Leatherneck: Mig-21Bis

[SilverDragon 99]

Mini Update LN Mig-21Bis. Incoming release?

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=122019

 

Folks,

 

We're all hard at work behind the scenes, hence the slight gap in structured information. We've been aiming at providing you with a more "meaty" update, but hopefully this stop-gap measure will provide a small measure of relief until that one is completely ready.

 

Every feature and system that is required for release is now implemented.

All of these components are undergoing testing and iteration, to make sure everything is working as intended.

In the past few weeks we have also replaced several legacy components, including a full overhaul of the weapons and their definitions. (See weapons thread)

 

The AFM has been finished for several months.

 

Essentially -- we are preparing the aircraft for testing and approval.

 

We've made considerable progress in mission and campaign construction, including tutorial missions. These are going to be voice-acted in the next few days. Another critical learning component: the manual, will soon reach its' final iteration, at which point we can initiate localizated translations.

 

Art-wise; -Rudel- is now working on the last, and final, exterior component of the aircraft, which is the tail and vertical/horizontal stabilisers.

 

Livery creation is in full swing on already completed parts. Stencils (decals) have proved to be a major timesink.

We're recreating these in multiple languages, as several countries had localized ones.

 

In the past few weeks we've also completely overhauled the art of roughly 60% of our custom weapon models and textures.

 

Apart from the aforementioned; all other art is ready for release.

 

Hopefully this gives you a small overview of the state of the aircraft,

and we look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming update.

 

 

Thank you for your patience and support,

 

Leatherneck Simulations

 

 

Edited March 25, 2014 by SilverDragon

[SilverDragon 99]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=123060

 

Small Update time,

 

We're still chugging away at essentially the same items noted in the last mini-update.

Testing of all aircraft systems is well underway. Missions are a few days away from being finished.

 

Mike is beginning to rivet away on the rear fuselage, the last remaining part to be textured on the exterior. 

Decals and first liveries are well underway. 

 

More weapons are being overhauled art-wise.

The cockpit has seen several new additions and overhauls of existing components. Hundreds of art-related fixes have been rolled in. There are still some spelling errors to fix and various other additions to make (normal and specular maps for many components, lamp glow, etc.)

 

The manual draft has been finished and now needs to go through revision (spellchecking, grammar, readability, etc.) before initiating localization. 

 

Administrative tasks such as the new website have been prioritized in the last week. 

Things should be popping up very soon.

 

Excuse my brevity and somewhat incoherent post -- dawn is approaching and coffee is no longer having any effect. 

 

Enjoy a mixed bag of pics of various stuff below.

Work in progress, so handful of salt, as always. 

 

We're getting very close now.

Thank you all for your support,

 

Leatherneck Simulations

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2014 by SilverDragon

[jeanba 1,920]

Great cockpit !

[SilverDragon 99]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=123927

 

VEAO Simulations and Leatherneck Simulations are pleased to announce that in partnership we will be showcasing the MiG-21 by Leatherneck at the IWM D-Day Anniversary Air Show on May 24th / 25th 2014 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England.

 

Along with the VEAO Hawk, you will be able to get up close and personal with the MiG-21 and try her out in the Fighter Collection's hangar 2 during the weekend.

 

For details of the air show and to purchase tickets, please visit here:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/events/iwm-duxford/the-d-day-anniversary-air-show

 

We are pleased to be presenting the MiG-21 to the public during this air show and future air shows at Duxford and look forward to seeing you there.

 

The VEAO and Leatherneck teams.

 

[+russouk2004 6,958]

Excellent detail and wear etc...I would need a few hours sat in it just to work out what does what lol..

[SilverDragon 99]

Mig-21Bis texture update:

[+Dave 2,322]

Beautiful.

[SilverDragon 99]

Mig-21Bis on Duxford with VEAO and AvioDev

https://www.facebook.com/pages/VEAO-Simulations/130582376992838?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline

 

Some dogfighting fun with the Leatherneck MiG-21 BIS

Unfortunately due to the Internet connection we won't be able to stream anything from here.

Chris.

 

[thodouras95 25]

holy shit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEAUTIFUL

[SilverDragon 99]

Mig-21Bis Update

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2076695&postcount=1

Hey Folks!

 

It's been a while since the last update. Even though we've been around and posting quite a bit, it might, in hindsight, be a good idea to consolidate info more frequently into a single thread as a dev update.

 

Progress over the past month has been excellent. We are getting closer to a finished product with every single passing day; and it's a fantastic feeling to see three years of work finally come together. 

 

In the past few weeks the entire team has been crunching hard to meet various deadlines, primarily the very important Duxford public showcase. A herculean effort with 17-20 hours of work per day has been the norm for the past few weeks. Many elements which were awaiting integration (rather than creation) - like the new pilot, new damage modelling and a few other components have now been implemented into the Sim. Bar a few minor details, the aircraft is feature complete. 

 

Once again, a massive thank you to the VEAO team for taking the time and effort to showcase the MiG-21 at Duxford. We consider ourselves very lucky to have the chance to work together with such kind and considerate individuals. If any of you spent some time with the MiG-21 at Dux; feel free to share your thoughts or impressions either here or in a separate thread. We'd love to hear them!

 

So what is left?

-- Bugfixing and Polishing

-- Normal and Specular maps for various external parts

-- Minor additions to the manual

-- Completion of Manual localization (2 languages already complete!)

-- Copy editing of Missions and Eng Manual

-- Creation of various UI, Manual and Quickstart Guide images

-- Replacement of legacy Weapon Art (in advanced progress)

-- Multiplayer Compatability Testing

-- More Bugfixing

-- More Polishing

-- DVD Artwork, physical goodies, more

In a day or two; some of us will once again head into the relentless crunch, as we embark upon the final phase of this project. There is a light at the end of the tunnel; and we are as motivated as ever to reach it as fast as we possibly can. 

 

In closing I'll leave you with a short, very simple, and very basic video (told you not to get hyped up yet! ) of a dawn mission take-off. 

Don't expect too much; it's intention is to just hold you over until the next two arrive, which are coming very soon.

 

 

 

Going on 24h again; so sincere apologies for my succinctness and garbled English. 

 

As always: Thanks for sticking with us and looking forward to the MiG-21. We can't wait to see you all fly it; and we're working hard to make that a reality as soon as possible.

 

Cheers!

LS

 

[SilverDragon 99]

Leatherneck Mig-21Bis Urgent Info

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=125172

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we are unable to procure the list of backers who financially contributed to the DCS: MiG-21 in 2012. 

We are left only with one alternative, and that is to manually collect these details into a database of our own which we can then act upon when we release the aircraft.

 

Please keep this thread clean and for any questions only. 

We'd like to avoid revisiting past issues and grievances, so please do not use this collection as a reason to call for legal action or personal denouncement.

 

Feel free to spread this thread and information within wherever you think you may find a MiG-21 backer.

Feel free to PM myself, -Rudel- or Dolphin887 if you have any other questions or concerns which you do not feel comfortable posting here (or e-mail us!)

 

We hope we can reach everyone in time.

 

--------------------------- IMPORTANT! --------------------------------------

 

Those of you who have backed, and for us to confirm that you have done so, need to provide the following:

 

FULL NAME

SHIPPING ADDRESS (Country, Postal Code, City, Street, House #, Floor, Shipping Name)

BACKER LEVEL (Popular, Valuable, Normal, Big, High value, Bonus, Extra, Special, Extra Special, or Top Special)

CONTACT E-MAIL

 

SCREENSHOT OF BACKER PAGE

 

EXAMPLE:

 

 

You may black out part of your profile name and any other projects you have backed.

If your information is unsatisfactory we will let you know.

 

 

SEND THIS TO:

 

Code:

backers@leatherneck-sim.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

We take your privacy very seriously, and will not disclose any sent details to any third parties.

The purpose of collecting these details is solely to be able to reward the backers who supported

the project financially.

 

We apologize for the inconvenience.

 

Thank you,

Leatherneck Simulations

__________________

/Nicholas Dackard

 

Artist

Leatherneck Simulations

 

DCS: MiG-21bis

[JediMaster 451]

Inconvenience is a bit of an understatement, but I know they've experienced even more inconvenience, so I'm not too put out.

 

As long as I can get into my backer page, that is. I've not logged into Indiegogo in a long time.

[SilverDragon 99]

New update and video of Leatherneck Mig-21Bis

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2109848&postcount=1

 

Hey folks,

 

I'm going to keep this update fairly brief, as we have some new stuff cooking that still needs a few days to simmer before it can be presented. Thus; do expect another update with some nice juicy screenshots of the MiG-21 in EDGE sometime during next week. 

 

Work continues on integration of the MiG-21 into Core DCSW and on the final level of polish and testing prior to public release. The past week was mainly focused on moving the aircraft into the new 1.3.0 development environment, which required some art tweaks on various components. This is still not complete; as there are some significant visual glitches still present. I am, however, confident that we'll be wrapping things up on this task in the first few days of the next week.

 

In addition to this, we're working on some auxiliary tasks such as box art, main menu artwork, icons, shirt artwork, more liveries, tactical numbering, and a lot of other stuff that escapes my mind. We've also begun reaching out to a lot of external partners and individuals to kick the promotional and marketing campaign into high gear. I hope we'll be seeing the effect of this very soon.

 

All of the remaining tasks are on the artistry, and thus Roland and Novak are taking a short break away from development. Certainly excellent timing for Roland in particular, as his first child arrived just a few weeks ago! Things are, however, already stirring and things will kick into gear as we head into the next project(s). Preparatory work in the form of in-house tools that will alleviate several development hurdles, such as FM programming, are already taking shape. We're excited to properly embark on a new era of Leatherneck, especially with all the developmental experience we've accumulated over the course of the last few years.

 

You're all desperate for a release date; but I don't have one for you. As mentioned many times in the past, as soon as we are dead-certain on a time-frame, you will all be the first to know. 

We're just as excited as you to finally have it available to everyone. It feels unreal to be so close after such a long time, but we're finally almost here.

 

If you haven't seen it already, be sure to pop into the video suggestion thread and give voice to what you'd like to have an in-depth look at prior to release. 

We hope to be able to provide these little looks at the aircraft in a somewhat rapid succession (subject to change, however!). 

We'll also look into doing some detailed write-ups of the approaches and simulation complexity behind various components of the product (FM, Radar, etc.).

 

Tonight I come bearing a very simple, and even perhaps somewhat boring gift. 

A simple ramp cold-start and takeoff of the MiG-21. It's quick and dirty, but hopefully you can appreciate it for what it is: an unsullied look at the raw gameplay of the MiG-21. 

 

I initially narrated this video; but figured it was superfluous after watching it a few times. 

The next ones will be narrated however, as they will deal with some more advanced concepts (radar, weaponry, navigation).

 

Cheers!

Team Leatherneck

 

[MigBuster 2,884]

The wait will be worth it - look at the quality

 

I hope they go on to do another project after this despite the hardship - even if its just the MiG-21F-13 or something.

[+russouk2004 6,958]

Cockpit excellent,all that work and no legs?.im sure a low poly set ,mapped well will add that realism 100%...external model nice.

[SilverDragon 99]

Mig-21Bis update

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=126950

 

Hey folks,

 

A quick status update for you;

 

Currently we are working on several important things, which, when finished, will draw this project to a complete close.

 

Due to changing underlying rendering backend, some additional work had to be done to port the MiG-21 into 1.3.0. Initially we thought we could wrap this up fairly quickly, but this has taken longer than expected. When we finish, I hope to share with you some very nice screenshots of the MiG-21 in it's new home.

 

Core integration of the AI MiG-21 package continues and is progressing nicely. Stripping the aircraft of all artwork and code that is not required unless owning the module has been completed, and we're working on ensuring that everything is working flawlessly. Seamless integration to avoid splitting the community is obviously incredibly important, but it must be noted that DCS is an incredibly complex piece of software, and adding another complex piece into the puzzle is not something that can be taken lightly.

 

A few weeks ago we noted that we will be sending out promo copies of the aircraft; but this has been delayed due to the ongoing 1.3.0 migration. Keeping up with two working copies of our product is a very time-consuming/wasting endeavor. Thus, when we're satisfied with the module and it's functionality in 1.3.0, we will then take a look at providing previewers with a legacy version that is representative of the newest build.

 

In the beginning of July, we decided to upgrade our Damage modelling to a completely new standard. We've been busy ripping the aircraft apart with a new mesh-based damage system, in conjunction with hand sculpted normals. Additionally, we have modeled most of the interior components of the aircraft, and can expose them at will. I think you'll all find it looks very satisfying, and we can't wait to show you.

 

As soon as we finish 1.3.0 integration and some other tasks, we'll be providing you with the aforementioned screenshots and also the aforementioned KH-66 + RSBN + SAU video, which will continue the in-depth looks video series. That one will be narrated as per your requests.

 

Some of you have noted that it'd be beneficial to gather developer posts in a single thread, and we agree. Once the opportunity arises, we will work on compiling a FAQ/Developer info thread for quick reference on various topics.

 

Thanks!

 

LS

 

Cockpit with SPS-141 flare disperser pannel

[SilverDragon 99]

https://www.facebook.com/eagle.dynamics?ref=stream

 

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!

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=127012

 

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!

Edited July 17, 2014 by SilverDragon

[SilverDragon 99]

Mig-21Bis Update

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2124817&postcount=153

[+Dave 2,322]

They sure did a nice job on that. I am going to be honest though, I probably wont buy it as I do not have any interest in Mig-21's but to shoot down. It needs and flyable F-4 to go with it.

[+Dave 2,322]

The more I think about, maybe I will. It will support the team that made it and its just really too nice to even pass up.

[+russouk2004 6,958]

superb model,for those that have hardware to appreciate it...

[JediMaster 451]

That's the EDGE lighting. The model itself hasn't changed much from the pre-EDGE shots that were posted.

[+streakeagle 871]

After missing March and July release dates... still waiting forever for this one. I love the F-86F, but if the MiG-21bis is as good as it looks, it will be my main ride. It may even bring me back to online flying to see if I can beat real live human F-15C pilots. As much as I like the P-51D and Fw190D9, I should already be trying to fly online... but I am content flying against AI for the moment. But if I can beat AI F-15Cs in the MiG-21 the way I can in SF2, then I want to face worst case F-15Cs flown by skilled people.

[JediMaster 451]

From what I hear of the radar, you'll be at a serious disadvantage. While you struggle to get a lock at close range the F-15C will lock you up and fire several 120s then turn and take care of someone else.

 

F-15C radar: turn it on, switch range/modes if needed, lock up, fire--elapsed time like 5 seconds.

MiG-21 radar: in 5 seconds you'll still be turning it on...

[+streakeagle 871]

You don't need radar WVR. You just need to be able to get WVR without getting smoked first. It can fairly easily be done in SF2, where I can beat F-15s using MiG-21s or MiG-23s. If anything, missiles are less effective in DCR than SF2, so getting to a dogfight might be even easier if you can find the target while hanging out in the weeds. If the MiG-21bis RWR gives a good enough indication of the threat direction, it can be done with patience as long as the F-15 keeps approaching rather than trying to stand off. A squadron of MiG21's trying to take out an AWACS defended by just two F-15s is the case the F-15 is supposed to handle without loss at 5:1 odds. It is the mission I would seek to replicate and play from both sides.