Best Plane for beginner with clickable cockpit

[♛♘Geri♘♛]

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[fikmeinshizer]

I always recommend the Hornet for this question

Easy to fly, fairly easy to learn, lets you try every facet of the sim

[Treker™]

F-86 sabre, it is such a joy to fly in this :)

[Troll Norris]

Whatever plane you choose. The key is just to learn things step by step.

[kalnaren]

One that you like. Doesn’t matter how “hard” or “easy” the plane is -if it’s not one you’re excited about, you won’t have the motivation to learn it.

The first plane you learn in DCS will always be the hardest.

[startrekmike]

To put it plainly. The best aircraft module to learn for a beginner is the one that the beginner has the most interest in to begin with. There is no right answer for this question. Perhaps you will find your answer by simply asking yourself what aircraft interests YOU the most and making that your starting point.

A lot of players will answer this question by telling you what their favorite aircraft happens to be or what they see as the simplest in terms of learning curve but that isn't always the right approach. Learning even the most complex DCS module isn't exactly difficult but it can require a certain amount of patience and a real desire to put meaningful effort into learning. That learning doesn't have to be a chore, in fact, with the right mindset and good learning resources, it can actually be the most rewarding kind of fun.

I often compare getting into DCS with getting into guitar. If you start your learning process with songs you don't care about, you are less likely to feel passionate about that process and will probably just stop trying after you hit a bit of resistance. If you start with songs you care about, you are more likely to stick through the difficult stages and will come out the other side a much more confident player. DCS is kinda like that. If you start with a less complex aircraft just because someone on a forum told you it would be a "good aircraft for a beginner" or "a good stepping stone", you are less likely to really engage with it. If you have a interest in even a more complex aircraft, you are more likely to stick with the process and will enjoy it all the more.

As far as learning goes. This brings me to another quick point I want to make. There are a good number of players that will discourage you from using the manual that comes with a module since "manuals are boring" or "manuals are too hard for beginners to understand". I hate to be this blunt but that kind of approach is setting yourself up for difficulty. Those that say the manuals are too hard to understand clearly haven't really bothered to engage with them because if they had, they would see that they are often organized in a clear way that takes a new player from the very basics of reading the various instruments to the more complex procedures. Youtube and such can be helpful (assuming you avoid certain wildly prolific but usually inaccurate channels) but the manual is often the most direct, most complete way to learn.

Just take it step by step. You don't need to memorize the whole manual in one sitting. You don't even need to memorize anything. Even real pilots keep checklists handy because going off from memory can result in mishaps. Use the manual as a sort of textbook where you take it one section at a time. If you ever feel overwhelmed, slow down and get yourself caught up.

DCS is a great hobby that rewards the players that really dig into it. I encourage you to pick the aircraft that interests you the most and put serious effort into learning it. I think you will find that if you can embrace that learning process as a key part of the experience, you will end up having a lot of fun.

[dan]

Publicado originalmente por TREKER™:

F-86 sabre, it is such a joy to fly in this :)

After trying it out on f2p, I won't deny that it's a good beginner choice. However, there is the unforgiving landing gear which will buckle if you drop the nose wheel too early, too hard.

Personally I like the mirage as it's a simple, well designed and powerful modern fighter and has an excellent free campaign that comes installed with the module that walks you through the plane's capabilities after you're done with chuck's guide. It has a reasonable number of controls that won't force you to buy a hotas right off the bat. I think it's a great combination for starting out.

If you want to jump straight into the deep end of the pool then I think hornet is the most versatile choice, slightly better than JF17's incredibly easy to use + powerful systems primarily due to the fact that the hornet is carrier capable. So if you get a hornet you can do anything under the sun in dcs except maybe VTOL and hover. However note that this class of plane has a lot of controls which may force you to buy a hotas early.

Trackir/head tracking is recommended for all cases.

[kalnaren]

Publicado originalmente por startrekmike:

A lot of players will answer this question by telling you what their favorite aircraft happens to be or what they see as the simplest in terms of learning curve but that isn't always the right approach. Learning even the most complex DCS module isn't exactly difficult but it can require a certain amount of patience and a real desire to put meaningful effort into learning. That learning doesn't have to be a chore, in fact, with the right mindset and good learning resources, it can actually be the most rewarding kind of fun.

I often compare getting into DCS with getting into guitar. If you start your learning process with songs you don't care about, you are less likely to feel passionate about that process and will probably just stop trying after you hit a bit of resistance. If you start with songs you care about, you are more likely to stick through the difficult stages and will come out the other side a much more confident player. DCS is kinda like that. If you start with a less complex aircraft just because someone on a forum told you it would be a "good aircraft for a beginner" or "a good stepping stone", you are less likely to really engage with it. If you have a interest in even a more complex aircraft, you are more likely to stick with the process and will enjoy it all the more.

So much this.

The biggest barrier IMO people have to learning DCS has little to do with the difficulty of the game and much more to do with the mindset. The vast majority of games these days treat the learning phase as something the player has to get through as quickly as possible to learn the UI and base mechanics before they can start having fun.

In a game like DCS, learning IS a massive chunk of the game. If one goes into it with the mindset that learning the plane is an annoying barrier to get through before you can start having fun, you're not going to enjoy the game. Because you never stop learning.

However, if one goes into the game with the attitude that learning the aircraft IS the game, is something to be embraced, you're already off to a good start.

Nobody said you have to figure these planes out in a weekend. Who cares if it takes you a month to get proficient. You're not on anyone's schedule but your own.

As far as learning goes. This brings me to another quick point I want to make. There are a good number of players that will discourage you from using the manual that comes with a module since "manuals are boring" or "manuals are too hard for beginners to understand". I hate to be this blunt but that kind of approach is setting yourself up for difficulty. Those that say the manuals are too hard to understand clearly haven't really bothered to engage with them because if they had, they would see that they are often organized in a clear way that takes a new player from the very basics of reading the various instruments to the more complex procedures. Youtube and such can be helpful (assuming you avoid certain wildly prolific but usually inaccurate channels) but the manual is often the most direct, most complete way to learn.

Again, completely agree. I've said this before that things like Chuck's guides are familiarization guides, designed to introduce you to the aircraft. They're designed to get you up in the air quickly and with minimal fuss. And toward that goal, they're great. They do exactly what they're designed to do. But they don't encompass everything. The manuals do.