DCS 2.5 Update Thread (2019)

DCS World Newsletter - 4 January 2019

Happy New Year!
From all of us at Eagle Dynamics, we want to wish you a happy new year and every success and happiness for 2019! We look forward to sharing it with you, and we have many exciting projects during 2019! What follows is a listing of aircraft projects that we and our valued-partners will be working on in 2019. We do not expect for all these projects to be released in 2019, but this is where our focus will be this year.

In next week’s newsletter we’ll talk about the non-aircraft projects that we’ll be working on during 2019.

DCS: MiG-19P by RAZBAM Simulations

The DCS: MiG-19P by RAZBAM will be coming later this month! This early, Russian supersonic fighter further completes the line of MiG fighters in DCS World. MiG-15bis, MiG-19P, MiG-21bis, and MiG-29. Named “Farmer” by NATO, the MiG-19 was the first production, Russian fighter capable of supersonic flight and comparable with American “Century Series” fighters like the F-100, F-105, F-106 and others.

The MiG-19 is a great addition to the stable of 1950s fighters, with more to come.

DCS: F-14 by Heatblur Simulations

Before the end of winter will see the release of the eagerly-awaited Tomcat! Brought to you by the same team the developed the extraordinary AJS-37 Viggen, the Tomcat will set new benchmarks in PC flight simulations. Following the initial release with the F-14B, the Heatblur team will follow that up with the F-14A version and a free USS Forrestal-class aircraft carrier!

Featuring front-seat and back-seat play for single and multiplayer, the Tomcat is a dominate fighter with the capability to also devastate ground targets.

Sharing the deck with Hornet’s DCS, World naval combat operations will take off in 2019.

DCS: F-16C Viper

Our next marquee title from the Eagle Dynamics studio will be the famous F-16C multi-role fighter! An aircraft we’ve long wanted to simulate, we are excited to bring this legendary aircraft to the skies of DCS World. The F-16C is already well into development alongside the F/A-18C, and both aircraft share significant technology that will benefit both.

Specifically, we will be offering the F-16CJ Block 50 variant that includes the HARM anti-radar missile and HARM Target System (HTS) pod, laser- and GPS-guided munitions, advanced air-to-air systems like the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) and AIM-9X and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, data link systems, Sniper targeting pod, AN/APG-68 radar, and other systems.

DCS: Mi-24P Hind

We have certainly not forgotten about all the rotor-heads! Work continues the deadly Mi-24P HIND. Using many of the same systems as the Mi-8MTV2, this project is well underway and will be a great addition to the stable of DCS World helicopters.

With the advancements in our terrain technology and the ability to create much more detailed low-altitude environments, the HIND will be a joy to fly. Combining both gunship and troop-carry abilities, the Mi-24P will certainly result in outstanding missions and campaigns.

Being a two-seat aircraft, the HIND will be a particularly interesting aircraft to fly with a friend online.

DCS: P-47D Thunderbolt, DCS: de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI, and DCS: Fw 190 A-8 Shrike

These three of these aircraft are well underway and we plan to release or more in 2019. With the addition of the new damage model, dynamic campaign, new World War II maps, and more units added to the World War II Assets Pack like the Ju-88, Bf 109G, C-47, A-20G, and others, DCS World War II will continue to grow and bring great new gameplay!

Other Aircraft

Other new aircraft in development for 2019 are the DCS: JF-17 by Deka Ironworks and the DCS: I-16 by OctopusG.

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet

Although not a new aircraft for 2019, the Hornet will certainly be a huge focus for us with the addition of the AGM-88 HARM, ATFLIR targeting pod, datalink and IFF systems, GPS- and INS-guided weapons, standoff weapons like Harpoon, SLAM, SLAM-ER, and Walleye, as well as continued work on the flight dynamics, navigation system, air-to-surface radar, Track While Scan and other air-to-air radar modes and sub-modes, and defensive systems.
The Hornet has been and will continue to be a massive and complex project.

Updating the Hangar, A-10C and Ka-50
Although we have a large set of new aircraft being worked on, it by no means that the older aircraft have been forgotten. Quite the contrary. Just like the recent update to the P-51D, Bf 109 K-4, Fw 190 D-9, and Spitfire LF Mk.IX, we will continue to update older products as their technology lags behind our current capabilities. The two biggest such projects being worked on for 2019 are overhauls of the cockpits and external models of the DCS: A-10C Warthog and DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark.

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Great to hear some news about the HIND. Also I’m really looking forward to the A-10 cockpit getting some love. I still think it’s a beautiful model on the outside but I just can’t read anything on the inside, which makes it very hard to learn.

Can’t wait to finally have a Viper in DCS.

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JF-17? Do tell! The Hind is appealing, I’m on the fence about the Farmer, and very interested in the 16CJ!

That “complete” line of MiGs is missing a conspicuous pair of Floggers and a fast pair of Foxes. :frowning:

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A Flogger (especially a “late” multi role version) would be something I’d be very interested in, too.

We meet again… Hello old friend :blush:

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The Thunderbolt, Mosquito, I-16 and Fw-190 interest me. :sunglasses:

Wheels

GA GunCam

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Thanks for the great newsletter! A lot of exciting stuff.

Curious what this will be! So far, the only non-aircraft modules have been terrains, campaigns, CA, the garmin and the assets pack.

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DCS: M1A2 ABRAMS CONFIRMED!!!11ELEVEN1ONE

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Sure hope that’d be true! I think a more realistic expectation would be the dedicated server and the dynamic campaign. Even just that would be great news.

It’ll be the F-111. It’s considered more of a force of nature, an “act of god” if one would, than an aircraft.

Just getting that in before bogushead. :slight_smile:

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I’d settle for a good Mig-23 G…to go along with the F-4 E/J/S that they also didn’t mention.

The JF-17? Will they have a Myanmar map to go along with it?

Just ask’n :roll_eyes:

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I hope it is a few of these:

  • AI, especially ATC improvements
  • night lighting (for example search/landing lights lighting up water would be nice)
  • more realistic tankers, especially hose physics but maybe also boom operator improvement
  • cloud improvements (they still “spin” in VR, no thermals, AI can see through them etc.)
  • halfway realistic IFF. What we have in the sim now is very rudimentary.
  • new FLIR
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Haven’t fired up DCS since September and bought PG map and a couple of aircraft modules since…oh hello 32GB of updates to download.

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Same here, AI , ATC , Night lightning. AI would be number one to get more brains, its very bad now.

But friday news letter will tell us what to get in this year :slight_smile:

…hmmm…thinking about the AI in DCS…:thinking:…agree not the" sharpest bulb in the chimney"…but not all that bad in many situations, if…and I will admit this is a big “if”…the mission parameters are there to “help” the AI.

For example, I was working up a mission in the ME. A pair of Viggens hitting an airfield with that stand off, gliding cluster munition. Sounds simple enough however, it took me quite a while–trial and error–to get all the mission parameters set correctly for before the AI wingman would actually launch both weapons and then not fly through the air defenses threat zone afterwards (and thus defeat the whole “standoff” weapon concept).

Not to say that AI couldn’t be better…it could…just a thought. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Yeah, some parts of the AI are alright.

But for example taxiing planes, and wingmen getting themselves killed because their lead lands on an airbase, while at the same time being able to perfectly spot targets at huge distances, albeit calling them out on radio in a very useless fashion, occasionally makes me want to facepalm myself to unconsciousness.

Fun examlle: put 12 planes on different parking spots on an airbase, order them to take off from there, and order 12 other ones to land there.
(Sometimes less planes will do).
For extra fun put yourself in a plane in the area.
Watch chaos unfold. :smiley:

The AI? The AI is fine.

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Ohhh…sounds like fun. I will try that. :crazy_face:

“Fine” is in the eye of the beholder. Since I rarely survive a mission long enough to RTB or land on the boat, I don’t have to deal with that kind of AI. :slightly_smiling_face:

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