DCS: Kola Discussion

[Qcumber]

2 minutes ago, Kiwi_Viper said:

as i only fly in VR its totally useable as is , its awesome flyin the Mossie up them fjords at wave top height.

Oh yes. The first thing I did. I obviously had to watch 633 squadron while I was waiting for the map to download! Can we request the 633 squadron theme tune for the Kola map screen instead of default music? 

[Silver_Dragon]

10 hours ago, bfr said:

Most of the scenery buildings seem to come down if you hit them. Tried a moored boat near Murmansk, it burned but didn't seem to sink (haven't tried many others so don't know if that is a universal thing). Tried a large bridge back up-river from it and that definitely sustained damage.  The same kind of stuff that is always indestructible on maps like dams are still indestructible.  Not found a sub yet.

 

EDIT: found a ballistic missile sub in port and like the ship, it burned but didn't sink

 

Normaly Buildings always come down on all maps is has hit. The Ships and vehicles included on all DCS maps has attrezo, has only decorative and 3D models builds with the TDK and normaly dont have any phisic, destruction models, anymations, etc. Other objects will be "unique" 3d model with propper damage model but has no the same propieties with a object as a vehicles, ships, planes and buildings make with the SDK, with make the propper damage model, physics, animatios, others effects as sinking. Is you like a sub, ship go to sinking, that need put the propper object on the map by the mission editor.

Edited May 5, 2024 by Silver_Dragon

[MBot]

1 hour ago, Silver_Dragon said:

Is you like a sub, ship go to sinking, that need put the propper object on the map by the mission editor

The irony is that none of the sub bases have water deep enough to place any

[TonyRS]

Well… It looks good, though I have yet to decide whether or not to get it yet. I’m sure this will get more use by players than the South Atlantic map, purely because of its location in Europe
I have to admit to being concerned about the size of this map (w.r.t. download times on slow’ish broadband connection)
May I ask, if anyone knows, would future updates to the Kola map be ‘incremental’ OR, if there are updates to the map, will it require another ‘full’ download of the map and patch update time???
Cheers.

[Kiwi_Viper]

i wouldn't think so TonyRS usually only the update, well im hoping it is very big lol glad i got a 4TB drive

[TonyRS]

1 minute ago, Kiwi_Viper said:

i wouldn't think so TonyRS usually only the update, well im hoping it is very big lol glad i got a 4TB drive

Thanks… 
If future updates of Kola will be incremental rather than requiring to download the whole thing again then that is less of a concern for me with my somewhat pathetic broadband connection!

[TonyRS]

I’m considering purchasing Kola.
However, to ensure adequate space for it on my SSD I will wish to uninstall RAZBAM’s South Atlantic map first, to disable that terrain module and remove all its files from my SSD. But I’ve not done this before so would like to check correct steps needed. My understanding is…
1. Disable South Atlantic terrain in DCS module manager. (Which will prompt for a game restart)
2. At some point, go back into DCS module manager and click the ‘dustbin’ next to the South Atlantic module to remove module files from my DCS installation.

Question(s)
1. After disabling the module in module manager do I click the ‘dustbin’, to remove module file, before I restart game or after or does it make no difference??
2. Instead of removing module files by clicking dustbin in module manager after disabling module can I just manually move modules folder to another drive outside my DCS installation folder for possible reinstatement at a later date?

Cheers

[Slippa]

2 hours ago, Qcumber said:

Oh yes. The first thing I did. I obviously had to watch 633 squadron while I was waiting for the map to download! Can we request the 633 squadron theme tune for the Kola map screen instead of default music? 

Only right and proper .

First thing I did was plotted a Spit and a Mossie at Bodo. Took the Spit first for a quick orbit then jumped in the Mossie and headed NE for a longer trip. The Mossie looks like it belongs there. All kinds of potential. We just need our Lanc and some targets. Oh, and flares, target indicators for both please .

I plotted an AI Mossie at Bodo and taxied out behind him. Checking the external view I thought there must’ve been a fix for the suspension. It looked like the tailwheel was rolling along without a bounce, smooth as silk and looking natural. When I got in one I rolled along (bouncing) and heard the cartoon sound of the tailwheel taking damage a few times, so no fix yet.

I expected worse performance on my setup but it’s no worse than any of the other maps. Admittedly there’s little or no traffic to stress the fps. Low through the fjords some of the coastline looked like triangular blocks, where the land meets the sea. Very off-putting being relatively slow in the Mossie but maybe something can be done about it later? (Or get in a jet and tear it up)

It’s big isn’t it . 

[Rudel_chw]

Just now, TonyRS said:

I’m considering purchasing Kola.
However, to ensure adequate space for it on my SSD I will wish to uninstall RAZBAM’s South Atlantic map first, to disable that terrain module and remove all its files from my SSD. But I’ve not done this before so would like to check correct steps needed. My understanding is…
1. Disable South Atlantic terrain in DCS module manager. (Which will prompt for a game restart)
2. At some point, go back into DCS module manager and click the ‘dustbin’ next to the South Atlantic module to remove module files from my DCS installation.

Question(s)
1. After disabling the module in module manager do I click the ‘dustbin’, to remove module file, before I restart game or after or does it make no difference??
2. Instead of removing module files by clicking dustbin in module manager after disabling module can I just manually move modules folder to another drive outside my DCS installation folder for possible reinstatement at a later date?

Cheers

you dont need to disable first, just go straight for the trashcan icon, the sim will delete the files and restart by itself … this of course only with the stand-alone version of dcs, on steam it’s different.

[TonyRS]

15 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

you dont need to disable first, just go straight for the trashcan icon, the sim will delete the files and restart by itself … this of course only with the stand-alone version of dcs, on steam it’s different.

Thank you.
But, if I wanted to keep the terrains installation files… would you agree that…
1. Copy terrains folder from my DCS installation folder to another drive
2 Then, go into module manager and just click the dustbin next to the South Atlantic module?

Sorry for being so obtuse but, just like to check these things first before making a ‘cock up’

Though, given some of the comments that are getting posted here regarding the ‘quality’ of the map, I may well decide to delay purchase till after the map gets its first major update

Edited May 5, 2024 by TonyRS
Addition…

[Northstar98]

3 hours ago, MBot said:

I am very disappointed by the look of the submarine bases near Murmansk. The area should by rocky and barren. The coloring is wrong, even disregarding seasonal differences in the photos. The vegetation is completely off. They got to topography, but it is not looking like the real place at all. Is this supposed to be the fleshed out high-fidelity area?

All screenshots were taken at maximum graphics settings.

Polyarny:

[...]

I'm sorry, but I totally agree - this is very disappointing. It has utterly failed to capture the look of the landscape - if you'd have told me this was the Caucasus map, I would've believed you. And this is supposed to be within the high-detailed area!

For our most recent map, for the price, I'm sorry but this is deal-breakingly bad for me. It's such a shame.

[HeliHell]

Should be refunds for this. They simply do not match up to the screenshots shown before release.

 

Zero comms from the devs also.

 

This is Falklands 2.0 but this time people are actually voicing opinions about receiving a bad product 

[zerO_crash]

3 hours ago, MBot said:

I am very disappointed by the look of the submarine bases near Murmansk. The area should by rocky and barren. The coloring is wrong, even disregarding seasonal differences in the photos. The vegetation is completely off. They got to topography, but it is not looking like the real place at all. Is this supposed to be the fleshed out high-fidelity area?

All screenshots were taken at maximum graphics settings.

Polyarny:

Gadzhiyevo:

Nerpa Shipyard:

"Early Access". The map is far from complete. Those shorelines don't even look like they have been touched yet. Patience.

[Pipe]

36 minutes ago, Northstar98 said:

I'm sorry, but I totally agree - this is very disappointing. It has utterly failed to capture the look of the landscape - if you'd have told me this was the Caucasus map, I would've believed you. And this is supposed to be within the high-detailed area!

For our most recent map, for the price, I'm sorry but this is deal-breakingly bad for me. It's such a shame.

Maybe you should post those pics in the report bugs thread, it will help the dev to make corrections..

[Beirut]

35 minutes ago, HeliHell said:

Should be refunds for this. They simply do not match up to the screenshots shown before release.

 

Zero comms from the devs also.

 

This is Falklands 2.0 but this time people are actually voicing opinions about receiving a bad product 

 

Yes, because no one has ever registered a negative opinion about the South Atlantic Map.  chuckle...

 

For my part, I like the South Atlantic map. And I like this map as well. I'm confident it will see quality updates. But I did get a decent FPS spanking down low in the Harrier at night with the HUD night vision. It looks good though.

[Kappa-131st]

1 hour ago, zerO_crash said:

"Early Access". The map is far from complete. Those shorelines don't even look like they have been touched yet. Patience.

I think this is precisely part of the scam: We give you a map that is very, very far from being finished (and which is very ugly at helicopter height, even in the "HD" regions), and we give you says: Don't worry, the map is not finished, it will evolve.

- Only 1/4 of the map is in "HD"
- No winter textures at the moment, that's planned for later
- The current textures also need to be reworked, particularly at low altitude.

=> What I deduce from this is that the card will require more years of work, that what currently exists does not even represent a beta, we are closer to an alpha... It is released " too early". If the map was at least 70% complete, and the textures in the HD areas were correct, I would be confident, but here, I sense the map coming which will be patched 2 or 3 times before becoming abandonware. I feel that the map will never be satisfactory for any aircraft operating below 10,000 feet. When we look at the quality of recent maps like Syria, Sinai or Normandy2, we are clearly a notch below.

The fact that the map is in early access cannot be an excuse for the state of the current map. They could have waited another 6 months for the release and it would have been much more worked than that (even if there was always work to come afterwards).

 

This map was released " too early"

[Razorback]

The map is currently not usable for helo flights…

Afghanistan will be released step by step and linked to the high-detailed level of development.

Kola was to early released (why not the same option as AFG map ?) and has resulted of a lot of frustration amongt the community!!

I really hope to see a lot of improvements, especially on the ground texture level in the next updates…

[zerO_crash]

Flying helo without issues. What exactly isn't working?

[Beirut]

10 minutes ago, Kappa-131st said:

I think this is precisely part of the scam: We give you a map that is very, very far from being finished . . . 

 

Is anything in DCS actually finished? 

 

10 minutes ago, Kappa-131st said:

(and which is very ugly at helicopter height, even in the "HD" regions), . . . 

The fact that the map is in early access cannot be an excuse for the state of the current map.

 

A lot of people don't mind being part of the growing process, so to speak. I have no problem getting a module early. The big thing is whether the limitations of the product were known at release. I'd say a good chunk were. Also, and this might be really pushing it, but in all truth it takes 24 hours after release - if anyone can wait that long to purchase - to know the full scope of the product. Within just a few hours there were at least a half dozen reviews out. 

 

Early access and the limitations involved in the product are very very very well known in DCS. If the buyer has any doubt whatsoever, all it takes is to wait a few hours after release for some good reviews to be posted. But if you're like me and 10,000 others, you bought it the moment it was available and you accept and enjoy what you get. 

[Kafka]

Well I'm liking it.

Just took the Harrier up the river from Kemi, beat up Rovaniemi, landed on the road strip at BAS100, low level, 400kts, QTR and back to Kemi at FL100 in time for tea.

There's a little HAS at Kemi you can taxi into!

I don't know what other people's expectations are, but when I'm skimming the water at 400kts, I'm not examining the trees or looking for pebbles on the beach, I looking for wires - and they are there!

I expect winter textures quite quickly and other improvements as they have said are coming in due course.

Time to explore furher afield and then put some targets down.

I've found a new home map!

Edited May 5, 2024 by Kafka

[bfr]

 

Yeah, I found Polyarny on the next flight I did.

16 hours ago, zerO_crash said:

Check Polyarny and Gadzhievo. You'll find Delta 4s at the piers and in dry docks (maintenance). You'll also find Akulas. I barely skimmed that area, but there is a lot there.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2024 by bfr

[Raisuli]

49 minutes ago, bfr said:

 

Yeah, I found Polyarny on the next flight I did.

When they recycled CVN-70 they used that fiberglass deck to make submarines.  I've seen a lot of submarines.  I've seen a Delta III at less than 100 meters running on the surface out of Petropovlovsk.  I can still smell the amine and morpholine and hydraulic oil and those guys who think "90 days endurance' means you wait that long to take your next shower...

Those look like cartoons, but I like them anyway!  Lots of exploring to do.  Always wanted to play around in a soviet-designed sub, and Malakhit does make them pretty!

[Razorback]

2 hours ago, zerO_crash said:

Flying helo without issues. What exactly isn't working?

It’not a « working » issue, it’s just linked on the used soil texture (orthophoto) who is not running well with the current DCS graphic model.

It was already the case with the SA map and Kola just confirm this issue. Low level flights are nice above cities (who are well modeled) but above open fields it’s just horrific (caucasus redone + Bartek mod give a much more pleasant result).

[Qcumber]

5 hours ago, Slippa said:

Low through the fjords some of the coastline looked like triangular blocks, where the land meets the sea.

Yes. I think this is partly the whole DCS issue of poor water-land transition. Also partly due to low texture Res. Hopefully this will improve with more development from DCS and Orbx. 

[zerO_crash]

7 hours ago, Razorback said:

It’not a « working » issue, it’s just linked on the used soil texture (orthophoto) who is not running well with the current DCS graphic model.

It was already the case with the SA map and Kola just confirm this issue. Low level flights are nice above cities (who are well modeled) but above open fields it’s just horrific (caucasus redone + Bartek mod give a much more pleasant result).

That is definitely flyable. As to the textures, they are mixed. Some are better, others are worse. I have noticed a problem with texture load-in, which might be what is causing the sometimes "rough" templates. Still, it doesn't happen often. I made photos earlier in this thread, where you can see "rough" textures on the coast of Bodø airport. When the textures load in, they are some of the better that you see in DCS.

 

Actually, people tend to forget that bright colors (i.e. green), are worse at "hiding" imperfection, than darker, such as those on the desert maps. If you'd fly close to the ground on those maps, make a picture and study it, you'd notice the same. 
 

Just look at how well the buildings look, when textures load in! Fantastic, high-poly models. Again, there is something causing textures to not load high-definition versions at times. Noticed it once today.