This is a repost from the combatsim forums. which have been closed down a few years ago. Gratefully somebody backed up that thread in the webarchieves here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220401184 ... ut-ef2000/
Special thanks to @RapierCZ for rediscovering it. This post is being overhauled, in order to consolidate information in one place and this opening post will be updated, if new information emerge. Coverage of cheats for EF2000 remains subject of the already existent thread here:
viewtopic.php?t=1626
Special thanks also for the contributions from Hardimpact08 in the original combatsim forum's thread.
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EF2000 is old and well known, but there might still be things which people may not know or are aware of. I think a small section on stuff not covered in the Strategy Guide, Manual or elsewhere is probably not the worst idea!
Some stuff about EF2000 that you may not know:
1.) Jettisoning of individual drop tanks:
You can jettison individual drop tanks, given that you have no weapons onboard, press ALT+J (AG stores jettison) which will enter the AG mode and displays the tanks as weapons with the CCIP sight displayed. You can now jettison individual tanks with the space bar. Wing tanks are displayed as FUEL and the centre fuselage tank is displayed as CENTRE FUEL. Note that with this jettison method the fuel load itself remains unaffected.
2.) NAV mode:
Everybody is certainly aware of the NV labelled NAV mode light on the HUP below the HUD. You cannot directly select the NAV mode, but there are two conditions where the NAV mode is selected:
Condition 1: Press ALT+J if you have no tanks and weapons (incl. gun rounds) loaded. This will switch to the NAV Mode.
Condition 2: De-select TIALD after the last LGB is gone and the NAV mode is selected as well.
3.) TIALD restriction:
The TIALD displays no mobile ground targets, only static targets!
4.) 7 target boxes
With the radar activated a TD box is displayed for each of the six priority tracks (A-F). Using the target cycle controls you can step through the targets in descending priority order. If the last priority track is skipped, the system will designate the next highest prioritised track which appears as a TD box on the HUD/HMD as well, but lacking the priority label as it's not among the radar determined 6 priority tracks. Note that priority tracks are only displayed inside scan coverage, while a primary target is still displayed, even if it's out of range.
5.) AP Tracking Mode logic:
Some might have noticed that once the autopilot is engaged in tracking mode with no target present, the AP dives to the deck. But where is the AP guiding the aircraft? The answer is, it depends. When a target was tracked and dispears, because it's destroyed for example, the AP might be circling around the last known target position. In some simulator missions it appears the AP is guiding you to the start waypoint. In all other cases the AP will opt for the zero coordinates (0 0) point (south western corner of the theater map).
6.) Fuel to waypoint/base bars:
All fuel bars display a maximum quanitity of 11000. The "fuel to" bar color infill is green when the destination will be reached with current fuel reserves. It switches to yellow if the destination can be reached within the 11000 fuel limit. It turns red when you need more than 11000. This can be easily veryified with the digital readout.
7.) Emergency compass:
The east/west directions of the emergency compass are inverted, this appears to have been a bug from day one that was never rectified.
8.) Maverick Air to Air:
You can fire the Maverick missile against airborne targets, albeit its pk is pretty low.
9.) AMRAAM/LRAAM passive launch:
You can fire both missiles against an IRST track, but no TD box, or other typical symbology is displayed. The only verification is the target video on the IRST screen. You can use the padlock view to properly centre the target to ensure it won't miss its target. Switching to gun or IR SRAAM will display the target box and associated target data. You may use this to obtain critical information before launch. Note that pure IRST acquisition range is limited and falls well below the max. launch range of either AMRAAM, or LRAAM.
10.) IRST lockon ranges:
Ranges differ slightly dependent on the conditions, typically the following ranges are achieved: Air - 15 nm, Land - 6 nm, Sea - 25 nm
11.) Triangle on CCIP bomb fall line (or azimuth steering line):
The triangle appears when steering against a waypoint, it displays your bank angle and coincides with the waypoint X symbol when you are properly aligned.
12.) DASS protection:
The DASS does not automatically release chaff or flares when the DASS format is not selected! Warning functions remain intact and you can manually release countermeasures in response to threats.
13.) HUD missile range scales:
HUD missile range scales are fixed range scales. For AAMs an additional marker is displayed, if the effective firing range is less than the range of the scale. This is irrelevant for non- or slow moving surface targets. The following range scales are used:
- AIM-9M - 10 nm
- ASRAAM - 8 nm
- AMRAAM/LRAAM - 40 nm
- ALARM - 20 nm
- Sea Eagle - 40 nm
As you can see the range scales may be shorter than the actual firing ranges of the respective missiles'. You should use the "+" symbol for AG missiles and the diamond symbol for AAMs to verify that the target is within launch range. Note that the audio shoot cue is triggered for AAMs against radar targets only!
14.) TIALD offset track:
When OFT is enabled there are two ways of slewing. Pressing OFT again initiates tracking against the current OFT position. Pressing the TRK button will slave the pod's LoS back to the original track position. This feature is useful if you want to explore the area around the actual target location and then slave back to the original target.
This feature can also be utilised to guide two LGBs near simultaneously against two closely spaced targets. However, the timing must be trained to be successful, as both bombs will home onto the designated target. You'll quickly need to switch the LoS back to the second target and the bomb must have enough time and energy to guide itself to the second target.
15.) Fuel problems?:
I have read in a topic here that someone has encountered frequent fuel problems. Fuel is not a problem at all, if you adhere to the following rules:
a.) Fly high (45k to 50k ft)
b.) Fly fast!
The virtual EF2000 reaches Mach 2.19 on dry thrust only, clean and at 53000 ft. Even with a full combat loadout you should be able to reach ~Mach 1.7 - 1.8 at altitudes above 40k ft. In EF2000 your airspeed has no impact on your fuel burn and you can use this to your advantage. There is also another advantage, flying high and fast massively increases your survivability as SAMs have a difficult time to intercept you at all and enemy fighters have a hard time chasing you. You can actually attract the interest of SAMs and deplete their stocks while staying relatively safe!
16.) CCIP toss:
You can in theory view the CCIP marker through the cockpit floor using the HMD and align with a waypoint symbol to drop bombs from higher altitudes and ranges. However, the CCIP marker doesn't work accurately so all you can do is to learn about the timing for releasing a bomb at specified speeds/heights through trial and error. The AP waypoint mode is your friend in this respect, but it's probably not worth the hazzle in a combat environment.
17.) Auto Recovery:
The Auto Recovery mode only engages reheat when your airspeed is below 400 kts at the time of engagement. If it's above 400 kts reheat won't engage and you can manually control your throttle setting and airspeed. Be aware, however, that when your airspeed drops below 400 kts with Auto Recovery engaged reheat will be automatically selected. Reheat cannot be de-selected when the Auto Recovery mode is engaged and needs to be disengaged first, in order to de-select reheat.
The Auto Recovery mode does not impose any airspeed restrictions and is a good mode for maintaining a stable altitude and heading.
You can engage Auto Recovery while your autopilot is engaged. In this case, the AP automatically re-engages when Auto Recovery is de-selected. Note that the Auto Recovery mode also prevents your aircraft from crashing into the ground clearing any obstacles across the flight path.
You may also notice an initial pitch up when engaging the Auto Recovery mode, this happens at low speeds and dependent on your attitude. This ensures, that the lose of height is kept at an absolute minimum.
Like the Autopilot, Auto Recovery can fly the aircraft at a minimum altitude of 200 ft.
18.) IRST coverage:
In search mode the search volume is about 170° in azimuth and 120° in elevation. Only if locked onto a target coverage is 360° x 360°.
19.) Radar coverage:
Max. radar scan coverage is +/-75° at the 5 nm setting. Note that azimuth and elevation coverage is likewise affected. The look up/down settings shift the scan centre by 10-25° dependent on your selected search volume. Max. coverage at 5 nm is +/-85° in elevation. Useful for verification is the refuelling mode with a tanker present. You can measure the angular offset by ownship heading substracting the bearing offset from the tanker readout lines on the HUD.
20.) Heading Ribbon:
The dots on the heading ribbon, in between the double digit heading readouts, indicate intermittent headings of only 3°, not 5° and you'll notice that they are not perfectly centred and reside closer to the left readout.
I.e., if the lubber line points against the dot between 09 (090°) and 10 (100°) it actually displays a heading of 93°.
21.) IR missile avoidance:
To shut down the engines helps against IR missile threats, as you essentially cut off your IR signature. This is certainly not realistic but it helps.
Note that IR missiles generally have a lower PK against crossing and approaching targets, especially if the closure rate is high (>500 kts).
Rear aspect shots are recommended to achieve a high PK, especially the ASRAAM achieves an almost 100% success rate in such conditions, at least against the AI.
22.) Rearming and Refueling:
You can rearm and refuel your EF2000 by landing on a friendly airfield. In contrast to the manual it's not necessary you shut down the engines. It's sufficient to come to a full stop, with wheelbrakes engaged. After ~7 sec the aircraft is refuelled and rearmed. Note that damage induced trim offsets are automatically corrected as well, but systems' damage is not repaired and the visual effects of damage remain visible as well.
23.) Time Acceleration Plus:
An extrem acceleration of time is accessible, by engaging time acceleration (SHIFT+T) and pressing ALT+F12 therafter. Keep your Auto Leveler or Auto Pilot engaged!
24.) Auto Pilot programming:
When the Autopilot is engaged, you can quickly reprogram the altitude (arrow keys up/down), heading (arrow keys left/right) and airspeed (NUM PAD + and -).
Programming using the A+ and A- softkeys on the right MFD is possible as well, even if the Autopilot Setup page (APS) is not selected!
Continuous pressing of the keys (on the MFDs with the mouse, or through the keyboard) will continuously increase/decrease the corresponding parameter, until depressed, or the max. value is reached. Note that the time interval between changes is initially descreasing, later on the interval step (or value) increases, to permit rapid re-programming.
25.) Invisible Refueller:
If you are connected to a refueller and fire the gun, it's destroyed, but you stay connected to an invisible tanker.
Note that refuellers are the only aircraft in EF2000 with which you can collide!
26.) Digital Terrain System (DTS):
While the "pull up warning" occurs in all master modes, the sterring cue is only provided in the AA and AG master modes!
When maneuvering horizontale at low altitudes, the steering box moves in azimuth, if terrain obstacles are determined in the direction of turn. Roll towards the box (should be centred at the top of the HUD) to avoid flying into terrain, while maneuvering at low altitudes!
27.) Moving Map Display:
Colored dots are displayed on the MMD to depict important locations on the map. The color codes are not entirely unambiguous, but here is what their meanings are or can be:
Black - Oil Rig
White - Bridge
Green - Command and Control Centres
Blue - Ports
Orange - Ports or Mountain road-/railway tunnel entries
Red - Airbase or Mountain road-/railway tunnel entries
Yellow - Airbase or City
With JSTARS available and Ground tracks enabled for display, ground tracks (plus symbol) on a red or yellow dot are a reliable indication of airfield positions.
The bar on the MMD points into flight direction, its length depends on the map scale and airspeed. The faster you go, the longer the line!
The up to 5 bars on the scale are time to point markers, representing 2 min intervals. Their position and numbers dynamically reflects the flight conditions and map scale.