DCS World developer Eagle Dynamics teased some of the content that will come with the next big update for the military flight simulator.
The update, which is coming before the end of 2024, will include a rather handy change to the selection tool in the mission editor.
Mission creators will be able to group together units, objects, trigger zones, and drawings into a larger group that can be moved as a whole by clicking and dragging. The groups can also be copied, pasted, deleted, and rotated.
The following changes will also come to the DCS World 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.
Last, but not least, the twin Arctic Thunder campaigns will be released. We have already heard a lot about the F-16 campaign by Reflected Simulations, and today we hear more about the F/A-18C campaign focusing on the Finnish Air Force, created by Baltic Dragon.
Interestingly, the campaign brings us back to very recent events, but it spins them into alternate history creating an intriguing “what if” scenario portraying a violent reaction by Russia to the perspective of Finland joining NATO.
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.
The campaign will be played on the recently released and consistently updated Kola Map and it includes the following 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.
Below you can find a trailer, albeit it’s about a month old.
If you’re unfamiliar with DCS World, it’s a free-to-play military flight simulator focusing on aviation from World War 2 to the present day. It’s available exclusively on PC (via Steam or Eagle Dynamics’ own store).
It’s important to know that fully enjoying the simulator requires the purchase of additional modules, so it’s “free” only in name, albeit 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 hardcore flying simulation. Enjoying most of its advanced aircraft requires days or even weeks of study. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing and many find it quite rewarding.