Air Combat Simulation Gaming!

[redtail]

I have a family member who mastered the A-10 DCS and has now moved on to the F-18. He spent a large portion of our summer vacation quizzing me on CV ops. I was amazed at how much he knew, he even had me googling a few things because I couldn’t trust my memory. He even politely corrected me on something I had mixed up in my head. The DCS sim is pretty awesome.

@Cooter

The fighter pilot podcast.
https://www.fighterpilotpodcast.com/podcast/028-air-combat-simulation-gaming/

Been a fan of DCS World (particularly to A-10C and Hornet) as well as flightsims in general since I was a teen. For those of us who've always wanted to fly a fighter jet, but never had the opportunity (for one reason or another), this is the next best thing!

In this episode, a former Hornet/Rhino pilot (retired two years ago) visits the home of Eagle Dynamics'... Matt "Wags" Wagner and tries his hand at the DCS F/A-18C for the first time.
It's great to see how impressed he was with it and how close it is to the real thing. He also tried VR for the first time and was equally impressed. VR is incredible. Once you try it, you'll never want to use a PC monitor again. This hobby has come a long way since my Commodore-64/Amiga days

The Tomcat will be released this winter. http://heatblur.com/

Enjoy the podcast!

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet – Episode 17 Flight Performance Advisory System (FPAS)

F/A-18C Hornet – Episode 18 AGM-65E Laser Maverick

These guys have even modeled the Joint Helmet Mounted Cuing System (JHMCS).
Incredible!

 

[Cooter]

@Cooter

The fighter pilot podcast.
https://www.fighterpilotpodcast.com/podcast/028-air-combat-simulation-gaming/

Been a fan of DCS World (particularly to A-10C and Hornet) as well as flightsims in general since I was a teen. For those of us who've always wanted to fly a fighter jet, but never had the opportunity (for one reason or another), this is the next best thing!

In this episode, a former Hornet/Rhino pilot (retired two years ago) visits the home of Eagle Dynamics'... Matt "Wags" Wagner and tries his hand at the DCS F/A-18C for the first time.
It's great to see how impressed he was with it and how close it is to the real thing. He also tried VR for the first time and was equally impressed. VR is incredible. Once you try it, you'll never want to use a PC monitor again. This hobby has come a long way since my Commodore-64/Amiga days

The Tomcat will be released this winter. http://heatblur.com/

Enjoy the podcast!

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet – Episode 17 Flight Performance Advisory System (FPAS)

F/A-18C Hornet – Episode 18 AGM-65E Laser Maverick

These guys have even modeled the Joint Helmet Mounted Cuing System (JHMCS).
Incredible!

I look forward to seeing the Hornet DCS. The graphics are amazing from what I’ve seen.
I’m not a sim guy but the videos I’ve watched on the F-18 almost have me considering getting into it. I’m amazed at the level of accuracy they’ve achieved. If I can get my BIL to help set it all up, I might consider buying enough just to get started. I also need to find somewhere that can demo the VR. That was one of my complaints when I tried the A-10. The limitation of operating on 3 screens made it difficult for someone who’s used to using canopy gouge. VR should solve that.

 

[redtail]

You will be blown away by what we have now! I too was on the fence when it comes to first gen VR (resolution limitations and all) but I'm glad I took the plunge when I did. I remember going into a few Best Buys with the intention to demo a set, but they never had any to demo, so I finally just bought an Oculus Rift. No doubt I'll be upgrading to next gen and selling mine soon. I'm considering the Pimax 5k plus.
https://pimaxvr.com/products/pimax-5k-plus-vr-headset

When setup properly, the Rift isn't nearly as bad as some make it out to be. Sure it's not as sharp as a monitor, but I have no issue reading the gauges, HUD and MFDs. Some of the finer details in the cockpit are a little harder to read, but nothing too serious.
When I used a triple screen setup, I used TrackIR with it. That greatly enhanced the functionality but it doesn't come close to the natural feeling and functionality of VR.

The level of accuracy of the A-10C and Hornet is truly incredible! With the Hornet, it is a direct result of their contract with Boeing. The code used in developing the A-10C is a stripped down, declassified version of what they used to produce the DTT for the Air National Guard. Used to train their A-10A pilots to transition to the C.

http://www.thebattlesim.com/about/

 

[FlyingTiger]

Once Top Gun II is released, DCS is going to get a lot of hits.

 

[Shepherd]

Until they can simulate pulling high "Gs", it's never going to be accurate.

 

[redtail]

Until they can simulate pulling high "Gs", it's never going to be accurate.

I take you mean physically simulate. Visually, they already do.

 

[redtail]

That was one of my complaints when I tried the A-10. The limitation of operating on 3 screens made it difficult for someone who’s used to using canopy gouge. VR should solve that.

Just happened to stumble upon this!

I was reading something that was posted two years ago on Reddit.... from a real hog pilot.


Hog_Pilot
Ok, I'm going to start answering some of these now.

1. Have you played DCS A-10C? If so, how close is it to the real thing? What stands out as being accurate / inaccurate?

Yes, I played it a couple time prior to flying the A-10 and a couple of times since. I do use the warthog HOTAS set. (maybe about 7 times total of sitting down and flying a mission)

The design of the jet and graphics are spot on and the handling is reasonably accurate. Big differances: The actual A-10 is much more forgiving than the game when it comes to how much AOA you can demand without stalling. From what I've seen, DCS engines are less powerfull than the actual A-10 engines.

The sim is impressivly accurate system wise with the full HOTAS/CICU/MFCD suite. Only thing is, that suite is very old now and many of the HOTAS functions have changed or entire systems have been replaced with others. The sim is suite 3.something and it shows. We are on suite 8 now.

Overall, I'd say the sim is very accurate in that there is nothing else out there (except the actual A-10 sims we train on) that comes close.
4/10 with a keyboard, 6/10 with HOTAS, and 9/10 with Oculus CV1.

edit: I found his comment on AOA and engine power to be quite revealing, because in my many hours of flying the sim (with obviously zero real world experience), I've always felt that it stalls far too easily. It feels underpowered as well.
I guess they had to dumb down the flight model for the civilian entertainment version.