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Posted

So I just grabbed FC3 in the sale as its good value but I do want to add to my one hifi plane (A-10c) but I am leaning towards getting the AV8B/Nevada map or the Mig-21/Syria or PG map.

 

I do single player mostly as I still need to learn this sim. And I do want the F-14/16/18 but they are still a bit price for me right now

Posted

Which missions take your fancy the most?

 

The MiG-21bis is a fantastic module, very rewarding when you achieve results. There is currently an issue with the WIP raycasting causing performance issues with ground clutter on its RADAR, but otherwise it's essentially feature complete (its already impressive visuals are soon to receive an overhaul).

 

If you're interested in learning I'd say the F-5E-3 is probably your best bet, simple, easy to learn, feature complete (though the RADAR is more simplistic than maybe it should be).

Modules I own: F-14A/B, F-4E, Mi-24P, AJS 37, AV-8B N/A, F-5E-3, MiG-21bis, F-16CM, F/A-18C, Supercarrier, Mi-8MTV2, UH-1H, Mirage 2000C, FC3, MiG-15bis, Ka-50, A-10C (+ A-10C II), P-47D, P-51D, C-101, Yak-52, WWII Assets, CA, NS430, Hawk.

Terrains I own: South Atlantic, Syria, The Channel, SoH/PG, Marianas.

System:

GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX, AMD Ryzen 5 7600, Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 32 GB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070S FE, Western Digital Black SN850X 1 TB (DCS dedicated) & 2 TB NVMe SSDs, Corsair RM850X 850 W, NZXT H7 Flow, MSI G274CV.

Peripherals: VKB Gunfighter Mk.II w. MCG Pro, MFG Crosswind V3 Graphite, Logitech Extreme 3D Pro.

Posted

As for maps:

- Nevada is the least interesting of the bunch. Mostly agressor/Red flag campaigns available. Visually the least appealing of the DLC maps.

- Gulf: nicer looking but still a lot of desert. Some DLC campaigns available, nice for carrier ops as well.

- Syria: awesome-looking at lower altitude, perfect for CAS with A10C and helicopters. Since it is a new map, not a lot of content is available, but it can be used with missions like FBO/TTI/etc. that generate tasks using scripts, or in multiplayer, or with DCS Liberation (which, if you haven't checked it out, you definitely should: it is a dynamic campaign engine).

 

If you want to "graduate" from FC3 planes, the F-5E-3 is a very nice module. And it is really cool to fly.

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AMD R7 5800X3D | 64GB DDR4 3200MHz | RTX 4080S 16GB | Varjo Aero | VKB Gunfighter Pro Mk3 + STECS + pedals

Posted

Even tho FA 18C has its premium price, it is a do it all plane, you can do land based ops, carrier ops, SEAD, CAS, CAP what ever you want with it, I have F16 and F18 and really don't think Ill buy any other plane, I can do basically everything with them, I'd buy Rafale if they decide to do it by some chance,

 

Anyways, if you want a plane that can do it all, get F18 you wont regret it.

Posted

The two planes I seem to find myself in most are the F/A-18 and the F-5E-III. The F-5, like the MiG-21, is a pilot's plane. Steam gauges and the original fly by wire system...if you look around in the cockpit you can even see the wire. Of the maps currently on the table I'd say Syria; in theory it's still growing, but what you have is enough. You can fly against anything you like as AI, and if you master something like the F-5 or MiG-21 you can fly anything out there. All you need at that point are piccolo lessons.

Posted
As for maps:

- Nevada is the least interesting of the bunch. . . . . Visually the least appealing of the DLC maps.

Really??

I find Nevada is the map I use most for entirely the opposite reason.

It is also the smoothest running map for me.

PG is also very nice, quite scenic, and large.

AV-8b is a good choice too, but I quite agree with others here regards the F-5e, fantastic aircraft.

- - - The only real mystery in life is just why kamikaze pilots wore helmets? - - -

Posted
I find Nevada is the map I use most for entirely the opposite reason.

 

I could be wrong but I believe it is using slightly older technology compared to the newer maps. Lighting, especially at night, is not as appealing to me. Terrain is not as detailed (I mean the mesh). From high up it is fine, but down low it is nothing special. It compares quite well to the Caucasus. PG is superior to me because the cities are larger and with higher detail buildings, night lighting is also nicer (though the lack of torches is baffling, as they are the most distinctive things I remember when flying over the gulf IRL), and the overall area is just more usable for DCS (large sea area, interesting AO for actual conflicts).

 

However both get obliterated to me by Syria in terms of low-altitude details. The terrain variety is also great, meaning there are many areas you can fly for fun, find a valley to dive into, etc. compared to the other two. High-altitude detail needs work but its an EA map, so there is hope. But I am having immense fun in the F-5E in Syria.

AMD R7 5800X3D | 64GB DDR4 3200MHz | RTX 4080S 16GB | Varjo Aero | VKB Gunfighter Pro Mk3 + STECS + pedals

Posted

Yeah, Syria for me blows pretty much every other map out of the water.

 

It does have some issues and obviously Cyprus is missing, but it is only a month or so old (at least for stable).

Modules I own: F-14A/B, F-4E, Mi-24P, AJS 37, AV-8B N/A, F-5E-3, MiG-21bis, F-16CM, F/A-18C, Supercarrier, Mi-8MTV2, UH-1H, Mirage 2000C, FC3, MiG-15bis, Ka-50, A-10C (+ A-10C II), P-47D, P-51D, C-101, Yak-52, WWII Assets, CA, NS430, Hawk.

Terrains I own: South Atlantic, Syria, The Channel, SoH/PG, Marianas.

System:

GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX, AMD Ryzen 5 7600, Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 32 GB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070S FE, Western Digital Black SN850X 1 TB (DCS dedicated) & 2 TB NVMe SSDs, Corsair RM850X 850 W, NZXT H7 Flow, MSI G274CV.

Peripherals: VKB Gunfighter Mk.II w. MCG Pro, MFG Crosswind V3 Graphite, Logitech Extreme 3D Pro.

Posted

If you don’t have any of the maps yet I’d get the Persian Gulf map (and maybe an A10C campaign if there’s any good ones) that way you can get a bunch of good use out of the FC3 and A10C before moving on. All of the high fidelity modules take a lot of time. Focus on one for a bit imo.

 

 

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Posted
So I just grabbed FC3 in the sale as its good value

 

Not really. If you can, return for credit and use the money to get something good. The F-15 flies like a toy and the Russian planes are simply out-matched by all the new NATO planes. Once you have a full fidelity module you won't look back.

P-51D | Fw 190D-9 | Bf 109K-4 | Spitfire Mk IX | P-47D | WW2 assets pack | F-86 | Mig-15 | Mig-21 | Mirage 2000C | A-10C II | F-5E | F-16 | F/A-18 | Ka-50 | Combined Arms | FC3 | Nevada | Normandy | Straight of Hormuz | Syria

Posted (edited)

One thing about DCS is that people most often recommend modules just based on the aircraft itself. While the F5 and Mig-21 are very fun to fly, there is so little single player content for them I find them hard to recommend. At the other end of things, there is a quite a bit of content for the F-18 and there will likely be more and more, but it is my least enjoyable plane to fly - it feels sterile and numb and you just let the plane fly while staring a video screens the whole time. I originally got the Hornet on sale only because I knew it would likely have the most content created for it eventually (apart from maybe the A-10) but I already kind of regret it, it's just not my thing.

 

There is good content in terms of campaigns for the A-10, Mirage, Huey, Mi-8, F-18. The F-5 has a couple of campaigns, but I think they are more like robust practice missions rather than a story driven narrative. The Harrier has essentially nothing - because many systems were incomplete or not working as intended for so long, campaign makers have stayed clear of it, however with RAZBAM's renewed vigor for getting it into a state which justifies the 'release' status label, hopefully that will change soon. The F-14 has almost nothing, but again hopefully Heatblur will make good on their promise someday and release at least the campaign for the B (and then the A, once that is finished) - their modules are fantastic, but they are very sluggish to provide the campaigns that come with them. The Viggen has a couple of good campaigns and is very fun to fly, but is very narrow in mission scope, and one of the most difficult to reconcile being in the theatres of operation that DCS offers.

 

Syria is by far the best map. But there is no content for it yet, and it takes a looooooong time to get any made for new maps. One of the big problems with DCS is that because the Caucasus map is free, campaign makers focus on it since they know everyone has it and it offers the biggest potential audience. Nevada is next, but all the campaigns there will obviously be about training. The first Persian Gulf campaign (for the F-18 ) just came out in August. Last year's update to Normandy turned it into a top notch map, but I don't fly DCS WWII stuff, so I have no idea about it. It is an awesome map for helicopters but you would have to make any missions yourself, since there is nothing at all for it.

 

For me, the most fun planes to fly are the F-14, Mig-21 and Huey. Mirage is very easy to learn and has two of the best campaigns (one in Georgia and one in Nevada). I haven't touched it in a year since RAZBAM was redoing a bunch of systems and broke some training and missions. I think Baltic Dragon has likely fixed everything so it is working again, but I'm not sure if the manual is updated and how many more things RAZBAM is still going to change (RAZBAM modules been a bit of a crap shoot in my experience in terms of what bits have been working when, but they have the best DCS campaign creator on contract so it can be worth the trouble).

 

There is no easy answer. Get whatever plane grabs your interest but be prepared to make your own missions. Check out Liberation in the missions sub-forum. It's a little unusual but a wonderful way to put DCS modules to use.

Edited by wowbagger
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Posted

The Mirage 2000C is a modern interceptor that is fairly easy to learn (very well engineered). It comes with an out-of-the-park campaign that serves to show you the ropes while being entertaining to play.

 

Note: if you get it, you can select an "English cockpit" in preferences.

 

As for maps, that's complicated - some will have more campaigns and missions then others. However I wanted to mention something I did not see previously mentioned in this thread - the more "stuff" on the map, the more omph is needed by your computer and graphics card to show a smooth experience. For example, many people rightly rave about syria, and there is a lot of detail, but that comes at a FPS cost. At the opposite extreme is Nevada, but it flys oh-so-smoothly. The default map that comes with DCS has plenty of play, missions and campaigns that are available for it. It might be good to decide on maps later.

Posted
Not really. If you can, return for credit and use the money to get something good. The F-15 flies like a toy and the Russian planes are simply out-matched by all the new NATO planes. Once you have a full fidelity module you won't look back.

FC3 is good value for money, just not if you're only doing airquake. Su-25 "Revanche" campaign is very good (if slightly buggy), and you get a bunch of others, which are all more or less OK (The Valley is the only one that's actually bad). You can also get The Georgian War campaign for the F-15, which is amazing. I'd actually recommend the MiG-19 and Mirage 2000, both come with very high quality SP content. AV-8B soon will, but it currently doesn't, unless you count master-crafted training missions (which you'll need, it's a quirky beast). Viggen has three campaigns that are highly praised, though I don't have it yet. Nevada goes well with M-2000 and Viggen, as both have top quality campaigns for it (the former's is payware). F-14, I think, also comes with a good one, though it's still in EA. Generally, for high quality SP content, look to Heatblur and RAZBAM. The latter's modules used to be a bit of a mess systems-wise, but they're now committed to sorting them out.

 

Oh, and if going for singleplayer, skip the MiG-21 and F-5 for now. The latter has little SP content (no campaign, a handful of missions) and the former's campaign is atrocious. Persian Gulf is really pretty (my to-go practice range, buzzing Dubai is fun, too :) ), but the list of campaigns for it is rather short, and Syria is too new to have much of anything made for it, or even announced for that matter (I know of one campaign being planned at the time of writing, for the F-16).

Posted

There is no easy answer. Get whatever plane grabs your interest but be prepared to make your own missions.

 

I agree with the whole of your post, that's why taking a bit of time to learn the Mission Editor is so rewarding, I can fly the aircraft that I want in the specific situation I want to have ... depending on the developers to create missions is either expensive or have to be prepared to wait a lot. Once you learn the ME, you can take other user's missions and modify them to your particular tastes, its really enjoyable.

 

 

 

For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600 - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia RTX2080 - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

Posted

 

I agree with the whole of your post, that's why taking a bit of time to learn the Mission Editor is so rewarding, I can fly the aircraft that I want in the specific situation I want to have ... depending on the developers to create missions is either expensive or have to be prepared to wait a lot. Once you learn the ME, you can take other user's missions and modify them to your particular tastes, its really enjoyable.

 

 

I agree that this is reality but I'm not happy that I have to tweak all missions myself before flying. Or create my own. It's like reading my own story. Takes surprise element out of it.

 

Hope ED realizes missions and campaigns are part of the game. Important part of the game. Imagine playing RPG game like The Witcher which has fantastic graphics and fighting but has broken missions. Or you have to make your own missions.

 

So my recommendation is to get the modules with complete content INCLUDING missions and campaigns. Or at least have lots of good user created missions and campaigns. Why only module I currently have is A10C and Blackshark.

Posted

FC3 is good value for money, just not if you're only doing airquake. Su-25 "Revanche" campaign is very good (if slightly buggy), and you get a bunch of others, which are all more or less OK (The Valley is the only one that's actually bad). You can also get The Georgian War campaign for the F-15, which is amazing.

 

I guess it is OK if you want to fly against bots.:music_whistling:

P-51D | Fw 190D-9 | Bf 109K-4 | Spitfire Mk IX | P-47D | WW2 assets pack | F-86 | Mig-15 | Mig-21 | Mirage 2000C | A-10C II | F-5E | F-16 | F/A-18 | Ka-50 | Combined Arms | FC3 | Nevada | Normandy | Straight of Hormuz | Syria

Posted

 

I guess it is OK if you want to fly against bots.:music_whistling:

 

Sometimes it is preferable to flying against rude people :)

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For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600 - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia RTX2080 - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar

Mobile: iPad Pro 12.9" of 256 GB

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