Lace

It's also only half the maxim. The full quote is "the customer is always right in matters of taste". It doesn't mean they are infallible or are entitled to act like spoiled children, and it doesn't mean they have the right to abuse those serving them.

This terrain is a huge install and honestly, (though it might just be me) I'm only really interested in the Falkland Islands and the water around it. Are there any plans in the future to split the map so that we can chose which parts to have downloaded, rather than the all-or-nothing approach?

It feels like I'm going against the grain somewhat, but a good update for me. No performance issues, VR issues, or lost bindings (not checked every module yet). Overall I'd say FPS was unchanged or better, certainly no worse. The VR/Pancake option in the launcher is very useful as I no longer have to unplug the headset when doing mission creation. Skimming the thread I think the main problems people have is unofficial mods or performance tweaks. For anyone running vanilla DCS the update works fine, so ignore the negativity and enjoy the update!

Likely the carriers would have little to no involvement in central Europe. 6th Fleet covers the southern flank from the Med, 2nd Fleet plugs the GIUK gap. 2ATAF and 4ATAF looks after the dry bit in the middle.

Probe and drogue a very different game. Two of my favourite AAR euphemisms courtesy of the RAF... 'Like taking a running f*ck at a rolling donut', and perhaps even better, 'like trying to shove wet spaghetti up a cat's arse'.

If you think AAR is hard, try AAR with button throttles and an XBox controller! Most of my flying when away from home and consequently away from my sim 'pit is with an XBox controller. However it is still possible even with this crude tool. To echo some of the above, and add a couple of pointers - trim the aircraft to stick movement is kept to a minimum. Turn off the HUD and focus on the tanker sight picture. Take your time, there is no rush when you are learning. If you start oscillating vertically or horizontally, then back out and, compose yourself, and then try again. Turn off wake turbulence and ensure the weather is good so you aren't worrying about clouds, low sun, etc. Create a mission where the tanker just maintains a steady 200+ mile straight track so no stress about unexpected turns. Once you can do this then crank up the difficulty a bit at a time. I've never done it IRL, but the impression I get from those who have is in some ways DCS is harder than real life. Even in VR your peripheral vision and sense of speed is reduced (pancake harder still). There is no reaction force from the boom helping to stabilise you in position. The tanker lights can be very difficult to see (and ideally should be repeated like the IFOLS IMHO). Also, most HOTAS setups are vague around stick centre, unlike real aircraft. The main thing is practice. Keep at it and like hovering a helicopter, eventually it will just click and you can sit there all day solid as a rock.

Yep. The more time I spend on this forum, the more I am convinced this is the case.

Good idea. As a workaround - have you tried to make it follow a stationary, invisible unit placed in the hover location?

Some people like a VR pilot, some don't. What is important to remember, is that this is still an early access release. I'm not sure why some people still struggle with this concept. If you want to wait until the module is feature complete, then feel free to do so. If you want to accept that the trade-off for getting the module now, rather than at some point in the future, is the lack of certain features or abilities, then EA is ideal. If it was already a complete module, then it wouldn't be early access, it would just be a general release (like the OH-58).

I didn't know that. I generally just operate single ship in my Gazelle.

It is possible to create templates, but it is still a bit clumsy, and you can't move them as groups. There is a 3rd party working on an external ME which might allow that kind of functionality, I've seen some videos but can't remember the name right now.

Far better to just use the single landing pads and some HESCO barriers and create your own FARPs and FOBs rather than use the terrible four place green volcano. Especially with the newly added static models which really fit well in desert terrains.

During canopy closing pre-taxi, Jester calls out "stripes aligned", and the painted stripe on the canopy close linkage in the aft cockpit is indeed aligned. However, when I close the pilot canopy, in the locked position the painted stripe in the forward cockpit is not aligned. Should it be?

With the imminent arrival of the Chinook, it would be great if we had IR and visible strobes as placeable objects for marking troop positions etc.

I think preload radius is the amount of the map which is preloaded to memory at mission start, not the visibility distance.

Will there be any changes to the terrain mesh for the winter texture pack? i.e. will inland lakes become frozen and level? I feel a lot of wet water around the deep cold snowy textures would not give a realistic feel for the region at that time of year. Is it even possible to have two meshes dependant on season?

Agreed, same for SAM launch smoke and dust. Should be independent of draw detail distance settings and be visible from much further IMHO.

DTC - Data Transfer Cartridge, so you can pre-load pertinent mission data, like threat rings, countermeasure settings, Comms ladder, etc. DCE - DCS upcoming Dynamic Campaign Engine, on which many hopes are pinned and much is expected.

Yep. Needs a massive overhaul. I'm hoping this (along with proper DTC integration) will be part of the DCE changes when that eventually launches, as mission planning will be critical to any well fought campaign. I think that the mission planner, and mission editor should be two completely separate entities. At the moment they are legacy systems which are very limited and there are far better examples of how it can be done, even going decades back, so technology limitations do not apply.

I think that is by design. There have to be limits to the articulation of the pilot model. After all, you wouldn't expect to just be able to stand up and walk out of the aircraft, would you?

Not sure why this was moved to 'Bugs & Problems'?

Great work on the kneeboard additional pages, the attack profiles, intercept geometry, bombing tables etc are all really useful. A very helpful addition, and something often absent from other modules. I thought it was worth mentioning as I only opened the kneeboard yesterday and found it, even after more than a few hours in the Phantom. Will it eventually be moved onto the leg once the pilot model is available (like the Viper now)?

Westland Lynx please. Widely exported, used by Armies, Navies, and Air Forces. Agile to the point of aerobatic, and used in a variety of roles, such as anti-armour, SAR, ASW and general battlefield utility. A Sea King would also be a great shout. Also a prolific type, fulfilling transport, SAR and ASW and AEW roles.

In my experience, every new EA map suffers with performance issues, and only after some optimisation does it catch up with the others. This is especially noticeable as a VR user. I remember SoH and Syria were all but unplayable when they first came out, and now SoH is my best performing. Just give it a little time and I'm confident it will improve.

There's not a single modern 'British' aircraft in DCS (excepting the WWII pair). The Harrier is a USMC version, the Phantom a USAF one, the incoming Tornado and Typhoon are both German versions, and the Hawk is dead. Someone needs to give us at least one please... But I'd still be happy with a French, Indian or Omani one. Or a Buccaneer! A proper British aircraft.