Hi community,

Now I'm starting to get a bit more spare time, I'm able to devote a little more time to simming. I want to get into DCS World, but I have a few questions about it first please.

I've seen some awesome screenshots and videos here, but I need to find out just how scalable it really is. What I mean by that, can you start with an easy flight and avionics model, or will I have to read 100 pages about radar operations?

I am particularly interested in two aircraft as well; the Mi-8 and the F-5e, two of my favorites.

Also, can anybody comment on how it performs system wise? I don't have the best computer at the moment, but I'm hoping to upgrade to a Skylake in a few months. Currently running a 3570k not overclocked.

Thanks in advance,

AJ.

It's very scalable. There are a lot of different realism options that you can turn off and the game will play almost arcade-like.

If you start with the F-5E, it is probably pretty simple as the F-5 is really easy to fly IRL. I understand the cockpit is even less complicated than most Cessnas haha. But, keep in mind that this is truly a study sim so it can get to be that you need to read 100 pages of manual (actually more, the A-10C is 600+ (albeit a little fluff). The only problem is it seems that there are manuals available for certain aircraft. I have the A-10C one, but I am yet to find an F-15C one.

I don't have the best PC in the world...an i5 with 2 GB of VRAM (Nvidia GTX)--but I still have pretty good fps and don't experience stuttering or anything.

I also don't think there is a variety of missions or campaigns yet, but I may not be looking in the right places. I have pretty much all the A-10 ones offered by Steam but that's about it.

Hope that helps a bit. I hope you have more than a little time because it will take alot of time to truly get into the DCS sims.

v6,
boNes

you'll want 8 to 16gb of ram to play multiplayer without stutters.

the mi-8 is VERY complex and has a TON of systems to master. it is my favorite aircraft in the sim.

Mind you, you can get away with flying the Mi-8 with minimal knowledge of the systems. But once you start, you know you'll want to go deeper!

yes it can basically be taken off and landed without systems study but you'll be flying totally blind. it has a lot of systems that are unconventional in western aircraft and helicopters.

the doppler drift indicator is very cool once you learn to use it for stable hovers and low altitude work, as well as the navigation system on the copilot side that works like an IRU. very neat technology, you can basically do an IFR flight without any radio aids.

Hi guys,

Thanks for all of the info, appreciate it, just a few more questions.

Internet where I live is pretty slow; at this time I probably won't be doing any multi player. The "world" is currently ver 1.5, am I correct?

If I purchase the F-5 and the Mi-8 as I originally suggested, are there any single player missions, or do I fly around looking for targets?

Or is there additional missions / targets that have to be purchased?

Thanks once again; I will be busy downloading this weekend!

AJ.

I have been on a bit of a DCS module splurge recently after getting my Oculus Rift a few months ago. The module I'm having most fun with right now is the MiG 15. The systems are pretty basic once you get your head around them. The aircraft handling is fun (this is not a jet that feels like it is on rails).

I just picked up the F5 a couple of days ago. It has very crisp controls, but it doesn't like to fly slow. Thankfully on approach you have the AoA indicator to help keep you on speed. It seems a handful on the runway when you are trying to slow down (you can easily slide off the edge of the runway if you are not careful).

Most of the modules come with a small set of single player missions. If you want single player campaigns, there are quite a few you can buy from the DCS World website or you could check online at some of the DCS unofficial websites and download user-made missions.

you can download a lot of single player missions from the dcs website for free, the mission files are generally very low in size so even with poor internet can be downloaded easily

the quality of the missions really varies so if you're going to be in single player all the time, you might want to learn how to make a mission yourself using the editor. especially if you're in the Mi-8 there is a huge range of mission types you can create and there's a certain amount of randomness you can add so you never know exactly what will happen.

enjoy the mi-8, IMO it's one of the finest pieces of flight simulation software available on PC, after the Aerowinx PSX 747-400 simulator. Very polished product.

AJ don't forget to check out Chuck's guides, great stuff to start with:

http://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4256062/Chuck's_excellent_aircraft_gui#Post4256062

Hi guys,

Thanks for all of the advice, appreciate it. Downloaded the latest version from STEAM, trashed the Su a couple of times....lol.

I noticed that the F-15 is on sale, might grab that today. One last question please:

I've noticed that the haze (I think) makes things look a little "milky" or washed out. I've seen a similar thing in FSX. Is there any way I can get rid of this? (For example, is there a Nvidia Inspector profile out there)

Once again, thanks for all of your help.

AJ.

Screenshot please

As requested, thanks

that looks like dcs usually does to me
try messing with any sliders related to contrast and brightness and gamma if they are available in DCS, and also your nvidia control software

make sure you are not flying on a hazy day as that will make everything look foggier