Well, the free trial sold me

Flight Sims DCS F-14 Tomcat
21

:slight_smile: Hahaha no problem. I got that. Thanks!

1 Like
22

So Iā€™ve just downloaded the free Tomcat trial. Oh. My. Goodness. What a beautiful thing.

Iā€™m going to stay strong and only get the kitty when I eventually get VR, I thinkā€¦keep one amazing module untouched until I enter that next level of simming. But wow, the pull is strong on this one. Clearly it is a very, very well made module.

9 Likes
23

Its just magical isnt it. The shaking, the roar of the cans. It is just phenomenal.

4 Likes
24

The Tomcat truly is a different beast. The other modern fighters (JF-17, Hornet, and Viper) may have the edge in employable weapons, but they can feel very cold and clinical. You feel like youā€™re flying a simulator. The 'cat just feels so alive by comparison, much more like a real aircraft. Itā€™s a true masterpiece.

3 Likes
25

The Tomcat and Viggen are my absolute favorite modules. I keep finding myself drawn back to the Tomcat; it seems like the perfect VR combat flight sim experience, especially with Vaicom Airio, where Jester really shines.

Great fun!

5 Likes
26

Has Vaicom been unducked again then? Time to dust it off!

2 Likes
27

I this made me thinkā€¦and I know, itā€™s potentially a boring / overdiscussed topicā€¦but, from a pure performance standpoint, which are the highest performance DCS modules?

Obviously we fly what we most enjoyā€¦but one of the reasons why Iā€™m personally learning the Hornet is because it performs so well in most of the ā€œgenericā€ MP missions.

That made me think - which aircraft are ā€œbest at somethingā€ in DCS?

Interestingly, I think every helicopter has a performance feature above the others, so they kind of all have their place:

  • Hip - fastest, most cargo, most dumb weapons
  • Huey - the best soft target ā€œmop-upā€ helo because of the crew miniguns and flex guns
  • Ka - the only full-fledged attack helicopter, the only one with laser warning
  • Gazelle - only air-to-air helicopter, only one with RWR

Iā€™m less sure of the fixed-wing side:

  • A-10c - the most ground pounding bang, longest loiter?
  • Hornet - best multi-role, most AMRAAMs?
  • Tomcat - longest AA reach?
  • Harrier - best forward operating ability?
  • Viggen - the best ASW?
1 Like
28

I have my own personal evaluation criteria.

  • Most damage absorbed before requiring bailout
  • Least number of switches to flip before combat ready
  • Largest, most satisfying plume and duration of smoke upon crashing
  • Most stable autopilot for pizza fetching moments
  • Resistance to tree damage
  • Highest speed before canopy departs aircraft during takeoff
  • Largest font cockpit lettering for senior-ish pilots
  • Single cockpit (dual cockpits only permit others to watch my fecklessness at close range
  • Least torque (you mean I MUST put my feet on the rudder pedals?)
  • Smart cockpit solar lighting that turns on the cockpit lights automatically when it is dark
  • Clapper starter
7 Likes
29

The Hip is doing well in this ranking! The times Iā€™ve taken her home with one engine shot to piecesā€¦

image

ā€¦nevermind

4 Likes
30

Hahaā€¦yeahā€¦I think I mentioned repeatedly that the Ka-50 is one of my favoritesā€¦

sense1

4 Likes
31

I suppose when you are brought up reading Tolstoyā€™s ā€œshort storiesā€, a few dozen pages of startup checklists is nothingā€¦

1 Like
32

I said in the Vaicom thread its worth persevering with and the RIO addon for VAICOM is great for a more immersive experience, I renamed my jester Jim for brevity and he looks like a Jim :slight_smile:

1 Like
33

A-10c gets not one but two gold medals: one for awesomest A/G gunnery and the other for most leisurely deployment of smart weapons.

F-14B gets the prize for ruling the skies for the blue side with incomparable style.

F/A-18 gets a first prize for being the most like a flying Swiss army knife and one for king of AoA.

F-16 gets the medal for best view in the game.

MiG-15 has the most fun A/A gun kills.

MiG-21 is the most Soviet of all Russian machines in the game. Mi-8 gets the second prize for that.

5 Likes
34

JF-17 gets:

  • The snazzy cockpit award.
  • F-16 wannabe award.
  • Putting your ADI on one MFD page only so it disappears in other modes award.
  • Most useless gun award.

MiG-19 gets the faster and less manoeuvrable MiG-15 award.

3 Likes
35
  • Youth friendly award, because all children have or will have tablets these days growing up, and it comes with multiple pre-installed in the dash - itā€™ll be like Christmas!
3 Likes
36

The JF-17 is the only one available right now that I do not have that I plan on getting some day.

But my backlog of learning the 14, 16, 18, Viggen, Harrier, and 21 leaves me no pressing need to get it now. Well, I know the 18 fairly well at this point, but itā€™s not done and I know some parts better than others.

2 Likes