Information concerning future progress with The Channel Map

[marvinknine]

As free-2-play comes to a close I thought I would find out a little bit about this map before purchase. 

 

I currently have all of the other terrains. I'm looking for information on what is planned for the future of this map. I don't do much(any) multiplayer right now so from a single player stance, will this map be utilized as it gets developed?

 

Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

Jason

[StevanJ]

Its Good. Very near Great!
But for me, theres something missing on it..

The bigger picture.

Its a close quarters map.

Historically..
There were a few things happening early into the war.. Dunkirk, the Battle of Dieppe, onto the Battle of Boulogne later on.

There will more than likely be a few campaigns, but youll need to buy them, then the map, then the assets pack which isnt very good value (until 1, we see MUCH more assets- Id want to see at least 10 times the currently listed assets and 2, its on sale), to enjoy the paid campaigns.
The Channel right now is a little empty it feels like a pizza without cheese..

My opinion.
Its a little too small, but i understand why. No autopilot, and only 400 MPH, means you can cover the whole map one way in 40 minutes, and more and id be bored.
We just dont have enough assets yet- including free (to get others into Warbirds), and neither in the paid asset pack. No one can build content that more than a dogfight, or a bomb drop.
We cant put many Planes in the air, before the Frames tank. Which means we have to fly unrealistic 'small bomber- one escort' formations if we want to keep frames high in VR- but thats ok because the gameplay is decent..  Re-enacting Memphis Belle though is a definite no-no..
We dont have the servers or the value in the content to pull the younger players away from Il2 so online play in the Channel is a struggle if youre looking for a server that 'free to play'.

Its also REALLY buggy when you try and build your own missions. The planes fly into fences on takeoff, and it crashes for me on any new (4.60 onwards) Nvidia driver.
Wether its the plane modules, the map itself, or the driver of some kind no one knows.
Ive not had an easy time building a campaign, partly because of the AI is either Super Dumb, or Super smart and uber accurate.
A few explosions, and the framerate comes down significantly.
We've another free WW2 map coming soon- Why wouldnt we wait for that first?

I fly with a friend, and i somehow managed to get him to buy Warbird in the sale, he loves it. But not enough to buy a Map to play it on, Or the Asset Pack, to enjoy missions with.
Because as he said.. After youve dropped bombs on a bridge, or had a dogfight, and landed at an airfield youre done.
You buy the Channel, and thats it. Its the same, but in a 'paid' small Map of flat France, in Caucasus you get the Valleys and Mountains to fly through.
His argument was 'Play on Caucasus if you squint you cant tell the difference after an hour', and I think he has a point to some level..
You can put together a few missions from the free assets you do get. But after that theres nothing left- So you go to multiplayer, and no ones on the Channel map without the Asset pack, So you end up in an FA18 over Caucasus, cos you want to have fun in that moment, and you dont 'feel like paying the £30 entrance fee to Warbirds'..

You buy an F-18 for the same price, You learn every step of that plane, A/A, A/G even A/Sea it takes weeks, sometimes months!
The FA18 is wholly unbelievable value when you look at all you need is the module, and Caucasus to get going, you can literally spend Weeks in that plane learning every step of the systems and capabilites it has. Then spend £40 on another map, and youve another game, with all the assets of that Map too.
When you buy a Warbird, you learn to dogfight, learn to dive bomb, learn to land.
For a new player- Its just not enough for the overall cost of the gameplay.

The Channel alone, isnt worth it right now.
Which is a shame, because since the Damage update, the WW2 game, has become so much better and more immersive.
The whole Warbird aspect to DCS in my opinion is FAR better and enjoyful on DCS than Il2, but they have the player base, and the value to keep their players.
And its where i have to go, if i want to dogfight online, which sucks.
I think if we saw permanent reductions on the WW2 content, and significantly more free assets to build more competitive gameplay, We'd probably be onto a winner.
And the Il2 fanbase would shift towards DCS.

The Channel £40
Fw 190D £50
The WW2 assets pack £30
A paid Campaign (if there is one) £12

£132 to Dogfight and drop a few bombs on occasion.

In a sale they're obviously better value, but then so is the FA-18.

 

Versus an FA-18 on Caucasus £80

Versus Il2 £40 for 6 fighters and 2 bombers

Versus the SU-25.

But..

Its a great map to play on, especially when youre flying low 'taking it in'.
You might feel after a few hours like its a little too small for longevity as there's currently near zero content for it-
You dont really notice the 'beauty' after the first hour, as your 'just getting on' with flying your missions which if you put ALOT of time into, can be fun in the moment and quite satisfying.
Its ALOT better than Normandy- which looks abysmal, and isnt getting any acknowledgement of problems being updated.
I bought it during a sale, with my 'miles' points. And Im happy with it..
I think once the Mosquito comes out, this will be THE map to fly on, as we REALLY need a good bomber to fly..
But if the Mosquito does comes out, Ill still have trouble with the value for WW2 Assets until they've either matched the number of current 'present' assets or they've become competitive on the way they price the content around it..

I wouldnt let my kid spend £15 on Apex DLC..

If id paid for it, id have been disheartened but its the cost of a couple of pizzas, so id just have eaten beans on toast on takeaway day.

While I prefer and the experience of WW2 flying in DCS versus Il2, Unless DCS give mission builders the chance to create missions and content, and pull the player base from Il2 with a more competitive pricing structure for content, the Channel and other WW2 maps wont mean anything to anyone other than the generations that grew up watching them fly at airshows..
DCS should take the hit with the Asset Pack, and give the Dev's/Artists £5 everytime they sell a WW2 Map and include the Asset packs in the Map, that way Missions can be built, content can be created, and no longer will there be an excuse not to buy a WW2 map.

Edited February 26, 2021 by StevanJ