LanceCriminal86

It's all part of the plan. There's fixes and stuff slowly trickling in on the external model and with those plus the additions and potential early external model, a lot will need to be re-worked. Not to mention the entire mountain of existing pilots and helmets, retrofitting the corrections to those skins, and then trying to also keep adding new stuff. Research is also a big part of it, and quite a bear. Trying to get whole squadrons from a single cruise with crew names is damn near impossible, usually lucky to get a good handful. Even with cruise books there's no guarantee you will find photos of canopy rails and gear doors, plus some squadrons did callsigns while others didn't. Some cruises they never even showed names. Sometimes they were one one side only and the only photo you have is from the other. I like when we can do times that match historical events but sometimes it's dictated by how much reference material there is. Helmets is another tough part, while F-14 squadrons enjoy a lot more coverage there, I've had a lot of instances where we had no closeups at all and had to go with best guesses. Especially during transitional years. The goal is definitely to get every squadron represented with some different eras, but there's also the concern about hard drive space as *good* liveries with custom roughmets and pilots and all easily are 300+ MB zipped. And there's the issue of waiting for the right helmet models and externals for later squadrons versus releasing now and having to go back around and fix them later.

Not to mention sailing right over the "done in 3 days and weren't originally told it would be released anywhere" comment but hey. I was already working fixes after the deadline because my original reference pic made the logo seem huge but was from far away, not to mention I also had an unseen version that actually was made to match the film jet, but it's always a wonderful wet blanket to stop in the forums sometimes so thanks for that. I was working on some neat 1991 VF-11 skins and paused all that to try and help out, plus reworking the 1988 ones after losing a whole PSD during a crash. And even many modeling guides don't exactly match the singular photo I found that shows the tail up close, not to mention the tail logo was simplified from the fancier versions of the bird out there and the positioning inside the circle. Then there's trying to work out the size and position of the logo with almost no reference points visible and the shot being from a low and not side-on angle of the tail, so can't exactly make out the tail reinforcements or how close to the front edges it is. There are surprisingly few shots of the actual tails from Maverick's jet, and add the fact they had to use multiple jets so each could be different and different jets are in each shot even within a single scene. Sometimes it's one of the Iceman jets, sometimes it's the one with the big VF-213 logo on it. Good luck finding a solid reference shot of Maverick's tail. And to add to that, one of the "VF-1" jets the bird is the same on both sides, one it's always facing forwards. Tons of shots are either in the forced night/evening lighting during the intro or the tails are completely cut out of the frame. In the process of making them and watching the movie about 5 times back to back, I also noticed when Iceman's engine is "hit" the bullet holes are by the rescue arrow, which is on the nose/forward fuselage. And then the smoke as they're shutting it down, is actually the gun so it looks like they used footage of a live gun shoot. I don't know if I should post it yet but there is a version of 114 as close to the movie's patchy corrosion control, funky anti-skid panels, missing MODEX, and all that jazz. I added a VF-1 on the ventral strakes but at this point I don't know if the jets even had that, if they had the original VF-111/51, or blank strakes.

Already fixed internally, did not know this was getting released so you gave me a bit of a surprise when you posted the screenshot. I've been paranoid for about 2-3 days now. I will see if the fixed LOD DDS file can be posted or shared somehow until the next patch.

The sudden inclusion of the Top Gun skins was as much a surprise to the people that made them. It hadn't been supplied anywhere else and suddenly I see a screenshot in the livery thread thinking someone either had made the exact same jet, or somehow had mine. They were a combined effort though of 5 or 6 folks, with one knocking out Maverick and Goose's helmets in about 2 days time, 2 of us doing the actual jets, and others helping with the art vectors to use for tails and patches etc. And there may even be more to come. Squadrons will keep coming, the F-14 externals are going to be getting some love, fixes, and additions it looks like so the other squadrons should start flowing. The skins that had been added so far were all passion projects rather than just churning out something for each squadron real fast. We're also hoping for a better solution to handle and distribute skins officially that servers and players can use, because it's not looking sustainable to do 4x skins per squadron/timeframe just based on drive space.

*cough*

I've seen a lot of y'alls work on the Tomcat Assn FB group, glad to see you here! I'd love to get down and see both the Deland and Valiant Tomcats some day, got a friend out that way so what better excuse? I need to crawl around them and get some panel and reference photos as I've got some thoughts to check out on the engine nacelle differences between the A and B vs the D that was also scanned in making the DCS module. Technically I have 5 Tomcats in 3-5 hour driving distance but you guys seem to work really hard on that one and I'd love to see her. One thing on the engine nacelles, I've seen these little "trap door" looking ports or access holes. Look to be only on the left side of the engine, but some pics it looks like there's 2, sometimes just 1.

External features of the F-14A really had 3 main groups. The first being the prototype and initial production jets with different beaver tails and 7 gun vents, then the main production lots from around 75/80 GR onwards, and then after the end of 110-GR where the upgrades to the jammers were introduced through the final 140-GR jets around 86/87. There were some minor changes within those times but the big splits were from the initial production batches to the ultimate "Standard" and then the late blocks that adopted close to what was in the F-14A+ minus the actual ALR-67 RWR (but apparently set up to be able to receive it, which they did late 90s-early 00s). 90 or 95-GR introduced the probe on the tip of the radome but that's less noticeable than the ALQ-126 humps and new beaver tail, or the 7-hole gun vents.

They change to gray on firing. The solution there is that the 54A needed to become a separate missile model in the core sim which is what should be happening here.

As Cobra's least favorite rivet counter I totally get it, that's where I'm hoping they can eventually get the deets for using the LUA ordnance switch framework that ED has. It's doubtful that we'd get 20 different iterations but an alternate white C shouldn't be too bad a stretch, but would probably come down the road. Right now I think we're ramping up towards some of the big visual updates and additions with the external fixes and tweaks that are coming this next patch. Those lay the groundwork to add the missing bits on the B and late A, make some fixes, and start working towards the "early" features.

I wouldn't rule it out in the future, right now separating out the AIM-54A is the short term solution. Eventually they may be able to leverage EDs own ordnance skin flags like bombs can for the AF/Navy with ablative. And remember too there were some mixmaster missile photos, part gray and part white. I tried but couldn't see any AIM-54A in gray, I'm guessing that they didn't repaint them and just expended them for live fire shoots.

Tyndall AFB should be TD, which operates or operated QF-4s. Since the pic is 1997 I'd assume they did "heritage" liveries of the different F-4 schemes, with the one you pointed out in Euro One. And since I've been focused on Texas Tomcats I'll probably end up doing that one.

Yeah, that's based on animation arguments though. What I'm talking about is deeper integration of the date system in MV as well as assigned country to actually determine loadouts, systems. The specific case being just making a -95 GR Tomcat, and the Iran configuration disables some of the functions and locks it to only using the ALQ-100 pod without a TCS, locking out the ALQ-126 blisters. Technically the Iranians had the Air Force style helmets and harnesses but that would mean another pilot remodel. Maybe when the F-4E comes in, they could "port" those crew over to the Tomcat but for now that's a lot lower on the pole than working out the system differences. And the challenge for the Tomcat is it's much higher on the poly count and textures than the C-101, trying to store all those different possible configurations in the Tomcat would likely cause a serious performance impact after talking it over. As much as I would love to see every configuration of the external model available as an animation argument, concessions will have to be made. Me, I'd be fine settling for having to keep the late beaver tail if we can swap out the TCS and enable/disable the ALQ-126. Then the early and late A model can be mostly correct to represent older blocks back to the ~ 90-GR range through the last 140-GRs, the older jets that were still around in the mid-late 90s, and the newer late blocks that finally did get the DFCS, ALR-67, LANTIRN, PTID, etc. The reserve squadrons had a mix of these, with 201 through 1998, while the fleet squadrons mainly had the 110-115+ GR blocks through the end. 161134 at Valiant is one of the few I've seen that were pre-ALQ-126 but still served through with VF-41 to Afghanistan. Almost every other jet has been the very late blocks.

An early "135" isn't really any different from the existing A except in the RWR and lack of LANTIRN, plus the old style gun vents. Technically the ALR-45 jets have visual differences from ALR-67 equipped ones as well but unsure if those nuances will be remodeled or not. At one point there were some thoughts about making the ALQ-126 jammer blisters and TCS mountable "pods", which would allow the early and late A models to more easily represent a broader range of production Tomcats (if you pretend the beaver tail isn't there). Even neater would be if ED's framework would allow for one module to be configured differently based on dates or assigned country, because then you wouldn't need a separate Iran jet. I'm hoping it's still a consideration, as making some of those model changes might be very invasive and resource intensive, same with the dynamic MODEX. I don't care about dynamic MODEX myself but I get that others do. As for scope/feature creep, at this point it appears each HB module will be benefiting from other module developments. Existing code and features speeds up development in some areas, and as breakthroughs are made, they are reworking older features to improve them. The Phantom will be benefiting from the groundwork laid by the Tomcat, and the Tomcat will benefit further from the work that will go into the Phantom. And the Intruder will likely benefit from both, as by then the pilot/BN animations will have matured from the Tomcat and Phantom. Jester's LANTIRN functions will likely be a big part of the groundwork for the A-6's BN AI, and I'd bet whatever WSO work is done for the F-4E will also carry over to both the Tomcat and Intruder. And the Viggen tangentially is benefitting from all this as system coding can trickle its way down. That and things like the Bullpup might be built from that one missile the Viggen has, and then backwards again if the new code is superior. Or maybe folks would like the Tomcat to be like the F-5E, F-86, and be left as "done" with issues still existing while resources are put elsewhere? I've been waiting for mostly visual changes on the F-14, but I haven't been screeching about it. Just casually sending pictures of my growing mountain of flight gear, HGU-55s, and HGU-33s to Cobra. Hell, a few of us folks started just making the changes and documenting it so we'd actually be helpful when the time comes. But I suppose it's a mindset thing. I've been hammering away at school and work so that when the time comes, I can start pumping out Tomcat skins and helmets. Whenever the new helmets arrive there's going to be a ton of work to do, and frankly I'd rather help and contribute than complain.

Looks like the same jet here, or actually no as the teeth are different. Need to find the serial for your pic's jet unless it's the same just redone later:

I think her long service life and use in 2 "incidents" and 2 conflicts is worth considering. Yes, the Kitty Hawks should be in someday, somehow, but trying to do all 3 can quickly get challenging with the differences in their superstructures and other details. First 2 Forrestals had some differences from the last 2. Enterprise is the other candidate if you had to do a 1-off, a unique design if you do the work to represent pre- and post-refit islands. And she did at least have 3 F-4J cruises, while the Kennedy went right from F-4Bs to Tomcats when VF-14 and VF-32 started the transition in 1974. I just think given the maps we currently have in the Med, the JFK checks a bunch of historic boxes and for multiple modules. And for the Pacific, yes the Enterprise would do the same.

That's why the Kennedy is the right and true answer. Tomcats, Intruders, Corsair IIs from 74 onwards. Updated deck design as adopted in the Nimitz class, carrier from the '89 Sidra shoot down and the strikes following the Beirut bombing. Stayed active to serve in the Global War on Terror, and was VF-103's carrier for their final Tomcat cruise in 2004. She did have F-4Bs before the transition but we'd more likely be getting a J. Looking at the time and resources to do the whole Forrestal class it'd be unlikely they'd want to tackle another whole class, especially with the Kitty Hawk class having variations between the ships.

That's an AU-1, ground attack variant and I believe the last Corsairs built. Regarding the Corsair in SEA, I believe the French used theirs in the Indochina war that preceded the Vietnam war into the late 1950s.

When I was working on the 1988 skins to go with the Forrestal the photos of the decks were looking about like they are currently in the module. The photos as I recall were only a few months into the cruise, mostly during the NATO exercises in the north Atlantic. https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-helicopter-combat-support-squadron-6-hc-6-sea-knight-helicopter-picks-up-e5f52a?zoom=true https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-fighter-squadron-31-vf-31-f-14a-tomcat-aircraft-lands-on-the-aircraft-carrier-8c6c35?zoom=true https://nara.getarchive.net/media/an-f-14a-tomcat-aircraft-comes-in-for-a-landing-on-the-flight-deck-of-the-aircraft-5bf26f?zoom=true By the end of the cruise it looked like this: https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-port-bow-view-of-the-aircraft-carrier-uss-forrestal-cv-59-with-a-formation-e2d5d3?zoom=true It strongly depends on if the ship just rolled out of a refit/resurfacing or whether it's partway through a cruise. I get it, some folks want it right out of the dock but I'd rather something representing mid-cruise.

There are finite human resources available for changing existing features, never mind adding the new features that are still awaited. That seems to be the reality often not considered with the myriad requests made. What seems "simple" to you, generally isn't, and may involve stopping work on more important things like the ongoing autopilot rework, or <insert list of things still to come on the roadmap>.

If you altered someone else's skin, without permission, and then uploaded it to UserFiles against their wishes, then absolutely.

This is specifically the F-4E, we're not doing Navy/USMC stuff here. When the Naval variant is announced, it will be covered aplenty there.

Oof, went looking for 74-043, immediately a pic of QF-4E. You can tell it's the same jet:

Fictional liveries from short-nosed C and D Phantoms shouldn't be the primary focus of the team, they can be done by the community once the paint kit is out. At least with the exported variants of the E they're on the right airframe despite system differences. The goal here is to establish F-4E liveries, USAF ones associated with the DCS terrains available, and for the nations that have operated the E. The exported Es and even F are somewhat stretching things enough with their varied avionics and upgrades, I don't think spending cycles outside of that makes sense right now. Just working the above is already going to be a mountain of work.