Exorcet

The AI is quite bad at flying at times, and changing formation or lining up for an attack can cause disasters, with varying results depending on how you do it: When it comes to fuel use though, wasn't an unlimited fuel trigger added for AI? Rather than restrict AB, try turning that on when the AI is forming up.

Aircraft limitation modeling is always welcome.

A long standing wish that has had community support in the past:

I'm not on the latest DCS version for a few reasons, but if the QAG doesn't allow importing into the ME that is a fantastically large oversight and loss of capability compared to the Fast Mission tool.

This has been needed in DCS for a very long time. The larger maps cover areas with airbases that we are simply prevented from using by their absence. If we could place the bases ourselves, mission variety would go up immensely from that alone. It would also provide more room to launch AI units in large missions. DCS's airport ground operations are simply too easy to overwhelm, so spreading units out across many bases tends to work better than running a few bases to capacity.

This is a very importing missing capability in DCS. Along with the assets we need AI behavior related to this as well, namely AI that does not react instantly and has some uncertainty about its target, at least initially. Ideally with different levels of response time based on intel, AWACS and etc support, and previous contact with other units.

Very nice, with clutter like that at least the crew has to put some thought into decoding what's on screen.

Unfortunately I don't. But it's good to know some modules make an attempt at modeling this. Though I still think having some options outside of the modules makes sense as well Yes, civil traffic is very simple, with only a density option and one setting for the entire map. Variation across the map would be welcome along with some non road based sources of radar returns.

Putting aside wear, cruising at mil power is unusual because it's not efficient. The F-16 will fly from Mach 0.7 to 0.9 during cruise depending on load and altitude. I typically climb to cruise alt at mil power (pitching to maintain 350 KCAS or Mach 0.9(AA load) / 0.82 (AG load), whichever is greater) and then dial back to cruise setting. As far as airport operations go, use ILS and radar altimeter to determine where you are in relation to the airfield.

After flying some AG missions with more modern aircraft I've noticed how ground targets stick out in GMT when the map is barren. I've tried to counter this by placing civilian units on roads to create radar returns but it's very tedious. A better solution would be to enable GMT return zones that could be attached to roads or trigger zones to create returns to clutter GMT realistically by simulating traffic or areas with off road vehicle activity. These would not be false returns that appear randomly, but some representation of ground units confined to specific areas. The ground units need not exist as actual units, though an option for this would also be welcome.

Yes. There is no GUI for this, but one method I've used is to place targets for the ship to shoot at and then despawn once the weapons I want expended are expended. It's not ideal but if you absolutely need to reduce weapon count, this is one way.

Wingmen used to have more realistic start up times. I'd like to go back for immersion purposes, however it doesn't increase fuel use. AI planes use 0 fuel when stationary on the ground, even with engines running. I haven't tested this in quite a few DCS versions so you can double check with a fuel trigger if there is any doubt.

The modeling of flaws is important and desirable. The US 4th gen RWR's need a bit more fallibility themselves. Though Soviet aircraft also lack the ground support that they were designed to work with, and it sounds like the SPO issue is not a design issue but a maint one. If so it should fall under random failures and not normal use.

Light visibility is indeed very important and the abrupt lack of rendering that can happen at certain distances is problematic for a number of reasons. I absolutely support more realistic lighting.

Or multiple installs, which I don't think is that unreasonable in the case of DCS. This would also double (or more) the savings of being able to remove unwanted data.