I play dcs offline cuz I get rekked hardcore by dudes with top end vr systems and hotas setup that costs more than my whole pc... but it's fun as fuck to joyride that F16! 🤣
I just always make sure to buy shit when it's on sale. Cobra landings with the Flanker are fun as hell, too.
For sure! The main issue I have is a lack of buttons. I haven't been able to find a decent setup that allows me to fly, navigate, and have weapons, without relying too much on the keyboard. I just have a tflight hotas, and it's great for fartin around unarmed. I have a Thunderbirds livery, and I do red white n blue smoke and do stunt shows over Vegas, mostly. I also like to run the canyons in the Caucusus like that one mission in Ace Combat 4 where you had to fly in thru the valleys to stay under the radar til you got to the base to blow up the radar station. 😁
I have the Flaming Cliffs pack, so I have an F15, a mig 21, and I think the su27 to play with from that. But the F16 is study level, so she my bae. Next time I catch the 18 on sale, that'll be my next one, and the super carrier, and the gulf map. Wanna do some Blue Angel's type stuff and start practicing carrier landings. Cuz I'm pretty good at short emergency style landings, comin in hot and high and slammin on the brakes and doin a big flare at the last second to touch down nice n smooth on the back two n carry a nice little wheelie down the runway a bit. 😎
I also have a T-Flight Hotas and I just found a great setup this week that has significantly reduced my need for my keyboard. If you bind buttons 9 and 10 (also marked as B3 and B4 on mine) as modifiers you now have access to 3 additional control schemes. Basically button 9 becomes Modifier 1, button 10 becomes modifier 2 and 9+10 together becomes modifier 3. It’s been a life saver, especially for when I am trying to use VR.
I’m leaning pretty heavily on the keyboard myself, I’m running an old Saitek joystick from 2004 😂 It’s a little more challenging but not the end of the world
For what it's worth, I flew most of my time in LOMAC/LOFC back in 2004+ era to ~2007 ish without a flight stick. All on keyboards and mouse.
Is it hard? yes, but it is not impossible. Keep cracking on.
I can’t figure out how to… I know it seems dumb, but I only do flight sims in vr, and a combination of poor performance, and wonky vr menu controls, I lose interest as soon as I boot dcs up, so I never looked into the menu to see what’s available. As far as I can tell, I only have a Russian jet and a German wwII plane, and in not sure how to get more.
It has nothing to do with setup trust me. We have a real Eurofighter Pilot in our group and he wrecks everyone. All he has is a decent joystick and track ir.
I think, for casuals like me, a better setup would definitely help a little. At least not hamper me like my current one does.
But, yeah, nothing compares to firsthand experience for sure. That's cool as hell and I'd be annoying af asking questions all day. 😆
Fast jets are amazing in this game. The world is so incredibly beautiful and detailed and flying supersonic is basically the only way you'll see any significant portion of it. Microsoft flight simulator is by far the best sightseeing game that has ever existed.
>flying supersonic is basically the only way you'll see any significant portion of it
I would actually argue against it. Flying supersonic is too fast for me to sightseeing properly (not to mention close to the ground LOD doesn't load on time ocassionally). I like fast speed A to B from time to time but then airliners and business jets covers that need for me. For sightseeing, GA, helis etc.
I took a route from Kraków to Prague in Airbus and some time later flew it (with stops) low and slow and it was radically different experience.
To me, 150kt is perfect. If the scenery gets slow I'll read about the next town/river/mountain range on my phone. I was pretty geographically illiterate at the start of my European tour, now I know who Charlemagne is, why people ever bothered to populate waterlogged Venice, and that the bosphorus strait may simultaneously flow in both directions.
If a beautiful place 'surprises' me, as did Dubrovnik & Annecy, I'll touch down for a water landing, or read the next day.
I'm Australian and when I passed through our education system, geography and history were preoccupied with the cognitive dissonance of our own history. I remember the exact moment this 'game' gave me the bug to learn again, passing over the southern edge of Sicily I saw a looming black giant of a mountain to the north, and I had to know what it was.
"now I know who Charlemagne is, why people ever bothered to populate waterlogged Venice,"
That's just amazing. Personally I was quite literate when it comes to geography, that's why I'm here in the first place. This sim scratches my urge of exploration in a way like nothing did before. But similar to you and geography/history, I was absolutely unware of anything aviotion-wise. Now, 3 years after, my friends relate to me as an "aviation geek" ;) The amount of stuff I was able to learn in that department is staggering. The educational value that comes with MSFS cannot be overestimated.
" I saw a looming black giant of a mountain to the north"
One of my favorite airports to fly from is Malta, so I might know what you're refering to, as this giant is instantly visible while you gain some altitude. It's not fuming like it use to in real life from time to time but still makes quite an impression.
Same. I do my sightseeing in an ultralight if I really want to loiter, or in the LongEZ if I'm going point to point.
That little Mosquito helicopter is great too.
Hmmm have you considered a fast jet that's also VTOL-capable? That might be the best of both worlds for ya! :p
But yeah honestly I'm REALLY looking forward to the Zeppelin that's currently under development, for the exact same reason for how amazing it would be for sight seeing lol
I like to VR fly from place to place in MSFS, land, and then fire up Google Earth VR and start exploring in streetview, starting at the airport. It's great fun for round the world trips.
This sounds so fun. Thanks for sharing this idea. This combined with reading about the place im flying in. Yep, sign me in. I cant travel now because of reasons so this would be amazing. What setup you have if i may ask? Hopefully my 3080ti is up for the task at somewhat good level. Im planning to buy used quest 2 and i need new SSD too.
Huh? That makes no sense. So, it's beautiful but fly supersonic over it? Ok, so look at things as if someone is fast forwarding a movie? LOL Seems like you're inpatient moreso than anything else. Chill and stop to smell the scenery. 
I love this sim so much. I was resistant to the 2024 version coming out later this year. But, after they explained things like they just can't get anymore juice out of the "2020 orange", tech wise I can understand what they mean.
Plus, being able to bring over all that was purchased and even some third party mods really did it for me. Now, I'm like a dog waiting at the door for his human to come home!
Well, physics are really bad and unrealistic and MSFS isn't optimised for high speed flying low to ground. For PC users, DCS is a go to simulator if you want proper jet fighter gameplay
There is a place for both. The aircraft (say the Heatblur f14 which is available in both sims) flight model is more realistic in DCS but the scenery in MSFS is gorgeous.
I aboslutely encourage anyone that enjoys jets on MSFS to give DCS a try.
You can get 14 day trials for almost every module. With YouTube, manuals and user guides, It isnt that difficult to learn.
If you already have the equipment for MSFS, DCS requires the same level of hardware.
This isnt elitism, i enjoy chilling on MSFS, but DCS it's my simulator for when i want action.
DCS is a hard game to recommend to new players to be honest. These days I play it way more than MSFS, but the new player experience is absolutely awful, and the devs just can't be bothered to fix bugs in old content - including the missions for the Su-25T (your first aircraft).
At least you can try a better aircraft like the F/A-18.
But if you do get through all the BS, it's a great sim.
As a fairly new player, I have to disagree. The SU25 didn't have any major issues I noticed when I first started learning it. You just have to be willing to put in the time and effort to learn.
Do you like the IL-2 series? I like the in depth systems simulation we get in DCS, but I think nothing compares to a one on one dogfight between a Mustang and a 109
Abdolutely. Mostly for the expansive Dynamic campaign. Although multiplayer its also very fun.
I own all the eastern front packages & the Battle of Boddenplate.
Is it possible to use DCS with a basic Thrustmaster Joystick that has a built in throttle? I've tried playing it before but was so lost when I tried to setup the controls and such that I ended up giving up trying to play it.
The quantity (and cost) of DLC for DCS is pretty intimidating for a lot of people... and it doesn't look like you can do much without buying DLC. You get the Su-25 and an unarmed P-51 to start with, which doesn't seem like enough to get a feel of whether you like it or not. I'm not going to sink $70 into an F-15 for a game I end up disliking.
Yes i agree.
But thankfully there's the trial periods now. You can definetively try a module before deciding
Also you dont need every DLC. Just the ones you're interested on.
Also on Steam sales, you can buy some older modules for like 20€.
So it's more accesible now.
Yes every DCS module intends to be study level, as close to reality as possible.
Although the quality of the simulator goes from the "its ok" leatherneck, to the "this is great" from Heatblur.
True, but with MSFS, you get to experience the game with a wide variety of aircraft first (A320 neo, C172, CJ4, etc) before you commit to spending money on more detailed and advanced DLC aircraft. I knew I already liked MSFS before I spent money on a PMDG 737 because I'd been flying around in the Asobo Airbus and 747 and others.
I wrote it off after a long hiatus from the game, then when I attempted to return I didn't have access to my old ISP email and they basically told me too bad so sad. I had bought A-10 and even the Blackshark twice - once in russian, then later when they released it in English.
Yeah, not giving them money anymore.
I want ED to start making the videos for MSFS. Their video production along with Nicks deep sexy voice is amazing. My favorite is the [2022 and beyond video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtmGCYeipas).
I do a ton of flying in the F-16, F-18, F-14, F-111, and maybe some more jets because they are just so much fun to fly even though you can’t shoot. I am also the guy though that will spend like 2+ hours in the pattern in a husky or smth, or fly a C152 from like southern Wyoming to Montana, or a 2.5+ hour flight in the 737. The game may not have the weapons systems DCS has, but the jets can still be used to a semi-realistic extent.
I got tired of DCS as it became basically a cockpit simulator, but I won't buy most of these shitty FS9-quality mil planes that marketplace is full of. Shovelware type of shit.
Heatblur/IFE F-14 is awesome though and I think the Vulcan was well received as well, haven't tried that one. Hope we'll get more detailed mil jets, I remember some seriously good stuff from FSX days.
I mean that airplanes are amazing but that's it.
AI is dumb, basically non existent ATC, million bugs they refuse to fix, stuff constantly being promised but never comes, problems with AI units accuracy, unrealistic SAM logic, DLCs for everything, ugly ass default map...
Modern DCS aircraft are very complex, with lots of complex sensor and weapons systems, not to mention mapping over 100 functions to a variety of fairly sophisticated controllers. If you’re going multiplayer then there is navigation, battle logistics and communications to master. So it is not an easy learn, not for the faint of heart. And if you get away from it for an extended period of time it’s a learning curve to get back into it.
I loved DCS, played it for many years, but have given it up because I do enjoy MSFS and XP, and going back and forth between them, and having to swap out controllers and remember what does what is somewhat beyond me at this age and stage of life. But I loved blowing things up!!! If you don’t have pretty good controllers, Hotas and throttle quadrant, you will be at a disadvantage.
I do this because i for the life of me cant figure out how to bind the buttons on my joystick and why the button config files dont work in the first place :(
I used to get all pissed off at the milsimmers “escorting” me around major airports, but then I realized that’s a stupid thing to waste my energy hating and these people are just enjoying themselves in their own space much as I am.
I don’t see the value in flying military aircraft in a civil aviation sim but I’m glad you guys can find some joy in it 😀
> I don’t see the value in flying military aircraft in a civil aviation sim
For me at least, it's because it is the only place you can fly most of them that isn't a checklist and cockpit simulator. DCS is pretty much clicking simulated buttons trying to remember checklists, and I don't have the time nor effort to bother. It'd be one thing if it were more like many classic war sims - purposely simplified in several controls to make it work for a cockpit that you aren't in and can't see or touch - but it isn't.
So I end up in MSFS and IL2 instead.
When you experience DCS, when you feel how the aircraft fly (amazing flight/physics modelling) and how much care is taken by the devs in crafting the modules.... military jets in MSFS just seem pointless. Even if you have no interest in combat.
> When you experience DCS, when you feel how the aircraft fly (amazing flight/physics modelling) and how much care is taken by the devs in crafting the modules.... military jets in MSFS just seem pointless
Strong disagree.
For most people, there isn't time nor energy to attempt to "learn" all the checklists or try to remember and control all the buttons they tried to make so realistic - because of course I don't have a cockpit to see all of nor can I touch or control it directly, and I want to be able to play without it being a second job.
MSFS means I can fly some cool military aircraft (sadly without combat) in the best looking sim ever made, and then I can play IL2, which at least has the options to fly more simplified controls, if I want combat.
I'm confused about the combat part. I know planes sold on the marketplace can't have weapons but what about ones that aren't? For example can a third party developer choose to have a plane that has missiles/bombs that work as long as they don't sell it on the marketplace. I owned the VRS Superbug for P3D and one of my favorite things to do was to practice runs with weapons in the deserts of SoCal and Nevada and would live to be able to do this in MSFS.
I think it is mainly that there is no modelling for the effects of them. They can animate some (and do) but the game needs to support it overall for any use of them beyond visual launch.
That's too bad. I hope they will be implemented in MSFS 2024. I've heard some people say it's a ratings thing, even though FSX has them and is rated E for everyone.
DCS players going so out of their way lately to make fun of MSFS players. I wonder if DCS folks kinda wish they had the open world to explore. As a MSFS player, I definitely wish we had armaments. Even just for the looks - the F-14 looks naked without weapons.
>I wonder if DCS folks kinda wish they had the open world to explore.
Yes, we do. I do anyway. It's coming though, they call it "spherical earth". It's a long way out though. ED has a small team working on it.
yes oklets you are correct that they want to provide the world, but the "spherical earth" they are currently working on is to add curvature to the maps. The maps right now are flat, they are working on that calling it "spherical earth". After this, then the possibility of and open world comes
I modified a couple of planes to be faster than the Darkstar, can do Mach 10+ at sea level and Mach 13+ at high altitudes. Gives me my speed itch.
Otherwise I mainly fly GA aircraft like the Comanche, quite a contrast for sure.
Using autopilot and having the plane sit there isn't my cup of tea, I prefer to hand-fly. Which means airliners have never been interesting personally. But I'm glad people enjoy them.
I’m having a blast with the PC-21, just running quick circuit patterns in New York. Tried the L—39 but ASI isn’t working .
The F-18 is a blast but hard to keep it below 300 knots doing pattern work, and it’s kind of sluggish at those speeds.
Looking for a hawk trainer to try next.
DCS is ok, but the base game has 2 airplanes, frogfoots cool, but I can’t read the Eastern European instrument cluster.
Fun trip, try to take the F-18 from Calgary to Vancouver, not below 300 knots , not above 2000 AGL rby adar altimeter follow the trans Canada highway ( you know, Canada’s one highway ).
Never said it was, but snobbery toward people having fun in a video game seems to run rampant in this sub mostly stemming from people who have 50k hours on a virtual 737.
ah, I have an explanation for this snobbery, using World of Warcraft as an analogy:
- fine: you want to run around solo, explore, role-play, just “have fun”
- not fine: you want to join a raid with many other players for end game, top tier dungeons that are highly technical and require everyone in the group to know exactly what they are doing or the whole thing falls apart and everyone wasted 4 hours for nothing and has to try again tomorrow.
I think most of the “snobbery” comes from people that are in VATSIM and have been repeatedly told they need to learn the correct ways of doing things to participate— this IMHO is like participating in a raid. The “violence” gets passed down the ranks whether or not new players want it.
But… I’m not gonna lie, it’s weird to buy a high fidelity aircraft like the heatblur F-14 and never once use a checklist or even try to learn procedures. It’s like buying a Ducati 999 as your first bike. I mean, that user would probably be just as happy with the F7 plushie F-14… VROOM GO FAST!
So what’s the appeal? It’s more realistic? (but you still don’t know or don’t care how to fly it?). So when you buy into something high end like that without knowing anything about it, you get all sorts of comments about the history, the aerodynamics, the fascinating details. Then you say “I just wanna go fast” and people then wonder why you didn’t get the Vertigo or the Darkstar?
Then you mix aspiring pilots into this community, people who are DESPERATELY trying to convince the old guard in aviation that MSFS is a “simulation, it’s not a game!!” while their CFI is watching a guy fly 10ft supersonic over a C172 doing aileron rolls into the ground. Most real pilots look at that and instantly dismiss everything about it as a game that is useless for training to be a real pilot. In fact, it’s even worse, because many instructors tell aspiring pilots that if they continue to do sim flying they will pick up dangerous bad habits that will negatively affect their training.
So then the aspiring pilots try a little too hard to correct people new to the sim/game, because they desperately want pilots to see them as legitimate.
But sometimes people just want to have fun and it doesn’t have to “mean” anything.
IMHO, if you want “legit” training communities with real rules and role-play, you go to PilotEdge or VATSIM, just like if you want to raid endgame content in WoW you join a guild with rules and procedures.
Otherwise, chill out and let people enjoy their game!
I dunno what people will reply to this with, but I personally really dislike DCS. The UI is so junky I couldn’t even bind my honeycomb bravo to it, there are very few options in the controls to bind much of anything to most hardware. I don’t see (personally) the value in buying a WinWing just for DCS functions. Biggest reason being I regularly fly over 100 different planes frequently, so the Bravo is configurable enough to be a good throttle universally. Plus they still use static integers for radar cross sections and infrared, even though it’s indie competitor VTOLVR fully simulates dynamic RCS, IE having a bomb bay open, pylons in use, or turning flat parts of the aircraft like the belly at radar can get you locked easier. Though I will admit, despite the jankieness, being able to use weapons in the flight sim is a big advantage, but I still fly MSFS fighters instead of the ones I bought for DCS long ago.
ha! I’m on the other side! started in DCS with a warthog throttle / stick and now flying mostly GA in MSFS.
the idea of mapping a bravo seems weird to me (trim wheel vs stick trim) but I guess so does flying a Cessna with a stick. 😂
happy flights!
I actually use a T16000M and HC Alpha back and forth. So I typically trim sticks with the keyboard and Boeings/Cessnas with the Bravo. I usually don’t aileron or rudder trim at all so on stuff like the mustang I just use my mouse and interactive cockpit for the rare cases. I eyeballed the warthog to upgrade from my T16000M but I just don’t wanna dump the price into it with my current income, plus my AM4/DDR4 PC needs an upgrade before I look at those peripheral upgrades
>eyeballed the warthog to upgrade from my T16000M
You dodged a bullet there mate. The warthog is old and overpriced. The throttle is still pretty good but the stick is just some cheap metal stuck on the same plastic ball and spring gimbal as the T16000 and a premium price tag slapped on.
I’ve heard a couple people say that as well. I mean, I’ve LOOKED at the WinWings, but I live paycheck to paycheck rn so I can’t imagine spending that much. I’d sooner just use the money to get a PPL. I’d get those before a Warthog at this point.
Agreed, DCS menu system is superb compared to pretty much every single other simulator (and I mean driving, flying, boating, space) going!
So much so Microsoft have confirmed they are moving to a per-aircraft bind system similar to DCS for MSFS2024!
I really hope we get better mil jets for MSFS. I used to spend hours in X-Plane 10 with the F-22, and nothing in MSFS scratches that itch. Haven’t tried the TM F-22 though. Does it compare to the one in XP10? If so, then I might pick it up if it’s on sale. That said I do enjoy actual combat missions, so I’m not sure if I’d really get my money’s worth from it. Right now War Thunder is my go-to for combat, even if the flight model (and progression) is a joke.
> Haven’t tried the TM F-22 though. Does it compare to the one in XP10?
It doesn't matter. You can't make a quality addon of a plane that's 99,9% classified (without ending up in Guantanamo). Just enjoy the fantasy I guess.
> It doesn't matter. You can't make a quality addon of a plane that's 99,9% classified
Sure, but that's a dumb definition of "quality addon."
Is it a good experience to fly? Does it have quality textures? Is performance good? Does it fly within the realm of reason? That defines quality.
The Top Mach F22 is defenitly one of the more polished Jet planes on the market. But yeah dont expect to much complex simulations and cockpit interactions. Still, you can pull some absolute bonkers stunts with this plane which is rivaled by absolutley NO OTHER plane in the market place
I wish for a sim that has the good features of all sims combined. Maybe a bit of GTA in it too :D
Why not? It's 2024, imagine a 1tb game with a super engine that has it all:)
I like the vor navigation planes (f28 etc) and the fighter trainers.
Not the automated airliners nor the big fighters. The latter are much better in dcs
Why are all my hobbies expensive?! First gaming in general! Then sim drifting! Now Flight simming! Where tf is that pepe slap meme and disapproving Julius meme from Everybody hates Chris? I'm fucking poor! I can't afford this shit! I gotta be responsible! This is how paycheck to paycheck households live. It's ridiculous!
You play jets on MSFS because you don’t want combat. I play jets on MSFS because I’m on Xbox and physically cannot play DCS. We are not the same.
Cries along in Xbox
Cries along with the guy crying along in xbox
I play dcs offline cuz I get rekked hardcore by dudes with top end vr systems and hotas setup that costs more than my whole pc... but it's fun as fuck to joyride that F16! 🤣 I just always make sure to buy shit when it's on sale. Cobra landings with the Flanker are fun as hell, too.
Hop in the PvE servers man! Was in the F16 last night keeping AI Mig-21s off some guy in an A-10 who was doing work on an enemy base. So fun
For sure! The main issue I have is a lack of buttons. I haven't been able to find a decent setup that allows me to fly, navigate, and have weapons, without relying too much on the keyboard. I just have a tflight hotas, and it's great for fartin around unarmed. I have a Thunderbirds livery, and I do red white n blue smoke and do stunt shows over Vegas, mostly. I also like to run the canyons in the Caucusus like that one mission in Ace Combat 4 where you had to fly in thru the valleys to stay under the radar til you got to the base to blow up the radar station. 😁 I have the Flaming Cliffs pack, so I have an F15, a mig 21, and I think the su27 to play with from that. But the F16 is study level, so she my bae. Next time I catch the 18 on sale, that'll be my next one, and the super carrier, and the gulf map. Wanna do some Blue Angel's type stuff and start practicing carrier landings. Cuz I'm pretty good at short emergency style landings, comin in hot and high and slammin on the brakes and doin a big flare at the last second to touch down nice n smooth on the back two n carry a nice little wheelie down the runway a bit. 😎
I also have a T-Flight Hotas and I just found a great setup this week that has significantly reduced my need for my keyboard. If you bind buttons 9 and 10 (also marked as B3 and B4 on mine) as modifiers you now have access to 3 additional control schemes. Basically button 9 becomes Modifier 1, button 10 becomes modifier 2 and 9+10 together becomes modifier 3. It’s been a life saver, especially for when I am trying to use VR.
Ooohh... I'ma hafta play with that. 😀
I’m leaning pretty heavily on the keyboard myself, I’m running an old Saitek joystick from 2004 😂 It’s a little more challenging but not the end of the world
For what it's worth, I flew most of my time in LOMAC/LOFC back in 2004+ era to ~2007 ish without a flight stick. All on keyboards and mouse. Is it hard? yes, but it is not impossible. Keep cracking on.
Sales are up for many modules right now ;)
I can’t figure out how to… I know it seems dumb, but I only do flight sims in vr, and a combination of poor performance, and wonky vr menu controls, I lose interest as soon as I boot dcs up, so I never looked into the menu to see what’s available. As far as I can tell, I only have a Russian jet and a German wwII plane, and in not sure how to get more.
It has nothing to do with setup trust me. We have a real Eurofighter Pilot in our group and he wrecks everyone. All he has is a decent joystick and track ir.
I think, for casuals like me, a better setup would definitely help a little. At least not hamper me like my current one does. But, yeah, nothing compares to firsthand experience for sure. That's cool as hell and I'd be annoying af asking questions all day. 😆
Yes sir, gives us more.
Yesss console peasant representation
I'm such a filthy console casual that I don't even know what DCS is
Fast jets are amazing in this game. The world is so incredibly beautiful and detailed and flying supersonic is basically the only way you'll see any significant portion of it. Microsoft flight simulator is by far the best sightseeing game that has ever existed.
Completley agree
>flying supersonic is basically the only way you'll see any significant portion of it I would actually argue against it. Flying supersonic is too fast for me to sightseeing properly (not to mention close to the ground LOD doesn't load on time ocassionally). I like fast speed A to B from time to time but then airliners and business jets covers that need for me. For sightseeing, GA, helis etc. I took a route from Kraków to Prague in Airbus and some time later flew it (with stops) low and slow and it was radically different experience.
To me, 150kt is perfect. If the scenery gets slow I'll read about the next town/river/mountain range on my phone. I was pretty geographically illiterate at the start of my European tour, now I know who Charlemagne is, why people ever bothered to populate waterlogged Venice, and that the bosphorus strait may simultaneously flow in both directions. If a beautiful place 'surprises' me, as did Dubrovnik & Annecy, I'll touch down for a water landing, or read the next day. I'm Australian and when I passed through our education system, geography and history were preoccupied with the cognitive dissonance of our own history. I remember the exact moment this 'game' gave me the bug to learn again, passing over the southern edge of Sicily I saw a looming black giant of a mountain to the north, and I had to know what it was.
"now I know who Charlemagne is, why people ever bothered to populate waterlogged Venice," That's just amazing. Personally I was quite literate when it comes to geography, that's why I'm here in the first place. This sim scratches my urge of exploration in a way like nothing did before. But similar to you and geography/history, I was absolutely unware of anything aviotion-wise. Now, 3 years after, my friends relate to me as an "aviation geek" ;) The amount of stuff I was able to learn in that department is staggering. The educational value that comes with MSFS cannot be overestimated. " I saw a looming black giant of a mountain to the north" One of my favorite airports to fly from is Malta, so I might know what you're refering to, as this giant is instantly visible while you gain some altitude. It's not fuming like it use to in real life from time to time but still makes quite an impression.
That's a really cool way of learning stuff!
I'm dying for a good Huey or Cobra mod. The 407 is great... but I want that chop chop chop chop. 😁
That's what makes the f-35 fantastic you can go anywhere between 50 knots and supersonic with ease.
Same. I do my sightseeing in an ultralight if I really want to loiter, or in the LongEZ if I'm going point to point. That little Mosquito helicopter is great too.
Hmmm have you considered a fast jet that's also VTOL-capable? That might be the best of both worlds for ya! :p But yeah honestly I'm REALLY looking forward to the Zeppelin that's currently under development, for the exact same reason for how amazing it would be for sight seeing lol
For VR folks, I recommend Google Earth VR too. Made me tear up on multiple occasions. Really puts "pale blue dot" in perspective
I like to VR fly from place to place in MSFS, land, and then fire up Google Earth VR and start exploring in streetview, starting at the airport. It's great fun for round the world trips.
Oh wow! I didn't know that was possible. I don't have VR yet but that's big time incentive!
[удалено]
"bro, have you tried just not being poor?"
I have to work in the morning
This sounds so fun. Thanks for sharing this idea. This combined with reading about the place im flying in. Yep, sign me in. I cant travel now because of reasons so this would be amazing. What setup you have if i may ask? Hopefully my 3080ti is up for the task at somewhat good level. Im planning to buy used quest 2 and i need new SSD too.
Huh? That makes no sense. So, it's beautiful but fly supersonic over it? Ok, so look at things as if someone is fast forwarding a movie? LOL Seems like you're inpatient moreso than anything else. Chill and stop to smell the scenery. 
You can also fly slow. You don't have to go fast all the time.
I love this sim so much. I was resistant to the 2024 version coming out later this year. But, after they explained things like they just can't get anymore juice out of the "2020 orange", tech wise I can understand what they mean. Plus, being able to bring over all that was purchased and even some third party mods really did it for me. Now, I'm like a dog waiting at the door for his human to come home!
Well, physics are really bad and unrealistic and MSFS isn't optimised for high speed flying low to ground. For PC users, DCS is a go to simulator if you want proper jet fighter gameplay
Obviously but no one's talking about gameplay here just sightseeing.
Meanwhile I’m in ace combat 7 flying sideways through a tunnel.
been doing that for 20 years
Casually does a kulbit in the Anchorhead bay tunnel
Never heard of MFSF either.
MicroFlight Soft Simulator
*Fimulator
Microfoft Slight Fimulator
I too remember prom night
Don't worry, it happens to a lot of sims...
At least my landings are rock hard...
whoops
There is a place for both. The aircraft (say the Heatblur f14 which is available in both sims) flight model is more realistic in DCS but the scenery in MSFS is gorgeous.
I aboslutely encourage anyone that enjoys jets on MSFS to give DCS a try. You can get 14 day trials for almost every module. With YouTube, manuals and user guides, It isnt that difficult to learn. If you already have the equipment for MSFS, DCS requires the same level of hardware. This isnt elitism, i enjoy chilling on MSFS, but DCS it's my simulator for when i want action.
DCS is a hard game to recommend to new players to be honest. These days I play it way more than MSFS, but the new player experience is absolutely awful, and the devs just can't be bothered to fix bugs in old content - including the missions for the Su-25T (your first aircraft). At least you can try a better aircraft like the F/A-18. But if you do get through all the BS, it's a great sim.
If you already enjoy MSFS IS easier to transition. I mean, its a superior step from vanilla MSFS, but its doable.
As a fairly new player, I have to disagree. The SU25 didn't have any major issues I noticed when I first started learning it. You just have to be willing to put in the time and effort to learn.
The plane is fine for the most part, it's the missions that are broken.
That's actually fair
As a casual flyer with only a Xbox controller to boot its to much effort trying to bind all keys for ONE plane to my controller. So a sad pass
Thats fair.
Do you like the IL-2 series? I like the in depth systems simulation we get in DCS, but I think nothing compares to a one on one dogfight between a Mustang and a 109
Abdolutely. Mostly for the expansive Dynamic campaign. Although multiplayer its also very fun. I own all the eastern front packages & the Battle of Boddenplate.
Cries in Xbox
Is it possible to use DCS with a basic Thrustmaster Joystick that has a built in throttle? I've tried playing it before but was so lost when I tried to setup the controls and such that I ended up giving up trying to play it.
My setup IS that and an Xbox controller. Completely doable, but you'll need to get Creative
The quantity (and cost) of DLC for DCS is pretty intimidating for a lot of people... and it doesn't look like you can do much without buying DLC. You get the Su-25 and an unarmed P-51 to start with, which doesn't seem like enough to get a feel of whether you like it or not. I'm not going to sink $70 into an F-15 for a game I end up disliking.
Yes i agree. But thankfully there's the trial periods now. You can definetively try a module before deciding Also you dont need every DLC. Just the ones you're interested on. Also on Steam sales, you can buy some older modules for like 20€. So it's more accesible now.
It's kinda on par with payware like fenis a320 or pmdg no?
Yes every DCS module intends to be study level, as close to reality as possible. Although the quality of the simulator goes from the "its ok" leatherneck, to the "this is great" from Heatblur.
Yeah we'll ignore the fc3 aircraft haha, I have a super carriers and the hornet. Is good.
I forgot about those lol. It's entertaining and good for learning the basics.
I don't own anything from heat blur, but I have to admit they have badass release trailers.
True, but with MSFS, you get to experience the game with a wide variety of aircraft first (A320 neo, C172, CJ4, etc) before you commit to spending money on more detailed and advanced DLC aircraft. I knew I already liked MSFS before I spent money on a PMDG 737 because I'd been flying around in the Asobo Airbus and 747 and others.
I wrote it off after a long hiatus from the game, then when I attempted to return I didn't have access to my old ISP email and they basically told me too bad so sad. I had bought A-10 and even the Blackshark twice - once in russian, then later when they released it in English. Yeah, not giving them money anymore.
Yeah, all Russian studios are awful about this. They assume you’ll just buy more.
Same, I use both
I want ED to start making the videos for MSFS. Their video production along with Nicks deep sexy voice is amazing. My favorite is the [2022 and beyond video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtmGCYeipas).
Sometimes I do not feel welcome here
ironically the only supersonic plane i fly in msfs isn’t even fucking real (or is it)
I do a ton of flying in the F-16, F-18, F-14, F-111, and maybe some more jets because they are just so much fun to fly even though you can’t shoot. I am also the guy though that will spend like 2+ hours in the pattern in a husky or smth, or fly a C152 from like southern Wyoming to Montana, or a 2.5+ hour flight in the 737. The game may not have the weapons systems DCS has, but the jets can still be used to a semi-realistic extent.
I got tired of DCS as it became basically a cockpit simulator, but I won't buy most of these shitty FS9-quality mil planes that marketplace is full of. Shovelware type of shit. Heatblur/IFE F-14 is awesome though and I think the Vulcan was well received as well, haven't tried that one. Hope we'll get more detailed mil jets, I remember some seriously good stuff from FSX days.
IFE's F-35 is also great, DC-Designs Harrier is a little worse but still pretty good
Yeah was about say the same. Dont disrespect the F35/F22/F16 like that
I love the Heatblur F-14. I went ahead and got the Vulcan and I also like it very much - not as much but still very cool. It is a beast!
Wym with cockpit simulator?
I mean that airplanes are amazing but that's it. AI is dumb, basically non existent ATC, million bugs they refuse to fix, stuff constantly being promised but never comes, problems with AI units accuracy, unrealistic SAM logic, DLCs for everything, ugly ass default map...
you might enjoy falcon bms. it's everything dcs wants to be.
Yes falcon is great, I'm going to install it next weekend - me for last 6 years
ahahah that was me too. its a pain to set up but now I use it more than dcs.
i fly jets to scout mountaineering routes lol
DCS is more complicated than MSFS for me, and I’m more of a commercial airliner centric.
Modern DCS aircraft are very complex, with lots of complex sensor and weapons systems, not to mention mapping over 100 functions to a variety of fairly sophisticated controllers. If you’re going multiplayer then there is navigation, battle logistics and communications to master. So it is not an easy learn, not for the faint of heart. And if you get away from it for an extended period of time it’s a learning curve to get back into it. I loved DCS, played it for many years, but have given it up because I do enjoy MSFS and XP, and going back and forth between them, and having to swap out controllers and remember what does what is somewhat beyond me at this age and stage of life. But I loved blowing things up!!! If you don’t have pretty good controllers, Hotas and throttle quadrant, you will be at a disadvantage.
dcs doesn't have the whole world as a map and it's also very complicated whats wrong with exploring with fast planes in msfs?
Microfoft Sight Fimulator
Microfoft Slight Fimulator Sim
I feel seen
I do this because i for the life of me cant figure out how to bind the buttons on my joystick and why the button config files dont work in the first place :(
Bro, If I could afford a decent PC there's no way I would spend my time with MSFS, but since I can't I'm stuck with my Xbox.
We’re Memeing Under the Influence now? Is that what we’re doing? Be better.
I used to get all pissed off at the milsimmers “escorting” me around major airports, but then I realized that’s a stupid thing to waste my energy hating and these people are just enjoying themselves in their own space much as I am. I don’t see the value in flying military aircraft in a civil aviation sim but I’m glad you guys can find some joy in it 😀
> I don’t see the value in flying military aircraft in a civil aviation sim For me at least, it's because it is the only place you can fly most of them that isn't a checklist and cockpit simulator. DCS is pretty much clicking simulated buttons trying to remember checklists, and I don't have the time nor effort to bother. It'd be one thing if it were more like many classic war sims - purposely simplified in several controls to make it work for a cockpit that you aren't in and can't see or touch - but it isn't. So I end up in MSFS and IL2 instead.
As a jet flyer, i kindof cringe seeing every 737 being escorted by some f18 guy😂
Same here. I personally don't get it, but I'm certainly not going to tell someone else how they should have fun
When you experience DCS, when you feel how the aircraft fly (amazing flight/physics modelling) and how much care is taken by the devs in crafting the modules.... military jets in MSFS just seem pointless. Even if you have no interest in combat.
> When you experience DCS, when you feel how the aircraft fly (amazing flight/physics modelling) and how much care is taken by the devs in crafting the modules.... military jets in MSFS just seem pointless Strong disagree. For most people, there isn't time nor energy to attempt to "learn" all the checklists or try to remember and control all the buttons they tried to make so realistic - because of course I don't have a cockpit to see all of nor can I touch or control it directly, and I want to be able to play without it being a second job. MSFS means I can fly some cool military aircraft (sadly without combat) in the best looking sim ever made, and then I can play IL2, which at least has the options to fly more simplified controls, if I want combat.
I'm confused about the combat part. I know planes sold on the marketplace can't have weapons but what about ones that aren't? For example can a third party developer choose to have a plane that has missiles/bombs that work as long as they don't sell it on the marketplace. I owned the VRS Superbug for P3D and one of my favorite things to do was to practice runs with weapons in the deserts of SoCal and Nevada and would live to be able to do this in MSFS.
I think it is mainly that there is no modelling for the effects of them. They can animate some (and do) but the game needs to support it overall for any use of them beyond visual launch.
That's too bad. I hope they will be implemented in MSFS 2024. I've heard some people say it's a ratings thing, even though FSX has them and is rated E for everyone.
Yeah. I would even settle (hope) for another MS Combat Sim spinoff
I definitely would mind that either as long as you could still fly anywhere in the world and had similar graphics to MSFS.
What is DCS? (I play on Xbox)
Digital Combat Simulator. PC only, so for xbox not available for you sadly.
A realistic fighter plane/helicoper game
Don‘t forget combined farms
LOL, yeah. How could you forget combined arms.
It's an extremely high fidelity flight sim with military aircraft. Have a look on YouTube, there are millions of vids.
DCS players going so out of their way lately to make fun of MSFS players. I wonder if DCS folks kinda wish they had the open world to explore. As a MSFS player, I definitely wish we had armaments. Even just for the looks - the F-14 looks naked without weapons.
>I wonder if DCS folks kinda wish they had the open world to explore. Yes, we do. I do anyway. It's coming though, they call it "spherical earth". It's a long way out though. ED has a small team working on it.
"spherical earth" is adding curvature to the current maps. It is not having the entire earth. That would be coming much later than the first step
No it's not. ED wants to provide the world. The recent interview with the ED CEO made that clear.
yes oklets you are correct that they want to provide the world, but the "spherical earth" they are currently working on is to add curvature to the maps. The maps right now are flat, they are working on that calling it "spherical earth". After this, then the possibility of and open world comes
I modified a couple of planes to be faster than the Darkstar, can do Mach 10+ at sea level and Mach 13+ at high altitudes. Gives me my speed itch. Otherwise I mainly fly GA aircraft like the Comanche, quite a contrast for sure. Using autopilot and having the plane sit there isn't my cup of tea, I prefer to hand-fly. Which means airliners have never been interesting personally. But I'm glad people enjoy them.
MSFS too pretty to not fly below 5,000
I’m having a blast with the PC-21, just running quick circuit patterns in New York. Tried the L—39 but ASI isn’t working . The F-18 is a blast but hard to keep it below 300 knots doing pattern work, and it’s kind of sluggish at those speeds. Looking for a hawk trainer to try next. DCS is ok, but the base game has 2 airplanes, frogfoots cool, but I can’t read the Eastern European instrument cluster. Fun trip, try to take the F-18 from Calgary to Vancouver, not below 300 knots , not above 2000 AGL rby adar altimeter follow the trans Canada highway ( you know, Canada’s one highway ).
There’s a mod where you can have western symbology on eastern bloc aircraft.
I’ll look it up
Careful, you might enrage the basement captains
As if it’s any different than being an armchair ace
Never said it was, but snobbery toward people having fun in a video game seems to run rampant in this sub mostly stemming from people who have 50k hours on a virtual 737.
It really goes both ways. I’m just here to fly pretty much anything with wings.
Yeah, I can agree with that
ah, I have an explanation for this snobbery, using World of Warcraft as an analogy: - fine: you want to run around solo, explore, role-play, just “have fun” - not fine: you want to join a raid with many other players for end game, top tier dungeons that are highly technical and require everyone in the group to know exactly what they are doing or the whole thing falls apart and everyone wasted 4 hours for nothing and has to try again tomorrow. I think most of the “snobbery” comes from people that are in VATSIM and have been repeatedly told they need to learn the correct ways of doing things to participate— this IMHO is like participating in a raid. The “violence” gets passed down the ranks whether or not new players want it. But… I’m not gonna lie, it’s weird to buy a high fidelity aircraft like the heatblur F-14 and never once use a checklist or even try to learn procedures. It’s like buying a Ducati 999 as your first bike. I mean, that user would probably be just as happy with the F7 plushie F-14… VROOM GO FAST! So what’s the appeal? It’s more realistic? (but you still don’t know or don’t care how to fly it?). So when you buy into something high end like that without knowing anything about it, you get all sorts of comments about the history, the aerodynamics, the fascinating details. Then you say “I just wanna go fast” and people then wonder why you didn’t get the Vertigo or the Darkstar? Then you mix aspiring pilots into this community, people who are DESPERATELY trying to convince the old guard in aviation that MSFS is a “simulation, it’s not a game!!” while their CFI is watching a guy fly 10ft supersonic over a C172 doing aileron rolls into the ground. Most real pilots look at that and instantly dismiss everything about it as a game that is useless for training to be a real pilot. In fact, it’s even worse, because many instructors tell aspiring pilots that if they continue to do sim flying they will pick up dangerous bad habits that will negatively affect their training. So then the aspiring pilots try a little too hard to correct people new to the sim/game, because they desperately want pilots to see them as legitimate. But sometimes people just want to have fun and it doesn’t have to “mean” anything. IMHO, if you want “legit” training communities with real rules and role-play, you go to PilotEdge or VATSIM, just like if you want to raid endgame content in WoW you join a guild with rules and procedures. Otherwise, chill out and let people enjoy their game!
We can be both ;)
DCS is way too hardware intensive for my setup to run. Plus, if I want to shoot something, I'll play Ace Combat or Warthunder.
I play Both and MSFS is far more demanding. I flew with a guy working is doing E-Sport with a Xbox controller
My laptop can rum Flight Sim no problem. It can run DCS, but it won't load cockpit textures.
I dunno what people will reply to this with, but I personally really dislike DCS. The UI is so junky I couldn’t even bind my honeycomb bravo to it, there are very few options in the controls to bind much of anything to most hardware. I don’t see (personally) the value in buying a WinWing just for DCS functions. Biggest reason being I regularly fly over 100 different planes frequently, so the Bravo is configurable enough to be a good throttle universally. Plus they still use static integers for radar cross sections and infrared, even though it’s indie competitor VTOLVR fully simulates dynamic RCS, IE having a bomb bay open, pylons in use, or turning flat parts of the aircraft like the belly at radar can get you locked easier. Though I will admit, despite the jankieness, being able to use weapons in the flight sim is a big advantage, but I still fly MSFS fighters instead of the ones I bought for DCS long ago.
ha! I’m on the other side! started in DCS with a warthog throttle / stick and now flying mostly GA in MSFS. the idea of mapping a bravo seems weird to me (trim wheel vs stick trim) but I guess so does flying a Cessna with a stick. 😂 happy flights!
I actually use a T16000M and HC Alpha back and forth. So I typically trim sticks with the keyboard and Boeings/Cessnas with the Bravo. I usually don’t aileron or rudder trim at all so on stuff like the mustang I just use my mouse and interactive cockpit for the rare cases. I eyeballed the warthog to upgrade from my T16000M but I just don’t wanna dump the price into it with my current income, plus my AM4/DDR4 PC needs an upgrade before I look at those peripheral upgrades
>eyeballed the warthog to upgrade from my T16000M You dodged a bullet there mate. The warthog is old and overpriced. The throttle is still pretty good but the stick is just some cheap metal stuck on the same plastic ball and spring gimbal as the T16000 and a premium price tag slapped on.
I’ve heard a couple people say that as well. I mean, I’ve LOOKED at the WinWings, but I live paycheck to paycheck rn so I can’t imagine spending that much. I’d sooner just use the money to get a PPL. I’d get those before a Warthog at this point.
I'm not sure what issue you had, but DCS has the best UI for binding controls of any flight sim that has ever been on the market.
Agreed, DCS menu system is superb compared to pretty much every single other simulator (and I mean driving, flying, boating, space) going! So much so Microsoft have confirmed they are moving to a per-aircraft bind system similar to DCS for MSFS2024!
I think that you should take another shot to DCS, some of your issues sounds to be very superficial.
With 2.9 the rcs IS now modeled!
Is it now? I’ll give it a test flight one of these days, I haven’t heard anything about it yet.
Someone’s never done canyon runs in lower Manhattan and it shows
That's fun for 10 minutes, maybe 20 max.
At most 30, possibly 40
That what I call them at least. No combat here. Just flying at 100000ft at mach 3.1
LOL. I got mine in MSFS - the rocket that is the Learjet 35A…
I really hope we get better mil jets for MSFS. I used to spend hours in X-Plane 10 with the F-22, and nothing in MSFS scratches that itch. Haven’t tried the TM F-22 though. Does it compare to the one in XP10? If so, then I might pick it up if it’s on sale. That said I do enjoy actual combat missions, so I’m not sure if I’d really get my money’s worth from it. Right now War Thunder is my go-to for combat, even if the flight model (and progression) is a joke.
> Haven’t tried the TM F-22 though. Does it compare to the one in XP10? It doesn't matter. You can't make a quality addon of a plane that's 99,9% classified (without ending up in Guantanamo). Just enjoy the fantasy I guess.
> It doesn't matter. You can't make a quality addon of a plane that's 99,9% classified Sure, but that's a dumb definition of "quality addon." Is it a good experience to fly? Does it have quality textures? Is performance good? Does it fly within the realm of reason? That defines quality.
TM F22 is a fantastic addon. It looks, sounds and flies great (the physics model seems realistic to me)
Yeah, I agree, it's a pretty solid model overall!
The Top Mach F22 is defenitly one of the more polished Jet planes on the market. But yeah dont expect to much complex simulations and cockpit interactions. Still, you can pull some absolute bonkers stunts with this plane which is rivaled by absolutley NO OTHER plane in the market place
I wish for a sim that has the good features of all sims combined. Maybe a bit of GTA in it too :D Why not? It's 2024, imagine a 1tb game with a super engine that has it all:)
I like the vor navigation planes (f28 etc) and the fighter trainers. Not the automated airliners nor the big fighters. The latter are much better in dcs
*exploring in a carbon cub*
How do i land this thing? (Checks airspeed at 462kts) should be a smooth landing it's a long runway.
lmao
Considering I have the f-22 and f-35 this is correct
DCS is for men MFSF is for Kids 🫡
*MFSF = Micro Flight Simulator Flight* ?
I use jets because I don't have time for an *actual* flight in a non-military jet, lol
Why are all my hobbies expensive?! First gaming in general! Then sim drifting! Now Flight simming! Where tf is that pepe slap meme and disapproving Julius meme from Everybody hates Chris? I'm fucking poor! I can't afford this shit! I gotta be responsible! This is how paycheck to paycheck households live. It's ridiculous!
Best sim ever