Own Subforum for Intruder?

[Nealius]

If it's working well enough to be in promotional videos for years then it's good enough to be out to the public, in my opinion. 

[draconus]

1 hour ago, Nealius said:

If it's working well enough to be in promotional videos for years then it's good enough to be out to the public, in my opinion. 

To show up in the video it takes only barely finished external model which can be as good as a static object.

Beside just the 3D model and textures the game needs:

- LODs

- damage model (hitboxes, programming, new destruction textures + 3D models)

- IR modeling

- ME country, category, WP actions, DB update

- weapon and sensors integration (programming and placement on the model/pylons)

- AI parameters for movement: speed, turning, engine power, taxiing, etc.

- animations (gear/suspention, flight control surfaces...)

- lights

- CA integration

...

[Stackup]

10 hours ago, draconus said:

To show up in the video it takes only barely finished external model which can be as good as a static object.

Beside just the 3D model and textures the game needs:

- LODs

- damage model (hitboxes, programming, new destruction textures + 3D models)

- IR modeling

- ME country, category, WP actions, DB update

- weapon and sensors integration (programming and placement on the model/pylons)

- AI parameters for movement: speed, turning, engine power, taxiing, etc.

- animations (gear/suspention, flight control surfaces...)

- lights

- CA integration

...

This also all has to be done to the level of a full Heatblur module since that's what the A-6 is now.  We are just getting the AI first because that's what it was when the F-14 launched 4 years ago.  Then at the beginning of 2021, following the Reach for the Skies video, it was announced that the A-6 would be a full fidelity module.  So it's been a long time for the AI to come and you can also add to this all the other missing features and variants of the F-14, the remaining three Forrestal class carriers, and the J-35 Draken AI. 

Then we learn about the Phantom which is gonna be really awesome and add all this new stuff to DCS, but also it's in the way of everything else and getting delayed time and time again and you can see why some people just aren't interested in just accepting an appearance of this stuff once every year if it even gets mentioned at all.  To include the summer 2023 release announcement we got in May 2023 that said the A-6 AI was comig by the end of summer.  We need less guessing and more just getting the job done.   Cobra himself has said he isn't happy about how long it's taken either in this reddit post from 5 months ago: 

Hopefully we see the A-6 AI this year, but unless we start seeing a ramp up in Phantom content, it would be increasingly doubtful.  2 months to go on Winter 23-24 window and a WSO cockpit and manual reveal last week, so we shall see what they can do.

Here's also still hoping we can get an early A-6E without the TRAM pod as an additonal option.

 

[GUCCI]

As we are getting close to Phantom EA release, and the hopefully soon intruder Ai.

 

IronMike, Subchannel when?

-A6ETramchad

[Stackup]

Bumpety bump bump bump.  Phantom delay likely pushes the AI back further, but maybe we see a subforum for the A-6 after the F-4 launch.  Eurofighter has had one for years now and Heatblur said they would work on the Eurofighter and A-6 "side-by-side" so it would make sense.