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1/12/2011
Vertical Reality Simulations
Hillsboro, OR, USA.

VRS INTRODUCES TACPACK FOR FSX.

It's been quite a year for us here at VRS. After completing our FSX version of the Superbug, we spent many months working on service pack 1 and we'll be releasing it any day now. We want to thank everyone who participated in the open beta. Thanks to your efforts, we've got an extremely tight release with over 200 changes/additions and fixes.

Before we started working on SP1 in earnest, we were tinkering away in the laboratory concocting something that's turned out to be nothing short of revolutionary for FSX. We've got a little way to go before release, but it's almost here and when it arrives it's going to rock your FSX experience in a way that's never been done before. We call it the TacPack, and it was conceived and developed by our resident evil scientist. The TacPack is a complete single and multi-player combat system for FSX, featuring true lethality in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. The TacPack will initially be deployed for the Superbug, followed by SDK and drop-in support for third-party aircraft in subsequent release phases.

The TacPack will begin pre-ordering this month at a substantial discount for existing Superbug customers

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NOW PREORDERING!
TacPack is slated for release in Spring, 2011, but Superbug customers may PREORDER now for significant savings! Please see details below on how to save $10 instantly.

The TacPack is the first true single and multi-player combat modification for FSX (not FS2004 compatible).
In 2010, Vertical Reality Simulation's SuperbugX brought the first true fly-by wire combat aircraft to Flight Simulator X, along with a massive list of never-before seen innovations including true avionic and animated weapons modeling with sophisticated and highly integrated fire control and radar suites. The only problem was that weapons couldn't actually destroy anything in the world. We could simulate their destruction by having avionics such as radar ignore them when the hit occurred, but they would always keep flying. The TacPack will change everything you thought you knew about what was possible in Flight Simulator.

VRS knows combat simulation and military aircraft systems like nobody else, and we're going to continue proving it year after year. In early 2011, VRS will turn FSX on its ear; Weapons ranging from AGMs to LGBs and guns are all modeled with realistic physics, performance, effects and lethality envelopes rivaling stand-alone simulators. Not only will you be able to take out AI aircraft in single-player, you'll be able to dogfight your friends (and enemies) multiplayer, take out SAM and AAA, or bomb a hostile airfield - all in free-flight. When the dust settles you'll be able to call for a tanker, fuel up behind an intelligent AI refueler flying dynamic racetrack patterns, then RTB to review the action (and lick your wounds) via TacView - an amazing ACMI playback system.

The destructive nature of the TacPack means weapons are no longer benign figments of your imagination; Flight Simulator becomes a live battle space. Your aircraft can destroy (or cripple) your adversaries, and you yourself can become the prey, taking partial or critical damage. Note that only multi-player users who own the TacPack (and have it enabled) will be vulnerable to its systems.

The TacPack is comprised of a dynamic weapon simulation, a radar back-end, and a radar warning receiver backend. The TacPack will initially be completely integrated into the VRS Superbug.

The TacPack will be a multi-phased release and will retail for $29.95US. Early preorder discounts will bring the price down to $19.95 for existing Superbug Customers. Phase II will be the SDK for third-party developers, and phase III will add additional features including VRS LSO - a complete carrier voice command and greenie board debriefing system.
Superbug Integrated (initial release, and available only to SuperbugX owners), Seamless integration is what the TacPack is all about; Weapons will appear on the various aircraft stations just as they do in the classic Superbug, but as soon as you pull the trigger, the TacPack magic takes over, seamlessly unleashing a deadly accurate simulation for the weapon itself. All the avionics including SMS, radar and radar warning receiver are tailored to the specific weapon being used. It's as if the TacPack was there all along waiting to be unleashed.

TacPack Drop-in (phase 2, available to everyone for any aircraft). One of the unique problems facing us when designing the TacPack was the question of how third party aircraft could use the system, but maintain their own identity and uniqueness, while maintaining play balance. In order to simulate a weapon system you need four main components: 1) A fire control system, 2) A radar system, 3) A radar warning receiver and 4) Supporting avionics. Fair enough, you drop in a HUD, some MFDs and all the usual back-end components and before you know it you're shooting things down. The problem is, these components need to be generic in a way that works, and the only way to do that is to replace the aircraft's original displays. We will offer these components which end-users may install into their other aircraft with the caveat that they must remain generic in nature. It's possible in the future we will offer aircraft-specific avionic drop-ins, but these will come at an additional charge, unlike the generic components.

TacPack SDK (phase 2, available to everyone), which will follow the initial release, will overcome the limitations of the drop-in paradigm by allowing developers to create royalty free, officially sanctioned (and most importantly, balanced) aircraft weapon systems and avionics for integration into their own aircraft at the build-level, while maintaining their aircraft's identity and avoiding generic, drop-in modules which would otherwise destroy anything unique about the host aircraft. The TacPack SDK is the ONLY way the multi-player environment can be balanced, unique to each aircraft's systems and provide maximum tactical diversity. TacPack SDK will be a royalty free system available to any qualifying developers.

TacPack is slated for release in Spring, 2011, but Superbug customers may PREORDER now for significant savings!

USE PRIORITY CODE BOOM! AT CHECKOUT AND SAVE $10!

Zitat von »hasegawa«

Na toll. Ich sehe damit eine unsägliche Disskusion gerade in Deutschland auf uns zukommen und fürchte, die Aasgeier werden uns die Hölle heißmachen und alle Flusi-Piloten zu verkappten Militaristen stempeln. Das hat uns gerade noch gefehlt. Ich bin stocksauer, denn das wird garantiert Ärger geben. Alles in allem ist dieses Addon miserabel für das Image der Flusi-Comunity und damit wenig hilfreich. Das spielt Medien-Pazifisten und Hurra-Verweigerern in die Hände. Das gibt diesem Hobby den Rest. Prima... richtig toll..

Zwar habe ich auch Militärmaschinen im Hangar, aber wenn ich es mal militärisch haben möchte... dann lieber in Black Shark oder Birds of Prey und nicht hier.

Dies ist meine private Ansicht und ich respektiere auch die Meinung in den vorhergehenden Artikeln. Aber ich bin der ehrlichen Überzeugung, das virtuelle Militärflieger leiber zu einer echten Militärsimulation wie zum Beispiel Black Shark greifen sollten, statt den Flusi mit Waffen zuzumüllen und damit der Gemeinschaft als Ganzes den Militaristen-Stempel aufzudrücken.

Zitat von »hasegawa«

Na toll. Ich sehe damit eine unsägliche Disskusion gerade in Deutschland auf uns zukommen und fürchte, die Aasgeier werden uns die Hölle heißmachen und alle Flusi-Piloten zu verkappten Militaristen stempeln. Das hat uns gerade noch gefehlt. Ich bin stocksauer, denn das wird garantiert Ärger geben. Alles in allem ist dieses Addon miserabel für das Image der Flusi-Comunity und damit wenig hilfreich. Das spielt Medien-Pazifisten und Hurra-Verweigerern in die Hände. Das gibt diesem Hobby den Rest. Prima... richtig toll..

Zwar habe ich auch Militärmaschinen im Hangar, aber wenn ich es mal militärisch haben möchte... dann lieber in Black Shark oder Birds of Prey und nicht hier.

Dies ist meine private Ansicht und ich respektiere auch die Meinung in den vorhergehenden Artikeln. Aber ich bin der ehrlichen Überzeugung, das virtuelle Militärflieger leiber zu einer echten Militärsimulation wie zum Beispiel Black Shark greifen sollten, statt den Flusi mit Waffen zuzumüllen und damit der Gemeinschaft als Ganzes den Militaristen-Stempel aufzudrücken.

Zitat von »mhe«

Die mediale Aufmerksamkeit gegenüber der Flugsimulation ist recht minimal, noch weniger wird ein Addon unter tausenden auffallen. Von daher seh ich das recht pragmatisch.

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TacPack Features

This list is subject to change. The Tacpack will be a multi-part release. Features which are not part of the initial release are noted under "Subsequent phases." These phases will be added at NO ADDITIONAL COST. In fact we NEED these features in order to appeal to a wider market. VRS has proven our willingness to continue supporting our products. For example we recently released SP1 for the Superbug, which took approximately 6 months and included well over 200 changes and additions. The TacPack will be no different; When you puchase a VRS product, you invest in a commitment to quality.


Weapons Systems:

* A/A and A/G missiles, ballistics and guided/unguided bombs.
* True aircraft integration: No cheezy, generic "panels".
* Initially released specifically for the VRS Superbug, with third-party aircraft support to follow in later releases.
* Lethal to both aircraft (total or partial damage) and simobjects. Supports all the current systems carried by the VRS Superbug, with all associated avionic displays:
o M-61A1 20mm Gatling Gun
o AIM-9X “Sidewinder”
o AIM-9M “Sidewinder”
o AIM-7 “Sparrow”
o AIM-120 AMRAAM
o AGM-65E “Laser Maverick”
o AGM-84D “Harpoon”
o AGM-84H SLAM-ER
o AGM-154A JTOW
o AGM-88C HARM
o GBU-10 “Paveway II”
o GBU-12 (singles or pairs)
o GBU-31 JDAM
* Realistic weapon ranges and maneuvering performance, dependent on engagement geometry.
* As with the classic Superbug, any one of thousands of combinations of ordinance can be loaded, and the weight and drag of the weapon is simulated on the airframe and removed after launch.
* Weapons are positioned on and fire from individual stations, not a generic aircraft centroid.
* All systems work in FREE FLIGHT and do not require scripted missions.
* Destructable objects include ships, aircraft, ground vehicles and sim-object structures. If it's a simobject, you can lock it up and kill it.

Avionics (Superbug specific):

* Complete AN/APG-73 Air-To-Ground radar simulation, including the following search/track modes:
o Real Beam Ground Map (MAP)
o Ground Moving Target Indication (GMT)
o Sea Surface Search (SEA)
o Fixed Target Track (FTT)
o Ground Moving Target Track (GMTT)
o Air-To-Ground Ranging (AGR).

ACMI Playback:


* ACMI recorder for FSX, readable by Vyrtuoz's TacView
* Can record flights in any aircraft, and records all aircraft present (AI and MP) in the simulation.
* Minimal FPS impact.
* Facilitates after-action debriefing/training.

Multi-player Support:

* FULL multi-player functionality.
* Drop AI into sessions (see AI menu below). Assets such as SAMs, working carriers, tankers and more may be dropped by team members into the battlefield.
* Partial and critical damage modeling.
* IFF system for all AI and human players to facilitate division into teams.
* Anti-Cheating measures. Multi-player is about balance. VRS is making every effort to ensure that the TacPack is fair and balanced, and we will continue to support anti-cheating by design and proactive, ongoing software updates.

VRS AI Menu:

* Call and control aerial refueling tankers through an intuitive in-flight menu system.
o Can use any aircraft loadable in FSX as a tanker.
o Select tanker orbit type.
o Dynamically adjustable tanker altitude and speed.
* SAM installations can be placed and given a side, and become active threats visible on RWR and destructible.
* Drop and control any aircraft carrier (or any vessel, moving or static) in single-and multiplayer.
o Any vessel can be selected and placed at user-defined distances and speeds.
o All vessels both moving and static can contain TACAN and ILS which are instantly available to all single and multi-player participants.

Coming in Subsequent Phases:

* Third-party aircraft drop-ins to allow BASIC integration with other aircraft.
* SDK to allow ADVANCED integration with other aircraft.
* Basic, aggressor and target drone AI (via in-flight menu system).
* "Wingmen" (Formation flying partners).
* VRS LSO/Greenie Board.
* Much more...

Zitat von »Schreckschraube«

VRS regelt alles über ihr Support forum, wo man allerdings nur 1 Jahr nach Kauf der F18 Zugriff drauf hat. Ich werde also in ein paar Monaten gar nicht verfolgen können wann meine Ware eintrudelt.

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TACPACK UPDATE 6/17/11

by VRS Varmint » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:04 am
OK, so it's time for a little update and I'll do my best to convey where we are and where we still need to go before release.

First I really want to thank (most of) you all for your patience and support. It's been really great and I'm actually pretty overwhelmed at how supportive everyone has been. Sure, there's a few kids (I hope) that don't really "get" what it takes to put something like this together, coupled with little to no etiquette, but those have really been far and few between, and we appreciate it because it lets us concentrate on our jobs instead of policing the forums. Thanks again.

We estimated we'd be done by summer - we're not. I'm afraid that's just something that goes with the territory we're blazing with the TacPack. The primary reason we're going over our estimate really isn't all that surprising; like anything else, it's the little details and unanticipated road blocks that got us. The TacPack needs to work multiplayer, and when we're talking about FSX multiplayer, synonyms like "limited" and "confining" tend to pop up like toaster strudel. In order to get around that, we had to put in a LOT of effort that's just not outwardly appreciable, but critical to the success of the package as a whole.

We also ran into some interesting documentation over the past month or so that literally prompted us to change the way the stores management system works in a fundamental way. As a result of these recent changes, you'll see major differences not only in how the stores and HUD interfaces look, but how they work. Recently our focus has been on GPS guided weapons, and we think you'll find the implementation for things like JDAMs rich in systems depth and just plain awesome to play with. Every weapon we currently offer has had to make a transition from "faux" to the real deal, and almost every stores-related interface has been updated to reflect that shift.

One of the other things we haven't mentioned, but will at least be providing a basic first draft of, is a padlock view system.

We've also moved a LOT of functions to C++ which were previously being done ala XML. This allowed us to pave the way for third party integration and simultaneously improve performance. If anything, the Superbug with TacPack will be faster than the vanilla Superbug as a result.

We'd also like to announce that the very talented FSX@War team have kindly agreed to supply some of their outstanding models for SAM/AAA which we'll be arming and integrating into the TacPack's AI menu. The AI menu will allow you to deploy simobjects like the aforementioned SAMs, refueling tankers, as well as carriers similar to the way AI carriers works, only without the need for Java. We would very much like to thank the FSX@War team for their fantastic contributions, and look forward to our continued collaboration.

There really isn't anything in the way of screenshots that would knock your socks off except for the FSX@War models, and I'll let Cougar share those with you whenever he and his team are ready. Everything else is changes on the back end, the TPM and Aircraft managers, and avionic additions/modifications, which just don't make the most exciting screenshots. If you've seen the official video, you pretty much get it in terms of weapon's doing things for real. Anyway, I tacked on a few new interface screens, FWIW.

We are going into a limited closed beta in approximately the first week of July, followed by an open beta which you are all welcome to participate in. Hopefully if all goes well, we should be killing each other by August. Once again, our apologies for the delay and our sincerest thanks for your patience. Please feel free to continue/comment in the Tacpack mega-thread