I like my DCS whilrly-birds and this one is no exception. Technically it's still a beta at this point, but it's been "beta" for about a year,I like my DCS whilrly-birds and this one is no exception. Technically it's still a beta at this point, but it's been "beta" for about a year, so it's fair game for an honest review. The Mi-8 itself has a convincing flight model and detailed systems that all work the way the should (I think, not a real Mi-8 pilot). The sounds, 3d model and cockpit art are also top notch. It includes the obligatory interactive tutorials for everything from general flying to weapons employment. And it also includes a single campaign, but I honestly haven't played it and so can't comment.
With all those features, it is still missing a few things. The biggest is an english cockpit. There is a user made english pit for it and it can be easily downloaded off the DCS website. It even works with any MP server. But it's annoying that one isn't included. Additionally, some features of the real one are not modeled. The biggest of these is the bomb sight. Why you would ever want to drop a bomb from a transport helicopter I cannot say, but the real one has this ability and a bomb sight to go with it. Ours has the bombs, but not the sight. Other than those two things, it's all there I think. Even the doppler navigation system which I have absolutely no clue how to use.
In terms of complexity, welcome to DCS: Switches. It's like the A-10C in that regards. Fortunately, once it's actually running there aren't that many you have to mess with. Two 4-way hats and a trigger pretty much gets it all for combat. Flying it is a lot harder than the Ka-50 but having flown the Ka-50 for years, I didn't find it overly difficult. It is less fun though. This is not an attack helicopter, it is a utility chopper. As such, tanks, SAMs and AAA are off the menu. Infantry and trucks are fine, but anything shooting back with a HMG or bigger is going to ruin your day. It does eat UH-1H's for breakfast though, so there is that. And the clamshell cargo doors also work, which is pretty great by itself.
In any case, I recommend this for the die hard helicopter fans. It is fun but as it is a transport aircraft, it generally isn't very exciting. I mostly derp about the airfields harassing fast movers taxing around the airfield in MP with it.… Expand
