DCS: Normandy 1944 Map DLC

Bear in mind that 'Normandy' means Normandy. You may have seen the map of this add-on covering much of northern France and southern England but actually the map is not there: it's just repeating fields and trees circumscribed by the coastline. So the real map is much smaller than advertised: approximatelly 30,000 sq km. The price is ridiculous for what you get if you consider that the new ORBX map for southern UK is much more detailed covers at least three times the size of this one and costs less than 20 extra euros.

I purchased almost $400 worth of modules along with this map and week later this map is basically worthless because a new map is coming out. ED won't do anything to help so I'm refunding. Do not buy this map just wait for Normandy 2

[b][u]TL;DR[/u][/b] : A WW2-themed region of Normandy, France, usable for late-June to late-July 1944. Some pockets of detail, but much of the map remains inaccurate, unfinished or of low quality. Performance is poor. [b][u]Full Review[/u][/b] The Normandy DLC is a map for DCS World. It is only the map, and does [b][u]not[/u][/b] contain any World War 2 tanks, ships, aircraft, guns, infantry or any other "assets" (these are sold separately). At time of writing (May 2019), it is the only WW2 map for DCS. However, Eagle Dynamics have stated that there are two more WW2 maps in development. [b][u]The Region[/u][/b] This is Normandy. Although there are some other areas (Brittany and Hauts-de-France), these are just coastal outlines, to avoid an abrupt map edge, when flying at altitude. There is nothing in these regions; no towns, rivers or roads. Just some repetitive tiled landscape of fields/trees. There is also the English coast, and a couple of airfields. Some people are upset about the lack of detail, missing towns, etc.. I personally don't mind. The map is Normandy, not England, and having a least some bases there does allow cross channel flights or somewhere for bombers to operate. So, only Normandy is modelled and, even then, the areas in the north east (e.g. Dieppe) and southwest (e.g. Avranches) are empty. Some areas are quite detailed, but this detail is not correct and there are many areas where it simply does not match the historical terrain. Or, again, there are regions of the same tessellated empty landscape. Overall, the map is rather small. [b][u]The Era[/u][/b] The time period stated on the product page is late June 1944. Actually, the presence of the included ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds; the Allied temporary airfields) makes it more like late July. So, you need to ignore these if you are wanting to fly a D-Day mission or any of the initial sorties thereafter. [b][u]For the Allies[/u][/b] The map is designed for the Allies. It it their area of operation, and where they are attacking and engaging the defending German army. All-but-one of the bases are ALGs, established RAF bases or captured areas. Normandy is a required map for the WWI campaigns, Charnwood, Epsom, Big Show, etc. and it suits these well. [b][u]The Luftwaffe[/u][/b] There is a [b][u]single[/u][/b] Luftwaffe airfield (Evreux). There are three airfields used before D-day by the Luftwaffe (Lessay, Maupertus and Carpiquet) but these were abandoned by the Luftwaffe at the time in which this map is set. And you need to ignore all the ALGs if you want to fly the pre-D-Day period (and, in any case, DCS only has one pre-D-Day aircraft, the Spit.IX, so it is getting really contrived by then). [b][u]Modern?[/u][/b] Yes, in principle you can use it for modern operations. You can use any DCS asset on the map (incl. all the free modern ground units, AI aircraft, etc.). Most ALGs are too rough and short for jets, but there are three paved runways that can be used Carpiquet (France), Evreux (France) and Tangmere (England). You can place carriers in the English Channel too. The map is okay for helicopters, but the landscape is extremely flat. [b][u]Performance[/u][/b] Performance is not good. I have all four maps, and Normandy has flickering areas, stutters and even "lag spikes" as you go into new areas. I do not get this on the other three maps. And, although there are lots of remaining problems, the developers have abandoned the product and have moved on to their next project. [b][u]Appearance[/u][/b] It is okay compared to other WW2 games, but it still does not compare well to any of the other DCS maps. The product description says there are "multiple seasons"... there are NOT. There is no autumn browns or winter snow. The scenery is repetitive tiles of texture in many places. The iconic beaches of Normandy are dull. The towns are inaccurate and bland in many places... or even simply missing. [b][u]Conclusion[/u][/b] The fact that it is the only WW2 map currently available is the ONLY saving grace for this DLC. However, that will change one day. You might need this map for the WW2 campaigns or for WW2 multiplayer. But even now, only some multiplayer servers use this map (others are still on the Caucasus). Maybe it is worth getting on sale, as a bundle with the WW2 assets pack. But otherwise, forget it... just use the free Caucasus area and wait for the next WW2 maps. [b][u]Footnote[/u][/b] The developers of Normandy (UGRA Media) are now making a Syria Map for DCS. Given the lacklustre product here, I would urge [i]extreme[/i] caution before purchasing their next offering.

Definitely the worst DCS map. it's not all bad, but all the other maps are better. Even the free ones. There's really no reason to buy this, especially at full price. Wait for the new Normandy 2 map.

I'll recommend this map but have to say the Channel Map is better. The map is fairly high quality but has a few shortcomings. First, you're really only getting a small chunk of France with the map. There are some airfields on the UK side of the channel but details are sparse and there's not much terrain on that side. Second, the English Channel here is a bit wider so flying cross-channel takes some time. I mostly fly missions to/from bases only in France. At one time this was the only choice for WWII flying. Now with the release of the Channel Map we have another choice. Personally, I think the Channel Map is better.

What's good about the Normandy map: + It feels authentic in general and is the only place to fly the ww2 planes we have. + The trees are accurately sized giving a great sensation of speed and altitude. What's not so great about the Normandy map: - It often looks like a bunch of textures randomly put together rather than the real world. - No Speedtrees: the ones used are the right size but they look crap compared to the ones from the free Caucasus map: too bright in direct sunlight, changing appearance right in front of your aircraft, etc. The grass doesn't look, either. - Performance suffers as a result of not having the Speedtrees. - You'd think that the coast is very important in such a map. Not here! The beaches leave a lot to be desired. They just look bland. I expected something more detailed - It's much smaller than the Caucasus or the Persian Gulf. - The strip of England that's included serves only as a place to take off from and land. Very little attention was given to that area. Whole towns are missing. - The topography isn't accurate. The hills, which played a big role in the Normandy campaign, are often missing or are smaller than they should be. For such a small map I expected a very detailed terrain mesh. Overall, the Normandy map disappointed me. I regret getting it for the full price. It might be worth it at 50% and in a bundle with the assets. Do not buy at the full price and on its own. And just so you know: The studio responsible for this map is called Ugra Media and they are now working on their Syria map instead of fixing this. I suggest you wait with any preorders until the map comes out and there are enough reviews. After what I saw in their Normandy map, I have little confidence in Ugra Media. If they ever decide they need to fix the Normandy, I'll make sure to update my review. For now, it's a 5/10.

Overprized, undersized and badly made, looks ok at low level flying but the flaws will soon show up if you get to a higher altitude, and the studio is now working on some other maps before finishing this one, the new caucasus looks way better than this.

Don't get me wrong because I love flying DCS, I'm deep inside the community but... This is the best alternative out there... Once another one comes out, with better performance, details and as much realism, ED will be in trouble... Regarding to this map individually the LACK OF DETAIL is impressive. This is still LockOn style as in any other map available atm, just a bit better but better is FsX compared to this. And waking up to reality, we're on two thousand bloddy twenty. Those are not graphics to present to the current generation of gamer or sim lovers... At least some land marks would be nice for navigation purposes, I'm flying Spits over there with only a compass and a clock! This is VFR with no references what so ever, specially on the British side of it... I live in Chichester btw so it's really frustrating knowing who rich this land is and how many details are missing... How about extending to London and Paris? Maybe that would be too much work but certainly would increase it's value, if properly recreated. For the price tag, given this above, not worth it. Now is it the only realistic scenery for WWII aircraft? Yup... Happy flghts...

First Impressions ============= Not bad, IMHO only worth it if bought in a sale and with it's WWII asset pack that should have been included as standard. Buy your plane and fly over the free Caucasus map first, then buy this map in a sale at a later date, as IMHO, buying everything together is overly expensive. Details ===== The detailed map area is fairly small 130 x 190 miles but low detail coast line, etc. stretchs beyond this limit to the horizon and it's big enough for WWII birds and helicopters. It's about 90 miles from the UK to Normandy (11 minutes @ 500 knots in a fast jet), while in Normandy there seems to be a airstrip every 3-5 miles. There are no missions or campaigns included and as it's paid DLC - you'll need to create your own for SP and/or need friends, who have the same map/assets for MP. Owners of the DCS Spitfire or Mustang can buy a detailed SP campaign to play on the map- Spitfire: Epsom Campaign / P-51D Mustang: Operation Charnwood Campaign. Note: Each campaign has 2 free missions uploaded to ED's 'User Files' sections, so if you own both aircraft, there are 4 fully documented and voice acted missions to download and play for 'free'. Just as I've flown the P-51D over a modern Caucasus, I'm flying modern aircraft over Normandy 44 (mainly bought this map for it's geography, as I'm more into 60's, 70's, 80's jets and helicopters). Normandy is ideal Gazelle territory and over flying it, looks and feels very like modern French videos found on youtube (without the power lines, motorways and modern housing estates). The map is very flat and it's easy to see how a hill (little more than a pimple on the landscape) dominates for spoting and firing range. Not sure why ED modelled churchs in only a few select towns. In the UK - after the farms come the village church, pub and school and the 'parish' is 'sort of' the smallest level of government, so the presence of a church defines what is/isn't a village/town - pretty sure, France is similar. In the same way, it won't do to know the areas too well (from Google or WWII recon photos) as some areas are well represented and others not so much. The coast line, river, roads and railway lines match the period maps and building density for towns i.e. Caen/Staint Lo./Villers-Bocage are good but the buildings are some what generic - one or two more unique buildings would have helped (tank convoy approaching crossroads, 400 yrds west of the church/school/pub). For WWII dogfighting, it won't matter. At altitude, the profiles of Colombelles Steelworks/Caen canal are recognisable, so perhaps it's none issue once I become familar with ED's version of Normandy or an artifact of flying low in the Gazelle prior to writing a 'first impressions' review. I was a little disappointed with Normandy 44 the first time I flew over it (compared to the free 2.5 Caucasus map) but it's grown on me. If you own one of the WWII planes, it is definately worth adding to your library (at the right price). Buying fresh, it gets 'pricey' (Map+Assets+Plane+Campaign = 35+24+40+8 = £107), so I'd advise waiting for a sale or flying over the free Caucasus map first. Still don't know how much use I'll get from it and making/sharing missions set in the free Caucasus map make more sense as 'everyone' has that. Hence my mixed review and lowish rating. YMMV

Just bought it on a sale. I'm french, I'm from normandy (living here since I'm born). I know every corner of this region. Enough to tell you that it is not really accurate. Some city do not looks like it should, even in 44 ... Best example : Honfleur, no harbor here ? Same about the fields... Some beachs are simply not here or big enough ! But, according to me, the worst part is all the missing key points of Normandy... A quick list of missing things : - Mont St Michel - Bunkers all allong the Manche - Arromanche no floating harbor (ok it was after June 44 - but it is just so important) - Pegasus Bridge near Caen - Marshlands near Sainte Mère église - Cathedral at Lisieux - and so on... The theatre of operation is very tiny finally. Localized mainly near the DDay landings beachs with a few aerodrome. This map could have been way better than it is actually. Also It seems that ED just patch this map sporadically. So I don't think things will elvolve. it is still a pleasure to fly over Normandy, but not at this cost (even on sale), and not with this accuracy.