Have a high-fidelity two seat trainer part of the core "free" game

[Cheezemad]

Hi There,

I think we've all had the friends that were interested in dipping in to DCS but quickly became overwhelmed with all of the options available and prices of individual modules.  If there were a two seat trainer option that was part of the core game, those of use more experienced players could use this to teach basic flight to advance concepts which then becomes the stepping stone to the more advanced modules.  For those of us who've flown the multi-crew airplanes you know what a blast this is.  It would also be a great tool for existing groups as part of their recruiting/onboarding process and help grow the community as a whole.

-Cheeze

[SharpeXB]

Full Fidelity modules are too expensive to develop and then give away for free. Besides since there is a free trial available for any aircraft in DCS there’s no need for any more free modules.  

[MiG21bisFishbedL]

There's no real need for a trainer outside of light attack stuff. If you lawndart, then you restart.

[Exorcet]

1 hour ago, MiG21bisFishbedL said:

There's no real need for a trainer outside of light attack stuff. If you lawndart, then you restart.

I think the idea is more centered on a free to play multiseater, which could be a nice addition to DCS.

Though we have the free trial, so you can already coordinate with someone to multiseat for free. The new verification needed is annoying though.

[Snappy]

1 hour ago, MiG21bisFishbedL said:

There's no real need for a trainer outside of light attack stuff. If you lawndart, then you restart.

I second this. Trainers make no real sense in DCS or you have specific interest in that aircraft.

Unless you want to LARP a military pilot training programme .

Otherwise you can just skip to the aircraft you aim to fly afterwards.

The added complexity is probably offset by the additional work of having to relearn a lot of things  if you transfer from a trainer aircraft.

The Mirage F1 BE being the only exception. 

 

5 minutes ago, Exorcet said:

I think the idea is more centered on a free to play multiseater, which could be a nice addition to DCS.

Though we have the free trial, so you can already coordinate with someone to multiseat for free. The new verification needed is annoying though.

Hm ok, but that’s not what OP wrote.He specifically talks about trainer aircraft and teaching.

Edited January 12, 2024 by Snappy

[cfrag]

12 hours ago, Cheezemad said:

If there were a two seat trainer option that was part of the core game, those of use more experienced players could use this to teach basic flight to advance concepts which then becomes the stepping stone to the more advanced modules.

While this seems logical at first, the facts seem otherwise. Let's for a moment disregard the lamentable fact that multiplayer is a <10% minority, meaning that a two-seater speaks to that small sliver of player population.

The more important point is that, as people have pointed out, real-world trainers exist only save lives and cost. You don't want to lose precious, expensive hardware, nor those hapless saps that auger the nice plane into a farm plot. This risk does not exist in DCS, and players can happily jump into a Hog, Bug or Eagle without first having 1000+ hours of stick time.

Moreover, most people do not want to sit in a trainer when they are playing. Pros get paid to do so - it's their job. In DCS we invest our free time, and we want fun as reward to our investment. Flying a timid C101, Albatros or MB doesn't count when you can strap on a Hornet and make things go boom. I have spent many hours in the C101 - alone, and only because I love these trainers and I love practicing procedures in them. But I'm a lifelong aviation enthusiast, unlike many others. A friend of mine took to the skies with me in it (C101), and decided they would rather fly the eagle and tough it out. Now, maybe my charming character is to blame for that, but in all I have the impression that in DCS, trainer aircraft are enthusiast-only aircraft. Neophytes discard them as uninteresting, they want the iconic planes. And they want them NOW, not after boring practice that wastes their precious quality time!

Now, instead of trainer aircraft, I'm begging for an (IMHO) much better training option: a "two-player single-seat cockpit" : the ability for another player to jump into a players cockpit, see what the first player sees, and they can point to things without taking command - i.e. we help the pilot find their way around the controls, tell them what to look for, and even run them through procedures. Ideally, the second player could also get control of that plane to set it up or demonstrate how it's done - but that would be the icing on the cake (and I'm assuming both players own the aircraft module, of course). That way, a player can learn the "big, bad" plane they want to fly, and we can have instructors helping neophytes quickly find their way around a cockpit. No trainers needed for that.

Edited January 12, 2024 by cfrag

[MAXsenna]

Hi There,
I think we've all had the friends that were interested in dipping in to DCS but quickly became overwhelmed with all of the options available and prices of individual modules.  If there were a two seat trainer option that was part of the core game, those of use more experienced players could use this to teach basic flight to advance concepts which then becomes the stepping stone to the more advanced modules.  For those of us who've flown the multi-crew airplanes you know what a blast this is.  It would also be a great tool for existing groups as part of their recruiting/onboarding process and help grow the community as a whole.
-Cheeze

Who's gonna fund it? And why? The T-45 community modules is still free.
Cheers!

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[upyr1]

22 hours ago, MAXsenna said:

Who's gonna fund it? And why? The T-45 community modules is still free.
Cheers!

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk
 

This is part of the reason I would love to see ED improve the user file section and have an official mod-manager.

[MAXsenna]

This is part of the reason I would love to see ED improve the user file section and have an official mod-manager.

Yup! I'm with you there, . I take for granted that the coming launcher will support this down the line.

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