DCS Kola can only be described as a map of massive scale and enormous passion. The Kola Terrain for DCS by Orbx covers a massive span of countries, including Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russian Murmansk Oblast, and part of the Karelia Region. Additionally, the map includes areas of the Barents and Norwegian seas to facilitate carrier operations. All of this work combined produces a map ranging 575,000 square kilometers in range.
All half-million square kilometers will receive constant updates from the developers throughout the early access release. The team at Orbx is dedicated to providing a high-quality product from release and throughout the post-release cycle.
As the map is available on early access, Orbx has discounted the product for a limited time to USD 55.99. The price is likely to increase as more content is added. Kola Map is available to purchase from the Orbx store.
Early Access Features – Kola Terrain
Orbx is known for its hand-crafted terrains with an extreme level of detail, so despite the early access release, the 575,000 square kilometers still include highly detailed topography, ground textures, shorelines, lakes, and rivers. Within the base textures are the focus regions lying on the border between Finland and Russia, as well as central Finland, Western Murmansk, and parts of the Karelia region. The image below gives a visual representation of the focus region upon release.
Orbx has also made an effort to ensure that those of you who fly REDFOR (red-coalition forces) are well-catered to. This early access release of the Kola Terrain includes five highly detailed Russian airbases and surrounding areas (XLMV, ULAK, RU-110, RU-4464, and ULMM). Additionally, two Finnish airbases (EFRO and EFKE) and surrounding areas have received the same treatment. Lastly, and by far my favorite addition, two Finnish road runways, and surroundings are modeled to permit a highly realistic Cold War experience (happy Viggen noises).
Outside of the launch focus region, two airports in Norway (ENBO and ENNA) and three in Sweden (ESNQ, ESNJ, and ESUK) are modeled but not to their full level of detail. The release also includes a wide variety of civilian POIs, perfect for use as setpoints or reference points. These include Hydrodams, Power Stations, Port Facilities, Bridges, Vertical Obstructions, and much more. Furthermore, a full plethora of natural landmarks and geographic features, such as the famed Norse Fjords, Coastlines, Snowfields, Wetlands, and complex River Systems, are included in this release. All of these features are 3-D modeled to elevate the Orbx DCS Kola experience.
In an effort to aid mission creation, Orbx has included modeling of main road and railroad networks with bridges and tunnels. These are pre-set for AI routing over extremely long distances. Orbx is already collaborating with DCS campaign creators Baltic Dragon and Reflected Simulations to bring exciting and engaging campaigns!
Future Updates – Kola Terrain
Orbx has already planned a series of content updates for the Kola Terrain. Coming soon is an exciting, dynamic weather textures system that accurately applies winter or the already included summer textures based on mission dates to reflect the cold and harsh climate of the Kola area. Future updates will also bring new airfields, naval/army bases, ports, radar and communication sites, and air defense sites.
Orbx is no stranger to flight simulation add-on development. However, prior to today, Orbx had never released a product for the immensely popular mil-sim-oriented DCS: World. Orbx’s previously released products ranged from FSX and P3D all the way to Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 12. The group of talented developers is dipping their toes (more like cannonballing) into DCS development, marking the last major flight simulator that has yet to be graced by the hard work and dedication that this team has committed to all other simulators.
With the Orbx team pitching their weight into DCS development, the quality of the Kola Terrain, and the hype surrounding the many upcoming DCS modules, the DCS Kola module is an excellent investment into the future, both for the development team and for you. At just $55.99 during early access, this terrain is extremely well-priced. Additionally, those of you who desire to fly anywhere outside the Middle East or the USA were stuck with the aging and deprecated Caucasus region. The team at Orbx has brought a product that is an absolute must for anyone looking to fly in the heavily contested regions modeled in the Kola Terrain.
Purchase the DCS Kola Terrain by Orbx through their website here while the early access discount lasts. As product development continues, this $55.99 price tag won’t last!
