Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) is thepreeminentsimulator for fighter jets. It‘s astonishingly realistic in terms of aircraftphysics, environments, and flight controls. I love the attention to the littlethings too, like the way the sun hits the aircraft canopy and illuminatesscratches on the surface, or the signs of wear on the controls. DCS in VR takesyou to a new level of immersion; it really feels like flying.

But with such realism comes immense complexity. Though there is a lot ofinformation on the web (e.g. the Hoggitsubreddit/Discord server and endless videos on YouTube) about how to begin, it’soften diffuse and overwhelming.

• DCS World launched in 2008 and is a free-to-play flight simulation platform with two flyable planes: the American TF-51 Mustang and Russian Su-25T. Additional modules are sold at roughly the same.
• DCS: Marianas This map will initially only be available from the Open Beta DCS Word Steam Edition. Since the release of DCS World, the sole free map has been the Caucasus Map. Although a great map and the recipient of significant updates, we now offer the DCS: Mariana Islands Map for FREE.
• Here are the DCS World System Requirements (Minimum) Click here to see Recommended Computer. CPU SPEED: Info. OS: OS 64-bit Windows 7/8/10. VIDEO CARD: Discrete video card: 2 GB RAM (AMD, NVIDIA) FREE DISK SPACE: 30 GB. DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2 GB.
• 0:00 Intro2:18 Moving Map Nav8:08 ARK-15 Radio NavSPONSORSWinwing: USA: LINKS.

In this DCS world video, I review the Oculus Quest 2, specifically its suitability for playing DCS World.My system:Intel core I-7 87000 @3.2ghz32.GB RAMNvid.

Starting up, I scoured the internet and spent lots of time trying to answer thefollowing questions in roughly this order:

• Do you need to fiddle with a keyboard while you’re in a VR headset?
• What’s the recommended hardware to play DCS in VR? Can my PC handle it?
• How should you get DCS on your machine?
• What do I need a DCS login for?
• What plane should you choose first and what’s the best way to learn it?
• How do you access new plane modules?
• How do you set up your controls?
• How should I set up my system, in-game and Nvidia graphics settings for maximum performance in VR?
• How does VR zoom work and how do you set it up?
• How do I create custom missions (like a 1v1)?
• How do you record yourself in VR?
• What is Tacview and why would you want it?
• When and how should I try multiplayer?
• How do I install mods like the F22?
• How do I learn better strategy and tactics?
• What are other good resources?

Below, I’ll share what I found and where to go for deeper dives.

First, a word on how to approach DCS

With patience and humility. If you want quick action without the steep learningcurve, there are other games for that. For VR, for instance, I messed aroundwith War Thunder, which seemed okay. There are many other non-VR sims,however, like Ace Combat 7 (which has no VR option for PC gamers at the timeof this writing) and the like. But if you want the closest approximation tobeing a real fighter pilot, buckle in, become a student, and commit to the ideathat it’s just going to take a while to figure out the basics, let alone tobecome proficient. As my dad, who flew real F-15s and F-4s, told me: “Even inDCS you’re actually skipping ahead years. Real fighter pilots spend an entireyear in flight school just learning the basics of how to maneuver a traineraircraft. Combat is a long way down the line.”

For a look at why people choose DCS over other combat sims, look no further thanthis video.

Do you need to fiddle with a keyboard while you’re in a VR headset?

The answer is yes, sometimes, but you can reduce or eliminate keyboard usagealtogether with some awesome workarounds.

Coming from a fully-native VR flight sim like VTOLVR, where you can interactwith all of your controls with the Oculus Touch controllers, I found the needfor extra hardware and keyboard inputs initially disappointing. However, whileVTOL VR is an excellent game and an extraordinary achievement for a singledeveloper, DCS outdistances the entire sim market in terms of graphics andavailability of actual high-fidelity aircraft and controls by miles.

Maybe one day Eagle Dynamics will find a way to let your virtual hands controleverything in the cockpit (they already let you do quite a bit). But even ifthey did, there are other problems to contend with, like the fact that theOculus Touch controllers have a very limited set of buttons, and real fighterthrottles and sticks are jam-packed with inputs designed to be used withoutlooking anyway. As far as I can tell, most DCS pilots use the VR headset andignore the controllers. Personally, I opt for the mouse when I need fine-graincontrol to select missions or other menu items.

Voice Attack is a game changer

Until very recently, my solution was to peep through the nose gap in my headsetat the keyboard to select commands there, but this is a big damper on the game’simmersion. Voice Attack is the best $10 you can spend to upgrade your DCSexperience. It lets you map keyboard inputs to voice commands. So, now, I canjust say “gear down” into the microphone on the Oculus to drop the landing gear,“bvr” to switch to Beyond Visual Range (BVR) mode, or “wingman attack groundtargets” to sic them on tanks. I probably went a bit overboard, but I have 30commands configured to fully eliminate my use of the keyboard in-game.

One thing that really helps is if you go through a couple rounds of training theWindows Speech Recognition built-in voice analyzer. Without that, it didn’t workthat well for me out of the box.

The developer lets you trial a version of Voice Attack with up to 20 commands.But, really, it’s worth every penny. I can’t recommend it enough.

Deeper dive: I followed thistutorial from the Grim Reaperschannel to get a sense for how to set it up. Pretty intuitive.

Hardware

If you’re gearing up from nothing to play DCS in VR, be prepared to drop a chunkof change. You’ll want a performant PC, a VR headset, and a HOTAS (hands-onthrottle and stick).

PC specs

For a great experience in VR, make sure you’re sporting a high-grade CPU and GPUto render the graphics on their best settings. I currently play on lowersettings because of my specs, which are:

• CPU: Intel Core i7–7700, 3.60GHz
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 (I have a 1080Ti on the way)
• SSD: 250 GB (I have the Windows OS and DCS installed here.)
• HDD: 1TB (Came with my machine. I use it to store other games and files.)

The GTX 1080 seems to be the recommended lower bound for a graphics card forDCS. With my 1070, the game will periodically freeze for a second or two anddrop frames regularly.

Frame dropping makes it feel like the game is skipping forward like a record. Ifit happens enough in VR, it can also make you feel a bit nauseous, because theenvironment in the game doesn’t keep up with your physical movements.

Deeper dive: I found thisguideon system specs to be helpful for pointers on hardware, but also on how tooptimize the in-game settings for your machine.

VR headset

I have the Oculus Rift CV1. I’d love to bump up to the Rift S, which promiseshigher pixel density, less screen-dooreffect,and a slightly wider field of vision, but it’s currently completely sold out inthe U.S. due to people snapping up gear for the Coronavirus quarantine. I refuseto pay the 100%+ premium over retail on Amazon or eBay.

I haven’t considered other brands because I already have a sizable library ofOculus games, but they do exist and people like some of them. For instance,Valve (the maker of Steam) released itsown headset and controllers thattrack individual finger movements. Pretty cool.

Deeper dive: There are alternatives to Oculus!Here’s a comparison.

HOTAS

Now for more of the aviation-related, fun stuff. I discovered that HOTAS setupsare their own secret universe. A collection of vendors, like Thustmaster,Logitech, and others, make mass-market devices, but some hobbyists take it tothe absolute extreme.

My HOTAS is a touch more humble. I originally wanted the LogitechX-56,which is a pricier, high-end setup, but, like the Rift S, joysticks appear to bea hot Coronavirus commodity and this one was sold out most places (althoughlooks like eBay may be a good bet).

My local Best Buy had one ready for pick-up, so I opted for the ThrustmasterT.FlightX.This one has the advantage of being both more widely-available and a smallerinvestment if you’re just testing the waters. The only thing I would say, havingplayed DCS a bit now, is that I do wish there were more buttons on it. Inparticular, I find that I want more four-way swivel-y inputs, for more readyaccess to weapon changes, trim, radar slewing, or scan adjustments.

Deeper dive: I referencedthis piece while picking outmy HOTAS.

How should you get DCS on your machine?

There are two ways of doing it: Download an installer from the DCS website,which torrents the files onto your machine, or install throughSteam. Torrenting the files is veryslow-going, so I used Steam because it was quick and I use it for other VRgames.

Advantages and disadvantages to each, according to the DCS site:

Steam Version:
- Auto-Update without launching the game (as long as steam is open)
- Faster Download/Update Speed
- Steam In-Game Overlay
- Steam Friend List Notifications
- Quick Repair
- DLCs not present on Steam are unsupported

Standalone DCS World:
- Get all the modules as soon as they are released
- Does not require any extra program to be launched
- Has every single modules[sic] available

Be mindful that you can transition purchases from Steam to standalone, but,according tothis forum post,it doesn’t look like Steam lets you activate modules with keys purchaseddirectly from Eagle Dynamics or other non-Steam vendors. So, if you’re startingon standalone, you probably want to stay there if you’ve bought anything.

What do I need a DCS login for?

Two things: Accessing multiplayer servers and purchase management.

To get a DCS account, go to the DCSsite and click “Login” on the top bar.This will pop up a modal with a “Register” link on it. Set up an account andthen click “Profile” when you’ve logged in. Click “edit” next to “PersonalInformation” and you’ll see a section called “Steam Account.” This is where youcan bind your Steam account with DCS. If ever you want to transfer the licensesfor any DLCs or modules you’ve purchased on Steam, you can “Get Licenses” to getbring them over.

Deeper dive: DCS FAQ on Steamhere.

What plane should you choose first and what’s the best way to learn it?

This is a controversial topic among DCS fans. Some argue that there’s plenty tolearn with the SU-25T (close air support role) and the TF-51D (no guns), whichcome free with the game, and you should stick with those until you’ve achievedsome level of mastery with them before moving on to other planes.

My view: I started DCS because I wanted the air-to-air modern fighter combatexperience. I doubt I am alone here. So, I almost immediately purchased theFlaming Cliffs 3 pack ($50), which comes with the F-15C, MiG-29A, MiG-29S,A-10A, SU-27, SU-33, and Su-25 “Frogfoot.” This bundle is designed forentry-level DCS pilots: Many of the aircraft are “low fidelity,” meaning thatthey don’t have fully clickable cockpits and are simpler to fly than others likethe A-10C Warthog.

You may find yourself asking why are DCS plane modules so pricey? Frankly,it’s amazing that they’re not more expensive. I listened to a podcastherewith Matt Wagner, senior producer with Eagle Dynamics, where he talks about theamount of research and development work that goes into faithfully replicatingsomething like an F-18C. It is staggering. It can be years for a team ofengineers and artists to produce a single virtual aircraft at full fidelity,including its unique flight physics and handling.

So, if you purchased Flaming Cliffs 3, what plane should you start with? I’drecommend the Su-27 Flanker for a few reasons:

1. Most of the training missions that come with Flaming Cliffs use the Su-27. Irepeated each mission until I fully understood the lesson and watched YouTubevideos for specifics I still didn’t get.
2. The Russians know how to make an intuitive set of controls. I found the startuptime to learn the HUD, radar, radar warning system, and other aspects to be lessthan NATO planes like the F-15.
3. It is supermaneuverable,very fun to fly, and, in my opinion, is one of the sexiest-looking planes in thegame.

When learning any new plane, I would focus first on takeoff, landing, andworking the sensors, then move on to aircraft-specific tactics. When you get tocombat, it helps also to read up on the aircraft’s competitive advantages. Forexample, Su-27s are superb in close-in fights, whereas the F-15C dominates atbeyond visual range combat.

How do you access new plane modules?

If you use Steam, it’s as easy as purchasing a module in the store seeing itappear in DCS. You may have to reboot the game, but whichever plane(s) or DLCsyou purchase should simply appear in the “Instant action,” “Missions” and“Campaigns” menus.

If you purchase a DLC or a new module in the standalone version, you should seeit if you click the module manager icon on the top of the home screen.

Deeper dive: The DCS FAQhere.

How do you set up your controls?

Once you have a HOTAS, it’s time to map controls to it. But first, install theright driver. For my T.Flight X, I had to go to the Thrustmaster support sitefor my modeland download the package. It tells your PC which inputs to look for. Before Idid this, DCS wasn’t recognizing any of my throttle axis movement.

Deeper dive: I used another Grim Reapers tutorialhere (for the SU-27/33, MiG-29,J-11 — he has many others available). I believe he uses a Logitech X-56, so he’sworking with more input options, but you can mostly map the equivalents on asimpler device like mine.

The control mapping setup is a bit time-consuming, but there’s a big payoff tohaving functions configured in a way that makes sense to you. I find it’s evenmore immersive to follow the types of controls real pilots tend to haveavailable for each hand. For example, countermeasures like chaff and flares onthe throttle on the left, trim adjustments on the stick on the right.

How to assign multiple functions to the same buttons: If you’re running outof HOTAS inputs, I’d recommend adding a modifier button. You sacrifice one togain many. In the controls menu, if you click the “Modifiers” gray button at thebottom, you can designate a button on your HOTAS. I use the one circled in redbelow as my modifier. Once you’ve created one, you can edit the other controlsto use it. By default, my four-way button on the joystick is trim. With themodifier, I slew the target designator around.

How should I set up my system, in-game and Nvidia graphics settings for maximum performance in VR?

With no adjustments, DCS ran smoothly for me on single player in VR, butbecame very choppy on multiplayer. After a big series of both hardware updates(see my setup above) and settings tweaks below, I’ve seen some big improvementsto my average frames-per-second (FPS).

It helps a lot to know precisely where your machine is struggling. Track yourin-game performance withFpsVR from Steam. It costs afew bucks, but it will help you monitor your GPU and CPU when you’ve got theheadset on.

Tweaks I made that helped:

• Moving the DCS install to a solid state disk (SSD) drive. Rookie mistake, butinitially I had DCS on my mechanical hard disk. Moving to SSD made an immediatedifference to my load times for games and my in-game FPS.
• Overclocking my GPU. I downloaded MSIafterburner and followed the tutorialhere. I happen to have an MSIGPU, but it also works for other graphics cards. A caution here: Make sure thatyou have a good cooling system on your card and in your PC case or you riskgetting things too hot and reducing the life of your graphics card.
• RAM: Running DCS in multiplayer with VoiceAttack and OBS for recording wasmaxing out my 16GB of RAM. I installed 16 more and that seemed to help a bit.
• Turn off Windows Game Mode in Windows Settings > Gaming.

These are my current progam settings in the Nvidia control panel:

• Virtual reality pre-rendered frames: 4
• Texture filtering — Trilinear optimization: On
• Texture filtering — Anisotropic Sample Optimization: On
• Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance
• FXAA: On

I changed these things in DCS itself:

• VR > Pixel Density: 1.0
• Textures: High
• Terrain textures: Low
• Civ. traffic: Off
• Visible range: Medium
• Heat Blur: Off
• Shadows: Medium
• Resolution: 1260x768
• Aspect ratio: 1.666
• Monitors: 1 screen
• Res. of cockpit displays: 512
• MSAA: Off
• Depth of field: Off
• Lens effects: None
• Motion blur: Off
• SSAA: Off
• Clutter/grass: 0
• Trees Visibility: 85%
• Preload Radius: 15000
• Chimney smoke density: 4
• Gamma: 1.9
• Anisotropic filtering: 8x
• Terrain Object Shadows: Flat
• Cockpit Global Illumination: Off
• Messages font scale: 1.50

Deeper dive: I devoutly followed the instructions in the two videoshere andhere from Lukas S. / Wolta foroptimizations.

How do you zoom in VR?

There are some situations where you’ll want a closer look at your gauges or thehorizon to search for targets. In VR, zooming is a little intense, but useful.

To find the “Toggle VR Zoom” command, you’ll go into the controls menu and clickon the dropdown containing the list of your available aircraft. At the verybottom of this menu is a selection called “UI Layer.” Click this. You should seea new set of controls, including “Toggle VR Zoom” toward the bottom. I have abutton on my throttle that I use with the modifier to toggle the zoom.

How do I create custom missions (like a 1v1)?

Many missions come with the game and with the Flaming Cliffs 3 module, but ithelps a lot to learn the basics of the mission editor in DCS to make exactlywhat you want.

With the Su-27, I just wanted a 1v1 fight with an F-15C to test out new tactics,but there isn’t one readily available in the Flaming Cliffs pack. So, I createda 1v1 mission for the Caucasus map. If you’d like to use it, just download it byclicking the Google Drive link below and store the file inC:Users{username}Saved GamesDCSMissions. You can play the mission as-isby opening DCS and going into Missions > My Missions. Alternatively, you canopen the file in the mission editor can swap around your opponent for anothertype of plane.

Deeper dive: This is anexcellent two-part series on how to set up a mission from the ground-up,including waypoints for navigation.

1v1 Su-27 vs. F-15C mission download

How do you record yourself in VR?

Download OBS (Open Broadcaster Software).It’s a solid, free program that lets you both stream and record. It’s quick tolearn, but took me a little while to dial in the quality settings and the viewfor something that looked good for VR. I output at 1080p and the “High Quality,Medium File Size” quality setting and that seems to put out a decent-lookingvideo for sharing on YouTube. I window capture the “Steam VR View” window and itpicks up the in-game sound like a charm.

Deeper dive: This is a greatwalkthrough of how to get it going with DCS.

What is Tacview and why would you want it?

Tacview is a flight analysis tool used by civiliansand militaries alike for debriefings or real-time analysis. It works seamlesslywith DCS and it’s an excellent way to understand what you did right and wrong ina given mission. You can use it to track all of yours and your opponents’maneuvers, missiles, countermeasures, speed, altitude and more. I’ve found itincredibly useful as a beginner.

Tacview Standard is $27.99, but another complementary piece of software that iswell worth the money if you intend to play DCS frequently.

Deeper dive: Here is anotherGrim Reapers tutorial on how to set up Tacview.

When and how should I try multiplayer?

This is the part I struggled with most. Starting out, I didn’t know anyone whoplayed DCS. Browsing through the multiplayer servers intimidated me because Ifelt like I was missing a lot of context on what was going on. Many of them askthat you join a voice chat through Discord, which is a little scary if youhaven’t done it before. I pictured them full of hard-core gamers who say meanthings to each other. But that’s really not the case.

It’s easy to just keep putting off multiplayer, but, from what I can tell, DCSbecomes amazing when you start getting to know and flying with other players.There are a surprising number of people who dedicate themselves to helpingnewbies like yours truly into the game. The thought being that as the communitygrows, the game will only get better for everyone.

My recommendation: Join the Grim Reapers Discordhere and follow the instructions inthis video on how to get set up.After this, jump into the GR training server voice chat on Discord where kindfolks will help you figure out things like communications in-game, how tocoordinate with other players, how the missions work, etc. There’s an instantcommunity to be had here. It’s a great resource if you want to play multiplayerbut don’t know anyone.

How to host a multiplayer server for DCS with friends: When you want to playprivately with other people, the best thing is to set up a new server. One thingI discovered is to *make sure that you and your friends are on the same build of*DCS, otherwise it doesn’t seem to work:

• Pick a mission to play. You can create these in the mission editor.
• Make it public.
• Put a password on the server.
• Share the IP address in the “IP”+ “:” +”Port number” format with the otherplayers, e.g. “12.345.678.91:1234”
• Click start and go into the waiting room. Your friends should be able to join.

Deeper dive: See the videohere for a look at how to set upa server.

How do I install mods like the F-22?

There are two pre-requisites for many of the fifth-generation aircraft mods:

Dcs World Vr

1. The FlamingCliffs packpurchase. Since mods are built around an existing, officially-supported aircraftlike the F-15 or the SU-33, you need to have those in your inventory in order toget the mods working.
2. Run the DCS Open Beta. I found out that the standard Steam DCS version, at thetime of this writing, is 2.5.5 and the two mods below seem to only work with2.5.6, which is still in beta. To get the beta, it depends on your platform:

• Steam DCS: Right-click on the game in your library and click “Properties,”select the “Betas” tab, then click “Openbeta — Public beta versions.” Doing thiswill cause Steam to download the beta package. For me it was around 9.4 GB.
• Standalone DCS: Gohere todownload the beta and then follow the installation instructions.

Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to get the mods. Steps for installing theGrinelli Designs F-22A:

Dcs World Vr

1. Download the zip folderhere.
2. Double-click into the downloaded folder and copy the the “F-22a” folder intoC:Users{your username}Saved GamesDCSModsAircraft and paste it here. Ifthe “Mods” or “Aircraft” folders do not exist, create them.
3. Boot DCS and you should now see the F-22 as selectable in the mission editorunder U.S. aircraft.

Deeper dive: Here’s a videostep-by-step walkthrough from Grim Reapers.

How do I learn better strategy and tactics?

Check out GrowlingSidewinder’smatchups and these videos from Jabbers onF-Pole and radarnotching. According to my dad,the best way to start learning tactics is to start with basic fighter maneuvers(BFM) and then progress to BVR.

My dad showed me this awesome video from 1993 that is wonderfully cheesy, butalso comprehensive.

Deeper dive:This is a solidplaylist to learn more about BFM.

Dcs World Steam

What are other good resources?

The Fighter Pilot Podcast

To learn more about fighter jets in general, check out The Fighter PilotPodcast. Its host, Vincent “Jello” Aiello,a former F-18 pilot, interviews active-duty pilots of various aircraft and makesquite a few references to DCS. I find it’s a great way to learn more about thestrategy and history behind some of the world’s most iconic planes. It does havea bent toward the U.S. armed forces, but I suspect they’ll explore more foreignaircraft as time goes on.

Good Youtube channels to subscribe to

Hoggit

Join the Hoggit discord to find other players and get into multiplayerhere.

Check out the Hoggit subreddit here for tipsand advice.

Thanks for reading

I’ll continue to update this piece as I come across more questions andbreakthroughs. Please leave a comment if you think I missed anything. Happyflying!