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+--- Thread: DCS: World (/showthread.php?tid=2257)
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 08-14-2014
Ah-64A is declassified I believe but not the 64D Longbow. Jane's was fun but nothing more than a rough approximation based on what information was publically available and guessing at the rest and doesn't come close to the level of detailed modelling in a study sim like DCS, for which they need accurate data.
Re: DCS: World - Variable - 08-14-2014
I believe that the classified stuff is not relevant for a high fidelity simulation but I might be wrong.
They can't know more about the black shark than they do about the longbow and still they made a simulator for it but not for the longbow.
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 08-14-2014
(08-14-2014, 07:35 PM)Variable link Wrote:I believe that the classified stuff is not relevant for a high fidelity simulation but I might be wrong.
They can't know more about the black shark than they do about the longbow and still they made a simulator for it but not for the longbow.
I don't know what exactly is classified with the 64D compared to the 64A, so I'm not sure either, I just know that if the documentation for something important isn't freely available, they won't just try and guess how to model it. So I can only assume that all the technical documents they needed to model the Shark are unclassified. Apparently they agreed with the military (who is certainly an important, if not their biggest customer and they rely on them for technical advice, etc, so they don't want to piss them off!) to leave out some vital step in the A-10C startup sequence, so that people who'd used DCS wouldn't be able to startup the real thing and I'm sure they've left out the IFF and encryption protocols, which aren't used in the sim anyway :o
I believe they have done some work on the 64A in the past but it seems to have been put on the backburner. One reason why they might be holding off with the Apache is that it's meant to be a two-man aircraft and they haven't got dual-cockpit working in DCS yet. Maybe the new engine, EDGE, which should be released later this year, will bring this feature. The Huey is meant to be getting multi-seat capability when this feature is ready as well, which will be cool.
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 08-18-2014
ED has some pretty weird choices when it comes to planes/helos being made for DCS. But it's due to many other factors, otherwise they would have sticked with modern (previous generation) planes. Now with other teams also making planes for DCS you never know what you will get. Like F-86 Sabre, for example, to fight against MIG-29? But ok, every modeled plane so far was good and when they switch to Edge engine it can only got better. I have high hopes for DCS, especially if they start to develop ground combat vehicles or even infantry.
Re: DCS: World - Varanon - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 12:14 PM)doveman link Wrote: If anyone is interested, we could also do some occasional DCS World sessions on Tuesdays. It's a free download with the SU-25T included, so we could just play with those, unless there's enough of us who've bought other modules and want to use those as well. I think one of us would have to host the server locally and I don't know enough about the missions to say which would be good to play with just the SU-25T, other aircraft or a combination, so that's going to make it tricky.
DCS has a steep learning curve, and all my attempts in the A-10 were frustration up to now.
Another thing we could try is DayZ, either standalone or mod version
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 09-03-2014
I find all ideas mentioned here good, and we can certainly try things we haven't tried before like official campaign, longer and unforgiving missions, maybe some other campaigns, etc. It can maybe bring more interest from regulars, too.
As for DCS, I would jump on opportunity to play it online, especially with CiA, since I've been trying only few times to actually fly online only to find that I can't even get in the air because some guy flying for other side is circling above and waiting for players to spawn.
Steep learning curve - yes, but some aircraft are more difficult than others and free Su-25 is easy to master, there are also other planes with simplified controls (not at in-depth sim level) that you can learn to fly (A-10A, F-15, or any other plane from Flaming Cliffs). Or you can easily master any plane if you fly on arcade settings, but that's not particularly exciting as you can play Hawx for that. However, most of the pleasure comes from flying planes that were made to sim level of accuracy and detail, ramp start in A-10C, flipping switches, turning on systems, setting radios to correct frequencies, studying mission plan and unbelievable tension that this game can create while you circle around target area looking or targets while AA is trying to get you, or trying to destroy a bridge, for example, in just one hasty pass. But yeah, a bit part of the sim is button pushing, so prepare to have one hand flipping switches while other do the flying. Having joystick with many buttons can help. Some planes are easy to fly but have complicated weapon systems (like A-10C), other have no complicated weapon systems but are harder to fly (like Huey or Mi-8). Just writing about this game makes me want to play it even more, hehe.
I think Zues had their DCS server int the past, maybe we don't need to install it for us. And we can join forces and have larger player base.Â
I attached my notes for A-10 full manual start-up, it has more than one page, just to demonstrate complexity, but if you are willing to learn I can scan it, so you can have all 41 steps written down for you. ;D
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 09-03-2014
Oh, I didn't mention that all models come with free game as well, that means you don't have to own any of planes that are being sold in order to have AI flying them. You are actually just buying a cockpit, ability to fly it. Someone owning DCS World which comes with free Su-25 and unnarmed version of P-51 will have all other planes as well and can join any multiplayer game which does not require you to fly other planes.
Re: DCS: World - Varanon - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 02:08 PM)Misha link Wrote: I attached my notes for A-10 full manual start-up, it has more than one page, just to demonstrate complexity, but if you are willing to learn I can scan it, so you can have all 41 steps written down for you. ;D
So, who were you playing tic-tac-toe with
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 09-03-2014
Lol, that was a programming exercise to teach computer how to play it, he was chosing wrong moves, so I started writing down all situations in which he did so to find out a pattern. ;D
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 12:51 PM)Varanon link Wrote: DCS has a steep learning curve, and all my attempts in the A-10 were frustration up to now.
Tell me about it, I've been trying to get the hang of the KA-50 for probably over a year now. I can fly the thing but don't do too well in a combat situation. The A-10 is even more complicated. I'm trying the simpler FC3-level F-15C now, which is a lot easier but still a lot to learn.
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 02:08 PM)Misha link Wrote: I attached my notes for A-10 full manual start-up, it has more than one page, just to demonstrate complexity, but if you are willing to learn I can scan it, so you can have all 41 steps written down for you. ;D
I seem to spend more time collecting documents and mods for it than flying the damn thing but at least I've got some nice checklists ;D I've put what seem to be the most useful in a zip you can download here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1fDI89phEESMGEyTk5WMmhCZ00/edit?usp=sharing
You have to be a bit careful with navigational charts as DCS has changed a bit over the years and changed runway headings, etc but the charts in the attached zip are from 2013, so hopefully there haven't been any changes since then.
There also might have been some minor changes to keymappings since the keycharts in the zip were made but I'm not sure about that. I try and avoid using the keyboard with DCS and either map stuff to my joystick or use VAC. With the A-10C you really need a stick with plenty of hats for the TMS/DMS, etc but you could make do with with using an Xbox360 controller for those if, like me, you don't have enough hats on your stick. For the KA-50 and Huey, you can manage with a single hat I think. For the F-15C, I'm not sure as it doesn't have a clickable cockpit, so you need enough buttons or hats to increase/decrease the radar scan range and elevation and all the other important stuff (deploy chaff, deploy flares, ECM, select weapon, etc) but for some stuff that's on simple keys (i.e D rather than Ctrl+Shift+X) then you could use the keyboard, or again use an Xbox360 controller to supplement your stick.
TrackIR or similar is almost essential in DCS though and I still haven't got my Arduino Pro Micro/GY-85 working reliably (I'm trying to run it over Bluetooth at the moment, to eliminate the USB cable), so I ought to build myself another LED clip. I had one but it was a bit small and the LEDs tended to merge when I was looking up or down, so I just need to make a bigger one. For the helos, you can probably get away with using the mouse or hat to look around but zooming around in fast jets that's not really practical!
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 09-03-2014
If needed we can organize "pilot school", covering everything, take off, landing, navigation, communications, weapon systems, defense systems, and so on.
It's good to have Track IR or similar, but I fly without it and improvise, it's not really 100% necessary but it helps a lot.Â
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 06:27 PM)Misha link Wrote:If needed we can organize "pilot school", covering everything, take off, landing, navigation, communications, weapon systems, defense systems, and so on.
Yeah, I think that would be good as a lot of people might worry that they'll be expected to be able to do everything already and thus not join, so it would be good to start with some non-combat training to give us all a chance to get to grips with things. Maybe the free aircraft are good to learn the basics of take off, landing, navigation, as everyone will have them and there's less systems to confuse and intimidate people. The skills learnt will serve us well in the other aircraft.
Whilst it's good to learn the proper start-up sequence to get to know how the plane works, obviously no-one wants to have to keep doing that every time they crash and re-spawn, at least whilst learning but luckily there's the Autostart key to skip all that
I imagine we can even have planes spawn in the air for practicising landings.So we need to work out how one of us can run a server with suitable missions for learning. I don't think the server needs to use the graphics card at all and I believe DCS only uses two cores, so perhaps with a quad core it would be possible to run the server and play on one machine. I'm upgrading my Phenom II X4 955 to an i5 4670k once I receive the CPU heatsink I ordered (and I find the time) and I'll probably make the Phenom II X4 and motherboard my spare/backup system, so I could run the server on that, which might be better.
I printed out pretty much the entire KA-50 manual to read last year when I had to stay elsewhere (with no TV or Internet :o ) whilst my flat was having some work done to it but I need to print out those charts and checklists I posted. Then I need to do something with my desk, so I've got somewhere I can actually put the folder and look at it whilst flying
Quote:It's good to have Track IR or similar, but I fly without it and improvise, it's not really 100% necessary but it helps a lot.
I've seen other people say the same. I guess it depends what you're flying and the mission type, as if you're in combat with other planes it's quite important to be able to stay aware of where they are in relation to you but when you're attacking ground targets it's not so important.
Re: DCS: World - Misha - 09-04-2014
Guess we can start with Su-25 because it's free and easy to learn.
KA-50 and A-10c are only that require a little bit more of time. KA-50 is a mystery to me, nothing familiar about it, I purchased it later than many other planes and had no time to learn it.
I can also host a game, not sure about my bandwidth and DCS requirements in that regard, but I have humble 1Mbps.
I prefer ramp start, that's practically only time in game when you can in peace do something, check if everything is set up properly and so on.
Re: DCS: World - doveman - 09-04-2014
Yeah, starting with SU-25 sounds like a good idea. I've not spent much time in it at all really, so I'll be learning as much (if not more) than anyone else
Once we start and know who's going to join, we can find out what modules people have to decide what we move onto after the SU-25.
KA-50 is what I bought first and what I've spent most time on, so hopefully I should be able to help you a bit with that when we get to it.
I've also only got 1Mbps upload, so you might as well host it. I'm looking to switch ISP at the moment, partly because there's shopping vouchers and cashback amounting to about £250-300 on offer but I might switch to Fibre and then I'd hopefully get 8-10Mbps upload. When DCS 2.0 is released, hopefully soon (it's scheduled for 2014) that will have a dedicated server, which should make it a bit easier as well.
We can use the Active Pause when learning if we need to, which might be helpful when we're in the air and need to discuss particular things in depth.
Do you think we should schedule it for a Tuesday or some other day. I know Tuesdays aren't regular ArmA2 anymore, so it might be OK to do DCS when there's no special event scheduled (like Forgotten Few on the 10th) but maybe if even 3-4 people still want to play ArmA2 regularly, even when there's no special events, it will make it difficult for them to chose between that and DCS, so perhaps a different day would be better and increase the numbers we get.