statrekmike

Is this a theory or something you have heard from reliable channels?

I don't want to sound like I am starting a fight with you but the dev's said that the basic development is done but they also clearly stated that there are integration and QA tasks still being worked on, at no point did they ever say that that "everything is done". Look, I am very eager to get my hands on this module, I have been for it's entire (announced) development and while I would love to see it soon, I also know that there is nothing that I can personally say or do to expedite the development, no matter how much I wish I could. It seems that the release date is somewhat outside of Leatherneck's control at this point, ED has to do it's part to make sure everything is working properly and as such, it hopefully won't be long and we will all be flying the MiG and having fun.

I think it is safe to say that the Dora was given a set date because ED is handling that title directly while Belsimtek is handling the Sabre, it would (as far as I can tell) fall on Belsimtek to release a set date when they have one. I also agree with the above poster about this silly idea that all of the new modules coming out on the same day, that is a terrible business strategy, heck, the fact that the MiG and the Sabre will probably be sharing a release month is not exactly ideal in the sense that they will be competing directly for those with limited funds for modules.

Cobra, can you give us any impression on how things are progressing in terms of the core integration and QA? I mean, not really asking for exact percentages of completion here, just enough to give us a general feeling of what is going on. I mean, I think the big thing that kinda sets things off on this subforum is not that release estimates don't really come to fruition (understandable in development) but that very little is said in the days immediately leading up to those dates, even a quick post last week saying very clearly that a June release is not going to happen would probably have gone a long way to ease the pressure and would have prevented the release thread from going the path that it did. I have no trouble looking at things from your perspective as a developer, I am not one myself but I feel that if you don't think it is ready, it is not ready and I support you on that 100%. However, please keep in mind that we as customers are kinda like highly caffeinated people running around in a dark room, we are really excited but we don't really know what is going on and that can lead to us grasping at whatever we can see and making it a big deal. We don't know when things are going to run into overtime, I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we are okay with the waiting, as long as we are not waiting for a date (even a vague one) that you know won't happen. I suppose what I am trying to say is that while I see that you gents have made some statements on various threads, it might be good to make occasional and somewhat in depth news posts (even a paragraph, it need not be long, just informative) so that we are not waiting for dates (again, even vague ones) that have already been decided were not to happen. Now, finally, before everyone jumps on me for being "impatient" or whatever, this is not the case, as I said, I fully support Leatherneck's choices on when and how to release the product, I am simply talking about why things are so tense here and putting forward a suggestion (and a very minor one at that, no more than a paragraph every week or two on a official post) that might help ALL of us have a smoother, happier time here, this is not "entitlement" or anything like that.

It really is not bad here at all, there are only a scant few troublemakers and the overall anticipation for the product is being shown in a generally positive light. Still, I am a MiG-21 cheerleader but even I can admit that the general lack of solid announcements (not just the random forum post but actual product updates of some form or another) as well as the release time-frame that keeps creeping just ahead of our grasp is getting a little frustrating. The issue here is not so much impatience really, it is that the folks here who are waiting for this have been hanging on with only a few screenshots, a video and some faith for a long time and it being so close to release makes every little slip of the release window more pronounced. It will come out eventually, I just hope that eventually does not mean in another month or more.

While I fully understand that releasing such a product does involve a plethora of logistical and technical concerns that I can't even begin to fathom, I still can't help but feel like a few screenshots or even another video would probably not be a bad idea, at the very least, a new video would help build some hype around the product. I am still hoping for a June release, it might not happen but it still would be pretty neat none the less.

You are more than a little behind in your information, perhaps looking through this thread (and the other threads in this subforum) will clear things up for you.

All of this talk about waiting until 1.3.0 might be true but on the other hand, I have a hard time believing that every 3rd party will need to wait for a major patch release to not only release products but also to update them, it does not sound very logical at all. I suspect that what will end up happening is that ED will simply roll out small compatibility patches on release of any 3rd party module. Without knowing all the details, I can't say if I am right or wrong on this but my gut tells me that the MiG is not going to have to wait for a huge update, that would make things more complicated and more annoying for 3rd party dev's who are able to release products outside a big ED update.

Listen, I get what you are saying, I really do but I think you misunderstand what I am saying here. I fully acknowledge that the only "right" I have as a consumer is to buy or not buy a product, I get that but at the same time, I am not talking about interacting with the dev's here, I am not saying that we go bang on the doors of Leatherneck studio when the clock hits midnight of the 20th. No, I am talking specifically about the discussion of release dates among the other users here, specifically, when someone says something to the effect of "Hey, I hope it comes out soon, it has been a long wait already and apparently it is nearly done" and then someone replies with what essentially amounts to "It will be done when it is done, I can wait for years longer if that is what it takes" and then there are others who will reply with "Stop pressuring the dev's!". The thing is, as I said before, many of us have been waiting a long time already and through several release dates at that, we are now at a point where we as consumers CAN logically expect a release pretty soon, Cobra even stated just now that it is pretty much done aside from a few little things so when someone on this forum acts like it could be months more and that we should just accept that, I am sorry, I don't buy it, even the dev's have indicated otherwise. The same thing happened awhile ago, before Dolphin talked about the release schedule, a bunch of folks here just kinda assumed it would be months and months longer, that we would be looking at a autumn or winter release and that turned out to be nonsense. Finally, stop with the guilt trip, seriously, any developer that makes a long awaited product expects and deals with anticipation and impatience on a daily basis, this forum seems to have two very different sides on this topic. The first side is the one that blames the consumers for every misunderstanding, every community backlash and every disappointed response on the fans. Even worse, this standpoint treats ED and any third party like a scared baby deer that can't possibly deal with the public and that every quiet spell where we don't get a lot of news is because we as fans were horrible and demanded too much. The other side (where I sit) respects the developers ability to know when news should be released, when it should not be released and also how to deal with critical fans properly, I mean, they are all adults, they know how to deal with this stuff and in all honesty, the behavior on these forums is pretty mild at the worst compared to a lot of other forums I have been on. So, please, lets not play the whole "it is our fault that they can't tell us anything" game, please, there are points where we the fans have a good reason to speak up about anything from release dates to product concerns and at the same time, we have seen time and time again that dev's have been able to rationally deal with it in a adult manner. I know it is cool to blame the forum users for drawing the wrong conclusions, for getting too hooked on release dates and all that but in the end, it is NORMAL for fans to anticipate releases, it is normal for fans to look at every shred of news carefully (especially when there is not a lot to go on) and it is normal for the developers to take all those concerns to heart and either go with them or not.

I think you misunderstand my position, I am all about software companies taking the time needed to actually finish a product, I am all about software not having a bunch of bugs, that is not up for debate. What I am saying is that many on this particular sub-forum have been in this thing for the long haul already, we have seen a lot of ups and downs and now we are finally at a point where release is near, you can literally feel the anticipation. That said, since we know that it is close to release, since we know that the product is pretty much done, the idea that we should gladly accept even more waiting is kinda absurd, I mean, I understand that stuff happens but in all honesty, we are not looking at anything more than a small delay if there is even one at all.

I think that there is honestly a point where the consumer can no longer be reasonably asked to wait patiently, I mean, I am not saying that as a way to say "I want it now!" but more of a reply to those that say that they are willing to wait as long as it takes. Don't get me wrong, I am also going to wait as long as it takes but at the same time, we are pretty close to release, ED has a evaluation copy in it's hands right now so it stands to reason that the product is close enough to being release worthy that anything longer than a week or two into July would be pushing it. As I have said before, I suspect we will see a release this month, I would hope that if it were not the case, they would be willing to tell us before the month is over.

I am still going to maintain some hope that we will see a release this month, perhaps not the 20th but around that date. I suspect that the silence we have been seeing is more due to pre-release prep than anything else.

I don't want this to sound like I am asking when the release date is, in fact, I fully understand that there is no real way to give a exact day at all. That said, it is June and the website said the release was May/June, now, I know that stuff happens and sometimes the projected completion dates slip but I was wondering if we are still looking at June or is that kinda out of the question at this point?

It was my impression that the release of modules (especially 3rd party modules) did not need to be tied to a major DCS world update at all and that updating can be handled directly by the 3rd party developer themselves. If that is the case, there is probably no significant reason for any 3rd party developer to wait, especially if that means releasing at the same time as another anticipated module (the Sabre). I am actually curious to hear what Cobra has to say about this, we are all guessing a awful lot here and as far as things go, the website still lists May/June as the release window.

Leatherneck studios has nothing to do with the release of EDGE, the MiG will apparently work with EDGE just fine but Eagle dynamics is the one that is actually creating EDGE and releasing it. When will we get EDGE? Who knows...

Where do you get those mounting brackets?

I don't mean to sound pushy or anything, I know that there is a lot to do and a ton of pressure to do it as quickly as it can reasonably be done, please don't think I am trying to rush. That being said, it is indeed June, I am not asking for a release tomorrow but the projected release is listed as May/June and with that being the case, I suppose I am wondering if things are still on track for a June release (as in, any time in June really)? Release dates are tough to deal with, I fully understand but we are at that point where it would be good to know where we all kinda stand.

I get a feeling that we are closer than we think, I don't know, there is just something that gives me that feeling. Please correct me if I am wrong dev's.

At the risk of sounding impatient, is everything still roughly on track for a June(ish) release?

As someone who has been a un-ashamed cheerleader for this project since it was first announced, I can't help but ask, is everything still on track? Does the team feel confident that they will meet the May/June release window? I don't ask because I want a exact release date, I only ask because software development is always a fluid thing and stuff can happen that the end-users may not be aware of that can potentially delay or even accelerate a project. Now, to get a bit more specific, would there be a possibility of just a few quick screens of the current product as it stands right now? I mean, we have seen screens but they are usually a few versions back from the one you are working on now, I am curious to see what things look like at the moment. Please note however, I am not talking about a big, official release of screenshots, just some quick shots taken during testing or whatever, the same as has been done up to now but on a more current version. Hopefully this won't come off as demands, I just figured it was worth asking either way.

I can get behind this as well, the release of the MiG-21bis will open a massive gap for a opponent (like the F-4 or even the F-8 ) that will really need to be filled, hopefully Leatherneck sticks in the 60's and 70's era cold war aircraft for a bit, it is a good era for flight simulation to cover anyway.

I don't see why a X-52 can't handle it, it is not going to be like most modern fighters where a lot of controls are accessed via that real HOTAS, a lot of your work will be done with the mouse in the cockpit.

I think everyone here (for the most part) has been pretty patient indeed, I suppose it is just frustrating on some levels to understand that release is "very soon" but not really know what that means anymore. Hopefully we get it soon, all the updates and dev posts we have gotten lately have indicated that the project is at it's final stages, I suppose it would just help to know where that puts us now that 1.2.8 is actually out as opposed to kinda sitting in limbo and hoping we won't get told that we now have to wait until 1.2.9 or even 1.3.0. I suppose that I am just saying that for all the talk about us being terrible people, impatient and childlike, there has been a great deal of patience and on top of that, the vast majority of regular posters here are very supportive of the developers, still, some eagerness and anticipation is to be expected.

How would the MiG-21 fair against the AI F-4 we have in DCS right now?

From the way Cobra has been talking since the initial announcement, it sounds like we will get it sooner rather than later, it sounds like it is very close to complete and only a matter of finishing touches. There is no way to be sure at this stage but I hope for a release soon, I have been eager to get my hands on it indeed!