Jigsaw

I love the A-10 ever since that simulation A-10 Tank Killer that I had back in the Amiga days. I'd love to take it into the air in full detail, Black Shark style. Maybe the AH-64 needs more time. I can imagine that it's not easy to create the AI for the weapons officer, which I hope it will have! I also wonder if it will be possible to be just the weapons officer and have the AI fly the mission in single player.

True. That's why I translated the rest of the review for you guys: For years there were almost no well made simulations around anymore. So it's all the more reason for joy that developer Eagle Dynamics from Moscow (Lock On) added a new hardcore, ultrarealistic combat helicopter simulation named Digital Combat Simulator: Black Shark to the genre. You sit down in the tight cockpit of the Kamow Ka-50 that serves for almost 15 years in the Russian military. To cater the needs of beginners Black Shark offers an Arcade Mode besides the extremly demanding (in a positive sense) Simulation Mode. The Arcade Mode, among other things, highlights enemies with coloured markers, has simplified controls and the ammunition never runs out. Black Shark's strength definitely lies in the attention to technical details. This is already evident in the 488 page PDF manual. The list of keyboard shortcuts alone fills 9 pages. Reading the manual is a must, because the unflexible tutorials only present a handful of functions to you. Deceptively real Black Shark only simulates one helicopter, the Ka-50, but in a highly precise way. Not only visual details like the cockpit are a 1:1 replica, especially the flight model presents distinctive challenges; during extreme flight maneuvers the counterrotating coaxial rotors of the Ka-50 can clash, which leads to an inevitable crash. As a result even pros will have to take many flight lessons at first before they can even dare to go into combat. Once you have mastered the Ka-50, however, you're in for a bad surprise. That's when it becomes evident that the engine of Black Shark is based on Lock On, a jet fighter simulation. The landscapes have been designed for flying at high altitudes and often are completely flat for kilometers, even mountainous regions only consist of few polygons. The game thus nullifies the tactical advantage of a helicopter because you can neither stalk the enemy in low flight nor use the landscape as cover. Also hardware demands are relatively high. At least Black Shark provides a full 130 seperately choosable missions and a comforable mission editor. During the single player campaigns you are being assisted by AI controlled wingmen whose intelligence is lacking, as is the intelligence of your enemies. In exchange the cooperative missions vial LAN and internet with up to 64 are especially fun. © Benedikt Plass-Fließenkämper As you can see it's really not very in-depth and he probably only saw the tutorial missions, which indeed all take place in flat surroundings. If he really had started the campaignse he would have noticed that there is a lot of hills to use as cover. Ah well... guess I'll have to write that guy an email to correct some misconceptions. Maybe they even print it. ;)

Well, as I understood it all future modules (A-10, Apache) will be stand alone, full priced titles that you have to purchase seperately so it would be odd to give Black Shark credit for things that will be in the sequels. Correct me if I'm wrong.

They meant "only one flyable helicopter". These pros and cons are from a box at the bottom of the review so their text space is limited. It gets clearer what they mean when you know the complete review text.

Your're right. My bad. :pilotfly:

Yeah, some of these points are pretty strange. But keep in mind that the days of magazines having their very own simulation buff are pretty much over. These guys are specialized on testing all that medicore one button does all idiot stuff that is released these days. They probably don't have the time and expertise to test a simulation like this in depth. The review in the mag only had one page, while H.A.W.X. got three pages in the very same issue. The latter got 70% by the way. But I think it's nice that they reviewed it at all. Lets face it: our beloved genre needs all the attention it can get. Especially since Microsoft axed the ACES team. He meant "as opposed to a printed copy" ;)

The German print magazine GameStar reviewed DCS Black Shark and rated it with 72% Their biggest beef with Black Shark is the low detail of the landscape, and I have to agree. The mesh isn't very detailed, and I see lots of pyramid mountains when flying around that I thought to be extinct since the 90s. But I don't think that justifies the relatively low rating they gave this otherwise excellent sim. Here's the translation of their pros and cons: Graphics (6/10): + very detailed helicopter + nice cockpit view - neglected landscape - mediocre explosions - few lighting effects Sound (8/10): + very atmospheric real sound effects of the K-50 + good English localization - no German speakers Balance (7/10): + arcade and simulation mode + manual with all details - rather useless tutorials - very steep learning curve Atmosphere (8/10): + real feel of flight when using a joystick + eventful battles + debriefings - lifeless landscapes - no real career Controls (7/10): + joystick freely configurable + instruments usable in the cockpit via mouse - lots of keyboard shortcuts - manual only a PDF file Content (8/10): + Black Shark with all details + many missions, downloads also + mission editor - only one helicopter Realism (8/10): + vehicles and weapons ultra realistic + very believable flight model - flat landscapes make tactics useless Artificial Intelligence (6/10): + AI mates sometimes really helpful - AI mates acted erratic and randomly too often - enemies provide little variety Tuning (8/10): + many optional helps + weather conditions customizable + every system of the K-50 can fail Flight Territories (6/10): + eurasian border territory of 330.000 km² - blurry and often undetailed landscapes - often desolate country sides, little variety And here's the conclusion of the author: "Black Shark not only demands a lot of time but also a huge amount of concentration. Someone who only wants to explore the thin air for a while will be content with the arcade mode but will miss out on the uncanny depth of the simulation mode. It's a pity that the game on one hand allows to study the technology of the helicopter to its finest details but that on the other hand the professional knowledge is useless over the superflat landscapes. The tactical elements that are a result of the lowflying capabilities of the aircraft are not really covered by this simulation." I can't really understand that criticism. So far I encountered many hills and mountains during the deployment stage of the first campaign. Although they lack quite a few polygons they still provide enough cover to use the tactical advantages of a combat helicopter.

So, is the printed manual still in the "maybe" state or is it actually about to happen? I'm asking because I read somewhere that the printed manual in English was supposed to be out in January. I think I would buy it, if the price is reasonable. $50 would definitely be too much. You should keep it below $30. I'd buy it in English, because my sim is in English as well. We don't wanna make it too hard, do we? ;)