Naive questions from a potential buyer.

[norfolkmike 14]

Hi guys. Look, hands up, this is entirely new to me! I've been a 'simmer' for a few years, but because my computer is fairly outdated, I haven't really been exploring the various options out there. Basically, I use FSX with non autogen photoscenery, and with A2A and PMDG addons, it has served me well. As such, although i'm well aware of the existence of P3D, FS2 and X-Plane, my interest in them had never been sufficiently piqued to upgrade my system.

Now that MSFS 2020 has been announced and showcased over the previous months, the term DCS seems to be cropping up more and more, usually in the context of simmers proclaiming that their future will comprise only of MSFS 2020 and DCS. So, as I have myself been sufficiently motivated to replace my PC in anticipation of Microsoft's latest incarnation, I thought i'd look into this DCS thing, and....bloody hell!

Look, i'm a WW2 aviation nut! I live in the county of Norfolk, not far from Bodney airfield (home of the 'Blue Nosed word not alloweds'), and here, we are surrounded by aviation history, and artifacts. So, understandably, DCS has my attention, mainly for that aspect.

There are however, many things I don't yet quite grasp. A few more days research would go a long way, but I thought i'd come and have a chat with you guys first.

So..am I correct in the following statements?

The basic platform is free, to which you can add 'campaign maps'? For WW2 Europe, there is a Normandy map, which extends to the South of England. Then, (for my specific area of interest) there is the option to purchase a P:51, Spitfire and at some point in the near future, a P:47?

Okay, where I get a little bit lost is the 'campaigns', but like I said, a weekend of ground work should put me right. You can get a 'Blue Nosed word not alloweds of Bodney' campaign, which, being just down the road from me, is literally right up my street! But, no representation of Bodney airfield as such? You have to stage at the South coast of England I assume? Obviously the P:47s were at Bodney too, as predecessors of the P:51s, but the proposed addon 47 isn't really related to the Blue Nosed word not alloweds campaign? Its a separate stand alone entity, right?

Okay, so I know DCS world is great for VR, which is another thing I want to get into. I'm not sure about the online flying thing just yet, but I know I'm as excited for this as I am FSX 2020, because to be fair, this combat meets history thing is what I'm all about. I am a qualified light aircraft pilot (since 1982), so that civilian sim thing has an appeal, nostalgia, and fantasizing about what might have been (737-800 for example) but....

Oh, I'll get into the A10 and stuff like that for sure, but once I've got my upgrade/replacement PC with a 1080 TI, I'll be buying into DSC, make no mistake. This is just a casual chat, and I'll do my research of course, but if anyone would like to run this naive newbie through the necessary steps to get dogfighting over Europe, then I'm listening.

Cheers, Mike.

[Phantom88 3,278]

Hello Mike,Welcome to DCS,Here's the product description and requirements for the fore mentioned campaign...

"

Become a member of the most famous fighter unit of the USAAF, take part in escorting large bomber formations, support the ground troops after D-day, or engage the Luftwaffe over the snowy hills of the Ardennes. The Blue Nosed word not alloweds of Bodney is a semi-historical campaign for the P-51D Mustang. It follows the 352nd Fighter Group from May 1944 through the Normandy landings until Operation Bodenplatte in January 1945. This campaign has a plethora of details and Easter eggs to make you feel like a young American flyboy in the Army Air Forces in 1944.

Note: This campaign requires ownership of DCS: P-51D Mustang, DCS: Normandy 1944 and DCS: WWII Assets Pack.

Localization: English.

$9.99

$4.99

Miles: 490

STEAM Incompatible

Keyless product

More

Requires another product

 

 

Minimum system requirements (LOW graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 7/8/10; DirectX11; CPU: Intel Core i3 at 2.8 GHz or AMD FX; RAM: 8 GB (16 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 60 GB; Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 / AMD R9 280X or better; requires internet activation.

Recommended system requirements (HIGH graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 8/10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 56 with 8GB VRAM or better; Joystick; requires internet activation.

Recommended VR systems requirements (VR graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 8/10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 64 or better; Joystick; requires internet activation.

This product can be downloaded and installed through the DCS World Module Manager. If you do not have DCS World installed, you can download the DCS World web-installer by clicking this link. If the product description does not have information about which DCS World version you should install, you only need to have the "Stable" version DCS World 2.5 installed on your PC.

 

Here's a very "Basic" video guide to get started in DCS

 

[norfolkmike 14]

Thanks for that mate. I thought i'd replied earlier, but that was via my phone. It looks like the reply didn't send. Anyway, I've spent much of the day reading the various posts on the forums and looking at the videos, so I'm more clued up now! 

My graphics card is definitely too under powered to even think about downloading the sim at this time, but in a few weeks, i'll be onboard with DCS.

Thanks for the info you posted. It definitely helped!

Cheers, Mike.

[Phantom88 3,278]

Cheers Mike,More than Happy to help,I think/hope you'll find DCS a fantastic Sim with a variety of interesting aspects.