I’ve been putting in as much time as I can muster with Heatblur’s DCS: F-14B(U) upgrade in the last couple of weeks and I wanted to report back on what I’ve found with the aircraft since my other article came out several days ago. How is it? What can it do differently? Is it worth the upgrade price? Let’s talk!

Training and combat with upgraded Tomcat

Since my first article, I’ve been using the upgraded Tomcat in more aerial duels, air to air interceptions, and using it in a strike role. It’s been fun to get back into the Tomcat and also be reminded that you really do need to dig into the systems and learn a jet like this over a prolonged period of time. More time than I have, but, nonetheless I think I now have a really good sense of what this jet is about. And I want to fly it more! That’s a good sign.

Heatblur have released their manual in the last couple of days and some of YouTubers have been releasing training videos focused on how to do various things with the jet.

The F-14B(U) also comes with a collection of training missions that focus in on its unique features such as how to do JDAM attacks in both pre-planned and target-of-opportunity modes.

While the training sessions have been informative, its operationalizing a lot of these efforts into something that works online and offine that I find takes the most amount of time. Truly understanding how to employ these weapons in different ways is going to take some time but the materials are in place so if you do end up picking this airplane up, you’ve got everything you need.

Into combat with the upgraded cat!

There’s an awful lot to unpack with the new upgraded Tomcat!

The new VDIG(R), replacing the old VDI and HUD, gives the pilot a whole lot more information. I always felt that I was a bit behind the curve when in the older F-14B or A in multiplayer scenarios that also included the Hornet, Viper, Thunder, etc. All of them had better information flows showing off RWR contacts, enemy aircraft positions, and more all via the HUD. The F-14B(U) joins in on the party with that kind of symbology displayed up front.

You have your speed, altitude, target information, you know when you’re in parameters to shoot, you’ve got RWR contacts sprayed out across the edges of the display, you can see a countdown on when AIM-54s are expected to arrive at their targets, and you can see ground targets and navigational information right there in the new HUD as well! It does a lot! The refresh rate on this HUD is so much faster too so it feels less like 1980s video game and more modern-ish.

The situational awareness boost is immense and you can spend most of your time actually focused on the HUD, glancing at the rest of the displays as needed.

None of that is to say that I dislike the old offerings either. They fit into different scenarios and time periods and the F-14B(U) extends that into more modern eras that help it better compete and sit alongside many of DCS World’s other modules. In some senses, this F-14B(U) fits better than the earlier versions do with modern scenarios that feature more modern jets and then the earlier models fit into the rest of the Cold War through to more modern air combat. It gives the F-14 a fairly unique position spread out across generations like that.

And if you’re concerned that this is very different from before, its not all that difficult to go from the classic Tomcats into this one. It still works quite similarly to what you had before – just with more information.

Meanwhile, the F-14’s TV camera continues to be a huge advantage in aerial engagements while the LANTIRN pod together with laser and GPS guided munitions make this into a far better striker.

DCS: F-14B(U) makes full use of the data transfer cartridge system (DTC) which means that, as with the Hornet and Viper, you can setup pre-planned targets ahead of time. That makes priming things relatively easy and then you can ripple the JDAMs off at the specified altitudes and speeds for maximum effect.

I’ve had a funny thought a few times while flying this. This variant of the F-14 is going to fit into some DCS fans hangars as replacements or substitutes to the AV-8B and F-15E. Bear with me here! The Tomcat isn’t a jump jet, sure, however, for the Harrier fans who enjoyed dropping multiple bombs on targets with simultaneous strikes or the Strike Eagle fans who wanted a big jet that could self escort into target and precision guide munitions, I can think of no better substitution. I know the wounds are still fresh there and will be for quite some time but its still the thought that I had.

Now, some of you may have the impression that all of this upgraded hardware is turning the F-14 into a MFD jet and that is not the case. There’s still a very familiar arrangement of instrumentation up front in the pilot seat. Its the RIO that gets a MFD-esq experience with the PTID. Its the only one in the jet and it does actually make the back seat experience a little easier thanks to being able to press the buttons and see the interaction right on the screen. I’m a fan… but I never shied away from a good MFD experience either!

Jester is improved but still is a compromise

Heatblur’s introduction of Jester back in 2017 was a big deal for DCS World fans. It provided what was then a gold standard for AI-assisted flying in the sim for jets with two-seater configurations. You just can’t fly an F-14 without some sort of AI assistance in the back doing things … or a real human. But that isn’t always going to happen so this really opens the doors to a much wider audience of single players or folks flying solo in multiplayer.

Jester isn’t perfect. Some call-outs are delayed or don’t anticipate enemy moves and interacting with Jester, as good as the commo-rose style interface is, remains a bit clunky at times. Heatblur have done their best with Jester and its very good but it isn’t without downsides.

That all said, the upgrades to Jester with new context sensitive features that change and adapt depending on what mode you’re in while in the front seat, make things a lot better. The head directed system lets you point at a section of the sky and Jester will try and find some targets for you there. Spot some contrails, point it out and Jester will do the work to try and lock them up.

The same is the case for targets of opportunity with Jester. Press the context button, point your head at a ground target, and Jester will try and lock it up. The same system will even let you refine targets from the front seat while looking at the repeater in the cockpit of what the LANTIRN pod is looking at.

In air-to-air mode we’ve gotten to a point where minimal interaction with the commo-rose style interface is needed. The context specific press and hold button and ability to point out items in the air and in the cockpit will do a lot of heavy lifting. Great!

In air-to-ground mode you’re going to be interacting more with Jester than usual while you setup stations, designate targets, pass information to the bombs and get things ready to go. It’s almost easier to pop into the back seat and do it yourself when the opportunity arises.

Despite any niggles, all of this make Jester the best AI assistant I’ve seen in this sim. Its still not perfect and its still not going to replace a human in the back seat whom can anticipate and work in ways that the AI simply cannot be expected to understand, but its a reasonable compromise and its been made better than before.

Now Heatblur have done something a bit interesting too offering up a female version of Jester using an AI processor to take the male version of Jester and turning it into a pretty good sounding female version. I’m not sure it was necessary but it’s here and that’s that. They’ve also changed Jester to have a more 1980s videogame style appearance and I still don’t think I like it. I prefer the more realistic one.

They’ve also added subtitles which is interesting and I can see being useful and enjoyed by some. Unnecessary for others. You can choose to turn that on and off in the settings so its up to you if you want that and right now Heatblur seem to be indicating that its an experimental option. I think this will appeal to some and not for others… that’s ok!

Worth it?

Is it time to kick the tires and light the fires once again? Are you thinking about plunking down some cash for the upgrade? Let’s talk about something that has been slightly contentious in the community.

First, I feel like the amount of effort on display and working in behind the scenes justifies an upgrade price of some kind. Heatblur have done an awful lot to keep the value of the original F-14A/B Tomcat module up for several years now and this is far beyond that original design goal. This is something that is both familiar and new. Heatblur didn’t just chuck in a new HUD and call it a day. This is a much deeper more significant change.

Here we have a reworking of multiple core systems with the new digital stability systems that make the handling a bit easier to manage, the new available munitions, VDIG(R) (Vertical Display Indicator Group – Replacement)) and PTID (Programmable Tactical Information Display) displays in front and back seats, the new countermeasure system, the new Jester upgrades (also coming to the older F-14A/B), two new campaigns, new liveries, and new training materials all combine together to offer quite a bit of value if you intend to make full use of it.

The price, $49.99 USD, is quite a bit of cash for an upgrade to a module that “I already own.” In that sense, you could buy another new airplane and experience something entirely new. I know some of you have already gone that route and bought the F-100D or some other module. No problem.

I do think that Heatblur could have brought the upgrade price for existing users into line with the bundle price for new users. That would have felt a bit better emotionally even if logically I know they are pricing this to both make money and recoup development costs on what was not a small change to an existing and popular module. At the end of the day it is what the price is though I’m sure sales will apply eventually.

There is value here though. If, for example, you want to make your F-14 into more of a strike fighter, if you want to fly two new multi-mission campaigns, if you want the new systems and features, or if you love the F-14 and want greater flexibility across scenario timelines stretching into more modern scenarios, F-14B(U) is going to offer a great experience! I’ve already said it before but I’ll say it again that this one has all of the usual attention to detail that you can expect from any Heatblur project. Nothing has been lost and there is lots to gain.

Now, on the other hand, if you tend to fly other jets and you’re just casually interested in the Tomcat from time to time, this may not be the most enticing upgrade. Its not different enough to, at a surface level, offer too much that is different aside from some modern avionics. Its when you go to employ them in a more serious way when they really shine. Other scenarios might be if you fly exclusively in multiplayer Cold War scenarios and nothing more modern. Or maybe the single player campaigns and the modern systems aren’t going going to appeal. There’s a huge range of DCS World fans and not every module is going to appeal to every one. I don’t think the F-14B(U) is going to win over many DCS: F/A-18C Hornet enthusiasts even though some of the systems are familiar. To put it another way: It’s not a Tomcat trying to be a Hornet, its a Tomcat trying to be a more modern Tomcat.

If you’re a die-hard Tomcat flyer, if this is your module, and you want more out of the module than you’ve gotten over the last 7-years of development, this is going to give you a fair bit more! Heatblur haven’t dropped the ball in the slightest here and are firing on all cylinders offering up a viable upgrade to the Tomcat.

Other media you should check out

Lots of content creators are out there putting stuff together on the DCS: F-14B(U) right now and I wanted to highlight just a few that you might want to watch.

Screenshot extravaganza

Enjoy some of the screenshots I’ve been capturing over the last several days!