Tank50us

I mean, they already are doing this to a degree, just with specific modules. However, the warbirds, from what I understand, are a team of people just doing the warbirds, and nothing else. This same logic could be applied to ships, and land units... at least in theory.

This could be a useful feature to have. I agree with it.

And that's before we get into the weapons. How about proper anti-aircraft missile fusing? Or detection of a laser by LGBs? Or how about adding assets that are sorely needed like AT troops, more ships, more logistical options for air land and sea, as well as playable logistics options. There is far more in DCS that is needed and yet to be implemented without worrying about something as silly as a zoom feature.

Since we have the UH-1H, one has to wonder why we don't yet have the AH-1G Cobra in DCS. Sure, it isn't the most capable of the Cobras, but it is an attack helo designed to escort the UH-1H in Vietnam. Given that it uses the many UH-1 Components, the only real challenge for ED would be creating a proper flight model for it.

Yes, "The Storm" represents depression, if you see it through that eye, you get the meaning.

I saw a video today that got me thinking, and I decided to do a short PSA, again on behalf of the 145th, but I think this could even be on behalf of Eagle Dynamics themselves. Stay on our wings. Times were tough, but there's a storm on the horizon. Many are feeling its effects now, and many more will soon feel them again. This storm is not one of nature. It is man made. It is a result of many factors. But the effects are sadly the same. We have lost many pilots to this storm. Many never saw the turbulence the storm caused. Many felt the hail, and powered through to the other side. But as we all looked back to for our Wingman, he wasn't there. No warning. No cry for help. Not even the sound of an ejection beacon. They were gone. And as you returned home, you could only think of the times you had with them. The night you got thrown out of the officers club. The day he stood next to you begging you not to go through with that marriage. The day you saw your kid run to him like a relative. All of that is a memory now. But now the storm that took your friend is ahead of you. You look back to see a new wing man, one with immense promise. "Stay on my wing, and we'll both get through this" you tell him. Through the storm you both fly. Your engines howl. Your frame shutters Warnings blare in your headset. "Are you alright?" Your Wing Man asks. "I've lost some of my instruments Kid, but I'm here" You reply as your eyes focus on your HUD. It still works. You glance down at your radar. It's still working. Suddenly, as quickly as it came, it leaves. You've powered through the storm again. You look back, your wing man is not there. Seconds feel like hours. Suddenly he appears. "Sorry chief, had to drop back a second." he calls out. Your return is marked by cheers and celebration. You're here, and so is your wing man. He stayed on your wing. The storm will pass. But we must all stay on each others wings. Know that I would rather fly through that storm with you, and somberly perform a missing man for you. We are all here for those in need of a wing man. If your wing man is in trouble, stay on their wing. Get them back to base. Talk to them. No matter what it takes, do not let the storm win. Do not let the storm take another life. In the last 18 months. Thousands of people of all ages have been lost to this storm. No matter what it takes pilots. Make sure the people closest to you stay on your wing, so that the storm cannot claim another life.

The thing is, people *have* done it, there's even videos of people doing fairly well with their setups, and at least able to fight people with full sim builds to a stand-still. It is by no means perfect, but it does get the job done. The tactics and maneuvers don't change because the equipment is different. Knowing how to knotch a missile for example doesn't matter what you're using, the tactic applies to all frames and kit. The same applies to all of the maneuvers. Sure, training yourself from one platform to the next will take time (I had to do it going from an X56 to a Warthog), but the rules and maneuvers are all the same regardless of what you're using.

You guys are talking about minimum releasable state, something some of the other 3PDs could learn in that regard.

I think the OP is wanting something akin to what ArmAIII uses where you start up the game, a launcher pops up, and you can load or unload a modlist and continue forward, which I think would be an awesome thing to have for DCS.

OK... dude... I get it... but seriously: Formatting is a very useful thing. Now, balance belongs in War Thunder, not DCS. These aircraft are built to win wars, and in a war, if you're 'fighting fair', you're fighting stupid. Ergo, you go in with every conceivable advantage you can give yourself, or you will lose. You might still lose even with that (just ask 1945 Japan), but at least you have a chance to win, vs no chance at all.

Go figure. The dolts in DC kill the ST21 project, force the retirement of the F-14, and then this. So about the only way HB could make the D, is to hire someone with an idetic memory to take a trip to the US Navy Archives where they can read the information, and report back....

It was likely a licensing issue over the music used. Some random Chinese company likely tried to claim it, and HB had to show that "yes, we have the license to use the music, now leave us alone"

My Ol'Man used to be on submarines as a Sonar Tech, and my younger brother is going to be an Aviation Electrician on P-3 Orions (I'm sure my dad is sooooo proud of that choice XD), so seeing this aspect of modern warfare present in DCS, even as an AI behavior, would be nice. I'd argue however that for flyable aircraft, I'd limit the choices to the S-3 and SH-60. The SH60 can be multi-mission capable of doing literally anything the Navy needs it to do. And with the S-3 out of service, the information on it will likely be available at some point.

Being a trainer that's in active service with multiple nations, i don't think getting information should be that difficult. But I don't see why we shouldn't have it, as these types of aircraft are quite popular for COIN Ops. as well.

They just need to make it a 'hidden object' like the wheel chocks, intake covers, and 'remove before flight' flags already on some aircraft modules.

That's the kicker, most of them don't advertise like that, they operate as "Yeah sure, we accept new people to the game in our group", then use that tactic to get people to spend hundreds of dollars before they've gotten out of the Frogfoot Ts basic training.

Greetings guys, I am Tank50us, leader of the 145th PMC Group, and in our commitment to the new players out there, I am going to do a bit of a PSA on behalf of the group, and, something that I hope will help all of the new players struggling, or just trying to figure out what they want to do in DCS World. With that said, let's get started: 1. You don't need an expensive HOTAS. While this nearly comes out of the words of the "Ten Things" trailer, it is something that is very true. I've seen many people in my time ask the question "What's the best HOTAS to get?" or "Where can I get a decent HOTAS for under $$$". While these are all valid questions to ask, one should note that when looking to get a HOTAS while you're still starting out, you don't need to break the bank getting one. Take your time, and do your research before selecting one, but remember that you can get by with a simple stick that you can pick up at a local re-seller shop on the cheap. Alternatively, you can get by using a game controller, or even a mouse and keyboard. The skills and tactics do translate, so if you train yourself and become dangerous with a mouse and keyboard setup, imagine how dangerous you'll be when you get your hands on an X52. 2. The Su25T is your friend. Many people like to go around telling people that cannot do anything with the Starter aircraft, the Su25T Frogfoot. Many will tell you to buy a high fidelity module or you won't get the 'proper' experience. These people, are very wrong. The Su25T is an aircraft of many talents, and should not be underestimated. The 'Frogo' as my group calls it, is a very capable aircraft, and we accept people who only have that plane, and train them to the point they feel ready to get something else. We even have people who will swear by the aircraft, with some who even use it exclusively when doing ground attack missions. Basically, when you're starting out, and looking for people to fly with, if any of them start sticking their nose up at you because you want to ground pound in the Frog, then that is not a group for you. Speaking of groups... 3. Avoid groups that force you to buy anything. If there's one thing that you should avoid at any cost, especially when you're just starting out, it's the groups that won't let you even join their discord unless you already have XYZ module. There are some will impose such restrictions when it comes to missions, these groups are fine as they will often help you learn what you need to, and help you make an informed decision when it comes to buying your first aircraft module. 4. Get the Maps as soon as reasonable. Once you've settled in to DCS, and you are starting to get a feel for flying, I strongly recommend getting your hands on the maps as soon as you can. The reason for this is because the maps are going to open up many new avenues for missions and play. Also, compared to many other modules, the maps are usually the cheapest items you can get, especially when sales happen. Which map will be determined by what you ultimately want to do, but I personally recommend Syria and Persian Gulf as many servers use one or both of these maps. 5. Never be afraid to ask for help. Under no circumstances should you be shy about asking people to help you out. Whether it's help with a map module because you want to fly with the group, or just asking general questions about the aircraft and its system, do not be afraid to ask for help. My group for example sees several people ask the question "Can someone help me learn (insert plane)?" and it is almost always responded with "Sure, I'll help ya out" or "(player) knows that aircraft quite well", and 9/10 times, the individual is shown the ropes, and given a good lesson by someone who knows the aircraft. 6. Learn to navigate early, practice often. While most servers operate allowing you to use the F10 map to its full potential, not all servers do this, and some will not even allow you to see your own plane on the F10 map. For this reason, it is a good idea to learn how to "Dead Reckon" Navigate, that is: Plot a route Measure the approximate distance of that route from point to point Plan to fly using a set airspeed Figure out the time it should take to cross the gap between points Basically, if you can pull this off, than more than likely before too long you'll be able to fly complex routes without ever having to look at a map. This is a skill that one should practice as much as they can, and in most servers, can be done fairly easily as you can just start up and take-off without ever loading a single weapon. 7. A/G Get smart with the dumb weapons. While it's certainly easy to hit a moving target using a laser guided bomb provided you can keep a laser on it, it should be stressed that there are going to be cases where using a pod of Hydras or a couple Mk82s will work just as well. Even with the high fidelity jets, setting up a 'dumb' bomb or rocket is fairly straight forward, and sometimes even obvious (the F-5 for example, all the controls for the bombs and rockets are by your left knee). More importantly, in groups that operate with limited ordinance, being able to deploy as many dumb-bombs as needed, and being able to land them on target is a great skill to have. 8. Learn to defend as early as possible. In relation to getting warheads on foreheads, a key thing to remember is that none of those skills mean much if you don't make it to the target. Knowing how to stay alive is an incredibly important skill-set. From defensive breaks, to notching, to terrain masking, knowing how to avoid giving the enemy a chance to kill you is something worth learning as soon as you can. And this is before you get into the use of countermeasures and ECM. 9. What you spend should be up to you. DCS can be quite expensive when you first get into it. The modules alone are anywhere from 60-80 USD each, and then there's the peripherals and the computer to run the game on. So don't be ashamed to buy things on sale when sales crop up. Most importantly, with the 2wk trials now available for stand-alone users, you can now even try out the module, and decide for yourself if it'll be worth the investment. Let no one tell you which modules to buy, and let no one tell you when to buy. It's all up to you, and you alone. 10. Have fun! Although it is a highly accurate study simulator, DCS is, and should always be, a fun experience. Whether you're racing Tomcats around Cyprus to re-enacting historic battles to having ridiculous challenges, DCS is still a video game at heart, and it should be treated as something fun to do. So get out there, have fun, don't be too shy to ask questions. And for all of you experienced players, be sure to lighten up a bit too ya know? You were that new guy once yourself remember. Tank Out.

The only people who don't need a 'zoom' function in DCS are those people who can afford to put not just a sim-pit in their homes, but a full sim-dome, which is incredibly expensive to do. I've seen normal Sim-Pits range in price from about 10-30 thousand USD, possibly more depending on the aircraft being simulated (this does include the computer and the appropriate DCS Modules btw), and while I'm sure people have made them for less than that, the moment you try to add in the dome, the costs go up even more. At that point, you can even reliably rely on human vision, and not a zoom function.

It's an area I'd rather avoid if possible. That said, as for the JF-17, Pakistan isn't the only country that actually flies it, and it was also designed and built by China, so technically it's a Chinese plane? But the reason I made the original statement is due to the fact that ED has refused to touch the rest of the Black Sea area because of how hot the area is right now. Sure, 3rd Party teams can do whatever they want, but it's still ED that gets the final say.

And because it's a rather..... hot area to say the least. We're talking about an area wedged between two countries not afraid to nuke the F out of each other and create a nuclear winter over a bunch of hills and rocks. Honestly, *any* time period set in a solid chunk of Europe would be nice, especially given how hot things could've gotten after 1945...

Ya know, I just had a thought about all of this... with all the talks of subscription plans, realistically, why couldn't Eagle Dynamics, or any of the 3rd party devs just set up a Patreon Account that allows us to get some perks for helping them keep the lights on? Such as merch, special liveries for the supporters, access to aircraft undergoing certain levels of closed testing, etc? Sure, it's not the most popular option, but if we're really honest here, for some of the devs, it might help them with funding to get more talent onto a project, and it realistically doesn't have to be much in terms of what people toss in, say like a couple bucks per month, with more perks going to those that offer more per month. I'd certainly be ok with it... but then again I'm one of those rare nuts, so, what do I know? Things could go either way there, but if the 3rd Party Devs did it, they could benefit from multiple people having earlier than normal access to a module that's being built, and help them test it to minimize the bugs that come with it. More machines to test on is not a bad thing.

Yeah, and ocean map would be very quick to make XD I know you're ground crew and all, but seriously, you should know better than anyone else here that bugs are to be expected when releasing anything new. There's only so much testing that can be done internally before the item has to go to the public, where more bugs will be found, and hopefully fixed.

Wouldn't that technically be the entire western half of Marianas?

OK, not THAT fictional. I'm thinking more akin to Strangereal of Ace Combat fame. Realistic terrain, structures, etc, just a fictional playground created so we can have these major wars that wouldn't happen in the real world.

Here's my idea: Make a fictional map that can handle a wide variety of real-world scenarios, as well as fictional ones. Such a map could easily be done, and could be representative of a multiple locations, all without having to worry about the political landscape as it is now. Just my two cents.