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    Supporting the When Thunder Rolled Project...
    WTRAdmin
    By WTRAdmin,
    If you've ever supported the When Thunder Rolled Project in anyway, first again accept my sincere appreciation and gratitude.  I would ask that you please email me with your contributions list and an upcoming announcement at:  admin@whenthunderrolled.com .  If you're still interested in contributing in some way, we welcome and encourage you to reach out.  Just to avoid any misguided speculation, this request is not implying any near-term release date.  Thanks again, here's a good blast of early 2Q 2019 WTR screenies that are long overdue...hope you enjoy.  

    Developer Diary 227 WIP shots
    76.IAP-Blackbird
    By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
    Dear Friends,   After the recent release of the update 3.102 many of you wondered "why there are no new Bodenplatte planes"? There is nothing strange about it: the remaining three player-controllable fighters and AI-controlled bomber are the most complex and difficult to produce objects in the entire history of our team. But the more difficult is the task the more interesting is the result. At the moment we plan to make all these four planes available to you in the next huge update at the end of September that will also bring the important new features we're working on at the moment. Here's the rundown on their current statuses: P-51D-15: cockpit texturing and flight model is in development. P-38J-25: cockpit texturing is nearly finished, the flight model is finished, it will go to beta testing soon. Tempest Mk.V ser.2: 3D model is finished, the flight model is nearly finished, it will go to beta testing soon as well. B-25D (Mitchell II): 3D model is finished, we’re working on the last bits of texturing and turret animations, the flight model is in development. The work on the Rhineland map for Bodenplatte is also progressing well and we'll show you some of it in one of the coming DDs. We're working on the new Career timeframe 'Battle of Rhineland' in parallel. Now let's list the features that are at the final stage of development at the moment: Switch to the newer F-MOD API version which we hope will fix the disappearing sounds issue right away or in the near future. An advanced model of pilot physiology that includes complex fatigue modeling that takes into account G-overload fatigue, overload frequency, alternation of positive and negative overloads, wounds, having a G-suit, lack of oxygen and oxygen supply system. The model will also simulate a loss of consciousness and ability to control an aircraft after experiencing too sharp or too severe overloads. The algorithms it is using are based on the research of various institutes. The introduction of this model is likely to change the flow of air combat, especially in multiplayer. However, those who find it too difficult and unfamiliar will be able to switch it off as realism option (it will also be a server setting). Air Marshal mode that is being developed especially for multiplayer will also enter the testing stage soon. When this happens, we'll dedicate a special DD to it. Improved AI maneuvering in a dogfight. Our new programmer is working on this (the recent formation keeping improvements are his work), but remember there is still a long way to go in this area. Improved visibility distance of planes and ships. The main difficulty in the development of this feature was making the dynamic objects show at great distances without a steady stream of data reporting their position and orientation. Another important thing is to model the lighting of the airplane even at long range - we discarded the idea of having just black dots at these distances, where the visibility of an object is determined by the position of the sun, brightness and hue of the sky, haze, etc. All this is impossible to model having only a black dot. The distant planes flying at high altitudes will have contrails and ships will have visible wakes. It is also important to have more or less equal terms for owners of different monitors. Having completed all these tasks, we'll increase the maximum visibility distance for planes and ships from 10 to 100 km and the resulting visibility distance will realistically correspond to the lighting and weather conditions. As you can see, the Bodenplatte project is at the final stage and nearing release. Numerous changes and additions to be seen in the final version are more or less close to being finished. Therefore, the update 3.102 included the content that was ready and a minimal amount of changes - at the final stage nothing should divert the team from the main target. We don't want our words to sound empty or unfounded, so today we can show you the in-game exterior shots of the P-38J-25 Collector Plane (that is included in Bodenplatte Premium, only version you can get at the moment), the cockpit of the British Tempest Mk.V ser.2 and the new German pilot in Summer 1944 uniform:         You can discuss the news in this thread

    The AH-1w Super Cobra
    Skyviper
    By Skyviper,
    This segment is all about the AH-1w Super Cobra. The AH-1w Super Cobra was introduced to service in 1986 and is being replaced by the AH-1z Viper or "Zulu Cobra" the difference with the Zulu Cobra is that it features 4 rotor blades and the Target Sighting System or TSS. In this video you'll learn about this aircraft's routes in Vietnam as well as a brief history about the Cobra.  

    Il2 DD Update Dev Blog 227
    76.IAP-Blackbird
    By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
    Dear friends,   We're glad to report that the new update containing three new war machines are out. The first one of them is Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.G German medium tank for Tank Crew - Clash at Prokhorovka project. It was one of the most commonly used German tanks and had an interesting mix of powerful weaponry and lacking armor, making its use in the sim somewhat peculiar. It also had an interesting feature - autonomous turret traverse mechanism powered by a dedicated petrol motor.     The second one is the WWI RAF fighter bomber Bristol Fighter F.2B for Flying Circus - Volume 1 project. This airplane had good flight characteristics among the two-seaters, various armament and could perform a wide selection of tasks. Two modifications of this aircraft are included - with Falcon II and Falcon III engines.     And the third one is another Flying Circus - Volume 1 aircraft - German WWI ground attack plane Halberstadt CL.II. This multifunctional machine had good defensive turret equipped with one or two Parabellum LMG 14 machine guns fed by large-capacity magazines. Halberstadt could have one or two forward-firing MGs and carry 12 kg and 50 kg bombs, camera for aerial recon and radio for aerial spotting.     In addition to them, the update includes exterior textures in 4K quality for Bf 109 G-14 and Fw 190 A-3. There are also several important improvements in the full list of changes:     1. PzKpfw.IV Ausf.G is available to Tank Crew - Clash at Prokhorovka owners;
    2. Halberstadt CL.II (Mercedes D.IIIa (180 h.p.) and Mercedes D.IIIau (200 h.p.) modifications) is available to Flying Circus - volume 1 owners;
    3. Bristol Fighter F2.B (Falcon II (255 h.p.) и Falcon III (285 h.p.) modifications) is available to Flying Circus - volume 1 owners;  
    4. Bf 109 G-14 has 4K exterior texturing made by Martin =ICDP= Catney;
    5. Fw 190 A-3 has 4K exterior texturing made by Martin =ICDP= Catney;  
    6. User interface checkbox that disallows other players to occupy one of the stations of your tank in multiplayer works now;
    7. Main tank gunfire sound won't be skipped while shooting at a maximum rate of fire;
    8. Tank traverse systems on player controllable tanks can be damaged now;
    9. Switching between main and backup gunsights on player controllable tanks happens correctly;  
    10. Chalk slopes on the Prokhorovka map won't visibly appear and disappear;
    11. Forests on the Prokhorovka map won't visibly blink;  
    12. Looking at an aircraft mirror at certain view angles won't cause a severe performance drop that was noticeable at high visibility distance settings on low- and middle-end video cards;
    13. Destroyed ground vehicles on the GUI map are semi-transparent;
    14. Engine throttle control helper logic has been updated (previously it could limit the available engine power at high altitudes);
    15. S.E.5, Sopwith Camel and Sopwith Dolphin ailerons buffeting amplitudes at higher flight speeds have been corrected.   Please discuss the update in this thread.

    The AC-130
    Skyviper
    By Skyviper,
    C-130s typically don't get people excited ... unless they're bringing supplies, painted in Blue Angels colors, or equipped with a variety of weapons and 105mm Howitzer. This segment of Quick Aircraft Facts is all about the AC-130.  

    Il2 DD Update Dev Blog 226
    76.IAP-Blackbird
    By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
    Hello everybody,
    This time we'll start with a small release. As we said before, we began working together with Mikhail =HH=Pauk Zemskov who makes great gameplay videos. The first fruit of this cooperation has been presented to you in April in Dev Blog #222 - that video was dedicated to our first WWII project - Battle of Stalingrad. And today we present you his second work - Battle of Moscow. As always, =HH=Pauk captured the spirit of the project, its vibe, very well. See for yourself:  
    In the meantime, the Bodenplatte release comes closer and closer. We told about the work we're doing at this stage in our previous Dev Blog, and today we want to show you some visual results - it is better to see once than to hear a thousand words. Even better - to see in the sim engine already. The hero of the day is the British fighter Hawker Tempest Mk.V series 2. It turned out to be very complex and simultaneously very interesting to recreate - like all British flying machines which were always famous for their distinctness and original design decisions:  
    As always, we constantly update our previous releases. As part of our plan to have all the aircraft in 4K eventually, Fw 190 A-3 Collector Plane for Battle of Stalingrad will be available in 4K in the next update thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney:  
    Now let's move to the news about our other projects. Scenario campaigns for Tank Crew - Clash at Prokhorovka are nearly finished, soon we'll record the voices for them and start their beta testing. Our partner Digital Forms is finishing the interior of Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G and it's beta testing will start this weekend:  
    Flying Circus is also moving forward: Halberstadt CL.II and Bristol Fighter F.2B airplanes have their cockpits finished and they are going to this beta too.    
    All in all, we progress in all directions and the closer the development is to the release the more interesting details about the coming additions we can tell you.   You can discuss the news in this thread

Portal by DevFuse · Based on IP.Board Portal by IPS


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