Heatblur Simulations F-14 A/B
- Thread starter Phantom88
- Start date
Donation drives
Phantom88
Charter Member
**Forrestal News**
Some News via Reddit
“We’re still aiming to have an Alpha of the Forrestal out this month. Things are changing re carriers with the Supercarrier, so there is some uncertainty in the air whether we can launch the coming week. Will keep you updated ASAP.
Phantom88
Charter Member
***Dev Update***
Dear All,
Another quarter has passed with blazing speed. To say that it has been an interesting three months is quite the understatement. We hope that you are all keeping safe, healthy, and doing your part in flattening the curve(s). While we’re a remote team and impact on our development has been minimal due to quarantine measures, it’s difficult to avoid any and all impact - especially with family and friends involved, and with one team member already having been ill. Hopefully the Heatblur team will see absolutely minimal disruption to our continued development over the next few months, and we’ll keep you updated if anything should change.
This quarter we’ve been working diligently on getting some big ticket items ready, with the intention to ship them this quarter as well. We’ve ended up somewhat short of our ambitious goals shipping wise, as we’ve fallen slightly behind and tally only a few new features shipped in February and March, together with the usual slew of fixes and changes. For those of you who have not been following along each set of patch notes; here’s the full list of changes from Q1 2020:
The team is focused on launching two major features in the short term; The Forrestal class carriers and TWS-Auto functionality for the AWG-9.
Forrestal Class Carriers
Another quarter has passed with blazing speed. To say that it has been an interesting three months is quite the understatement. We hope that you are all keeping safe, healthy, and doing your part in flattening the curve(s). While we’re a remote team and impact on our development has been minimal due to quarantine measures, it’s difficult to avoid any and all impact - especially with family and friends involved, and with one team member already having been ill. Hopefully the Heatblur team will see absolutely minimal disruption to our continued development over the next few months, and we’ll keep you updated if anything should change.
This quarter we’ve been working diligently on getting some big ticket items ready, with the intention to ship them this quarter as well. We’ve ended up somewhat short of our ambitious goals shipping wise, as we’ve fallen slightly behind and tally only a few new features shipped in February and March, together with the usual slew of fixes and changes. For those of you who have not been following along each set of patch notes; here’s the full list of changes from Q1 2020:
- Added Cage the Bear campaign COOP version, thank you Kaba!
- Fixed Bone Strike mission for SP and COOP
- Updated most SP missions to have mission goals enabled
- Fix for datalink showing missiles
- Fixed various initialization issues
- Fix to nozzle logic during engine starts and shutdowns
- Tweaked damage resistance for engines and wing tanks - direct missile hits will cause more damage
- Aerodynamic damage improvements - direct missile hits will cause more damage
- Fix for doubling of trim rate when using a FFB stick (also ignore vJoy as a FFB device)
- Significantly improved drawcall efficiency of VDI and HUD - may boost FPS on drawcall/CPU constrained systems
- Added default pilot bindings for the new VKB F-14 stick
- Reduced audible range of exterior sounds
- Added new compressor stall sounds.
- Fixed sound files paths for RWR, KY-28 and Walkman (2.5.6 compatibility)
- Added lubber line to Whiskey Compass
- Fixed gaps in weapons selector on pilot’s stick
- Added RIO white floodlights
- Added CAP category knob CW/CCW keybindings
- Multiple low speed and ground effect handling qualities improvements in pitch axis
- Slightly Increased Stab Power (also in ground effect)
- Additional MIL and AB thrust tweaks for performance following stores drag improvements
- Tweaked drag while maneuvering above mach 1.2
- Reduced landing gear pitch moment
- Removed glass from collision model
- Fixed custom cockpit livery not registering (Thanks uboats!)
18-02-2020 - Use INS for radar stabilization instead of real-time DCS values
- Fixed regression in angle limits of radar stabilization that caused contact/track loss in RWS/TWS at large pitch angles.
- Fixed the transponder panel code ranges: M1 00-73 (5 bit octal), M3 0000-7777 (12bit octal)
- Fixed regressions caused by SDK mismatch:
- Fixed trim not working
- Fixed debriefing window not appearing
- Fixed AIM-9 SEAM/Lock
- Mission starting in F10 view
17-03-2020 - NEW! Added TID AVIA page (displaying AoA, Vertical velocity, ILS and ACLS), enabling the RIO to closely monitor landing procedures and assist the pilot with pattern work
- Fix for radar ground stabilization at high roll angles
- Fix for radar range scale reverting to 200NM during P-SEARCH HCU acquisition in multicrew
- Fix for RWS contacts on TID timing out too soon in a 1-bar scan
- Added COMM1_FREQ and COMM2_FREQ params exported to lua scripts for ARC-159 and ARC-182 radios (for example to be used with “cockpit param” in mission editor)
- Fix for AB lighting at too high of a throttle position
- Improvements to pilot stick travel animation
- Added afterburner markers on controls indicator
- Removed debug carrier glideslope on controls indicator
- Added FFB trim checkbox option for more realistic trim operation feel while using a FFB joystick (works if ANY non-vJoy FFB device is detected!)
- More realistic FFB travel with trim actuator movement
- Adjusted compressor stall spool dynamics
- Fine tuning of pitch axis handling qualities
More importantly, however, is of course what is to come and will be shipping in the near future.
Forrestal Class Carriers
I have egg on my face. I felt pretty safe in my statement here on hoggit that we’d launch the Forrestal in March; and our plans have revolved around doing a standalone, alpha/beta release here on the forums. This would allow us to gauge feedback and actively develop the carriers before merging them into our live branch and distributing the content through one of the next patches.
Unfortunately, we’ve had to take a few steps backwards with regards to all of our plans. Not only has our schedule slipped somewhat on completing the Forrestal itself; but the recent carrier launch issues and the work needing to be done to support the new Super Carrier module has kept things in flux. This is a frustrating scheduling miss for us as we were hoping to already have this content out late last year; but we’d rather keep things in the oven a little longer and provide a more enjoyable small-carrier experience. It is coming- you paid for it- we’ll deliver.
Another element to this has been the launch of the Super Carrier. We have great respect for our partners at Eagle, and while we don’t believe our Forrestals will cause any issues for the SC (especially since the Forrestal is not designed to have feature parity anyways!) - we still want to respectfully give the SC breathing room in the spotlight; as it is undoubtedly a great investment of time and effort by the ED team and an exciting product.
In the meantime; we’ll focus on getting out a Forrestal focused update to you all in the next week, and we’ll show off our work through some pleasing eye-candy and hopefully launch shortly thereafter (either through a download, or through a patch if the timing works out). In the meantime; our apologies for the missed timeline. This feature is a top priority for us.
TWS-Auto
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We’re now very close to launching TWS-A!
Due to the size, complexity and importance of this feature, we will be doing a separate dedicated article on it in the coming few days.
Stay tuned!
F-14A
F-14A work continues as one of our top priorities, outside of the Forrestal, Jester LANTIRN, -B engine gauges, and other big ticket items. Features still in development include;
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WiP TF-30 NozzleOne of the biggest items on the agenda for the F-14A are the P&W TF30 engines. We’ve been busy adapting our engine models to simulate the TF-30. We’re pleased to announce that the TF30 equipped F-14A is ready for internal testing! Lets dive in depth on what this means;
F-14A TF30 Engine Development Update
In an attempt to keep things fairly short, the focus will mainly be on major differences between the TF30 and F110, as well as unique TF30 systems and characteristics. If you’d like to read more about turbofan engine components and their modeling, go here and here.
The F-14A is powered by two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P414A low-bypass turbofan engines with afterburner for thrust augmentation. The TF30 was originally developed by Pratt & Whitney in the early 60s for the cancelled F6D Missileer. An afterburner section was then added for its use on the product of the TFX program; the F-111. The Navy wasn’t satisfied with their version, the F-111B, and decided to go with a new design from Grumman Aerospace. To save cost and time, it was decided to re-use the engine from the TFX program and then upgrade the fleet with improved, higher-thrust engines later. This new design resulted in the F-14A, which entered service in 1974. The US Navy received 478 F-14A airframes and Iran received 79. It was 1986 by the time the higher thrust, F110-powered F-14B showed up, and in much smaller numbers than the F-14A.
Let’s get into the details of major features that differentiate the TF30’s operation from the F110:
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’s easy to see that the TF30 has many subsystems that attempt to reduce the possibility of compressor stalls. That’s because the TF30s developed a reputation for issues, primarily compressor stalls at inopportune moments. However with some throttle and aviating discipline, they can be avoided. For what it’s worth, our primary pilot SME only had one stall in his entire Tomcat career, and he admits that it was caused by an erroneous throttle movement while at zero airspeed.
And with that, here’s a glimpse into the Tomcat dev world. This is a WIP version of a TF30 engine start with some of our debug tools running. The second is a takeoff to show the AB staging and spool-up times. Anything seen in these videos is subject to change and may not represent the final product.
A more basic compressor stall model will ship with the EA release and it will be enhanced in subsequent updates.
There will likely be another mini update regarding compressor stalls once they are complete.
Future of the DCS: F-14
It’s important for us to note that we remain committed to a long and rich level of support for the F-14, as well as the inclusion of many new features and improvements yet to come. Just to get some perspective on our roadmap; here’s a non exhaustive list of what we’re planning to tackle in the near and medium term future:Unfortunately, we’ve had to take a few steps backwards with regards to all of our plans. Not only has our schedule slipped somewhat on completing the Forrestal itself; but the recent carrier launch issues and the work needing to be done to support the new Super Carrier module has kept things in flux. This is a frustrating scheduling miss for us as we were hoping to already have this content out late last year; but we’d rather keep things in the oven a little longer and provide a more enjoyable small-carrier experience. It is coming- you paid for it- we’ll deliver.
Another element to this has been the launch of the Super Carrier. We have great respect for our partners at Eagle, and while we don’t believe our Forrestals will cause any issues for the SC (especially since the Forrestal is not designed to have feature parity anyways!) - we still want to respectfully give the SC breathing room in the spotlight; as it is undoubtedly a great investment of time and effort by the ED team and an exciting product.
In the meantime; we’ll focus on getting out a Forrestal focused update to you all in the next week, and we’ll show off our work through some pleasing eye-candy and hopefully launch shortly thereafter (either through a download, or through a patch if the timing works out). In the meantime; our apologies for the missed timeline. This feature is a top priority for us.
TWS-Auto
800×665
We’re now very close to launching TWS-A!
Due to the size, complexity and importance of this feature, we will be doing a separate dedicated article on it in the coming few days.
Stay tuned!
F-14A
F-14A work continues as one of our top priorities, outside of the Forrestal, Jester LANTIRN, -B engine gauges, and other big ticket items. Features still in development include;
- Artwork changes (engine nozzles, engine nacelles, sensors, differing cockpit panels, etc.)
- P&W TF30 Engines
- New soundset (and sound overhaul for F-14B!)
- ALR-45
- Liveries
It’s very likely that we will launch the F-14A without all of its features implemented. This is to avoid a longer wait before everything is perfectly in place. We’ll try to keep the number of frankensteined elements to a minimum, however.
800×415
WiP TF-30 NozzleOne of the biggest items on the agenda for the F-14A are the P&W TF30 engines. We’ve been busy adapting our engine models to simulate the TF-30. We’re pleased to announce that the TF30 equipped F-14A is ready for internal testing! Lets dive in depth on what this means;
F-14A TF30 Engine Development Update
In an attempt to keep things fairly short, the focus will mainly be on major differences between the TF30 and F110, as well as unique TF30 systems and characteristics. If you’d like to read more about turbofan engine components and their modeling, go here and here.
The F-14A is powered by two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P414A low-bypass turbofan engines with afterburner for thrust augmentation. The TF30 was originally developed by Pratt & Whitney in the early 60s for the cancelled F6D Missileer. An afterburner section was then added for its use on the product of the TFX program; the F-111. The Navy wasn’t satisfied with their version, the F-111B, and decided to go with a new design from Grumman Aerospace. To save cost and time, it was decided to re-use the engine from the TFX program and then upgrade the fleet with improved, higher-thrust engines later. This new design resulted in the F-14A, which entered service in 1974. The US Navy received 478 F-14A airframes and Iran received 79. It was 1986 by the time the higher thrust, F110-powered F-14B showed up, and in much smaller numbers than the F-14A.
Let’s get into the details of major features that differentiate the TF30’s operation from the F110:
- Afterburner
The operation of the afterburner on the TF30 is similar to the F110 with the exception of the fuel control, which is divided into five “zones”. You can think of zones as a discrete state of the afterburner fuel control. Each zone lights progressively, increasing thrust as AB fuel flow increases with each zone. Because of this, it may take 8-10 seconds to go from idle all the way to Zone 5 afterburner. Check out a couple videos of the AB stages lighting here and here. If an AB blowout occurs, the AB fuel controller must be reset before attempting an AB re-light by taking the throttles out of AB range. The nozzle generally opens more at higher AB stages, but it may fluctuate to control turbine pressure ratio. - Fuel Control System
The fuel control is a hydromechanical unit with limited engine protection functionality. There is no digital engine control like a FADEC or AFTC to fully protect the engine from damage. A TIT limiter assists in preventing temperature excursions and has an authority equivalent to 2% RPM. - Mach Lever
The Mach Lever is similar to the idle lockup protection feature on the F110. It limits engine RPM based on mach number to reduce supersonic inlet buzz (which can lead to compressor stalls) and control engine airflow. It also increases engine idle speed in high AOA flight to increase compressor stability margins. - Mid Compression Bypass
In order to reduce pressure distortions at the compressor face, a bypass system ports air from the low pressure compressor into the fan bypass duct. This increases the quality of the air downstream and greatly reduces the chance of a compressor stall. However, it comes at a cost of about 3000 lbf (13344 N) of thrust per engine when active. It is activated in several scenarios where you likely need thrust the most; Zone 5 AB while the gear handle is down (takeoffs, wave-offs, and bolters), High AOA flight, and when large rudder commands are being applied. It also activates during gun firing and aerial refueling operations to reduce the chance of stall from ingesting gun gas or jet wash.
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625
’s easy to see that the TF30 has many subsystems that attempt to reduce the possibility of compressor stalls. That’s because the TF30s developed a reputation for issues, primarily compressor stalls at inopportune moments. However with some throttle and aviating discipline, they can be avoided. For what it’s worth, our primary pilot SME only had one stall in his entire Tomcat career, and he admits that it was caused by an erroneous throttle movement while at zero airspeed.
And with that, here’s a glimpse into the Tomcat dev world. This is a WIP version of a TF30 engine start with some of our debug tools running. The second is a takeoff to show the AB staging and spool-up times. Anything seen in these videos is subject to change and may not represent the final product.
F-14A TF30 Startup
F-14A TF30 Zone 5 Take-Off
Looking ahead, the TF30 subsystems will be wrapped up soon, along with engine performance tuning and testing.
We expect this to happen in the near future along with completion of the TF30 nozzle.
We don’t want to give a hard date on the F-14A but we hope (barring any major setbacks) to have an EA version out within the next couple DCS open beta cycles.F-14A TF30 Zone 5 Take-Off
Looking ahead, the TF30 subsystems will be wrapped up soon, along with engine performance tuning and testing.
We expect this to happen in the near future along with completion of the TF30 nozzle.
A more basic compressor stall model will ship with the EA release and it will be enhanced in subsequent updates.
There will likely be another mini update regarding compressor stalls once they are complete.
Future of the DCS: F-14
- TWS Auto
- Jester LANTIRN (Voice + Functionality + Including input overhauls)
- A-6E & KA-6 AI
- TARPS (Limited Feature)
- Two Campaigns
- Forrestal Class Carriers
- Significant sound improvements
- New pilot models for cockpit
- Keybinding improvements
- Jester additions and improvements
- F-14B Digital EIG
- Various corrections -B vis a vis -A
- Improved Trap Model / Dynamics
- New Afterburner VFX
- AIM-54 Phoenix issues
- Yaw String
- New compressor stall effects and animations
- Completion of fire suppression systems
- Add progressive fire damage
- Jamming additions
- LAU-7 Art corrections
- LAU-138
- MAK-79 bombclamp corrections
- cockpit panels:
- Various cockpit artwork corrections
- Addition of IFF interrogator panel
- Wheel Chocks
- Missing Oxygen gauge
- F-14A , including:
P&W TF30 engine model
MACH LEV position on Pilot’s master test panel
Aerodynamic fairing (bullet) cover for TCS
New liveries
ALR-45 RWR
Art Changes: Nozzles, panels, etc.
New P&W TF30 Soundset
MACH LEV position on Pilot’s master test panel
Aerodynamic fairing (bullet) cover for TCS
New liveries
ALR-45 RWR
Art Changes: Nozzles, panels, etc.
New P&W TF30 Soundset
- …and more.
That’s it for this update; stay tuned for the article on the TWS-A in the next few days and another development update on the Forrestal class next week.
StormILM
Charter Member
Long time no see or speak Jymp! I have the Saitek (Mad Catz) version which they gave me free of charge after my X-55 failed. So far after nearly 4 years, it's held up well to constant use. I hear the Logitech version is as good pr better so it would be a good bet. If mine breaks, I will likely just get another X-56 since I am used to it.
Hope all is well with you!
Phantom88
Charter Member
***TWS Update***
Track While Scan - Auto
As most know, we had a TWS-Auto implementation for the F-14 at launch, but it was quite unreliable and ended up causing more trouble than it was worth, so it was disabled. After launch of course we were kept quite busy, and it was some time before we managed to revisit and eventually rewrite the TWS-Auto system. We’re finally ready to re-release it now, and this post will summarize the functionality.
As you may remember, both TWS modes require the scan frame to be 2 seconds, and only support 2-bar ±40° or 4-bar ±20° scan volume modes (the radar gimbal moves at 80°/s, so you can see where the 2 second frame comes from in these two scan volume options). Very simply put, TWS-Auto attempts to keep the TWS pattern pointing where it is most useful in azimuth and elevation, while also controlling the optimum scan volume. TWS (and all the PD radar modes in F-14) uses ground stabilized (a.k.a. Earth fixed) patterns, so the azimuth and elevation angles are relative to a tangential plane on the surface of the earth at your present position, with azimuth further being relative to the F-14 longitudinal axis too (i.e. 0° is directly ahead on the imaginary plane, -20° is to the left, etc.).
Function of centroid
The azimuth and elevation angles are determined by a weighted centroid of targets in the scan volume. What this means is that some targets contribute more to the centroid than others, depending on a few factors outlined below. Essentially the position of each target is multiplied by its weight factor divided by the total weight of all targets, and these weighted positions are added together to give a centroid. Only sensor targets (i.e. own radar) are considered, not datalink targets.
Two separate (but somewhat related) centroids are calculated as part of the TWS-Auto update procedure: a steering centroid, and an illumination centroid. The former facilitates steering cues (on HUD, VDI, TID, DDD) to help the pilot maintain optimum target coverage, and also displays a small X on the TID indicating the steering centroid position. The illumination centroid controls the azimuth and elevation of the scan pattern center by using the angles from the aircraft to the computed illumination centroid (in TWS-Manual, these are directly controlled by the radar azimuth and elevation knobs on the RIO sensor control panel). The velocities (change in position over time) of both centroids are also calculated, used to calculate steering, and dead reckoning for a short period when all targets are lost (in an attempt to re-acquire them at their expected positions).
Weighting targets
As mentioned, a few factors influence target weighting. These differ slightly between the calculations for the steering centroid and the illumination centroid, but largely consist of the presence of a launch zone (targets marked as friendly by RIO will never get a launch zone), whether a missile is already underway to a target, and some RIO selections on targets such as DO NOT ATTK (disregards from weights completely, shows a small vertical bar over a target) and MAND ATTK (forces evaluation and raises importance, only one target may be selected for this, and mutually exclusive with DO NOT ATTK. Shows a small horizontal bar over a target).
Targets that are not displayed on the TID screen in the currently selected TID mode and range are also disregarded completely. In addition, targets which are deemed to be leaving the scannable volume are also raised in importance, if they are already deemed important by the previous criteria. For the steering centroid, the radar gimbal limits (maximum extents, basically ±65° in both azimuth and elevation) are considered, while for the illumination centroid, the current scan volume limits are considered (i.e. either 2-bar ±40° or 4-bar ±20°). This causes the illumination centroid to adjust towards important targets leaving the current pattern, and allows the steering centroid to shift towards targets that are leaving the maximum radar gimbal limits (i.e. pilot would need to steer towards that to keep them illuminated).
Engaging TWS-Auto
When TWS-Auto is first engaged, there is a period of 8 seconds where the manual controls for azimuth, elevation and the scan volume pattern are still in effect and can still be controlled by the RIO. After this period, the computer takes over. The scan volume pattern (2-bar vs 4-bar) is re-evaluated every 4 seconds, while the centroids are re-evaluated multiple times per second. The weights are updated at the end of each 2 second scan frame. The scan volume algorithm considers the future positions of all targets, and selects between which of the two options would give a greater total illumination weight. If they are equal, 4-bar ±20° is selected.
Firing an AIM-54 Phoenix while in TWS-Manual will result in automatic selection of TWS-Auto. Furthermore, when any AIM-54 missiles are deemed to still be in flight (up to 16s beyond their expected time to impact), TWS-Manual cannot be entered (the button press is ignored). Target tracks that have a missile launched at them will also behave as if Track Hold (the button to the left of the TID fishbowl) has been selected, i.e. they will continue to be extrapolated for up to 2 minutes if their radar contact is lost.
Symbology
The steering cues on HUD, VDI, TID and DDD will direct the pilot horizontally only, based on the steering centroid. By default, lead collision steering is employed. If the RIO uses the CLSN button next to the TID fishbowl, pure collision steering is instead calculated. Since both the pilot and RIO can see steering cues on their respective displays, coordination of required maneuvering is made easier. The steering cue on HUD and VDI is an upside-down T (hence called a steering tee), while on the TID and DDD the steering cue is a small square. These four displays have different steering sensitivities: TID is 40°/inch, DDD is 128.5°/inch, VDI is 25°/inch and HUD is 26.5°/inch.
In conclusion
TWS-Auto can be a handy tool for maintaining illumination on targets under attack, even while maneuvering about 60° away from the direct path to the targets. However, as pointed out by one of our RIO SMEs, good RIOs did not make exclusive use of TWS-Auto while hunting for new contacts, as it limits your overall situational awareness. RWS is still useful for scanning huge volumes, and TWS-M is still useful while maintaining the ability to control the scan volume angles. The Track Hold function (button to the left of the TID fishbowl) is also quite important, to maintain tracking (by extrapolation) on targets that would otherwise be lost in the PD filters.
Attached Thumbnails
Phantom88
Charter Member
B u m m e r
https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=268159&page=14
"*Hi everyone,
Unfortunately, due to a critically ill close family member, I’ve had to pack down and hit the road to, hopefully, assist in recovery.
This unfortunately means that the planned Forrestal update hasn’t gone out yet and will be delayed.
Development will be slightly slowed on some features for the nearest (2w~) future, as my contributions to these development items will be significantly reduced. The team will however continue to make good progress on all unaffected fronts.
Apologies for the late notice; this situation came on with some urgency late last week. Thanks for your understanding and support!
Nicholas Dackard
Founder & Lead Artist
Heatblur Simulations*
https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=268159&page=14
"*Hi everyone,
Unfortunately, due to a critically ill close family member, I’ve had to pack down and hit the road to, hopefully, assist in recovery.
This unfortunately means that the planned Forrestal update hasn’t gone out yet and will be delayed.
Development will be slightly slowed on some features for the nearest (2w~) future, as my contributions to these development items will be significantly reduced. The team will however continue to make good progress on all unaffected fronts.
Apologies for the late notice; this situation came on with some urgency late last week. Thanks for your understanding and support!
Nicholas Dackard
Founder & Lead Artist
Heatblur Simulations*
Phantom88
Charter Member
Hi Everyone!
Just an extremely quick status update from us to keep you in the loop-
Unfortunately, as many of you have heard, there were some personal difficulties which impacted our deliverable goals and planned roadmap in Q1 and through a pretty good chunk of Q2. Even something reasonably quickly resolved (3 weeks) can have a significant impact on timelines on certain parts of a project with small teams. We don't see this as an excusable situation and continued failure to execute is very inappropriate, however we feel obligated to be as transparent as possible and hope to be able to plan for contingencies better in the future.
On a positive note, despite some of these difficulties, we've shipped a substantial amount of changes and features!
Here's a partial list if anyone has been out of the loop:
Quote:
Primary goals for the next several major patches through early to mid summer (now through end of July~) are:
Primary medium term release items (~late Summer) are the Forrestal class, full completion of the F-14A and new in-cockpit pilots. We decided to push the Forrestal class release and prioritize the F-14A, as this will allow us to correct remaining SC carrier issues, and to tweak the Forrestal to be better compatible with changing carrier code in the DCS platform. With the launch of the F-14A and Forrestal class and campaigns, we will be close to feature complete on the F-14, with the exception of the A-6. Our goal, as stated previously, is to be done and dusted by the 2y anniversary of the F-14 launch (Mar, 2021).
Hope that helps to shed some light on our current focus areas. You'll see the list above start to ship in the coming major patches until full completion and will be detailed in deeper updates through June and July.
Thanks for the support and patience - we look forward to sharing and shipping the above on the next 2.5.6 updates.
Sincerely,
Team HB
__________________
Nicholas Dackard
Founder & Lead Artist
Heatblur Simulations
Just an extremely quick status update from us to keep you in the loop-
Unfortunately, as many of you have heard, there were some personal difficulties which impacted our deliverable goals and planned roadmap in Q1 and through a pretty good chunk of Q2. Even something reasonably quickly resolved (3 weeks) can have a significant impact on timelines on certain parts of a project with small teams. We don't see this as an excusable situation and continued failure to execute is very inappropriate, however we feel obligated to be as transparent as possible and hope to be able to plan for contingencies better in the future.
On a positive note, despite some of these difficulties, we've shipped a substantial amount of changes and features!
Here's a partial list if anyone has been out of the loop:
Quote:
DCS AJS37 Viggen by Heatblur Simulations
DCS F-14B by Heatblur Simulations
|
Primary goals for the next several major patches through early to mid summer (now through end of July~) are:
[*]F-14 interior lighting fixes & overhaul (for new lighting system)
[*]Digital engine instruments
[*]Exterior sound overhaul for F-14
[*]Exterior sound overhaul for AJS37
[*]F-14B Campaign
[*]JESTER LANTIRN (Finally!)
[*]AJS37 PBR Overhaul- Initial F-14A Release (Beta, with some -B-isms remaining!)
Primary medium term release items (~late Summer) are the Forrestal class, full completion of the F-14A and new in-cockpit pilots. We decided to push the Forrestal class release and prioritize the F-14A, as this will allow us to correct remaining SC carrier issues, and to tweak the Forrestal to be better compatible with changing carrier code in the DCS platform. With the launch of the F-14A and Forrestal class and campaigns, we will be close to feature complete on the F-14, with the exception of the A-6. Our goal, as stated previously, is to be done and dusted by the 2y anniversary of the F-14 launch (Mar, 2021).
Hope that helps to shed some light on our current focus areas. You'll see the list above start to ship in the coming major patches until full completion and will be detailed in deeper updates through June and July.
Thanks for the support and patience - we look forward to sharing and shipping the above on the next 2.5.6 updates.
Sincerely,
Team HB
__________________
Nicholas Dackard
Founder & Lead Artist
Heatblur Simulations
Phantom88
Charter Member
Update from Iron Mike
"Here is a brief update, while trying to be careful on estimates:
Thank you for your kind patience and understanding, as always. We have been nothing but blessed with your incredible support so far, and although we might have to delay more often than we please, rest assured that we’ll deliver everything we promised in full.
Heatblur Simulations
Please feel free to contact me anytime, either via PM here, on the forums, or via email through the contact form on our homepage.
Heatblur Store
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"Here is a brief update, while trying to be careful on estimates:
- The A is in its last stretch and pending art work implementation, which is almost done, and testing. So we hope for a September release, but please do not crucify us, if it will be October. We are firmly aiming at September, but testing can simply change that schedule, if issues come up that demand more development time.
- The light overhauls have been done, we plan on no more work on lighting, unless some change in DCS would demand it.
- Sound overhauls are under way, I cannot give an estimate on that just yet though, I would carefully say October is more realistic.
- The campaign is also taking shape, I need to still finish the writing on the dialogues and record that, plus test it. I am also aiming for September for that, but at the moment I feel it can become October as well.
- Jester Lantirn is pending recording of Jester call outs and testing, which will likely push it to October, however I will be more careful here due to its complexity, so anything till the end of the year is possible, while we aim to bring it out earlier.
- The PBR overhaul for the AJS-37 is being worked on in the background, but I cannot give an estimate on it yet.
- The new cadence in patches takes unfortunately 2 weeks out of the dev schedule, means, what isn’t done 2 weeks before the patch, has to wait one month to get the next chance. This is not ideal, because sometimes those 2 weeks would be exactly what would be needed on top, but otoh it provides a more stable approach towards patch releases, more testing time, etc, and thus more quality in the end. Such trade offs are unfortunately a reality in any department and something we have to deal with.
- Please understand that we do not push dates deliberately or arbitrarily. Bug fixes, unforeseen problems, etc. keep shifting our focus around and we need to juggle time and resources to keep up.
Thank you for your kind patience and understanding, as always. We have been nothing but blessed with your incredible support so far, and although we might have to delay more often than we please, rest assured that we’ll deliver everything we promised in full.
Heatblur Simulations
Please feel free to contact me anytime, either via PM here, on the forums, or via email through the contact form on our homepage.
Heatblur Store
Phantom88
Charter Member
Dear all,
as always we would like to offer a feedback thread for the current patch. As always we appreciate your input a lot!
As you noted we have been a bit more silent and afk lately, this was due to peparation of this major patch, which needed most of our focus, as we try to push the F-14 to completion. Below please find the changelog.
Known issues:
- Wings over-oversweep re-occured in the latest update of the closed beta, so please expect it to be un-fixed again, unfortunately this issues is not on our side. We hope it can be fixed for the next hotfix/patch.
- CTDs on respawn or mission reload occur far less frequently, but still occur. This is also an issue that cannot be fixed on our side.
- We believed the release of the Mariana Islands map was imminent, so we included the missions prematurely. They will be waiting for you on day 1 of its release though.
Special Note: Since we included the Brake Pressure Gauges as working now (they are the green-red gauges behind your stick below your HSD), you can also manually handpump the hydraulic pressure back for the wheel-and parkingbrakes (to test simply shut down engines and engage wheelbrakes or parking brake until you see the pressure drop). However: the gauge only starts indicating (bottom of red) at 1900 PSI. This means, if you deplete your pressure fully, you need to pump around 38 times to see the pressure rise again, since each pump only adds around 50 PSI. The green area starts at 2150 PSI and ends at 3000 PSI. Happy pumping!
Thank you all for your great support and feedback!
Changelog DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations
[COLOR=rgb( var(--theme-text_light) )]Edited just now by IronMike[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgb( var(--theme-text_light) )]
[/COLOR]
as always we would like to offer a feedback thread for the current patch. As always we appreciate your input a lot!
As you noted we have been a bit more silent and afk lately, this was due to peparation of this major patch, which needed most of our focus, as we try to push the F-14 to completion. Below please find the changelog.
Known issues:
- Wings over-oversweep re-occured in the latest update of the closed beta, so please expect it to be un-fixed again, unfortunately this issues is not on our side. We hope it can be fixed for the next hotfix/patch.
- CTDs on respawn or mission reload occur far less frequently, but still occur. This is also an issue that cannot be fixed on our side.
- We believed the release of the Mariana Islands map was imminent, so we included the missions prematurely. They will be waiting for you on day 1 of its release though.
Special Note: Since we included the Brake Pressure Gauges as working now (they are the green-red gauges behind your stick below your HSD), you can also manually handpump the hydraulic pressure back for the wheel-and parkingbrakes (to test simply shut down engines and engage wheelbrakes or parking brake until you see the pressure drop). However: the gauge only starts indicating (bottom of red) at 1900 PSI. This means, if you deplete your pressure fully, you need to pump around 38 times to see the pressure rise again, since each pump only adds around 50 PSI. The green area starts at 2150 PSI and ends at 3000 PSI. Happy pumping!
Thank you all for your great support and feedback!
Changelog DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations
- NEW: Hook Physics
- Added physics based hook model.
- Hook will skip now if landing too fast.
- Hook will shear off when arresting with excess kinetic energy.
- Hook no longer clips through ground. (Spectators and RIO may notice some clipping due to network lag.)
- Added collision shell to hook.
- Hook can now be damaged by gunfire or explosions and detach from the aircraft.
- Added spark effects and hook break sounds.
- Added physics based hook model.
- NEW: Iceman Features
- Iceman can now orbit a steerpoint or map marker.
- You can select between a variety of speeds and diameters
- You can ask Iceman to fly a left or right handed orbit
- You can smoothly transition between orbit diameters and speeds at any time
- You can select between a variety of speeds and diameters
- Iceman can now fly to a steerpoint or map marker.
- Iceman can now orbit a steerpoint or map marker.
- NEW: Carrier Burble Aerodynamics
- Carriers will now create a burble behind the stern.
- Burble intensity differs with carrier and wind speeds and needs to be taken into account when landing on the carrier.
- When in close, the burble will first generate positive vertical velocity, immediately followed by negative vertical velocity.
- Carriers will now create a burble behind the stern.
- NEW: At night, the catapult launch is triggered by turning the exterior lights on (in accordance with manual procedures). Added a new special option which flashes the lights automatically together with the pilot salute.
- NEW: Added MAK-79 bomb clamp models and revised loadout code. Bombs will now no longer float around the aircraft pylons.
- NEW: Added 15 Mariana Islands Quickstart missions. Note: Will be available when the Marianas map launches.
- JESTER reporting improvements: JESTER is now more selective in reporting incoming missiles, and he will ignore the missiles that don’t look like potential threats.
- Completely rebuilt turn and slip ball indicator physics.
- Overhauled several aspects of Autopilot behaviour:
- ALT Hold will now null the rate instead of returning to a set altitude.
- ALT Hold will now engage only if within +/- 200FPM vertical speed.
- ALT Hold will not disengage anymore with lateral stick input, but with approx. 10lbs longitudinal pressure (or its equivalent in vertical velocity).
- HDG Hold will not disengage anymore with lateral stick input. Lateral stick input can now be used for steering in HDG Hold and will set the new heading upon release and leveling.
- With HDG Hold engaged and if lateral stick input is released within 5° bank angle the AP will level the aircraft now.
- Fixed ATT and ALT Hold not engaging properly at higher altitudes.
- The aircraft will roll smoother now if lateral stick input is used during ATT, ALT and HDG Hold.
- If the aircraft is overbanked or overpitched during ALT and/or ATT Hold, ATT Hold should now return the aircraft to 30° pitch and 60° bank.
- ALT Hold will now null the rate instead of returning to a set altitude.
- Taught JESTER the importance of breathing: he will turn on his oxygen on startup now.
- Asking JESTER to input waypoints will no longer break the INS alignment procedure. The option to input the waypoints is disabled during times when it could impact the alignment.
- Fixed Wing Sweep multi-crew initialization issue. This should solve F-14’s causing collision damage on carriers if spawned in the wrong order due to unswept wings.
- Fixed slip-ball negative G-load erratic behavior.
- Fixed radio catapult salute. It now triggers launch.
- RIO can now use radio catapult salute to trigger a launch, too.
- Fixed guard receiver in both radios. Guard frequency is now audible and automatically sets guard frequency according to your last selected frequency in the AN/ARC-182: 40.5 FM for 30 - 88 FM, 121.5 AM for 108 - 156 AM, 156.8 FM for 156 - 174 FM and 243 for ranges set between 225 and 400 AM/FM (and will always be 243 AM for the AN/ARC-159).
- Possible fix for the BDHI TACAN needle bug where it could get stuck pointing down.
- Fixed RIO aspect switch affecting only DDD, it now affects target tracking, too.
- Fix TID radar azimuth line flailing around during AWG-9 ground-based tutorial missions.
- Added radar altimeter test light.
- Brake Pressure Gauges are now operative.
- Gun is no longer operable with air source RAM or OFF selected.
- Extending speedbrakes now interrupts fuel dump (except in the case of combined systems hydraulic failure).
- Fixed Hydraulics, Flight Controls, Engines and Gear not being repaired.
- Single-player RIO Total Fuel gauge now shows correct value during INST test.
- Fixed hydraulic transfer pump operation - pressure drop to approximately 2,400 to 2,600 psi in the inoperative system is now simulated.
- Fuel transfer switch now causes engines to correctly draw fuel from forward or aft tanks.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Yaw String.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Wing Sweep indicator.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Wing Sweep Emergency lever and its cover.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Gear and Hook system. Now working from RIO’s perspective:
- Nosewheel Steering Indicator Light
- Wheels Warning flashing light
- Brake lights
- Landing Gear Indicator
- Speedbrake Indicator
- Gear handle emergency position
- Hook handle emergency position
- Nose Strut Switch
- Nosewheel Steering Indicator Light
- Fixed bug where RIO low fuel warning light would never turn off in multiplayer.
- Fixed syncables bug where master INST test wouldn't register on RIO devices.
- Fixed syncables bug where master LTS test wouldn’t register on RIO devices.
- Fixed RIO caution lights for low oxygen and low fuel not showing in multiplayer.
- Fixed doubled up tow bar latch geometry.
- Towbar latches are now stowed.
- Added holes for towbar latches.
- Fixed gap in gear doors on right side.
- Fixed broken normals and UVs on the right side gear door.
- Fixed missing afterburner texture planes in F-14A-135GR.
- Added missing VID stencil text to RIO DDD Panel.
- Fixed an issue where another aircraft landing on the carrier where your F14 is parked could trigger a landing-log event for your aircraft.
- Fixed an issue where landing on a carrier within one minute of starting a mission would fail to generate a landing-log.
- Fixed a potential CTD if pilot and RIO spawned in sequence and landed on the carrier within one minute.
- Gear extension and Speedbrake sounds are now audible for the RIO in multi-crew.
- Added refuel probe turbulence sounds.
- Corrected a bug which caused some duplication of canopy-opening sound effects.
- Increased AIM-54 and AIM-7 RCS as per request from Eagle Dynamics.
- Added BDU-45 and BDU-45B practice bombs to loadouts.
- Fix for CATM being launchable (previously DCS used to ignore launch API on these).
- Adjusted BDU-33 and SUU-25 attach position on BRU-42 forwards slightly to match lug holes.
- Added bindings for VR reset base, spyglass zoom and zoom.
- Fixed Campaign OP Reforger Mission 5.
- Updated Cage the Bear Campaign (thank you Kaba!):
- Updated all missions to 2.7 weather (clouds!).
- Updated CN localisation. (Thank you Alphabet_Ghost!)
- Corrected mission 5 carrier frequency.
- Corrected mission 5 allied F14 liveries.
- Adjusted mission 8 divert airfield trigger - should now activate no matter which spot you stop at.
- Updated all missions to 2.7 weather (clouds!).
- Fixed Carrier TACAN in Syria Quickstart Recovery Missions.
[COLOR=rgb( var(--theme-text_light) )]Edited just now by IronMike[/COLOR]
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Phantom88
Charter Member
Hey Everyone!
Having just wrapped up work on the major F-14 update launching today; we figured we’d give you a quick rundown of what is included and where our next priorities lie with regards to the F-14. For this update, we’ve focused greatly on improved carrier physics through a new mass dynamics physics engine driving the hook, simulating the carrier burble, as well as other improvements across the jet, bringing the F-14 one step closer to an exit out of Early Access.
With the completion of this testing and shipping cycle for this particular patch, we now turn our attention to more improvements and additions such as JESTER LANTIRN and Forge, as well as the completion and launch of the Forrestal class carriers, which will fill out our next major F-14 release.
New Hook Physics - Mass Dynamics Systems
As part of an ongoing effort to expand and improve our physical modelling (both on the F-14 and on other modules currently in development), we’re developing a brand new engine for mass dynamics. At present, this system allows us to simulate swinging masses in a realistic, physically-driven way; that is to say, masses that can move about their pivoting points in accordance with gravity, G-forces and other applied forces.
One natural application for this technology is our newly-simulated F-14 carrier landing hook, which skips over the deck in improper landing conditions to generate realistic hook-bolter behaviours and pulls up from the flight deck under the strain of the taught arresting cable. The hook can also snap off from its pivot if sufficient energy is applied to it, leading to new (and occasionally hilarious) failures and encouraging a stronger focus on skill and by-the-book landing procedure.
Moving to a more physically “real” solution like this comes with a lot of exciting implications; simply coding masses to move through a predefined range in a predefined time is predictable and inflexible, whereas a physics-based solution allows emergent behaviours in novel and unexpected situations. To see examples of this, feel free to observe the way the extended hook bounces gently on the tarmac when taxiing, or the (greatly improved) behaviour of the turn-and-slip indicator during wild maneuvers.
Carrier Burble
To further improve the simulation of our carrier aviation environment and simulation of the F-14 in carrier operations; we’ve created a new system simulating the aerodynamics of the aircraft carrier burble.
The burble is the name given by navy pilots to the aerodynamic wake aft of an aircraft carrier. Aircraft carriers are massive objects, and their movement impacts the airflow around them. You can think of them as if they were moving mountain ridges. When you approach one from the leeward side, first you get the wave and some lift; then right behind it, you hit a significant downwash. Besides, the carrier top isn't smooth; there's the island, multiple antennas, deck equipment, parked aircraft and other structures sticking from the deck, which cause the airflow to be unsteady and turbulent.
The overall effect is proportional to wind over deck. The faster the aircraft carrier moves or, the stronger wind is, the more pronounced the burble becomes. Typically, the airspeed change from the burble is just a tiny fraction of the wind over deck speed, and the absolute value doesn't seem to be impressive. However, given how little the margin is and that the burble tries to crash you into the stern, it will add spice to your future traps.
Iceman Orbit and Fly to Waypoint
In order to bridge the gap before we ship JESTER LANTIRN and to make flying RIO in Singleplayer a much more realistic endeavour; we’ve implemented two major new additions to ICEMAN, our Pilot AI. These two features are flying to a waypoint, and orbiting a waypoint.
You can now tell ICEMAN to fly to a waypoint entered into the navigation system; or any point defined on the F10 map. You can also ask ICEMAN to orbit a waypoint, and can select between a variety of diameter and speed combinations. You can also select right handed or left handed orbits, in order to allow you to effectively use the LANTIRN targeting pod from the rear seat. ICEMAN can fluidly switch from one orbit to another orbit (i.e. moving into a closer orbit) or change direction at any given time if asked.
Iceman was generally built in a stop-gap way, and we will in the future look at more ways to improve and add more functionality to this part of the F-14- especially as we continue development of the A-6 and others, and require much more investment into AI technologies.
JESTER Reporting Improvements
We endeavour to improve JESTER in many areas, especially as we continue to process your feedback on what can be done better and what frustrates those of you flying single seat the most.
Improving JESTER’s reporting of ongoing combat is one of our highest priorities, and we’re rolling out some initial improvements in this area with this patch. We’ve significantly tweaked how JESTER perceives the threat of missiles and the speed and visual acuity of his detection of missiles. JESTER should now remain far more calm in combat environments with regards to missiles that do not concern your aircraft, especially those fired in ground to ground engagements. Furthermore, JESTER’s visual acuity and speed of detection should now be more realistic.
We will continue to improve JESTER over the coming months across all areas. Some of these include new features (e.g. LANTIRN and Checklist reading), but we also endeavour to improve JESTER’s radar and other competencies.
Night Catapult Signalization
The standard way of launching off of the carrier at night is to flash the aircraft’s lights to signal the carrier crew. This is now implemented in the F-14, and takes the place of the standard salute during daytime.
MAK-79 Bomb Clamp Models - Float begone!
A fix for this major issue has been a long time in the making; and we’re happy to finally have revised our ordnance code and modelled new MAK-79 bomb clamp adapters that will now accurately mount the various pieces of ground ordnance the F-14 can carry to the belly phoenix pylons. Some of the positions and bracing of various bomb combinations have also been adjusted for appropriate spacings.
Autopilot Logic Overhaul
Based on SME feedback; we’ve overhauled our autopilot simulation model and introduced many changes to it's functionality.
The Altitude Hold feature will now null the rate (like a fighter) instead of trying to return to a set altitude (like a tubeliner would), it will not disengage with lateral stick movement anymore, instead it will disengage if 10lbs longitudinal pressure is applied to the stick (or the resulting equivalent in vertical velocity). If you have Heading Hold selected as well, you will be able to use lateral stick input to steer the aircraft, and when leveling it again, Heading Hold will update its set heading and hold it. Furthermore, if in Heading Hold and if below 5° bank angle, the aircraft will level the autopilot again.
Both Attitude and Altitude Hold will now “grab” easier when engaged at high altitudes (pending some minor updates in the future as we flesh out the AP logic even more to match its behavior precisely for all altitudes).The general roll rate of the aircraft following lateral stick input has been greatly increased. Altitude Hold will now only engage if you are within +/- 200 FPM vertical speed.
Overall this greatly improves the ease of use of the Autopilot and is now as close as possible to how it functioned in real life.
A quick tip: to engage Altitude Hold, simply level your climb or descent at the desired altitude, and when within +/-200 FPM, press the autopilot reference button to engage it. This is how it has been done in real life.
We hope the extensive overhaul of the autopilot will let you enjoy the more relaxed moments of (not) flying the F-14 Tomcat even more.
Full Changelog
These are just some of the bigger changes shipping with this patch; the full changelog is as follows;
- NEW: Hook Physics
- Added physics based hook model.
- Hook will skip now if landing too fast.
- Hook will shear off when arresting with excess kinetic energy.
- Hook no longer clips through ground. (Spectators and RIO may notice some clipping due to network lag.)
- Added collision shell to hook.
- Hook can now be damaged by gunfire or explosions and detach from the aircraft.
- Added spark effects and hook break sounds.
- Added physics based hook model.
- NEW: Iceman Features
- Iceman can now orbit a steerpoint or map marker.
- You can select between a variety of speeds and diameters
- You can ask Iceman to fly a left or right handed orbit
- You can smoothly transition between orbit diameters and speeds at any time
- You can select between a variety of speeds and diameters
- Iceman can now fly to a steerpoint or map marker.
- Iceman can now orbit a steerpoint or map marker.
- NEW: Carrier Burble Aerodynamics
- Carriers will now create a burble behind the stern.
- Burble intensity differs with carrier and wind speeds and needs to be taken into account when landing on the carrier.
- When in close, the burble will first generate positive vertical velocity, immediately followed by negative vertical velocity.
- Carriers will now create a burble behind the stern.
- NEW: At night, the catapult launch is triggered by turning the exterior lights on (in accordance with manual procedures). Added a new special option which flashes the lights automatically together with the pilot salute.
- NEW: Added MAK-79 bomb clamp models and revised loadout code. Bombs will now no longer float around the aircraft pylons.
- NEW: Added 15 Mariana Islands Quickstart missions. Note: Will be available when the Marianas map launches.
- JESTER reporting improvements: JESTER is now more selective in reporting incoming missiles, and he will ignore the missiles that don’t look like potential threats.
- Completely rebuilt turn and slip ball indicator physics.
- Overhauled several aspects of Autopilot behaviour:
- ALT Hold will now null the rate instead of returning to a set altitude.
- ALT Hold will now engage only if within +/- 200FPM vertical speed.
- ALT Hold will not disengage anymore with lateral stick input, but with approx. 10lbs longitudinal pressure (or its equivalent in vertical velocity).
- HDG Hold will not disengage anymore with lateral stick input. Lateral stick input can now be used for steering in HDG Hold and will set the new heading upon release and leveling.
- With HDG Hold engaged and if lateral stick input is released within 5° bank angle the AP will level the aircraft now.
- Fixed ATT and ALT Hold not engaging properly at higher altitudes.
- The aircraft will roll smoother now if lateral stick input is used during ATT, ALT and HDG Hold.
- If the aircraft is overbanked or overpitched during ALT and/or ATT Hold, ATT Hold should now return the aircraft to 30° pitch and 60° bank.
- ALT Hold will now null the rate instead of returning to a set altitude.
- Taught JESTER the importance of breathing: he will turn on his oxygen on startup now.
- Asking JESTER to input waypoints will no longer break the INS alignment procedure. The option to input the waypoints is disabled during times when it could impact the alignment.
- Fixed Wing Sweep multi-crew initialization issue. This should solve F-14’s causing collision damage on carriers if spawned in the wrong order due to unswept wings.
- Fixed slip-ball negative G-load erratic behavior.
- Fixed radio catapult salute. It now triggers launch.
- RIO can now use radio catapult salute to trigger a launch, too.
- Fixed guard receiver in both radios. Guard frequency is now audible and automatically sets guard frequency according to your last selected frequency in the AN/ARC-182: 40.5 FM for 30 - 88 FM, 121.5 AM for 108 - 156 AM, 156.8 FM for 156 - 174 FM and 243 for ranges set between 225 and 400 AM/FM (and will always be 243 AM for the AN/ARC-159).
- Possible fix for the BDHI TACAN needle bug where it could get stuck pointing down.
- Fixed RIO aspect switch affecting only DDD, it now affects target tracking, too.
- Fix TID radar azimuth line flailing around during AWG-9 ground-based tutorial missions.
- Added radar altimeter test light.
- Brake Pressure Gauges are now operative.
- Gun is no longer operable with air source RAM or OFF selected.
- Extending speedbrakes now interrupts fuel dump (except in the case of combined systems hydraulic failure).
- Fixed Hydraulics, Flight Controls, Engines and Gear not being repaired.
- Single-player RIO Total Fuel gauge now shows correct value during INST test.
- Fixed hydraulic transfer pump operation - pressure drop to approximately 2,400 to 2,600 psi in the inoperative system is now simulated.
- Fuel transfer switch now causes engines to correctly draw fuel from forward or aft tanks.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Yaw String.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Wing Sweep indicator.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Wing Sweep Emergency lever and its cover.
- Fixed multi-crew synchronisation of the Gear and Hook system. Now working from RIO’s perspective:
- Nosewheel Steering Indicator Light
- Wheels Warning flashing light
- Brake lights
- Landing Gear Indicator
- Speedbrake Indicator
- Gear handle emergency position
- Hook handle emergency position
- Nose Strut Switch
- Nosewheel Steering Indicator Light
- Fixed bug where RIO low fuel warning light would never turn off in multiplayer.
- Fixed syncables bug where master INST test wouldn't register on RIO devices.
- Fixed syncables bug where master LTS test wouldn’t register on RIO devices.
- Fixed RIO caution lights for low oxygen and low fuel not showing in multiplayer.
- Fixed doubled up tow bar latch geometry.
- Towbar latches are now stowed.
- Added holes for towbar latches.
- Fixed gap in gear doors on right side.
- Fixed broken normals and UVs on the right side gear door.
- Fixed missing afterburner texture planes in F-14A-135GR.
- Added missing VID stencil text to RIO DDD Panel.
- Fixed an issue where another aircraft landing on the carrier where your F14 is parked could trigger a landing-log event for your aircraft.
- Fixed an issue where landing on a carrier within one minute of starting a mission would fail to generate a landing-log.
- Fixed a potential CTD if pilot and RIO spawned in sequence and landed on the carrier within one minute.
- Gear extension and Speedbrake sounds are now audible for the RIO in multi-crew.
- Added refuel probe turbulence sounds.
- Corrected a bug which caused some duplication of canopy-opening sound effects.
- Increased AIM-54 and AIM-7 RCS.
- Added BDU-45 and BDU-45B practice bombs to loadouts.
- Fix for CATM being launchable (previously DCS used to ignore launch API on these).
- Adjusted BDU-33 and SUU-25 attach position on BRU-42 forwards slightly to match lug holes.
- Added bindings for VR reset base, spyglass zoom and zoom.
- Fixed Campaign OP Reforger Mission 5.
- Updated Cage the Bear Campaign (thank you Kaba!):
- Updated all missions to 2.7 weather (clouds!).
- Updated CN localisation. (Thank you Alphabet_Ghost!)
- Corrected mission 5 carrier frequency.
- Corrected mission 5 allied F14 liveries.
- Adjusted mission 8 divert airfield trigger - should now activate no matter which spot you stop at.
- Updated all missions to 2.7 weather (clouds!).
- Fixed Carrier TACAN in Syria Quickstart Recovery Missions.
As noted in the lead-in, we’re now continuing work on the next major update to the F-14, focused greatly on further aircraft improvements, changes to the AIM-54 and further feature additions such as JESTER LANTIRN. This is all wrapped in the major task that is completing the final Forrestal class art overhaul and releasing the first version of that to you all. Stay tuned for more updates on these items soon as we blaze ahead and start hitting Early Access completion milestones!
We greatly hope you’ll enjoy experiencing this latest update to the F-14. Thank you as always for your amazing support.
Sincerely,
Team Heatblur
scotth6
Charter Member
Impressive updates for the Tomcat! I must admit I have not come to grips with the F-14. I have spent most of my time in the recent past flying the F/A-18 and the F-16, with the occasional bit of mucking around in the Tomcat. I have only just figured out how to tell Jester to set the steerpoint for me. It is an amazing module though. I honestly just love looking at the external view from different angles in different phases of flight, particularly in VR it is just a beast. Such an awesome machine.