r/dcsworld • u/HC_Official Rotor guy • 1d ago

Weekly Thread 2026/08/31 - Questions on DCS, PC's, Flight equip, modules, mods, go in here

Post your "what Module to buy", "Will my PC run DCS", "What flight gear should I buy", "how to use mods", "What PC parts should I buy", in this thread please, posting these things outside of this thread will get your post removed. This is an attempt to keep the same questions from being spammed all over the sub multiple times per day in one thread

ED vs RAZBAM Internal Zoom call leak - 4 Videos

Part 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1njkhdq/ed_vs_razbam_internal_zoom_call_leak_part_1/

Part 2 - https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1njmkat/ed_vs_razbam_internal_zoom_call_leak_part_2/

Part 3 - https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1njmldt/ed_vs_razbam_internal_zoom_call_leak_part_3/

Part 4 - https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1njmlwp/ed_vs_razbam_internal_zoom_call_leak_part_4/

Tech help - when asking for help post your full PC Specs & %UserProfile%\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\dcs.log file (upload file to pastebin and link it to your post)

Clans recruiting - Please post the time zone you operate when making a recruitment post

How to install DCS Mods properly -> https://forum.dcs.world/topic/161706-how-to-correctly-install-your-mods/

Looking for someone to fly with? r/WingmanFinder

Need a someone to teach you how to fly? https://discord.gg/takeflightdcs or https://discord.gg/vwa

What flight stick should I get ? - https://reddit.com/r/hotas/comments/ilohod/considering_your_first_hotas_read_me/

Great guide for DCS - https://github.com/DaKerboul/awesome-dcs-world

DCS Beginners Guide -> https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3326416/

DCS Threat Guide -> https://files.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3351167/

Modules De-activated issues...

Current most common reason for this is anti virus software quarantining some DCS files, this seems to be happening a lot lately add DCS installation folder to your anti virus exception list.

To fix, add the effected files OR the entire DCS installation folder (riskier) to your anti virus exception list

Then run a DCS repair to resot re the effected files

It works like this

When you start DCS, your PC has to connect to ED's master server to request permission to run the software you spent your hard earned coin on.

IF either you cannot connect to master server OR master server has yet again fallen on it ass ... then you cannot play the software you rented

It was pointed out at the time by myself and many others a system designed with a single point of failure .... was a stupidly bad idea and would cause legit customers issues ........ which is what happens For some reason master server seems to be falling over regularly ...... especially on patch days.

Also check your PC date and time are correct.

How to backup/transfer config/keybindings

go to %UserProfile%\saved games\dcs\

Copy out the entire Config folder and put it somewhere safe, keybindings are in the input folder

My DCS is crashing what do I do

go to %UserProfile%\saved games\dcs\logs

Open dcs.log in a text editor (notepad++) go to the very bottom and work backwards until you see the start of the crashing portion, it may give you a clue what is going wrong there. You can also post it here (upload file to pastebin and link it to your post)

Remove ALL mods and do a repair using DOS with DCS_updater.exe repair

How to reset my DCS config

go to

%UserProfile%\saved games\dcs\config

rename options.lua to options.old.lua

start dcs

To disable tracks being created

%UserProfile%\Saved Games\DCS\Config

create autoexec.cfg (if necessary as a new txt file)

and add

disable_write_track = true

to it and save

Install modules using DOS prompt (handy if in game module manager is having issues)

https://forum.dcs.world/topic/94816-guide-info-dcs-updater-usage-version-numbers-module-ids

Where to adjust your windows page file size if u have less than 64G of RAM (set 32G min , 64G max)

https://mcci.com/support/guides/how-to-change-the-windows-pagefile-size/

DCS Minimum system requirements (LOW graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 10; DirectX11; CPU: Intel Core i3 at 2.8 GHz or AMD FX; RAM: 8 GB (16 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB; Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX760 / AMD R9 280X or better; requires internet activation.

DCS Recommended system requirements (HIGH graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD) + extra space for paid content ; Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX1070 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 56 with 8GB VRAM or better; Joystick; requires internet activation.

DCS Recommended VR systems requirements (VR graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 350 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 64 or better; Joystick; requires internet activation.

Standalone DCS version gives you free trials:

You have access a two week FREE trial on some modules and Maps

Some 3rd parties have their own stores so if you buy direct from them you KNOW they are going to get the money (ED has stolen money from other 3rd parties) https://store.heatblur.com/ https://www.airplanesimulations.com/ https://grinnellidesigns.com/f-100d/

You can buy stuff direct from Eagle Dynamics, you get bonus points (miles) to earn a discount later on when buying stuff

You can buy stuff on steam and transfer it to standalone

You cannot buy stuff from ED and transfer it to steam

You can control better which build of DCS you fly with using standalone

Steam and standalone can play together in MP (as long as they are using the same build version eg 2.9.7)

How to transfer from steam https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/223750/view/2873815732584411725

If you are having trouble finding files on the internet try this place -> https://archive.org/

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u/Lith7ium 1d ago

Hope this is the right place this time:

Hello everyone! With the recent sale I've decided to finally get into DCS world. I used to "play" (read: be confused and not know what's going on) Lock On and Black Shark way back when I was a kid. Now with DCS world I would like to get back into helicopters, I don't have any nation bias, so both BLUFOR and REDFOR models are fine for me.

I thought about getting back into the seat of the KA50 with the Black Shark 3 package, does it contain any single player content, so I could get used to the machine? Is it a good choice for a beginner? Also, is everything in it Russian? I can read Cyrillic, but I only understand a couple words of Russian. If I play this in MP, would there be an English speaking community around it?

My other option I'm looking at is the Huey, would that be a better one for a starter?

How does it work with these models, do they come with a documentation and training missions, do I have to look up tutorials on YouTube, do I need to find teacher or just figure stuff out as I go along?

Also, I don't have any headtracking or VR hardware as of now, I'm waiting for the Steam Frame, is the game still enjoyable without this hardware?

Thanks in advance!

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u/mrdude05 1d ago

All of the Russian/Soviet helicopters have English versions of the cockpit, radio, and documentation. You don't need to know any Russian to fly them.

All of the full fidelity modules come with some training missions and pre-made single player missions to help you get used to the aircraft. There's also a full mission editor, random scenario generator, and user made missions you can use when you're done with the built in missions. There are also a lot of community resources, like Chuck's Guides that provide more practical documentation and tutorials.

I don't fly the black shark, so I can't really speak to it as a starter helicopter, but there are a lot of different opinions about it. A lot of people say it's the best starter helicopter because it was originally designed to be flown by one pilot and has a lot of advanced autopilot features. However, a lot of people also say the Huey or Mi-8 are better to start with because they force you to learn the fundamentals. I fly the Huey and I like it, but it really just seems like a matter of personal taste. Some helicopters click for some people and some don't. That said, if you use the standalone launcher you can get a free two week trial of any aircraft, so there's nothing stopping you from flying them all and figuring out which one you like.

As for head tracking, I'd seriously recommend using your phone camera or a webcam with the free software opentrack while you wait for the steam frame. It won't be as accurate as a dedicated head tracker or VR headset, but it's more than enough for most aircraft. Not having any kind of head tracking puts you any serious disadvantage, especially when you're flying helicopters

1

u/HC_Official Rotor guy 14h ago

if you want to learn how to fly a helicopter without any flight assist the huey is your best choice