Opinion of ED development direction

[Hook47]

Hello Forum,

 

I am just wanting to start a discussion about the development direction of DCS: World and what is to come. I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed every single module that has been released. I own every single one, to include BST works.

 

That being said, I wonder if the community as a majority may share my opinion on the WW2 themed aircraft. I do like them, but I came to DCSW because I wanted a modern sim that would let me experience modern aircraft and combat. There have been, and are a number of great WW I and WW II flight sims out or in development and although I truly enjoy WW2 Era aviation, I do not want that to be at the cost of the future of modern DCS aircraft. I hope that ED will begin releasing more aircraft like the A-10C and KA-50, and perhaps not so much of aircraft like the P-51 and Dora. It's not that I don't want those aircraft, I just want the modern aircraft (to even include aircraft like the Mig-21) more. I also think aircraft that are released should have equal adversaries as well. Imagine how incredible it would be to have a two opposing aircraft, like the F-15 and SU-27, will full DCS level of simulation square off against each other. It would be a true test of pilotage and could really give a shot in the arm to the PVP multiplayer side of things.

 

TL:DR- It's my personal opinion that despite the decision to develop DCS: 1944, I would personally prefer to stay in the modern era and see the modern aircraft remain the priority)

 

 

I would love to hear my follow pilots thoughts on all this!

[dooom]

Heh - I am like you - I really came to DCS to engage with modern airframes but as you can see from my sig, i quickly fell in love with the DCS fidelity of the P51D.

 

I think folks need to remember that LOMAC = LockOn MODERN Aircraft. While DCS = Digital COMBAT Simulator, not DMCS (Digital MODERN COMBAT Simulator).

 

The direction ED appears to be catering is to offer the world a level of fidelity unseen across all combat airframes. Yes, it is ambitious but it also serves to build an honest DCS brand and invite partners for the future. Strategically, i think they are balancing building the DCS brand while courting partners quite well. I'd suggest they will likely return to a focus on their core soon which is a relatively modern plane set.... thier current participation in WWII is certainly unplanned but still a strong message from their brand that they are here to support aviation combat enthusiasts without prejudice.

 

I applaud that.

[TAW_Blaze]

AFAIK WW2 stuff is being developed by a different team. So it shouldn't hinder the progress of the 'other stuff'. :D

[Exorcet]

In my ideal world, DCS will be the only flight sim I need. I played FSX, Falcon, and X-Plane for a while, but I never liked jumping between different control and menu layouts and such. DCS is the best of the bunch and is combat oriented so I stuck with it.

 

WWII development is fine. ED isn't focusing on it anyway. They've taken over a major project that probably would have caused issues if it failed. 3 rd party devs are going the WWII route because it's the easiest way to make modules and as a result the easiest way to satisfy all the people wanting a complete theater. It's easy to wish for DCS F-15 and DCS Su-27 to fight each other, but look at where we are now. We're inching toward those two while the F-18 is also in the works. It simply takes more time for the complex aircraft than it does the simple ones. It's not likely that DCS WWII could have been anything but WWII or maybe Korea.

 

ED seems to be doing modern stuff exclusively (Ka-50, A-10C, F/A-18C, F-15C, Su-27) unless you want to lump Belsimtek in with them.

[Flagrum]

There was already a discussion about this topic when VEAO announced their intent to work on WWII aircrafts as well.

 

I share your view here - WWII all well and good, but more modern aircrafts - or even better, helos! :o) - I would much more like to see.

 

Then, on the other hand, ED and VEAO, both say that the development of WWII aircrafts will not really slow down the development of newer aircrafts. ED has a dedicated team for WWII (former RRG guys) and VEAO has also several teams that work more or less independently on the different aircrafts. This would mean, DCS will not turn into a WWII simulator, but to continue to grow also into the direction of more modern systems.

 

T.2 Hawk, EF Typhoon, F/A-18C, Sabre, MiG-21bis, AH-1W, Mi-24, C-101 AvioJet, A-4C Skyhawk ... and more which are currently well on their way. So my bet is, don't worry, we will get "our" aircrafts, too. Sometimes it will take some time ... but hey, that is no news to us, eh?

[USARStarkey]

Even if it did slow the modern ones I wouldnt care much. In my personal opinion all the WW2 sims out there dont have the flight models to make me happy. With DCS I'm finally getting what I've been waiting for.

[Chief1942]

Diversify and succeed. Stick with one era and you only get the number of folks who are taken by that era. The flight sim (especially "study" sims) has a very small following relative to the overall PC sim market. I think ED is wise to tap as much of the interest as is out there. One can purchase the "era" of aircraft they like or not. As always the choice is the consumers. One of the attractive aspects of this approach that I personally appreciate is getting a sense of the evolution of military aircraft. Want to know what a WW2 pilot had to work with, fly the P-51D. Want to experience what many recent pilots have to work with, fly the A-10C, F-15, or SU-27, etc. Something for everyone.

And since the time from development to market for this level of accuracy is tremendously protracted for whatever "era" they are developing, it will task our patience regardless. We ALL want it ALL, yesterday. Understandable but not realistic.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Chief1942

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

i say its good that ED and third parties are now doing wwii content as well.

i also think, that even civilian planes would be a huge income for ED and third parties.the more dcs offers, the more people are going to be attracted, and thats always good.

 

PS: in regards of the comment "there are enough great wwii sims out there", i can not agree with.true there are wwii sims out there, but none of them offer dcs quality.so there are people like me, who just love the fact that finally there is something beeing developed like dcs wwii.

[Python]

As much as I like modern stuff and look forward to modules like the F-18 and Eurofighter etc down the line, I have had as much fun with the P-51d as I have any other, more so than a lot of them in fact. For me DCS should not be limited to any time periods or aircraft types. It should just be the best representation of whatever ED and the third party developers choose to make. I love that we can jump into a Mustang and have all of the controls there to play with, she's a pig to fly at times but learning how she works and how to treat her right is all part of the fun and something I look forward to achieving one day. I'm happy edge is close, DCS does need a new engine, but once that is here and we have a better looking game with new features, I hope they continue to make a wide variety of aircraft, modern and old.

 

For me, flying something like the Tucano that I can look up and see in my sky is as exciting as flying a Flanker, assuming the flight model and systems etc are as close as possible. This is the closest most of us are likely to get to flying these things and that is what DCS: World is to me. I love it for it....

Edited June 27, 2014 by Python

[tarracta]

The only reason is money ... you have a non-complex aircraft (no radar, nearly no weapon systems, no avionic systems, ...) and no issues like confidential and classified stuff, license questions and no hard-to-find aircraft-documentation in general - in case of need you can go in every historical museum and look how things have worked, without the need of any "military insiders".

 

So development of a WW2 junker doesn't need a half of money and development time like a modern jet but you can sell it for the same price. Because enough people just like it, I am afraid that most people don't like modern aircraft (so much WW2 stuff in stores and nearly no modern combat simulation). I have nearly no interest in such things (will only buy Dora because it's a German plane), but riding with such an aircraft is as boring as playing a 1st-person-shooter only with knife instead of any guns. But most people see that different.

Edited June 27, 2014 by tarracta

[aaron886]

Nobody understands how difficult it is to produce a full-fidelity modern fighter. The amount of detail is just hideous, and the community will not appreciate anything but complete detail.

[Buzzles]

I'm happy with any planes of DCS quality. It's the flying and learning the systems that makes it interesting, regardless of era. I'd quite happily fly WWI biplanes if ED made them.

 

That aside, I think this thread should be locked, there are others like it and it's only going to spiral into "I think ED should do this" and "I think ED should do that" eventually and will ultimately go nowhere as ED will do exactly what they want to do, not what you want them to do.