CaptJodan

I'll admit I did this. To be fair, it was getting to be time, and the trigger was either going to be something I really wanted like the F-16 (who knows how long away from now), another...say...space game that is in forever alpha (that I'll probably need another new system for by the time it finally is out) or pull the trigger now on the F-14. Felt like the F-14 was epic enough to deserve it. Now I just need to get each 2080ti they send me to stop failing.

My graphics card has died. HB should hold release until my replacement arrives. Either that or UPS needs to pull the F-14 out of retirement to get my new card here in time.

Is the Break X showing up before you pickle the weapon? I've had plenty of instances where the bomb won't explode if you do it after the break X appears on your HUD.

Never know, might be a pick for the A-6 next time. :)

I'm a technical writer by trade, so if needed, I'd volunteer. But something tells me ya got all the volunteers you can possibly need.

I have to agree. I've watched every Tomcat video put out and while not all of them are stellar masterpieces, I've enjoyed them all and want more, even if they show the same thing other people have done. I don't really care what they're showing as usually every video shows me something new, even if the thrust of the video is air-to-air for the 15th time. Also I enjoy seeing the attention to detail and modeling effort put into the plane in the different lighting conditions people choose to go with. There's still plenty to see in every new video. Complaining there is too many videos? Sick of the hype? Hate options in loadouts that you as the player can choose to use or not? That's the problem with Heatblur. They raise the bar so high, people really do sharpen their pitchforks for the silliest things, cause gotta complain about something. Hey Heatblur, my F-14 didn't make me want some butts! Refund!! :pilotfly:

At the end of the video Magz asks for comments on what you want to see next. Y'all should post and ask for a startup video. He did make mention of a cockpit tour as well as an option.

Yeah, that's why I can't believe it. I refuse to. Not gonna board that hype train until there's a firm release date. But it would be nice if releases got shorter somehow.

Really enjoying these looks into missile behavior. I've enjoyed all the preview videos of the Tomcat, but this series definitely touches on the big question mark that has been on my mind since this aircraft was started. Glad to be able to know a little about what to expect (if you're ready for the missile) when the module drops.

I shutter to think of all the time I would have missed out on getting to know the Hornet if, even now, it wouldn't be anywhere near release if it wasn't in EA. And that's where we'd be. A Hornet that could still be at least a year away from actual release if it wasn't in EA. I'm sorry, but I'm actually aging, and I'd like to be able to play some modules before I'm dead or my body no longer can comfortably play the game. So I'm thrilled that the Hornet came out, and that we continue to see updates and new features added on a regular basis. I hope ED continues the trend with the F-16. That isn't to say I disagree with HB's approach either, per say. But I wouldn't want it to be the norm for everyone because not every developer is up to their standards. We may have to wait 5 years for a HB module, but we know when it comes out, it'll have that level of quality no one else seems to be able to match. Do I want to wait 5 years for a Mirage 2000 that, while good, will never be on the level of the Viggen or Tomcat in terms of fidelity? No, I don't really. If it's releasable at 80% from a developer that can only get it to about 90%, I'd rather they do that and continue to improve it than tack on another 2-3 years just to get to 90. HB gets you much closer to that 95-99% threshold. They've earned the respect and patience to be given the extra time, no matter how painful that wait can be. But if every dev did this, we'd have less than half the modules we have now, and probably less devs working on DCS as a whole, because they couldn't wait 5 years between new aircraft sales. At this point with the developers and third party people so far, we know which ones are trustworthy and which ones aren't. And I'm fine with those who don't want to participate in EA. But *some* (and only some) of those people also want to make sure others can't participate in EA by pressuring developers not to use early access for those who want it, even if they do it responsibly (as I feel ED has done with the Hornet so far). And that's where I have trouble.

Jabbers' next videos will really tell us a lot about that. In this video he seemed to imply the next A model to be the most deadly because of it's speed, especially at <20 nmi. On several trials, he did seem to wait until the RWR went off to go defensive, even though I'm sure he saw the missile coming. If the C can be notched as easily as the A-M47, then it seems liable you can trash it almost as easily as the A-Mk47. Of course, as Jabbers says, these were optimal test conditions, where he knew where the missile was coming from and knew roughly when it would be launched. In a real scenario, all you may get is the RWR alert. I look forward to seeing the tests for both missiles.

Really enjoyed this video and am looking forward to part 2. Real helpful to see the missile's capabilities and limitations broken down this way.

I think the wing physics video was one of the best to see not only the wing flex, but the wing shake/vibration effects. Not sure I've seen that in any other video to that degree yet. Nicely captured, and just wow. Does HB ever get tired of pushing the envelope?

Are you seeing the EW contacts on the HUD, just not the box around the contacts, or no contacts on the HUD at all? If the former, make sure to go to the EW page and select HUD on the page. That will display all EW contacts on your HUD. Not sure if it's the latter, as it seems to work for me fine.

Thanks Jabbers for the very informative first look video. You answered several burning questions I had in mind, or at least gave me an idea of what to expect. Appreciated on the breadth of topics you chose to highlight.

I'm with you.

As one of my all-time favorite military aircraft, barely edged out only by the F-22, it would be an understatement to say I've been very excited about this coming to DCS. I keep seeing this 2019 number they keep hinting or outright almost saying, and I still won't believe it, even for EA. I mean, this is DCS....love it, but not known for accurate time estimates are they. For sanity's sake, I'm going to have to convince myself that EA happens in 2020 if we're lucky.

I may not love the fact that it's not going to make 2018, but I give loads of respect to the HB team for sticking to their quality guns even knowing the pressures of releasing. Some in the community want it as perfect as possible before release, and is sick of F-18 style EA. Some like to play it as long as it's not breaking the game no matter what state it's in, ala the F-18's first release. I fall into the latter camp, but I can't help but respect HB's decision here. I also think communication like this is exceptional. Laying out the reasons there isn't a release, reasons why they won't give a hard date, and sticking to the core ideals of what they believe in as a developer that is different from other developers across the gaming industry. I may be getting really tired of waiting for this aircraft, but I know it will be worth the wait in the end, and I know they want this out in our hands as much as we do. So thank you for the clear, reasonable communication and (even though I hate the wait) thank you for sticking to who you are. I love flying the F-18 even in it's current state and very glad to have it, but I also know when the F-14 comes out, it'll be much further along.

A great hype trailer. Wonder how they got that shot of the missile nearly hitting the cat right under it, with flares popping. Has to be my favorite shot.

Somebody get that man a computer capable of running DCS. Great interview.

That helps Wags, thanks!

So just downloaded the new Friday hotfix and am not sure I am understanding how the climb FPAS climb is supposed to work. I presumed it gave optimal climb airspeed, but these numbers don't seem to add up to an airspeed I can reach. Is anyone else having this issue? Am I missing something obvious on how to read this in the HUD? Edit: I know something has changed because it's no longer just taking the vertical speed numbers (they do not match or closely match as they did in the Wednesday patch). So something was updated. So that's why I assume it's operator error first.

Wags is too fast for me. Was gonna post pictures and everything, and he's already got it. :thumbup:

Fly her and find her limits in the air. Maneuvers, stalls, see if I can get it into a spin, probably waste millions of dollars in aircraft. After a couple of (hopefully successful) landings on a normal runway, go to the boat and rinse and repeat carrier landings.

Not speaking for anyone else, just myself here, but I wanted to add my two cents. I'm extremely happy that ED allowed EA for those who wanted it. Part of the joy of these aircraft for me aren't just in the weapon's and capabilities department, but the differences in flight. So I get a great deal out of simply flying the aircraft, testing its limits, practicing formation, AAR, landings, etc. There's plenty of content already here for me to keep me busy (especially when I have to relearn things bouncing between modules). Given all the hype and desire for something groundbreaking and new from ED before the Hornet's release, the thought of waiting 2-4 more years for it's "near complete" release would have been more than a little painful. The slow pace of development is slower than I expected, (and wished of course, we all want it all instantly). I can see how some might have thought development was further along and thought it was more a matter of getting most of these major systems across the finishing line. We saw screens long before the Hornet's release of examples of the radar, so the impression to some may have been that it, along with other systems, were farther. So I get that. But overall, I feel like Wags and ED have been pretty clear on what this was, and that unexpected delays could/would happen. But it hasn't dampened my enjoyment of the Hornet or made me think about refunding. I'm not even upset at ED about that. It may have been better communicated that these systems could still take considerable time, but it's a minor issue for me. I'm happy that every few weeks, a new feature for the Hornet appears and I get to run test it to see what it's all about, rather than still being in the dark about what it's like to fly a Hornet. I certainly don't feel ED operates on a certain space game alpha's level of "tactics". I don't feel there was a deliberate intention to try to deceive, and I have more faith that ED knows it has all it needs to get to the finish line. For the future, I strongly hope this experience doesn't sour them on making an EA release for the Viper down the road. There are many of out there who are thrilled to be playing with the Hornet at this stage of development, and who understand what an EA release means.