CheckGear

I'm all for a themed version as well. I would like to see a 1990s-themed entry as well, complete with rockin' '90s soundtrack!!! :pilotfly:

I want to see a "USAF '94" mod: - F-4G "Wild Weasel" V - F-15C/D Eagle - F-15E Strike Eagle - F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 25 - F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 30/32 - F-16CG/DG Fighting Falcon Block 40/42 - F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 50/52 - F-111F Aardvark - F-117A Nighthawk If they could simulate each aircraft to the FC3 level (semi-study), then that'd be greeeeaaaat...

I hope they take their sweet time and perfect every little square inch of the mod. No disappointments!

I'm starting buy into the idea of a Middle East map (the Israel/Syria region) and an Iraq map. Chances are, America's next major military involvement will be more of the same - fighting Islamic extremists in the Middle East.

The lack of originality here is appalling...

For all I care, they can go with a MIDI-generate soundtrack, as long as it goes something like this. Oooh, DAT BASS!!!

I'm hoping for something like this: or something like this:

After much deliberation and thought, I've decided on what scenarios I would love to see become available to DCS: F-14A/B. This is a bit of an "old-fashioned" thing, as the days of packing multiple theaters of war into a single simulation is not as feasible, due to the amount of detail packed into each one. But, if the designers were to ultimately create multiple campaigns for use with the mod, this is what I'd love to see: Frequent Wind, 1975: Operation Frequent Wind was the F-14's combat debut, with VF-1 and VF-2 flying combat air patrol for the evacuation from Vietnam. My idea is to put a twist on history and have the F-14s encounter North Vietnamese fighters in one last air battle before a tragic chapter in American history comes to a close. Rapid Deployment Force, 1980: This is a scenario adopted from one developed for the awesome air/naval simulation Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations. Civil unrest in the Kingdom in late-1979 results in open rebellion by Spring 1980. At the request of the Saudi royal family, the carriers USS Constellation and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower are tasked with attacking rebel positions in eastern Saudi Arabia to help pacify the insurgency and prevent Saudi Arabia from becoming another Iran. Rock the Casbah - Middle East, 1982: A remake of a campaign featured in MicroProse's Fleet Defender, the Soviet Union sends military assistance to the Middle East after Israel's stunning victories upon invading Lebanon. All that stands between Israel and a Soviet task force headed towards the Mediterranean is a four-carrier super-task force comprised of the Forrestal, Independence, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight D. Eisenhower... Navy Fighter Weapons School, 1984: Based on Dave "Bio" Baranek's memoir, Topgun Days, this would be an insider's look at NFWS during its glory days at Naval Air Station Miramar, California in the 1980s. Backyard Brawl - North Pacific, 1986: Upon the outbreak of war in Europe following a U.S.-USSR confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Soviet Pacific Fleet fortifies its bastion in the Sea of Okhotsk. A powerful task force comprised of the carriers Ranger and Carl Vinson and battleship New Jersey are deployed to the North Pacific to prevent the Soviet forces from deploying any further and, if ordered, to destroy Soviet military forces and installations in the Far East. Central Command - Strait of Hormuz, 1986: After taking a beating during the now two-year-old Tanker War, Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz to compensate for its inability to defeat Iraq on the battlefield. This draws the immediate attention of both the United States and the Soviet Union, who both find the situation unacceptable. Unfortunately, neither side agrees on how the situation is to be resolved... Navy Strike Warfare Center, 1990: In preparation for its upcoming deployment, Carrier Air Wing 14 participates in three-weeks of around-the-clock flying at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada. Korean Peninsula, 1994: The Korean Nuclear Crisis takes an ominous turn when former president Jimmy Carter's historic trip to North Korea fails to sway dictator Kim Il-sung's position. With no choice left, President Bill Clinton requests sanctions and commences reinforcement of the U.S. military presence in the region. The carriers USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation are on-station, ready for orders... Vengeance - Persian Gulf, 1996: After the bombing of the Khobar Towers on June 25, President Bill Clinton orders a large-scale retaliatory strike against Iranian military targets throughout the Gulf region. With land-based air power and the nuclear-powered carriers USS Enterprise and USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea, the United States is ready to deliver Iran a wake-up call they'll never forget. Desert Badger, 1997: A U.S. aviator is shot down over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch. President Bill Clinton authorizes a strike on Saddam Hussein's command and control facilities in downtown Baghdad and on military targets within the no-fly zone to prevent the pilot's capture and to facilitate a successful rescue.

Something the advocates of the unoriginal soundtrack fail to consider. I think the soundtracks of the old flight sims were downright majestic. We need to get back to creating original, memorable soundtracks that contribute to the atmosphere of the game.

I'd rather it be something original. Using the Top Gun soundtrack is very cheesy. Flight sims in the past have done a very good job of creating their own classic soundtracks; why not do it again?

Folks, I believe I've just found the leading candidate for one of the campaigns to be provided with the DCS: F-14 module! Granted, I proposed this scenario once already, but the fact its appeared on a popular defense-related blog gives it all the more reason to take it seriously. Fascinating article, definitely a big-time "what-if?" scenario. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/in-the-90s-bill-clinton-considered-bombing-iran-1f9b1ad45fb9 A hypothetical scenario that I'd generate based on this historical event is that either the Saudi's turned over that incriminating evidence of Iran complicity, or the U.S. intelligence community was able to find conclusive evidence of its own. Either way, President Clinton decides to strike back and strike back hard, without resorting to "pissant half-measures," to quote him. It is now early November 1996 and the USS Carl Vinson is ordered to extract itself from the Persian Gulf, transit the Strait of Hormuz, and stand by in the Indian Ocean for further orders. Meanwhile, the USS Kitty Hawk, slated to relieve the Carl Vinson in the Persian Gulf, is ordered to sail at flank speed and rendezvous with on-station battle group. The U.S. bolsters its presence in the area, deploying additional Air Force and Marine Corps fighter aircraft to its bases in the Gulf region, extra B-52s to Diego Garcia, and sending a battalion-sized force of paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and a joint special operations task force. Central Command begins planning for what will be the largest air and naval assault in its history since the Vietnam War. The only drawback to this scenario? Of the three Tomcat squadrons in-theater (VF-11 and VF-31 of CVW-14 and VF-213 of CVW-11), only VF-213 would be flyable by this module, since VF-11 and VF-31 were flying F-14Ds by this point. But I'm sure BlackLions213 won't have a problem with that. :thumbup:

I really hope they take their sweet time. The less they have to fix after release, the more enjoyable the release for me. Perfect example being Falcon 4.0. A great sim from the start, the bugginess really detracted from the experience and it wasn't until years later and a re-release by a different studio that it finally became what it was supposed to be.

They're offering a lot more in this mod than I could've ever wished for. Hit the grand slam, Leathernecks!!!

This is getting exciting. The new information on the website is making me want to go to the bathroom!!!

I see an awful lot of World War III scenarios that take place in the late-'80s, some as recent as 1990. The truth of the matter is, the USSR had feet of clay and that clay had completely cracked by 1987. It started cracking in the early 1980s, especially after Leonid Brezhnev passed. The "prime time" for the USSR to have threatened and defeated NATO was probably some time between 1975 - 1985, with its best window of opportunity coming sometime between 1977 - 1983. Beyond even 1983, the USSR had begun to fall apart so badly that I think, despite peaking in terms of raw strength, numbers, and advancement, it was essentially incapable of executing any sort of military action, let alone maintain domestic order. It was just a white elephant by that point. Long story short, I see 1986 as the "last gasp" for the Soviet Union. Even by then, they may not have been able to do pull off a successful operation of any sort, but past 1986, the USSR was cooked. Interesting anecdotes! "San Francisco '49ers of the 1980s," what an analogy! To be fair, though, there were plenty of epic deployment all throughout the decade. If we go back a bit, there was the September 1979 - May 1980 USS Nimitz deployment that saw them participate in Operation Eagle Claw. Then there were the deployments of Constellation and Ranger in 1987 during Earnest Will that nearly saw the two carriers, along with the battleship Missouri, be used in a scheme by Admiral "Ace" Lyons to incite a war with Iran. I also liked the deployment of the Carl Vinson in 1986 and 1988, as two of my favorite squadrons were VF-51 and VF-111. Thanks. I always try to keep my scenarios historically grounded. The possibilities are definitely endless.

The Enterprise/CVW-11/Battle Group Foxtrot team had some epic times in the '80s! They even made a big-screen appearance! :pilotfly: I've come up with some ideas for a "major contingency" scenario based on that cruise. One idea I had is that the Tanker War in the Persian Gulf takes an ominous turn when an increasingly desperate Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to choke off Iraq economically and foil their war effort in the middle of 1986. In the second half of its deployment, the Enterprise and Battle Group Foxtrot are re-directed back to the North Arabian Sea and stand by for orders. Another idea is that in its very last month of its 1986 world cruise, World War III breaks out. Currently at Pearl Harbor, the Enterprise battle group is diverted north just outside the Sea of Okhotsk to provide air cover and naval support to Japan, as well as be prepared to launch long-range strikes against North Korea, should Kim Il-sung choose to exploit the situation in Europe. Meanwhile, the USS Carl Vinson and Ranger battle groups, accompanied by the New Jersey group, are surged to relieve Enterprise. Can the "Big E" hold the line long enough before reinforcements arrive? Everyone seems to have their own "World War III in the '80s" scenario; mine takes place in 1986. The opportunities are endless with the multitude of air wings and carriers that have existed over the years!

In addition to historical accuracy in the carriers (such as not having the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower patrolling the Sea of Japan), I'd also love to see historical air wings. For example, the year I was born, the USS Enterprise embarked on an epic world cruise carrying: Carrier Wing Eleven (CVW-11) (NH) VF-114 “Aardvarks” (F-14A Tomcat) VF-213 “Black Lions” (F-14A Tomcat) VA-22 “Fighting Redcocks” (A-7E Corsair II) VA-94 “Shrikes” (A-7E Corsair II) VA-95 “Green Lizards” (A-6E/KA-6D Intruder) VAQ-133 “Wizards” (EA-6B Prowler) VAQ-117 “Wallbangers” (E-2C Hawkeye) VS-21 “Redtails” (S-3A Viking) HS-6 “Indians” (SH-3H Sea King) VQ-1 Det. “World Watchers” (EA-3B Skywarrior) I'd also like to see what I refer to as "The Ultimate Air Wing," which was also the very last one to operationally employ the Tomcat, which had not one, but TWO F-14D squadrons, in addition to two F/A-18C squadrons. This was the first time in almost ten years a carrier had deployed with two Tomcat squadrons. They did it on its last deployment and it was the best model of the F-14.

I hope, like Fleet Defender, we have access to different classes of carriers; Forrestal, Kitty Hawk, Enterprise, John F. Kennedy, Nimitz.

Operation: Fighting Tiger was exactly what I was channeling when I selected that map! :thumbup: This is also a multi-time period map, as it could easily serve as the Pacific theater of World War III in the 1980s, a Russia-Japan dispute in the 1990s, or even a U.S.-Russia clash in the 2010s! I can't believe I didn't even mention RIMPAC!

That was so last decade!!!

Ooooooooooohhhh yeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh!!! :pilotfly: I live in Los Angeles; there's an outdoor movie theater here that'll be screening Top Gun on July 4. Too bad I'll have to miss it. :(

That first map was more of a generalized suggestion. Both of my suggestions, in its entirety, eclipse anything that has ever been done in a combat flight simulator. Of your suggestions, I would prefer Midway, but, unless you're making a World War II in the Pacific mod, it would essentially be like NTTR; a training area.

Very true. I'm not a fan of auto-gen; I like how LOMAC and DCS painstakingly recreated the actual scenery and geography of their maps. Auto-gen wouldn't work well in a combat flight simulator, either, since everything needs to be destructible and stay destroyed! :pilotfly:

Ah, GraphSim's F/A-18 Hornet series! Very underrated bunch of games. Yeah, Hawaii would be a challenge to do. At the same time, I was always impressed at the level of detail the Microsoft Flight Simulator was able to put into nearly every single one of its flying worlds. I always thought DCS could achieve that.

This is what I would like to see, if anyone ends up making a blue-water map: This area is as blue-water as it gets. You have the Kamchatka Peninsula, which had a crucial air/naval facility at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. You also have the Sea of Okhotsk, which was the central component of the Soviet Navy's bastion strategy in the Pacific (and still is, to this day). Then you have the Kuril Islands to the west, another potential hotspot, and the deadly Bering Sea to the northeast. Then you have the North Pacific, which contains some very, very deep blue waters. To me, this map is as blue-water as it gets. There are next to no U.S.-controlled bases in range and the water is very cold and unforgiving. Plus you have the lion's den of the Soviet Union/Russia. A very challenging theater, indeed. The other option is: In my mind, this would be more of training/sightseeing map. You have Hawaii, very beautiful to look at, but then you have the Midway Islands to the north, which are routinely used by the Navy for training. I can see simulated strikes being conducted against the island as part of a carrier group's WESTPAC deployment activities.