Heatblur Update - Supersize Me & Public Roadmap

[Steve Gee]

Everyone has their "big 3" that they think HB will be doing next. All of them have connections to the Tomcat/Viggen in some way, as well. Multi-seat, ground mapping radar, swing wings, naval operations, and many other features. The already announced A-6 fills the majority of the aforementioned commonalities, too.

 

No one seems to think HB might just take us down a totally new flight path with the other two after the Intruder.  

[LCO489]

10 hours ago, Alphabet_Ghost said:

It will be cool if we have boarding ladder animation

 

 

Are those F-7 on the background?

[TLTeo]

1 minute ago, LCO489 said:

Are those F-7 on the background?

Yep

[Bremspropeller]

Now, F-7s would also be cool 

[draconus]

I like how threads turn into wishlist. F-15C for me please

[Jester986]

Ooo, I'll take a F-106

[Lurker]

Since HB have already produced my favorite fixed wing jet of all time, anything else they make is really just icing on top of the cake. 

With that said, I do hope that the F-111 is in the works.

[rkk01]

F-111, F-4, Tornado...

 

Any, all, either would be great.

 

F-4 seems a more logical fit with Forrestal

 

F-111 would be “next gen” in terms of module tech / development because of the side by side cockpit layout and ejection capsule

 

Tornado seems a logical step using the F-14 tech, but not sure it offers much in terms of “next gen” module features???

[ghost84]

Draken. Draken. We need a Draken!

[notproplayer3]

If you were doing the f111 I'm sure you'd make this guy really really happy https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/flightsim/comments/70tez8/im_building_an_f111_simulator_from_a_real_f111/

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

15 hours ago, draconus said:

F-15C for me please

The only thing better than an ED full-fidelity F-15C is a Heatblur full-fidelity F-15C 

[Nexus-6]

8 hours ago, Raven (Elysian Angel) said:

The only thing better than an ED full-fidelity F-15C is a Heatblur full-fidelity F-15C 

I'm more than a little surprised that a "clicky" F-15 isn't part of the game already.

[rkk01]

F-15... pointless
 

... dull

Edited May 5, 2021 by rkk01

[Manhorne]

The only aircraft right now that I really want to se developed is a PHANTOM!!!!!

 

And for it to be everything it should be the only two developers that would be able to do it right and give it justice  is either ED or Heatblur...

 

My Kingdom for an F-4 Phantom II module.....

[JackPinMV]

Super Tomcat, Navy Phantom, Aardvark

[Bisch]

My bet is on the Phantom:

 

why?
 

- Multicrew like the F14

- afaik license fell (back) to ED and they don’t seem to be keen on doing it

(leaving some kind of vacuum)

- Fits perfectly for the Forrestal

- Fits even better to their Forrestal plane set of F-14 and A6

- it‘s (also) a Fighter. They said it’ll be a fighter

- Phantom is a big market in DCS and HB deserves such a high value project

- would be a great pick if you want variations like F14 A and B. Variants make so much sense for the F4. Too bad the F-4F II ICE being one of them isn’t very likely 

- CEO seems to be a big fan of the USS Forrestal which adds to the Forrestal bullet points above

 

A Phantom would be really cool but I would also welcome a Me262 or a Zero

[TLTeo]

Didn't Nick Grey say in some interview, regarding the Phantom, that it's such an iconic plane they are highly unlikely to leave it to third parties? I realize HB is more likely to do a naval Phantom while ED was working on an -E, but still, even in the unlikely event that -both- do a Phantom, I think it's highly improbably that ED will let HB do it first.

[Nexus-6]

My "spidey sense" is telling me that this mystery aircraft is likely to be another naval one.  Mostly because Heatblur have already committed so much to their Tomcat/Intruder/Forrestal triumvirate.  Seems like it's kind of meant to be a game within a game.  A kind of snapshot of naval aviation from about 1979 to 1989.  I'm also pretty sure the last Phantom launch from a carrier was somewhere near the middle of the 1980s, and thus it should fit reasonably well on our Forrestal alongside the -95 (and maybe the -135) for the inevitable "what if" scenarios.  Not to mention that people have been screaming for a Rhino since forever (me included), and since ED doesn't really seem to be prioritizing our pleas, this seems to be an optimal time for Heatblur to step forward with some kind of accord.  Maybe something like, "you guys stick to making your late 70s E model, and let us do the naval variant from the same generation that our mutual customers can play with on this flattop we're building for them".

 

Of course, only Heatblur knows what Heatblur is thinking, and it's not like I know any more than the rest of you.  But hey, isn't speculation about your present part of the fun? It's like Christmas .  Each DCS development team seems to have their own playbook, and I just couldn't think of a reason for Heatblur to suddenly veer off and make a module that doesn't compliment theirs in some way.

[rkk01]

Agree that F-4 makes sense with the carrier... but there is that issue around ED plans 

 

On the other hand, ED did state that they weren’t going to take on the Tornado but did seem to say that that was one for the third party devs

[MBot]

7 hours ago, Nexus-6 said:

I'm also pretty sure the last Phantom launch from a carrier was somewhere near the middle of the 1980s, and thus it should fit reasonably well on our Forrestal alongside the -95 (and maybe the -135) for the inevitable "what if" scenarios. 

 

That is correct. It was in fact USS Forrestal that was the last supercarrier to deploy with Phantoms (F-4S) in 1982. Coral Sea and Midway kept deploying with Phantoms a little longer, because they were too small for Tomcats, with Midway doing the last F-4 cruise in 1986 and then switching to Hornets completely.

 

So this falls in place nicely with Heatblur's decision to initially go specifically with USS Forrestal out of the 4 units of the class. Curiously, USS Forrestal deployed with Tomcats for the least amount of time out of every contemporary carrier (just 6 years from 1986 to 1991).

[MBot]

5 hours ago, rkk01 said:

Agree that F-4 makes sense with the carrier... but there is that issue around ED plans 

 

ED's own plans for the F-4 seem dead, they said that it would be in the cards for 3rd parties now. HB doing a naval F-4 are highly likely now in my opinion.

[TLTeo]

56 minutes ago, MBot said:

they said that it would be in the cards for 3rd parties now

Do you have a source for that?

[MBot]

 

19 minutes ago, TLTeo said:

Do you have a source for that?

 

It was in an interview with the ED CEO last December:

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by MBot

[Jester986]

I'll be shocked if one of the two unannounced planes isn't a naval F-4. As to the other? F-111 or Tornado make the most sense to me, but really could be anything. Wouldn't be surprised by something Swedish though.

[Rick50]

16 hours ago, TLTeo said:

Didn't Nick Grey say in some interview, regarding the Phantom, that it's such an iconic plane they are highly unlikely to leave it to third parties? I realize HB is more likely to do a naval Phantom while ED was working on an -E, but still, even in the unlikely event that -both- do a Phantom, I think it's highly improbably that ED will let HB do it first.

 

 

I'm gonna engage in wild unsubstantiated flight of fancy... with no lift to see...

 

 

What if... ED and Heatblur colaborated to bring us two Phantoms?  They develop the core code together, share data and SME resources to get a working "phantom". Then they split off, ED finishes theirs as an international "E" gunfighter, and Heatblur finishes theirs as a Navy "J" ??

 

Unlikely. Lot of coordination required, lot of trust, lot of additional complications.... but then, making a Phantom module is complicated due to the subject itself, the variants, the details, and though its an older aircraft it's still a very complex system compared to most of it's contemporaries. Sharing resources might be the only way to get all that done in a reasonable timeline.

 

That said, no, I don't "know" anything. Nor have I seen any such hints. I'm just talking out my buttt!