DCS - Why it's so great . . . and why its hard as hell to click the Icon to play it!

DCS has been an amazing experience over the prior year. I've sunk about 1,000 hours into it. Better yet, with the great community's advice, I've built a home cockpit (Volair) and purchased a flight seat. Some other adjustments were made and I use a Rift.

 

WHAT A BAD ASS EXPERIENCE!!!

 

But ya know what? Tell me you guys have this happen sometimes ...right? Aaaand, based on the following, what you do to stay pumped for DCS....

 

A DCS evening frequently starts like this :

 

"Ya know what? Think it's time to fire up some DCS. It's been a couple days, lets hop back in a campaign and enjoy. Where was I last? Ahh, Mirage Red Flag campaign, mission 5. Sure....sounds good.

 

Allrighty, lets align my INS.....get things ready, smile a bit while enjoying the vibe in VR (I'm IN a Mirage!) and startup sequence.....15 minutes go by, I'm in the air, loving it." But some trouble almost always awaits.

 

I Fly through a few navs, spend another 45 min, then....I'm dead. Just dead. Totally fine, that is part of the experience. I want a realistic enjoyable sim.

 

Problem lies in the next part. 15 min take off (not always but you get the point), basically an hour to return to the same part of the campaign in that same mission, then maybe I get through it or....like tonight...I have to do it all yet again. Three times.

 

Phenomenal sim. Really is. But because of hundreds of variations of the above and the ultra deep time sink and need to replay major areas over and over....its hard to hit the icon to fire up my old buddy.

Edited February 7, 2019 by redmantab

These sorts of things give me the utmost sympathy for the people that, for whatever reason, have the passion but don't have the time to deep dive this sim. I totally understand that frustration. I even took a number of years off because life simply said I couldn't play. This sim demands multiple hours per week to stay proficient for actual gameplay, and hours more each month to hit the manuals, youtube tutorials and forums. Time that many, hell, most people don't have.

I'm currently at a point where this isn't (too much of) a problem for me. But that could absolutely change tomorrow.

At the same time, I didn't and won't blame ED/DCS if such a situational change does occur for me again. ED should maintain and expand the goal of absolute realism, whether I can participate or not. Despite all the faults, they do it better than anybody else and I recognize how fortunate I am to be here.

Edited February 7, 2019 by SonofEil

This is typically how it goes for me:

 

1. Fire up DCS. Load my mission, prep to fly, realize I forgot to activate my controller profile.

2. Exit DCS, activate controller profile, restart DCS.

3. Fire up my mission. Realize I forgot to update some of the triggers.

4. Exit the mission, open up the ME, edit the triggers.

5. Fire up the mission again, call for the ground chief, realize I haven't saved the payload combination I want to use.

6. Go back to the ME, create and save the payload I need.

7. Fire up the misison, now it's slow as hell because my fxo and metashaders folders are getting big.

8. Exit DCS, clear out my fxo and metashaders folders.

9. 45 minutes has passed, and I'm just now starting up the engines.

I hear you. Have maybe an hour at night to play.

 

Had the exact same thing happen for a month before i realized i was trying to have the authentic experience vs one where i was learning.

 

So i went to mission editor, went to all campaign missions and did an air start closer to bullseye. Now i jump in 200 miles or less away from the engagement and i have a lot more fun and learn a lot more about bvr and dogfighting vs taxiing, takeoff and navigating.

 

Now i can have at least 3 missions in one session + my personal after action review using tacview.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Well there's the sitting around doing nothing part, then there's the aviation part. As for the first, a really good SSD really helps. As for the second, I dunno. I honestly like flying more than playing. I was in sim all day last weekend, remember one mission that was like two hours of flying, and 30 seconds of dropping bombs (in one pass, with no idea until Tacview came up whether or not I hit anything). And what made the whole thing worthwhile was the landing. Talking to ATC, getting set up on base. Sun going down over the Black Sea. All of a sudden the SAM battery went nuts. Couldn't see what it was shooting at. Contrails streaking across the sky, lit by the sunset. Weird mix of emotions. Frightening, awesome, sad, beautiful.

 

There's always instant action. On a clear night you can see the carrier from 25 miles out. There's a highway in the sky, and I'll push when ready. Meanwhile there's moonlight on the water, moonlight in the clouds. In our dreams we can fly. I don't know why, and kinda do.

7. Fire up the misison, now it's slow as hell because my fxo and metashaders folders are getting big.

 

Does it really happen that quick????

I agree.

 

I never understood why ED hasn't implemented the option for NTTR campaigns to emulate the equipment to keep score of simulated kills as they do during the real Red Flag (or other training scenarios) out there. So you kill/get killed but keep flying to actually learn something during those missions and campaigns.

 

Getting shot down and having to start over isn't realistic for such NTTR scenarios to begin with, and doesn't really lend itself to learning tactics and maneuvers in the air, and thus can get frustrating rather quickly.

 

For me, that's a missed opportunity and would really enhance the whole NTTR experience.

If it makes you feel better, I can't recall a recent time where I've flown ANY combat mission in DCS without getting hosed! :)

 

Now that I have a good rig all working nicely, I often just fly it around like a civilian sim and admire the scenery :)

 

AD

As for the first, a really good SSD really helps. As for the second, I dunno.

 

^^^ THIS THIS THIS ^^^

 

SSD vs. HDD is a revelation in terms of loading times.

I agree.

 

I never understood why ED hasn't implemented the option for NTTR campaigns to emulate the equipment to keep score of simulated kills as they do during the real Red Flag (or other training scenarios) out there. So you kill/get killed but keep flying to actually learn something during those missions and campaigns.

 

Getting shot down and having to start over isn't realistic for such NTTR scenarios to begin with, and doesn't really lend itself to learning tactics and maneuvers in the air, and thus can get frustrating rather quickly.

 

For me, that's a missed opportunity and would really enhance the whole NTTR experience.

I built a mission a few years ago like this where missile or gun hits wouldn't destroy an aircraft. It would just make them return to base. And if the player was hit, he would be asked to safe his weapons and return to base. You'd lose all your score if you fired your weapons. Also, the AI would no longer attack you once you were "dead". it was kind cool. Sadly, I lost the mission in a hard drive crash.
Edited February 7, 2019 by kontiuka

For me, as with real aircraft, the act of flying is the fun part. When I go down to my local flying club, sometimes I fly, sometimes I just work the grounds or help with the aircraft. Different mentality from "getting achievements" or ticking off mission boxes. The missions give structure to the session, but success/failure is largely irrelevant. Imo, a change in attitude would eliminate the "frustration" you feel.

For me, as with real aircraft, the act of flying is the fun part. When I go down to my local flying club, sometimes I fly, sometimes I just work the grounds or help with the aircraft. Different mentality from "getting achievements" or ticking off mission boxes. The missions give structure to the session, but success/failure is largely irrelevant. Imo, a change in attitude would eliminate the "frustration" you feel.

 

 

Or switch to a civilian flight sim maybe.

Presumably, he would have already done so, if that was what he wanted.

And you can speed up the "time" factor to get back to that "place" quicker.

 

But I wish DCS had the "launch from where you died" option.

 

Now the diehards will say "go fly a a civ sim" etc. as already pointed out. *BUT* not everyone is hardcore, and this is STILL a game. And w/o more people adopting it, ED will grow/improve the product slower. So it's in everyone's interest to make sure all comers are accommodated w/o sacrificing the hardcore fans. A simple "launch from when you died" accomplishes that.

Edited February 7, 2019 by hansangb

If you want any feeling of threat, simulated death has to be possible. Otherwise just make yourself indestructible. You'll now you were hit, and should be dead, but can continue on.

 

You can always try loading the track, and compress time if you need to get back to a point quickly. I say try because tracks are not always reliable.

I share so many of these feelings. I'm lucky enough to have the time that I give DCS what it deserves but even so, especially after a day at work, I'm not always willing to do so.

 

 

One thing that improved my experience and reduced my frustration was to stop playing campaigns and launch the missions through the editor. That way I'm not obliged to keep replaying if I don't want to. Especially when I've achieved all the mission goals but maybe bought it on the way home.

 

 

I think the dynamic campaign will also be a big step forward. I know from my experience with another study sim that won't be named that death in a dynamic campaign is a speed bump and a learning experience but no longer a major problem ( unless you do it too often ).

 

 

It also adds the extra dimension that everything starts to matter. Lose all your wingmen? Scrub a mission due to unforseen circumstances? Engage an enemy strike that happens to cross your path. You start having to think in ways that DCS doesn't presently require.

 

 

I love DCS but a few small things can make it even easier to click that shortcut.

Some tips to get into the action sooner and keep the game fresh...

 

1. Consider downloading some of the user created dynamic missions where you can spawn units to attack and to attack you.

 

2. For planes with INS set the option (under the Special tab for each module) to not require alignment.

 

3. Get a copy of Tacview to review your flights and see what killed you, and get a better understanding of the threats and how to handle them.

 

4. Toggle "immortality" on in the options. You can continue to fly the mission, and still learn.

Most of us have limited gaming time, and something like DCS is very time demanding. Perhaps more so for those of us 35ish and above (which, I think, is a significant portion of DCS' demographics, but that's just a guess anyway).

 

Therefore, the ability to save a mission state to continue later would be really awesome to have.

 

Seeing that we can kind of do that by taking control of a track at any time, perhaps implementing it may not be too resource consuming.

 

I would certainly add to my DCS hours very, very much. Better yet, if it can be multiplayer compatible, it would make it possible to have long running multiplayer missions with friends.

I enjoy multiplayer more than anything else (actually I also really enjoy the training missions when I'm learning a new aircraft) but I figure I need at least 45 minutes if I'm going to play. And that's usually just one pass over the target by the time you startup, figure out where the targets are and how you're going to attack them, fly to the target, fly home, etc. If I don't have that much time then I get my DCS fix with YouTube or Twitch.

 

Of course given the game's time commitment I also have to walk away for months at a time and then come back later when life permits.

The real RF has "Respawn Points" to which morts have to withdraw before they can re-enter the battle. Pretty sure these only exist for the Red side as they generally have fewer aircraft available.

I feel this too sometimes. I get one gamenight a week, after my son is asleep. Depending on when that is, I have between 2-3 hours to play.

Thats a decent amount of time, true...but when it's weekly it's amazing how fast things need to be re-learned. (I'm still relatively new, got the F-18 a few months ago, and still try to play some other games too. I have 51 hours in this game, but at least 20 of those were in the MB-339A before I got the Hornet....).

 

 

So, rather than missions or MP, I wound up spending some time practicing landings...then doing some free flight for fun. Had a little time for hopping on MP, but I also started Zelda BOTW, soooo...

 

 

 

All that said, Devs...keep doing what your doing. Aim for maximum realism. Anything less and it wouldn't be rewarding to learn.

Does it really happen that quick????

 

Depends on how much is going on in my mission. If it's a simple training flight with just me, things are usually fine. Something with lots of AI and lua scripting like Through the Inferno, the fxo and metashaders folders get heavy real quick. Typically after the third time running the mission it gets slow as hell if I don't clean out the folders.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. Not at all ... and only in the DCS forums. Not surprised to see so many positive and reflective replies. I have spent HOURS in multiple sims and forums, we're talking heaps of games....no community is as open minded, helpful, and constructive as this one. Thank you everyone for the replies. This all makes sense.

 

I am fortunate enough to create my own schedule and can devote hours a day to something as a hobby. My point isn't not quite having the time...it is the dedication needed to (using my example from my OP) take off, fly for 45 min, die, then repeat, die, then repeat again, succeed. While the journey is really the fun...I enjoy learning and campaigns help with that too. For me, it just isn't great use of time with all the repetition. I can move on to other hobbies, writing, reading, other sims/games, activities etc. Just want DCS to have options for not so much repetition. Love the realism....just need a bit more balance to be smarter with time.

 

It is good to see so many others in my boat and how they have some small solutions. One being where someone here said, "Seeing that we can kind of do that by taking control of a track at any time, perhaps implementing it may not be too resource consuming." This sounds like this is not something currently in DCS (hope it is!?) but something you want? One other reply made it sound as if you can do this already and it may seriously be all i need to play regularly.

 

What is currently, in DCS, the best way to accomplish what I'm going for? Resuming "close to point of death" or "shaving off time." The time advance part? That's tough cause you can miss triggers. Open to your ideas. Ty.

If you don't have 10+ hours a week to fly this game, your experience will be very limited and hindered.

 

it can still be enjoyable, if expectations are kept low. it's a nature of the game. it attempts to simulate complex systems and real world procedures where learning curve is super steep (Case I recovery?) and real operations are 95/5 ratio of waiting/studying charts to anything which resembles action.

 

it's true for many other games, like MMOs, some competitive shooters etc. and many other hobbies like playing an instrument. They need substantial, constant time investment to be enjoyable.

 

Bottom line, If I had only a hour a week, I'd not even bother.

Edited February 8, 2019 by mdee

If you want any feeling of threat, simulated death has to be possible. Otherwise just make yourself indestructible. You'll now you were hit, and should be dead, but can continue on.

 

 

This. The "cheats" in the options menu are actually more suited for training than actually playing out the game with them always on. I prefer full boar sim mode myself, but I have found "immortal" to be a good tool practicing ACM/BVR engagements. With this you can practice notching and closing to the target, if you get hit, keep a mental note and continue on to merge so you can practice the rest of the fight. Combine this with Tac View and eventually you will get good/learn enough to turn it back off. More fun when the threat of dying is there imo, but don't be afraid to practice using some of the special options to help.