MigBuster

Viper and Hornet Update With the early access release of the Viper, we are now focusing on the most pressing bugs and desired new features for the Hornet and Viper. We have been reading all your feedback, and this is the biggest factor in determining our priorities. While not a complete list, here are our priority items for the Hornet and Viper in our roadmap (please note that the items listed are not in any sequential order): F/A-18C Hornet Targeting Pod Slave to waypoint / target point Line of sight indication on the HUD Coordinate display Cursor Zero and Snowplow modes Radar Track While Scan (TWS) mode SPOT mode AACQ mode Weapons Release of the AGM-62 Walleye Dynamic launch zones for JDAM and JSOW Pre-Briefed (PB) mode for AGM-88 HARM Avionics Correct the ability to pull 30 G by disabling the G-limiter circuit breaker as a cheat Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) mode Countermeasures Smaller flares option that can be up to 60 on the aircraft F-16C Viper External Art Complete external skin and provide a template to the public External lights Centerline fuel tank Add wing flex Additional skins Visual damage model Cockpit Art Add pilot body to cockpit view (VR) Systems EEGS Level-5 and Lead Computing Optical Sight (LCOS) gunsight when target is locked on radar Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) system Corrected AIM-120 Dynamic Launch Zone (DLZ) that correctly accounts for A (active) and T (time to impact) times Track While Scan (TWS) radar mode Air-to-Air Radar to include Control page (set PRF, contact fade, etc.) Targeting pod (target range indication, SP/CZ/TGT indications, azimuth indication angle indication [waterline with line], GRAY indication, north arrow, M mask indication) If AIM-9 and AIM-120 are loaded, selected aft on the dogfight switch should select AIM-9 and pressing forward should select AIM-120 Emergency jettison button Ability to create and modify steerpoints form the UFC Steerpoints must auto-sequence when option selected from STPTY DED page Toggle missile type select with missile step button for more than .8 seconds Lock indication on the RWR is missing. It should be a circle. At missile launch, then the circle should flash Complete CMDS manual mode programming When a contact is locked while in NAV mode, changing to AA mode should not remove the lock Only a long press aft on the DMS switch should turn the HMCS on and off. Currently, up, right, and left also have this function AI vs the New Damage Model As the new damage model is being implemented, tested and tuned for all our WWII modules we are making sure that all aspects of gameplay are checked and tuned as well. Is this case, with the new damage model we noticed that the AI can be very accurate, and many times testing vs the AI, they would land all shots center mass, any times scoring a pilot kill before anything else. To deal with this we have added a couple of new functions to the AI. First, we added error aiming offset, this will prevent the AI from shooting at the center of the model, and will be adjusted based on the skill set in the Mission Editor. This makes it more realistic when you manage to get some distance on the AI, but letting them in close will still be as deadly as expected. Secondly, there is also a function for tracers aiming correction, this means that when the AI is using tracer rounds, the AI will correct its aim only as the AI fires on a target. The time required for the AI to adjust its aim is based on skill level as well, so excellent level AI will adjust their aim much faster than lower-skilled AI. Now this is only the first phase of these changes, the next adjustments will focus on targeting of key components and areas of different aircraft, as we were told by Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erich Brunotte, they were instructed to fire on the inner left engine on B-17s as there were some critical systems that were not doubled located there. This will allow the AI to be more precise as far as targeting aircraft components going forward. Lastly, we have tuned how aggressive the AI is when firing on a disabled or already destroyed enemy plane, currently with new damage model testing, the AI would unload on you, and not let up until every part of you was a flaming hunk of wreckage, now, the AI should recognize when you are damaged enough, or dead and stop firing, hopefully this will allow the AI to maintain more ammo, and be more useful in large scale fights. These new AI features should be available in this week's Open Beta update, we ask you to share your experiences with the AI tweaks and give us feedback on your personal experience with it. DCS World Open Beta Update This Friday we are releasing a new Open Beta update with the following highlights: AI Combat Improvements R/BL mode for Harpoons on the Hornet A number of fixes for the DCS: F-16 Viper A number of fixes for the DCS C-101 by AvioDev You can read the complete changelog here. Many thanks to all our faithful community. Yours sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

Steam DCS sales are usually at different times.

2019 Autumn Sale starts today! We are happy to announce that the DCS World Autumn 2019 Sale is here with incredible savings on most DCS World products! Lasting until November 4th, save 50% on most DCS World modules! This applies to aircraft, maps, and campaigns. The only exceptions include: DCS: F/A-18 Hornet by ED - 25% off DCS: Persian Gulf Map - 25% off DCS: Christen Eagle II by Magnitude 3 LLC – 25% off DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations – not on sale at this time DCS: F-16C Viper by ED – not on sale at this time Get these deals starting today in the DCS E-shop. We will also be participating in the Steam Halloween Sale. Open Beta update We released a new Open Beta update this week. Much of the focus has been on the Viper and includes initial Basic IFF and fuel tank jettison. On the Hornet front, we are introducing the AGM-62 Walleye ER/DL with support from the AWW-13 Data Link Pod. Along with these highlights, many more fixes have been included and you check out the complete changelog here. Development Report #1 In order to provide greater transparency in our endeavours, we are happy to introduce a new series of Development Reports. These will shed light on some of the most requested features and their progress. New AI FM (GFM) - currently in progress Last week we introduced some new skills for our AI pilots, and we want to thank you for the feedback. We are happy to hear that it’s making a big difference! We are also working on what we term the GFM (General Flight Model), and this is the new FM for the AI that you may have heard us hint at earlier. This FM will support asymmetric payloads, and naturally crosswind landings. We think this will make the AI pilots fly in a more realistic and human fashion. The GFM will not only simulate kinematic movement, but also true stability and controllability characteristics of the plane and their natural behavior at takeoff and landing. The current effort is on building variations of mass and moments of mass in flight. In the future, we will develop the principal functionality to support supermaneuverability. UH-1H Multi-Crew Functionality - currently in internal testing This hugely anticipated feature is close to seeing the light of day. We have begun internal testing of multi-crew functionality for the Huey. The initial testing is progressing well, and it will allow two pilots to fly the Huey as a team. Pilots will be able to interact with each other’s panels, and it should be a beet fun addition to an already excellent module. Next week we will share some new information about Modern Air Combat (MAC) and the Supercarrier module. Thanks for your support. Yours sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

It is a cartoon narrated by someone who has done very little research and has next to zero understanding of how aircraft are developed - please find me a $38m F-15E today because apparently this Muppet doesn't understand such things as inflation. It is beyond laughable, talk about a dog looking at the screen with its tongue out. The aircraft and program is open to criticism like any other program but there were a lot of positives as well. If anyone saw this 3 parter on the RAF/FAA in one of them they have trouble starting it - nothing really out of the ordinary but the sort of thing included in clueless videos above as if the sky is falling in.

Help fund the Strike Fighters 2 Windows 10 update! Strike Fighters 2 is a series of popular PC games we released back in 2008 (over 11 years ago!). It was a unique series of inter-connected light/casual flight simulation games set in the Cold War. Despite its age, it's still being enjoyed by many users, thanks largely to its huge and active mod community. The games were originally designed on (then brand new) Windows Vista, but over the years, new Windows versions have came and gone (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and finally 10), the hardware has evolved at dizzying speed, and internet security and privacy have become major concerns. With all these changes, some people are reporting issues running our old games on newer machines. We'd love to be able to update the series to the latest Windows and Direct X version. But we're a very small independent company with very limited resources, and we do not currently have the funds to do this. And this is where you can help! $25,000 USD is the minimum we need to cover the cost of development and testing. At this level funding, the update will simply be Windows 10/DirectX 12 update with no other fixes, enhancement or improvement. Of course, any funding we get above and beyond the $25K amount would be used to further enhance and improve the series. Our users have asked for Oculus VR support, air-to-air refueling, and many other features. These all cost time and money, a lot of it unfortunately, so they'll need to be prioritized. We'll put the decisions about which additional features to work on to vote among the contributors. So by funding this and becoming a contributor, you're not only helping us with the funding, you'll also have a say in which direction to go with the update. We estimate it'll take 2 months of development and testing for the update to be completed. So if we can get started by mid-September, we should be able to release the basic update by this November before Thanksgiving. (Any features from additional contributions will of course take longer) We'd like to thank our fantastic community, especially the mods community who continue to put out amazing work to improve our games for everyone. We couldn't do this without the community support. Thank you! Contribute here: https://fundrazr.com/31YZNe?ref=ab_A4B60kVy3KOA4B60kVy3KO Answers to some questions asked online: Q. What happens if the funding goal isn't met? A. Not everything will be lost even if we don't make the funding goal. We do plan on securing the amount we're short by through other means (loans) and still get the Windows 10 update done at a later time (probably early next year). If we have to go this route however, the update will have to be a paid update and not free to everyone so we can at least recover part of the cost. It'll be free to only those who contributed to this and those who purchased the SF2 Complete Edition. Please note that this campaign is set as "Keep it all", meaning we keep all the contributions even if the funding goal isn't met. Q. Can we add <xyz> features and fix <abc> bugs? A. We'd love to be able to do everything everyone is asking for, but unfortunately, all these take a lot of time and money. If you're expecting our games to have all the features from other AAA-quality games, then you'll be disappointed. Those games costs 10+ (some over 100+) million budget, and there is simply no way we can even come close to that with $100-500K budget we usually spend on our games. If this crowd funding makes more than the funding goal, we'll have the contributors vote and decide on which features we should spend that extra amount on. Q. Are you going to continue to support the game? A. We wish we could continue to support the game forever, but again, these things takes a lot of money, and we simply can not afford to keep supporting old games for years and decades. This crowd funding goal is enough to pay for just 2 months of operation. In order for us to continue to support the game year after year, we need the community to continue to buy our games (and not just play them) year after year. Q. Isn't it better to do Strike Fighters 3? A. We'd love to be able to do SF3, but we're not ready to commit that much time and money to a new PC game at this point (we still haven't paid off the development cost of SF2NA). A completely new game would take us at least 5 years and cost us at at least 2 million. Plus, everyone expect post-release support for 10-20 additional years, easily doubling the cost. We just don't think we'll be able to raise that amount needed based on numbers we have. We'd love to be proven wrong on this, if this fund raising goes way better than expected, we can re-consider this in the future. Thank you! Update on result from TK

Looks stunning however I will clarify the state it is currently in which is Early Access in fact only the cockpit and external model are anywhere near complete. Even the external skin is a placeholder and I cant even jettison any weapons at the moment, also no gun sight symbology. It is probably about 5 - 10% complete at a push. It needs a few more major patches before you can really use it I would say.

Why the F-16C The Viper was the next logical extension to the F/A-18C Hornet. They both have a similar multi-role mission and share many of the same underlying technologies and systems. As such, we can be much more efficient by leveraging core technologies and features for both aircraft. The Viper is also cool aircraft that has been produced in massive numbers, with an equal number of fans around the world. It was a no-brainer. Development Start Every aircraft starts from the engine and flight model and follows by 3D modelling and development of all the systems. We started to develop the heart of the Viper in October 2018 creating the needed design documents and collecting as much information available to us. The main production phase started in April 2019 with many placeholder objects up to what you see now this will continue until the module is considered feature completed and can be moved from Early Access to release. Development Speed We have never developed a product so fast. Not only is this a testament to our amazing development team, but it also showed the value of creating core technologies that can be applied to multiple aircraft. The development of projects that are similar in tech will always help the speed of creating new tech. You can even see this in our WWII aircraft with similar engine types, and new tech for those. Current Early Access Features As development starts, a plan is put into place on what the key features will be required to make an enjoyable product in an Early Access environment. Much thought is always put into what will allow the most gameplay with features still to come. Even development of the Hornet, and what was most popular as it developed, as an example, the targeting pod. Of course, this is all based on how the systems tie together in development, and sometimes that can push much-requested features further out, you can see this with IFF as an example. F-110-GE-129 turbofan engine AN/APG-68(V)5 multi-mode radar AN/ALR-56M Radar Warning Receiver CCIP (Common Configuration Implementation Program) update ALE-47 countermeasure system Color Multifunction Display (CMFD) symbology, Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) format, and Head-up Display (HUD) symbology Digitally TACAN and Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) RWS, SAM, and ACM A/A radar modes RWS, SAM, and STT air-to-air radar modes BDU-33, GBU-10, GBU-12, Mk-82LDGP, Mk-82AIR, Mk-82SE, Mk-84LDGP, CBU-87 CEM, and CBU-97 SFW unguided bombs 2.75” rockets Helmet Mounted Cueing System (HMCS) AIM-9L/M/P/X Sidewinder AIM-120B/C AMRAAM M61A1 20mm cannon Litening targeting pod New developments for the Viper TWS and other A/A radar modes Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Link 16 Data Link Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) A/G radar modes AGM-65D/G/H/K Maverick AGM-88C HARM AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System (HTS) GBU-24A/B laser-guided bombs BRU-57/A Smart Rack CBU-103 CEM and CBU-105 SFW Inertially Aided Munitions (IAM) GBU-31/A and GBU-38/B JDAM AGM-154A and AGM-154B JSOW Integration of the JHMCS with the HARM Targeting System (HTS), Link 16, and AIFF Night Vision Goggles (NVG) ALE-50 towed decoy What to wait for next? IFF TWS Programs for CMDS Autopilot (HDG SEL and STRG SEL modes) INS setup and DED page FM/FLCS/engine tuning AA and AG mode missing indication Current Known issues With this Early Access release, we have already identified and are tracking the number of issues that were not fixed for this build. If you see the issue listed here, there is no need for it to be reported in the 'Verified Bug' section for the Viper on the forums. All things Damage Model are currently WIP Pilot body WIP Wing Flex WIP DED symbols not affected by reflection Seat Shadows in the cockpit not complete LAU-3 firing issues after reload LERX vortexes only on-air start Some stores alignment issues remain Tanker can send 'transfer complete' in error OBOGS BIT Switch isn't clickable MPO check shows nothing Depressible Reticle Switch doesn't affect on HUD Some MP sync issues remain AoA bracket is bouncing around while taxiing under 60kts. No animation on the engine inlet fans Pilot shows still in the cockpit after ejection EQUIP HOT caution light doesn't illuminate after for AIR SOURCE selected OFF AWACS Declare not available ENG CONT switch doesn't affect nozzle position Trying to eject with seat unarmed causes ejection soon as the seat is armed HUD IAS delta is too big comparing with info bar In certain cases, Afterburner flame overlaps engine nozzle HUD velocity switch doesn't display Ground Speed AR floodlight and other lights on fuselage doesn't work ALT GEAR Handle isn't clickable HUD Brightness Control Switch not functioning EMER Jettison and GRND jettison not functioning Seat adjustment moves POV but not model PNEU label is not displayed Hook doesn't extend Infobar shows wrong flaps value Stores Drag WIP Active and Time to Intercept calculations for DLZ Q&A from community Q: The number of available skins? A: Default skin only. Q: Can I use bonuses to purchase? A: Yes. Q: Why is the DED not listed at all? Are there no plans to fully simulate the DED? A: DED is an important part of different systems. As functionality for these systems is added, corresponding pages on DED will be added. Q: Are there any plans to include a virtual pilot for the Viper? A: Of course. Q: How is the FBW-based PFM developed from publicly available data to something that is actually so close to reality that a Pilot/SME is able to validate it and sign off on? Q: The FLCS for the F-16 had to be constructed from the ground-up. How was that process? A: Building FLCS from scratch was a difficult task, requiring a lot of research and a lot of effort, due to complexity and a lack of information. F-15C and F/A-18C development experience came in handy. Q: When implementing something like the RWS radar mode into the F-16, how much of that code is able to be transferred straight from the F/A-18C into the F-16C, and how much has to be modified/rewritten completely? Q: How much common codebase do the Viper and Hornet have? Will developing systems and weapons for both be seamless and much easier as EA development continues? Can this common base also be applied to future fixed-wing products like the F-4E? A: Significant amount of code has been reused, which greatly simplified and accelerated development. In the future, this will help in the development of other modules. However, there are still many things we created from scratch. Q: In the future will there be other variants? Q: is there ever going to be DLC's for F-16 that simulate different F-16's? ( i.e Block 40 Night Falcon, Block 30 ) A: Perhaps, we will consider this option. Q: Is the Sniper pod still being considered further down the road? Q: Will the sniper pod make a return? A: Yes. Q: Will Hornet and Viper be feature-tied when it comes to development and update? So if one got AGM-65 (just an example), will the other be getting it at the same time? (or around the same time?) A: We will try to. It is in our interests too. Q: Was wondering if there are plans to implement the Viper's AGCAS to save pilots from GLOC death. A: Too modern for the modelled variant. Q: How will LGB's work starting online from a cold/dark empty plane on day1? I.e. where do you set the LGB code? Will this be a server setting that bombs will default to? A: Laser code is set in a mission in EA. Later we will add the ability to set the code on a runway, similar to F-5E-3. Q: Is there anything more you can share at this point regarding Ground Radar? Q: How far is the development regarding ground radar? A: Work in progress. Q: For us who don't have cool detents on our throttles, is there any plans to add a similar feature the hornet has (the finger lift to after burner) that'll prevent me from accidently hitting the burner when I'm trying to only go to full mil? A: It's already in EA. Q: Can HARM targeting system and Litening targeting pod be mixed in the future? A: Carried together - yes. Q: The F/A-18 already has HARM. Will we be seeing that available for the Viper in POS/HAS modes before the HTS pod is released, or will you be waiting to release them as a bundled upgrade? A: We will start from common modes and then proceed to HTS. Q: When can we expect TWS for the f-16? A: This is one of our priorities for the near future. Q: What are the deliverables expected of the F16 Viper before the developers move back onto completing the Hornet? A: Engineers will return to Hornet development in the near future. Q: Will there be a "Viper mission of the week (month? can't remember)" like you initially did with the Hornet? A: About once a month. Q: How do I turn on TACAN? A: Switch MIDS LVT knob to the ON position. Yours sincerely, The Eagle Dynamics Team

Never done EA before but gave it a spin and completed all the content without reading or watching a single training vid or manual. Bit surprised at how much was missing but anyway it can stay in the hangar now for a few years.

It's basically the current production (F-15SA?) version with a few USAF changes - was the only way they could get it any where near cheap enough for anyone to consider buying it.

From TK:

IIRC Alt+N jumps to the IP waypoint which can be moved before you start a mission.

Not sure you will get much out of that chip set. Can you clarify: That is a low end HD3000 from around 2011? Can you run a dxdiag and post results? Have you attempted to run the game on high settings? Have you attempted to increase anti aliasing or anything like that? Please note the video has 3rd party mods & effects in it that have been downloaded from this site so it is very different to the stock game.

in 67 they were flying different MiGs with different engines if you are referring to the DCS Bis - which according to all the Bis pilots that test flew and verified the DCS FM the engine flames out as soon as there is much in the way of negative G especially at low speeds as soon as the nose goes forward. That doesn't sound like a cobra........the aircraft that have done that (Su-27 etc) still had some directional stability, likely pitched up to a far higher transient AoA and still appear to be in control and flying when the nose came down.

Nice Work!

More scraps that is - oh and it is released next Month Some text: https://corporate-ient.com/warbirds-2020/

Erm - yes and until somebody gets any kind of reply from TK on that matter then we are all in the dark.

Or what about Tsuyoshi Kawahito is one of the most famous sim designers. We owe him products such as Jane's Longbow II or, more recently, Microprose's European Air War (EAW). Now he has built up his own company, Third Wire production, and presents Project 1, a simulation centered around a forgotten period of the air military history, the Vietnam and Kippour era. Fighters Anthology, Chuck Yeager's air combat and, of course, Israeli Air Force are the only games that ever talked about this dark time, which is now the point of this new simulation. His creator has accepted to answer our questions. Check-Six: First, thanks for answering our questions Mr Kawahito. Tsuyoshi Kawahito: You’re welcome. 1) C6: Im curious about your long way since EAW. Can you tell us more about your way from MPS's 1998 last golden age to this current Third Wire time? TK: I’m afraid there isn’t much to tell... I left MPS at the end of 1998 to join a small technology start-up company. After about 4 months there, I started my own company, Third Wire Productions, to work on my own games. 2) C6: Can you tell us about the process that has lead P1 to such a choice of period and theater? TK: We wanted to do a simulation title that has “built-in” appeal to both casual and hard-core simmers, ie, a game that can appeal to everyone without having to set all the options to “easy”. We felt that a jet sim without complex modern avionics achieves that goal – you can just jump right in and mix it up with the MiGs without having to spend months reading the manual first. 3) C6: Can we have some additionnal informations about the campaign engine? Do you expect it to be closer to LB2 or EAW's one for instance? TK: It’s a lot closer to EAW than LB2 since Project 1 is an aircraft sim and not a helicopter sim. LB2 maps were tactical in size (50km x 50km), and you moved from one map to another as you progressed through your campaign. Project 1 campaign will take place in a single large map (1000km x 1000km), very similar to EAW campaign. And while missions in LB2 were all focused on ground action – the helicopter modelled in that game was basically a dedicated close-support platform, the missions in Project 1 will have player assigned to strategic targets as well as ground targets. 4) C6: And what about the ground war during this campaign? What importance will the ground battlefield take in the curse of war? TK: The ground war is handled at two levels: strategic and tactical. Between the player missions, army units are moved at strategic level based on their strength, supply level, moral conditions, and their overall objectives. Any combat at this level is resolved using an abstract system. Once in the mission, any army units in contact will actually engage in tactical battle – tanks will maneuver to capture their objectives and engage against defending tanks, artillery will lob indirect fire at enemy positions, etc. The player’s action can affect the result of ground war directly and indirectly. The player might be assigned to a close-support mission for any ground battle, in which case his action can have a direct impact on the outcome of the battle. And, at the end of each mission, the player’s mission result will be used as a modifier when resolving strategic combats, so the player can affect indirectly how the other friendly forces are doing. 5) C6: What will be the 3D engine performance? Do you expect it to equal the current benchmarks (with sims such as Il2?). Do you have further details about it and the computer we will need to run P1? TK: Well, it depends on how you’re defining “performance”. Our engine is designed to run well on today’s mid-range machines, and most of the screenshots you see on our website are taken on a PIII-650 with GeForce 2 MX. 6) C6: Many people here are very worried about P1's level of realism. When you declare that "it will match 90% of pilot's needs", it does make some of us even more perplexed... Can you tell us more exactly what is the level you expect to reach? Will it be closer to an USAF/IAF-like than a hardcore flight sim? TK: Project 1 is designed as a relaxed-realism survey sim, so we are not out to create a hyper-realistic simulation that only hard-core flight simmers can get into. But at the same time, we didn’t want to do a simplistic arcade game either, so what we hope to create is a game with good balance between realism and playability, a game that is fun and exciting to play for everyone. 7) C6: Have you any further detail about how the IR missiles will behave in the simulation? How do you expect to simulate the targeting and homing sequences? TK: Targeting sequence for IR missile is the same as in real life – you aim it using your gunsight. You have to manoeuver to bring your target into the gunsight, and if there is enough heat signatures off the target for the IR seeker to see (ie, you have to be aimed at the rear-aspect of the target), then the missile will lock on. The only indication will be the volume of the growl. 8) C6: And what about comms? Will they be, at least, as evolved than EAW, F4 or Il2 ones for instance? TK: The game will feature a basic comm interface to control wingman and other flight members, as well as requesting help and directions from TACC (Tactical Air Control Center). 9) C6: How will you simulate the Radar Intercept Officer aboard two-seated planes such as the F4? Will you let players use the backseat too? Will it be possible for two people to fly in the same Phantom in multiplayer? TK: No, we are not planning to model any back seat in the initial release. 10) C6: Talking about multiplayer, do you get any informations about multiplay modes planned in P1? TK: Our plan is to have two basic multiplayer modes: Dogfight and Co-op missions. Dogfight mode is just a quick head-to-head combat where you just try to shoot anyone else down, whereas Co-op mission mode is where you fly a single mission toward assigned objective. 11) C6: Have you any news to give us about the Lologramme's Mirage III possible integration? TK: His Mirage III is looking great. We've designed the game so it is very easy to add new skin, new aircraft, new map, new campaign, etc. Adding new aircraft, for example, is just matter of creating a new folder in the aircraft subdirectory, drop your data files in there. Next time the game starts up, it'll automatically be recognized and integrated into the gameplay. 12) C6: Finally, in your opinion, can you tell us about THE point that would make P1 more attractive that another jet sim? What do you think is P1's main, special "thing" that other sims do not have? TK: Well, I think this is a very exciting period of aviation history, one that haven’t really been covered by any other sims recently. C6: Thanks! from: www.checksix-fr.com Tuesday 16 July 2002

Of course: Monday, December 25, 2006 Tsuyoshi Kawahito's bookshelf in his small West Lake Hills office tells his story. Books on game design and computer programming sit next to books on aviation history. Military strategy books rest near white binders filled with pilot manuals. And near the bottom sits the telltale yellow of "Small Business for Dummies." Kawahito, 38, runs Third Wire Productions, a one-man game development studio in Austin that makes flight simulator combat games. His latest game, released this month and available online, is called "First Eagles: The Great Air War 1918." Tsuyoshi Kawahito spends months at libraries, in museums and on the Internet researching the planes he uses in his flight simulator games, such as these from his newest creation, 'First Eagles: The Great Air War 1918,' a World War I game. "That is a niche market within a niche market," said Chris Sherman, who used to run the annual Austin Game Conference. "It's very tough." Third Wire typifies the under-the-radar game development businesses that flourish in gaming cities. Kawahito is unusual for surviving this long on his own in an industry that is tough for newcomes to crack. In Austin, there are about 50 computer and video game development companies. It is a shaky industry; game studios frequently shut down because of lack of funding. Given the odds, Third Wire stands out for being able to establish a solid revenue stream. Kawahito's games may sound obscure, but they have a devoted audience. Played by aviation enthusiasts and history buffs, his main clients are 25- to 40-year-old males, older than most computer gamers. He once got an e-mail from a 62-year-old asking to be a beta tester for his game. But he has never had a true hit. His most popular games sold about 100,000 copies worldwide. He's a gamer more than a businessman, and he is shy about promoting himself. He doesn't disclose revenue, but his games sell for about $30. Flight simulation games bring in about $22.3 million each year, according to consumer market researcher NPD Group. Microsoft Corp.'s "Flight Simulator" is by far the most popular, consistently ranking in the top 20 of best-selling computer games. The overall PC games market is a $1 billion market. About $11 billion are spent each year on video and portable games. A FOLLOWING OF FLIGHT FANATICS Kawahito's games are available through online stores and retail outlets such as Gamestop and Best Buy. His latest game is using a new online distribution model, which allows Kawahito to tap into a much larger worldwide market. He is more concerned about making fun games than ones that make him a lot of money. The company recently became profitable after years of being in the red. "If I make a game that is fun to play, then I am happy," Kawahito said. Called TK by his friends, Kawahito has a cadre of devoted fans, including one influential computer gaming guru: Alex Aguila. Aguila is one of the founders of Miami-based Alienware Corp., which manufactures high-end gaming computers that cost $800 to $6,000. Alienware was recently bought by Round Rock-based Dell Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Aguila helped fund "First Eagles" because he wanted to play a flight simulation game based on World War I. It is designed to emulate the air battles over France. He gushes about Kawahito, saying he has revolutionized the flight simulation market. He said Kawahito builds games that allow players to add on to them. Players can create their own planes, maps and missions. "TK is a genius," Aguila said. "He is one of the most important developers in flight sim history." Other gamers say they appreciate the simplicity of Kawahito's games. "There aren't many bells and whistles and everything," said 47-year-old Rusty Casteele, a truck driver from Virginia, "just really good graphics that cater to the Average Joe." Casteele is a huge fan of Kawahito's games. For years he has tracked every game Kawahito has made, buying each one. "I loved 'Wings Over Vietnam.' I grew up in that era," Casteele said. "So when I put in that game, I can fly the F-4 Phantom that I watched on TV growing up. I can fly the F-15 Eagle that I watched on the news shows when Desert Storm was going on. I can fly those missions you saw on TV or heard about." INTERESTS TO INDUSTRY GURU Kawahito was born in Japan and moved to Los Angeles when he was 12. For a long time, he wanted to become a pilot, but his bad vision got in the way of that. "I knew I liked things that moved," Kawahito said. "Trains, cars, spaceships." In college, he planned on being an aircraft designer, so he majored in aerospace engineering and got his master's degree in the same subject from the University of Texas in 1996. Like many college students, he wanted to stay in Austin. His first job out of college was at Origin Systems, a groundbreaking Austin gaming company. "I sent them my résumé and told them I thought I would be good at this," Kawahito said. "I know games; I played them all throughout college. And I know aircraft." At the time, Austin-based Origin was working on several different flight simulator games. After working there a year, he moved to another studio in Baltimore to work on a different flight simulation game. That was when the genre started losing its popularity and many game publishers pulled their projects. "Everyone was getting out of the business, but I saw an opportunity," Kawahito said. "It was a niche market I thought I could capture and cater to." He moved back to Austin and started his own business in 1999. HIGH PRODUCTIVITY, LOW BUDGET It wasn't easy at first. He dug into his savings to start Third Wire, funding his own game, "Strike Fighters," which took him three years to release. After two years, Kawahito's savings dwindled, and he subsisted on ramen noodles and McDonald's 99-cent hamburgers and by skipping oil changes for his 1998 Toyota Celica. "I think that is why my car broke down," Kawahito said. "I didn't have enough money for an oil change, and then it stopped working. I started riding the bus." But that phase didn't last long after his first games found a following. Publishers started funding his next projects, and Kawahito got a cut of the sales of each game. He's not rolling in dough, however. He rents an apartment in town. He replaced his Toyota Celica with a Toyota 4Runner. His office is bare-bones, with three small rooms and a reception area with no receptionist, only a twinkling Christmas tree to greet visitors. This month, his office is empty as he plans his next project. He let all of his temporary workers go because he didn't need them anymore. Kawahito is able to survive by churning out games faster than most developers do. He puts out a new game about every six months. "What he was able to do with such little funding is unbelievable," Aguila said. "Most developers would charge millions of dollars. He did it on a very small budget." Kawahito said his secret is creating a main engine that he uses to program his games. That way, he doesn't have to re-create an engine every time. He does months of research in libraries, museums and online, digging for history books and photos of old aircraft, and tries to re-create them as accurately as possible. Thanks to his degrees in aerospace engineering, he understands how to build an aircraft. He occasionally asks for outside help from pilots but gets most of his data for his games from his research. When he's ready to start creating a game, Kawahito hires a temporary team of three game developers. Six months later, they have a game. He doesn't think much about his business beyond his next project. But he has dreams of expanding beyond flight simulation games, maybe developing a war strategy game. Or perhaps even space combat. "Or if I continue to just do this, that would be great," he said. Source: statesman.com https://www.wingsofhonour.com/firsteagles/articles/html_woh_firsteagles_articles_flying-under-the-radar_statesman.en.html

1. Several have although seems to be more to do with NVIDIA drivers. The point is if a Win 10 update or GFX driver update gets a significant change and it wont run on Win 10 - then no more Win 10. So yes you can get round this by having an old Win 7 PC (no network required) or even some VMs might work but would expect player base to dwindle right down. 2. See Streakeagles post regarding Fiscal reality. 3. If you look back there must have been a ton of requests for TK to do something like this - TK knows they exist but has no interest in doing it for whatever reason (loss of some control could be one) 4. Not comparable to a DCS module - you get a ton of objects and flyable aircraft, CW era specific AI, Terrain, campaigns for a dynamic campaign engine (some historical) - there currently is no alternative to whole package. Older gfx engine and lack of VR would suggest lower prices - although without Win 7 support as well - remains to be seen. But yes he can charge what he likes.

I'm saying what he is currently doing. Back around 2006 we did get free updates and features but today he is acting under a different (or actual) business model - so I don't expect any feelings of morality towards customers - especially loyal ones!

Baseline offer looks to be to rewrite the game and support it running on Windows 10 - so on the table is leave it at 2013 status or update it. He may have had a lot of requests and yes is clearly not interested in continuing the game otherwise. (Phone games are easier to support) There is no ow nus on the developer to change or fix anything regarding Win 10 because it has never been supported on that. Windows 7 is now also pretty much dead as support ends for most in 2020.

Will see if I can get an answer on the intention of this because some will have pledged thinking they don't lose unless the 25K is raised.