IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad News

[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]

Hello, comrades!

Today, we will continue the discussion about the new module, "Odessa and Leningrad. Siege and Liberation," which Daniel and Viktor recently discussed in a Dev Brief:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We plan to open pre-orders and early access to the new module as early as next week.

As you know, the module will include two maps, "Odessa" and "Gulf of Finland," which were created by teams from the respective locations. A small group of enthusiasts from Odessa and Mariupol is working on the Odessa map, and a group of Finnish enthusiasts is working on the Gulf of Finland map. The latter group has set itself the goal of reproducing that region during World War II. We assisted both groups in the development process, but they came up with the idea, took the initiative, and did most of the work.

We decided to accompany both maps with two stages of a pilot's career mode, in keeping with the name of this module. The first stage recounts the heroic defense of Odessa and Leningrad in 1941, and the second stage recounts the liberation of these "hero cities" in 1944. Incidentally, "hero cities" is not just a figure of speech, but an official title given to such cities by a state decree in 1965, 60 years ago. These stages of a pilot's career will cover significant periods. For Odessa, they are June–October 1941 and April–August 1944. For Leningrad, they are September 1941–April 1942 and January–September 1944. Combined, they will comprise the longest career mode of any World War II module; only the 1916–1918 aviator career is longer.

Siege and Liberation will feature eight new planes, four for each period of the war. Three of these aircraft are brand new and designed from scratch, while two are significant modifications of earlier aircraft. The remaining three will not differ significantly in terms of flight characteristics, but their visual quality will greatly surpass that of the prototypes. We discussed the characteristics of these planes in detail in Dev Diary #369, and today, we can show new screenshots demonstrating our progress on these aircraft.

The Siege and Liberation pre-order and early access program will progress as follows.

[h3]End of spring[/h3]
In a few days, the program will launch. You will have early access to the Odessa map and the I-153 and LaGG-3 Series 4 planes.


[h3]End of Summer
[/h3]Early access to the Yak-3 series 9 and the Yak-1 series 23.


[h3]First half of Fall
[/h3]Early access to the Bf 109 E-4 and Ju 87 D-5 aircraft.


[h3]Winter[/h3]
Official release including the Gulf of Finland map, pilot career mode, the La-7 series 1, and the IL-2 mod. 1944 aircraft.

Please note that the Early Access discount is more significant the earlier you make the purchase. As we add more planes and get closer to the official release date, the discount will decrease.

To conclude today's dev blog, we would like to mention that the development of the Great Battles game world will not end with Siege and Liberation. Soon, we will announce our plans for 2026, and we hope they surprise and delight you!

Stay tuned!