DCS World new theater poll.

[komemiute]

@Bearhedge

A Huey taking off from a muddy, gritty, run down base with shirtless GIs running around, deafening birdsong in the surrounding jungle. Sudden random mortar rounds kicking up dirt in the vicinity. Recon helos snaking along jungle rivers, avoiding small arms fire cracking from between the trees. Heat haze. Just like in Low Level Hell. I want to be able to easily imagine the weed smoke, the dogeared Playboy mags and hear the CCR play from a nearby shack, count how many more terrifying missions I have left until I get to go home.

[komemiute]

@Bearhedge

Afghanistan. Sand gets into everything. UXOs everywhere, including right by the runways inside the base perimeter. Harrier pilot trying to help the distressed infantry team under the overcast weather while being constantly scared of running into the invisible mountains in the murk. The airmen are tired. I’m tired. The planes are tired. Just like in A Nightmare’s Prayer.

[Aginor]

I think I would like Korea (with era switch for modern or 50s stuff) or Vietnam the most.
Voted Vietnam.
But Afghanistan or Falklands or Israel or Yugoslavia would also be awesome.

[komemiute]

Let’s face it, anything goes!
I mean who could be legitimely upset with any new map? Uh?

[Aginor]

Pretty much. Which is why I am still a bit angry that they haven’t done a Wake Island or Midway Island map yet.
Mostly water and one island with a runway and, like, ten buildings on it.

[BeachAV8R]

I’m in the same boat as a few of you - it would be great if developers and ED could make each period aircraft and asset authentic, but I don’t really need every bureau number to match its historical avionics, weapons, engines, and systems. I played so much Strike Fighters 2 that it made my shoulders hurt and I didn’t get caught up in whether my A-6 over Vietnam was supposed to carry a Shrike for the time period I was playing or not.

To those lobbying for so much accuracy, I assume we are supposed to fly the entire Gulf War scenarios in F-15s with no kills (or maybe one) while we bore endless racetracks in the sky over the A-10s that actually get to do something?

I guess my point is, it seems odd to pick a specific area of simulations that we need strict adherence to while the rest of it sort of free floats to cater to our entertainment needs. Is there a fuzzy realism line that should be there? Sure. I’d argue flying against F-86s equipped with AMRAAMs over 1950s Korea might not be the best way to get to the suspension of disbelief. But for me anyway, flying any model F-4 against any model MiG-21 over Vietnam, as long as they were equipped at the most with Sidewinders and AIM-7s, would be close enough for me to ballpark it. If the type didn’t have radar - don’t use the radar. If the type didn’t have the weapon, don’t carry the weapon. I’d rather developers not have to get stuck creating many versions of the same aircraft unless it is a quick and modular affair.

But if it’s possible, and developers want to do it, by all means.

[BeachAV8R]

@Bearhedge

I’d like to have a jungle map so I can play and create SE Asia-scenarios, but I’m not super fussed where or what era the map is exactly. I’d like to have some kind of island invasion map but again, for me it could be Falklands or something else, as long as the terrain supports interesting gameplay. Somewhere in the mountainous ‘-stans’ would be cool but again, I don’t mind where exactly.

I like all this. Even a small Pacific island of some sort (think Tanoa) with a high level of detail would be lots of fun for helicopters and carrier aircraft. It would be really cool to see a bit of a “capture the map” type of campaign (hey…make it dynamic while we are spit-balling!) where we get to beat up the beach and jungle defenses, then move to supporting a landing, expanding the “beachhead” as it were, then specific missions as friendly forces move inland. This works for WW2, Korea, or 80s, or modern scenarios. An island just large enough to have a SAM picket across the middle of it to allow for enemy bases on one side would be nice too.

@Bearhedge

A Huey taking off from a muddy, gritty, run down base with shirtless GIs running around, deafening birdsong in the surrounding jungle. Sudden random mortar rounds kicking up dirt in the vicinity. Recon helos snaking along jungle rivers, avoiding small arms fire cracking from between the trees. Heat haze. Just like in Low Level Hell. I want to be able to easily imagine the weed smoke, the dogeared Playboy mags and hear the CCR play from a nearby shack, count how many more terrifying missions I have left until I get to go home.

Definitely where A3 accels in that you can land, hop in a vehicle, and go find a Playboy magazine if the mission designer has included one. I get why DCS can’t do that (it has a much larger playable area), but to work toward more intimacy like you mention is a good target.

[NEVO]

For me, when it coms to maps and scenarios, I am ok with RED vs BLUE on any map. My only requirements are MP and dynamic campaign (eg Blue Flag, 104th Op Longbow)

I think the trouble is with SP. But again, even with SP, if it is well writen story driven campaign or dynamic campaign, it should not mater which part of the world, which period and who against whom.

But there are for sure simers amongst us who wants to relive the exact time period over the exact part of the world.
But then the added uknow variable, aside from map and period relevant assets, is the AI. It is necesity to have in this case perfect AI which will folow the period corect ROE, tactics, etc. for the period corect experience.

[NEVO]

@BeachAV8R

Definitely where A3 accels in that you can land, hop in a vehicle, and go find a Playboy magazine if the mission designer has included one. I get why DCS can’t do that…

I dont get it! we can eject and walk around in DCS. What we mising is runing and some free2play CA (manable) jeep-like vehicle parked in every single vilage

[Troll]

Sure, more terrains, more fun!
But if someone would do a historical campaign, I’d like historical accuracy, to the extent possible.
Now, if this means going with what we’ve got, I would.
But of I could choose between correct aircraft and weapons for the era, or more modern versions, I’d go with the former.

[BeachAV8R]

@Troll

But if someone would do a historical campaign, I’d like historical accuracy, to the extent possible.

I’m still not sold on this. I mean, even Falcon 4’s vaunted campaign system was juiced to make it more interesting with hyper-activity. I don’t think we want historical accuracy for an entertainment sim. We probably want the Cliffs Notes version of history since the reality of a lot of those missions might not be very compelling. In other words, a great game with some solid underlying history perhaps.

[komemiute]

I wholeheartedly agree, I just wonder what 3rd parties think about the feasibility of converting a DCS module to a earlier version-
No, really.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few Pro and little Cons:

Pro

• 1 You just have to remove (probably) items (radios, radar, whatevs) and not add them
  • 1.2- You actually might have to model a simpler version of electronics (that is, still simpler than make a more modern one)
• 2 You could (plausibly) even leave the external model untouched
• 3 If 2 is true then all the previous texture would still work
• 4 Probably flight model could be adapted largely by just reducing power output?
• 5 Damage model could still be untouched

Cons

• 1 People would expect it for free
• 2 Jimmies will be rustled nevertheless
• 3 I could have underestimated the work necessary for the FM.

[JediMaster]

Generally, older versions of planes are lighter but have weaker engines. These don’t always cancel each other out. IIRC the “best” performing model of the F-16C was said to be the middle Blk 40/42 variant as it had the highest T/W ratio, the earlier and later models losing thrust or gaining weight in a way that made them less capable in A2A maneuvering. Similarly planes like the 109 and 190 had numerous variants which were optimized for air (fighters or bombers) or ground attack but never really for all of them. And of course the F-15C vs F-15E.

But which radar? The late AESA versions? The versions from when they entered service?
You could probably argue that the avionics in the F-14D, while more advanced, are easier to program realistically than the AWG-9 the F-14A/B had due to how much simpler it is to make a computer simulate a computer vs simulating an analog system.

That said, look at what we’ve had so far. With a few exceptions, most planes we have in DCS are the early version of the plane or almost the earliest. This means it would almost always require adding later systems to them instead of earlier ones. Aside from a few notable ones, most of the planes we have are the earliest ones to see meaningful service. Whether this was because of ease of coding, access to information, or a combination of the two, we generally don’t have late models of any of them.

[komemiute]

How about we strike a middle ground and release these “other” versions as Flaming Cliffs 3 level aircrafts?
Uh?

[NEVO]

@JediMaster

most of the planes we have are the earliest ones

Cant agree here.

• A10 is C = one of the later models
• 21 is BIS = one of the later
• Mirage is 2000 = one of the later
• Harrier is 8B = one of the later

Upcomin F4 is E so later model.
Upcomin F18 is C so some midle tier.
Only the upcomin F14 is the earliest model.

Pls corect me if I am wrong.

Edit: I put there ‘later’ instead of ‘latest’

[JediMaster]

You are wrong.

You listed 4 released planes. How many planes are there out right now? Answer: more than 8.

As that fraction is less than 50%, it is not “most.” Most does not mean 100%. It means more than half.

I did not say all. I said most.

[NEVO]

Ok

• F5 is E so one of the later models
• F86 is F so later model
• MiG15 is BIS so later model

And so on…

[komemiute]

• Huey is a later model
• Mi-8MTV2 is a later model
• Spitfire is a later model
• FW 190 D-9 is a later model
• Me 109 K is a later model…
• P 51 D is definitely not a early model…

[MBot]

• AJS37 Viggen
• F-15C

Even the A-10A is with the post-Desert Storm upgrade that added a fire control computer (CCIP). I would say say indeed “most” aircraft in DCS are not in their initial version or original configuration.

[PFunk]

I voted for the Fulda Gap, but it is really a tie between that and a Norwegian/Cape scenario for me.