DCS Iraq - The Best Map for Low Level Flying? Should You Buy It?

DCS Iraq - the new map by Eagle Dynamics for Digital Combat Flight Simulator. If you already have the Afghanistan map, should you still buy it? And how is it for low level flying in a fast jet? I find out...
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#dcsworld #dcs #iraq #dcsmap #eagledynamics

[@Munky332]

The best map to let ED know that their pricing model and schemes cannot continue. Its not about the money -- its about sending a message...

[@CommandT]

To be fair to them these new maps are absolutely huge and do require lots of man hours. I don’t see an issue with giving people the option to purchase only parts of the map. My main issue is that they all get finished properly.

[@gehteuchnixan4156]

F-15E required lots of man hours too. ED doesn't seem to care about paying for these man hours..

[@Munky332]

@@CommandT What are you talking about? these maps are *tiny* in comparison to so many other sims. Instead of leveraging so many different ways of automating map generation, or allowing the community to fix their stupid decisions, they rely on "hand crafting" a bunch of maps that 80% of players don't give a flying fuck about... Instead they cash-cow simple map design and tout it as some sort of ground breaking feature. They rely on all the GWoT fudd simp whales to prop up their entire store.

[@EbonySeraphim]

@@gehteuchnixan4156Because the customers that pay for the module are doing that? Why would ED pay for the F-15E? And @Monkey332 -- so many DCS players are butt hurt because they simply cannot afford "all the things" they could spend money on in DCS. Normally anything not worth spending money on, you never have to tell anyone else *not* to buy it, right? It's just left as is. It's not like ED is doing anything super sneaky to force you to buy new modules or maps...ever. All maps are options, all modules are options you can entirely play without. Of course people clamour for massive improvements that *should be delivered free* rather than what costs money. Maps cost money; and modules cost money, and both require payments to get more of. Each of the major DCS maps (Syria, Caucus, etc) are large enough to be "the map" for a separate full priced simulator game that people have been accepting forever now. I get it though: when you don't want to feel like you can't do something in the DCS experience, like fly a wonderfully made campaign for a given map that you don't have, or play on an MP server for a given map variant, it makes you feel like you have to get that map. Things like DTC, dynamic campaign mission scripting + AI, and the massive core simulator updates are coming and when they hit, it'll apply for a massive amount of the simulator. But people are trying to use the F-15E (which I've still paid for and wish it would continue to be worked on and exist) as political points to score against ED to force things to be...cheaper?

[@PeypaMikko-1842]

Thank you for this honest review !

[@MisterMannIndy]

Thanks T. 1st and only YT review I've watched. Enjoy hearing your take on things. Thanks for spending the time to get familiar and find a relevant spot to showcase.

[@CommandT]

Thanks!🫡

[@SDsc0rch]

belled! You've got some of the best DCS content on KZbin : )

[@CommandT]

🫡

[@strikr982]

Hope, the south part release will not take too long ... Go Navy 🤙

[@ricemanyeet2935]

The americans are very happy about this

[@NiaLong-zk1jo]

They role ur country and the world, why not🤫

[@shagrat47]

Oh, not only the americans...😉

[@Web3Nerd_]

@@NiaLong-zk1jo more like dictate

[@NiaLong-zk1jo]

@@Web3Nerd_ Lion's don't play with buffalo this is a nature

[@officer_miller]

Not having Iranian airfields is a crime. In terms of gameplay Iran_Iraq war was so much more interesting than the overkill that was desert storm.

[@d1fballplayer]

2 things they do well this map... vegetation that hides and blends the textures when down low.. secondly, more polygons.. pointy mountains and ridges that are epic to fly along while flirting with sams and enemy jets. They also hide the black shadow ground textures that on other maps are just flat areas that you can't use when down low. I agree with the buildings not matching the terrain well.. mostly colorwise.. what drives me crazy is how bleached out the rocks and mountains are.. they are a bright white up close and far away, in vr or on monitor, yet Ed's videos have good colors on the same devices..leads me to wonder if ed is using reshade for videos😬!? Both Afghanistan and Iraq are like this, no matter time of day. The water edges on all maps annoy me as well... you can see that tiny 1ft strip of sand from space! The steep terrain is fantastic a long desired and welcome change! I've heard we are to expect few airfields in Iran, which has the majority of these fantastic mountains! We really need more airfields both for historical events as well as to really enjoy the effort they put into it!.. Saudi airbase as well! The building variety is great but they cluster them all in distinct groups that I find distracting. I absolutely love the road, taxi way and run way textures! Pavement looks like pavement! Concrete runways are fantastic... but they are right next to baron low resolution satellite textures... put some short grass or something to hide the low quality textures! The alleys between buildings aren't crapy dirt trails any more! There are parking lots, some buildings have construction materials inside them. The destruction model is decent on some building yet others have none. I found that you can target some building while others pick a random point beyond the building, which some systems just won't acknowledge them for what ever reason so you can't even fire on them The road system looks far better.. over passes, clovers, bridges all look widet and much better overall tho not perfect. Perhaps most importantly😂, they don't appear like they would cause mr grayflag constant convoy pathing issues like most other maps😆 Overall it's really nice upgrade over what we have, it's what the others should have become by this point in many ways. But damn it, if they don't add northern Iran and saudi air bases, it's gonna become just another under utilized desert map due a large portion of it being about the same size YET EVEN FLATTER than the vast desert in the middle of sinai! Imagine that😂

[@39MJM]

From my limited experience I would say the mountains are a good representation of Northern Iraq (Kurdistan if you prefer!). However, the lower elevations at the time I was there were actually very green (particularly around Erbil). As I understand this is seasonal and only happens for about two months of the year, courtesy of a lot of convective rainfall. Heading back south and the desert landscape we’ve come to expect from the news prevailed all year around. Overall, i thought it looked good.

[@WanderfalkeAT]

Guys, if you want Afghanistan and Iraq completed - Go buy them now - As more money they get as more people they can hire to work on it! As simple as that! And if you don't want to pay them for the work - Go play on Mariannas and Caucasus for the rest of your life! Honestly you still have to thank them for the Mariannas "Gift"!

[@TomWilson-sy4jo]

Personally bought the map before it was released but can say, I think in its current state the Afghanistan map is more enjoyable. As Command T pointed out this is a modern Iraq map and currently has no non-Iraqi airports. The Afghanistan map is just more fun for helicopters and CAS flights. The only Things I can think of that I would use this map for is playing as the Iraqis and intercepting Iranian Aircraft; all that being said when the Southern part of the map opens up and you have all the Coalition Airbases from the Desert Storm then I think the map could really shine but even that will be incomplete without key improvements to the game like a dynamic campaign, and the ability to fly large amounts of aircraft and objects without choking the system.

[@CommandT]

Agreed! 👍

[@rwhunt99]

Was wondering if the Caucasus map, the mountains are old and worn down and not as bare and craggy, or something, I was thinking geologically the are different, but I'm not a geologist, so I can't say either.

[@pd28cat]

caucasus map is old and free so they ignore it

[@CommandT]

Unfortunatly that’s true I think.

[@rwhunt99]

@@pd28cat actually, they did update it but that was several years ago now. It's difficult to chase technology targets and they (ED) has a very large Sand Box to keep an eye on. But that does not mean they aren't trying.

[@ayoflyguy]

In the short time I flew it I thought it looked fantastic. I also heard in another review that it was based off satellite images. I feel that your criticism of building placement is a bit rough. In the real world I wouldn't expect perfect placement of structures in many nations, particularly in village areas.

[@CommandT]

I think you misunderstood. My criticism was with regards to how the buildings were places relative to the satellite imagery under them - they were not aligned or integrated at all. Unlike other maps that do that very well.

[@ayoflyguy]

@@CommandT Ah, fair enough then.

[@G_de_Coligny]

What about the fps ? What is your setup ? I cn’t take the “slow at everything and then you fly a powerpoint slideshow” behaviour of this sim… To the point where the few sims i can still enjoy are mh-zombie for helos and tiny combat arena … despite that god awful AV8B only jet…

[@richardhockey8442]

I didn't know about MH-Zombie before this but it looks to be quite fun (the steam trailer strikes me as Bart SImpson steals an attack helicopter :) ), plus it's very cheap on steam. Also has a retro choplifter / Cyclone feel to the evacuee missions

[@G_de_Coligny]

@ the dev is a former Apache pilot and a really cool guy. The realistic feel of the chopper tied with the smoothness of the framerate make it really enjoyable. With the ‘built in’ head motion it really put you ‘inside’ the cockpit despite the childish/cute/roblox communist-zombie enemies. It support head tracking via freetrack (I think) There is also an IPhone version that support mfi gamepads.

[@CommandT]

Performance seems decent enough for me. My specs are in the video description and almost every DCS setting I have is on maximum except shadows on medium - that’s for any more complex maps. Caucasus I run on high shadow settings.

[@asmith1496]

I grew up on Guam in the 70's and 80's, the Marianas map isn't as good as you think.

[@getsideways7257]

The mesh sure is top notch, but otherwise this looks pretty weird with the same-ish desert texture put basically everywhere and the saturated green trees sticking out of it like black pins out of a white paper towel.

[@CommandT]

To be fair a lot of it in real life looks similar images.app.goo.gl/THoqyE8LGWTKysedA

[@getsideways7257]

@@CommandT With those tiny thumbnails it's rather hard to tell, but in my opinion the green on the real shots is much more subsided and the hue is not quite the same. Still, that looks closer than I thought.

[@ziepex7009]

I regret buying Afghanistan a bit, i shouldve waited for Iraq, i feel for me it wouldve been a better purchase

[@webwolf50]

Good Review however, not buying anything unless it is a full release

[@CommandT]

Fair enough but that might be some way down the line.

[@SDsc0rch]

I think it looks great

[@jacobnewman2189]

Waiting for Qatar kinda pissed about no bases in Iran which will probably change with a paid upgrade which I will sucker into because I love and hate DCS… have a great weekend 😊

[@fenny1578]

Now go redo Caucasus.

[@CommandT]

🫡

[@Halozocker104]

I believe they cant.. theyve stated before that they keep have to release modules and maps just to not go under, thats a flawed business strategie leaving them unable to pursue quality of life stuff like that as priority, it would hurt their income to the point where it might risk survival of the company. (Paraphrasing from some of last and this years forum posts)

[@fenny1578]

@@Halozocker104 If Marianas can exist then they can.

[@Halozocker104]

@@fenny1578 because thats such a demanding map to develop.. and totally not 5-6 years old- pre inflation, pre realisation that this is not sustainable..

[@wololo10]

@DCS dudes make a partnership with google and do the whole world already

[@johnrenard-lx8og]

How to enjoy Iraq : Watch Top Gun Maverick Buy an F/A-18c Found the perfect canyon FLY

[@King2Stone]

Gee, I wish we had decent looking infantry to support.

[@CommandT]

Yeah. Agreed!

[@uscitizen1897]

USMC doesn't focus on hiring pretty boys. Just kidding. It would be great to expand the variety of ground personnel, similar to carrier deck personnel where you have differnt choices for the LSO's. Do they have cows in Iraq? We have good variety there.

[@King2Stone]

@@uscitizen1897 Yes, thank god there's a cow with 14 times the poly count of the M4 and M249 soldiers we've been using for 14 years lol.

[@Boxmediaphile]

Low flying, perfect for stinger missiles

[@qwerty85620]

Another cartoon graphic tour map,

[@CommandT]

What do you mean? Why cartoon?

[@alcatraz0643]

Nope, enough maps, they will not do anything with core, no more money

[@CommandT]

So long as they work on both, I’m fine with that. But agreed that core needs huge improvements asap.

[@r4dio4ctiv3man9]

@@CommandT Well, we have to admit that ED actually did a fair amount of core developement in the recent past. Starting with the multi-thread update (wich significantly improved VR performance for me and most other ppl), people said it will never come and yet here we are. The AI saw significant improvement as well with the ground AI beeing improved recently and i have zero doubt that this is only the beginning of improved AI (as ED stated) as the mutli-thread support offers much more potential for more complex AI logic. Weather was also improved with the new fog system beeing the latest feature added to the improved weather system. Just to name a few, besides the numerous Mission Editor improvements (wich tbh only a few users benefit from, but at least to me they were important) and various other core details. Price-politics, overall prices for DCS modules and the EA concept may be questionable, but to say ED is not doing anything with the core game is definately untrue.

[@moldy_]

Video almost makes it seem like you don't like Kola lol

[@d1fballplayer]

It's better than kola aright just not the green we've been wanting

[@CommandT]

Wonder how you picked up on that 😆

[@petrposelt7013]

Definitely way too much clean. Anywhere I have been in Iraq, it looked like garbage field. Smelled the same...

[@CommandT]

It would be hard to replicate the smell in DCS though 😅

[@Ali-ou9lc]

As iraqi i confirm

[@ConBeefdator]

Aslong as ED not give us an FKN update to the Razbam Drama aslong i buy nothing !! I want to fly the Mudhem its my the one and only nr 1 Plane. And the next point is Iraq is the next Halfghanistan that trend to bring maps " Pre Pre Pre" Alpha status only for generat Money and not finishing it. Early Access is for so many Dev's a exause for everything for not complete anything. Look at the supercarrier how many years tooks that we have finaly become the Plane Director's and and this looks like it's from a 13 year old game

[@bird.9346]

This looks like it's from a 13 year old game? Pretty silly thing to say.

[@CommandT]

The supercarrier and plane directors look like from a 13 yo game? What? 🤨 Sorry to disappoint you but the Razbam ED situation is unlikely to get fixed. It sucks but we just have to move on.

[@rickmasseur2008]

Gotta say, that's a TON of nit-picking for an early access module. Meaning, a lot of things in this module are not at their full potential because IT'S NOT COMPLETED. To anyone who can't handle the flaws, DON'T PURCHASE EARLY ACCESS ANYTHING. It's the same old argument as the old Open Beta VS Stable platforms.

[@Runandgun13]

There's a lot of this going around. It's getting annoying

[@keedxx]

I feel that exempting EA maps and modules from nit-picking doesn't help anyone. Consumers should be able to get a (reasonable) review, even for an EA product, since money changes hands. On the other side, for the devs it provides useful pointers for what area to address. Not saying ED does that ! but a serious company will watch videos like this. Cheers for the video

[@Runandgun13]

@keedxx if you look through the comments on every video that's all you see. Can't really justify it if it's not constructive.

[@CommandT]

100% agree with this 👌

[@CommandT]

Disagreed fully. People are paying money for this and the developer is not transparent enough with potential buyers regarding what the product looks like on its current state. This is why people like me try to show what the current state of the map is… so that others know if it’s worth their money at this time. Some EA products could give enough to the consumer to entertain themselves, others not so much. Simply saying it’s EA and therefore you can’t criticise it is beyond ridiculous. It’s a product for sale… it’s either worth the money or not worth the money. And they don’t give you a free trial to figure out how much of it is complete before you purchase, so doing reviews is exactly the right thing to do and also allows the developer to see what people like and dislike for future improvements.

[@cowansimstudio]

Should we really be accepting "not bad" ? These recent map releases are nothing but drawn out Early Access cash cows. They are made to slowly drain the user base of cash and feed ED with more money to fight Razbam. We should not be buying into this EA trash. ED will hopefully realise its not working on focus on quality

[@essamahmod]

Looks like Europe map to me

[@CommandT]

Which part of Europe? 🙈

[@r4dio4ctiv3man9]

@@CommandT propably spanish exterritorial enclaves Ceuta or Melilla in northern Africa...

[@z33r0now3]

only on the canarys :D (which is basicly africa)

[@zaelu]

Just another lame cash grab before the fall...

[@patriciomassun]

Sure, that makes total sense... That's why they're developing new maps, aircraft, and third parties are actively investing in new projects-because the whole thing is about to 'fall.' Makes perfect sense...

[@zaelu]

@@patriciomassun LOL

[@bird.9346]

lol

[@Thump505]

​@patriciomassun the need for 130 grade fuel is apparently running high rn. It does honestly feel like they are trying to cash in on any and all products that are 5% done.

[@CommandT]

They’ve been around and survived since the 90s basically. As much as we want to criticise them, they know how to keep the business running. The “fall” is highly unlikely.