IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad News

Dear Pilots,

2020 is a Leap Year! So it's time to leap into the cockpit on Steam! Another great time to grab all the titles you want! We've even put Battle of Bodenplatte on sale for you!

Feb. 17th - Mar. 2nd on Steam

Battle of Bodenplatte = 25% OFF
Flying Circus = 50% OFF
BOS = 75% OFF
BOM = 75% OFF
BOK = 75% OFF
All released Collector Planes – 75% OFF (Except P-38 and Fw-190 D-9) (Webstore and Steam)
P-38J-25 = 25% OFF
Fw-190 D-9 = 25% OFF
Blazing Steppe = 75% OFF
Fortress on the Volga = 75% OFF

All Rise of Flight Content = 75% OFF (https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/244050/Rise_of_Flight_United/)

NOTE: having at least the base game (Stalingrad) on Steam means you can launch it from the Steam client without entering a login and password and you can access your IL-2 content purchased elsewhere if you link the accounts.

The Sturmovik Team

Developer Diary 240

Hello everybody,

While working on the Normandy project and finishing Tank Crew, we never forget about the existing ones. Not only the most part of all the improvements we release in the updates are applicable for the simulated world as a whole, meaning they update all our theatres of war at once, but we update the content of the existing modules at every possibility as well. For instance, we'll be able to show you the first WIP screenshots of the new Soviet pilot soon. And in the next update, among many other things, you'll see two more aircraft updated to 4K texture quality standard.



The first one of these two planes is the MiG-3 series 24 that is included in the Battle of Moscow. It's external texturing has been reworked by Martin =ICDP= Catney - it should be noted that wear, specular map, micro features and damage textures were updated in addition to the paint schemes. The plane materials were corrected as well for more natural-looking glare and finish.



The second one is Bf 109 G-4 from the Battle of Kuban that has been reworked by Francisco =BlackHellHound1= Bindraban. Artists did not just redraw the textures in 4K quality - they do the research on the aircraft details and peculiarities of all known paint schemes and add many changes and improvements (sometimes even completely replacing one historical skin with another if needed). So everything possible is made to make the existing 3D models brand new, unlocking the potential our constantly updated renderer offers.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

Hello Everybody,

It finally snows in Moscow while we continue the work on the new aircraft. Including the new Collector Planes for both the Western and Eastern fronts of the war - Yak-9, Yak-9T and Hurricane. Today we're ready to show you the progress achieved at the moment for the British Hurricane, which will have 5 (!) different modifications in our sim:

1) Hurricane Mk.IIa: basic model armed with 8 х 7.69 mm Browning MGs;
2) Hurricane Mk.IIb: the number of MGs has been increased to 12;
3) Hurricane Mk.IIc: this model had 4 x 20 mm Hispano guns;
4) Hurricane Mk.IId: anti-tank model armed with 2 x 40 mm Vickers-S guns and 2 x 7.69 mm MGs;
5) Hurricane Mk.II with Soviet weaponry that was installed on the Lend-Lease aircraft: 2 х 12.7 mm UB MGs, 2 x 20 mm ShVAK guns and Soviet bomb and rocket holders.



We hope that this nice selection of the Hurricane models suitable both for the Western and Eastern front would be a great addition to IL-2 Sturmovik series.

The Sturmovik Team

Dear Pilots,

We have launched the Lunar New Year sale on Steam. Another great time to grab all the titles you want! We've even put Flying Circus on sale for you!

Jan. 23rd - Jan. 27th on Steam

Flying Circus = 25% OFF
BOS = 75% OFF
BOM = 75% OFF
BOK = 75% OFF
All Collector Planes – 75% OFF (Except P-38 and Fw-190 D-9)
Blazing Steppe = 75% OFF
Fortress on the Volga = 75% OFF
Ten Days of Autumn = 75% OFF

All Rise of Flight Content = 75% OFF

NOTE: having at least the base game (Stalingrad) on Steam means you can launch it from the Steam client without entering a login and password and you can access your IL-2 content purchased elsewhere if you link the accounts.

The Sturmovik Team

Update 4.004

Dear Friends,

We're glad to report that update 4.004 is released. The main additions of this one are a new tank for Tank Crew - Pz.Kpfw.V Ausf.D "Panther" - and improved look and additional airfields for Rheinland map (Battle of Bodenplatte). There are many other fixes and improvements as well:

Additions

1. Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf.D "Panther" for Tank Crew;
2. Better looking river and canal banks on Rheinland map;
3. 13 new airfields on Rheinland map:

Le Culot East (Y-10)
Kluis (B-91)
Mill (B-89)
Helmond (B-86)
Amsterdam-Schiphol (B-97)
Arnhem-Deelen
Soesterberg
Strassfeld
Strassfeld 2 - Odendorf
Hilversum
Diest (B-64)
Nivelles (B-75)
Bierset–Liege (A-93)
4. 4K quality exterior textures made by Martin =ICDP= Catney added for Yak-1 series 69;
5. The better-looking transition between the river and sea waters;
6. Improved Т-70 tank model and textures;
7. Updated texture cache system, it should reduce stutters in heavy load MP missions significantly;
8. Brightness and size of very distant aircraft LODs made more uniform (it differed too much on some aircraft);
9. Added initial support for SimShaker to be used in conjunction with JetSeats and other audio powered feedback devices.

AI Improvements

10. Ground attack aircraft won't hit the ground when engaging a target with rockets and guns in a tight formation;
11. AI-controlled B-25 starts the engines correctly;
12. AI fighters attempt Immelman maneuver only if they have enough speed;
13. AI fighters open fire more aggressively;
14. AI pilots keep formation on large maps much better;
15. AI vehicle column won't drive into a river if the last waypoint was on a destroyed bridge or immediately before it;
16. Assault guns (simple and detailed) correctly face a target when set to LOW command priority in the mission;

Aircraft Improvements

17. P-51, P-47 and P-39 have correct trimmer animations;
18. A-20 engines won't trigger wrong overheat messages;
19. Wrong engine overcooled messages on P-47D were corrected;
20. P-51 landing gear covers shouldn't open and close again and again anymore;
21. Cylinder heads overheat warning will be displayed correctly;
22. Flying Circus planes won't display a wrong message about engine failure when it is switched off;
23. The time it takes to switch to combat position and back has been corrected for all gunners;

Player Tanks Improvements

24. When the loader is killed, the time it takes to load the main gun or coaxial MG is increased significantly;
25. The visual effect of propellant gases is reduced when the exhaust fan is off or is not present;
26. The time it takes to vent the turret after the shot depends on the operational exhaust fan;
27. Detailed tanks won't visibly 'crouch' at a high speed;

Other Improvements

28. All night bombing Career missions with more than 6 planes in the flight won't start in a map corner anymore;
29. Wrong ground attack German planes in the late Stalingrad Career chapters were corrected;
30. Duplicate ID error message in the dedicated server has been removed (it blocked the server, now it is visible in the console);
31. Correct season in the pre-mission hangar (Winter/Summer);
32. In Mission Editor it's no longer possible to select a wrong part of a multi-part vehicle skin;
33. Daimler M1914 FlaK 77/L27 and Thornycroft J-type 13pdr AA shells appear in the correct place ().

Hope you enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team