New Game Launcher, New Set Up

[Crash]

Are you going to join in the FUN?

[Crash]

Dear Pilots,

 

Today’s DD takes a look at our cliff models for the Normandy Map. Making realistic looking cliff faces in a flight-simulator is always tough. Whenever you make a map with the English Channel this becomes necessary. Many other development teams have had to craft them over the years and we are no exception. We had our first crack at them when we made our Channel Map for Rise of Flight about 10 years ago. We’ve gotten better at making them and below you can see some work-in-progress images of how they currently look in IL-2 Great Battles. Work on the Normandy map continues and it is really starting to take shape. The map will be released later this summer.

 

However, the next update is already in Beta and it will include the Arado AR-234 jet bomber. What an interesting and challenging aircraft to model. She’s pretty complex. And the AI B-26 will also be I the next update.

 

   

   

   

[Crash]

Dear Pilots,

 

Today’s DD brings us images of the ME 410 A-1 in the engine finally, showing off some of its paint-schemes and beautiful lines. This beautiful bird has been in development for a long time, but the wait has been worth it. The cockpit was an especially challenging piece of work and we’ll have pics of it in the next Developer Diary, but today feast your eyes on its external beauty. Our 410 an A-1 model, but with various modifications that are included it can also become a B-2 variant. We think you will really enjoy the ME 410 A-1 ‘Hornisse’ as it was known. It’s another triumph for the Sturmovik modeling and engineering teams! The ME 410 will enter Beta in about a week’s time.

 

   

   

   

 

We also have several images of airfields that will be present on the Normandy map. It’s nearing completion and will enter Beta soon as well. It should be noted that the images below are still WIP and some textures may not final. As we have highlighted in previous diaries, different fields have different surfaces. These images definitely demonstrate a variety of different types. Just like our previous maps there will be numerous airfields to launch missions from and of course attack! There is just a huge variety of different airfield types to choose from.

 

   

   

 

 

Enjoy!

 

The Sturmovik Team

[Crash]

OOOOOH!

Dear Pilots!

Today’s Developer Diary is a continuation of last weeks with more pictures of the upcoming ME 410 release, this time of the very cool looking cockpit along with more images of airfields on the Normandy map.

 

The ME 410 is the last of the player flyable aircraft from the Normandy plane-set to be released and the cockpit proved to be a challenge to create, especially with its unique defensive armament arrangement and complicated gunner controls. However, our modeling and engineering teams have once again created an amazing combat experience for IL-2 pilots. The ME 410 will enter beta testing very soon and testers can put it through its paces. We’re almost there Hornisse fans!

 

   

   

   

   

 

A fun fact about the Normandy map is that there are 100 airfields total when you combine the airfields in southern England and Normandy regions. These pics are just a few. 

 

   

   

 

Work on the Normandy map, Normandy Career and remaining vehicles and ships continue full throttle as we march to release in the coming weeks.

 

And just a reminder that BON still has it’s Early Access discount, but time is getting short. If you have not already purchased it, now is a great time to pull the trigger.

 

Enjoy!

[Crash]

Dear Pilots and Tankers!

 

As the team continues to work on finishing the ME 410 and work out the kinks in the Normandy map, here are a few pics showing progress on a some hotly awaited Collector content – the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV and the Stug III Ausf. G. Both are progressing nicely as they are built by Ugra Media and DigitalForms respectively. We look forward to releasing them to you as they will both make excellent additions to Flying Circus and Tank Crew.

 

Siemens-Schuckert D.IV

 

 

    

Stug III Ausf. G

 

 

  

 

Work on our Custom Input Profile system also continues as does work on the Normandy Career. All of our other announced collector aircraft and vehicles such as the C-47, Churchill, IAR 80/81 and Spitfire Mk. XIV “Bubble Top” are also inching closer to being ready. It’s a hot and busy summer for the team!  

 

We also have a new FREE Scripted Campaign for Battle of Bodenplatte coming later this summer called Wild Mustangs featuring the P-51D which was built by our friend and partner Jaegermeister. It’s looks like a lot of fun! More on that soon.

 

[Crash]

 

[FoolTrottel]

So, now we have trim-tab-tuning-before-flight...  

[Crash]

Dear Pilots,

 

Today’s Developer Diary is a video that shows the Me 410 in action! We’re very proud of this aircraft because it is the most detailed and comprehensive modeling of a 410 ever in a combat flight simulator. It took several team members to complete it and lots of testing from the Beta testers to get it to its final form, but here is a sneak peak of the upcoming ‘Hornisse’ in action. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we worked to ready the 410 for release. And special thanks to our new video maker Javier for making this video.  

 

 

 

We continue to finish the Normandy map, which is the most complex map we have ever made, and work continues on our other Collector Planes and Tanks as planned. We hope to have more images to show you soon on those. The FC2 map continues to be worked on as well.

 

[Crash]

Dear Pilots and Tankers!

The IL-2 Sturmovik team is nearing the finish line of our Battle of Normandy development cycle. However, after some deliberation, we decided not to make you wait any longer than necessary for the next update and to prepare an interim release for you containing what is already ready. So, today we bring you the final aircraft in the BON hangar – the Me 410 A-1 ‘Hornisse’ and our new Custom Input Profile feature!

Our Me 410 was built from scratch and became a very challenging model for us to build. Its cockpit and rear facing gunner station is very unique and it took several modelers to finish it. There were many engineering challenges and complex equipment to model. It can appear to the user as an example of clever WWII German engineering or unnecessarily complex WWII German engineering long after the war had shifted against the Luftwaffe. Whatever way it strikes you, our 410 is the most highly detailed model of its kind in any combat flight simulator to date. Our very special team has built a very special bird. It comes loaded with many armament options to create several different sub-variants that you can try in virtual combat. Enjoy!

 

In addition to the new aircraft, we have prepared for you a feature that you have been asking us to make for a long time – Custom Input Profiles and Pitch Response Profiles that can be assigned to individual aircraft. We created a video about this new feature for you earlier, but we recommend that you review it again so you can understand how it works. It’s quite simple, but powerful. Like all other features of Il-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles, this new feature will be available to owners of all titles in the series – Normandy, Stalingrad, Moscow, Kuban, Bodenplatte, Flying Circus I/II and Tank Crew.

 

The final Normandy release event will take place in the coming weeks as we put the finishing touches on the Normandy map and gameplay modes such as the Pilot Career, QMB and AQMG. We also need to finish our prep work for the V-1 “Buzz Bomb”. At that point we will release it here in the IL-2 Official Webstore and on Steam and remember that shortly thereafter the price will increase to its normal full price. If you haven’t already jumped in, now is a super great time to do so!!!

As always, in addition to the main changes, we have made a number of improvements and fixes aimed at improving the quality of your simulation experience. We hope you enjoy.

Main Features
1. The German Me 410 twin-engine two-seat fighter-bomber is now available for all players who have pre-ordered Battle of Normandy;
2. You can now create various Input Profiles and assign them to different planes and tanks;
3. You can now create pitch axis response profiles and assign them to different aircraft;
4. New gunners model (as well as navigator in the A-20 and radio operator in the C-47) for American A-20, B-25, and C-47 aircraft crews added;
5. New bridge destruction visual effects added;

Armament Changes
6. Machine guns and automatic cannons on aircraft and player controllable tanks can now misfire when overheated (including the turret guns);
7. If a loader is killed in a player controllable tank, the player has to press the reloading key after each shot to reload the gun;
8. The bug that caused too frequent misfires of WWI aircraft weapons has been fixed;
9. MG81 gun barrel overheat value has been corrected (it overheated too fast);
10. Restored the techno-chat message about machine gun overheating in aircraft and tank turrets;
11. The issue where an AP shell could be stopped by one 100mm plate but couldn't be stopped by 50mm+50mm double plates was fixed. Spaced armor plates with total thickness similar to one thick plate now stop AP rounds better than one plate;
12. An explosion of an APHE projectile inside a detailed tank would correctly damage nearby equipment or crew members (previously it could result in no damage in some cases);
13. The issue of large bombs damaging only a small part of a dense scene (many objects) has been minimized;

Arado 234 Changes
14. The destructive overload value listed in the Ar 234 aircraft datasheet has been corrected;
15. The effect of Ar 234 flight stability loss at overcritical Mach numbers has been reduced;
16. Ar 234 cockpit reflections became more pronounced;

AI changes
17. AI controlled planes which rotated on the ground because of damaged landing gear are now removed from the simulation after some time (previously such planes could rotate infinitely during takeoff or landing and thus occupy the runway);
18. AI terrain recognition algorithm has been improved when flying in groups (previously its shortcomings could cause them to crash when flying over a terrain with big altitude differences, like over mountains on the Kuban map);
19. AI aircraft turret gunners now lean to the machine gun and prepare to fire on the target in advance, before it enters the fire zone;
20. AI pilots differentiate by altitude while landing on a same airfield;
21. Due to a bug in the target selection the AI tank gunners operating the guns with a limited fire sector did not fire when they were assigned targets outside their fire sector - this shouldn’t happen again;

Mission Editor Changes
22. It is possible to edit countries and coalitions for multiple locations of the same type;
23. The ability to place outgoing target links from MCU:Complex Trigger has been removed (the necessary links were and still are set only through Events in the Advanced Properties of the Trigger itself, the outgoing target link did not work);
24. Object links for Land and Take Off commands can be set only for aircraft;
25. The performance when copying/pasting objects in large missions has been improved;
26. New Ungroup Recursive command was added for a group of objects, allowing to ungroup all subgroups in it;
27. The durability of Building, Block, Bridge, and Airfield object types can be reset to default values using the Reset Durability button. There is also a new command in the Tools menu with the self-explanatory name Reset All Durability;

Multiplayer Changes
28. When connecting to a Dogfight server, airfields in the lobby appear faster;
29. Mission script commands in Cooperative game mode work for groups of objects with players;

Other Changes
30. Oyster_KAI has improved cockpit detail of P-51B, Mosquito, Bf-110E2/G, Ju-88A4/C6 and He-111H6/H16;
31. The (fictional) photographers' names appear under photos in newspapers in Career mode;
32. Landscape parts shouldn’t disappear from view on wide-angle VR HMDs anymore;
33. Pause button during recorded track playback works correctly;
34. Me 410 has been added to the Rhineland pilot career mode to II./KG 51 (joinable by player).

[Crash]

Dear Pilots and Tankers!

 

Today’s DD gives you a glimpse of the gorgeous scenes that are possible with the new Normandy map which is rapidly nearing completion and we give you a sneak peak at the progress on the Churchill Mk.IV exterior and interior.

 

Below are some recent screens I’ve taken with each of the aircraft built specifically for Battle of Normandy including the AI piloted B-26. Of course, all of these planes can be flown alongside your own or against in any title in the series. This really is our most detailed and complex map we’ve ever made and pushes our current map technology to its limit. It will provide countless hours of great missions and historical re-enactments of this pivotal battle and theater of the war. We think you’ll like it.

 

 

    

    

 

Below are some very WIP images of the Churchill Mk.IV tank coming to Great Battles. As you can see the interior is NOT textured completely, but you can tell that our friends at DigitalForms have once again done an amazing modeling job!

 

   

   

 

It’s another very busy summer for us. Stay tuned!

 

[Ben griffiths]

that Churchill is looking awesome

[Friar]

Not sure about the Russian lady picture though?

I REALLY do hope they "westernise" some of the tank content when Normandy comes out, eg western numbers and text for the Sherman, if they don't it will be a big disappointment for me.

[Sid]

I noticed the Russian lady. The Mark IV we are getting is the most numerous built and quite a few were lend lease to Russia, fighting at Kursk and Prokorhovka. The Normandy version is the better one, the Mark VII, a much better armoured and different beast that didn't appear until 1944. The Dieppe raid used Mark IIIs and North Africa and Italy were also Mark IIIs. Not to say there weren't any modified and used latterly but I don't think the Churchill we are getting is for westernising the Bodenplat or Normandy maps I'm afraid. Makes me think that TC 2 could be Battle of Kursk.

[Crash]

The summer is ending, just like our Battle of Normandy release preparations. Two variations of the Normandy and Southern England map (before and after the invasion) are ready, Career mode is ready, Quick Missions and Advanced Quick Missions are ready - today we're starting the release candidate testing. This time we want to spend more time and resources on the testing and debugging. The beta-testing of the 5.001 update is going for two weeks already and we plan to test the release candidate for two more at least. There's a reason for that - it will include not only the Battle of Normandy, but a number of global improvements as well.

 

 

The main global change is the long promised revision of the aircraft Damage Model. This time we have attempted to make more fundamental changes and not just "adjust the airframe durability to meet player expectations", but reverse-engineer the system in search of potential issues in many of its parts. During this process we have found a number of calculation passes which could be improved or tuned. These changes are already in the beta and beta-testers have responded that the damage received by aircraft in various combat situations looks significantly more adequate and realistic. We understand that this is a touchy subject, so the final changes will be explained in detail in the release notes of the 5.001 update.

 

 

Speaking of the finishing of the new map and Career mode, we want to say that for each new project we have set more and more ambitious goals for ourselves, even if it wasn't clear in the beginning how it would work out and what the final answer to these challenges would be. Once again, many parameters have surpassed their previous records in the series. For instance, the length of the coastline is 990 km on the French coast and 1060 km on the English coast. 490 major cities and towns, not counting the minor ones, were recreated while keeping in mind their overall historical boundaries and main layout features. 100 airfields are waiting for your flight - and not one of them is 'default' or cloned, they all have historical layouts reconstructed using documents and air photos. Moreover, a new set of the airfield surface types was created:

 

1. Grass
2. CON (Concrete)
3. WC (Wood Chippings) - concrete covered by wood chippings and tar
4. TAR (Tarmac) - asphalt
5. ETH (Compressed Earth)
6. PBS (Prefabricated Bituminous Surface) - canvas saturated with tar
7. ST (Sommerfeld Track) - steel wire mesh reinforced with steel bars
8. SMT (Square-Mesh Track) - square mesh
9. PSP (Pierced Steel Planking) - stamped steel plates.

 

 

As we have mentioned, there are two map variations created - before and after the invasion. Pre-invasion map lacks newly constructed airfields and constructions erected after D-Day on the Normandy shore. Career mode development required detailed information on symbols, tour of duty, bases, armament and assigned tasks for 285 squadrons acting in this project - players can join 102 of them and others are populated by AI pilots. This is another record for the Great Battles series. 9 new mission types were designed for the Normandy Career concentrating on the D-Day events and V-1 intercepts. Pilot's Career in the Battle of Normandy timeframe contains 5 phases and 17 front line states that change along the progression of time. As always, all the scenarios generated in the Career mode are unique even if you fly to the same target again - the generated combat situation will be different, while the weather will correspond to the real weather on that day.

 

 

All in all, we're hoping that Battle of Normandy will be the most significant release in the IL-2 Great Battles series and all of you who have supported us all these years will enjoy another virtual, but to a great extent historically accurate reconstruction of a major air battle, that was created with love and respect to our common history.

[Crash]

While we are testing the Normandy release candidate, work is underway on other projects, which are scheduled for release a little later. In particular, the new Churchill IV player-controllable tank is in the final stage of development for the Tank Crew project. Supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program, this tank was an active participant in the events on the Kursk Bulge. During our work on it, we and our partners from Digital Forms have implemented a lot of its design features and equipment. It was an extremely difficult tank to develop because it has a very specific design with a complex armor scheme, an intricate track assembly, a variety of additional equipment, and rather specific crew working conditions. To better describe it, here is an excerpt from its in-game description:

 

The Churchill tank belonged to the class of infantry tanks developed by the British Army. According to this classification, the Churchill had low mobility and hardly the most powerful weaponry, but it was protected with powerful armor, and thus belonged to the class of heavy tanks. The tank was produced in England throughout the war years and was one of the most numerous armored vehicles in His Majesty’s troops. The variant featured in the game was produced by the Leyland factory.

 

 

 

The first batch of early modification Churchill tanks under the Lend-Lease program was delivered to the USSR by the infamous Arctic convoy PQ-17. In total, 301 Churchill tanks were sent to the USSR during the war years, of which a little less than 50 vehicles were lost during transportation. 253 tanks were delivered to the Red Army during 1942 and 1943. The Churchill was the only heavy tank model supplied to the USSR by the Allies.

 

 

Churchills took part in the battles on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943. There, as part of the 2nd Guards Tatsinsky Tank Corps, they fought against the German Totenkopf and Das Reich Panzer Divisions. Alongside, on the same section of the frontline, Churchills served with the 18th Guards Stalingrad Tank Corps and the 18th Tank Corps.

 

 

The assessments of the tank in the Red Army were contradictory. Along with good armor, the cannon’s penetrating efficiency, a reliable radio station, and convenient observation devices, there were many problems with reliability, insufficient mobility, and the absence of high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.
The main armament of the tank was the Ordnance Quick-Firing (QF) 6-pounder 7 cwt cannon. Two versions of this gun were installed on the tank: Mk.III with a 43-caliber long barrel and Mk.V with a 50-caliber long barrel (the game features the Mk.V variant). The only type of cannon shell featured a fairly high armor penetration. However, it was solid, i.e. did not feature a bursting charge, and this significantly reduced its after-penetration effect. Also, the lack of high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load was reducing the range of tasks carried out by the tank.

 

 

From a technical perspective, the Churchill’s track assembly was quite peculiar and somewhat reminiscent of that of the famous British diamond-shaped pioneer tanks of the First World War, with the tracks covering the hull from above. This made it possible to include additional hatches along the sides that made it easier to abandon the vehicle in an emergency. Each of the 11 road wheels on either side of the tank had an individual spring suspension. However, only 6 middle ones of 11 were under load in the normal position. The hull armor was complex, comprising many rolled-steel armor parts assembled on the frame with rivets and bolts. The key feature of the Churchill IV, which distinguishes it from the previous modifications, was the turret made based on a single cast part with a thin-walled spare parts box attached to its rear, and the gun mantlet featured an original “internal” design with no parts protruding from the turret.

 

 

The tank was also equipped with a 2-inch mortar fixed on the roof of the turret, on the loader’s side. Normally, it was intended for remote smoke screen deployment with 2-inch smoke grenades fired at a distance of about 400 meters in the direction same as that of the tank gun. In the war reality of the Eastern Front, the Red Army often used Soviet-produced 50-mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds as ammunition for 2-inch English mortars. Besides the mortar, the tank is equipped with two pyrotechnic smoke dischargers mounted on the rear. They allow the tank to deploy a smoke screen within a minute and a half.
 

[Crash]

Dear Friends,

 

Today is a big day. IL-2 Sturmovik team is glad to report that after almost three years of development Battle of Normandy is out of Early Access and is officially released - 5.001 update is out!

 

«You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.» Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

 

 

The official release also means that in addition to Battle of Normandy Premium Edition in our webstore there’s now Standard Edition without two Collector Planes - German jet bomber Arado Ar 234 and British fighter Spitfire Mk.XIV (they can be bought individually). On Steam the new module and its accompanying Collector Planes will appear in the coming weeks - please stay tuned while we work out the details. As usual, Battle of Normandy owners who have linked IL-2 and Steam accounts can access all the new content in the Steam version already.

 

 

These years weren’t easy, but they were very interesting. During the development we have created many new technologies and approaches, did a lot of historical research, implemented new solutions. The last aircraft for Battle of Normandy were released in Early Access in August and today we add the last pieces - the map of the Northern France and Southern England, Pilot Career mode, Quick Mission Builder and Advanced Quick Mission Generator support for the new map.

 

 

We have told about the Career mode and the new map in our recent Dev Blogs, but must point out again that they set the new record in terms of the work involved. New mission types, new airfield types, new airfields appearing on the map after D-Day - bringing their total amount to 100 airfields with historically accurate layouts! New objects created specially for the module - ships, ground vehicles, buildings, coastal defenses, V-1 buzzbombs and their launch positions, dozens of new aircraft paint schemes, etc.

 

 

Battle of Normandy contains 10 player controllable aircraft (8 in the Standard Edition):
- Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib – British fighter/bomber,
- North American P-51B-5 Mustang – American long range fighter,
- Republic P-47D-22 Thunderbolt – American fighter/bomber,
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 Late – late version of the German fighter,
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 Würger - German fighter,
- De Havilland Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI ser.2 – British twin engine fighter-bomber,
- Messerschmitt Me 410 A-1 Hornisse – German twin engine fighter-bomber,
- Junkers Ju 88 C-6 – German twin engine heavy fighter,
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV – British fighter (Collector Plane included in the Premium Edition),
- Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz – German twin engine jet bomber and recon aircraft (Collector Plane included in the Premium Edition).

 

 

 

Each aircraft includes a slew of historically correct modifications - unlike other games where each modification would be counted as a separate aircraft model, in Great Battles you can freely select and combine them. For instance, Me-410 A-1 mentioned above has modifications that, when selected, make it a whole model lineup:
1. Me-410 A-1/U2,
2. Me-410 A-1/U4,
3. Me-410 B,
4. Me-410 B-2,
5. Me-410 B-2/U1,
6. Me-410 B-2/U2,
7. Me-410 B-2/U4,
8. Me-410 B-2/U4 field mod with four MG 151 guns.

 

 

In addition to the all above, update 5.001 contains the results of the big work on the damage model improvements which are of course are applicable to all the modules as usual - as you can see in the long list below, it required many changes in various parts of the sim. The testing and tuning of these changes by beta-testers from the community took a lot of time. We think this is the big step forward for Great Battles series and hope you’ll enjoy it. 

 

There are many other fixes and improvements - for instance, the mission loading time has been reduced dramatically, several times less on some PC configurations! The pilot and tank crew AI got better, etc.:

 

Main Features
1. All Battle of Normandy owners have access to Northern France and Southern England map in two variations (before and after the D-Day). As usual, in multiplayer mode the map can be accessed by all Great Battles players.
2. All Battle of Normandy owners have access to the mid-1944 Career mode (3 countries, 5 phases, 17 frontline states, 225 historical squadrons, 103 of them joinable by the player, many new mission types).
3. All Battle of Normandy owners have access to QMB and AQMG game modes on the new map for a quick action, also with many new mission types.
4. Numerous new aircraft paint schemes added, including different invasion stripes for various time periods of 1944.
5. PzKpfw IV Ausf.H. tank added (AI controlled).
6. Flakpanzer IV «Möbelwagen» SPAA added (AI controlled).
7. Gleaves-class destroyer added (AI controlled).
8. The loading speed of all missions on all Great Battles maps has been improved significantly.

 

Damage Model Improvements
9. Aircraft DM: RHA equivalent of the aircraft skin has been reduced nearly three times to the previous (wrong) values.
10. Aircraft DM: an issue that made aircraft skin damage too severe for larger bombers and some fighters has been fixed.
11. Aircraft DM: like the previously released change for larger caliber ammo, now all projectiles in the game loose integrity and stability after penetrating a significant armor thickness which affects their remaining ability to penetrate armor.
12. Aircraft DM: the relative speed of the target is correctly accounted for projectile penetrations calculations.
13. Aircraft DM: AP bullets and shells make slightly bigger holes in the airframe and aircraft skin.
14. Aircraft DM: powerful HE rounds explosions cause more damage to the airframe, aircraft skin and components.
15. Aircraft DM: small HE bullets cause less damage to aircraft skin.
16. Aircraft DM: it is now possible to damage radiators and fuel tanks when firing 7.62-7.92 rounds from more than 350 m distance.
17. Aircraft DM: bullets are less likely to ricochet from aircraft skin at low angles.
18. Aircraft DM: Bf 109 radiator collision model has been improved (previously its wrong shape could cause most smaller caliber bullets to ricochet when fired directly from behind).
19. Aircraft DM: the loss of the bullets energy hitting Bf 109 F-4 engine has been corrected.
20. Aircraft DM: an issue that caused bullets hitting Spitfire Mk.XIV MGs and guns to not lose energy has been fixed.
21. Aircraft DM: engine fire probability from bullet hits has been somewhat increased for WWI-era piston engines and jet engines.
22. Aircraft DM: engine fire probability from bullet hits has been reduced for WWII-era piston engines.
23. Aircraft DM: fuel tank fire probability from bullet hits has been reduced.
24. Aircraft DM: fuel tank fire and explosion probability from HE ammo hits has been reduced, now it depends on the HE power more.
25. Aircraft DM: it’s now harder to put out the fires by side-slip movement.
26. Aircraft DM: the several years old ‘crew health cheat’ (they required four point-blank 7.62 bullets in the torso or two in the head to be killed) has been removed. Now their ability to sustain damage is much more close to reality.
27. Crew DM: a random error that could cause a death from mild G-loads has been found and fixed, thus improving survivability rate during emergency landings.
28. Ballistics: ricochet tendency has been reduced somewhat.
29. Right wing MGs on P-51B can be correctly damaged.
30. P-51B and D fighters wings (middle-upper parts) can be correctly damaged.

 

Me 410 Improvements
31. Me 410A-1: weapon panel placards corrected for WB 151 and MG 131 modifications.
32. Me 410A-1: missing rods from bomb doors to the forward window added.
33. Me 410 A-1: speed and timer gauges in the pilot’s cockpit corrected.
34. Me 410 A-1: altitude and speed gauges in the gunner’s cockpit corrected.
35. Me 410 A-1: bomb holders for 250 kg bombs and for SB 1000/410 look corrected.
36. Me 410 A-1: radiator fenders indicators light up when the cockpit light is turned on.
37. Me 410 A-1: the rear landing gear state affects air drag.
38. Me 410 A-1: technochat message warning about the gun overheating restored for the gunner.
39. Me 410 A-1: now the gunner can use the entire horizontal range of the guns for aiming.
40. Me-410 A-1: radiators can be correctly damaged by AP projectiles, resulting in coolant leaks.
41. Me 410A-1 intercept missions added to AQMG game mode.

 

Tank Crew Improvements
42. M4A2, KV-1s, Pz.IV.G, Pz.V.D, Pz.VI.H1 hatches close when the turret blocks them.
43. The damage of the gun barrels base on Pz.III, Pz.IV and Pz.VI is calculated correctly when it is hit by fragments.
44. In multiplayer a guest gunner (who connected to someone else tank) won’t constantly hear the turret turning mechanism noise.
45. In multiplayer a tank owner won’t hear the gun or MG reloading sound when another player connected to his tank to the gunner or MG gunner station.
46. In multiplayer turning aircraft or tank turrets controlled by another player emit correct turning  sounds.

 

AI Improvements
47. AI controlled bombers keep formation a bit better during climb.
48. AI pilots will attempt to return to base in the event of an oil or coolant leak.
49. Me 410 pilots will correctly drop bombs in a deep dive.
50. Mosquito, Ju 88 C6 and Me 410 pilots will correctly drop underwing bombs.
51. Twin and 4x guns in AI controlled vehicles won’t judder during aiming.

 

Other Improvements
52. Dropping an 1650 pounds bomb from Handley Page O/400 bomber won’t display an error.
53. A visual artifact in front of the right engine of Handley Page O/400 bomber has been removed.
54. An issue that caused guns and MGs to ‘float’ above certain breastwork has been fixed.
55. ‘No jamming’ difficulty option works correctly for aircraft turrets.
56. Me 410 is correctly counted in stats.
57. Visual bomb explosion effects has been corrected for cases when a bomb ricochets and goes off above the ground.
58. Proximity and CheckZone triggers in missions won’t erroneously count non-spawned and inactive objects.
59. External camera works correctly after flying beyond the map borders.
60. An issue that could lower the muzzle speed of an overheated MG before causing additional scattering of the fired bullets has been fixed.
61. Both P-47 have their idle engine RPM corrected (it was a bit too high potentially causing moving with brakes applied.

 

[Crash]

Still no news about Jason but.....

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.

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NEWS!!!

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.

 

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Moar newz

Dear Friends,

Very soon - next week - we'll publish the next update that is planned to bring (provided no critical problems are found during the beta testing) the long-awaited StuG III and C-47A, AND the WIP Western Front Spring 1918 map (!). We have told about the legendary Skytrain in one of our previous Dev Blogs, so today's star is StuG.III Ausf.G.

 

There were many StuG.III self-propelled guns produced during the war, more than 9000 units spanning around 10 modifications. The Ausführung G that is recreated by our very talented partners at Digital Forms was the later one, having the heaviest gun and armor of all of them. The vehicle represented was built on the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M base, so it has nearly the same chassis, engine and transmission. The fighting compartment, however, was completely rebuilt: replacing the turret with the welded armored superstructure granted it enough internal volume to accomodate the bigger 75 mm StuK 40/L48 gun. Its barrel and ballistics are similar to KwK.40 L/48 installed on Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G and later ones. This gun used the same ammo as 7,5 cm Pak. 40 AT gun.

 

Unlike the tank gun equipped with a telescopic gunsight designed for direct fire, the StuG.III gun had Sfl. ZF 1a artillery periscope marked for thre ammo types - APHE, sub-caliber AP and HE. Late StuG III modifications were equipped by infantry MG34 machinegun with box magazines stored in the fighting compartment. To fire it, the loader had to get out of his hatch, raise the armored shield and set the machinegun up in one of the two positions - for firing at air or ground targets. Schurzen armor plates for protection against AT rifles and shaped charges could be also installed.

 

Six one-shot smoke mortars could be also installed. Sure enoungh, not only we modeled them in the game, but we couldn't resist and upgraded the two previously released Tank Crew tanks with this weapon - Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M and Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H1 Tiger.

 

All in all, StuG.III is a light enough to be maneuverable, but also has a good frontal armor protection and a powerful main weapon. As we mentioned above, it will be available to its owners very soon.

 

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Dear Friends,

As 2022 draws to a close, we are completing our work on bringing the AI objects to the Normandy project that we previously promised. The first one is the Fighter Direction Tender. FDT are radar surveillance and control ships. They were actively used during the Normandy Landing in 1944 to coordinate the actions of Allied aviation and provide radar cover for the landing zones. We created three ships, FDT-13, FDT-216, FDT-217, based on the LST class dock landing ships, which bore the same hull numbers before modernization. Their modernization was carried out on the shipyards of the west coast of Scotland, away from the active enemy forces. During the modernization, various radio communication, electronic interception, and radar antenna equipment were installed on the upper decks of the ships, including two powerful Type 15 GCI and Type 11 radars. These ships played a prominent role in the events of D-Day.

 

The second AI object is a German eight-wheeled armored car Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma. This “slash-two” modification was the second by numbers among all the Pumas produced during the war: 101 out of 478 vehicles. This modification took part in the events of 1944, which the Battle for Normandy project tells about. It is a variant armed with the 50mm KwK-39 cannon (similar to the one used on later modifications of the Pz.Kpfw. III tanks), located, unlike later modifications with a 75mm cannon, in a fully enclosed and armored rotating turret. The car is notable for quite good frontal armor of the hull and turret (up to 30mm), as well as its unique chassis, which is worth mentioning by itself. The chassis is built based on an independent levered suspension of all 8 wheels and their coupled wheel springing. All the wheels of the Puma are driving and steerable. All this together, as well as a 12-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine Tatra 103 with a 210 horsepower capacity, provided very good cross-country ability, maneuverability, and speed.

 

The third is a lighter American armored car, M8 Greyhound. This three-axle all-wheel drive vehicle, unlike the Puma, had a classic chassis design with 3 leading solid beams and a front steering axle, less body armor (up to 19mm in the front), and lighter armament, the 37mm M6 cannon placed in an open-top turret. An important quality of the vehicle for infantry units was the additional heavy .50 cal Browning machine gun mounted on the rear of the turret. Possessing more modest characteristics and a less revolutionary design, however, the Greyhound was a third lighter than the Puma and obviously easier to manufacture. In the conditions of the Second World War, this was largely a determining factor. Moreover, the Greyhound turned out to be a rather successful armored car that was used in various conflicts for a great many years after the 1945.

 

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moar stuffz

Dear Friends,

Our team has finished the development of the new update 5.004, and it is released.  Sopwith Snipe and many updates.

 

The year 2022 is drawing to a close and we did our best to bring you a new update on Christmas Eve. It bears the number 5.004 and adds the Great War Collector Plane Sopwith Snipe to our series. It is a late war aircraft equipped with the most powerful Bentley BR2 rotary engine, producing up to 234 horsepower. By comparison, the Sopwith Camel fighter's Clerget 9B engine produced 130 hp. At the same time, however, the Snipe is 200 kilograms heavier than its predecessor (more than a quarter). Overall, the new fighter is more stable in flight and has better speed and climb characteristics. Everyone who has purchased an airplane now has the opportunity to master it and use it in combat.

 

And to see the Snipe in action, check out our Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/watch?v=acaiwadBzJ0&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the new vehicle, in update 5.004 we are releasing two AI armored vehicles for the Normandy and Bodenplatte projects - the M8 Greyhound and the SdKfz 234/2 Puma. You'll find new scenario missions for Churchill and StuG III in this update, they were created by community enthusiast super-truite and his friends. More than 80 improvements were made to the "Western Front, Spring 1918" map, which is in the early access phase and is currently being finalized. There are a number of other improvements and fixes to player controllable aircraft, tanks and artificial intelligence. A complete list of changes in the version 5.004 follows:

 

5.004
1.    The Sopwith Snipe, a Royal Air Force collector aircraft from the final phase of the Great War, is now available to its owners;
2.    Battle of Normandy AI armored vehicle M8 Greyhound added;
3.    Battle of Normandy AI armored vehicle SdKfz 234/2 Puma added;
4.    Scenarios for collectible vehicles Churchill and StuG III added (super-truite);
5.    Mk.37 rig model for the 5'/38-gun Mk.12 on the Bayfield and Liberty ships updated;
6.    Fixed a bug in the aircraft AI leading to incorrect maneuver choices and incorrect aircraft behavior in aerial combat, which was especially noticeable on WWI airplanes;
7.    AI pilots correctly climb while maintaining formation;
8.    AI pilots controlling high speed capable aircraft are less likely to use risky high-altitude maneuvers at lower altitudes (previously these could led to a collision with the ground);
9.    AI pilots should better avoid collisions in some maneuvers, especially in a frontal attack;
10.    The tail section damage texture has been fixed on all Bf-109s;
11.    The placards were corrected along with other minor improvements on Bf-109 E7, He 111 H6/H16, Ju-87 D3, Spitfire Mk.Vb/IXe/XIV (Oyster_KAI);
12.    Incorrect operation of GUI information bar in player controllable tanks has been fixed;
13.    C-47A: a number of visual inaccuracies and technical problems with the aircraft model has been fixed, including the shape of upper air intakes on engine nacelles;
14.    C-47A: phosphorescent cockpit instrument illumination restored;
15.    C-47A: fixed a bug with a broken window when the landing door is opened for bailing out;
16.    C-47A: fixed a bug in the bail out animation that caused crew members to visually appear outside the cockpit for a moment;
17.    C-47A: added a feature to align engine flaps with the flow;
18.    C-47A: a fixed bug with radio compass working on powered off aircraft;
19.    Me 262A: fixed reflections in cockpit instruments;
20.    Stug III Ausf. G gun now takes more time to reload if the loader is unbuttoned;
21.    Crew gestures have been added for the Churchill IV and the Stug III;
22.    Stug III Ausf. G - fixed an incorrect position of the machine gun after loader's death, if it was in anti-aircraft position;
23.    Stug III Ausf.G. - corrected wrong animation of the side correction input control;
24.    Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G - main gun reloading sound aligned with the visual animation;
25.    Mission editor: skins which consist of several textures are correctly displayed in the skin list;
26.    It is possible to shoot off the trunk behind the turret on Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H and Churchill IV;
27.    It is possible to shoot off the commander cupola on the Tiger;
28.    Range of smoke grenade launchers corrected for all player controllable vehicles;
29.    Improved sorting of visual effect particles;
30.    Western Front map, Spring 1918: Treizennes airfield added;
31.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Clairmarais airfield moved;
32.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Ferme airfield is renamed Filescamp Farm;
33.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Droogland Airfield moved to square 0205-8;
34.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: removed second Epehy;
35.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: added bridge to the fortress in square 0408-9;
36.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Hoog Huys manor added;
37.    Map of Western Front, Spring 1918: added Ferme manor;
38.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Removed flooded railroad track;

39.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: corrected railroad tracks in square 1202;
40.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Hoog Huys Airfield moved;
41.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Filescamp Farm airfield moved;
42.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: added homestead near Droogland airfield;
43.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: corrected wrong track crossing in quadrant 0305-8;
44.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: improved appearance of Thionville Steelworks East and Thionville Steelworks;
45.    Western Front Map, Spring 1918: the village of Crochte has been renamed Merckeghem;
46.    Western Front map, Spring 1918: Hondschoote village renamed Esquelbecq;
47.    Western Front map, Spring 1918: Droogland village moved to square 0205-8 and renamed Winnezeele;
48.    Western Front map, Spring 1918: Kemmelberg village moved to square 0207-5 and renamed Kemmel;
49.    Map of the Western Front, Spring 1918: Aire is renamed Aire-sur-la-Lys;
50.    Map of Western Front, Spring 1918: 25 obstructions on road network removed;
51.    Map of the Western Front, Spring 1918: 15 wrong dead ends on the road network were removed;
52.    Western Front map, Spring 1918: corrected 18 problematic entrances to railroad bridges.

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big post with not that much info

Dear Friends,

Year 2022 is ending and as we’re accustomed to, it’s time to sum up its results and discuss the future. 2022 was a year of big changes for IL-2 - our team has increased in size and is determined to achieve even more. We have completed nearly everything planned for this year: Battle of Normandy was the most massive release since 2012 and the finishing of Flying Circus Vol.II is in sight. We continue to develop the Great Battles world by releasing hundreds of improvements - some of them are very significant. Before moving on to next year’s plan, let’s reflect on the Great Battles stats for this year.

We have released 9 updates that brought 365 listed changes and improvements including:

• Battle of Normandy release

 

6 fundamental visual improvements:

• New physically based sky dome tech
• Realistic visualization of formation lights for all aircraft

• Tactical numbers for all aircraft and player controllable tanks
• New visualization of propellers for all aircraft

• Dynamic Visual Damage (DVD) system applied for all aircraft and player controllable tanks
• Numerous revamped graphical effects

 

Two new huge maps:

• Northern France and Southern England (in two variations, with Quick Mission Builder, Advanced Quick Mission Generator and Career modes support).

• Western Front, Spring 1918 (with Quick Mission Builder mode support, the other two modes are in development).

 

1 new scenario campaign:

• “His Majesty’s Griffons”

10 new released aircraft (9 are player-controllable):

• Ju 88 C-6 “Zerstörer”

• Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI series.2

• Arado AR 234 B-2 “Blitz”

• Me 410 A-1 “Hornisse”

• Douglas C-47A “Skytrain”

• B-26B-55 “Marauder" (AI)

• Handley Page O/400

• Gotha G.V

• Sopwith Triplane

• Sopwith Snipe

 

Two new player controllable combat vehicles:

• Churchill IV

• StuG III Ausf.G

 

9 new AI controllable combat vehicles:

• Bedford QLD (AI)
• Bedford QLC (AI)
• Universal Carrier Mk.II (AI)

• Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.H (AI)
• Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf.G "Panther" (AI)

• Morris C9B with Bofors 40/L60 (AI)
• Flakpanzer IV "Möbelwagen" (AI)

• M8 "Greyhound" (AI)
• Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma" (AI)

 

7 new ships:

• Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
• Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM)

• Landing Craft Tank (LCT)
• Bayfield-class military transport
• Liberty military transport
• Design 1013 cargo ship

• Gleaves-class destroyer

 

In addition, recently we’ve released 5.004b hotfix so your playing experience on the holidays will be even better.

Despite all the grim news of 2022, we were able to find a way not only to continue working, but to expand. Probably in the most spectacular way since 2012. The team size has increased by nearly a quarter. We are joined by two new programmers, two FM engineers, two 3D artists and two community managers. And this is only a beginning since we plan to continue the expansion. 

All the not-so-easy changes that happened to IL-2 in 2022 allowed us to move on from the old way of thinking that held back our development. The need for changes in the technological base is long overdue. However, the former focus on producing primarily new content did not allow the team to fully unlock its potential associated with the full-fledged development of technology and improving the quality of the sim. The new strategy  adopted in the middle of the year, gave us the freedom to choose the direction of development, as well as the opportunity to attract new resources.

There are ambitious goals ahead, and the team is gathering strength and resources to reach them. Here’s what we have planned for the next year:
1. Bring the production of the new large-scale project to full speed;
2. Complete the development of a number of new base technologies for the new project, which we started working on last year already;
3. Develop new approaches to the user experience in the next project, taking into account all the previous experience (both our own and that of our competitors);
4. Continue releasing new content for the Great Battles world;
5. Add new employees to the team, increasing the number of team members by 1.5 times in total;
6. Establish partnerships with teams and enthusiasts who will help us in the development of the Great Battles world, as well as in the creation of content for the new project.

It's been a long, eventful year, which we've managed to go through almost in full accordance with the previously planned plans, even building up potential along the way. Interesting and vast tasks lie ahead of us and we’re not doubting the eventual success. The work schedule is ready, the strategy is approved, and the team is full of enthusiasm. Clear prop! And Happy New Year!

[Crash]

Dear Friends,

Our team has some important news.

Update 5.101 Coming Next Week

Update 5.101 is in the final stages of preparation - this Friday we are preparing its Release Candidate and doing the final testing. The release of the update is scheduled for next week - this also will be the official release of the Flying Circus Volume II. The map has been significantly redesigned and looks nothing like the early access version. The World War I Pilot Career mode has been completed - the tours of duty of the historical squadrons, various, new mission types are added while existing ones are updated to be suitable for World War I are all in.

In addition to the Flying Circus release, the update 5.101 includes new Collector Plane Spitfire Mk.XIVe Bubbletop - one of the late modifications of the famous British fighter, the main visual difference is a new teardrop canopy, providing a better field of view to the pilot.

Also, the new campaign Wings over Caen we told you about in DD#338 will be released as well. Get ready for the hectic Typhoon action over Normandy! All owners of Battle of Normandy get this campaign for free.

Li-2 Announcement

We would also like to announce we are working on the Soviet transport aircraft Li-2 with our partners at "Yugra-Media".  In order to keep the historical authenticity, we create the airplane on the base of earlier produced American transport aircraft C-47 "Skytrain" that was known in the USSR as "Douglas".

Unlike the original Douglas, the Li-2 has been used as a bomber too - we reflected this with the appropriate equipment. The list of changes to the original aircraft is quite extensive:

• The Soviet plane is equipped with completely different engines.
• The Li-2 carries defensive armament, including a spherical UBT machine gun on the roof.
• The transport cockpit has to be built from scratch, as it uses Soviet instruments.
• There are other differences in aircraft design (cargo doors, etc.).

The screenshots show the work we have done to build the model. The Li-2 flight model and Soviet paratrooper 3d models for it are in the works.

This famous Eastern Front aircraft will be available in summer 2023. Stay tuned!

Skin Design Contest

Many of you know about the community made utility for sharing and downloading aircraft skins - Haluter's Skin Downloader. It's been only 2 years since its launch and it has reached an amazing 10.000+ unique community-made skins. To celebrate this, its team has decided to run a 10K Uploads Skin Design Contest that everyone can participate in! You can submit a design for an Air Racing Skin and/or Fictional Custom Skin which will then be created for IL-2 GB by one of the 6 talented skin artists and judges!

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ev blog #343

01.06.2023

Dear Friends,

Today is the first day of summer (finally!) and it's time to start the races even that was announced before.

To participate, join one of the multiplayer race servers (they are called WarBRD Race Tournament =Group A= and WarBRD Race Tournament =Group B=) and fly the track on the selected aircraft (Bf-109 F-4 in Group A and Yak-1 series 69 in Group B) as fast as you can - the number of attempts during the qualification stage is not limited. The completion time in each attempt will be recorded automatically, the best time in the group will be taken into account.

Please note that after the end of the event all the participants who have flown the track at least once will receive a small gift on our website. If you are playing the Steam version of IL-2, then the IL-2 and Steam accounts must be linked so that the server could identify you (your nickname must be visible in the main menu of the game). If you have not linked your accounts yet, you can do it quickly - click on the automatically generated pilot name in the main menu of the Steam version of the game and then either enter your IL-2 login and password or go through registration there.

If you wish to make your results eligible for the race finals and receive special gifts from VIRPIL Controls and 1C Game Studios, please visit Virpil-servers.com and register there - you'll get an unique code via e-mail.  You have to enter this code in the multiplayer chat on the racing server to have your race results tied to VIRPIL Controls account. You can view the results of all participants at any time here.

The qualification stage ends on June 11. Ten selected finalists will participate in the finals on June 17th - three fastest racers and other finalists will receive special gifts from 1C Game Studios and VIRPIL Controls.

The discussion of the races is going on in Discord on VIRPIL and IL-2 Great Battles channels. The races rules are available here.

We wish good luck to all participants!

In other news - at the moment several aircraft are in the works as usual. We'll love to tell you about them in detail closer to their release, but today we can at least show you how the first two aircraft of Flying Circus Vol. III look in the sim at the moment (other planes including collector ones are either at an eariler development stage to show or were already shown on screenshots before). Here are Halberstadt D.II...

... and Nieuport 11.