Dev diary update time.

We had a very successful weekend at Duxford and thanks to all of you out there that popped by to say hi. Sorry if I didn't have time to talk to you all it was rather busy.

Thanks to ED for releasing the 1.2.6 patch on Thursday. Although we did have to unpack the 3 pc's from the 2 cars to patch them it meant we had a working Hawk in 1.2.6.

We had a lot of interest in the Hawk (I think the Red Arrows being there helped that) and I gave a little sneak peak to a select few of the Typhoon 3d model re-work which went down very well.

Thanks again to The Fighter Collection for having us and to ED for flying Yo-Yo over to support us not just with him being there but to bring the banner and brochures they had printed up all the way from Moscow with him. As always a pleasure talking to him.

So, on to development....
Well we had a few months of hair pulling, late night coding, chasing bugs and generally going crazy to get the cockpit working in 1.2.5 but to no avail.
Thanks for all of the help ED gave us to get it working in 1.2.6 ready for the weekend and of course to Tango for surprising me on Saturday morning 1 hour before doors opening to say he had published a new Hawk patch before he left at 6am to drive down to Duxford for the day. Yes I was jumping about the hangar with joy like a little girl!!!

And man does she fly beautifully in 1.2.6, even with wing tip vapour and grunting noises when pulling 6g loops

Coding Update
In terms of the cockpit functions we're about 95% completed and just waiting for the API's from ED to tie some of our systems like radios and full weapons into the sim.

All of the aircraft systems logic like electrical, hydraulic, etc. are completed and currently tied into the SFM model.

Model Update
As you can see from the screenshots in the eye candy forums Crow has done a big update on the cockpit model and skins. They are still WIP but you can see a massive amount has been done and truly amazing work.
You can even see a little sneak peak through a frame cutout of the rear cockpit and switches in there.
Yes we are working on dual cockpit's and although single player seat switching will likely be in release, multiplayer dual control is down to ED to code so we'll have to wait for that. But we'll be ready when they get it implemented.

Short Term Goals
Let's talk about short term goals and the interesting bit for you.
Here is what we are aiming to release at the end of September:

Multiplayer Module Beta
This will allow you to install certain Hawk files onto your PC so that if you join a public server that has a Hawk flying in it, you will see the Hawk external model.
This will be patched as and when we carry out and test updates to our base model and add new skins, AFM, Weapons, etc.

The purpose of the module is to ensure full compatibility with DCS when flying on public servers.
At the moment if you join a server with Hawk flying you will see a default SU-25.

The module will be free of charge.
There will be no cockpit files included, it is just the external model and skin files.
Now I'm sure some clever people out there will make it flyable with another cockpit (for research purposes of course) and that's fine if you want to do that. We will obviously not support those modules if they get released publicly.

We may, in the future, include certain cockpit files so you can enter the Hawk and look at the pretty cockpit but you won't be able to fly it unless you purchase an activation code and licence key. We are still discussing this concept.

Come and fly the Hawk for free
The guys at Virtual Aerobatics will be providing a long weekend session, or maybe a week if it goes well, of Hawk being included in their server mission.
We will be giving away 30 full copies of DCS:Hawk with a time limited licence for you to try out over that weekend.
This is your chance to give us valuable feedback on what you think of our product before you buy it. Also to give the community some feedback on what you think of it rather than us telling you it's awesome.
Details on how to get an activation code will be given out soon and we'll do a little trivia competition next week for that one. Easy answers to find on Google kind of thing.

If any squads out there would like to run a sqaud hosted session trying out the Hawk, please send me a PM for details and we can discuss it further. I know some of you are very interested in it.

Now the licence keys when registered are tied to your machine, so you can't give them out to friends and they will be a limited licence key, probably to 15 or 30 days to give you enough time to play around with the Hawk in SP and MP.
Once that time period is up, you will still be able to sit in the cockpit but the jet won't function.
For the lucky 30 of you, you won't need the Multiplayer module as you will have the full product.

This is kind of an open beta so your feedback at that time will be very valuable as we move into the finishing stages of development and we will create a new forum section for the feedback.

We will probably run another event in October and December along the same lines.

DCS:Hawk Flight Manual
Obviously you will want to know how to fly the Hawk and what better way than to read the flight manual. This will be released along with the multiplayer and test modules and generally posted for all of you.
Again it's a work in progress and any suggestions are gratefully welcomed with a new feedback forum created.

Longer Term Goals
So, with obviously flying the Hawk or seeing it buzzing around the virtual sky in the coming weeks you are going to want to buy it.
We originally set the release date for before Christmas (with a few caveats) however with the few months delays we are currently evaluating when we can release the product.
Until we have the team meeting this week and then consult with TFC/ED on their side of things we can't set a date but as soon as we have it, I'll let you know.

I would love for you to be flying the Hawk ready for Christmas but I simply can't promise it.

And to recap we will be releasing the combat variant first with the aerobatic variant a few months later. They will be released as separate modules, each costed for separately but with an upgrade price if you buy one module later than the other.
We are still working on a suitable pricing structure and details will be announced when this is finalised.

I did previously state that if you bought the combat DCS:Hawk prior to the aerobatic module being released then you would get the aerobatic module free of charge up until release date. This still stands.
So that means if you buy the combat variant when we release it and before we release the aerobatic module you get both for the same total price. After releasing the aerobatic module you will need to buy both separately.

The aerobatic module has a slightly different cockpit and engine performance, smoke system and few other differences hence why the delay in releasing them together in one module.

So, I hope that has put a smile on your face and got you as excited as the team are when we fly the Hawk and I very much look forward to getting your feedback on our product.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the above.

Thanks,
Chris.

"You actually start the Typhoon Engines with 4 switches, the rest is all done by computer on the screens."

Where's the fun in that?

Copied from the Dev Diary section in case it gets lost in there.
I will also post details of how you could be in with a chance to get a licence in this thread.

Come and fly the Hawk for free
The guys at Virtual Aerobatics will be providing a long weekend session, or maybe a week if it goes well, of Hawk being included in their server mission.
We will be giving away 30 full copies of DCS:Hawk with a time limited licence for you to try out over that weekend.
This is your chance to give us valuable feedback on what you think of our product before you buy it. Also to give the community some feedback on what you think of it rather than us telling you it's awesome.
Details on how to get an activation code will be given out soon and we'll do a little trivia competition next week for that one. Easy answers to find on Google kind of thing.

If any squads out there would like to run a sqaud hosted session trying out the Hawk, please send me a PM for details and we can discuss it further. I know some of you are very interested in it.

Now the licence keys when registered are tied to your machine, so you can't give them out to friends and they will be a limited licence key, probably to 15 or 30 days to give you enough time to play around with the Hawk in SP and MP.
Once that time period is up, you will still be able to sit in the cockpit but the jet won't function.
For the lucky 30 of you, you won't need the Multiplayer module as you will have the full product.

This is kind of an open beta so your feedback at that time will be very valuable as we move into the finishing stages of development and we will create a new forum section for the feedback.

We will probably run another event in October and December along the same lines.

DCS:Hawk Flight Manual
Obviously you will want to know how to fly the Hawk and what better way than to read the flight manual. This will be released along with the multiplayer and test modules and generally posted for all of you.
Again it's a work in progress and any suggestions are gratefully welcomed with a new feedback forum created.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the above.

Thanks,
Chris.

Ok guys here is the competition to win a limited time licence activation code.

As a reminder, the licence keys when registered are tied to your machine, so you can't give them out to friends and they will be a limited licence key, until the 31st October 2013 to give you enough time to play around with the Hawk in SP and MP.
Once that time period is up, you will still be able to sit in the cockpit but the jet cockpit won't function.
For the lucky 30 of you, you won't need the Multiplayer patch module as you will have the full product installed.

There are 5 simple questions as below:
1) What year was the Hawk first flown?
2) What is the name of the powerplant in the Hawk?
3) Aside from the Red Arrows which other display teams use the Hawk? (note there are two)
4) How Many Hawk T1's were converted into T1a's
5) In what Year did the Red Arrows start flying the Hawk T1a?

All 5 Answers along with your ED forum name or Facebook name should be emailed to competition@veaosimulations.co.uk

The subject line of the email should be: DCS:Hawk public release competition.
And the Email should contain your ED forum name or Facebook name and the 5 answers.

As my ED forum inbox is limited, please do not PM me the answers and send an Email instead.
If you do not have the ability to send an email then please contact me via PM.

Rules:
The competition will close on Friday 27th September 2013 at 08:00 UTC
All entrants will be logged on a spreadsheet and numbers assigned to their names in order of entry being received. A random number generator will then be used to pick 30 winners.
Winners will be notified by private message on the ED forums or Facebook along with your activation key.
Only one entry per person is allowed.

Good luck,
Chris.

The VEAO Simulations team are pleased to release the DCS:Hawk Multiplayer Fix

Please read the following very carefully before posting up bug issues.

A little background to how DCS works with 3rd Party Developer Mods.
We are not part of ED, we are not an ED Partner, we are an independent 3rd party developer.
The difference being is that our modules are not part of DCS World core modules or patching system. Therefore we have to release our own modules and patches and use our own systems.
Our products are not for sale on the ED website, they will be for sale on our website.
We control the licensing software, not ED. Your licence codes will not show up in Module Manager for this reason.

The purpose of the multiplayer fix is so that if you join a server that has people flying the DCS:Hawk module you will see the external model and skins instead of the default Su-27.
You do not have to install the module. It is your choice if you want to see the Hawk.
The DCS:Hawk multiplayer fix is free, you do not have to pay for it.

At the moment, you can fly the aircraft but will see a SU-25 cockpit with a Hawk exterior. This will be turned off in the future.

This is an alpha build, does not represent the final product and is subject to change.
Patches will be announced when they are released with a change log.

There is no activation required as no cockpit files are included in the module.

Please report any bugs or issues in the dedicated forums here:
http://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=298

Alternatively you can email support@veaosimulations.co.uk

As part of the Multiplayer fix we are pleased to confirm that the Virtual Aerobatics Server will be adding a number of Hawks to their mission for people to go and see DCS:Hawk flying on.
When we release the full module to those lucky 60 people they will be able to join the VA server and fly the Hawk, or host their own server, it's up to them.

The Virtual Aerobatics server is the busiest free flight server in DCS and we are pleased to work in partnership with them for the preview of DCS:Hawk

We hope you enjoy seeing the Hawk in the virtual skies.

The VEAO team.

Link to download:
http://www.veaosimulations.co.uk/dcshawk/installers/0.0.14.0-Public/DCSHawk_MP_Fix.exe

ED moderator please sticky this.

Guys,
I am pleased to present to you the first iteration of the DCS:Hawk Quickstart guide.

I hope this gives you enough information on certain functions of the Hawk.

I will be developing it further over the coming weeks based on your feedback and from the public testing and additional features you would like to see within the guide.

It is not meant to replace the full manual but more an overview to get you started and flying, hence quickstart.

Please let me know of any errors, omissions, improvements, etc.

http://www.veaosimulations.co.uk/dcshawk/manuals/DCSHawk_QuickStart_Guide.pdf

Thanks and enjoy,
Chris.

Dev Diary update time.

Last night we released a patch to the public alpha testers with a few tweaks, a few bug fixes and have started to implement the fantastic audio from Diveplane.

Here is the change log:
* Added logic to detect start state (cold ramp/hot ramp/air start).
* Flap indicator
* Whiskey compass: added magnetic dip, acceleration error
* Tied custom canopy to ED canopy
* Fuel gauge now displays DCS total fuel state
* Re-worked ADI precession errors and tightened them up
* Re-worked ADI acceleration errors
* Re-worked navigation needle behavior
* Added audio for gyros, fuel pump and GTS (WIP)
* Resolved the FPS hit bug

We'd like to thank all of the public testers for their valuable feedback during this test period.

Work on the damage model is ongoing by Crow and you guys are going to love the work he's doing. We're not going to show it off but leave it as a surprise.

Derelor has stepped up to the mantle and is going through our flight manual and quick start manual to correct any grammatical errors. Thanks again very much to him for doing this.

We currently don't have a "launch" date as a few things still need to happen behind the scenes and ongoing work on the module. However; as soon as we're closer to knowing the date, you will be the first to know.

Thanks,
Chris.

been given permission to go puplic on the DCS Hawk audio production.
progress is going very well , these videos below are very early wip audios of the hawk
adour engines air distortions , and some weapon sounds.

again they are very early wip and subject to change.

adour engines air distortion internal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChLTLy5TSKg

external engine audios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9cHyZjlQA4


weapons video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVANkYdqmuk

thx all enjoy.

Friday, and 1st November...WOW!!
The past year has really flown by, excuse the pun.

Looking back over the last year we've had some great victories and some major setbacks but we're pushing through those to come out on top.
If you have a dream, follow that dream and work damn hard to achieve it.
The Hawk development is testament to that and what an amazing team we have.

For those that don't know I started this project over 8 years ago after a discussion with the late great Jim Mackonochie and we had a collective vision; to allow members of the public to fly in a Hawk jet in the simulator so they can get one step closer to being in the Red Arrows.
With Jim's enthusiasm and support from himself, Wags, Nick Grey and the guys at ED we have achieved that vision.

But not just achieved it, we're going the next step and allowing you, the DCS community to fly this beautiful bird.
The public feedback we have had over the past month has been amazing and very uplifting.
The team take great pride in our work down to the last rivet on the paintwork to the meticulous 3d model and the last line of code keeping us up till the early hours of the morning and it's great to see you enjoying our product.

To that end, I have extended the public testers licences through to the end of November and am extending an invitation to the first 30 people to email me at ells@veaosimulations.co.uk to receive a limited time alpha licence.

The screenshot competition has now officially closed and we've had some amazing shots taken of the Hawk with other aircraft.
I'll be processing the images over the weekend and early next week into a voting system so you, the community, can pick some winners for the full product when released.

As a little added extra I've been speaking with the Virtual Red Arrows sponsor Thrustmaster and have secured some products to give away for Christmas. Details will be posted soon so keep an eye out here or on our Facebook page.

I also received an email from Tango last night wanting to add one final screenshot to the competition.
For the keen eyed of you out there you'll notice that the Sidewinder weapons panel is active and a distant explosion
Suffice to say I can't wait to get back home to test it out to get it ready for the public testers to start deploying them in the air.

Again I'd like to thank all of you for your amazing support and comments about our product and wish you a happy November.

Chris and the VEAO Team

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

We anticipated November but encountered a 3 month delay, so that put's us at around February (anticipated).

That's about as close as I'm going to say right now.

Also having a few legal issues with calling the Hawk a "Hawk" so we might have to change the name. I was thinking "Talula", what do you think?

Chris

With the advance of the Hawk we are currently looking for an AFM programmer to join the team.

The person must have excellent engineering background knowledge of flight dynamics and be able to code proficiently in C#

Applications should be made by email to ells@veaosimulations.co.uk with a CV or resume of your experience.

Interviews will be held online and a fair selection process will be undertaken.

More details will be given upon receipt of the application.

Many thanks,
Chris.

Thought it was about time to post up some more eye candy for you guys
I've started a new thread to show development during 2014 as I get cracking on working on this beautiful bird.

Enjoy the pics

First export to DCS.
Yes it needs a lot of work on textures (obviously) as just has basic maps at the moment.

I like to call this one "Rifle...pickle...fox..."