DCS World 2.9 (Digital Combat Simulator)

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Colonel Sanders

Supreme [H]ardness
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i'm sure we have a few DCS World regulars in here, but for those who've either never heard of it or just dabbled occasionally, DCS World's open beta version was just updated to 2.9, adding DLSS and much more:


View: https://youtu.be/UDa73-p3-Ow

i gave it a try this morning and i'm blown away by how good the sim runs now with the addition of DLSS and multithreading support. absolutely max settings at 4k DLSS quality and i'm getting ~60 fps as the *floor*, with most missions easily 100+ fps. (if you know DCS, this is just a massive improvement.)
 
peppergomez said:
Those graphics are astounding
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they really are.. btw for those who don't know, DCS World is f2p with the p-51t and su-25 being free, so anyone can check out the sim without having to fork over any money.

also if you own at least one paid module, they have free trials for most of their products now that let you try them for a week
 
Colonel Sanders said:
also if you own at least one paid module, they have free trials for most of their products now that let you try them for a week
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That doesn't work on Steam still, does it?

I was thinking about transporting my DCS licenses to non-Steam, among other things for that reason.

Now excuse me while I buy another plane that I don't have time to fly :)

Do you use VR?
 
I believe this update finally supports multi core. Might want to double check with the patch notes. One of the big problems with DCS has always been larger missions will kill frame rates. If utilizing more cores will allow large missions to not become a slide show that would be nice. Even on smaller missions the game was very CPU limited though.
 
Flogger23m said:
I believe this update finally supports multi core. Might want to double check with the patch notes. One of the big problems with DCS has always been larger missions will kill frame rates. If utilizing more cores will allow large missions to not become a slide show that would be nice. Even on smaller missions the game was very CPU limited though.
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The current beta has a added the selection for the multithreaded build to the Steam startup menu.

I don't notice much of a difference, but I don't usually don't do large scenarios.
 
Flogger23m said:
I believe this update finally supports multi core. Might want to double check with the patch notes. One of the big problems with DCS has always been larger missions will kill frame rates. If utilizing more cores will allow large missions to not become a slide show that would be nice. Even on smaller missions the game was very CPU limited though.
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yeah it does support multithreading now. the stand alone version should run the multithreaded executable by default, at least it does on my system. the performance difference when running large complex scenarios is huge. that combined with DLSS/FSR2 provides an enormous boost
 
Colonel Sanders said:
yeah it does support multithreading now. the stand alone version should run the multithreaded executable by default, at least it does on my system. the performance difference when running large complex scenarios is huge. that combined with DLSS/FSR2 provides an enormous boost
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Going to have to try it then. I have a mission I made not too long ago with dozens of fighters and maybe a 20 ships. The frame rate at the start of the mission would drop into the 30s until the planes eventually got shot down, and the ships disabled/ran out of missiles. Otherwise all of those weapons and units at once killed performance.
 
The VR support in this is incredible too. There was an exact moment a while back where I was flying low and fast through a canyon in an F-16, with a Pimax 8KX (wide FOV) VR headset, that was both exhilarating and almost terrifying -- terrifying in the sense I could feel how easy it would be to spend hundreds or thousands of hours lost in this game world, and forget to eat or sleep for weeks on end.

Now with a Pimax Crystal having replaced the 8KX, I've demoed it to a few friends, and the reaction is always "Holy shit" and general wide-eyed bewilderment. It's different from the awe of experiencing VR the first time in something like Half Life Alyx. The sense of speed and freedom and limitlessness seem to speak to the soul. Parts of the brain light up that you didn't know existed.
 
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Blackstone said:
Holy cow! I’ve never played this. What is the best module for beginners?
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Can of worms. We can spend a week on this.

For starters there are 3 basic groups:
  • WW2 (propeller) aircraft
  • low fidelity jets (the cheap ones)
  • high fidelity jets (the expensive ones)

The high fidelity jets require a lot of learning because every different weapon needs to be used differently. I recommend the F/A-18 for a reasonable UI and multipurpose use.

WW2 has just trigger-pulling for guns, free-fall bombs and occasional rockets. They are much easier to get into, but of course combat looks very different from most of the videos. I recommend the P-47 which carries a lot of weapons and flies well. The Mosquito is upcoming as maybe my future favorite.
 
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Blackstone said:
Holy cow! I’ve never played this. What is the best module for beginners?
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just start out with the two free included aircraft, the Frogfoot and the TF-51 (a training version of the P-51D Mustang.) the paid modules are (to varying degrees, of course) much more complex and can be overwhelming for someone who may be new to realistic flight sims.
 
Mizzer said:
Always wondered: does this game have a tutorial to get started?
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I honestly don't remember. I never used them. I go to youtube and search for things like "DCS <plane name> start up" as the first step. Then pick one of the cold start options for the planes and follow along.
 
Mizzer said:
Always wondered: does this game have a tutorial to get started?
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it does (each module has training missions/tutorials that show you the basics of how to operate the aircraft, weapon systems, etc) and they're pretty good, but lacking imho in teaching newbs how to deal with the types of threats you face in actual missions. like the training missions for the A-10C might show you how to operate countermeasure systems, but don't actually explain when and how to employ them and against what kind of threats.

that being said, like LurkerLito said, there are plenty of resources out there to fill in those gaps.
 
I want DCS F-15E, and The Eurofighter when it comes. JF-17 and Harrier also look interesting. F-4E, F-14 and MIG-23 (my user name) also look fun but a bit complex and old.

Iraq map looks interesting, though I already have 3 desert maps. There is an Egyptian/Sinai map coming out to. And for those that did not watch until the end, full fidelity MIG-29A is coming. I prefer the simpler fidelity so will pass on that and use the MIG-29A/G/S I already have.

Blackstone said:
Holy cow! I’ve never played this. What is the best module for beginners?
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Flaming Cliffs 3. It often goes on sale for $25 and has simpler planes. It also has a large amount of them.

F-15C
A-10A
MIG-29A / G
MIG-29S
Su-25
Su-27S
Su-33
J-11 <--- Essentially a Chinese Su-27 with a fire and forget missile

The Su-25T is free and essentially a bloated, fat Su-25 with decent missile capability.

Aside from that I would recommend F-16 and F-18, which are more detailed. American planes are more sophisticated for their time period which translates to being easier to use. Systems and whatnot are easier. Older planes are "simpler" but require a lot more cockpit layout knowledge and panel reading. The F-16 and F-18, when selecting one with engines on or flying, is fairly simple to use in combat.
 
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Anybody else zooming around in the Phantom II?

Flies perfectly, like a brick with enough power.
 
DCS' new patch also just landed.

The RazBam situation is bad, though. Reports are coming in about Mirage 2000 features that are broken with recent patches and need adjustment by the developer (of the module).
 
I wanted the F-15E an Eurofighter. Shame about Rabam. I was also trying to re-learn how to use weapons in the Mirage, but I might not bother now.
 
Are the graphics up to date in all modules. I really want to try this in a WWII setting. Are there any modules that let you escort flying fortresses?
 
Blackstone said:
Are the graphics up to date in all modules. I really want to try this in a WWII setting. Are there any modules that let you escort flying fortresses?
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I'm not sure about pre-made missions, but it is very easy to slam together such a mission in the editor. You can escort the B-17s with a Mirage F1 for all the game cares.

Graphics are different for all module, as is the graphical performance. You can't flat-rate a statement.
 
Blackstone said:
Are the graphics up to date in all modules. I really want to try this in a WWII setting. Are there any modules that let you escort flying fortresses?
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Graphics are the same, though each plane has a different 3D model and cockpit and some are better than others. The more recent ones look nicer. I am not sure about WWII modules as I only have the P-51 but that still looks nice.
 
uOpt said:
I'm not sure about pre-made missions, but it is very easy to slam together such a mission in the editor. You can escort the B-17s with a Mirage F1 for all the game cares.

Graphics are different for all module, as is the graphical performance. You can't flat-rate a statement.
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Anyone have Normandy 2.0?
 
I don’t know if I have the time to learn this game. Is it worth it? Are the Warbirds (P51) easier to learn than like an F14 or F18?
 
Blackstone said:
I don’t know if I have the time to learn this game. Is it worth it? Are the Warbirds (P51) easier to learn than like an F14 or F18?
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The WW2 planes are much easier than the high fidelity jets. You don't have radar or weapons that need special targeting and no navigation system to learn. The jets have 700 page manuals.

In the WW2 planes you basically have to deal only with engine management. Of course mastering hitting anything with guns or bombs is a different matter.

On the other hand, IL-2 might overall be a better WW2 experience.
 
uOpt said:
The WW2 planes are much easier than the high fidelity jets. You don't have radar or weapons that need special targeting and no navigation system to learn. The jets have 700 page manuals.
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Strictly speaking about flying, the modern jets are much easier. They essentially fly themselves. It is hard to damage or stall an F-16 or F-18. The WWII planes on the other hand are harder to land, fly, engine over heats, and other management. They also lack HUDs so it makes finding speed, altitude and whatnot more difficult. If you place the planes at parking HOT or in the air, the start up is already done for you. Only thing for parking HOT is you need to switch off master arm, which is generally simple to find.

Learning all the nuances is more time consuming but you can get by without learning everything. You only need to program a handful of functions and memorize a few button clicks for a number of the modern planes.

In the span of an hour or so, I programmed most essential combat functions and understand how to use most of the JF-17 weapons. Radar guided air to air, heat seeking air to air, and HARMs & TV guided missiles. The cruise missiles look more involved. Bombs and rockets are usually easy to figure out.

I would recommend F-16C and F/A-18C. JF-17 as well. All are easy to figure out and fly. Once you learn one it is simpler to program the functions. Youtube some tutorials and the Grimreapers tutorials tend to show you what you need and what functions are called so you can program them.

Edit: For starers get Flaming Cliffs 3.

The planes have the same qualify of flight model but simplified avionics. For $25 you get a bunch of planes:

F-15C
Su-27S
Su-33 (carrier version of Su-27)
J-11 (Chinese version of Su-27 with more modern missiles)
A-10A
Su-25
MIG-29A/G
MIG-29S

In a few weeks there will be Flaming Cliffs 2024, which can be purchased as an upgrade for $10 if you own Flaming Cliffs 3. It will include:

F-5E
MIG-15
F-86

So for $35 you'll get 11 different planes that will be simple enough to get into. They won't have clickable cockpits though. But as an example, the full fidelity F-5E costs $30. All of these planes are easy to use from a systems standpoint.
 
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So Flaming Cliffs 4 will be targeted at beginners?

Also, is it even remotely possible to experience this game with mouse/keyboard or gamepad?
 
Is Sturmovik somewhat up to date engine wise. I’m thinking it might be a better place to start for WWII.
 
Blackstone said:
Is Sturmovik somewhat up to date engine wise. I’m thinking it might be a better place to start for WWII.
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IL-2 is a better game outside of "Digital Cockpit Simulation", but I wouldn't accuse the engine of being up-to-date compared to DCS.
 
Blackstone said:
So Flaming Cliffs 4 will be targeted at beginners?

Also, is it even remotely possible to experience this game with mouse/keyboard or gamepad?
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You'll need at least a basic joystick but ideally a proper HOTAS. The Thrustmaster T Flight (entry level HOTAS) used to be around $70-80 but now it seems to be $90. That is probably the cheapest setup you can get. You can get a stand alone stick, but you'll ideally want the throttle. Generally it is only $40 or so more to get the full HOTAS.

Flaming Cliffs 3 is here. Sale ends on the 14th, so I would get it now if you're interested in it. In the next week or so the 2024 version will come out and you can upgrade to that, which will bring 3 new planes for $10. The $10 upgrade will be around for about a month, then it will go up to $15 to upgrade. So the $25 + $10 (if you want the upcoming 3 planes) is the best way to get them.

I assume once Flaming Cliffs 2024 comes out, the price will go up for the whole package. So better to use the sale and discount upgrade price.
 
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Flogger23m said:
You'll need at least a basic joystick but ideally a proper HOTAS. The Thrustmaster T Flight (entry level HOTAS) used to be around $70-80 but now it seems to be $90. That is probably the cheapest setup you can get. You can get a stand alone stick, but you'll ideally want the throttle. Generally it is only $40 or so more to get the full HOTAS.

Flaming Cliffs 3 is here. Sale ends on the 14th, so I would get it now if you're interested in it. In the next week or so the 2024 version will come out and you can upgrade to that, which will bring 3 new planes for $10. The $10 upgrade will be around for about a month, then it will go up to $15 to upgrade. So the $25 + $10 (if you want the upcoming 3 planes) is the best way to get them.

I assume once Flaming Cliffs 2024 comes out, the price will go up for the whole package. So better to use the sale and discount upgrade price.
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Does the entry level hotas actually work? I had a cheap Saitek with twist for rudder years ago and it was crazy how imprecise it was. It had issues.
 
VKB joysticks. I recommend one of these. I really like having the ability to customize centering and axis return forces via configurable return springs. It comes with several sets of springs with different spring tensions to set it up how you like. A big plus is no potentiometers to wear out and become glitchy. It's by far one of the best I've ever used in 25 years of flight simming. They're not cheap but what worth having is.
 
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