Flyboy

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/release/2.9.31.29434/

They are going into a lot of detail for engine performance/management:
 
 

They'll be available in... 
So it'll be a while.
 

I should be able to add this to the red inventory for my 1975 YK2 event. 

When I was in the AF I was intercepted by two Floggers North of Norway. Was warned by Scottish Mil and they did a quick overhead pass to check out my WC-135B.

@grok: what year was the MiG-23M Flogger deployed?
1973 (with production starting in 1972).
The MiG-23M (NATO reporting name Flogger-B) was the first major production fighter variant of the MiG-23 series. It first flew in June 1972, with series production running from 1972 to 1978 (roughly 1,300 built).
It began entering service with Soviet units (initially a training/evaluation unit, then frontline Frontal Aviation and some PVO regiments) in 1973. The broader MiG-23 family had an official introduction around 1970 with earlier limited variants like the MiG-23S, but the M was the definitive first-generation version with improved radar (Sapfir-23D), engine, and other systems.

I played around some more after some mixed results Wednesday night's practice.  I found that four settings I thought had little impact infact did have more impact that I thought.
Clouds: High -> Standard Water: Medium -> Low Clutter/Grass: 500 -> 0 Scenery Details Factor: 1 -> 0.75 I still have Medium Textures, Low Terrain Textures, and Medium Visib Range.
Those three changes alone got me from 20fps on the ground in a dark airplane (powered off) in Flyboy's training server to 37fps (85% increase!).  I can't say which ones did the most changes without thoroughly testing each setting change.  Frame times are still wildly all over the place, and that's my next investigation.
I'll do some more tinkering and report some better results here incase someone else needs them.

Like Christmas coming early, the MiG-23M Flogger from Ugra Media:
DCS Website: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/newsletters/e1108fcc65f67043a60fcec1f56e010d/ DCS Forum: https://forum.dcs.world/topic/393307-dcs-mig-23m-flogger-coming-to-dcs/  
 

My PC specs. 
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
MOBO - Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX
Memory - G.Skill DDR5-6000 (4 ea 16Gb. Total 64 Gb) P/N: F5-6000J3238F16G-fx5
Graphics card - PNY GeForce RTX 4080
Storage - 2 each 2TB P3 NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 Internal SSD
VR - Pimax Dream Air SE SLAM using OpenXR latest build
OS - Mindows 11 Pro 64 bit
With pretty high graphics settings in DCS 45 - 70 FPS average. 
 
With your hardware you should be getting MUCH better performance.
Here's what Google AI says (maybe ask other AI as well:
AI Overview
Low performance in DCS World multiplayer via VR on Linux is typically driven by a combination of Proton/OpenXR runtime overhead, SteamVR limitations under Linux, and missing environment overrides. Your top-tier hardware (
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
and
Radeon RX 9070 XT
) is more than capable, meaning your bottleneck is strictly software configuration.
Apply the following targeted optimizations to stabilize and boost your multiplayer framerates.
1. Fix the Linux OpenXR / VR Environment Call
DCS heavily favors OpenXR. Running it via standard SteamVR paths on Linux without passing explicit environment flags forces suboptimal Translation Layers.
Open Steam, right-click DCS World, and go to Properties.
Paste the following into the Launch Options to force proper OpenXR device initialization and bypass the heavy SteamVR launcher wrapper: 
ProtonDB
bash
PRESSURE_VESSEL_IMPORT_OPENXR_1_RUNTIMES=1 OXR_RECENTER_STAGE=1 WINEDLLOVERRIDES='wbemprox=n' %command% --no-launcher --force_enable_VR --force_OpenXR
Use code with caution.
2. Verify Your Mesa & Kernel Compatibility
The
Radeon RX 9070 XT
runs on AMD's newer RDNA 4 architecture. On a rolling release like Void Linux, a mismatch in recent drivers can cause severe performance regression or failing pipeline optimizations. 
Level1Techs Forums +1
Ensure your system is updated and verify you are running at least Kernel 6.13.5+ and Mesa 25.0+.
Ensure your linux-firmware package is fully updated to ensure the firmware binaries for the
9070 XT
are correctly mapped. 
YouTube·Level1Linux +2
3. Lower CPU-Bound In-Game Settings (Multiplayer-Specific)
Multiplayer environments stress your
9800X3D
's tracking capabilities due to high unit counts and network parsing. High graphics settings in VR will induce severe 1% frame drops. 
Reddit·r/hoggit +2
LOD Switch Factor: Drop this to 0.4 or 0.5 in the graphics settings. In VR, the slight reduction in distant object models is barely noticeable but saves massive amounts of draw calls in busy multiplayer servers. 
YouTube·Reflected Simulations +1
Preload Radius: Set this roughly between 60,000 and 100,000. Your 64GB of RAM can handle it, but setting it too high forces unnecessary caching over network states. 
Reddit·Tuuvas +2
Shadows & Civ Traffic: Set Shadows to Medium or Flat. Turn Civilian Traffic completely OFF. 
YouTube·Yorick! +3
Upscaling: Since you are on AMD, enable FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) or native DLAA (if utilizing Proton's DLSS-to-FSR wrapper translation) rather than running at an un-upscaled 100% resolution scaling. 
ED Forums +1
4. Clear Your Shaders
Corrupted or outdated shaders compiled under older Wine/Proton prefixes often cause heavy micro-stutters and frame drops.
Navigate to your DCS installation directory or your local WINE prefix path (typically under ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/223750/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Saved Games/DCS/).
Completely delete the contents of the fxo and metashaders2 folders. They will safely rebuild cleanly on your next startup. 
5. Check System Monado Alternative
SteamVR's native Linux implementation is notoriously unoptimized for complex VR loops compared to its Windows counterpart. If you continue to see poor hardware utilization despite the tweaks above, community consensus for high-end Linux VR points toward running Monado paired with Envision or WiVRn to completely bypass SteamVR’s compositor overhead. 
ED Forums +1
What Proton version are you currently using to force the game (e.g., Proton Experimental, GE-Proton)? If you pull up a frame-time graph, let me know if your stutters point to a CPU frame-time spike or a GPU bottleneck.
 

Hi all,
 
I got into VR only a few weeks ago.  I've upgraded my GPU to an RX 9070 XT 16GB and then even upgrades the rest of the PC to a Ryzen 9800X3D and 64GB DDR5-6000 (4 DIMMs downclocked to 5600MT/sec).
 
I still am having issues with frame timing with anything more than a small single player mission.  On Flyboy's training or Syria servers, I average 20FPS in VR and I have everything pretty much set to low.
 
Can we compare eachother's performance by specifying what hardware and settings we're using?
 
FWIW, I get pretty good framerates on a 1440p monitor and high settings. 
 
CPU: 9800X3D
RAM: 64GB DDR5-5600
GPU: Radeon RX 9070 XT
VR/Screen: Valve Index
Launcher: Steam/SteamVR
OS: Void Linux 7.2.10
Average VR FPS on Flyboy training server: 20

This is looking great so far!

America/New_York (EST/EDT)
Yes - VKB Gladiator EVO and STECS II, Thrustmaster Pendulum Rudders
Discord and mic - yes Teamspeak - not yet but not a problem, if that's what people are using Yes - VR and TrackIR
DCS World
JG1_Flyboy
Real life professional aviator systems manager of high speed aluminum tubing Long-time Linux and FreeBSD nerd power user and sysadmin I play all my games and applications on Linux with Lutris/Proton or Steam/Proton It's an uphill battle often but I enjoy the tinkering and problem solving Took German for 6 years in high school and college - only remember the bad words

Well I didn't expect this to be my first video on my Flyboy Ops YouTube channel, but was told by flight control they caught my landing into Miami today so I found it, clipped it, and put it as the first video on my new channel.
 
 

Well I didn't expect this to be my first video on my Flyboy Ops YouTube channel, but was told by flight control they caught my landing into Miami today so I found it, clipped it, and put it as the first video on my new channel.
 
 

Well I didn't expect this to be my first video on my Flyboy Ops YouTube channel, but was told by flight control they caught my landing into Miami today so I found it, clipped it, and put it as the first video on my new channel.
 
 

Well I didn't expect this to be my first video on my Flyboy Ops YouTube channel, but was told by flight control they caught my landing into Miami today so I found it, clipped it, and put it as the first video on my new channel.
 
 

Well I didn't expect this to be my first video on my Flyboy Ops YouTube channel, but was told by flight control they caught my landing into Miami today so I found it, clipped it, and put it as the first video on my new channel.
 
 

Uploaded new player's guide above.
Changelog 
(since script 1.086 / Players Guide 2026-06-01)
**Campaign, zones, and commanders**
- Zone threat alerts: two-stage armor approach/breach warnings on every owned zone, with distinct voice callouts and a yellow (approaching) / orange (breached) map label
- Commander Transport Unit Deployment: commanders can now deploy and return troops/vehicles directly at any owned airport, FARP, or FOB — no helicopter required — organized into GH Zones / Other Zones submenus
- Commander Engineer Transfers (Low Population mode): redistribute Engineers between owned zones without a transport aircraft
- Unused commander budget now carries over to the next event day; a budget-balance bonus (up to +10) helps a trailing coalition catch up when the score gap exceeds 40%
- Owned-zone commander placement opened to any owned non-capital zone; placement capacity is tied to that zone's current supply level
**New: end-of-day force persistence threshold.**
- A commander-placed or zone-defender group must retain at least 40% of its original strength when the event day ends to carry over — below that, the group does not persist. A qualifying group is fully reconstituted to original strength for the next day, not just its survivors
- Warehouses reworked: a Logistics Offline zone (all warehouses down) now blocks loading *and* returning units to inventory there — Engineer is the only exception, either direction. Supply delivered to a destroyed warehouse queues a 30-minute repair and still earns full points
- Driving a Combined Arms ground vehicle no longer resets your aircraft sortie state, pending points, or CSAR status
**Reconnaissance**
- Unified recon envelope for all Recon-tagged aircraft and helicopters: 20-3,000 m AGL, no speed restriction
- Recon scoring rebalanced (~80% reduction in raw values) so the sortie cap requires genuine map coverage rather than a couple of lucky zones
- Airborne recon detection latency cut from up to 10 seconds to about 1 second
- Ground spotters (JTAC, Scout, Spy, SpecOps) produce instant map markers — no RTB required
**Special-unit intelligence**
- Target intelligence is now shared and canonical across FAC, Recon, JTAC, Spy, SpecOps, and Scout — any eligible source can refresh or invalidate another's mark
- Detected groups now show SAM / AAA / EWR tactical labels (classification hardened so radar-guns show AAA, search/track radars show EWR, launchers show SAM — no more misclassification)
- JTAC, Spy, and SpecOps scans are one-time snapshots, not continuous live sensors — a new scan is needed to refresh contacts
- Marker and badge cleanup overhauled — a watchdog and kill-event hooks now reliably clear stale intel instead of leaving orphaned marks on destroyed targets
**Special-unit ROE**
- SpecOps, Spy, JTAC, and Engineer teams now default to Weapons Hold in every mission phase; Scout vehicles default to Return Fire
**Downed pilots and CSAR**
- Ejection and CSAR pending-point handling rebuilt for reliability — your 75%/25% split survives crash/ejection event-ordering quirks, respawns, and multicrew ejections cleanly
- Multicrew CSAR: the second pilot from a two-seat ejection now spawns offset from the first instead of stacking on top of them
- Friendly downed pilots show an exact marker and badge to their own coalition; the enemy coalition sees only an approximate grid-based "CSAR?" label until a Spy or SpecOps scan reveals the exact position
- Combat-zone CSAR bonus (+50) is now side-aware — Blue only inside the Syria DMZ belt, Red only inside the Israel DMZ belt
- Enemy pilots can be captured by helicopter or by a Spy/SpecOps team in the field; capture pays half recovery value plus full CSAR bonus, friendly rescue pays full recovery plus full CSAR bonus
- New "Downed Pilots" menu with sorted friendly/enemy lists, bearing, and distance
- Eject vs. Despawn clarified and rebalanced: despawn forfeits everything (0%), ejecting credits 25% immediately — if your aircraft is crippled, eject rather than despawn
**Spy and SpecOps operations**
- Committed away-missions (sabotage, rescue, capture) now go fully off-map for their duration and return survivors near the insertion point when complete
- Mission risk now scales with target danger — success, detection, and casualty odds are all higher against a harder target
- Supply sabotage risk is now explicit and scales with how many supplies you target (1/2/3): higher-value hits carry both worse detection odds and a real chance of losing the team if discovered
- Spy and SpecOps scans can now detect enemy Spy/SpecOps teams operating nearby — a valid defensive/counterintelligence use for either role
**SAM and ground-force changes**
- The old custom SHORAD missile-limiter framework has been removed entirely — the SA-9 (used by both coalitions now) and all other SAMs use fully native DCS firing, guidance, and reload behavior
- Zone-threat armor detection scales to each zone's actual defense geometry, with a two-stage (approaching / breached) response
**Transport and artillery**
- Mi-24P added: 2-pilot CSAR capacity plus 8-troop transport (no vehicle crates)
- C-130J-30 Super Hercules added as a valid logistics transport, alongside the helicopter fleet
- Engineers can now be stationed forward at non-capital zones, persist there across event days, and (in Low Population mode) transfer between zones without a transport aircraft
**Player statistics and FAC**
- FAC scoring overhauled: FAC now earns full kill value on an assisted kill (was 50%), the sortie-action point cap was removed (max ~120 non-assist points per sortie), and each unit in a marked group can earn its own assist
- Fixed: My Stats now correctly shows your live FAC pending points while still in flight (previously showed 0 until RTB)
- Population Mode (Standard / Low Population) added for smaller sessions — halves SpecOps/Spy scan and mission times, speeds up deployment token regeneration and sabotage recovery, and (as of the latest script) increases JTAC's smoke loadout from 10 to 15 charges
- JTAC scripted smoke corrected to orange, matching FAC
- Tournament Rules mode added for admin-run competitive sessions (locks coalition switching, enables special missions automatically)
---
Players Guide — complete rewrite
 
The Players Guide has been rebuilt from the ground up since the June 1 PDF — new structure, full page numbering, inline images throughout every section, four new appendices, and dozens of accuracy passes reconciling every mechanic described above against the actual script behavior. Notable additions: a Strategy Fundamentals section for commanders (classical and operational command principles, plus the new 40% persistence-threshold guidance), a smoke/flare color quick-reference table, a slot-naming-convention breakdown, and explicit sabotage-risk odds tables.
**English Players Guide (v2.24):** 
*Russian and German versions are being retired for now given the scope of this revision — they'll return once translated against the new English source.*

I like my Pimax Crystal lite and I think price has come down. I keep hearing all kinds of problems people have with the Quest so for that reason alone it might be worth it. Plus I think visuals are better. Patriot used to have the Q3 and switched to the crystal lite also. 

Hmm... Preflight inspection?
m2-res_1838p.mp4

In case you haven't heard, this was posted by Eagle Dynamics on Discord:

 

Gemini said this:
Disadvantages of Turning Smart App Control Off Lower Security: Your computer loses an extra cloud-backed layer of defense that normally stops malicious or untrusted executable files from launching. [1, 2] Higher Risk of Malware: Without it blocking unrecognized software, you are more vulnerable to malware, ransomware, and sneaky potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) bundled in downloads. [1, 2] Difficult to Re-enable: On many system configurations, turning Smart App Control off is a permanent choice for that installation; turning it back on normally requires a complete clean reinstall of Windows (unless using advanced registry workarounds). [1, 2] Then said this:
If you are trying to turn it off because a specific app is being blocked, tell me the name of the app so we can see if there is a safe way to run it without disabling your security.
It brought up a long list of options which I won't post but they seem safer than turning Smart App off.

I had the following error when I tried to load DCS the other day. Traced it using AI, which fixed it. Here is ChatGPT summary:
If DCS shows this error:
the DLL is usually not damaged. Windows Smart App Control is blocking it under its Code Integrity policy. A DCS repair may not fix it because the repaired DLL is still considered untrusted by that Windows policy.
Fix:
Open Windows Security. Go to App & browser control. Select Smart App Control settings. Set Smart App Control to Off. Restart Windows and launch DCS. This does not remove DCS files, modules, settings, or licenses. Windows Defender antivirus and firewall remain active. It only disables Smart App Control’s extra reputation/signature enforcement layer.
Note: Turning Smart App Control off is normally one-way; turning it back on later requires a Windows reset/reinstall. Keep Defender enabled and avoid running unknown downloads.

I'm back...got my new computer...now all the reinstalling...

Mods needed for this mission: A-4E and Bronco OV-10

A-4E
https://community-a-4e.github.io/

https://github.com/Community-A-4E/community-a4e-c/releases/

Bronco OV-10
https://splitair.gumroad.com/l/fwzxn
Note: You can put zero in the price and get it for free.

Here's an undo button mod for DCS Mission Editor: https://snowflake.sh/

These guys are putting together an AI powered DCS Mission Builder: https://dcs-mcp.com/