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By way of an update


Pman

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Hey Guys,

 

I thought I'd give you abit of an update on how things are going with DCS at the moment.

 

With P-40 we have completed the conversion of P-40 to DCS 2.1 This was no small task for us as we had focused on development in 1.5.x so that we could expand functionality as far as we could as fast as we could.

 

So whats working and whats not on P-40 at the moment?

 

Well the good news is more is working than isn't working. Most of the essential systems are working and in high fidelity as well.

 

Systems such as the hydraulics are modeled in alot of detail. The gear and flaps operating procedures and methodology matches that of the manual and real life feedback very very closely. The electronic systems and battery systems again have all been modeled in extensive detail as well.

 

We felt that we needed to expand this functionality as much as we could as these aspects as they are core to the experience of the P-40's core systems.

 

Work on the engine has been extensively overhauled including the startup process which has a degree of chance built into it, ask any warbird pilot and starting something like this is never a precise science. You can do the same thing 10 times and it won't behave the same way each time, we have spent quite alot of time working to replicate this behavior, its not finished and is something we will have to continue tuning through the remaining dev process and probably into Beta.

 

Work on textures, for the whole module, is continuing.

 

Flight model wise, We had conducted extensive testing (Thank you to our two supertesters - you know who you are) with repetitive glide and climb tests, max speed testing, engine performance testing, roll rate confirmation etc etc - The list is extensive. Now we are in 2.1 we need to do some verification to make sure nothing has changed or fallen to the wayside.

 

The FM is now performing pretty much where we want it in/around the circuit and in the tests which we have data for are lining up with the sim performance now we have completed a few months of testing and tweaking. Ground handling etc is all working lovely and the aircraft is performing very close to feedback received from our warbird pilots and where tuning and amendments need to happen we have been working with them to produce a better FM for everyone.

 

Weapons are all working and things like convergence etc is being fine tuned but it all fundamentally works, its just tweaks at this point.

 

Issues outstanding are mainly the "End game" stuff, primarily failures and departure from flight tuning, so spins and stalling. We have a couple of more advanced features that we'd like to add to the module, we haven't decided if they will be added before or during Beta. More on those in the next couple of months.

 

Ok, So Hawk.

 

Yes there are issues, We have been stripping away alot of the legacy code (bear in mind some of it was written over 5 years ago!) This has taken some considerable time.

 

We have a list of things that we want to work over and continue expanding development on, Most of these items are known in the community anyway but include things like FM tuning, Damage model re-work (primarily effects and failures), electic system issues etc. We know and have been logging lists of things that need reworking.

 

The work on Hawk is extensive and to do a proper job on it we have to unpick more stitches then we would have preferred but those are the shakes and its not something we are shying away from.

 

So, all I can hear you asking now is When? I wish I could tell you with precision, all I can say at the moment is that P-40 is currently taking up alot of our time with the conversion to 2.1 and the changes and expansion I spoke about earlier. I expect us to spend more of the remainder of 2017 working on getting P-40 as close to Beta as we can.

 

Early in 2018 more attention will be diverted to Hawk while our testers go over the P-40 and start inundating us with bug reports (not too many I hope!) One thing we do hope to push to Hawk sooner rather than later is the new PBR cockpit textures.

 

I will try and post some screen grabs etc next week, maybe a video depending on how time goes, the real life job is mental at the moment, limiting the time I can spend on screen grabs etc over actual development work, but I will try.

 

We made no secret that a good portion of our attention has moved away from DCS. This does not mean that we have abandoned it, not at all.

 

The team behind P-40 and the majority of people continuing to work on DCS in general are and always will be DCS pilots and from the community. We will continue to do everything we can do continue furthering the development of the P-40, Hawk and then eventually Spitfire XIV.

 

I look forward to being able to show you more of P-40 and the Hawk re-works over the coming weeks/months.

 

As always myself and the entire VEAO family do appreciate your support and we will continue push ourselves to get P-40 to beta as soon as possible and to get the re-work of the Hawk done as soon as we possibly can.

 

Pman

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Fantastic news! Fingers crossed you hit no more obstacles.

 

This is a very interesting plane.

Shagrat

 

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As disappointing as it is to hear it will be 2018 before work resumes on the HAWK. I'm glad you have said so, clarity is everything and I respect you'r honesty here. Thanks guys!

 

Work is continuing on Hawk now, we just hope to divert more resources to the re-work in early 2018.

 

Things like the PBR update I would expect to hit for sure in 2017!

 

Pman

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I will try and post some screen grabs etc next week, maybe a video depending on how time goes, the real life job is mental at the moment, limiting the time I can spend on screen grabs etc over actual development work, but I will try.

How hard it is to make some screenshots?!?!? Jesus Christ...

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How hard it is to make some screenshots?!?!? Jesus Christ...
Depends on what you do for a living, and how long and far away you are from your Computer, during work?

Shagrat

 

- Flying Sims since 1984 -:pilotfly:

Win 10 | i5 10600K@4.1GHz | 64GB | GeForce RTX 3090 - Asus VG34VQL1B  | TrackIR5 | Simshaker & Jetseat | VIRPIL CM 50 Stick & Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Plus/Apache64 Grip | MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals | WW Top Gun MIP | a hand made AHCP | 2x Elgato StreamDeck (Buttons galore)

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Awesome guys!

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Thanks for the update! I really appreaciate it!

 

Neither the Hawk nor the P-40 appeal to me as an aircraft, but I might give the P-40 a try eventually. Unlike the Hawk it's a real combat aircraft and I really like how you VEAO-guys are trying to make it as true to life as possible. Especially all the hydraulic modeling and now the randomized engine starting is really appealing to me. Great work! :thumbup:

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DCS Panavia Tornado (IDS) really needs to be a thing!

 

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Thank you for the update!

 

Awesome guys!

 

Thanks for the update! I really appreaciate it!

 

Neither the Hawk nor the P-40 appeal to me as an aircraft, but I might give the P-40 a try eventually. Unlike the Hawk it's a real combat aircraft and I really like how you VEAO-guys are trying to make it as true to life as possible. Especially all the hydraulic modeling and now the randomized engine starting is really appealing to me. Great work! :thumbup:

 

You're welcome guys

 

Pman

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Work is continuing on Hawk now, we just hope to divert more resources to the re-work in early 2018.

 

Things like the PBR update I would expect to hit for sure in 2017!

 

Pman

 

Sorry I understood this, I should have been clearer; the brunt of the underlying HAWK 2.0 re-work will be completed in 2018 I imagine?

Am I correct is saying current issues such as the brakes stuck on, UFC radio, Aim 9 tone and damage issues will most likely be pushed back to 2018?

 

Cheers,

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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Sorry I understood this, I should have been clearer; the brunt of the underlying HAWK 2.0 re-work will be completed in 2018 I imagine?

Am I correct is saying current issues such as the brakes stuck on, UFC radio, Aim 9 tone and damage issues will most likely be pushed back to 2018?

 

Cheers,

 

Yes pretty much all those except the brake issue (which we haven't replicated internally yet) will be in 2018.

 

Everytime we have tried to replicate the brake issue we haven't experienced it.

 

Pman

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P-40 ... We have a couple of more advanced features that we'd like to add to the module, we haven't decided if they will be added before or during Beta. More on those in the next couple of months.

 

 

I'm glad that this bird's development is coming along ... hope you can release it soon :)

 

 

 

Ok, So Hawk.

.. One thing we do hope to push to Hawk sooner rather than later is the new PBR cockpit textures.

 

 

I'd love to get these new cockpit before the end of the year :) as it's actually the least attractive aspect of this little airplane.

 

 

Thanks a lot for the update.

 

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I hate to be a Debby downer, but I am a warbird pilot, and engines don’t just have a “chance”’of not starting. It’s all due to environmental factors (temperature, humidity, residual engine temp, etc) and human variations such as how much you’ve primed, throttle position, etc. The planes I fly start the same every time on the first try, so long as you adjust slightly for the environment. I think building in “chance” is just a good way of frustrating people who are otherwise performing the procedures properly. I also wouldn’t fly an airplane that was based on “chance”

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I hate to be a Debby downer, but I am a warbird pilot, and engines don’t just have a “chance”’of not starting. It’s all due to environmental factors (temperature, humidity, residual engine temp, etc) and human variations such as how much you’ve primed, throttle position, etc. The planes I fly start the same every time on the first try, so long as you adjust slightly for the environment. I think building in “chance” is just a good way of frustrating people who are otherwise performing the procedures properly. I also wouldn’t fly an airplane that was based on “chance”

Things break, stuff wears out, tolerances change subtly and the environment (temps, humidity, density) is always different. Real aircraft are not digital, every time you start it up is a tiny bit different. Sometimes they just start not at the first attempt, but at the second, or third ... I think, they try to replicate this kind of behaviour.

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Things break, stuff wears out, tolerances change subtly and the environment (temps, humidity, density) is always different. Real aircraft are not digital, every time you start it up is a tiny bit different. Sometimes they just start not at the first attempt, but at the second, or third ... I think, they try to replicate this kind of behaviour.

 

Yeah pretty much, there is always a chance that something doesn't work, that is just the way life is.

 

I hate to be a Debby downer, but I am a warbird pilot, and engines don’t just have a “chance”’of not starting. It’s all due to environmental factors (temperature, humidity, residual engine temp, etc) and human variations such as how much you’ve primed, throttle position, etc. The planes I fly start the same every time on the first try, so long as you adjust slightly for the environment. I think building in “chance” is just a good way of frustrating people who are otherwise performing the procedures properly. I also wouldn’t fly an airplane that was based on “chance”

 

Sorry, I think you are wrong. Every time a warbird pilot flies there is always chance, I am not saying its a huge chance, but there is always one.

 

What if the pistons start shaving, Oil pressure leaks a value, there is a foreign object in the fuel line, a control cable frays or worse, A prop develops a vibration, your prime pump leaks a pusher seal.... The list is endless...

 

So there is always a chance that something will or will not happen. Performing procedures properly of course helps and is accounted for in the calculations, there is not a flat 50/50 chance. The chance to start the engine is dynamic depending on the action/preparation of the pilot, prime it too little and you decrease (but not automatically fail) the chance of start, over prime it the same, too much throttle, too little throttle, all add and subject % from the chance to start. So if you get all the procedures right for the right environmental conditions you will give yourself the best chance to start the engine, get them wrong however and you hinder your chances significantly to the point you can damage the engine,

 

Without a persistant spawn state (every spawn you get a new aircraft) this is the best we can come up with to add this dynamic behaviour

 

Pman

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Yeah pretty much, there is always a chance that something doesn't work, that is just the way life is.

 

 

 

Sorry, I think you are wrong. Every time a warbird pilot flies there is always chance, I am not saying its a huge chance, but there is always one.

 

What if the pistons start shaving, Oil pressure leaks a value, there is a foreign object in the fuel line, a control cable frays or worse, A prop develops a vibration, your prime pump leaks a pusher seal.... The list is endless...

 

So there is always a chance that something will or will not happen. Performing procedures properly of course helps and is accounted for in the calculations, there is not a flat 50/50 chance. The chance to start the engine is dynamic depending on the action/preparation of the pilot, prime it too little and you decrease (but not automatically fail) the chance of start, over prime it the same, too much throttle, too little throttle, all add and subject % from the chance to start. So if you get all the procedures right for the right environmental conditions you will give yourself the best chance to start the engine, get them wrong however and you hinder your chances significantly to the point you can damage the engine,

 

Without a persistant spawn state (every spawn you get a new aircraft) this is the best we can come up with to add this dynamic behaviour

 

Pman

That's actually AWESOME! We need something like this for the other WWII birds. I tried... https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=192633 "Finished" modules or not, the ED team should take a look at this for their props.

 

Are you able to give us any new screenshots of the P-40F? Like, wallpaper worthy screenshots? With sunsets, pretty scenery, vivid colors. Something like the picture in my signature?

A short video, perhaps? Or...no?


Edited by Magic Zach

Hardware: T-16000M Pack, Saitek 3 Throttle Quadrant, Homemade 32-function Leo Bodnar Button Box, MFG Crosswind Pedals Oculus Rift S

System Specs: MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS, GTX 1070 SC2, AMD RX3700, 32GB DDR4-3200, Samsung 860 EVO, Samsung 970 EVO 250GB

Modules: Ka-50, Mi-8MTV2, FC3, F/A-18C, F-14B, F-5E, P-51D, Spitfire Mk LF Mk. IXc, Bf-109K-4, Fw-190A-8

Maps: Normandy, Nevada

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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