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IL 2 BATTLE OF KUBAN DD 184 (2 x videos)
By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
Hello everybody,
The New Year is almost here, and our office is very busy. As Jason announced earlier, BoK release is planned for the last third of the winter and we have a lot to make in time for it. The final part of the work on the Career mode turned out to be a lot more difficult than anticipated - those improvements that we planned to combine the best from RoF and BoS worlds require an astonishing amount of work. The overall work is tripled by the fact that we create the Career mode for three war theatres at once - not only new BoK, but also for previously released Battle of Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad. The amount of squadron histories research, work on preparing the map data for the generator were tripled; this also significantly increased the time needed for unique theatre settings. On the other hand, the final result we expect to get should make up for this hard work and release delay. It is important to note, that last two times (in RoF and BoS) Viktor =FB=VikS Sechnoy developed the generator templates that were significantly limited, this time he makes it as he sees right. Our producer Jason gave Viks the freedom that he asked for. Everything will be changed - mission tasks, mission success conditions, mission progress conditions, the placement of various objects near the front line. For instance, to complete a ground attack mission you can destroy various different enemy targets in the designated area, not necessarily the main target listed in the briefing. There are many other things that should make the new gameplay more diverse and interesting compared to earlier BoS campaign or RoF career.
The new Coop multiplayer mode is almost done. This game mode is much like RoF Coop, but IL-2 Coop will have several improvements compared to RoF one thanks to our GUI programmer Vitaly Tolmachev. It will be possible to form player groups using a dialog window and assign a different route to each. There will be also an option to fly a gunner like in Dogfight.
Thanks to Coop development, we're also improving the game statistics system, which will benefit all the game modes. First of all, stats will become more informative. After making necessary improvements that stats parser tool was designed to support from the start, in the future we plan to further expand and improve the statistics system. Moreover, the entire MP points assignment system will be revised. Difficulty modifier will be gone - on all difficulty settings, players will receive the same amount of points. We do this because it turned out that setting strict rules for set groups of users is not needed for the community, and most MP servers use custom difficulty settings where points are not counted at all. We also won't set the player points to zero if he is killed or captured. Instead, we're adding additional player states the community asked us for some time:
Airplanes:
Successful Landing at airfield : x 2.5
Emergency Landing at airfield : x 2.0
Forced Landing outside the base : x 2.0
Ditched : x 1.5
Bailed Out : x 1.0
Flight Canceled : x 0.5
Captured : x 0.5
Killed : x 0.5
Friendly Fire : x 0.0
Vehicles:
In Service : x 1.5
Broken : x 1.0
Killed : x 0.5
Friendly Fire : x 0.0
Statistics system isn't the only thing that is changed by adding Coop mode - you'll be able to host a server not only from a separate DServer tool using a different account, but from within a game. You will be able to specify all the required parameters in the game itself and participate in the mission he is hosting together with other players. Such servers will be visible in the servers list just like DServer ones. You'll be able to host both Dogfight and Coop servers this way.
Another chunk of news today is that we started Bf 109 G-6 flight model development since its 3D model is ready. This aircraft is going to be interesting, here's its cockpit screenshot:
Speaking of aircraft, we finished the raindrops visual effect on the canopy and restored the old RoF feature with raindrops on pilot's goggles. They both kick in when they should, creating a new level of immersion during rain. When you're on the ground and the canopy is opened, the raindrops will land on your goggles. While taking off, the front glass will protect you from the rain, unless you move your virtual head outside. While the movement of raindrops on the canopy surface and on the pilot's goggles is simplified, it is physics based and changes depending on airspeed and flight direction. Even if there is no rain, the raindrops will appear when you fly through a cumulus cloud or very low above the water. This 5-minute gameplay video showcases this feature:
youtube.com/watch?v=DTl6PZ8SQGs Now let's show you something more grounded. Since the graphics improvements for BoK are nearly complete, we started the work on tech required for new projects. The research on Bodenplatte map and scenery has started and we'll tell you about it a bit later, but today we can give you more info on another project - Tank Crew. All tanks will have the detailed exterior and interior (WIP screenshots are coming soon). Right now here's the screenshot of the current Pz. III tank model you already have in the game that shows the new visor tech - prismatic optical instruments and triplex armored glass: Our partners are making the tank models while we make the necessary new tech for them to look best, for instance, the new tech to make the tank tracks look as real ones as possible. This tech is different to what two most popular tank games are using and is more modern and perspective. It is not heavy on polycount, performance optimized, looks good at different distances, including close up views, and is also convenient for 3D modelers to work with. Our lead programmer Sergey Vorsin not only made all that but also made sure the tracks move in a physically correct way at different speeds. In addition, Sergey has made it possible to topple trees on the edges of woods, in the wood lines and single standing trees. This option is optimal for game performance (it doesn't adversely affect the performance of the entire game and doesn't clog the bandwidth in the multiplayer) and is also realistic because a tank crew couldn't expect to move right through a forest. Although physics of tree-toppling is very simplified due to the insane amount of trees in the game, it still looks better than in many other projects. We plan to improve many other technologies for Tank Crew project. In particular, we plan to make landscape mesh 16 times more detailed for smaller, 100x100 km tank maps. This will allow creating the fully-featured multiplayer missions with tanks and aircraft acting simultaneously in one mission (10000 sq.km. are more than enough for fighters and ground attack planes). In the same time, tank players will have very good landscape visuals on such maps. However, as they say, it is better to see once than to hear many times. So here is 3-minute gameplay video which showcases two new tank features - new tracks and tree-toppling:
youtube.com/watch?v=3tQVifFTGKY
youtube.com/watch?v=DTl6PZ8SQGs Now let's show you something more grounded. Since the graphics improvements for BoK are nearly complete, we started the work on tech required for new projects. The research on Bodenplatte map and scenery has started and we'll tell you about it a bit later, but today we can give you more info on another project - Tank Crew. All tanks will have the detailed exterior and interior (WIP screenshots are coming soon). Right now here's the screenshot of the current Pz. III tank model you already have in the game that shows the new visor tech - prismatic optical instruments and triplex armored glass: Our partners are making the tank models while we make the necessary new tech for them to look best, for instance, the new tech to make the tank tracks look as real ones as possible. This tech is different to what two most popular tank games are using and is more modern and perspective. It is not heavy on polycount, performance optimized, looks good at different distances, including close up views, and is also convenient for 3D modelers to work with. Our lead programmer Sergey Vorsin not only made all that but also made sure the tracks move in a physically correct way at different speeds. In addition, Sergey has made it possible to topple trees on the edges of woods, in the wood lines and single standing trees. This option is optimal for game performance (it doesn't adversely affect the performance of the entire game and doesn't clog the bandwidth in the multiplayer) and is also realistic because a tank crew couldn't expect to move right through a forest. Although physics of tree-toppling is very simplified due to the insane amount of trees in the game, it still looks better than in many other projects. We plan to improve many other technologies for Tank Crew project. In particular, we plan to make landscape mesh 16 times more detailed for smaller, 100x100 km tank maps. This will allow creating the fully-featured multiplayer missions with tanks and aircraft acting simultaneously in one mission (10000 sq.km. are more than enough for fighters and ground attack planes). In the same time, tank players will have very good landscape visuals on such maps. However, as they say, it is better to see once than to hear many times. So here is 3-minute gameplay video which showcases two new tank features - new tracks and tree-toppling:
youtube.com/watch?v=3tQVifFTGKY
Holiday Sale is On! Massive Savings! Dec. 21 - Jan. 4
By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
Dear Pilots,
Our Holiday Sale has started on our website and on Steam! The sale runs from December 21st until January 4th.
- 50% OFF Fw-190 A-3 and La-5 (series 8)
- 40% OFF Ju-52, Yak-1B, P-40E and Mc.202
- 50% OFF BOM and BOS
- 50% OFF 10 Days of Autumn Campaign
- 33% OFF Blazing Steppe Campaign
- 66% OFF all ROF Content
....and don't forget Cliffs of Dover BLITZ is also on sale for 25% Off at just $18.75.
We would like to wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy a happy and safe holidays!
Store:
https://il2sturmovik.com/store/battle-of-moscow/
Link:
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/33072-holiday-sale-massive-savings-dec-21-jan-4/
Dear Pilots,
Our Holiday Sale has started on our website and on Steam! The sale runs from December 21st until January 4th.
- 50% OFF Fw-190 A-3 and La-5 (series 8)
- 40% OFF Ju-52, Yak-1B, P-40E and Mc.202
- 50% OFF BOM and BOS
- 50% OFF 10 Days of Autumn Campaign
- 33% OFF Blazing Steppe Campaign
- 66% OFF all ROF Content
....and don't forget Cliffs of Dover BLITZ is also on sale for 25% Off at just $18.75.
We would like to wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy a happy and safe holidays!
Store:
https://il2sturmovik.com/store/battle-of-moscow/
Link:
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/33072-holiday-sale-massive-savings-dec-21-jan-4/
Falcon 4.0 today: The Campaign
By MigBuster,
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away……….it would appear that games developers started projects based on what they could achieve rather than what time and money constrained them to achieving!
…..So brings our hero in this story a certain Mr Kevin Klemmick who on his first ever job found himself being given quite a challenge:
Initially I was hired as an intern and asked to design and develop a dynamic campaign. For better or worse there wasn’t a lot of direction on what that would entail – the directive was mostly to make something that would be a persistent world and generate dynamic missions instead of the pre-scripted model which was the norm.
In case you are wondering the Dynamic Campaign of Falcon 4.0 is still a gem of the modern flight sim world, so some brief quotes on what it involved to create such a thing are in order:
I was given a pretty blank check in designing the Dynamic Campaign, so I approached it as I would a strategy game. The idea being that this game would be running in the background whether or not the player flew any missions. In fact, it could be played as a strategy game from the tool I wrote to monitor it. The AI was broken into three tiers, a strategic level, operational level and tactical level. Yet another level of AI would operate in the Simulation itself to drive the vehicles or aircraft.
The missions were generated as a by-product of this AI, and in fact used real world planning techniques. For example, once a priority list of targets was determined, a package would be put together to time suppression of air defence, air superiority, refuelling, AWACS, etc. All these missions would be timed out and planned much like a real-world commander would, but were generated as a response to decisions made by the campaign’s AI.
While my primary goal was to make something fun to play, we were very fortunate to get a lot of advice from military sources about how things work in the real world and I tried to match that as closely as possible while keeping the game play elements that I felt were important. However, all of this had to work within a very tiny slice of the CPU, which was a huge limitation given all the AI/planning work that was going on. That was probably the biggest challenge of this system.
So, got that right.
What was the difference between this dynamic thingy and a pre-scripted model?
An example of pre-scripted from the Strike Fighters series would be someone creating missions with the Mission Editor or before the Mission Editor existed, Yankee Air Pirate creating missions for players. There are some advantages to this such as recreating historical missions or providing a story or backdrop for the player beforehand. The main disadvantage is that once you have played the mission a few times it’s basically the same thing each time.
Of course, Falcon 4.0 does also have a Mission Editor (Tactical Editor) and you can create missions or training scenarios. DCS also has a Mission Editor that includes some quite advanced features for mission designers.
Nostalgia and story based missions from yesteryear (Novalogic)
Campaign Mode
Although it can appear to be just a set of single missions Strike Fighters does have a basic dynamic campaign. DCS campaigns on the other hand are currently a set of scripted missions, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have some very good campaigns in this sense!
A Falcon campaign starts with a ticking clock on day one, and the whole thing runs on a massive scale putting the player either in a 2D map mode or joining the campaign by flying in the 3D world as part of it.
Even in the 2D map mode the player can see most of the things happening (there is still a fog of war) and also gets news updates on major events. Of course, the missions you do fly will be different and often unpredictable, and that is the extra challenge!
Here you can plan and influence things.........bet you didn't plan for that big purple blob.........looks like the space ship from Independence day is here!
Yes, the player can run the campaign as default and just join auto fragged missions every now and then – or they have a lot of power to create packages, flights, to frag their own missions, change package loadouts, join other squadrons etc, etc. Anyway, I won’t go any further because the scale is rather large.
Note, that if you do just run a campaign without changing the initial mission types and PAK's you will be given non-stop suicide missions and so will your AI buddies! (so, change them!)
And yes BMS 4.33 comes with a full set of manuals created by other heroes telling you all you need in the Docs folder in your install (e.g. C:\BMS-433-U1\Docs\Falcon BMS Manuals)
The default campaign is Korea in which you can club Kim Jong Un's Cold War museum collection with a multitude of modern weapons like AIM-9X and HMCS. For an extra challenge select Korea Strong and prepare to eat AMRAAMSKI from the Flanker Hoards.
By 2014 the North Korean air force went through a massive modernization program which included (or perhaps involved entirely of) employment of beautiful young women (Yonhap News / Aviationist)
Of course, as mentioned in part 1 there are many other campaigns and theatres to try from the modding community for BMS 4.33.
Totally new Allied Force campaigns - joy!
New additions & changes to BMS 4.33
Default loadouts
Thank the maker! Any past players may have noted that when 4 x Su-30s appeared on the horizon, your escorts armed to the teeth with 2 x AIM-9Ps and a CBU-52 would be nothing more than useful missile decoys! This may have prompted some like myself to spend ages before missions tweaking loadouts of other flights! But it seems someone has finally improved things here for the better!
Ground war
You can now control the ground units if you like, one benefit of this is to finish campaigns a lot quicker. And yes, this feature was in the 2005 Falcon 4.0 Allied Force.
MANPADs
Less welcoming from Allied Force is the addition of MANPADs that make going below the clouds a bit of a no no unless you like jumping out of airplanes! MANPADs were there before 4.33 but were somewhat lackluster in comparison.
Reduced weapon supply
You may want to try to hold onto those drop tanks a bit longer because unlimited supply may no longer be the case……………you can of course just frag those super brave tanker boys to get you that juice.
The little things
Adding detail onto the campaign map to be saved to your data cartridge for use in flight is now made better just by the fact that it persists after each mission instead of having to redo it every time!
Be a king of Situational Awareness with Bullseye positions, FLOT, Radar coverage, flight path SAM rings and data link tracks!
Weather with you
From manual:
Weather management has been drastically improved, with a dynamic weather system which changes with time as it moves across the BMS terrain. Bad weather effects have also been improved, with better visibility management and new cumulus cloud layers.
If you like a challenge you can get pretty good random weather in the campaigns that will require some thought on how you do things when neither you or a targeting pod can actually see the targets! Anyone who learnt their A-G radar mode skills back in the day will still find they still come in handy.
A shout out to the rain effect in Falcon which is by far my favourite in any sim so far:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
From manual:
The AI is now much better at energy management, timing and fuel efficiency thanks to updated climb profiles, top of climb and top of descent management. Holding points and push points have been improved. AI now perform baseline intercepts much more effectively (be warned). This is important for BVR combat but also for tanker rendezvous. The ATO features new target selection logic and package constitution.
AI ATC has been drastically improved, providing reliable management of the traffic queue. New options for autonomous approach have been created to allow human players to approach airbases without having to listen to ATC vectoring you through the pattern (useful when you are flying IFR for instance).
Note on the last paragraph, which provides a happy medium between the full talk down and the emergency landing…………the full talk down is still fantastic in pea soup weather where there is no ILS at the air base.
So, there you have it, still an addictive pleasure that will lead you into a false sense of security before kicking your A!
Well, it’s just really hard to do. Looking back on it, I think the only reason we took on what we did is because we were too inexperienced to know better. Knowing what I do now, even given my experience on Falcon, the cost to develop such an engine would be substantial. Since flight sims don’t bring in that kind of revenue companies look at it from a cost to benefit standpoint and Dynamic Campaigns score pretty low in that regard. There is also the argument that scripted missions are more interesting which has some merit. I think if I were to do it over I would do a mix of scripted/generated missions, so that the player still feels like they’re involved in the world, but there is also some variety thrown in to keep things interesting.
Kevin Klemmick 2012
Disclaimer - this article may contain Star Wars quotes.
DCS Weekend News 8 & 15 December 2017
By MigBuster,
DCS World 2.2 Now Available
Version 2.2 of DCS World released!
The primary features of this update are the addition of the AV-8B Night Attack V/STOL and the P-51D Mustang: Charnwood Campaign to DCS World 2.
You can find the complete change log here.
P-51D Mustang: Charnwood Campaign Available
Created by the same team behind the Spitfire LF Mk.IX: Epsom Campaign, the Charnwood Campaign is a historically-based campaign for the P-51D Mustang over Normandy in July 1944. The Charnwood campaign reproduces P-51D missions flown in support of the allied breakout of Normandy and the eventual capture of Caen. Given the Mustang's combination of air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities (bombs and rockets), this campaign offers a wealth of mission types and challenges. Each mission is based on real missions, down to the weather, mission times, squadrons, mission tasks, and allied and axis locations.
Key Features:
12 historic missions taken from detailed accounts of Operation Charnwood
Detailed briefing and briefing images, including separate PDF mission files
Unique kneeboard graphics for each mission
Hundreds of specially recorded voice-over messages to recreate the actual callsigns and accents
A wide array of missions included armed reconnaissance, rail interdiction, and ground attack
Takes advantage of new AI features like Flak avoidance, authentic formations, and improve artificial intelligence for air and ground units
See in the Campaign section of the DCS e-shop.
DCS: AV-8B Night Attack Update
Last week, we and RAZBAM released DCS: AV-8B Night Attack V/STOL with a great reception! We are all ecstatic about the overwhelming positive response! We and RAZBAM released a "hot fix" shortly after release that addressed a few pressing bugs. In the coming weeks and months, we and RAZBAM will be working hard to bring the AV-8B out of Early Access and on to Steam.
DCS: AV-8B Night Attack S/VTOL Web Page
Purchase from DCS E-Shop
Video: DCS: AV-8B N/A VTOL - Pre-purchase Trailer
Here are some of our favorite AV-8B fan videos over the past few days:
DCS - Razbam AV-8B NA Harrier II
DCS World - AV8B By Razbam
DCS - Harrier Night Attack // NAVFLIR, AGM-122 & IR Maverick
DCS World - Harrier LHD Landing
DCS World - AV-8B N/A II Harrier - Early Access - Startup/Taxi/STOL/VTOL/Eject
Thanks to all the Youtubers for supporting us!
Mi-8MTV2: Oilfield Campaign Available on Steam
The Mi-8MTV2: Oilfield Campaign is now available on Steam! This great campaign requires the DCS: Mi-8MTV2.
Life in civil aviation is far removed from dangers of military conflict. Instead, it's based on strict time tables and lunch breaks. Meet a group of old friends: captain Jury Maksimovich Protasov and his Mi-8MTV2 crew. After the events of the "Spring Tension" conflict, they are again in business together. However, this time they are gainfully employed as cargo transportation contractors, serving the interests of the oil industry.
Rather than combat, this campaign will test your knowledge of the Mi-8MTV2 navigation suite in order to locate oil derricks scattered over the forests. Challenge yourself as a cargo pilot and never have to worry about being shot at again!
Features:
Based on a real-life helicopter pilot missions
16 full-scale missions
Various cargos and mission task situations
Landing in a different locations and weather conditions
Over 350 scripted radio messages
Voice overs for helicopter startup procedures
Briefing with flight chart maps
Flight charts are included pilot's kneeboard
English and Russian localization - voice overs and subtitles
DCS World Steam Store
Sincerely,
The Eagle Dynamics Team DCS World 1.5.8 Hot Fix 2 This week we released a new update for 1.5.8 that addresses some pressing issues such as: Multiple AV-8Bs can operate form the Tarawa Multiple Tarawa-class ships can be included in a ship grouping Weapon-related crash for Combined Arms has been fixed Rearm and Refuel menu error corrected for Multiplayer You can read the complete list of changes on the DCS forum Su-33 for DCS World Released on Steam Available on the DCS World Steam Store page The Su-33 has been the backbone of Russian aircraft carrier aviation since the late 1990s and is an all-weather fighter capable of engaging both air and surface targets. Based on the powerful Su-27 "Flanker", the Su-33 is a navalized version suited for operations aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier. Changes to the Su-33 include strengthened landing gear, folding wings, more powerful engines, and the very visible canards. The Su-33 is equipped with a powerful pulse doppler radar and an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) for engaging aerial targets with a wide range of radar- and infrared-guided missiles and its internal cannon. For air-to-surface attack, the Su-33 can be armed with many types of unguided bombs, rockets, and cluster munitions. Despite its large size, the Su-33 is very capable in a dogfight when combined with its integral helmet-mounted sight and off-boresight missiles. Key Features: Professional Flight Model (PFM). Virtual Reality supported. Highly accurate and detailed external model and cockpit. Wide range of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including internal cannon. Modeling of electronic countermeasures and radar warning receiver. Realistic modeling of carrier landing approach system. Detailed and accurate simulation of the wing control surfaces that include the leading and trailing edge flaps and the differential ailerons. In addition to the conventional differential stabilizers, canard behavior has also been improved for more realistic behavior. The Flight Control System (FCS) will automatically reconfigure itself depending on the flight mode. Includes the wing-fold mechanism, reinforced landing gear struts, and the inclusion of high-gain nose wheel steering for use on crowded carrier decks. Correct physics for the arrestor wire and its' interaction with the aircraft. The engines have a "special mode" that adds up to 12,800 kg of thrust (instead of the normal 12,500 kg of thrust). This mode also includes realistic operating time restrictions. Includes a special FCS mode used when aerial refueling. When in this mode and the control stick is released, the aircraft will automatically maintain level flight. This FCS mode allows fine-control and thus making it easier to make contact with the tanker within a pitch range of plus or minus 5 degrees and of a roll angle of plus or minus 10 degrees. The Auto-Thrust Control (ATC) is used for automatic speed holding and can be fine-tuned with a set speed switch. This can be useful with landing on the carrier. Inclusion of the automatic collision avoidance system ("Uvod" mode) that allows safe nap-of-the-earth flying. Note: This is the exact same Su-33 that comes with DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3. As part of the DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3 series, the cockpit is non-mouse interactive. Happy holidays,
The Eagle Dynamics Team
The Eagle Dynamics Team DCS World 1.5.8 Hot Fix 2 This week we released a new update for 1.5.8 that addresses some pressing issues such as: Multiple AV-8Bs can operate form the Tarawa Multiple Tarawa-class ships can be included in a ship grouping Weapon-related crash for Combined Arms has been fixed Rearm and Refuel menu error corrected for Multiplayer You can read the complete list of changes on the DCS forum Su-33 for DCS World Released on Steam Available on the DCS World Steam Store page The Su-33 has been the backbone of Russian aircraft carrier aviation since the late 1990s and is an all-weather fighter capable of engaging both air and surface targets. Based on the powerful Su-27 "Flanker", the Su-33 is a navalized version suited for operations aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier. Changes to the Su-33 include strengthened landing gear, folding wings, more powerful engines, and the very visible canards. The Su-33 is equipped with a powerful pulse doppler radar and an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) for engaging aerial targets with a wide range of radar- and infrared-guided missiles and its internal cannon. For air-to-surface attack, the Su-33 can be armed with many types of unguided bombs, rockets, and cluster munitions. Despite its large size, the Su-33 is very capable in a dogfight when combined with its integral helmet-mounted sight and off-boresight missiles. Key Features: Professional Flight Model (PFM). Virtual Reality supported. Highly accurate and detailed external model and cockpit. Wide range of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including internal cannon. Modeling of electronic countermeasures and radar warning receiver. Realistic modeling of carrier landing approach system. Detailed and accurate simulation of the wing control surfaces that include the leading and trailing edge flaps and the differential ailerons. In addition to the conventional differential stabilizers, canard behavior has also been improved for more realistic behavior. The Flight Control System (FCS) will automatically reconfigure itself depending on the flight mode. Includes the wing-fold mechanism, reinforced landing gear struts, and the inclusion of high-gain nose wheel steering for use on crowded carrier decks. Correct physics for the arrestor wire and its' interaction with the aircraft. The engines have a "special mode" that adds up to 12,800 kg of thrust (instead of the normal 12,500 kg of thrust). This mode also includes realistic operating time restrictions. Includes a special FCS mode used when aerial refueling. When in this mode and the control stick is released, the aircraft will automatically maintain level flight. This FCS mode allows fine-control and thus making it easier to make contact with the tanker within a pitch range of plus or minus 5 degrees and of a roll angle of plus or minus 10 degrees. The Auto-Thrust Control (ATC) is used for automatic speed holding and can be fine-tuned with a set speed switch. This can be useful with landing on the carrier. Inclusion of the automatic collision avoidance system ("Uvod" mode) that allows safe nap-of-the-earth flying. Note: This is the exact same Su-33 that comes with DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3. As part of the DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3 series, the cockpit is non-mouse interactive. Happy holidays,
The Eagle Dynamics Team
Falcon 4.0 today
By MigBuster,
Now for a quick look at an F-16 flight combat simulator you may have heard of, in particular the only version of Falcon 4.0 currently in development.
Benchmark Simulations official add on to Falcon 4.0 is called BMS 4.33 (currently upgrade 4) and to use you need to buy the original 1998 Microprose Falcon 4.0 from places such as GOG.com and then install that first. Then you install BMS 4.33 after downloading via the torrent from the BMS web site.
Now if you are lucky you perhaps played the original or one of the other versions, or even the other official release Falcon 4.0 Allied Force from 2005 (that I will confirm BMS most certainly DOES NOT work with). However if you have not, you will be starting a learning and somewhat challenging journey, which is about what these types of things are all about after all.
Things like the Avionics go very in depth and 4.33 brought with it a Maverick Handoff procedure with the targeting Pod that will make grown men cry – although I am not entirely sure a certain defence contractor couldn’t have made it easier if they had tried!
You might also have noticed the Avionics Configurator option on the splash screen that already caters for about 40 different versions of the F-16. That’s right if you are not familiar with F-16s then erm well even a Block 50 for example has different versions with different avionics and capabilities depending on the year (upgrades) and the country it was sold to and this is impressively catered for.
I will have a Block 30 with GE-132 and go faster stripes please
Although Falcon BMS does still trounce all in its path in certain aspects I am going to briefly start on one of the less impressive parts of Falcon, that being the visual environment. Despite its 1998 origins, limitations have been progressively overcome to improve this area also. BMS 4.33 Came with many new ground and air objects as well as a new terrain set with trees by Polak.
Like Strike Fighters there are some very talented individuals who have spent years providing professional level mods for free. I will give mention to Falcon Legend JanHas (http://www.janhas.net/) who has been around for…ever it seems. Real credit to the guy and rest be assured every rivet is polished to perfection to provide models as good as or better than anything else. His mods also come with comprehensive install documentation – and yes you do need it.
New afterburner flame most welcome
Installing mods is not as easy as Strike Fighters, there are bits you copy and paste but the models still need LodEditor to install them. Having just installed pretty much all of the JanHas mods I can tell you that despite it looking complex initially you are just pressing buttons and changing a few numbers at the end of the day so after the first few it becomes pretty easy – just time consuming having to do it manually.
Why are these mods not in the baseline install making my life easier? - Well the reason is I have read that BMS have certain standards they keep to so it still runs on lower spec hardware.
After a Herculean effort to get the mods installed!
Also as with Strike Fighters, Modders have created different theatre’s for Falcon 4 over the years including the middle east, Balkans and Germany (Ostsee by TomKatz) that even makes an attempt to populate the terrain with well placed 3D buildings.
So there you have it, graphical improvements have been slow because it requires good samaritans with free talent with free time, but it’s always nice to see there has been progress in that area. I have not mentioned the internal view because that is already more than good enough, especially considering most of a campaign is where I’m at anyway!
Il2 Terrain Update Dev Blog 182
By 76.IAP-Blackbird,
Hi Guys
As I was reading it, i was so amazed and couldn`t believe, they are really updating it. Im really, really, really happy!!!! But enjoy it my friends!!!!
Hello virtual pilots, Today I have the honor to write a Dev Diary. My name is Evgeny Isaev, I'm the lead map maker. I want to tell you a bit about our work and share some good news. The Stalingrad map was the first in our project. Time has passed and now, thanks to our lead programmer Sergey Vorsin, we have new technologies, instruments and methods that allow us to reach a new level of quality. In addition, the recent changes in the engine for almost four times visibility distance increase caused visible artifacts on maps that were most apparent on the Stalingrad map. So it was the time to re-visit and improve our first map. This wasn't planned initially, but we ought to find the time for this task. The main issue was the repeating of terrain textures that was much less noticeable before. Even with very large textures, visible tiling is inevitable with the new far visibility distance. To solve this issue, we used our new tech that was created for mountains on the Kuban map - procedural texturing. This allowed us not only get rid of the tiling but also emphasize the map relief and make each area unique. Nature itself helped us in this task - we used the real-world satellite heightmaps. We ourselves were surprised at the end result. We read your comments on the forums and know that some of you put up some valid points regarding the maps, for instance, that the Stalingrad area is a steppe and therefore it should have much less agricultural fields. We knew this since we always do a thorough research on the areas we recreate in the game, but this implementation was mandatory. It's pleasant that you notice smaller things. Now, the most part of the updated Stalingrad map will be a steppe, making it more true to history. Thanks to our increased experience and new methods at our disposal we were able to achieve a much better result - the ground surface became much more vivid, its microfeatures are different on cliffs, ravines and plains, contributing to the feel of the world scale and allowing to estimate your altitude easier. You can see some screenshots of the updated summer map below (update 3.001 will include the updated summer and autumn seasons). The old version of the map (but with the new visibility distance and sky) is shown on the left for comparison, while the updated map at the same lighting conditions is on the right. We hope you'll like the new version of the map and it will give you new emotions from the flight in our simulator. The Link https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/page-5#entry543945
Hello virtual pilots, Today I have the honor to write a Dev Diary. My name is Evgeny Isaev, I'm the lead map maker. I want to tell you a bit about our work and share some good news. The Stalingrad map was the first in our project. Time has passed and now, thanks to our lead programmer Sergey Vorsin, we have new technologies, instruments and methods that allow us to reach a new level of quality. In addition, the recent changes in the engine for almost four times visibility distance increase caused visible artifacts on maps that were most apparent on the Stalingrad map. So it was the time to re-visit and improve our first map. This wasn't planned initially, but we ought to find the time for this task. The main issue was the repeating of terrain textures that was much less noticeable before. Even with very large textures, visible tiling is inevitable with the new far visibility distance. To solve this issue, we used our new tech that was created for mountains on the Kuban map - procedural texturing. This allowed us not only get rid of the tiling but also emphasize the map relief and make each area unique. Nature itself helped us in this task - we used the real-world satellite heightmaps. We ourselves were surprised at the end result. We read your comments on the forums and know that some of you put up some valid points regarding the maps, for instance, that the Stalingrad area is a steppe and therefore it should have much less agricultural fields. We knew this since we always do a thorough research on the areas we recreate in the game, but this implementation was mandatory. It's pleasant that you notice smaller things. Now, the most part of the updated Stalingrad map will be a steppe, making it more true to history. Thanks to our increased experience and new methods at our disposal we were able to achieve a much better result - the ground surface became much more vivid, its microfeatures are different on cliffs, ravines and plains, contributing to the feel of the world scale and allowing to estimate your altitude easier. You can see some screenshots of the updated summer map below (update 3.001 will include the updated summer and autumn seasons). The old version of the map (but with the new visibility distance and sky) is shown on the left for comparison, while the updated map at the same lighting conditions is on the right. We hope you'll like the new version of the map and it will give you new emotions from the flight in our simulator. The Link https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/page-5#entry543945