MiG21bisFishbedL

I hear you on that. I suppose that's a concern for the consumer for sure. So, for the A2A mission, supposedly the F-117 (according to certain pilots) was planned to carry heaters at one point, though it never did. And, other F-117 experts (See also: maintainers, pilots, and designers) counter this claim, too. It's hard to say in certain terms but I'd lean more heavily toward it not being the case. Even if it were, the -117s never deployed with them or even trained with them as far as I can tell.

There's always some wrench that can drop into the works. You know the anecdote of "The Sword of Damocles" that's meant to illustrate the ever-present dangers being an individual in power? In programming, it's the Wrench of Damocles.

They already nixed the statement that it'll be a 2B and state that was a mistake to cite.

"Wow, they didn't just use their neural projector? Wait, they didn't have those!?"

They literally said that the Block IIB statement was made in error. We don't know what we're getting.

TBH, you should have first emphasized the academic papers etc. before trade shows. At least, that's how I'd have written it.

There's certainly less excuse against the introduction of certain redfor aircraft, now. Of course, time will tell.

I think I have to agree. A '27 or '28 release seems feasible. What I'd be curious to know? How long did the MiG-29 take in development? If we could look at how long that took, since it's new from the ground up, it could indicate a larger staff or a new, better optimized work flow.

Absolutely. If the F-35 is impetus for that core improvement, so be it.

NOW, we're talkin'.

It also doesn't help ED teased the 117 in the 2025 and beyond video. At all. Give it to me!

I imagine GFM's delays are tied to the lengthy development of the dynamic campaign. Those two are inextricable.

Things like this will need to become the forefront of the F-35's development, honestly. This needs to be priority 1.

Because, it vexes you.

The 2B comment was a mistake. We don't know, precisely, yet. So, at the very least? We can probably be positive it isn't 2B. Or that it's just marketing. They may have gotten some new hires, some new workflow ideas, etc. However, there's absolutely no way it'll drop in '26. Many will act shocked when it doesn't, despite this being the same song and dance that has happened with just about ever module released, be they first or third party.

Well, a lot of developers say they'll do this or that. It's worth holding off on expectations until they've got it in writing.

It'll certainly be a lot harder to excuse those, now.

F-22 has more classifications than the F-35, though I'm not sure I can say the same about the F-117 They've done quite an aboutface here.

That assumes that ED allows them the similarly relaxed standard. But, really, let's not strawman this topic since there are a lot of concerns to be answered about it's development. Hyperbole isn't going to help us.

I've never seen UFO behavior vs. the MiG-19. Plenty vs. the MiG-15 and -21, though. For the 21, I just give them 1600kg simulated additional weight via script. It feels like a decent sweet spot for a more realistic AI Fishbed.

It's an option all F-35As can utilize, even, apparently. According to the -1 and -2.

Because, gamers consume negativity like whales consume krill.

This. If ED wants to assuage concerns, we need additions to the Q&A to discuss how the team will expand upon those elements the F-35 depends heavily upon, EW and stealth, within DCS. After all, EW is far too simple as is RCS. Even a little promise of those receiving improvement prior to the launch of the F-35 would go a long way. Let's not even pretend we'll have it in 2026. If we do? It'll be a repeat of the F-16's launch given what is needed to make the F-35 actually function in DCS. Otherwise, you'll be asking full price for a less finished module than the existing F-16 or F/A-18 with similar capabilities.

Given how many "CAN WE GET THE F-35!!?" requests have been made, they already know the players' opinion.

WELP