DCS: F-14 Development Update - Enter the -A!

[IronMike]

 

It's not about about whether I took the day off work or not. The reality is Heatblur is bad at communication. I'm not talking about you personally, but in general. You can write a wall of text and post great information about an upcoming update, but what's the point of writing something is delayed two and a half hours before it's supposed to be released? It was two and a half hours since the original Heatblur post and the patch release. What is also the point of release dates, when they are always missed? Every single time you all do this, my resentment builds up even more. This is why I'm really blowing up all of a sudden about this. I know this might not seem normal to people to get this bent out of shape, but it's really a culmination of 7 years of this. This literally happens every single time. Nothing is ever put out in the timeframe Heatblur says it will be whether it is, previews, updates, releases, bug fixes, etc.

 

Some people view it as entitlement, I view it as expectations set forth by the company itself that are not met. Yes the products are extremely high quality, works of art even. Doesn't mean you're the best at communication.

 

Let me tell you something, this is not about winning some argument or abusing the Heatblur team. It's about, why can every 3rd party and ED communicate delays reasonably but after all the complaints from people for almost a decade, you all can't? I'm not the only person that's complained about this.

 

Ricktober is also right, I should have known better.

 

 

Because we reserve ourselves the right to delay as much as is needed to achieve not only the additional amount of quality you get, but also content. You are right though: we utterly suck at giving dates. Because, in fact, we shouldnt give any. At all. Ever. IMO. Not a single date, not a single prediction. It will be ready, when it is ready. However: that does not fly with you guys. You want dates, you want estimates, and we try to do our best to give them. There is no obligation from us to hold any patch date in fact, only the ones we set for ourselves. And yes, we do stumble over that time and time again. Yet, giving these dates is good will towards you guys. Likewise you guys accepting that such dates will most often be missed, is the good will from the community in return.

 

The thing is this: would we not offer additional content, we would never get into this situation. Ever. We would have been done with the F-14 2 months after release. But then it would not be the same. Look at the list of wishes you guys have, despite everything else already being in there. It is never enough. And that is what we embrace, in fact. It pushes us further, it pushes simulations further and we try hard and work hard to accommodate as many of these extra wishes as possible, extra features as possible, extra content and extra quality as possible. The price we pay for that, is that we will have to delay often and that things take longer. No other dev has these issues, because no other dev offers that. And honestly, what or what not others miss or don't is of little concern to us. They have their thing, and we have ours.

 

Now, I am not saying this to simply wipe your criticism away. It is legitimate and has its place and is being fully acknowledged. I am saying this to try to explain why the reality is as is. And what we have to deal with.

 

As for general communication: I would say we communicate more than most others and we are also reachable and approachable in any kind of way. But it is not our job to accommodate personal schedules we cannot know about. At no point - ever - did we say it will release on this date. We said October. There was no October patch. You then went ahead and assumed it would be thus on the 4th, which we never said either. And went ahead and took a day off without any confirmation of this date whatsoever. Now, everyone should do as he pleases, imo, but my personal advice would be: if you are going to schedule your real life after something like that: just write us and ask: hey guys, wanna take a day off for release, will it be on the 4th? Because to accommodate such particularities for each and everyone is not our job. How could we? We cannot go and ask each and every one of you, what are your plans? But we will be more than happy to consider them, if we know about them. Communication is a two-way street. :)

Edited November 5, 2020 by IronMike

[Reccelow]

Regards adding DL to CVN-75:

• "Add CVN-75 to the data link capable carriers"
  

I'm not seeing this as active after the update (prior saved or new mission created). Is there something else to do to enable it? It does not show in the Jester DL Host menu, not sure where to look for the actual freq to input in the RIO pit

 

Has anyone have the DL working for CVN-75?

 

Disregard, I see this will become active after the next update not yesterdays....

[Wizard_03]

 

That's a post from 2015. I highly doubt we'll get them as they'd require considerable aerodynamic work as well. Please show me a source that states they were a thing until the 90's. All SME's I've heard talk about them said they were removed or deactivated very early on.

 

I already did, and heatblur specifically said as a visual option only, as in they won't have any impact on the FM.

[Rock3tman_]

Can't wait to have the true Top Gun! As a quick question, what is the ALQ that I've seen as replacing the TCS on the early model F-14A?

[WolfHound009]

Can't wait to have the true Top Gun! As a quick question, what is the ALQ that I've seen as replacing the TCS on the early model F-14A?

 

A little nub under the nose. looks pretty neat...

 

[eatthis]

sorry if this has been covered but what did we actually get in this update?

[draconus]

As a quick question, what is the ALQ that I've seen as replacing the TCS on the early model F-14A?

 

It's the ECM.

 

@eatthis: There's nothing for F-14 in yesterday's patch. 18th is the planned big patch date.

[Rock3tman_]

 

It's the ECM.

.

 

Ah, thanks for that. Anyways, so hyped for this new campaign too. Should be a lot of fun getting to know this version of the bird! (In some more colorful liveries)

[carss]

Quick Question: Will this/these F-14As replace the old potato F-14A AI model we currently have in DCS?

[carss]

Also what about Glove veins on any of the F-14As? Especially the older ones?

[Nexus-6]

Damn, is it even possible to make that engine nozzle animation look any better??

[draconus]

Quick Question: Will this/these F-14As replace the old potato F-14A AI model we currently have in DCS?

Usually the old ones are kept to not break any older missions but maybe it could work if ED (not HB's job) just swap the model.

 

Glove vanes are not in plans currently.

[G.J.S]

Here’s hoping . . BUT . . Will the tailerons be correctly modelled this time? As on the ‘B’ they are not. Every ‘cat has them angled down, as detailed months ago in other posts, but the HB F-14 STILL has them perfectly flat, which actual F-14s don’t.

[LanceCriminal86]

There's a few model corrections that have been put in through the year, they've been acknowledged and I suspect that as some of the continuing model work happens they will be added to the workflow to be corrected. Right now the big fish is get stuff in, then corrections to tailerons, NACA ducts, engine vents on the B, the textures on the engine nacelles where the landing gear locks in, and some UVWs that are assigned the wrong textures will come as they're working through the list. Remember they're also in there doing new pilot models and all of the additions to the A model for early/late like the alternate TCS options, GPS antenna, and RWR/ECM antennas along the wing gloves. I'm fairly certain their model guy hasn't just been sitting around waiting for random model corrections to come in here or there for the last year.

 

Oh, don't forget the same guys is probably working on the A-6 and Forrestal which we are also all clamoring for. I'm fairly sure we're going to see the corrections and changes, they'll just need to come when at the right stage in the workflow.

[DanPDX]

I lost a lot of money taking the day off to enjoy the "massive F-14 patch". Not to mention I've been complaining for almost a decade to them about how they are late every single time with everything ranging from previews, updates, to actual releases.

 

Seems to me that you taking a day off of work for this is your own problem. That gives you no basis to get mad at anyone other than yourself.

Also, seeing as your account was created March of this year, I think it is rather unlikely that you have been actively engaged in complaining to Heatblur for "almost a decade."

 

 

[Top Jockey]

Also what about Glove vanes on any of the F-14As? Especially the older ones?

 

Previous page, from post # 67 onwards.

[ricktoberfest]

 

Seems to me that you taking a day off of work for this is your own problem. That gives you no basis to get mad at anyone other than yourself.

Also, seeing as your account was created March of this year, I think it is rather unlikely that you have been actively engaged in complaining to Heatblur for "almost a decade."

 

 

Has heatblur been around for 7 years?

[Guest Guest]

I want to thank the SME's and the HB team for their time and hard work on the F-14.

[carss]

Usually the old ones are kept to not break any older missions but maybe it could work if ED (not HB's job) just swap the model.

 

Glove vanes are not in plans currently.

 

Oh ok gotcha.

I do hope ED does update the Carl Vinson model considering it's quite useless now. Plus many of the old missions don't even work on the new DCS unless they're extensively updated. In my case when I try that I can't even save the mission

 

[Steve Gee]

Usually the old ones are kept to not break any older missions but maybe it could work if ED (not HB's job) just swap the model.

 

Glove vanes are not in plans currently.

 

It'll replace that LOMAC-era A model. it shouldn't affect missions, since it's just a one-for-one model swap.

[WolfHound009]

 

It doesn't. This is the internet, I'm anonymous, your a stranger, and probably a foreigner to me as well.

 

I AM entitled, to my opinion that is. Them making a high quality product does not make them immune to criticism. I lost a lot of money taking the day off to enjoy the "massive F-14 patch". Not to mention I've been complaining for almost a decade to them about how they are late every single time with everything ranging from previews, updates, to actual releases.

 

We didn't need pictures and a wall of text for them to communicate the update wasn't dropping today. They could have said a sentence a few days ago instead.

 

Stop being a cry baby. You decided to take a day off work therefore ur accountable to yourself. No one wants to hear u complain. Have a nice day.

[DanPDX]

Yaw String

 

Not much to say. We love this. Hope you will too! Coming for both F-14A and -B.

 

 

 

This has me way more excited than it should, but a question has been eating at me: is the yaw string going to have transonic/supersonic effects modeled or will it just lie flat through the entire flight regime?

[captain_dalan]

 

 

This has me way more excited than it should, but a question has been eating at me: is the yaw string going to have transonic/supersonic effects modeled or will it just lie flat through the entire flight regime?

 

Now you know why they decided to add the option to remove the HUD camera! :thumbup: On a conventional screen (non VR) it would be quite hard to spot it with the camera there.

[CheckGear]

MS22001 Mask

 

I don't even know what to say. Heatblur, you guys outdo yourselves every time! The passion you demonstrate is just incredible!

[S. Low]

I think I’m as excited about the afterburner gate keybind as I am about the A model lol. Thanks fellas