IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad News

Dear Friends,

Recently we had a broadcast on YouTube about this project:

The text below roughly follows its highlights. We'll be able to show you the stuff in development in the next Dev Blogs, while today we will give you an overview of the current work directions.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

First and foremost, we're committed to the new project tech that is already in development. At the moment our graphics engine gives us more than competitive visuals and performance. And the progress doesn't stop. By the time it is released, the player's hardware, competitors' tech and game industry standards will be more advanced and we have to keep our place in the vanguard of the industry and the genre. By concentrating on the really important advancements and not spreading the resources thin on hyped things that will be soon forgotten. This is not an easy task but we were able to handle it so far and are positive we'll keep it this way. The direction of the graphics engine improvement we have chosen is massive and fundamental, requiring some new approaches to the content creation routines - therefore they affect not only our programmers but all our artists as well. As a result we'll have a new level of objects and environment quality.

Second, we plan significant changes in the graphical user interface - both its engine and design will be updated. We want to achieve the new level of visual quality by having an interface that will help the player's immersion from the first screen and in all the various game modes. While the new interface design is still being discussed, its engine is already set. The new API allows many graphical possibilities and, which is very important, performance optimizations. All in all, we expect a significant leap forward in this area.

Third, we plan to make significant improvements to the physical models. There will be a revision of the many subtle aerodynamics aspects that accumulated through the years. Our physical models are already very accurate and are among the best in the genre. But there are always things that can be improved. As you know, recently we have tuned the damage modeling and achieved very good results. However, the experience of years of work and optimizations in various parts of the project allow us to make a next step in increasing the detail and variety of the aircraft damage modeling.

Fourth, we have already started the creation of the technical design documents for the new aircraft and one of these aircraft is already in development. The work on new pilots models is already underway. The pre-production of the new map has started - our designers are doing various research on the new area. This work is very extensive and complex because the chosen theatre of war is very interesting and visually appealing. But the reference documents and materials are not easy to come by. In fact, as it was before in our team experience, it looks like we'll not only create a new memorable realistic combat sim, but make a contribution to the history as a science by uncovering new data. At the very least we'll do our part in refreshing the public memory of these events.

Fifth, we're finishing the previous projects. The work on the Western Front 1918 map is nearing its end and we'll release it into Early Access as soon as possible along with Quick Mission mode. The work on the Career mode for Flying Circus is also progressing, the map locations are being prepared for this mode and the creation of new missions will start soon. Player controllable C-47 is almost finished and we hope to start its beta-testing soon. Sopwith Snipe progress is way beyond half of the planned work. Spitfire Mk.XIVe FM is in the works (we have shown you its screenshots in our Dev Blog recently) and our engineers will start the work on the Siemens Schuckert FM in the coming weeks. The IAR-80 visual model has made good progress. In fact, we plan to dedicate the next DD to this aircraft. StuG III will be finished soon - its physical model is ready and the artists are texturing its interior and exterior. In addition, we plan to create several more Collector Planes, which will be the modifications of the various aircraft that exist in the sim. Also we're finishing several Battle of Normandy objects - Bofors AAA on Morris 9C chassis, M8 Greyhound, Sd.Kfz.234 Puma armored car, Universal Carrier and Flight Direction Tender ship.

All in all, after the Normandy release our team did not slow down - on the contrary, we're accelerating on our way to the new, massive goal. This is backed up by the fact that we're significantly expanding - the plan is to increase the team from 36 to 50 people, reinforcing key departments and creating new ones. In spite of the world, industry and our project events the team keeps the spirit and its commitment to results - and the company management is also focused on results so we start our ship acceleration together. The very interesting, unique and compelling goal lies ahead and we're motivated to achieve it. We hope that when we announce it, this goal will inspire you, the community, not less than us, the development team - and perhaps even more.



To add something visual to today's DD, here are the shots of our Fw 190 D-9 model recently added to Artstation - check them out.

Dear Friends,

Today we'll tell you about the development progress on two other Collector Planes. The first one of them is the C-47A Skytrain. C-47A was a military modification of the civil passenger aircraft DC-3 that had the reinforced floor and large door on the left side for cargo and different radio equipment. The cargo/passenger cabin windows had gun ports for small arms firing. The Skytrain name was used in the US, British called it Dakota, while in USSR it was known as Douglas. Li-2 planes (a licensed modification of DC-3 with Soviet ASh-62 engines, Soviet cockpit instruments and armament) were also called 'Douglas'.



The DC-3/C-47 family was the most popular transport aircraft of the war. The model we have in the sim can accommodate a general cargo, air-droppable cargo containers in the cabin, the same containers attached under the fuselage and paratroopers. Having the takeoff weight of up to 14 tons, the aircraft could carry up to 2,5 tons of cargo (more than 3 tons if overweight). The main disadvantage was its low speed, which adversely affected its usage in airborne operations. However, it was very easy to pilot and had good performance characteristics, which made it a real workhorse of the war. The long-awaited feature - make it player controllable - should be ready soon. Our engineers and artists from Yugra-Media are working to make it available to you as soon as possible.

The second plane we'd like to tell you about today is the late WWI fighter with rotative engine, the epitome of the British aircraft design school - Sopwith Snipe single seater. This aircraft is being developed from scratch since we did not make it for Rise of Flight previously. This very maneuverable, fast enough aircraft that was armed with two synchronized Vickers machine guns could confront the best German aircraft of that time. The new 9-cylinder 230 HP rotative engine Bentley BR2 had 100 HP more than the Clerget 9B engine installed on the very successful Sopwith Camel - a huge increase. The upper wing was shifted lower to give the pilot a better view forward and up. The work on the 3D model of this bird by Yugra-media artists is nearly finished and the work of our engineers is underway - we hope to release it for customers this year, which means really soon in fact.



Speaking of WWI we should mention that the Flying Circus Vol.II map had good progress. We should be able to start the beta-testing of this Spring 1918 map in the near future and it will be released soon after that. In Early Access the players will be able to use the new map in QMB and create single and multiplayer missions. After that we'll have to complete the work on the Flying Circus Career mode and update the map according to the customer feedback. We count on Yugra-media designers to use the new approaches that were adopted by our map designers during the work on the Normandy map to achieve the next level of the visual quality and fidelity compared to the old Rise of Flight map. And last but not the least - according to the player feedback we have revised the WWI airplanes damage from rifle caliber ammo - the evolution and the improvement of all the parts of IL-2 continues.

DD 330

Dear Friends,

The work continues. At the moment we're working on the schedule of the new project, new techs, compiling design documents for the new aircraft and other objects - and along with all that we're developing the six Collector Planes, some of which will be released before the end of this year and some in the beginning of the next one. One of them is the British fighter Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVe "Bubbletop". Unlike the Spitfire Mk.XIV already existing in the sim, this one has a bubble canopy without the dorsal fuselage spine.



Many WWII fighters had such modification - the goal was the improved backward field of view. However, the dorsal spine wasn't there for nothing - it provided better aerodynamics via better airflow behind the canopy, reducing total drag of the aircraft. Nearly all pre-war aircraft designs had it because of a bit higher speed, but the actual war, as it usually does in human history, set the priorities differently.

In the beginning of the war two Axis design bureaus tried a different canopy and rear fuselage design: there were Focke-Wulf Fw 190 designed by Kurt Tank and Mitsubishi A6M Zero designed by Jiro Horikoshi. They weren't the first fighters with bubble canopies and without a dorsal spine behind, but they were the fighters that were quite numerous and affected the air battles on either side of the Earth. The bubble canopy without the dorsal spine affected the aerodynamics negatively, but it gave the pilots much better view backwards - this was noted not only by them, but by their adversaries as well, since an air engagement was usually initiated by a sudden attack from a blind zone.

Soviet engineers created bubble canopy modifications of the existing aircraft in the end of 1942 and in 1943 these models were produced on a massive scale. Their Western colleagues adopted it later and bubble canopy modifications began to emerge in 1944. Bubbletop Spitfire Mk.XIV appeared a year after the initial design, in April 1945.



In Great Battles, Spitfire Mk.XIVe "bubbletop" will have two wing variations - with long (fighter) and short (photo recon) wingtips. As we always do, there will be other modifications included. Spitfire Mk.XIVe bubbletop will be released in the beginning of the next Spring, which is a bit symbolic, since, as we mentioned above, the real fighter appeared on the front during Spring 1945.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

Dear Friends,

The huge update 5.002 was just released - it contains both new content and a lot of improvements for all released modules at once.

The heavy British infantry tank Churchill IV is released - it is already available in the game for everyone who has purchased it. The tank represents a Lend-Lease program vehicle on the Eastern Front. There is a thorough description of it in the Dev Blog #328 - we recommend you to take a look since there are many interesting features.



The update contains really important improvements for ALL aircraft of our projects — now you can customize their tactical numbers. The style of tactical numbers for each aircraft corresponds to the average historical practice: in reality, the numbers were applied with huge differences even on the same model of aircraft, however, the style we have chosen reconstructs historical prototypes well. Unique "fonts" have been created for each country, and the user can choose not only a symbol, but also its color. The available selection depends on the aircraft model according to historical data. In addition to being customizable by the player, in the Quick Mission, Advanced Quick Mission, and Pilot's Career modes the AI-controlled aircraft also have correct tactical numbers.



In addition, the technology of dynamic visual damage (DVD) is now applied to ALL aircraft in our project. Essentially it makes the impact marks appear exactly where they should, not just in a general area like part of the wing. You are already familiar with it - earlier it was working on tanks, Flying Circus Vol.2 aircraft and some Battle of Normandy aircraft. Now the new system is used everywhere. It should be noted that since the position of these dynamic marks must be transmitted in a network game, an optimization was in order to avoid a decrease in the performance of the network module: in a multiplayer game, only hit marks from bigger rounds are displayed, bullet hits aren’t due to their number. In single player mode hit marks from all calibers are present.

In the version 5.002 ALL aircraft also received a completely new visualization of the rotating propeller. Its appearance is now based on the physical principles and the image is matched to how it looks on video recordings, taking in account interference and strobe effects. The 3/4 view of the propeller corresponds to the direction of its rotation, forming a "crescent" pattern according to how the blades are facing the observer at each place of the propeller disk. The side view at the propeller depends on the propeller pitch. When viewed from the front, there is an effect of scratches flickering in the sun. In addition, the blurred propeller texture changes according to the paint scheme.



A long-standing problem related to the excessive visibility of aircraft navigation and formation lights was also resolved. On all aircraft, the visibility of such lights is reduced to a common denominator and in accordance with historical data.

There are well over 60 improvements and fixes waiting for you in this update. For instance, three new cargo ships were added for the Battle of Normandy. The full list of changes can be found below.



Take a look at the last item on the list - the story of how it made it into the update is very interesting. After the release of Normandy, a gentleman who saw our trailer on YouTube recognized his father’s Typhoon by its tactical number (!), and wrote about it in the comments. He offered to provide more information and send photos. Of course, we updated the information (it is in the description of the paint scheme ‘Collins’), and we have found an excellent use for one photo. As you know, in our sim you can place a photo in the cockpit of aircraft and tanks - by default it is a woman corresponding to the era and country, but the player can replace it with an image of their own loved ones or even put some notes there. Now the Typhoon by default will have the real photo of the wife and child of the 245th squadron leader Jack Collins, who has been killed in action over Normandy - exactly the photo that he would have placed himself in the cockpit of his aircraft in 1944.

This is a kind of a digital monument, a tribute to the memory of the pilot and his family. We want to extend this practice to other aircraft and tanks in our simulator - if you happen to know relatives of a pilot or tank crew member who fought in one of them, and they still have wartime photographs showing his family, please tell them to contact us at [email protected].

5.002
Main Features

1. Player-controllable detailed tank Churchill IV is now available to its customers;
   
2. All Great Battles aircraft have new rotating propellers visualization tech;
   
3. All Great Battles aircraft now use user-defined tactical numbers. The tactical number format for each aircraft reasonably corresponds to historical prototypes and varies by country. The font of numbers for each country is different and was chosen as the most commonly used from a historical and technical point of view. Additional paint schemes that are compatible with customizable tactical numbers are added;
   
4. All Great Battles aircraft have the new tech of navigation and formation lights visualization, their visibility range became more realistic;
   
5. All Great Battles aircraft use the DVD (dynamic visual damage) technology that was previously applied for tanks - the impact marks from bullets and shells are placed in the impact location (not just in a general area like part of the wing). The size and appearance of the marks is consistent with the type and caliber of the projectile, as well as the material of the skin at the point of impact;
   
6. Bayfield-class assault transport ship added;
   
7. Liberty cargo ship added;
   
8. 12,000 ton cargo ship Design 1013 added;
   Normandy Map Improvements
9. River borders in some French port cities corrected;
   
10. Rivers near railway bridges and landmarks corrected;
    
11. Churches in some areas were replaced with more historically suitable models;
    
12. Coastal cliffs positions corrected;
    
13. Many railway bridges were replaced with ones more suitable for specific locations;
    
14. Mulberry A and Mulberry B port plans corrected;
    
15. Windmills, water towers and production workshops positions corrected throughout the map;
    
16. Some leftover trees removed from airfields;
    
17. Several French port layouts corrected according to the new historical data;
    
18. Fixed a problem with fortification objects partially hanging in the air;
    
19. Fixed a problem with houses, barracks and production shops partially hanging in the air;
    
20. Road network refined on the entire map;
    
21. Manston airfield texturing adjusted;
    Miscellaneous Changes
22. A-20 cockpit canopy reflections adjusted when viewed from the outside;
    
23. Bf 109 spinners won’t visibly “turn 180°” when viewed from a distance;
    
24. Red underwing smoke generator works correctly on SPAD XIII;
    
25. Colliding with certain houses won’t cause tanks and other ground vehicles to be pushed in the air;
    
26. Player controllable detailed tanks won’t stuck on the ruins of some houses;
    
27. Rotating a ground object view camera won’t cause it to freeze or jump to the coordinate root in certain situations;
    
28. MLRS won’t sometimes ‘creep forward’ when firing;
    
29. Fixed an issue with the wingmen progressively falling behind in altitude when flying in a formation when the leader is climbing;
    
30. The V-1 cruise missile autopilot ability to recover from a push has been reduced, making it easier to knock off course;
    
31. V-1 engine flame effect looks correct from a distance;
    
32. IL-2 airframe sturdiness has been corrected (now its tail is more resistant to damage);
    
33. In Quick Missions where you control an AA gun the skins of target aircraft are set in accordance with the side, season and theater;
    
34. Career: fixed an issue where the flight leader could taxi back to the last taxiing point on the runway before starting the takeoff;
    
35. Career: fixed an issue that caused an empty bridgehead cover mission generation when choosing to start in the air;
    
36. Normandy Career and AQM: a car on the runway and a parked plane near the control tower on the Thorney Island airfield were removed;
    
37. Normandy Career and AQM: signal fires were removed from the airfield A1 Saint-Pierre-du-Mont taxiways;
    
38. Normandy Career and AQM: static aircraft were removed from the edge of the runway on the Plumelot airfield;
    
39. Normandy Career: now your character can be captured when landing or bailing out over enemy territory;
    
40. Mission Editor: fixed an issue where changing the model of a detailed building in a mission could make it indestructible and generate script errors;
    
41. Mission Editor: fixed the assignment of an object script for detailed buildings after changing the building model via the Properties > Model dialog;
    
42. Mission Editor: Properties > Model dialog for Artillery, Buildings, Blocks, Blocks Detail and Firing Point object types now contains only the objects of the corresponding type;
    
43. Mission Editor: the ability to link the objects in different groups has been restored due to a popular demand;
    
44. Mission Editor: logical objects were removed from the Normandy map templates (this caused a large number of error messages during mission integrity checks, but did not affect the game functioning in any way);
    
45. Mission Editor: the “/” symbol in the path to the object skin will be read correctly;
    
46. Historically correct single-barreled 40-mm Bofors guns and the rangefinder post are added to the LST landing ships;
    
47. Now the amount of time an AI aircraft can spend in a negative G maneuver is limited;
    
48. Camouflage colors of the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G tank and the Flakpanzer IV Mobelwagen self-propelled anti-aircraft gun were fixed;
    
49. A disabled detailed tank won’t incorrectly remain a group leader (previously damage to the vehicle could be incorrectly taken into account);
    
50. AI wingmen execute commands "Attack air targets", "Attack ground targets" and "Attack air and ground targets" better;
    
51. AI pilots engage brakes on the runway when waiting for the takeoff;
    
52. Ar 234B2 drag parachutes and the SB 1000/410 bomb look correctly from a distance;
    
53. Improved display of translucency of camouflage nets at a distance;
    
54. Fixed graphical bugs in wagon models, due to which some of their parts began to “glow” in the dark in distant views;
    
55. Fixed a graphical bug in the airfield barracks model (arf_eu_barrackblack) that caused a destroyed building to look like an intact one at a medium middle distance;
    
56. Fixed display of balloon cables in multiplayer;
    
57. Fixed an issue with the visual disappearance of the ammo belt and a false message about reloading when correcting a misfire in a bow (forward firing) machine gun on German tanks;
    
58. The M2 commander's machine gun on the M4A2 tank can overheat and misfire;
    
59. In multiplayer Dogfight mode a mismatch of tactical codes has been fixed;
    
60. Fixed a game crash that could occur when a detailed SPG is following Attack Area - Attack Ground order;
    
61. P-51B-5 some parts of the landing gear won’t "glow";
    
62. The size of HE shell DVD hit marks on thin metal and non-metal was increased by 3 times;
    
63. The M8 Greyhound and Morris C9B combat vehicles have been temporarily removed for revision;
    
64. Fixed a game crash for a guest commander when the owner of the tank exited the mission and there was an active order to move or attack;
    
65. Fixed switching to the visor view when the tank is below a certain height above sea level;
    
66. Last but not the least: the default photo in the Typhoon cockpit has been replaced with a real photo provided by the family of the 245th squadron leader, Jack Collins, who was killed in action over Normandy.
    

Dear Friends,

This one will be very short, sorry: we're preparing the update 5.002 release candidate right now and you already know what it will contain - Churchill tank (that was extensively covered by Daniel in the previous DD), dynamic visual damage and tactical numbers for all Great Battles aircraft and Normandy map improvements. We'll post the info about all this improvements simultaneously with the update release (hopefully it will happen early next week). Therefore there is little new info we can share today with two exceptions.

First, community member Enigma89 has published an interview with us:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And second, here's the first in-game shot of IAR and its cockpit which is early WIP at the moment:


However if you the IAR cockpit looks rather too "work in progress"-ish, take a look at this :)


Have a great weekend and enjoy BoN!