DCS WORLD: Moduli Eagle Dynamics

[Phant]

Texture template for F-16C model


Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Hornet Mini-Updates

We currently have a heavy focus on the Hornet, with a couple of very complex and time-intensive features like the TGP and AG radar. Here are the Hornet items that the team is currently working on:

• Further targeting pod features
• AG radar
• AA radar display fixes and additions
• Datalink fixes
• AIM-120 behavior
• AGM-65 corrections
• Improvements to gun funnel

Viper Mini-Updates

While a lot of effort is currently on the Hornet, the Viper is also still getting a lot of love. Here are the items currently being worked on:

• Added HACK time
• Adjusted strobe light
• Updated engine and throttle audio
• CNI adjustments
• External skins
• Improve performance
• Damage modeling phase 2
• AIM-120 Active and TTI indication adjustments
• Adjusted IFF HOTAS commands
• Tuning NWS authority

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

DCS World roadmap update


Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Hornet Mini-Updates

One of the biggest new items in development for the Hornet is the Air-to-Ground (AG) radar. We will start with the Real Beam MAP mode, and then implement other modes that include Ground Moving Target (GMT), Sea Search (SEA), and Terrain Avoidance (TA).

Today was a milestone in that we introduced the AG radar rendering into our internal development version (what we term the trunk). This is still very much work-in-progress, but as we flesh it out, I’ll be sure to bring you updates.

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Extended Trials - Fly Everything For Free




Assets Pack Upgrade - Improvements to WWII



This week, one of our milestones was to deploy an update to the World War II Assets Pack for DCS World. The enhanced assets pack delivers more weapons, AI aircraft, support units, armoured cars and tank busters.

Predict German plans and respond to threats coming from the Channel. This improvement takes advantage of our latest textures and AI weapon technology to provide highly realistic representations of previous WWII operations.

The DCS: WWII Assets Pack is also available as part of the Free For All event.

New units

Ju 88A-4 - torpedo bomber aircraft
A-20 - medium bomber aircraft
Stug III - assault gun
M10 - tank destroyer
Mk VIII Centaur IV - cruiser tank
Elefant - heavy tank destroyer
Mk IV Churchill VII - infantry tank
M8 Greyhound - armored car
8.8 cm Flak 41 - anti aircraft gun
Flakscheinwerfer 37 - searchlight
V-1 and launching ramp as static object
Schnellboot S-100 class
U-boat Type VII

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Hornet Mini-Updates

Today I would like to discuss with you our DCS: F/A-18C Hornet roadmap. We look forward to working with you in a constructive and efficient manner to create an achievable and transparent roadmap that covers the features to be delivered by the end of 2020 that will bring the Hornet out of Early Access.

I have also included the features that we plan to work on in 2021 to sustain the Hornet after Early Access completion.

DCS: F/A-18C Out of Early Access Features:

1. Completion of the Litening Targeting Pod (to be delivered with next update)
2. Dynamic launch zone, AUTO mode for JDAM (to be delivered with next update)
3. AG radar. MAP + Fixed Target Track (FTT) (to be delivered with next update)
4. SLAM air-to-surface missile (to be delivered in next update)
5. [ complex ] AG radar. EXP modes (1-2-3), GMT and GMTT modes, and SEA search mode
6. [ difficult ] Azimuth / Elevation air-to-air radar mode with AUTO IFF modes
7. [ difficult ] Coupled autopilot modes
8. [ difficult ] ACLS mode
9. [ difficult ] Datalink symbols, EW symbols, and AG mode for JHMCS
10. [ normal ] Correct possible flare number loaded
11. [ normal ] ASPJ ECM jammer
12. [ normal ] Adjust countermeasure programs when on ground
13. [ normal ] Mark points
14. [ normal ] Offset waypoints
15. [ difficult ] SLAM-ER air-to-surface missile
16. [ difficult ] Harpoon, SEA radar directed mode (FTT)
17. [ iterations during 2020 until completed] Update flight model for ground effect, takeoff pitch effects, auto-pilot based on FPM, touch and go handling, and other remaining flight model issues

Complex - 12-20 weeks of development
Difficult - 4-8 weeks of development
Normal - 2-3 weeks of development

DCS: F/A-18C Hornet Improvements in 2021:

1. Jamming targets not displayed on radar, should be in dugout
2. Aircraft Setup Card in Options
3. Mission Card for 60 waypoints with properties (Sequence 1, 2, 3, PP, PB, Initial, etc.)
4. RWS RAID air-to-air radar sub-mode missing
5. Radar SPOT mode
6. AG radar interleaved mode (SEA and GMT)
7. AG radar. AGR (air to ground ranging) mode
8. HARM Pre-Briefed mode
9. GBU-32 JDAM
10. Select AA and AG on ground
11. TALD decoy
12. AIM-7P
13. Mk-77 firebomb
14. GBU-24 Paveway III LGB
15. IN LAR cue is missing
16. The missing function of WIDE radar auto acquisition mode, cannot slew it
17. UFC BU page
18. Flight member TGT ground target SA page symbol missing
19. Fuel BIT (FLBIT) Page
20. MUMI Page
21. Gun sparks at night
22. INS / GPS full simulation and alignment (carrier and ground)
23. LOFT modes, ARM, JPF, and other JDAM and JSOW remaining functions
24. BDU-45 Training Bomb
25. GEN-X decoy
26. S/A and AUTO countermeasure modes
27. ATFLIR

We decided to first focus on the most difficult features to develop and finish them this year. This, however, will slow down our F-16C Viper development efforts. However, F-16C will continue to be updated in 2020, and it will receive updates to the targeting pod, updates for HUD and HSD, steerpoint creation, and the addition of more weapons.

We are open and look forward to your comments and requests. Let’s discuss it and finalize the plan!

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

MIL Mi-24P - Development Report

External model and cockpit texturing

The detail in all respects of the external model is coming along very well.

Aft crew station

Cockpit instrument panels and other control systems animation are being programmed.

Mapping Display

The feature set is in the final stages of the definition.

Flight Model

Good progress is being made. Once the final touches have been delivered on the DCS: P-47 Thunderbolt Early Access, the full focus will go onto the Mi-24P.

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Hornet Roadmap Discussion

Thank you for all the insightful and helpful comments received over the past few days pertaining to F/A-18 and Early Access. Please allow me to address the most common questions and concerns we have identified.

We believe in the Early Access business model and the value that Community involvement brings at an early stage:

1. It gets the product into quality user hands swiftly which focuses the dev team. Despite the occasional ‘pitchforks and burning ceremonies’ we sometimes witness, the value of reading the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ is immense. This generates buzz internally and externally which is good for moral and general awareness.
2. It generates funding which we couldn’t raise in existing capital markets for such a relatively small and rather niche genre.
3. It makes the product into a ‘Community Venture’ for all those involved, users, devs and investors alike.
4. It generates Community opportunities for those who wish to create large Sub Communities, YT and FB Channels and Forums (even Reddit is ultimately a commercial venture).

Complex products such as Hornet and Viper often go through rough patches. This is mainly due to limited resource availability, productivity variability and the unknown unknowns we encounter along the way. Despite the experience we have accumulated in DCS after approximately 5 million man-hours invested, 3.3 million lines of C++ code and 1.4 million lines of LUA currently in the build (without empty lines), it is not uncommon that devs and their managers overestimate productivity expectations to a certain degree. As quality is the key driver to delivering acceptable update satisfaction, we often find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, especially as we are compelled to deliver to an ever content-hungry clientele and to a growing customer base which today is in excess of 300,000 active monthly users and 55,000 daily users. Despite the obvious complexity of aircraft such as the Viper and Hornet, we have delivered in excess of 40,000 and 85,000 units respectively to-date and this is in no small way thanks to the community’s passion, involvement and willingness to try out such products early and to actively participate in the overall development story. (Note: a total of 2 million products were shipped in the previous 15 years and approx. 400,000 in 2019.)

May I also draw your attention to the less visible side of Early Access and that is user-generated content. Without the thousands and thousands of community created missions, addons, skins and in particular the massive number of videos available online and the tens of millions of views generated during this ongoing Early Access phase, there is simply no way that we would have been able to build the level of awareness and excitement which we have witnessed to-date. This aspect is an important factor in the growth and sustainability of the hardcore simulator genre. Consider this carefully, you are the ones participating with us in the growth of our hobby and this truly is the enabling factor in our common destiny.

But let’s take a small step back and ensure we all agree on the meaning of Early Access. Despite a small number of customers believing that it means ‘feature complete’, the term seems to be self-evident. In fact, it is not defined by us but to us from our friends at Steam. It is one that we will continue to adhere to for the sake of clarity and the avoidance of doubt:

“Steam Early Access enables you to sell your game on Steam while it is still being developed and provide context to customers that a product should be considered "unfinished". Early Access is a place for games that are in a playable alpha or beta state, are worth the current value of the playable build, and that you plan to continue to develop for release.”

This definition is quite clear and valuable. Delivering a product with the qualifier “Early Access” helps set the context for prospective customers as it provides them with information about the initial state of completeness in addition to describing our aspirations and objectives. The term Early Access ensures that customers fully understand and recognize that they are getting involved with a ‘work in progress’.

We believe that by the end of this year, the Hornet will no longer be in an early stage of development and hence we will qualify it as ‘Out of Early Access’. This does not mean that we will stop working on it by any means. It is a definition to assist the prospective Buyer in understanding the status of the product by qualifying its late development status. It is not destined as a message to existing users attempting to shy away from any further investment.

However, in the light of the recent concerns voiced by certain members of our Community and in order to respect your wishes, we have released a survey inviting you to actively participate in ranking the 40 plus features we believe are key to the future roadmap of the Hornet. The results of this poll will form an important decision-making factor for our resource allocation from here on and will be the reporting benchmark that we will set our dates to.

A few additional items that we feel might be of interest to you:

• We have decided to focus more of our energies on the Hornet until the end of 2020 and as such the Viper will need to be on a slower burn, but development will by no means be suspended. We hired a new engineer to work on new weapons such as Maverick, JDAM/JSOW, and HARM, and they will continue full steam ahead in addition to system capabilities such as steerpoint creation (not just modification) and updates to the targeting pod such as Cursor Zero (CZ).
• HOTAS commands are certainly an item we will continue to work on but as I am sure most of you understand, these are highly dependent on the actual availability of a system modes, sensors and weapons. Therefore, we will address this feature as part of the specific weapon, sensor, and avionics task, rather than as a single HOTAS catch-all feature.
• While we certainly understand the desire for the ATFLIR, we decided to place it in the Out of Early Access list as the Listening TGP will provide virtually all the same functionality. We first wish to prioritize unique Hornet features that are not in place anywhere in the program. However, we do look forward to reviewing the upcoming poll on this matter and will discuss the findings openly.
• Following an in-depth review of all Hornet stores, it was judged that several items such as sea mines and Shrike were of limited value in the simulation. Whilst it might be still of interest to the highest purists in the Community, we would like to consider including these at some later point to be agreed.

Thank you again for all your support and continued feedback. We are grateful for your passion and commitment; without you where would we be?

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

P-47 Thunderbolt - Development Report

The undercarriage is being tuned for accurate ground-steering. The engine cooling, exhaust systems and turbocharger are in final testing.

External model

Much of the final detailing has been done to finish the aircraft exterior. The forward section of the cockpit has been seriously revised and those changes are quite visible in the screenshots.

Cockpit night lighting

The instrument luminescence decay after UV light was implemented for all cockpit indicators and cockpit markings.



The Channel - DCS World module

We would like to take this opportunity to share the growing realism of ground operations. We encourage you to explore newly released World War II battle-ready assets. We have a long way to go and your feedback, as a community helps contribute to the future of DCS World.

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

AG radar - F/A-18C Hornet



The Raytheon AN/APG-73 radar is also used to map, navigate, locate and designate moving land and sea targets. Our initial AG radar release will include the Ground Map (MAP) mode with target designation. The EXP sub-modes will be added at a later date.

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Hornet Roadmap Discussion

We are planning to deliver the Open Beta update tomorrow, May 20.
According to the previous post we planned to have:

1. Completion of the Litening Targeting Pod
2. Dynamic launch zone, AUTO mode for JDAM
3. AG radar. MAP + Fixed Target Track (FTT)
4. SLAM air-to-surface missile

All the features are done but we can't technically include AG radar due to terrain enhancements we made for better radar realism that currently break our third party radars and we cannot include SLAM missile due to intercommunication of weapon systems of third parties. This work is underway and will be fixed for June 3rd release.

In addition, we changed Fixed Target Track (FTT) to Navigation Stabilized Cursor Designation because FTT requires additional enhancement for all terrains that will be developed later on.

Update for Litening Targeting Pod and Dynamic launch zone and AUTO mode for JDAM will be delivered as expected.

Litening Targeting Pod will not include updates for LTD/R and LST (laser), automatic laser illumination, OFFSET cursor and AA mods. The features will be delivered with update for June 3rd.

Viper Roadmap Discussion

I promised that we will try to deliver the AGM-65D Maverick air-to-surface missile by the end of April. However, our new developer was not able to overpower the complexity and need a little bit more time and help from the main devs who are working with Hornet features at the moment.

That being said, we will deliver the small updates such as strobe light to be brighter at night, anti-collision light to be seen on multiplayer servers, improvement to LEF and FCR Hostiles.

Bye
Phant

[Phant]

Supercarrier - Development Report




DCS: Supercarrier is the most detailed and realistic simulation of the Nimitz-class
aircraft carrier ever created. In total, the US Navy manufactured 10 Nimitz class ships.
Our product will include all 5 vessels of the Theodore Roosevelt sub-class:

CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt
CVN-72 Abraham Lincoln
CVN-73 George Washington
CVN-74 John C Stennis
CVN-75 Harry S. Truman

We know that you have waited a long time for this complex module to deliver.
The workload has been intense and we would like to thank all of those who put
in the extra hours needed to meet this ultimate deadline, you know who you are.
We are confident this powerful new module will inspire every one of us.

This week marks the completion of the first set of features for DCS: Supercarrier.
Read about the detailed list of features available in DCS: Supercarrier Early Access.

F/A-18C AG Radar - Development Report



We had planned to release the A/G radar this week but due to technical reasons,
this has been moved to 3rd of June.

Bye
Phant