Looks like the good people at Eagle Dynamics and The Fighter Collection have opened up a framework product known as DCS: World to third party developers in order to create new modules for their popular simulation line. This first post is from David Brice of the IRIS Flight Simulation Software team, a company who is legendary for its Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons:
So where do I start?!?
About two weeks ago, I was approached by Matt Wagner, one of the producers over at The Fighter Collection about the development of DCS World, a modular based combat system for 3rd party add-on content. I had been a long time fan of the Eagle Dynamics crew from a few years ago, with LOMAC, DCS A-10C and other similar products.
After some long discussions with the producers and with the IRIS Team, we decided that it would be of great benefit to us to embrace this new platform with open arms. We knew from the get-go that this would be a massive investment in time and man hours, as we had to basically relearn everything we’d developed before.
For those of you who don’t know, we’ve been developing add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator for over a decade and we’ve worked with various industry professionals and air forces worldwide during that time. Whilst that knowledge has served us in good stead until know, we know that really, the only elements common to both DCS and MSFS was the 3D model and the artwork.
So we’re hard at work learning how DCS World works, how aircraft and mods fit into the grand scheme of things, and how to read russian.. 
The team is also working hard forging new friendships and working relationships with ED team members and forum members to best learn how things work.
At the moment then, it’s a LOT of groundwork laying the foundation from which to develop some fantastic military aircraft for the DCS world platform. We’re enthusiastic and positive within the team… Daily we go from giddy enthusiasm at the open doors ahead to outright dread at what the heck we’ve gotten ourselves into!
Still, we forge onwards. We hope that the community will provide us with feedback on what they’d like us to develop and how they think we’re progressing. It is a new path for us, and we realise that whilst we’re old hands at developing for MSFS, we know very little in the realm of DCS. We hope you will all join in on this new journey with us and enjoy some of the products we have planned.
Thanks guys.
David.
