Why We Don't Have a Dynamic Campaign in DCS World...yet

As the time passes more and more, it surprises me indeed that DCS DC has not been finished yet. My personal bet is that the lack of a mature AI logic for 3D in DCS must be killing their DC engine.

"ED is still working on one" - one dude who opens the project once a month to look at it and walks away

A dynamic campaign would be fairly hard to create when your ai pilots just eject when they run out of fuel.

Throw a couple dozen live units in the map and the simulation thread will choke DCS to single digit FPS. Until this issue is resolved, Dynamic Campaign will be a distant dream. 6 years of "in development" so far and counting.

A major issue has to be the current AI implementation. It seems to fluctuate between lethal ineptitude (Two, ejecting!) and Eye of Sauron omniscience. Neither is desirable for a dynamic campaign.

The dynamic campaign could be sold as a module and DCS would make some money. Let’s not forget. The Falcon 4 dynamic campaign was created by an intern working alone. 4 or 5 programmers working on this full time should be able to deliver a nice dynamic campaign

Why should they make a dynamic campaign when all of you guys keep buying modules and maps, and create TV style production videos to help out DCS?

This why I will never give up on Falcon BMS!

Modules is where the money is for ED...as long as the player base continues to put their hands in their pockets for them why would you change the current business model?

Because ED spend time making unwanted mods like the new FC2024... Most of their modules are still in early access not to mention the mostly abandoned stuff like Combined Arms. Their poor business practices are driving away 3rd party developers and they're scrounging for cash with pre-orders and garbage like these new lo-fi versions of already cheap and easy to learn modules.

The mission editor in early 90s DI's Tornado is light years ahead of what you have in DCS. Not only that, it was easy to use. The RAF wanted DI to make a 'real' version for themselves. It even put a radius on your waypoints, so so good. ED should find who did it, and pay them a good whack for putting it in DCS. The F4 'bubble' is how our own reality in the universe works I reckon. 😉👍🏿

I wish ED would stop trying to please everyone and just finish everything they have out right now. No more new stuff that way they can concentrate on finishing what they have out.

i could never believe 100% of what nick gray says. just like we needed core engine upgrades to finish the supercarrier. because i sure don't remember them saying any of which when i bought it 3/4 years ago. am i wrong?

Multi threading has taken a lot longer to implement than anyone expected. I believe that a dynamic campaign requires more work on multi threading and Vulcan implementation. These sentiments have been echoed by wags, Nick and nine line over the years. If it was simple or cheap to implement, they would have done it already.

Well, one reason might be that DCS server can't support a ground war beyond minor skirmishes, really. As it stands, with more than 20 ppl slotted in the ground war can't be more than 50 units moving about and shooting on the ground, lest the server will be on its knees and we see massive sync issues. So, not much point supporting a dynamic campaign until the server tech can actually handle managing a ground war.

I don't even need a BMS level Dynamic Campaign. They should start with a decent Procedural Mission generator that is wrapped in a turn based strategy layer that can provide an actual "game" to fly your favorite jets in.

Prickly, we understand the reasons why, but it has become harder and harder to believe what ED says. But ok, let's analyze this: 1) it must be a daunting task to create a modern dynamic campaign. There is no doubt about that many things must be worked on before committing to a fully functional dynamic campaign. 2) Covid and Ukraine war: no doubt that these two factors must have affected some devs lives and work. 3) DCS is the side gig. MCS is the main one. We are beta testers for ED to sell to the military contractors. However, the perception in the community is that ED already has a long laundry list of things to do but only focuses on new modules to develop. And more modules, mean less time to fix old modules and work on core game problems. And being DCS secondary to ED, only aggravates the problem. 4) ED overpromises and underdelivers: the marketing plan and communication to customers by ED is terrible. One year ago I wouid say that ED cedes under the community pressure, and promises things that can't do just to calm the nerves of the masses. But now I realized that ED follows the thing that plagues the digital marketing world, the Product Launch Formula. ED creates a lot of hype through new products announcements, then newsletters promising new game features, then social media campaigns and when the hype is high enough, they launch a new product. It is no coincidence that they are talking about adding dynamic campaign, new logistic system and core game improvements when they have three products very close to being released: the F-4, the Chinnok and Kola map. Once a new product is launched, they work on it and forget about the rest. And then from time to time they come up with a new promise to create hype again. Rinse and reoeat. 5) Confindence is in all time low: ED says this, ED states that, and the community is not buying that. Literally. People are voting with their wallets. Of course therevare those who fall prey to the Product Launch Formula thing. ED wants our trust and support? Show us real progress. Stop releasing half baked products and show the community real progress on core game issues and past modules fixes. 6) Will we ever see a dynamic campaign? I doubt it. Supercarrier full, Vulkan, WWII Marianas? Never. These will only be used to create hypevas stated in 4). I even doubt that ED will be around n five years time.

10:07 What the hell is your wingman doing, Prickly? 😆 I had a Hornet wingman do that to me in the Aggressors BFM training campaign, only he flew directly into me and crashed us both at the very end of the hour-long mission. It took days for me to calm down and fly it again.

To be truthful , when this does come out i'll be buying a whole lot of modules that otherwise i never would have purchased.....go for it ED!!!

Very nice video! I appreciate the research that you did to discuss this!