How did you find out about / or get into DCS?

[sthompson]

15 hours ago, Mower said:

Been with ED since Flanker 1.0 for W95 circa 1996.

Same here, except for a hiatus between Flanker 2.0 and DCS 1.5. I didn't have a rig that could handle the graphics between those two. I really loved Flanker 1.0 (and 1.5), especially the IronHand missions. Wouldn't mind playing it again if I could figure out how. I sometimes get nostalgic for the Crimea map.

[Mars Exulte]

You know, come to think of it, I used to be subscribed to CGW, and though it wasn't DCS at the time, I remember them talking about a Ka-50 sim, and for like $10,000 you could build/buy a 1-1 cockpit replica for it with the expectation of every switch and button working... that is surely the first reference I came across. I remember them talking about working with Kamov to create it, too.

[StandingCow]

I owned the DCS A-10 for ages before seriously getting into DCS.  I used to hop into it and just press buttons or see if I could figure out how to just start the thing up (without reading anything) for a couple minutes before ignoring it again for a while.  A buddy on my steam friends list from my firearms days (Half life mod) hit me up and asked if I wanted to actually learn the plane the first time I said nah I am just messing around.  The second time he asked I said sure... and from there I was hooked, another friend from my Mechwarrior Online group said he wanted to join in and now we fly about 2-3 times every weekend and have been for quite a number of years.

[maks]

Flanker 1.0 around 1995 ? ....at a pc gathering in Brussels !  And later around the release of Black Shark , i had the chance to met Jim Mackonochie.

 

brgds Maks

[SmirkingGerbil]

Found my way here from IL2, via 1C back when 1C and ED still had some cross links. Installed as Steam client specifically for Black Shark, was hooked, hopelessly. Think that was 2011 or 2012. Found my way to DCS proper, and installed the A-10C around 2013? or so. Never looked back. Just keeps getting better and better.

[dawgie79]

I first discovered DCS through this video, from Belgeode. I was 'searching' for a combat flight sim ever since I flew EF2000, but then life got in the way until shortly before I found Belgeode's vids. Started watching a few more of these, although at the time I only had a Mac and not a lot to spend. A little after that I found out the F-15C was what was called a low-fidelity model, i.e. no cockpit interaction. And I was looking for full fidelity, my interest was in how these machines work and not so much battlefield aspects.

 

I kept on watching DCS videos every now and then.

 

Few years later, I saw the start-up procedure for the F/A-18C Hornet, Wags his 3rd vid on the Hornet. And after a friend brought his freshly purchased Oculus Rift, I knew I wanted to fly this Hornet. Started saving up, bought a PC and a HOTAS, the F/A-18C and been here ever since. Almost 3yrs now I guess, not as long as some of you.

 

 

[DAZnBLAST]

I remember being on the UBI website back in 2003 for Original Ghost Recon and seeing Lockon advertised, turned into an instant buy. I also remember talking to the likes of Stormin on the forums and logging into Hyperlobby. Memories!

[SharkWizard]

Found by accident the original DCS in 1997 I think in a local gaming store. Bought it immediately with the remains of my hard earned summerjob funds (I was a little kid back then). Even recall posting a lot on the forums in the 2.0 era.  

[TLTeo]

I knew of LOMAC et al, but I was playing War Thunder a few years ago. I got fed up with how badly managed and predatory that game is, and looked for an alternative that was also more realistic. Good decisions were made on that day

[schurem]

I used to be a raging flight sim fanatic back in the late 80s, 90s. Then Microprose died and a certain viper sim was released in shambles, slowly rising to greatness. Somewhere around that time, I put away my joystick and trackIR. The game of simulated air combat seemed to have lost its luster to me. 

 

I kept an eye on things however, and owned every flight game or sim released in those dry, dry years between F4 and the rise of DCS. Then VR happened. I tried a dev kit. I was sold, fell in love head over heels. Quickly I have fallen deeper in the hobby than ever before. Built a simpit, with a virpil stick and mfg pedals. Now VR flying is about all I use my PC for.

[Shiroka]

When I was about 10 we had a demo for F/A-18 Hornet 2.0 on our Macintosh (this was before the days of iMac - think it came on a MacFormat CD). I must've played it for hundreds of hours  even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing (using a mouse and keyboard, could just about takeoff, worked out how to drop bombs). Something reminded me of it a couple of years ago and I was looking to see if it was on Youtube for Nostalgia/procrastination - saw a video of someone flying the DCS Hornet in VR... bought a VR headset and HOTAS the same day, never looked back!

[Avimimus]

Flanker 2.0 at a computer store that I didn't normal go to... I was pretty shocked to find it actually! That would've been about 17 years ago?

[Andy1966]

I started flight sims in the mid to late 90's with Air warrior, (which then became Aces hi). but my computer barley would run it, so I gave it a rest for a few years. I got a new computer in the mid 2000's tried Aces hi again for a few years and had a blast. I was not really into modern stuff, WWII was my preference. and the other sims just lacked the "i'm flying an airplane" feel.  I did a search for flight sims and DCS appeared. the TF-51 was available free so I tried it and was blown away. I had always heard how hard the BF-109 was so hard to fly and take off and land and the DCS 109 was released soon after, so I got it too.( I was really looking for a 109 sim) Wow it was so realistic, and the clickable cockpit was the icing on the cake.

well MiG-21 and flaming cliffs and A-10C and I never looked back. now I own every aircraft and helio DCS offers, and enjoy them all,and don't regret buying any of them. Granted there have been some bumps and bruises along the way, and a pothole or two, but DCS still is my favorite sim. Ever.

[Dun_Aenghus]

Also been with ED since the first SU-27 game came out in the mid 90s. It was a natural progression through the Flanker series and Lomac to DCS. 

[BeastyBaiter]

Flanker 2 I think. Played off and on ever since. It does strike me as odd someone thinking currently that this isn't one of the better known flight sims as I'm pretty sure it's the best known combat flight sim unless you count some free to play sim-light stuff.

[TaxDollarsAtWork]

Clearly not from the prime time television ads I can tell you that.

[-0303-]

Word of mouth. 2018 or earlier some guys on a board started talking about DCS which I had never heard about. Their newfound enthusiasm and eagerness to share was sparked by the creation of "DCS World", all planes moving into a single environment.

 

Described as really good, the best(?) flight modeling wise, I went for it. I was blown away by the TF-51D. I hadn't even imagined clickable cockpits existed. I was really impressed by the details like clicking the cooler switch and actually hearing an electric motor whirring away. Had the pleasant surprise to discover pitot heating actually is modeled. IAS stopped working and it took a little while to figure it out and click the switch. Reading the boards I discovered modeling gets input from pilots that actually flies the planes and I generally got the sense that their commitment to fidelity was genuine.

 

I've always looked for a hardcore simulation so I was all in. I just didn't expect to find anything not arcadish on a desktop PC. Mid 90's I was into MSFS  big time a few years, before moving on to ICI Warbirds arcadish game which I naively expected too develop into something like DCS. The original of this genre was Air Warrior which I only briefly had installed as Warbirds was a better game. Developers from Warbirds went on to create Aces High and WWIOL which I flew a short while. Then I quit ca 2001 until 2018.

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by -0303-

[Taz1004]

First ever flight sim was Falcon AT.  As far as ED titles, Flanker series, LOMAC, FC1, and BS1 was last time I played.  Then my TrackIR broke and didn't want to get another.  I was aware of DCS but didn't want to play sim without any head tracking.  And work got busy anyway.

I started developing VR content since Oculus kickstarter and continued until the pandemic.  I had to take all VR equipment home and not much to do so decided to try DCS with VR.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Taz1004

[Dr_Watson]

Was 25 years old when I bought Flanker 1 in 1995, been flight simming since 1985 on the ZX Spectrum.

[Tinkickef]

Having had flight simulators since flight unlimited 2 in the late 90s, around the time I signed up for DCS, I was heavily into another WW2 flight combat simulator, based around the south coast of england and northern france.  My chariot of choice being the venerable Bristol Blenheim or occasionally, the hurricane.  I could be found also manning a bofors on airfield defence regularly, shooting down sneaky raiders or giving pithy chat comments over the landing prowess, or lack thereof of some of the higher scoring "aces" on multiplayer.

 

When VR was starting to look like a thing about to happen, the dedicated people who took over the modding of my original sim decided that VR was to be a low priority modification intended for the distant future.

I had heard of DCS, but never really took it seriously enough to download and try it. At that time I thought it was a one trick pony based around the A10 warthog.

Then I found out they were going to offer VR support......

 

Probably about the time when the Oculus dk2 was released and a long time before the rift was a thing, I downloaded DCS World and tried the SU25.  Their hog soon followed as I wanted a full fidelity cockpit with placards that iI could read.  

 

That was it, I was hooked. Many maps and modules later and I'm still here and I don't even have my original sim anymore.  Supporting VR early on was a masterful move by ED in my book.  I simply cannot go back to a monitor.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Tinkickef

[Nikwax74]

Started with Flanker 2.0 in 1999 I believe. I even wrote a review/test of it for a PC games magazine, then for Lock On and Flaming Cliffs as well.

[Madone]

I had a friend who was into aviation and had MS Flight Simulator, that was like 15 years ago, he made me try, then I waited until 2011 to have my own PC and discovered Lock-On, later I got the A10C, immediately hooked.

[MemphisBelle]

Back in 2002 or 2003 I stumbled about Flanker 1.5. I installed it since I was looking for a good looking Flight Simulator. Back in the 90´s I was jealously looking to those pixled Flight Sims as I did not had a PC back in the Time, but I was very interested into Military Aviation since my Childhood. So once I installed Flanker 1.5 I have fallen in love alomost instantly. But it didn´t lasted long as I was pretty active in another Type of Simulation since 2001 already (focused on Infantry ). Even though I was more active in this Game I stumbled about a suddenly newly appeared PC Game I found in a Video library and its name was Lock on Modern Air Combat. I installed it and freaked out...my PC was too weak. I only had a white screen and the tone. So I convinced my wife that it would be a great Idea to invested into a new PC and thus a couple days later I got the Game again from the Video library. At first I didn´t really understood how all this worked. I had no Joystick and and it was actually rather depressing, so you can imagine what happened...I invested in a new Joystick and bought the Game. This was the beginning of a journey on constatnly investing into new Hardware and later on new Modules since the initial release of DCS Black Shark, which marked the actual birth of DCS. Today I can not imagine to not stumble about DCS, since YouTube is full of it, but even today new Players are always attracted and eventually start their journey of which my began so long ago.

[marcoscosta]

On 12/16/2020 at 11:17 PM, Mower said:

Been with ED since Flanker 1.0 for W95 circa 1996.

 

2

[Dragon89]

I remembered when it was Flanker 2.0/2.5, a combat sim that was ahead of its time in late 90s - early 2000s. That was when the Crimea peninsula was the play area. Same thing with LOMAC, except it extended to the Caucasus region. Unfortunately, we won't see the Crimea area in detail, unless a 3rd party developer might be able to re-create that map.