DCS World Steam Edition News

[h2]INS + GPS White Paper Update[/h2]
[h3]System Overview[/h3]



We have updated the INS + GPS White Paper with more details to further answer DCS: F-16C pilot questions.

Key highlights include:

• INS Functionality: Understanding how the INS performs dead reckoning using accelerometers and gyros, and how errors such as Schuler Oscillation can affect navigation over time.
  
• GPS Insights: Examines how GPS measures aircraft position, the challenges posed by ionospheric delay and multipath effects, and the advantages of military GPS signals.
  
• Kalman Filtering: Understanding how the Kalman filter optimally blends INS and GPS data, enhancing navigation precision while maintaining autonomy against potential GPS discrepancies or spoofing.
  
• Practical Applications: Learning about the INS FIX procedure to correct accumulated errors, especially when GPS is unavailable or after poor alignment, and the importance of using aircraft sensors for target acquisition to ensure maximum accuracy.
  

Read the INS + GPS White Paper.


[h2]South Atlantic Upcoming Update[/h2]
[h3]Development Progress[/h3]



The South Atlantic map team is working on a winter update to their map. In order to deliver this major upgrade, they have meticulously developed custom seasonal simulation method that deliver an exceptional level of realism to the Falkland Islands whilst also further enhancing the areas of Argentina and Chile.

Their new methods enhance terrain and environmental information such as Geo elevation data, snowfall accumulation, and melting. Because the available data does not contain enough detail, they have designed a process to interpolate and enhance this data, which results in impressive results.

Mainland Chile and Argentina will also benefit by receiving realistic winter textures for which they leverage the same technology, but at a slightly lower resolution. This brings both the Falklands and the mainland to an even higher level of detail, which results in a more immersive and fulfilling experience. Further enhancements will include an updated biome with new flora and fauna across the map, especially visible during low level operations.


[h2]Autumn Sale 2024[/h2]
[h3]Up to 50% discount[/h3]



Our DCS Autumn Sale 2024 is in full swing with unbeatable deals across most of our most popular aircraft, helicopters, terrains, campaigns and other important add-ons! Notably the F/A-18C and the F-16C Viper are both on sale with a huge 40% discount. Visit the Shop now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/223750/DCS_World_Steam_Edition/

For those of you who fly on the DCS Steam Edition, we are delighted to offer you the exact same amazing bargains until the 4th of December 18:00 GMT.

Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

Eagle Dynamics

[h2]F-5E[/h2]
[h3]Remastered[/h3]



Existing owners of the DCS: F-5E will be able to purchase this beautiful remaster of a classic light-weight tactical fighter for only USD $9.99. With in excess of 7’000 man hours invested, we are confident you won’t miss this great value for money. All owners of DCS: F-5E not wishing to upgrade can enjoy their aircraft as is. It will continue to be supported for the foreseeable future as this is an optional update, however on release of DCS: F-5E Remaster, the existing version of the will no longer be available for purchase.

Key Features of the Remastered DCS: F-5E:

• Remastered external model based on the latest graphics technologies to create a highly accurate and realistic model. New external animations have also been added.
  
• Remastered cockpit with greatly improved resolution, glass surfaces, and attention to detail.
  
• Addition of a 1st person view pilot in the cockpit view.
  
• New afterburner effects. (coming soon)
  
• New vortices effect based on the aircraft’s angle of attack. (coming soon)
  
• Numerous bug fixes and tunings such as damage modelling, sensors, and avionics.
  

Existing functionality:

• Professional Flight Model that accurately mimics the performance and flight characteristics of this legendary fighter.
  
• Highly detailed, six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) cockpit.
  
• Interact with cockpit controls with your mouse.
  
• Fully modelled weapons and sensor systems.
  
• Detailed modelling of the F-5E instruments, engine, radios, fuel, electrical, and hydraulic systems.
  
• 16 Missions and 10 Interactive Training Missions.
  
• Full and Quick Start manuals.
  

Both the DCS: F-5E Remaster and the existing DCS: F-5E will receive many improvements and fixes including certain corrections to radar operation, weapon adjustments including new laser-guided bomb loading options, avionics improvements, mirrors, wing bend and flex animations, high angle attack audio buffet, gun smoke behaviour, and more.

[h2]F-16C Last Out: Weasels over Syria II[/h2]
[h3]Campaign by Ground Pounder Sims[/h3]



Get ready for 13 thrilling and immersive missions in a variety of roles, including SEAD, DEAD, strike, and escort that are set during the climactic events of the Operation Cerberus North storyline. You will take on a detailed and dynamic Syrian integrated air defence network with enhanced realism provided by the updated Weasel System that features realistic SAMs and exploitables.

You will operate from RAF Akrotiri, complete with a custom air traffic control system and optional cockpit conversations. For a more relaxed experience, the Immortal Mode will offer “Story Mode”.

The campaign includes over 3,500 voiced lines and extensive documentation.

[h2]Shadow Trophy 2024[/h2]
[h3]Virpil Tournament[/h3]



Qualification for the traditional Shadow’s Trophy 2024 Tournament is now open until the 8th of December! This year, as well as helicopter lovers, fighter pilots will compete for a huge prize fund worth over $8’000 USD.

Each champion will also receive one DCS module of their choice from Eagle Dynamics! Additionally coupon codes for the official VIRPIL Controls webstores await those of you who score 2nd and 3rd in the rankings!

Get your times recorded by flying the racecourse on the tournament servers and mark your calendars for the finals, which take place on the 15th of December 2024!

Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

Eagle Dynamics

[h2]New Fog Effects[/h2]
[h3]Enhancements[/h3]



The next update will feature substantial enhancements to DCS weather in particular a new state-of-the art fog and dust rendering system. This highly immersive solution, which took more than 8’500 man hours to develop, allows both automatic and manual fog generation and accounts for sensor and AI line-of-sight blocking. It is calculated with our future spherical Earth in mind and can be highly variable based on density and altitude. It supports self-shadowing, blends with clouds, and is fully animated with moving cloud banks.

Scenes from the early morning and evening hours are particularly convincing and offer a surprisingly realistic atmosphere.

Please do read our detailed white paper here: Volumetric Weather White Paper: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/upload/medialibrary/1ea/e33jygccex3q2li6n324hn98y5het01y/Volumetric_Weather_White_Paper.pdf


[h2]New Supercarrier Plane Directors[/h2]
[h3]Development Report[/h3]



When DCS: Supercarrier was originally released, it included a rich set of deck crew and animations that mimicked the process of taxiing on to the catapult and launching. In the next update, we are delighted to announce the added feature of plane ‘directors’ (yellow shirts) who precisely marshall aircraft from their parking space to the catapult. This usually involves multiple plane directors passing control from one key position to the next ensuring precise hazard free taxiing of the aircraft to their designated catapult. After landing, the same new director system will marshall players and AI aircraft back to their designated parking location.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1120305/DCS_Supercarrier/

While the process of creating this for single player was a challenging task given the myriads of ways the process can be interrupted, the multiplayer aspect was far more complex than ever contemplated given the numerous ways multiple human players on the carrier deck could “break” the system. This led to more than four times the development initially budgeted for this feature and we apologise for the delay and hope you will enjoy the experience.

Regarding the CVN-74 John C. Stennis, it is available as both a free aircraft carrier and as part of the Supercarrier module. This allows the Stennis to be used by pilots that own and do not own the Supercarrier module. For now and to maintain this compatibility, deck crew will not be supported for this particular aircraft carrier. We are working on a solution to resolve this in the future.


[h2]F-104 Starfighter[/h2]
[h3]Development Report[/h3]



Aerges is pleased to update you on improvements to their Mirage F1 and C-101 and progress of their F-104.

• Mirage F1M MFD and HUD symbology, as well as their respective avionics logic, are in an advanced state of development.
  
• Much work is being done to polish the F1 systems in addition to fixing bugs reported by our community. Attention has also been made to the C-101 in order to keep it up to date and bug free.
  
• There has been an overhaul of the code structure to allow more effective coding and feature-sharing between the F1 and the upcoming F-104.
  
• Research continues on radar picture rendering and physics improvements. The resulting technology is also expected to be used for the F-104.
  
• Coding of the F-104 flight model and general aircraft systems is complete, as well as initial flight model validation. This includes engine, hydraulics, electrics, fuel, controls, armament, and miscellaneous systems. Avionic systems and integration with the cockpit animations and inputs is currently in-progress.
  
• The F-104 external model and cockpit textures are the result of a thorough research that included laser scanning. The next step will be the creation of the set of liveries. Please check out the F1 and F-104 development progress video:

https://youtu.be/d5e_X7dswac


[h2]F-16 Arctic Thunder[/h2]
[h3]Campaign by Reflected Simulations[/h3]



February, 2024. Finland is on the verge of joining NATO when the unthinkable happens: Russian armed forces cross the frontier into Finland accompanied with massive air strikes. Its NATO allies immediately join the conflict to push the bear back across the border.

Reflected Simulations’ F-16C campaign over the Kola map is based on real life events and tactics. Strap into a US Air Force F-16C Viper against a formidable threat. Take part in study level, highly realistic missions such as CAP, CAS, SEAD and precision strikes. Follow real life procedures in unprecedented detail.

Launching simultaneously, a companion F/A-18C campaign by Baltic Dragon will be available that is woven into the same storyline. Now is an excellent time to purchase the Kola map! Experience what it would be like to fly as a fighter pilot in a large-scale air war today.

Key Features:

• 10 immersive missions with a variety of different tasks: CAS, X-CAS, CAP, escort, pre-planned strikes, and more.
  
• An interactive intro mission that guides the player through the most important aspects of the campaign.
  
• Operations from road bases in Finland.
  
• Over 2,200 lines of dialogue with voice-overs.
  
• Custom ATC interaction for all the missions.
  
• Optional use of air-to-air refuelling or the choice to skip it.
  
• Detailed documentation, flight plans, maps, and target information available in both PDF format and from within each mission as part of the kneeboard.

Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

Eagle Dynamics

[h2]DCS Core[/h2]
[h3]Development Progress[/h3]



Mission Editor Select Tool
Coming soon to the Mission Editor is the ability to group together units, objects, trigger zones, and drawings into a larger group that can be moved as a whole using ‘click and drag’. You can also copy, paste, delete, and rotate them. This makes the process of creating missions in DCS much easier and faster, particularly when using hot keys.

Planned Improvements to DCS Updater

• The amount of disk space required for an update will be reduced to the size of new files with no additional space for intermediate processing. This will assist those of you with little remaining disk space.
  
• Parallel unpacking and checking of large files. This aims to drastically reduce the unpacking time and the time for verification of files.
  

Please note that the updater downloads and unpacks all new files before deleting the replaced ones to keep DCS in an operable state as long as possible and to reduce the update installation time. This allows updates to be paused or cancelled without breaking the game. For restricted disk space scenarios, it is possible to create an update mode where old files are deleted before downloading new ones. However, you will not be able to run DCS until the update is completed. With the upcoming integration of the DCS Updater into the launcher, downloading of updates in the background while running the game will be possible.

[h2]F/A-18C Arctic Thunder[/h2]
[h3]Campaign by Baltic Dragon[/h3]



Coming Q4 2024
February, 2024. Finland is on the verge of joining NATO when the unthinkable happens: Russian armed forces push through the border while cruise missiles rain down on the country. Several western allies immediately join the conflict to fight alongside their Finnish brothers in arms.

Baltic Dragon has created a fictional Kola map scenario based on real life events and tactics. Strap into a Finnish DCS: F/A-18C, take off from a hidden road base. Take part in study level, highly realistic missions such as CAP, CAS, SEAD and precision strikes. Follow real life procedures in unprecedented detail.

Launching simultaneously, a companion F-16C Viper campaign by Reflected Simulations will be available that is woven into the same storyline. Now is an excellent time to purchase the Kola map! Experience what it would be like to fly as a fighter pilot in a large-scale air war today.

Key Features:

• 10 immersive missions with a variety of different tasks: CAS, X-CAS, CAP, escort, pre-planned strikes, and more.
  
• An interactive intro mission that guides the player through the most important aspects of the campaign.
  
• Operations from road bases in Finland.
  
• Over 2,200 lines of dialogue with voice-overs.
  
• Custom ATC interaction for all the missions.
  
• Optional use of air-to-air refuelling or the choice to skip it.
  
• Detailed documentation, flight plans, maps, and target information available in both PDF format and from within each mission as part of the kneeboard.
  

[h2]Pimax Crystal Light[/h2]
[h3]Promotional Advert[/h3]



Why Choose The Pimax Crystal Light?
Starting from just $799, the Crystal Light offers the highest clarity available in consumer VR in a lighter and more affordable package than the original Crystal:

• 8.3 million pixels per eye and a 120Hz refresh rate for incredibly sharp visuals.
  
• Glass aspheric lenses with QLED panels, and local dimming provide vivid colors and deep contrasts.
  
• Inside-out tracking with 6 Degrees-of-Freedom means no need for external base stations.
  
• Foveated Rendering (static, non-eye-tracking), delivers performance gains by rendering full resolution only in the centre of your vision.
  
• Weighing just 815g (1.8lb), the Crystal Light has been designed for maximum comfort, even during extended gaming or simulation sessions.
  

To receive 15,000 ED Miles with your purchase of a Pimax Crystal Light, follow this link and use code DCS2024 during checkout.

If you have already purchased your Crystal Light and wish to receive your ED Miles credit, you will soon receive a unique code from Pimax that should be entered into the My Miles section of the DCS website.

Visit the Pimax area of the DCS Forum for dedicated Pimax VR support, including a dedicated section with suggestions for the best settings per GPU.

[h3]Pimax Dogfight 1v1[/h3]



Pimax Dogfight 1v1 2024
Organised by DCS Competitive and cast by Cap from the Grim Reapers, the dogfight competition will run from the 16th till the 24th of November, 2024. Sign up for a chance to win a Pimax Crystal Light in the Pimax Dogfight 1v1 2024 competition.

Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

Eagle Dynamics

[h2]DCS Core[/h2]

• Fixed: crash that was induced by some modules using custom effect presets. (This crash was top in our crash reporting track system. Please keep sending crashes when able, it helps us determine and prioritise fixes, Thank you!)