Review / opinions/ pictures / discussion

[BIGNEWY]

13 minutes ago, richskinns said:

Wow.  Very nice 

Spent 1 hour flying over Bagdad in the Kiowa tonight 

Detail in buildings and scenes and variety of structures is nothing short of spectacular 

still needs a good deal optimisation from a performance perspective but very impressive even on first launch.  This is going to be one of EDs best maps in time 

gkad I bought it 

 

 

my humble opinion 

thank you for the feedback appreciate it. More work to come during early access. 

 

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

From up high the map looks incredible! Down low it depends, but it's WiP so that's fine: certain areas could use more clutter to hide the low resolution terrain textures.
Performance seems to be pretty good so far, but I ran into 1 area where the performance tanked: in the F-16 runway start IA mission, around SP1 close to the Iranian border, there is a certain type of bush there that seems to need optimisation. When flying close to the ground in that area, my framerate dropped by 50% and the in-game frame graph showed "CPU bound main thread" (red). Climbing to higher altitude restored the framerate.

[Canada_Moose]

1 hour ago, N0XID said:

Hm i spend since 2021 around 1200€... So, i can pay all the stuff. That´s not the problem. But i can see a lot more who are no longer prepared to pay these prices. Because there are more and more people who do without it and opinions are growing that the prices are too high. And the willingness to buy new cards would be higher if the prices were halved.

Take a look online and see how many players are on Afghanistan? Or Kola? Or SA....

This has always been the way with simulators. I have spent $1000's on FSX, Flightsim, P3D, DCS addons etc. If people dont want to pay for addon scenery, thats fine. The base sim is free and comes with some free scenery.

Addon scenery costs money to make. Satellite data, mesh data etc is not cheap, especially for commercial use.

[n0pe]

I purchased Afghanistan and at first I thought it was average but after setting up a few missions on there with various aircraft I actually enjoy it. 

I thought Kola was going to be the best map ever...I was a bit disappointed and still am. 

But Iraq, although a lot of it is quite flat, is absolutely stunning. If every part of that map was modelled (Kuwait, Iran, East Syria etc etc etc) I wouldn't see any reason for any other maps to exist. We now have a playground full of history and recent stories where a majority of the released aircraft have been used in action. Countless sorties to re-enact etc etc. 

Well worth the money for me, I can see this map being the new king. Well done ED team, you don't get enough credit with this moany community. 

1 hour ago, BIGNEWY said:

We have two free maps with a third on the way. 

Please dont derail this thread with pricing discussion, keep it for Iraq feedback. 

Thank you 

Just tell us its Fulda and we will be quiet

[N0XID]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb BIGNEWY:

We have two free maps with a third on the way. 

Please dont derail this thread with pricing discussion, keep it for Iraq feedback. 

Thank you 

Yes, it´s Marianas in WW2 setting

[Stratos]

I bought the map, lots of potentials, but why no airfields in Iran? Iraq and Iran fought a 8 years war, biggest conventional war since WW2, the map really misses some airports there!!

[Boelcke]

After purchasing the Afghanistan map i was a little bit annoyed and wasn´t sure if to buy the Irak map, but after looking some vids on youtube i bought it.

Flew around for an hour on the map and i have to say it´s realy good looking, especialy the mountains on the north-east region of the map are realy beautifull. Ok, there is still some more work on it to do, it´s wip, but as said i like it so far. One or two airfields in Iran would be a good addition to this map and perhaps another in Syria.

And of course the southern part of the map for Desert Storm operations ...

[Boosterdog]

Credit where credit is due. For EA and even without, the map is well conceived. I am most definately NOT a fan of photo imagery but, in this case, its all too apparent negative effects are mitigated quite well. Room for improvement for sure (to many flat bunds are apparent for instance) but not so much I makes me curse under my breath as other recent maps do. Bush pop also seems to have been carefully considered and seems much less of an issue in Iraq from the few hours Ive spent on it. 

Mountain topography is a highlight for me as. I think its mentioned above that its better than other maps due to tech moving on but Id disagree given tech doesnt move on so quicky that maps released 6 months ago wouldnt have also benefitted if the will to do it had been there. Clearly whoever is in charge of Iraq made better initial descisions than those in charge of Afghanistan and Kola in this regard. If anything though, it highlights the fact that it can be done and perhaps leaves those other maps with a little less room for excuses. 

As pointed out in the "Read this First" post, Im also pleased to see some consideration for Helo customers this time around. Sure much of the naffness of the photo terrain is obsucred by clutter but, at the heights I use helos at, thats fine by me. The places where that falls down slightly are the aforementioned bunds but again one has to be be looking to be affected to the point of distraction. 

I wont go as far as some in declaring this the best map. Syria still holds that crown for me and whilst its had several years of development it should be recognised that development it has had. Time will tell if Iraq matures out to be something more that an empty map with life only around airfields. My view is it would be a shame not exploit its potential, especially given this good a start but, dev costs money so Im holding no breath. 

 

[IMGX]

He volado hoy en helicóptero y a baja altura también, sobre Iraq con Msfs 2024 en ultra, también he volado el Iraq de DCS, sólo puedo decir una cosa: Gran trabajo ED, es un mapa muy bueno, me ha sorprendido!! Y tiene un nivel superior al simulador civil msfs.

Al ver este mapa nuevo, espero una gran mejora en Afganistán, hay buenas expectativas.

Pagaría por una campaña dinámica para este mapa o un pase de batalla con misiones, es lo que se necesita con más urgencia en este simulador. Saludos 

Edited December 12, 2024 by IMGX

[Yeti_JTF111]

Agree with Stratos, it really needs some more fields in western Iran. Considering most the aircraft from the Iran-Iraq war are in game this seems like a missed opportunity.

That being said, thanks ED for listening to feedback and planning to include Qatar, Saudi and Kuwaiti fields. Now if we can get some in western Iran this becomes a must buy.

Thanks for considering.

 

Edited December 12, 2024 by Yeti_JTF111

[TokenJester]

First impressions, it's good LOW down and pretty gorgeous from altitude.

First thing I did was fly out of Q West in the KW, nothing placed on the map and just stooging along in Scout Brain mode spotted a collection of random cars parked together in the boonies. instantly pulled round to check them out. If an "empty" (as in no resources placed by me) can spark that kind of response, I'm sold.

Second thing I did was fly round Baghdad and take the KW under the swords.. If I'm honest, I think it's the law..

Liking it so far

[cfrag]

8 hours ago, BIGNEWY said:

but steam dont work quickly. 

Coming from ED, that’s almost cosmically ironic.

 

Well, I did purchase for 70, so I’m interested to hear if us early customers get the difference refunded.

Edited December 12, 2024 by cfrag

[YoYo]

We have a new insurgent on the trailer - so there will be some new assets. Actually, this is the second time, this guy was previously seen in a movie for Afghanistan. It would be good if he finally came out of this shelter ;).

[Blackbahia]

Are there really no airfields planned in Iran?

The Iran-Iraq war was "THE" conflict in this region in the 1980s.

Without Iran airfields, it becomes pretty pointless to create such missions.

[CRUD]

Meant to say also that Balad looked like I remember it.  I could find the transit camp and the apron we took off from pretty easy.  One of the first things I did on this map was recreate the convoy I used to run from Mosul to Dahuk and back.

[sirrah]

39 minutes ago, YoYo said:

We have a new insurgent on the trailer - so there will be some new assets. Actually, this is the second time, this guy was previously seen in a movie for Afghanistan. It would be good if he finally came out of this shelter ;).

I was also wondering about this armed dude.

Anything you can share about this @BIGNEWY?

(Or are we chasing ghosts here and is this just some mod that was used to "eye-candy" the release video?)

[markturner1960]

Just watched Spuds review and fly around and have to say, am pretty impressed……I had held off buying on the initial announcement after my disappointment with Afghanistan, but happy to get my wallet out for this now….. 

[Tango3B]

So, after a day of intensive testing after work, I would like to give a brief contribution to the evaluation of the DCS Iraq map. Appropriately, I am currently in Arbil on official business with the German Air Force, which is also part of the map that has just been released. In short, the city with its centralized ring layout is beautifully implemented in DCS, I can actually confirm that here and now. ;-D To be more precise, the entire map is actually a statement that speaks for DCS and its future development. Take a look at Lake Thartar. Simply brilliant. The map shows a new technology that is unparalleled. You have depressions, you have ravines and mountain valleys... plus slight elevations and depressions in the terrain. Plus the sensational, new fog system, which creates a simply beautifully implemented atmosphere even in the AUTO setting. Everything is there. And everything is implemented in a way that has never been seen before. I have never seen anything like it outside of military simulators. And the performance is still absolutely top class. My computer will be 4 years old next year. Time to upgrade, sure, I know. Nevertheless, DCS in the current version, but especially Iraq, runs beautifully smoothly on my computer. Please just look at the region between Iran, Suleimaniyah, Kirkuk, Arbil, Bashuhr and Mosul. It simply cannot be better. That's a 10/10. Sure, the map still has a way to go, I don't want to fool anyone there. But it is already a definite recommendation. Clear points of criticism here are night lighting, the road network and transitions in the landscape. The water color of rivers cannot stay the same either. The water color needs to be programmed to be more of a green-brown color. But what can I say... videos say more than words. So please just watch the performance yourself in my video, I have prepared a somewhat longer video for you that should actually cover all questions about performance. My specs are pretty much rubbish these days...the computer is an I9-10900 with 32 GB, plus an RTX 3060 and luckily an extremely fast Samsung NVMe with 4TB. The performance is really good though. But please take a look yourself...here is the link (it's currently uploading, so Full HD might be available a little bit later. Thx for your patience. ;-D) :

https://youtu.be/Xyo7mCy44sc

 

**Edit: In the video I fly the Mirage 2000C. ED, if I had one request and one Christmas wish for you, then please ensure that this module is never restricted in its range of functions, but remains exactly as it is now. Please take care of this, no matter how the situation with Razbam develops. Thank you.**

[Beirut]

Just got it, installed it, and had a nice long flight. First impressions matter and my first impression, within about ten-seconds, was I like it.

 

The terrain looks great and the map has a nice feel to it. Some small parts of the terrain look meh!, some larger parts look good, and a lot of the map looks very good. Up in the mountains is first rate. Really well done. The "3D terrain" with small elevations on some of the flat parts looks terrific. I'm guessing the south part of the map, when it arrives, will be gorgeous!

 

The Afghan map leaves me cold, but this Iraq map is solid! Still have to do a night flight and check out the effects, but I really like this map. 

[freehand]

1 minute ago, Beirut said:

Just got it, installed it, and had a nice long flight. First impressions matter and my first impression, within about ten-seconds, was I like it.

 

The terrain looks great and the map has a nice feel to it. Some small parts of the terrain look meh!, some larger parts look good, and a lot of the map looks very good. Up in the mountains is first rate. Really well done. The "3D terrain" with small elevations on some of the flat parts looks terrific. I'm guessing the south part of the map, when it arrives, will be gorgeous!

 

The Afghan map leaves me cold, but this Iraq map is solid! Still have to do a night flight and check out the effects, but I really like this map. 

Out interest & off topic what is your fav map ?

[Beirut]

6 minutes ago, freehand said:

Out interest & off topic what is your fav map ?

 

That's a tough one. Maybe Kola for the moment. Love the look and feel of it. The SA, NTTR, and PG are favourites as well. I just find them enjoyable maps to fly on. 

 

Do you have a few favourites?

[Beirut]

I'll have to play with it a bit more, but I found the night lighting in Baghdad to be... uneventful and weakly lit. Then again, depending on the date, maybe you didn't want your lights on. 

 

Baghdad Int. is a kinda bleah! and really melds into the background, but it looks like that in real life, so I guess that's that. Personal preference, but, day or night, I like the larger airfields to have more of a "Look at me! I'm an airport!" aspect to them. But that's just me.

 

Looking forward taking a Chinook through the hills. That should be good fun. 

[Blackhawk163]

As one of your biggest detractors in the Afghanistan map, who knew within a brief free flight mission that I didn't like it, I want to say good jobs folks  Took the 16 in the free flight mission in VR stayed down low at about 500ft and 562 knots to Al Asad, and OXRTK reported only two instances where it could not maintain the target FPS. Tiniest amount of stutter here and there but otherwise it was pleasant. 

 

                         

[cfrag]

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

I would like to give a brief contribution to the evaluation of the DCS Iraq map.

I understand that you are trying to talk up your video review on YT -- and I think that this forum is perhaps the wrong place to do so. In the interest of bettering everything DCS, please allow me some comments as to why I think that your writings come across as a bit low-effort:

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

Take a look at Lake Thartar. Simply brilliant.

Because.... ? You say so?

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

The map shows a new technology that is unparalleled. You have depressions, you have ravines and mountain valleys... plus slight elevations and depressions in the terrain.

IMHO, that is pretty much what everyone expects from a surface mesh, and hardly new. What is the new, unparalleled tech that you speak of and how is that evidenced?

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

Everything is there.

Except what is not. Which is a lot. I recommend that you avoid empty expressions.

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

And everything is implemented in a way that has never been seen before.

What does that mean? More importantly: above doesn't say if that is good or bad. My godson has cooked some food in ways that I have never seen before. It was also exceedingly awful.

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

My computer will be 4 years old next year.

So it's 3 years old.

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

It simply cannot be better.

I think it a bit ironic that you should say that, considering that four words later you write 

8 hours ago, Tango3B said:

Sure, the map still has a way to go, I don't want to fool anyone there.

and on, and on. Too many empty, IMHO meaningless, phrases, which makes me believe that the only reason that you posted here was to push your YT channel: 

9 hours ago, Tango3B said:

But what can I say... videos say more than words.

I recommend that you realize that you also put your best foot forward in the description of your video. I am sure that your written contribution does not represent your full abilities, that you can do a lot better.

I also think that you like the map, and I think that it is good that you post that opinion.

For the record, I have purchased the map (for the full 70 USD on Steam), so you do not have to convince me.

[Lace]

After Afghanistan I decided I would give Iraq a miss.  However, after the positive comments here I unsurprisingly relented and installed it last night.  I was not disappointed.  Way better than Afghanistan at launch, and non of the harsh texture changes and odd placement of objects and textures.  It seems pretty good at altitude and down low, and the mountains to the north on the Turkish/Iranian border are really well done.  Personally I'm more interested in the southern part for Desert Storm/OP Granby missions, but if it is as well done as the first half I'll be very happy.  Performance is decent, though I do get some stuttering over Baghdad, I might have to dial the settings down a little, but I can live with that.  Hopefully there will be some optimisation to come, as I have generally found that new maps have this issue, and improve over time.