Of planes, fidelity and gaming

this is all great wish list I would say.
because can we vote with our valets? maybe each DCS sale, people interested in FC level modules, can buy FC3 as a gift to someone … !?

but I would speculate that ED can see the numbers even without sales. DCS is online even for SP game so they can create the picture would guess.
and all the MP servers can also supply statistics.

out of curiosity I checked BlueFlag (PVP) servers statistics.
in some general list of airframes, judging by the available data (air victories, ground vic, and lost airframes), in the list of 10 most lost frames there are 2 FC planes (Su27, Su25T).

checking stats from running PersianGulf map there is currently no FC airframe listed [top ten list] in the most used (hours).

maybe worth to check some PVE server, duno.

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Im not going to contribute much here. Ill just be happy we can still have full switch aircraft for now. No. Its not big money for the devs. So lets be happy for now. However, if i could fly some aircraft in DCS that are FC3 not available now… i would jump on that. Vietnam, WW2 Pacific, Exotic German WW2… bring it!

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ED FORUMS poll:
What is the main reason that you fly Flaming Cliffs 3 aircraft while there are other full fidelity DCS modules with the same or comparable roles?

top answer as of now (85%):

I like the specific aircraft that is simulated, not available otherwise.

will see if this answer will get some traction in longer run (5%):

I like the simplified systems and operation form.

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Interesting. Question is, how representative is this?

“59 members have voted” - from the DCS forum hardcore so hopefully not very representative.

I guess there are multiple ways to enjoy the virtual flying, at least for me.

While it’s quite interesting to learn a DCS aircraft, I find it hardly keeps me interested for my than a few weeks. Then I take a break, discover after the break that I lost almost all my memories on the joystick buttons/keypresses/virtual cockpit toggles and more or less shelf it. Probably this is the main reason I prefer to fly the warbirds and Sabres with rockets and bombs in simple ground attack missions. A look into Chuck’s guides and off we go, laying carnage and destruction on those evil trucks.

On the totally other side of the spectrum are the Arma 3 planes. The flight model is a bit rubbish, ok, let’s call it arcade. The processes are streamlined for casual gamers and the number of keyboard shortcuts to remember are a handful at most. Flying a warbird is even easier, but the jets don’t give your muscle and main memory a hard time either :wink: If you go for multiplayer, the actual excitement to support a squad or fellow pilots in a combined arms env is a huge plus, IMO.

And then there’s the past, namely Strike Fighers 2 and Wings over Vietnam. Too bad the series has more or less ended for the PC world, I think there’d still be place for it. In that light, has anyone tried the DIY flightsim tutorial for Unreal Engine 5? I’m halfway through it and it’s quite interesting: A DIY Flight Simulator tutorial | Tutorial

Cheers,
TeTeT

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Save me having to type it :wink:

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Luckily for whatever reason I was able to really mesh with how the Hornet does things, and with a lot of help from @Chuck_Owl 's guide and Minsky’s kneeboards have been able to become a fairly decent systems operator. It’s arguably one of (the?) easiest ones to learn, but I do enjoy the sense of pride in flying the various excellent campaigns by Baltic Dragon, and more recently, Bold Cheetah (free, and excellent production values!). That’s the only way I can really buckle down and learn an aircraft in a manner that’s “for keeps”, is having a long-term goal (IE, some great SP content with a compelling story and voice acting).

Same with the Viggen, Huey and F-14. Haven’t quite gotten there with the Viper, and doubt I ever will with the F-15E. Trying with the Harrier one of these days. Having the in-cockpit kneeboards/checklists really helps me when learning/practicing, and OpenKneeboard is indispensable in VR.

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hard to say. all the numbers are in ED hands. as I see it people just want to make their own picture from available resources.

but I would say that the survey sim crowd is already doing something else than sticking around DCS forums :slight_smile:

I basically write my own mini guide of HOTAS mapping and notes for every module in case I decide to go back to a module.

I would probably never use them again without that. I have retired the A-10C.the A-10A you can jump in at least…besides MSFS has gliders in it now. :rofl:

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That’s a really good idea.

I try to standardize my non-Hornet modules to match basic functionality across the board. Sometimes that’s messy and I have to spend ten minutes in settings pushing HOTAS buttons to see what everything does lol. :joy:

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