For this week’s DCS World Weekly Newsletter we get a few details behind what Eagle Dynamics is working on in the realm of DCS World War II. DCS also has a new stable patch update that makes the DCS: AH-64D available to everyone – even those on the stable release plan. Let’s have a look!
WWII updates
Although the update was short it is packed with some interesting information. The focus here appears to be on eliminating bugs and will surely be welcomed by many DCS WWII fans. Although we don’t have a detailed list of what’s been done yet, the update references fixing bugs in controls, rearm, refuel, radio and intercom systems.
The Bedford and Blitz trucks, both free to all DCS World players, have now been given FARP setup capabilities – so you can create those roadside airbase now.
There are also visual and performance improvements. The Thunderbolt, FW190A-8 and Mosquito are all seeing some visual updates on external model and cockpits. The Mosquito specifically is referenced for getting an updated LOD (level of detail) model that is aimed at performance improvements.
The Frey and Würzburg radars will have more realistic behaviour. The procedures for setting them up were released in a video back in February that details how to do that.
Also of note is mention of the fining tuning of the new fuze system. To date, bombs have not had a variety of fuze types represented but there are moves towards a much more realistic system. It’s been a while but the updated system is also likely to be what enables the team to offer the ability to skip bomb – something that seems to be implied by the “hero” image for this section of this week’s update.
Eagle Dynamics reports that all of these bugs and features plus potentially others will be released in the next open beta. We’ll have to wait and see what all of those end up being!
Stable release for DCS
Now is one of those rare times where the latest Open Beta and the Stable release version of DCS World meet-up. A lot has happened since February 9 when the last Stable version came out and now it has caught up with the open beta.
The latest stable version includes some big highlights like the DCS: AH-64D, the new Syria map extension, FLIR rendering, a long list of updates across a wide variety of modules and new campaigns for single player – purchased separately of course.
Stormbirds 
Hey Shamrock, a common argument is that because DCS aircraft — including WW2 aircraft — have clickable cockpits in which every single thing is clickable unlike in CloD, X-Plane and MSFS 2020, then this is why a single plane in DCS is like $60-100.
What are your thoughts on this as I don’t have DCS and unless something happens where DCS is the only place where I can fly over a specific theater and perhaps a pretty exotic plane like an H8K or a Me-323 then I don’t want to get it?
Novice
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IMHO you should take advantage of their trial licensing system to try a plane for a couple of weeks and see if it’s something you want to sink money in to.
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The argument of how much something is worth is very down to the person. What DCS offers is well beyond alot of other sim’s. But what they offer may not be worth the extra money to you. Like FIRDIMIGDI said best to trail DCS and see for yourself. I primarily play IL2 and DCS and love them both for slightly different reasons. Options are great 🙂
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Yep very well said! Options are good and the free trial gives a good sense of what the DCS WWII warbirds offer. Ideal for some, not so ideal for others.
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There’s a few aspects to this. First, most of their WWII fare are not in the $60-100 USD range and sit just a little below at $50 (except for the Mossie).
And then you have the systems modeling. DCS is top tier when it comes to this although even they have a few misses. Nonetheless, if you want to click and interact with every unique system on a given aircraft there are few outside of DCS World that offer that level of fidelity and detail. Even in the X-Plane world only the very top tier aircraft offer that level.
So, consequently DCS WWII aircraft are expensive. The warbirds are a bit cheaper as there is still less to them than something like the F-16C or F/A-18C where you not only have a range of systems but also a vast array of very complicated weapons too.
Some love the fewer aircraft but more system detail. Some prefer the greater variety that IL-2 offers at, IMHO, still a very high level of fidelity but less or not clickable depending on the title.
As others have suggested, DCS does offer free trials of just about everything these days so if you want to try it out and see if it clicks for you… you can!
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Personally ai find BoX more engaging for WW2 based on the aircraft and maps. Not to denigrate DCS but to me that is more for the modern types.
BoX also has more ‘workhorse’ aircraft which always make me smile.
Nothing wrong with clickable cockpits, but in BoX I can live without them.
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BoX definitely has a better selection of planes, many of them are really well done, and the A2A in BoX is really good. But I’m all about DCS for two reasons: the DCS maps are exponentially better and the DCS Mission Editor is far, far superior. Those two things, especially the Mission Editor, are “must have!” for me as I build 100% of my flights.
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Fair points. The BoX ME is just…what were they thinking?
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IL-2’s mission editor is extremely powerful. The best in the business potentially for its capability. But exploiting that capability requires such a steep learning curve that a lot of people are not able to get through it.
I was a relatively prolific mission and campaign maker for the original IL-2 series but with BoX I have not been able to work with it enough. Fortunately they have done things like the AQMB, offering lots of free and paid content, and some folks do manage to make some decent stuff in there.
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DCS aircraft are study-level down to the very minute details, to the greatest extent that can be supported on a home PC. If you consider each aircraft as a weapons and procedures trainer instead of just a combat vehicle with a lot of extra click spots in the cockpit, that will correctly reframe your thinking. Then with that in mind, compare the cost and features of a DCS WWII module to a payware warbird for MSFS, P3D or XPlane 11. (As an example, the A2A Simulations Accusim P-51D for FSX or P3D is the same cost as the DCS P-51D module. Each product has its niche focus within the aircraft’s systems, but overall the two products are comparatively similar for the depth they achieve within the simulation.)
For many reasons I prefer combat in the IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series (ie “BoX”) to DCS WWII, despite IL-2 not having anything clickable areas in its cockpits. The trade-off is IL-2 simplifies the piloting aspect of the simulation, for example using a single key press for the entire engine startup procedure. If you enjoy running through checklists, DCS is a lot of fun. I’ll leave this video as an example of where DCS really shines: https://youtu.be/EAn1J3iKQDY
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Nothing for the Mustang?……….. pity.
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A few tweaks there would surely be welcomed!
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If for no other reason, DCS aircraft feel more alive and exciting to fly.
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