Feedback Thread F-14 Tomcat - Update April 13th 2023

[IronMike]

Dear all,

 

we are proud to finally release the new free campaign for the F-14B - Operation Reforger II - Flanking the Bear. We hope you enjoy it, and we have put up a spoiler-alert feedback thread for it here.

Flanking the Bear sets in immediately after the events that concluded Reforger Part I, with the player heading off to a new theatre and, over the course of 7 brand new missions, continues the effort to bring Russia back to the negotiation table to allow for a German re-unification. Of course, please note that any similarities with real world events are purely coincidental. The campaign does not require having played part I, however we recommend you do so, in case you haven't yet. We also included a fix for part I mission 7 not progressing correctly. We hope you have fun flying Reforger Part II and we will be very much looking forward to your feedback!
 

 

Another major addition to today's patch is the F-14B Flight Model overhaul, following the same process as has been applied to the F-14A in the previous patch. We've tuned level flight acceleration, turn performance and top speed and excess power across the flight envelope to achieve an even more realistic performance helping you throughout combat maneuvering. Both the Heatblur F-14A and F-14B are now even more accurate in how they maintain energy states across the whole flight envelope, meaning more accurate performance while manoeuvring. Included is also a new option to select a more realistic AOA buffet schedule.

If you would like to leave specific feedback regarding the performance and FM changes, please do so in the Flight Model Tuning Guided Discussion thread here.

 

We would also like to point out changes we made to the loadouts, with now greatly improved loadout possibilities, limiting many incorrect or impossible loadouts through mutual exclusion.

 

Last but not least we would also like to take the opportunity to introduce you to @Silhou - our newest team member, who will help us greatly with customer support, bug tracking and administrative tasks. We are very happy to have her and we hope that together with her help we can improve our customer interaction even more! In the future tracked bugs will also receive a code, which will help to reference previous reports or already tracked bugs in future discussions if need be. Please join us in kindly welcoming Silhou to the team and to our forums.

 

As always we would like to thank you for your great feedback and support!

Team Heatblur

 

Changelog DCS F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations

• NEW: Added Singleplayer Campaign “Operation Reforger II - Flanking the Bear” 
• NEW: Added option for a more realistic AOA buffet schedule

 

• Major improvement and overhaul of F-14B FM performance characteristics:

• Tuned F-14B level flight acceleration
• Tuned F-14B turn performance
• Tuned F-14B top speed and excess power across the flight envelope

 

• Made fuel tank loads exclusively symmetric
• Vastly improved loadout possibilities, limiting many incorrect or impossible loadouts through mutual exclusion
• Fixed HUD pitch ladder values for Take Off, Landing and A2G modes
• Fixed mirror floating with open canopy 
• Fixed Operation Reforger I - Mission 7 not progressing

Edited April 13, 2023 by IronMike

[Silhou]

 

Hi everyone!

I am Silhou. I will be helping the team in the future with bug tracking, customer support, and other administrative stuff. I am really excited to meet you all and hope I'll be a great help to you as well 

I am always glad to assist you with figuring out the issues you may have and make sure the team knows about them, and therefore make your experience even better!

Edited April 12, 2023 by Silhou

[CaptPickguard]

Quote

Included is also a new option to select a more realistic AOA buffet schedule

Is this on by default? I'm interested to know why an improvement to AoA buffeting was added as an option rather than just a change to behavior

 

 

 

 

[IronMike]

22 minutes ago, CaptPickguard said:

Is this on by default? I'm interested to know why an improvement to AoA buffeting was added as an option rather than just a change to behavior

 

 

 

 

Because the current buffet is tweaked for realism plus added immersion. In other words, we overdid it slightly on purpose since release to provide a better "haptic" feedback on your screen or in VR. The new, more realistic buffet schedule trades some of this "translation into 2d/3d" - and while more realistic, may be less preferable for some or more preferable to others. Neither gains you any advantages or disadvantages, it simply lets you choose which level of "violence" you want in the buffet - one toned more towards immersion and one more toned towards realism, while I would argue that the more immersive one is not much less realistic, as the more realistic one is not much less immersive. It is an option that has been demanded by the community pretty much since release - so now everyone can choose whichever setting is better for their personal experience.

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

Welcome, Silhou! 

[Askeladd]

Hello!! The tuning is more like a buff or nerf? Do you have more specific info?

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

18 minutes ago, Askeladd said:

more like a buff or nerf?

Neither DCS is not an MMORPG.

[wadman]

On 4/12/2023 at 11:21 AM, IronMike said:

Changelog DCS F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations

• NEW: Added Singleplayer Campaign “Operation Reforger II - Flanking the Bear” 
• NEW: Added option for a more realistic AOA buffet schedule

Where do you access/control this new AOA option?

[Askeladd]

hace 33 minutos, Raven (Elysian Angel) dijo:

Neither DCS is not an MMORPG.

What I'm trying to ask if these changes are to incresase or decrease?

For example:

• More or less acceleration?
• Better or worse turning performance?
• It has more or less top speed and excess power across the flight envelope?

And if I'm dedicated 80% of the time in pure dogfighting other people, these are pretty much buffs or nerfs because are going to affect the overall performance of the aircraft and posible outcome of the dogfight 

[Gunfreak]

1 hour ago, IronMike said:

Because the current buffet is tweaked for realism plus added immersion. In other words, we overdid it slightly on purpose since release to provide a better "haptic" feedback on your screen or in VR. The new, more realistic buffet schedule trades some of this "translation into 2d/3d" - and while more realistic, may be less preferable for some or more preferable to others. Neither gains you any advantages or disadvantages, it simply lets you choose which level of "violence" you want in the buffet - one toned more towards immersion and one more toned towards realism, while I would argue that the more immersive one is not much less realistic, as the more realistic one is not much less immersive. It is an option that has been demanded by the community pretty much since release - so now everyone can choose whichever setting is better for their personal experience.

The more realistic one might be preferable if you use FFB and or Simshaker pad where you get haptic feedback and might not need as much visual feedback?

[Lt_Jaeger]

14 minutes ago, Gunfreak said:

The more realistic one might be preferable if you use FFB and or Simshaker pad where you get haptic feedback and might not need as much visual feedback?

I use both, jetseat and the rhino FFB and, for me, the new option is spot on. I don't need too much visual feedback and more, because I can feel her. I like it. 

[Gunfreak]

8 minutes ago, Lt_Jaeger said:

I use both, jetseat and the rhino FFB and, for me, the new option is spot on. I don't need too much visual feedback and more, because I can feel her. I like it. 

I have the simshaker pad and brunner. So I'll be trying the new one too.

[IronMike]

32 minutes ago, Askeladd said:

What I'm trying to ask if these changes are to incresase or decrease?

For example:

• More or less acceleration?
• Better or worse turning performance?
• It has more or less top speed and excess power across the flight envelope?

And if I'm dedicated 80% of the time in pure dogfighting other people, these are pretty much buffs or nerfs because are going to affect the overall performance of the aircraft and posible outcome of the dogfight 

Check out the write up for the Flight Model Tuning part I, here. the same has been applied to the F-14B, which simply brings it closer to real live values, following the curves very closely. Which is also where your performance sits at in a dogfight. The reason we do not use "buff" or "nerf" is because either imply the intention to - I'll simplify - "make weaker" or "make stronger", while the intention here is to "make more realistic". That it then ofc can appear to the end-user as either buffed or nerfed is understandable, but I cannot answer your question in that manner, because bringing it closer to the curves, often means that both is the case at the same time in different parts of the flight model. Overall though you should experience a slightly improved performance, more accurate acceleration in the transonic region better acceleration, where it was lacking, less excess power, where it was too much, and thus a more accurate flight model overall, which has now come to almost conclusion. This means, as is, is what training for will let you develop long-term skills for the future to come - minor fixes and/or adjustments when needed excluded ofc. I hope this answers your question anyway.

Edited April 13, 2023 by IronMike

[Rizn-Nuke]

Is there a thread for the new campaign? If not: here's my feedback for mission 1:

Arriving at the de-arm pad, all soldiers were dead (which is hilarious, since Jester just doesn't acknowledge this). I guess the static units should be spawned in after the attack, to make sure they survive?

Otherwise the mission was nice, if not a bit empty, since a lot of things happen, but nobody talks about it, except for jester in half a sentence.
Maybe have Jester suggest to tune to Alpha Whiskey on radio one and hear some chatter? Just a suggestion though.

But I'm once again amazed at what you get with the module and I'm looking forward to what's to come.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Rizn-Nuke

[Askeladd]

hace 57 minutos, IronMike dijo:

Check out the write up for the Flight Model Tuning part I, here. the same has been applied to the F-14B, which simply brings it closer to real live values, following the curves very closely. Which is also where your performance sits at in a dogfight. The reason we do not use "buff" or "nerf" is because either imply the intention to - I'll simplify - "make weaker" or "make stronger", while the intention here is to "make more realistic". That it then ofc can appear to the end-user as either buffed or nerfed is understandable, but I cannot answer your question in that manner, because bringing it closer to the curves, often means that both is the case at the same time in different parts of the flight model. Overall though you should experience a slightly improved performance, more accurate acceleration in the transonic region better acceleration, where it was lacking, less excess power, where it was too much, and thus a more accurate flight model overall, which has now come to almost conclusion. This means, as is, is what training for will let you develop long-term skills for the future to come - minor fixes and/or adjustments when needed excluded ofc. I hope this answers your question anyway.

 

Kind of, thx very much!!

[IronMike]

54 minutes ago, Rizn-Nuke said:

Is there a thread for the new campaign? If not: here's my feedback for mission 1:

Arriving at the de-arm pad, all soldiers were dead (which is hilarious, since Jester just doesn't acknowledge this). I guess the static units should be spawned in after the attack, to make sure they survive?

Otherwise the mission was nice, if not a bit empty, since a lot of things happen, but nobody talks about it, except for jester in half a sentence.
Maybe have Jester suggest to tune to Alpha Whiskey on radio one and hear some chatter? Just a suggestion though.

But I'm once again amazed at what you get with the module and I'm looking forward to what's to come.

 

Thank you for the feedback. (I replied in more detail in the campaign feedback thread.)

Edited April 13, 2023 by IronMike

[nightflyer23]

How are the loadouts changed ?

 

• Vastly improved loadout possibilities, limiting many incorrect or impossible loadouts through mutual exclusion

i mean i didnt see something new at the loadoutscreen

Edited April 13, 2023 by nightflyer23

[DSplayer]

41 minutes ago, nightflyer23 said:

How are the loadouts changed ?

 

• Vastly improved loadout possibilities, limiting many incorrect or impossible loadouts through mutual exclusion

i mean i didnt see something new at the loadoutscreen

 

Limitations regarding AIM-54s on the gloves and Sparrows in the fuselage pylons were the main ones. This means that you cannot carry AIM-54s in stations 1B and 8B (I think also 4 and 5 were also added in this patch with this limitation too) if the front AIM-54 pallets are not there.

[WarthogOsl]

It looks like the pilot model visibility is still is not adhering to the checkbox in settings when in MP.

[Hector45]

Is there a detailed explanation about the new loadout restrictions and the RL reasoning behind it?

Also it looks like the floating ordinance issue is still present if switching from a loadout that doesn't require the pallets back to a loadout that does. 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Hector45

[Naquaii]

2 hours ago, Hector45 said:

Is there a detailed explanation about the new loadout restrictions and the RL reasoning behind it?

Also it looks like the floating ordinance issue is still present if switching from a loadout that doesn't require the pallets back to a loadout that does. 

 

 

Basically we added restrictions to limit loadouts that wouldn't work IRL, the two big ones being either loadouts that physically wouldn't work or the AIM-54 needing the cooling system that's in the forward fuselage pallets.

[Scotia]

Main restriction is that AIM-54 loadouts require stations 3 & 6 to have Phoenix pallets installed (because the cooling routed through those mounts), regardless of where else an AIM-54 is mounted.  It makes the having a loadout using 4 fuselage mounted Sparrows and two pylon mounted Phoenix's illegal. 

[cheezit]

*pours one out for the later 'sealed' variants of the 54C*

[FlankerKiller]

On 4/13/2023 at 1:28 PM, Raven (Elysian Angel) said:

Neither DCS is not an MMORPG.

I like you already. Welcome to the community. 

[captain_dalan]

Welcome aboard @Silhou! 

A short side by side comparison between disabled and enabled alternate flutter mode. No idea which is the "realistic" one, but i prefer the alternate (checking the box in the options) as i find it more "talkative". Also, noticed the difference in amplitude based on airspeed and acceleration.

Finally, might as well make a bug report, as during the last mission launch an old friend of hours, DCS freeze on mission startup seems to be back!