DCS: Balkans Update 11/14/25

[lazar2007]

At the time of the 90's Banja Luka int wasnt a civil airport. It was used by the military for military purposes hosting J-20 and J-21 fighter-bomber wings.

[Iceman176]

15 hours ago, Dača said:

What is this building on the photo attached? I am certain I know the answer, but just to make sure.

Dačo, that's ćaciland HQ at the moment. Used to be Serbia's parliament building...

Edited Monday at 11:54 PM by Iceman176

[skywalker22]

15 hours ago, Dača said:

So I am right. 3D model is a bit wrong. Statues are way off. Real time picture attached.

@OnReTechI hope you can spare some of your time to check this. Thanks.

Who cares about these kind of details. I care more about ground textures and small details on the ground level.

[OmasRachE]

vor 4 Minuten schrieb skywalker22:

Who cares about these kind of details. I care more about ground textures and small details on the ground level.

I would say, that it doesn´t matter that much, but I am asking me why they modeled the wrong statues. Kind of funny.

[FlyNeX]

The developers already confirmed a large set of major airports and airbases across the entire region. Mentioned locations include real military hubs, international airports with long runways, and strategic sites that actually support fixed and rotary wing operations.
With a current list, it’s clear the map already covers all meaningful locations: major military airbases, strategic international airports, and helicopter hubs like Sarajevo Butmir and Rajlovac that actually matter for operations.
This is why small regional strips like Vršac, Visoko, Bihać, Lošinj, Brač, etc., simply don’t fit in. These places can’t support tactical planes, lack hardened infrastructure, have no logistics capacity, and don’t add anything valuable to mission design in a combat simulator.
It’s not about being “nice”, “not nice”, or "considering other people's wishes less valuable". It’s about understanding priorities. The developers are focusing on locations that genuinely contribute to DCS gameplay. Every hour the devs spend on meaningless airfields is an hour they don’t spend on real operational infrastructure that mission designers actually need.

Then you should know that on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, all airports were used, among others, even smaller ones with a grass runway like the one in Vukovar. All of them were more or less used for logistics and some even for combat operations with armed Jastrebs, Utva 75 and Antonov 2. How did you not remember Sjenica and Djakovica airports? What about Kovin airport? In addition to Utvi, Kovin Airport was also used by MiG 21. These are all airports used during '90. None of them are asking to do less important airports with complete precise infrastructure and facilities, but a runway with appropriate taxiways and a couple of facilities. Since it is known that the developers use satellite images, should only the image of the airport on the ground textures remain in those places? I'm just telling you, express your wish and don't affect the wishes of the rest of the community by negatively influencing the possibility that the developer might do it through comments like "don't need". This map is made once, so suggest everything you have, and hope for the best that it will be done and added, and don't deprive the community with your opinion that something is not needed because it is not this or that. Even Dača wrote for details on the building of the National Assembly, why not, he tried.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[draconus]

On 11/17/2025 at 9:21 AM, Dača said:

17 hours ago, Dača said:

[Dača]

18 minutes ago, draconus said:

Then looks like your eyes are not paying enough attention

9 hours ago, Iceman176 said:

Dačo, that's ćaciland HQ at the moment. Used to be Serbia's parliament building...

We will smoke them out.

1 hour ago, skywalker22 said:

Who cares about these kind of details. I care more about ground textures and small details on the ground level.

This is ground level and not just any building. And btw, my question was not aimed at you or your opinion. I am just pointing out irregularities about most known and important buildings. There are a lot more small stuff which really are not important. But the picture OnReTech posted is so visible and caught my attention. If you don't agree with me that in each county at least the most important buildings should be modeled correctly then you can turn in other direction. Thanks.

[Flanker982]

Everyone is fighting for their piece of land (read "airport") on this map.
Justice for Cenej and Veliki Radinci! 

P.S. I don't give a f....

[Dača]

27 minutes ago, Flanker982 said:

Everyone is fighting for their piece of land (read "airport") on this map.
Justice for Cenej and Veliki Radinci! 

P.S. I don't give a f....

I still have time to build one behind my house. Hope it will be added as well.

[DCSFonzie]

hace 42 minutos, Flanker982 dijo:

Everyone is fighting for their piece of land (read "airport") on this map.
Justice for Cenej and Veliki Radinci! 

P.S. I don't give a f....

I'd actually like to have my house in Trieste modelled! 

@OnReTech I can provide you with pictures and coordinates! 

 

[Dača]

I really think we need new thread called "Kafana"...

[admiki]

1 hour ago, DCSFonzie said:

I'd actually like to have my house in Trieste modelled! 

@OnReTech I can provide you with pictures and coordinates! 

 

[clafly]

23 ore fa, Dača ha scritto:

Well, some people do care. If all of us did not care, then we could all agree that maps can just be 2D flat with pasted textures since we are flying high and cannot see it.

OK, but you are talking about statues,  DCS isn't a museum simulation.

Edited 8 hours ago by clafly

[OnReTech]

On 11/15/2025 at 9:50 AM, [vFIS741] Flo said:

Thank you for the Update, OnReTech! Really looking forward to this Map!

I have a question though: Will airfields in the low-quality part of the map be included? Or will those only be in the green area?

Because if so, i go the unpopular path: Rather make the map SMALLER by reducing the size of the yellow area (which by the way are areas that were not relevant for operations deny flight, deliberate force or allied force) and therefore increase the green area to include the airfields in italy.

Hello! 
In this release, we will definitely not be adding bases outside the green zone

Best wishes
OnReTech

[OnReTech]

On 11/16/2025 at 12:15 AM, Iceman176 said:

The only addition I’d recommend is Dubrovnik International "Ruđer Bošković", considering its runway length of 3370 m.

Thanks. We will talk about Dubrovnik Airport with our team.

OnReTech
 

[Iceman176]

8 hours ago, FlyNeX said:

Then you should know that on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, all airports were used, among others, even smaller ones with a grass runway like the one in Vukovar. All of them were more or less used for logistics and some even for combat operations with armed Jastrebs, Utva 75 and Antonov 2. How did you not remember Sjenica and Djakovica airports? What about Kovin airport? In addition to Utvi, Kovin Airport was also used by MiG 21. These are all airports used during '90. None of them are asking to do less important airports with complete precise infrastructure and facilities, but a runway with appropriate taxiways and a couple of facilities. Since it is known that the developers use satellite images, should only the image of the airport on the ground textures remain in those places? I'm just telling you, express your wish and don't affect the wishes of the rest of the community by negatively influencing the possibility that the developer might do it through comments like "don't need". This map is made once, so suggest everything you have, and hope for the best that it will be done and added, and don't deprive the community with your opinion that something is not needed because it is not this or that. Even Dača wrote for details on the building of the National Assembly, why not, he tried.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You’re more focused on boxing me into a “bad guy” role than actually understanding what I’m saying. You keep reacting to a tone you’ve imagined instead of the point I made.

I’m talking from a DCS combat perspective. You’re arguing from a “every strip that ever saw a Jastreb once in the 90s should be on the map” perspective. Those are not the same thing.

Yes, in the 90s a lot of improvised and minor airfields were used in some capacity. That doesn’t automatically make them relevant or useful in a modern high-fidelity combat sim. After all, DCS represents the Balkans in a present-day context, focused on repeatable, supported tactical operations.

The devs already have a large list of major international airports, military bases and key helicopter hubs planned. That covers the meaningful infrastructure needed for mission design. Tiny regional strips and grass fields with no logistics, no hardened infrastructure and no real tactical weight add almost nothing to DCS gameplay, but they do add work for terrain, AI pathing, testing and maintenance.

People can ask for whatever they want, nobody can forbid them, but “we don’t need that” is also a valid opinion. Saying that some locations don’t add value to a DCS combat map is not “depriving the community,” it’s acknowledging scope and priorities. If your best counter to that is to tell me to “be nice” instead of addressing the actual argument, then you’re not engaging with the substance of what I said at all.

Edited 7 hours ago by Iceman176

[draconus]

22 minutes ago, Iceman176 said:

Yes, in the 90s a lot of improvised and minor airfields were used in some capacity. That doesn’t automatically make them relevant or useful in a modern high-fidelity combat sim. After all, DCS represents the Balkans in a present-day context, focused on repeatable, supported tactical operations.

It may be designed as modern map but everybody knows that it will be used to recreate Yugoslav Wars. Beside that you don't know what airfield will be used by who and for what purpose so you can't say what is relevant or useful for DCS where people are flying military aircraft, trainers, aerobatic aircraft, trasport or helicopters. They can also drive vehicles or command the battle. Think wider.

The current list is rather short and airports are places which are the most valuable for the map product. Yes, it needs additional work and that's fine, this is what map makers do, this is where their work matters most, not only pretty cities and believable nature.

[Dača]

1 hour ago, clafly said:

OK, but you are talking about statues,  DCS isn't a museum simulation.

It isn't Europa Universalis 5 either, but quality is what is important. As I said it is one of first buildings when you think of Belgrade. I was not saying they should model every underwear hanging out the windows of residental buildings. But at least 2-3 well known buildings should be correct. And of course it isn't a deal breaker, but I wanted to point this out. We are still talking about Balkan map and buildings' 3D model.

34 minutes ago, Iceman176 said:

... a “bad guy” role ...

More like "Đavole garavi".

[Iceman176]

3 minutes ago, Dača said:

More like "Đavole garavi".

DŽavole* 

[Dača]

1 minute ago, Iceman176 said:

DŽavole* 

[Iceman176]

26 minutes ago, draconus said:

It may be designed as modern map but everybody knows that it will be used to recreate Yugoslav Wars. Beside that you don't know what airfield will be used by who and for what purpose so you can't say what is relevant or useful for DCS where people are flying military aircraft, trainers, aerobatic aircraft, trasport or helicopters. They can also drive vehicles or command the battle. Think wider.

The current list is rather short and airports are places which are the most valuable for the map product. Yes, it needs additional work and that's fine, this is what map makers do, this is where their work matters most, not only pretty cities and believable nature.

So by that logic, every niche has to be indulged?
You said “Recreate Yugoslav Wars,” yet in the same breath argue for people doing aerobatics over Vršac or flying trainers from grass strips. That’s not “thinking wider,” that’s mixing two completely different use-cases.

And just to be clear, I’m not speaking theoretically. I lived through 1999. in Serbia, I still do and I know exactly which airfields were actually relevant and which ones barely mattered.

That’s why I’m talking about practical importance, not nostalgia or hypotheticals.

Best regards.

Edited 6 hours ago by Iceman176

[draconus]

11 minutes ago, Iceman176 said:

You said “Recreate Yugoslav Wars,” yet in the same breath argue for people doing aerobatics over Vršac or flying trainers from grass strips.

Because it will be used for all of it and even more. So not one airport is more relevant than the other. And devs know were to draw the line themselves. For sure we won't have eeevery airfield and airstrip.

[1st Bosnian Air Squadron]

5 minutes ago, draconus said:

Because it will be used for all of it and even more. So not one airport is more relevant than the other. And devs know were to draw the line themselves. For sure we won't have eeevery airfield and airstrip.

What do you mean by one airport is not more relevant than the other? Every airfield has the same importance?

 

[draconus]

1 minute ago, 1st Bosnian Air Squadron said:

What do you mean by one airport is not more relevant than the other?

Depends on who you ask and what mission is played.

[Branimir76]

I think I might have a solution...
All those smaller airfields can be added as just runways with no additional objects, logistics and AI capability. Just like the famous three small airfields on Caucasus.
Users can easily add objects and logistics of their preference and make a template for themselves.