Tank50us

Mods, If this is in the wrong place, please move it. Hey guys, Cmdr Davonger from the 145th reporting in. I am pleased to announce that on Thursday, at 1600hrs US Central Standard Time, the 145th PMC Group will be hosting a special Eight Hour long mission. The objective will be to protect one of Santas Workshops in the Caucuses from the Troll and Ogre Alliance. This mission is an open invitational, and all will be permitted to join. It is a PvE Styled mission, and many aircraft will be available to fly. Why Eight Hours you ask? Well, it was designed for people to use to stream, and maybe even host a charity stream. Although we are too small to be effective at that, we really encourage anyone who wishes to use this mission as a backdrop for a charity stream to come in and fly. The Mission is designed to end at Midnight US Central Time, as the last transport leaves for the North Pole. If anyone would like to take part, please comment below, or join our Discord. Our Discord link is: https://discord.gg/PffhWvKt I really hope to see you all there. It's shaping up to be one heck of a mission. Dav Out.

Alright, then give the people who make them enough money to live off of, because at some point they're just going to go "Yeah, this isn't worth my time any more" and stop updating those things. ED on the other hand does have the resources, limited though they may be, to make and maintain the QOL updates that people keep wanting. As for DCS being a niche title... does it have to remain that way? Why not open it up to more people who will spend money on new modules?

It is actually still issued, and many units have them in the stocks because getting rid of them (either into the open market, proper disposal, or selling them to allies) makes too much sense. Which itself still looks like an AR15 patterned rifle, and the USMC has been reportedly on the fence about it since the guys on the ground were saying that it heats up too fast and jams too easily to be effective at suppressing enemy troops The AK and FAL family are some of the most widely distributed rifles in history, which is why I included both. And even then, their modern versions don't look that much different then the originals, especially if you're looking at them from 30,000ft through a T-Pod. The same applies to bullpups, which as stated is represented by the Styr as it's the most successful design to date. That being said, if done, additional weapons could be added later down the road. As for the Light AT, the 'etc' is meant to emphasize other weapons that could be used. I picked the ones I did because they're all 'reloadable' designs, and the fact that a dude with one fires more than one shot will be a bit more believable than someone using a LAW or AT4 (that said, it's not like those couldn't be added to the basic rifleman through the appropriate screen). It actually wouldn't. The idea is that the squad moves as a single unit (similar to some RTS titles), rather than a whole bunch of single units (as is the case now). Doing it this way would make it slightly easier for servers to keep track of (since the squad would have a shared ammo reserve), and better allow for infantry to function within DCS as something other than cannon fodder (because with the right kit they can hold their own), or outright seething hatred (ask anyone who flys helos about MANPADS, they'll tell ya how they feel about them). As for the rest, the unit window in question would be a mix of the aircraft arming window we know and love in the ME, and the train-load window. Pick your SL, place him/her down, click the right tab, and either pick from one of the dozens of presets, or create your own squad from that window (hit a plus-sign to add a unit, and use a series of drop-down menus to select what they use within their class)

I'd say the largest would be squads for infantry (8-14 troops), and platoons for tanks and AFVs (4-6 vehicles). Things do however get tricky when you're dealing with 'attached' units, such as a squad of US Marines (12 guys) with an AAV-7. Although that could be easily fixed with an 'attached' command for the units, which would work in a similar fashion to the escort command. For example if you attach four USMC squads to a platoon of M1s, the M1s will 'know' not to leave their infantry behind, and will either move at their pace, or, stop long enough for the troops to clamber on top and ride the tank at full speed. And before anyone says anything, yes, it is possible for troops to ride an M1, as demonstrated by these Marines:

If it were up to me it would come with a set of pre-sets, but also allow for full customization (to account for irregular forces and the like). Adding

This thread is more about "What kind of troops I'd like to see" more than anything, and I'd like to see what you guys would want to see as well. Now, with all that said, here's what I'd like to see: First off, the soldier themselves should have a wide range of uniforms and kit available. Uniforms should be an obvious one because many countries do buy uniforms and kit from other countries, or just copy what another country uses. As for the weapons, things get a bit more... interesting. For starters, every infantryman should be armed with any one of the following (for modern day) M16 FN FAL G36 AK47/74/101 Styr AUG (to represent bullpups) Once that's been handled, the infantry get broken down into various 'classes'. Including, but not limited to: Rifleman: Basic troop, only armed with a rifle AT Light: A soldier that uses some sort of unguided AT weapon, like the RPG7, SMAW, Carl Gustav, etc. AT Heavy: A soldier that uses a man-portable ATGM, such as Kornet, Javelin, Spike, etc. Support: A soldier that trades their rifle for a LMG such as the M249 or RPK Heavy Support: A soldier that trades their rifle for a General Purpose MG such as the M240 or PKM Grenadier: A soldier that attaches an under-slung grenade launcher to their rifle Heavy Grenadier: A soldier who uses a multi-shot grenade launcher (giving them increased lethality against some vehicles) Anti-Air: A soldier who uses a MANPADS Radio: A soldier who walks around with a radio, they can act as a FAC or FO for air strikes and artillery respectively, as well as 'reporting' the locations of enemies they have line of sight to. Designated Marksman: A soldier armed with a much more accurate rifle (such as an Mk14 EBR, SR25, SVD, L96, etc), or their service rifle is equipped with a magnifying scope. Sniper: A soldier equipped with a ghillie suit and an extremely accurate rifle (such as an M40), or an Anti-Material Rifle for use against light vehicles (such as the M82/M107) Now, the way I'd handle the actual deployment of infantry is a bit like what we see for the trains. Each 'unit' is therefore counted as a whole squad, rather than 12+ individual units, with the 'squad leader' being the first guy put down. Once he/she is placed, you get an option for how the squad should be built up, either from a pre-select, or create one you like. As well as the infantry, I'd like to see some of the modern towed artillery units that exist in the real world, and for added bonus points, make them capable of being sling-loaded from helicopters so that we can move them to fire bases. Mix this with more static defenses, like MG Nests, Recoiless Rifle pits, and so on, and you have the makings of some pretty interesting helicopter based scenarios. Edit: Added DM and Sniper based on suggestion from @upyr1

Joking aside, I'm sure we've all had that frustration. You have a target, say a T55, lined up for a Maverick shot in your A-10. You push the button, the missile fires, but just before the missile can hit the target, the tank manages to get a pine tree between itself and the missile, and the missile hits a pinecone on said tree, and explodes, the tank on the other hand just keeps on going. So here's something I think can all agree needs to be fixed: There is just no way that a few millimeters of tree branch is going to stop an ATGM, LGB, GPS Guided Glide Bomber, or anything an aircraft can drop. So why can't we have it fixed where a tree isn't going to detonate a missile too soon? I can understand if the missile hit a Sequoia, but I have a hard time believing that a missile is going to even notice a tree branch thinner than its fins.

They could certainly use a DM.... it's particularly interesting to watch a 2,000lb Bunker Busting GPS Guided Bomb or a Maverick get stopped by a tree branch

Not just that, but take it a step further: Allow all aircraft, regardless of 'faction', to land on any base. This can be useful for some unique scenarios such as: Defections: The defecting aircraft will still be squawking 'hostile' IFF, but will not act aggressively, and will fly to a designated airfield and land (with escorts of course) Airfield Capture: Allied transport aircraft fly in and land at an airfield to 'deploy' troops and equipment who then 'capture' the airfield for allied use. Special Forces: Players escort a transport aircraft to an enemy base where it will land and 'pick up' some ground troops and then take-off again. just some ideas to throw out there.

I imagine part of the reason the US Government was throwing a fit was because the aircraft was nuclear capable, and didn't want anything 'useful' falling into the wrong hands. That said, anything anyone could glean from such an aircraft now is significantly out dated since modern Air Defenses are more than capable of dealing with a fast, low-level fighter bomber like the Thud

And let's not forget the trees.... it's quite amusing to see a sapling stop a 65 ton M1A2 and force the AI to go "Uhm....." when in reality that tank would crush that small tree like it was nothing.

I made one a while back that's a bit more low-viz: But if you wanna take a crack at doing the 'garm' scheme, go for it. I can send ya the markings when I get off work

Funnily enough, some of the best Virtual Racers out there are using just a simple gamepad, and they regularly beat the snot out of people with multi-thousand dollar setups. Same applies to DCS. You have people able to play very well with a keyboard and mouse or controller, and are able to hold their own against people with full HOTAS and VR setups. And given that in the Ten Things trailer Wags flat out states that you can use a keyboard and mouse or gamepad. He recommends a "Joystick with four or more buttons", but goes on to say that a HOTAS is in no way needed to get the most out of DCS. So when the voice of DCS himself makes these statements, how about coming down from your ivory tower of elitism and start understanding that maybe DCS is meant to be more accessible than you wish it to be.

Judging by how he acts both here and in certain other threads, it likely includes making a requirement that everyone have a full sim pit for the aircraft they want to fly.

This makes sense. Especially for those modules that break certain molds and require a bit more set-up than normal. I imagine that the EF2K will be an example of this given how new an aircraft it is in the real world, and how many systems would be introduced to DCS with it. Sure the basics will get covered, but the rest? Hard to say at this point as we know very little about it. Tell that to the people who use one of the cheaper HOTASs. Unless you're flying a Saber, which has bugger all for systems to begin with, your idea falls flat. And more importantly, your plan of requiring people to spend an extra 300-400 dollars on top of everything else, especially when they're not even sure they'll like DCS to begin with also doesn't work. Remember, the sooner new players are up and flying, the better off we all are.

Well, guess what: Those people do grow up, and decide to come to simulators like DCS. You may not like it, you may want 'those peasants' to stay away, but guess what, they'll come here. And I for one welcome them with open arms. Why? Because they make the game fun. Many of them actually seem to enjoy the idea of D&D with Fighter Jets (the way my group plays). But yet, people like you want them to stay away, which I think is a cryin' shame.

Wouldn't these boats have a dude with a Stinger or Igla?

You nailed it. More people getting into DCS ultimately means that more people will want to make modules for it. More modules means more interest, which means more people buying 1st party products, which means more money for ED to develop cool things. Seriously, the moment the F-14 was even announced you had people willing to throw money at Heatblur and ED back in 2018. Now look at how things are going. Here we are, about three years later (man time flies), and we've seen a huge increase in dev teams forming to make specific aircraft. In 2021 alone ED was able to release multiple new toys for us to play with, and everything we know they were developing is in some state of release (with exception to AH-64, which drops a few weeks after the new year). Every one of these new modules brings new people to DCS, some stick out the hard stuff and get into the fun stuff. But not everyone. Wouldn't it be better for everyone involved, if out of 100 people that are new to DCS in January 2022, all of them are still playing by Dec.31st? I like to think that it would be a good thing if 100% of the people who try DCS at the start of the year are still playing by the end of the year. Especially if they have tools to help them learn the game that doesn't make them feel stupid for not knowing something. When I first saw the Tomcats bind page, I was just stunned, completely unsure of what did what. But now it's one of the top three fixed-wings I fly... but that's because I'm stubborn AF. Not everyone is that willing to stick it out like I was (being unemployed thanks to a certain unspecified virus helped), but some people only have maybe two or three good hours per week to fly. And when it comes to free games, between this and the unspecified FTP game by a company with a snail for a logo... that other game does treat its new players a lot better than here. In that game, you're flying in 10 minutes tops. Out of the tutorials in 30-45min, and after that you're turned loose on the server. Here in DCS, a new player who may not know anything about aviation, may not even be able to understand what he's reading when he's trying to bind controls. Which means he's spending an hour or more looking things up to try and figure it out, and if he/she just gives up at that point, they'll never pick up DCS again. They'll uninstall it, and walk away. And I don't think that's a good thing. ED needs to make the New Player Experience much better. And the first important step to that, is making sure that people can set up their controls quickly and easily. The sooner the new player is up and flying, the better.

don't you mean teh F-105? Or do you actually mean the Super Saber?

Wouldn't it be nice though to see these things in-game though? Like, have the mod installed sure, but when you're in the ME, go through and select which mod objects or even modules can appear in the mission. It could be as simple as clicking a button, and moving modules from one window to another in the same manor as we do for the countries when selecting who's Red and Blue Force. And when you move something out that's in the map, it will give you a warning "Hey, you have this unit from this mod pack/module in your mission. If you proceed with this, it will be deleted from the mission. Are you sure you want to do this? [Y/N]" It would be quite useful to avoid adding paid-pack units to a mission by accident, that's for certain.

I tried JoyPro, and unfortunately, it's not quite as intuitive as GR made it out to be, nor as stable. I followed the directions to the letter, and it just didn't work... and funnily enough I suffered such a catastrophic fail that even my backup binds didn't restore it.... which meant having to go through this whole process of re-binding everything all over again. Yeah, these 'elitist' viewpoints of DCS really do need to go the way of the .303 bullet as an aircraft weapon. This whole "Well, I was able to do it this complicated way, so everyone else should be able to" is the exact opposite of what a company should want. ED should want the game to be accessible to all who download it, with easy to understand lingo so that even those people who know nothing of combat aviation can pick up the game and start wading in. I know people who've done the whole "Leap of Faith Dive", and for them it was only because they loved the aircraft that they bought that they opted to stick out the whole thing. But that's not everyone. There are probably thousands who actually spent money on DCS, bought everything they needed, bought the module they wanted.... but the moment they fired up the game and saw how messed up the keybinds were.... just noped out of it. Their first experience to DCS should be "Hey welcome to DCS World. You seem new here, so how about we get you set up first? You appear to have [input device], so let's get that bound. [Gets things bound]. Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's get your flying. What's your level of knowledge for aircraft? [None/Some/moderate/lots] (assuming 'none' is selected) Alright, so, we've got some work to do, but don't worry. This is the Sukoi, Su-25T Frogfoot. (details about plane)...." And after that it goes to explain all the intricacies of flying the Su25 to the point where the new player can take off, fly around, navigate, and land without exploding. That should be every new players experience the moment they fire up the game for the first time, or even those who just haven't been around a while and could use a quick refresher. I think we can all agree that that hour I mentioned earlier would be better suited flying then trying to navigate the keybinds menu.

Did I say anything about ED managing it? I'm talking about a safe and secure area where the mods get uploaded or updated, with a mod manager that's part of the game doing all the tedious work of downloading, installing, and updating done for you. Unless you like going through all the tedious work of searching out the mod, downloading it, putting it in the right install folder, crossing your fingers that it's the right version when you log into a server, and so on and so on. The only managing that ED would need to do is to keep an eye out for malware that gets uploaded to the nexus, and respond to issues that get raised. For example: Plater: "ED, this Tornado mod contains malware." ED Staff: "Thank you for your report, the mod will be disabled and the makers notified." Heck, you could even have a basic bot handle that and be in good shape.

Alternatively, ED could create a nexus of sorts where all mods get uploaded, and when someone wishes to download a mod, it's coming from a secure location. Then, when there's an update to that mod, it gets uploaded to that nexus, and the game updates the mod for you. The problem with the 3rd Party Programs is that it's all manual. You have to initiate the check, or update the mod yourself, and that's even assuming you know that there is an update to it. So why not have a system made by ED that makes it as easy as: 1. Select Mod. 2. Install mod. 3. Enjoy mod.

A good example would be how well does your settings handle a full battery of M270s eliminating a grid square? All those rockets and bomblets raining down on an area and cause frame rates to absolutely tank if your computer can't handle them. Or how well does the game handle a particularly busy airfield with dozens of planes lined up to taxi and take-off? Or how well does it handle a CVBG launching a wave of Tomahawks at a target area. Things like that. Things that will put the graphics settings under stress.

As I mentioned in another thread, something that would be immensely useful for DCS would be the addition of a wizard designed specifically to bind all the 'common' keys and controls that all aircraft share. These include things like: Roll, Pitch, and Yaw Trim Landing Gear Air Breaks Flaps Canopy Slew and depress (and its equivalents) Nose Wheel Steering Wheel Breaks Trigger Weapons Release and many more The reasons I think such a wizard would be useful is, or at least should be, pretty clear: New players stepping into DCS for the first time have no idea what they're staring at in that bindings screen. So each item should contain a little graphic that shows what the binding in question actually does. For example: The graphic for Weapons Release would be a generic airplane dropping a bomb. Or the graphic for slew shows a generic targeting cursor to illustrate that this is how you aim your weapons. The list goes on. But the secondary purpose of this is also to ensure that whether a player is starting up for the first time, returning from a hiatus, working with a fresh install on a new machine, or even installing a new control scheme, they'll be able to have the most common controls handled on all of their planes, regardless of nation or level of fidelity. I think this would go a long way to helping the new users to the game, and make them feel more at home than things are currently.