GaryM05

This is such a great Christmas present - thank you! I've not wanted to even try to learn the Apache until your guide was available, and I'm really looking forward to digging in now. Thanks a ton for all of the effort on this!!!

I just broke down and pre-ordered...told myself for months I wouldn't do it (I have WAY too many other modules I've not yet learned), but after seeing the cold-start video I realized that I'd be kicking myself later at paying more. Like many here I'm sure, Jane's Longbow (and especially LB2) are such great memories from days of my life long past, and I'm hoping to remember some of that magic here again with the DCS Apache. Can't wait!!!

What about trying to re-create the campaign from the original Jane's Longbow (the pre-3D-accelerated one)? Not LB2 that everyone remembers and loves, but LB1? I never played it, but I bought it and the strategy guide (because back in the late 90's I'd buy anything sim-related I could get my hands on, just in case), and my understanding/recollection is that it revolved around a scenario where the CIS/Russia was trying to annex Georgia/Ukraine/etc. Maybe the default DCS map is close enough to the same part of the world where such a thing might be plausibly re-created here in DCS, 25 years later?

Wow this brings back memories! This was the first big purchase I made after graduating college and being out on my own - I remember how excited I was to find it at the local MicroCenter in 1998 (before everything could be bought online), and walking around the store for about an hour trying to decide whether the spend the $150 on it...was a BIG purchase at the time, but maybe my favorite-ever piece of sim-gear ever bought. I still have it packed away in a box somewhere...don't think I could ever part with it. GLWS!

Just ordered (finally pulling the trigger after for some reason taking 18 months to decide if it was worth it...seems like an easy decision). Can't wait to receive it!

Sounds good - thanks for the tip! I'll try it in the Release version, but if it doesn't run there I'll update to Beta; really excited to try it, as I appreciate having the opportunity to fly a straight-forward plane in a multi-mission campaign. Thanks for making it available for us! :)

Oh perfect - thanks, that'll save me a ton of time!

Ok, cool - thanks for the info! I'd had a different perception of the Open Beta environment, but it sounds like my concerns aren't well-founded - I'll start the download and give it a shot.

I'm looking forward to buying/playing this campaign (I LOVE the F5), but I typically don't bother with the Open Beta. It seems weird to me that they're selling something that seems to require the Beta rather than the Released version of DCS. Do I understand that correctly that this campaign won't work with the current Released version of DCS, and instead requires the Beta?

OP - where are you located? I have an old Saitek unit (I think it's an X-52 Pro) sitting in the closet collecting dust, if you're interested in something like that. I'm away from my house for the next couple of days, but if you're in the US I can fire it up and make sure it works, and I'm sure we can work something out to help you.

I agree it's a great plane. Best advice I ever followed in DCS was to use the F5 as my first 'full fidelity' plane...really lets you learn how planes actually work without getting bogged down too much dense switch-ology.

Thanks for all the responses - they're all super-helpful to read! Based on all of this, I bought the Ka-50 just before the end of the DCS sale yesterday, and can't wait to take the plunge and start learning & flying! Thanks again for all of the thoughts - I've been impressed with how helpful this community is! :)

I'm considering purchasing the Ka-50 module as a way to hopefully re-live some of the enjoyment I used to get from playing Longbow 2 back in the day, and am curious from any old-timers how well the DCS Blackshark experience re-creates how it felt to play LB2. Specifically, I enjoyed skulking through the mountain valleys, popping up to acquire targets and come up with a plan, then re-position and execute while (hopefully) avoiding any SAM or other air defenses that were thrown up before RTB. How well does Blackshark gameplay/experience re-create this? Are the systems and flight re-creation similar enough, or is it just so different that I shouldn't have a similar expectation? I'm relatively new to DCS, and have been enjoying the experience of just flying around in VR, though every forum here seems to be filled with dis-satisfied long-time customers, so I'm wondering if there are just so many problems I shouldn't invest the time in learning how to fly a module like this, and should instead stick to il-2 and iRacing. Thanks for any thoughts!