DCS Module Buyer Guide Review: F-14B Tomcat (Early Access) 

Probably the best review I have ever seen on the F14 module. My mate and I always fly the F14 together (him in the RIO) every point made in the video we have come across. Its a very immersive experience in VR and some times information overload for the both of us, but then it should be.

I'm new to flight-sims. Bought this piece of art few days ago. Just WOW! And yeah, a pure masochism for beginners. Great review! In point o7

"Jester tell us your opinion how is like to be a AI RIO" Jester: Tell my mom i love her

The F-14 has the best looking cockpit in DCS - its pure art! I have not "flown" it much, as I am usually in the back seat. Its been great fun so far. The Viggen is a close second as far as the cockpit goes - these are my opinions of course.

My favorite bird in DCS, the one I've *really* been waiting for. Sucking at fighting in it isn't the fault of the machine, it's the man. There's a reason an entire air-to-air school was built around this airframe and her incredibly skilled instructors and students. I'm like a baby holding a rattle compared to the guys who flew this badass for a living.

Great advice I purchased Flaming Cliffs 3 on your advice coming from Microsoft like flight simulator games made the transition easier learning how to use radar, weapon delivery etc..... buying this plane now one of my favorites use to have PC game called Fleet Defender when I see the graphics of that game pixelated - the visuals are outstanding on DCS - thanks for the video

Oh, I have no 'Friend's' either😅 But, I use Voice Attack to 'talk' to Jester. Really helps with the immersion and OMG, makes life SO much easier.

Who in the world makes in depth reviews/buyer guides with such quality. Super Cap does! The lovely GR leader. Thank you!

Good tip on the joystick response curve at 38:00 I had always set-and-forget - but yes, some a/c are fingertip control, others want you to stir the pot.

Dear me, this is so real and detailed that I'd be like DeeDee in Dexter's Lab going "ooooh, what does this button do" and just randomly start pushing buttons.

This was my first module (Yes I said it) and for all those people who are thinking of a new module, *This is 100% worth it*. Granted I have come from 4 years of Civilian Flight Sim. But if this is your first module, just know that if you are willing to put in the time to learn the aircraft, GO FOR IT! If your not that type, I dunno why your here lol.

Regarding the burner sound on a MiG-21, I was lucky enough to be a special guest at the launch of the first MiG-21 in Australia. The aircraft was so loud on takeoff we thought it had blown up!

I would say the flyby sounds aren't completely inaccurate. when jets pass you by they are fairly quiet-ish from the front, and when they go past the sound of that hot expanding gas persists in quite a pronounced way unless they throttle back.

I started DCS a month ago and got the Mirage 2000c as a first try. Damn it was hard for someone who didn`t even know about Magnetic Declination for example. But it was worth it and so much fun to learn and soak it all up. Next investment will be the F16 for the next months.

Love the videossssss !

It's a fine aircraft (i have literally just come off the back of flying a 1 hour 30 mins carrier strike mission in it) and in my opinion is far better then the Hornet. It's the best DCS module I own (have all apart from F16) The AIM 54 is also a beast of a missle, nothing better than firing them at a target 50k away and seeing them blown out of the sky

saving a bit from my pension every week! Thanks for revised review.

FC3 actually got me into DCS, and the starter modules, not the sim-like ones (which I proudly own nowadays).

If you set the Air Conditioning to Off then you wont have that constant noise of air rushing around the cockpit drowning out the engine noise. Its so much nicer without it.

With regard to the shaking at high alpha - if it's too much, you might want to try changing the "Head movement by G-forces" setting in the Misc options to OFF, if it's not already. You still get plenty of buffet but my impression is that the amplitude of the shakes is more subdued and less nauseating.

I agree that all this prototype tech of the F-14B has evolved into other fighters but no other fighter could handle as much as the F-14 in the air and ground. Even multirole like the F-18 could do well but could exceed the F-14B and 14D's abilities.

Very, very good and comprehensive review!!!!!! BUT - you completely forgot to mention the beautifully modelled wing flex which is so clearly visible in your take off videos. AND a little challenge for you: Find out how - if possible - you can use voice attack to control Jester. If it is not technically possible, we should ask Heat Blur to make it possible!

Once more, Cap forgets that the F-14's gun sounds changes when you change the fire rate on the ACM panel.

@ Maunsell Anderson Fleet Defender was great. Still flying it every now and then. Same as Tornado or Jet Pilot (F-104 and BAC Lightning). Sometimes I think these old sims had a better balance between realism and playability. E.g. Tornado campaign versus F4 BMS: in F4 my impact on the overall campaign success is not very obvious. In Tornado it feels like my sorties are somewhat important but not too much (other units still need to have success). You can decide to hunt the hunters (Mig-31 and Su-27 / Mig-29) so your ground attack units have an easier life and you would see the impact you made right after the mission (less buddies downed if successful, more downed in case you sucked). Also, you could take out communication lines which leads to better recce results (enemy is using less secure comm lines and you may be able to detect where the enemy leaders hide). DCS has maybe more units but more concentrated around the "path" so it feels much more lifeless overall. Of course when it comes to graphics the old sims can't compete. MFDs in DCS have more pixels than these old sims. Also the flight model (of Tornado) had this "rail" feeling. Nevertheless I liked that you had to manually set flaps / wing sweep, observe max speeds according to flap/wing sweep, had a decent TFR, could hide in cloud layers when heat seekers came in, escape Migs in desperate dives to the deck; the Tornado was much faster while at altitude it could not outrun anything... but fuel consumption was very high and sometimes you had to do dead stick landings.... on a taxi way because the enemy bombed your runway... you could use the Map for visual nav when your MFDs / INS broke down... both pilot and RIO seat simulated... an all that coded not in 10 GB, not in 1 GB, but in whopping 10.9 MB. Sorry, got distracted and off-topic. "Fleet Defender" just triggered some memories. Anyway, DCS F-14 is one of the best modules for me. Will fire it up again after seeing recently GR's tip to "uncurve" pitch and roll axis. Colorado River Run: time to beat is 2:57!

would have loved to see how it rides from the rear seat

Can you do a video of buzzing the tower in the F-14?

I lile the nice fwoosh the sidewinder does when you shoot it

Great video as always, but around 31.50 when you say the exterior sound is buggy and pauses when the aircraft approaches. Sorry but you are wrong, this is called the Doppler Effect. When an aircraft is flying towards you at speed, say 500knotts, the aircraft will be almost on top of you before you can hear any sound.

@24:00

I see you could swap fairly quickly between seats of the F-14. As a possible challenge, would it be mechanically possible to one-man an F-14 on a successful mission?

Can’t find an updated version to this

I wonder how many times he has said “Or.”

Set your voice attack up properly and jester is pretty cool

Don't know how this aircraft could have been assessed to be 'too expensive' for fleet defence. In my thinking, only if its production, maintenance and training liability exceeded that of a typical 'fleet' then that would be correct. When you consider the cost value of all the personnel, equipment, training, construction etc - Tomcats would have been a drop in the bucket. I reckon the Navy Air wing was simply looking for something newer and 'shiny'. The F14 is still a very capable platform and with upgrades, it would still be a match for many platforms in a variety of configurations.

I´m sometimes confused about those clicking sounds in the cockpit. To be honest, I don´t know, where they come from.

not used this jet but JESTER to noob seems interesting ......having jester do some of these features is plus for some who learning jet i would imagine ...because button pressing needed can be reduced into pop up wheel ...i like that i wish you could add this option to every jet ...... Not only that but this wheel could work for other things as in why not have quick start options and engine on and off and change view all tied into a wheel select that can hold button down for ... For at least low fid jets because that way could have lights and then all lights in jet have wheel option ...same for BVR change all distance and pulse through a wheel ..

Ok so I know what next modules I want

this was my last buy from DCS....and i forgot most of it :-) It lacked a targeting pod and Mavericks or anti ship weapon or SEAD thing. Even i lost my Jester in the keybounds with a update, idk. I will fly it after these days of free flying F18 and F16 which i will not buy...well perhaps the F16. ;-)

@Grim Reapers Do you buy your modules from Eagle Dynamics or do you buy the module DLC from Steam? Would it even matter? Steam has been giving me "dcs.log" issues and had to switch to "Open Beta" for the Steam game properties. I tried downloading DCS: World from Eagle Dynamics instead of Steam, but all my planes and DLC were GONE. Switching to Open Beta on Steam has fixed the problem, but I want to buy the F-18 Hornet, and I don't know whether I should buy from Eagle Dynamics or from Steam or if it will even matter with "dcs.log" type issues in the future. Thank you for taking any time Cap!

best module in dcs

i wonder if your opinion (near the end) that the F-14 isnt very good at close to intermediate range has changed after your recent experiences with VHS. Watching you out turn f-18s by keeping speed low enough that your wings are forward.

I started playing DCS a few days ago. Bought FC3 and I'm really enjoying the SU-33. I'm building a rig that can properly play DCS as I'm playing on a laptop at the moment that's projecting on my tv. I have the warthog hotas hooked up and it's amazing. My question is, when I'm done with my rig, and I'm pretty comfortable with the SU-33, would the Tomcat be a good high fidelity model to start with? I love the F-14 and 16 but the Viper seems not quite there yet. Does the Tomcat come with training missions and a campaign?

Just to let you know that you spelt Difficulty wrong on numerous videos. Keep up the good work.

Was the F-14B bomb dropping and lasing capability added in the 90s or earlier? I was under the impression that it was only the D model that could do multirole.

I hate myself I bought the f-14 when I started the game then refunded it because I was getting confused about every thing wish I had not of done that

I have verry low res on my phone so i cant realy see the deatlails but i attleast get a good idea of it. Excuse the spelling but i am Swedish.

Thinking about getting this or the p51 with the assets pack and normandy what would you recommend the most?

how do you control the views so smooth? my mouselookaround is so bad in comparison.

Should I buy this, the Harrier, or the new A-10C Tank Killer II ??

How are the interactions in VR, can you use the mouse?

Could you tell me where you get that really cool load out pop up?

Dude, the F14 kills or close up and personal with other modern fighters. In fact, I prefer it in a dogfight. The f18 is simply a flying compromise.

you forgot the lantrin

Yea mate. Most of us are "Doing Well" My Mrs, Maggie has her 'reversal' on the 5th Nov after beating the 'C' But, how you guys doing?? We hope you and your's are also "doing well". ✝ For me, the Tomcat has been incredible, one of (if not) the very best in DCS but I have to say, I just got the Harrier and that is AMAZING!! Seriously👍 Plus, I haven't 'flown' my Fav jet yet, the F-16 and even (I will get it...eventually...) Wag's spoiled brat/child, the F/A-18 Super bitch... 😁. You guys look after each other. 🛩😍

I'm confused. Is the F-14 sold on the DCS store the Heatblur F-14? Or is Heatblur's F-14 sold somewhere else.

Cap. I been watching alot of your videos . I am new to dcs but playing on a really strong razer blade gaming laptop with rtx 2070 and ssd. Playing in vr with a rifts cranked up graphics with 60fps. So very happy with setup . I own the av-8b, f15 ,su-33 ,the wonderful f18 c and my true baby the jet of all jets the f14 tomcat. I have personally gulf and supper carrier and syria.i run voice attack with vaicomm pro which is incredible and worth the 20 bucks. I also have srs for muliplayer and Just starting to get into multiplayer . I have srs setup and connected but when I jump in server can't hear anyone talking even when on correct coms. I want to meet people to fly with and get multipayer voice chat working. Any ideas. Would love to fly with you. Dcs world is now my world and my main hobby. Vr is just amazing

In your buyers guide spreadsheet, you have the F14 the highest overall score. Is that still the case?

Drink every time he says "or"

They should make a "what if module" the super tomcat

What are those scrolling blocks on the TV screen?

Really sad tht no full module from russian side :( F-14 reminds me of Su-30s V_V

Definitely not a place to start... right... I know better than him as my first plane 😅. Proceed to bang my head against my desk... It’s been a month, I’m still learning something new every time I fly it. But, I also smile and enjoy knowing my Phoenixes are the terror of the skies

how do you activate that inventory window?

f14 is more difficult than fa18 or a10c?

the F14 was for me good with high speed direct fly into the shit and launch Phoenix for long range. Or go with many bombs.; unfortunately there were always SAM´s . one time i managed to kidden a SAM with these troll gliders and could set some bombs, but that was pure luck, imho.

Talk to me Goose

Wow they went a little overboard with the aging of the F14. It looks like its 80 years old. I've seen WWII aircraft at airshows that are in much better shape. I get that the F14 was first developed in the 70's, but its had lots of updates and modernization. I seriously doubt that the Navy would allow a plan in this bad shape to stay in the fleet.

Is this video still relevant or has it changed a lot?

They said soon after F-14 B the F-14A model will be released , I think they don't understand the meaning of the "soon" properly.

First of all, you need to reassess the fuel load requirements for cornering ability testing. I'd suggest finding the three and a half or four minutes full AB at cornering speed fuel quantity values. It can take a while, but it's a much more reliable number, since that's usually enough fuel to get you through a dogfight and back to a nearby runway. And if you say different planes would have different fuel loads remaining prior to entering a dogfight, well... that's what the fuel dump switches are for (apart from landing with a whole lot of bombs on the pylons, that is). And by the way, don't try to calculate the numbers, find them through experimentation. Also, you might want to redo the zero fuel unlimited fuel test. The 3 1/2 min to 0 fuel turning performance numbers would be giving much more insight into fighters capability. Or you could just hang in there until the last drop of fuel and see firsthand how your cornering performance changes burning through all the fuel. "Pure fire and brimstone", sorry, but I'd rather have a "no nonsense" flight model instead of that, thank you very much. Don't want to see DCS turning into arcade garbage because some people just want seeing some aircraft being better performers than others simply because they had certain movies associated with them... It's funny how in Falcon BMS it's the Viper that is the best performer (well, apart from the "magical birds": F-22 and Typhoon), Heatblur's vision is that F-14 is the top dog... and I bet after the JF-17 is out we will learn that it's that aircraft that can eat every other one for breakfast (but at least it's light and nimble, has prominent LERXes and very small wing loading numbers). That's not to mention the Mirage that is also probably a bit more of a fantasy plane than it is close to reality. Why the Tomcat is too touchy with the joy curves? Well, probably because it requires much more finesse exactly closer to the full stick deflection rather than to the center? And with the curves you are ruining exactly that... Human beings are not known to handle non-linear things well and adding MORE non-linearity into the process is asking for trouble. Just add a stick extension to your stick instead if you have problems with fully linear response "curves". My stick is a T.16000M and I still manage to fly everything linearly (even helicopters), so I highly doubt you have THAT much of a problem with your X-56. Or just get a Warthog or one of the VKB sticks. With this many subscribers it's about time you've taken this more seriously...

such detailed cockpits, such crappy sceneries...

*** 1st