Some general wishlist items to fix annoyances

[Notso]

To the ED team, as I peel back the layers of the DCS onion, it continues to amaze me cool and immersive this study simulation is. However, there are still come annoyances that just don't make sense. Most of the following revolve around metric vs imperial units, but not all. The caveat to my post is that I am completely comfortable with metric, but international aviation is almost ALL imperial units. Windspeed, altimeter settings, cloud heights, elevation, altitudes, etc etc are generally always given in the imperial units around the world. For instance (not all inclusive):

 

-- ATC clearances - everytime I takeoff from Nellis for instance, I get QFE altimeter settings. However i need a QNH setting to input into the F-16/18 etc for it to read correctly.

 

-- Windspeeds in the mission briefings are given in m/s when the standard aviation unit is nm/hr in most places.

 

-- in mission editor, I select altitude of the steerpoint in feet, but when it gets transferred to a JDAM via WPDSG - the elevation is input in meters.

 

-- JTAC used only MGRS but some aircraft cannot accept that format coordinates. IRL, JTACs can give coordinates in whatever format is desired, although MGRS now is the norm. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, that was not the case.

 

What I would like to see is a toggle button somewhere in the controls menu where the user can select the standard for units of measure for everything such as weather, ATC, JTAC, coordinate elevation, winds, altimeter settings, etc. So then the game would display either the imperial or metric units as desired and be consistent throughout the game. As it is now, it seems to be a complete mishmash of units and nothing is consistent throughout the game. I'm sure it has to do with whoever the coder was that worked on any particular module and they went with what they thought was the correct format. But there's little standardization of units throughout the game.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Notso

[randomTOTEN]

As it is now, it seems to be a complete mishmash of units and nothing is consistent throughout the game. I'm sure it has to do with whoever the coder was that worked on any particular module and they went with what they thought was the correct format. But there's little standardization of units throughout the game.

While everything you've said is of course completely valid, it helps (at least for me) to put the entire DCS World environment in context.

What you're actually playing is a greatly updated version of DCS: Black Shark. Some of my external programs still see DCS World as this earlier title. It goes beyond that in fact, as I suspect much of BS was built on the Flaming Cliffs foundation, which will probably go even further back into Lock On and Su-27 Flanker lineage.

 

The one thing these all have in common is that they are based on the Crimea/Russia/Caucasus region of the world, and at that time the Eastern European aviation system (or whatever the proper name is).

 

Thus the Sim "thinks in Russian." I interpret that as:

QFE operations

M/S winds

Km/H speed

Metric altitudes

Startup clearance

 

DCS has of course greatly expanded outside of the early 2000's Russian theater/aircraft and a lot that includes translations/conversions to other units. But it's not perfect, and of course needs an overhaul. Even the modern systems in the Caucasus theater are in the process of transitioning to ICAO standard. The DCS system is also greatly simplified... which becomes readily apparent when it gives the most bare-bones (and overwhelmingly unsafe) vector for an airfield approach.

 

If you really want to understand what the simulator (and especially ATC) is trying to do, I suggest loading up a Russian made aircraft, on the Caucasus map, with the coalition set to RED. That appears to provide the most consistent experience which I feel the sim was originally built to provide, and on top of which everything else was added.

Edited April 25, 2020 by randomTOTEN

[Notso]

While everything you've said is of course completely valid, it helps (at least for me) to put the entire DCS World environment in context.

What you're actually playing is a greatly updated version of DCS: Black Shark. Some of my external programs still see DCS World as this earlier title. It goes beyond that in fact, as I suspect much of BS was built on the Flaming Cliffs foundation, which will probably go even further back into Lock On and Su-27 Flanker lineage.

 

The one thing these all have in common is that they are based on the Crimea/Russia/Caucasus region of the world, and at that time the Eastern European aviation system (or whatever the proper name is).

 

Thus the Sim "thinks in Russian." I interpret that as:

QFE operations

M/S winds

Km/H speed

Metric altitudes

Startup clearance

 

DCS has of course greatly expanded outside of the early 2000's Russian theater/aircraft and a lot that includes translations/conversions to other units. But it's not perfect, and of course needs an overhaul. Even the modern systems in the Caucasus theater are in the process of transitioning to ICAO standard. The DCS system is also greatly simplified... which becomes readily apparent when it gives the most bare-bones (and overwhelmingly unsafe) vector for an airfield approach.

 

If you really want to understand what the simulator (and especially ATC) is trying to do, I suggest loading up a Russian made aircraft, on the Caucasus map, with the coalition set to RED. That appears to provide the most consistent experience which I feel the sim was originally built to provide, and on top of which everything else was added.

 

Thank you, that makes a lot of sense now. I'm not terribly familiar or up to speed on the history of ED and DCS.

 

But in any event, that makes it all even more important as a "wishlist" item to upgrade DCS world to modern ICAO / western military aviation standards. Especially since the majority of the new Modules such as F-16, F/A-18, Eurofighter, etc are all western aircraft. It would be nice to have a single system / units of measure across the board.

[TotenDead]

ICAO? I thought C stands for "combat" in dcs ;)

 

But yes, the switch is a really good idea. For example, it's absolutelly annoying to count how many meters/km are there in those feets/miles that awacs feeds you with

[randomTOTEN]

meters x 3

kilometers / 2

 

Gets you in the ballpark. You shouldn't have to do it, but it does get easier with experience.