Devil 505

While I greatly appreciate the update and transparency with the community, I was a bit disappointed to see pretty much the same news we got from the last update. All the photos and videos released in this update have already surfaced multiple times on the forums and I feel like this was just a reassurance they were polishing some stuff off, but I felt the same way last time we go a sitrep like this. Asking for a release date is unrealistic but if you were only working on the damage model and some taxi behavior, a few teasers of the carrier with the corsair would have been nice. Not really complaining per say, but I got nothing out of the update that has not been said on the road map or in the forums already. Also, as a Mig-21 module owner, I greatly appreciate the call made to update and stay true to the module, but I would not want to see it take precedence over the Crusader. Sounds like a ton of work is going into remodeling the textures and flight model. I hate to hear the crusader being on the backburner for a second maybe even a third year in a row. This is not a bash session by any stretch. just hope some reprioritizing takes place and maybe some more flare on the next update, or better yet, a very loose time frame on when we can expect anything.

Just did a quick video last night on the JU-52. One we need in DCS for sure on the German WW2 side of the house. Had several vital roles during the war and is a prolific aircraft that would compliment DCS very well. Mine sweeper, medic role, cargo role, troop insertions roles. Especially when we get paratrooper capabilities. For the sake of history, I took off out of Dessau Germany where she was conceived and flew her first flight.

Finally got the AN-2 video knocked out. Again, in the spirit of DCS, I flew her out of Batumi. I know this is not the first time there has been a plea to bring this old girl to DCS. I hope this video is another example of what DCS could bring to the cargo market. I plan on working a JU-52 video next flying out of Germany. I think this one would be a great addition to the WW2 scene as well. Plenty of history there to make a fine addition to zzz Germans in DCS. I will also do a DC-3 video. I was hoping the C-47 would have been out by now by A2A sims but no dice. I still feel like the C-47 is being developed as a full flying module by ED. There have been multiple hints at it in the past Suntsag who posts the WW2 content for ED on YouTube. I will link 2 of his videos below to prove my point. Watch the the last few seconds of each one. ED, if I am wrong in this assumption or I am starting a rumor that is far off base, please advise, or let the hype train continue.

I plan on trying to knock out a video flying this later on in MSFS for a simulated DCS experience. Been learning the start up process. Very old school and all in Russian. I will try to get it up tonight if possible. I agree though, would love to see this one come to DCS. Another great addition for transport operations.

So I will be the first to say I fly the F-18, Apache, and F-14 routinely, BUT, I am really looking forward to the C-130 coming out. I have my days where I would gladly fill the role online of a chilled flight doing some AAR operations, combat cargo drops, or moving supplies to a base to beef up the front lines when the new dynamic campaign generator comes out. This brings me to opening up for discussion, what other military cargo transports would the community be interested in and what roles would they use them for beyond just transporting cargo. I would like to kick it off with a new found favorite I have thoroughly enjoyed flying on MSFS and researching in general, the DHC-4 Caribou. This aircraft would be one hell of a plane to bring to DCS. It has one of the best short takeoff and landing capabilities for troop transport, para drops, cargo to hard to reach locations, and even air to air refueling in its infancy during Vietnam. It was used by many nations including but not limited to Australia, Canada, and the US. It has seen combat in many regions and is hailed in many ways the best cargo plane for austere environments needing aircraft that can land and take off from them. It has the looks and sound of an old WW2 bomber and the rugged reliability of a C-47 and C-130. Slow, but one hell of a reliable aircraft and a cockpit only a connoisseur of vintage radial enthusiast would appreciate. The first time I walked into her in VR and climbed up into the cockpit, I immediately got the Millennium Falcon vibe where Han and Chewy where the only ones who thought she was the most beautiful thing to fly. I really hope to see this legend flying in DCS someday and think that its capabilities would be more than a benefit to DCS and the upcoming cargo and AAR roles that will follow after the C-130 is released. Below is a video of me taking her up for a spin over Creech from start to finish followed with some historical photos during Vietnam. Let me know what other cargo aircraft you are interested in and hopefully this thread can turn into a foundation for ED and third party devs to see what we are fond of and what might be a good choice for future cargo aircraft. null null

I thought so to. There is a lot of functionality to the model in MSFS believe it or not. Not much you can do with it, but still fun to toy around with. In DCS though, it could play a pivotal role in SAR missions on the dynamic campaign generator using the SA map. I know RAZ already has irons in the fire with doing the BO and then works WAY down the road for a full SH-2 Sea Sprite module. With Poly already working with Airbus and having the Gazelle down, not to mention the soon to be released updates for the Gazelle, I think they could handle the Alouette III a lot easier. It would be a day 1 for me, even if all it was good for was troop transport and SAR. The South African mounted some crazy weapons on it, very third party look. LOL.

I would really like to encourage the Polychop to continue working with Airbus Helicopters when considering content for DCS. I grew up around the company and they have in my opinion, some of the worlds most famous helicopters for military and civilian use. All be it, most military versions are serving in foreign military units, they have still left a huge impact on the states and HH 65 is still the primary rescue helo for the Coast Guard. As DCS is fleshed out for search and rescue operations, I firmly believe helicopters like the Puma, Super Puma, and Alouette III would be great for tasks such as these. Rescuing downed pilots, troop insertion/extraction ect.... Helos like the Puma were also armed. Below are a couple videos I shot in VR for 2 Airbus/Aerospatiale helicopters currently available in MSFS 2020. I would love to see these come to DCS and I could think of no one better to tackle them than Polychop. The 2 helicopters below are the A Star and Alouette III. Both have seen extensive action all over the world. With the CH-47 coming to DCS, I think it would be hard to argue at this point that a cargo, troop transport, or search and rescue helicopter is not needed or wanted in DCS anymore. I look forward to hearing if Poly has given anymore consideration to future work with Airbus Helicopters on their old Aerospatiale line. I would love nothing more than to see an old Panther make the scene in DCS.

Really dumb question here, but this is going to be a free mod? The level of detail and amount of work that is going into this is beyond impressive. I doubt there would be official authorization from the manufacture. I appreciate the hard work and effort you and the team are putting into this. It will be a huge hit I am sure. Outstanding work with the cockpit.

Absolutely loving the updates! Recorded missions 2, 3, and 4 already. Working on the videos. All recorded in VR on the Normandy 2 map. The immersion is spot on and very addicting. M04 took 2HRS and 8 Minutes. Loved every second of it.

Old school demo video (VHS days) of the B0-105

I have noticed the same thing. Going to F10 map since the Normandy 2.0 came out has caused stuttering on the F10 view. As soon as I go back to F1 (cockpit view) no issues. PIMAX 8K, Monitor refresh rate is 60Hz, 75Hz per eye for the PIMAX.

Yes we are! Tonight is M02. I missed out on M01 with the boys because I was out of town, so I flew it last night solo. Beyond impressed! Had a few user related pilot issues tanking and learned some valuable lessons from this first mission already. Never competed with others to tank before in AI. I will do my best to upload videos as we play through the campaign. Everything we will be recording will be done in VR with the PIMAX HMD's. Absolutely digging this so far! Great work and keep it coming!

I fly with a PIMAX so when I was using Openxr, I had to use Pimaxxr prior to MT. Open VR plugin worked fine with Pimaxxr, but you are correct, it does not work with Openxr. Now that MT has been released, I completely removed Pimaxxr and run solely off of MT. I run the standalone version of DCS (not steam) but use Steamvr for PIMAX. You just have to go into your steamvr settings and select run openxr runtime once and you are good to go. You do not actually need Openxr installed anymore. As far as getting the image centered correctly with OpenVR, you are correct. It takes some adjusting to get it where you want it. I have emailed the person who created the OpenVR plugin in an attempt to see if we can get both eyes activated in the pluggin for full view, but no response. I have not had any luck getting the image quality or performance I want out of recording from the desktop in VR. It is not as clear and crisp as OpenVR and there is always the issue of a stretched image like you stated or the fish eye. I have yet to find a desktop solution where it records out of the box without some form of editing or manipulation to get the image correct as well. If you have a YouTube channel or videos you record, I would like to see them (edit, I just found your YouTube channel, looks good, but you can still tell it was recorded from the desktop). I am always open to learning something new and do not know everything. I know a lot of people record in VR from the desktop, and not to boast, very rarely do I see anyone's VR videos that look as good as mine. Always open to new ideas though incase OpenVR becomes obsolete someday.

I cannot stress enough the best way to record in VR is using OBS with OpenVR plugin. It records what is in the HMD, not the desktop. It will eliminate the stretching issue. Below was recorded last night on the latest MT. MT is starting to crush it. This was a good time!

Will the normal open beta updating process remove the Normandy map 1.0 when installing the new one, or will we need to manually remove Normandy 1.0 before installing 2.0?

Okay, thanks. Maybe I need to think about this. Can I just copy saved games input profiles and so on to the OB installation and my keyboard / joystick / throttle mappings will work Or do I need to re-map everything? I respectfully disagree with people saying VR has suffered a negative impact, and especially recording. My friends and I are having no issues as the below video demonstrates and after the latest patch to improve MT, it got a lot better. I would venture to say it is hardware or settings related to your performance issues. VR can be a complex beast to tackle with DCS when setting up your VR settings. It goes well beyond the internal game VR settings to get it right. You need to make proper adjustments within NVIDIA settings on your PC as well as setting within your VR launcher, ex......steam VR and PITOOL for us PIMAX users. I promise you, it works and works great, but patience is the ultimate solution to ironing out the VR settings in DCS. Nothing great is ever achieved quickly!

I was wondering the exact same thing! BIGNEWY, any chance you could comment on the possibility of the Huey being brought up to BS3 or Apache Standards on the visuals? Still one of my favorite helos.

I have to admit, I stole your thunder on this one! You inspired me to do this actually. Been playing Ready or Not and Ground Branch for a while. I would love to see something like Ground Branch implemented into DCS with the customization level and attention to detail they have achieved. This would fit in perfect with DCS. I think the modular building system in the form of asset packs for first person combat would be the way to go or at least a good start. That way environments and personnel are modular similar to the aircraft. Make these assets time specific down to all gear and uniforms. I plane on doing a longer post on this forum about that later. There is so much potential for ground combat in DCS that is very functional and could be performance friendly. Thanks again for the inspiration!

Over the years (41 of them) I have played just about every "Milsim" out there. Before someone brings it up, yes for the love of Christ I and everyone else have played Armed Assault through its current state. I will go even further back and say I started with Operation Flashpoint, the Father of Armed Assault. In the old days, those titles laid the foundation for the future of open warfare sims, except no one really ran with it, at least on a scale of realism that we see in DCS World. This is where I feel DCS World has started the foundation of what could be the best "Digital Combat Simulator" the market has ever see. I strongly believe the ground warfare in DCS World needs just as much attention from 3rd party devs and ED as the air modules do. I know I am opening Pandora's Box saying this and what will follow will be stones from the crowd, but to me its worth keeping this convo alive. I feel there is a stronger crowd out there looking for the level of detail in armored modules and first person combat than the community feels would be interested. Coming from a military and law enforcement background, the one thing I hate about modern shooters and ground simulation is their lack of authenticity and attention to detail that brings us right back to those assets. There are a couple shooters that are currently doing a decent job (not ARMA) at providing the experience of CQC/CQB for Law Enforcement and some military, but most are just fast paced confined shooters focused on the crowds who have no interest in tactics or realism. We have already observed numerous former and current fighter pilots migrating to DCS because of its realism. I know the crowd is just as big for guys who spent their career's on the ground clearing mud huts, buildings, hooches, and everything else a third world country can throw at you. There are plenty of Tank crew members waiting for a Steel Beast predecessor to arrive. I think it is unrealistic to say DCS World should have every building and city detailed to the level of modern day first person shooters, it is to much clearly for a system to handle. But an approach I feel would be more feasible would be that of playable asset packs focused on a specific times and regions for those specific units. Example when I was in the Navy, Naval Special Warfare (SEALS) where rolling with MK18 Mod 0's with Eotech's, huge PEQ-2's, big sure fire lights mounted up front, modified ACOGs with Doctor sights mounted on top ect.. Old School Sig-226's (non tac) versions being used as side arms with modified sure fire lights on them. Then we were fighting the Taliban at the time, not ISIS. The equipment being modeled accurately to reflect those times would be very rewarding for players looking for that level of detail in a milsim. Since the early 2000's to present day, things have changed with firearms, evolving and getting better. This provides more area for growth with combined arms. So why not have early 2000's SEALS, SF, Taliban assets packs. Within those packs weapons, gear, and uniforms specific to that time and region they operated in. Along with those packs, a set of 3D buildings that could be placed anywhere on the map in the editor or by campaign makers to utilize for missions. Separate building asset packs could also be made for different maps to conduct different operations in. Hostage rescue, eliminating key targets, intel gathering ect.... Oil rigs or ships that could be boarded, all separate asset packs. Building packs specific to maps and regions those units operated in. I know the first thing people will say is that is a lot of money and no one would by them. I disagree, we all have a desire to make DCS a living breathing battlefield to the highest level of authenticity. That is the glorious thing about DCS, everything is modular and no one is forcing you to buy anything. I long for the day we can hop in and out of the Huey, or later jump from the back of the C-130, or fast rope from the upcoming Chinook. I do not need a living breathing town, just a few building I can place on the ground that are detailed and allow for realistic operations to be run. I feel this would attract a larger crowd than is given credit for. Below I drew up a mock scenario dropping off a SWAT unit on the Marians Map at night. I shot the video in DCS and then ran through a Mission in Ready or Not (one of the good shooters out there). If this was a seamless transitions from start to finish, DCS Combined Arms would take over the MilSim scene. This is the way ED! You incorporate first person and armored modules, and watch the sim grow like you would not believe.

Last mission of the campaign. We had a blast with this one. The Dev Group escort was my favorite mission. You did a great job and highly encouraged us to start working on some future campaigns. Hopefully someday in the future we can flip the tables and you can fly some of ours. The reinforcement of team work helped us better learn the Apache and what it is capable of in its current state. Really looking forward to the future state of DCS when we can incorporate support missions with the Kiowa and CH-47 modules. I also heard someone has the rights to the UH-60 and it will also eventually become a full module.

Appreciate the feedback. After talking with the guys and pretty much coming to the same conclusions above, we decided to shelve the idea and stick to making more immersive briefings with better photos and a more traditional feel.

Following up to the above topic. My buddy and I have tried a few things, including letting chat GPT creating a LUA script to attempt launching a video upon starting the briefing. We are probably going down a black hole with the attached script but I do not know enough about scripting or LUA to see if it is remotely close to being able to work. It also said to get it to work, go to you trigger and add "mission start" and then in the last box, select "DO SCRIPT FILE". From there, you can actually select your LUA file. I feel like we may be on the right path, but would like to reignite this topic. We really want to be able to play briefing videos in game while in cockpit or in virtual free cam possibly under a FARP tent. I would settle with the briefing screen for now. Please feel free to take and use the attached LUA file to assist in figuring this puzzle out if you think you can do it. All I ask is please share the wealth if you learn how to do it so we can all have a good time. Hopefully someone from ED reads this. If so, please consider adding the ability to script or trigger an MP4 video from the mission editor. Maybe be able to place an MP4 in the briefing like you do photos. Allow us to create an F-10 trigger to launch the video or have it launch anytime during the mission. Maybe a small screen in upper left or right hand of the screen. I would appreciate any feedback on this one. I feel this would bring a lot to us Multiplayer pilots who fly weekly with friends on campaigns.

Looking forward to flying the last mission with the boys. We had a great time on M08. Sorry for the delay in videos. The last two had some issues with performance do to user error and did not come out so well. Hope you enjoy this one. I cut it down and need to add time stamps. The attack on the primary target was awesome. Quick and fast but action packed. Really appreciate this campaign and all the hard work you put into it. Inspired me to start working my own campaign using the Marianas map oriented towards cartel/narcotics interdiction. I have already gone off in the weeds learning how to 3D model statics, learn how to make custom liveries, and already incorporating your ADF radio chatter/music. Really appreciate the inspiration. When I have something together down the road, I will show you what we have come up with.

Yes. This is how I do it. I usually use several of the splash screens to get a good idea of how it is going to look, then launch a quick mission from the desktop view to check. If I like it, then I shut the sim down and relaunch using the PIMAX. For me, I have the option set to have the filter on all the time so I do not need to toggle it on off when the sim starts up. Just check your settings to make sure it is on when the sim starts and you should be good to go.

Reshade works great in VR. You have to set the settings with the HMD off because the interface will not show inside VR. But all filters are applied to the game. You can tell for sure while flying.