Tomcat Toughness

[gavagai]

This F-14 is more difficult to bring down than other twin-engined fighters, a lot more difficult. More than 75% of the time it takes two sidewinders up the tailpipe to be sure it's dead. F-15 and Su-27 are both usually dead with just one.

 

FWIW, this is in multiplayer against other human opponents.

[Nealius]

It's a very large aircraft that has an actual damage model. I've taken a sidewinder and survived, but had all my avionics and one hydraulic channel knocked out, and a dead RIO. FC3 aircraft aren't that detailed.

[QuiGon]

This F-14 is more difficult to bring down than other twin-engined fighters, a lot more difficult. More than 75% of the time it takes two sidewinders up the tailpipe to be sure it's dead. F-15 and Su-27 are both usually dead with just one.

 

FWIW, this is in multiplayer against other human opponents.

While the Tomcat usally doesn't disintegrate on a first hit (like the FC3 fighters do), it usually takes a lot of internal damage (hyraulic loss, systems offline), usually rendering it combat ineffective and often it crashes a while after the hit, as hydraulics leak out and the controls become ineffective.

[stuart666]

Not unlike the Phantom in Vietnam when you stop to think about it. Ive had instances where ive had the hydraulics bleed out and Ive managed to keep it in the air by rudder and using the flaps.

 

 

 

By and large its not bad, but there are odd glitches. For example I took a missile hit to the nose, like head on, and it walked away from it with non fatal systems damage. Every tail hit kills the burners but does little other damage.. And there is the inexplicable fatal roll that occurs even if both wings and tailerons are intact.

 

 

Its good, but there is some way to go on it yet I feel.

[QuiGon]

Its good, but there is some way to go on it yet I feel.

Definitely. I'm waiting for the new Damage Model, comming to DCS in general. First for the warbirds and then for the jets. It should provide a totally new experience in this regard.

[Kula66]

One 20mm to the wings and it will go down :(

[gavagai]

One 20mm to the wings and it will go down :(

 

You hear one sound, but you're being hit by a lot more than one shell.

 

Anyway, come to think of it, the F-18 also goes down with one sidewinder. Sorry everyone, but for now I think the F-14 is not in line with the other fighters. I'd like to hear from Heatblur and ED about the DM and what we can expect in the future.

[Chaogen]

Grumman Aircraft are built with considerably more structural integrity than most other A/C and specifically the F-14 has notoriously more titanium in critical locations along with multiple system redundancy. The sidewinder doesn't use high explosive warhead but rather a shrapnel rod cage to inflict damage. As opposed to the 135 lbs high explosive warhead of a Phoenix.

 

Furthermore on a SIM level, you are arguing that the F-14 is wrong because its modeled better than others and therefor unfair to those with simple point based damage modeling? Taking warheads into account, the sidewinder would make sense to have system failures modeled location based more akin to gun hits, where as an explosive warhead is points based damage may make more sense. Either way take it up with ED. I'm not going to fault HB until ED fixes their damage model where a direct hit from a 500lbs bomb will kill a T-72 tank but not if it lands 6 feet away. Or twice ( and another player on the server) this weekend when we hit AI F-4s with AIM-120s from F-16s and they just kept flying.

[Sublimearrepentido]

Totally theorizing here so fwiw

I think part of the problem is the f14 has a dmg model where many dcs planes have a extremely simplified one in comparison. Im sure things have changed but I remember a few years ago I was taxiing an F15 and I *bumped* a chainlink fence at like 5 knots. *FIREBALL*

Ironically i forgot all about it until last week I got distracted and drove my f14 into a chainlink fence.. and it just showed some sparks and made a noise.

other planes seem to have a yes no damage model. Hit = boom. I guess it was felt not a big deal with modern planes at the time who knows.

[Kula66]

You hear one sound, but you're being hit by a lot more than one shell..

 

I’m not talking about sound

[draconus]

While the Tomcat usally doesn't disintegrate on a first hit (like the FC3 fighters do)...

No, FC3 a/c have damage model too, so you can lost a wing, damage radar, hydraulics, HUD, nav, fuel leak, engine fire and so on. Even every AI a/c has damage model implemented. You can destroy or cut out every wing, stabilator, vertical stabilizer, every one of the engines on the 4-engine a/c... Please don't spread misinformation.

 

As for the main topic - it's not binary. Missile hit is not instant blow up. It depends on the explosion distance, type of a warhead, its power ...and luck. So sometimes you can experience quick death, other times you can get lucky and fly away with a small hole.

[Nealius]

You hear one sound, but you're being hit by a lot more than one shell.

 

Anyway, come to think of it, the F-18 also goes down with one sidewinder. Sorry everyone, but for now I think the F-14 is not in line with the other fighters. I'd like to hear from Heatblur and ED about the DM and what we can expect in the future.

 

The FA-18 and F-16 go down with single sidewinders because the pilot gets instagibbed by every single hit. Their damage modeling is lacking compared to the Tomcat's, therefore it's the other way around. The other fighters are not in line with the Tomcat. Why should the bar be lowered to make up for what other modules lack?

[QuiGon]

No, FC3 a/c have damage model too, so you can lost a wing, damage radar, hydraulics, HUD, nav, fuel leak, engine fire and so on. Even every AI a/c has damage model implemented. You can destroy or cut out every wing, stabilator, vertical stabilizer, every one of the engines on the 4-engine a/c... Please don't spread misinformation.

You're right of course. I just mentioned FC3 as a directly reply to the post I quoted there, which mentioned the Su-27 and F-15 as examples for fighters that disintegrate (= loose structural parts of the aircraft when getting hit by a missile) more often than the Tomcat does. But you are right, that this isn't always the case and sometimes the damage is more nuanced nor is this something specific for the FC3 aircraft.