3WA

I'll nominate Volk's video.

Well, for one, in "Battle", you're literally thrown into it. They really should start you further back from the battle. Annndddd, there's no cover but a treeline. Trying to use Volk's "uncage and lock" scheme where you get three seconds for the target to wander into the lock box. I've seen it work now, but still difficult against fast moving targets. Strangely, I don't recall seeing that "scan" option in the manual. But I guess it's the same as that "scan" switch on the panel, which I also never saw in the manual. If I can get that working well, then the only thing I will really be wanting is FLIR. It's crazy that a copter this modern wouldn't have FLIR. It's like they just had NO intention of every using it for night missions.

Well, I don't know if you play "offline" much, but try playing the mission "Battle" in the Ka-50. In fact, every mission I've ever flown with heli's in them, the heli's will ignore everything else in their path, and come directly for YOU! I have to immediately move to engage them, because they are coming straight at me. And with a cheap joystick, like the majority of us have, it's very hard to get a lock on them. If they get close, they will dominate you with their guns. Sometimes, they go for a TOW at range. They usually even kill my wingman pretty easily if I send him after them. So yeah, there's no avoiding heli dog fights in Offline. The real reason I really want Igla's. Wish there was a way to just mod them in. I know there's the old Lua trick to just change the CLSID and give your wingmen R-60's, but seems too unrealistic, and can't use them myself.

Hey Chromium, I see your a modder. Don't suppose you could just give us a mod for the Iglas and the FLIR could you? I don't even care if the Igla's just float beneath the wingtip. Better than getting killed by jets and Apache's.

Oh, I don't know. I have 7 year old computer with a GTX-770, and if I stick everything to Low on Graphics, I can hit over 70 fps at times. Average about 65 fps. I think the main thing is getting the engine up to modern standards. Using Vulcan for the new Graphics should help a lot. My vision is first MUCH BETTER AI on the Ground, and new units ( I get so tired of shooting at what appears to be no more than wooden cut out targets that just sit there ). Then Ground Modules ( Armor, SAM, etc. ), and lastly FPS. Hopefully, by the time FPS is ready to be started on, we will all have MUCH more powerful computers that can support such.

Yep. Igla, RWR, FLIR. They are all on the Ka-52.

Exactly. See? This is the type of thinking that will eventually end DCS. I don't know if you guys are total Boomers, or what, but you don't seem to see the future of simulation. You don't want to move ahead to what can be. You're locked in your old school ways and want ZERO change. It's been that way for YEARS on this board. Meanwhile, the rest of the World moves on and forward.

And this is why people like me are always actively looking for a successor to DCS. DCS doesn't seem to be going anywhere of late. Too many "sky only" flight simulator types dragging it down. Continue this thinking, and you better believe a "World" sim will eventually replace you.

Lol, if you play offline missions, you WILL be engaging enemy helicopters, whether you like it or not. When you spawn, and there are enemy heli's around, immediately dive for cover. I made the mistake on Battle of staying high for about a minute after I spawned, and immediately ate a TOW from the Cobra.

@dimitriov And how many casual players are going to train for that long? I've been playing for many years as well, and I still can't get the jets and heli's to lock at even 4 or 5 kilometers. It's VERY frustrating. I would never want to fly real combat in a heli this weak. It's suicide against AI flyers. And they COME AT YOU! When AH-64 comes out, all players will ditch the Ka-50 in favor for the Apache, and then they will proceed to SLAUGHTER the Ka-50 pilots. At night, we won't be able to fly against anything at all, as the West will dominate the skies with FLIR. Is Russia, in reality, really this weak?

@dimitriov Well, in my experience, the only way to get a lock on a jet or heli, is when they are coming straight at you, and then it is still many presses of the lock key. If they're flying to either side of you, it's impossible to lock. As for people saying that heli's should not hunt each other, than why do the AI helicopters IMMEDIATELY start moving towards me the minute I spawn? In the mission Battle, I had a Cobra chase me all the way to the lake that lies beyond the battlefield. So, people acting like the enemy heli's and jet's won't attack you is BS. You've got to get them before they get you. This is why, in a single manned heli where MANY things are going on at once, we need Igla's. The other thing we need is FLIR, so we can fly at night and target objects.

Nice. Also - https://virpil.com/en/ https://vkbcontrollers.com/

That's ok. I find the Ka-50 to be somewhat of a fantasy myself. How many of them were made again? 12? All of different flavors. They were just experiments that led to the 2 seat Ka-52 (which has RWR, Igla's, and FLIR).

THAT does not inspire confidence in me as a customer of yours. THAT is "We really don't plan to do much more with this sim" talk. First, you cancel BS3. Now, you say something like that. What exactly would keep you from making armor modules? Have you even read some of the suggestions I and others have given up above? I have already said you would not need to change the maps, only very small portions of them. If you can't even see vehicle modules, then you need rename yourself "DCS: SKY".

Lol, wait till the Longbow starts SLAUGHTERING the Ka-50 pilots. Then we'll see if we get Igla's and FLIR, or not. And yes, the function switch for AA IS on the collective, and YES, there I believe there are other nations besides US, that do arm their export AH-64's with stingers. So the function is there. Same as Igla is for the Ka-50. That, and the Ka-50N did have FLIR capability. All the experiments were eventually merged, an extra seat was added, and they became the Ka-52. The Ka-50 never was anything but a FANTASY. Only 12 experimental aircraft were made, all of varying abilities. So, I have no problem adding FLIR and Iglas. One or more models had that capability.

Exactly. It's hard enough to get the shkval to lock on ANY air target, sometimes impossible. But when you are surprised, or the enemy has gotten too close, you're only hope of surviving a fatal encounter with the AI (or a skilled player) is a quick shot with a fire and forget missile, like an Igla. It just might buy you enough time to break for cover. And yes, I prefer the modern battlefield. Not much interest in WW2 or Cold War Era.

Oh God, NO ONE wants COD. That's why the Ground Pounders like me are here in DCS. I don't even like ARMA. They have FPS and tanks, but it's so unrealistic, it's like playing with Barbie dolls. The ground cover however, is decent. I think I can speak for the Ground / FPS people in that we want Armor Modules ( just like the planes ). Completely modeled down to every last function. Realistic damage models. Think Steel Beasts. I don't know why you let them steal the armor simulation from you, when you have so much better of a World. Yes, your World will have to become more detailed, but look at it this way. You don't have to redo ALL of your maps. Just small sections of them. Say, 8 to 10 km patches, that would be suitably detailed for FPS and vehicle operations. The rest of the map can be flyover country. Getting a realistic FPS is probably going to be the hardest part, and is going to need a lot of discussion. FPS wise, the first thing I would like to see is very realistic Crew Served Weapons like Artillery. There was a very good mod in ARMA for it by the ACE2 team. It had sight sticks and everything. Sorry about mentioning other games for comparison. I know you mods don't like that, but at this point in expansion away from "air only", there really is no avoiding it. We have to acknowledge and compare to what else has already been out there for years.

The problem is, even the Ka-50 is no match for the Longbow. Much less a Longbow being piloted by a human. Without Igla's and FLIR, there's not much point in it. The tech is just too old. The Ka-50 needs a major upgrade for the modern battlefield. We have nothing to FLIR, but FLIR itself.

Thanks dude! Good video.

Hey Russkie.

THIS. The planes are great, but all that trouble learning them, and then there's really nothing to do. All the ground targets may as well be cardboard cutouts that can fire at you with the skill of ACE sniper. We need a WORLD. As for better maps, yeah we get the size problem. But the whole map doesn't need to be improved. A few Crysis size areas would be fine, where we could have fps and heli / attack plane battles. Arma size areas would be nice, but I'd settle for Cysis sized maps. The rest of the map could just be fly over for the jets. More hills / canyons etc. would be very welcome. The maps are sooo FLAT. There's no cover.

Yeah, when the Apache comes out, I will be ditching the Ka-50 as an outdated 1970's level helicopter that never had much capability. And SOOOO tired of that suicidal blade clash. I have little to no interest in the Hind, as even the Ka-50 is more capable than it.

@Volk. Yeah, I mean 3rd rail near the wing tip for Igla's, like ED was planning on. Trying to lock up another heli or aircraft with the vhikers just gets too difficult at times while trying to maneuver, and sometimes you absolutely cannot get a contrast lock on it. That, and most jets are too fast to lock with the vhikers, which means your dead without any chance if a jet gets the jump on you.

Hope someone can just write a mod to give us third rail, Igla's and FLIR on the Shark. Doesn't even have to be pretty.

Yes, this is a very good start. Then, maybe you guys can start making some of it into DCS Level modules. We all know this will take time. We've been waiting YEARS for someone to retake up the Combined Arms effort. It's really bare Earth down there. Would be so nice to have new targets and assets to defend against. Eh, sorry for double post. Yep! You could sell a LOT more copies! Heh, they made their trees solid now. That and buildings. All I need on Caucuses. -------------------------------------------- To those who think everything can't be separate modules, it's been that way since 2008. And it's worked fine. This is not ARMA, and THANK GOD it isn't! You can't just expect people to make things for nothing. People got to eat and pay their bills. If this was ARMA, it would have been dumped years ago. Instead, it's ongoing. Why? Because we PAY to keep it going. I myself don't have much money, and only two modules, which I really enjoy. I don't even have a real HOTAS. I use a an old RC controller which works pretty well. But this sim keeps being developed because other people ARE buying multiple modules and I'm sure they will buy modules from this new Party as well. I'll probably end up buying the new A-10C II, the F-16, and the F-18 eventually. But what I really would like to see is new assets on the Ground, Vehicle modules, and FPS. And of course, that will take more detailed maps, which we will also have to pay for. It's been awesome watching something being built which a lot of us have waited our whole lives for.