The DCS: F-14B(U) pre-order begins

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2–3 minutes

Eagle Dynamics and Heatblur Simulations have dropped a ton of new details off today with their plans for the DCS:F-14B(U) add-on that is coming soon to DCS World. There’s a pre-order, pricing, and feature list for both this new version of the F-14 as well as updates to the F-14A/B that we already have. Let’s have a look at what is on offer.

Upgrade to the F-14B(U)?

Let’s do the upgrade route and pricing first and then talk about what is included. F-14B(U) is a “new module” in the sense that it is not part of the included updates for the previously released DCS: F-14A/B module. This is an add-on pack that is being sold either as an upgrade for pre-existing users at $49.99 USD on pre-order and $56.99 USD after release.

The F-14B(U) is, I would suggest, a response to community desire to see an F-14D module added to DCS World. While that even more modernized version of the F-14 was apparently out of reach, the modernized F-14B(U) was and it comes packing many of the same features.

The B(U) has new instrumentation in the cockpit with new VDIG-R and PTID displays, a much more modern HUD, and a new digital stabilization system to replace the analogue system. The F-14 is still reportedly a very hands on airplane but the digital stabilization system should make it a little easier to fly in some flight regimes. The upgrade gives the jet enhanced precision strike capabilities with the ability to deploy JDAM bombs including the heavy hitting GBU-31. It’s also got a new mission data loader and navigation system among other features added.

Updated cockpit and exterior art, new pilot models and helmets, JESTER improvements, pop-up manual and explain-me features help round out some of the enhancements. Heatblur weren’t specific today about those last few items but I wouldn’t be surprised if at least a few of those filter back to the A/B model.

Finally, Heatblur are including two new campaigns: Operation Reforger III using DCS: Cold War Germany and a new tailor-made campaign by Baltic Dragon to be added after release.

You can get it as the DCS: F-14 Ultimate Edition which bundles F-14A/B and F-14B(U) together if you haven’t previously bought the module. If you have then an upgrade edition is available. So, you can do the upgrade for $49.99 USD or $98.99 USD for the Ultimate Edition. If you’re new to the F-14 Tomcat in DCS, the ultimate edition is actually cheaper overall.

So, that’s a whole bunch of new systems and features, visual updates, JESTER updates, and two campaigns. $49.99 USD does feel steep for an upgrade but you can’t fault Heatblur for making sure that the feature list is reasonably packed. Does the upgrade pricing dissuade you or are you a hardcore Tomcat-junkie who wants to fly the modernized jet with all of the new systems and capabilities? Let me know in the comments.

Oh… and watch the trailer and check out everything visualized. You’ll see nearly everything that the new jet is capable of here.

Read the full DCS World Weekend news here to learn about the F-14B(U) and about the featured Good Kill Servers.

23 responses to “The DCS: F-14B(U) pre-order begins”

  1. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Aircraft looks great. the video was kind of… cringy to watch though. Felt like a promo of ace combat. I expect it won’t be buying it for some time because I want to see how that 30 dollar difference ends up playing out. From a systems perspective it IS a different module and the price should reflect that regardless of who is buying it.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Drivebye Avatar
      Drivebye

      Like you, I’m also taking a wait and see approach.

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  2. oesau Avatar
    oesau

    Video was def a homage to some of the old cruise VHS videos posted on YT – see what they were trying for but I’m interested in the systems differences (which it got into later on – at a high level).

    I’ll end up getting it – but not rushing as I’m still fully engaged in the F-4 and will see myself diving into the F-100D when its released which I was hoping was this week but alas it has come out (I expect it to be out ahead of the B(U) but its interesting to see two different modules so close together promo wise

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    1. Jer Stryker Avatar
      Jer Stryker

      A friend of my dad’s was at one point an F-14 squadron commander. We visited him years ago as he was transitioning to the F-18 for a CAG job.

      He showed us all his old “Fighter Fling” videos, and it was during that visit I got some serious regrets about choosing the civilian path to a flying career. (I eventually got over it…mostly)

      The ttrailer is definitely inspired by those old Fighter Fling videos. My favorite one is the one from 2003.

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Drivebye Avatar
    Drivebye

    I have no doubt the module (upgrade) is worth the price with the amount of work that went into it. I’m puzzled by the choice to charge current owners about $30 more than new buyers of the ultimate edition.

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    1. felcsarbr Avatar
      felcsarbr

      Because it is bundled. That’s how bundles work across the whole e-market of goods.

      The pricing amount however, it is something that can be discussed indeed.

      New customers paying more on everything bundled is something very wrong. (I’m not a new customers. I own the module)

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      1. Drivebye Avatar
        Drivebye

        There are other both positive and negative explanations, but in the end it’s a business decision.

        I guess this new pricepoint and ultimate edition will create an opportunity for having a Super Hornet. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Urgent Siesta Avatar
        Urgent Siesta

        um, NOPE.

        I don’t really care about the $50 price.

        The core issue is that guys like me, who’ve owned the Tomcat since launch, were never even offered the opportunity to bundle.

        so now, even tho I gave them $$ first, AND purchased every single other module they sell, some noob who’s never spent a single dime with them can waltz in and get a significantly better price…?

        no, that’s no way to treat loyal customers.

        Heck, even a car dealer will treat you better than that…

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      3. felcsarbr Avatar
        felcsarbr

        Devs are not your slaves.
        Read Heatblur pricing explanation.

        Buying other modules doesn’t mean a thing, Those other modules also was hard work.

        The U was never printed on any of the F-14 A/B module and it has very deep system changes to the old B variant.

        The bundle is for new players. I never said it was for us.

        How loyal are you if you don’t want to pay for their hard work. This is fake as hell dude.

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      4. Uff Avatar
        Uff

        But customers are the slaves? They release an unfinished product for a whopping price tag and use them as Beta testers for 7 years.

        And if these people demand at least to be treated the same way as new customers you call them fake as hell!?

        Serioulsy, something is very wrong in this community. People are used such a low level of product quality and reliability that they worship a developer who simply fulfills his business obligations.

        And just like in a cult, they fly into a rage if anyone dares to voice criticism that might possibly anger their deity.

        Several people on the Heatblur forum have just announced that they’re buying the upgrade or bundle twice to support Heatblur. They don’t realize that the developers have already made millions from their modules. And just imagine—people like that actually vote.

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      5. felcsarbr Avatar
        felcsarbr

        It is optional to buy a product. You can’t be a “slave” to a product unless it robs your account.

        High level of cognitive dissonance there. You bash the product and still are after more of it at the same time.

        For others the product has delivered 100s of hours of entertainment, that’s where the value of buying an expansion comes from and it is thoroughly justified.

        You don’t like the product and the dev, and still want to be compensated somehow.

        The devs have made millions but also paid millions to still be operational. This is not a communist society. Get over with. Nothing is free.

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  4. CanadaOne Avatar
    CanadaOne

    Hard to resist anything by Heatblur if you love flightsimming. The quality is great and nothing gets abandoned.

    Liked by 3 people

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  5. Jer Stryker Avatar
    Jer Stryker

    I ordered the limited edition upgrade direct from Heatblur’s site, because at $60 with a T-shirt it seemed like the best deal actually. Cool t-shirts can be expensive!

    Plus as you can see from my gravitar I probably qualify as a “hardcore Tomcat junkie!”

    Just need to make time to play the damn thing.

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  6. sdsc0rch Avatar
    sdsc0rch

    would be a bargain at ten times the price —- all the work that goes into a module – compare that to all the money we sink into our flight sim setup… high-end PC, VR/track-ir, HOTAS setup, button boxes, etc etc – but we squawk about the software, the most important part, and it doesn’t even cost a hundred bucks —– whaaaaatever

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    1. Mike Avatar
      Mike

      not really about the cost. its the difference. The benefits of bundling do not transfer from physical to electronic goods. You dont save on shipping packaging etc.

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Gretsch_Man Avatar
    Gretsch_Man

    Hmm, that new HUD looks WAY too modern for my liking. I’d rather stick with the original Tomcat. And a programmable nav computer isn’t exactly my thing, either.

    Besides, I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the F-100D, which should keep me busy for the time being.

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  8. JImbo Avatar
    JImbo

    Yikes. I’ll give the unpopular take. It’s not a “new aircraft” to the user. It’s just an F-14B with updated avionics. Which is what the actual plane was. I wouldn’t expect the US government to pay the cost of a whole new plane for an avionics upgrade, and it’s not justifiable as a player. The F-14B is decent enough as it is. Maybe $10…sure I’d drop that. $20…have to think about it. $30 sure if the Tomcat is your favorite. But the cost of a whole NEW plane for a few bells and whistles?

    Nope.

    Can’t do it out of principle.

    Given a choice between a brand new, unique F-100D and a slight avionics update for the same cost…. I’m gonna go with the new plane. It’s just not enough new content. It should be around the upgrade cost of a KA-50 or A-10C at most as those are comparable upgrade levels.

    Best of luck to the people that are willing to pay full price.

    If it goes on sale for $20, I’ll think about picking it up.

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Certainly seen comments about the price echoed around the community so you’re not alone in that take.

      On the one side of the coin, it remains an F-14B in that sense so I suspect that a lot of folks are seeing it in that context as an F-14B with a few new screens. The other side of that is that avionics and systems programming is a much bigger project than the community seems to give it credit for so I see the developer probably having expended a lot of time putting this together. That’s probably the space where there’s an incongruity between community expectations and the developer.

      There are, of course, other options and yes indeed the F-100D is coming up quite soon. If you enjoy that era of airplane, I think you’re going to really enjoy flying it.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. JImbo Avatar
        JImbo

        That’s where we differ though. You’re seeing this as “well they did work, so it’s good work and they must be paid.” That’s the “value” theory that Marxism operates under. However, there are TWO parts to the equation. The BUYER also has to agree that it’s worth the value to them. Just because you spent time making something doesn’t mean it’s “worth” that much to me.

        I am not doubting that someone at Heatblur did put some hours into making this. What I’m saying is that to MANY people not enough value is generated from that work to make it worth the buy.

        That’s even before the odd marketing which is a bit on the irrational side.

        First, you HAVE to buy the F-14A/B module to get this aircraft, so that makes it seem like it’s using the baseline code of the F-14A/B to cut much of the work and cost. If that was NOT necessary, then you wouldn’t need the original module and could JUST buy the F-14BLU (which in hindsight is what I would have done if I had the option years ago and knew this “better” version was coming out.) So, it’s NOT a “fully new” airplane if it’s using the baseline F-14 module as a “must have.”

        That feels like it’s deceptive marketing to say it’s both totally different but acts like a simple upgrade (like the KA-50 you need the original module too)

        Now don’t get me wrong… they COULD market it as an entirely new module and just USE the F-14A/B code and package it as a NEW module which did not require the old module. Yet…they didn’t. Is it to generate more sales from REQUIRING the older module too? Again… feels dishonest. They don’t NEED to do that because they could just sell a “complete” F-14BLU as a standalone since they have all the code already. It’s already a paid for investment that IS being used or the first module would not be required.

        Second, not making the “new” cost the SAME as the “upgrade+ old module” cost for prior users seems punishing to the older users. Why not just make it add up to the same amount? Why is someone who has been flying the F-14A/B penalized for having supported the company already? Punishing existing customers is a very weird play that…again… feels like a mean spirited money grab.

        There will be some wealthy F-14 fans who won’t mind it and will shell out whatever is asked. To me, it’s worth about $20 for a slight upgrade so I’ll wait for a deep sale. It’s not worth more to me because more work was put into it. That’s how value works.

        Cost only factors into it when a creator is figuring out if enough people “value” it to make it worth more than the “cost” to make it.

        In any case, it doesn’t explain their odd marketing choices which don’t depend on value or cost, but seem unrelated to either.

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      2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        And here I was thinking it was the old capitalist adage of “whatever the market will bear.”

        The value proposition is indeed what both buyer and seller are willing to agree on. And if the buyer isn’t interested, they will find that out.

        I suspect we’d be getting a earful from people if they went for the separate module route as well. I probably would have done that and just said if you want the new module, its a new module. But I can hear those arguments going too.

        I don’t think its dishonest… just damned if they do or don’t. At the end of the day, the still damned near perfect DCS: F-14 Tomcat (A/B) are still around, not going anywhere, and getting a bunch of upgrades very soon anyways.

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  9. Urgent Siesta Avatar
    Urgent Siesta

    all the false equivalence in re the F-100 cost vs the B(U) is “amusing”…

    Now, there’s a LOT of new features and content in the B(U), and it seems to mostly address my desires for a “Hornet cockpit in a Tomcat body”, so I’m pretty happy with the upgrade.

    $50 seems a bit steep, though, but I can somewhat self-justify.

    My big issue, however, is having to pay more for the upgrade than a new user does for the bundle.

    I did write to Nick Dackard about it (very politely), but absolutely zero response so far…

    So here’s how I’m going to vote with my wallet:

    since I love the Tomcat, I’m gonna buy the upgrade.

    But I’m gonna skip the Phantom and F-16A for MSFS instead of buying both.
    Or at most, I’ll just wait until the inevitable Black Friday sale to make up the difference.

    either way, HeatBlur is going to give me a good discount for being a loyal customer who owns all their modules.

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I think the discussion ultimately comes down to value and how much value each individual of the community assigns to different features. For some, the novelty of a new airplane is perhaps an extra value that makes this less appealing than the DCS: F-100. For others, perhaps like yourself, the prospect of an F-14B(U) with so many new features is a significant value addition that makes it worthwhile.

      One thing is for sure… all of this discussion has me wanting to return to the Tomcat in DCS sooner than later! Right now I’m flying the F-100 and the Mirage F1 a lot (and some other aircraft too). Soon I’ll need to light the fires again 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Urgent Siesta Avatar
        Urgent Siesta

        you’re absolutely correct.

        And the DCS Tomcat, especially with the new features and content (and there’s a LOT!), certainly has that value for me.

        The Super Sabre has been pre-ordered (direct from Grinelli 👍). I’m really looking forward to what appears to be a challenging flight model, and something that gives a LOT of the F-5 experience, but with more toys to play. 😎

        And yeah, I think it’s priced right, esp on pre-order. 👍

        My “problem” with the price comparo is exactly that: these things aren’t commodity products like loaves of bread.

        and if one wants still wants to compare prices, then compare to the other 4th Gen jets, where the level of complexity and sophistication are so much higher than a late 2nd Gen fighter.

        IOW, it’s an apples to peanuts comparison because they’re both great, but not in the same way 😉👍.

        Liked by 1 person

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