Opinions Requested - Which DCS Gen One Or Two Fighter Is The Most Fun To Fly In VR

[Buzz313th]

As the title states...

 

I own FC3, A10C, A10C2, F18 and F16...  Right now, my favorite module to fly in the sim is the F15C, with the A10C2 being my favorite to "Operate".  I just got the 16 and the 18 and have not fully learned the avionics or systems, but I have put hours into them stick and rudder.  The 16 is fun to fly, but too easy as it's just "Point And Shoot" flying..  Feels too much "On the rails" for me really to get a "Flying feel".  The 18 is nice, but feels like I am dragging something all the time, not slippery enough.  

 

So I am looking to trial a Gen 1 or Gen 2 DCS Fighter Module that from a stick and rudder point of view is a blast to fly.  Something where I can throw on some music and jam.   I thought about picking up the Christian Eagle, but I think it might be a bad idea considering I have a ton of real time in S2B's and I'm afraid I might be too critical on the Flight model..   So looking for something "New" to "Sim" in VR that is "Vintage".   By the way, is departed flight modeled in any of the DCS modules?

 

Cheers and thanks

 

Beezee

[Rodeo]

I love the F-86 Saber in VR. I fly and love the A10CII for so many reasons but loading up the Saber in VR is like stepping into a classic sports car. Relatively simple and FAST; I’m not sure how else to describe it. When I need just a nice break from the complexity of life in general the F-86 just seems to take me back to a “simpler” time. I am hoping the F4E will be similar. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Rodeo

[Buzz313th]

1 hour ago, Rodeo said:

I love the F-86 Saber in VR. I fly and love the A10CII for so many reasons but loading up the Saber in VR is like stepping into a classic sports car. Relatively simple and FAST; I’m not sure how else to describe it. When I need just a nice break from the complexity of life in general the F-86 just seems to take me back to a “simpler” time. I am hoping the F4E will be similar. 

 

Thanks for the reply.   Is the 86 the only Gen 1 or 2 DCS Jet you have?  If not, why the 86 over the others?     

[Dragon1-1]

I'd say the MiG-19 is probably the most fun. It's not quite done to the modern standard, but it's seriously nimble, systems are fairly straightforward and it's also quite gentle to fly. It's got a fairly punch armament of two 30mm guns and a pair of R-3S. Guns are a little tricky to hit with, but they pack a wallop. It's not 

The Sabrejet isn't bad either, but I found the engine a bit underpowered, and the cockpit looks very rough. I don't have a MiG-15 yet, mostly because there's no real singleplayer content for it.

[Rodeo]

8 hours ago, Buzz313th said:

Thanks for the reply.   Is the 86 the only Gen 1 or 2 DCS Jet you have?  If not, why the 86 over the others?     

I have P51, Spitfire and Mosquito although I am not very proficient in either one of those. I love WWII history and when beginning DCS was excited to get into Gen 1 aircraft but learning the A10CII has overtaken my time.  
 

From a “fun in VR” standpoint the F86 is my favorite; I have no Soviet era aircraft to compare to. 
 

Cheers

[Buzz313th]

4 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

I'd say the MiG-19 is probably the most fun. It's not quite done to the modern standard, but it's seriously nimble, systems are fairly straightforward and it's also quite gentle to fly. It's got a fairly punch armament of two 30mm guns and a pair of R-3S. Guns are a little tricky to hit with, but they pack a wallop. It's not 

The Sabrejet isn't bad either, but I found the engine a bit underpowered, and the cockpit looks very rough. I don't have a MiG-15 yet, mostly because there's no real singleplayer content for it.

By "Modern Standards", are you referring to the development methods of the module, or the representation of the tech of the jets avionics?

IRL the 86 is quoted as being underpowered.

 

My choices are now between the 86 and the 19.

57 minutes ago, Rodeo said:

but learning the A10CII has overtaken my time.  
 

Cheers

Indeed...  The A10C2 is well done.  I am enjoying it.

 

Cheers.

[Dragon1-1]

2 hours ago, Buzz313th said:

By "Modern Standards", are you referring to the development methods of the module, or the representation of the tech of the jets avionics?

The former. There are some compromises made with cockpit logic, not everything works the way it should. It's not anything very noticeable unless incorrect lamp test logic bothers you, but these days devs pay more attention to such small details. I'm sure it could be fixed if RAZBAM went back and looked at it.

[Art-J]

MiG-19 seems to be the least developed and polished RAZBAM module, with still a few bugs, avionics system errors and simplifications. Not maintained much either, with most resources directed to more profitable products in their portfolio like F-15E.

F-86 is programmed better, but it is a 9 years old module, barely supported too (once a patch breaks something, it stays broken literally for years) and shows its age a little.

Pick your poison  .

I've free-trialed the former but got underwhelmed already at the beginning by devs' shoddy approach to controls assignments (single functions being named differently in manual vs on tooltips vs in control options page - good luck figuring out what the function you're trying to bind is actually called in controls table, or if it's HOTAS-bindable at all, or only mouse-clickable). Take a look at the plane's forum section (bugs especially) to see what people's opinion about this plane is. After trial ended I decided not to buy it just yet. I'd like to get it some day but not in such a rough state. Will see If RAZBAM decides to go back to it and refresh it.

I do own the latter airplane. Despite its age It's still quite fun to fly just for the sake of flying, but both fighters suffer from the same major issue - lack of period correct maps and small number of period-correct enemy assets. Although that's more of an SP problem. MP guys seem to use them on specific servers quite a bit.

[Buzz313th]

8 hours ago, Art-J said:

I do own the latter airplane. Despite its age It's still quite fun to fly just for the sake of flying, but both fighters suffer from the same major issue - lack of period correct maps and small number of period-correct enemy assets. Although that's more of an SP problem. MP guys seem to use them on specific servers quite a bit.

So yeah, I just left a guns only arena in a MP server where I was teamed up with a player in an 86.  He was mixing it up pretty good with all the Gen 4 fighters, I was pretty impressed.  

Leaning towards the 86 at this point, although I am not going to start my trial until I at least learn the systems of one of the two last modules that I recently purchased which was the 16 and 18.  

Still open to hearing others comments or opinions on their favorite Gen one or two DCS jets.

 

Cheers

8 hours ago, Art-J said:

Take a look at the plane's forum section (bugs especially) to see what people's opinion about this plane is.

By the way..  That's good advice..  

 

Cheers

[Zius]

Of the simple jets I prefer the MiG-15 over all others. Keep the energy up (which is not really simple but also not really difficult) and it's a fantastic aircraft. Shooting it's incredibly powerful but low velocity cannons is an experience in itself: it's not easy to hit something, but even bombers will disintegrate after a few hits.

Although for sight seeing / general aviation, and light air-to-ground work, I prefer the Albatros over anything. It's only downside is that it's slow, and to me, it's weapons controls are a bit counter-intuitive.

[Cab]

I'd also recommend the MiG-19. It's my first choice when I fly Early Cold War Red-air.

[diego999]

Can I suggest the Skyhawk mod? It looks amazing in VR, it's free and it has some vibe I don't find in any other module, even paid ones.

[Mr_sukebe]

Mig21?  I believe that’s considered as gen2.  It’s very characterful, with its desire to kill its pilot and is a real handful to learn.

[Buzz313th]

Thank you everyone for the replies and the feedback.  Currently the 86 the 19 and the 21 are in my "Hat" for potential trial.  Although, is the 21 really Gen 2?

[Mr_sukebe]

21 minutes ago, Buzz313th said:

Thank you everyone for the replies and the feedback.  Currently the 86 the 19 and the 21 are in my "Hat" for potential trial.  Although, is the 21 really Gen 2?

I’m not really sure if our Mig21 is considered Gen 2 or 3.

I was reading the definitions of jet generations yesterday, and that talked about Gen3 aircraft being multirole.  If that definition is considered appropriate, then IMO the 21 better fits Gen 2, as it was I believe designed in the 50s as an interceptor, with some ground attack capability added later.

 

[diego999]

Thing is the MiG-21 doesn't look very good in VR. It's an older module and its age is showing.

Aside from that, it's fun to fly and it has an unique and particular character.

[Rodeo]

7 hours ago, diego999 said:

Can I suggest the Skyhawk mod? It looks amazing in VR, it's free and it has some vibe I don't find in any other module, even paid ones.

I agree the A-4 is awesome but is it a 3rd Gen? I don’t know.
 

@Buzz313th you should download it anyways because it’s free.. also I would suggest OV-10 Bronco cause one it’s free and two super fun to fly in VR. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Rodeo

[Dragon1-1]

5 hours ago, Mr_sukebe said:

I’m not really sure if our Mig21 is considered Gen 2 or 3.

I was reading the definitions of jet generations yesterday, and that talked about Gen3 aircraft being multirole.  If that definition is considered appropriate, then IMO the 21 better fits Gen 2, as it was I believe designed in the 50s as an interceptor, with some ground attack capability added later.

The Bis that we have is a solid 3rd gen. The early MiG-21F-13, was a 2nd gen due to its avionics being only a little more advanced than the MiG-19. Multirole capability is not a requirement for any generation, Soviets tended towards more specialized designs, but there's plenty of dedicated 3rd gen interceptors in the West.

[Buzz313th]

7 minutes ago, Rodeo said:

I agree the A-4 is awesome but is it a 3rd Gen? I don’t know.
 

@Buzz313th you should download it anyways because it’s free.. also I would suggest OV-10 Bronco cause one it’s free and two super fun to fly in VR. 

 

Adding all of these recommendations to my list, but unfortunately I can only pick one as the next module or mod, as it takes me about 14 days to learn the module and give it a fair shake.  

Thank you.

I am kinda behind at this point, as I have half of the 16 and all of the 18 to learn, this while I enjoy playing the A10C2 in an ongoing campaign.  

 

Cheers, you all are solid, with solid suggestions.  Keep em coming.