DCS Campaigns Update | Marianas WWII Preparation | DCS Dogfighters

[Graphics]

 

6 June 2025

Dear Fighter Pilots, Partners and Friends,

This week’s patch went out on Tuesday, the 3rd of June, and brought a campaign-focused refresh that trims load times, polishes radio work, and injects new AI behaviour across some of our community’s favourite storylines. From Combat King’s completely re-sculpted A-10C II Operation Agile Spear to Reflected’s Jester-enhanced Phantom sorties, this update is all about sharper immersion and smoother play. Please update and download the 2.9.16.10973.1 build.

Marianas 1944 and the smell of the Pacific blue is on the horizon! After months of meticulous island-hopping, our World-War-II rendition of the Mariana Islands has reached release-candidate status. 1944 Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and their sister islands now bristle with crushed-coral runways, Quonset camps, and shipwreck-strewn lagoons, ready for your Corsairs! We are progressing steadily and looking forward to releasing this free module very soon.

For evenings filled with the hiss of afterburners and a canopy filled with contrails, check out the DCS Dogfighters Discord! They are the hosts of the BFM 1v1 cup by VIRPIL Controls and offer 1v1 and 2v2 servers for you to enjoy and sharpen your skills. Join up.

Thank you for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely, 

Eagle Dynamics

 

DCS Campaigns

Development Progress

A-10C II Operation Agile Spear receives a full campaign diet: compressed voice-overs, lighter briefing art, and wholesale replacement of legacy AI flights cut mission load-times dramatically. Three sorties: 03, 05, 08 are brand-new builds with revised strike packages, smarter enemies, and reworked scoring, while every mission gains fresh chatter and cleaner radio logic. Watch out for the surprise on Mission 15’s short final.

UH-1H Peacekeeper Lebanon fixes its opening ferry flight by restoring the correct Almirante Lynch NDB, ensuring a smooth coastal hop.

F/A-18C Inherent Resolve patches Mission 1’s stuck debrief, adds a TGP and extra ordnance, and fine-tunes Delta Flight re-joins; Mission 3 is now a hot-start armed-recce with optional Hard/Immortal modes, refreshed target sets and working audio cues.

In the most recent update, you can also find that Reflected Simulations’ Tomcat and Phantom sagas have received quality-of-life passes. Fear the Bones and Speed & Angels now compute carrier wind-over-deck precisely, adopt Tomcatter 87’s new S-3 skins, and boost radio-signal strength. Both MiG Killers and Red Flag 81-2 integrate the latest Jester logic for snappier calls and smarter bars.

 

Marianas WWII

Development Progress

Over the past quarter, we finalized the core terrain mesh, completed eleven wartime airfields based on survey data, and replaced modern infrastructure with heritage structures, including barracks, cane presses, and Shinto shrines. Vegetation density was recalibrated to 1940s agricultural patterns, and new shader compiling has shaved nearly 20% off GPU load in over-island dogfights. The free Marianas 1944 map is now feature-complete and internal testing is nearing completion.

Currently, our artists are fine-tuning areas such as Ushi Point on Tinian and the Orote Peninsula based on 1944 field recordings, images, and footage. We are also working on mission content. 

Looking ahead, our next milestone is to lock the build and provide a release candidate to our internal and Closed Beta testers. We will then conduct large-scale multiplayer stress tests and deliver the map into Early Access. Stay tuned!

 

DCS Dogfighters

Community Shoutout

Founded by competitive pilots who wanted a friendly place to sharpen their skills, the server now hosts 1-v-1 and 2-v-2 BFM meet-ups, rotating brackets, coaching clinics, and real-time tactics chalk-talks led by former military aviators and top-ranked PvP aces. Dedicated training servers run 24/7 on Caucasus, Sinai, and Cold War Germany, with quick-rearm scripts and automatic scoring so you can dive straight back into the fight.

Drop by for your first rate-fight in an F/A-18C or perfecting high-yo-yo timing in the F-4E, you’ll find mentors, rivals, and wingmen eager to help you push your envelope. There’s even a monthly Ace of Aces ladder where bragging rights and occasional module giveaways are on the line. Join the DCS Dogfighter Discord furball.

 

 Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

[ThorBrasil]

The map is beautiful! Thank you!

 

[schurem]

oh my.. me gusto mucho!

[julpeuz]

First time I see the Corsair and Hellcat on the same picture. Literally can’t wait.

[YoYo]

Looks awsome! Take my money…. ahhh no , it will be for feee! +1 for some news about Hellcat too.

[hannibal]

what is that f6f hellcat doing there?

[ThorBrasil]

Were the P-47D and the Mosquito ever used in the Mariana Islands war?

[MiGCap1]

6 minutes ago, ThorBrasil said:

Were the P-47D and the Mosquito ever used in the Mariana Islands war?

 

At least the P-47 was used in the Pacific Theatre (but not in the exact version we have) and I have already downloaded some user file skins to be ready when the map is out. 

[ThorBrasil]

10 minutes ago, MiGCap1 said:

 

At least the P-47 was used in the Pacific Theatre (but not in the exact version we have) and I have already downloaded some user file skins to be ready when the map is out. 

Thanks! I can't wait to try this map.

[Endline]

Marianas WWII looks spectacular, but I don't have the space for it. Is it possible not to download it?

[gulredrel]

3 hours ago, Graphics said:

and new shader compiling has shaved nearly 20% off GPU load in over-island dogfights.

Great news. Will modern day Marianas map also benefit from such changes?

[YoYo]

1 hour ago, hannibal said:

what is that f6f hellcat doing there?

"A Grumman F6F of VMF(N)-534 at Orate, Guam, August 1944.

VMF(N)-534 was amongst the first units to land on Guam after its capture on the 21st of June 1944 although by this time the chances of encountering the Japanese in aerial combat was low. One combat success that did occur took place on the 10th of February 1945 when a Nakajima C6N 'Myrt', bound from Truk to Iwo Jima with a high ranking officer on board, was shot down. Aircraft of VMF(N)-534 operated in three separate sectors of operations up to the end of the war; they maintained air superiority over Guam, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and flew air patrols over Saipan."

Of course. You can argue but it is not impossible. F6Fs not only operated from aircraft carriers and here you have an example from Guam. Of course the weak point of DCS WWII and the Pacific theater is the number of planes, but so far. After all, quite a lot of support for this theater of operations has been announced:

F6F Hellcat, SBD-5 Dauntless, SB2C Helldiver, TBF Avenger, PBY Catalina, A6M5 Zero, D3A Val, Nakajima B6N Jill, B5N Kate, D4Y Judy

Edited Friday at 06:17 PM by YoYo

[Gunfreak]

1 hour ago, Endline said:

Marianas WWII looks spectacular, but I don't have the space for it. Is it possible not to download it?

I assume it's like modern Marianas. That you select to download it. 

It's probably not that big. Think the modern Marianas is 15gig.

[ThorBrasil]

It would be nice if these new Shaders went to the modern Marianas map. It's too heavy now, it used to be lighter.

[Hotdognz]

Pics look great.

I really hope it's better optimised and runs better than modern Marianas, it's the worst performing map on our servers TTI rotation to the point no one from our group plays on it when it comes on due to their bad fps which is ashamed as it's good map.

Sent from my CPH2333 using Tapatalk

[TheBiggerBass]

vor 8 Stunden schrieb Endline:

Marianas WWII looks spectacular, but I don't have the space for it. Is it possible not to download it?

Afaik it's all contained in the 2.9.16.10973.1 build, correct? So there's no choice.

[YoYo]

12 hours ago, Endline said:

Marianas WWII looks spectacular, but I don't have the space for it. Is it possible not to download it?

It will be possible Im sure as with the current version of Marianas. It works as separate module. Even on Steam you can install it or remove.

Edited yesterday at 06:05 AM by YoYo

[draconus]

7 hours ago, TheBiggerBass said:

Afaik it's all contained in the 2.9.16.10973.1 build, correct?

No, 2.9.16.10973.1 is the current DCS version and was minor update mostly for the campaigns. Marianas WW2 map will come soon as separate module (optional free terrain) for download after one of the future DCS updates.

[JupiterJoe]

Edging ever closer to being able to fight the great WWII naval/air battles.  Can't wait to be able to launch from a WWII carrier.  Marianas looks amazing. 

Edited 23 hours ago by JupiterJoe

[Trooper117]

Great news... lots of happy campers, thanks!

[Bucic]

On 6/6/2025 at 7:45 PM, Endline said:

Marianas WWII looks spectacular, but I don't have the space for it. Is it possible not to download it?

Good point. With 3 default maps users should be able to uncheck whichever. But it's still less serious than the Heatblur situation for users with no Heatblur modules installed.

 

As for Marianas WW2, a great escape from the old Caucasus and yellow Normandy maps. The Channel map is still my favourite free flight map. Or should I say 'used to be' as I bought Cold War Germany last month  

BTW, is the close-up tree performance hit bug still active?

[Qcumber]

On 6/6/2025 at 6:10 PM, ThorBrasil said:

Were the P-47D and the Mosquito ever used in the Mariana Islands war?

I don't think the Mosquito saw action in the Marianas but it did in other areas of the PTO under British and Australian use.