DCS: Black Shark (PC CD)

I think people who play Combat Flight Sims do so for a variety of reasons. There are the anoraks (bless their cotton socks) who would say of such sims as this one and Flacon 4.0 (the original) and IL-2 that you are not getting the full Monty unless you do it in extreme torture difficulty mode. It feels like they are saying that there is something wrong with you if you don't suffer and eventually come to hate your new flight sim. Nonsense! The reason I play any flight sim is to experience the sensation of flight, even if it is fake. It's a simulator after all. (If there were a flight sim that lived out being a bird, I would enjoy it). The reason I particularly like CFSs is probably because, like all blokes, there is a hunter in me and as I don't kill any living creature, combat sims do it for me. Thirdly, I am ashamed to say, I love military things that bash things to bits. A CFS combines all of these.In Black Shark the anoraks seem to be more crazy about the Ka-50 than flying. A 500 page manual I don't need because I don't need to become a qualified Ka-50 pilot. I also don't need to become a qualified F-16 pilot. (In FSX, the anoraks want you to become a top class navigator and pilot). Thank heavens for the built in options like for example quick starting the Ka-50.For me the enjoyment lies in the accuracy of the visual form of the flying machine and the complexity and outcome of the scenario - getting there and back in more or less one piece. I also like realistic looking scenery, but I am not prepared to pay for that.Now, some comparisons: Falcon 4.0 (the original) and FSX are still the best for training because they put you in the seat, the instructor talks to you but you carry out the actions, and the plane responds to you. In both Black Shark and IL-2 this is not the case - here you watch videos. Also, you get written material, thus no experiential learning. We all learned to walk by actually doing it, not by being told how to.As far as the graphics, Black Shark is stunning. I see some people complain about the trees not being real enough. If you want this level of reality, then get The Rise of Flight but before you do be prepared to upgrade your computer, a lot. Black Shark looks pretty good and, you can fly between buildings (even if the ground does look a bit mushy). You will only get rid of pea soup ground with a very high-end packet of hardware. In one of the reviews the complaint is that you do a lot of low level flying in a helicopter - that's a good place for a tank's 105mm to take you out. If you want to survive, you fly the way it is necessary to fly within the situation, not according to a set of rules.The Ka-50 in Black Shark is brilliantly detailed and the other ground machines are great as well - even the humans look more analogue than those in IL-2, thank goodness!The visible avionic displays in Black Shark are understandable (not so in real mode in Falcon). You can actually use them for useful information.Controls: Somehow in Black Shark the slider on my joystick does nothing - I have to control the collective by buttons on the joy stick, buts that's no big deal.Installing Black Shark was the only problem. I had to endure 3 crashes. But don't give up! Maybe it's not just Black Shark that caused the hassle. Imagine getting 3 divas into the same room - Vista, Norton 2009 and Black Shark. What a bun fight! Eventually to install Falcon 4.0Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Deluxe Edition (PC)I disabled Norton and only one crash later Black Shark finally decided to come in. I have disabled Vista's automatic download and they are now all living side by side quite happily.Right now, I am learning to fly, so if you will excuse me I will get back to the machine.If you are interested in the specs for my system, which handle Black shark without a hitch:* Dimension XPS 720* Core 2 Quad-Core Processor Q6600 (2.4GHz)* 2GB RAM* Video Card: Dual 256MB nVidia 8600GTS

Black shark has been available for download from the US for a while now and I've had my copy for around three weeks.Pros:Combat helicopters!Lots of difficulty options. The highest reality settings are very detailed (the engine start process has something like 30 actions) but you can also simplify to something like CTRL-E if you prefer.Graphics are very pretty with a good mix of environments.Online play a nice bonus with a good community.Cons:Campaign is scripted, though the missions are still interesting I would still love a dynamic campaign.Takes a little getting into. There are a few things onnected to navigation and setting up targeting systems which you need to know to actully fly the thing and this information is quite hidden. Of course, this is working from PDFs and the boxed copy should come with a manual which might be easier to use.Overall, if you are looking for a very high quality combat flight sim I would thoroughly recommend Black shark. Hope to see you in the angry skies!

Although I have been a gamer for many years (my first computer was an Acorn Electron, the little brother to the BBC micro, which kind of sets my timeframe!) and have played many of the current games, there is a very small list of games that I play often. This list includes Flashpoint/Armed Assault, the Total War Franchise, the Elder Scrolls series and IL2/Lock-on.There are a few reasons that games get into this list, the main one being that these are not really video games. Instead, they are virtual sandboxes that simulate a particular time and space. Whether it's a combat simulation, an engaging high fantasy world, or a realistic `God game' the player can generally do what they want when in-game. These games also have large active web communities around them, so buying the game is only the start - longevity is ensured via free third party add-ons and modifications.Sandbox games treat you like an adult. They tend to be hard and lack immediacy, but they are what gaming is all about for me - they create a breathing, realistic world for you to explore and become part of, rather than just `play'. You have to put in a couple of hours before you even know what is going on, but that couple of hours is repaid with a deep virtual world containing a complex but satisfying gaming experience that keeps you coming back.Black Shark is already another game that is likely to get on my often played list. It meets all the requirements of a typical engaging, deep and realistic sandbox game. The helo is a great challenge to fly (in fact, Western military tends to agree that the KA50 Black Sharks main downfall is that it puts a large amount of instrument actions on the pilot - so Black shark is potentially a realistic simulation of the hardest Helicopter to fly. Now there's a challenging sandbox if ever there was one!).There's a few gripes though. Most of them are almost personal niggles rather than criticisms, but they may be useful to other potential buyers...Although the weapons and vehicles are highly detailed in Black Shark (BS), the terrain has not come as far. Although it is more detailed than Lock-on, BS still has some of the same texturing that Lock-on had. In particular, the trees and foliage are exactly the same. That's ok in an aircraft flight-sim like Lock-on, but low-poly foliage is much more obvious when flying a helicopter.The game engine is still single core. No true multi-threading (although multi core makes the game run faster).No out of box keycard, and the out-of-box printed manual gives only the most basic `getting started' information... and you may want to buy the full manuals when they come out, rather than wade through the 2x300 page on-DVD pdf manuals.Doesn't support new DX10 features (engine seems to be DX9). Not a problem for me (I'm using Windows XP, and if anything, the BS engine seems to run faster on my system than Lock-on!), but may be an issue for others.One final point - don't let the fact that the BS mission engine doesn't have dynamic campaign tools make you think it has a simple mission structure. Dynamic missions seem to get pretty boring very quickly IMO - there's usually only a few different mission types, and the campaign can get boring quickly because the AI rarely does anything surprising (plus the fact that a dynamic campaign and a compelling storyline rarely go well together). The BS system uses a triggered `campaign level' system is a much better approach in my opinion (it makes for a more action packed campaign storyline whilst allowing for a dynamically moving battlefield frontline).*** update Feb 2010 ***Given some of the negative reviews here, I think its important to re-iterate that this is a simulator of the old school. The game has a very slow pace, and most of your kills will be instrument only (i.e. you will rarely be in visual range of your target, so you will be firing at dots on the horizon). Added to that, a helicopter flies much slower than a jet, so you will not see the more visceral dogfighting and acrobatics of Lock-on. This is certainly not a game for everyone!Disclaimers and setup:I have played through the full game before review. I used the initial, unpatched DVD release. I had no problems whatsoever with the protection system.I used a Radeon 4850 (1GB video ram) Q6600 (quad core) processor, 4GB system ram running on Windows XP. I experienced no crashes or glitches throughout the game (and I saw very good framerates throughout) at 1920x1200, all graphics set to max except water, which was set to 'normal'.

Although my PC comfortably exceeded spec for this sim, it did not load. Had to return it as no technical support contact point given with the game. In addition according to the manual if it had loaded it appears to have a complicated system of activation. From many other reviews it appears this is a great simulation - It probably is when it works, but be prepared for dissapointment and a complete lack of technical support if it does not.

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