Donut

Get VoiceAttack! https://voiceattack.com/ You can be as simple or in depth as you want with it. The way I have it...I bring up the comms menu with a mapped button on my throttle and then using voice, I say "one," "two," etc... all the way to eleven to correspond with the F commands on the comms menu.

As I think of the possibilities besides the F-4, I really think HB throws their hat in the WWII ring...Pacific of course. They have shown great interest and capability in making USN planes as well a carrier. The Corsair is being done by Magnitude 3/Leatherneck and there is talk of ED having great interest in the Hellcat. That still leaves a lot of possibilities. With HB's amazing multicrew work, I think a torpedo or dive bomber would be great...the Avenger being the favorite with HB's connection with Grumman.

100% agree! Thankfully HB's roadmap mentions upgrading the backgrounds/UI. What you have done would be perfect!

I can't believe this remains unresolved by ED. I cannot run a single DCS session without a crash trying to run a second mission load. Sometimes it crashes to the desktop and creates a crash log, and sometimes it's a crash that locks the system and I have to reboot the PC. Many thanks to all who are troubleshooting on here. I believe it's really on the ED side though. The only thing that changed for me was updating to 2.7 and then the crashes started.

The external lighting, specifically the anti-collision lights still seem extremely dim and virtually useless currently. Are there plans to improve on their brightness and visibility, to be more in line with the lighting seen in the Hornet and Viper?

I noticed that the Public Roadmap did not mention the F-14 manual. Is it still going to be developed...to include more instruction on actual flying, operating, and fighting in the Tomcat as well as instructions on using the Jester menu?

Yep, I have added lowering the ICS volume to my startup checklist...one of the first things I do. Even with the helmet volume lowered in the menu, Jester is still way too loud for some reason.

When was the Viggen "supposed" to be out of EA? HB said they wanted the Tomcat out of EA by the 2 year anniversary this past March...

Not reproducible?! It is so widespread as can be seen on the forum and everyone I personally know is also having constant crashes. I get a crash after every second mission load. I have tried all the potential fixes, Windows 10 and Nvidia both are fully updated, etc. 2.7 did something, and whatever version you are testing might not be what you released to us. This has become a show stopping bug, maybe the biggest and most serious bug in my 6 years with DCS. Hopefully it is pinned down and fixed ASAP.

I have to respectfully disagree with all of this. In combat/dogfight, there should be only one mindset and Jester's tone and emotion needs to demonstrate that. Also, the directional calls are given as clock direction which is very obvious and distinct from how the speed callouts are given. There is no need to differentiate them any further. The difference in Jester's tone and emotion is a problem across all flight regimes, but is extremely jarring and immersion breaking when engaged. Having Jester maintain a high intensity/screaming/being on 180 kmh all the time is actually what I would expect in a high stress life or death situation and would significantly add to the immersion. It's not a time for comic relief. The HB Tomcat is an incredible achievement of high fidelity...then there is Jester. Maybe I am in the minority, but Jester is a really big turnoff and immersion breaker for me currently. I have been flying the Tomcat since release and he just seems to be getting worse and more annoying.

I would have them turned off as well. Despite HB's efforts, I am just not seeing variety. More often than not, I get Jester making non-productive comments/jokes and hear frequent repetition of the same ones. Since 2.7, I have flown four quick BFM engagements and each time, I hear Jester make the "420 blaze it" comment. It got old real quick, not to mention it just isn't funny or appropriate to begin with. It is just so very out of place and takes the immersion away. I understand the idea of giving Jester a personality and think it's great, only if implemented realistically and properly though. I feel we are getting to the point where he is becoming more of a joke and burden than anything really useful. His personality should be reflected more by how he says things and his emotion, not necessarily what he says. Hopefully a balance can be reached that gives Jester a personality while also maintaining realism and proper military behavior. Combat and speed callouts are not the time for Jester to practice his comedy routine, nor is behind a tanker while I am trying to plug the basket... If Jester doesn't wise up, I am going to toss a loaded piddle pack into the rear seat!

Roger that. Made it up to six missions without crash. We will see what happens over the next few days as I load more missions. Maybe it's just that we will need to delete the fxo and metashaders everyday or so. I have no idea why this is needed, but is seems that it is...maybe ED can look at automatically deleting these folders upon each exit of DCS.

I was getting crashes on every second mission load as well since the 2.7 update. Today I tried deleting both the fxo and metashader 2 folders and so far so good. No more crashes after my fourth mission load.

I too am hoping for the F-14D, but know it's a long shot. The F-4J/S makes a lot of sense but also let's not forget the upcoming WWII Pacific Theater. I think a Heatblur Hellcat would be incredible!

Thank you for such a detailed response, greatly appreciated. I am sad to hear about "boring Jester" though, but I do understand the work it would take. My opinion is that at times, Jester's color commentary either takes away from the otherwise extremely realistic and high quality of your F-14, and/or is just plain inappropriate and out of place for the situation. For example, the BFM speed callouts are a great edition, but jokes and his general tone seem very out of place and unprofessional for such a high stress, life or death situation. Maybe an option to just disable the speed callouts would be easier to implement than singling out specific lines. Anyways, keep up the incredible work and thank you so much!

I noticed he is much more quiet while refueling too. A much needed fix and improvement, but I personally hope for much more. I am looking forward to the "boring Jester" setting. I need a RIO, not a comedian. I want pertinent information from him only and to be more professional in my plane. Today while doing some BFM and hearing his speed callouts, he says, "420 blaze it"...seriously, are you kidding me? That is what HB thought needed to be added to Jester? I had to walk away after that and just hope the "boring Jester" is added sooner rather than later.

I actually hope they have paused work on the Forrestal and A-6 AI for the time being...those will just be bonus nice to have extras in the end. HB planned to have the Tomcat out of EA by the two year anniversary this past March, but there is a lot of work still to do on just the Tomcat alone without the extra stuff. I am more interested in finally having a completed and correct B cockpit, updated/improved FM, an F-14 that works better with the Supercarrier, Jester LANTIRN capability, boring Jester setting, updated and fully complete manual (to include information on how to actually fly and operate the F-14 with proper procedures, etc), updated pilot body with HGU-55/68 helmet option, more liveries and last but not least...numerous bug fixes.

If you have known Heatblur from the beginning, you know that they have never made a deadline...usually missing by months or even years, and that is okay. It's the nature of the business and in all fairness, to be expected. We all should let Heatblur do their thing in peace without added pressure or stress. Their talent and quality is unmatched. They have given us what is arguably the best flight simulation aircraft (Tomcat) ever...and from the sound of it, things are only going to get better.

Same here. Crashes upon 2nd mission load every time with Tomcat or Hornet, Instant or Custom missions. Crashes were happening in 2.7 as well and appear unfixed in this latest update. Several crash logs sent to ED.

No fixes/changes with today's DCS Open Beta update? Some of the feedback from this thread was said to be fixed in the next hotfix/update.

Thank you everyone for the help and tips. Using longitudinal stick inputs (elevator) during the approach turn and on final has improved my ability to stay on speed immensely...now I just need to continue practicing the technique. I think Chuck's Guide should maybe be edited to reflect this. I will notify him and see what he thinks.

I am looking for some tips and advice on landing the Tomcat. I am having difficulty with staying on speed during the approach turn and final approach. I get all set up and on speed AoA during the downwind, but it all falls apart as soon as I make the approach turn. The Tomcat does not stay on speed like the Hornet does. Just using throttle inputs like in the Hornet does not seem possible in the Tomcat, but Chuck's Tomcat Guide says not to use and longitudinal stick input during the approach turn and final approach. However, I cannot regain a stable on speed AoA without stick input and more trimming. What is the proper technique? I am sure I am doing something wrong, but I don't know what.

Thanks for the link! Great stuff, I didn't know he had a Youtube channel! I just finished reading his novel Punk's War and started his second, Punk's Wing. I highly recommend them.

Roger that, thank you for all the feedback. I was unaware of the wheel drag anomaly in DCS. We are very fortunate to have your active presence and knowledge on the forums. You and Heatblur keep up the amazing work. I will standby for the updated FM.

Roger that BIGNEWY and thank you for the info. I look forward to taking the Hornet up tomorrow and seeing if the new drag values have any effect on performance. I believe it has been mentioned around here that the DCS Hornet is a bit draggy/slow to accelerate compared to real life. Looking forward to the results of the FM review!