Cold War 1947 - 1991

[Grisleybear]

The Desert has Eyes, seems to always kill the server when it rotates to it which is a shame, guess a large number of people don't have the map.

[Skyracer]

Why does the RED have all aspect missiles on OSSETIA and BLUE viggens only restricted to rear aspect? And are limited to 100 missiles?

[malcheus]

played on the server for the first time today, I'm a bit new to multiplayer so experience was a bit mixed.

-I love the absence of the F10 live map, making you rely on AWACS calls.

-I love that I now have to actually use a mix of RSBN and visual navigation to find a location

-I am either blind, my monitor sucks or I am missing an obvious option to turn on small labels, because I circled around a bogey for several minutes (according to the AWACS BRA calls) without spotting him once, and then he shot me. Is there some trick to this?

[Alpenwolf]

Why does the RED have all aspect missiles on OSSETIA and BLUE viggens only restricted to rear aspect? And are limited to 100 missiles?

If that's the case, then it's a mistake on my behalf. I'll check it out.

...

-I am either blind, my monitor sucks or I am missing an obvious option to turn on small labels, because I circled around a bogey for several minutes (according to the AWACS BRA calls) without spotting him once, and then he shot me. Is there some trick to this?

Labels or "easy mode" settings are not enabled. Spotting a bandit in DCS in very hard. You're not the only one to have that problem. Training more frequently will help your sight adjust in time. Then again your PC hardware might be an issue as well.

[Skyracer]

played on the server for the first time today, I'm a bit new to multiplayer so experience was a bit mixed.

-I love the absence of the F10 live map, making you rely on AWACS calls.

-I love that I now have to actually use a mix of RSBN and visual navigation to find a location

-I am either blind, my monitor sucks or I am missing an obvious option to turn on small labels, because I circled around a bogey for several minutes (according to the AWACS BRA calls) without spotting him once, and then he shot me. Is there some trick to this?

 

That means that you play to little DCS, and have a life. You should give up your life and start playing DCS. Its not a simulator its a lifestyle!

[=475FG= Dawger]

played on the server for the first time today, I'm a bit new to multiplayer so experience was a bit mixed.

-I love the absence of the F10 live map, making you rely on AWACS calls.

-I love that I now have to actually use a mix of RSBN and visual navigation to find a location

-I am either blind, my monitor sucks or I am missing an obvious option to turn on small labels, because I circled around a bogey for several minutes (according to the AWACS BRA calls) without spotting him once, and then he shot me. Is there some trick to this?

 

If you are flying in VR, no labels isn't viable in a dogfight. DCS VR performance is not high enough to maintain a proper visual tally without a label especially on a busy/complex server where VR is pushed to the limit. The way VR works is by dropping frames so you don't get sick. The instant your performance drops, your bandit magically becomes invisible

 

I only fly helicopters on no labels servers.

 

If you are a flat earther (which I see you are), you can tweak your graphics settings DOWN to make spotting much easier.

 

Its still harder than real life but not impossible.

 

I would suggest buying the biggest HD TV you can and sit very close to it. 1080p is fine. Lower resolution is better in this instance.

Edited December 5, 2019 by pmiceli

[Skyracer]

If that's the case, then it's a mistake on my behalf. I'll check it out.

 

I got shot by a R-60 in the face, not the M model. So apparently those are all aspect and needs to be removed!

Edited December 6, 2019 by Skyracer

[DrRed]

If you are flying in VR, no labels isn't viable in a dogfight. DCS VR performance is not high enough to maintain a proper visual tally without a label especially on a busy/complex server where VR is pushed to the limit. The way VR works is by dropping frames so you don't get sick. The instant your performance drops, your bandit magically becomes invisible

 

I only fly helicopters on no labels servers.

 

If you are a flat earther (which I see you are), you can tweak your graphics settings DOWN to make spotting much easier.

 

Its still harder than real life but not impossible.

 

I would suggest buying the biggest HD TV you can and sit very close to it. 1080p is fine. Lower resolution is better in this instance.

For what it's worth I've found that I can actually hold my own in VR, provided I spot the MiG early. The recent improvement to VR zoom has made this much easier. It just takes a lot of practice, but having a beefy computer does help. Most of the time, if I get shot down it's because I just didn't know the enemy was there.

 

-I am either blind, my monitor sucks or I am missing an obvious option to turn on small labels, because I circled around a bogey for several minutes (according to the AWACS BRA calls) without spotting him once, and then he shot me. Is there some trick to this?

If you're close enough to be in a turning fight then the AWACs BRA calls will be pretty useless - too much delay. A human controller will do better. In that situation I just assume the guy is behind me and I need to manuver to get him off my tail somehow.

Edited December 6, 2019 by DrRed

[Alpenwolf]

... The way VR works is by dropping frames so you don't get sick. The instant your performance drops, your bandit magically becomes invisible

...

Interesting! I didn't know that. So dropping frames is less likely to make you sick? Sick how, headaches?

I got shot by a R-60 in the face, not the M model. So apparently those are all aspect and needs to be removed!

The R-60's are rear-aspect only. However, they seem to get a tone from time to time when head-on, but that often. Especially when very close which in most cases too late for shooting a missile.

[Dehuman]

Labels or "easy mode" settings are not enabled. Spotting a bandit in DCS in very hard. You're not the only one to have that problem. Training more frequently will help your sight adjust in time. Then again your PC hardware might be an issue as well.

 

Great thing is all these "golden age" jets have somewhat inefficient engines. Zoom ALL the way in and you can spot the smoke trail.

 

After a while as Alpen said you get better at spotting that one pixel.

If you're flying MiG-21 (you mentioned RSBN) just fly high and proud. Force them to come to you.

[malcheus]

Great thing is all these "golden age" jets have somewhat inefficient engines. Zoom ALL the way in and you can spot the smoke trail.

 

After a while as Alpen said you get better at spotting that one pixel.

If you're flying MiG-21 (you mentioned RSBN) just fly high and proud. Force them to come to you.

 

Thanks for the advice! I tried staying low, assuming that it would be easier to spot an enemy plane against an even background of blue sky rather than the ground. Also the mig21 radar is better pointing upwards, right?

 

Also, which graphic settings make spotting more humanly possible in your experience?

[=475FG= Dawger]

Interesting! I didn't know that. So dropping frames is less likely to make you sick? Sick how, headaches?

 

 

Some people are prone to motion sickness in VR.

 

Basically anytime your head is doing something and your eyes are telling you that you are doing something different, vertigo can result.

 

So what is presented visually in VR has to match exactly what your head is doing or vertigo will result and some people become physically ill from this sensation.

 

So VR has to try to maintain a smooth visual image that is perfectly synced to head movement at all times.

 

There are various techniques to achieve this.

 

Not only does VR drop frames it actually 'invents' a replacement frame from the previous frame to keep things smooth unless you turn that off.

 

In a dogfight, the bandit will "blink" on and off in VR or be reprojected multiple times as the software tries to compensate for the hardware inability to keep up.

 

Up close this isn't too much of a problem but at the intermediate ranges it basically makes the bandit invisible in a maneuvering fight.

 

Also, in VR the edges of the images do not have the clarity of the center of the display.

 

In a VR dogfight a bandit on the edge of the display is quite often erased from view.

 

Well designed dot labels compensate for the limitations of VR without providing any sort of advantage.

[Toasty]

Thanks for the advice! I tried staying low, assuming that it would be easier to spot an enemy plane against an even background of blue sky rather than the ground. Also the mig21 radar is better pointing upwards, right?

 

 

 

Also, which graphic settings make spotting more humanly possible in your experience?

Just forget about the sapphire radar, it's complete useless in a dogfight and still reveals your position.

 

Stay low, stay quiet.

 

Enviado de meu Moto G (5) Plus usando o Tapatalk

[Alpenwolf]

@ pmiceli:

 

Interesting information regarding VR. I've got trackir and quite happy with it.

Maybe one day though...

[DrRed]

@ pmiceli:

 

Interesting information regarding VR. I've got trackir and quite happy with it.

Maybe one day though...

 

A word of caution. The experience of DCS in VR will ruin every other flight sim for you.

[Alpenwolf]

A word of caution. The experience of DCS in VR will ruin every other flight sim for you.

The only game/simulator I have on my pc is DCS. The only reason I bought some good hardware was DCS! However, I don't fly frequently as of late, but things might change. Bloody real life, huh :smilewink:

[Alpenwolf]

Server Update:

Voice chat is now available. Share your feedback, please.

[=475FG= Dawger]

@ pmiceli:

 

Interesting information regarding VR. I've got trackir and quite happy with it.

Maybe one day though...

 

I have been flight simming for over 20 years and flew in the real world for 30.

 

When I quit flying for real my flight sim/game time was very minimal. I had been simming on a gaming laptop for more than a decade and it was kinda meh.

 

I decided to build a true 4K gaming rig, thinking that would spice things up a bit and rekindle my interest.

 

After dropping a fairly large sum building the PC I was reluctant to drop another $1700 on a high performance 4K monitor so I decided to stick with my 1080p TV and buy a Rift until I had another $2K just laying around doing nothing.

 

I now own 3 VR HMD's and still haven't even considered a 4K monitor.

 

I now fly every day in DCS or War Thunder Sim battles, usually both. I have also turned my old gaming laptop into my DCS server and write my own missions for our little group.

 

I don't miss real world flying at all.

 

Thats how good VR is even if the visual clarity is less than ideal.

 

 

I just wish more server admins recognized the limitations of VR and used dot only labels for aircraft only and only visible in the middle ranges

 

Hint Hint

 

I have made a labels mod that I use especially for this purpose.

[Alpenwolf]

...

I just wish more server admins recognized the limitations of VR and used dot only labels for aircraft only and only visible in the middle ranges

...

You can't wish for admins to know all that, especially if they haven't got VR. Now that I know about the issue, what can I do to help VR pilots enjoy their ride? Bearing in mind though without giving them a bigger advantage in battle.

[LupinYonder]

First of all I love your server and sent some cash your way recently.

 

Secondly, are there any missions on the server that encourage high altitude combat that the Mig21 was designed for? I like hugging the ground and being sneaky IR man but sometimes I'd like to use the Mig21 for it's intended high alt intercept role.

 

I do sometimes go high on your server mostly to conserve fuel on the way to the AO or to bypass combat on route to a A2G target but it's not all that common.

 

I may be wrong but down low the Viggen especially, and the F5 have a bit of an advantage.

[Skyracer]

First of all I love your server and sent some cash your way recently.

 

Secondly, are there any missions on the server that encourage high altitude combat that the Mig21 was designed for? I like hugging the ground and being sneaky IR man but sometimes I'd like to use the Mig21 for it's intended high alt intercept role.

 

I totally agree on this. I would like to bring back radar guided misses for the mig 21.

[=475FG= Dawger]

You can't wish for admins to know all that, especially if they haven't got VR. Now that I know about the issue, what can I do to help VR pilots enjoy their ride? Bearing in mind though without giving them a bigger advantage in battle.

 

Here are a list of things that are unpleasant or more difficult in VR.

 

1. Visual spotting/visual ID of aircraft in the middle ranges. The only solution is some version of labels. my personal labels mod is attached if you would like to test it or modify it. Save to Config\View\labels.lua path in the miz file. If you want to preserve the requirement to visually ID the opponent with labels on the label color can be a neutral color always. In the cold war server with a delta wing versus a square tip swept wing, this is certainly feasible.

 

2. Night. VR has what is called fixed pattern noise, commonly referred to as "screen door effect". Actually all monitors have this fixed pattern noise but you generally only get within 3 inches of your monitor when using a VR HMD. This fixed pattern noise makes night operations in VR like operating while looking through a thin white veil. There is no solution other than no night time.

 

3. Crowded air bases can be a stutter fest in VR. Statics look nice but heavily populated bases kill VR performance.

 

4. Anything requiring typing sucks in VR. Automatic SRS server join is a nice feature on servers but most folks don't seem to use SRS.

 

I am not suggesting that all of these are problems on the CWS. As I said, I only fly helicopters on no label servers. They are general issues that affect VR users.

 

I really appreciate the consideration for VR.

Labels.lua

Edited December 7, 2019 by pmiceli

[Alpenwolf]

First of all I love your server and sent some cash your way recently.

 

Secondly, are there any missions on the server that encourage high altitude combat that the Mig21 was designed for? I like hugging the ground and being sneaky IR man but sometimes I'd like to use the Mig21 for it's intended high alt intercept role.

 

I do sometimes go high on your server mostly to conserve fuel on the way to the AO or to bypass combat on route to a A2G target but it's not all that common.

 

I may be wrong but down low the Viggen especially, and the F5 have a bit of an advantage.

The missions Open Range, Catch Me If You Can and Swedish Delivery have B-52's for carpet bombing flying at 11000 m. Depends on whether Blue complete their SEAD objectives for their bombers to move in. So mainly if people would care to read the briefing and tend to the objectives rather than flying to bulls for some dogfighting is the issue here and in many other servers as well. I will never force players to do so, but I try to design the missions in a way hoping to intrigue pilots to do some AG tasking. The thing is, most players prefer AA over AG. It's common in DCS and probably else where.

[DrRed]

Great flying with you all as always.

 

When today's session (The Desert Has Eyes) is done, would anyone be willing to post the TacView ACMI file? My local copy is corrupted.

[LupinYonder]

Actually just had an awesome high atl fight catching those b52s defended by a lone F5. It was great but clearly something I need more practice at .