Is there a suggested order that is best to learn the modules?

[Conure]

Hey all,

 

I have bought all of the modules over the past 3 months because I want to support ED and the third party developers for this excellent simulation.

 

My aim is to play through all of the campaigns with every aircraft and learn them all to a decentish level (I know it'll take ages) and then when I've found my favourites focus on them.

 

I've spent the last 2 weeks learning the Black Shark and really enjoy it, but I was wondering if there is a suggested order to learn the modules? For example, will some appear limited in terms of graphics, modelling etc if I play newer modules first? This is the reason I started with the Shark.

 

Another way of approaching them all I've considered is to do them in age order (following the shark) starting with the Mig21 or something. Maybe starting with the earlier aircraft will give me better fundamentals for the more modern? This will of course likely be doing over the next couple of years as I tend to spend another month with the Shark.

 

Thanks :)

[shagrat]

Hey all,

 

I have bought all of the modules over the past 3 months because I want to support ED and the third party developers for this excellent simulation.

 

My aim is to play through all of the campaigns with every aircraft and learn them all to a decentish level (I know it'll take ages) and then when I've found my favourites focus on them.

 

I've spent the last 2 weeks learning the Black Shark and really enjoy it, but I was wondering if there is a suggested order to learn the modules? For example, will some appear limited in terms of graphics, modelling etc if I play newer modules first? This is the reason I started with the Shark.

 

Another way of approaching them all I've considered is to do them in age order (following the shark) starting with the Mig21 or something. Maybe starting with the earlier aircraft will give me better fundamentals for the more modern? This will of course likely be doing over the next couple of years as I tend to spend another month with the Shark.

 

Thanks :)

For Helos I would consider learning to fly seat of the pants first, with the Huey and move on to more automated/stabilized/complex helicopters.

 

Aircraft, well, you should start basics with a trainer (L-39z etc.) and learn flying and maneuvering, plus navigation etc. ...but that leaves a lot of fun out of the equation.

The A-10C still is a very robust plane, forgiving, if you do something wrong, etc. Yet very complex, when it comes to actual weapons delivery.

 

Again for real seats of the pants flying a WW II piston engine P-51 is a decent choice...

 

Lots of it depends on your personal preference, really. :)

[Pocket Sized]

What he said about helicopters.

 

Also, for air to ground combat start with the A-10A. It's very basic but has the endurance, flight characteristics, and situational awareness the A-10C has (minus the C's better RWR). For more advanced stuff ie strike missions go back to the Su-25T because it is faster and carries more long range weapons at the cost of situational awareness, maneuverability, and payload capacity. It's also generally harder to be effective with but can be very good in the right hands.

 

For air to air start with the F-15. Care free handling, lots of gas, and very very good situational awareness are amazing when you're starting out.

 

For older aircraft I'd start with the Korean War jets. Don't have to worry about engine management like in the WWII birds. They're really fun to just fly around and strafe targets with. The fixed reticule takes some getting used to but is rewarding once you manage to get a "feel" for the guns.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Pocket Sized

[dooom]

i dont know but I always tell people to hop into whatever you have fun with. Don't make this work and just enjoy it mate. Believe it or not, one of the greatest things i love about DCS is forgetting how to do something in a module because it means i can return to it later and get that thrill of "getting something to work" all over again. I am constantly hopping between modules and having a blast doing it.

 

Shagrat is right - its about your personal preference... i guess i am just saying make sure you listen to what your brain is telling you - if you are not enjoying a module then go do something else... I also have all the modules and am quite happy with the realization I will be learning/relearning the systems for quite some time.

 

I'm certainly not bored. :)

[dburne]

I have so many modules, I started truly learning the KA-50 about a year ago and am still flying it for now. Still seems like I have much to learn.

 

I guess someday I will start to tackle the A-10C next.

[VTJS17_Fire]

I also used the DCS flight manuals of the modules to study, then tried it myself.

 

For topics, which weren't in the manuals or I didn't understand ad hoc, I watched YouTube Tutorials ... until, I made them self for other newbies. :D

[some1]

Well, I'd say the rules of real life don't apply here.

 

In real life every pilot starts with a basic trainer, because they are much cheaper to operate, and sometimes easier to fly (not always though). In the sim you are not restricted by running costs, and most importantly, the number of your lives available. Modern, complex, digital aircraft are often easier to fly and fight than the older ones. For example Ka-50 is the easiest helicopter to fly among DCS offerings and the most capable on the battlefield. Same with A-10C, it's much easier to kill a ground target with a Maverick or CCIP bombs with the help of TGP, than to do it "the old way" in an F-5 or MiG-21.

[QuiGon]

For helicopters: What Shagrat said. To really learn how a helicopter flys I really recommend to fly the Huey to fly by the seat of one's pants as he said. That describes it pretty well :D

 

For fixed wing: Trainers might be a good way to start, but honestly, I find them pretty boring. But that's personal preference and as some1 said it isn't really necessary in a sim. Unlike for the helicopters, I can't really recommend a specific fixed wing aircraft. They all will do.

 

Just some general remarks:

- Earlier aircraft are usally harder to fly, but have easier and less complex systems.

- Later aircraft are usally easier to fly, but have more complex avionics that are harder to learn and master.

 

And some specific remarks:

- The WW2 aircraft (especially the german ones) are pretty difficult to land and take off with.

- The MiG-21 is not easy to land and demanding to fly.

- The A-10C is a VERY forgiving aircraft throughout the entire flight envelope, but has pretty sophisticated avionics that take some time to learn.

- The F-5 and F-86 (don't know about the MiG-15) are between the A-10C and the other previously mentioned aircraft in all aspects.

- The Mirage 2000 is pretty easy to fly and the avionics aren't that complicated, but IMHO it is not a good aircraft to learn flying, because of it fly by wire system that makes flying less natural and more artifical.

- I don't recommend FC3 aircraft, because of their simplified systems, but that's probably personal preference as well.

[Deadpoetic6]

Pick an airplane you like and learn it. No point in forcing you to fly an airplane you don't like because it could be easier to learn

[FalconPlot16]

-mi8

-a10c

-mig21

[Redglyph]

Looking at the available campaigns is also worth doing. They really motivate you to learn more and get proficient.

 

The A-10C is quite a mature / stable fan jet, and has a lot of campaigns and missions, personally it's one of my favourites because it has some depth in its systems, avionics, emergencies, ... but you don't have to learn everything at once, you can progress at your own pace. That'd really be my first choice if I had to do it again. But it's not as fast and exotic as a Mig-21, it's really an air to ground attacker, so it depends whether you like that kind or rather go supersonic.

 

It also has two campaigns to help master it, the Basic Flight Training and the Advanced Aircraft Training. Make sure to have a look at one or two videos of those, to know if that's your cup of tea. They're quite tough but after that you can get into more serious business like the Red Flag or Piercing Fury campaigns, knowing what you do and keeping ahead of the aircraft (err, while still being inside, of course, love that expression).

 

Helicopters have been mostly covered, I think, the Huey is really easy to start with, and has one lengthy campaign. It's an old one, so nothing fancy there. The Ka-50 is much more complex but I don't know it well enough to comment, it has a lot of aids that help flying without crashing at first, and several campaigns. It looks a little bit like the helicopter version of the A-10C ;) But again, I'm not that familiar, you probably know it much better. And beasts like the Gazelle are very agile and very difficult to fly at first, without crashing, you'll also need the proper joystick (with a Warthog the spring makes it almost impossible to enjoy). I don't know the Mi-8 at all but it has a very good reputation, seems complex and lethal to the enemy.

 

The old-fashioned propellers... the Mustang is great, and the easiest (or less difficult) to learn with, though the Spitfire will probably be more forgiving. The Ba-109 is the hardest IMHO, it just wants to kill you, right there, even on the runway if possible :D And the Fw-190 is somewhere in between. The P-51 has one nice DLC campaign, and as all WWII planes, it comes with a challenge campaign which is just a series of manoeuvres and simple combats to perform.

 

The jets have each their own character as well. The F-86 and the relic campaign (perhaps once it's available for one aircraft alone) are a nice couple, had a lot of fun with those, it's an old little beast but already well-equipped and very nice to fly. The Mig-15 is very similar to the Sabre, but simpler and a bit less forgiving. The Mirage 2000C is very promising, we're waiting for its accompanying campaign to be released, but it's already very interesting and enjoyable, not as complex as an F-16 or F-15 but quite close, and very powerful. The Mig-21 is fantastic and a bit messy (in a good way), but is currently in a weird state, I'd wait until things are sorted out regarding missions and the campaign.

 

It's not exhaustive, that's just my own experience and point of view, be critical ;)

 

Be sure to check the complexity of the models, too! For example, aircraft like the F-15 don't have clickable cockpits and their systems are somewhat simplified.

Edited November 5, 2016 by Redglyph