[Gaming] Digital Combat Simulator Thread

[astrosammy]

Ok, finally updated. I'd be ready for online flying now.

[n122vu]

Just received my serial for the Mi-8. Will download this evening. Also have the A-10C to get up to speed on, but up for a flight probably tomorrow evening (US EDT).

---------- Post added at 06:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 PM ----------

Wow. The Mi-8 sure likes to dance, doesn't she?

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n122vu

 Wow. The Mi-8 sure likes to dance, doesn't she?

Absolutely... but it gets better with some training. I can almost hover now.

[n122vu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urwumpe

 The early vortex ring state is pretty annoying during landing.

I see what you mean. Wow. That's brutal.

[Richy]

Last night in a short warm up mission.

We were both successful in not beeing shot down (and actually completing the mission objective), but took still some damage (he had lost his complete hydraulics).

[Donamy]

Still no joy here.

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donamy

 Still no joy here.

How much memory does your GPU have?

[n122vu]

I've discovered that at least part of the Mi-8's in-flight instability I was seeing is my own fault. It seems that years of flying without rudder pedals with my old Force Feedback Pro has caused me to retain the habit of twisting the joystick for rudder input when flying, resulting in the X52 and the pedals fighting for control of the rudder axis (resulting in the 'dancing' I was seeing).

Figured this out when I started seeing similar control behavior in the A-10C. Once I un-mapped the X52 assignment for rudder input, the A-10C flew perfectly. Just need to do the same for the Mi-8 this evening.

[Urwumpe]

OK, managed to hover above the pad and land on the first base without problems, I finally get some feeling for the Mi-8. Sadly I still crashed on the second or third base (I got lost)

[Fabri91]

Some more helo practice on the Kuznetsov with Richy

[Fabri91]

Last evening Richy and me tried the default CSAR multiplayer mission, and it was...interesting, to say the least.

First try:
got shot down almost immediately




Second try:
got shot AT almost immediately, loosing the cannon.
Manage to take out an APC with a CBU, but a later attempt at taking out the other two of the three that were closing in on our downed pilot without a cannon sees me flying VERY low over one to drop a Mk-82AIR, missing, and losing my right engine, which now looks like swiss cheese.






Despite some problems with the radio comms in multiplayer we call it a success and head home.

[Richy]

And here from the other vantage point:

[Keith]

Well, looking at this thread again the other day, I gave in and downloaded DCS, though not without establishing for myself beforehand some rigid anti-addiction practices, mainly limiting myself to just one flight a day, and two consecutive days a week of not touching it. So far I only have one 25 minute test flight in the Frogfoot (a type which incidentally I have always rather liked, so I had no qualms about the DCS core being, basically, an Su-25T sim). That is all by-the-by, though, and this will probably be my only so-detailed post regarding my experience. Just wanted to share it this one time!

My download (via torrent) and installation experience was good. For the record and for comparison purposes, my system at present (with the somewhat meaningless WEI numbers, where applicable), home built as all my PC's have been since 1994;

Main board: Gigabyte M68MT-D3
Processor: AMD Athlon II x4 635 (WEI 7.3)
RAM: Corsair XMS3 1333 MHz RAM, dual channel capable but used unganged for 4 GB (WEI 7.3)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 650, 2 GB (WEI 7.4)
OS used: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit (retail, obviously)

I spent more or less two hours in reading the manuals (Game Manual and SU-25T's FM pdf's) in preparation for my first flight, taking notes, and watched the introductory training video (which is a 1.6 GB, or so, download after installation). Then fired up DCS, apprehensively expecting CTD's or BSD's, but all loaded up without a hitch. I might now bore you all with an extensive narration of some results of the very basic first flight. First, all invulnerability turned OFF, I wanted to force myself to be very careful. I made a Quick Mission from Batumi (easy location and wide runway, with reference to the CHARTS pdf), and all threats turned OFF so I would not get "disturbed".




After a quick taxi test up and down the runway, I took off, flew out over the Black Sea, climbing to 4,000 meters. First thing noticed was that odd Russian Attitude Indicator, which references the aircraft and not the horizon! Also a bit "uncomfortable" to start with were the metric units for speed, altitude and VSI, though previous Orbiter experience helped to assimilate that pretty quickly, albeit mentally moving the decimal point where speed was concerned. I jettisoned the weapons that had been loaded by default (wasting taxpayer's money, ), as I do not know yet how to use them, and took the aircraft through a brief handling test. Headed back home, establishing some cruise figures between 4,000 meters down to SL, and establishing a referencial VNE (incidentally, the FM pdf is lacking in aircraft limitations and performance figures). Found Batumi easily with some case applied DR navigation, and entered a LH pattern for RWY 31. The first approach was not well stabilized (slow and low), plus there are some trees rather close in to the threshold that I had doubts about clearing. So, I performed a rather flamboyant go around and tried again with a steeper approach to clear the trees. Success this time, though the shap eyed ones will notice in the following screen shots how I nonchalantly sailed over the aiming point fixed distance marker, despite speed brakes as from 100 meters. Nonetheless, the touchdown was inside the TDZ, and the use of the drag chutes made the application of wheel brakes unnecessary to stop well within the LDA. In all, a pleasant 25 minute first flight with no major incidents, and the preflight preparation focus really paid off in making it so.

Computer performance-wise with my rig, the GTX 650 did not even break a sweat, as evidenced by the screen shot below (max values for the session). The processor fan did speed up during the flight, but its temperature never exceeded 50º C at any point. Frame rate was excellent.



Some other things noticed in the course of events. The Mission Planner looks brilliant. I was also pleased to find that the focus of the sim is not rigidly online multiplayer, as WT was; that's great. The flight model is superb. Finally, I am not at all satisfied with the default keymap. It has secondary flight controls (eg; trim) activated with combined key presses, and critical operations, like fuel dump, with single key presses. However, the assignable "switch" function seems a good way to put many vital key commands onto the joystick buttons and hat. I will take the time, soon, to figure out a more satisfactory keymap.

Thanks where thanks are due for introducing such an excellent sim! It is right up my street.

[Izack]

Just had my first flight with the Su-25. Very nice experience, very different from the WWII fighters I'm used to with IL-2. The game runs well, though the loading time is incredibly long sometimes. It doesn't seem to be nearly as hard to fly as expected. Haven't tried firing any weapons yet though.

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izack

 Haven't tried firing any weapons yet though.

Just remember the important line in the manual before you curse. "You have to hold the trigger for a second before a missile is fired". And it is a long second, when SAMs and AAA are aiming for you.