Varis

Hi, any news of the tournament? With more and more new helis coming to DCS plus new maps, one would think there's a large population looking for fun events like this? Also is the comms still on SRS, that might limit the pilot pool quite a bit in contrast to more popular platforms like Discord?

Multicrew Mi-8 is impressive by itself already :thumbup:

2 new maps, helicopter multicrew... and... Mi-24. Awesome stuff!:pilotfly: Also voice comms. Sorely needed :thumbup:

Guys. https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=4287187#post4287187

Subscriptions have been used very successfully in the MMO world. And the insight that DCS is more like a service is spot on - quite similar to MMOs, we get all the fixes and features to the modules, not to mention the core engine, without paying for them specifically (disregarding maps, CA, etc...). The issue is pressing because tying revenue streams to module releases creates moral hazards and the developers may be pressed to pump out excessive new modules. We have not seen the worst of this but who knows what the future brings. There is lots of devil in the details. For starters the monthly subscription would probably need to be around $80, which might be a bit difficult to market so it would have to be broken down to say pay $20 to fly all the helicopters, or $20 for all WW2 aircraft, or $30 for all bluefor jets, another $20 to fly all the maps. Remember that people might take the subscription and decide they don't like a given module so it's another $20 or $80 of lost revenue from a single subscription. With "lifetime" module purchases, player retention is probably much easier than with a subscription. If somebody has a module they like, they will be coming back to DCS without having to make the decision to swipe their credit card every month. Instead they'll want to make the best out of their expensive investment. They may even buy more modules when they get the thing going again and fall in love with what is new in DCS. The contracts with 3rd party developers would have to be renegotiated. ED would have to sell the model to them which could be difficult. A developer can now recover much of the development costs when the new module is released, whereas with subscriptions it would likely be a really slow trickle and possibly make financing the projects somewhat challenging. When suggesting new commercial models for DCS you always need to think of how it works for the 3rd party developers, even if we lack much of the detailed information on the interactions between ED and 3rd party developers so we'll never be able to say the final word on whether a model could work or not.

I don't think my stick settings are anything special. The Gazelle felt quite lively at first, but after a bit I got used to it, it's not really hard to fly and some ways it's very forgiving. Do turn on the autopilot channels to get the automatic stabilization. I'd think the Mi-8 is maybe the easiest to fly, seems to handle quite peacefully. But haven't flown that and the Huey that much. I think the Ka-50 is a bit more temperamental than the Gazelle but it's all very subjective. The right answer of course is to try them all and fly the best one the most =)

The Viggen is lovely :thumbup: Sad they left out many important ones :helpsmilie:

It's a great move :thumbup: But where are all the wonderful helicopters? Ka-50 only, on the last days... :huh:

But delivering completed modules probably involves higher costs because you need more internal testing. Also the commercial advantages. Eg. when ED has the option to cash in at year 1, 2 or 3 - their choice - on each module, the financing is much more easier and flexible.

Multicrew can be pretty important in multiplayer - it's a key factor in the charm of the F-14 and L-39, and plays a small part even in the Gazelle. If ED manages to up their game in multicrew with Mi-24, several modules down the road will benefit - or even become possible in the first place, in case of some two seaters. The downside is of course, that yes, it can cause further delay...

It's actually positive news they have a prerequisite item and sounds like Mi-24 will be bumped up in priority once that's done. The module doesn't live in a vacuum but could be relying on some platform upgrade like that. In the end we get more as rotorheads. Just goes to underline the complexity and extremely long time span of ED's project as a whole. They work slowly with many projects in parallel, very different from many other game developers, even MMO creators facing similar complexities.

It's pretty surprising how much mindshare helicopters seem to command here. The clamour for redforce fighters is not a big surprise, although it seems pretty strong indeed even taking into account some forum bias. WW2 doesn't seem to do quite as well here as in sales.

How many side-by-side multicrew aircraft do we have? Medium-range dedicated strike aircraft?

Agusta A129 WZ-10 Ka-52 Eurocopter Tiger HAL Light Combat Helicopter Mi-28 Mi-2 Ka-29 PZL W-3 Denel Rooivalk Apache Ka-26 Su-27 Mig-25 (all variants) Mig-31 Mig-29 Su-15 Su-24 Su-34 EA-6A or B OV-10 (Bronco) JAS 39 Avro Vulcan He-111 Bristol Blenheim A-20 (Havoc) B-25 (Mitchell) B-24 (Liberator) Kawanishi H8K ("Emily") Short S25 Sunderland Consolidated PBY Catalina (amphibious version?) Ki-67 Hiryu ("Peggy") Mitsubishi G4M ("Betty") Zero And a few Soviet cold war bombers too...

I don't know any pilot who's been active for a while and has only 1-2 modules :smilewink: A-10 and F-18 both are fairly complex aircraft and the main risk I see with them is the feeling of being overwhelmed, there is quite a lot to chew. It may depend on the case, budgets, personality etc. I think people who come with a very rigid plan (idea what they are going to do) of set goals and schedules have the hardest time here. There is no other way than baby steps learning your aircraft and DCS. The advantage with historic or trainer aircraft is that you get much more quickly to a point where you feel you master the basics and know all the functions they have (Mig-15 doesn't really have that much compared to a F-18 ). One really good option for you could also be the F-5E, I think mentioned (again) in a different thread, as it would let you do almost everything you've been planning for (no radar missiles etc though) but reportedly works well as a sort of an advanced trainer. If you are prepared to take baby steps and psychologically capable of working a training program which you know you won't complete in a long, long time (it's harder than what it sounds), then there might be no issue with the F-18. It's one of the newer modules, popular, well made, extensive, the flight model is very good... Just don't expect to chase migs off the sky on day one, the learning curve and the depth of enjoyment DCS offers is much longer and deeper than that. When you're new to DCS it's reasonable to expect a few false starts and a couple of roadblocks, but there's also the community to help you. Start with humble mind and expect the unexpected. Eventually you'll try out different aircraft before you find the one that really clicks and is tons of fun to fly. But learning your 2nd aircraft is already much easier - not only because you learned to learn new aircraft - you already know also DCS with all its functions, mission setup, camera angles, h/w setup... Lets you relax in your chair and concentrate on the feeling of discovery with the new aircraft itself. Also don't miss videos as a source of training/preparation, the community puts out a lot of quality content.