DCS: World

Leatherneck MiG-21bis Progress
The guys at Leatherneck have been doing a great job and this week we integrated the AI MiG-21bis into DCS World version 2.0.0 later in 2014 (there will be no 1.3.0 due to the extensive DCS World changes that are coming). The model looks stunning as we think you will agree!

Here are some screenshots taken by testers with the MiG-21 in EDGE.
We'll be posting some more soon, with updated Speculars and Normals tweaked for EDGE.

Enjoy!

Hello Gents,
A small update to show you the first step of Viviane sighting system.
It will be able to launch and control missiles next week if everything goes right
I'll have to code an autopilot auto-hover to enable the pilot to aim.
https://youtu.be/9CWcjJUnuQw

Hawk update July 2014

So, this weekend we're splitting the Hawk into two, not literally of course lol

There will be the base Hawk in DCS World which the AI will use and you can see flying around negating the need for a multiplayer patch which we put out before.
Then there will be the "paid" section which is essentially the activation part as our copy protection system will allow you to sit in the cockpit but not fly the aircraft unless you have a valid activation code.
Both of these sections will then be uploaded into The ED testers version for them to test and report any bugs. Luckily most of the ED testers we have assigned are already on our test team so not much should be found.

You will then see the Hawk appear in DCS World at some point in the future.
We can't confirm which version yet but as soon as we know I'll let you know.
I'm not sure if we'll make the Sabre update version but will try our best.

The website and store are being worked on also right now by a very talented web designer in the US who is a good friend of one of our developers.
The Hawk product pages are being built and we'll get our testing team to try it out prior to going live.
This will be a seamless payment experience if bought through our site.
We will then pass that product info in a format to ED for their web site and pass over thousands of activation codes for their star force database which allows you to buy from their store (still using our protection system).

Then it's the Steam pages, I'm putting together the info needed for those and again producing activation codes for that database.

So, when we said soon, we meant soon

Legal stuff is very nearly there and will tie in with release.

Very exciting times for DCS in the next few months for sure!!

Cheers,
Chris.

Originally Posted by Noj View Post
Don't mean to be critical or pedantic, but surely all that stuff would have been sorted out before you even started working on a commercial release?

Otherwise, it's a load of money, time and effort potentially down the drain. Not to mention the damage it would do your rep if it had to be abandoned.

I'm assuming the same would apply to the Typhoon, as well.

Hopefully you can wrap them both up in one swoop (along with any future projects... ahem!)

Most aircraft have to be developed to demonstrate to manufacturers what you're doing.
It's a very convoluted process I won't go into here.
We've been in discussions with BAE for over 2 years now as it's not just the Hawk we need a licence for from BAE. Also they're not set up for this kind of thing as it's not been done to this level before.

Don't forget we're doing military as well as consumer products.

Cheers,
C

http://The AI MiG-15bis coming with DCS ver. 1.2.9. Sabre food!

http://So pretty that I had to add three more

Hey Guys,
We thought it would be good for you to know our development roadmap.

DISCLAIMER:
The list is not final and will be changed at any time depending on contracts, agreements, discussions, etc. but this is our current roadmap.
The dates shown are indicative and not final!!

As Wags says, everything is subject to change...

For the packs, we will be doing certain discounts for number of aircraft bought, etc. and this is still being discussed and details will be revealed closer to sale time.

We are currently having discussions with aircraft manufacturers, owners of aircraft and collectors so some things may be included in packs and collections may not yet be shown on here but I'll update the list as and when we have agreements.

We will keep this list as up to date as possible as things develop and contracts are agreed.

We have multiple teams working on different projects, so the old "finish one before you start another" is not relevant. We will not overstretch the teams or the business!!

The * next to the aircraft indicates that we are in contract with ED for those.

We hope you like the selection of aircraft and maps and look forward to a great future in DCS with you!!

Cheers,
Chris.

DCS Air Force Training Pack
BAE Hawk T.1A – July/August 2014 *
Short Tucano – July 2015
Grob G115E Tutor – July 2015
Pilatus Pc21

DCS Warbirds Collection
Curtiss P-40F - December 2014 *
Grumman F8F Bearcat – February 2015 *
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV – April 2015 *
HA-1112 Buchon - May 2015 *
Hawker Typhoon – Q3 2015
Grumman Wildcat – Q4 2015
Dehaviland Mosquito Mk IV
Dehaviland Mosquito Mk XVI
Messerchmitt Me109T
Supermarine Seafire 17
Hawker Sea Hurricane
Hawker Sea Hawk
Curtiss Hawk 75
Curtiss P-40C
Focke Wulf FW190A-8 / F-8
Messerschmitt Bf109-E4
North American A-36 Apache
Douglass DC3

DCS Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (RAFBBMF)
We are currently in discussion with them to develop the pack and an announcement will be made soon.
Avro Lancaster
Douglas C-47 Dakota
Hawker Hurricane MkI
Hawker Hurricane MkIIb
Various Supermarine Spitfire’s in their collection

DCS Fast Jets
Eurofighter Typhoon – 2015 *
Boeing A330 MRTT Refueller – Included with the Typhoon as AI then developed ASM/EFM after to be sold separately.
A-4C Skyhawk – July 2015
A-4M Skyhawk – December 2015
SAAB JAS Gripen
Dassault Rafale
Hunter Hawker
Dehaviland Venom
Dehaviland Vampire
Panavia Tornado GR1
Hawker Siddley FAS1 SeaHarrier
North American T-28 Fennec

DCS Helicopters
Boeing/Augusta AH64D Apache
Westland Lynx
Westland Wessex
Boeing CH-47 Chinook
Aerospatial Puma

Map Areas
Duxford (test development map)
North Africa – Tubruq
Mach Loop – Welsh Valleys
Falkland Islands

Hello gents,
The Gazelle is now able to launch missiles and guide them manually to the target.
For video purposes, the FM has been switched off, unrealistic perfect auto-hover
The autopilot is still to do, I planned an auto-hover option and a moving flight option (maintain the current flight)

Dear all,

We know many of your are on pins and needles regarding the release of DCS: F-86F Sabre. I'm happy to report that the Pre-Purchase with open beta access will be be available this Saturday, July 26th, 2014.

Here is a little video of the simple start up procedure for DCS: F-86F Sabre.

Note: Because this video will forever live on the internet, we decided to record it using an early version of DCS World 2 (2.0.0). Sabre will first release as an open beta using ver. 1.2.9.

Please note that version 1.2.9 was created simply to launch DCS: F-86F Sabre and DCS: Fw 190 D-9 Dora. We also hope to see some new third party projects released in 1.2.9. As such, this version is NOT intended as bug fixing version... that will be for DCS World 2.0.0.

Items:

• DCS: F-86F Sabre release
• New MiG-15bis AI aircraft
• Oculus DK2 support
• Fixed label visibility for external view saved being carried over from previous multiplayer sessions
• Logitech G940 joystick trimming repaired
• Added additional radio frequencies to each airfield to support F-86F and Fw 190 D-9 radios
• Corrected rear gun aiming for the Tu-22M3
• Corrected A-10A HUD jittering when firing the gun
• Corrected mission 8 of the Ka-50 Deployment Campaign

Couple of new renders for you guys

As you can see the P-40F is coming along nicely, we hope to have the model finished within the next 2 weeks or so

What you see here is not the current state of the model just an example of how things are progressing

Pman

DCS Hawk will be released in 1.2.9

You'll see it in 1.2.9

Flyable

Now is the time to make the switch from advanced modern jets like the F-15 and Su-27, with their automated control systems, powerful engines, and sophisticated targeting and weapons systems and put flight and fight back into the hands of the pilot in the cockpit and his workhorse fighter. Aim for the vulnerable engines when targeting bombers using guns only and master the maneuvering fight against the MiG-15 (now in development!).

Hello gents,
Here's the last version of the missile sighting system
https://youtu.be/nhajeIfPdkQ

Gloster Meteor added to the list.
We have just taken on a modeller that has an amazing model already made and looking forward to adding this iconic aircraft to our roadmap.

The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. Nicknamed the "Meatbox", the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in terms of its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor

Hi Guys,

Thought it was bout time that I started the Dev Diary for the Spitfire Mk XIV.

I am pleased to confirm that this will be the 3rd aircraft to be released in the Warbirds Collection.

At the moment we have been gathering data, speaking to pilots and getting reference material together for the aircraft as well as making some technical decisions regarding what model and layouts we are going to use.

Obviously its no shock to anyone that with the help of the TFC and the guys at Duxford we have access to their Mk XIV which helps us alot!

I for one am really looking forward to getting some Griffon power into DCS!

A few things that I can confirm ...

We are primarily looking to do the clipped wing variant with a bubble (low back) canopy. Although after suggestion from one of the forum guys we think we have a way of enabling full tips as an option iun the mission editor. I cant confirm that this will 100% be done for sure until we try and actually put it in the sim but I am confident that we will be able to work something out.

For the moment at least we will not be able to implement different fuel grades this is something that we may look at later, so for the time being we will work on the assumption of 21lbs with 150 octane. Although it should be noted that although alot of MkXIV's had the conversion done severe damage was often the result of overuse, I have seen under 5 minutes being quoted on several documents. So this will be a short one hit wonder unless I can verify that it was able to be used for longer periods. Some references show it only being used to try and catch V1's. I will continue to investigate this as the EFM and ASM are developed.

Primary weaponary will be the stock weapons for the Mk XIV.

GGS, we havent decided about this yet, I would like to have this as an editable option within the ME, but we will have to see what is technically possible when it comes round to it. GGS is used on other aircraft in our roadmap so its def in my mind but until we actually try some stuff we cant say for sure.

The model will be started in late September to be ready early November (So watch our VFAT fans!)

EFM is already starting in its basic form as well so we are on track for release after the Bearcat.

All the best everyone

Pman

Thought I'd give you abit of an update on the dev of the Bearcat...

Flight modelling is in its infancy and is being programmed by the same AFM programmer as the P-40F so I would expect this to be completed slightly after the P-40F

The external model is going really well and should be completed in the next couple of weeks, work on the cockpit has already begun and is progressing well, I will post some more screenies during the week for this

We have managed to get the last of the references we needed for some of the more obscure areas of the aircraft so that has finally come to an end for now at least!

Thanks to Nick and Stephen Grey we managed to pickup a couple of small errors in the shape of the main body of our model, these have now been corrected and signed off.

Will bring you guys more news as it develops

Pman

DCS World 1.2.15 and MiG-15bis!
Both DCS World 1.2.15 and DCS: MiG-15bis are now available.
You can download DCS World 1.2.15 using the automatic updater or download the installer files here.
DCS: MiG-15bis can be purchased from DCS E-shop.

DCS: MiG-15bis product page.

We also have a series of videos to help you get started with the MiG-15bis here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLghf-HEzcSh3gZOab4nLZpw-f-OTGOknR



DCS World 2
We are nearing a point where DCS World 2 will be available for a public, alpha release. The primary work remains with sorting out some issues with the unified .exe (no longer will the front end and simulation end operate as two separate exe). We have also been using this time to give mission builders better control of AI weapon jettison, afterburner use, and restrictions of when they can attack air and ground targets. Now that the 1.2.15 update is released, the team will be focused on final testing and preparing DCS World 2 (and the NTTR map) for its debut.



DCS: Nevada Test and Training Map
The actual art construction (elevation mesh and textures) of this map is more-or-less done with the remaining work being performance optimization and getting the AI units to operate within the map correctly (such as airfield taxi operations). As with DCS World 2, once 1.2.15 is released, this map will be the focus of testing to get it ready for its alpha, public release.
In parallel with the new map, Red Flag campaigns for the F-15C and A-10C are in active development.



DCS: L-39 Albatros
The next aircraft to be released by Eagle Dynamics will be the L-39C and the L-39ZA. Both aircraft are in a later stage of development with most of the work now focused on the various cockpit systems and flight dynamics. This will be a fully-realized module with mouse-interactive cockpit and professional flight model. Although it will not be available at launch, two-players in the same aircraft is planned for the L-39. We see this as an important feature, not just for the L-39, but other current and future DCS modules.



DCS: P-47D Thunderbolt
The next World War II aircraft for DCS World will be the Thunderbolt. As you can see by the images in this newsletter, the cockpit is quite far along and overall project status is moving along nicely. Once the Bf 109 K-4 is out of beta (good progress as you can see in the 1.2.15 preliminary change log), progress on this module will further accelerate.



DCS: Spitfire IX
Following the Thunderbolt, the next of our World War II aircraft will be the glorious Spitfire IX. While not as far along as the Thunderbolt, aspects of it are underway as evidenced by the early cockpit renders seen in this newsletter



DCS: F/A-18C Hornet
No, it’s not a myth. Work on the Hornet continues with great progress on the air-to-surface radar. The real beam mapping mode is just about done, and once complete, the team will start work on the various sub-modes. This has been a critical new technology that had to be developed from scratch for this project.
Included in this newsletter is the current status of the 6 DOF cockpit. It is still very much a work-in-progress but project development is now accelerating.



Hawk for DCS World
We are working closely with VEAO Simulations on preparing the Hawk for sale on the DCS e-shop. There have been a few remaining bugs that need to be resolved, but once complete, the module will be available from the DCS e-shop. In the meantime, you can download the VEAO installer here.

Dear All,

First off – I'd like to sincerely apologize on the behalf of the team for the issues experienced by a significant amount of you with the rollout of the 1.2.15 patch.
Something seems to have gone awry in the patching process that requires many of you to repair your DCS install to make the MiG-21 function properly. We are unsure what is causing this. Some other issues, such as the main landing gear slightly sinking into the ground do not occur on our local development builds. We are investigating the cause for these discrepancies and hope to correct them as soon as possible.

Some major bugs we are tracking include the ASP, various instances of avionics errors, steering difficulties (note, that steering will be far more difficult now as the implementation has been changed to be realistic, but the current situation might be exacerbated by the sinking of main landing gear) and more.
We'll keep you updated on our progress and also note what is intentional/correct behaviour, and what is not.



In our previous monthly update we noted that we hope to ship all backer rewards in February; but while we've made significant progress on this front, we have shifted production runs to allow for shipments in late March.

Likewise, as noted previously, we have combined several backer rewards into bigger, more useful, and better crafted items.
These include for example printed manuals, T-Shirts, other printed artwork. We think you will be very happy with the level we've been able to attain.
These items will be presented shortly, so we can receive your input and hold off until mostly everyone is satisfied.



In our last newsletter, we mentioned significant growth of our team and the establishment of a new, permanent, studio in Swinoujscie, Poland.
While our new studio is not quite yet operational; it is complete and in its' initial transitory phase.
We're extremely excited to be able to grow and increase our production output, as it allows me to tease you all with secretive new content on a far more frequent basis.

Growing the development team requires us to revise our internal thinking and workflow quite considerably.
As the team and both our old and new aircraft and theatres grow in size and complexity, our current, tight-knit form of communication and task delegation is rapidly becoming obsolete. Thus, significant effort has been made throughout January and February to convert to and more effectively use project management tools and also revamp our workflow. While this may sound (oh, who are we kidding, it is) completely uninteresting, the take-away is that we are able to significantly enhance our effectiveness and thus content creation speed.

Basically: We're going corporate. Expect more evil in LNS modules from now on.

In the last newsletter we also noted that we had already expanded the team considerably, and I can now take the time to proudly introduce you to our new team members. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to work with more individuals who share our passion, drive and commitment. Without further ado; please welome .

Our Team section on our site has been updated accordingly; and features some snippets of information about the new cannon fod...er, team members.
HERE: http://www.leatherneck-sim.com/team/



Aircraft development during the past two months has been progressing at a fantastic rate.
Just like our changes in project management and task delegation, we too have been making big changes in the nitty gritty of our development process.

The MiG-21 was an isolated product with a very specific codebase. To more efficiently move forward, we have spent a lot of time restructuring our projects and code itself, now adhering to a more general framework.
This will allow us to more quickly prototype new aircraft and to get into the real meat of avionics and FM coding, as well as increase efficiency of started projects and code-porting.
We have also written several internal tools which will help to enhance these benefits.

We are working in parallel on our three advanced aircraft projects; but that isn't quite the whole story.
In addition to these main, flyable aircraft modules, we are investing a lot of hard work into the creation of auxiliary components, such as: Tanks, Ships, AI Only Aircraft and much more.
These items are heavily related to our theatre development plans, and represent one of our most ambitious undertakings.

All three of our aircraft have necessitated the need to develop new, internal technologies that we did not need for the MiG-21. Some of these have been more challenging than others-- and some will probably genuinely make your jaw drop.
By developing these difficult features, we are later able to adapt them to new aircraft, and thus shorten our development times even further.
Examples of complexity include e.g. Ground Radar, AI Systems, and more.

Currently, we hope to release two aircraft during the course of 2015. As usual, everything is subject to change, but as we become more experienced, we are able to better gauge our progress and remaining workload.
The aforementioned project management and structure changes play a part in this as well. All indications point to two Leatherneck releases this year.
I do not think you will be disappointed in the aircraft on offer.

That just leaves the elephant in the room.

The answer is Monday.

We will announce one of our new, advanced modules on Monday. Apologies to those of you who have spent half the night up mashing your F5 key, but we need the extra day to facilitate the creation of our announcement materials.
For those of you with sharpened pitchforks; there are free sausages in the fridge and I see you've already started a sizeable fire. Just grab a seat until Monday.



The primary purpose of the establishment of our new, permanent studio is theatre development and everything therein.
Theatre development requires a vast amount of content, especially if the theatre is set in a location or era not related to any currently available and developed location.
While our theatre development plans are still in the early phases, considerable progress is being made. I just used the word theatre a lot.

In particular, we have been conducting a lot of research on various topics. E.g. how to utilize various tools to enhance lower fidelity DEM data, or various texture baking techniques and how hand-sculpted terrain assets can be integrated into a DEM base. By leveraging the power of EDGE, we can follow in Eagle's footsteps and try to really push the boundaries.

While plans may change, we currently hope to bundle two small theatres for free with both of the aircraft we're planning to release this year.
Both theatres are significantly different from each other and will require the construction of a lot of content that can be re-used down the line.

In closing;

Thanks for sticking with us, we appreciate it more than we could ever convey.
We're constantly looking to improve, but we're only human. We do try our best.

The next monthly update will be before the middle of March – to compensate you for your long wait.
By then, it'll be a whole different conversation.

Sincerely,
Leatherneck Simulations
__________________
/Nicholas Dackard

Artist & Evil Corporate Overlord
Leatherneck Simulations

EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Hi Gents,
While checking everything in the cockpit I made this little video.
I hope it will please you.
Start-up
https://youtu.be/xrQChTMQzzs

Thanks for your kind words everybody,
I'm still checking the cockpit
Here's a little video about cockpit lights
Roof light, UV light and internal gauges lights
https://youtu.be/HgXunUTULTQ

SWINOUJSCIE, POLAND - March 3rd 2015 - F-14A/B (A+) Tomcat coming to DCS World

Leatherneck Simulations, in association with The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics are immensely proud to announce the development of the F-14 Tomcat for DCS World!

The F-14 Tomcat is a fourth-generation, twin tail, supersonic naval interceptor aircraft, developed for the United States' Navy VFX programme.
After it's debut flight in 1970, and subsequent fleet introduction in 1974, the F-14 became the primary fleet defense and air superiority fighter for the U.S. Navy.
The legend of the F-14 only grew after the hollywood smash-hit "Top Gun" - in which it was heavily featured.

Key Features of DCS: F-14A & B include:
Highly Accurate 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) Cockpit
Highly Accurate avionics and weapons system modelling - including the vaunted AWG-9 Radar system and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.
AIM-54 Phoenix Simulation with a CFD based AFM
'JESTER AI' - A Proprietary AI System for fully voiced, dependable and smart RIO/WSO
Highly Accurate Flight Model - Based on Real Performance Data
Both -A and -B Model F-14's
Multiplayer Multicrew capability. Fly together as RIO and Pilot!
Animated Crew Members - Closely Integrated with JESTER AI
Highly Detailed External Model, Animations and Textures
Highly Accurate Aircraft System and Subsystem Modelling
One Free Theatre bundled with the Aircraft
Full, lengthy single-player campaign
Full Suite of Documentation, including game manual, quickstart guides, and more.
Fully voiced and interactive training missions, teaching you to fly and fight.
...and much, much more!
At Leatherneck Simulations we strongly believe in raising the bar. We have never been comfortable with adhering to the status quo.
Currently we hope to complete development and enter BETA testing on the first version of the F-14 by the end of 2015. Subject to significant change.

For the Development Team, the F-14 will represent the culmination of years of experience and dedication.
Our passion is only rivaled by our ambition and we are pushing ourselves to be better than ever before.

So strap in and enjoy the ride, and get ready to experience the definitive F-14 experience.


Sincerely,
Leatherneck Simulations

NOTE: Due to an unexpected technical error in our website & subsequent down-time due to overloading the server, this is a limited, interim announcement.

I am pleased to announce that I'll be working with Leatherneck Simulations and creating a trailer for the upcoming DCS: F-14!
Make sure you check them out over at https://www.facebook.com/leathernecksim

Here is an exclusive image (work in progress) for you guys.