A year and a half late to date, not really open open beta, no beta update for over a month that I can see. Very little noise about the whole thing. Will the general public ever be able to get in on it? I've ignored the thing for a month hoping for a surprise but there is no indication at last peek that it is any closer to release.

Does anybody have positive news about it that they can share?

what or who is VRS ?

Assuming Tacpack which is in open beta.

http://www.vrsimulations.com/tacpack.htm

No, that is not an open beta, it's as closed as closed can be. Were it open they would be saying, send us your money and your bug reports.

It's a hybrid beta, those that had per ordered it get access to the beta so it's open to them and it was open to everyone to pre order it till the date they closed pre orders. VRS were completely open and transparent about it so I dont see the issue. Did I pre order it? No, I didn't, but as a long time user of their superbug was aware of it.

So like me, unfortunately we'll just have to wait until the beta is finished and it's gone gold.

^this.

I did pre-order, and as a user I have some positive news:

1. There is chatter within the tacpac support forum. It's slowed a bit, eyeballing the last posts by admins, but that would point to them being heads down with development. This project is still very much alive.

2. the product is already very well refined and comprehensive. I've yet to dive deep into weapons testing, but for the first time in FSX I landed on a pitching deck Aircraft carrier (Tacpack includes what appears to be a heavily modified version of AI carriers). Next on my list is airborne refueling and weapons employment. I'll report back on my findings.


Yes, there is no word on a release date, but considering VRS has never made their initial date anyway, would it really matter? The main problem is they are pretty much 'breaking' FSX to get a lot of things to work. This means it's hard to guess how long things will take as it's a trial and error process.

I pre-ordered the day it was available and have access to the beta now.

I think what they have done is absolutely incredible, they brought FSX to a whole new level with this thing... but I feel like it happened a couple years too late. FSX is losing feathers and with P3D getting better, it could become obsolete in no-time.

Regarding VRS, well, they are a small, and I mean SMALL team... actually 2 and a half guys I think. Is this enough an excuse to be almost 2 years late with a product? I'll let you debate with yourself on this. They have their own way of dealing with questions about release date and if you don't agree or push it too far - you're up for quite a "customer service" ride lol!

I just hope people don't lose interest on the SB and TP - it should be the best Super Hornet sim since JF18 when TP goes out - but FSX will remain FSX, with its limitations.

Another month+ and nothing new that I have seen or heard. I watch the forum, traffic seems very low. If there is progress, it's glacial in nature from what I observe.

Heres some pics of Tacpac in action this mission here was vs a SAM site.









The Superhornet now has alot more detail and the A/G radar works really well, still trying to get the FLIR to work though might have to read more of the manual.

After changing IFF codes I then tried to fly over a SAM site from the other team.







Yes SAMs are deadly.

Using the Tacpac object placement tool I place a SAM site for me to blow up.



Virtual speed brake in action



Using mode 4 IFF the SAM site interrogates my aircraft and confirms we are on the same side. I now fly away from the SAM site and change my mode 4 IFF code from 1000 to code 2000 so now I am on a different side to the SAM and it will now engage me.



Time to engage the SAM, decoys trailing me and chaff/flares set for auto with jammer engaged.

"Magnum"





Missiles inbound time to turn away and run lol.





The results.

Time to do carrierops so using Tacpac object placement I placed a carrier(one of Javiers carriers) to do some landings with vLSO running in the back ground.











And time to launch again.

Having used up alot of fuel I decided that its time to refuel so using the object placing tool I placed a Tanker nearby and using TACAN flew up to it for some fuel.














Refuelling from the tanker is not impossible as its done by proximity although you can adjust the setting to as small as you like for me using an X45 I am quite limited so a wide area is necessary. You can have any type of Tanker that is selectable in the menu for the Tacpac including the KC135 and no doubt many other addons so long as the addon is installed.

Nice shots!


Been busy with air hauler,but now I need to dust the bug off for a go.

Heres some pics of some of the skins I've made in the past which I finally bothered to reinstall since Tacpac.

Nice skins! I bought this yesterday. I just took off from Williams Gateway field (the old Williams AFB) in Mesa, AZ to check it out. My first impressions are really positive. The cockpit and panels look fantastic. The flight model seems good to an armchair pilot. They did a really nice job on the Superbug IMO. I have a lot of reading to do now to learn the avionics and weapon systems. Awesome!

This is really gonna shine online, I have been on the servers and its looking pretty encouraging considering its FSX (where online MP is more of an afterthought).

I've been doing SEAD missions with the VRS SH using HARMs its quite interesting learning all the stuff most sims don't model such as the PB mode aircraft lofting HARMs. You can either pull up yourself or get the HARM to LOFT for max range itself which is cool.



Closing on tgt, pulling up.



"MAGNUM"



Now break off and let the missiles do their thing.

WOW!Just flew a MP with 4 player. A2A 2 per team(iff mode 4 2000 &1000). A/C were displayed as unknown or friends, on radar/SA and Map screens. I could pick the good guy from the bad guy at 10 miles and lock on the bad guy and shoot! Worked great. One comment It may take more than 1 missile to "kill" a A/C! Got somke but no Kill till the "heater" went up his tailpipe