DCS: Yak-52 to be Released in August

That's right. Eagle Dynamics has been hard at work making the Yak-52 trainer and they have confirmed that it will be released in August. Eagle Dynamics has been working hard on finishing the Hornet but as they've been working on the F/A-18 they've also been working on the Yak-52. I just didn't realize how far along it was.

I'm honestly very surprised at how far along the Yak-52 is in development. I've known for a while that they're working on it but I expected it to be released sometime after January. Especially since the Hornet is still in very early access and ED has just merged with Belsimtek. They have a lot going on right now and yet they're still able to get a new module out so quickly.

This does make it more difficult to determine when the F-14 will be released as ED has never released two modules at the same time (to my knowledge anyway). So, now it's looking more at September or October before anything happens with the Tomcat. If you like non-combat aircraft then it's a good thing. For me, personally, I've been looking forward to the F-14 since Heatblur originally announced a release date of December 2017. It's a bit frustrating that the Tomcat seems to be constantly pushed back all the time. But, hopefully It'll be released shortly after the Yak-52.

DCS: Heatblur Job Opening

It seems that we're getting ever closer to the F-14 going on pre-order. Heatblur just announced that they have a job opening for video/trailer producers. Here's their post:

Heatblur Simulations 
Video Production Specialist

Dear All,

To tackle exciting upcoming PR cycles for upcoming and future products, we’re looking to add one or several talented video directors and editors to the Heatblur team. 
This is a part time, paid position.

At Heatblur Simulations, we greatly appreciate the value of a strong marketing campaign that showcases our hard work and what our modules are capable of. 
Moreso, we consider each and every trailer or promotional production to be a product in itself, and strive to always attain the best quality in everything that we show. 

If you’d like to work in an exciting, cutting edge team, on productions that shall be intended to stand as excellent pieces of art on their own, then we’d love to hear from you! 


Requirements

Excellent videography skills: shot composition, shot selection, lighting and other integral DoP-oriented visual skill sets.

DCS (or other game/sim) video editing experience.

Strong knowledge, passion or experience in editing short to medium length productions, videos and/or other moving visual material, especially trailers and other promotional material.

Experience with Digital Combat Simulator: able to design missions for recording sessions, utilization of the DCS camera system.

Team-oriented, fast and hard worker. Visionary. Strong individual initiative.

Appreciated: Knowledge of 2D motion graphics, e.g. title screens, or basic animations. Knowledge of rudimentary Visual FX: masking, effects, advanced transitions.

Strongly appreciated: Sound editing and creation skills. Mixing and creating sound-design elements.


If you think you’d be a good fit for us - please don’t hesitate to send your CV and portfolio to: nicholas.dackard@gmail.com
Send us any videos you’ve made and that you’re proud of! We’d love to see them.


We're looking forward to hearing from you

Thanks,

Nicholas Dackard
Heatblur Simulations
__________________
Nicholas Dackard

Founder & Lead Artist
Heatblur Simulations

If you're good at making videos for YouTube or in general and you have experience making DCS videos then why not give it a try?

With this post from Heatblur I'm going to say we'll see the pre-order of the F-14 in August or maybe September (pushing back my original thoughts of July or August). At least we know we're getting closer.

On a side note, ED just announced that they will finally be implementing the AIM-120 and AIM-9X for the F/A-18C module. The F-18 is getting closer and closer to being feature complete and with this next update I'll have everything I need to truly enjoy the module.

That's it for today.
For those who apply to Heatblur: good luck. For the rest of us: happy flying.

DCS World Updates

It's been quite a while since we had any real big updates coming in from Eagle Dynamics. We know work is being done on the F-14 but still no word as to when it'll go on pre-order (personally, I'm still thinking later this month or next month. But that's just me). We also know the Mig-19 and F-4E are coming out but there's no real news about those either.

So, what do we have news about? Quite a bit now. A while back we received word that Razbam is officially working on the Mig-23 and F-15E as well as a map of the Falklands. I'm looking forward to the Mig-23 and F-15E but I'm really hoping to see someone make a Mig-25. Anyway, We did get some big news just a few hours ago. One is a package module and one is an F/A-18 update.

What's this "package module?" Well, Eagle Dynamics is putting together a number of modules that are already available and giving them out as one big pack called Modern Air Combat (MAC). The pack will have all the FC3 planes (although the list does not mention the Mig-29G I'm certain they won't leave that one out), the Mig-21bis, it's counterpart the F-5E 3, the Mig-15bis, it's counterpart the F-86F, and the L-39ZA. People who already own FC3 will get a discount on the pack. Unfortunately for me, I already own every single one of those modules except the L-39.

Here's what ED said in their news letter:

𝐃𝐂𝐒 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝟏𝟑 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖

Modern Air Combat by Eagle Dynamics Coming this Autumn!

Developed by the same studio that brought you the wildly successful Lock On, Modern Air Combat (MAC) brings you one game with 14 unique combat aircraft to own the sky! MAC aircraft include:


𝐅-𝟏𝟓𝐂 𝐄𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐞. US air superiority fighter with 104 kills to 0 losses record.
𝐒𝐮-𝟐𝟕 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐁. Russia’s dominate air superiority fighter.
𝐒𝐮-𝟑𝟑 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐃. The Russian navy’s carrier capable version of the Flanker B.
𝐉-𝟏𝟏𝐀 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐁+. The Chinese version of the Flanker B, with R77 active homing missiles.
𝐌𝐢𝐆-𝟐𝟗 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐀. Russia’s widely exported light-weight air superiority fighter.
𝐌𝐢𝐆-𝟐𝟗𝐒 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐂. The modernised version of the Fulcrum with latest weapons and defences.
𝐀-𝟏𝟎𝐀 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐠. The USAF’s massively successful ‘flying tank’, designed to kill ground targets.
𝐒𝐮-𝟐𝟓𝐀 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭. Russia’s primary ground attack and close air support jet.
𝐒𝐮-𝟐𝟓𝐓 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭. A modernised version of the Frogfoot with enhanced sensors and weapons.
𝐅-𝟖𝟔𝐅 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞. America’s iconic top fighter during the Korean War.
𝐌𝐢𝐆-𝟏𝟓𝐛𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐭. Russia’s 1st generation jet fighter that opposed the Sabre over Korea.
𝐅-𝟓𝐄 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐈. The US light-weight fighter that has been operational since the Vietnam War and operated by over 30 countries.
𝐌𝐢𝐆-𝟐𝟏𝐛𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐞𝐝. Russia’s most successful fighter of the Vietnam war. A supersonic fighter that closely matches the Tiger II.
𝐋-𝟑𝟗𝐙𝐀. A Czech designed, two seat trainer that was then adapted to a light attack aircraft.

Each aircraft’s flight model, sounds, external model and cockpit is recreated to an exceptional level of detail and accuracy. Great care has been given to offer scalable gameplay that suits your personal levels and wishes. This includes intuitive and consistent keyboard controls between aircraft, selectable difficulty settings, option for more forgiving flight dynamics, and even the ability to fly these aircraft with just your keyboard.

As with Lock On and the Flaming Cliffs series, MAC is focused on east and west counterpart aircraft, and this includes such legendary match-ups such as the Eagle and Flanker, Warthog and Frogfoot, Sabre and MiG-15bis, and the F-5E and MiG-21bis. MAC is a blend of both east and west, and this allows you to re-fight historical conflicts from the Korean War to today, and to create your own ‘what-if’ missions.

You can generate an unlimited number of missions using the Fast Mission Creator and Mission Editor. MAC also includes numerous instant action and single missions, as well as campaigns for most of the aircraft and is fully compatible with DCS World online! There are no limits to content.

In addition to the full Caucasus map, MAC also includes a limited part of our Nevada and Persian Gulf maps.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐀𝐂:
14 exceptional combat aircraft from the United States, Russia, China and Czech Republic.
Shallow learning curve with consistent key controls between aircraft, and easy to fly with just a keyboard.
Professional level flight models, but with option for forgiving flight dynamics.
Play instant action, single missions and campaigns for most aircraft in single player or fly online.
Supports Virtual Reality like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality.
Includes the Caucasus map and portions of Nevada and the Persian Gulf.
Purchase MAC aircraft individually or as a pack at a reduced price.
Flaming Cliffs 3 owners can purchase the MAC pack at a great discount.

That's a lot of information.

Now, what about that F/A-18 update I mentioned? Well, it seems the reason for the silence over there is because they've been hard at work getting things going for the F-18.

• They fixed an issue where some people have noticed the F/A-18 sliding on the carrier deck. I never noticed it but, hey, it's fixed now.
• They made it so the STT track won't switch lock without you telling it too. Honestly... I'm not sure what they mean by this but I think it has to do with the radar switching targets on you. I noticed it happening in of of the Grim Reapers videos.
• They finally implemented the SIL (silent) mode on the radar. This one I want to try out and see exactly what it does.
• They added an option in the Mission Editor for single or ripple release. I'm not to sure about this one either. I was fine just entering the number of bombs being dropped and the distance apart in the cockpit to get the ripple effect.
• The RWR has had critical threats added to it so you'll see a line on the RWR when you're being fired on (I think that's how it'll work).
• DUD will show up on the HUD when the settings for the bombs and the position of the F-18 won't let the bombs explode.
• Night Vision Goggles have been added to the F-18 so you can fly around at night like you do in the AV-8B.
• Finally, and most importantly they have added the ICLS to the Hornet. ICLS or Instrument Carrier Landing System adds one horizontal and one vertical line to the HUD when you come in for a landing. This will make it even easier for you to land on the carrier. Just adjust your heading until the two lines make a +. This is one that I've been waiting a long time for. I wonder if they're going to include the ACLS eventually. We already know the F-14 will have it. I'm not sure about the 18 though.

Well, that's it for this update. When they say anything else I'll come back on here and let you all know what's going on. I hope to have some good news regarding the F-14 soon.

Until then, happy flying.

F/A-18C Carrier Landing Help

Despite the bug I announced in the last post I wanted to get a good idea on how the carrier landings should go. I checked the Grim Reapers YouTube channel and they were helpful to a point but I needed something a little more in-depth to fully understand what I needed to do. That's when I found Jabbers' video for Case I landings. He gives a lot of information and, most importantly, shows you step by step where you should be, what altitude you should be at and what speed you need to be going.

Take a look at his video and you'll learn a lot and maybe you can land on the carrier perfectly.

I've tried it using his information and I got down ok. Still caught the 1st wire but it's better to catch the 1st wire than fly off the deck... or into the deck.

Have fun learning how to land this thing.

F/A-18C Carrier Operations Bug

As you know, the F/A-18C is very much Early Access and their are going to be bugs and problems with it at the start. I found one that I would like to let everyone know about before they start carrier operations.

Now, I have landed successfully on the Stennis a number of times (I've also crashed into the back of the carrier twice so... good and bad I guess) But I've had this bug show up twice on me so far. Take a look at this picture and you'll see what the problem is.

As you can see I hooked the third wire but it stretched out into oblivion backwards and I flew off the edge of the carrier (and promptly crashed into the ocean). I've hooked the forth and first wires with no problems but the third, for me at least, seems to cause this strange behavior. So If you hook the wire and fly off the edge, quickly pause the game and hit F2 and see. Maybe you landed just fine and the bug is causing you problems too.

Personally, I'm going to just land at runways for now and try again after the next update.

I just wanted to let you all know what I found.
Be safe landing until this get's fixed.

The Hornet Has Landed

There wasn't much fanfare on DCS's Facebook page but the F/A-18C is now available for download for those using DCS Open Beta. There's a 2.3 Gb update that needs to be installed before you can download the Hornet but once it's all said and done you'll finally be able to fly the bug off the Stennis, fire Aim-7s and Aim-9's at bandits, and drop some bombs on those poor enemy soldiers on the ground.

As promised by Eagle Dynamics the moving map is available on the 3rd display in the cockpit and the radar symbology is showing correctly. There's a lot that still needs to be done with the Hornet (we need the Aim-120's and the laser guided bombs still) but for an early access it is in very good condition. Expect a lot of large updates to come in the future for this module.

So, if you pre-ordered the Hornet, go ahead and start up your DCS Open Beta and get the update and start downloading that plane. You'll have a lot of fun with it. Also keep an eye out for Chuck's Guide to the F/A-18C. He'll be publishing one in the next few weeks once he learns how everything works.

Happy flying.

Persian Gulf Map Out Now

I just wanted to make a quick post to let all of you know that the Persian Gulf Map is out now. So, if you pre-ordered it and you are running DCS Open Beta you can start downloading it right now (which is exactly what I'm doing as I type this). If you're running the stable version you might need to wait up to 7 days for it to be available to you.

The downside to the map being available now? The $10 discount has ended. So if you haven't pre-ordered it you'll need to pay the full $49.99 for it now. Or at least until it goes on sale at some point.

With that being said we are now just 7 days away from the Hornets release. If you have pre-ordered it, or plan to by the Hornet soon, I'd suggest you take a look at the Matt Wagner's or the Grim Reapers F/A-18C introduction videos to get an idea on how the plane works. I've been reviewing them for the last few days myself.

Until then, enjoy your flights over Iran, Oman, and Dubai.
Happy hunting.