Beirut

Great post! I like the Alien Inn. When I get a new module or want to figure out some systems, that's my testing ground.

Yes, something very wrong did happen: the other guy let himself get all blowed up. He should try harder in his next virtual life. Sounds like fun, but that feature lacking in no way detracts from the map. The map is still enjoyable.

That's okay. I use it enough for the both of us. The little people in the little planes are simulated. You can make them go "Boom!" and have a mostly clear conscience.

Yep, Kola and the Phantom. That's some top shelf flightsim goodness right there.

Amen! There are several legitimate things to bee-yatch and whine about in DCS - no biological weapons, WTF! - but taking the sim first and foremost as a flight simulator and marveling at being able to fly Eagles and Warthogs and Hornets in the most complete and detailed reproduction available, replete with Haagen-Dazs eye candy in the air and on the ground, that's my jam. I'm not passing that by because of a bug here and there or something being incomplete. I'll get out of it everything I can. I'm here for the fun of flying. I just want to fly and I want it to look great and be cool. And none of the other sims feel as tight and well put together as DCS.

Ol' Spudknockers's last survey (3600 responses) had the NTTR map as the third most owned. I'd be delighted to see it get a paint job. And I'd be delighted to pay for it. I think it will be the secret reveal... NTTR 2.0

Are you allowed to acknowledge my ignorance without my permission? Okay, you have my permission.

Wasn't hot and heavy for the F-100. Then watched a documentary about the plane. Now I'm hot and heavy for it. Best way to be interested in a module that you aren't interested in - watch a show about it.

He is the Celine Dion of flightsim audio.

Always enjoy the trainers on the free trials. Have the MB-339 going right now and I like it. But being a notorious cheapskate, I want to see it 50% on sale. As for plane complexity, I have two-words: Voice Attack I have basic commands for every plane and some funky ones for a few different modules. Saves me buttons on my HOTAS and brain cells in my head. I'd be lost without it.

Amen! I, for one, am feeling quite positive about these things.

It's a map? It's a good map? Then I'll buy it because it's a good map.

I wonder if it is scheduled for so far into January this year because there's an "Available now!" included? Ooooohhhhhhh!

They've been planning/making this for quite a while, I'm sure. Probably for months. I wonder if the format will change a bit and we get a longer presentation. The shortest "...and Beyond" was just under 3 minutes and the longest ran over 6 minutes. I see 8 to 10 on this one. Maybe ED feels like they need to punch up after the last year with all the negative talk.

Amen! The Harrier was my favourite plane for a long time. But since the F-15E and Phantom came out, I fly it less than I used to. But it's still a ton of fun. No shortage of things to do with this plane. And the cool thing is that some of my original bombs load presets that came with the Harrier are still available and didn't get erased with the updates, so I can carry 3xMK83s on each of the inner pylons. What a bomb truck! 6xMK83 & 8xMK82. Chew on that, Mr F-18.

I think one of the things 2025 will offer is a quality upgrade for Afghanistan. Iraq looks so good and Afghanistan looks so meh!, and given that they are both ED maps, I'm certain the Afghan map will get some Iraqi-style love. Who knows, maybe that will be the secret reveal: Afghanistan 2.0

I'm optimistic. 2024 gave us the Kola map, the Iraq map, the Chinook, and of course, The Phantom. Not to mention lots of high quality updates. 2025 might be very good indeed.

What he said.

Tomorrow seems as good a day as any for the "2025 and Beyond" video.

I just had a lovely F-15E flight on Kola, TACAN-ing my way through the clouds to home plate. The drama didn't make my flight any less enjoyable. I suppose I could hate this and hate that and be upset about the other thing, but I'd rather just enjoy flying. I have Hornets and Vipers and Warthogs and Tomcats and nice maps, I'm going to have as much fun with it as I can. That's why I spent... oh my God! That much? Yep, I'm going to get every last moment and dollar's worth of flightsim goodness I can out of it.

I thought about it and there is only on possible worthwhile reveal... Illuminated dials in the Yak-52!

Happiness is the art of the possible. It's a flight simulator. It's the best flight simulator. Enjoy a lovely flight for no other reason than to enjoy a lovely flight.

As soon as I stop having a riot flying around the Kola map, I'll consider giving up on DCS. You know, around Q5 2032. Happy New Year! And remember - always drink and fly but never drink and drive!