DCS:A10C Warthog
DCS: A-10C Warthog is an air combat flight simulator. It lets the simulator
pilot fly the A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft in various combat roles and
missions that this aircraft has been designed for. Its main role in the game
is to fly missions (with a wingman) that mainly involve attacking ground
targets. The simulator provides for all but classified A-10C features of the
‘Tank Killer’.
While originally a stand-alone successor to DCS: Black Shark, it was re-
branded as DLC when the free-to-play game DCS World was launched. The
operation theater of this A-10C is within the DCS World , a simulated world
in which the A-10C is one of the many modules that connect. DCS plans to
develop more modules, some represent ground units. All modules (current plane
sim DCS: Black Shark sim DCS: Combined Arms, and future plane sim add-on
LockOn: Flaming Cliffs 3 ) work together to provide a large simulation of
ground, naval and air warfare. This simulator can run in offline as well as
multiplayer mode.
The simulator world is in the northeast corner of the Black Sea, and covers
the area of the western Caucasus mountains from Anapa, Russia to Tblisi,
Georgia. This world consists of over hundred other AI models, on the ground,
in the air, and at sea. The AI takes into account searching for ground and
airborne threats and prioritisation, reloading time and battle performance
based on battle damage, to name a few AI features. The AI models the following
NATO and Russian aircraft, and equipment:
* A-A weapons
* A-G weapons
* Air defense units
* Armoured vehicles
* Civilian ground vehicles
* ECM systems
* Selection of aircraft
* Ships
This A-10C simulator itself has a very high level of realism, from preflight,
startup, mission execution, weapons and aircraft handling. It also has a game
mode which is less demanding: the preset for Game mode, and Easy Communication
mode. In this game mode it uses a simplified flight model, one-button weapons
control systems, an omniscient “radar”, and on-screen symbols/labels to boost
situational awareness.
To assist the new pilot in depth training missions and the wide selection of
single missions help to prepare to the campaign, aircraft and avionics
familiarisation. Background info can be looked up with the built-in
Encyclopedia. The simulator manual contains almost 700 pages of detailed info
about the A-10C, flight operations, tactics, aircraft and vehicles, to name a
few.
To boost immersion of the sim, the sound system support this. What is heard is
what is expected. The 30mm cannon, button presses, switch flipping, the whiny
turbofans, are present. Effect of distance and speed of sound where the sound
of impact is delayed compared to the view of the impact.
Game play and options are as follows:
* Instant Action (5 scenarios)
* Fast Mission (fly a randomly create battle)
* Training
* Missions
* Campaigns (3 main ones consisting of various sub missions)
* Multiplayer
* Mission Editor (for customisation, scripting, tactics, rules of engagement, and new missions)
* Campaign creator (to build your own campaign mission set)
* Encyclopedia (covers all aircraft, vehicles and systems in the sim)
* Logbook (the flight log)
DCS:A10C Warthog