xvii-Dietrich

Our squad has a mix of Steam and Stand-alone users and we fly on the same servers without any problems. These days, the updates to both are invariably well synchronised. One thing that you might need to bear in mind though, is that some servers run the Open Beta and others run the Stable version. If you want to run the beta, go to Steam -> DCS -> Properties -> Betas and select "Openbeta - public beta versions". You will then need to restart Steam, and wait for it to pick up the beta version (there will be a Steam DCS download).

The Storm of War server uses Normandy, but it is currently offline for re-development work (back in February). It too, uses DCS Open Beta. There are some SoW squads that fly DCS, try getting in touch with the ones that fly the P-51D. Often squads run their own servers specifically for missions. There are, sadly, no "quick missions" yet for DCS. But there are some campaigns which you can buy (e.g. Charnwood). That said, the mission editor is very good (the best mission editor I've ever seen) and it is possible to set up your own missions quite quickly. Someone could talk you through it in 5 mins, tops.

Storm of War (SoW) has TS and forums. Details here: http://stormofwar.org/phpBB3/ The main SoW server is offline for a month (back online around end of February 2019), but the various SoW-associated squads are still flying WWII based missions on ad hoc mission servers.

Wow. Nice. Does this mean that we might see these "innards" if there is damage and the cowl is blasted off? Or if there is one with the cowlings removed on the taxi-way (that'd be neat!)?

In the Adjust Controls settings for the AV8B, there is a binding for switching the "Oxygen Off", but not one for switching "Oxygen On". PS: I searched on the forums for anything first, but the only thing that *might* be related is this. Here's the cross-reference link if it helps: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=3697879

Superb screenshots for that night lighting. It really looks great! Not a download, but I wonder if a library might be an option? E.g. http://gso.gbv.de/DB=2.1/PPNSET?PPN=717617351

Very classy. Nice video, Ironhand.

Yes, indeed, you beat me to it! I've also been trawling through this document. My guess is that the I-II-III Drehumshchalter is for selecting the different underwing configurations, with the plate below in Coyote's image showing what the I-II-III positions are selecting (it looks like 3-4 tail-aspect versions of the aircraft with underwing stores marked). If so, then that lower part is an ancillary plate. That said, the whole box (incl. the bomb release mechanism to the right) is part of a single unit. In this case, it is unlikely to the an SWA-10. Is there a version of Coyote's photograph without the red box? I am also speculating here, but the R30 might actually be R3 plus some screw-head or photographic blemish. If so, is the R3 a reference to the Rüstsätze kit? I'm also looking at the "R?" on the panel above and the "S9" ("S1"?) on the panel to the right.

I CERTAINLY DO!!! Have been searching to see if I can find some better pictures of those F8 panels. Nothing yet, though.

Excellent news that there is a new WW2 map on the way! We all have our favourite locations, but fundamentally, I don't mind where the new map is located. However, what is critically important is: 1. It is historically-suitable for the plane set and assets we have (or will get very soon), and, 2. There is more than one historically-correct airfield for each side (as opposed to Normandy, which only has one LW field, REF)

Thanks for the reply - it is greatly appreciated! I'll keep persevering and see if I can find a work-around for the German aircraft.

+1 I don't even care if it is a completely-separate full-price module. I would dearly love some better Luftwaffe ground attack capability. The FW 190 F-8 is the obvious "easy route", given its clear similarities to the A-8. I certainly feel we have better chance of ever getting that than, say, a ground attack Messerschmidt (Me 410 or 262) or Junkers (Ju 87, 88 or 188 ).

@SUNTSAG ... This is a fantastic mod. I'm interested in using it to add Luftwaffe airfields (there is only one provided at the moment). So far, using your mod, I've built several totally new airfields on the Normandy map and they look great. However, there are some comments/questions/etc. 1. I need about 9 (3x3) MARSTON_MAT_X28 units to make a runway big enough for my landing skills. The issue is that the lights along the runway edge are then down the middle parts of the overall field too. In order to have a good WW2 strip, is it possible to remove the lights completely? I.e. steel mat only? 2. There are two MARSTON_MAT_X28 objects. One is a Ground Vehicle and the other is a Static object. Which one are you supposed to use as a runway? 3. I've tried landing a FW 190 D-9 on the mats (both the ground-vehicle and static-object types), but I find no matter how carefully I try to land, the undercarriage collapses. I am guessing that the FW190 is not capable of using these mats, or is it a more general issue with fixed-wing aircraft? 4. Do you need to use anything in addition to the mats to make them function as a runway? I mean, do you need to add the "grass field" object or something? 5. PS: I am using your suggestion to get aircraft to spawn anywhere. This seems to work for some aircraft (e.g. L-39), but none of the warbirds. It strikes me that perhaps only FARP-using aircraft can function in this way (the Harrier II and helicopters being the obvious examples). When I implement the change to "me_route.lua", I certainly get the option to start on the ground for the FW 190 and Bf 109. However, in the mission they are always about 1 metre above ground, flying at about stall speed. Have you managed to get any of the warbirds to start parked on the ground? Either the full modules, or even the free TF-51D? Thanks! PS: All my tests were done with the aircraft type set to "Client". (I noted the earlier comment regarding this not working for AI.)

According to the newletter posted today, the FW 190 D-9 will get new work done to the cockpit... "that takes advantage of both deferred shading and physically based rendering." Ref: https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3706594&postcount=170 Excellent news! That's really cheered me up (as has the lovely screenshots of the upcoming FW 190 A-8 ). :)

Superb! I'm curious to know what those extra "ground attack capability" options are. Any ideas?

On the NTTR map, there is an airport in the northwest called "Mina Airport 3Q0". However, there are no parking/spawn-points there. This means it is not possible to cold-start your aircraft there (although you can hot-start from the runway itself). I have checked and parking/spawn points exist on every other airfield. Could a couple of parking/spawn-points be added to Mina? I appreciate it might not be easy to add additional taxiway, but even a couple of spawn points in the dirt next to the runway would help immensely. I know that off piste starts are not much good for the jets, but it is a small field anyway, and even a dirt spawn point would then make the airport usable by aircraft like the P51D or Yak52. Thanks.

Well said!! Yes, "Generic" is the word here. A map of some arbitrary patch of forest or coast or city or mountains. And with NO MAP LABELS. This way it can be whatever sector of a real area that you want... whether modern, cold war, WW2, whatever.

Moi, Depends on what you want to do. Do you want to fly a purchased campaign (Charnwood - P51, Epsom - Spit)... which need specific aircraft? Do you want to go more for dogfighting (Spit/109) or ground attack (FW190D-9/P51D)? Do you want to use a G-6 Ilmavoimat paintscheme (Bf109K4)? Do you want to fly a particular side? I have the Bf 109 K-4, FW 190-D9, and TF51 / P-51D. I like them all, but I fly the FW 190 the most. I am VERY much looking forward to the FW 190 A-8... but it will not be out for a while. Even if I had JUST one of them, I don't think I'd feel limited. I'd certainly be able to take part in my squad events, join the multiplayer servers, etc. You certainly don't need a "set" of them to be functional. In fact, having just one will really help you get the hang of things, if you are just starting out. Learning is difficult, especially if you have little experience in "tail draggers". I started with WW2 and moved to jets and was stunned at how easy the jets were to takeoff/land. Given the challenges of takeoffs/landings, I'd definitely recommend either rudder pedals or a twist-joystick. On the other hand, the warbirds are not overwhelmed with systems and comms and nav-aids and weapon choices. Navigation is more by landmarks and dead reckoning. Even the compasses are a bit awkward to use at times. But that's part of the charm. In terms of learning, I found the 190 the easiest, then the P-51D/TF51-D. The Bf 109 was very difficult. However... The TF-51D is FREE. So just try it for yourself and decide how you find it. Then, if you can manage that, then getting the hang of one of the others should be fine, although practice is still needed. I don't think I can stress the TF-51D enough. It is a PERFECT chance for anyone who has not flown a WW2 warbird to do so without any cost. Sure, you don't have weapons, but the thing that usually frustrates people is not the firing of weapons, but the take-off, landing, handling, etc.. All of which the TF-51D will show you. You can also simulate dog-fighting, by chasing some AI or a friend and seeing how easy it is to a) spot them and b) keep then just over the nose for long enough so you would have got a shot in, had you been armed. Also, there are of individuals/groups around who are happy to help. Everything _could_ be better. But the same could be said about anything in life. Again, try the TF-51D and, if you like it, go for one of the others. Not good. Your best bet is to go for your own (the mission editor is really very good and easy to use) or multi-player (e.g. Storm of War or Burning Skies) or a campaign. Yes, the Normandy map (+ WW2 assets - best bought as a bundle, not separately) gives you a WW2 environment, but it is not necessary to get started. I mostly fly the FW190 D-9 on the Caucusus map as part of our squad training. You can put in all the WW2 aircraft as AI to fight against, in a variety of seasons (I like winter!) and various different terrain (mountains to plains to coast).

Perfect. Thank you!

I'm wondering whether the get the Nevada map*. Part of my motivation is to build a campaign, but it would require a number of airbases where players can spawn in. I've tried to search for information on the location of the airbases on the Nevada map, but remain a bit confused. According to the Nevada product page (LINK) it implies there are 4 airbases (Nellis, Creech, Groom Lake and McCarren Intl.). However, in the screenshots section, there seem to be about a dozen different bases. (LINK). Are these usable? Or are they the "mock airbases" that are mentioned on the product page? More to the point... can you spawn in at any of them? I've tried searching for images and forum posts, but most of them seem really old (pre-update) or incomplete. Ideally, I'd like to see a map of the bases, so I can get idea of how many and how they are distributed. Something like these Caucusus or Normandy examples, but for Nevada. Can anyone help? EDIT: And yes, since this post, I now have the NTTR map. :-)

This comes up regularly, but sure... great idea. My (local) suggestion would be the far north (Finnmark/Lapland/Murmansk). Firstly, there are not too many towns/cities, so it is easier to model. Secondly, there is military activity here. In the last few days our local papers here in Finnmark have been reporting that there have been 54 incursions so far in 2018 by Russian aircraft. Apart from the Soviet/Russian aircraft, it is perfect territory for the Swedish Viggen, Norwegian F-16, Finnish F/A-18C, (and Draken, please?). Plus the area is the location of major NATO exercises every year. Finally, the area was significant during WW2, including the Continuation War and the Lapland War.

Mostly. To get it to work, I needed to add one extra folder in the installation: "Mods". Currently, it unpacks to "SoW DCS WW2 modpack November2018 -> aircraft/liveries/tech" when it should be "SoW DCS WW2 modpack November2018 -> Mods -> aircraft/liveries/tech". I unpack into the JSGME_MODS area in my SavedGames, add the Mods folder and then move the other folders into that. It was pretty easy but still, I'll with speak with Phil about it and see if we can make it even more JSGME/OVGME friendly.

Curiously, I was thinking about this just the other day. I had been hunting about to see if I could find a multiplayer server where I could productively fly the L-39 in a combat role. All the light-attack aircraft tend to fall between the main categories and either can't compete with the modern jets (and SAMs!) or are excluded from the WW2-era servers. The thing is that, for many people, the light attack aircraft are secondary to their main interest (in my case WW2). Perhaps this is why there are no dedicated squads... well, at least not that I know of. I'm very curious to see if your initiative will gain attention, Aries101. But perhaps having a loose association, rather than (or perhaps in addition to) a dedicated group, might be a better way to bring light attack pilots together. Alternatively, a good light attack multiplayer server might serve as a focus point - casual pilots could drop in/out; yet it provides a "home" for dedicated individuals to meet and build a group.

One day, these hyper-detailed 3D renderings will have a webpage. At the bottom of which, there is a "3D-print" button. You click it, select DCS in the drop-down menu, fill in an address and credit-card number, and the next day it is delivered to your home.

Also... not actually Japanese units, but I pretty good idea: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3301554/