BeachAV8R

This is awesome! Thank you so much for the hard work... :notworthy: BeachAV8R

The problem, as I see it, is that you haven't expanded your view of what DCS World *could* be. The A-10C and the Ka-50 are excellent examples of aircraft that are so well modeled that even non-combat flight simulation enthusiasts could really enjoy the sim without ever dropping a bomb or shooting a gun. DCS World is NOT a combat simulator in spite of the obvious name - it is a base platform for whatever the market wants to develop (tanks, ships, civilian vehicles, etc..) The more diversified the product lineup becomes, the more revenue will flow downstream to the projects that you find important. Believe it a not, shooting a hand flown approach to minimums can actually be more difficult and dangerous than dropping a laser guided bomb. Why not lure some of the hardcore FSX flyers into our world with DCS's exceptional fidelity and graphics? I'm excited about the prospect of a T-6 II Texan. If they took it a step forward it isn't too hard to imagine them doing the AT-6B..(I believe it borrows some of the A-10C components if I'm not mistaken): Not much not to like about that.. * Edit..saw you replied...glad to see you recognize that World can have a broad appeal.. <cheers!> BeachAV8R

It would be a huge bonus for people like me with small kids. A crisis every hour..and hard to sit though a whole session. I agree it would be a very well received feature.. BeachAV8R

That's awesome... DCS World is really coming together.. BeachAV8R

I'm paused on Mission #10 - had a few things pop up in real life that kept me from continuing on the campaign. Can't wait to get back to it though..

+1 for the continuation of this type of formatted manual.. I very often reference them on my iPad when using my desktop.. Keep up the great work! BeachAV8R

Color me brown.. <g>

You need the awesome: A-10 Coloring Book A classic piece of strategic literature.. BeachAV8R

Just because it is big and unarmed doesn't exclude that it could make for some fun mission challenges. Assuming it was able to model some sort of paratroop drop it would be easy to envision mission designers (those guys are so talented!) creating a mission where you are to fly a low level penetration mission to drop paratroopers or Special Forces on an enemy airfield. Flying low at NOE..with a CAP above and enemy (online/MP?) tasked with defending the target area. Could be a great and tense mission. Could also see applications for escort, evac, and supply drop missions with lightly defended airfields or bases or similar. For me, the UH-60 missions in Longbow 2 were some of the most satisfying and challenging. Kill totals don't necessarily always have to equate to entertainment value IMHO. Bring on the transport and utility aircraft I say and let's get some of that massive civil aviation FSX/X-Plane crowd into our "World"... BeachAV8R

Damn..that's pretty ingenious.. Nice!

I can't wait for sling loads.. The possibilities for precise flying are limitless.. Woohoo!

I'd need some research help on this..but BF3 Kharg Island is reportedly 7 square miles in size? Is that right? If so - you can understand why the developers could spend such a huge amount of time with very small and intricate environmental details. What is the size of DCS World in comparison? And the size of the development teams? Just a thought to consider..

Maps will go a long way toward helping the perception that the graphics look old when in fact it is more boredom with the current theater I think.. BeachAV8R

Almost as frustrating as when one compares a sim with multiples of square mileage required to model versus a limited gameplay area... ;) Personally, I think DCS World is a beautiful arena that does a great job of replicating real life. Do I wish for more detail? Sure. Trees that you can collide with? Yep.. But overall, as you approach more and more realism you are going to get diminishing returns on graphics and heck, even gameplay. The fact of the matter is that we just aren't going to see massive jumps of improvement as we start to approach "photorealism" compared to what we saw decades ago. Again, consider the source though - this is a guy that still enjoys firing up MicroProse's Red Storm Rising (playing it in DOSBox) and thinks that the graphics don't necessarily make the game. I'm equally happy playing Jane's F-15, EECH, and Longbow 2 as well.. If DCS could import EECH's dynamic campaign (though it could get repetitive) and never touch the graphics again I'd be a happy camper.. YMMV of course..and that's all good.. BeachAV8R

Again - those of us with a long history with flight sims have a bit of a more relative viewpoint. DCS World looks great to me from helos...because..I remember.. And yeah..I think they are real world airport locations..

A low resolution scan of just the first page of the article. Obviously - we'd love for everyone to run out and buy a copy of the magazine to read the rest.. ;) (Also included the first page of the DCS A-10C Tutorial from the same issue..and a page from the "Challenging Airports" series featuring the VRS Hornet and the Nimitz..) Regards! BeachAV8R

Thanks for the kind words.. Just to be clear..the PC Pilot article was a preview since we don't really review stuff in beta. So the articles tend to give an overview and we try to get an idea on the general trend of the quality of the product in anticipation of what the official release will look like. With that in mind, I felt confident in the quality Belsimtek has shown thus far..so my preview comments reflect that. I'm very happy that we are featuring the great products by ED and their associates in our pages. Of course ED and their DCS lineup have set the bar pretty high..which means all third party stuff will be measured against it.. But we are also keeping in mind the target audience and intent of various modules that will become part of DCS World. Lite modeling doesn't necessarily equate to any less fun..it just depends on how the developer is approaching and marketing their module. It looks like we have a great range of realism, depth, and eras coming down the pipe for World. It is a great time to be a sim enthusiast indeed.. The Vergeev campaign reports will continue soon. Had a few irons in the fire recently that kept me away from finishing the campaign but can't wait to get back to it. Never enough hours in the day..! BeachAV8R

DCS hasn't released a 100% realistic product that I know of. You name which one that is..? :music_whistling: I'm interested to know how they will handle things like the synthetic aperture display and features that might not be so easy like that. I have always thought the F-15E and Super Hornet would be a challenge to program/model..but the F-35A seems to be right up there. Not going to be easy...but I am excited an enthusiastic team wants to take it on..! BeachAV8R

Many of you must not be old enough to have had the pleasure of letting your mind fill in for all the gaps in realism when playing legacy games (which were just as fun). How many hours did I play MicroProse F-19 Stealth Fighter. Or EF2K, EECH, or Total Air War. All with proxy avionics that with highly speculative functionality. Who cares if they have to WAG a bit on F-35 systems..? Can't you suspend your disbelief for a few hours to play a game? Me - I hope they come out with something like a Lite and Pro version or something that will go the distance toward ultimate realism. Looking forward to this. As a techie/button pusher fanatic...this looks awesome. BeachAV8R

Indeed. They'd also do things like rudder pedal turn in a certain direction to give a boost to the engine (application of anti-torque robs some engine power).. What a great book.. BeachAV8R

My pleasure. The writing thing is a hobby and work all wrapped into one. All the great modders, skinners, programmers, and community make it easy.. :thumbup: BeachAV8R

She looks great! BeachAV8R

LOL.. Heck..I could give you my Honda. 326,000 miles on it though..so I don't know what kind of deal that would be. Now lawns..that I can do with my John Deere.. :D I appreciate the hard work...I'm gonna show it off! BeachAV8R

Dude..that is awesome! I can't wait to show it to the helo pilots at my work.. They will love the door guns...maybe put in a request to put them on their own birds.. Fantastic! BeachAV8R

Wow.. That is beautiful.. And you are a rookie at this? I think you are sand-bagging us...