bies

You just listed every possible reason why i want F-4 Phantom (or F-8 Crusader, A-7 Corsair, A-6 Intruder, A-4 Skyhawk, MiG-23, MiG-17, Mirage F.1) even more: Non fly-by-wire flight control manual stick and rudder feeling very alive flight model reacting on all my inputs, requiring actual skill to fly and fight and not to depart during maneuver contrary to modern 2000s aircraft. Rudimentary avionics requiring skill and practice to use and interpret with steam gauges, vacuum tubes, analog radar contrary to modern 2000s aircraft. Unguided and first simple guided weapon requiring skill and experience to use, puting the thing on the thing manually in both A/A and A/G at short range within visual and lots of merges contrary to effortless automatic JSOW/AMRAM spam on datalink from dozens of miles not even seeing the targets. It's going to be comparably effective to the F-14 in relation to it's 1960s period threats like MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7 etc. plus A/G component. P-51 is going to be helpless against the F-16 in 1980s, F-16 is going to be helpless against the F-22 in 2000s etc.

IRL flying boom is considered a bit easier than hose and drogue. In DCS right now it's the other way around - hose and drogue is a bit easier. When hose and drogue will receive basket turbulence and collision making it a bit more difficult and flying boom will hold the aircraft with some force at the same time making it a bit easier, differences will be more realistic.

I understand that but I fly Soviet Cold War MiG-29A, Su-25A and Su-27S on proper timeframe Cold War and 1980s scenarios and MP servers and i have a blast, it's both competitive and realistic at the same time. No point really taking 1980s MiG-29 against 25 years more modern 2007 F-16, just like there is no point taking Bf-109 against 25 years more modern MiG-21 - it's a matter of realistic or fictional mission design.

I think it's WiP feature in special options menu - i guess it's to be removed from MiG-19P when MiG-19S variant without radar and with Sirena RWR is going to be released.

According to ED splash damage is being work on.

This will add a lot to the overall experience with Petro more of a human than an interface.

It depends to what we compare them. DCS modules like WW2 warbirds or Korea MiG-15bis, F-86 Sabre are older technology then Vietnam and still present in DCS. After few years of works of passionate team DCS WW2 presents quite coherent WW2 1944 Normandy enviroment - agruably the only realistic coherent DCS timeframe at this momemt with few full fidelity flayable aircrafts for both sides, few AI aircrafts for both sides, some ground assets and units from the period and two proper timeframe maps. I can imagine Vietnam would be something similar in the future. After all during Vietnam war more aircrafts has been shoot down than in all other post Vietnam wars untill today combined.

Possibly coming to DCS.

Yes so there is obviously one more qustion: is current DCS Tomcat empty weight correct to aircraft with pylons and as for now removing pylons is just cosmetics not decreasing the mass (like they were in i.e. F/A-18 at the beginning)? But this would hamper pylonless Sparrow configuration. Or it's the opposite and aircraft with pylons should be heavier.

Exactly. No map, close to no ground assets, no other flayable aircrafts, not even other AI enemies. Just two fantastically modeled Sabre and MiG-15 to fly over 1980s Caucasus, without any context or enviroment.

Truth is there is not a single Cold War map in DCS right now and plenty of Cold War modules at the same time since Korea 1950 to Desert Storm 1991 - all forced to fly over WW2 or modern day maps. (MiG-15bis, F-86F, MiG-19P, MiG-21bis, F-5E, L-39, C-101, F-14A, Mi-24, Gazelle, Mi-8, UH-1H Huey) + WiP (Mirage F.1, Fiat G.91, MiG-23MLA, MiG-17, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair, Bolkov 105, Sea Harrier, MiG-29A, Su-17, F-8 Crusader) + low fidelity A-10A, Su-25A, Su-27S, F-15C, MiG-29A As much as i love to see DCS Vietnam Bignewy and other guys are right - we don't have any Vietnam era aircrafts yet as F-5E, MiG-21bis, UH-1H Huey, F-14A and future A-7, A-6 are all 1970s/1980s post Vietnam variants. Only future MiG-19S and mods like A-4E or MiG-17 are going to represent Vietnam era. Possibly F-8J crusader but i'm not sure. With some proper maps we could make other Cold War conflicts like 1980s Iran-Iraq war since we have proper timeframe variants in DCS or in developement like Iranian F-5E, F-14A, UH-1H and Iraqi MiG-21bis, MiG-23MLA, MiG-29A, Mi-24, Mi-8, Su-22, Su-25A, Gazelle, Mirage F.1 + most proper ground assets. Or 1980s USA - Libya (El Dorado Canyon/Praying Mantis/Gulf of Sidra) with US Navy F-14A, A-7E, A-6E, Forrestal Class Carrier and Libyan MiG-21bis, MiG-23MLA, Su-22, Mirage F.1 + most proper ground assets. Or Desert Storm with US F-14A/B, F-15C, A-6E, A-7E, A-10A and Iraqi MiG-21bis, MiG-23MLA, MiG-29A, Su-22, Su-25A + most proper ground assets. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But the reality is at this moment we can't make any realistic scenario in DCS except for WW2 1944 late Normandy operation. Lack of proper map or lack of proper aircraft variants. I would like the DCS to make some focus on just 2-3 real life realistic interesting conflicts (like Korea, Vietnam, 7 days war, Jom Kippur war, Iraq-Iran war, Lebanon war, Desert Storm etc. ) with proper map and few flayable modules. Instead of ONLY fictional scenarios with aircrafts from all possible eras. On the other hand we should be grateful for what ED gave us now, remember older simulators had mostly only one aircraft but also one properly simulated conflict with all enviroment. I just think instead of adding more and more modules it would be better to take a break and properly simulate just 2-3 interesting real conflicts with map and assets.

Neither atmospheric nor realistic. Kind of the least realistic thing you can imagine. Totally fictional war. USA vs Germany. In Caucasus. It smells like WT soup...

A-7E on Cold War scenarios and servers is going to be mighty. When most of other aircrafts are going to attack visually with dumb bombs and unguided rockets using very basic aids - A-7E will have HUD with CCIP guiding precisely even GP bombs and using very early guided weapon like Walleye or Maverick and Vulcan gun for strafing.

Carrier operations on the deck of WW2 Essex Class - USS Shangri-La in year 1962, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. With takeoffs and landings of the first, lightweight F-8A Crusaders being quite new, in service from 1957 (notice lector still calls it "F8U" along with the older Navy designation changed in the same 1962) There are also A-4D Skyhawks light attack planes, F4D Skyray high altitude interceptors with huge lift to mass. (Make sure you selected 1080P since video has great quality for 1962, year of Cuban missile crisis, it's way before Vietnam.)

In one of the last newsletters or interviews ED stated they want to make it after the super carrier, but they want to make it separate for the NATO and the USSR/Russia due to the big differences.

MiG-29 is not even officially announced yet - probably most of the modules currently being developed will be ready before the MiG-29. (Community mods are not available in most SP missions or MP servers so i didn't include them.) 1980s campaigns where Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-23 escorting Su-17 and Su-25 attacking NATO forces. MiG-29 and Su-27 intercepting Viggens, A-6 and A-7 escorted by NATO F-14 Tomcats and Mirages or fighting for air superiority against F-15s. With Bo-105, Gazelles, Hueys, Mi-24 and Mi-8 attacking ground forces. Or Israeli-Syrian 1982 Lebanon war, or 1980s Iraq-Iran war, or Desert Storm. Way more exciting than 2000s one sided mud hut bombing or USAF vs. USN fictional scenarios. But that's the future. Many of this modules will be finished during the next 2-3 years, including MiG-29.

9.12 obviously won't match "Hornet and Viper around 2005", but instead it will match other late Cold War F-14 Tomcat, Mirage F.1, Mirage 2000, Viggen, MiG-23MLA, A-6E Intruder, A-7E Corsair, Su-17M, MiG-21bis, F-5E, Mi-24, Mi-8, Gazelle, Huey, F-15C, A-10A, Su-27S, Su-25A, L-39, C-101, Bolkov 105 etc.

Especially Soviet and Warsaw Pact markings are missing. Cold War Europe and Afghanistan.

I think this pylons weight zero lbs at the moment in DCS. They do not change the mass at all in mission editor/armament menu. This is probably a WIP feature since the mass of this pylons was a big deal especially in BFM according to the pilot interview. And other planes like i.e. F/A-18 have the mass and drag of the removable pylons modeled already.

SAR missions have overall bug potential considering the amount of choppers we have. IIRC even Apache could emergency pick up one or two shoot down pilots or soldiers. Let alone dedicated transport cabin Huey, Mi-8 or Mi-24. With the new dynamic campaign there will be lot more emphasis on performing specific type of mission, probably including i.e. Combat SAR, there will be a real purpose to do that.

Competition, Flying Circus, is already very solid with ~ 13 aircrafts, soon ~20, including fighters, recon/light bombers, heavy bombers. WW1 map, soon another bigger one. Solid FM, DM, armament, WWI ground assets, field modifications and great VR implementation. Could DCS do even better? Possibly yes. But it would be tough and it would take many years. Why repeating the other work if ED can chose some different timeframe it already started to fill with content? I would like and I would definitely buy hypothetical DCS WWI pack. But the one thing I wouldn't like to see in DCS is just one or two WWI aircraft, without WWI map, assets, AI aircrafts, campaign or any context, to fly once or twice and leave it. DCS WW2 is fantastic now, with many 1944 flyable aircrafts from one particular timeframe for both sides, WW2 assets, two proper maps, realistic improved DM. But it took many years and passion of many guys some of them even flying the real WW2 warbirds today, like the Flying Legends.

I agree overall WWI era is very appealing. I only think just to compete on roughly equal terms with the other game DCS WWI would need to model WWI proper era map, at least few WWI aircrafts, some WWI assets like trucks, artillery, AAA, ballons, tanks of the era etc. Like they do with Normandy/Channel 1944 whit 2 proper maps, WW2 assets, 6 flyable aircrafts, few AAI aircrafts etc. It's a massive task for years. And right from the start DCS would be deprived it's biggest competitive advantage in this case - detailed modeling of complex systems - since WWI kites were extremely rudimentary. Considered WWI systems complexity and very scarce data the other game already gives WWI era aircrafts justice. There is close to nothing more in terms of complexity DCS could go to make people pay few times bigger price for close to identical fidelity. Instead DCS can comfortable chose some Korea, Vietnam or something like that with zero competition on the horizon and guaranteed big sales and community support.

As much as I enjoy WWI kites in another game (especially in VR WWI dogfights are absolutely stunning and WWI atmosphere is very special) it would stretch DCS even more adding another empty timeframe/war. Another thing is it would require a massive amount of work and many years modeling just 6-8 aircrafts only to go close to what another game offers now in terms of WWI since now DCS has zero WWI content, aircrafts, assets, maps or experience from the past When i try to be objective it looks like a poor idea from both business part and overall DCS coherent development plan.

It will take some time to release the MiG-29. I plan to fly it on proper late Cold War / Iraq-Iran war / Desert Storm timeframe missions and servers together with MiG-23MLA, MiG-21bis, Su-17, Su-25A, Su-27S, Mi-8, Mi-24 against F-14, F-15C, Mirage F.1, Mirage 2000, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair, A-10A, F-5E, Huey, Gazelle, Bo-105 maybe Viggen. For sure not against 2007 Viper and Hornet - it would be a 25 years mismatch. Yak-38 would be a good ff module but Cuban Ace didn't make any ff before so I'm a bit sceptical for now. But i like how he chose declassified, historical, possible to model Yak-38 instead of some totally classified future something.