The latest from the DCS World Weekend News update brings us some fascinating new information on DCS: Kola with an imminent release date and then the reveal of Flaming Cliffs 2024. Let’s check it out!
Big news on the Kola map
Add it to the list folks! Another DCS World release is imminently due with Eagle Dynamics and Orbx announcing that DCS: Kola is now set for an early access release on May 3rd!
Kola is a significant map project with more than 575,000 sq km of area that includes the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. The highest detail areas include the Russian/Finnish border, Murmansk region, north shores of the Baltic Sea, and they report that it includes Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian air bases and road runways!
The news goes on to report that the map will start out with a summer texture set to begin with and that a winter update is due to arrive in June. That June update will also include more airbases including Andoya, Bardufoss, Evenes, Vidsel, Kilpyavr, and Alakkurti. Additional details are also planned as the map is further developed.
Flaming Cliffs 2024?!
The surprises this Friday continue as Eagle Dynamics have announced Flaming Cliffs 2024. The new release includes existing aircraft and adds three additional models: FC: F-5E, FC: F-86F, and FC: MiG-15bis. These aircraft have the same flight model, visual and sound effects but use simpler systems making them easier to get into and fly.
Flaming Cliffs 3 owners can get the updated package for $9.99 USD. For those with the full fidelity modules, these aircraft will co-exist alongside them much in the same way that the full fidelity MiG-29 will co-exist with the already flyable MiG-29 from Flaming Cliffs.
There’s no full length trailer but they have posted a YouTube short advertising the release.
Thoughts
The product release offensive appears to be well underway right at the moment with DCS: CH-47F, DCS: Kola, DCS: F-4, and DCS: Afghanistan already in the mix. That’s quite a bit of DCS World content coming at us which is both great and a little tricky as budgeting for it all will no doubt be top of mind for some or many of you who are interested in it all.
Of course there are different product areas being covered here. The maps are one piece of course and then we have a logistics heavy lift transport helicopter and a Cold War era fighter jet. Some of these will appeal to some areas of the community and others will appear to other elements. Still, its great to see variety of options.
Flaming Cliffs 2024 is a bit of a surprise to me. It may be that this is ultimately what Modern Air Combat (MAC) has morphed into. It sounds like Eagle Dynamics pursued something different with that product which was announced and then never really talked about again. Sometimes development doesn’t go according to plan and so it may well be that MAC has been “cancelled” and become this latest iteration of Flaming Cliffs.
This news also opens the door to other aircraft that may end up being packaged into future releases in coming years – while some chase the absolute pinnacle of systems modeling, others want to push a few buttons and make things go and so say a FC: F-16C or FC: F/A-18C could end up being on the menu in the future. Coexisting aircraft offerings for folks who want different things out of their DCS experience.
Meanwhile, DCS: Kola arriving so soon is a bit of a surprise. Even a shock. But here we are with its release coming in just a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more on that!
Stormbirds 
Could not be more excited for Kola…the wait is nearly over!!!
Regarding FC/MAC, Wags jumped on the Eagle Dynamics discord and made the following statement:
While not of interest to me since I have the full-fidelity F-5 and F-86, I think the addition of new jets to FC is a great thing.
FC is likely a huge entry-point for many into DCS and now folks have a few more cold-war era aircraft to enjoy while ED can recoup some investment on MAC…win-win in my book.
It’s shaping up to be a wild month of May/June for DCS.
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Thanks for sharing the quote! I’ll have to reference that in a follow up.
FC is definitely a great entry point into the series! Makes a lot of sense.
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I wonder if FC2024 will upgrade the interior and exterior models of the old FC3 aircraft, because the Su-25T is quite fun but the interior really shows its age compared to the newer modules developed by ED.
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They literally just upgraded them a month or two ago. Some more than others, obviously.
In re the new additions, from the brief snapshots I’ve seen so far, I think they are what they already are.
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I admit to being underwhelmed by the FC planes. I would have liked to see some funkier choices They just took existing planes and made them… less. The only thing that might be good is if they improved the cockpit textures and then the FF F-5 and F-86 I own will hopefully benefit from that. And the Kola map is very nice news. I guess no discount, just a release. That’s okay.
But I would really like to hear some good news about ED & RB first before parting with my money. Unfortunately ED is very likely to (continue to) blow off any customer concerns about the RB affair, remain stone silent as always, and just hope to rake in the cash from new modules. ED is very predictable in that way. Hot sim – cold comportment.
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There “should be” a discount on the Kola map as it’s not releasing complete.
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Yes a big surprise for sure with the Kola map and something that I hope Orbx (with all of their MSFS experience) nails – I personally looking forward to flying a new map that isn’t brown (majority of it that is)
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Serious DID EF2000 sim vibes from the 90s.
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Oh yes! And F-14 Fleet Defender too!
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Shoo – time to pull out the credit card – again!
The FC3 “upgrade” is only $10, so i’ll go for it. Mainly just to show support for the noobs out there. And truthfully, I still have a lot of fun in the Su-33 Sea Flanker (poor man’s Tomcat 😉 ), Su-25T, and even the F-15C once in a while (tho not so much now that StrEagle is on the scene), so why not a “jump in and go” version of Tiger, Sabre & Fagot, too?
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Very excited about the imminent release of the Kola map.
However, I’m increasingly wondering about the recent barrage of new releases seemingly popping out of nowhere. As far as I’m concerned, it’s getting a bit creepy (but I still can’t help feeling excited!).
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Yeah I know what you mean. It’s both exciting but it’s against a slightly concerning backdrop. Hopefully nothing at all but just a bunch of modules being ready at the same time. These things do happen!
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So wait…
Are they just throwing in the current F-5, F-86, and MiG-15 into Flaming Cliffs because they are relatively simple and calling it a new Flaming Cliffs product?
Or are they making brand new even simpler versions of these aircraft?
Other than the new(?) planes, are they refreshing any other aspect of Flaming Cliffs? (besides what has recently been done)
That was a very vague announcement, or else I’m just too tired to have read it correctly.
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These are the simplified versions developed for MAC. They aren’t doing MAC anymore so they are throwing them into Flaming Cliffs. They are simpler than the full fidelity modules.
Great way to get folks into Cold War jets.
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Hi,
finally a current map without sand and in Europe, I’m already looking forward to NATO vs Russia campaigns. The map could be extended to the island of Gotland.
I’m glad to see the FC3 module expand to attract new players. I also started on Lock-On and then Flaming Cliff.
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It Took a couple days to really stew in my brain but something was seriously bugging me. Then it hit me … why is DCS basically sponsoring Digital online squadrons. I mean there is a difference between say hey this squadron is doing the thing open to the community or hey this squadron helped to create X. No it really really bothers me that in there News release they actually advertise and by doing so sponsor a Digital Sim group in their news release. To me that just seems like bad pool … I don’t like it … any opinions anybody .. I mostly worry about it effecting peoples decision making process on which group to try and what not to …. I mean i know that group they are super Milsim and by advertising that they could indirectly push newer members of the community that way …. I just don’t like the precedent
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