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Hey all, For those who dabble in DCS, or for those who have heard about it but aren't sure what the big deal is I thought I'd summarise the main goings on and the roadmap for future delights... DCS World 1.5.2 - we are now public release for 1.5 - huzzah! What this means for those who aren't familiar is that DCS has recently had a complete overhaul of the graphics engine; new shaders, optimisations and effects which not only serve to make the game look even better, but also - somewhat counter-intuitively - have boosted frame rates. It's never been so smooth! All of this has been stepping towards the integration of the new map technology, of which more later. For now this is what is available for this game version: Cost: Free! Included aircraft are an Su-25T Frogfoot (fully operational Russian CAS aircraft) and TF-51 Mustang (no armament) and the Black Sea/Causcasus Terrain Map Further Modules are available: Firstly the 'DCS' range which include full systems modelling, avionics, Advanced/Professional Flight Models (AFM/PFM), and fully clickable cockpits: P-51D Mustang Bf109K-4 Kurfurst (Beta) Fw-190D-9 Dora F-86F Sabre (Beta) MiG-15 (Beta) UH-1H Huey Mi-8 Hip (Beta) MiG-21Bis (Beta) L-39 Albatross (Beta) C-101 Aviojet (Beta) Ka-50 BAe Hawk T.Mk.1a (Beta) A-10C Mirage 2000C (Beta) Note: whilst some of these are still in Beta all are usable, enjoyable and well along in the Beta cycle so are generally pretty bug free but still might be missing some features so be warned, the Mirage being the most recent of releases. And secondly the aircraft available in Flaming Cliffs 3 - in essence these are the upgraded and ported across content from Lock On: Modern Air Combat, so whilst some have AFM/PFm some do not and whilst still pretty meaty to get your head around systems wise, are not as full on as the DCS modules as listed above and do not have fully interactive/clickable pits. Note that the A-10A, F-15, Su-25 and Su-27 are available to purchase individually outside of the full FC3 package. A-10A* F-15C* Su-27* Mig-29 Su-33 Su-25* Finally, DCS: Combined Arms allows you to not only commandeer tanks, SAMs, AAA and Hummvees but also act as a Forward Air Controller (in modern lingo a JTAC) and also direct artillery fire! DCS World Open Alpha 2.0 - this is available to run as a parallel install to the public version, in essence a separate game but with all the modules you already own, without the Black Sea/Caucasus Map. Instead will run the NTTR (Nevada Test & Training Range) map. A version of this map was supposed to be included with A-10C when it released many moons ago but various difficulties with technology, logistics and man power put it into hiatus. Now you can fly the environs of Las Vegas the Grand Canyon and the like whilst taking part in Red Flag exercises. Ostensibly this Alpha is a chance for you to help in the bug finding and fixing process whilst enjoying the unique DCS environment of desert and city; after all this map represents the ultimate goal of the new EDGE technology and portents the inclusion of further maps. Of which: Upcoming releases: Spitfire Mk.IX - from what we have seen this lil' beaut is getting pretty close to Beta release and I for one plan to have my grubby little mits on it as soon as it drops. F5 key is already getting a work out! Straits of Hormuz - this area of the Persian Gulf is set to be released this year adding some interesting theatre and mission varieties, with a leaning towards carrier ops (and with a bias towards the F/A-18C, due for future release in particular!). Once NTTR and DCS World 2.0 go public i would expect to see some acceleration on this project. Normandy WW2 - news has been thin regarding this map of late, with little in the way of details or eye candy but we are assured it is still on going and things will pick up once integration of NTTR and DCS World 2.0 is complete. What is for sure that with a host of period ground units to accompany it, this is one of the most eagerly anticipated of releases for the propellor heads.... F-14A/B Tomcat + Map - A personal favourite of mine I can say I was fist pumping when i saw this beauty on the WiP pages at Leatherneck Studios; the fact that it will also apparently come with an appropriate theatre map was a very pleasant bonus! F/A-18C Hornet - ED are making a full DCS button-switching, head-scratching, systems-beeping behemoth for the fast jet boys who also like to drop some heavy iron. No noise on release date yet though... Gazelle BO-105 P-47D P-40F F4U Corsair + Iwo Jima Map AJS-37 Viggen + ? Map Ju-87D/G Stuka Me-262 Spitfire Mk.XIV Harrier Gr.7/9

Nice article here by Will Greenwood on flying and displaying his new Yak-3 last year. http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2016/01/06/from-the-cockpit-yakovlev-yak-3m-g-oleg-gentle-learning-slopes/ I was looking forward to see him perform at Shoreham, alas it was not to be.

Nice update/review Fen! And not too verbose I must say. I must! ;-) I will say that the game takes a long time to load. It's been that way for me for a long time. But, with my new rig, I have extra memory. And my mb came with some RamCache software. I set it up to create a large cache in memory when I boot up. So, once windows loads, any programs/files that I use are cached in memory in case I need them again. For me, what this means is that the first time DCS loads, it takes almost 2 minutes. The game performance is improved by this as well since any game files are stored in memory. But I have not done any tests to compare the increased fps with ram cache. But I would guess it was maybe a 10-15(+\-) increase in fps. That will depend on how much memory you have for the cache. I have a 45gb ram cache. ;-) But the best part is that anytime after the game loads, if I close it and restart DCS, it loads in 11 seconds. Yes, 11 seconds! So, if you have extra ram that you are not using, or have some empty slots on your mb, I would suggest giving this a try..