As expected, Eagle Dynamics packed in a whole bunch of new and exciting stuff into their DCS World 2023 and beyond trailer. Revealed? The CH-46 Chinook helicopter and the F6F Hellcat. Let’s break the trailer down and look at it step by step.
Everything in the DCS World 2023 and Beyond Trailer
This year we got to see quite a few new things packed into the DCS World 2023 and Beyond trailer. There were plenty of old favourites mixed in there too with the F/A-18, F-16C and A-10 all getting pretty good shots of each in action but most of the rest was all about the new. So let’s have a look!
Everything that we saw in the traier
The first shot did something interesting too stating that this trailer was created with nVidia DLSS and multi-threading. The implication of course is that DCS World is making strides to improve performance with new core technology updates. Nick Grey also made mention of core updates in his message. The comments that we’ve all made in recent months and years has indeed been heard.
The next shot was of the sun and the DCS: AH-64D. Nothing new at this point but a reminder that its a top level helicopter that they have developed over the last few years.
Next we see the S-3 Viking. This is an asset that was long overdue for an upgrade as DCS: F/A-18C and DCS: F-14 pilots can attest to while docking with the S3 tanker.
Then a shot of the DCS: C-130 being developed as a flyable.
Leopard 2 makes and appearance a couple of times in this trailer.
Then we get this beautiful shot of the new AI B-52 asset flying together with some F-15s. Its harder to tell in this shot but in a follow-up sequence we can see that at least some are F-15Es currently in development from RAZBAM.
Placed on the cover, this is our first shot of the F-4 Phantom from Heatblur. There were many more to come.
Another AI asset, the B-1B lancer, made an appearance too!
Another shot of the F-4 Phantom. It’s just a silhouette so at this point I was wondering if they were saving up a more complete reveal after the trailer…
But then we got this shot… I was wrong. F-4 Phantom in all its glory! And we’d see a lot more before the trailer was complete.
There’s more B-52. Looking stunning!
The F-15E makes its first definitive appearance in this trailer.
Followed quickly by its second. Looking fantastic!
And then back to the F-4 because we definitely want to see more Phantom.
We setup a kind of alternating sequence back and forth between new types of content. This F-15E is loaded down with a significant payload on the pylon. A weapon type I’m not quite familiar with… Update: A reader has correctly identified the weapon as an AGM-130. It is a rocket-boosted version of the GBU-15 bomb.
DCS: Sinai may have been shown in a few previous shots in the background but in this one its front and center with a very Michael Bay-esq panning shot into the sun.
Here we see an F-15E with a full iron bomb loadout. Likely this is DCS: Sinai in the background.
The next shot I have to like. We see the new flyable C-130 for DCS again with the RCAF scheme.
And another DCS: C-130 shot, to underscore that this is a flyable module, with a shot of an F-16C from the ramp of the C-130. Nice!
Then we switch gears and the next shot gives us a pair of Corsairs flying over a camp with soldiers on the ground. This may have been shot on the modern DCS: Marianas map but it may also have been done with the DCS: Marianas WWII map – the straw roof building suggests that it is.
More DCS: F4U Corsair with an unknown map in the background. Again, this could be Marianas.
Another F-4 Phantom shot. Keep it coming!
A great image of the S-3 breaking away as it flies past the carrier.
Another Carrier shot with F-14s and an S-3 in the foreground with the B-52 AI asset recreating this famous scene.
Next we go to DCS WWII again with Ugra Media’s updated Normandy map that stretches to London in the north and Paris in the south. Here’s London…
…and Paris.
A lot has been said in the last couple of hours about this shot. The F4U is in the foreground but everyone wants to know about potential assets that include Japanese aircraft. I suspect these are Ju88s as stand-ins for G4M Betty or Ki-21 Sally bombers.
More Phantom!
Modern tanks (are those Merkavas?) rolling in the foreground.
This is the second or third recent DCS video featuring the A-4 Skyhawk mod. Although we’ve heard statements to the contrary, it has caused many to wonder if this will transition to a module status at some point. Or perhaps some other arrangement…
This is a great shot and its the second shot of Polychop’s Kiowa Warrior helicopter. I didn’t capture the first one but this is a better overall image of the cockpit of this scout helicopter. We’ve not heard much from Polychop for a couple of years but maybe were now on the homestretch and the Kiowa Warrior will be emerging into release in 2023.
A blink and you’ll miss it shot of Octopus G’s La-7.
Polychop’s Kiowa Warrior exterior model now. Looking sharp!
F4U Corsairs and probably DCS Marianas again.
Phantom! I’m not sick of it yet.
Aerges Mirage F1 gets a shot here and its one of a few in the trailer. This one stands out because its the F1EE with the refuelling probe and INS nav capabilities due out sometime this year.
Octopus G’s La-7 gets a clearer shot here.
A-4 Skyhawk mod once again.
Phantom! I can do this all day!
Nearing the end of the trailer and we get another great shot of the Aerges Mirage F1EE.
The trailer ends its traditional presentation. But it’s not over because then we see something new. A helicopter cyclic, a relatively modern looking cockpit with a mix of knobs, buttons, and glass. Then a shot up that starts to tie the interior with the exterior together.
Finally the shape becomes revealed and its very clearly a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. This was a surprise reveal of what looks to be a module that is already very well advanced in its art design.
And that’s not all because the video flickers again and a few grainy images of another classic aircraft appear. This time its the F6F Hellcat!
Analysis
We saw a lot today in the DCS World 2023 and Beyond trailer. The trailer itself maintains the high standards we’ve expected from years past. Stunning sequences with well known modules are mixed in with upcoming content.
If this trailer is an indication, 2023 will feature some long awaited modules. Heatblur’s F-4, RAZBAM’s F-15E Polychop’s Kiowa Warrior, Magnitude 3’s F4U Corsair, Ugra Media’s DCS: Normandy expansion, OnReTech’s DCS: Sinai, DCS: Marianas WWII, Octopus G’s La-7, and Aerges Mirage F1EE all seem somewhat to fully plausable for release.
The Chinook and F6F are probably part of the beyond 2023 timeframe although the Chinook already looks quite advanced with its 3D exterior and cockpit modeling already in place. The F6F may be not quite as far along in development but its inclusion is not a complete surprise. Nick Grey, Eagle Dynamics co-founder, did say that he really wanted to do one years ago in an interview.
I can’t finish my analysis without going back to the beginning of the trailer and talking about both nVidia DLSS and multi-core.
That message was deliberately inserted right at the beginning and it reveals an understanding that DCS World really needs to sort out its performance issues. Its a long standing problem and one not limited to DCS but it has invoked the ire of many this year as updates seem to have degraded performance with VR users in particular facing challenges update to update.
Additional multi-core support, if it does come this year, will likely be part of a major update to the sim and perhaps a point release that takes us to DCS World 2.9 or maybe even 3.0. nVidia DLSS should help significantly too especially for people who are constrained by GPU power rather than memory or CPU. It’s good to see this addressed during the presentation.
DCS needs to really work on its core and its core features in the coming years to solve long standing issues and so a nod to that is a very good thing. Of course the now vast array of exciting new content is great too and this trailer delivered on that. 2022 may have been a really challenging year but 2023 for DCS World shows quite a bright horizon ahead.
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