to give people what you're locking up with a targeting pod or radar?

[@briangulley6027]

I was a F-16 crew chief and never had a pilot buy a case of beer for jacking up the start. I assure you pumping up the JFS sucks. Also never had a pilot buy beer for an over G, that is way worse for maintenance as you have to remove a ton of panels and conduct inspections looking for stress damage. I heard of pilots buying beer but never seen it. That being said they would buy booze / food during TDY's and other squadron events. Not trashing pilots as most of them were cool but buying beer for start failure was rare.

[@kostasgrimsongoundouvas4606]

Awesome!

[@donnygustian6707]

thanks Tim....

[@bathat11165]

Thx, Tim

[@sadfunda]

"you'll see your FTITs go up and up" i guess you could say that the ramp start had gone fTITS up

[@CallsignJoNay]

That was terrible.

[@ronaldwatson1951]

I definitely appreciate this video, I was a gamer years ago and now will be starting a new 👍, does your virtual squadron have rookies? Quite a bit of info but communication and practices is the key. I'll look into your website for additional info. Your recommendations would be appreciated on the specs on the computer that I would need. Thank you in Advance

[@salsadevil]

thx bro-wowzer

[@borisbarzotto5785]

Hi, wow your textures look so good, mine dont look like yours, whats the best graphic configuration for 4.34?? i have a Nividia 1060 6gb, i7 and 32 ram

[@-_Nuke_-]

Awesome! Meanwhile DCS is asking $80 for what BMS gives for free...

[@antonwestergaard5211]

dcs looks alot cooler doe

[@DD-sw1dd]

I agree, although it is getting better. DCS has fixed the missile physics and alot of the other major gripes I had. Now they need more optimization (coming with eventual Vulkan adoption) a dynamic campaign engine that will work with all their theaters along with a stellar multiplayer experience in that dynamic campaign. Would also like to see a pre-mission screen to allow players to: 1) allow pilots to adjust flight paths given available intel (like BMS) and discuss the ROE of the mission along with individual roles (ie a REAL mission briefing for multiplayer dynamic campaign when the feature is added). 2) input and save a various saved data cartridge setups with radio frequencies, preferred MFD layouts, custom countermeasures programs, etc. I hope DCS becomes everything it can possibly be. I'll always still play BMS, but DCS is something everyone should want to succeed, and to their credit they have fixed alot of things.

[@Dee-Jay]

@@DD-sw1dd Speaking about F-16 only, would be easier and faster to bring BMS visuals close to DCS and add the VR support than for DCS to reach BMS level for everything else. (again, speaking about F-16 pilots only).

[@jhouse6352]

I'm sorry but there is no way in hell the DCS f-16 will ever be this detailed.

[@ComdrStew]

You will be surprised then. There are a lot of switches that do not even work in BMS F-16. The big thing with BMS is the Dynamic Campaign.

[@earthexplorer579]

you will see next Friday lol..I can handle bms but not the graphics.

[@theaceofspades485]

I've been split on the decision. I think I will play both,but only problem that kills me with BMS is my MFD's and cockpit have never looked pleasant. Ive tried everything. Im fine with the terrain etc.

[@bishbish9111]

I'm not sure about it, but terrain looks better in Falcon, than in DCS in my opinion.

[@-_Nuke_-]

@@ComdrStew DCS has a Everest mountain to climb it's not impossible but realistically it is. So far DCS doesn't even have 10% of the functionality of what BMS delivers, and it has been about a year now or more? Its very, VERY unlikely we will see a better simulator of the f 16 from DCS. Especially if you consider that many of the things that have done in DCS for the Viper are done wrong, like the DFT mode or many of the symbology on the HUD or the MFDs... DCS is fun to fly and beautiful to look at, but it's an arcade game compared to BMS.

[@spitfire5452]

thanks.

[@PM_DraKKar]

1:31 not sure if its modeled but for the EPU/Gen test, bump the throttle to 85% percent prior to test (GE, i believe PW engines are lower RPM) this will ensure the EPU isnt operating at a "underspeed condition" which can damage it over time. EDIT: as well for ground purposes it can also trip the fault indicator on the epu speed controller giving a false indication of epu speed controller failure.

[@riscfuture]

Yes it's modeled (the test is, not the failure). It's not new in 4.34 so I didn't include it in the video.

[@PM_DraKKar]

@@riscfuture ah in that case cowabunga it is.

[@hanibelsoun9370]

Hi there. Thank you so much for your video. I do have Falcon BMS 4.32 installed. Would you please where can I get Falcon BMS 4.34? Thank you.

[@fabioarrigoni1089]

benchmarksims.org , subscribe to the forum and you will find the updates page with the torrent. You need a legit copy of Falcon 4 on you hard drive (but I assume you have since you are using 4.32). cheers.

[@ardaozcan98]

3.24 "If it starts exploding dinosaurs it will overheat." Nice one

[@channelwright9137]

Hi, I used to play falcon 4 and an early version of BMS. I was interested to know if there is still a 'weapons bubble ' in the latest BMS version , thanks

[@riscfuture]

Yes, though it has been tweaked to be less obvious.

[@kingGEAR21]

I can't get the Tower page to open up. I only get the ground page and nothing else. Even if I spam T.

[@dcdell2008]

What happened to Combat Autopilot feature?

[@SpecialistBR]

Interesting how all the IFF stuff some years ago was considered "off bounds" for development

[@rwhunt99]

True, and now, you aren't sure if it is accurate as IFF is still a closely guarded secret. You now feel like it might be "official".

[@undefined7141]

Ryan DeLonge Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States1 connection Message Professionally I paint aircraft in the military and occasionally perform mechanical maintenance when required. I started that line of work in 2015 and will be doing it for the immediate future as of typing this. I have interests in art and physical fitness (mostly water training) and I'm also quallified to operate large vehicles such as buses. Loves this!

[@xdiver01]

My God, that IFF is so compilcated. gezzz...

[@cs512tr]

these are just more proof that new graphics alone cannot compare to good gameplay and immersion

[@CapitanTavish]

4.33 yea i can handle few mig 29 and SAMs at same time and return to base with only 1 wing while i have no fuel 4.34 cannot even start up the jet due new realistic implementations

[@briangulley6027]

I always start on the runway for that reason.

[@CapitanTavish]

Brian Gulley Because i have one wing? Interesting

[@polkremm6399]

Can i set my interrogator to look for a specific mode 2 aircraft if i know its mode 2 code? ... Might be handy, for example if am in escort and have no datalink connection with the aircraft am supposed to be escorting

[@riscfuture]

Yep, just set its code in your interrogator and make a mode-2 query.

[@Aeronaut1975]

I'm new to this. I have the old "Allied Force" DVD. Should I just get the Steam version? it's only £3

[@theaceofspades485]

Yes only the original falcon 4 from steam works great. Then head over to benchmarksims forum sign up and use search bar to download BMS 4.34 mod (the latest)

[@CoyoteOne]

Holy crap was this video from 2005? or 2019?

[@geovannyavelar]

I'm facing a problem to do ramp procedure in this training mission. I'm a beginner in BMS. I can start engines normally, RPM percent gauge is showing me engine is running, but I cannot start avionics, both screens are black, displaying anything, just canopy light is on at right side of cockpit and FLCS FAULT is on too, but avionics just don't start.

[@riscfuture]

Did you set AIR SOURCE to NORM to provide air for equipment cooling?

[@geovannyavelar]

@@riscfuture Thank you, it works now. This knob is hidden on right panel, so I didn't see it.

[@dirtyrottenflieger3846]

Oh fuck, my brain hurts.

[@ibsenschmitt2155]

Wow moreeee reality

[@CapitanTavish]

dcs is a sim of bms which is a sim of real 16

[@TheJere213]

Could someone help me with the startup since i seem to only be able to do hot start lol. I make everything as it's supposed to be done(according to every single tutorial video out there) but every time I still get a hot start. Even if I leave the throttle to 0% it happens. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong here

[@riscfuture]

Chances are your throttle is actually at idle when you think it's at cutoff. Check your axis settings.

[@TheJere213]

@@riscfuture Oh yeah I just checked the axis settings and realized that I have to assign the idle detent in there(I use the alt launcher) Thanks for the advice

[@m96920]

Is there anyway to have basic avionics in a tablet or smartphone?

[@riscfuture]

Not really; you can use MFD Extractor to put it on an external display.

[@Pandacat80]

Can you use IFF on ships? or it is purely an AA system?

[@riscfuture]

A/A only

[@rodrigodiaz7224]

Hi! How can i get this flight simulator? I don't know how to get it or bought it. Thanks!!!!

[@aarnoman1088]

Go to Steam and download the original falcon 4.0 (not allied force) then go to benchmarksims.org and sign up (for free) click on forums and the click on updates click BMS 4.34 and download using the provided torrent link.

[@nictime9294]

How you activate nws

[@theaceofspades485]

So what happens if you need to or want to land at a airport that is not pre planned ?. All the old UHF's are useless for proper landing the knee boards display old info as well. This is the only thing I dpn't care too much for in 4.34.

[@riscfuture]

If you want to land off-route, you need to look up the approach, tower, and ground frequencies for that airport. That info is available under the RADIO/NAV part of WDP, or you can look it up using airport charts, like real pilots do.

[@glenn7250]

The only thing i miss from Falcon is the Dynamic Campaign but for the Eyes DCS is much better. The Ground looks so creepy in Falcon.........cant believe that i play this thing so many Hours/Days/Months and Years.....

[@ricardoennis502]

What is iff out

[@josec8731]

My clouds are rotating like crazy

[@Kimchi_Studios]

In DCS my clouds stretch and contract whenever I move my head around LOL

[@BlackCapGaming]

Where'd you get the name "Stretch" from?

[@riscfuture]

Cuz I'm tall

[@BlackCapGaming]

@@riscfuture ah ok, just curious! My dad was a viper driver with the same callsign haha

[@Planehazza]

Reupload? :)

[@riscfuture]

Harry Marshall updated to fix factual errors

[@arlenn729]

waiting for f16 coming on DCS

[@gerryabbott]

Why wait, BMS 434 is here now!

[@joshsnswof9480]

What about Datalink?

[@riscfuture]

Operation of the datalink was unchanged in 4.34. The datalink is more realistically modeled now, however: The length of time between updates depends on the number of aircraft in a round. Datalink updates do not occur when the UHF or VHF channel is being used for voice communication. Wingmen will not appear on datalink if they are not on frequency.

[@deetwodcs4683]

Do you also make tutorials for DCS because damn you're good! I don't play this sim, it looks kinda old if you compare the graphics to dcs. Imo dcs is just the best combat sim but this is the daddy.

[@fonesrphunny7242]

This video shows why ED bans the mentioning of Falcon BMS on their forum.

[@fonesrphunny7242]

@17ll3 x214 "1.15 Discussions of other game companies products are forbidden. (...)" If you go to the forum now and just ask if their F-16 will have the same features the thread will get deleted.

[@GordyCOD]

When the dcs falcon comes out will it make this game kinda obsolete?

[@Noubers]

Until DCS gets a fully dynamic campaign, not a chance.

[@Tha1mikemike]

I really don't see DCS matching BMS fidelity. Not to mention the awesome weather/ATC/AI/Campaign in BMS. That being said, I'm still excited for the DCS model.

[@-_Nuke_-]

DCS will never be that realistic, obsolete? Nice joke XD

[@Dee-Jay]

Almost two years after release, DCS F-16 is still faaaaaar behind. Even the landing gear lever do not work as it should be. BMS is still not obsolete (speaking about hardcore simmers, not about casual gamers which are not BMS's targets).

[@MititeluRadu]

1st. You can't start your engine even after JFS restart, you need a mission restart. 2. Fuel valve is set to master by default and you don't have a reason to touch it on the ground, 3rd based only on the information you presented the Aircraft WILL NOT start. The RPM will go to 39, and will drop to 0 while the JFS still runs. They changed something in the startup and is not clear what.

[@riscfuture]

1st. It depends on if your engine was damaged or not. Low oil pressure or a hot start that results in a fire, you will need a new aircraft. But for a hung start, no-start, or properly-aborted hot start, you can recharge the JFS and try again. Why else would they add the ability to recharge the JFS? 2nd. Yes, I know it's set to master by default, but I was being diligent and listing all the reasons why you might have a no-start. There might be good reasons to touch it on the ground. Maybe you want to motor your engine to cool it down after an aborted hot start? 3rd. The video only shows the _changes_ in the start procedure -- it does NOT show the full start procedure. You need to reference the BMS checklist. I've successfully started my jet plenty of times using the checklist.

[@windshearahead7012]

Iff is hell too complicated lol

[@Reticuli]

BMS has finally gone full nerd. Never go full nerd. Manual comms and IFF configuring required?! Hah hah hah. Some of us don't do manual start up or want to screw around with comms or IFF frequencies. I can't even back out of the sim to the desktop to look at a screenshot of the frequencies without the sim going black until I end the BMS task. First time I've ever had freezes like that in Falcon just going to the desktop! It messes up Windows Explorer. Triple buffering is screwed up, too. Clouds rotate like decades-old X-Plane (early versions of 8 got rid of that eyesore). A bunch of cockpits now are useless. So much other stuff broken in this sim now since 4.34. And they changed the key mapping!!! Why? You can't even see the keyboard keys by pressing them in the sim advanced configuration screen to see what they do, let alone change them there like EVERY version of Falcon before. Crazy.

[@riscfuture]

Manual comms and IFF configuration are NOT required. Did you watch the video? I said that the comm ladder and IFF config are all pre-loaded into the DTC for you. I taught how to do the manual stuff in case you need to know it for some reason. Hey, good news! That toggle to desktop black screen thing is easily fixed. Just run BMS in windowed mode. You can set that in the MFD Configurator app. You can still run the 3D view in fullscreen mode, but turning on windowed mode for the main app window will fix the black screen issue.

[@Dee-Jay]

"You can't even see the keyboard keys by pressing them in the sim advanced configuration screen to see what they do" Sure you can. Enter the SERUP/KESTROKES, press a key ...

[@Dee-Jay]

" can't even back out of the sim to the desktop to look at a screenshot of the frequencies without the sim going black until I end the BMS task" Yes you can since DX10 implementation. Just run it Windowed mode without border on your desktop resolution.