How come no user reviews for the F-86F Sabre DLC?

[SnufflesConquersHell]

How come there are no user reviews for the F-86F Sabre DLC?

Does it suck or something?

It's been out a couple of years but I'm a little worried that no one has reviewed it on Steam. That said, I'd love to have a great F-86 combat simulator and the game says that you can fly it in combat against the Mig 15. And it would be great to have a good Korean War map - aside from a few encounters at the end of WWII this was really the first time jets flew in combat against each other.

What do you all think?

Thanks

[[GCA] King Apo]

Simply don't have it on Steam but Standalone. For me personally all DCS within visual range combat suffers from spotting issues with the engine. There are a lot of people who don't mind it and there are some cold war / ww2 & korea servers so that doesn't speak for the whole community.

Holding the F86 level is a real chore, that thing never really likes to be trimmed out. That said it's a glory to fly! Even when I didn't fly it A2A, I really loved it for simply flying around freeflight. The feel of the slow engine is really something, the guns are amazing, external tanks make you feel like a tank & that thing actually turns better with speed brakes out!

To somewhat describe it, you are somehow a small but, fat clunky thing in the sky, that once it's really wants to, somewhow manages to be super fast & nimble. Or atleast it feels that way, you pay the price in fuel!

These days when taking a break from carrier ops I mostly jump into ww2 planes, since those prop planes are something else entirely for me, but the F86F certainly can fill that spot.

[SnufflesConquersHell]

Thanks!

[Tjitah]

Had a quick look and also very surprised that there are no reviews for the Sabre. It is an excellent aircraft though and like King Apo says, everything just feels right when you fly it.

Belsimtek makes great DCS aircraft and their Mig-15 bis for example scores 95%. I'm currently flying their F-5E Tiger II and that gets 90% in reviews (I completely agree with that).

Unfortunately I haven't done more with the F-86 than a few simple free-flights and touch and goes at airfields. But I remember every time thinking; wow, this is a great aircraft. After the F-5E campaigns I'm going to try the F-86 and Mig-15 campaigns - simply love the older jets with the steam gauges. (They're also cheaper than the new fancy jets)

[Xoho]

It's a fantastic module, plenty of fun. I own it on standalone instead of steam. I personally have no issues with spotting, especially since most people fly in contrail levels to help each other fight.

[SnufflesConquersHell]

Thanks! I'll have to grab it then when it comes on sale.

[Dusty]

Its has some awesome user made skins also! MiG Mad Marine. Flown by Badass astronaut John Glenn!

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3207346/

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3222752/

[CommandDork]

If I recall correctly, for some reason Steam's system does not offer owners the option to review that particular module.

I own it on Steam and the review option has never been available to me but I second what's been said about it .- very excellent module and fun to fly.

[SnufflesConquersHell]

Really - that's odd that Steam wouldn't allow owners of the F-86 DLC to make reviews. (Must be a glitch). I always check the reviews before I buy a game - especially the bad and recent ones. Sometimes people don't like a game for a reason that I would. (and Dusty - I understand Glenn flew an F-8 too, something else that may be coming down the pike DLC wise from what I understand)

[Tjitah]

Originally posted by CommandDork:

If I recall correctly, for some reason Steam's system dies not offer owners the option to review that particular module.

I own it on Steam and the review option has never been available to me but I second what's been said about it .- very excellent module and fun to fly.

Yes I can confirm this. Review box comes up for all DCS aircraft that I bought, except for F86. It is not possible to review it.

[SnufflesConquersHell]

That's really dumb - I wonder if there is a way to tell Steam about this. Again, my first assumption when I saw that there were no reviews was that the DLC sucked. Seems like I was very much mistaken and I'm glad I checked with you all!

[Chuck_Owl]

Hi Snuffles!

I have no idea why there are no F-86 reviews on Steam... I can share part of my experience with the Sabre as I've flown it for a few hundred hours in DCS.

First, I suggest that you check this to see what kind of capabilities the Sabre has.

https://www.mudspike.com/chucks-guides-dcs-f-86f-sabre-guide/

The Sabre simulated by Belsimtek is nothing short of a trip back through the 1950's. You have an aircraft that's pretty much barebones in terms of equipment (.50 cal guns, rockets, dumb bombs and unreliable infrared-seeking missiles). However, it's an aircraft that has a lot of character and immerses you in the world of early jets. This means engines with long spooling times, frequent compressor stalls (partial or complete) if you're gunning the throttle too agressively, a quirky aerodynamic model that will punish you for being slow or send you straight into a flat spin if you do the wrong thing at the worng time... flying the Sabre is just an exhausting yet exhilirating experience. Dogfighting in this is very different from a WWII dogfight or even modern aircraft dogfights. Performing flying scissors with a MiG-15 is nauseating at best... going for a guns kill at 500 kts is genuinely scary since it's very easy to black out if you are pulling too many Gs at those high speeds. Flying fast in the Sabre can be dangerous (especially when you approach transonic speeds) but it is even MORE dangerous at low speed. I suggest you read about the "Sabre dance". You will learn about it pretty quickly when landing this thing.

The sound design and immersion level in that elegant yet cramped cockpit is simply stunning. It's one of these aircraft that I like to just take for a spin and go for some old school ADF navigation. On paper, the Sabre looks like a simple aircraft... but it's one of these planes where the fun isn't to learn procedures... the fun is all about mastering the flight model. Flying formation online with this is a bit difficult due to the veeery long response time of the throttle (keep in mind that these early turbojets were designed before modern controllers (FADEC) perfected fuel scheduling to reduce the engine response time). Deploying flaps or a your landing when flying too fast can cause a nasty jam and force you to familiarize yourself "on the fly" with emergency procedures. Pro tip: the emergency landing gear handle is your best friend. ;) ,

So, overall, the Sabre is a solid product. It's an aircraft that bridges the era after the Second World War and the missile and radar era of the Vietnam war. The Sabre is one of these aircraft that will teach you how to properly perform air combat and it WILL punish you if you don't operate within the limits of its flight envelope.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Regards,

Chuck

[SnufflesConquersHell]

Originally posted by Chuck_Owl:

Hi Snuffles!

I have no idea why there are no F-86 reviews on Steam... I can share part of my experience with the Sabre as I've flown it for a few hundred hours in DCS.

First, I suggest that you check this to see what kind of capabilities the Sabre has.

https://www.mudspike.com/chucks-guides-dcs-f-86f-sabre-guide/

The Sabre simulated by Belsimtek is nothing short of a trip back through the 1950's. You have an aircraft that's pretty much barebones in terms of equipment (.50 cal guns, rockets, dumb bombs and unreliable infrared-seeking missiles). However, it's an aircraft that has a lot of character and immerses you in the world of early jets. This means engines with long spooling times, frequent compressor stalls (partial or complete) if you're gunning the throttle too agressively, a quirky aerodynamic model that will punish you for being slow or send you straight into a flat spin if you do the wrong thing at the worng time... flying the Sabre is just an exhausting yet exhilirating experience. Dogfighting in this is very different from a WWII dogfight or even modern aircraft dogfights. Performing flying scissors with a MiG-15 is nauseating at best... going for a guns kill at 500 kts is genuinely scary since it's very easy to black out if you are pulling too many Gs at those high speeds. Flying fast in the Sabre can be dangerous (especially when you approach transonic speeds) but it is even MORE dangerous at low speed. I suggest you read about the "Sabre dance". You will learn about it pretty quickly when landing this thing.

The sound design and immersion level in that elegant yet cramped cockpit is simply stunning. It's one of these aircraft that I like to just take for a spin and go for some old school ADF navigation. On paper, the Sabre looks like a simple aircraft... but it's one of these planes where the fun isn't to learn procedures... the fun is all about mastering the flight model. Flying formation online with this is a bit difficult due to the veeery long response time of the throttle (keep in mind that these early turbojets were designed before modern controllers (FADEC) perfected fuel scheduling to reduce the engine response time). Deploying flaps or a your landing when flying too fast can cause a nasty jam and force you to familiarize yourself "on the fly" with emergency procedures. Pro tip: the emergency landing gear handle is your best friend. ;) ,

So, overall, the Sabre is a solid product. It's an aircraft that bridges the era after the Second World War and the missile and radar era of the Vietnam war. The Sabre is one of these aircraft that will teach you how to properly perform air combat and it WILL punish you if you don't operate within the limits of its flight envelope.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Regards,

Chuck

Wow Chuck! Thanks for the detailed reply! Seeing your love for the jet did you catch the following article about it in Air and Space back in 2011? https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/could-you-fly-a-sabre-76642301/

By the way, does this DLC have VR capability like the new F-14 one does?

Thanks again!

[Chuck_Owl]

Yeah, I did catch it ;)

Every single DLC has VR capability in DCS, including this one.

[SnufflesConquersHell]

Great! I didn't realize that they all had VR capability. And I figure that it must be actually easier to operate the aircraft in VR considering that I can never remember where I key all the functions to on my keyboard. Plus in VR you don't have to worry about air sickness! (Or do you? - the technology just keeps getting better and better!)