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New to DCS. Requesting information.


persius

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Hello Everybody.

Up until now I've been flying "BMS Falcon" and after viewing videos on youtube I am very interested in transitioning simply from the graphic aspect I've seen so far.   I have some questions that I hope people can shed light on before I make a purchase.  I'll therefore keep it simple.

-In BMS the idea behind the sim was realism in terms of tactics and campaign.   Does DCS (F-16) have a campaign or is it just single missions?

-Are there promotions and awards in DCS?  Not that it matters but it ads to the realism.

 

-I've been looking over the min/max system requirements and I'm at a loss if my PC is up to standards so perhaps somebody can let me know.

Here is a link to my system.  I'm quite certain I'm good to go but a 2nd opinion always helps especially if I would like to apply max details and effects.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1560430-REG/lenovo_90nc001rus_t550_28l_i7_10700f_8gb_512gb.html/overview

 

-I have a generic controller with 12 buttons and a throttle.   Will that be sufficient for this sim?

-Lastly.  In terms of tutorials.  Does the program come with an instructional manual or do I need to rely on video tutorials?



Thank you.

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8GB RAM will make the game chunter a bit these days, not sure about the graphics card but the minimum specs are below
As said, its a free download and there are free planes, so the word free, should make it clear you have nothing to lose except time 🙂 And by that I mean most of us, as in, the last decade I have lost to DCS 😛

Start here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/faq/
Minimum system requirements (LOW graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 10; DirectX11; CPU: Intel Core i3 at 2.8 GHz or AMD FX; RAM: 8 GB (16 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB; Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 / AMD R9 280X or better; requires internet activation.

Offline play has very basic pilot and roster with awards. Some people built addons for that.

You can play with keyboard and mouse badly, and better the more you spend on peripherals For anything with a propellor it will be very hard without a twist stick at least, but for jets like the Viper you are good for Z and X ont he taxiway.

Documentaiton is included for the product and for each module and Training missions are supplied and begin quite basic during Early access and can become quite in depth once the module matures.

___________________________________________________________________________

SIMPLE SCENERY SAVING * SIMPLE GROUP SAVING * SIMPLE STATIC SAVING *

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3 hours ago, persius said:

- In BMS the idea behind the sim was realism in terms of tactics and campaign.   Does DCS (F-16) have a campaign or is it just single missions?

There are campaigns but they are basically a series of scripted missions.

There is a dynamic campaign in the works and it should be released soon-ish.

In my opinion, however, the greatest thing about DCS is the mission editor where you can create any kind of mission with a difficulty level that you feel is good.

 

3 hours ago, persius said:

-Are there promotions and awards in DCS?  Not that it matters but it ads to the realism.

Yes there are. And they are country specific as well. You set your country in your profile and you'll get more or less appropriate national rewards based on mission success.

But, although it is a nice touch, DCS is by far not a "role playing game" like Falcon 3.0 was, in some way.

 

3 hours ago, persius said:

 

-I've been looking over the min/max system requirements and I'm at a loss if my PC is up to standards so perhaps somebody can let me know.

Here is a link to my system.  I'm quite certain I'm good to go but a 2nd opinion always helps especially if I would like to apply max details and effects.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1560430-REG/lenovo_90nc001rus_t550_28l_i7_10700f_8gb_512gb.html/overview

It's not unlike the PC that I have and it will do fine. However if you plan on flying missions with a lot of other planes, your RAM may run out.

 

3 hours ago, persius said:

-I have a generic controller with 12 buttons and a throttle.   Will that be sufficient for this sim?

Yes. The advantage of a clickable cockpit is that HOTAS becomes much less important. Or at least that's my opinion. Of course you can / should map the buttons which you use most to suitable buttons on your controllers.

What is more important is that your joystick is precise enough. Especially non-FBW aircraft can be really touchy on the controls. If you try arcade-style banking in an Albatros for example, you'll stall and crash. If you do the same in a Viggen at top speed, then the aircraft will immediately disintegrate due to G-forces... A light hand really helps with the flying and a good joystick will make it way more enjoyable. FBW aircraft like the F-16 are much less difficult.

 

3 hours ago, persius said:

-Lastly.  In terms of tutorials.  Does the program come with an instructional manual or do I need to rely on video tutorials?

Most modules, especially the ones outside Early Access, come with full manuals.

However I also recommend looking up the Chuck's Guides. They may also help you selecting the right module for you. F-16 may be the logical choice but I recommend a bit older non-FBW aircraft as they bring out the best in DCS. Maybe try the F-5?

 


Edited by Zius

Modules: Bf 109, C-101, CE-II, F-5, Gazelle, Huey, Ka-50, Mi-8, MiG-15, MiG-19, MiG-21, Albatros, Viggen, Mirage 2000, Hornet, Yak-52, FC3

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Hello to all.


To begin, I'm sorry for the late reply.   The forum did not send me an email to inform that any of you have replied to my post. I'm guessing I need to make some setting changes for that to happen.

Ok. First, I understand that I can play for free to get a feel for the sim.  I'm familiar with Falcon BMS so I'm aware of what I'm getting into here and I'm all good for it.  Looking forward to something real and enjoyable. 

 

Second. I have no intention of playing with other players until I understand how to fly in DCS.  I can resolve that issue by purchasing additional RAM.  

 

Third. As long as there are tutorials available then I will be fine.    As per Zius's suggestion to try the F-5.  I understand your thinking but my sole purpose was to fly because of the F-16. 🙂

I'm limited on time right now but I can commit to learning how to fly DCS F-16's and in time I will join an online game.  Right now, this is just for myself. 

 

Lastly. I don't know if I fully understand the training in DCS.   Let me put it this way.   When the training missions conclude in DCS, what options are available to allow me to apply my flying skills BEFORE flying online?   That is, are there single missions available to fly to gain experience?   

I apologize if I misunderstood you Zius about training.  I suppose my confusion and hesitation is based on the latest version of Falcon BMS which I was using.  The training manual they provided was horrible to follow because it was VERY confusing to read.  You could not make sense of most of the instructions.  You had to rely completely on video tutorials to understand what you had to do and that is why I stopped flying.  It was too frustrating for me and when you make something that overly frustrates people, they tend to avoid it. 

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32 minutes ago, persius said:

Third. As long as there are tutorials available then I will be fine.    As per Zius's suggestion to try the F-5.  I understand your thinking but my sole purpose was to fly because of the F-16. 🙂

I'm limited on time right now but I can commit to learning how to fly DCS F-16's and in time I will join an online game.  Right now, this is just for myself. 

I understand. I used to be a huge Falcon 3.0 fan back in the day. I have Falcon 4.0 as well but never really got into it.

The way I see it, the F-16 in DCS is a lot more complicated and involved than the one in Falcon 3.0. Systems are modelled in much more detail, including systems which have no direct impact on combat, like fuel systems, backup landing gear systems etc. But also the radar etc.

In my opinion, the F-16, F/A-18 and A-10 (and JF-17 and Ka-50) may well be the most complicated modules to learn in DCS due to the amount of systems and the depth in which they are modelled. By comparison, the Albatros (my personal favourite) is a lot easier, and more about the flying than about learning systems.

Again, in my opinion, especially if you are limited in time, I would recommend a simpler aircraft over the F-16. But I understand that if you know a plane already from a different sim, you are eager to compare. I guess it also comes down to what you can afford... I have nearly all modules, but fly only a few of them somewhat regularly. What I did find out is that the planes I like best in DCS are not at all the same ones which I like IRL. In my opinion there is a huge difference between the appeal of an aircraft as DCS pilot vs as an armchair-general or aviation enthousiast.

 

32 minutes ago, persius said:

Lastly. I don't know if I fully understand the training in DCS.   Let me put it this way.   When the training missions conclude in DCS, what options are available to allow me to apply my flying skills BEFORE flying online?   That is, are there single missions available to fly to gain experience?   

I apologize if I misunderstood you Zius about training.  I suppose my confusion and hesitation is based on the latest version of Falcon BMS which I was using.  The training manual they provided was horrible to follow because it was VERY confusing to read.  You could not make sense of most of the instructions.  You had to rely completely on video tutorials to understand what you had to do and that is why I stopped flying.  It was too frustrating for me and when you make something that overly frustrates people, they tend to avoid it. 

First of all, there is no any reason that you have to fly online. Actually I never fly online myself.

Most modules come with built-in training missions, where the voice-over tells you what do, which buttons to press etc. When you have completed all training missions (likely you will repeat the same missions a few times), you should more or less know how to fly and operate the plane. After that, you'll need to practice to get to grips with the peculiarities of the aircraft you are flying. For example the MiG-15 has enormously powerful cannons, but their projectiles are very slow so gunnery needs a lot of practice before "getting it". I would imagine that with the F-16 you want to go really in depth into the various radar modes etc. Keep in mind though: the F-16 is still Early Access and not feature complete at the moment.

When you really know how the aircraft works, you can either create missions for yourself using the mission editor, fly missions that someone else made or fly one of the "official" campaigns. Or fly online if you like.

 

Bottom line: what a lot of people don't understand: DCS is a sandbox sim. You can do whatever you want as long as the units are available. With regards to scenario's there is no limit to realism or lack thereof. If you want to do air-to-air combat with an A-10C, you can set up a mission to do that. If you want to see how many Bf-109's you can take on with your Tomcat, you can. If you want ultra-realistic missions, you can as well. It's up to you. DCS doesn't limit you. The downside of that approach is the lack of a dynamic campaign and the lack of roleplaying.


Edited by Zius
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Modules: Bf 109, C-101, CE-II, F-5, Gazelle, Huey, Ka-50, Mi-8, MiG-15, MiG-19, MiG-21, Albatros, Viggen, Mirage 2000, Hornet, Yak-52, FC3

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Hi Zius

Thanks for replying.   You answered all my questions with great detail and I appreciate it.   I was looking over the online tutorials for F-16 Viper and I noticed that the players not only understand what they are doing (as you appear to) but they can explain the individual systems in a video that averages 25 minutes or less.   In BMS, some videos run over 2 hours and that just sucks the enjoyment right out of the sim.   

I'm going to move forward and purchase it.
Thanks again for your help. 

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11 minutes ago, persius said:

I'm going to move forward and purchase it.


may I suggest to spend a short while first with the free dcs aircrafts, as most likely there will be a sale at the end of march. 😄


Edited by Rudel_chw

 

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 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

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Regarding your system, I have a very bare bones system (RX580 8GB) with 16GB RAM and it works perfectly fine in Single Player. You will probably want to add the extra RAM to start though even for Single Player.

If your interest is really the F16, then I would encourage you to just get it and start learning. There is a lot there as I am sure you will discover. But as Rudel suggested, it might be very helpful to use the free aircraft in DCS to learn some of the basics and get you system set up. 

Welcome and enjoy.

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Apply here for a free 2 weeks trial for any module you want in standalone DCS:

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/personal/licensing/trial/

When you add a module there you'll get a notice when you next run DCS in Module Manager that the module is available for download.

 

The first buy for new players in standalone DCS is 50% off, you just have to follow the procedure:

To receive a discount, you need to log into DCS World using your account, wait for the pop-up window with a 50% discount to appear and add the modules you want to purchase, then proceed to e-shop cart where the appropriate discount will be applied.

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/faq/Discount/

 

btw: There are plenty of Instant Action missions, Full missions, even some SP campaigns and also user made missions and campaigns for SP training and playing. But there are also some user made trials at dynamic campaign: Liberation, DDCS, DCE, Through The Inferno series, just to name a few most popular out there.

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🖥️ Win10 i7-10700KF 32GB RTX3060   🥽 Rift S   🕹️ T16000M HOTAS   ✈️ FC3, F-14A/B, F-15E   ⚙️ CA   🚢 SC   🌐 NTTR, PG, Syria

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When you are looking at the jets, I suggest getting the f/a-18 hornet.  This jet is more user-friendly.  Additionally, the jet gives you the ability to land on either carriers or on land based runways.  

For the choppers, you can get the apache. It is brand new and highly popular. The other chopper I like is the ka-50, which is a Russian gunship that has ejection seats.

One additional item to consider is investing in rudder pedals. They make the flying experience more enjoyable and realistic.

To better enjoy the sound of dcs world,  I recommend buying quality corded gaming headphones. 

Another consideration is to purchase a battery backup for your computer.  It is an investment that could protect your computer in cause of unexpected power outages.

When looking at the various aircraft, look at independent reviews on YouTube channels.  Grim Reapers is a hugely popular channel dedicated to DCS world. Another popular channel is Prickley Hedgehog. 

Here is a strategy you can think about. Wait until DCS world places their aircraft on sale. They do it approximately once a quarter. Purchase the jets or choppers one at a time. This is more budget friendly and allows you to gain the experience in flying while living within your financial means.


Edited by Mike Force Team
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I'm running a low end system  Old Dell t3600 workstation 1650xeon 3.2gb cpu, 32gb ram, 8gb pny nvidia 1070 and ssd drives.  Using opentrack IR and a lg 42 inch tv.  I'm running dcs openbeta in 1080p with what I would consider med high setting. Single player avg 65-70fps depending on the missions, online40-60 fps.  I was surprised with the online play my internet is through Tmobile wireless and I was expecting lag and a stutter fest nice and smooth.

As Mike mentioned above Grim Reapers have nice instruction on the systems of different modules plus Matt Wagner's Youtube channel with DCS.  I'm flying F18,F16and A4

J

Ryzen7 5800X3D. 64 gb ram, 6950XT 16gb,  Winwing Orion F18, MFG Crosswind Rudder, 42 inch lg tv, Quest PRO

USN  VF31 F14A  AE2 1985-1989 CV 59 NAS Oceana

IL ANG 183FW/170FS F16 Block 30 Big Mouth 1989-2006 Full time tech Retired E8

 

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14 hours ago, persius said:

I can commit to learning how to fly DCS F-16's

It will fit like a glove!  Some functions are not implemented yet, but all the basics are there.  You already know how to fly this one if you have spent any length of time in BMS.

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Welcome to DCS. 

As you've seen, there are many people willing to help others learn the sim we all enjoy. 

There are squadrons around, including mine, which have good instructors able to answer just about any question about DCS. 

I personally disagree with the people who said the F16 is too complicated to start with. Yes it's complicated, but it'll also perform a wide variety of missions very well. Personally I found that it's easier to learn a module that you just love. One of my first jets in DCS was the Tomcat, and it's not really known for being simple and easy. But I love tomcats, so I enjoyed spending the time to learn it. (He'll, Still learning it...) 

I would vote for the F/A-Hornet as the best full fedility module to start on, but the F-16 is very high on that list. As you already have flown sims of that jet, it would be a great place to start. 

Anyway, welcome to DCS and we look forward to seeing you in the skies. If you have more question feel free to message me.

 

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I do appreciate the input from everybody.   That's why we are all out here.      As for something being too complicated to fly, let's keep in mind that learning to tie shoes for the first time is very complicated.... until you learn.   I have a history flying the F-16 in other sims so I just have a preference for this aircraft.  

I have already found a few squadrons/instructors on youtube so I've started watching and to be honest, the methodology is similar to BMS so this will be a nice transition without too much stress. 

I'm now waiting until the end of the month to make my purchase.  It was stated that there will be a sale, so I hope that is true!  🙂  If not, no big deal, I still plan to make the purchase. 


Thanks all.

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@draconus  When you are looking at other jets, I recommend you wait on getting the F-14 tomcat.  That jet can be difficult to handle when you are just getting started.  I experienced many flat spins in my F-14; as a result, I ejected from the planes.  While it is accurately modelled, the flat spins are no fun.

On a different subject, you might consider these items for your gaming.  You can invest in an ergonomic palm rest and an ergonomic mouse pad.  They reduce the pressure you might experiences on your hands and palms.  Look for the products that are gel-filled.  I do not recommend buying the mouse pads or palm rests that have foam.  After a period of use, they do not offer consistent support due.  Gel-filled products likely cost more but you are more likely to be more satisficed in the long run.

 

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1 hour ago, Mike Force Team said:

@draconus  When you are looking at other jets, I recommend you wait on getting the F-14 tomcat. 

Thanks but I already have hundreds of flight hours in the Tomcat and am not going to stop flying it.

What's with you advertising gaming stuff around forum? Gel pads, PC backup power, gaming routers... really? Guy just asked about F-16 and general DCS stuff.

  • Like 1

🖥️ Win10 i7-10700KF 32GB RTX3060   🥽 Rift S   🕹️ T16000M HOTAS   ✈️ FC3, F-14A/B, F-15E   ⚙️ CA   🚢 SC   🌐 NTTR, PG, Syria

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Hi guys.


Last question.    The website says I need the following:

Requires DCS World version 2.5.5 or above!

There appear to be 2 versions.

1.  DCS World 2.7

2. DCS World 2.7 Open Beta.

Which one should I use?


Thanks again.

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I started out with stable and then went to open beta just because there seems to be more servers for online/multiplayer.  I had no problem with either one for single player

j

Ryzen7 5800X3D. 64 gb ram, 6950XT 16gb,  Winwing Orion F18, MFG Crosswind Rudder, 42 inch lg tv, Quest PRO

USN  VF31 F14A  AE2 1985-1989 CV 59 NAS Oceana

IL ANG 183FW/170FS F16 Block 30 Big Mouth 1989-2006 Full time tech Retired E8

 

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persius

Most People seem to run open beta if they plan on doing any multiplayer or get the latest updates and such. It has bugs, and it's open beta so it won't be perfect, but everything goes there first. If you just want to do single player, then stable is completely fine. If you have any questions we've got a good discord server where there are people who can answer any of your DCS questions. We pride ourselves in helping new player enjoy the sim we all love. Drop by at any time and ask questions. We also have sections with all the manuals, tutorials, guides, and we run our own training server from time to time. (Currently it's up, but it isn't always.) 

Out of our 4 admins, every single one of us is well versed in the F16 and F/A-18 (and many other jets and helicopters.) We'll get you up and flying something in a couple hours. Here's the link. 

https://discord.gg/JuBydbsfDn

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