VRS TacPack: Is it dead in the water for any updates?

[Navy Chief]

I haven't been checking on forum posts concerning a update to TacPack to make it compatible with P3DV5. I guess VRS has decided not to do any more? NC

 

[YoYo]

I haven't been checking on forum posts concerning a update to TacPack to make it compatible with P3DV5. I guess VRS has decided not to do any more? NC

I didnt see official statement of VRS like this. Perhaps it will be longer than hotfix after new patch for P3Dv4 but I think we will recive TP for P3Dv5 one day.
According this topic they work on it https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20203&p=130850#p130850 .

Nothing yet, and probably won't be for awhile. I'm fairly confident we'll be going there soon, but please don't forget that FS2020 just popped up and I'm personally diverting a lot of my attention to playing with that right now. Basically, it's a war on multiple fronts and I'm trying not to get PTSD

 

[Navy Chief]

I didnt see official statement of VRS like this. Perhaps it will be longer than hotfix after new patch for P3Dv4 but I think we will recive TP for P3Dv5 one day.
According this topic they work on it https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20203&p=130850#p130850 .

Thanks YoYo. I think a lot of people have quit checking, as they got tired of little or no info about it. NC

 

[Mach3DS]

My .02 about VRS TacPack.

It was a great concept. It worked for many years as a stop gap. Once DCS started to make complex Full Fidelity modules, TacPack became obsolete IMO. I supported it for many years and iterations and multiple sims (FSX/P3D). There were originally supposed to be 3 phases with new features such as AI bandits and etc. etc. Nothing ever materialized. And honestly using the CCP/FSX@war was a total crap shoot. It brought everyone's systems to their knees if used in MP environment...which honestly, I don't play single player enything anymore...so multiplayer ops is where it's at for me.

VRS has arguably some of the most talented coders in FS community. But they have remained a small team from what I understand, and as such have long development times - IMHO - they are too long to hold viable interest. Other stuff has cropped up in the mean time to supplant the need for whatever they were cooking up/or not. Add to that, from what I understand the owner has some family needs that take up a lot of his time. So I don't fault anyone for lack of features etc. The fact is they never came, and that's ok. The natural cycle of free market takes care of that. I finally stopped supporting it about 2 years ago when I went full time to DCS. Never looked back. I felt I supported as long as I could. I hear they have a F model hornet in the works - but that it won't be textured with PBR?? Again I think due to the small team and insufficient resources to tackle changes in graphics engine changes and the sim world has so radically changed landscape in the last 2 years that I can understand why they haven't been able to pivot with it. Their's is an ultra complex product that basically breaks with each iteration of P3D...?

Lastly I've heard they have some professional contracts (just what I've read on forums), so whatever time would have been devoted to the consumer side, takes it prioritized place I imagine. Rightfully so. You got to pay the bills first and foremost. I hope that somehow, they will bring their aircraft products to MSFS, I will fully support that move from day one. But I can't imagine that will happen anytime soon just based on the historical time lines. Hopefully I'm very, very wrong about that.

 

[Scorch00]

My .02 about VRS TacPack.

It was a great concept. It worked for many years as a stop gap. Once DCS started to make complex Full Fidelity modules, TacPack became obsolete IMO. I supported it for many years and iterations and multiple sims (FSX/P3D). There were originally supposed to be 3 phases with new features such as AI bandits and etc. etc. Nothing ever materialized. And honestly using the CCP/FSX@war was a total crap shoot. It brought everyone's systems to their knees if used in MP environment...which honestly, I don't play single player enything anymore...so multiplayer ops is where it's at for me.

VRS has arguably some of the most talented coders in FS community. But they have remained a small team from what I understand, and as such have long development times - IMHO - they are too long to hold viable interest. Other stuff has cropped up in the mean time to supplant the need for whatever they were cooking up/or not. Add to that, from what I understand the owner has some family needs that take up a lot of his time. So I don't fault anyone for lack of features etc. The fact is they never came, and that's ok. The natural cycle of free market takes care of that. I finally stopped supporting it about 2 years ago when I went full time to DCS. Never looked back. I felt I supported as long as I could. I hear they have a F model hornet in the works - but that it won't be textured with PBR?? Again I think due to the small team and insufficient resources to tackle changes in graphics engine changes and the sim world has so radically changed landscape in the last 2 years that I can understand why they haven't been able to pivot with it. Their's is an ultra complex product that basically breaks with each iteration of P3D...?

Lastly I've heard they have some professional contracts (just what I've read on forums), so whatever time would have been devoted to the consumer side, takes it prioritized place I imagine. Rightfully so. You got to pay the bills first and foremost. I hope that somehow, they will bring their aircraft products to MSFS, I will fully support that move from day one. But I can't imagine that will happen anytime soon just based on the historical time lines. Hopefully I'm very, very wrong about that.

I'd have to agree with you on pretty much everything you said. After using their products from FS9 to FSX. After moving to P3D the slower movement of VRS made it difficult to warrant paying out for everything all over again and little or no discount for loyal customers especially with the P3D version being 20% more expensive roughly than it was when I first bought it for FSX. (which is a tad annoying, but I understood). Plus every update done to V4 made it so TacPack or a feature in the Super Bug wouldn't work, so people are waiting the better part of a month sometimes waiting to update P3D because TacPack wouldn't work. After reading about the headaches. I just opted to not bother with it, I downloaded DCS in the middle of that dilemma. Their F model has been a thing for close to 10 years, I saw model screenshots of it back in 2013. Longer development cycle than DCS aircraft by a long shot. Granted semi-new aircraft, but 10 years is a long time. But anyway, never got their products in P3D. Not knocking their products at all. They are some of the best out there for being such a small organization. But, like you I decided to move to more high fidelity military stuff in DCS. I fly the Hornet in there almost exclusively. TacPack I also believe had it's time in the sun so to speak. With DCS, there's no need for it in all honesty. There's a reason a number of country's air forces have moved to DCS for pilot training and familiarization and not P3D.

Hopefully they give V5 support for people that use it. I'd just not expect it any time soon. Their MO usually has been they'd update people when there was something to talk about. They were pretty straightforward I thought in that department. I'd venture that if they haven't said anything, then they are probably weighing it. There is FS2020 too, so I also bet there's delay to put products out for that first since it will be the cash cow for the near future for most developers.