Search the Community

Attention Pilots! The Annual Autumn Sale has begun in the IL-2 Official Webstore and on Steam! Save between 25% to 85% on most items. With the world still grappling with quarantines and lockdowns now is a great time to explore the Sturmovik universe in great depth by playing our Pilot Career or a Scripted Campaign or try your Tank Commander skills in our newly released Tan Crew – Clash at Prokhorovka or perhaps give multiplayers a try? There are so many gameplay options and something for every style of virtual pilot! The Annual Autumn sale runs from 10:00am PST November 25th to 10:00am PST December 1st in the IL-2 Official Webstore and on STEAM. IL-2 GREAT BATTLES IN IL-2 OFFICIAL WEBSTORE IL-2 IL-2 GREAT BATTLES ON STEAM BOS – 85% Off BOM – 75% Off BOK – 75% Off BOBP – 66% Off FC1 – 66% Off TC - 13% Off (Launch Discount on Steam Ends on 11/27) Hurricane Mk.II - 25% Off (Launch Discount on Steam Ends on 11/27) Yak-9 – 30% Off Yak-9T – 30% Off Fw-190 D-9 – 66% Off P-38 J-15 – 66% Off U-2VS -75% Off Ju-52/3M – 75% Off Bf-109 G-6 – 75% Off Yak-1B – 75% Off Spitfire Mk. VB – 75 % Off LA-5FN – 75% Off HS-129 B-2 – 75% Off P-40E-1 – 85% Off Macchi MC.202 – 85% Off Fw-190 A-3 – 85% Off LA-5 Series 8 – 85% Off Blazing Steppe – 75% Off Fortress on the Volga – 75% Off Ten Days of Autumn – 75% Off (Webstore Only) Havoc Over the Kuban – 75% Off (Webstore Only) Achtung Spitfire! – 75% Off (Webstore Only) Hell Hawks Over the Bulge – 30% Off (Webstore Only) Ice Ring – 30% Off (Webstore Only) IL-2 DOVER SERIES IN IL-2 OFFICIAL WEBSTORE IL-2 DOVER SERIES ON STEAM Desert Wings Tobruk – 25% Off Cliffs of Dover Blitz – 75% Off RISE OF FLIGHT IN ROF OFFICIAL WEBSTORE RISE OF FLIGHT ON STEAM All ROF Content – 75% Off Enjoy! See you in the skies! The Sturmovik Team

Update 4.503 Dear friends, Less than two weeks (wink-wink) have passed since the previous update and we just released another - 4.503. It doesn't contain so many changes, but it adds a new aircraft to the Battle of Normandy Early Access - Bf 109 G-6 late. With the MW-50 injection system engaged, it was a formidable machine capable of confronting the Allied fighters of that time. Normandy map and Battle of Normandy Career are still in development according to the development plan, but you can already use the new addition in the Rheinland career - we've added it to the five groups that have been using this Bf 109 during the Rheinland career timeframe historically. Also in this update, 4K external texturing for the German heavy fighter Bf 110 G-2 (Battle of Kuban) is added. As with other updated planes, this change is a big visual improvement. There are several improvements for Tank Crew as well in anticipation of its official release. The full changelist follows: 1. German fighter Bf 109 G-6 Late is available for Battle of Normandy owners; 2. Bf 109 G-6 Late added to the following Rheinland Career mode (Battle of Bodenplatte) groups the player can join: I./JG 3, II./JG 11, III./JG 26, III./JG 27 and II./JG 77. It is also used by AI-controlled groups III./JG 1, III./JG 4, III./JG 53, I./JG 76 and III./JG 300; 3. German heavy fighter Bf 110 G-2 has 4K quality external textures created by Martin =ICDP= Catney; 4. Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M player controllable tank now has a lower armor plate under the rear overhang modeled; 5. All player controllable tanks now have bulkheads (made of regular steel) between the fighting and the engine compartments; 6. M4A2 tank commander animation corrected (due to an error he could be wounded by enemy MG fire when inside the tank); 7. AI-controlled ground vehicle tracks are resistant to combat damage similarly to player controllable vehicle tracks 8. Combat damage resistance has been corrected for several player controllable tank tracks; 9. The maximum speeds of the simple AI-controlled tanks now correspond to the detailed ones; 10. Tracked and wheeled vehicles move up the hills faster and more realistically; 11. Recently released Tank Coop missions were improved; 12. Tank gunner AI prefers APHE ammo when it estimates that the target armor can be penetrated with different ammo types at the current relative position; 13. Tank driver AI has been improved, resulting in less jerking while driving backward; 14. Oxygen mask breathing sound has been toned down a bit; 15. Bf 109 G-2, G-4, G-6, G-14 and K-4 wheels texturing has been improved; 16. Hurricane Mk.II compass now has fluorescent needles; 17. A rare issue with generating a new day in the Career mode has been addressed.

Dear Friends, We know that the Battle of Normandy pre-order customers are eagerly waiting for its planes to arrive. It's understandable, but in spite of our team keeping the development rate at a very high level, creating an aircraft with the fidelity worthy of our simulation from scratch is very time consuming and labor intensive. The main bulk of the Normandy planes list will arrive next year. However, some of the planes that are based on the previous ones will arrive sooner. We have already released the P-47D-22 'Razorback' and as soon as next week another one will arrive - the German Bf 109 G-6 Late fighter with an enlarged tail and additional modifications which are characteristic for the year 1944. This includes the MW-50 water-methanol injection system and an improved cockpit canopy - the 'Erla Haube'. Being part of the 109 family, this fighter also has very good flying characteristics and powerful weaponry. The MW-50 allows increasing the power near the deck from 1480 to 1800 HP, increasing the maximum speed from 528 to 573 km/h. Of course, the engine power increase also improves the turn radius and climb rate which are invaluable in a dogfight. This late G-6 variant could also carry the WGR.21 heavy unguided rockets in jettisonable underwing launchers. Enjoy! The Sturmovik Team

Dear Friends, It's the middle of Autumn already and the work on the project progresses well. For instance, the AI-controlled transport plane C-47A Skytrain (Dakota) for Battle of Normandy is almost ready and you'll get it in the next update. This WWII veteran served in air forces and civilian air fleets of many countries for several decades - one of the iconic symbols of the piston era of aviation. These aircraft played a tremendous role in the Battle of Normandy, dropping paratroopers, supplies and towing assault gliders. This legend will be finally reconstructed in our project, even if it is an AI only aircraft for now. Later on, when we complete another stage of the Career mode improvements, it will be used in this mode for transporting cargo loads, airdropping paratroopers and parachute supply containers for the troops on the front-lines. At the moment the new paratrooper model and its integration in the Career mode are not yet ready for Early Access, so this aircraft will be available in QMB and community-created custom missions as an ally or enemy loaded with cargo or parachute supply containers. The second hero of the day is the upcoming Collector Plane - the British Hawker Hurricane Mk.II fighter. This legendary early war aircraft saw much action in the Battle of Britain and later on the Eastern Front with the Red Army Air Force via the lend-lease program. This fighter actively participated in the Battle of Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad and the owners of this Collector Plane will be able to use it in the Battle of Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad careers in the coming update. There were many different modifications of this plane, the most interesting ones will be available in our sim: Hurricane Mk.IIa - default model with eight Browning .303 MGs; Hurricane Mk.IIb - modification with twelve (!) Browning .303 MGs; Hurricane Mk.IIc - modification with four 20mm Hispano Mk.II guns; Hurricane Mk.IId - two assault modifications with two Browning .303 MGs and two 40mm Vickers S Class guns, with or without additional armor plates; Hurricane Mk.II Soviet - modification armed with Soviet bombs, unguided rockets, two 12.7mm UBK MGs and two 20mm ShVAK cannons; In addition, either of the modifications listed above can be equipped with a Merlin engine with an additional boost, air cleaner for dusty conditions and rear-view mirror. The work on Tank Crew is continuing as well. The coming update will include very important changes for ground vehicle AI, both detailed and simpler modeled vehicles, making the AI gunner actions more realistic. To hit a target at a distance, they will usually bracket a target with gunfire as they find the proper range. Spotting a target to the side of the current aiming line will require more time the more distant it is. Both of these actions will depend on the AI proficiency level set in the mission. The AI gunner will also behave more naturally when the target is destroyed or no longer visible - it won't rotate the turret to the default position immediately, but will wait for some time, looking for more targets in the same general direction. Many smaller improvements and changes will be added as well, as we prepare Tank Crew for its official release. Enjoy!

Salute pilots! It’s been a year since we introduced a detailed human physiology model in our simulator. The model which takes into account the limits of human’s G-load tolerance, as well as a number of other factors affecting pilots in flight. This, of course, immediately and greatly changed the dynamics of air battles. They became much more realistic. After all, now, when performing an attack or a defensive maneuver, you have to take into account the fact that a living person with his natural physiological capabilities and limitations is sitting in the cockpit. And that any pilot, of course, gets tired of constantly maneuvering at high Gs. And in the end, there comes a moment when he just needs time to catch his breath and recover. We were interested in your opinion Over the past year, we have read a lot of your comments on the forums and collected a lot of feedback about this model. We have seen that this new and exciting aspect of dogfight has been very warmly received by the bulk of our community, and it's encouraging. While another part of the players asked us to make some changes to this model. In order to understand the situation, a month and a half ago we conducted a poll among players on the .com and .ru forums. What did the poll show? The poll results showed that 60% of players are quite happy with the current model (494 out of 821 unique users on both forums, excluding the extra 31 votes of those who voted twice, i.e. on two forums). And 40% of players would like us to make adjustments to this model. I had carefully read all your comments on the polls. In general, there were more players satisfied with the model on the Western forum, so I conducted a more detailed analysis of that thread and found that 63 out of 381 Western users who chose option 1 (“leave everything as it is”), nevertheless, in comments have written a number of requests for changes in the model. Thus, it became clear to us that the community was divided in opinions approximately 52/48. This means that we cannot leave this situation unattended and we need to think carefully about what can be improved in our model. Collecting new scientific data Over the course of this year, thanks a lot to you, our community, we have collected a large amount of new data from the field of aviation medicine and human physiology under extreme stress conditions (I would like to express special thanks to comrade @Floppy_Sock for the materials he found). This allowed us to take a fresh look at our physiology model and find ways to improve it. For example, a year ago, in my work on a physiology model, I relied mainly on the well-known monograph of the Russian scientist, professor, doctor of technical sciences Boris Abramovich Rabinovich “Human safety during acceleration (biomechanical analysis)”, 2007, where while talking about the duration of the G-loads a human can sustain, he refers to the famous article by Anne M. Stoll, "Human tolerance to positive G as determined by the physiological endpoints." ), published in The Journal of aviation medicine in 1956. This article provides a graph of time to loss of consciousness versus G-load. It is compiled on the basis of the results of 40 experiments,13 of which ended in loss of consciousness by attendants. However, recently we learned that in 2013 there was another article published on the BioMed Central portal in the Extreme Physiology & Medicine section: “The +Gz-induced loss of consciousness curve ”. Its authors, Typ Whinnery & Estrella M Forster, prove there the fallacy of the conclusions from the article of 1956, relying on much broader statistics: now they had already 888 cases of loss of consciousness by testees. These statistics were collected from 1978 to 1992 at a number of US research centers (USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas and the Naval Air Warfare Center, Warminster, Pennsylvania). In particular, in their article Tip Whinnery and Estrella M. Foster argue that at high +Gz (that is, acting on the pilot in the "eyeballs down" direction), up to +11.7G, the subjects never lose consciousness earlier than 5 seconds after the start of acceleration, and on average statistically - only after 9 seconds after it. While in our current model, built on the basis of data from the sources published above, loss of consciousness occurs within 3-5 seconds at acceleration of more than 6-7G. Authors of the study explain this difference by the presence of a certain “functional buffer” of the brain, which prolongs the activity of the brain for a few seconds after the arterial systolic pressure at the level of the eyes (brain) drops to zero under the influence of extremely high Gs. In addition, many players asked us to reconsider the pilot's tolerance to large negative Gs (assuming that the deteriorating effect of negative Gs should be more pronounced). They also asked us to implement the so-called push-pull effect (PPE), which manifests itself in a noticeable and very dangerous short-term decrease in the +G tolerance immediately after a negative one. Many aviation accidents on maneuverable aircraft are associated with this notorious effect. Over the past year, we managed to find scientific materials about this effect, too: for example, an article published in 2011 on the scientific, technical and medical portal Springer, co-authored by a number of Chinese scientists “A centrifuge simulated push-pull manoeuvre with subsequent reduced + Gz tolerance ”. This and over three dozen other publications, NASA reports, scientific dissertations, and unique test materials that we have collected, gave us a large amount of numbers that we could rely on with greater confidence. And the need to simulate the above-mentioned phenomena presented me with the fact that it is not just about readjusting the coefficients of the current model. It became clear that the model would have to be built anew, with a more detailed account of all factors acting on an individual and an even more detailed simulation of physiological processes in his body. Today I am glad to tell you about the results of this work. First impressions The new pilot physiology model is currently undergoing a detailed and meticulous beta test. The first impression it invoked in our testers, and which, most likely, it will invoke in you, is “it became more forgiving”. After all, due to the appearance of the “functional buffer” of the brain, quick and short-term maneuvers at very high Gs have now become possible without immediate loss of consciousness. More details... For example, if by a one second long jerk one pulls +7-8Gs, then visual disturbances in the form of a "gray out" (which is loss of color perception) will now occur only 3.5 seconds after the beginning of acceleration. After another 1.8 seconds, the peripheral field of view (the so-called “tunnel vision”) will begin to narrow. The vision will be completely lost (“black out”) after another 2 seconds, that is, only 7.3 seconds after the start of the maneuver. And after another 1.6 seconds, G-LOC (G-induced loss of consciousness) will occur. It has also now become possible to perform, for example, a loop or a split-s with the initial and final G-loads of +5...+5.5Gs without loss of peripheral vision. But if these Gs are maintained during the maneuver for longer than 25 seconds, the “blacking out” will nevertheless begin to happen, and consciousness will be lost 32 seconds after the start of the maneuver. In general, at first you may really think that the pilot has become more resilient, and it has become easier to fight. Has it really become easier? But already after 2-3 days of “test flights” our testers found that the first impressions were somewhat optimistic. Yes, you can now actually “kink” the trajectory more sharp. Once, twice ... but you won't be able to maneuver for a long time, while constantly holding high Gs. You will have to reckon with fatigue and a decrease in the pilot's tolerance to G-forces during the battle, just as before. And just as before, you will have to plan well the trajectories of the fight, choosing the moments when to “pull” and when to let yourself catch your breath. About endurance and fatigue As I wrote above, we have collected a large amount of scientific data on a human's tolerance to +Gs and -Gs of different magnitude. Unfortunately, some of them are contradictory, and there is no one single model of the “average person” that would reliably describe our “average” endurance. In one source, you can find information that an experienced aerobatic pilot can withstand +2Gs only for 13 minutes, while in another source, you can find a figure that the + 3Gs are quite normally tolerated within an hour. At the same time, when we talk about larger Gs values, the numbers from different sources become closer to each other. But still, this subject has some field open for discussion. Therefore, the endurance of our pilot to long-term G-loads, as well as to cyclic G-loads in the new model is adjusted both taking into account reliably known data from various publications, and based on the impressions of real pilots with aerobatic experience. We have involved military pilots and pilots flying on sports aircraft in testing. They all praised the results achieved, and admit that the model reproduces their own feelings quite closely. What else I think that many players will be especially pleased with the fact that the new model now contains several interesting phenomena that have been simulated thanks to a more detailed calculation of physiological parameters. PPE For example, the push-pull effect. If you pull a high positive Gs immediately after the action of any prolonged negative Gs (of which only three to five seconds is enough), then visual impairments will come faster than usual, at noticeably less G-load. To the extent that such a maneuver can lead to an unexpected LOC. The greater the negative G was and the longer it lasted, the more noticeable this effect will be. But just a few seconds of a pause after a negative Gs is enough: the cardiovascular system will have time to adjust and will be ready again to normally sustain positive Gs. This effect is due to the fact that with a negative G, blood intensively rushes to the head, and the body reacts to this by rapid vasodilation, seeking to reduce cerebral pressure. And if, in such a state, a large positive G is immediately pulled, then the vessels will take time to narrow again and maintain the now falling blood pressure at the level of the brain. At this moment, a quick crisis comes. Warming up effect Also, thanks to the improved calculation of vascular response, the new model has a “warming up” effect. It is when the first short maneuver at high +Gs is tolerated worse than the subsequent ones. It is also related to the compensatory response of the cardiovascular system, which needs time to “warm up” in order to maintain sufficient blood pressure in the head. If you pull, for example, +6G in one-two seconds, withstand it for five seconds (this is when you will get the partial “tunnel vision” effect), then reduce to 1G, pause for five seconds, and then create the same +6G for the same five seconds again at the same rate, then in the second case there will be no “tunnel vision” effect. But the same maneuver made third in a row will again lead to a partial "tunnel vision". But this is already because of a decrease in the tolerance limit due to excessively intense load without sufficient recovery time. Backrest angle Over the past year, there were many attempts by some players to prove that there are differences in the endurance of the pilots of one or another coalition. Although the physiological model of a pilot was the same and did not depend in any way on the plane in which he was sitting. However, now in the new model of physiology, while still remaining the common model for every pilot, the peculiarities of the aircraft cockpit in which the pilot sits are taken into account. Namely, we are talking about the backrest angle. As you know, tilting the seat back significantly increases the pilot's tolerance to G-load. This is due to a decrease in the difference in hydrostatic blood pressure between the heart’s level and the head’s (eyes) level. For example, tilting the seat back by 30° increases the maximum G-load-sustaining capacity by about 15%. Many researchers also attach importance to the position of the legs. For example, the Spitfire even had two pedal positions: a lower one for normal flight and a higher one for aerobatics. It was assumed that in the elevated position of the legs, the outflow of blood from the head to the legs decreases under the action of +Gs. However, a number of experiments have shown that this effect is negligible, and, nevertheless, the angle of inclination of the pilot's upper body plays a much larger role. The new model takes this angle into account, which on all highly maneuverable aircraft in our simulator ranges from 0 ° (MC.202 series VIII) to 22.5 ° (MiG-3), averaging about 10-15° for different planes. AGS In the current physiology model the effect of the anti-G-suit (AGS) was simulated empirically, based on statistical data. In the new model, a detailed calculation of the suit’s pressurisation dynamics and the effect of this boost on the hemodynamics of the pilot's blood pressure is performed. Several mathematical models of this phenomenon can be found in scientific research, and all of them give, on average, results that are in good agreement with the tests for modern AGSs. In our new model, we used the characteristics of suits from the 40s, which gives us confidence that this aspect is now modeled even more authentically. AGSM In the scientific literature, the term "anti-g straining maneuver" (AGSM) refers to a set of special measures that a pilot applies in order to temporarily increase his tolerance to G-load. This is a special type of breathing (you are familiar, of course, with it from the current version of the simulator), as well as tension in the muscles of the legs, butt and abdominal press. A well-trained pilot who has undergone special training in a centrifuge, using AGSM, is able to increase his G-load tolerance limit by 2 to 4G! It is not easy and requires a lot of physical effort. If the AGSM is performed incorrectly, then the effectiveness of such a technique is sharply reduced. As you know, during the World War II, pilots did not undergo special training on centrifuges, and were not trained to perfectly perform AGSM as modern fighter pilots are. But even then it was known that the tension of the muscles of the press and legs together with strained breathing allows one to endure higher Gs. Taking these facts into account, the pilot in our game (just as before) performs the AGSM not “excellently”, but “somehow”. This increases his tolerance limit for prolonged G-loads from 5.5G in a relaxed position (statistics are on the chart below) to 6.7G. This is about 0.4-0.5G more than in the current model. Such a slight increase in the limit of the maximum tolerated long-term positive G-load, however, will now make it possible to maintain a g-load of +6G with a partially narrowed peripheral field of view, up to a complete loss of vision within 18 seconds. Loss of consciousness under this Gs will occur in another 2 seconds. (all pictures are clickable) At the same time, I hasten to inform you that the annoying bug of “double breathing” (duplicate overlay sounds), which sometimes appeared in our game, will now be fixed. Visual effects I would especially like to mention that the effects of visual impairment have also been readjusted. I personally have been flying aerobatics in ultralight and light sport aircrafts for many years, but over the past year I got a new aerobatic experience, now with high G-loads on the Yak-52 sports airplane. Therefore, I now know firsthand what all phases of visual impairment look like from the beginning of the “gray out” appearance, then through a “tunnel vision” and, as a result, almost to a “blacking out”. As they say, a real picture is worth a thousand words. So now in the new model the manifestation of such effects as loss of color, “blurring”, “tunnel vision”, - very accurately correspond to what I see with my own eyes in real flights, if I perform a maneuver with a long-term 5.5 to 6Gs. Other pilots who have tested the new model also agree with this visualization. The red-eye visual effect under the influence of negative Gs, has also been slightly enhanced: Visual disorders dynamics Additionally, in our new model, the delay between the moment the G-load is reduced and the restoration of vision after visual disturbances will be shorter. From my own experience, I would say that now this delay in visual reactions better corresponds to reality. Also, the time between the complete loss of vision (“black out”) and the loss of consciousness has been brought into better agreement with the research results, and now is about 2 seconds, in rare cases reaching 8-9 seconds. By the way, in the current (older) model, this time ranges from 0.2-0.8 seconds under 6G and higher to dozens of seconds under less Gs. As you can imagine, this change will allow you to better anticipate the moment of G-LOC and to fly near this border with more confidence. I also corrected the effect of temporary and more severe visual impairment, which happens if you pull a high +Gs on the first maneuver with an abrupt jerk (when the pilot was not "warmed up" yet). This effect is associated with the already mentioned above feature of the cardiovascular system hemodynamics. It takes some time for the vessels to "mobilize" and respond to the sudden increase in G-load with an increase in blood pressure. After 5 to 7 seconds from the start of such an abrupt maneuver, while the blood pressure is still "lagging" behind the G-load, the pilot gets a more apparent temporary visual impairment. But after another 3 to 5 seconds, the blood pressure rises enough and the visual function improves. If the Gs are not pulled abruptly, but are rather gradually increased over 5 to 7 seconds, then such a temporary "crisis" of vision can be avoided. This is exactly what is implemented in the new model more clearly than in the current one. Disorientation effect We already have implemented in our older model the "motion sickness" or disorientation effect which was happening in the case of frequent changes in the Gs direction or sign-changing angular velocities. Now this effect will come even faster in order to better imitate the discomfort pilot suffers under alternating positive and negative G-forces. I will not say that the “wobbling” or "dolphin" is physically unbearable. I myself tried to do it in real flight. But it's really damn unpleasant, and I prefer to not do that anymore. Also, this disorientation effect will now come along with the period of recovery after G-LOC (the so-called period of relative incapacitation). It will also manifest itself when approaching the border of LOC, foreshadowing it. Taking into account that, in the new model, loss of consciousness under prolonged G-loads of less than +4..+4.5G will now occur without an obvious tunneling effect, this “dizziness” together with “defocusing” of vision will become a good indicator for you that you are already on the edge. Fatigue indicator By the way, about the fatigue indicator. We decided to heed the popular request and add a G-load induced fatigue indicator to the simple instruments in GUI. When you set the difficulty to “Normal”, you will see a small white triangle in the lower left corner of the G-meter in the GUI. The more your pilot is worn out by the G-forces, the smaller this little triangle will become. Thus, it will give you a rough idea of your current state. As I have repeatedly written on our forum, a real pilot cannot predict in advance what Gs he can sustain during the next maneuver and for how long. He, of course, roughly understands how tired he is. Therefore, this indicator will give you only an approximate idea of the current physical condition of the pilot. When you set the “Expert” difficulty, you will not have this indicator. As a result Ultimately, the new improved version of the pilot's physiology model turned out to be more interesting, detailed, taking into account new important factors and, as a consequence, more “vital” and corresponding to reality. All tests, including the ones with the participation of real pilots, indicate that this model will be the next important step in the development of our simulator, and the realism of air battles will again be raised to the next step with it. This model will get to your computers very soon, along with the next update of the game. Sincerely, Principal software engineer Andrey (An.Petrovich) Solomykin

Dear friends, Today we'll continue to show you the progress of the aircraft currently in development. The hero of the day is two-seater this time, twin-engine fighter/bomber De Havilland Mosquito F.B.Mk.VI Series II we're making for Battle of Normandy. This famous and popular WWII British RAF plane had an unusual and distinct look (well, the same can be said about most British aircraft). But it's interesting not only because of its appearance - it reached high speeds in its class despite being partly wooden. Moreover, it kept its high-speed capability even when carrying bombs thanks to the internal bomb bay. 2000 pounds of bombs, four 20mm guns and four 7.69mm MGs the Mosquito carried made him a dangerous adversary for the enemy. In our sim, there will be additional weapon modifications available - eight RP-3 unguided rockets and 57mm anti-tank gun (!). Here are the first 3D renders of this bird of prey at its current development stage: The recently announced player controllable mobile AA guns are also showing good progress. Along with the work on their visual models, we're improving the realistic physics model of the wheeled ground vehicles movement even more. And don't forget about their crews as well:

Attention All Pilots and Tankers! We are excited to announce the newest additions to IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles line-up – the Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 and GAZ-MM 72-K vehicle mounted anti-aircraft guns! These two unique and deadly vehicles are our first Collector Vehicles and they will bring a new type of gameplay to the Great Battles series. Now your airfield or supply column can be protected by actual humans driving or manning these rapid fire and deadly AAA batteries! Our awesome partners at DigitalForms, the same team who built our amazing tanks for Tank Crew, are once again lending their considerable modeling talents to the GAZ-MM 72-K and Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38. When completed this will no doubt be must-haves for your IL-2 collection! Pre-Sales of these vehicles are NOW AVAILABLE in the IL-2 Official Webstore. Regular price is $24.99, but pre-orders are available for just $19.99! The GAZ-MM 72-K is tentatively scheduled for release by the end of the year and the Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 by Q2 2021. GAZ-MM 72-K (25mm) Vehicle Mounted Anti-Aircraft Gun The GAZ-MM was a double-axle 1.5-ton truck used for both general purpose and specialized purposes by the Soviet Union during WWII. It was a licensed copy of the American built Ford-AA truck, albeit a simpler version with a more powerful motor than the original GAZ-AA truck. At the outbreak of WWII the Soviet Union had over 150,000 vehicles in use and by the end of it’s production run there were nearly 1 million vehicles built. During the war, several different versions of the GAZ-MM appeared, some with no doors, bumpers and some with no front brakes and only one headlight. These changes were made to keep production costs and time as simple as possible. It was a rugged truck and served the Soviet Union well during the war. The Soviet 25mm automatic air-defense gun M1940 or 72-K as it was known was designed for protecting infantry units from air attack. It was normally mounted on a four-wheeled carriage that could be towed by a truck or other vehicle. It had a slant range of up to 2.4km and could hit aerial targets up to 2km in altitude. The gun could also be used against ground targets and light vehicles if necessary. It was manned by a six-person crew and was an automatic weapon with rounds loaded from the top via a feeding mechanism. The 72-K saw extensive use by the Soviet Union’s armed forces for many years only being finally phased out in the 1960s. When loaded into the bed of a GAZ-MM truck it becomes a mobile AAA battery allowing you to protect an armored column, supply convoy, infantry unit or a stationary target like an airbase with accurate and deadly fire. Our GAZ-MM 72-K can be used in both single-player and multiplayer scenarios and it will include several custom-made missions to demonstrate its ability at knocking down enemy planes! Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 (20mm) Vehicle Mounted Anti-Aircraft Gun *Development pictures not yet available. The Sd.Kfz. 10 or Sonderkraftfahrzeug (special motorized vehicle) was a German half-track that saw action throughout World War II and on all fronts in Europe and North Africa. Its main role was as a prime mover for small towed guns or liquid agents and it could also carry eight troops. Different models could be specialized for a wide range of duties. It was powered by a Maybach 6-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine. It had a semi-automatic Maybach Variorex-transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. It could attain 65 km/h (40 mph), while the cruising speed was 45 km/h (28 mph). Steering was performed by both the front wheels and caterpillar threads. Shallow turns were done using the front wheels and sharper turns were done using the treads with one braking like a tank would. Sd.Kfz. 10 /5 carried the Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun in its rear bed and fired a 20mm projectile. The Flak 38 was an improvement over the older Flak 30 design and it had a rate of fire of 220 rounds per minute and weighed 420 Kilograms. Its use was ubiquitous throughout the war in all German theaters of operation and was the most produced artillery piece of the war by the Germans. Later designs mounted four Flak 38 cannons together for an added punch. The Flak 38 could also be towed by trucks or other vehicles when not mounted on Sd.Kfz. 10 half-tracks. In the right hands this gun was deadly to low flying Allied fighters. Our Sd.Kfz. 10 /5 Flak 38 can be used in both single-player and multiplayer scenarios and it will include several custom-made missions to showcase its ability to protect its airspace! We hope you will like these new vehicles! The Sturmovik Team

Here is a nice review about what il2 is and delivers for all those, who are asking what do they get for the money. Enjoy the reading https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/22/21449885/microsoft-flight-simulator-combat-il-2-sturmovik-battle-of-bodenplatte

Update 4.501 Dear friends, We just released the new update - 4.501. Its shifted version number means it is a kind of a milestone and it really is. First, the research we did on the community opinion on the aircraft spotting allowed us to make many improvements to this important part of the sim. The distant LOD scaling system has been adjusted, their lighting has been made full, atmospheric haze option and an increased MSAA level have been added. We're sure that this update will make the online multiplayer experience totally different from how it was before. Now our next target, for the next update, is the improved pilot G tolerance model we do after asking the community taking the account the new reference data provided by the community members. Please take in attention: adding Haze option to the mission format makes previously saved .msnbin mission files obsolete. Delete them and save the new version using .Mission files. In addition to these very important changes, today's update brings you the new campaign 'Wind of Fury' by Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov that is included in the Bodenplatte module. This means that our promises on what Bodenplatte will include are finally fulfilled. Of course, it doesn't mean we'll stop improving it, for instance, now we plan to improve the Rhineland Career mode. Also, P-39L-1 "Aircrobra" (Battle of Kuban) and Bf 109 G-6 now have 4k quality external texturing created by Martin =ICDP= Catney. The work on bringing all the aircraft in the sim to 4K texturing continues. Tank Crew gets the last planned features for its release in this update, making 4.501 a milestone for it as well. The new turret and gun control mode and fixed visor cameras were requested by the community for a long time and they are available now. We think that this update will mark an important step for our sim and we hope you'll enjoy it! Main features 1. The new scenario campaign "Wind of Fury" is now available to all owners of the Bodenplatte project for free; 2. P-39L-1 "Airacobra" and Bf 109 G-6 fighters now have 4K quality external textures created by Martin = ICDP = Catney; 3. The long-range LODs scaling system for aircraft has been adjusted. Aircraft spotting at short to medium distances, especially when using wide camera angles, is greatly improved. The visibility at distance has been adjusted to be closer to reality. 4. Alternate Visibility has been renamed Enhanced Visibility: this mode gives a much greater increase in aircraft visibility at long ranges compared to the new standard visibility. At medium ranges, visibility is also significantly improved compared to the old Alternate Visibility option; 5. MSAA x8 option has been added, but please note that this level of AA is very demanding to the graphics card performance; 6. The atmospheric haze density option has been added to the Quick Mission Builder. Its minimum value corresponds to the haze density available earlier; 7. Dawn/Dusk Fog option has been added to the Quick Mission Builder. This option is available only when the haze density is set to half of the maximum value or more; 8. The haze density option (from 0.0 to 1.0) is now stored in a mission file. Radiation fog appears at dusk if the value of the haze is more than 0.5 and the weather preset name contains an odd number at the end. The denser haze makes it easier to spot other aircraft against the background of the landscape when the distance from the observer to the target is much less than the distance from the observer to the landscape behind the target. This can be used when designing multiplayer missions for game servers; 9. Distant levels of detail (LODs) of the aircraft now have the same surface material setting as closer and more detailed LODs, making the lighting of distant aircraft much more realistic and enabling reflections and glints when the relative position of a contact, an observer and the light source(s) is right; 10. In a multiplayer game, a tooltip has been added to the list of game servers when hovering the mouse cursor over the difficulty preset icon. This tooltip displays all the difficulty settings of this multiplayer server; 11. This information is also available in the multiplayer server lobby (“About the server” section); AI improvements 12. AI wingmen keep the optimal climb speed when the wing leader is far and higher; 13. AI aircraft now use combat and emergency engine modes for a fastest possible climb when following the terrain; 14. AI fighters now more actively attack maneuvering targets at lower speeds; Player controllable tanks improvements 15. New control mode allows aiming a tank gun using a joystick (or buttons); 16. Aiming the tank guns and machine guns with the mouse is more convenient; 17. Fixed cameras added to tank visors and other observation devices. Loader viewing devices are, most often, can be used from the gunner's station. You can cycle the views using LShift + V keys; 18. The target marking cursor when giving orders as a tank commander is visible at any settings; 19. The current sight or observation device is indicated; 20. In multiplayer, a connected player in someone else's tank will correctly see the messages from the loader and see the ammo information in the HUD; 21. The time required for repairing the tank systems outside the service areas is doubled; 22. The projectiles correctly penetrate the armor if they hit certain extremely thin areas of the object's surface (a rare issue); 23. Ferdinand: the inverted direction of inclination of the panoramic viewing devices has been fixed; 24. An SPG AI gunner correctly fires at an invisible target by the order of the SPG commander (using the direction and range); 25. Fixed the issue where the AI gunner did not follow the commander's instructions to choose the ammo type in certain situations; 26. Pz-III-M: the KFF 2 binocular periscope is functional (when using the camera selected by LShift + V); 27. SU-152 commander can't use the panoramic sight when unbuttoned; Other changes 28. Fixed an issue with parts of the canopy and cockpit instruments that could not be restored after repair; 29. Flare gun and sidearm ammo can be replenished in the reload zones just like other ammo; 30. SdKfZ 251 and similar vehicles and tanks can function as supply vehicles if set this way in the Mission Editor; 31. The dawn/dusk fog level has been corrected on Moscow, Stalingrad, Prokhorovka, Velikiye Luki, Lapino and Novosokolniki maps, it appears in the lowlands; 32. Due to the introduction of the atmospheric haze option, the issue of the dawn/dusk fog blinking near the horizon has been minimized; 33. The difference in the density of atmospheric haze is minimal when using the minimum (40 km) and maximum (150 km) visibility range options; 34. For a tank crewmember to recover from the loss of consciousness in the event of powder gases poisoning it is required for the air to become noticeably cleaner (now the loss of consciousness will last longer); 35. Fixed a graphical artifact at the base of the La-5FN headlamp switch; 36. Fixed the lack of sound when releasing or retracting the landing gear on I-16 and Ju-88; 37. Added the Spitfire IX invasion paint scheme.

Dear Friends, Continuing from the previous Dev Diary, this time we'll tell you about the second important addition (well, depending on your personal preference it may be the first important addition actually) coming in our next update - version 4.008. The P-47D-22 "Razorback", the first aircraft of Battle of Normandy, will kick off the Early Access program for this module. The main difference from the P-47D-28 you have flown in Bodenplatte is the cockpit canopy design with significant canopy framing and dorsal spine behind it. The front part of the canopy includes two angled parts and a windshield center post that would have blocked the view through the gunsight if it was installed in the center, so the gunsight was moved to the right like in the German fighters. The space between the gunsight and the angled windshield parts is occupied by the armored glass protecting the pilot from fragments and small-caliber projectiles coming from the forward hemisphere. On the top of the framing, a rear-view mirror is installed - it was standard-issue, not an optional modification. Contrary to the P-47D-28, the canopy was opened in a classic way, manually, and not by a fancy electric motor. The "Razorback" had a different propeller than the D-28 and the propeller pitch was controlled by hydraulics, not an electrical drive which had no manual mode. The P-47D-22 can use high-octane fuel, which affects the engine power, and the good news is that P-47D-28 will receive this option in the next update as well. As we have stated many times before, we don't forget about a module after its release date and will always continue to improve it and add new features whenever possible. While we were working on the Razorback, its successor from Bodenplatte got the same flight model refinements as well: for instance, the effectiveness of the flaps has been reduced somewhat and the aircraft behavior beyond stall angles has been corrected - it won't stall so unpredictably and will indicate the coming stall by buffeting and lowering the nose. The load on the control surfaces have been corrected as well - the ailerons are affected by the ram air a bit earlier, but the load increases at higher speeds more smoothly and the elevator load at high speeds was also reduced somewhat. The Mach number effect on the controls has been additionally adjusted. Overall, this resulted in better compliance with the reference data for roll speed and increased Mach-tuck tendency at high speeds. In general, P-47 now feels more like a heavy machine it was. It is interesting to note that while Razorback was an earlier model than D-28, it has a bit higher climb rate and significantly (+27 kph) speed at emergency engine mode. To a degree, this difference comes from a different propeller, but mainly it was caused by the dorsal spine. Bubble canopy, while being vastly superior for offering a much better view, creates flow swirling behind them. Dorsal spine fairing increases the lift-drag ratio of a plane. Bodenplatte fans will be happy to hear that we are going to insert the D-22 into the BOBP Pilot Career once the plane is finished. Some Razorback models were still in operation during this period so you will be able to fly them and against them in the BOBP Career before the Normandy Career is ready. However, you will need to have purchased BON to have access to their cockpits in BOBP. This gives an added benefit to participating in BON Early Access. Would-be Razorback pilots - it's time to enlist! To complete today's Dev Blog, we would like to showcase another improvement that we did exclusively for our previous projects - new early Luftwaffe pilot winter uniform which will be later used for all fighters and then bombers from Battle of Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad:

Hello! Today there will be a very small issue of diaries for the reason that we are preparing a release candidate for version 4.008, which we told you about before, we are doing the final tests so there is a lot of work and little time. However, even if this DD is short, it’s still significant - because for the first time we will show you screenshots of one of the English planes that will be in Battle of Normandy – the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVc. In fact, this aircraft will have an additional modification with heavy machine guns, the Spitfire Mk.XIVe, but we will show you that version a bit later. This plane is quite different from the MK. IX Spitfire, which was previously included in BOBP. The main thing that catches your eye is the massive 5-rotor Rotol propeller, driven by the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. To provide a much more powerful engine with sufficient cooling, radiators of a larger area are installed on the aircraft. Also, the tail area had to be increased for added stability. The aircraft will be presented with two types of weapon configurations - modification "c" with two 20mm guns and 4 x 7.69 machine guns, and modification "e" with two 20mm guns and 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. A 150-octane fuel option will also be available causing the already powerful engine to develop up to 2,200 horsepower. Work on this legendary aircraft is at a rather early stage, but much has already been done as you can clearly see in a small selection of screenshots:

Hello and welcome to the second Part of a very interesting Interview with the Developers of the IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles Series

Hello everyone! As time goes on, the release date for the next update is approaching. As we said earlier, one of the central objects of this update will be a German tank destroyer - a self-propelled artillery Sd.Kfz.184 "Ferdinand". As many of you know, this monster was the result of the loss of Ferdinand Porsche in the competition for the creation of a heavy breakthrough tank for the Wehrmacht. That competition was won by the "Pz.Kpfw.VI Tiger" developed by Henschel. Porsche’s loss was caused by the extraordinary, even for the Germans, the complexity of the chassis. However, in the course of this rivalry, Porsche produced a significant amount of the chassis of a new type of heavy tank. This was subsequently used to create the most powerful and protected, at the time of the Battle of Kursk, anti-tank armored fighting vehicle in the world. On the Porsche chassis, an armored fighting compartment was installed, protected in the frontal projection by a 200mm armored plate, the weight of which was similar to the weight of a large truck. Even the Tiger gun is not able to penetrate this 200mm obstacle when using armor-piercing shells and 152mm armor-piercing shells of the ML-20 howitzer can't do it either. To bring the frontal armoring of the front of the hull in line with the existing 100mm armor plates, an additional piece of 100m armor was installed. The sides and rear of the vehicle were protected by 80mm armor plates, which were an extremely difficult, almost insurmountable obstacle for 76mm Soviet armor-piercing shells. The roof and the bottom of the hull were also armored considerably. The weak spots include the roof of a large-scale engine compartment, which was located in front of the tower and could be hit by large-caliber high-explosive fragmentation shells when they burst on the front armor plate of the fighting compartment. Also, the tank’s weak point is the relatively thin armor of the cooler exhaust manifold of the electric propulsion motors - a significant part of ammo is 'conveniently' located just above it. It is worth to note the completely unprotected gunsight of the main and only gun, located on the roof of the fighting compartment. The Ferdinand is armed with an extremely powerful 88mm KwK-43 L / 71 gun, that was created on the basis of the Flak 41 long-barreled anti-aircraft gun, while the shorter Tiger gun (also 88mm) was created on the basis of the shorter Flak 37 anti-aircraft gun. Firing a similar armor-piercing projectile, but with a more powerful charge and a longer barrel length, the KwK-43 L / 71 gun accelerated it to 1000 m/s against 800 m/s in the KwK-36. The Ferdinand had no machine guns at the time of the Battle of Kursk. The disadvantages of its armament include a panoramic sight that is not very useful in anti-tank combat since it doesn't allow entering corrections in the field of view (it had a significant degree of amplification though), and a low horizontal aiming speed. But the most remarkable feature of the "Ferdinand" is it’s progressive and promising, but very controversial electrical powertrain. This is one of those cases when technical thought was far ahead of technical capabilities. The idea of refusing the mechanical transmission of torque from the power plant to the propulsion system, which is widely used today in heavy equipment, at that time led to very serious problems. The electric drive motors gave an increase in speed, but with a significant loss of torque on the tracks. So the efficiency of the power plant as a whole, even when on a flat surface, was so low the vehicle could not reach speeds more than 20 km/h. Even with a huge fuel reserve of 950 liters, the range was just 150 km on the highway. Also, due to the features of the electric motors, the power plant had a reduced efficiency when driving backward. To supply the required amount of electric energy, two engines from the Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks were installed in the Ferdinand, each with a corresponding DC generator. Both generators were connected to a single line that supplied current to the electric motors, and each of the motors had its own regulator to control the speed and direction of movement. This made it possible to continue driving even if one engine or generator failed. The high cost of materials required for the production of windings, conductors and switches of the electrical powertrain, the use of two engines, plus its huge mass of 65 tons led to extremely serious technological and operational difficulties even for such a rich and industrialized country as wartime Germany. That is why the competition was won by the more traditional and easier to produce Tiger-I of Henschel design even though the Tiger from Henschel was also not a cheap tank by any means and the labor costs for its production were many times higher than required for a mass-produced T-34. On the other hand, the simplicity and ease of control of the tank, as well as the softness of the ride were a bonus to those who manned it. The ability to turn the vehicle on the spot without using advanced mechanical systems required for a traditional powertrain was a welcome bonus. Nevertheless, with all the technological and operational difficulties it had, this combat vehicle during the Summer of 1943 was the most dangerous on the battlefield - if it was able to reach it in time to participate in a head-on tank battle. It was important for us to recreate it as close to the real one as possible, just like all the vehicles we already have in Tank Crew, and it was really hard to do. There is only one early Ferdinand remaining in the world - #501, it is located in the armored forces museum in Kubinka near Moscow. Another one, later modification called Elefant with a commander cupola and MG installed, is in the US. The available documentation is very segmentary, short and incomplete. However thanks to the effort of our partners in Digital Forms and application of cross-checking analysis, we have one of the best recreations of this combat vehicle available. From our side, we contributed to the recreation of its maneuverability, armament and systems functioning peculiarities, which required a lot of work as well. On the screenshots, you see exactly that Ferdininand #501 that was captured in the Kursk battle and ended in the Kubinka museum. The last what we want to tell you about this tank destroyer - its release will complete the lineup of the combat vehicles we planned to recreate together with Digital Forms for the Tank Crew - Clash at Prokhorovka project. This moment will be a very important milestone in the history of our project. It won't mark the end of the work on this project - as usual, we continue to support, improve and deepen all our projects after the official release date. IL-2 Sturmovik and Digital Forms teams hope you'll enjoy the result of our joint effort.

Update 4.007 Dear friends, We've decided to release the new update 4.007 relatively soon after the previous one, because the fixes and improvements it brings, while not being major, are nevertheless important for the project as a whole. We have heard your feedback on the view system improvements, added new options to the multiplayer functionality, which govern the usage of graphical mods, in addition, we did additional research on the workarounds for the Direct 3D functionality not supported by one of the graphics cards vendors. Damage modeling has been improved to take into account the control systems damage (rods, wires, etc.). We have also added a new German pilot model in the early summer uniform. The full list of changes follows: 1. Ju 87 D-3 dive bomber has been upgraded to 4K external texturing thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney, including two additional official skins; 2. Aircraft control systems DM has been upgraded. The probability of losing control in a certain control axis depends on the control wires or rods configuration of a particular aircraft and existence of a reserve control channel (or its lack thereof); 3. Workarounds for the remaining graphical artifacts on AMD cards (like black contour around the aircraft when viewed from its cockpit) have been implemented; 4. New multiplayer server option “Restrict Injectors” allows the server hosters to restrict access for users with graphics injectors like Reshade or 3dmigoto; 5. Five new mappable (RCtrl+NumPad_Del,1,2,3,0 by default) zoom commands have been added that allow quick zooming to various degrees (minimal, maximal and 3 intermediate levels). Zoom value set by a mouse or joystick axis or keyboard keys is not affected by the new quick zoom and after releasing a quick zoom button the FOV will return to the one set by an axis. These new commands work in either 2D or VR mode. The old 'VR zoom' command has been deprecated (its equivalent is the new maximum quick zoom, RCtl+NumPad_0); 6. There is a new setting in the Camera options that governs the speed of the new zoom commands; 7. Tank commander binoculars give three times more powerful zoom than before (they give a minimal FOV that is technically possible in the game); 8. The current FOV (Field Of View) value is shown next to the in-game FPS counter (that is activated by Backspace key by default); 9. Gunsight FOVs have been corrected for all tanks; 10. German fighter pilots of the Battle of Moscow, Battle of Stalingrad and Battle of Kuban have a new visual model and a sidearm during Summer (new Winter model, also with a sidearm, will be added later when it is ready). Because of this, the default camera position and user-customizable snapviews (.svc files) were changed on Bf 109-G14, Bf 109-K4, Me 262-A, Fw 190-A3, Fw 190-53, Fw 190-A8 and Fw 190-D9. The updater should overwrite the old files for these planes with the new updated ones for you, but in case this action was blocked by antivirus software on your PC and you see a wrong view in the cockpit of these aircraft in the game, please copy the new default .svc files for these aircraft from \data\LuaScripts\snapviews\defaults to \data\LuaScripts\snapviews manually. If you haven't customized the view positions on other aircraft, you can just copy all the files from snapviews\defaults to snapviews folder; 11. Bomb holders on both Bristol Fighters appear correctly depending on the ammo loadout; 12. Pedals on both Bristol Fighters appear correctly in a neutral position; 13. The issue that made the detached parts of Flying Circus aircraft invisible in the multiplayer has been found and fixed; 14. Fw 190 D-9 canopy glass appear correctly at medium distances; 15. Fw 190 D-9 oil on windshield visual effect has been restored; 16. Destroyed static KV-1 model won't have white tracks when viewed from a distance; 17. Tank turret turn indicator won't visually 'jump' when passing the back position; 18. APHE rounds stopped by the armor won't damage outside objects; 19. Train wagons won't appear detached from the locomotive in some missions; 20. Guest crew members in multiplayer will correctly hear the sound of the tank turret turning; 21. Guest crew members in multiplayer will correctly hear the sounds of the hatches closing or opening; 22. Certain HE rounds explosions can be heard from an aircraft cockpit; 23. The arm model has a correct sidearm in it in VR mode; 24. The arm model won't drop a shadow when there is no body rendered; 25. The arm model has the correct size in VR mode; 26. Missing road segments that sunk inside the terrain have been corrected on Kuban map; 27. Random CTD in multiplayer fixed in case when other player tank have been spawned. Please discuss the update in this thread.

Hello friends, As you know, the recently released update 4.006 brought many important and interesting changes. Our work continues and soon we will start to prepare the new update 4.008 that is planned to include P-47D-22 "Razorback" fighter for Battle of Normandy and tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.184 "Ferdinand" for Tank Crew. You may have noticed and wondered why the mission number isn't 4.007? The answer is that we plan to release an intermediate update before that, it will add some important functionality and new features. They will be based on your feedback mostly and will bring some features long-awaited by the community. The update 4.007 is already in beta testing and we hope it will be ready in the coming week. Among other changes it will include 4К quality external texturing by Martin =ICDP= Catney for the legendary Ju-87D-3 from Battle of Stalingrad, here are some screenshots of it: Speaking on the update 4.008, which is planned for late June - early July, we have also something to show you already. Another legendary plane, P-47D-22 "Razorback", will begin the Early Access for Battle of Normandy: You can discuss the news in this thread

Dear Friends, Today we'd like to present you the final part of the Stalingrad trilogy, the ending of the story that started in "Blazing Steppe" and continued in "Fortress on the Volga" campaigns. The new campaign will tell you about the combat operations of the Soviet IL-2 attack planes in December 1942. The development of the third part took much longer than we initially expected, partly because of the need to research a huge amount of data from the archives telling about the actions of the three Soviet Fronts and Air Armies, but the result will prove itself worthy of the effort spent. We are proud to announce the Pre-Order of the new historical Campaign "Ice Ring" for IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad. Basing on the combat order records and operational reports of the Soviet 8th Air Army, we have managed to recreate an absolutely unique history of combat operations of the 226th Ground-Attack Air Division regiments. The campaign consists of three large stages, during which you'll operate from 4 different airfields and take part in the most dramatic events of the final part of the Battle of Stalingrad. The successful counter-offensive of the Red Army in November 1942 led to the encirclement of the 284 thousands troops including the German 6th Army and 4th Tank Army, as well as Romanian divisions. Then the task of supplying the troops was assigned to the transport and bomber units of the Luftwaffe, so the first part of the new campaign is dedicated to the very beginning of the Soviet air blockade formation. At the end of November, the command of the Soviet 8th Air Army issued an order to relocate the 235th Fighter Air Division to the south of the city. It was also decided to form a special air group of IL-2's pilots from the 226th ShAD who were experienced in dogfights and flying in difficult weather conditions and place it under the 235th IAD headquarters command. During this period, you'll fly reconnaissance flights, search and destroy German transport aircraft in the air and strike at their take-off and landing airfields inside the cauldron. The situation of the encircled enemy group on December 2-6, 1942 from the reporting map of the Don Front and the situation at the morning of December 2nd from the campaign map. In mid-December, when the special air group was disbanded, you'll return back to your regiment. Against the background of the ongoing reorganization in the division and the beginning of the enemy offensive from the direction of Kotelnikovo (Operation "Winter Storm"), you'll have to fly several combat missions directly against the surrounded German troops. At the end of the campaign, when the situation on the southern flank of the Stalingrad Front becomes critical, you'll be sent to the most threatened sector. As part of a hurriedly formed ground attack air group, you'll take part in the heaviest battles on the Myshkova River, which determined the outcome of the entire German counter-offensive and sealed the fate of the troops surrounded in and near the devastated city. Events on the Myshkova River from December 22 to 26, 1942 from the reporting map of the Stalingrad Front and the situation in the middle of December 22nd from the campaign map. You'll fly 15 combat missions on the IL-2 AM-38 (model 1942), about 7 hours of gameplay in total. The new campaign is scheduled to be released in Summer 2020. The IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Attention Pilots! Update 4.006 will probably be released on Tuesday May 19th (tomorrow) if all goes well. If not, we'll try again on Wednesday. So back up anything you want backed up before you attempt the update. This will be a big one, maybe backup your entire IL-2 install folder just in case. Update servers will likely be jammed for a while so please have a bit of patience with us. This update is JAM PACKED with good stuff. We think you'll like it a lot. Also, I will leave the Yak-9 and Yak-9T Pre-Order discount live for a few more days, but hurry it will end soon! These Yaks are worth every penny. A lot of fun! Buy Here! Some great skins for the Yak-9 are included. Finally a Soviet fighter with good performance and a 37mm punch! Sizzler!

Dear friends, Update 4.006 will be released soon and we can show you more of the coming improvements. Today we'd like to demonstrate how the aircraft materials and textures will look in the new renderer compared to the old one. For instance let's look at La-5 series 8, He 111 H-6, P-38J-25, Albatros D.Va: We also have good news about the changes in 4.006. First, the airframe damage model for the WWI planes will be tuned according to your feedback. Second, the ships in the sim will have more advanced physical models - they will be able to run aground, receive an impulse from collisions, etc. - this is important for the Battle of Normandy where they played a major role. Third, according to Tank Crew players' feedback, we added a server option to disable tank AI gunners in multiplayer. Another option that has been requested for a while - now tech chat messages are a difficulty option so the players will be on equal terms in multiplayer. Our engineering department improved the FM and systems modeling for a number of planes, including Yak-7 and Bf-110. Tank Crew assault guns will be able to fire indirectly at a heading and distance set by the gun or platoon commander. In the graphics department, we're adding an alternative antialiasing method, FXAA, which trades some AA quality for a noticeable performance boost. It also has a side effect of somewhat improving the visibility of the contacts against the ground, especially when used in conjunction with the "Sharpen" graphics option. Several planes from already released modules will get the 4K quality external textures and the rivers and sea will get the updated water surface visualization. As usual, the full list of the changes and improvements will be available at the update launch and it is already close to 70 items total. We're hoping that the next update will be another step forward in the development of the project and you, our customers, will enjoy it. And to finish today's Dev Blog, here are a couple of Yak-9 and Yak-9T Collector Planes screenshots from our Producer: You can discuss the news in this thread

Dear friends! We would like to congratulate you on the very important holiday - 75th Anniversary of the Victory in Europe! On this day 75 years ago the hard and long road to peace, that cost millions of lives, has finally come to its end at the European theater of the world war. The people of all nations got a second chance to live. Let's remember the heroic deeds of our ancestors and be thankful to them - even though that today's crisis and problems are significant, they can't be compared to the gravity of the situation and the hardships of those years of war. The life that was given to us by the heroic deed of our ancestors continues. Coincidentally, this is a small anniversary for our project, which is entirely dedicated to the World War II events, as well - you're reading its 250th Developers Blog. Our work on the sim also continues - in 2 or 3 weeks we plan to release the next update 4.006. It will bring not only the new player controllable machines - Yak-9 and Yak-9T Collector Planes and SU-152 assault gun for Tank Crew - but also the fundamental changes in the graphics engine: the renderer will be switched to Deferred Shading. At the moment this update is already in the beta testing and our team is working on debugging and finalizing it. The changelist will be a long one once again, it already includes more than 50 changes in different areas of the sim. To illustrate what these renderer changes add to the visuals, we want to show you the in-game screenshots of Yak-9T, which is a good aircraft to display the new graphical capabilities: Another pic we want to show you the WIP model of the early war German pilot which will be used in BoM, BoS and BoK timeframes. It's going to appear in the project a bit later, but it won't be a long wait:

Hello everybody, After releasing the update 4.005 last week we continued on polishing it, addressing the issues that were found after the public release. We hope to release another hotfix tomorrow that will improve the public version stability. Of course, the work on the next update is being done in parallel - for instance, the new heavy assault gun SU-152 for Tank Crew project will be finished soon. This one, being a symbiosis of a heavy tank and a heavy howitzer, really stands out. It's no wonder that such a war machine required adapting and improving the core systems to support it properly - there is no reason not to implement something created for one unit to all others that were released earlier. For instance, all 45mm and higher caliber shells that in reality did not have tracers will have a visual model of a flying shell (one for all for now) instead of a symbolical tracer. Firing the main gun without working ventilation and closed hatches will result in carbon monoxide poisoning of the crew and we created additional effects of the evacuation of the propellant fumes from the engine compartment for vehicles that used it for the fumes evacuation. The new system that allows a commander to order his gunner and other self-propelled guns under his command to fire at a specified direction and range is also almost complete. There are also finishing touches like oil pumping animation before starting the engine. The visual model of this vehicle, that probably has the most firepower in the project, is also nearly finished. We would like to emphasize that many things that were done for Tank Crew also improve the aircraft - for example, the Tank Crew separate animations tech and the new models of the Soviet and German pilots that are being created using it for BoS, BoM and BoK allow us to put American and British pilots into the lend-lease planes. This means that soon you'll be able to witness RAF and Soviet pilots in Spitfire Mk.V and Spitfire Mk.IX and RAF, USAF and Soviet ones in P-40E, P-47D and B-25D (according to what country is specified in the mission file by its author). A bit later, when we complete the required animations for the new pilot models, this will also work for A-20B and P-39L. In addition, the same approach will allow having a correct visual model depending on the timeframe: Soviet pilots will appear in correct summer uniforms depending on the mission date (there will be three different models for early war before April 1st, 1942, between April 1st, 1942 and March 1st, 1943, and late war). Later, when we have German and US pilot models ready, their uniforms will also change depending on the mission date, including the g-suit. And we plan to give all the WWII-era pilots hand weapons as a final touch in this department. You can discuss the news in this thread

Update 4.005 Dear friends, The IL-2 Sturmovik team is happy to announce that another, very big and important milestone in the evolution of our project has been reached and its result is ready to be downloaded to your PCs. This time the update doesn't bring new content since the development of the new Normandy project is at the very early stage. However, it contains an enormous block of changes paramount for the IL-2 as a combat flight-sim, namely the aircraft damage model and munitions damage calculations. Earlier we have published several Dev Blogs dedicated to these changes, where they are covered in detail and how they affect the gameplay. Additionally, the external textures of four previously released aircraft are now available in 4K quality thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney and Francisco =BlackHellHound1= Bindraban. 4 additional ground vehicles were added to the sim - two ambulances and two fuel trucks. And a new language has been added to the game - Simplified Chinese! Well, at least most of the sim is translated, some parts will have to wait. More on that below. But of course, this is not quite all we have done. The change-list contains a whopping 140 changes - this is the all-time record for our project! There are numerous improvements to the aircraft simulation, aircraft models, player controlled tanks (Tank Crew) and artificial intelligence (AI). The causes of several important issues we weren't able to reproduce previously due to their rarity and randomness and thus fix before were finally found and fixed. The full list contains many other improvements and fixes as well. Take a look: Main features 1. MiG-3 series 24 exterior textures, including damage, are in 4K quality now thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney; 2. Pe-2 series 35 exterior textures, including damage, are in 4K quality now thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney; 3. Pe-2 series 87 exterior textures, including damage, are in 4K quality now thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney; 4. Bf 109 G-4 exterior textures, including damage, are in 4K quality now thanks to Francisco =BlackHellHound1= Bindraban; 5. Binoculars have been added for tank commanders (press LCtrl + 5); 6. GAZ-55 ambulance vehicle added; 7. BZ-35 fuel truck added; 8. Opel Blitz ambulance vehicle added; 9. Opel Blitz Tankwagen fuel truck added; 10. New language added - Chinese Simplified (简体中文). The career mode is not yet completely translated since the newspaper articles and some squadron histories and award descriptions are in English (they are not necessary for playing though). The Chinese symbols in the pilot name won’t work sadly due to the technical limitations in the mission file format. Aircraft Damage Model Improvements 11. All aircraft got the new, significantly more advanced version of the airframe damage calculations: each aircraft has its own geometrical sizes of the airframe parts and the material types while the damage calculations take into account the peculiarities of the AP, blast and fragmentation damage; 12. A complete rework of aircraft skin damage calculations has been done and it now takes into account the projectile caliber or its HE capability: now AP ammo and bullets damage the aircraft skin to much lesser extent than HE ammo while ramming an aircraft with a propeller of another instantly causes severe aircraft skin damage; 13. Visual hit effects (sparks, splinters, etc.) and sound effects now depend on the material of a hit part of the aircraft; 14. A one projectile impact won’t erroneously cause multiple (doubling) damage effects on the airframe parts which have several hitboxes; 15. Projectile impacts (and ramming an aircraft with a propeller of another) at the parts which don’t have their own cracks modeled in 3D visual model (for instance, when shooting at a wing root that should cause a crack in the wing on the aircraft where a crack at the wing base is not modeled) are calculated in more detail; 16. Projectile impacts (and ramming an aircraft with a propeller of another) at the parts not connected to the airframe won’t damage the airframe (for example, hitting an engine nacelle of a twin-engine aircraft won’t destroy a wing); 17. The calculations of the energy impulse transfer to an aircraft from a munition it was hit by now take into account the shots that went through it; 18. Exploding shells no longer damage the airframe by their initial kinetic energy of an intact shell, only by the blast and the kinetic energy of its fragments; 19. The following visual effects of the aircraft fragments were corrected (turned on when needed and off when not needed): landing gear dust (in the flight), the lighting from landing and navigation lights, guns firing and engine exhausts, smoke from smoke generators and vortex trails from the wingtips); 20. The found discrepancies between a new and repaired aircraft aerodynamics have been fixed; 21. A rare issue that could cause the airframe cracks to preserve after repairing has been found and fixed; 22. The modeling of the combat damage of the piston engine crank gear became more detailed and takes into account the engine type (for instance, the damage of the crank gear of the air-cooled engines happens more rarely than crank gear of the liquid-cooled engines) and the peculiarities of the armor penetration, blast and fragmentation effects of the munitions. The damage of the crank gear can cause the wedging up and seizing up of the crankshaft while the heavy momentary incurred damage can cause the immediate stop of the crankshaft; 23. It is now possible to damage one or several engine cylinders at once by weapons fire, reducing its power output. Damaged pistons can affect the crank gear and can be accompanied by oil and coolant leaks. The calculations of the incurred damage and leakage values take into account the type of the engine and the peculiarities of the armor penetration, blast and fragmentation effects of the munitions; 24. The calculations of an engine fire probability from torn fuel lines and oil leaks take into account the peculiarities of the armor penetration, blast and fragmentation effects of the munitions; 25. The physical model of the engine now differentiates the two types of oil leaks: from the engine and from the oil system; 26. Only the actual oil leak from the engine now soils up the canopy instead of a general engine damage; 27. An excessive amount of piston engine shaking caused by the crank gear damage has been reduced; 28. The calculations of an oil tank or oil radiator leak probability, its size and leakage value take into account the peculiarities of the armor penetration and fragmentation effects of the munitions in detail; 29. The calculations of a coolant tank or water radiator leak probability, its size and leakage value take into account the peculiarities of the armor penetration and fragmentation effects of the munitions in detail; 30. The calculations of a fuel tank leak probability, its size and leakage value take into account the peculiarities of the armor penetration and fragmentation effects of the munitions in detail. The fuel tanks leak protection will be taken into account later, when the next level fuel system modeling is finished; 31. The visual intensity of a fuel, oil, and coolant leaks now corresponds to the actual severity of a leak closer; 32. When calculating the probabilities of a fuel tank fire and explosion, the different AP, blast and fragments effects are taken into account as well as the amount of the fuel leaking from the tank at the moment. Inert-gas pressurization and other fire countermeasures will be taken into account later when the next level fuel system modeling is finished; 33. Bf 110 G-2, Bf 110 E-2 and Hs-129 B-2 right engines won’t be excessively damaged by explosion fragments; 34. P-38J-25: a stabilizer won’t be destroyed by small fluctuating stress loads; 35. P-38J-25: it is now possible to hit and damage the right engine radiators; 36. P-51D-15: it is now possible to hit its oil tank and its armored visor is correctly included in the armor protection calculations; 37. P-51D-15 canopy will appear correctly soiled up by an oil leak both in internal and external views; 38. P-51D-15 3D-model won’t erroneously show the wing crack; 39. The landing gear doors on all aircraft are destroyed if landing gear wheels are torn off in retracted position; 40. Hs 129 B-2: the destruction of the right landing gear door won’t generate the landing gear door debris on the left; 41. Bf-109 (all series except E7): the loss of the vertical stabilizer and the central part of the horizontal stabilizer is temporarily blocked due to the interdependence of this damage in the 3D model, which makes this point extremely vulnerable to combat damage and causes undesirable results. We will try to move the breaking point above the stabilizer in the future and fix this limitation. Damage to the rudder, elevators and horizontal stabs are still possible and the rudder and elevators can still be detached. And the left and right portions of the horizontal stab can also be lost; 42. Bf-109 (all series): the mixed up locations where the debris of the landing gear bay doors appear have been corrected; 43. MiG-3 series 24: the main landing gear bay doors in the wing can also be torn off by an excessive ram air pressure; 44. Excessive rear hemisphere protection of the Pe-2 gunners from the fragments has been corrected; 45. Ju-52/3m g4e: the oil level gauges display the correct amount of the oil left even if it is completely gone or after the oil system repair; 46. Ju-52/3m g4e: first pilot bailing out won’t cause the death of the second pilot and the gunner; General Damage Model Improvements (for all objects in the sim) 47. A complete overhaul of the blast and fragmentation damage, as well as armor penetration damage has been finished, including, but not limited to: correction of calculation errors, calculation speed optimizations, protection of the calculation results for finding possible errors in the initial data; 48. Insufficient blast damage in case of a very near explosion or inner explosion has been corrected; 49. The number of fragments hitting an object is correctly calculated basing on the distance to an explosion, including the case of inner explosion; 50. Now there is a possibility of a ‘stray fragment’ impact when the expectation function gives less than one fragment due to the distance to the explosion (outside the kill area), which is important in a case of multiple explosions; 51. The armor penetration ability and damage of projectile increases if the resulting impact velocity exceeds the muzzle velocity of a projectile in the reference test data; 52. The fragmentation damage modeling is made less abstract for all ammunition types: the formation of the fragments, their initial speeds, masses and sizes are calculated and their loss of velocity with the distance traveled is calculated using the modern estimates of their resistance factor and the integration of their movements; 53. The calculations of the penetration ability of the combined HE and frag damage is also less abstract. Instead of using an empirical parameter, the system now uses the speed, mass, and size of a fragment to model a penetration and the massed impact in case of a near explosion is also modeled; 54. Since the calculations of the penetration ability and the energy of fragments were changed, the excessive effectiveness of the bombs against armored targets at large distances has been reduced, but a very close explosion is much more effective than before; 55. The penetration ability of the fragments created by shells containing a small amount of explosives relative to their overall mass was also reduced because of the same reason; 56. The blast damage calculations use a more accurate power law depending on the distance to the blast center. The damage inflicted by a blast and its ability to break through an armor sheet now drops as the distance increases faster than before, but became much more powerful at very short distances; 57. Engines, drivetrains, reduction gearboxes, ammo racks and other large pieces of equipment now have their own hard casings modeled where applicable and they can protect them from some damage; 58. In a rare case of a direct bomb hit at a turret of a flying aircraft, aerostat or a parachute there won’t be a detonation delay that could cause it to explode at a distance to the object; 59. The severity of a wound depends on the impact area: a head hit is more critical than a body one while a body hit is less severe than it was before; 60. The crew members experience less pain shock from wounds and impacts; Player controllable tanks improvements 61. The death of a radio operator now blocks the external communications; 62. Pz.III-L and T-34 STZ tanks ammo racks now are damageable; 63.The physical collision model of the Pz.III-L turret now correctly rotates together with the visual model of the turret; 64. The physical collision model of the T-34 STZ main gun barrel now correctly corresponds to its visual model; 65. The M4A2 commander’s machine gun can be damaged; 66. In the event of a catastrophic detonation, the turret flying away from Pz.III-L and T-34 STZ tanks will be visually damaged; 67. A knocked out machine gun won’t incorrectly cause the death of its operator; 68. The issue that could result in the destruction of a tank when its main gun and coaxial MG are knocked out has been found and fixed; 69. Several commands of the tank commander (for example, "Attack ground targets on sight") will work even if the mission script doesn’t include any commands for this tank; 70. Several non-working technochat messages about turret systems failure and repair (coaxial machine gun, main and backup turret traverse, vertical aiming mechanism, etc.) have been fixed; 71. Pz.Kpfw.III.Ausf.M, Pz.Kpfw.IV.Ausf.G and M4A2 tracks tension is correctly animated (it was reversed); 72. The tank radio transmitter failure makes the communication with other tanks of the unit impossible; 73. Viewing instruments on KV-1s tanks made more detailed; 74. The issue with KV-1s tracks visibly moving in the opposite direction when accelerating has been minimized; 75. The casing of the various large systems (engine, gearbox, ammunition) can protect them from shell fragments; 76. An additional armor sheet on the front hull of the KV-1s is now modeled; AI Improvements 77. The AI pilots of the high-speed aircraft now try to use their advantage over significantly slower aircraft using the hit and run tactics; 78. The AI pilots of the high-speed aircraft aim better when firing the guns; 79. A failed bombing run won’t cause an AI-controlled bomber to fly beyond the map borders; 80. An AI pilot estimates the time required to destroy a ground target better; 81. The AI pilots won’t try to move the control surfaces of a crashed aircraft; 82. P-51D AI pilot will always close the canopy before taking off; 83. Gunners won’t do unnecessary motions when bailing out; 84. Additional improvements were made in the ground vehicle obstacle avoidance algorithm; 85. A rare issue that could cause vehicles of a column to move directly North after an emergency stop has been found and fixed; 86. AI-controlled ground based guns and MGs aim better in heavy wind weather conditions; 87. 76mm and 77mm AAA of World War I era aim better; Visual aircraft models improvements 88. The bomb control panel on all Bf 109 3D-models is now hidden in the outside view if no bombs are installed; 89. The right landing gear wheel of the Bf 109 E-7 is no longer visible from a large distance when the right wing is lost; 90. The Bf-109 G-14 canopy cable looks correct when the canopy is open; 91. The gap between the bomb holder and Fw 190 A3 and Fw 190 A5 fuselages has been removed; 92. The gear wheels of the chain drive of the He-111 bomb bay doors are animated now; 93. The An-4 compass on Pe-2s has a functioning backlight now; 94. The excessive visibility of IL-2 mod. 1943 at large distances caused by a wrong glare setting has been corrected; 95. The rear navigation light of the La-5FN won’t be visible from the cockpit; 96. A damaged LaGG-3 won’t appear to have through holes when zooming out; 97. The Yak-1b rear wheel trace on the ground won’t visually thicken when zooming out; 98. P-51D and Tempest radio station bulbs made brighter when turned on; 99. An incorrect flare visual effect on the P-51D fuselage has been fixed; 100. An incorrect flare visual effect on the Fokker D.VII wingtips has been fixed; 101. Left ailerons of Fokker D.VII and Fokker D.VIIF won’t cause visible z-fighting effect; 102. S.E.5a: a dead or unconscious pilot or gunner won’t clip through a cabin side; 103. The animation of the 2000-pound bomb M66 impeller has been fixed; Other aircraft changes 104. Another error that could cause the hits on the own aircraft to be not audible in multiplayer has been found and fixed; 105. When in the cockpit, the player will now hear different sounds when different parts (materials) of the aircraft are hit different types of ammunition (before that, sounds differed only by the type of ammunition and only in open cockpits or in an external view); 106. The ram air sounds in the cockpits of all aircraft have been re-adjusted, the sound changes depending on the state of the canopy (open or closed) as well as the position of the pilot's head relatively to the windscreen; 107. The positioning of the engine sounds in the cockpits has been improved as well; 108. Bf 109 G-6 in-cockpit sounds were corrected; 109. The issue with the pilots posing in weird ways should be gone now; 110. Ju-88 top shooter won’t continue to fire when the canopy and the MGs are jettisoned; 111. It is now possible to shoot a signal flare after opening the IL-2 mod.1943 cockpit; 112. The trace of an aircraft after a belly landing won’t disappear when zooming in; 113. Flying Circus planes will correctly show the dust from wheels effect; 114. P-51D wheels leave correct traces and their dust effects were corrected; 115. Opened P-51D landing gear bays cause less drag; 116. Bomb detonator switches are no longer inverted on P-51D; 117. A-20B, La-5 series 8 and La-5FN: it’s now possible to move the throttle control when it is in the idle position and ‘Engine auto control’ helper is enabled in the options; 118. FFB vibrations increased during control surfaces buffeting at terminal flight speeds; 119. Now a crewless aircraft will be removed from the simulation when it stays on the ground for 30 seconds (previously it was removed when its altitude was less than 10 meters and speed less than 10 meters per second); Ground and naval objects 120. Projectiles of the multi-barreled anti-aircraft guns visually appear aligned with the positions of the individual barrels; 121. Tanks and trucks won’t leave marks on concrete surfaces; 122. Vehicles won’t create so much dust when moving on concrete and paved surfaces; 123. TRG_Spawn mission logic element won’t cause the spawned vehicles to have visual effects of a damaged engine; 124. The issue of random destruction of a train in QMB has been found and fixed; 125. Simple AI-controlled ground vehicles won’t visibly ‘shudder’ when moving on steep slopes, especially on the Prokhorovka map; 126. Sd Kfz 251 Wurfrahmen 40 rockets launch correctly visually; 127. The upper and lower armor of simple AI tanks has been corrected (made more resistant to fragments); 128. The visual model of a static railway tank has been updated (its frame); 129. The static T-34 model texture that appears at a certain distance has been corrected; 130. Railway wagons and locomotives won’t receive critical damage from any first hit; 131. A graphical corruption caused by G-5 gunboat firing its M-8M rockets has been fixed; 132. The issue that could make the naval guns indestructible has been found and fixed; 133. Ships that run aground will stop earlier and won’t display water wake effects; 134. A random issue with the parachute not completely descending to the ground has been fixed; Other changes 135. VR zoom can be made instantaneous if the default speed gives you nausea - set the value of the vr_zoom_speed parameter to 1 (it is located in the camera section in data\startup.cfg file); 136. Ricochet sounds and graphic effects were added; 137. The physical collision models of the European suburban buildings in some blocks on the Arras map now correspond to their visual models; 138. The trees that prevented takeoff and landing were removed at the end of the strip of the Florennes airfield; 139. Bailed out pilots can be correctly captured by the enemy in the Bodenplatte career; 140. MCU_Waypoint mission logic element won’t receive input from other elements when deactivated. Please discuss the update in this thread.

Hello everybody, The weather in Moscow isn't really fitting for April, but these times it doesn't make a big difference; we're continuing the work on the project. The 4.005 beta testing is nearly finished, and soon you'll see by yourself what all the latest DDs were about. So today we'll tell you a bit about the current work that will yield more distant results. We have mentioned before that we're working on moving the graphics engine to Deferred rendering and now this process gives good results. The main goal in implementing this renderer is to open new visual possibilities while keeping the current level of performance and not making it worse. Till the recent time, we could only hope that having both options is possible at all, while our Lead Programmer Sergey Vorsin was working confidently and his task is nearly finished. We have managed to keep the general level of performance during this transition intact and we already can show you one of the possibilities this technology opens for our sim. The first visual bonus that comes from Deferred Shading is the dramatic improvement of the quality of the reflections on various surfaces. While the existing reflection system was progressive for its time, today the standards are upped. For instance, its issues include too much bloom in reflections from various aircraft surfaces, the lack of diffusion of the reflections - they should be softer and more natural-looking. The new tech makes this possible, resulting in more realistic visuals. Here are a couple of screenshots showing this: But the improvements are not limited to the existing reflections on the external model of an aircraft. Now a feature that was requested by the community for a long time becomes technically possible - reflections in the canopy and instrument glass. In other games this effect is imitated using a prepared or generated texture which is rendered on the glass surfaces without following the laws of optics - this technique gives a cool wow-effect for a couple of times, but it quickly becomes annoying when you realize it is fake. Deferred Shading allows us to create complex and optically correct reflections in the cockpit. They depend on the external lighting and environment of course, the camera position in the cockpit and other factors. It's clear that the best way to show you this new effect would be a video, but it will be ready later - we're still working on this new reflection effect. Today we can show you a couple of screenshots that demonstrate this effect in general though: The work on the new pilot models we announced earlier for Battle of Moscow, Battle of Stalingrad and Battle of Kuban continues as well. Earlier we published the WIP images of the new Soviet pilot in Summer uniform without textures that weren't ready, but now we have the completed models both in Summer and Winter uniforms and for early and late war timeframes as well. At the moment we're working on the animations for the new models for all Soviet aircraft in the project - and started the work on the new German pilot model of the early war. To finish today's Dev Blog we want to present you the new work of =HH=Pauk, this time he created the new promo video for Flying Circus. We think the author has managed to the feel of the last knights' epoch perfectly, highlighting the project potential. Enjoy:

Hello everybody, In spite of the serious events happening in the world, the time flows and it looks like we adapted to the new work conditions. The work processes are set up and we continue at the usual rate. Since we plan to release important renderer improvements in late Spring, we set the workflow to develop the short and long term tasks simultaneously. We'll tell you about what will be released in Summer a bit later, while today we'll concentrate on the coming update 4.005. =AnPetrovich= and =Jason_Williams= told you about the main feature of this update earlier - reworked, improved and advanced damage model of the airframe - but it is not the only huge change that it will include. Speaking of the battle damage modeling, another very important change is the improved frag and blast damage calculations throughout the entire sim. Thanks to the fresh look and research input by our partners at Digital Forms, which make the visual models of the Tank Crew vehicles, we were able to bring the fragments damage calculations to the new level of complexity. Generally speaking, the calculations of the damage incurred by munition fragments became less abstract. The new model is universal for all munition types. The calculations of the warhead fragmentation are more life-like and give the initial speed, mass, and size of the fragments. New progressive methods of modeling their speed decrease use the integration of their movement. The calculations of the penetration ability of the combined HE and frag damage is also less abstract. Instead of using an empirical parameter, the system now uses the speed, mass, and size of a fragment to model a penetration and the massed impact in case of a near explosion is also modeled. Since the calculations of the penetration ability and the energy of fragments were changed, the excessive effectiveness of the bombs against armored targets at large distances has been reduced. The penetration ability of the fragments created by shells containing a small amount of explosives relative to their overall mass was also reduced because of the same reason. The blast damage calculations use a more accurate power law depending on the distance to the blast center. The damage inflicted by a blast and its ability to break through an armor sheet now drops as the distance increases faster than before, but became much more powerful at very short distances. It also should be noted that engines, drivetrains, reduction gearboxes, ammo racks and other large pieces of equipment now have their own hard casings modeled where applicable and they can protect them from some damage. The visual and audio representation of the damage is also updated. The additional causes of the unhearable hits in multiplayer have been found and fixed, new sounds were added for ricochets while the existing hit and explosion sounds were improved. In general, the update 4.005 once again is going to be one of the biggest in the history of our project, its change list contains more than 90 items already. It will bring not only the damage model improvements of course - the new content we told you before, many improvements and fixes for the aircraft and player controllable tanks, audio improvements for various in-game objects and more and more. The sim will be more accessible to the larger audience thanks to the additional language as well. Our team hopes that the update 4.005 will be welcomed by you, our players, and will raise the quality level of our sim to the next level. To finish today's diary, let's add some nice pictures to the mix - this time they are the Yak-9 cockpit shots captured in the game. Its texturing is nearly final while the development of its FM is progressing at a full speed. We hope it will be available to you in early Summer. You can discuss the news in this thread

Hey everybody! We hope you are hanging in there and staying healthy! While we're stuck inside our homes trying not to get sick I thought you'd enjoy some footage of our improved airframe damage model in action. These clips show how our wings are much stronger than before and how our improved damage calculations cause a myriad of failures that can bring down a plane, or in some cases, maybe allow you to limp home. Please note that the engine damage was turned off for this video as we are currently concerned with the airframe and how it behaves. Remember just because a plane takes a physical beating, doesn't mean all the systems are functioning. A knocked out plane may keep flying for a little while, but it is likely not going to make it home or stay controllable. My point is don't get too hung up on some of these planes surviving multiple HE hits. One good placed burst and your day is likely ruined, but your wings should not fold like a bad poker hand. Larger planes and historically tougher planes now have a better personality to match their reputation. I pieced this video together in a hurry, so the commentary may not be the best and some of my American humor may get lost in translation. I hope you enjoy this little distraction during this crazy time. Our airframe damage improvements will be in the next update before the end of March. My gunnery stinks I know. All AI is basically on Novice so I can actually catch them and hit them. These were just simple furball missions. Try to have an enjoyable weekend everyone! And remember our Promo Codes are still good!! Jason P.S. I have been asked what I filmed this on. Intel i7 7200K 4.2ghz, 64Gb RAM, SSD, 20280Ti, 4K res on Asus 43" G-Sync monitor (120hz Refresh / 144hz OC). Ultra Graphics maxed. Average FPS 90-120. Captured with DXtory app at 60fps at 50% size which is 1080p.

Hello everybody, The progress on many parts of the Battle of Normandy project is becoming more visible with each passing day. We have placed the order on the numerous ground vehicles that will be outsourced while the design document on the buildings for the new map will be finished soon. The list of the airfields and the map borders are final and the work on the map itself has begun in earnest. The list of the squadrons that will be recreated in the Battle of Normandy Career mode and its main scenario are prepared as well. Visual models of the three aircraft and the FM of the first one (P-47D-22) are in the works. Today we can show you the current state of the visual model of the second aircraft in development - C-47A transport plane which will be manned by AI. The famous WWII legend, it was the best known Allied transport plane. Built under license in many countries, its civilian versions are still in service now, in the early XXI century. This workhorse played a key role in the airborne operations of the Battle of Normandy.