The EASIEST Modules for BEGINNERS Hot Tub Tier List | DCS WORLD

[@Jabbers]

The other night I was joined by my friends Tricker, Moose, Lumberhax, and BlackMajic on my twitch stream and we all sat down to do create this tier list for DCS World modules. The idea was to present the easiest modules to learn in DCS World as a sort of info graphic for new players. This IS NOT a BEST module tier list, or a MY FAVORITE module tier list. In fact the ranking of each module has no relation to how good the module is, just how hard we felt it would be to learn as a beginner. Now, the term new player is a relative one because a new player could be completely new to simming, or come from a background of having flown sims. So the really important term in this info graphic is "BEGINNERS". Beginners means no prior experience and new to simming in general. The criteria we chose to look at for each module when deciding what tier to place them on are How easy the module was to.... 1. Startup 2. Taxi 3. Takeoff 4. Handling 5. Land 6. Learn and employ all weapons 8. Use and understand all sensors So, when forming your own opinion try to keep these Now, there is no way to just be 100% unbias, I realize this, and in the video you will here use call each other out on that from time to time. But we tried, and this was the result of a 3 hours discussion. So, when looking at this list and the discussion involved, please remember to try and forget your own experiences, and look at it from the perspective of someone who has NEVER played a sim before and is just getting started. Also... its OK to disagree, that's what is great about this. But that doesn't mean you need to get mad, upset or start acting childish, its just a list, it's created based on our experience having played each of the modules and how we feel it would be as a beginner trying them out for the first time... you may feel 100% different and that is great! I look forward to your thoughts in the comments below, hope you guys enjoy! TIER LIST INFO GRAPHIC bit.ly/2SMIioS Tricker's YT: kzbin.info/door/cSm9zitjaWrfJxfM-Q-djQ Tricker's Twitch : www.twitch.tv/tricky_tricker Moose's Twitch : www.twitch.tv/moosey_moose Lumberhax's Twitch : www.twitch.tv/lumberhax BlackMajic's Twitch: www.twitch.tv/blackmajic__ Discord ► discord.gg/ZnkvumS Twitch ► www.twitch.tv/jabbers_ Twitter ► twitter.com/jabbers_dcs

[@tacticaltoolbox7046]

I think the best topic covered was that the content creators doing tutorial videos have saved ED's bacon concerning having people enjoy the game and keep buying modules instead of quitting.

[@julianviefers6703]

Got into dcs two weeks afo first the viper then the a10cII. Granted i have been warching ralfidude, gs, hellreign and other cc for a decade. Ive played warthunder for years (and yes that translates to aspects of dcs as warthunder has become more modern over time) I do believe anyone with some general understanding of the aircraft and some systems can pick up even things like the a10cii within a few days of free time. Ill admit having the tm warthog hotas helped out a lot. Mapping controls and keeping in mind what is what is harder then learning the modules (cheatpapers as kneeboard helps, i have written down a page for each module with binds, certain sensors and weapon employment (also different tms/dms etc functions depending on soi) these help me out on the fly a lo) But i do believe i could make work with a hotas with less buttons.

[@lordlobs]

The thumbnail is a work of art lol. This video is very useful for DCS beginners and also people looking for a new hot tub lol! Had fun watching it. Thanks!

[@Jabbers]

Glad you liked it!

[@KhanGirey]

Biggest thing about "difficulty" for me is what the aircraft is expected to face, and the tactics/skillset that goes along with that. It takes one button press to shoot an AMRAAM in the F15, but takes way more hours understanding the intricacies of BVR (which also means you have to focus on the weapon systems of your opponents as well)

[@callsignbeaver6355]

I think this list is really good and quite in depth, however i think you all overlooked a crucial factor IF you are coming at this from the perspective of going from complete noob to "ace pilot" in each of these, and that factor is A2A refueling on the aircraft that can do so. For me this pushes a few aircraft down a tier, but other than that this is pretty awesome.

[@ippaihea]

The warbirds can be learnt in a couple of days tops hard to fly yes, the f16, 1 week in and Im still only learnt a tiny amount and still struggling, the trash group for me. The chart should be split into easy to fly and easy to learn. Two totally different catagories!

[@Hustler9g]

The best advice I've ever got for picking a module was that the easiest module to learn is the one you want to learn.

[@murphnturph2664]

Absolutely. I've never bothered learning the F-15 simply because I'm not interested. I jumped into DCS right before the F-14 came out, and I've just about mastered it and now everything else seems difficult. I keep trying to learn the Viper but I just don't feel at home outside of the Tomcat or Viggen.

[@jorklind]

I think somebody said it best - if you love a certain plane - that's the best one for you. If you are interested in a certain plane, you'll be more likely to put in the time to learn it because you love it - not necessarily because it's easy or even good.

[@julianviefers6703]

Agreed 👌

[@Famoustoast]

I am brand spanking new to game. This video is very helpful

[@Blejz-m5j]

Well, I can agree with you guys. You sorted it out pretty well.

[@momento1524]

F-14 was my first ever full quality module, its so much fun to fly. The fact that it's a pilot's plane makes it extremely enjoyable to fly. Jester is annoying but it just requires a little bit of thinking.

[@StoopidBishop]

Correction I meant to say that DCS does need some trainer aircraft

[@Jabbers]

Nah trainer's are not as popular

[@punishedsneed]

I take issue with the F/A-18C's placement being below the F-16 and not only because of my overwhelming Navy bias in that my father was a Naval Aviator who flew a Tomcat, Hornet, and Super Hornet, but also because when I was learning to fly in DCS, the F/A-18 was far easier to learn the systems of than the F-16. The startups are both simple, but the F/A-18 is a lot more forgiving even if the F-16 has better flight performance. Other than that, I pretty much agree on this whole list.

[@StoopidBishop]

Just to throw in my two cents. Another good format for this would be what are the top selling modules in DCS, I’m sure he would give out that info. The other thing you could do is which one do users find the most fun; i.e. best missions or campaigns and things of that nature. I also think that this presentation highlight something that isn’t needed very much and DCS and that is the need for trainer . for example with players I bring to the game I suggest the 540 or the CE as a starting point.

[@ikeo8666]

I went to find my old Janes F-18 book manual and powered through the F/A-18. Janes was way ahead of it's time man.. even DCS F18 is missing that weight "thud" when you do bomb release

[@Jabbers]

Pilots don't hear that, they feel that, hard to simulate feeling in a sim

[@purplepenguin43]

JF-17 in E tier, F-15 in A tier. I'm willing to bet none of you haven't been a "new DCS/ flight sim" player for a decade or more :) here are some of my recommendations for a new player (as i was one only a month ago) Allow me to elaborate. The absolute worst thing you can do to a new player (imao) is give them no clickable cockpit and 100+ buttons + shift mode to remember. new players struggle having to remember obscure button combos. also learning BFM and BVR (as that's the only thing you can do in the F-15) is probably the most hardest thing you could put on a new player. How do i know this you may ask? I was a new player to dcs a month ago and followed similar advice to yours. I'm not new to flight sims though, grew up on x-plane (a lot of hours) and Arma (2500h, "rookie" numbers ik) I bought the Hornet and FC3. I spent 3 hours trying to learn the F-15 and gave up after having to rebind something on my x-52 for the 50th time and switched to the hornet. much better learning experience cause of the much better training missions and clickable cockpit where i only have to remember 30ish buttons . Then last week i picked up the JF-17 on Sale and my god is it easy to use and fly. much easier to learn because of the modern clickable cockpit and color MFD’s. Tutorials are not voiced and the radio's a bit annoying but that's not a big deal. also CHUCKS GUIDE! you cannot make any beginner dcs video without mentioning the master work that is chucks guides. all the necessary key binds are in the first few pages so you can translate those bindings to what ever hotas setup you have as most new players are going to have lower cost HOTAS with fewer buttons then the IRL aircraft has like the x-52 or TM16000. So taking all this into account here are my recommendations to a fellow new player 1:Chucks guide! 2: HEAD TRACKING your going to need it to have a good experience in dcs. the good news is if you have any smart phone + a peace of open source software called opentrack, you can Velcro your phone to your headset and get pitch yaw and roll head tracking. i use an iPhone and X-head sim app, there are others. you can even use the front camera on the phone for face tracking to get 6 degrees of freedom. (my iPhone 6s camera was too twitchy for my liking, but newer phones probably work better. ) 3: Anything with a clickable cockpit, all the dcs modules are expensive so you might as well get a high quality one. and wait for a sale, the high quality modules go for 30% off, some stuff like the f-14 only go to 15% off. the only time i would get just one FC3 module like the F-15 is if your waiting for the next sale cause at least they are cheaper. (FC3 is 50% off when on sale) 4: Get what you want to fly, get your childhood hero plane. DCS is expensive so get what ever you want to spend a ton of time in while you save up for the next module or a better HOTAS and better head tracking. 5: If you still can't decide or your favorite is in FC3 or doesn't exist in dcs yet (Looking at you Razbam, i want my F-15E) then Get what ever aircraft is good at what you want to learn how to do. if you want to dogfight and do your best Growing sidewinder impersonation then then get the F-16 or F-14, want to pound the ground with as much ordinance as possible, A-10 or F-18, want to do both and have a modern cockpit and quirky little jet that most brush off cause its not American or Soviet, JF-17 {it also has a hidden vectored thrust Easter egg that's fun to play with :}. Like the Cold war era with no radar, just jet engine between your legs and only guns and a turbine intake between you and the enemy, F-86 and mig-15. I would recommend a multi role aircraft as its easier to start out making stationary targets go boom to get the hang of things then switch to BFM/BVR where the challenge is greater and the consequences more punishing. 6: Don't get the WW2 DCS aircraft buy IL-2 instead, its cheaper and guns in dcs are modeled with very low damage. in dcs unarmored trucks will shrug off bursts of 20mm, il-2 doesn't have this problem and is actually more fun then DCS IMO. no clickable cockpits though, i feel like i have to say that given that i made a big deal about it in DCS but ww2 aircraft are much simpler and il-2 has auto options like auto engine mixture and rpm limits which is much more noob friendly and the maps are all ww2 textures for things like buildings and stuff. shooting guns and cannons sound a bit weak/less thumpy in il-2 but feel way better when they impact. set up a quick mission with you in a BF109 with the mk108 30mm against a bomber formation and watch wings fly off :P its super fun. Hope this helps another new player like myself. I just wrote what i wish someone would have told me when i was starting in dcs a month ago. PS. Don't be hard on the people making these lists, they just haven't been a new player for a very long time and some of them probably grew up when sim's didn't even have things like clickable cockpits so its a non issue for them. PPS. sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. Good luck and Do well everyone, Penguin is out, Peace!

[@Jabbers]

Not gonna lie...the amount of effort you put into this post far succeeds the amount of effort out into this 3 hour stream, well job

[@Kruemel98]

I live MyOpus harrier, its a lot to study, workload is huge and no Radar but I love it!

[@Dragoon876]

My first one was the f18, followed by the A-10C II, then the black shark and bf 109...I seem to have some self loathing going on lmao

[@scar3sl]

Good stuff :) To me, back when i started flying DCS, i had the most fun with the A-10A. It was super easy to start and using the Maverick's was super simple. Just a screen, you mess around with the sensor slew and off you go.

[@oldmanfunky4909]

Control hardware is a big issue when talking about where to start in DCS and makes it much harder. I believe to truly enjoy and get the most out of dcs you need 4 things. A joystick, a throttle , rudder pedals and a head tracking solution. However many, if not most people don't start with that stuff and it is an investment. As an example, the Huey is great easy and fun "IF" you have a hotas and rudder pedals. Without rudder pedals I wouldn't recommend any helicopter modules.

[@bruhmettinmomentogullar4215]

Yeah, i started to learn tf51 a few weeks ago and its pain in the ass for me to stop after landing or taxi because i dont have rudder pedals its just impossible to emulate brake pedals with 0 and 1's for human being. I can at least use ka50 and huey decent enough but warbirds are big no for me (if i still go on with only logitech 3d extreme pro). But im sure they are hella fun to deal with if you have enough control axises. I dont think buttons are extremely limiting. Dcs has a great system with custom modifier setups. If it didnt had it i would just lose my interest with first plane i bought which is a10c. With custom modifiers its easy to use the a10c with 12 buttons on a stick. Its hard to memorise wich combo does what keystroke and what that key stroke does but it is muscle memory if you practise enough. But thats just cant apply on warbirds that requires more axis.

[@Mightymoose02]

I respectfully disagree. I bought rudder pedals and after using them for some time, I decided to sell them. Twist Rudder on the stick (Thrustmaster 16000M) works like a charm with the Huey and most planes. Get a good hotas throttle, before rudder IMHO. The good rudder pedals are way to expensive and bulky.

[@bruhmettinmomentogullar4215]

@@Mightymoose02 how was that rudder pedals are they just bad as people say like un ergonomic and such ?

[@Mightymoose02]

@@bruhmettinmomentogullar4215 I used the "Thrustmaster TFRP T.Flight Rudder Pedals". Very hard to keep centered and do precision. Not very relaxing to use over time. Much easier to use the twist. I cant talk for the more expensive options out there, but my main point is to give feedback that a twist rudder on a joysitck can be perfectly fine to use in DCS. I fly very well with the T1600M and the Huey.

[@liquidbeaf]

Good stuff man!

[@hakim91]

Mig-21 at his first years, it was hard to land because the landing gear where too soft. But that aircraft is not that bad, just bind the air restart button.

[@Jabbers]

This list does not mean its bad... its one of my favorite top 3 aircraft in DCS.. its a great module, but you cannot argue that its easy for beginners, that's just not true.

[@mrsirkosky7618]

Why I wouldn't place F-14 in F and rather in E: I know hand full of people who bought the F-14 without any experience in flight sims. Guys who'd have liked to become aviators, but couldn't and of course "Top Gun"-fans. They had a clean hard-drive in their skull and they did not only learn the plane from the ground up, but also the simulation in general. They had no "exit modules". If they needed a break from learning the plane, they couldn't just hop into a Mirage or a Viper and come back one week later. When I bought the F-14 i ripped my wings off several times. Why? Because I had developed sloppy "flight"-skills in planes, where the computer protected me from my own habits. The F-14 tought me flying, g-handling and energy management in dogfights. Things you rarely learn in a Mirage, a Viper or a Hornet. And this is where I disagree with one famous British DCS-Content-Creator, who claims, the F-14 would "not teach you proper flying". So when experienced DCS-Players say "this module is hard", I think about what I did, when I met a hard module: Whenever I got overwhelmed, I just escaped to the comfort zone of my modules I am already proficient in, and this made learning it even harder, because one had to escape the comfort zone again, to learn systems, that are not implemented in the other modules, or are being managed by a computer and not a human in the backseat.

[@swichy9922]

good stuff

[@maybecole]

As an entirely new student in DCS, the MiG 29 was so far the easiest module to pick up. I got off the ground in probably 5 minutes not counting the training time you can't skip. Now landing is still coming to me, but getting into the air and action is very simple.

[@maybecole]

Also I love the F14 module but it sounds like absolute gibberish when I am trying to understand what the trainer is telling me compared to other modules.

[@Jabbers]

Mig29 isn't actually simulated to real life tho, so take that into account 😉

[@maybecole]

@@Jabbers Yeah I realize its dumbed down quite a bit, but thats why its newbie friendly! 😂

[@Desh727]

The Viggen was my first and still my favorite!

[@86abaile]

For everyone who values their time, when he starts talking bullshit about hot tubs, skip ahead to 12:51.

[@Jabbers]

You don't like hot tubs bro? Geeeeeze

[@TrickerDCS]

Some of us make money on hot tub sales!!

[@Moose88]

🤣 Thanks man! I didn't want to hear all that shit!

[@vigi86]

I agree with Lumberhax, Su-25 is S tier. Y'all say RWR is difficult. It's not. It really simplifies it for you. You don't even need the secondary, just the primary threat. So, one big threat, just know what the 6 lamps beneath mean. Air, long, middle, short range radar (SAMs), early warning and AWACS. That's all. All the russian planes have the same RWR. And: it has a shitload of countermeasures. Frogfoot is a ground attack plane, the F-15 is a fighter. Either deserve S in it's own category.

[@Viper710]

Nice tier list, pretty useful for beginners.

[@ilejovcevski79]

Good tier there mate. I would only really argue that the F-5 may be S tier. Aside from that......pretty much spot on!

[@captaindutt6407]

There is no dignity for a pilot in being grounded, Captain. That is something for sure, that I know. You see, a comrade of mine was once great pilot. Now, he sits forever in wheelchair. Shells from your F-16 have chained him to it. As you have thought, I was there. But, my missile did not kill your friend. It was unfortunate day for all of us. Both sides were foolish. For that, I am sorry

[@krostouin]

Pretty accurate overview. I would place le updated M2000C in the D category though. Just for the new additional bindings in dogfight modes, and the hieroglyphic RWR. Not as easy as it was in 2018 imo.

[@mobius7089]

For say an American, the MIG-29G is better than the others because it uses imperial units for alt and IAS. Very important distinction.

[@Jabbers]

Good point

[@hakim91]

Probably the german one

[@mobius7089]

@@hakim91 yep, I swear I put the "G" in

[@mikeck9946]

Is there a harder Aircraft to fly (without departing, stalling, ripping wings off, etc than the F-14A? At least the B doesn’t compressor stall and has more power to push out of stalls. I think the A is trash. GRWAT MODULE. But damn....stepping into that plane as a beginner?? It’s a world war 2 plane with big ass engines that can top the wings off

[@Jarlerus]

C101 isn't easy, but it's a good teaching a/c as it teaches good flying practices.

[@mobius7089]

Actually, the Mirage does have a "helmet display", just can't target via LOS with it. it repeats the image of the VTB (radar) in the same way the A-10CII HMCS repeats the TGP if you want it, in DCS.

[@Jabbers]

It has a helmet display in DCS? or IRL?

[@airdirtpc8019]

It's in DCS. Don't know if it's real or not.

[@mobius7089]

@@JabbersIn DCS, it's called VTB viewpoint. Great for night with the NVGs since it's focused to infinity like HUDs

[@Jabbers]

Ah had no idea, nice!

[@Jabbers]

Oh we are talking about the Radar view that sits in the top right of the screen? I wonder if that's real, i don't think it is, and shouldn't really be a talking point if so.

[@Marc42]

Thank you so much for this! Wish I had found it before the Halloween sale and picked the F-5 over the F-14 though! 😅

[@aeroRCmodels]

REEEEEEEEEEEEEE……

[@mobius7089]

Shocked that the Hornet is ranked lower than the Viper in terms of easiest. By all your metrics (maybe not startup) the Hornet is the easiest. Better: Taxi Takeoff General flight handling Landing (for sure) Weapons employment (much more intuative) The Hornet is very forgiving and only as complicated as you want it to be, on top of being much more intuative. Just my .02

[@Jabbers]

If you watch the video for the viper we said "point in time" since the Viper doesn't have a lot going for it right now.

[@willhartsell2283]

The shear number of different weapons the hornet carries, makes it tougher than the viper to learn to employ all of them. I would go so far to postulate that from a procedural perspective (not technique as that is very subjective) you cloud learn the entire viper in the same time it would take just to learn to employ all the hornets weapons. It’s not harder but there is just so much more with regards to sensors and switchology.

[@mikeg2092]

I thought the F-16 was easier to learn then the 18. I got them at the same time and I was new.

[@mobius7089]

@@willhartsell2283 That's why I said it's only as complicated as you want it to be. The Hornet is a vastly more capable aircraft, yet much simpler and intuitive. In the 16 it takes some 4-5 steps to set one radio preset, in the 18 with the unmatched ARC-210s, they are vastly superior, yet again simple and intuitive. You turn the knob to the preset you want to change and then enter the freq. The Viper has separate INV, WPN, stores(?) pages. In the Hornet each of these are combined into one intuitive stores page... Why the 16's system designers did it like this I will never know. Stuff like that is a running theme with the 16. For a new pilot, the only thing more confusing than the DED they could've put in would've been the A-10s CDU...

[@willhartsell2283]

@@mobius7089 the “as complicated as you make it” statement is where I disagree. The criteria specifically for employment are pretty objective. There is just so much more to know in the bug vs the viper. Both the jets have the same number of button presses for radios btw. There are a few cases when changing from man to preset and back where the viper is actually easier. And then there is guard.

[@willhartsell2283]

Video won’t load for me ..oh please tell me all of you are sitting in a hot tub. Even if it’s green screened. I just explained this phenomenon to my wife a few days ago.

[@Jabbers]

haha sorry to disappoint, we were not in a hot tub, our tier list is hot tubs

[@willhartsell2283]

@@Jabbers I think this is one time I’m “happy to be disappointed” lol.

[@v1_rotate638]

Wont load for me either

[@plastictsubasa1390]

Is this thing geo-locked? Won’t play for me either.

[@raptorman0]

Won't play

[@AbideinChristSealed]

I'm shocked at the prices of planes.

[@TallyVisual]

Wow wow wow, MiG-21 in F? I started DCS with M2k and MiG-21 and mostly flew the 21 in SP for the start as it was way easier. I had to know nothing about radars. Gun and missiles were point and shoot. To be fair, it's a b* to land but the chute slows you down really well. In the Mig you don't have to understand any system but how to restart the engine... Very easy aircraft to go hunting F-5s and crash on landing.

[@Jabbers]

Ya, but comparing it to others its not the easiest... probably the hardest... hence the F tier... Great module, i love it, but this tier list isnt about loving it or how good it is, just how hard it is for beginners and I think what you just said proves it ;)

[@mobius7089]

I'm going to call BS on not needing to know how to restart the engine...it's what the 21's known for. Edit: my compression sucks, ignore me

[@conker4311]

do people really find the mig-21 that hard, i had it as my first full fidelity aircraft and it was the easiest thing to learn. i would put it at b at the minimum. thats just me

[@Jabbers]

Everyone is gonna be different, how many planes did you fly before you tried the MiG-21? it wasnt your first time, it wasnt your first plane... so you knew what to expect. This list represents the idea that its a total beginners first time.

[@conker4311]

This is me expressing my intro to flying games, i flew the f15 and flanker first, flanker being the easiest and the f15 confusing me, my first full fidelity plane was the mig 21 and i learned the plane after 1 day and all the systems in a few days after that, that experiance being more intuative and understandable. Guess im a freak lol

[@ChrisBradleyMusic]

My three favorite modules are all F tier. I guess I'm a masochist or something lol

[@chadvader974]

THe I-16 is the hardest module in DCS? Really :P ?

[@TheRandomSqueak]

Sooo... hot tub stream confirmed?

[@OfficialUSKRprogram]

The A-10 is WAY harder to learn than the F/A-18, come on, the F/A-18 literally has 3 switches to start the engines

[@Jabbers]

A10 doesn't land on a boat

[@tomaszwota1465]

more than three, but some of them are already flipped to the correct position. ;)

[@Martinko_Pcik]

Recommend skipping the trashtalk about hot tubs and jumping to the point at 13:00

[@Jabbers]

You must be fun at a party

[@peterblackburn5793]

I will probably add a few comments... comment 1: I still crash and die more times than I land.

[@ippaihea]

Start up procedure should be taken out of the equation begginers will just auto start them

[@tomaszwota1465]

I don't remember autostarting once when I was a newbie.

[@pixy67_]

unfollowed, blocked, and banned...