October 2023 - Albatros and Eagle

Hi folks!

Things may have seemed to be quiet lately, but this is a good thing. I have finally started working on the F-15E Strike Eagle guide last month. Rest assured, it's going to be a real monster. I recently read that an upcoming patch from RAZBAM would add TFR (Terrain Following Radar) and JDAMs. I also heard that some features of the aircraft like Datalink are still not implemented and will not be for some time. The plan for now is to gradually document what I can over the next few months, but I'll make sure to avoid having to re-write sections and procedures (some of you may remember my 'nam flashbacks involving the Mirage 2000 and Harrier guides). This means a slower but more efficient (read: less wasteful) workflow.

There is, however, a small caveat. After the recent remasters of the German warbirds, I looked back at all these guides I had re-done over the last three years or so. I spent a rather stupid amount of effort trying to bring up to standard the F-86, MiG-15, MiG-21, F-5E, FW190-A, FW190-D, Bf.109, P-51D, Spitfire, Huey, Ka-50, Mi-8 and Gazelle. Some of you may remember what the "old" format looked like and see the difference (it's pretty jarring). 

Well, I realized that the very last DCS guide that had this "old" outdated format was the L-39 Albatros, which was written back in 2016. A lot has changed since those days of DCS version 1.5; mainly the fact that I am much more experienced this time around. Therefore, I thought "why not bite the bullet and update that last one since I have a little time?" No joke, I have spent years trying to finish this remaster process, and the sooner I can wrap things up, the sooner I can concentrate on bigger, newer and shinier projects. So far, it looks like this might be the last big push.

So, there you have it! This month will mainly focus on the L-39 first, then I will resume work on the F-15. The Albatros update is progressing really quickly, so Strike Eagle fans will soon have something to quench their thirst.