New DCS User Manual 2020 is a beauty!

[GazAce]

Just perusing through the new DCS World 2020 manual and I must say it absolutely freakin rocks! So much juicy fresh overhauled content.. from mission editing to a cool little trigger mission newby builders can try their hand at and even flight formations! I was so impressed with content and level of detail ED has put into this. I'm still looking through it but definitely a 10/10 from me, it's been quite a while coming and very well worth the wait. This is a beautiful little manual and if completely finished I would be tempted to convert this to a hard copy.

Awesome effort ED and all who contributed.

:thumbup:

[Rudel_chw]

Agree, I really love having a good reference manual :)

[Fri13]

Link?

[QuiGon]

Link?

It's in the docs folder of your DCS installation, just like the old user manual always has been ;)

[Worrazen]

Yeah I saw it ... really busy so I didn't comment yet, I'm basically speechless because there's really good details explained such as resupply/rearm relationship with cargo trucks, many many things that will be so wonderful for new people.

 

The tutorial sections could point the people to the manual first, maybe there's a sticky about it already, should be a button somewhere in the main menu too (unless I missed it)

Edited March 5, 2020 by Worrazen

[unlikely_spider]

Can it be posted somewhere for those of us not in the beta?

[Fri13]

It's in the docs folder of your DCS installation, just like the old user manual always has been ;)

 

Of course....

 

Already learn habit to download latest ones from elsewhere as computer ones are sometimes old....

 

But as well not all are at their computers but on the go.

[QuiGon]

Of course....

 

Already learn habit to download latest ones from elsewhere as computer ones are sometimes old....

 

But as well not all are at their computers but on the go.

The one on your computer is the latest one as it gets updated with the DCS updates.

 

Some of the DCS manuals are available here, but they're not complete and usally don't get updated very often, unlike the ones on your computer.

[Rudel_chw]

Can it be posted somewhere for those of us not in the beta?

 

I wonder why it isnt yet on the Documentation section of ED's website .. I can share my copy in the meantime:

 

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ai6cuX3YQI26hqRUwtiYM59myekE3w?e=GRwhiH

[RuskyV]

Didn't even realise it had ever been updated...

[QuiGon]

Didn't even realise it had ever been updated...

It was on the very top of the patch notes: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/openbeta/2.5.6.43872/

[RuskyV]

probably why i didn't see it, been looking for performance related fixes just recently, still nice to see with everything else going on that they had time to spruce up the manual...

[Worrazen]

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/documentation/dcs_user_manual/

 

^^ Needs to be updated by webstaff

 

 

It's really detailed, but I can see it's probably combined with russian translation, which isn't a big deal, except I'll look for cases where it's really off, one part I found here: ( I'll post when I find such cases, didn't read the whole thing yet ofcourse)

 

Res. of Cockpit Displays

 

Set the resolution of cockpit displays such as mirrors, targeting video indicators, multifunction

displays, moving maps, etc. Note that higher resolution settings can negatively impact the

smoothness of game play.

 

• 256 – Low quality. The picture is rendered into a texture of 256x256 pixels. It is updated through the frame.
   
  
• 512 – Standard quality. The image is rendered into a texture of 512x512 pixels. It is updated through the frame.
   
  
• 512 Every Frame – Standard quality. The image is rendered into a texture of 512x512 pixels. Each frame is updated, but it reduces the overall performance of the game in comparison with the choice of the preset updated through the frame.
   
  
• 1024 – High quality. The image is rendered into a texture of 1024x1024 pixels. It is updated through the frame.
   
  
• 1024 Every Frame – High quality. The image is rendered into a texture of 1024x1024 pixels. Each frame is updated, but it reduces the overall performance of the game in comparison with the choice of the preset updated through the frame.
  

 

with the choice of the preset updated through the frame

 

Well ... this section kinda doesn't make sense to me, or I don't understand english enough?

 

I'm not sure what "through the frame" means, I never heard that phrase (but I'm not a real dev)

 

Could be that the "Frame" may mean somehting else as in outline in Russian. But nah, it makes sense that "Every Frame" means that every frame you get an update on the displays.

 

I think the issue is more with "Through the frame", how can you update the display while a frame is being rendered?

Edited March 5, 2020 by Worrazen

[QuiGon]

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/documentation/dcs_user_manual/

 

^^ Needs to be updated by webstaff

Yeah, that's why I said that the manuals in our local DCS installations are more up to date.

[Ashcroft]

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/documentation/dcs_user_manual/

 

^^ Needs to be updated by webstaff

 

 

It's really detailed, but I can see it's probably combined with russian translation, which isn't a big deal, except I'll look for cases where it's really off, one part I found here: ( I'll post when I find such cases, didn't read the whole thing yet ofcourse)

 

 

 

 

Well ... this section kinda doesn't make sense to me, or I don't understand english enough?

 

I'm not sure what "through the frame" means, I never heard that phrase (but I'm not a real dev)

 

I'm speculating the "frame" may mean somehting else as in "outline" in Russian but it gets translated to "Frame", it could mean the elements on the displays (frames as in pictures). But nah, it makes sense "Every Frame" means that every frame you get an update on the displays, but I think the issue is more with "Throught the frame", how can you update the display while a frame is being rendered?

 

I don't know for sure but I assume it means the displays are not updated every frame and run at a lower frame rate than the full display. Maybe its only every second or third frame the displays get redrawn, something like that.

[Worrazen]

Maybe its only every second or third frame the displays get redrawn, something like that.

 

Indeed that's what everyone thinks the idea is ... but the manual makes more questions now.

[X-31_VECTOR]

This may be a dumb question, but why isn't the manual available through the game itself, as in a button on the home screen? I am embarrassed to admit how long I played DCS before I realized there even was a manual.

 

I think this is one of those unnecessary barriers to entry for noobs who come to DCS. This community -- and its willingness to enthusiastically help newcomers -- is probably the single biggest asset DCS has in bringing new members to the fan base. But that's largely because new users don't feel supported within the game itself. How many times have you seen some variation on:

 

Noob: How do I...?

Salty DCS Vet: Welcome to DCS! Now RTFM.

Noob: There's a manual?

 

The same holds for modules. When I started with DCS and investigated where I could find answers to my aircraft-specific questions, everyone advised the same thing: download Chuck's Guides. From which I assumed there weren't official manuals. No one said, "Go to folder XYZ and you'll find a detailed 400-page manual."

 

Hell, even just a button on the DCS home screen that opened the appropriate folder in a separate window might help us retain newcomers who get frustrated but never bother to come to the forums for answers.

 

Feel free to tell me I'm the only fool for whom this is an issue, but if I'm not... how hard would this be to actually do? Seems relatively easy, but so does everything when someone else is doing the work. :)

[Notso]

This may be a dumb question, but why isn't the manual available through the game itself, as in a button on the home screen? I am embarrassed to admit how long I played DCS before I realized there even was a manual.

 

I think this is one of those unnecessary barriers to entry for noobs who come to DCS. This community -- and its willingness to enthusiastically help newcomers -- is probably the single biggest asset DCS has in bringing new members to the fan base. But that's largely because new users don't feel supported within the game itself. How many times have you seen some variation on:

 

Noob: How do I...?

Salty DCS Vet: Welcome to DCS! Now RTFM.

Noob: There's a manual?

 

The same holds for modules. When I started with DCS and investigated where I could find answers to my aircraft-specific questions, everyone advised the same thing: download Chuck's Guides. From which I assumed there weren't official manuals. No one said, "Go to folder XYZ and you'll find a detailed 400-page manual."

 

Hell, even just a button on the DCS home screen that opened the appropriate folder in a separate window might help us retain newcomers who get frustrated but never bother to come to the forums for answers.

 

Feel free to tell me I'm the only fool for whom this is an issue, but if I'm not... how hard would this be to actually do? Seems relatively easy, but so does everything when someone else is doing the work. :)

 

100% agree with this. It would be great to have the most updated manuals available right on the DCS home screen. I find most of the info seems to be mostly WOM (word of mouth) in this forum. It’s super helpful, but often very disjointed to find info. I would rather start with the official manual and then ask questions from there.

[QuiGon]

Isn't it normal for all kind of sims to have manuals in their folders? That's always the first thing I do when playing a new simulator: Go to its folder to locate the manual. I mean you can't seriously think that someone who is new to a sim like DCS will be able to understand it without a manual, so there has to be one.

Edited March 5, 2020 by QuiGon

[X-31_VECTOR]

That's certainly a valid perspective QuiGon, and may in fact be the majority view. (I meant it when I said I was embarrassed to admit how long I went without realizing there was a manual.) But anecdotally, it seems to me that I've seen a lot of newcomers not reach that conclusion on their own. I'm curious to hear other views on both sides of the argument.

[QuiGon]

But anecdotally, it seems to me that I've seen a lot of newcomers not reach that conclusion on their own.

I can definitely confirm this as I have given the RTFM answer numerous times myself (although in a nicer way, I hope :D). It just boggles my mind how people think that there is no manual and that they have to learn such a complex sim without one.

[Exorcet]

Isn't it normal for all kind of sims to have manuals in their folders? That's always the first thing I do when playing a new simulator: Go to its folder to locate the manual. I mean you can't seriously think that someone who is new to a sim like DCS will be able to understand it without a manual, so there has to be one.

I think one confusing thing is that the modules manuals are separate from the DCSW manual. When you open the documents folder in the start menu it only shows the DCSW manual. I manually move module manuals into the same folder, I think it makes more sense for them to be there, and honestly why not include them in the install? You can download the manuals for aircraft you don't own from this site already.

 

 

I also imagine that people new to sims might not consider a lack of a manual totally odd. It used to be that most games came with a manual, but these days some omit them entirely.

[Rudel_chw]

My impression is that the DCS Players that actually read the manual is a minority, most prefer to learn by asking other people, either here on on the MP Servers.

[Worrazen]

100% agree with this. It would be great to have the most updated manuals available right on the DCS home screen. I find most of the info seems to be mostly WOM (word of mouth) in this forum. It’s super helpful, but often very disjointed to find info. I would rather start with the official manual and then ask questions from there.

 

I'm sure it's being noted and worked on, just like this manual was probably being worked on for like a year worth of time.

[Gharhoud]

I wonder why it isnt yet on the Documentation section of ED's website .. I can share my copy in the meantime:

 

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ai6cuX3YQI26hqRUwtiYM59myekE3w?e=GRwhiH

 

Thanks a lot Rudel. I hope you have nothing against, that I also downloaded it from your copy.:book: