Today Eagle Dynamics revealed some of the features and changes coming with the next update for DCS World.
We’re getting relevant changes to AI, both in the air and in the ground, which is always great for those who enjoy both single-player and multiplayer featuring AI.
Several weapons will get fixes to their behaviors, and the terrain engine will be optimized to enhance performance across some maps (including the recently released Kola).
Aircraft AI and Ground AI
The latest update will include fixes and improvements to both Aircraft AI and Ground AI behaviour. For aircraft, issues such as cargo doors on the AI Mi-8 helicopter remaining open during transportation tasks and helicopters having difficulty landing will be fixed. The carpet bombing task will work correctly when a priority target is set and weapons free. Additionally, fighters will perform better in cruise missile interception scenarios. For Ground AI, bridge crossing is being improved along with route following behaviour. The BTR-80 and BTR-82 will deploy a bow-wave shield when crossing water. Please stay tuned for the upcoming changelog.
Weapons
Weapon behaviour will see several important fixes, particularly for the AIM-54C’s lock reacquisition issue. AI units will properly use APKWS rockets. Additionally, the R-27R/ER missiles will be adjusted to track cruise missiles effectively, and a new China Asset Pack addition will introduce the HJ-12 Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). Other improvements will include updates to the Sea Eagle missile, which will have a collision model that can be intercepted.
Terrain Engine
The terrain engine will receive notable optimizations, including better VRAM usage, disk streaming, and CPU utilisation for rendering scenery models. This enhances performance across maps, especially in VR. Additionally, issues like crashes at mission start in certain maps (Afghanistan, Kola, and Sinai) and graphical artefacts when zooming or panning in map modes have been addressed. These optimizations will contribute to a smoother and more stable gameplay experience, especially in complex and processor intensive situations.
In the post, Eagle Dynamics also added that cargo won’t be destroyed anymore when dropped, oil and water leak effects for WW2 aircraft will be improved, and the CIWS on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will become more effective against missiles.
In the same post, the developer also committed to continue improving aircraft beyond their early access phase, including the F/A-18C and F-16C.
Recently, we also heard that single-threading is going the way of the dodo and multithreading will soon be the only option.
If you’re unfamiliar with DCS World, it’s a free-to-play military flight simulator spanning combat-oriented aviation from World War 2 to the present day. It’s available exclusively on PC (via Steam or Eagle Dynamics’ own store).
That being said, it’s worth mentioning that fully enjoying the simulator requires the purchase of additional modules, so it’s “free” only in name even if Eagle Dynamics has a pretty solid trial and introductory discount programs, on top of frequent sales.
DCS World is well known among enthusiasts to be very challenging for those who aren’t familiar with advanced flying simulation, and flying its more cutting-edge aircraft requires days or even weeks of study. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing and many find it very rewarding and pretty much the whole point of flight simulation.
If you’re interested in flight simulation in general, we just attended a massive preview event for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and you can read our hands-on preview with plenty of details for your perusal and watch our interview with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann and Asobo CEO Sebastian Wloch.
We also have a crazy A-10 flight through the gorgeous rendition of the Grand Canyon and a look at the character creation, with much more to come.
