IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad News

[p]Dear aviators,[/p][p]Today, we are happy to report that our joint development with Ugra-Media of a major Flying Circus-themed update is nearing completion. In mid-November, we plan to release this update, which will significantly expand and diversify the virtual world of World War I in our simulator.A significant improvement will be the addition of 7 new major cities to the Western Front map: Mons, Namur, Aachen, Verviers, Maastricht, Bruxelles, and Charleroi. Several additional unique landmarks have been added to Paris, including the Arc de Triomphe. Small and big railway stations have been added to many settlements. Several smaller improvements have been made, which together significantly enhance the map's perception and realism.[/p][p]In addition to the map improvements, a real giant is entering the Flying Circus! We have completed development of the German Zeppelin R Class combat airship. We are now finishing a set of related additional combat missions for the early period of the Pilot Career mode. Six new types of combat missions include intercepting the airship and assaulting and bombing airship bases for the Entente - German pilots will cover the airship's passage across the front line and defend the Zeppelin bases.[/p][p]Creating a simulation model of an airship was not a simple task: we had to resolve issues related to the interaction of such a gigantic object with other objects in the game world, implement a very specific damage model, develop AI to control the airship's flight and the use of its weapons, and create an entirely new set of graphic effects and sounds for it. Our earlier fears about taking on such a task were not unfounded — in many ways, such a unique object brought us close to the limits of what is possible within the game world of Great Battles. Nevertheless, we managed to solve all these problems, and soon all Flying Circus owners will see the result on their PCs - you won't have to buy anything extra.[/p][p]We will continue to keep you updated on the latest developments in the Great Battles game world — there will be additional important news before the end of the year. Please stay tuned and stay in touch![/p]

[p]Hello, comrades![/p][p]Today, we will share more information with you about the Gulf of Finland map, which is being developed for the Siege and Liberation module. More specifically, we will focus on its biggest city, Leningrad. This will be the largest city in Great Battles, even larger than Paris on the WWI map. This has been made possible by the increase in graphics card performance. What was previously impossible to achieve, maintaining satisfactory performance, when we created the Moscow map in 2015, is now possible. The result is certainly impressive despite some textures being WIP — a huge city with many reproduced features of its layout.[/p][p]Choosing unique buildings was quite a challenge, as Leningrad is home to many UNESCO World Heritage landmarks. We selected the most notable and significant, in our opinion, large historical buildings and complexes, as well as some unique bridges. Perhaps we can expand this list even further. Currently, the Peter and Paul Fortress complex, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, the General Staff Building, the Hermitage, the Alexander Column, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island complex with the Rostral Columns, the Admiralty, the Kresty Prison, and the KGB building have been implemented.[/p][p]Later, we hope to add the Smolny Cathedral, the Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kronstadt, and several forts. The part of the work that involved reproducing the colors of historic buildings was interesting and challenging, because their modern appearance is entirely different from what it was in 1941, especially since many of them were painted in special camouflage at the beginning of the war.[/p][p]The work on reproducing the city's layout, which is affected by a complex railway network, was intricate and time-consuming. St. Petersburg, which later became Petrograd and then Leningrad, was the capital of the Russian Empire for hundreds of years and remains a major transportation hub. At the same time, the city is criss-crossed by an exceptionally well-developed network of rivers and canals, which necessitated the reconstruction of their embankments, the total length of which is simply enormous.[/p][p]Overall, we have successfully recreated the recognizable image of the city on the Neva, which you will soon see in the game. The Siege and Liberation module, featuring two famous cities simultaneously, is now available in early access and can be purchased on our website. Please stay tuned for our news and keep in touch![/p]

[p]Dear friends,[/p][p]We have released a new update for Great Battles 6.003 - this time it turned out almost completely about the German side.[/p][p]First, we have a pleasant surprise: new interesting historical campaign "Hornet's Nest" about the German Western front Schnellbomber crews. This campaign requires both the Battle of Normandy and the Bodenplatte modules because its events span across England, Northern France and Netherlands.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Messerschmitt 410 A-1 “Hornisse” (“hornet”) was developed as a replacement for the aging Bf 110 twin-engine heavy fighter, night-fighter, and light bomber. You, a new lieutenant, have been assigned to Kampfgeschwader 2 and tasked with delivering one of the first Me 410s to your unit in Normandy in 1943. You will fly night fighter and bomber missions during the “Baby Blitz” of England, serve temporary duty as a test pilot with Erprobungskommando 25 to experiment with new weapons systems during daylight bomber raids over Holland, and eventually try to survive the Allied Invasion of France in 1944.[/p][p]Similar to the previous campaign created by the author Jay Yarbrough, Gestapo Hunters about the British Mosquito crews, a fully voiced radio operator in the Me 410 rear cockpit will comment on events, provide headings to the next waypoint, and read the checklist during takeoff and landing procedures. He is responsible for communicating with ground stations, operating the latest in radio guidance systems in the aircraft (you will be briefed how to use your cockpit indicator in the first mission) and contolling the rear gun turrets in the event of enemy contact. This experience is as close as you can get to bringing the history of the German heavy night fighter crews to life on your personal computer, especially if you use virtual reality goggles.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The new campaign is already available with a launch discount on our website and on Steam.[/p][p]We also added the 5th and 6th aircraft of the new Odessa and Leningrad module: Bf 109 E-4 and Ju 87 D-5.[/p][p]The Bf 109 E-4 variant went into production in the spring of 1940. The aircraft was equipped with the Daimler-Benz DB-601Aa engine, and a variant (modification) of the DB-601N engine running on 100-octane gasoline was also installed. The plane's flaps had a mechanical chain-driven exhaust system, and the landing gear had a hydraulic system. Armament consisted of two 20 mm MG-FF/M drum-fed short-barreled wing cannons and two synchronized 7.92 mm MG-17 machine guns. The aircraft could carry bomb armament on special pylons - one 250 kg bomb or four 50 kg bombs.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Junkers Ju 87 D-5 "Stuka" was one of the most advanced modifications of the famous aircraft, which went into production in the summer of 1943. The D-5 variant received a wing with increased span and area, which was necessary to reduce wing loading. Two 20 mm MG-151/20 wing cannons with 500 rounds each were installed instead of the normal machine guns. This variant could also be equipped with a Stuvi 5B sight (as a modification). There was a modification with a more powerful Jumo 211P engine. As on the earlier Ju 87 D-3, which had a G-1 modification with 37 mm cannons, on the D-5 there was a G-2 modification with BK 37 cannons. They even added a landing gear jettison system for emergency landings on land and water. Interestingly, as the war progressed, the installation of sirens on Ju 87s of later modifications was abandoned.[/p][p]Two remaining aircraft, IL-2 mod. 1944 with an arrow shaped wing and late war Soviet fighter La-7, will be added before the release along with the long awaited Leningrad map.[/p][p]6.003 Changelist[/p]

1. [p]The Bf 109 E-4 fighter is available to all owners of the “Siege and Liberation” module;[/p]
2. [p]The Ju 87 D-5 dive bomber is available to all owners of the “Siege and Liberation” module;[/p]
3. [p]Added a new historical campaign, “Hornet's Nest,” featuring the Me 410 two-seat heavy fighter-bomber.[/p]
4. [p]Odessa map: Leveled the surface under the airfields in the eastern part of the map.[/p]
5. [p]Kuban map: Fixed the position of the bridge in square 1726-6.[/p]
6. [p]Fixed a slight decrease in sound volume caused by the sound libraries in the previous update being exported in stereo format instead of 5.1;[/p]
7. [p]In WWI visual reconnaissance missions, fixed route point looping when approaching the reconnaissance target and issues with opening and closing the target marking interface;[/p]
8. [p]Sopwith Strutter: fixed an issue with engine overcooling at low air temperatures.[/p]
9. [p]I-153: corrected the Finnish paint scheme for accurate placement of tactical code symbols.[/p]
10. [p]Revised standard tactical codes for Finnish aircraft in Quick Mission mode.[/p]

[p]Hello Comrades![/p][p]Today we want to update you on the Great Battles project. The main thing, of course, is the development of the new Siege and Liberation module. We have taken on a considerable task, and there is still a lot of work ahead related to the map and pilot career mode. But progress is being made: by the end of winter, we plan to complete the core of the module, including all aircraft, both maps, and one pilot career timeframe for each of them. At that point, the product release should take place. But, as always with our continuous development approach, the improvements never stop with the release, and by the end of summer 2026, we plan to complete all four careers, two for each map, as it was announced earlier. Right now, we're doing final tests on the German Bf 109 E-4 and Ju-87 D-5 aircraft. The development of the visual model of the Il-2 model of 1944 has been completed, and the development of its flight model has begun. The last aircraft will be the La-7, but we plan to complete it by the end of this year.[/p][p][/p][p]Work on the Leningrad map is in full swing. During the historical research of air combat operations, which in itself will take more than a year including the time spent on it already, it turned out that for the full implementation of the career for 1941 and 1944 we need to implement an additional 40-kilometer strip on the southern side of the map - this is extra 11,000 square kilometers of territory that need to be prepared and built up. This extra strip includes 180 additional settlements and 11 more airfields, which are necessary for recreating the historical scenario of the career. We had to work hard to find a solution to this problem without pushing the release date into the future, but we succeeded.[/p][p][/p][p]In addition, the development of the Leningrad map includes the work on landscape and textures, such as improving the texture set and landscape diversity, touching up the main shores, ensuring ships can travel where they should be able to, and addressing other important details. Airfields on the Soviet side, as previously on the Finnish side, are recreated using aerial photography data from the war years. Work on recreating the city of Leningrad itself is also underway: this is the first time we are creating such a large city in Great Battles. In Korea, special technologies were made for this, but in Great Battles, everything is based on the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the artists who solve this problem. At least, performance tests show reasonably sufficient parameters for the simulation in such a busy map scene. An unprecedented set of historical buildings is being created for Leningrad, made possible by the excellent cooperation of freelance artists: we established contact with some of them through the Finnish group of map developers, while others we know from the work on the Odessa map.[/p][p][/p][p]However, the Siege and Liberation module is not the only thing we are already doing and planning for Great Battles this year and next. This fall we'll have the news about new winged engines, and there will be more engines than usual. There will also be news for those who are especially interested in the Great War - unexpected and pleasant additions to the map and the aircraft, huge aircraft! Please follow our news and stay in touch![/p]

[p]Dear friends,[/p][p]Update 6.002 has been released. In addition to other improvements, it includes two Soviet fighters, the early Yak-1 from 1941 and the nimble Yak-3 from 1944, which are part of the Odessa and Leningrad module.[/p][p]After flying and comparing them, you will see the progress achieved under the harshest conditions of war and industrial evacuation, as the Yak-3 is a heavily modernized Yak-1. Although it was equipped with a slightly more powerful M-105PF2 engine, the main advantage was achieved through improved aerodynamics (improved exterior finish, rearrangement of the oil and water radiators), reduced wing area, and overall reduction in weight. These measures yielded significant results: the base version of the aircraft, with one cannon and one UBS machine gun, was 300 kg lighter, and 250 kg lighter with the addition of another UBS machine gun (we have such a modification), which made it much more maneuverable and faster than its predecessor. According to the GKO decree that ordered its mass production, the Yak-3's speed had to be at least 570 km/h at ground level and 650 km/h at altitude, and it had to climb to 5 km in 4 minutes or less. These characteristics made it a very dangerous opponent in aerial combat.[/p][p][/p]

1. [p]The Yak-1 s.23 fighter is available to all owners of the Odessa and Leningrad module;[/p]
2. [p]The Yak-3 s.9 fighter is available to all owners of the Odessa and Leningrad module;[/p]
3. [p]Odessa map: the topographic map has been updated, and errors in the location of objects have been fixed;[/p]
4. [p]The 180 mm B-1-P coastal battery gun has been added;[/p]
5. [p]Coastal battery No. 411 has been added to the Odessa map in Quick Mission mode. When the player selects ships as a ground target, the coastal battery (square 1825-5) will fire at the enemy's naval convoy.[/p]
6. [p]Added the ability for AI aircraft to use rockets when attacking aerial targets: instead of firing the rockets to reduce weight and drag before the fight, the AI will try to launch them at the enemy on the first approach;[/p]
7. [p]I-153 and Hurricane Mk.II: added Finnish Air Force paint schemes and tactical symbols;[/p]
8. [p]Gotha G.V Career mode: corrected the start time of night bombing missions;[/p]
9. [p]Moscow map: fixed a bug in the terrain mesh (“invisible obstacle”) on one of the taxiways at Vnukovo airfield;[/p]
10. [p]Western Front map: trees interfering with takeoff and landing have been removed from the Ochey and Cernon airfields;[/p]
11. [p]Normandy Career mode: take-off from Funtington airfield corrected;[/p]
12. [p]I-153: fixed a bug with the inability to launch rockets in single mode with the engine off.[/p]