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DCS World 2.9 (Digital Combat Simulator)

uOpt said:
I want them to fix ground fire. The accuracy of some units that shouldn't be accurate (like BMPs) is ridiculous. And quite honestly it sounds easy to fix, so what is the holdup?
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I don't know, it happened around 8 years ago when I noticed I was getting my wings shot off in Flankers. Last ground attack mission I played I avoided Gepards, but got shot down by a BMP-2. The APC/IFVs are more deadly in this game than dedicated AA guns.
 
Flogger23m said:
I don't know, it happened around 8 years ago when I noticed I was getting my wings shot off in Flankers. Last ground attack mission I played I avoided Gepards, but got shot down by a BMP-2. The APC/IFVs are more deadly in this game than dedicated AA guns.
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Well, I don't have a problem getting shot down by a Gepards or ZSU-23-4. They are radar-controlled with partial automatization of aiming. The crews spend their lives training to shoot down aircraft.

Regularly getting shot down by the 30mm on a BMP is ridiculous. They don't even have a rangefinder, much less radar. There is nothing there to compute required lead. And the crews are not trained for AA work.
 
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uOpt said:
Well, I don't have a problem getting shot down by a Gepards of ZSU-23-4. They are radar-controlled with partial automatization of aiming. The crews spend their lives training to shoot down aircraft.

Regularly getting shot down by the 30mm on a BMP is ridiculous. They don't even have a rangefinder, much less radar. There is nothing there to compute required lead. And the crews are not trained for AA work.
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You can watch some videos of BMP-2 dispersion. It is quite high. Russia recently put out a video of them testing it on an M113. At 100 meters 1 shot hits, the second goes above. No way they are hitting a fast flying jet. And the visibility and reaction time is instant. Even the enemy fighters are like this, but it is more noticeable with the crazy APC/IFV. I avoid using anything with auto cannons because of it.
 
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SEAD with F-16 is a blast. The HARM and HAD are awesome. Also figured out CMS and how to not expend them all.

I thought I had a successful SEAD in multiplayer only to figure out later that I had destroyed my own teams radar systems. Apparently there’s a way to filter out friendly radar from the had. another lesson learned sorry team lol.

The warthog is awesome, but it’s taking me a while to learn it. The systems work just differently enough from the F-16 that it’s hard to learn. And of course, my controls and a particular throttle for the F-16 is not particularly suited for the warthog as it does not have quite as many switches as the warthog throttle.
 
I wish some more maps were in rotation on multiplayer servers. This is one awesome game.
 
Blackstone said:
SEAD with F-16 is a blast. The HARM and HAD are awesome. Also figured out CMS and how to not expend them all.

I thought I had a successful SEAD in multiplayer only to figure out later that I had destroyed my own teams radar systems. Apparently there’s a way to filter out friendly radar from the had. another lesson learned sorry team lol.

The warthog is awesome, but it’s taking me a while to learn it. The systems work just differently enough from the F-16 that it’s hard to learn. And of course, my controls and a particular throttle for the F-16 is not particularly suited for the warthog as it does not have quite as many switches as the warthog throttle.
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No IFF in the targeting system to prevent friendly fire incidents? I'm not a modern era combat pilot but I was under the impression that IFF was implemented in the mid 80's.
 
I am having a blast with the MiG-15. Agile and big guns, what's not to love. It loses control authority at high speeds, though. Adds spice.

I also rediscovered the F/A-18. It actually has a good user interface. And carry many dumb rockets if you don't want to go supersonic.
 
So the new update added a lot to the Syria map. It added a large airport in Israel, and three Israeli air force bases pushing the map further south to cover more Israel territory. I believe it added some new areas or detailed them more. There are a number of places I don't recall seeing, military installations out in the desert, chemical storage facilities. A lot of military depots to build missions around. This builds upon the first enlargement of the map which added more of Jordan.

Apparently there is more overlap with the Israeli bases being part of the Sinai map as well though that map has more unique props for said bases as of now. Kind of doubt they will ever be merged as they are from two different companies, but would be nice to see all of Israel combined on a single map in the future.

Screen_241101_002314.jpgScreen_241101_005832.jpgScreen_241101_151845.jpgScreen_241101_151904.jpg

Although required to keep the frame rate up, you can see an example of ghosting when using DLSS on the F-4 behind me. More noticeable in DCS due to the long ranges and fast movement. There is some ghosting on HUD elements as well. This is more impactful from a gameplay standpoint than most games because ID is important but still not that big of a deal.

Screen_241028_005331.jpg
 
Flogger23m said:
So the new update added a lot to the Syria map. It added a large airport in Israel, and three Israeli air force bases pushing the map further south to cover more Israel territory. I believe it added some new areas or detailed them more. There are a number of places I don't recall seeing, military installations out in the desert, chemical storage facilities. A lot of military depots to build missions around. This builds upon the first enlargement of the map which added more of Jordan.

Apparently there is more overlap with the Israeli bases being part of the Sinai map as well though that map has more unique props for said bases as of now. Kind of doubt they will ever be merged as they are from two different companies, but would be nice to see all of Israel combined on a single map in the future.

View attachment 688854View attachment 688855View attachment 688856View attachment 688857

Although required to keep the frame rate up, you can see an example of ghosting when using DLSS on the F-4 behind me. More noticeable in DCS due to the long ranges and fast movement. There is some ghosting on HUD elements as well. This is more impactful from a gameplay standpoint than most games because ID is important but still not that big of a deal.

View attachment 688858
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Great map.
 
Interesting thing I've noticed as the season changed. I can now use the Grass Monkey IR during the day without issue for the most part, even if light comes in the room. Seems like the heat on the wall directly behind me is lower and therefore does not mess with the IR tracker. No direct light/sun rays hit the walls directly regardless of time of day/year. So light is the biggest issue obviously, though heat can also seemingly have an impact. Overall light and "ambient light" is essentially the same as it was 40 days ago. I have not changed the settings in Open Track.
 
Can’t freakin wait to get this 9800X3D up and running! I hope it at least improves load times.
 
Flogger23m said:
What was your previous CPU?
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Lol, Intel 8700K pushed to like 4.9 Ghz! I feel like with all the peripherals and Track IR it is time to update. It actually runs DCS really well but I just know I’m leaving a ton of performance on the table. I’m just waiting on a new Noctura air cooler to show up.

This is my first AMD ever!
 
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That should be a big improvement. DCS is CPU heavy. Now with the recent builds it isn't quite as bad, the multi core update really helped. But you should still see a big performance jump.
 
Flogger23m said:
That should be a big improvement. DCS is CPU heavy. Now with the recent builds it isn't quite as bad, the multi core update really helped. But you should still see a big performance jump.
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I’m also going from 32GB DDR4 at like 3200MHz to 64 GB DDR5 at 6000MHz. Also, newer PCIe for the GPU. 5090 next year.
 
Logitech X52 Pro HOTAS $120 at B&H Photo. I don't know if the quality has gotten better or worse, but I think for $120 it is the cheapest HOTAS that isn't complete crap. So if you're looking to get into DCS or other flight sims for cheap, that is an option.

General sale is on as well for DCS itself. Kola map was on sale for $42, now back up to $48. I will probably pass on it for now, these modules are expensive.
 
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Flogger23m said:
Logitech X52 Pro HOTAS $120 at B&H Photo. I don't know if the quality has gotten better or worse, but I think for $120 it is the cheapest HOTAS that isn't complete crap. So if you're looking to get into DCS or other flight sims for cheap, that is an option.

General sale is on as well for DCS itself. Kola map was on sale for $42, now back up to $48. I will probably pass on it for now, these modules are expensive.
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I got Kola and it is gorgeous, but useless. No multiplayer presence.

I still want Sinai, Afghanistan and Iraq, but not at these prices.

I’m finding more and more this game is antiquated and in need of a total overhaul.

I might grab a few campaigns on sale.
 
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uOpt said:
Does the X52 has twist functionality for rudder?
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It does, which is why I recommend it a lot for a cheap HOTAS. Some of the more expensive, though better, sticks don't so you'd need pedals. $120 for a decent twist HOTAS is not bad and great for any one trying to get into flight sims because dropping $300-400 on dedicated hardware is a bit too steep for many. I'm half tempted to buy one and sell my Saitek branded one, they seem to go for $90-100 on ebay.

Blackstone said:
I got Kola and it is gorgeous, but useless. No multiplayer presence.

I still want Sinai, Afghanistan and Iraq, but not at these prices.

I’m finding more and more this game is antiquated and in need of a total overhaul.

I might grab a few campaigns on sale.
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It kind of is, but is also fairly modern in other ways. Really only modern option is MS flight sim though the streaming kills it IMO. Lots of odd geometry on the terrian and even though in some areas it can look better, in others it looks worse. But yeah this needs more core engine changes but it looks like new fog/dust system is coming along.

And for me, highlighting and dragging multiple units in the mission editor is being added.
 
Not yet, I am waiting for Kola to go on a bigger discount. Then either Iraq or Sinai which is cheaper. I bought A-10C II upgrade two days back for $10, I had some ED Miles left over so total cost to me was $6. It has a new helmet mounted cueing system that is quite sophisticated, haven't figure it out yet. APKWS is quite nice as well. You can carry dozens upon dozens of these little laser guided rockets. Neither the F-16 or F-18 get them in game, but real world variants have been upgraded to use them. Maybe ED will release an F-16 or F-18 upgrade pack with a new variant in a few years...

But the F-5E remaster looks lame. Just a 3D model/cockpit update which is nice but no new functionality. They could have done a slightly more capable variant of the F-5E, because many were updated out of the factory to carry 4x AIM-9s. So it seems like a lazy update, when it could have been much better like the A-10C II update which added a new variant with new weapons & functionality.

Otherwise I was tempted with the Viggen and Black Shark 3 upgrade. But I don't really like helicopters so will probably pass for now.
 
DCS 2025 and beyond. No specific mention of the Eurofighter but a lot of shots with it. F-15C full fidelity announced, as well as the F-35A. I had long guessed the F-15C in full fidelity would come along but the F-35 is an interesting choice. Maybe that will be at the "Flaming Cliffs" level.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q37cbS0XKY
 
Blackstone said:
All great additions!
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I'm really wondering how accurate an F-35 would be. I personally wouldn't mind more modern lower fidelity Flaming Cliffs planes that might be too classified to get info on for full fidelity modules. Things like the Rafale, Su-35S, etc.

I would have preferred an F-22 over an F-35 though.
 
I guess I am not in the mood for spending more than I already have on DCS now that the second plane dev imploded.
 
uOpt said:
I guess I am not in the mood for spending more than I already have on DCS now that the second plane dev imploded.
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Which one is this?

I don't mind the F-35 but I do find it funny how they won't add the ability to carry 4x AIM-9s on the F-5E when it was a very quick change in the real world. ED wanted to simulate it exactly as it left the factory, for a very specific model. A number of them also got AGM-65 capabilities. They are citing realism concerns for that specific F-5E variant, but can guesstimiate an F-35A Block IIA. Again I don't mind it, if anything I'd welcome more simplified modules/planes, but saying it will be super realistic just doesn't align with common sense.
 
Another DCS sale. Kola map is on sale for $33.59, so I purchased that. Well, there goes another 160GB of space on my SSD. I just upgraded and pulled my last SATA SSD from my PC, feeling like I may need to plug that back in at this point.

There is an upcoming Germany map but I will wait for Iraq to go on deep discount as well. Still interested in Sinai but will wait for a further discount.

JF-17 is on sale for $48, which I think is the cheapest it has ever been. Great module, and they also gave us a flyable J-11A, bunch of AI Chinese assets (AWACS, tanks, IFVs, ships) for free so they're one of the better 3rd party developers IMO.

Flaming Cliffs 2024 is $15 for those wanting to get into flight simming.

uOpt said:
Polychop had all developers resign.
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Seems like that has more to do with the company itself in particular the owner. But yeah that is not good news. Going forward ED will require source code for all modules so they can maintain them more easily in the future should a 3rd party go under. I assumed that was the case originally... seems short sighted to not have allowed that.
 
Su-25A will become free for DCS, it is also getting a new cockpit and external model done up to 2025 standards. New damage model. I assume a full fidelity version is in the works and that will be a module that costs money, but it is welcome to see the simplified version get updated for free.


In_Dev_31.01.2025.20.jpg

In_Dev_31.01.2025.21.jpg



Found a good position for the Grass Monkey IR, and it works very well now. I just wish the technology could work when sun light is out. I'm going to try it with ArmA 3 one of these days.
 
I still think this is some of the most fun you can have with a PC, but there are not only so many modules I am willing to spend money on, but also only so money I have time to LEARN. I still don't know how to start the A-10 or the F18 I bought.
 
Blackstone said:
I still think this is some of the most fun you can have with a PC, but there are not only so many modules I am willing to spend money on, but also only so money I have time to LEARN. I still don't know how to start the A-10 or the F18 I bought.
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And one of the most time sink experiences. Takes a long time to learn how to fly and use the weapon systems. I gave up because of that time sink. I would have to be unemployed to master just one modern combat jet in DCS.
 
celwin said:
And one of the most time sink experiences. Takes a long time to learn how to fly and use the weapon systems. I gave up because of that time sink. I would have to be unemployed to master just one modern combat jet in DCS.
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I do think the learning ONE modern jet is very rewarding and I am glad I learned F16. I am just not sure how many I can learn since they tend to have very different procedures and quirks.
 
You can always start with the engines pre-started if you don't want to learn about a specific plane and want to do more combat/missions. Or spawn in the air. I just have a basic understanding of most planes, generally can get by with some of the functions. Need to map the targetting zoom pod for the F-16. Recently learned how to sync the AGM-65 with it, which makes finding targets much easier but sometimes has sync issues due to the differing levels of magnification. But if you map the pod, it has a high level of magnification. Using it on the A-10C with APKWS is quite amazing. If shooting at still targets, you can fire off 2 rockets, then while waiting for the salvo to hit, fire off two more, etc. Once the first target is hit, you can slave the pod to another target and the rockets in flight will adjust. Typically can get 3 targets, sometimes 4, in a single pass that way.
 
Blackstone said:
I still think this is some of the most fun you can have with a PC, but there are not only so many modules I am willing to spend money on, but also only so money I have time to LEARN. I still don't know how to start the A-10 or the F18 I bought.
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One thing that helped me is dumping the manuals for any given DCS plane into Google's notebooklm.

notebooklm is a machine learning thing that you throw one or more PDF files into and that is then able to answer questions about it. The trick is that the answers are limited to what is in the PDF's, it is not a LLM fed with the world.

The only problem for DCS use is that it doesn't deal with pictures and diagrams.
 
Picked up the Warthog throttle. So now I am out of excuses to learn the hog, F18 and warbirds since now I have two engine throttle.
 
uOpt said:
One thing that helped me is dumping the manuals for any given DCS plane into Google's notebooklm.

notebooklm is a machine learning thing that you throw one or more PDF files into and that is then able to answer questions about it. The trick is that the answers are limited to what is in the PDF's, it is not a LLM fed with the world.

The only problem for DCS use is that it doesn't deal with pictures and diagrams.
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Use the Chuck's Guides.
 
Here is notebooklm with both manuals fed in responding to "fire gun". The footnote references are all hover-over interactive.

Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 22.55.34.png
 
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