After the most recent patch, DCS is now running on Open Beta version 2.8.0.32235.1. To address your most common questions, we have put together a list of points.
What is DCS 2.8?
DCS 2.8 is a quality of life update. DCS 2.8 is the next step forward in realism and quality of life improvements. We added atmospheric effects like moving clouds, rainbows, glories, ice halos, and the visual quality of the clouds. We also dramatically improved the AI Basic Flight Maneuvers (BFM) logic for jet aircraft.
Virtual Reality
Because the 2.8 update introduced moving clouds that require additional calculations some of you may have noticed a change in your VR performance. We are investigating this and will strive to address this as soon as possible.
Easter Eggs
During the Halloween period, we included some easter eggs that you may have already seen. We are very thankful to the community for the overwhelmingly positive response, and we would love to continue this tradition in the future with the addition of an Options setting to opt out.
Lighting & Shadows
We introduced a new point lighting system to the DCS: Persian Gulf map as a test. This allows light sources like parking ramp flood lights, and more to cast dynamic lighting of objects and within cockpits. We plan to implement this lighting to other maps later.
Shadows are an important part of this visual effect, and this improvement to the lighting will also require related dynamic shadows from these light sources. We are planning a new approach to handle the complexity of shadows in DCS.
All of the mentioned features are available in the latest DCS Open Beta update, and we encourage you to check them out for yourself! Please remember that the Halloween Sale is still on, and it is a great opportunity to take your DCS to the next level with new maps, aircrafts, and campaigns! Check out the Shop.
