A-10A

[FlankerKiller]

ED, please consider making the A-10A a full fidelity module. You have an opportunity to have the full career of the A-10 simulated with an early, mid, and late variants. This would also be a good time to set the standard for pricing different versions of the same aircraft. You already started this with the A-10C II upgrade. The A model was the real tank killer as it was used in it's intended role in Desert Storm. It would give those of us that enjoy the late cold war another Jet to fly. But more importantly it would give those of us that love this iconic aircraft a chance to experience it's evolution, and how each change affected It war fighting capability. Also it would open the door to you fleecing our wallets for many many more years to come, and my wallet wants to be fleeced. 

 

[bies]

A-10C is more of an anti-insurgency low cost precision munition carrier because air defense and interceptors advances made using it as a "tank killer" against symmetrical enemy basically a suicide.

A-10A was used like it was designed, as tank killer, because at its times (1970s-1980s) it was still possible to use it this way and its pilots were trained to do so flying at extremally low altitude terrain masking and attacking enemy armor formations from close distance still having acceptable chance to survive. Like they did few years later during Desert Storm.

 

Another advantage of full fidelity A-10A would be the fact even fully realistic analog A-10A would be incomparably easier to learn and use than A-10C, which would be beneficial attracting the new customers from outside the DCS community.

For me A-10A vs A-10C is manually aiming gun, rockets and bombs when dodging AAA, avoiding SAMs vs. programing self-guided smart munitions. That's why i still fly low fidelity FC3 A-10A - because it's naturally enjoyable, emphasising the most attractive and engaging parts like pilotage, maneuvering, manual aiming etc.

I would love to see a full fidelity A-10A and Su-25A.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by bies

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

1 hour ago, bies said:

I would love to see a full fidelity A-10A and Su-25A

Yes, so would I  

[Beirut]

I'm happy to say the A-10A was my first DCS payware module. Had to have the BRRRRRRTTT!

 

As for a full fidelity, since we already have the A=10C, I'd rather have a full Su-25A or T. 

[upyr1]

I'd love to have FF versions of all the flaming cliffs planes

[Evoman]

There was a recent discussion about changing the free aircraft that come with the free DCS dowload, which ED is actually looking to do to attract new people.

It was brought up that the regular A-10C could be a good candidate. However as good as that may seem to attract new people and ease to fly it would still be a bit frustrating for newbies to learn its complex systems. However the A-10A would be a more ideal candidate even if it where to just have a clickable cockpit. So maybe campaigning for the A-10A to be included with DCS would lead to a FF update or a clickable cockpit at a minimum.

 

 

[Bremspropeller]

Yay for the A!

[Beirut]

I'll be a stick in the mud and say that a fast mover might be better. The SU-25T is an excellent ground pounder and the P-51 gives a taste of prop action, so what missing in the taste test might be some speed. Maybe pick the lowest selling FC jet and throw that one in. Then again, you can try everything for free, so...

 

You can fly for several months without ever spending a dime.

[Dragon1-1]

On 12/5/2021 at 12:05 AM, bies said:

A-10C is more of an anti-insurgency low cost precision munition carrier because air defense and interceptors advances made using it as a "tank killer" against symmetrical enemy basically a suicide.

It was suicide even back when it was conceived. A-10 losses were expected to be enormous in a Fulda Gap tank rush scenario (something like every damn Hog shot down within the first month). However, the number of dead Russian tanks was expected to make it worthwhile. In fact, it had COIN as a secondary role right from the start, seeing as it was descended from the A-1, which had proven its worth doing just that in Vietnam. A-10C pivoted to a precision munitions carrier because insurgents kept getting better AA weapons, making its previous mission profile far more risky than it used to be. And of course, its primary and secondary missions were exchanged, due to the fact it's insurgents and not massive Soviet tank rushes keeping the US leadership awake at night these days.

[sirrah]

1 hour ago, Beirut said:

I'll be a stick in the mud and say that a fast mover might be better. The SU-25T is an excellent ground pounder and the P-51 gives a taste of prop action, so what missing in the taste test might be some speed. Maybe pick the lowest selling FC jet and throw that one in. Then again, you can try everything for free, so...

 

You can fly for several months without ever spending a dime.

Or the Huey 

It's that people got used to being able to fly the Su25 and P51 for free, but In fact I don't see why DCS should come with any free module. As you said, you can already try out all modules for free, for 14 days each six months.

Personally I think that's extremely generous.

 

[=475FG= Dawger]

Providing armed, free aircraft would be/is a mistake.

Unarmed, full fidelity modules like the TF-51 are great choices for free aircraft. The TF-51 only and the free trial program would be ideal, IMO.

Separately, I would love a full fidelity A-10A. I own the C but don't enjoy it. I fly the A fairly regularly in Alpenwolf's Cold War server and really enjoy it.

[Beirut]

10 minutes ago, =475FG= Dawger said:

Providing armed, free aircraft would be/is a mistake.

Unarmed, full fidelity modules like the TF-51 are great choices for free aircraft. The TF-51 only and the free trial program would be ideal, IMO.

Separately, I would love a full fidelity A-10A. I own the C but don't enjoy it. I fly the A fairly regularly in Alpenwolf's Cold War server and really enjoy it.

 

I don't think it's a mistake at all. For the cost of an FC plane on sale, about $8, DCS gives potential customers a taste of the high-tech Kaboom! goodness. (And remember, this began long before free trials.)

 

People can try out some laser guided fun, some see-in-the-dark toys, blow some **** up, and then, as so many of us did, decide they want a higher fidelity version of what they were doing in the Frogfoot. They want the fully interactive cockpit, they want the fancier MFDs, and maybe they just decided the structure of the game was good enough that it justified spending the big bucks on a Hornet or Tomcat.

 

There has to be something right about what they're doing, because here we are.  

[=475FG= Dawger]

15 minutes ago, Beirut said:

 

I don't think it's a mistake at all. For the cost of an FC plane on sale, about $8, DCS gives potential customers a taste of the high-tech Kaboom! goodness. (And remember, this began long before free trials.)

 

People can try out some laser guided fun, some see-in-the-dark toys, blow some **** up, and then, as so many of us did, decide they want a higher fidelity version of what they were doing in the Frogfoot. They want the fully interactive cockpit, they want the fancier MFDs, and maybe they just decided the structure of the game was good enough that it justified spending the big bucks on a Hornet or Tomcat.

 

There has to be something right about what they're doing, because here we are.  

They can now taste virtually every module for two weeks. There is absolutely no need to provide a permanently free aircraft with the free trial program in place. 

[FlankerKiller]

17 minutes ago, Beirut said:

 

I don't think it's a mistake at all. For the cost of an FC plane on sale, about $8, DCS gives potential customers a taste of the high-tech Kaboom! goodness. (And remember, this began long before free trials.)

 

People can try out some laser guided fun, some see-in-the-dark toys, blow some **** up, and then, as so many of us did, decide they want a higher fidelity version of what they were doing in the Frogfoot. They want the fully interactive cockpit, they want the fancier MFDs, and maybe they just decided the structure of the game was good enough that it justified spending the big bucks on a Hornet or Tomcat.

 

There has to be something right about what they're doing, because here we are.  

Personally I would make the F-5E the free bird. But I can see a case for the A model warthog. My point is there are a lot of cold War birds coming. So the cold War servers are going to get hot soon. Soon in DCS years. The A model  would gut there. Also historically the A actually did the tank killer role. And in any major conflict of the 80s or 90s it wold have been As doing the close air support  role. 

[Beirut]

12 minutes ago, =475FG= Dawger said:

They can now taste virtually every module for two weeks. There is absolutely no need to provide a permanently free aircraft with the free trial program in place. 

 

As stated, the SU-25T was available with the base game long before the free trials. 

 

It's been a free toy for years, why change it up now?

[Dragon1-1]

Besides, I'm fairly certain hardly anybody would pay for an aircraft that was hardly produced at all, doesn't have a clickable cockpit and flies like a pig on top of that.  Su-25T is just not great at anything. Su-25A flies better, is less draggy and less prone to stalling, 

I'd like a T-38. Unarmed like the TF-51, fast and a pleasure to fly, could be made FF relatively easily since it had an analog cockpit for a long time. Best of all, two cockpits, so you can set up a trainee with a free plane and fly the backseat yourself in MP, to give the trainee a taste of real flying. Everyone would have it, including Steam users, so it would provide a quick and easy way to get someone started in the sim.

[Ashayar]

That's a matter of taste, I personally love the SU25T, among with a lot of other planes, and when well manipulated, it is quite an impressive toy to blow some things up!

[=475FG= Dawger]

A T-38, free or pay, would be a nice addition, especially an ancient version. 

[bies]

2 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

Su-25T is just not great at anything. Su-25A flies better, is less draggy and less prone to stalling, 

Su-25T is an information serie of 8 aircrafts with project cancelled in year 2000.

Su-25 is a real serially produced aircraft, one of backbones of both Soviet and Russian tactical aviation, took part in many real life conflicts like Soviet-Afgan war, Iraq-Iran war, Gulf war, Abkhazia war, both Chechen wars, Ethiopia-Eritrea war, Darfur war, Russia-Georgia war, Russia-Ukraine war, Syrian war and some other smaller conflicts.

That's the biggest difference between the two.

Edited February 22, 2022 by bies

[Mike_Romeo]

Quote

Su-25T is just not great at anything

Lmao the Su-25T is one of the best SEAD aircrafts in DCS

[Bremspropeller]

1 hour ago, =475FG= Dawger said:

A T-38, free or pay, would be a nice addition, especially an ancient version. 

I guess that one has sun-dials instead of steam-gauges?

[=475FG= Dawger]

This one

 

Not this one

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by =475FG= Dawger

[Evoman]

10 hours ago, Beirut said:

 

As stated, the SU-25T was available with the base game long before the free trials. 

 

It's been a free toy for years, why change it up now?

ED themselves have said that they have been disusing changing the free aircraft that come with DCS to better attract new comers. See the below interview at 1:27:54min to understand why.

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Evoman

[Vampyre]

I'd like to have a A-10A prior to the LASTE modification. Pre-LASTE A-10A flew from 1978 to just after Desert Storm. The FC3 A-10A is a 90's upgrade.

[FlankerKiller]

9 hours ago, Vampyre said:

I'd like to have a A-10A prior to the LASTE modification. Pre-LASTE A-10A flew from 1978 to just after Desert Storm. The FC3 A-10A is a 90's upgrade.

Exactly, some old school armor killing. Mavericks, Rockeyes, and the Gun. I know it's not the latest and greatest  capabilities that some people want, but I believe it would be fun. Also think of the type of campaigns you could make. It's entirely possible for a pilot to have flown from 1990, to 2015. We could have a campaign covering all of that, and including the different versions. This is the advantage of different models of the same airframe.  It lets us truly experience these birds as they were.

So much work is already done. FM, Basic cockpit, radios, weapon systems, and most systems, It's already there. Yes there is still some work, but it's already in at least an Alpha state, and I would argue  a decent Bata state. Seems like low hanging fruit. And I do bet it would sell. Or even make it the free aircraft. A full fidelity A-10A would be a much better gateway as to what to expect with DCS then the FC3 Su-25T. And people will download it just to get the A-10. Let them mealt a tank or two, doge a SAM or two and click on all those systems. There is no way they won't want more. But just my opinion. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by FlankerKiller