2018

Version 2.5.1 for DCS World is currently in external testing and includes the new Offline Mode and improved memory management as its primary features. Now that it has been built, our valued 3rd parties are updating their aircraft to operating in version 2.5.1. Once this is complete, we will first move this version to the DCS World 2.5.1 Open Beta branch.

Until we can release 2.5.1 with improved memory management, we suggest looking at your System Options in DCS World. One setting that has been found to help out considerably is the Preload Radius setting, cutting that value in half can make a huge difference in load times for multiplayer servers, we suggest tweaking this setting and find what works best for you.

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet Update

Since the last Hornet update, the flight model continues to be refined; Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) radar modes now auto-lock targets; the ground suspension model has been refined for landing and taxi behavior; a pilot model has been added to the cockpit view; new skins like the Blue Angels, VMFA-122 and low-vis skins for VMFA-232 and 323 have been added; external sounds are even more realistic; LEX vapors are more realistic looking; and Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) ground alignment has been added.

Here you can find three Hornet live streams we did of the Hornet over the upcoming Persian Gulf map:

Part 1: Hornet over UAE and Oman

Part 2: Hornet over Iran

Part 3: Hornet over the Persian Gulf islands

We have also released our 7th Hornet academic video, this one on Hornet waypoint navigation

While this will eventually apply to all aircraft, the Hornet will be one of the first DCS World aircraft to incorporate our new rain drops on canopy effect. While still very much WIP, this little snippet shows of the general tech and animation we are using.

DCS World War II Assets Update

There are three primary components that currently make up the DCS World War II, the Normandy 1944 map, the warbirds, and the World War II Assets Pack. We’d like to update you on each of these:

DCS: Normandy 1944 Map

Since the map’s release, there have been several improvements like new period objects (windmills, water towers, farm houses, etc.), better beach lines, corrected mesh errors, cleaned up textures, and more detail in the England portion of the map. Currently, Urga Media (the developer) is occupied with their Syria map. However, once the Syria map is complete, we will discuss with them further improvements to the Normandy map like use of speedtrees.

Warbirds

In addition to completing the final touches to the Spitfire (fuel tanks and bombs), our other primary focus has been the P-47D. More so than any other warbird though, this has been the biggest challenge due to the lack of data. Following the war, all wind tunnel and needed flight dynamics data was destroyed. To overcome this, we are using Flow Vision to recreate the needed data. This has proven a long and expensive endeavor. However, to create the detailed flight dynamics that DCS requires, we consider it mandatory.

In consideration of what to work on after the Thunderbolt and Me-262, we asked people to express what they would like to see next, thanks for all the votes, we have submitted the results to the team and will look at what can be done in the future! You can view the results here.

World War II Assets Pack

Many new aircraft and ground units are in development for the DCS World War II Assets Pack and we’ve included images of a few of them in this week’s newsletter. We plan to release the first big update to the pack in June 2018. At that time, the cost of the pack will increase by $5 given the additional content.