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Still worth it?


mikek1358

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What Joker said. Very capable machine. Most things modeled. Notable exceptions I can think of would be INU degrading/drift & flight control boost during hydraulic pressure loss, but as you can guess those are more fringe/rare things. Other elements would be the laser always having 100% ranging accuracy and the contrast lock being abstracted rather than purely image-based, but that's in general across all DCS modules.

Compared to the newer modules, the exterior is good, but could do with an upgrade which is coming with BS3. The interior cockpit look/textures is one of the best, and otherwise everything's modeled from data links, searching airports, plotting obstacles and elevations in your route, selecting more manual aiming solutions etc.

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I too wondered and bought it. Glad I did. I kind of prefer it over the Apache. I mean it flies really well and can outperform the Apache IMO (A2G/A2A) and that's with just one pilot. This is made possible in part because it has a great autopilot system and hovers well. Also, it isn't an EA module so you don't have to deal with bugs and wait for updates to fix them. Looking forward to BS3. 

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1 hour ago, GrEaSeLiTeNiN said:

I too wondered and bought it. Glad I did. I kind of prefer it over the Apache. I mean it flies really well and can outperform the Apache IMO (A2G/A2A) and that's with just one pilot. This is made possible in part because it has a great autopilot system and hovers well. Also, it isn't an EA module so you don't have to deal with bugs and wait for updates to fix them. Looking forward to BS3. 

Confirmed for me that can outperform the Apache in AA but only during day or good light conditions. Also I think that in AG they are pretty evenly matched, cause the Hellfire are a bit better than the Vikhr but the KA-50 is a bit better in performance (not only flight but also hover etc. etc.) than the Apache. So a good contender 👍

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3 hours ago, mikek1358 said:

Hi folks,

Is the Black Shark still worth it compared to other newer modules?

Especially in regards to flight model and systems.

Thanks

Hi.

Yess, absolutelly. And don't forget that you can get the free trial to get a glimpse on it and then maka an educated guess if it's ok for U or not.

Saludos.

Saca11

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  • 1 month later...
  • ED Team

I'll echo the confirmations in here that the Black Shark is certainly worth the money. I've been playing it since it came out in 2009 and it is still in my top 3 favorite modules, the AH-64D and F-16C being the other two. I say top 3 not because the Ka-50 is in 3rd place, but because the Ka-50, AH-64 and F-16 are my favorites for different reasons because of their own unique qualities.

To me, the Ka-50 and the AH-64 are like two sides of the same coin, with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. What makes the Ka-50 so interesting to me is how the aircraft avionics automate some of the piloting and targeting tasks to compensate for the lack of a second crewmember. It can still be a handful to operate at times, like most attack helicopters; but once you get the flow down and develop the muscle memory for flying, targeting and shooting, the Ka-50 can feel very natural.

Even though the module is the oldest in DCS (excluding the Flaming Cliffs line-up from LOMAC), I'm still looking forward to Black Shark 3 and whatever enhancements it will bring to an already fun and polished module.

(Full disclosure, I've only joined the ED team in the recent months, so my views on the Black Shark are from using it as a DCS player for well over a decade. Not trying to advertise a product, just being honest)

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Afterburners are for wussies...hang around the battlefield and dodge tracers like a man.
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On 9/15/2022 at 8:56 PM, Raptor9 said:

I'll echo the confirmations in here that the Black Shark is certainly worth the money. I've been playing it since it came out in 2009 and it is still in my top 3 favorite modules, . . . 

 

Yep!

 

Not sure what the other two are, it changes around, but the Ka-50 is always Top 3. I just love my BlackShark. There's something about this chopper that just makes sense to me. The way it flies and fights and the way the systems work. It's just... right. Not to mention it has a weapons load that makes the other choppers cry with envy. 

 

"What that, Mr. Apache, you can't can't carry missiles with 200lb warheads? What a shame, because I can!"  :smoke:

 

maxresdefault.jpg

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Some of the planes, but all of the maps!

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I think the KA-50 is a great module. In the daylight, it’s great and I believe could go toe to toe with the Apache. However at night, the systems are not on par with the Apache’s night suite of sensors. With that said I have tried both at night and the Blackshark does come up short. I would be interested in others experiences on this topic.

The Apache’s short comings would be the lack of a real two man crew. When I have flown as the pilot or CPG, with two crew, it’s hard to beat. In closing, don’t forget the Hind which can also rock your world, when sun is shining. I still have a place in my heart for the mighty Hind.

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  • ED Team
32 minutes ago, Iron Sights said:

In closing, don’t forget the Hind which can also rock your world, when sun is shining. I still have a place in my heart for the mighty Hind.

Yeah, it's a beast for sure. Nothing can quite compare to a Hind going in fast and hard at 330 kmh with rockets and guns blazing.

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Afterburners are for wussies...hang around the battlefield and dodge tracers like a man.
DCS Rotor-Head

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17 часов назад, Iron Sights сказал:

I think the KA-50 is a great module. In the daylight, it’s great and I believe could go toe to toe with the Apache. However at night, the systems are not on par with the Apache’s night suite of sensors. With that said I have tried both at night and the Blackshark does come up short. I would be interested in others experiences on this topic.

The Apache’s short comings would be the lack of a real two man crew. When I have flown as the pilot or CPG, with two crew, it’s hard to beat. In closing, don’t forget the Hind which can also rock your world, when sun is shining. I still have a place in my heart for the mighty Hind.

I agree that the lack of FLIR makes a noticeable difference, and it's also useful in daytime (guess why all the cool tanks have it these days), but the good thing is that most MP servers have really nice sunny weather, so it's not as much of a problem there. As for me, I'm a fan since BS1 (yes, even before DCS, I still have the disks) and aside from the aforementioned the Shark is... somewhat boring. It just has all the things - the literal autopilot on top of hold modes, the laundry list of weapons including the cannon that pops heads a country mile away, powerful engines and efficient co-axis rotors (I never managed to catch the VRS, they just snap off when I try too hard), the ABRIS system with a built-in mission editor (guess where the ME map came from). The $5 or whatever for BS3 seems like a no-brainer.

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It's worth every penny. It's a superb module that quite recently got a few good updates in terms of the cockpit modelling as well as other things. No news about Black Shark 3 but hopefully it will arrive with more updates and changes.

As for the module, in many ways it's more fun than the Apache when you fly alone. If you have someone to fly with that knows the Apache (or other multi crew modules) it's hard to beat the fun with team work. But when flying solo, the Ka 50 is amazing fun and very potent. The survivability is lower than that of the Apache due to lack of missile warning systems (all types of missile warning systems). The Apache warns you about pretty much everything in terms of missiles and will (if I understand it correct) also get the laser warning system. The Ka 50 only has the laser warning system so the only time you know you are being targeted is when something puts a laser on you.

In terms of weapons, the Ka 50 cannon is far more accurate though it lacks the superb movement. The Vikhr missiles are about as good as the Apaches, both in terms of range and punch (close enough anyway). The Apache of course has the benefits of different Hellfire settings and superb night fighting abilities, they are different beasts but both are awesome to fly.

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The module would have been worth it even if it came with just the cannon :D Honest, the poor winmgman AI is the worst part of DCS BS, so if you're able to work around it all of the other issues are negligible. It has also received some updates in the last 5 years, notably improved in-cockpit audio.

On 8/9/2022 at 10:21 AM, Volk. said:

What Joker said. Very capable machine. Most things modeled. Notable exceptions I can think of would be INU degrading/drift & flight control boost during hydraulic pressure loss, but as you can guess those are more fringe/rare things. Other elements would be the laser always having 100% ranging accuracy and the contrast lock being abstracted rather than purely image-based, but that's in general across all DCS modules.

Compared to the newer modules, the exterior is good, but could do with an upgrade which is coming with BS3. The interior cockpit look/textures is one of the best, and otherwise everything's modeled from data links, searching airports, plotting obstacles and elevations in your route, selecting more manual aiming solutions etc.

Hi Volk! Could you please tell me whether there's an ETA on BS3 release? I haven't seen any FAQ threads on BS3.

Also, have the cockpit textures been updated in the last 5 years?

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