Weekly Game Review: DCS Black Shark

System: PC
Genre: Simulation

Attention!

Helicopter enthusiastic blabla ahead!

You have been warned.

Synopsis:
In the mid-70s Russia decided they'd need a new attack helicopter to rival the american program for an advanced attack helicopter (the result was the well known AH-64 "Apache"), what ended in the mass production of a very unique piece of helicopter technology in 1987: the Ka-50 "Black Shark".
More than 20 years later a russian company called "Eagle Dynamics", which is known for its "Lock On"-series but also develops flight simulators for military training, decided to give you (and me) the chance to take control of the Ka-50 via an in-depth-study-simulation that doesn't deserve the term "game".

The Ka-50.

Review:
• Revolutionary realistic flight physics model
The fligth physics are amazing. Loose rotorblades and the chopper starts to spin and whobble like crazy. Different wind directions and strengths in different heights. Descend too fast and you will enter the Vortex Ring state. The list goes on and on. Rating: Wow... just wow.

• Fully working and clickable cockpit
You can almost press every button, switch every switch, turn every knob and pull every lever in the cockpit with the mouse. The instruments are all working.

• Realistic damage model and system cascade affect
Do a hard landing and the tires will explode or the whole gear will crack. Punch the nose of the helicopter into the ground and the antenna will break off and your sensor systems stop to work. Every rotorblade can break at 2 different places. Wings and the tail can be blown away. Get shot into an engine and parts will fly off and the engine starts to burn and stops to function.

• Detailed modeling and control of engine, fuel, hydraulics, electrical, navigation, radio, fire suppression, sensor, and weapon systems

• Advanced weapon physics for missiles, rockets and canon rounds including riccochets

• 6 DOF head view in the cockpit

• Detailed modeling of 330,000 km² of the Caucasus region

• "Arcade Mode" for the casual gamer, "Sim Mode" for the freaks amongst us

• Head-to-head and cooperative multiplayer

• Campaign system with a moving front line that depends on mission results

• Mission editor

• Documentation:

	- Approx. 500 page "Flight Manual"
	- Approx. 160 page "GUI and Mission Editor Manual"
	- Approx. 60 page "Quick Start Manual"
	- 9 page "Keyguide Simulation Mode" (over 400 different commands)
	- 5 page "Keyguide Arcade Mode"
	- 22 training videos/tracks

The documentation for this baby is huge. The "Flight Manual" covers everything from the history of the Ka-50, it's construction specs, general aerodynamic features of helicopters and the ones of the Ka-50 in special, the instruments and advanced electronial systems and how you read and use them, the available weaponry and its usage, standart procedures, checklists for everything and a little flightschool.

I'm not completely new to this buissenes, i flew helicopter sims before and thought i've got the basics covered, but damn, "DCS:Black Shark" is a whole new level. To give you a little overview of the learning curve and my first experiences with "Black Shark" I want to share my flight dairy*:

Day 1: Oh my god, its full of ~~stars~~ switches/buttons/levers/knobs
The first thing i did was to set everything to "realistic". I want it all. And i know the basic stuff. So i thought.
I started a mission where nothing happens, its just me and the helicopter on the parking lot, waiting for me to hop in and fire it up. Problem No.1: discovered. I sat before my screen with a dumb face and looked at all those switches, buttons, levers, knobs, instruments and stuff in the cockpit, scratched my head and wondered about what to do.
Back to the manual. So I first read through many pages about the basic instruments and the countless buttons and their functions and then watched the tutorial regarding the startup procedure. I then watched the tutorial again and wrote down the different steps that are needed to get those rotors spinning. And then... I started the tutorial again and took control (those tuts arent videos. They are recorded flight session, where you can take control of the chopper anytime you want to), while the instructor told me what to do. After some minutes of switching, pressing and having a peek at the checklist every 10 seconds the result was devastating: nothing happend. No, thats not right. Some red lights blinked and beeped and the computer voice constantely said something about "Watch EKRAN".
I couldn't stand the tutorial another time, so i equalized my notes with the checklist in the manual and tried that nothing-happens mission again by myself. 10 to 15 minutes later i almost jumped out of my seat. The engines where running, rotors spinning, everything was in the green and no computer voice told me, that i did something wrong.
Ok, on to the real thing, lets get that bird into the air. For starters i did a horizontal start (like an airplane. Roll some meters and gain speed). 2 meters later: cruuunch. Yep, i forgot the wheel brake. But what the heck, i managed to get the helicopter up some meters anyway. "Yes.... yes.... I'm flying. Haha! I'm flying. Oh.. woohaaa, I'm spinning, I'm wobbling, uuuuuh... I crashed."
So the first training day wasn't much of a success and then, after many hours of reading the manual, writing checklists and watching tutorial videos, it was bedtime.

Pic 1 and Pic 2: The main instruments and the overhead panel of the Ka-50 cockpit.
Pic 3: Nightly landing approach. Notice the special blue nightvision instrument lights.

Day 2: Start it, fly it, land it, shut it down. Start it, fly it...
The second day contained exactly those steps. Not more, not less.
I went through the startup procedure, took off and tried to hold the helicopter in a hover or fly some meters forwards, tried to land the bird again and went through the shutdown procedure (if the landing was a lucky one). Then i did everything again...and again...and again (hey common, this a BSG-fan forum

). Nevertheless i managed to crash almost as often as I took off.
After that day I knew where the buttons and switches are, was able to hold a rather stable hover or fly around the tower with about 3 mph.

Sorry Sir, for wasting a gazillion rubles.

Day 3: Same as Day 2 + curves
Yup, thats all. I continued to memorize the startup procedure, flew some rounds around the airfield, tried to perfect my landings and discovered the ejection procedure. At the end of day 3 i had learned some basic but important things: how to fly hard curves without letting the upper and lower rotor clash into each other and "ejecting before crashing keeps the pilot-death-count low".

The ejection procedure: the rotor blades are blown away by built-in explosives (Pic 1) and the pilot is propelled out of the aircraft (Pic 2).

Day 4: This train is so powerfull. It doesn't go fast, it flies low!
The beginning of day 4 gave me a sense of achievement right away: my first startup without a look at the checklist. Celebration.
Other than that, day 4 was completely dedicated to flight schooling. I landed on rooftops, hills, aircraft carriers and oil platforms. I tried to get as high as possible, trained some basic aerobatics/flight maneuvers and how to fly as low and fast as possible, following train tracks or roads (crashes with incoming cars and trains included).
At the end of day 4 i was happy, cause my "crash-landing"-count was actually and finally lower than my "landing-with-(almost)no-damage"-count.

Day 5: Hey, this is an ATTACK helicopter, right?!
Weapons = fun. I discovered that on day 5.
Reading the manual to be able to use the weapons = takes some time. I discovered that on day 5, also.
But as soon as you know how to use the weapons..hehe, spread the fear!

Pic 1: Firing the onboard cannon. Pic 2: Unleashing a rocket salvo.

Day 6: Preparation for Day 7
On Day 6 i went through every procedure again, tried to remember the most basic things about flying, firing and communicating. Why? Because i prepared myself for:

Day 7: You are nothing without your teammates!
Finally i fired up the multiplayer part of "BlackShark". And i was blown away again. It's so cool to fly in a squad of 4 or more helicopters, coordinate attacks and spread fear amongst your enemies.
But i had a serious setback after some hours of DCS-MP: i still know nothing about the BlackShark

.

PROs & CONs
This is difficult, i have to seperate this into the following categories:

Category 1: "Pro" from the POV of a simulation enthusiast
"Contra" from the POV of a hop-in and-shoot-stuff kind of guy
- You have to read a lot. By what i mean: A LOT!
- It takes some time to get used to the helicopter
- Many buttons to press and things to do till the heli finally rises into the air

Category 2: "Pro"
- So realistic. Awesome.

Category 3: "Con"
- Trees dont have collision models. What means: AI can see and fire through trees. You cant.

Coop's final thoughts:
Theres just one word: WOW! This sim is the most serious and realistic sim for home entertainment i ever saw. The community and the support from the developers is amazing. I didn't come across unfriendly persons on servers. Everyone is willing to help you in the official forums, may it be with historical or technical questions about the helicopter.
If you are into flight-sims: go get it! It's worth the money! And it's quiet cheap, also (around 30 €). You will have much more fun (and it will last longer) with this, than with any shooter i know. I own this game for about 2 months now, and i still have to learn many, many things.

Ratings:
Gamespot: 8.6/10
IGN: 9.2/10
Cooper:

/5

*Partly dramadized for entertainment purpose.