Merker Member



Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 107

Community A-4 Dev Diary Q2 2019: Comings and Goings





From Merker:



Hello all, I’d like to start this post off by thanking you all for your incredible support over the past 3 years of development. From the day we started, during good times and bad, and through what felt like a very turbulent release; it’s been a hell of a ride. During the first hours of this project, my highest expectation would be that we learn a thing or two and everyone would have some fun in the process. There was never really an expectation of success, though we wanted to give it a shot. Since then, it’s gone beyond what I could have ever imagined.



Regrettably, this journey has reached its destination for me personally. As of May 31st, 2019, I will no longer be part of the A-4 Project. There are a number of personal reasons for this, and I’d prefer not to get into them, but the overall reason is that this project is just one short chapter in my life that will need to close for others to open. This project has been a very difficult lift for me personally, as I’ve invested a massive amount of time into it. The past few months since release have been some of the most demanding, and with many other opportunities and responsibilities in life demanding my attention, I feel it is now appropriate for me to move on from this project and DCS modding as a whole. This includes my work on the Oriskany, which is hereby paused indefinitely. Work had slowed greatly in the past months, and I feel that it’s a project I will never be satisfied with personally. Perhaps I’ll find a way for it to live on, but I can make no promises at this time.



I announced my resignation last month and we are currently in the transition process for our distribution and communication methods. We’re working to ensure this process is as easy and as seamless as possible. I’d like to thank you all for your patience, and hope that you will continue to support the endeavors of the remaining team. I know you're in good hands. I'd like to thank this community again for an exciting three years, I hope that we’ve met your expectations and made a worthwhile addition to your DCS experience.



Sincerely,

Merker



--



While it is time for Merker to leave, we’re very happy to announce a new member to our team. Heclak, who many of you may know through his various submods and contributions to the official mod, has joined as Coder and 3D Artist. Please give him a warm welcome!



Coming up in the next updates, we have a slew of many different planned features and fixes on the horizon. Below is a tentative list of such things:



Hydraulic system upgrade (For testing)

Surfaces such as flaps, spoilers, gear are now dependent on the hydraulic system. This upgrade allows for some emergency procedures such as emergency gear release, and emergency landing procedures. Further upgrades are still in the research stages.



Tanker version (WIP)

Implementation of buddy tanker model. The model will be player flyable and AI-capable. However, the refueling capability is limited to AI only due to technical limitations. Texturing for pod and drogue is still yet to be completed. There's still an issue with drogue/probe tracking between the AI tanker and receiver. Player version of the A-4E is still not capable of aerial refueling.



Check out the picture below of how it looks in our current testing. Remember, everything is subject to change!







Fuel control system (WIP)

We're working on some upgrades to the fuel system in the A-4E. We've implemented the emergency fuel cutoff lever and looking into other fuel systems such as fuel cutoff due to inverted flight and negative-g. Fuel dumping is now possible but no visual fuel vapours are possible.



Keybindings (In progress)

We're working on adding new keybindings based on community suggestions. We are aware that there are a number of keybindings that are missing. Please feel free to bring to our attention any missing keybindings via the issue tracker or forums. We will try to release a document indicating the new keybindings to assist control mapping. We're also trying to clean up the keybindings of incorrect keybindings. There are a number of incorrect bindings which are only meant for FC3 aircraft that made it into the previous release versions. These keybindings will be removed as we discover them.



Visual Damage Model (Status TBD)

While initially this system was teased, Merker’s departure means that this internal project has been shelved in favor of other projects. The visual damage model, which is purely a cosmetic feature within DCS, would display battle damage in-game. Additionally, we will be working to determine what changes are needed to adjust to ED’s new damage models, which were announced earlier this spring. Because we are modders, we have no advanced knowledge of these changes and will be learning alongside you all as they are implemented.



Thank you all for making the past few months an exciting process, we look forward to the continued evolution of this mod over the comings months! Community A-4 Dev Diary Q2 2019: Comings and GoingsFrom Merker:Hello all, I’d like to start this post off by thanking you all for your incredible support over the past 3 years of development. From the day we started, during good times and bad, and through what felt like a very turbulent release; it’s been a hell of a ride. During the first hours of this project, my highest expectation would be that we learn a thing or two and everyone would have some fun in the process. There was never really an expectation of success, though we wanted to give it a shot. Since then, it’s gone beyond what I could have ever imagined.Regrettably, this journey has reached its destination for me personally. As of May 31st, 2019, I will no longer be part of the A-4 Project. There are a number of personal reasons for this, and I’d prefer not to get into them, but the overall reason is that this project is just one short chapter in my life that will need to close for others to open. This project has been a very difficult lift for me personally, as I’ve invested a massive amount of time into it. The past few months since release have been some of the most demanding, and with many other opportunities and responsibilities in life demanding my attention, I feel it is now appropriate for me to move on from this project and DCS modding as a whole. This includes my work on the Oriskany, which is hereby paused indefinitely. Work had slowed greatly in the past months, and I feel that it’s a project I will never be satisfied with personally. Perhaps I’ll find a way for it to live on, but I can make no promises at this time.I announced my resignation last month and we are currently in the transition process for our distribution and communication methods. We’re working to ensure this process is as easy and as seamless as possible. I’d like to thank you all for your patience, and hope that you will continue to support the endeavors of the remaining team. I know you're in good hands. I'd like to thank this community again for an exciting three years, I hope that we’ve met your expectations and made a worthwhile addition to your DCS experience.Sincerely,MerkerWhile it is time for Merker to leave, we’re very happy to announce a new member to our team. Heclak, who many of you may know through his various submods and contributions to the official mod, has joined as Coder and 3D Artist. Please give him a warm welcome!Coming up in the next updates, we have a slew of many different planned features and fixes on the horizon. Below is a tentative list of such things:Surfaces such as flaps, spoilers, gear are now dependent on the hydraulic system. This upgrade allows for some emergency procedures such as emergency gear release, and emergency landing procedures. Further upgrades are still in the research stages.Implementation of buddy tanker model. The model will be player flyable and AI-capable. However, the refueling capability is limited to AI only due to technical limitations. Texturing for pod and drogue is still yet to be completed. There's still an issue with drogue/probe tracking between the AI tanker and receiver. Player version of the A-4E is still not capable of aerial refueling.Check out the picture below of how it looks in our current testing. Remember, everything is subject to change!We're working on some upgrades to the fuel system in the A-4E. We've implemented the emergency fuel cutoff lever and looking into other fuel systems such as fuel cutoff due to inverted flight and negative-g. Fuel dumping is now possible but no visual fuel vapours are possible.We're working on adding new keybindings based on community suggestions. We are aware that there are a number of keybindings that are missing. Please feel free to bring to our attention any missing keybindings via the issue tracker or forums. We will try to release a document indicating the new keybindings to assist control mapping. We're also trying to clean up the keybindings of incorrect keybindings. There are a number of incorrect bindings which are only meant for FC3 aircraft that made it into the previous release versions. These keybindings will be removed as we discover them.While initially this system was teased, Merker’s departure means that this internal project has been shelved in favor of other projects. The visual damage model, which is purely a cosmetic feature within DCS, would display battle damage in-game. Additionally, we will be working to determine what changes are needed to adjust to ED’s new damage models, which were announced earlier this spring. Because we are modders, we have no advanced knowledge of these changes and will be learning alongside you all as they are implemented.Thank you all for making the past few months an exciting process, we look forward to the continued evolution of this mod over the comings months! __________________

Former A-4E-C 3D Artist



Logo Credit to Plusnine