rkk01

Agreed - the existing model images always looked stunning... Perhaps something that we can’t see (at the mo / in released images), such as: - damage model implementation? - even, optimistically, some form of modularity to allow easier implementation of other variants??? all speculation of course

C’mon, C’mon, C’mon, “excitedly impatient”...

Who adds the tags BTW? (BN, NL?)

Crosswinds have arrived, and.... I can’t quite express what a difference these have made...!!! Tried them with the Anton and Dora so far Take offs and landings are a totally different proposition - like a totally different sim. In the Anton I normally struggle with the left wing dip stall as she wants to start to fly - yes, that is down to elevator control and keeping the stick back for too long. But with delicate rudder control, now possible, I can centre the stick and keep her on track with minute rudder inputs. Once airborne, I executed a gentle climbing bank to port, and even though not very far above stall speed, the easier ability to do coordinated turns meant she climbed and turned nice and sweetly One circuit and then back on the ground for a totally drama free landing and taxi back. Never had toe brakes before and I just can’t explain how easy and intuitive it was to taxi. Inputs are both delicate and progressive thanks for your recommendations Fantastic

Missing element.... Maps Amiens is quite close to the coast - haven’t checked, but I did hear that it is on the Channel map Personally, I think Razbam’s South Atlantic map would make a perfect stand in for the Norwegian coast. BUT it’s a very long flight to the fjords. Have asked on the Raz forum whether there would be a friendly airfield in Chile to refuel from - not sure that Mossies ever returned via Russia, but I know 617 did from their first Tirpitz raid

except the work needed to apply to something like a B-17 or B-24...?

DCS Spitfire IX is an embarrassment to the prototype The Spitfire is THE iconic aircraft from WW2, is not from the whole of aviation history. No matter how good the FM is, no matter how good the weapons, damage and engine modelling, the sim pilot had to sit in that cockpit. Its the sounds that kill it for me . I flew the Spit yesterday (first time since before P-47 release) after a lot of hours in the Anton and Dora The Spitfire cockpit sounds are like my lawnmower - an absolute travesty for an aircraft that both looks and sounds so majestic and recognisable in real life... F2 sounds are “passable” and the F3 fly by sounds are pretty good. The best Merlin sounds I remember in a game were some add ons for CFS, probably 20 years ago. The chap who produced them, Dan Hopgood, still appears to be active in the Xthingy sim (I also suspect he was in the same student halls with me as I remember a avid sound and aviation fan of the same name)

I’ve been sharing the bulk of my recent flight hours between Dora and Anton and really like both. Anton for A2G and Dora for A2A I have seen some criticism of the Dora sounds... but it sounds good to me! (perhaps updated???) Had a rare fly in the Spitfire IX yesterday and that model is (IMHO) a dog in comparison to either FW or the 109... Spitfire cockpit sounds are horrid - sampled from my old lawnmower??? No way do they do justice to this iconic aircraft. Cockpit view is also strangely weird

Same for the quad 50 cal in the Allies inventory... Undoubtedly a good weapon IRL, but that good? Against a small, manoeuvreing target at 600kph??? Who’d have thought it - the game calculates your 3D position and vector and the rest of the code also knows exactly where you are and where you will be in x sec time when the rounds reach you...!!! Same applies to aerial gunnery - both fighters and air gunners I guess there may be a % error / %dispersion factor to dial it down a bit, but upshot is the AI know where you are at all times

Well, that was the whole point of my post... Just because some folks don’t want certain crew positions doesn’t mean that ED doesn’t have to script them as AI crew. It’s taken long enough to get an AI Jester or (still incoming) Mossie Observer / Navigator

Genuinely can’t see how this could work - especially for daytime operations...??? Do you plan to fly without gunners? I thought the crew limit thing was as much about the AI required to make the plane work in SP as well as how many crew stations would be needed for MP.

As everyone discusses - AI is the biggest weakness of DCS WW2. I’ve seen AI P-51s do “handbrake turns” at least twice now in SP 1-2-1 quick missions... what do I mean by this??? Closing the range on the bandits 6 o’clock and all of a sudden it is nose on instead of tail on... but hasn’t used either horizontal or vertical plane or airspace to execute the turn... and don’t get me started on AI gunnery accuracy. Ground fire and air gunner fire is way way too accurate - its as if all WW2 gun were radar controlled. clearly not accurate - B-17s and B-24s did actually need those long range escorts... With DCS WW2 accuracy they could have won the war with just the combat box and 50cal

Fascinating paper... ... especially the way each Air Force up-gunned their craft as the war progressed. Spit V marked a clear step change, as did the Gustav for the Luftwaffe. also interesting that the US position of sticking with 6-8 50 cals tied them in to a weaker position in terms of firepower - but of course, it was “No. of aircraft fielded” that made the difference

Looks like this is close...

I find that the Anton’s guns deliver a very destructive punch - probably a combo of the weight of fire, nose mounted MGs and the Anton being a very stable gun platform... I’m constantly amazed at the Anton’s ability to destroy small ground targets at a far higher range that you would open fire on an air target - and it sure isn’t my flying skills. I suspect it is easy to overlook the German fighters’ ability to put a stream of hurt onto a target with those nose mounted MGs, and with the 109, the nose mounted cannon

Avenger would be great - but aside from the licensing / contact with Grumman, I’m not sure how it would build on HB’s experience to get that “next gen” element...? A Navy Phantom really does look like a good fit... (but failing that a Tornado IDS / GR1, or even a F-111 would do very nicely )

The normal response when I post a forum question seems to be “post the track file”... Can someone enlighten me? I’ve tried the replay button thing, but that seems to be a frame by frame playback from the same view used during flight

Well, I pressed “go” on the Crosswinds... very much looking forward to seeing them in the flesh and giving them a try having fished my TMs out from under the desk, the action is crunchy, sticky and feels like someone poured a bucket of course sand into the mech

I get the same in the Anton and Dora... FWIW, might possibly be all aircraft?

Either pulled the wings or canards off

Interestingly, the recent Raz interview included a quip about doing the Black Buck raids on Stanley airfield... The audio wasn’t great, so the heavy sarcasm might have been imagined

Totally agree, and wasn’t suggesting otherwise... I’d expected the A8 to be an excellent and hard hitting gun platform for attacking bombers and ground targets - and it is... The point of my comment on AI 1-2-1 was that it shows the Anton’s FM - loses speed rapidly in turns and flicks into a left wing drop stall

Will Punta Arenas be included in case we need a sneaky refuel or abort...?

Main reason I struggle in the Anton in a 1-2-1 with anything else... Any turns require very light stick pull, otherwise speed rapidly bleeds to around 300, followed by the port wing drop. I always struggle in 1-2-1 against AI Mustangs - haven’t found an offensive or defensive tactic that works... climb, turn, dive, the Anton has neither speed nor turn rate to provide an advantage... Dora on the other hand has the speed to provide options - extend, gain alt, re engage. I don’t do too bad on Anton landings (often bent but unbroken), but on take off she always tries to fly before she’s above that port wing drop speed - especially with the 500kg bomb

Warspite might have been worn out... but hardly relevant as a museum ship...? Belfast, and Cavalier for that matter, might have been saved as museum ships, but neither one properly represent a WW2 cruiser or destroyer - both showing extensive postwar modifications Same with the Tribal or war emergency class destroyers - much better to have had a wartime condition museum ship Anyway.... strayed WAAAY off topic so back on topic - has anyone found a couple of crates of Peregrine engines???