Help, I hope this isnt a stupid question.

[Eagledriver1982]

Hello everybody, i am new to DCS and just downloaded the free version off of steam. I keep seeing or hearing about a 2.0 version but where do you get that from? Also if i buy Flaming Cliffs 3 then does that come with a good amount of flyable aircraft. Thanks for the help.

[hoochiekoo]

1. DCS World 2.0 now available only ED website.

2. To play DCS World 2.0 you need to by Nevada (NTTR) map from ED website.

3. If you buy Flaming Cliff 3 you'll get F-15C, A-10A, Su-27, Mig 29S and Su-25.

[Harpoon]

1. DCS World 2.0 now available only ED website.

2. To play DCS World 2.0 you need to by Nevada (NTTR) map from ED website.

3. If you buy Flaming Cliff 3 you'll get F-15C, A-10A, Su-27, Mig 29S and Su-25.

 

don't forget the mig-29a and su-33.

[Darkbrotherhood7]

don't forget the mig-29a and su-33.

 

Also the MiG-29G.:D

[Harpoon]

ps: don't mean to be rude, but take a good look at my sig eagledriver, preferrably the first quote.

 

i.e. name your threads what the topic is. "help, i hope this isn't a stupid question" isn't going to bring anyone forward easily

[FalconPlot16]

i recommend you a10c before flaming cliffs dude

[p3t3rmax]

Rather buy the A10C

 

i recommend you a10c before flaming cliffs dude

 

I so agree that that it is better to buy the A10C and not FC3. I downloaded DCS 1.5 a while ago, bought a cheap joystick and tried out the SU25T, running through the tutorials and just doing general flying, lots of touch and goes, had a private pilots licence in my previous life and miss general flying a ton. It flies like a tank but has quite good weapons systems and the tutorials are great, better to get to know it well before moving on. I then bought FC3 because I wanted to try the A10 as we all want to. Tried that for a while but got frustrated with the old avionics. Tried some of the other FC3 aircraft but did not like them much. Bit the bullet and bought the A10C. It is a totally absorbing exercise once you get over the initial shock of the complexity. The systems are so detailed and complex but the key is getting to grips with the HOTAS so focus on that. Bought a Saitek X52 Pro and despite some negative reviews I love it, great feeling and although it does not have the same layout as the A10 you can match it quite closely. It has great tutorials and general missions. I'm still learning but can do nice touch and goes with the HOTAS, wack stuff with the gun, Maverick and some other iron. The flight model and realism is awesome, it will suck you in and own you!

[MikeMikeJuliet]

Hello everybody, i am new to DCS and just downloaded the free version off of steam. I keep seeing or hearing about a 2.0 version but where do you get that from? Also if i buy Flaming Cliffs 3 then does that come with a good amount of flyable aircraft. Thanks for the help.

 

Hello and welcome to DCS.

 

Currently DCS is going through major updates (albeit slowly). The Steam version currently hosts the 1.5 version asyou know. You can play DCS through either Steam or as a standalone installation. The perks of the standalone version is you have two options, 1.5. or 2.0. Both of these will eventually be merged into one version (2.5) but there is no date for the merge yet.

 

The 2.0 version itself is free, but requires the NTTR map, so a purchase is required to play 2.0. As said, bot the Caucasus map on 1.5, and the NTTR will be available to play from a single installation later, though the Caucasus map will remain the only free to play map.

 

As for the FC3. The question is, do you enjoy the Su25T gameplay? If you want a more complex simulation, then you might want to consider the other available aircrafts, such as the A-10C. If you just want more of the complexity level you have with the Su-25T, then the FC3 provides a lot of flyables with a decent price. FC3 includes the Su-25A model, A-10A (arguably the easiest aircraft in the whole sim), F-15C, MiG-29A/G and S, Su-27 and Su-33 (a carrier capable aircraft).

 

People often just come to these threads and almost demand you to go for the A-10C, but it largely depends on how you feel about the whole ordeal in the first place.

 

I hope this helps, and was not too complex of an explanation.

 

EDIT: Almost forgot. The standalone DCS products can be bought from their website. Also, if you ever want to transition to standalone, that can be done by transferring the Steam-bought keys to standalone. You CANNOT do this the other way around. Also the free 1.5 version standalone is available from the same website.

 

Kind regards,

MikeMikeJuliet

Edited August 15, 2016 by MikeMikeJuliet

[VAF [136] Striker]

I keep seeing or hearing about a 2.0 version but where do you get that from? Also if i buy Flaming Cliffs 3 then does that come with a good amount of flyable aircraft. Thanks for the help.

Hi Eagledriver1982, welcome to the ED forums!

 

I'll expand on what's already been written.

 

First of all, you need to keep in mind that all of the FC3 aircraft are NOT high fidelity models. They are all based on the old Flanker and Lockon series aircraft and do not have any clickable cockpits. They are great models none the less considering that they are all or mostly from the late 90's and early 2000's. A lot of people still use them and you will see them in multiplayer missions all the time.

 

However, Eagle Dynamics has been slowly moving away from the old FC3 aircraft (still supported though) and towards developing more of the high fidelity fully clickable cockpit modules. These are a lot more involved to learn to use because they are more like the A-10C module which was designed as a study sim for potential pilots. So just about everything functions like the real aircraft. They basically did the same thing at or close to the same time for the Ka-50 module or what's known as the Blackshark.

 

Since their introduction back several years ago, ED has been adding some more modules like them along with their third party developers. There is a F-86, Mig-15, L-39, C-101, M-2000C, SA342 Gazelle, F-5E Tiger, Mi-8, Hawk T-1A, Mig-21, BF-109, FW-190, UH-1H Huey, P-51D and many more to come. They can be found here. http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/modules/ Some are work in progress and most are complete. So you have a lot of choices now in the high fidelity department.

 

So there are a lot of things to consider when you are looking at purchasing modules. And all of the modules cost extra so you need to think about what role you'd like to fulfill. Do you want to fly choppers, ground attack aircraft or do you want to do mostly Air to Air combat? Also remember that DCS world comes with the free Su-25T, which is a great FC3 style ground attack bird that can also do SEAD!

 

The 2.0 version you mentioned is for the testing of their new Nevada or NTTR map. You do not have to purchase this map as the original Caucus's is still included in the current 1.5 release. This will still be available when they release 2.5 later this year, hopefully ; ) But ED has released what they call EDGE (Eagle Dynamics Graphics Engine) which is designed to run more up to date graphics and terrain detail. So it's kind of in transition at this time. But this is a great time to be involved because the big change is coming very soon. They also have a bunch of maps that are in development along with some of their third party developers.

 

Hope that this helps!

[feefifofum]

Eh, I don't think I'd call it moving away...

ED is still steadily updating the FC3 content and all but the MiG-29 and Su-33 are now sporting updated flight models.

 

While there are no plans for developing additional FC3 level aircraft, they are very much still being supported and actively worked on; Wags has confirmed that a PFM (professional flight model) is in the works for the Flanker-D and Fulcrum.

 

I personally think the FC3 aircraft are the best way for an inexperienced pilot to enter the series. They offer a level of complexity that is still leaps and bounds beyond what you'll see in other games while offering a gentler learning curve than the Charlie, arguably our most complex aircraft in the DCS stable.

 

If you're relatively new to flight sims I think FC3 is the way to go; the value per dollar is off the charts and the aircraft are a blast to fly.

 

If you've cut your teeth on other full fidelity sims, and you got in the Su-25T, tried to click on the cockpit, and got annoyed...then grab the A-10C and you'll be a happy camper. :)

[VAF [136] Striker]

Eh, I don't think I'd call it moving away...

ED is still steadily updating the FC3 content and all but the MiG-29 and Su-33 are now sporting updated flight models.

 

While there are no plans for developing additional FC3 level aircraft, they are very much still being supported and actively worked on

I thought I made that clear, but yes, I meant essentially the same thing, that they aren't developing any more FC3 style aircraft but I did say they are still supporting them.

[Eagledriver1982]

Thanks to everybody for your replies. Alot of good information from everyone. I think i will wait a little longer than until i get used to the game first before i purchase the NTTR map. So im also assuming that anything purchased from ED is considered a standalone version?

[Home Fries]

Thanks to everybody for your replies. Alot of good information from everyone. I think i will wait a little longer than until i get used to the game first before i purchase the NTTR map. So im also assuming that anything purchased from ED is considered a standalone version?

Welcome to DCS, Eagledriver.

 

Anything purchased directly from ED is incompatible with the Steam version, so if you get NTTR now it won't work with the Steam version once Steam is updated to the 2.5 standard. That said, anything you get on Steam will work with Steam and ED versions, so if you purchase something on Steam and then decide to move to the ED version of DCS, you will still have your modules.

 

Let me be a contrarian in regards to FC3. I'm just going to say that it depends on your flight sim experience and your setup. If you're not that experienced with flight sims, then jumping straight into the A-10C is jumping into the deep end without a swimming lesson, especially if you don't have a Warthog controller. The biggest downside to the FC3 aircraft is that without a clickable cockpit you need to either remember keyboard combinations or program them to your joystick. However, if you do alright with the Su-25T, most of the FC3 commands are identical.

 

The A-10A is a great aircraft to start with; it's a forgiving flight model (same as the A-10C) and maverick is easier than the C, and you don't need to remember a bunch of steps to fly or fight the aircraft. It's also not as capable, so you may want to move up to the C when you feel up to it.

 

The Su-27 is also a lot of fun to fly, and if you're not experienced with air navigation it has a map on the head down display (in nav mode), so you can practice navigating with the needles but look at the display if you get confused. It also has a fairly simple radar and fire control so you can get started quickly.

 

If you want to develop good habits, give the Su-25 (the regular, not the T) a try. You will fly using all analog instruments with no HUD and no autopilot. Fighting the Su-25 is also a challenge and I recommend learning A2G with the A-10A first.

 

Of course, with your name, you probably want to give the F-15 a go. It's a fun bird but you need to learn how to use the radar modes to fight the F-15C effectively.

 

Hope this helps

[Eagledriver1982]

Thanks home fries. Yes it does help i have the thrustmaster HOTAS X but havent really set it up yet with DCS. I'll just keep practicing for now. And you're right the F-15 is my favorite plane.