Recent air combat sim recommendations?

yeah, I also need to (re)learn the A-10C. I used to know Falcon 4.0 by heart, but that’s so long ago, it doesn’t count anymore. I really like the DCS interactive lessons. They are the game in it for me atm. But they are all set in the Caucasus, so I’m currently holding off on doing more training on the hog, the viggen, the fishbed and the choppers. Just treading water blasting drones in the planes I know (the FC3 ones, the Mirage and the F-5)

I think that’s still the goal, but now they’ve given themselves an out by saying it will ‘release’ “by the end of Spring”, which is July. :)

Is it better to deal directly with Eagle Dynamics for DCS World stuff, or do they keep Steam pretty much in sync?

I deal direct. Third-party modules usually take a little longer to hit Steam than they do the Eagle Dynamics direct setup, at least.

Yeah same here. In particular the campaigns tend to take an age to release on Steam.

For example, the F-15C Georgian War campaign just hit Steam a few days ago but was available on the ED shop in August last year.

Yep. Buy direct and you get stuff sooner, plus you get credits you can use for future purchases.

Also, more of the money flows into the ED coffers.

What are y’all using for HOTAS controllers nowadays? Having calibration issues with my beloved and discontinued Logitech G940 so starting to look at what’s out there. Doesn’t look like anything new has been released for quite some time. Logitech now owns Saitek, which at least probably means if I bought something from them I wouldn’t be totally screwed if it broke post-warranty like in the previous Saitek regime. But the reviews on the X56 are pretty negative.

So, anything good out there?

Mix and match my friend. I’ve Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 stick, a Saitek X-52 Pro throttle and CH Pro Pedals. It’s great for old games and new because with many old games, you still get all the axes you need on the Sidewinder, but for games that can use multiple devices, using everything is the bees knees.

I’ve been happy with this Thrustmaster:

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T-16000M-FCS-HOTAS-Controller/dp/B01KCHPRXA/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1516223475&sr=1-2&keywords=thrustmaster

It replaced my Saitek X-52 setup that I had for years.

It also has the same internals (sensors) as the far more expensive HOTAS Warthog set. If you can lay hands on one of those for a fair price (2nd hand perhaps? They are Full metal Awesome and clean up well. In-fucking-destructible) That would be your first choice.

DCS 2.5 has an actual, announced release date of January 31, accompanied by a nice video showing some helicopter flight through four seasons in Georgia. (Which itself is accompanied by short snippets of Vivaldi.)

Isn’t that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?

If it doesn’t slip at least a week, I’ll be shocked. The first announced release date for this project was in summer 2015, after all.

1.3 decidukes.

Managed to get my G940 sorted out for now by recalibrating both the driver and P3D, so looks like I can hold off on the hardware. Works great except for occasional spiking on the throttle wheels. (Which I usually set to flaps and spoilers.) So no new hardware needed for now; unless something new comes along I’ll probably go for the T.16000M FCS barring a fire sale on the A-10 stuff, when I do need to upgrade.

Plus, yay, I don’t have to restart from scratch in DCS joystick setup.

Wow, DCS 2.5 finally? Hooray. Can’t wait!

Picked up a Dell Visor VR headset given the current crazy low prices, so also bought a second license for IL-2. Time for some head-to-head VR air combat against the kid! Nobody tell him the smaller PC has the faster video card. :)

I’d love to hear how you like the Dell VR. I’ve seen some complaints about it when trying to look down due the hinged display. Would love to pick up a set though, so I don’t have to worry about a kid destroying my rift headset.

We’ve seem to have lost the middle ground when it comes to HOTAS sticks these days. You’ve got the high end boutique stuff for pit builders or the usual entry level sticks by Thrustmaster and Logitech. My modded Cougar is still alive and kicking but should it die I would probably go with Brian’s approach of mixed manufacturer HOTAS controllers. I like the ergonomics of Saitek’s gear, especially the throttle, but their flight sticks have never lasted long in my experience.

You should search for a DIY fix for your spiking issues. Maybe a new potentiometer is all you need or perhaps forgoing that for a hall sensor mod instead.

Have you seen this?

That looks amazing. The best part is that helicopters will finally be able to use trees for cover. Hello Fulda Gap with AH-64’s playing hide n’ seek against the hoard of Soviet armor pouring in.

Speaking of new terrain, will they allow 3rd parties to make their own landscapes? It would be nice to have more than the Cacasus’ and the Nevada training range.

Exactly, ever since the x-36, the throttles have always, always outlasted the sticks.

That’s the release date for beta! Grumble… ;)