Where are you guys?????

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

This is what best describes my exclamation when getting online in DCS.

 

It's been only very recently, by the hand of IL2 BOS, that after years away from combat flightsims, I experimented again the thrill of going online in some MP server and being able to "fight" human opponents, but I pass on those complex war machines available in my hangar, and rather prefer to use the P51d, and the upcoming Dora.

 

Tried to find online servers that suit this type of aircraft, and the "Dogs of War" is the one I am trying to learn to use. Each time I get in I find different settings. Today, for instance, in Map ( F10 ) view I wasn't able to see the aircraft or other elements icons on the map. There are never any labels or arrows with colors showing me where the friends and foes are... I got used to it in IL2 BOS, until I got into their Expert mode servers, and then I experienced, for the very firt time, the thrill of finding out other aircraft around me.

 

Anyway, probably because of the type of scenery colors in DCS World, it is a lot more difficult for me to glimpse other aircraft around me. Today, after being airborne for quite a while, I decided to head to the enemy airbase at high speed, low flight, and whow, the AA is effective indeed, and all of a sudden after recovering altitude I had 2 guys at my 6 that I never glanced during my approach to the airfield. Of course I was a flying duck for them, and soon got roasted :-/

 

Well, I'll keep trying to get a better peripheral vision in this sim, but so far it's being very difficult :-(

 

My other problem is the use of TIR5 with track clip. I still have to adpt myself to this new precious tool, and also adapt the profile I am using ( a very good one I also use with IL2 BOS, made by Requiem - Requiem 6DOF and Requiem 6DOF June 2014 ). It made quite a difference from year of flight simming without it, but I have to learn how to make good use of it...

 

Any suggestions on techniques to search for aircraft around you when there are no aircraft icons, in the 3d or Map views?

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

hey jcomm!

well, we are in the process of trying to unify the mission settings.you will not see labels in any misson on dow server.

we feel thats too arcade even though we know that its really hard to spot planes in dcs.here's hoping that ED will consider to improve that...

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

hey jcomm!

well, we are in the process of trying to unify the mission settings.you will not see labels in any misson on dow server.

we feel thats too arcade even though we know that its really hard to spot planes in dcs.here's hoping that ED will consider to improve that...

 

Thx David. BTW, are you the Dave I've had the chance to fly online with twice this week? It was a great way of getting into my first real MP session :-)

 

From my RL experience, and since I started flying gliders when navigation maps and an E6-B were all we had available, I am trying to use the same techniques to sweep the skies looking for other aircraft, but it certainly is a lot more difficult in DCS then IRL, although sometimes identifying gliders is not piece of cake.... we do not have nav lights :-)

 

 

My close vision is not good either, and my monitor far from being good or big enough to help...

 

But I am having the best time of my life :-)

 

Your server, being the only I found dedicated to the p51d, and probably the Dora too in the near future, will certainly be my main site for MP sessions :-)

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

well, same name here like online just with a [DoW] tag in front of DavidRed...

whats your online name?

glad to know you like our server, and yes, we are a dedicated WWII squad, so the more planes are available the more we will be able to fly.fw190 one month to go.we will have a running mission on august 5th thats for sure!

 

and yes, spotting planes here in dcs is harder than irl, although its not easy in rl either and i know about you damn gliders :) , but still, spotting in dcs could be improved!hope they are going to do it one day...maybe EDGE brings improvement?

 

EDIT:generally said, you can ask everybody who wears a [DoW] tag in front of his name for any help on the server.we are all friendly and try to be helpfull when its about new guys...

one sad thing we are still seeing is, that new guys appear on our server, take off and either crash, or get shot down by somebody and then immediately leave...we somehow try to avoid that, but we have yet to figure out a way.beeing friendly doesnt seem to be enough.and we also do not want to ruin someones day with killing him constantly when we recognize that its a new guy and still struggles with other things unrelated to combat itself like landing and taking off...we also try to chat with those guys, but only very few use this function actually it seems, and even less try to hop on our teamspeak channel...

Edited June 29, 2014 by 9./JG27 DavidRed

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

David, when I login into MP my tag is "scjm", but I would really like to change it to "jcomm", my tag also in IL2 BOS and soon in Rise of Flight... Don't know how to do it in DCS though...

 

Then, I am still trying to map a few aircraft switches / knobs into my Thrustmaster HOTAS, which was a friends offer ( I have great friends !!! ) as well as the TIR 5 - also a gift on my 50th anniversary :-)))))

 

Yesterday during an online session when I used the Map view ( F10 ) I could see the icons for other aircraft, but on today's session the Map views were "clean". I find it much more realistic, as well as not to have aircraft icons when flying, but makes the difficulty increase even more.

 

Today I joined the Red forces, took off and climbed high to 14000'. Then I zoomed into the enemy airfield and "strafed it" - believe I might have hit a taxiing blue ponny (?), but soon after, and without even being able to glimpse them ( and I cheated using external views, but to no avail...) I was shot from my 6!

 

I had to leave because family was waiting for me ( kind of angry... with the beach and Sun awaiting out there :-/ ... ) but I will try it agin next weekend, or maybe one of these nights.

 

I believe the server is in the USA. Since I live in Europe, there is always a time gap, I believe, but this morning there were a few blue and red guys around!

 

DOW is probably going to be my only online server for DCS since I do not plan to use any of the modern air fighters. Since I also like the helicopters, and their astounding flight dynamics in DCS, I might eventually get into one of the servers for helicopter opps .

 

Thx for your kind support!!!

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

ok, then i know who you are, yes we flew together and i saw you on the server two or three times already...to change multiplayer name in dcs is easy...once you connect to the master server, where you see the list of all servers, there is an options button....you wanna click that one.a new screen will open, where you can adjust your mp name, and also choose the connection speed.i highly recommend to use LAN!

 

yes the server is situated in New Jersey and many of us are from the states, but we also have a couple of europeans like myself.so with luck you will meet some of us at pretty much any time.also, even if you see the server beeing empty its still worth to join, as you can either fight enemy AI, go groundpounding or whatever, but more importantly, its very likely that once one is online, the next few people join only a couple of minutes later....its like everybody is waiting that someone joins the server to join the server :)

[gavagai]

I wear glass but have excellent vision up close. The optometrist says I will never need bifocals. That said, I also find it extremely difficult to spot aircraft in DCS. I really hope something is done to improve the rendering of aircraft at distance with the new edge engine.

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

I'm glad to know that then it's not my problem, but rather some thing that needs further enhancement in the sim platform itself :-)

 

David, I was one of those who get in, break the egine, and leaves, just a while ago :-/

 

Anyway, I'll get back as soon as possible, and do proper engine runup :-)

Edited June 29, 2014 by jcomm

[Ewertsp]

spotting is a b**ch... I have a crap 18" 4:3 monitor+crap video card. At least I have trackir. I was wondering how the f*** I was getting engaged from my 6 oc so often when I was in the DoW server(killer bees mission) but then I discovered the F10 key, hahaha. In other mission, even if theres more people playing, its hard to get some dogfighting going. I guess you should do your thing, go for some ground targets or patrol an area. If nobody shows, go play another thing.

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

Yep, but for instance today in F10 I had no aircraft icons in the Map.

 

As far as TIR5 goes, the Requiem profiles are very good - I just to get adapted to this "new" technology :-)

[CoBlue]

Yes spotting is a big problem in DCS....DCS can do like in CoD, the airplane reflects(shines) the light at distance...works really well in CoD!

[fastfreddie]

F10 can help you get in the area if its enabled but you still have to spot them(not always easy). If they are hugging the ground its very hard to see them and you almost have to see them engaging someone else at times. Hopefully ED will address this with the EDGE because it will be a killer in our non radar guided planes.

[Sabre-TLA]

You may want to enable "dot" labels to help with VID on targets and overall SA.

 

You can read about it in this thread.

 

I have a big screen as a monitor so you can spot the targets easier but on a small monitor that can be very difficult.

 

The "dot" label is a way to help and if you make them all the same color you won't know if they are friendly or enemy until you actually VID them. You can control at what distance the dot becomes visible. Just remove all the % characters and use a "." character.

 

Works great IMO.

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

a while ago, we experimented with the labels...the biggest problem is though, that you cant force that everybody sees the same labels.so thats not usable for a server where you want everybody to fly with the same settings.

 

and although you can adjust the labels that they really represent a subtle dot, which are not too easy to spot, and also the ranges where they will appear/disappear, they will be visible through the cockpit...

so unfortunately its of no use for us...

 

our current approach is rather to work with flak, and create the missions in a way, that people will likely find each other...

[tintifaxl]

... you cant force that everybody sees the same labels ...

... they will be visible through the cockpit...

 

I'd like to see these as options in the server, toggle them on or off for all clients.

 

I hope ED looks into this before DCS:1944 will be released.

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

All excellent suggestions!

 

Thank you guys!

 

I believe those dot labels are what I get in one of the default missions that comes with the P51d - free flight over Batumi - because I see the other ( friwndly ) p51d as a blue dot all the time, with no additional info about it's flght.

 

But I guess this has to be permited on the server side, correct?

 

Also, yesterday I never had any labels in Map ( F10 ) view, while on the day before they were available and I tried to use them for initial guidance...

[TheFace]

Hey guys, new to the forums. Going to start jumping into MP action soon. Finally beat the FW without killing my engine last night :) and staying behind him has been easier the last couple tries as well. Going to work on my takeoffs and landings, and get a few more actions mapped to my HOTAS.

 

Wondering some good time-frames to jump in. I usually play nights around 9pm-1am central time.

[dooom]

To all the new folks - happy to have you online! We are happy to train so be sure to join our team speak when your on the server and we can help out!

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

Tomorrow, tuesday, I intend to join the DOW server around 20:00 GMT.

 

ID - jcomm :-)

 

Will join the blue team, and start from the airfield if there are available slots!

[fastfreddie]

Hey guys, new to the forums. Going to start jumping into MP action soon. Finally beat the FW without killing my engine last night :) and staying behind him has been easier the last couple tries as well. Going to work on my takeoffs and landings, and get a few more actions mapped to my HOTAS.

 

Wondering some good time-frames to jump in. I usually play nights around 9pm-1am central time.

 

I think one of the biggest things for new pilots to DCS is correctly mapping keys to your HOTAS. It just makes so many things easier once you know what they do and exactly where there at. A10C came mapped great for the Thrustmaster Warthog but it pretty much ends there. I'll probably spend a couple of days learning the systems for the FW190 and mapping the controls before I hit the servers.

[Merlin-27]

Yep, but for instance today in F10 I had no aircraft icons in the Map.

 

As far as TIR5 goes, the Requiem profiles are very good - I just to get adapted to this "new" technology :-)

 

jcomm,

This is something we have been experimenting with. As a squadron we try to lean towards the more realistic options when we can. That being said, as the owner and operator of the server, I try to offer scenarios that are welcoming to new pilots as well. F10 w/fog-of-war was a compromise I decided on after removing labels. As time has gone on most of us have recognized it as an unnecessary & unrealistic crutch for an experienced DCS pilot. However, since I intend on keeping it a public server I want to maintain what we have offered for the past year and keep it a fun place for people of all experience levels.

 

The current aircraft visibility in DCS can definitely present challenges. The lack of reflections and contrast in some situations undoubtedly make it more difficult. This is why we have constantly adjusted in an attempt to find the perfect gameplay balance.

[airdoc]

jcomm,

This is something we have been experimenting with. As a squadron we try to lean towards the more realistic options when we can. That being said, as the owner and operator of the server, I try to offer scenarios that are welcoming to new pilots as well. F10 w/fog-of-war was a compromise I decided on after removing labels. As time has gone on most of us have recognized it as an unnecessary & unrealistic crutch for an experienced DCS pilot. However, since I intend on keeping it a public server I want to maintain what we have offered for the past year and keep it a fun place for people of all experience levels.

 

The current aircraft visibility in DCS can definitely present challenges. The lack of reflections and contrast in some situations undoubtedly make it more difficult. This is why we have constantly adjusted in an attempt to find the perfect gameplay balance.

 

 

I flew on DOW server for a few times the past couple of weeks and I like what you 've done. Hopefully, when the Dora is released missions will be even more fun.

 

About visibility, unfortunately the only way that I can spot enemy aircraft is by using the F5 external view, unless the enemy aircraft is against the sky or clouds. When the background is terrain, I have trouble seeing it even at distances less than 1km. I 've experimented with various settings, but didn't see any significant change. DCS is particularly problematic in this aspect.

Hopefully EDGE will improve things.

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

Yesterday I spent a few minutes at the DOW server.

 

As usual, every minute is worth being there, specially when other Human opponents join the sessions :-). I had at least three online and flying along with me.

 

I noticed that the icons were available in Map view ( F10) and there were also aircraft labels.

 

Now, in one of the default missions of the P51d the label is a simple colored dot. Is there a key combination ( because I tried to find one to no avail... ) that can be used to switch from the cluttered icon, with lots of data that obstruct the aircraft until we're really very close, to a simple colored dot ( blue or red depending on the team ) ?

 

BTW: I also entered another server that was announcing P51d training ( Israel ) but there were no Human opponents and, as I approached the enemy field, the only two aircraft that kept flying flying around their airbase offered no threat to me, and I was at least able to understand how bad my aim is, because even flying straight in front of me I couldn't destroy any :-/

Edited July 3, 2014 by jcomm

[Anatoli-Kagari9]

Yesterday I spent a few minutes at the DOW server ( unfortunately I've been so busy that I can't stay for much longer :-/ )

 

As usual, every minute is worth being there, specially when other Human opponents join the sessions :-). I had at least three online and flying along with me.

 

I noticed that the icons were available in Map view ( F10) and there were also aircraft labels.

 

Now, in one of the default missions of the P51d the label is a simple colored dot. Is there a key combination ( because I tried to find one to no avail... ) that can be used to switch from the cluttered icon, with lots of data that obstruct the aircraft until we're really very close, to a simple colored dot ( blue or red depending on the team ) ?

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

you can adjust the labels for yourself....in the labels.lua.you can literally make it a small black/grey dot, so that it hardly reminds one of beeing an actual label, but more resembles an actual contact.only downside is, that you cannot force anybody on a server to use such an adjusted labels.lua, and you can still see those adjusted dots through solid parts of the cockpit.