Lace

My 8yo daughter enjoys crashing A-10s in VR and my 10yo son is becoming quite an accomplished aerobatic pilot in the Yak. Both have been at it for over a year too, but still very much casual, rather than regular players.

Not just a brief, half second glimpse, but where the aircraft has at least a supporting role in the plot of the movie. Not even going to mention the really obvious Tomcat one(s), but we have: Iron Viper, featuring the Eag... I mean Iron Eagle featuring the Viper Chevalier du Ciel - starring the Mirage 2000 Apocalypse now/Platoon/Air America/pretty much any Vietnam film - Huey Firebirds/Wings of the Apache Charlie Wilsons War/Rambo III/9th Company - Hind/Hip True Lies - AV-8B Flight of the Intruder - Skyraider and A-6 Thirteen Days - A-7 Plenty of WWII offerings, BoB, 633 Sqn, etc. There must be some good ones I've missed, what else is there? I need something to watch.

I have most of the modules. My go-to aircraft and the one I am most combat-effective in is definitely the Viper, but I can have a decent stab at killing stuff with the Harrier, Hornet, Mirage (both now), MiG-21, F-5, F-86 and A-10. I'll occasionally take a Spitfire or Mossie out for a spin, but rarely fight them and don't really 'do' WWII DCS. The Tomcat and Viggen are parked right at the back of the hanger gathering dust, next to the Apache (too complex, not enough time), L-39, CE2 & KA-50. My most used helicopters are the Mi-8 and Gazelle. I like an aerobatic session in the Yak too. So for FF modules, the Viper gets 75% of my flying time, 2 or 3 others 20%, and probably half a dozen hardly ever get flown. I never fly the FC3 aircraft as they are too much of a faff in VR what with the lack of cockpit clickyness. I think the Mudhen and Phantom will get some attention as and when they are released. Likewise Tonka and Typhoon. A-7 will probably be my go-to carrier aircraft though when that one is finally with us. And if we ever get the Kiowa, that will be my helo. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that the Phantom will fall into the same category as the Tomcat for me. Nice to take out for a quick spin now and then, but not sure if I'm really willing to put in the hours to master it.

Is it correct that RCS is a single number per aircraft at the moment, and not dependant on aspect and stores load?

The solution for the larger multi-crew aircraft is dynamic switching of positions. That way, you can play an active role in each part of the mission. Start-up, taxi, takeoff and form up as pilot, transit from the navigator seat, bomb the target from the bombardier position, hop between gun turrets as you are bounced, back to the navigator to get you home, and finally return to the pilot for landing. If you have multiple clients in the same aircraft, then you can occupy any of the vacant positions, and if you want to spend 3hrs+ as a waist gunner, then you can, the remaining positions will be AI controlled. Let's face it, it would be fairly boring as a pilot for the long missions, as you are essentially just formation flying the whole time. I don't think there is any single position I'd like to occupy for the whole flight, but the ability to swap seats could make it a entertaining experience. Microprose managed it in 1992, I'm sure ED could make it work if they wanted to.

"Spirit in the sky" Shirley?

I wonder if ED will now bundle the Channel map into DCS core, like Caucasus and Marianas, as a kind of free taster WWII map? Seems unlikely anyone will buy it once Normandy 2 is released for sale.

The Hornet was designed as a multi-role (even omni-role) aircraft from the outset, to replace several different USN/USMC types (A-4, A-7, F-4, F-14). The Strike Eagle was originally built as an F-111 replacement. Like many platforms, since the end of the cold war/GWOT it evolved into more of a multi-role CAS/bombing platform in uncontested airspace, but that was not the original mission profile. The clue is in the name, it is a strike aircraft at heart (with self-escort capability). In terms of tech - TFR is enough for me. Bring on the 100ft overcast!

Go compare fuel capacity. Tonka could do a quick dash to target, but not sustain anywhere near that speed for long. F-111 was designed to fly the whole mission supersonic at low level.

I would love to see the F-117. I know people call it a one-trick pony, flown essentially on autopilot with no real offensive or active defensive capabilities beyond putting a bomb on target. Buuut, with an improvement in the mission planner, as part of a large campaign, it could play a valuable role. The importance of ELINT gathering to plan ingress/egress routes and the tension of flying alone, in the dark, over hostile territory, would offer something different to most other modules. I know RCS/EW modelling is very basic, but with some improvements, there should need to be too much fudging. Plus, that shape! Nothing like it before or since. More realistic though, F-111.

DCS does require high winds to see much movement from the carriers. However, in real life, swell has as big an impact on vessel movement, and that is currently not modelled in DCS (AFAIK). It is these long swells that cause heavy pitching and rolling movement, and can even be found on relatively calm days, as they are sometimes a result of a weather system many thousands of miles away. I've done Pacific crossings where the water was like glass, but we were still rolling 15deg either way. Ideally, swell should be a separately defined parameter in the ME, with chop influenced by winds, which would be closer to real life, and allow for some more dynamic deck movement, without having to contend with 50kt winds. Obviously, the interaction between two sets of dynamic fluids is complicated, especially when multiple swells and complex bathymetry are in play, and given that the water in DCS is essentially a flat plane, it may be difficult to visually represent, IDK.

Good to know it's not just me doing something wrong then. I've requested it as a feature in the wish list.

Can this be a thing please?

Does anyone know if these are likely to be back in production any time soon?

I have a training mission with various target types at various waypoints. One is an armed speedboat moored up an inlet being resupplied by some ground troops. I have a nearby JTAC set up in the usual way, with the target set as 'RED NAVAL 1' and weapon set to laser guided, designation laser, etc. The problem is, when I make radio contact and check-in, I get the 'no more tasking' message. I've had plenty of success with JTACs in other missions I've created, but this is the first time I've had a boat as a target. Is this a known problem, or am I doing something wrong?

Don't forget the peripherals - HOTAS, VR, Simpit, background reading, perhaps even a dedicated PC or two. I'm sure there are users who have spent five figures on this 'free game'. My point is though, nobody is forcing anyone to buy all or even any of the modules. Pick whichever one(s) which take your fancy, or don't.

Gina looking good! But not a complete surprise after some of IFE's MB-339 videos.

I hope so, in which case there should be little need for a mission builder, except for very specific scenarios or training requirements. The DC will generate a list of targets, you allocate resources and then off to the mission planner you go...

I'm sure many have already been mentioned in this thread, but one big one for me - the scenario editor and mission planner have fundamentally different requirements, and as such should be two separate entities. The scenario editor could (should) be a stand-alone piece of software, with more inbuilt functions for controlling AI behaviour, etc. I would love the maps to ship with more templates of fixed and plausible sites for EW/AD units for different eras, as well as infrastructure (C:MO does this well). The mission planner should have a flow. Target briefing, threat briefing, deconfliction, weaponeering, DTC integration, kneeboard package, etc. It should be real-time, and considered as part of the mission itself. The old-school Microprose sims of the 80s/90s did a great job of scene-setting, making you feel like you were actually planning a mission within a squadron. DCS lacks a lot of feel in this regard, and the whole process is a little anodyne in comparison. I'm not sure if this is what they are trying to achieve with the SC module and the various useable spaces for live briefings, but if so, this should be available to all missions and all aircraft, and not just part of the SC module. It would be great to actually move through different rooms, look at maps and charts, recce photos, weather briefs, etc.

FWIW - another use case, when I run DCS for mission building, I just pull the VR USB cable out, DCS starts windowed 1080 on my 4k display, so I alt-enter to full screen. This no longer works, so I've had to check the 'full screen' option in DCS, which now effects the windows (11) display resolution after quitting.

So for Vietnam, (version purists gonna hate) we already have Huey, F-5, A-4, MiG-21, MiG-19, Tomcat (only just). Announced are F-4, F-100, A-1, A-6, A-7, F-8, C-130 (I know, I know!). What's missing? F-105, RF-5(!), AH-1, F-111 (again, only just), C-123...

It will be tough to top the Tonka. Though I'm not personally that keen on REDFOR modules, I know there is a huge demand within the community, so it would be great to see those masochistic deviants given some love. Could be a map though?

Are we back to Friday again already?!? I'm starting to lose count of all these announcements. What's the smart money on for today's newsletter?

I voted Thud, but a Hawker Hunter would be a great shout if you are looking for something historical, versatile and prolific, not to mention one of the best lookers too.

Use a modifier button with the axis. I use an xBox controller when away from home, and the Z axis (L & R trigger) is used for TGP zoom (with one modifer), and ANT Elevation (with another modifier). The trick is that if you release the modifier while holding the Z trigger in the desired position, and then release the trigger, it doesn't move back to centre. It also means that a quick tap on either returns them to centre if you need to (so waterline ANT, and TGP zoom 4). Not sure if that is any use to you, but it works for me and doesn't require additional software or configuration.