Lack of content?

I’m looking into getting into DCS, but from what I can see there’s very limited content in terms of aircraft and systems. No F-22, F-35, Super Hornet, Rafale, Typhoon. There’s a huge number of older aircraft not present...MiG-25/31, Bear, Backfire, Blackjack and many others.

Targeting pods and matching weapon systems are almost entirely missing...these have been bread and butter of Western aircraft for like 20-30 years. No JSOWs, SLAM-ERs, Storm Shadows, SDBs, etc. Almost no SEAD systems as far as I can tell. No anti-shipping missiles.

The new aircraft are too classified to get simulated.

JSOWS, SLAM-ER, HARM are in the game (except the SLAM-ER, but the files are ready to get it implemented)

Hi GUTB, while you are correct on some points, you are wrong on some others. That's understandable - it took me quite a while to really understand in depth what DCS is, who it is aimed at, and where the depth is. DCS has a great depth of high fidelity systems content to learn.

I find DCS quite easy to get into but hard to master (in simulation mode, not game mode). It is also worth knowing that DCS focuses on being a simulator first, and game second, although there is more focus on some of the game aspects lately.

If you love flight sims then I'm sure you'll love DCS. You may just need to research more and perhaps play it more to appreciate it. Sometimes DCS hides its light under a bushel.

The DCS Harrier has Litening Pod by the way.

Here was a Tu-22 project, but defunct some mounts ago.

I’m looking into getting into DCS, but from what I can see there’s very limited content in terms of aircraft and systems. No F-22, F-35, Super Hornet, Rafale, Typhoon. There’s a huge number of older aircraft not present...MiG-25/31, Bear, Backfire, Blackjack and many others.

 

Targeting pods and matching weapon systems are almost entirely missing...these have been bread and butter of Western aircraft for like 20-30 years. No JSOWs, SLAM-ERs, Storm Shadows, SDBs, etc. Almost no SEAD systems as far as I can tell. No anti-shipping missiles.

The viggen has Ainti ship missles.

I’m looking into getting into DCS, but from what I can see there’s very limited content in terms of aircraft and systems.

In regards to flyable modules, everyone has ideas what's missing, including transport planes, transport helos, Special Operations variants and so on.

It's important to understand that the development time for a single DCS module can easily reach several years, hence no company could dish out modules at a sufficient rate to supply all 4th gen or 4.5 gen fighters, let alone 5th gen. And even if the capacity was there, what's the use of simulating an aircraft when systems and even performance are, for the most part, classified?

In terms of AI, yes, a lot is missing as well. But DCS was never intended as a strategy game, or to be fair and balanced. At the core, it's a simulation of some very specific aircraft, down to specific production lots or avionics suites and so on.

Then again, more and more AI units get integrated, ranging from old to modern, giving us an ever increasing virtual play- and battleground.

Depending on what you're looking for, DCS might not be a good fit for you, or it might be ideal. If you're looking for some of the most in-depth simulated aircraft ever, DCS would be perfect. If you would never enjoy DCS unless it includes Rafale and Super Bug, well, maybe 5 or 10 years from now it will, but there are no guarantees.

Yeah, this isn't Janes Fighters Anthology or Ace Combat with a bevvy of ultramodern aircraft poorly modeled. DCS is about doing a handful of very specific aircraft to an extremely high level of accuracy. ''Balance'' or ''OP'' or other common game terms are irrelevant, as is what's super cool and popular. Considering the level of modeling being aimed for, they have to negotiate with specific governments and manufacturers to receive permission and access to data. Some govs are more cooperative than others, and some aircraft are more sensitive than others, so 'what they want' and what's 'possible' may be different things.

Many of those aircraft and weapons are or will be in game, but as AI not as flyables.

The reality is you cant possibly expect to see those aircraft in a sim without there being major concessions made on their realism due to restricted nature of their capability and design

That's without even factoring in the time it would take to model them

Comparing another flight sim that does have those aircraft is like apples and oranges. Other flight sim platforms use generic flight models with basic modeling of the aerodynamics and are effectively guessing on how various elements like avionics and radar functions

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I’m looking into getting into DCS, but from what I can see there’s very limited content in terms of aircraft and systems. No F-22, F-35, Super Hornet, Rafale, Typhoon. There’s a huge number of older aircraft not present...MiG-25/31, Bear, Backfire, Blackjack and many others.

 

Targeting pods and matching weapon systems are almost entirely missing...these have been bread and butter of Western aircraft for like 20-30 years. No JSOWs, SLAM-ERs, Storm Shadows, SDBs, etc. Almost no SEAD systems as far as I can tell. No anti-shipping missiles.

Assuming all of those would be available, would you be able to learn them all? It can take months to learn just one aircraft and its systems.

As the others have said, the planes have to be licensed from the manufacturers so you aren't going to get much in term of planes that are still classified like the F-22 or any other you named. This is a sim not a game. Targeting Pods are in for some planes with more coming like the F-18's and F-14's. Sead is in too with the SU-25, Harrier and Harm coming to the F-18 soon.

Strange - usually people complain there are too many modules (over 30).

My impression was that DCS is actually very good when it comes to systems modelling (sims didn't use to go too deep into them). A-10C and F-18 I believe have/will have targeting pods etc. Try out the A-10C or Mi-8 and report back if you still think there isn't enough content/detail modelled.

More SEAD/e-war platforms could be nice but I guess that tends to be more hush hush stuff. Kind of like the world's militaries want to advertise their capability to "blow up ur stuff" but not how they do it.

I wonder if all the above answered your concerns, at least a number of reasons were touched for it. Hope this didn't turn into a bash the newbie thread :smilewink: :huh: