F-14A Early

[Stackup]

Was looking through the WIP screenshots on the DCS website and stumbled across this image of the Tomcat.  Is this the first WIP shots of the Early A that have been released?  Sure looks like the original gun vents to me, but what do y'all think?

[ValhallaAB]

That is the VF-31 skin that is quite new, only for the F-14A. This is not a WIP F-14A (early) screenshot. The F-14A early will not have a TCS. 

[Stackup]

1 hour ago, ValhallaAB said:

The F-14A early will not have a TCS.

Wait just one second, where on earth did you hear that?  The early F-14A we are getting will indeed have the TCS pod and whether or not it will be removable is still up in the air afaik.  They do plan to add the Aerodyne bullet cover for the TCS pod but in a similar fashion to the fuel tank pylons, they have not confirmed it's removal anywhere.

Edit:  Ah, ok I see on the skin that they have just painted the old gunvents over the NACA ones.  Still, please tell me where you saw that the early A will not have the TCS pod/have it removable, because the only version I am aware of that this should even apply to is the Iranian bonus version and they have said that it will be a -135GR(Early) and not the -90/95GR that everyone seems to think it will be because that's what the real Iranian Cats are.  Instead it will just be their early A with payload restrictions and TCS deactivated but not necessarily removable, just as the fuel tank pylons will not be removable.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Stackup

[WolfHound009]

ayo hold up, I am actually curious to know weather they are gonna make the TCS pod removable? Is this something they have said WILL happen?, or is it something they are considering?

[Stackup]

@WolfHound009I don't believe they have said anything beyond it's something they are looking at doing.  The last I've heard was actually IronMike's response to you on the F-14A early 70's/Iranian Version forum.  I hope they make it removable to simulate the earlier versions.  A couple posts up from this screenshot, IronMike says the block numbers are just general to distinguish the various versions, not to tie them to any specific real life jet, i.e. Iranian -95GR will be labeled as -95GR but still basically be the -135GR(Early) with the aforementioned payload limitations, but not whether stuff like the TCS pod will be removable.  I have seen screenshots of the DCS F-14A in the favorite screenshots thread with the TCS pod and the fuel tank pylons removed, but the poster never said how they did it.  Hopefully they are looking into this even if it isn't in the initial release of the Early A.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Stackup

[Mach3DS]

That's from my VF-31 Liveries from the 1991 Med Cruise.  Those liveries were meticulously created to try to recreate every RL detail that was viewable including the weathering patterns and corrosion control patterns.  I also added the early gun vents via removing the diffuse textures in those areas and creating the Roughmets and Normals to mask the areas.  The mesh is 3D geometry so there's only so much that can be done to create the illusion, but IMHO, it's done about is good as you could make it without recreating the geometry mesh.  Enjoy.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Mach3DS

[Stackup]

1 minute ago, Mach3DS said:

That's from my VF-31 Liveries from the 1991 Med Cruise.  Enjoy.

The skin is great!  I had it downloaded already, but when I saw it in the development screenshots I got all excited becuase the NACA ducts are so well hidden I thought it actually was the old gun vents so props to you for the effective illusion.

[WolfHound009]

10 hours ago, Mach3DS said:

That's from my VF-31 Liveries from the 1991 Med Cruise.  Those liveries were meticulously created to try to recreate every RL detail that was viewable including the weathering patterns and corrosion control patterns.  I also added the early gun vents via removing the diffuse textures in those areas and creating the Roughmets and Normals to mask the areas.  The mesh is 3D geometry so there's only so much that can be done to create the illusion, but IMHO, it's done about is good as you could make it without recreating the geometry mesh.  Enjoy.

 

 

pretty leng skin mate! ! Greats tuff.

10 hours ago, Stackup said:

@WolfHound009I don't believe they have said anything beyond it's something they are looking at doing.  The last I've heard was actually IronMike's response to you on the F-14A early 70's/Iranian Version forum.  I hope they make it removable to simulate the earlier versions.  A couple posts up from this screenshot, IronMike says the block numbers are just general to distinguish the various versions, not to tie them to any specific real life jet, i.e. Iranian -95GR will be labeled as -95GR but still basically be the -135GR(Early) with the aforementioned payload limitations, but not whether stuff like the TCS pod will be removable.  I have seen screenshots of the DCS F-14A in the favorite screenshots thread with the TCS pod and the fuel tank pylons removed, but the poster never said how they did it.  Hopefully they are looking into this even if it isn't in the initial release of the Early A.

 

 

Yeah bro! I saw those posts in the screenshots thread as well and I was like ayo wot did they add it but then I asked around and apparently its a mod. Now, I literally have no idea of how mods work so IDK how to do it. Someone did mention about how it could have been a custom cfg option or something like dat. I rlly wanna find out how to remove the TCS and the Fuel pylons. But yeh, hopefully HB manage to add an option to remove the TCS for the early -As. 

[draconus]

6 hours ago, WolfHound009 said:

...hopefully HB manage to add an option to remove the TCS for the early -As

Yep, but for sure we're getting the Iranian cat with disabled things like TCS.

[Mach3DS]

I wouldn't stay frustrated for too long if I were you.  Also, I'm a paying Tomcat customer, like everyone else.  Just to be transparent.  

[Endline]

I was wondering if there's any news regarding the early A model? Wasn't there just the RWR left to do or am I mistaken? Everyone is focused on the Phantom release with good reason but this one seems to have gone under the radar.

[LanceCriminal86]

9 hours ago, Endline said:

I was wondering if there's any news regarding the early A model? Wasn't there just the RWR left to do or am I mistaken? Everyone is focused on the Phantom release with good reason but this one seems to have gone under the radar.

The RWR is tied with the RWR for the Phantom too, they're somewhat intertwined as both will be needing the audio. It will probably be later in the summer with the AI A-6E.

[Temetre]

Woulda been fun to get the IRST pod, even if it was very limited use apparently. Apparently theres a lack of doccumentation tho.

[Baco]

Are we actually getting one more cat? i had lost Hope already.. Even of getting early AIM missiles and a removable TCS...

I believe HB still owes me a credible Persian Cat, but there is nothing I can do about it, so. meh. 

[Quid]

6 hours ago, Baco said:

Are we actually getting one more cat? i had lost Hope already.. Even of getting early AIM missiles and a removable TCS...

I believe HB still owes me a credible Persian Cat, but there is nothing I can do about it, so. meh. 

[Sarcasm] No, we're getting nothing at all ever again.  The early F-14A, Iranian F-14A, F-4, A-6, and EF-2000 are nothing more than a CIA cover operation to get your money to fund operations in Val Verde against the cartels. Heatblur has lied to you like John Matrix to Sully. [/Sarcasm]

I do apologize for that, and I mean no offense.  I write it out of the frustration of reading comments like "I haven't heard about this in a few months, it must be cancelled" in subforum after subforum.  No.  It isn't.  These projects take years.  The F-15E was announced first back in 2012 with the first images released in 2014.  It should be released shortly, but that's a decade.  The Tomcat took what was it, 3.5 years to go from announcement to EA?  How many other projects got announced, impatience causes people to claim "it's dead!" and then three months later there is a new update, and the hype train comes back, excitement, then right back to "haven't heard, is it cancelled?" with annoying consistency.  Add to this the fact that HB is continuing to develop the flight model, weapons, avionics, etc., etc., etc., and now they are trying to emulate analog RWR tones and displays that they have openly stated both the early F-14A (and Iranian F-14A) and F-4 are reliant upon to simulate accurately.  God knows what sources they've had to scrounge up to do it right.  Also, HB have stated the IRIAF F-14 is going to be an approximation, so I'd recommend managing expectations.  Keep patient, eventually, you'll have your remaining two (not one) F-14s.

[Baco]

19 hours ago, Quid said:

[Sarcasm] No, we're getting nothing at all ever again.  The early F-14A, Iranian F-14A, F-4, A-6, and EF-2000 are nothing more than a CIA cover operation to get your money to fund operations in Val Verde against the cartels. Heatblur has lied to you like John Matrix to Sully. [/Sarcasm]

I do apologize for that, and I mean no offense.  I write it out of the frustration of reading comments like "I haven't heard about this in a few months, it must be cancelled" in subforum after subforum.  No.  It isn't.  These projects take years.  The F-15E was announced first back in 2012 with the first images released in 2014.  It should be released shortly, but that's a decade.  The Tomcat took what was it, 3.5 years to go from announcement to EA?  How many other projects got announced, impatience causes people to claim "it's dead!" and then three months later there is a new update, and the hype train comes back, excitement, then right back to "haven't heard, is it cancelled?" with annoying consistency.  Add to this the fact that HB is continuing to develop the flight model, weapons, avionics, etc., etc., etc., and now they are trying to emulate analog RWR tones and displays that they have openly stated both the early F-14A (and Iranian F-14A) and F-4 are reliant upon to simulate accurately.  God knows what sources they've had to scrounge up to do it right.  Also, HB have stated the IRIAF F-14 is going to be an approximation, so I'd recommend managing expectations.  Keep patient, eventually, you'll have your remaining two (not one) F-14s.

No need to apologize, I found the "sarcasm" funny and accurate . This said the F-14 Module has been out for several years now. I have been asking about the early A for a long, long time (I got my Cat on day 1). And I was told that one of the supposedly 2 cats left was scratched (the very early one). Its been a while and whailñe I did hear that the RWR was a "thing" and that delayed the delivery of the last Cat. (quiet frankly I had forgotten). Then teh PhantomII gets delayed, yada, yada, yada.. Sorry I got Anxious again. 

Having gotten that off my chest I will patiently wait another 6 months before complaining again  Hopefully I´ll be too busy with the F-4E...

 

By the way, Expectations are not over the top, I want some AIM 9B, J, juli and 7Es maybe to simulate late 70s... Thats all. (All how won´t complain on some extravagant Iranian missiles either).

Cheers!

[Stackup]

On 6/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, Baco said:

I want some AIM 9B, J, juli and 7Es maybe to simulate late 70s

Did the Tomcat ever use the 9Bs?  I would've thought the earliest we could see would be 9D, G, or H.  Also pretty sure the J was a USAF model so we wouldn't get that one unless the IRAIF version would.  The various F-4's should bring more early Sidewinders and definitely some 7Es to player aircraft so we should begin to see the earlier missiles at some point.

[Elliot]

when