- Runs under DirectX 9C
- Improved Mission Editor with trigger system
- New terrain area to include much of Georgia. This will be same map as used in DCS: Blacks Shark. As such the Crimea has been replaced with the addition of Georgia.
- More detailed terrain to include more ground objects, larger forests, and higher resolution elevation data
- Improved clouds
- High resolution airfield textures
- Improved multiplayer system with embedded game browser
- More robust online cheating prevention
- New and improved menu system
- Numerous new, highly detailed ground units including infantry
- Improved flight performance for player-controlled aircraft
- Improved flight models for all artificial intelligence (AI) controlled aircraft
- New, more realistic G-tolerance modeling
- Limited 6 DOF cockpits that move up, down and sideways according to maneuvering
- New and highly-detailed Su-25 model
- Advanced ballistics are implemented for all flyable aircraft, including ricochets of AP rounds
- F-15C locked target IFF indication
- More realistic ranges, seeker guidance and fuzes for air-to-air missiles
- More realistic electronic countermeasure operation and performance
- New and improved sound engine
- New radio message voice-overs
- New single player missions
- New Campaigns
- New Training Missions
Many pieces of this software are completely new to FC; as such that is no longer a patch. Patches fix bugs. This is an upgrade - it adds a significant amount of functionality.
And even things that one might consider to be on 'patch' level such as the FM adjustments - I know from personal involvement that many, many hours went into tuning those, including alterations to the flight model required to make things work correctly, as well as testing.
The amount of work and type of enhancement precludes this from being a mere patch.
I don't recall where this 'unoptimized engine' bs myth keeps coming from, but that's exactly what it is: a bs myth.
And EVEN just the textures and additional area took someone's time to do - significant time.
Would you like your work to be undervalued?
The price is what it is due to time and effort spent on the product; it is not based upon your (incorrect) impression of what it is.