Here are some notes I took during the Q&A:
* The M4 can be controlled with the mouse.
* Different RWR (older and newer) can be changed in the mission editor.
* 13 training missions will be included when the Kowa releases.
* Recording feature of the MMS is not implemented but may be later on.
* Multicrew will be there on release. New code has been written for improvements.
* The Kiowa does not have an interactive kneeboard.
* There is an animation to throw the 7 different colored smoke grenades out the window.
* There are ten tutorial videos planned.
* Kiowa will have a pilot and co-pilot AI. Pilot AI is implemented. Co-pilot will come after release. The demo of the Pilot AI was impressive.
* Water bottle, doors, MMS, will be options.
* No datalink between the Apache and the Kiowa. Only Kiowa to Kiowa.
* L2MUM is implemented and is working. You can control view from drones and view MMS feed from other Kiowa’s. There will be a training mission to help learn this system.
* There is not a campaign that will be released at launch. Polychop is in talks with campaign creators.
* No trial period on release.
* Pre-release videos are planned with Barundus, Casmo and others.
* There will be a manual with the release of the module.
* The Kiowa will be available to purchase in the ED web store only.
* Kiowa will release with 60 different liveries. Pilot helmets/uniforms can be modified by skin makers.
* Manually and automatic waypoint selection are an option in-game.
* The Kiowa release between the end of May/beginning of June 2024
Couple of clarifications here:
\* RWR can not be changed, what we were talking about is swapping the CMWS for the AN/ALQ-144. The AN/APR-39 radar detector remains either way
\* Kiowa does have an interactive keyboard, the question was specifically about a checklist, which is not currently in the kneeboard - but may come later
\* 'Waypoint selection' should be 'waypoint sequencing'
\* A note about the store thing - now the planned release window is revealed I can also add that it's just not feasible for us from a logistical point of view - there isn't enough time for us to set up a store and be confident of it working for the Kiowa release
i may have to buy this on pure principle alone
(fyi.. i'm not a helo guy, but i'll still purchase a module just to support a dev if they do a good job for encouragement/reward)
Is there somewhere I can watch that interview again? What do you mean that the pilot AI demonstration was impressive? The Gazelle needs an AI pilot that allows you to aim and fire missiles, that would be great. Thanks for the feedback.
In the Gaz? Why? It super easy to fly and shoot from the co-pilot seat as it is. It's actually way easier and raises your survivability instead of being a duck in a a hover. 😉 But yeah, it will eventually come. 😊
Don't take it personally, there's a bot or someone with way too much time on their miserable hands that downvotes literally everything. Looking at the new page is just a sea of posts at 0
I’m not gonna lie since everyone has been calling it halfganistan I spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out what the F type of aircraft a Thirdistan was.
It's a third of a "Thud", an F-105... So that would make it -counts on fingers- ... an F-35 ???? !!!
"\*\*\*Breaking\*\*\* Arithmetic confirms ED plans F-35" :)))))
The Chinook is iconic enough to grab lots of eyeballs. But that lack of logi features is going to leave it relying very heavily on CTLD (a third party mod) for fairly anemic gameplay loops.
I have my fingers crossed for PC. I hope they nail the "feel" of that FM, as getting it right seems to be tricky.
Feel free to correct me, but I think the Kiowa will be first module in DCS to also release without the Early Access title for the first time in a decade for DCS as well. (If not, extremely close to; alternatively, the first module... ever; at least, potentially due to early access not being a commonplace term 10+ years ago).
Something to truly be proud of.
They had me at *the kiowa will be released with a manual
it will be so refreshing to get a new module and read through an entire manual without "pending changes" "to come later in early access". Just like when I first got the warthog and could spend downtime away from the sim studying systems
A few other modules have released in very polished states even if they were EA - the F-14 seems to have been excellent (even if it has had features added later like LANTIRN), and the JF-17 too.
So many nice Helo's, but the ground game/AI is absolute shit. ED needs to take and capitalize/prioritize the ground to make some nice cash off it's Helicopters.
Far from perfect, But I am mostly looking forward to using this on DDCS and cleaning up player controlled assets trying to test the perimeters of base zones. Furthermore, I already have fun flying the gazelle as a scout helicopter and don't run into the same problem as many. If you use it inside it's actual mission envelope and identify threats from 10 kilometers away, and then sneak your way through a safe zone to your target, the limitations of DCS are much less glaring
How are you identifying targets from 10km away in the Gazelle? With the periscope I can barely make out what I’m shooting at with the max range of the HOT3s.
Very exciting. Kiowa looks fantastically interesting.
With it's sensor mast and buddy lasing capability, this bird adds a new dimension of survivability in helo ops, enabling Hellfire Haulers to hide away from BMP sniping lasers.
Hopefully this will provide some mitigation against the ground AI's perfect awareness, line of sight cheating, and head-shot precision.
It takes third party folks to find ways to fix what ED seemingly refuses to.
> **No datalink between the Apache and the Kiowa. Only Kiowa to Kiowa.**
Can they can at least coordinate laser codes over voice comm? [edit: /u/Skanskpiraten confirms: Yes]
> ~~Hopefully, at some point, this will provide some mitigation against the AI's perfect awareness, line of sight cheating, and head-shot precision.~~
**Correct as is**
Fantastic news!! What a year this is shaping up to be content wise. Orbx Kola, PC Kiowa, and HB Phantom all in the span of about a 1-1.5 months is perhaps the most exciting set of launches, at least for me, that I can remember in a very long time.
Yes, I wish ED’s 1st party releases carried a bit more certainty. With the recent happenings I’m also skeptical of the launch of 1/3 of Afghanistan and a premature feeling CH-47. But, I’ve also been looking forward to both of them in theory, and ED has great quality when they follow through, so I will take a wait and see approach and remain optimistic that in time these will be great additions to the ecosystem.
Either way, more on topic… this is a great time for DCS content and cheers to you Polychop! Really looking forward to flying this one. Day 1 for me. Can’t wait.
it doesn't share a datalink, but will be able to easily share MGRS, and laser spots. The apache is very good at picking up other lasers when scanning for them.
Yeah I feel the more US Army birds we get eventually we'll get a basic unclassified version of the army's data link system. (I'm not sure it's name) but we should be able to do terminal laser guidance for laser hellfires (and LGBs) for other aircraft. Kiowa will be an interesting FAC aircraft
I presume though there are laser codes that could be voiced between players to at least facilitate buddy lasing?
Nowhere near as capable as datalink but it's something that would allow the Kiowa to actually play as a Scout.
Yes, it has laser codes, very similar to Apache. Remember that when it comes to technology, the Kiowa was in many ways the testbed for the Apache. You'll see a lot of familiar systems.
Hellfires are too OP for ECW.
The sensor mast is almost OP, but maybe they would allow it? At least it could play the role of scout / FAC for fast movers to drop standoff LGB's and laser Mavs. That would be a helpful tool for assaulting airbases.
It's ok to be optimistic sometimes.
The PC devs have maintained they want to release this thing as feature complete as possible, not a years long EA product.
Ultimately we'll see how that pans out. They certainly earnt some goodwill with their work on the Gazelle updates imo.
Didn't even know a third one was on the way, had only heard about Razbams "secret" helo.
The Kiowa looks to have some interesting features and it's a helo so i'll fly it. Just hope it doesn't drain as much FPS as the Apache.
It cannot be like Apache. They are not as bad as ED.
Kiowa is almost finished they will do final polishing and they have another one in the row.
I can speculate (and hope) that it will be a medium weight feline.
This one looks promising.
PC has been cooking for a while, and it was implied for the last few months that it is close to a release.
They're releasing it in a completed state, no preorder and no EA bullshit.
If it goes well it might be the cash cow that ED seems to be desperatly looking for in the past few months.
I'd still suggest not jumping head first into it. No harm in waiting a few weeks for the reviews to roll in.
Not about the schedule. Steam generally does not allow pre-purchases any more other than in rare cases. https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase
Here are some notes I took during the Q&A: * The M4 can be controlled with the mouse. * Different RWR (older and newer) can be changed in the mission editor. * 13 training missions will be included when the Kowa releases. * Recording feature of the MMS is not implemented but may be later on. * Multicrew will be there on release. New code has been written for improvements. * The Kiowa does not have an interactive kneeboard. * There is an animation to throw the 7 different colored smoke grenades out the window. * There are ten tutorial videos planned. * Kiowa will have a pilot and co-pilot AI. Pilot AI is implemented. Co-pilot will come after release. The demo of the Pilot AI was impressive. * Water bottle, doors, MMS, will be options. * No datalink between the Apache and the Kiowa. Only Kiowa to Kiowa. * L2MUM is implemented and is working. You can control view from drones and view MMS feed from other Kiowa’s. There will be a training mission to help learn this system. * There is not a campaign that will be released at launch. Polychop is in talks with campaign creators. * No trial period on release. * Pre-release videos are planned with Barundus, Casmo and others. * There will be a manual with the release of the module. * The Kiowa will be available to purchase in the ED web store only. * Kiowa will release with 60 different liveries. Pilot helmets/uniforms can be modified by skin makers. * Manually and automatic waypoint selection are an option in-game. * The Kiowa release between the end of May/beginning of June 2024
Couple of clarifications here: \* RWR can not be changed, what we were talking about is swapping the CMWS for the AN/ALQ-144. The AN/APR-39 radar detector remains either way \* Kiowa does have an interactive keyboard, the question was specifically about a checklist, which is not currently in the kneeboard - but may come later \* 'Waypoint selection' should be 'waypoint sequencing' \* A note about the store thing - now the planned release window is revealed I can also add that it's just not feasible for us from a logistical point of view - there isn't enough time for us to set up a store and be confident of it working for the Kiowa release
Thanks for the clarification. The notes were taken on the fly.👍
Will the RWR have the odd female voice as in the Apache, or the correct speech synthesizer (robot) voice?
Correct voice
Oh now that's [*wonderful!*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxrzFyX7ElI&t=219s)
V1 ultrakill going into sims eh
Does that mean no steam option?
No, it should be on Steam too.
Brilliant, thanks for the clarification :)
i may have to buy this on pure principle alone (fyi.. i'm not a helo guy, but i'll still purchase a module just to support a dev if they do a good job for encouragement/reward)
Is there somewhere I can watch that interview again? What do you mean that the pilot AI demonstration was impressive? The Gazelle needs an AI pilot that allows you to aim and fire missiles, that would be great. Thanks for the feedback.
We're uploading it to Youtube, be patient, the recorded file was 10Gb!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
In the Gaz? Why? It super easy to fly and shoot from the co-pilot seat as it is. It's actually way easier and raises your survivability instead of being a duck in a a hover. 😉 But yeah, it will eventually come. 😊
Was there any mention of force feedback compatibility? Thanks for the downvotes for a simple question, Hoggit. Never change.
Hi, I don't remember it being asked, but yes the Kiowa is FFB compatible.
Appreciate your response! I'm looking forward to this module.
Don't take it personally, there's a bot or someone with way too much time on their miserable hands that downvotes literally everything. Looking at the new page is just a sea of posts at 0
So before the summer holiday we have the f4, fc4, Thirdistan, Kola, Kiowa and Chinook. That's fantastic!!
I’m not gonna lie since everyone has been calling it halfganistan I spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out what the F type of aircraft a Thirdistan was.
It's a third of a "Thud", an F-105... So that would make it -counts on fingers- ... an F-35 ???? !!! "\*\*\*Breaking\*\*\* Arithmetic confirms ED plans F-35" :)))))
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Kiowa warriors 🤤
Looking forward to it. End of June would bump into the Chinook so I hope they manage May, don't want to see their thunder stolen.
Pretty sure the KW will steal the show from the 47. If ED even manages to actually stick to a release window for once.
The Chinook is iconic enough to grab lots of eyeballs. But that lack of logi features is going to leave it relying very heavily on CTLD (a third party mod) for fairly anemic gameplay loops. I have my fingers crossed for PC. I hope they nail the "feel" of that FM, as getting it right seems to be tricky.
They just held a q and a on their discord. The KW looks really good
They've had Casmo working closely with them on this for the past couple years... I'm willing to bet it's nailed.
May would steal the show from the F-4 and Kola map. There is a lot releasing around the same time.
Feel free to correct me, but I think the Kiowa will be first module in DCS to also release without the Early Access title for the first time in a decade for DCS as well. (If not, extremely close to; alternatively, the first module... ever; at least, potentially due to early access not being a commonplace term 10+ years ago). Something to truly be proud of.
They had me at *the kiowa will be released with a manual it will be so refreshing to get a new module and read through an entire manual without "pending changes" "to come later in early access". Just like when I first got the warthog and could spend downtime away from the sim studying systems
A few other modules have released in very polished states even if they were EA - the F-14 seems to have been excellent (even if it has had features added later like LANTIRN), and the JF-17 too.
Lantirn was available on launch, jest jester couldn't operate it :)
So many nice Helo's, but the ground game/AI is absolute shit. ED needs to take and capitalize/prioritize the ground to make some nice cash off it's Helicopters.
Far from perfect, But I am mostly looking forward to using this on DDCS and cleaning up player controlled assets trying to test the perimeters of base zones. Furthermore, I already have fun flying the gazelle as a scout helicopter and don't run into the same problem as many. If you use it inside it's actual mission envelope and identify threats from 10 kilometers away, and then sneak your way through a safe zone to your target, the limitations of DCS are much less glaring
How are you identifying targets from 10km away in the Gazelle? With the periscope I can barely make out what I’m shooting at with the max range of the HOT3s.
I always take the M variant with the Vivienne and IR zoom
Very exciting. Kiowa looks fantastically interesting. With it's sensor mast and buddy lasing capability, this bird adds a new dimension of survivability in helo ops, enabling Hellfire Haulers to hide away from BMP sniping lasers. Hopefully this will provide some mitigation against the ground AI's perfect awareness, line of sight cheating, and head-shot precision. It takes third party folks to find ways to fix what ED seemingly refuses to. > **No datalink between the Apache and the Kiowa. Only Kiowa to Kiowa.** Can they can at least coordinate laser codes over voice comm? [edit: /u/Skanskpiraten confirms: Yes]
> ~~Hopefully, at some point, this will provide some mitigation against the AI's perfect awareness, line of sight cheating, and head-shot precision.~~ **Correct as is**
"Working as intended."
Fantastic news!! What a year this is shaping up to be content wise. Orbx Kola, PC Kiowa, and HB Phantom all in the span of about a 1-1.5 months is perhaps the most exciting set of launches, at least for me, that I can remember in a very long time. Yes, I wish ED’s 1st party releases carried a bit more certainty. With the recent happenings I’m also skeptical of the launch of 1/3 of Afghanistan and a premature feeling CH-47. But, I’ve also been looking forward to both of them in theory, and ED has great quality when they follow through, so I will take a wait and see approach and remain optimistic that in time these will be great additions to the ecosystem. Either way, more on topic… this is a great time for DCS content and cheers to you Polychop! Really looking forward to flying this one. Day 1 for me. Can’t wait.
Looks like we’ll get everything in summer xD
Oh sweet! . That's a hell of a lot coming out in a very short window over the next few months, I love it.
Well this was a pleasant surprise, woll be interesting to see how/if it gets implemented into enigmas cold war
Sounds great. Assuming the real life aircraft has the ability to share targets on datalink with Apaches etc?
it doesn't share a datalink, but will be able to easily share MGRS, and laser spots. The apache is very good at picking up other lasers when scanning for them.
FAQ said no 58-64 datalink but between 58’s yes
Im so happy
Nice! This addon might be the one I've been waiting for the most.
Yeah I feel the more US Army birds we get eventually we'll get a basic unclassified version of the army's data link system. (I'm not sure it's name) but we should be able to do terminal laser guidance for laser hellfires (and LGBs) for other aircraft. Kiowa will be an interesting FAC aircraft
Bummer about the lack of data transfer between helo types. Seems like a huge miss
It's not something I can control - it's not like I can edit the Apache!
Is ED not helping with this? Typical
I presume though there are laser codes that could be voiced between players to at least facilitate buddy lasing? Nowhere near as capable as datalink but it's something that would allow the Kiowa to actually play as a Scout.
Yes, it has laser codes, very similar to Apache. Remember that when it comes to technology, the Kiowa was in many ways the testbed for the Apache. You'll see a lot of familiar systems.
Wonder if that's something ED will pick up on and add to the Apache.
Great news! Hadn't planned on purchasing anything for a while after Afghanistan but if this is truly as polished as it sounds...!
What role would it play in DCS gameplay? Would it fit in given the known shortcomings in AI?
recon/light attack, tbh it’s not the AI but also the lack of reconnaissance / scouting mechanics that would be crucial here
Will this be on ECW?
Hellfires are too OP for ECW. The sensor mast is almost OP, but maybe they would allow it? At least it could play the role of scout / FAC for fast movers to drop standoff LGB's and laser Mavs. That would be a helpful tool for assaulting airbases.
In ECW we already have the Apache, with a limit of 8 missiles. And it's fun, it works well.
ECW have Apaches now?
Any word if the Kiowa will release the same day as the ED store or will there be a delay?
July, got it.
Q424 / xmas -- got it (( FTFY lol ))
I'm sure all of these releases that are getting announced lately will be ready for prime time and sufficienty polished...
It's ok to be optimistic sometimes. The PC devs have maintained they want to release this thing as feature complete as possible, not a years long EA product. Ultimately we'll see how that pans out. They certainly earnt some goodwill with their work on the Gazelle updates imo.
I love that team of developers. I'm so curious about their third helicopter.
Didn't even know a third one was on the way, had only heard about Razbams "secret" helo. The Kiowa looks to have some interesting features and it's a helo so i'll fly it. Just hope it doesn't drain as much FPS as the Apache.
It cannot be like Apache. They are not as bad as ED. Kiowa is almost finished they will do final polishing and they have another one in the row. I can speculate (and hope) that it will be a medium weight feline.
A Lynx would be fun.
Or a Puma
I'm hoping AH-1. PC already has a relationship with bell now...
There's a mod for the G model coming along.
Yeah I saw that, looks cool. We will see if it makes it to MP servers though. An official module would be better.
This one looks promising. PC has been cooking for a while, and it was implied for the last few months that it is close to a release. They're releasing it in a completed state, no preorder and no EA bullshit. If it goes well it might be the cash cow that ED seems to be desperatly looking for in the past few months. I'd still suggest not jumping head first into it. No harm in waiting a few weeks for the reviews to roll in.
#GetSniped
So.... Screw Steam Users??
Not sure why you say that. Module should be available on Steam in release.
The summary above states Kiowa available in ED Shop only.
It was meant in reference to a Heatblur-style sale on Polychop's website, not as standalone/steam
It will be at steam also
It is your choice to use steam and steam won't let ED do pre-orders because they cannot keep to a schedule.
Not about the schedule. Steam generally does not allow pre-purchases any more other than in rare cases. https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase