DCS: Kola map now available for early access.
The early access DCS: Kola Map covers northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Russian Murmansk Oblast, and parts of the Karelia region. It also includes large areas of the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea to the north and west, ideal for aircraft carrier operations.
This area contains several high-detail locations, centered on airports in Finland (EFRO, EFKE, plus two road airbases), and Russia (XLMV, ULAK, RU-1110, RU-4464, ULMM), along with their urban and rural surroundings and infrastructure. Outside this focus area, two airports in Norway (ENBO, ENNA) and three in Sweden (ESNQ, ESNJ, ESUK) are functional but not fully detailed yet.
The Orbx team has made every effort to craft a map that can be enjoyed by all types of users and will continue to update the map with additional content including airports, military installations, natural features, and lots more POIs over the following months. The team will also work on enhancing ground textures to reach a “real-life” level of detail as much as possible. Normally priced at USD 69.99, the early release of Kola will be offered at a 20% discount, reducing the price to USD 55.99 (excluding all applicable taxes). The purchase price may also increase as the map evolves with further content.
Here are the key features you can expect from the Early Access release:
- Complete base terrain for the entire map area, with highly detailed topography, summer ground textures summer, shorelines, and lakes and rivers.
- An initial focus area spans the Finland/Russia border and encompasses central Finland and the western parts of the Murmansk and Karelia regions of Russia (see map).
- Four high-detail areas, focusing on two airports in Finland (EFRO, EFKE) and five in Russia (XLMV, ULAK, RU-1110, RU-4464, ULMM), and their urban and rural surroundings and infrastructure.
- Two road runways in Finland, near Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, respectively.
- Two additional airports in Norway (ENBO, ENNA) and three in Sweden (ESNQ, ESNJ, ESUK) are functional but not fully detailed at early-access release.
- Significant civilian POIs include bridges, vertical obstructions, monuments, hydro dams, power stations, port facilities, landmark buildings, open-pit mines, towns and small villages, and industrial sites.
- Improved night lighting for cities and towns.
- Main road and railroad network, with bridges and tunnels, which are connected across the map and allow long-distance AI routing.
- Natural landmarks and geographic features, like Norwegian fjords, detailed coastlines, snowfields, forests and wetlands, tens of thousands of lakes, and large river systems.
- Map features represent the current era but include allowances for the late-Cold War era – e.g., operational road runways and fully functioning Russian air bases – to enhance mission options.
- The Orbx team is collaborating with experienced DCS campaign creators Baltic Dragon and Reflected Simulations to create engaging campaigns.
Additional features already planned:
- Complete set of winter textures that load dynamically based on mission date, to accurately represent the cold and harsh climate of the Kola area.
- Additional detailed military airfields, including Andøya, Bardufoss, Kirkenes, Evenes, Vidsel, Kilpyavr, Alakkurti, and others.
- Additional military installations like naval and army bases, barracks, ports, storage areas, training areas/ranges, radar and communication sites, and air defense sites.
- Additional Cold War era Swedish and Finnish road runways.
- Additional civilian airports, including Tromsø, Hammerfest, Ivalo, Luleå, and others.
- Additional detailed cities and towns, POIs, and industrial sites.
- Improvements to landscape features and detail, as well as additional areas with high-resolution aerial ortho imagery.
Note that the DCS: Kola Map available on Orbx Direct IS NOT compatible with the STEAM VERSION of DCS World. If you have DCS via Steam, you will need to download the map via Steam too.
Prerequisites
Download and install the current version of DCS World from here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/world/
INSTALLATION
PLEASE NOTE THAT ORBX CENTRAL CANNOT BE USED TO INSTALL THIS PRODUCT
Here is what needs to be done:
To commence using DCS Kola, follow these simple steps:
Visit https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/personal/licensing/voucher/
Log in or register your details
If you’re a first time user of DCS, don’t forget to check your spam folder for the confirmation email - it might be waiting for you there!
Copy the License Key provided in your email receipt and paste it into the “Voucher Redeem” field.
Click the redeem button, then start DCS World and download the map with the Module Manager.
Instructions on how to install DCS add-on modules can be found here:
https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/faq/#1432837
DCS World is free.
More FAQs here: https://orbx.co/dcs-kola-map-faqs/
