Sunbather

Thanks for fighting the right war, haha. Bummer that we are not supposed to use "hear like in helmet". Will try it out soon if that makes things better. And if so it would also be one more reason to have audio options for each module. I find my cheap OpenTrack headtracking too much of a hassle and actually also a bit immersion-breaking to use for the Jester wheel. That being said, I now already am comfortable with the default keybinds "Ctrl" + [number]. Works much better for me. Might change the keybinds as well, just like you suggested. It's not a deal breaker. I exaggerated a bit. But I would assume these issues could be easily solved and seeing that people complained about it for so long it is a bit discouraging to see that they haven't accomodated players' wishes. Because I was on a roll, baby!

Thank you MAXsenna, helpful as always! Accomodating all if feasible should be a viable standpoint, so thanks for having such a mindset despite not having issues yourself. Thanks for the tip how to handle removing sound files! Appreciate it! I see! Thanks for the additional tip!

Thanks for the responses but they are focusing on exactly the minor issues: 1. That's great! 2. You didn't resond to this. Maybe I should have underlined that this aggravates me the most: the squelch noises etc. I have now installed 3 (three!) mods and while the situation got a lot better, I am still not satisfied. It is, like, objectively obvious that the squelch noise is too loud. I mean, you could even measure it and will see that the Jester menu effects which should be unimportant background noises are the most prominent ones in the whole cockpit. 3. Well, ok. But did they also spend 7000 man hours on it? I am joking, of course. Still, here again you focus on one thing. It doesn't change the fact that the QoL when navigating the menu is simply missing, see e.g. the many, many, many buttons you have to press to transmit your ground ordinance wishes to Jester. Why not letting the menu stay open until you made all the adjustments? 4. True. I already thought about that and will probably do that. Not sure that it is possible to simply delete them (might break campaign triggers? might not even let me start the game? every update will also simply replace the files and JGME - to my knowledge - can't be used to delete files) but I might be able to make them inaudible so they still play but I don't hear them.

It does! But the Jester base volume is simply too loud; everyone who just starts up a training mission will immediately see that if Jester opens his mouth every other voice line or even engine noises become inaudible. Also, having to always turn down the volume knob to 5% is unecessary and the opposite of QoL. And even more importantly, the ICS volume doesn't affect the squelch noise when opening the Jester menu.

What I find off-putting with the F-14: 1. No bindable mouse without workaround. 2. Jester voice too loud, squelch too loud, jester menu static noise way too loud. 3. Jester menu not clickable with mouse. Jester menu cumbersome to handle, e.g. in the F-4E you can simply keep pressing the menu button to close it again. Doesn't work here. Or another example: it doesn't remember the last submenu that was opened. When I want to prepare a bombing run I might have to 4 to 5 settings but whenever I made my way to the fourth submenu and made my choice for one setting, the menu simply closes altogether, and I have to do it all over again. Five times in total. Absolutely the opposite of QoL. 4. Jester making cringe jokes. If these were new issues, no biggie. But all 4 points have been constantly bemoaned by the community and yet, zero change in that regard. Solutions: just enable mouse from the get-go; and give us a Jester-light version: much quieter standard voice, mute or very quiet effects (e.g. static in Jester menu), jokes deleted and make all of that OPTIONAL as to not aggravate the 3 people who like the jokes and the noise. EDIT: I love the module by the way. I just don't understand why important QoL stuff like this is still not implemented.

Probabably because you own all three modules? But it should still show when you go to the Steam page of one of the modules and it should say "pay as a gift". It isn't listed on the DCS main page, I think. I am just a bit baffled because I was close to buying the Viggen and the F-14 already and I am still close. I am on the edge of pulling the trigger as you might call it. And obviously it would be the last nudge I need if I could buy both modules bundled (and it would me make feel better about having bought the F-4E at full price despite being quite Early Access as I notice more and more.)

I still think (and wished) that the bundle should be purchasable even if you already own one or two of the modules. Why punish people who have already bought modules from you at an earlier date?

I really don't know why there always needs to be so much bickering about stuff like this. We have an Early Access Iraq map by now that will expand somewhat but will neglect Iran; and we have a Persian Guld map where Iran is basically an empty desert with only very little life to it. So there should be no discussion whatsoever that we need a more fleshed out Iranian map somehow, either by expanding Iraq or Persian Gulf or making a new one. But you people arguing against the simple thought of adding it is just mindboggling. It is as if you just liked to be contrarian.

+1

Available now! Thanks.

The "Northern Defenders" campaign is not available on Steam. And the F4U and the Wolfpack II campaign can only be found when searched for manually but not on the DCS shop page. My humble suggestion is that you make things available for purchase if you want to sell them...

Yeah, strange. I wanted to buy it but it's not available...

Especially with the campaigns by Baltic Dragon, I find an extra livery folder in the campaign files. Do I have to manually install those liveries?

With this fix you saved my weekend two weeks ago. I want to express my thanks for that!

Have you read the rest of this thread? Long boot times is only the start of this mess. And yeah, that could also be related to a anti-virus program but let's not kid ourselves, it's the usual excuse nowadays. And in most cases, it turns out the anti-virus got nothing to do with it. Just spent half an hour to update all my drivers, clean up my "Saved Games" folder, i.e. deleting all mods, still the same problem persists that just began occuring literally over night. <profanity> this. I've got little very free time currently and bugfixing a problem that most likely isn't even on my end to begin with (source: see all the other people reporting the same problem with very different systems) just feels like a dumb decision right now. I would just like to play the content I've paid 150€ two weeks ago?

Problem still persisting after yesterday's patch... Why is no official person responding to this thread? I've just spend another 150€ on DCS during the last Steam sale and now I am stuck with ~7 to 10 minute long boot times...

Yes, the sound drives me crazy! I just find it superweird that I just encountered the issue this Sunday while quite apparently you guys had the problem much longer already. Maybe a postponed Windows update was the culprit for me but I am not aware of any updates between Saturday (game ran fine) and Sunday (stuttering in main menu began to occur). EDIT: Yeah, <profanity> me. The problem is still there. I had hopes it just magically fixed itself over the past 2 days... And it takes an insane amount for Steam to even open the Launcher, like almost a minute while it opened almost instantly before.

I had zero issues with DCS since I started playing 6 months ago. Now I got this... Out of the blue, loadup takes three times as long now and then I have to wait around in the menu for another 3 minutes until the stuttering subsided. I've already tried to delete all mods but that didn't help. Checked file integrity via Steam, no use. Only yesterday the whole thing ran completely fine. Any fix for this? It is insanely annoying.

Nice write-up! I didn't even think about loiter times and that it can take off from any strip! That is a huge advantage indeed.

I've heard about this plane a while ago and was rather confused. Why does SOCOM need a light-weight turboprop attack plane? The only real advantage I see is low costs. But I am rather ignorant and still rather new to aviation so I'd be happy if someone could elaborate.

A lot of weird reasoning here. Arma 3 performs worse than DCS and is constantly used for fake war footage (and just as constantly the public falls for it), yet it has civilians in it. There is also an argument to be made that it is actually more offensive to not show civilians at all. With new terrains like Afghanistan and a lot of modules to do COIN with (the helicopters, the A-10), having something like civilians, even if only abstracted, is a must to simulate combat digitally. I am also sure that campaign makers would find very good use for it (and already have, see e.g. the Agile Spear campaign with the rallying crowd). Combat Mission does it, Command: Modern Operations does it, Arma 3 does it --- why doesn't DCS do it?

Baltic Dragon, do you have any news on the Raven One: Combat Wingman campaign? Is a release somewhat imminent? Your A-10Cii Iron Flag campaign was superb and it would be pure bliss to have a similar campaign for the F/A-18C which I am currently trying to learn (but the training missions are just too poor and a boring mess to work through).

First of all, thank you for having an open ear! As I said in my previous response posts, I think I failed to bring my point across. Using Youtube videos, Chuck's Guides or the official manual is mandatory and I do it all the time, even while in-game. However, I found the training missions for the M-2000C or for the A-10CII excellent. I did the training missions, did some rough action missions with trial and error, then jumped into Baltic Dragon's Iron Flag and now I am flying and thoroughly enjyoing the Persion Freedom campaign. Overall I feel confident with the A-10CII and I haven't looked in the manual once! The F-16C on the other hand I did learn with the manual, even printed parts of it out. Was a good experience as well but still, the training missions were fundamental for that learning process, too. And I think it was one of the training missions or a normal mission with voice over for the F-4E where I finally learned how to do an IFR landing, learning to navigate via TACAN. And then came the F/A-18C + Supercarrier. No Case 2 or 3 training missions, most of the training missions feel cut short severely (like the one about the nav points: click this and then click that and you have your flight plan, voilà training complete, now fly through the hoops). And there are also errors: e.g. during the HSI/TACAN training mission, the order of which buttons to push is mixed up. This definitvely needs (and: deserves?) improvement! And my take in the end was: the F/A-18C might be the best selling module but how many people will just turn their back on DCS after their experience with the training missions? I think you're just much more thorough and have much higher standards when learning a module. If you saw me landing, you would screech.

Well, 15 modules I've looked into, i.e. setting up the most important controls and doing some action missions, e.g. hopping in the AH-64 learning how to start, then learning how to shoot bad guys with Hellfires and the 30mil. Not learning auto-start, not learning nav points etc. After all, I needed to find out on which modules I wanted to spend time and money on, right? And so in the end, I don't think it is crazy to learn like 4 or 5 modules at the same time. I quite enjoy being able to jump into whatever A/C I am in the mood for or play a Retribution campaign and be able to take on more than one roll. But yeah, in the beginning dabbling with so many modules at the same time really did a number on my brain, hahaha.

You are right about the clickbait. I hate clickbait. But the more I thought about my learning experience with the F/A-18C, the more I got triggered (here's another buzzword for you) and I basically got pulled into a clickbait rage mood. It's all DCS' fault, you see? Joking aside, I changed the title. For those rebelling against self-censorship, the original title was: "Learning experience of the F/A-18C is abysmal --- and it is hurting ED directly" And to digress even further, your training missions are the only selling point for the Sinai map for me right now. As soon as I am finished learning my current modules, I will finally learn the Mig-21 with YOUR help. And I am already looking forward to it.