What next after my F18 - Piston aircraft or helicopter?

Christmas looms on the horizon and there is the Halloween sale as well.

I only fly the F18 at the moment but am starting to consider EITHER WW1, WW2 aircraft or a helicopter. Preferably good in VR as my Reverb2 should arrive this month

Recommendations?

Do I also need the WW2 extra packs if I go down that route?

1 Like

What platforms are in play? If it weren’t for the WW1 reference, I’d think you’d be asking from dcs specific stand point.

That said, I’d say pass on a helo at the moment as both the Hind and Kiowa are in the pipe.

WWII piston, Im also not a huge fan of in DCS, as I feel BoX does a better job of giving one more stuff to do.

But, I’m going to go Flying circus on this one; its about as refreshing a change of pace one can imagine from DCS/Hornet, and assuming it handles VR as well as its BoX stable mate, sure to be a treat.

1 Like

I vote helicopter. They are a lot of fun and very much pick up and play. Not so much reading to do. I am loving them all.

1 Like

This assumption is correct, as it is not just a stablemate of BoX, it’s a part of it. It slots right in, allowing YaK-1b vs Fokker DVII shenanigans if you’re so inclined, or spitfire vs Fw-190 over the trenches.

If you haven’t yet, @Scoop, you may want to look into the il2 series of simulations. They also run a sale and are a superb vr experience. Their flight modelling is on a par with DCS, while their damage modelling surpasses it by quite a margin. Systems modelling on the other hand is quite a bit below DCS in depth.

If you do choose a DCS module, I would second Ace and say helicopter. To be precise, get yourself a huey. Crank up the Creedence and do the whirly thing!

2 Likes

The Huey is one of those modules to have.
Impressively, finely crafted, iconic, and hard to master.

Can’t go wrong there.

2 Likes

Except if you prefer big cargo crafts, then the Mi-8 is inevitable… But the Huey is a good gateway drug: more versatile, more forgiving but less raw power.

Obviously I second the DCS Helicopter recommendation!

I don’t have Il-2 but it does seem like a must-have sim if you are propeller-fighter or World War History fan!

3 Likes

From these comments I take it that DCS WW2aircraft are not great. I tried a couple during the free lockdown offer and did not overly like how they flew.

1 Like

DCS, possibly Flying Circus for WW1

1 Like

Its not that they aren’t great. More of a lack of things to do with them

7 Likes

Yup, this. They are amazingly reconstructed.
You can’t find a better simulation of WWII planes… Sadly they do not represent the best WWII game.

5 Likes

The VR experience in IL2:BoX is unmatched. Outside of VTOL VR, it’s been the smoothest running VR flight sim I’ve tried. Way better optimization and much cheaper than DCS. Has a great career mode for solo play as well as some good multiplayer servers.

I would recommend the Bodenplatte battle when the sales come online. Has the P38, 47, and 51 which pretty much sealed it for me. Hell at one point this year you could get the whole series for like $60.

Another plus for IL2 is you can fly any map in multiplayer even if you haven’t purchased it. Much less paywalls vs DCS ww2.

I don’t own the Flying circus, but I imagine it’s incredible in VR.

7 Likes

You’re goshdarn right it is!

(I’m currently playing Red Dead Redemption 2, which I acquired in one of the sales. It is amazing. It also makes me think in a cowboy drawl.)

5 Likes

I’ll second that . Open-cockpit VR is incredible ! I never fully comprehended how short WW1 biplane wings are until Flying Circus .
Having said that , flying helos in DCS is incredible too . It gives a much fuller appreciation of ED’s artwork and attention to graphic detail .

2 Likes

Mi-8 is also likely a better setup for the forthcoming Hind.

1 Like

To get maximum enjoyment, yes. Any DCS warbird purchase needs to account for the Assets pack and at least the Normandy map. I own all but the 190D9 and the modeling of the warbirds is excellent, but the game part is lacking. Supposedly this is being worked on, but until it is, it’s a love-hate relationship.

DCS helicopters by contrast are very good, but they’re also not the most familiar or technological advanced platforms out there. Do not buy the Gazelle or you’ll be disappointed. Mi-8 is probably the best first time purchase, given the overall utility. Ka-50 remains the only flyable attack helicopter currently, but you’ll be disappointed if you expect AH-1 or AH-64 style with it.

I’ll echo the sentiment that for the best VR experience and with WWI planes, Flying Circus is the best option. You get several planes, a map, and a full experience for less than the price of a single DCS module.

2 Likes

I really think you need to get the hip @Scoop. Either hip or huey. But honestly the hip is just sublime. The gazelle i would definitely recommend AFTER you’ve tried the other 2 as it doesn’t have the same weight, feel and mission options of the bigger choppers. Sling loading with the big Russian is incredible. One of the best things to do in DCS. I think you would be disappointed with a Warbird purchase. They fly wonderfully. They sound incredible but its an expensive way to fly them in opinion. I only have the spitfire and not the asset pack or map. I feel very underwhelmed without them. Seriously I would keep DCS modern and if you are desperate to scratch the warbird itch we could always buy il2 at the same time and learn/teach each other.

Buy a helicopter. Join the dark side at sale time :helicopter:

2 Likes

IL2 is on sale at the moment both at https://il2sturmovik.com/ and on Steam.

On Steam you have to have Stalingrad before you can use Flying Circus
I just got Stalingrad at 75% and Circus at 50% on Steam.

3 Likes

so for less than $60 you can buy the entire IL2 collection. If anyone is on the fence, can’t beat the prices. I’d at least get bodenplate at $25 though… Comes with 8 Battle of Bodenplatte Aircraft (P-51D, P-47D, Spitfire Mk.IX, Tempest Mk.V, Bf 109 G-14, Bf 109 K-4, Fw 190 A-8 and Me 262)

Come to think of it, for $25 you get the entire DCS ww2 collection plus all the other maps like Normandy, Georgia, Stalingrad, etc.

1 Like

I mean for $8 you get 8 planes, a campaign, and every map ever developed.

1 Like

I cannot come with any recommendations at this time as I’m not really doing any simming. I have been fighting with a Kidney stone for the past 4 weeks and consentration and inclination has been at a minimum. Hopefully I am just about over it at this point, but you never know if there will be any setbacks.

I am also slowly ramping up on my controller projects and don’t really feel like doing any HOTAS flying until I have my Lefty center stick and Righty dual throttle up and running and the same goes for choppers until I have the Righty collective ready.

Happy Simming

4 Likes