Most popular DCS Youtuber?

[Gremlin17]

As a newcomer to DCS, I have really found a huge range of information from Youtube. I have found myself watching hundreds of Cap's videos on the GR page, and learned a huge amount in a short space of time. I am more interested in the ground attack roles, so have only dabbled with GW and others.

All I can say is thank you to all who have posted this sort of stuff online. I do enjoy reading manuals and learning stuff, but sometimes I need to see something being done or be told which thing to press in what order.

I am still annoyed with myself that it took me so long to join DCS.

[Iron Sights]

All the update videos are helpful, I don’t care they come from. When a plane gets a new feature, I like to see a review of it. I do use Chuck’s guide as a training tool. It’s always up on my second monitor, but when changes happen, it can be a while before it is reflected there. Matt Wagner is a good source for for these, but I like others like Bogey Dope, Deephack and Casmo. I watch most of the DCS related content, as long as it is decently done. Nothing worse then someone learning as they do the video.

[JB747]

As a long ago fighter pilot, I find watching GS to be very entertaining. I’ve probably watched hundreds of his videos now, and I find them entertaining and educational (largely because most of the systems he’s using in the aircraft came after my time). GR was not my thing…so much so that I blocked them on the feed.

[freehand]

6 minutes ago, JB747 said:

As a long ago fighter pilot, I find watching GS to be very entertaining. I’ve probably watched hundreds of his videos now, and I find them entertaining and educational (largely because most of the systems he’s using in the aircraft came after my time). GR was not my thing…so much so that I blocked them on the feed.

You blocked them on the feed which feed ?

I liked GR light hearted look and help into the world of DCS, as for GS no disrespect to him but personally I rather watch paint dry.

  

[Beirut]

13 hours ago, freehand said:

You blocked them on the feed which feed ?

I liked GR light hearted look and help into the world of DCS, as for GS no disrespect to him but personally I rather watch paint dry.

  

 

I'm a big fan of GR, I just wish they would get back into in-depth tutorials. They're almost acting like they're not allowed to make them anymore but that can't be the case.

[HwyStar]

I found GR's insights on configuring our inputs (HOTAS) quite valuable. However, the videos featuring his older Logitech HOTAS need to be updated since they are now four years old. I'm curious about his current workflow and how he manages his setup(s) of multiple planes.

I appreciate watching GS's videos because of their high quality. However, when I reached out to him for help in understanding his workflow and HOTAS setup, he disregarded my requests. Personally, I struggle the most with comprehending the inputs and how to properly configure them in DCS (using different planes too). It appears to me that GS relies heavily on his keyboard in addition to his HOTAS, which confuses me. I genuinely wish I could grasp the whole concept better. Trade secrets for his success at being such a good sim pilot? Maybe...

Has anyone else noticed how similar GS is to Empty Box? Empty Box has been making iRacing videos for years.  Empty Box YouTube Videos

[Rudel_chw]

2 hours ago, HwyStar said:

I appreciate watching GS's videos because of their high quality. However, when I reached out to him for help in understanding his workflow and HOTAS setup, he disregarded my requests.

 

He has almost half a million subscriptors ... do you really believe that he has time to answer every query he receives? .. that kind of support is what this Forum is for, not a YT channel.

[HwyStar]

25 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

He has almost half a million subscriptors ... do you really believe that he has time to answer every query he receives? .. that kind of support is what this Forum is for, not a YT channel.

Certainly, why not? Since he is monetizing his videos, it would be appropriate for him to dedicate some time to answering "additional" questions. I took the effort to formulate my questions in a thoughtful, intelligent manner, expressing my admiration.

Have you observed the recent emphasis he has placed on promoting DCS over the past few months? It seems reminiscent of how a paid representative would promote a product, particularly DCS. It appears that his motivations are not purely driven by altruism.

I acknowledge that this is merely my personal viewpoint, and I don't intend to provoke any conflicts. Being a celebrity can be challenging. However, with fame often comes financial gain, and if the circumstances become overwhelming, it's reasonable to step away from it, in my humble opinion.

[Beirut]

52 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

He has almost half a million subscriptors ... do you really believe that he has time to answer every query he receives? .. that kind of support is what this Forum is for, not a YT channel.

 

I'm certainly not arguing with you, I agree the questions these guys get must at least be in the hundreds a month, but the Grim Reapers (326k subs) made two videos based on my questions to them. I thought that was pretty cool. That's one of the reasons I like them, good feedback with their audience.

 

I'm not a fan of their endless "what if" videos though. I don't want to spend 20 minutes finding out if two Tomcats could have won the battle at Pearl Harbor or whatever. I much prefer the tutorials and videos of how things interact. 

[Slippa]

Before I had a computer to install DCS on I watched quite a few tutorials on YouTube. GR tutorials seemed pretty good and helpful but I don't watch any of the 'What if' stuff, nor depictions of battles that might be going on today in the real World.

I learnt a fair bit from Tactical Pascales tutorials and watched him and 'Juice' fly about on the Channel map a ton of times, gagging to get my computer sorted out so I could fly on it too. I still look up the same old videos for a refresher on a type I've left in the hanger too long. I'd rather see GR and TP do more DCS tutorial type stuff.

Reading through the list earlier I said "That's him! My missus asked me who? "The fella that said this bleedin chair was ok" I said. The ex RAF instructor youtuber. I don't know, his flying bits on there are good but I don't know what he's really sitting on, it can't be this bleedin thing. I'd be better on a bag of sand.

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, HwyStar said:

if the circumstances become overwhelming, it's reasonable to step away from it

 

I really hope he will not follow that advice, I would certainly miss his content.

[HwyStar]

3 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

I really hope he will not follow that advice, I would certainly miss his content.

I agree with you on that. I do enjoy his videos. He is currently doing a good job of showing us some of the basics of the F-15E, which I do appreciate. I just wish he showed us his interface techniques. That’s it!

Edited May 21, 2023 by HwyStar

[freehand]

6 hours ago, Beirut said:

 

I'm a big fan of GR, I just wish they would get back into in-depth tutorials. They're almost acting like they're not allowed to make them anymore but that can't be the case.

I agree caps new stuff is of no interest to me "What if" booollicks " lol 

[HwyStar]

Cap did just release a new video describing his HOTAS setup on the F-15E.

[Beirut]

18 minutes ago, HwyStar said:

Cap did just release a new video describing his HOTAS setup on the F-15E.

 

I really hope he does a tutorial series. He did over 100 tutorials each for the Hornet and Tomcat, some were an hour long and super detailed. It will be great if the F-15E gets that kind of attention.

[1BRAVO9]

On 12/30/2022 at 3:02 PM, Rudel_chw said:

Hi,

Just noticed that @Growling Sidewinder has now over 400,000 subscribers .. hadn't checkd that in quite awhile and it actually surprised me, as it means that the DCS worlwide community is much larger than I tought. I doubt every member of this community is subscribed to GS, so that means that there are probably well over a million DCS users nowadays ... an incredible number.

Anyway, this means that GS is now the biggest DCS YT channel, here are some of the others ... ordered not by subscriptors, but by Views (which is what actually really counts):

 

 

 

Hope I didn't miss any important DCS channel 

 

 

 

 

Growling Sidewinder has some great videos of 1v1 and PvP gameplay but my go to channel for content, ie instructional videos and other things, is Grim Reapers.

[TheFreshPrince]

GR right now tossing out one F15-E tutorial after another. We should be thankful this channel exists! Will be a huge help when the module is released.

[1BRAVO9]

On 1/6/2023 at 5:58 AM, Gasman6 said:

Grim Reapers's content is hit-or-miss with me. I enjoy the content that explores scenarios, and testing the limits of the DCS engine, but the tutorials I can not stand to watch. At least for the A-10 tutorials, while he does convey the most pertinent information, something about Cap's flippant attitude toward unfamiliar systems is grating. His delivery is much too excitable, like an announcer at the Kentucky Derby. On the other side of the spectrum, ralfidude's A-10 tutorials proved much more tolerable to my senses. I'm sure the man with the voice behind the Grim Reapers is a fine fellow, and I would probably enjoy his company, so long as he isn't trying to teach me anything! 

 

 

 

First of all isn't Grim Reapers a Squadron of players. I think more than one person post under the GR moniker.

 

That being said, some of the videos are hit and miss but it's not their fault. Its changes, seemingly unnecessary, made by the developers that cause frustration and confusion.

 

I think they do their best to try and keep the videos updated but sometimes it may be too much.

On 1/6/2023 at 6:02 AM, Beirut said:

 

Then of course you have to define what usefulness means. It covers a lot of bases.

 

To their credit, the Grim Reapers have a crapton of tutorials, over a hundred each for the Tomcat and Hornet, many in exhaustive detail, with views from 20k to over 100k for each video. I think that qualifies as both popular and useful.

 

This is a good example. A one hour tutorial with 93k views. Popular and useful.

 

 

I tend to agree with you, to deny the obvious, whether you like them or not, is being deliberately obtuse.

[YSIAD_RIP]

Nice Thread thanks @Rudel_chw

HIP Games TV - covering DCS content and other Simulation platforms. Created by Andrei Celeste and his team and supported by the community.

@hipgames 15.3K subscribers 250 videos 1.85M views

• High-quality content video production and all the latest DCS news and updates. 

[Beirut]

On 6/14/2023 at 11:02 AM, YSIAD_RIP said:

Nice Thread thanks @Rudel_chw

HIP Games TV - covering DCS content and other Simulation platforms. Created by Andrei Celeste and his team and supported by the community.

@hipgames 15.3K subscribers 250 videos 1.85M views

• High-quality content video production and all the latest DCS news and updates. 

 

I like that channel but the comedy routines are kinda painful sometimes. 

[Rodeo]

I kind of like GR “what ifs” videos. I am a history buff and enjoy alternative history theories; I loved ”Man in the high castle” for a reference. 
 

In regards to their tutorials I agree they are good laymen references which I re-watch a lot as reminder for picking up a trick or two. For some reason last year it seemed they mentioned or inferred they were asked to stop the tutorials videos by ED. I could be remembering wrong or Mandela effect but I’ll comb back through and see if I can find what I am thinking of. 
 

edit/addition: I was not going crazy it was when the Ah-64 was released Cap mentioned not doing his tutorials

 

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Rodeo
Additional info found

[Beirut]

7 hours ago, Rodeo said:

I kind of like GR “what ifs” videos. I am a history buff and enjoy alternative history theories; I loved ”Man in the high castle” for a reference. 
 

In regards to their tutorials I agree they are good laymen references which I re-watch a lot as reminder for picking up a trick or two. For some reason last year it seemed they mentioned or inferred they were asked to stop the tutorials videos by ED. I could be remembering wrong or Mandela effect but I’ll comb back through and see if I can find what I am thinking of. 
 

edit/addition: I was not going crazy it was when the Ah-64 was released Cap mentioned not doing his tutorials

 

 

 

 

I'm curious what the deal was the GR stopping the tutorials. Can't imagine what the "behind the scenes" reason would have been. Copyright strikes? 

 

Besides, the GR have over 130 million views, hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and every video boils down to "Buy more DCS stuff!" 

 

 

Yep, curious what the drama was about.

[Rodeo]

3 hours ago, Beirut said:

Yep, curious what the drama was about.

Must have been something with ED’s products. I wouldn’t be surprised if tied directly to viewership numbers and traffic in YT (completely my own speculation). 
 

Having worked with YT channels and content creators for a decade+ there is so much data and analytics gained by viewership numbers that is critical to companies. Could have been as simple as GR and Cap not wanting to give ED viewership data which from personal experience is a very serious conversation.
 

Looking at GR’s videos in the past year they did do a couple third-party/mod “tutorial” and now returning to that dedicated space with the F15E but it is still a third-party module. Guess will have to wait and see the drama once ED releases their own module again. 
 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Rodeo

[GrEaSeLiTeNiN]

GR has the most modules covered. Good first go to source. RedKite is one of the best for formats - concise and to the point, but he doesn’t do as many tutorials unfortunately. GS is great if you want dogfight lessons but who always wins gets predictable quickly. I prefer properly edited and concise tutorials and not those that require you to hit forward every now and then to move past unnecessary content.
 

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

On 5/21/2023 at 6:43 PM, HwyStar said:

Certainly, why not? Since he is monetizing his videos, it would be appropriate for him to dedicate some time to answering "additional" questions. I took the effort to formulate my questions in a thoughtful, intelligent manner, expressing my admiration.

Have you observed the recent emphasis he has placed on promoting DCS over the past few months? It seems reminiscent of how a paid representative would promote a product, particularly DCS. It appears that his motivations are not purely driven by altruism.

I acknowledge that this is merely my personal viewpoint, and I don't intend to provoke any conflicts. Being a celebrity can be challenging. However, with fame often comes financial gain, and if the circumstances become overwhelming, it's reasonable to step away from it, in my humble opinion.

Youtubers and altruism is an oxymoron, the sooner you accept it, the better.