A case for Southwest Africa

[Ozone1]

>Apparently, this was in the wrong place and it should have been posted here, so it's a new poll. Feel free to vote again if you already did before...

Okay, so before you vote, just hear me out. I've been advocating this idea to anyone who will listen for years now, but I think it's time I lay out my case a little more succinctly, and hope that one of the dev teams take the proposal a bit more seriously this time around. Especially before they make the decision to start their next project. 

First off, I am South African, so I'll just leave that conflict of interest along with my obvious bias right here... And that's beside the fact that I'm still a little salty for being born too late/pale to have had any chance joining the SAAF. So I feel like I never got my fix. Not that they ever get to actually fly these days.

Now, I know everybody always wants a map that geographically suits them, but I do have alternative reasons that I genuinely think warrant an Angolan theater as an absolute must for DCS World. So go grab a coffee, sit back and let me elaborate... 

I've been on the ED train since its inception and their initial release of "Su-27 Flanker" in '95. - yes, I know. I'm old af. But as somebody who's already spent far too much of their life in the mission editor, I think its safe to say I have a fair idea of what I'm talking about here.

Now, as beautiful as our current selection of theaters are, to me they all have one fundamental problem in common. That is, they are all situated in regions of the world that would, in the event of an actual war, or prior wars for that matter, be large-scale, high-intensity conflicts. Now, that's nothing I would normally criticize, however, as an avid mission builder and realism autist, it creates a rather annoying problem for me. Especially when it comes to multiplayer missions. 

And that problem is processing power. Trying to populate, for instance, the Syria map with just the SAMs that actually exist in the region, is enough to render a mission unplayable. And that's before you've even factored in any armor or AI aircraft. It's the same story with the WW2 maps. Put in a historically sized bomber element or realistic number of Flak guns, and see what happens when they decide to go active... Liquid silica is what. And I don't care how fast you think your computer is. It's just not possible to recreate plausible battles or wars on the doorsteps of such heavily armed nations, when you're only utilizing a single core. And yes, I realize Vulcan's coming, but it's probably still a ways off and I highly doubt it's going to solve the problem anyhow... I swear, every time I hear somebody schilling for the Fulda Gap, I cringe harder than my poor CPU does at the thought of trying to replicate that scenario in any sort of realistic fashion.

This issue basically leaves you with only a small section of the map to use in a populated sense. That's not a huge issue for helos, but for fast jets in an open-world sandbox, it basically negates the point of having such large maps in the first place. The only thing it really adds is transit time.

The other issue I have is the sheer amount of airbases to populate. There are few things I find more annoying than flying over airfield after airfield, that would normally be scrambling dozens of interceptors to come and get you, but they're basically all just vacant tarmacs. And even dumping a couple static aircraft on them in an attempt to liven things up a little, all add to frame loss and longer loading times at the end of the day. Not to mention so many airfields in close proximity also complicates mission design and more than you might realize too. I really think in this case, less is more. I can't stand it when AI just decides to divert to a neutral runway, when technically they should have to ditch or eject due to lack of fuel or battle damage.

Okay, so now that I've got all my critiques out of the way, let's talk about Southwest Africa...

Firstly, Africa as I'm sure you're well aware, is a very unstable region and prone to small-scale gorilla wars breaking out at a moments notice. This is something light fighters and helos are exceptionally well suited for. And DCS has no shortage of these types now, and with the Super Tucano and MB339 on the way, we'll have even more options available to us for the light attack role.

Secondly, air defenses in Africa are considerably lighter compared to the rest of the world... If not nonexistent. This alone makes light attack aircraft actually freezable as a weapon of war, and not just sitting ducks for likes of BUKs and Vipers to devour at will.  

As to terrain, Angola/Namibia offers the lot! From snow capped mountain peaks, jungle, and desert, to huge sways of bushveld and open savannah, as well as an Atlantic coastline, you couldn't really ask for more variety. Just think FarCry 2 on a bigger scale. (I'll add some example pics of terrain). 

And they're more advantages yet! Being very sparsely populated, it would greatly reduce development time, not having to create large cities and individual landmark buildings, like in the case of Dubai or Israel. Never mind the thousands of miles of highways and byways extending out in every direction. Human settlements in southern Angola / northern Namibia are far and few between and mostly shanty towns or small rural villages. And more often than not, there's only a single dirt road leading to them. And as a byproduct of this lack of infrastructure, you only get performance gains! Faster loading times, less RAM usage, higher frame rates. Seriously, what's not to love? 

The few airbases that do exist are also situated relatively far from one another, on opposite sides of the Kunene River, creating a clearly defined north-south dived for each team, with a sort of "no mans land" separating them. This may not sound like a big deal, but when it comes to confusion about who's airspace you're in, it quickly becomes one. Having a clearly defined physical border can be the difference between life or death, especially online.  

The vast majority of the actual landmass, however, would be sparse bushveld, with lone trees dotting the landscape, on a mostly flat escarpment. This sort of terrain offers several advantages when it comes to air to ground sorties. I'm sure you are all well aware by now of what a futile endeavor it can be  trying to attack ground units embedded within a city. Especially when they decide to go and hide inside a building! And god forbid you get lit up by AAA over a large city because you can kiss your frame rate goodbye.

Likewise, large forests make spotting ground units near impossible and creates endless frustration as your missiles clip the branches of trees and explode before reaching their target. Usually leading to you eating several kilograms of lead, as you overfly your quarry that's supposed to be dead. I mean Vietnam would be cool and all, but it would also be a nightmare scenario at the same time... Because unless we're getting Agent Orange added to the arsenal, it's basically all just jungle and paddy fields, so good luck finding the enemy. 

The opposite problem occurs when you have ground units in open desert. Sure it runs nicely when you're in the middle of nowhere, but you can spot vehicles from miles away, they have nowhere to run, and unless they have some serious air defenses, killing them in a modern aircraft is like shooting fish in a barrel. Sparse bushveld on the other hand, offers ground vehicles limited cover, but with the majority of that cover being lower than the vehicles themselves. Allowing you to actually spot and hit them, while at the same time giving them options to seek better cover. This sort of terrain also provides ground units with a far greater freedom of movement, not being confined to roads or having to maneuver around large obstacles like towns, mountains, and forests every other mile.

As for the Border War... This was a low-intensity conflict, but still saw several epic land battles, as well as some of the last actual close in dogfights involving fast jets and gun kills. It was also the last hot war the Soviet Union was embroiled in, but one that today, has sadly been forgotten by all too many. These sort of small scale proxy/insurgent wars are just far better suited for the performance limitations of DCS and our ever aging rigs, as they were never massive numbers of infantry, armor, RT, SAMs, AAA and aircraft all engaging each other at once, like for instance they were during the invasion of Iraq, Normandy, or the Yom Kippur War.

Now, considering the amount of aircraft we have and that are already in the pipeline, this alone should make Southwest Africa a very strong candidate for the next map. Let's list them, shall we: The Mi-8, Mi-24, MiG-15, MiG-21, L-39, Gazelle, Sabre, Spitfire, Su-25, Mustang, and Huey have all patrolled these skies at one point or another, as have the Mirage F-1, MiG-17, MiG-23, and Super Tucano. The MiG-19 never did take part in the Bush War, but it would still make a good candidate anyway, as it was flown by the Cubans and the East Germans who both took part in the conflict. The MB339 is also the best stand-in for the MB326 Impala we're going to get anytime soon, and I'm pretty sure a Mirage III is also planned, if I'm not mistaken... We also have some fantastic mods such as the community Gripen and Anubis' C-130 Hercules, with more on the way, such as the Kfir C-2, which is basically a Cheetah-E (And will be, once I get the paint out!) I'm not too sure what happened to the Buccaneer Mod though? The Bana Project seems to have all but died for now, but I live in the hopes that it will eventually arise from the grave.

As to ground assets, we already have practically every Soviet vehicle that took part in the conflict. Say, besides the T-62 anyway. And I don't know about you, but I can't tell the difference between a 55 and 62 from a hundred feet away. What would be needed, however, is a SADF assets pack. For starters, we definitely need more wheeled armor in DCS. They are just far more mobile and can cross much greater distances in a given amount of time, than their tracked counterparts. And with DCS size maps, speed matters! Besides that, South African vehicles are quite unique and interesting in their own right, and were for their time, world-leaders in their respective class'. Some of them, like the Badger and G-6 Rhino still are, and have been steadily making their way onto the international market, having already been purchased by several countries represented in DCS World, such as the UAE and Oman. An AI Oryx or Alouette III would also be a very welcome addition to any assets pack, although I wouldn't hold my breath that they'd consider making those part of one.

But I don't think a vehicle pack with a dozen or so units as part of the DLC is an outrageous thing to ask for either. Considering the amount of time and effort that would be saved not developing large cities, etc. But besides that, you can already buy excellent pre-textured 3D models of most of them on online right now, (see links below) which I'm sure would make more financial sense than wasting dev time creating them all over again from scratch. (I'd especially like to see some alternative troops, as well as the G-5 field gun. I've been waiting patiently for modern towed artillery since dinosaurs roamed the earth) 

As for fictional scenarios, Angola possesses oil and a poaching epidemic, while Namibia has diamonds, as well as a scarcity of water. And on top of the regional instability, with the likes of Boko Harum stirring up trouble wherever they go, there are endless possibilities for US, EU, Russian or even Chinese interventions and peacekeeping missions, be they naval or land-based operations, past or present. 

Anyway, I hope the devs at least take into consideration what I've been harping on about all this time. I really do feel like they're trying to do too much with the available computing power the vast majority of us currently have at hand. It's noble and all for them to put in the effort, but just not really feasible in the current year. Especially with the outrageous price of GPU's at the moment. I can literally get a pretty decent superbike for less than the price of a new high end card down here. And obviously, I love my sims and all, but I know which one I'd rather have...

I also hope they've been paying attention to the amount of hype surrounding the release of the new South African DLC for War Game. It's proved to be very popular, as have the Arma3 Armscor mods. Never mind the fact that I've seen so many DCS Bush War servers over the years, being hosted from every corner of the globe, I've long ago lost count. But, I think if I join another one and end up back in the Caucuses, I might just have to kill myself. 

I have, however, definitely noticed an uptick in the amount of military-minded people around the world, who have finally begun to see the light and take an interest in the Border conflict, as well as indigenously developed and produced SADF equipment.

Now, I'm certain it will be a missed opportunity if ED and the devs decide to carry on their current trajectory and disregard all of my, as far as I'm concerned, quite valid points, in favor of yet another overly dense terrain choice, because I for one am fast running out of space for maps, and am not planning on buying a 4th dedicated SSD for DCS anytime soon. Especially for yet another theater that unnecessarily limits game performance, purely by means of its chosen location. I mean, I've only been doing this for longer than many of them have been alive, but hey, what would I know...? 

I have high hopes in regards to game performance for Razbam's up and coming South Atlantic map, as like the bushveld, it's a very sparse environment. So I pray it paves the way for similar terrains to come. And although the Falklands is one of my most favored conflict zones, let's be honest. There aren't going to be too many options for different scenarios, and I fear with what Razbam already have on their plate, we won't be seeing that Sea Harrier for quite some time to come. 

Anyway, well done if you managed to wade through all of this. I didn't quite expect it to turn into a novel, so my humble apologies. But hopefully I've outlined my case well enough by now, that you can see the sanity in it. And who knows, maybe an Angolan map might even lead to greater things one day. Like the development of an Atlas Cheetah or Rooivalk. It's certainly a good fit of the SA330 Puma, but for now though, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better Cold War playground for, amongst others, the Mirage and MiGs.

Thanks for reading...

Gee my nou die bos o' pal!

 

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/south-africa-g6-rhino-3d-model/779044

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/south-rooikat-3d-1252095

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/truck-military-sand-casspir-max/1126902

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-main-1248903

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/south-african-eland-90-3d-model/723507

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/buffel-truck-3d-model-1450341

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-kto-patria-rossomak-model-1478458

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/c4d-ratel-vehicles/981649

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-alouette-iii-helicopter-aerospatiale/544478

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-utility-helicopter-sa-330-model/866760

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/denel-rooivalk-3d-model-1393512

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Ozone1
My grammar is atrocious :P

[CallsignFrosty]

Very cool and very based.

As a fan of tiny combat short shorts, I would of course pre-order.

[TLTeo]

I was wondering where the thread went! This would definitely fit DCS pretty well, there are plenty of assets for it already in the game or on the way as mentioned in the OP.

[Stratos]

Agree, it would fit DCS perfectly! Will buy it in no time!

[MAXsenna]

Bring it on!

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

[Stratos]

Also SAAF was a very active user of the C-130 Hercules and the C-47 Dakota, tactical transport in the bush, combat paradrops... both hinted as possible flyables in the future.

[Aries144]

I'd certainly be interested, for many of the reasons you mention. Limited proxy conflicts have a different pace and flavor and are also much easier to make into a DCS mission without it feeling artificial.

[Ozone1]

Well, looks like I'll have to eat my words on the towed artillery. Seems we have finally got some after yesterdays update! Although it is ancient and part of the WW2 assets pack. Still, a very welcome addition anyway!   

[Callsign112]

Thanks for the screen shots. I am on stable and will have to wait. I was hoping they would be manned though.

[Callsign112]

2 minutes ago, Desert Fox said:

Being a huge fan of the C-101, i see where this would go. And i love it.

A lot of valid points in that wall of text, giving it a full read is recommended.

+1

[Ozone1]

Yeah, I'm already ahead of the game for that one... https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3308714/

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Ozone1

[Sly870]

I could get behind this. Being South African, I would quite enjoy this and having lived in Namibia for a short period, be quite nice!

[Ozone1]

And for those of you that like Bush Wars, unzip this and drop into JSGME...

SAAF_Mod.zip

[Ernesto Avispa]

Well friends, I would also buy it from Cuba, to have fun for a while and remember too. why not ...

[Ev1dentSnow]

This is a brilliant, unique idea and would definitely purchase this if it became a map

[Picknal]

Would buy it in a heart beat! 

[TheLongShanks]

I have been talking about this forever and I'm glad I checked your post before making my own. Well done!

[snocc_]

cant vote anymore but i'd buy a southwest africa/angolan theatre map with some proper assets to go with it in a heartbeat, i completely agree with the OP in most of their points and i think it would give DCS some very interesting scenarios both historical and fictional

[MadKreator]

+1

[al531246]

+1

[CarbonFox]

+1

[upyr1]

Yes though we need the Mirage 3. 

[Bremspropeller]

Somebody a couple of months back had an intriguing idea of a large map encompassing pieces of Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. That map would enable us to cover a lot of conflics, even though it would cut off a couple of pieces. Not sure if a coast-to-cost map would be feasible.

The original idea was smaller in East-West size, but it looked roughly like this:

Given the several historical conflicts in the general area, such a map would provide for over 20 years of continuous relevance.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Bremspropeller

[Stratos]

Shouldn't this be easier? From Dick Lord Vlamgat book.

 

[Tippis]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:00 AM, Bremspropeller said:

Somebody a couple of months back had an intriguing idea of a large map encompassing pieces of Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. That map would enable us to cover a lot of conflics, even though it would cut off a couple of pieces. Not sure if a coast-to-cost map would be feasible.

The original idea was smaller in East-West size, but it looked roughly like this:

Given the several historical conflicts in the general area, such a map would provide for over 20 years of continuous relevance.

There's “large map” and then there's large map. What you have there is some 3500 km across. This should be compared to the maybe 800-900km we generally see in the largest of DCS maps, and even then, a huge portion of that consists of empty or low-detail voids, but the map stretches out simply because one of the corners have a bit of detail to it and the whole thing needs to be a rectangle. All other corners go unfurnished and unpopulated. Any longer distance and the decorated area needs to be more narrow, or just be a lot of empty sea for convenience's sake.

Cut that down to a 16th and you get something the game can possible handle and present in a meaningful and interesting way.