I’ve got a few previews coming up for DCS World and the first one is going to be a look at DCS: Sinai by OnReTech! This new map is a large one that covers a huge area that includes the Sinai desert region but it also covers a lot of the rest of Egypt, most of Israel and more. Part one is going to focus on Egypt, Cairo and the Nile river delta region. Let’s have a look!
Feels like a big map!
My first impression of DCS: Sinai is that this is a rather large map or at least it feels like it. In the images below you can see what it looks like in the mission editor with the Egypt side of the map extending north to the Mediterranean and south beyond the Egyptian cities of Faiyum and Beni Suef. It then extends east to the Sinai peninsula, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba, with a small slice of Saudi Arabia, pieces of Jordan, and most of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and more.
The area that I’m looking at today is just a piece that includes Cairo and the agricultural lands to the north as well as the important port cities of Alexandria and Port Said. The screenshots that you’re going to see have been taken without any added elements from me and is just the pure raw map itself.
The Nile river delta
I started with this area intentionally both out of personal interest but also to show that this map has some range. While the Sinai peninsula is a very arid region with a typically desert landscape, the Nile region is very and starkly different.
39-million people live within Egypt’s Nile river delta and between the major cities of Alexandria and Cairo lie smaller cities like Tanta, Damanhour and Mansoura. In between densely packed cities are fields of agricultural fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. This is true in DCS World as well.
In addition to the agriculture there’s also major shipping routes that go through here. Port Said lies at the northern end of the Suez canal, a key shipping route in the world, and a strategic choke point for shipping in the event of potential conflicts of the present and in the past. On the other end of the delta, on the western end, we have Alexandria – another major port city. I’ll talk a bit more about the canal and ports in another section too.
Cairo
There’s also, at the very southern end of the delta, the capital city of Egypt – Cairo. This is one of those world cities that is steeped in legend, lore, and history that goes back through the ages. Cairo is also a modern city of the 21st Century as well with modern buildings, sports facilities, and buildings. It’s all mixed in together here with the ancient and the modern.
A dense cityscape sits alongside desert and some extremely iconic landmarks. Here we have the Sphinx as well as The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Djoser and more. These are all represented in the sim.
Night lighting has come a long way in DCS World and it looks like DCS: Sinai is making use of some more recent technologies and techniques. The cities appear well lit and roadways have their own lighting.
Ports and the Suez canal
Mentioned earlier and prominently featured on the map, the Suez Canal and the major ports represented on this map by the previously mentioned Alexandria, Port Said (at the northern mouth of the Suez), as well as Ismailia and Suez itself at the southern end of the canal are all there. There are parked ships, intermodal facilities, industrial terminals, storage facilities and more.
Airports and other landmarks
Finally, I want to look at airports. These are important after all as these are where some of your flights may begin and end. The region I’m looking at today has at 12-major airports as well as over two-dozen independent helicopter pads.
Airports are a mix of civilian and military facilities including Sphinx International, Cairo International, and Capital International Airport all of which have both civil and military facilities located on them. The differences are stark with hardened bunkers and military style taxiways as well as more typical civilian parking areas and terminals. There are lots of details around these including various markings, parked vehicles, and other “doodads.”
Up next….
I’ve got some more previews in the works. I’m going to continue to feature the Sinai map so you have a solid look at the map before it releases giving you as much possible information as I can at the moment. The next preview will focus on the Sinai itself before the third preview shows off Israel and surrounding regions.
I’ve also got the F-15E in the works although my first preview will likely be very basic as I’m just starting to learn its systems.
Give me a shout in the comments if you have any questions that you’d like me to try and answer. I’ll do my best to tell you what I can! More soon!
Stormbirds 
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