Resources to learn how to arm / fire weapons and actually use Radar systems?

I have been messing around with DCS for about a month now. I feel competent enough to takeoff (no cold start yet, lol), fly the plane, and land it successfully. I have all of my controls setup on my HOTAS and pedals, and my TrackIR 5 is working beautifully across three 27" monitors.

Seems like the next thing I need to learn is how to arm and fire weapons. What resource should I use to learn about it? Is there a general concept for this, or is it highly plane specific?

Also, it seems like the radar system is really involved in this game. I am used to things like Ace Combat 7 where you get a red image of a plane right there on your screen, press a button to target it, and click the trigger to fire guns, or button 2 to fire a missile. I have no idea how to manage the radar system to identify Air to Air or Air to Ground targets. Any suggestion as to how I can learn to manage the radar system would be great. I don't mind reading or watching YouTube videos, but I need a serious step by step instruction, ya know.

With those two things, I think so much more of the game opens up for me.

I have been messing around with DCS for about a month now. I feel competent enough to takeoff (no cold start yet, lol), fly the plane, and land it successfully. I have all of my controls setup on my HOTAS and pedals, and my TrackIR 5 is working beautifully across three 27" monitors.

 

Seems like the next thing I need to learn is how to arm and fire weapons. What resource should I use to learn about it? Is there a general concept for this, or is it highly plane specific?

 

Also, it seems like the radar system is really involved in this game. I am used to things like Ace Combat 7 where you get a red image of a plane right there on your screen, press a button to target it, and click the trigger to fire guns, or button 2 to fire a missile. I have no idea how to manage the radar system to identify Air to Air or Air to Ground targets. Any suggestion as to how I can learn to manage the radar system would be great. I don't mind reading or watching YouTube videos, but I need a serious step by step instruction, ya know.

 

With those two things, I think so much more of the game opens up for me.

Redkite

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmMuAwcwIi6N9gnSa81fUUg

Matt Wagner

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHa9LMylydkT0T3qSzAVrlw

Redkite

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmMuAwcwIi6N9gnSa81fUUg

 

 

Matt Wagner

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHa9LMylydkT0T3qSzAVrlw

Ok,

I found this video based on the 2nd link you shared:

The guy clicks like 10 buttons in the cockpit, then starts getting into the different screen display settings, and I was lost after the first switch he clicked on. Seems like most of the content I have found does that. A pilot jumps in a plane, clicks a bunch of buttons, then shows you how they shoot a gun or launch a missile.

I literally need:

Step 1: Click this switch to activate weapons.

Step 2: Flip this switch to arm weapons.

Step 3: Go to the right green screen and press this button to get into the Air to Air options.

etc.....

Not looking to be spoon fed, but just need a direction to content that actually shows me what I am doing to get my weapons up and running. Never done this before, but I am not unfamiliar with complicated games or concepts.

I ran into the same experience when trying one of the starter tutorials in the game. They were like "ok, lets set your heading to 245 degrees" and I was like "um, how do I do that?" and I was lost after the first 10 seconds of instructions. The rest of the tutorial played out like I actually got my heading set, ha ha ha. Mission fail.

What aircraft are you flying?

Sorry but it's not that easy.

Start at the beginning of Redkites F/A-18 tutorials....you need to know what controls do what. Do you know what Sensor Select is or Sensor Of Interest etc?

Yep, knowing what aircraft you are flying would help?

Ok, so I found these, which will be helpful for the planes they have and that I own:

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/documentation/index.php?SHOWALL_1=1

Do they make these for all of the aircraft available in the game?

Here are the aircraft I own so far. I have flown the F/A-18C the most.

A-10C

F/A-18C

UH-1H

L-39

SU-25T

TF-51D

Oh, and I have the SuperCarrier too.

Do they make these for all of the aircraft available in the game?

Yes, and you don't actually have to download them if you don't want. They are automatically installed with DCS.

A little hard to find though, you have to navigate inside the DCS folder to each module and find a folder named "Doc."

If you're using Steam, each aircraft's store page includes a link to the same manual on the side bar. This is also true of DCS World itself. (Handy for quickly downloading onto another device).

Welcome!

Yes, and you don't actually have to download them if you don't want. They are automatically installed with DCS.

A little hard to find though, you have to navigate inside the DCS folder to each module and find a folder named "Doc."

If you're using Steam, each aircraft's store page includes a link to the same manual on the side bar. This is also true of DCS World itself. (Handy for quickly downloading onto another device).

 

Welcome!

Aight, I see where you can find these in each of the airplane DOC folders. Terrific! I think I can study up and use these as references to find the aspects of each plane that I need to learn.

I really like the realism and level of detail in DCS and its planes. I hope to learn how to fly well enough to engage in the campaign content that I own so far, as well as do some multiplayer with other pilots!

As you already own the l-39 maybe you should get the kursant campaign for it, its basically a training campaign. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/campaigns/l-39_albatros_kursant/

Aight, I see where you can find these in each of the airplane DOC folders. Terrific! I think I can study up and use these as references to find the aspects of each plane that I need to learn.

I just saw this thread and find it kinda funny how people throw all kind of stuff at you, like videos or training missions, instead of starting with the most basic ressource: THE MANUALs.

Unfortunately this is a pattern seen way too often here :(

Learning something from the ground up is what manuals are there for and I'm glad to see it works for you :thumbup:

Yes, I would agree, manuals help a lot. Each has it's own merit, video tutorials and training missions are really useful, but as Redsavina says, sometimes you can get a bit lost when a tutorial assumes you already know how to do this or that and that's when referring to the manual becomes really useful to find out how to do something. Basically, using a combination of everything, I find, is the best way to go.

Ok,

 

I found this video based on the 2nd link you shared:

 

The guy clicks like 10 buttons in the cockpit, then starts getting into the different screen display settings, and I was lost after the first switch he clicked on. Seems like most of the content I have found does that. A pilot jumps in a plane, clicks a bunch of buttons, then shows you how they shoot a gun or launch a missile.

 

I literally need:

 

Step 1: Click this switch to activate weapons.

Step 2: Flip this switch to arm weapons.

Step 3: Go to the right green screen and press this button to get into the Air to Air options.

 

etc.....

 

Not looking to be spoon fed, but just need a direction to content that actually shows me what I am doing to get my weapons up and running. Never done this before, but I am not unfamiliar with complicated games or concepts.

Hahaha. totally get you. Same thing for me...they click everywhere, sometimes spend 30sec explaining something then saying you don't need that and then clicking on 3 things you have to do without explaining anything about what it does and why... I need an instructor!:lol:

Manuals give the step by step. Its peoples refusal to read that is generating millions of revenue in advertising on videos that condense the processes into a short time span. If peolle read there would be less confusion.