DCS: Mig-21Bis

[Minoslas]

Beczl Studios has leave, now Leatherneck Simulations, and Module name change.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=121171

Dear DCS Community,

First of all, a massive thank you for your patience.
We know it is frustrating to be kept in the dark, especially after the bombshell of an announcement that was dropped in January.
It was never our intent for our internal issues to go public. Unfortunately we've had to hold off on making this announcement for far too long.

Every team and business will at some point undergo difficult times, times where everything is seemingly smashed to pieces and the outlook seems most dire.
After having experienced this, we can look forward to a bright future, moving forward as a team that is now stronger than ever.

While we appreciate the fact that everyone is eager to know exactly what lead us to the internal difficulties,
we feel the need to keep as much of our private matters, private. We're here to deliver top-notch quality DCS products, not to run a forum soap opera.

No development team can exist without trust between its' members.
Of paramount importance is internal transparency and accountability-- especially with regards to financial transactions. A key issue was identified
where this requirement of trust broke down, and as such, steps had to be taken to protect everyone involved in the development of this module.

We can confirm that Laszlo “beczl” Becz has recently left the MiG-21 team.
Beczl has resigned his position amicably, and without any external or internal pressure to do so.

Hence, we are hereby known as Leatherneck Simulations and we are here to stay.


This internal restructuring primarily affect those of you who have backed the MiG-21 project on IndieGoGo.

To make it abundantly clear:

We do not have, nor will we receive, a single cent of the funds raised on IndieGoGo.

However: in the interest of goodwill and as a thank you for your incredible support over the years, we will honor each and every backer to its' fullest extent, at our own cost.
Some physical items that you are entitled to may be slightly delayed (Shirts, DVDs, etc.). We simply do not have the money required to produce these items en masse before release.

In essence, the only difference to you (the backer) -- is that you may have to wait a short period to receive your physical goods. We hope that is amicable.



Q&A

Hold On! Isn't Beczl the founder of the DCS: MiG-21?
Yes and No. The DCS: MiG-21 started as a 50/50 partnership between beczl and Novak Djordjijevic (Dolphin887). Novak has been the driving force for code development on the MiG-21 for the past 3 years, and is responsible for the majority its' codebase.

Who is Novak?
Novak has been with the project since day one, and has been the main driving force behind the code development of the DCS: MiG-21. The majority of the systems and the AFM can be attributed to Novak. With only 38 posts on the forum to date, it is understandable that he has flown under the radar.

Can I get a refund for my IndieGoGo contribution?
This is not our responsibility or decision.
We will honor your contribution to its' fullest extent at our own cost.
We do not have any of the money contributed via the IndieGoGo campaign.

Whatever you drama queens. When is this damn thing getting released?
While work has continued at a steady pace during these internal issues, it goes without saying that we are now slightly short on manpower and time has been lost.

We are looking at several options for release windows. Do not expect a long delay from the previously announced release date.

WHAT!? But you said March 30th?!
At that time, no one expected something this big to occur and hinder our development progress.
We are committed to giving you accurate and realistic time frames.

It is what you deserve and what we should be held accountable for. We will see to it that this is the case in the future.

But, seriously, when are you releasing?
There will be more info on this soon. Promise.

What happened to all the videos?
The videos are old, outdated and do not paint a proper picture of the module at this point in time.
The aircraft is a completely different piece of software relatively to a year ago.

We will post new videos very soon.

What about the MiG-23?
The MiG-23 is not in our near-future plans. It remains an attractive option for us in the long-term, as code commonality with the MiG-21 amounts to roughly 60-70%.

We hope to share future plans with you soon. There are things we are incredibly excited to show you.

I have more questions?
Feel free to ask in this thread. We understand that recent events are frustrating from an outside perspective. We are committed to to DCS and hope we can put your fears to rest.


Once again, a sincere thank you for your support, patience and understanding.
With your continued support we are here to stay and will help to foster a simulation environment that is everything a simmer could ever wish for.

Look towards a new development update for the MiG-21 later today.

Sincerely,

Leatherneck Simulations
DCS: MiG-21bis Team
__________________
Artist
Leatherneck Simulations

DCS: MiG-21bis

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis

[Minoslas]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?...5&postcount=42

OK, it's late, I'm still awake, just finished few things with Mike /Rudel/.
I have few minutes for update - not a fancy one /I have low-end PC, no fancy screens.../.

In latest set of weapons tests, Roland and I implemented 3 pods available for RU planes: GUV-7800 G, GUV-7800 M and UPK-23-250. Note that I have never saw 21Bis with any of these.

Most integrated weapon is UPK-23-250. Really impressive thing and closest to MiG-21Bis weapon system. I really recommend that one instead of 7800M. It has 2xGsh 23mm guns /which is the same gun 21 have/ and can pack serious punch. Besides, it fits the ASP natively. Pure Eagle weapon, no tweaks or "guessed" stuff. UPK will come with 21 for sure, well see about other things /more integration and tests needed... time?/.

I have no screens at the moment, sorry. Mike might fire few rounds for you if he has some time tomorrow.

As for the Kh-66, it's done also. You will have difficulties with this weapon, although it is a fun and a challenge to use it. Ill tell you just one thing that will create a lot of problems: asymmetric load after one missile is fired. Asymmetric load for heavy payload is not allowed on 21. However, once you get in the cockpit it will be your problem. At the moment it is ours. You'll have to discover other problems and realize why weapon development went the other way.

We only need to integrate new Kh control box although it could be used even without it.

(Note: screens here are 3 days old, that's all I have at the moment.)

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis Manual in progress

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?...90&postcount=1

About the manual

Lot of people asked similar questions: will it be available in their language, how does it relate to original 21 manual, is it near completion etc.

Since we are making 21Bis mod for DCSW, there are differences between simulated 21Bis and real 21Bis (as you must have noted so far). Therefore, the only relevant document for DCS MiG-21Bis will be its manual. This does not prevent you from using any other document you might have, but DCSW MiG-21Bis will be what’s written in its manual.

Manual is near completion, still, I have to write and illustrate missing parts concerning recently added features, most notably new weapon use and complex navigation subsection (e.g. radials interception with RSBN). Note that manual can be finished after we finish everything else (e.g we need finished internal/external model and textures for manual illustrations). Before we conclude it (“lock” it), it has to be approved by Eagle.

Manual in your language? Absolutely.
Once concluded in English, manual will be available for translation to anything community can provide. Document containing the detailed “call for translators” will be presented here on time. Translations that satisfy required standards, quality and are delivered in time will be included in official release. Other translations (rejected, late, partial etc.) can still be presented to community here or elsewhere to support local players, but will not be included in release.

[Minoslas]

Mini Update LN Mig-21Bis
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

[Minoslas]

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

[Minoslas]

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-dux...rsary-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.

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis texture update:

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis on Duxford with VEAO and AvioDev
https://www.facebook.com/pages/VEAO-...ation=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.

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis Update
http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?...95&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

[Minoslas]

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

[Minoslas]

New update and video of Leatherneck Mig-21Bis

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?...48&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

[Minoslas]

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

[Minoslas]

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!

[Minoslas]

Mig-21Bis Update

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