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Posting on behalf of reddit user https://www.reddit.com/user/NotKalashnikov/ since he needs to wait 24 hours to post it as a new DCS forum user. Original post here: Feature concept: transparent pilot model around cursor. I don't use pilot body because it prevents me from seeing switches I want to press. It could be also applied to stick and throttle if it's in the way of buttons.

DCS Newsletter discussion 6th January 2023 - 2023 and beyond | DCS core DCS Core Improvements Multithreading Multithreading has been one of our primary efforts to improve DCS performance, and it is currently in closed beta testing. Initially two threads (graphical and logical) will be implemented, and once the technology is stable and mature, we plan to expand this number. Large and complex missions, both single player and server based as well as the upcoming dynamic campaigns, will see the most significant performance enhancements. Our render graph was written from scratch along with many other subsystems. We now benefit from parallel rendering that schedules inter-dependent rendering tasks in a correct and optimal order (e.g., mirror reflections first, then mirrors while running other independent draw calls in parallel), frame graph, graphic scenes, scene renderer, and scene manager. We unified all other graphic subsystems that permit node embedding in the render graph. This allows us to rapidly experiment with new graphic pipelines and enhance efficiency. The introduction of our render graph will improve DCS efficiency and deliver optimal performance with modern graphics APIs such as Vulkan. Vulkan API Implementation of the Vulkan API continues in parallel with the multithreading effort. Our Vulkan renderer is integrated with the new render graph, and it benefits from multithreading by using render graph mechanics of background loading of textures and geometry, rendering objects in parallel, terrain streaming, etc. As a result, many rendering tasks submitted to the graphics card will no longer need to wait for each other and hence be processed simultaneously. In our endeavor to unify DirectX and Vulkan renderers, we have developed a mod state where both backends produce identical results. We now have two fully compatible implementations that run under the same API. This means that all our applied graphics modules (the code that renders our skies, clouds, models, effects, etc.) will work the same way on both renderers. To achieve this, we ensured that all our shaders could be converted into Vulkan format in addition to implementing a shader converter available from within DCS permitting to compile any shader on the fly. It is interesting to note that the shader conversion has taken an inordinately large amount of time. The main achievement in 2022 is that DCS now works under Vulkan producing the same visuals as under DirectX. This result is fully ‘transparent’ for our graphics programmers, allowing them to write the same code for both platforms without the need to have separate code paths for Vulkan and DirectX11 and beyond. The next step is to provide our graphics programmers with the new Vulkan features compared to DirectX 11. These include new types of shaders (as per Shader Model 6 and further), ray tracing, some advanced rendering techniques, such as GPU driven rendering, and similar. DLSS Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) 2.0 is coming to DCS this year. DLSS is a family of real-time deep learning image enhancement and upscaling technologies for RTX 20, 30 and 40 series Nvidia graphics cards. The goal of this technology is to allow most of the graphics pipeline to run at a lower resolution for increased performance, and then infer a higher resolution image from this that contains the same level of detail as if the image had been rendered at this higher resolution. This allows for higher graphical settings and/or frame rates for a given output resolution, depending on user preference. In addition to DLSS, Nvidia Image Scaling (NIS) will also be available. NIS is a scaling and sharpening tool with an algorithm that uses a 6-tap filter with 4 directional scaling and adaptive sharpening filters to boost performance. This is best used for non-RTX Nvidia graphics cards that do not support DLSS. Following the completion of DLSS/NIS, we will investigate Fidelity FX Super Resolution (FSR) for AMD GPUs. Spherical Earth Map 2022 saw great progress creating the tools and technologies to support a precise spherical Earth map for DCS. Because this map will be based on current day, it will operate independently of the current and future regional maps that allow historic maps such as World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and other scenarios. Spherical Earth efforts will continue in 2023. Weather Building upon the weather enhancements that were introduced with DCS 2.7, we have been further developing weather to include moving clouds and towering cumulus clouds and more sophisticated atmospheric phenomena. New fog and dust storms are being developed that are integral parts of the volumetric cloud system. The old DCS fog is a separate system that is calculated for a flat earth. It does not consider shadows from the terrain and clouds, so it has limitations. The new fog will be computed for a spherical earth and takes shadows into account. We also plan to optimize the volumetric clouds and increase their basic quality. A separate and complex project currently in development is the dynamic cloud generator which will then need to be integrated with the dynamic weather systems of low/high pressure systems and new/evolving cloud types. A later task, once the foundation is complete, will be to provide AI line of sight blocking in addition to light direction/scattering visibility limitations for AI. FLIR 2022 saw significant improvements to how Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) is modeled in DCS World. In addition to writing the technology needed to create the characteristics of the camera, a great deal of work is being invested into the enhanced thermal signatures of mobile units, map objects, environmental heating, and cooling, as well as specific visual effects and artifacts. We will also be adding initial thermal signature conditions for ground units in the Mission Editor. Eagle Dynamics Dynamic Campaigns Engine (EDDCE) 2022 saw the completion of all major engineering components of the EDDCE. In 2023 we continue development and testing and making improvements to these components as well as adding new features where needed. We are also enhancing the mechanics in the campaign editor to avoid issues that may arise when the EDDCE is used for different maps. The next big tasks include transferring mission data between player and AI pilots and creating a specific graphic user interface. Please see our previous Newsletter for greater detail on the subject. Air Traffic Control (ATC) 2022 has focused on the continued development of the Supercarrier ATC system. Following its completion, the next focus will be to bring those advancements to airfields. This is certainly no simple task and will require three unique ATC systems for: western modern day, eastern modern day, and World War II. A complete redesign of the modern day, western ATC system is underway. In parallel, modern day western radio communications for Flight, Other Flights, AWACS, and Tanker are also being revised. Human Animations Starting with new AH-64D pilots in 2022, this work will continue into 2023 to include new infantry and more pilots with more life-like models and animations. Priority pilot models first include the F/A-18C and F-16C pilots. Deck Crew and Ground Crew Starting with the Supercarrier deck crew, we continued to develop this feature in 2023. We are now continuing this effort to include startup and taxi to catapult deck crew logic and animations. Following the completion of deck crew, we then plan to use this technology to create airfield ground crew and interactions. Multiple Light Sources DCS 2.8 saw great advancements in world lighting, but our efforts continue. The next big lighting advancement will be the introduction of multiple, global light sources, and no longer only the sun and moon. This will allow more realistic night scenes that account for airfield flood lights, city lights, and more. You can see these initial efforts on the Persian Gulf map. Voice Chat First introduced in 2019, the free Voice Chat integrated into DCS allows Voice Over IP communications based on chat rooms and how you have your aircraft radios configured. 2022 was focused on improving radio communications and stable connections, even over a VPN. In 2023 we continue to develop this feature with realistic radio sounds, effects and plug-and-play audio device compatibility. Visual Special Effects Some of the more notable visual effect tasks include munitions with airburst fuzes, napalm, and Mach shock cone based on airspeed and weather around the aircraft. Virtual Reality VR is very important for all and we have heard your concerns regarding performance and we continue to optimize VR performance for DCS. The primary areas of VR performance improvement are multithreading and the Vulkan API, particularly for larger missions. We are also reviewing all world Level of Details (LODs). Unit AI Improvements In 2022 we saw great improvements to the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) and Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) AI for our jet aircraft. Moving forward, we now intend to improve multi-ship BVR and Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) tactics and appropriate AI tactics for World War II aircraft. For ground units, our primary AI tasks include improved pathing and implementing suppression effects for more than just infantry units. General Flight Model (GFM) for AI Aircraft Whilst the updated BFM AI can make a significant difference in how the AI flies, the General Flight Model (GFM) will provide improved flight dynamics for AI aircraft that better constrain the aircraft to true-to-life performance. GFM is a significant improvement to the Standard Flight Model (SFM) that is based on drag and thrust characteristic trajectories. The SFM can provide a good Center of Gravity trajectory model, but it relies on reliable source data to tune the overall performance that includes the entire flight envelope, sustained and instantaneous turn rate, energy gain, etc. GFM adds additional short-period aircraft movement by adding our base solid body, contact models and aerodynamic moments. This results in more realistic control displacements during maneuvers that provide more human-like appearances. With GFM, the AI will also encounter wake turbulence. Thank you again for your passion and support, we look forward to serving you in the exciting year of 2023. Happy New Year to you and your family! Yours sincerely, Eagle Dynamics

Hi folks! The F-86F Sabre guide got a brand new remaster. It was one of these "legacy" guides that was gathering a lot of dust and that wasn't up to snuff with the current library. Therefore, I standardized the formatting, cleaned up a few sections and significantly expanded some sections like the one for the Powerplant and Fuel Systems. I added an intro, added a proper profile for control bindings, expanded the cockpit description, added a few pretty pictures, added better explanations for the A-4 gunsight and most important of all... I feel better having done this. The page count went from 91 to 150+ pages. *** The MiG-15bis guide also had a similar treatment I also added in bonus a bunch of missing items such as the engine air start procedure, fire extinguisher system... I'll spare you the details, you can look it up and see for yourself. I do hope that one day, we get a bigger era-appropriate playground to fly these birds in. Korean War theater when? Oh, and... the page count went from 91 to 140+ pages. *** But wait... there's more! Here are a few other guides that got updated during the holidays. AH-64D Apache: First revision pass to fix typos, errors and inaccuracies. Spitfire Mk IX: Added beer kegs (because... beer?) I-16 Ishak: Updated cockpit F-5E3 Tiger II: Added some missing bombing profiles. JF-17 Thunder: Added configuration panel (new ground crew interface). AV-8B Harrier: Added new logic for QA (Quick Access) Menu when changing between steerpoint types Mirage 2000C: Added information on radar emission channels and fixed some inaccuracies F/A-18C Hornet: Added ADM-141A TALDs (Tactical Air Launched Decoys), removed Snowplow mode from ATFLIR pod, fixed a few errors DH.98 Mosquito: Added low level bombing and delayed fuzes.

6 января 2023 года Дорогие друзья, Мы надеемся, что вы хорошо встретили Новый 23й год. Мы с удовольствием постараемся помочь вам сделать этот год незабываемым, в самом хорошем смысле. Зимняя распродажа DCS 2022 все ещё продолжается. Вас ждёт 50%-я скидка на многие летательные аппараты, карты и кампании. Не упустите шанс приобрести популярные DCS: F-16C Viper и DCS: F/A-18C Hornet за полцены! Торопитесь, предложение заканчивается 8 января в 23:59 GMT. В этом году вы увидите результаты нашей большой работы по улучшению ядра DCS, которое будет доступно в ближайшем будущем. В дополнение к повышению производительности мы надеемся сделать DCS ещё более реалистичным и интересным миром для полётов. Из самых заметных нововведений можно назвать DLSS/NIS, многопоточность, Vulkan API, карту Земли, новые эффекты моделирования погоды, улучшенные карты FLIR, динамическую кампанию, улучшенную модель системы управления воздушным движением, новые анимации персонажей, обработка множественных источников света, улучшенный голосовой чат, новые визуальные спецэффекты, новые взрыватели бомб, воздушные эффекты преодоления звукового барьера, обновлённый ИИ воздушных и наземных средств, а также новая GFM – общая лётная модель для ИИ. Подробности ниже. Обратите внимание, что перечисленное есть то, над чем мы будем работать в 2023 году, но, возможно не всё окажется доступным именно в этом году. Обязательно посмотрите видеоролик "DCS World 2023 и дальше". Наслаждайтесь! Спасибо за Ваш энтузиазм и поддержку! Команда Игл Дайнемикс 2023 and Beyond Смотрите! Мы надеемся, что сможем неоднократно порадовать вас в наступившем году. В частности будут представлены так давно ожидаемые модули: DCS: F-4E от Heatblur, DCS: F-15E от RAZBAM, DCS: OH-58D Kiowa Warrior от Polychop, DCS: F4U-1D Corsair от Magnitude 3, DCS: C-130J от The Airplane Simulation Company, обновлённый Mirage F1 от Aerges, карта DCS: Normandy 2.0 от Югра-Медиа, карта DCS: Синай от OnReTech! Смотрите наш традиционный новогодний видео-трейлер 2023 AND BEYOND VIDEO! Не забудьте, что текущая скидочная акция впервые предлагает популярные модули с 50% дисконтом. Среди них: DCS: Mosquito FB IV, DCS: Ми-24П, DCS: F-16C Viper, DCS: F/A-18C Hornet, и DCS: Supercarrier. Предложение заканчивается в 23:59 8-го января 2023 по Гринвичу. Спасибо! DCS Core Улучшенное игровое ядро Многопоточность Поддержка многопоточности является основой для всей дальнейшей оптимизации ядра DCS. На первом этапе все вычисления были разнесены по двум основным направлениям (потокам) - графическому и логическому. После того, как мы убедимся в стабильности достигнутых результатов, мы сможем постепенно увеличивать количество одновременно обрабатываемых потоков данных. Уже сейчас улучшение производительности замечено в больших и сложных миссиях, в движке динамических кампаний. Графическая часть движка была значительно переписана. Мы уже сейчас получаем заметный прирост производительности от параллельного рендеринга основанного на правильном выборе взаимозависимости задач отрисовки (например, сначала отражения в зеркалах, затем сами зеркала и параллельные запросы на отрисовку). Были переработаны графический буфер, формирователь, менеджер и рендер сцены. Мы унифицировали графические подсистемы так, что стало возможным встраивать необходимые узлы в рендер-граф. Это позволяет нам оперативно экспериментировать с новыми графическими конвейерами и повышать их эффективность. Внедрение нашего нового рендер-графа повысит эффективность DCS и обеспечит оптимальную производительность при использовании современных графических API, таких как Vulkan. Vulkan API Работы над API Vulkan идут параллельно с развитием поддержки многопоточности. Vulkan рендер встраивается в наш новый общий рендер-граф и получает заметный выигрыш от многопоточности за счет фоновой параллельной подкачки текстур, геометрии и объектов отрисовки при подгрузке террейнов. Как результат – большое количество задач отрисовки направляемых на графический адаптер более не будут ждать друг друга, а выполнятся одновременно. Мы провели значительную работу по унификации наших базовых рендеров Vulkan и DirectX так, чтобы картинка на экране была идентичной в обоих рендерах. Это означает, что все объекты рендеринга (модули, облака, эффекты) будут отображаться идентично, вне зависимости от API. Чтобы достичь такого результата нам пришлось доработать встроенный механизм конвертации шейдеров в формат Vulkan так, чтобы любой шейдер мог быть сконвертирован “на лету”. К слову сказать, что до настоящего времени конвертация шейдеров занимала значительное время. То, что сейчас Vulkan даёт в точности идентичную картинку как и DirectX, является нашим достижением прошлого года. Это значительно упрощает и делает работу графических программистов “прозрачной”, так как им не надо прописывать отдельные блоки кода под Vulkan и под DirectX. Следующим шагом станет создание механизмов для работы программистов с новыми возможностями Vulkan (Shader Model 6 и др.), трассировкой лучей, и т.п., в том числе с технологией GPU driven rendering. DLSS Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) 2.0 появится в DCS в этом году. DLSS - это семейство технологий глубокого анализа сцены в реальном времени с целью улучшения и повышения разрешения изображений для видеокарт Nvidia серий RTX 20, 30 и 40. Конёк этой технологии в том, чтобы позволить большей части графического конвейера работать в более низком разрешении для повышения производительности, а затем вывести изображение содержащее такой же уровень детализации, как если бы изображение было отрисовано в более высоком разрешении. Это позволяет использовать более высокие графические настройки и/или получить более высокую частоту кадров. В дополнение к DLSS также будет доступна функция Nvidia Image Scaling (NIS). NIS - это инструмент масштабирования и повышения резкости с алгоритмом, который использует 6-ступенчатый фильтр с 4-мя направленными фильтрами масштабирования и адаптивного повышения резкости для подъема производительности. Он пригоден для не-RTX видеокарт Nvidia и других, которые не поддерживают DLSS. После завершения работы над DLSS/NIS мы будем исследовать Fidelity FX Super Resolution (FSR) для графических процессоров AMD. Сферическая карта планеты В 2022 году мы создали основные инструменты и технологии для поддержки сферической карты планеты движком DCS World. Сферическая карта планеты формируется на современном виде земли и будет использоваться независимо от имеющихся исторических региональных карт (ВМВ2, Корея, Вьетнам и т.д.). Работы по внедрению поддержки сферической карты будут продолжены в 2023 году. Погода Базируясь на достижениях DCS 2.7, мы продолжили работу над погодными эффектами добавив движущиеся облака, высокие кучевые облака и более сложные атмосферные явления. Разрабатываются новые туманные и пыльные бури, являющиеся составными частями объемной облачной системы. Старый туман DCS — это отдельная система, рассчитанная на плоскую землю. Он не учитывает тени от местности и облаков, поэтому имеет ограничения. Новый туман будет рассчитан для сферической земли с учетом теней. Мы также планируем оптимизировать объемные облака и повысить их качество. Отдельный и сложный проект, находящийся в разработке, это генератор динамических облаков, который затем необходимо будет интегрировать с динамическими погодными системами низкого/высокого давлений и новыми типами облаков. На последнем этапе будет добавлен расчёт “зрения” ИИ с учётом облачности и ограничениями видимости на основе рассеивания света и прозрачности атмосферных явлений. FLIR В 2022 году были внесены значительные улучшения в моделирование тепловых обзорных систем и формирование теплоконтрастных изображений (FLIR) в DCS World. Помимо создания самой технологии, большая работа ведётся над улучшенными тепловыми сигнатурами ЛА, наземной техники и объектов, схемой нагрева и охлаждения окружающей среды, а также над специфическими визуальными эффектами. Дополнительно, мы добавим возможность задавать в редакторе миссий исходное состояние техники по степени нагрева на начало миссии. Движок Динамических Кампаний (ДДК) В 2022 году мы завершили все основные инженерные задачи по созданию Eagle Dynamics Dynamic Campaigns Engine (EDDCE). В 2023 году мы продолжим тестирование и развитие движка. Решается задача по использованию движка в кампаниях использующих разные карты. Следующим этапом будет механизм обмена данными между игроком и ИИ пилотами, с созданием соответствующего визуального интерфейса. Читайте одну из наших предыдущих новостей, где были изложены основные подробности. Управление воздушным движением В 2022 году мы очень значительно продвинулись в модернизации ATC - службы управления воздушным движением модуля Supercarrier. Как только эта работа будет завершена, мы переключимся на наземные аэродромы. Это не простая задача, ибо нам потребуется воссоздать работу службы управления воздушным движением по мировым стандартам; для стран традиционно использующих советскую школу УВД, а также для эпохи Второй мировой. Полная переработка УВД мирового стандарта уже начата. Параллельно идет переработка элементов радиообмена на уровне пар, звена, ДРЛО и дозаправки в воздухе. Анимация персонажей Начавшись с расширения анимации пилотов AH-64D в 2022, эта работа будет продолжена в 2023 и затронет как пилотов других ЛА, так и пехотные юниты, что сделает их более натуралистичными. Текущий приоритет – пилоты F/A-18C и F-16C. Наземный и палубный перснал Starting with the Supercarrier deck crew, we continued to develop this feature in 2023. We are now continuing this effort to include startup and taxi to catapult deck crew logic and animations. Following the completion of deck crew, we then plan to use this technology to create airfield ground crew and interactions. Множественные источники света Наши работы по расчёту освещенности от множественных источников света, ставшие доступными с выходом DCS 2.8 продолжаются. Следующим шагом станет обработка теней от света исходящего не только от солнца и луны, но и от окружения. Первые результаты этой работы доступны уже сейчас, на карте Персидского залива. Голосовой чат Впервые представленный в 2019 году, бесплатный голосовой чат, интегрированный в DCS, позволяет осуществлять голосовую связь по IP на основе того, как настроены ваши самолетные радиостанции. В 2022 году основное внимание было уделено улучшению радиосвязи и стабильному соединению, даже через VPN. В 2023 году мы продолжаем развивать эту функцию с реалистичным радио, эффектами и совместимостью с подключенными аудиоустройствами. Визуальные эффекты Наиболее значимыми из них будут эффекты от боеприпасов с воздушным подрывом, с зажигательными смесями типа напалма, а также визуальный паровой конус возникающий в момент преодоления звукового барьера летательным аппаратом. Устройства VR Мы реагируем на ваши замечания и продолжаем оптимизировать производительность VR для DCS. Основными источниками улучшения производительности VR являются многопоточность и API Vulkan, особенно для больших миссий. Мы также пересматриваем все уровни детализации объектов (LOD). Улучшения ИИ В 2022 году получили заметны улучшения возможности и вариативность ИИ при ведении ДВБ и БВБ на реактивных самолётах. Теперь мы улучшаем логику группового взаимодействия ботов, и работаем над ИИ периода Второй Мировой. Наземные юниты получили улучшенные алгоритмы поиска пути, а также эффекты “снижения морали”, что станет заметным не только на пехотных юнитах. Общая летная модель (GFM) для ИИ В то время как переработанная базовая летная модель (BFM) улучшила поведение ИИ в воздухе, общая летная модель GFM (General Flight Model) позволит ИИ использовать улучшенные расчёты аэродинамики. GFM является во многом более передовой по сравнение с SFM (стандартной летной моделью), так как использует в расчётах расширенный набор данных. SFM в состоянии обеспечить хорошую траекторную модель физической точки, однако требует тонкой ручной работы по настройке коэффициентов для получения индивидуальных характеристики ЛА, точных соответствий по угловым скоростям, сохранению энергии и т.д. GFM обеспечивает ЛА расчетами моментов сил в воздушном потоке, обеспечивает корректное отклонение поверхностей управления, а значит делает траектории движения более реалистичными. Боты с GFM подвержены воздействию воздушной турбулентности. --- Ещё раз спасибо за ваши отзывы и поддержку! Мы с нетерпением ждём возможности дать то, что вы ждете в наступившем 2023 году. С Новым годом! Искренне с Вами,

Wags comentries on Glowind Sidewinder video

Maybe if I were to find a decent free model. I have a lot on my plate already tho, so it wouldn't be a priority.

Happy New Year! I have released a HANABI mod to celebrate the new year. Enjoy. May the world be a better place this year. DOWNLOAD http://virtualcockpits.web.fc2.com/

Just a thought, can we ask/suggest a new sub-forum ref the planned dynamic campaign

Misc Military Assets by Currenthill I have reorganized - see this thread for information:

Lots of negativity and unfounded speculation in here, lets get back to Phantom love. If you want to complain about delays there are other posts for that.

Spherical Earth will be separate from our regional terrain DLC.

DCS stands for Digital Combat Simulator, not Distressed Ship Simulator.

Pros and Cons of Flat Earth map: Pros: Simpler, especially in terms of physics and calculations (vectors of forces such as weight act in a uniform direction, as opposed to radially; no coriolis force etc). Cons: The big problem with flat Earth maps is that they will inevitably cause distortion compared to real life, regardless of the projection method used. It's usually considerably more problematic at larger distances and as latitudes approach the poles: For far distances, some routes either become much longer than they should be (typically involving large 180° arcs) or are flat out impossible. As an example, let's setup a mission where I have a long-duration flight from the north-central United States to say, the Kola Peninsula (or vice versa). IRL the quickest route would be to head north-east, flying over basically the North Pole and then head south east (replace east for west for the Kola -> US route), instead of heading directly east/west over the Atlantic. However, on a flat map, with cartesian lines of lattitude and longitude (like they are now), this route would be far longer and it would would have to be a large 180° turn. If I instead go for a polar cartesian system, now I can fly over the North Pole, but now distances and areas south of the equator are far larger than they should be and flying over the South Pole is now impossible. These are only 2 projection methods, but every single one of them is going to have a major breaking issue in at least some locations. Close to the poles, terrain separated by large distances may need to be rotated so as to be properly aligned with respect to the meridians. This isn't so much a problem on a polar coordinate system, but on a cartesian one (like we have), this will mean that land will be misaligned compared to RL. Navigation: Great circle routes don't work properly (to name an example where this is a problem, IRL the Phantom's navigation computer computes for great circles beyond certain distances (120 km IIRC). If it were to do this in DCS on its current flat maps, all this would do is make your route take longer - while the smallest distance between 2 points on a sphere is a great circle, that doesn't apply to flat Earth maps). True north doesn't really exist (you may notice that true north in DCS don't follow meridians, especially noticeable on say, the South Atlantic). LOS at low-altitudes won't be accurate (for instance, the very tops of ships should be the first thing to appear and then as you get closer more will be seen) this might seem trivial, but it's quite important for anything at very low altitudes. On a related note workarounds need to be employed for the radar horizon and radio LOS. Kate mentioned in the Discord that current theatres use flat Earth geometry and it's technically infeasible to convert them to use spherical geometry. Though I'm hoping that any unnanounced future maps will be built using spherical geometry, even if it doesn't overwrite the areas they cover The map will be built from information from the present day. This makes sense because finding historical GIS data and textures suitable for the whole planet is almost certainly going to be infeasible without having different locations at different times.

Anyone ask about native support for OpenXR yet?

After so many years of consistent "Eagle Dynamics is not interested in implementing proprietary technologies" it was weird to hear about DLSS coming to DCS, especially when FSR is open-source. Perhaps there were some financial reasons for this? Anyway, this was a very interesting and informative newsletter, and I am looking forward to all that juicy stuff coming to clients :)

this is very promising! (containing a child like squeal of excitement)

if it will take less than half a year to show the details (pre-order possibly), so it will take half a year or more for releasing it, i would be more happy if they gave us ETA previous year, at least I know what to expect now, I set my expectation on 4th quarter of 2023.

1) This is a discussion on liveries for the F-4E 2) Those are bold words for someone who hasn't seen the folks that contribute to HB's testing crew in full swing 3) This is a discussion about F-4E liveries

I remain a big Grim Reapers fan. But I think they've done themselves a disservice with the recent and seemingly endless series of "what if?" videos, many of them pretty useless, and they should get back to reviews and tutorials. I'd still say I have learned more from their tutorials than all other channels combined. I know many don't like the Grim Reapers, but they don't have 300k subs and 115 million views for nothing.

It seems that in DCS, the time displayed in the DED CRUS EDR subpage is calculated from the Opt Mach speed, instead of the current throttle setting. According to the -34 (page 1-328), the time should be dependent on the current consumption rate (fuel flow) and the current altitude, not the Opt Mach. I mean, it is impossible to have a time to bingo (2000lbs) of 1:55:42 with a fuel load of total 8400lbs and a fuel flow of 12300lbs per hour Some part of the modeling seems to be correct tho, as the speed in which the timer ticks down is dependent on throttle and altitude. but the base time value should not be calculated with the Opt MACH, but instead the current fuel flow. The caret in the HUD should show OPT MACH, but the time should be calculated from the current consumption, not OPT MACH.

damn I hadn't thought about the height. i tested on flat levels. ME waypoints have always landed in the 5m CEP TGP marked targets mostly missed by a long way. thanks for the tests!

It’s been a while since I “checked in” but as a user, since the Flanker (DOS) days I wanted say thanks so much for providing me with endless hours of fun. I have watched, over the years, this amazing sim evolve from a single fighter to many iconic aircraft. The world we fly in has become this living thing that grows in depth continually. I look forward to every update to see what new detail, or major feature, appears. Thank you for filling my free hours so much enjoyment. All the best in 2023.

Only thing I can say on the release date is I'm hoping Q1, but mid Q2 would be alright. Passing Q2 I'll admittedly be kind of ticked. Had mixed messages of "Almost here guys, don't give up 2022 hopes :)" but now hearing their more recent reddit post of "we'll be nearing completion and showing details before the halfway point of the year :)" gives me bad vibes. I fully understand that they had some serious issues come up given the war in Ukraine, but this is a noticeable twist in direction. Now I will say, the most recent post wasn't from Cobra or Mike, so might not be the actual team's policy/opinion, for all I know that guy is in very, very hot water for the way he worded that message, or they were just being extremely casual in their presentation. Was reddit after all.

No doubt FlyingIron did a great job with their Hellcat, but Nick has owned a Hellcat and it is one of his favorites to fly. Due to this, we want to do the Hellcat ourselves. Thanks all.

So the Magic 2 apparently has LOAL capability?

Oh come on, 2022 was the release and its 6months plus ? they gotta be kidding .... I mean there was trust from HB to 2022 release and yes delay can happen but if its a half a year, dont tell me that they didnt know its not going to be at 2022... Im ok with that, but Im not ok with someone beiing full of sh*t

У меня телевизор 4К 70", но летаю я в старых oculus rift s и подумываю купить перчатки capto glove. Кто говорит "монитор лучше", попросту не использовал VR. Сравнивать это невозможно, в новых симуляторах даже поддержки трекира не будет, потому что основная аудитория уже ушла в VR, и никто обратно на монитор не пересядет. Так что, ИМХО, в планах "красивостей" надо думать уже в эту сторону. А пока, что не обновление графики, то удар VR-e поддых. Понятно что упор на стримеров и маркетинг, потому я не про аларм, а лишь про терпеливое ожидание...

really? ... the guy just updated 11 guides and you can only think of the glass half full?

Hmm, I must honestly say that this does surprise me. I would have expected it much sooner. Still in November, the goal was a 2022 release and also the radio silence I thought a sign that at least the big announcement is imminent

The Chinook will be an awesome addition to DCS! (proper implementation of troop transport and vehicle sling loading will be mandatory though, but I'm sure ED knows that). A bit grainy, as I took it probably 20 years ago at Bierset (Belgium), but thought I'd share here:

Then of course you have to define what usefulness means. It covers a lot of bases. To their credit, the Grim Reapers have a crapton of tutorials, over a hundred each for the Tomcat and Hornet, many in exhaustive detail, with views from 20k to over 100k for each video. I think that qualifies as both popular and useful. This is a good example. A one hour tutorial with 93k views. Popular and useful.

I find myself missing the style and content of old, now mostly extinguished DCS youtubers like Bunyap, xxJohnxx, GrmlZ, pickinthatbanjo etc. Though we do still have a few like that. To be fair however, I do rather like some of the current ones quite a bit too, like Casmo, xTerminus, Volk, RedKite etc. There are a few more highly helicopter-centric ones that I can't remember right now, but were also fairly in-deep and interesting content on helos. DCS sure is becoming more and more popular last few years, with high production quality hype videos, more "crowd pleaser" modules, attractive graphics etc I kinda feel like user base is many folds greater than about half a decade ago. These days you can even find War Thunder youtubers covering DCS stuff sometimes, or publishing some DCS gameplay. With that game adding all the way up to 4th gen aircraft nowadays, I think it'll only bring even more people to at least checking out DCS when they want more beyond limitations of that platform for their favorite aircraft. Besides, even among non simmers, DCS seems to have become a known quantity these days. There is a "potential community" that is even larger beyond the active users/customers. One metric I have is the Facebook group I am among the admins of, and we have close to 30000 members there, well 28.7ish right now, but I'd expect it to break 30k in a few months. And that's with Facebook being a halfway dying platform I also smile when I hear people mention DCS in non related youtube channels like Linus' Tech Tips, InRangeTV etc

No other channel takes DCS to such extremes. It doesn't really matter if it's reality based or not, it shows how DCS performs, it's greatness and it's limits foremost. If you like the content idea itself is a different thing.

and here is my attempt trying to set OA1 and OA2 with the TGP. (as described here by wags: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnqFHMok-hA) upon designating OA2, the position of OA1 gets lost and overwritten by OA2 or vice versa.. (in the end OA1 and OA2 end up being at the same location) also note that none of those triangles indicating the OA location ever show up in this method in the current OB build (unlike in wags video). after trying that, i end up manually entering OA1 and OA2 as you would for a pre-planned pop-up attack (or as you would load in via Data Cartridge). triangles show up, yet OA1, despite having set an altitude of 3800ft, seems to be below ground. the TGP however seems to look a what i presume the correct OA1 position in the air somewhere. however, despite the sighting option being set to OA1 (left MFD OSB 10), the SPI (which is now OA1), the target box is still on the waypoint and not on OA1 location. also something wrong there. watch towards the end of my track, you can see me trying to find the OA1 location. as i cant find it anywhere i re-enter all its data again and discover the triangle somewhere below ground all of this worked perfectly fine prior to the last minute christmas update. Offset-Aimpoint-location_bug2.trk

First post of the Normandy 2 FAQ thread: When will it release? The intent is to release into Early Access before the end of 2022. However, this may extend into early 2023 based on testing results.

Technically, you really only need to be in the back seat to operate the APU, start the engines, and control the exterior lighting. Everything else can be from the front seat if desired, from flying to targeting to shooting. It just comes down to ensuring you have enough controls mapped to do both at the same time. The only real obstacle is the fact you can't display flight symbology on your helmet display while also operating the TADS, since they are mutually exclusive. But beyond that, there is nothing stopping anyone from solely operating the aircraft from the front seat once they get the engines started.

Snappy. I am not one of the devs but just a true Mirage nutter , with real world Mirage III experience in the last century Comparing the Mirage sight to a modern Director sight like in the FA18/F16 leaves us with the impression that pipper on means real time solution and therefore hits. I looked at the track. You did get some hits... albeit not many. Though looking at the tracking and comparing it to real world experience against a 30foot banner (Radar locked LCOS in the Mirage III) the hits you got are probably about right. Even with perfect tracking in the Squadron a score of more than 30% hits was rare. If I was assessing your "film" in the squadron (which I used to do as a weapons instructor) I would simply say your tracking needs to improve ... harsh perhaps but that would have been the reality in the squadron. In your case the pipper is moving , everytime it moves the LCOS solution is behind the game. Recall the sight solution time is probably around 1.2 X the time of flight. in other words you need the pipper on and stable for perhaps at a minimum for 1.2 seconds for the solution to be correct. Everytime the pipper moves (through minor flight control input the timer starts again. So sight handling in an LCOS sight is an art form that requires really really smooth flight control input and anticipation of pipper movement and the interplay between Range, range rate and sight solution time. The LCOS pipper can be likened to being held by two opposing rubber bands. The pilot controls the rear band with the stick, more backstick the rear band pulls the pipper backwards , reducing range the front band pulls the pipper forward, it is the pilot that has to control these forces such that the pipper moves along the "line" (primarily using roll for left right corrections and G for forward and aft corrections) and stabilizes on the target for 1.2 X the time of flight ... this is the art of sight handling. Now that deals with standard LCOS, what about the ANT function ? I only have a limited understanding of exactly what it does in the F1 through logic and reading the explanation in the F1KED manuals (where the sight is effectively always in the ANT mode when locked on). Reading this info leads me to believe that ANT just adds radar antenna position and angle rates to the firing solution. because of this the computation knows the current position of the gun reticle and the target (orange square) the system can than monitor the coincidence of both the theory being if the GYRO reticle is on the orange TD square then it is a valid solution so hits (again assuming sight solution time has been observed) should ocurr. this then allows Auto fire if selected to occur. The F1KED manual states that if coincidence is inside 15mills (and in range) then Autofire will be initiated. though to me 15mills is a huge tolerance. in the F1KED manual there is also reference to "Future prediction angles for radar distance firing at a fleeting target" Not exactly sure what that means but might result in reduced sight solution time ? This then needs discussion of gun harmonisation . The 30MM Defa rattled around a fair bit during firing. For a single DEFA the quoted dispersion was 4mills. In the Mirage III the guns are NOT point harmonised but rather harmonised in a Figure of 8 area type pattern leaning over about 30degrees to the right. Each gun axis separated by 3mills in the vertical The resultant field of fire about 7mills dispersion. This "shotgun" like harmonization to somewhat compensate for gun movement, pilot tracking quality and computational accuracy. I have no idea in the F1 as to what the harmonization pattern was, but i doubt they were point harmonized. Then there is the issue of scintillation. This is the radar tracking point moving around especially as you get close, this will result in the TD square moving around the target as the radar grabs a better return. Scintillation is a real thing and could even be seen in the FA18 circa 1985. The TD box would wander all over the target aircraft. The final point. I am unaware of to what extent in the AERGES F1 all of this has been implemented. Happy tracking

Aren't they always? Granted I don't focus on them so I could be wrong, but it feels like you guys pay a 15-25% premium pretty much all the time. Even when times aren't insane.

Hopefully, the European prices will drop because they are horrendous.

Looks delicious. And any extra FPS we get from the core improvements will be extra delicious.

A beer barrel, or a travel pod is a wish list item. A proper flight model is not. As long as youre not playing a "sim" with a snail logo.

I bet on reveal trailer some time during jan 2024 and then each video covering various systems being released on yearly basis with early acces starting during q2 2029.