New to DCS

[mikeymike 357]

Hey guys,

I am thinking about purchasing dcs for the first time.

And I am indecisive of what aircraft to choose. 
Payware that is. I am tossing up between the F14 F16 or the F18, which I will be a beginner at flying these types of birds.

I will also be purchasing the thrustmaster Hotas worthog.

any other addons I may  need?

I have always been an aviation enthusiast, and have been flying on P3d and msfs. Sothis will be a completely new experience to me.

thank you.

mike

 

 

 

[ESzczesniak 128]

All three aircraft modules are excellent. I think it comes down to style/preference. The F-14 is an older aircraft. It’s HUD is a bit more basic and the systems at heart are more simple. However “human interface” has evolved a lot, and interacting with them can be a bit less intuitive. The F-16 and F/A-18 are both rather modern…which is still a 12-15 year old avionics suite. Their capabilities are much broader and systems abilities more complex. But interacting with the systems is more intuitive. Some find the Hornet more “logical”, others the Falcon…and it depends a lot which system you’re talking about. For instance the HARM is much more intuitive in the Falcon. I think the big difference between those two comes down to your interest in carrier ops. Personally, I think just flying a case I marschall and recovery is amazing, much less the combat. 
 

At a simple level, the Warthog stick/throttle is enough to start. Not necessary, but nice would be rudder pedals. And VR really takes the experience to a whole other level. But of course that’s another bigger investment. VR really shines for formation flying, carrier patterns, aerial refueling, and dogfighting (the natural head tracking is really indispensable).

[rickjake 243]

I agree with everything ESzczesniak said. 

I have all three aircraft and have fun flying them, I decided to concentrate on really learning the F/A-18.  Flying the aircraft is not to hard if you are familiar with flying from other sims, but what DCS excels at is system integration. It can be a very steep learning curve to learn all the systems. The Warthog stick/throttle or something similar is really vital in this area. Learning all the different air to air, air to ground weapons and how to configure them. Switching Radar modes, defense systems, Navigation and communication systems and doing most of this with the HOTAS. If your new to DCS, or not that familiar with these types of jets, it can be a bit overwhelming. But It can be very satisfying when you do learn it. It just won't happen overnight. I would suggest you watch some youtube videos from Wags and a few others and just concentrate learning one or two things at a time. 

Rudder petals are nice to have, and in my opinion, DCS in VR is the only way to go. 

 

Enjoy

Edited December 10, 2021 by rickjake

[mikeymike 357]

Thank you very much for your informative responses.

I will go ahead with the f18 and completely focus on only learning this bird. As I do only Intend on staying with one.

and will look into new rudders also as

i have the saitek ones atm.

I do also have track IR.

Another question, do I need to install addons such as weather, airports land class etc etc 

like P3D MSFS etc ? Or it’s great out of the box?

thanks 

 

mike

 

 

[ESzczesniak 128]

DCS is much more run within the sim. There are additional maps, aircraft, and even a couple utilities (TacView) that are purchased through Eagle Dynamics and simple one click installed in DCS (nearly identical to MSFS Marketplace). There are external add ons, but these are much less fundamental to DCS than P3D.  Beyond a voice control (VAICOM) and a couple mission planning/data cartridge type managers, nearly all the external mods I’ve seen are virtual fighter wing specific. 
 

The maps are made both by ED, and 3rd parties. But all within the sim. They have some varying quality. You get the Cacauses and Marianna’s maps for free. Most say Syria is the most detailed and Nevada the least.  But honestly, it’s all pretty good straight up. In fact, I’m not sure I can think of any DCS add on that ups the visual quality. There are some legacy aircraft from “Flaming Cliffs 3” that are much lower fidelity. They look good, but very basic systems. These are easy to distinguish from the high fidelity planes. All the FC3 are about $10, where as the others are $40-80, but sometimes cheaper on sale. Of those, the quality is all very good. 
 

The Super Carrier package is a little bit of an exception. You get a free fully functional carrier out of the box. But the SC adds a better looking carrier with animated deck crew. It’s not required, but is very immersive…particularly the launch sequence. It is also still being developed, albeit very slowly. It has been said someday it’ll have briefing rooms, airboss station, etc.

One other comment on the Tomcat is that it is much more hands on flying. I won’t say the F/A-18 doesn’t take some airmanship, but the actual flying is pretty straightforward…particularly outside “the groove” or tanking. I believe the Falcon is similar, although I’ve focused on the Hornet as well (I do own all three and several more). The Hornet FBW trims to 1 g (i.e. the nose stays where you left it) with gear up and AOA with the gear down. Whereas you’re going to have to actually fly the Tomcat. Spin recovery, thrust/pitch couple, manage cruise AOA, etc. I see this a largely a plus personally, but am more of an air to mud guy, hence the Hornet being my bird of choice. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by ESzczesniak

[pete_auau 1,153]

1 hour ago, mikeymike said:

Another question, do I need to install addons such as weather, airports land class etc etc 

like P3D MSFS etc ? Or it’s great out of the box?

nope  you dont  have  to install any  weather  addon at all or  airports   comes  with  the  modules  you purchase,  dcs  is  free  to  download  and  you get the basic  package  two free aircraft and two free maps. Best bet is  go  to their  forum

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/

Edited December 10, 2021 by pete_auau

[mikeymike 357]

24 minutes ago, pete_auau said:

nope  you dont  have  to install any  weather  addon at all or  airports   comes  with  the  modules  you purchase,  dcs  is  free  to  download  and  you get the basic  package  two free aircraft and two free maps. Best bet is  go  to their  forum

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/

Thank you

[Phantom88 3,284]

Hello Mike.I agree with the previous replies.I think If you are going for The Hornet or Tomcat The SuperCarrier module adds a tom of immersion to those aircraft.Also DCS usually have seasonal 50% off sales so if you can hold off a bit you can save a lot of money on several modules.  

[mikeymike 357]

On 12/11/2021 at 8:10 AM, Phantom88 said:

Hello Mike.I agree with the previous replies.I think If you are going for The Hornet or Tomcat The SuperCarrier module adds a tom of immersion to those aircraft.Also DCS usually have seasonal 50% off sales so if you can hold off a bit you can save a lot of money on several modules.  

Thank you for replying, I am actually having a hard time deciding with aircraft to get. F18 or the F14.

cheers

Mike

[Nyxx 6,993]

On 12/14/2021 at 3:34 PM, mikeymike said:

Thank you for replying, I am actually having a hard time deciding with aircraft to get. F18 or the F14.

cheers

Mike

Well I have the 14 16 18.

This is just my opinion to add to all the good replys you have had.

The skill level to learn the F14 is a lot higher than the F-18. The F-14 is imo the best looking and the one I would love to be brilliant at, but am not. The A10 is even harder. The F-18 is the one to go for as its depth is amazing but its also a forgiving aircraft to fly very unlike the F-14. 

For you first aircraft beyond any shadow of dought I would say go for the F-18 and the SC. Learn it then get a fantastic champaign. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/campaigns/fa-18c_rise_of_the_persian_lion_campaign/

I am half way through it and its also great as a first time one as it does not throw you in the deep end. You do need a map with that champaign but the F-18 SC and the map = happy days and a LOT of them.

You need to learn to AA refuel again the F-18 imo is easier than the F-14. CASE I and CASE III landings again a lot better to learn in the F-18 as the HUD in the F-14 is horriable, you need these skills. You have a ton of work to learn and enjoy. But the F-18 will make it easier than the very old F-14. As stunning as the F-14 is, I would master the F-18 then go for the F-14 in 6 months time. Everything in the F-14 is harder work and you also need to master talking to Jester. Nope...the F-18 is imo far the better way for you to go.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Nyxx

[Greggy_D 935]

35 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

Learn it then get a fantastic champaign.

How are the other F-18 campaigns they have for sale?

[Nyxx 6,993]

4 hours ago, Greggy_D said:

How are the other F-18 campaigns they have for sale?

Well from memory when I looked into them all.

DCS: F/A-18C Rising Squall Campaign seemed "game like" DCS is a sim not a "game" take that how you like 🙂

DCS: F/A-18C Operation Pontus Campaign looks crazy hard for experts only.

DCS: F/A-18C Raven One Сampaign looks good

F/A-18C Hornet - The Serpent's Head 2 Campaign this is the one by the guys who did the one am on. It was the first and the one am on is the follow up.

F/A-18C Aggressors BFM Campaign looks like all AA and high skill level.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Nyxx

[Phantom88 3,284]

Great Time To Buy!!!

 

 

[GCBraun 2,390]

The A10-C is, by far, my favorite module. The newest version with the HMCS (Helmet Mounted Cueing System) is just a blast to fly and operate.

[mikeymike 357]

On 12/16/2021 at 9:24 AM, Nyxx said:

Well I have the 14 16 18.

This is just my opinion to add to all the good replys you have had.

The skill level to learn the F14 is a lot higher than the F-18. The F-14 is imo the best looking and the one I would love to be brilliant at, but am not. The A10 is even harder. The F-18 is the one to go for as its depth is amazing but its also a forgiving aircraft to fly very unlike the F-14. 

For you first aircraft beyond any shadow of dought I would say go for the F-18 and the SC. Learn it then get a fantastic champaign. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/campaigns/fa-18c_rise_of_the_persian_lion_campaign/

I am half way through it and its also great as a first time one as it does not throw you in the deep end. You do need a map with that champaign but the F-18 SC and the map = happy days and a LOT of them.

You need to learn to AA refuel again the F-18 imo is easier than the F-14. CASE I and CASE III landings again a lot better to learn in the F-18 as the HUD in the F-14 is horriable, you need these skills. You have a ton of work to learn and enjoy. But the F-18 will make it easier than the very old F-14. As stunning as the F-14 is, I would master the F-18 then go for the F-14 in 6 months time. Everything in the F-14 is harder work and you also need to master talking to Jester. Nope...the F-18 is imo far the better way for you to go.

Thanks a lot ,guess I’ll go for the f18.

mike