Help for a complete NOOB?

[ChuckNasty]

Hey guys, I just downloaded this game yesterday.. Only vaguely familiar with flight sims. But now that I have a decent gaming computer, I decided to give it another go, and it seems like most people agree that DCS is the, "flight simmiest" of flight sims. Im so new, my joystick hasn't even gotten here yet.

 

That being said, I have a few questions..

I have watched several videos / tutorials on youtube, and still this game feels very over-my-head. I feel as though I need to be an air force pilot in order to know what all I have to do before I take off.. Let alone once im in the air, navigate properly. It looks like people that play this game would just get frustrated with me. My question is, what can I do to help myself along the quickest?

 

I see several versions of this game, including A-10C / WW2 version / versions 1, 1.5 / 1.5 beta / 2... can someone explain these differences to me?

 

Lastly, is there a teamspeak that people use, or are there clans in this game, so I can talk to real people? I would very much like to have someone who is very familiar with this game, train me, or at least coach me along so im not just playing this game like a dummy.

 

I know this is a lot, and I am super confused by everything, so any help is very much appreciated.

 

I would also like to hear your starting out stories, am I alone in this?

[EasyEB]

First of all, welcome! One of us! One of us!

 

It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but don't worry. Every piece will fall to place (or should I say be firmly put to place) in time. Just take it that way, one thing at a time. It will be alot easier when you actually have your stuff in place and sit there in the cockpit, with manual in hand and actually try it out for your self.

Don't worry about frustrating people. Everyone is new in the beginning, and we've all been there. It's not a place you are in, and then out. At first you just kind of lie there and waddle around, then you start to crawl, walk, run and sooner or later fly. But it takes a while, some say forever, because you can always improve and learn new things.

 

Concerning the versioning, it's discussed in this thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=162260

 

As for teamspeak, I wouldn't know but I think there are a couple general ones around. Shouldn't be too hard to find.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Don't worry about being new, there are lots of people here who can help.

 

DCS World is the world in which the DCS aircraft fly.

 

A10C is one of the (many) aircraft you can fly in the world.

 

World War 2 is a series of war birds (and eventually a map that will come later) including the P51, Bf109 and more.

 

DCS World 1.5 is all you'll need for now, it's got the free Caucasus map. DCS World 2 is an alpha running the Nevada map (this map is not free). Once version 2 is finished, they'll be merged into one.

 

You can air start in any of the planes to get a feel before having to learn to start up and take off.

[ChuckNasty]

Thanks for the replies! I guess from the start I would be interested in learning "the correct" way of doing things. Take off procedures, nav, how to use all the computers and stuff in the plane. How to properly assign buttons to a joystick, that kind of thing. I guess I plan on treating this sort of like how a student would learn to fly a plane under an instructor. Because that's how I learn, and it seems to me that some serious instruction is needed for this since there aren't any good tutorials included in the game. To be honest, I don't know how the first people who played this game figured it out without being actual pilots lol. I guess I could really use some direction, and pondering material while I wait for my stick.

[snowsniper]

With the faboulous caucasus map

you have 2 free Aircraft :

 

- P51 full clickable cockpit, a piece of art of Warbird

- SU25 ground attack russian plane . good introduction to Jet.

 

P51 can be a bit difficult to take off on first attemp ( due to torque and so on)

better to begin in flight for first try.

 

you need to bind most important keys :

axes

yaw pitch roll

trims in yaw pitch roll ( can be a key)

throttle ( gaz minifold pressure)

RPM (propeller pitch control)

gear

flaps up / down

wheel brakes

 

feel free to PM me if needed for a basic MP help/lesson / first fly and tips about DCS

Edited March 18, 2016 by snowsniper

[Raptorx7]

Thanks for the replies! I guess from the start I would be interested in learning "the correct" way of doing things. Take off procedures, nav, how to use all the computers and stuff in the plane. How to properly assign buttons to a joystick, that kind of thing. I guess I plan on treating this sort of like how a student would learn to fly a plane under an instructor. Because that's how I learn, and it seems to me that some serious instruction is needed for this since there aren't any good tutorials included in the game. To be honest, I don't know how the first people who played this game figured it out without being actual pilots lol. I guess I could really use some direction, and pondering material while I wait for my stick.

 

Find out which Aircraft you are most interested in and move on from there.

[ChuckNasty]

I already decided once I am a little more familiar, I will be going with the A-10

[EasyEB]

Good choice. Make sure you get the A-10C.

[ChuckNasty]

Will do. Keep it coming guys, I need more to mull over while Im waiting. I'm also accepting offers for Teachers / Flight coaches :)

[EasyEB]

Here's a good start while you are waiting: http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/documentation/dcs_a-10c_flight_manual_en/

[Sryan]

A-10C? Some other guy named chuck wrote a wonderful guide on it :P

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-uSpZROuEd3VEJOVlRvODNyREU/view

 

At any rate there's a lot of stuff to take in. You're gonna have to spend some time in the 600 page manual too. No need to do it all at once.

[ChuckNasty]

Ok perfect. We are getting a little off topic, as I would like to spend a little time in the frogfoot (want to make sure I like the game) before I buy the A10C. But I will try and read the manual.

[311Gryphon]

I already decided once I am a little more familiar, I will be going with the A-10

 

Great call. While I'm not expert, it seems the best modeled in terms of systems. There is a lot to learn but it is also forgiving. Additionally, there are different methods that get nearly the same results. All that is to say it is a great platform that scales very well to your knowledge, skills, and abilities. If you're new you can fly around fairly easily, gun things up, and even drop a few bombs and fire a few missiles as you progress. If you've gained a little experience you be dropping multiple JDAMs, firing AGMs in quick succession, and being pretty darn accurate with the gun. Then there's the CDU, weapon profiles, flight plans, etc, etc, etc. And I'm positive that even after that, if you chose, you can learn even more about the plane and its systems.

[ChuckNasty]

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I'm talking about 311. All that stuff you just mentioned is like Greek to me! Haha, Im currently sitting at my station reading the 600 page manual.. Pretty brutal. One of the few times I actually hope I get called out xD

[_Acoustic_]

@Chuck, the A-10C is the best, P-51 is pretty awesome too. The tutorial missions you get with the A-10C are pretty good. I always say if you are willing to jump online and get on TeamSpeak someone can get you going pretty darn fast. I'm willing to help you out if you ever get to that point, just PM me. I have the A-10C and the P-51D and am familiar with both... only issue is I fly DCS 2.0 (The Nevada map) and would probably have to do a days worth of updates on 1.5 to fly that map.

 

Cheers, have fun!

[David OC]

Chuck, Good choice with the A10C. Go through these Tutorials by Robert to help you get up and going with the Su25T.

 

Su-25T Tutorial Part 1 of 10

[ame]

[/ame]

 

Checkout Bunyap Sims on YouTube for a complete Idea on how to employ the A10C in missions and how to use individual systems.

https://www.youtube.com/user/4023446

[snowsniper]

can't believe it. Advices here are incredible

A10C is probably the most complex system aircraft in DCS. hardest learning curve.

and for sure don't begin with that one, if you're totally noob.

step by step is better.

 

once your familiar with the dcs platform, once you're sure that you get fun managing complex system and study sim, you can go for A10C, mi8, mig21bis.

 

anyway, A10C is probably the module you won't manage to learn alone with the book. Unfact there is the 600 pages manual and many videos, I still learn many new things in MP with friends sharing their knowledge.

[Sryan]

can't believe it. Advices here are incredible

A10C is probably the most complex system aircraft in DCS. hardest learning curve.

and for sure don't begin with that one, if you're totally noob.

step by step is better.

 

once your familiar with the dcs platform, once you're sure that you get fun managing complex system and study sim, you can go for A10C, mi8, mig21bis.

 

anyway, A10C is probably the module you won't manage to learn alone with the book. Unfact there is the 600 pages manual and many videos, I still learn many new things in MP with friends sharing their knowledge.

 

 

The A-10 scales incredibly well. With just a few hours of training and practice you can do gun-runs, rocket attacks and unguided CCIP bomb drops. Take-off and landing is quite easy.

 

by comparison in the Ka-50 you're going to spend a lot of time just practicing to fly that thing while managing the autopilot and not getting a rotor collision. And then you need to do all that while operating the weapon avionics. It's gonna be a long time before you feel even remotely effective.

[viperdogsnake]

We have a flight school Syllabus with the L39C and plenty of experience in our new squad. The L39 gives us the ability to get an instructor in the back seat and give legitiment one on one focus. Current operational fighter focus is the Mig 21 with us picking up F5 and Fa18 when released. We have a teamspeak as well.

 

http://adversarypros.proboards.com/

[3WA]

Don't sweat it, dude. Take your time. It took me a couple of months of off and on training to learn just the Shark. Now I fly it like a Pro. Dance like a butterfly, sting like a Bee! The A-10 is far harder. I'm still learning all of its systems.

[Eihort]

When you get your stick, set it up as close as possible to the HOTAS in the A-10C. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

 

Tutorials, tutorials, tutorials. Single player practice. Single player practice. Single player practice. Even us experienced players have to do our paces with a new aircraft when we get our hands on it. My typical self-training goes something like this:

 

1. Fly it, air start from editor. Get a feel. Yank the stick, hard. She what she will and won't do. Stall it. Deliberately depart flight. Recover it if I can.

 

2. Start it, fly it, land it. Do some go arounds. All the weapons in the world are pointless if you can't do these three things, in that order. Don't move on until I successfully land it.

 

3. Air start with weapons. Throw an unarmed target out there to shoot at. Figure out the offensive sensors, how to mange my own weapons and switchology. I will have to switch weapons and acquire targets in a hurry.

 

4. Whole shebang. Take off, engage, RTB. Familiarize myself with the emergency procedures if necessary. Normally it isn't. I can't really recall when I haven't just been outright killed in multiplayer or forced to eject anyway. Still, never hurts to be prepared.

 

These aren't necessarily full understandings of these systems either. I'm -still- not entirely sure how to use the nav system in the A-10C or Ka-50 and I have nearly a hundred hours in each, and don't get me started on how much of a black box that is for me in the Mirage.

 

I know just enough to get where I'm going, which in MP, seems to be good enough.

[Call911]

The A10C manual/youtube tutorials is probably the best, read up on the manual an than do a youtube search to see it first hand. My 1st time sitting in the cockpit of the KA50/and A10C wandering what I'd gotten myself into is probably a common experience for many new to the sim, but after time it all comes together eventually. The A10C training missions are also excellant for training.

[zackjollyroger]

hey i started like 4 days ago too... i have a question. i'm being hit by this common problem where the aircraft rolls to the left. everyone on the web playing DCS experiences this. how do i get rid of this problem?

[slowhand]

Zack, Check your axis setting make sure you don't have more then one for each one. also check your axis tune settings as well. hope that helps.. As for the OP you may want to look at FC3 before you move on to the A10c or the P51 . with FC3 you will get advance flight models in both the F15 and the Su27 plus you get the A10a and its a great place to start if the A10C is what you want to fly..I hope that helps just stay at it what ever you pick..:thumbup:

[BFBunny]

To be honest starting the A10C is pretty easy after a while and the ingame training missions really help out even if a couple seem bugged.

 

The A10C is about one of the most versatile weapons in the game so even for a noob it's about the best place to start because you get the full DCS experience of the complex system modelling and the ability to use a lot of ordinance.

 

I learnt it in stages. Start up and get it in the air. Learn how to switch on and load the weapons. Learn how to lock and fire the mavs, learn how to use the gun and rockets. Learn how to use the nav.

 

Once I had the basics to get by and shoot stuff other things like AA missiles, bombs weapon profiles, night flying and nvgs, countermeasures and dealing with failures came from just flying.

 

I wish I'd got the a10c first as it often gets take out over other weapon systems. Good a10c pilots are valuable in certain multiplayer servers. All weather day and night capability, weapon variety and the fantastic nav system that ends up being really handy on the hardcore style servers.