262

Dear Friends,

Today we'll continue to show you the progress of the aircraft currently in development. The hero of the day is two-seater this time, twin-engine fighter/bomber De Havilland Mosquito F.B.Mk.VI Series II we're making for Battle of Normandy. This famous and popular WWII British RAF plane had an unusual and distinct look (well, the same can be said about most British aircraft). But it's interesting not only because of its appearance - it reached high speeds in its class despite being partly wooden. Moreover, it kept its high-speed capability even when carrying bombs thanks to the internal bomb bay.

2000 pounds of bombs, four 20mm guns and four 7.69mm MGs the Mosquito carried made him a dangerous adversary for the enemy. In our sim, there will be additional weapon modifications available - eight RP-3 unguided rockets and 57mm anti-tank gun (!). Here are the first 3D renders of this bird of prey at its current development stage:





The recently announced player controllable mobile AA guns are also showing good progress. Along with the work on their visual models, we're improving the realistic physics model of the wheeled ground vehicles movement even more. And don't forget about their crews as well:



Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

#261

Dear Friends,

Today's Dev. Diary is one where visuals are more important than words. The Hurricane Mk.II Collector Plane has shown good progress lately and its development has entered the final stage. The work of recreating this bird for our virtual world started a year ago, it hasn't been easy because of the many modifications you'll get with it . Essentially, it's not one aircraft, but several - you can choose the modification you want before a mission. We're sure you'll enjoy the final product. It's creation is an interesting milestone for us. At the moment, the cockpit is being textured and its FM is being finished. You can see the Hurricane in the game engine on the following shots:





Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

Attention All Pilots and Tankers!

We are excited to announce the newest additions to IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles line-up – the Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 and GAZ-MM 72-K vehicle mounted anti-aircraft guns!

These two unique and deadly vehicles are our first Collector Vehicles and they will bring a new type of gameplay to the Great Battles series. Now your airfield or supply column can be protected by actual humans driving or manning these rapid fire and deadly AAA batteries!

Our awesome partners at DigitalForms, the same team who built our amazing tanks for Tank Crew, are once again lending their considerable modeling talents to the GAZ-MM 72-K and Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38. When completed this will no doubt be must-haves for your IL-2 collection!

These special Collector Vehicles will also be coming to Steam as soon as they are completed!

The GAZ-MM 72-K is tentatively scheduled for release by the end of the year and the Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 by Q2 2021.

GAZ-MM 72-K (25mm) Vehicle Mounted Anti-Aircraft Gun

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The GAZ-MM was a double-axle 1.5-ton truck used for both general purpose and specialized purposes by the Soviet Union during WWII. It was a licensed copy of the American built Ford-AA truck, albeit a simpler version with a more powerful motor than the original GAZ-AA truck. At the outbreak of WWII the Soviet Union had over 150,000 vehicles in use and by the end of it’s production run there were nearly 1 million vehicles built. During the war, several different versions of the GAZ-MM appeared, some with no doors, bumpers and some with no front brakes and only one headlight. These changes were made to keep production costs and time as simple as possible. It was a rugged truck and served the Soviet Union well during the war.

The Soviet 25mm automatic air-defense gun M1940 or 72-K as it was known was designed for protecting infantry units from air attack. It was normally mounted on a four-wheeled carriage that could be towed by a truck or other vehicle. It had a slant range of up to 2.4km and could hit aerial targets up to 2km in altitude. The gun could also be used against ground targets and light vehicles if necessary. It was manned by a six-person crew and was an automatic weapon with rounds loaded from the top via a feeding mechanism. The 72-K saw extensive use by the Soviet Union’s armed forces for many years only being finally phased out in the 1960s.

When loaded into the bed of a GAZ-MM truck it becomes a mobile AAA battery allowing you to protect an armored column, supply convoy, infantry unit or a stationary target like an airbase with accurate and deadly fire.

Our GAZ-MM 72-K can be used in both single-player and multiplayer scenarios and it will include several custom-made missions to demonstrate its ability at knocking down enemy planes!

Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 (20mm) Vehicle Mounted Anti-Aircraft Gun

*Development pictures not yet available.

The Sd.Kfz. 10 or Sonderkraftfahrzeug (special motorized vehicle) was a German half-track that saw action throughout World War II and on all fronts in Europe and North Africa. Its main role was as a prime mover for small towed guns or liquid agents and it could also carry eight troops. Different models could be specialized for a wide range of duties.

It was powered by a Maybach 6-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine. It had a semi-automatic Maybach Variorex-transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. It could attain 65 km/h (40 mph), while the cruising speed was 45 km/h (28 mph). Steering was performed by both the front wheels and caterpillar threads. Shallow turns were done using the front wheels and sharper turns were done using the treads with one braking like a tank would.

Sd.Kfz. 10 /5 carried the Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun in its rear bed and fired a 20mm projectile. The Flak 38 was an improvement over the older Flak 30 design and it had a rate of fire of 220 rounds per minute and weighed 420 Kilograms. Its use was ubiquitous throughout the war in all German theaters of operation and was the most produced artillery piece of the war by the Germans. Later designs mounted four Flak 38 cannons together for an added punch. The Flak 38 could also be towed by trucks or other vehicles when not mounted on Sd.Kfz. 10 half-tracks. In the right hands this gun was deadly to low flying Allied fighters.

Our Sd.Kfz. 10 /5 Flak 38 can be used in both single-player and multiplayer scenarios and it will include several custom-made missions to showcase its ability to protect its airspace!

We hope you will like these new vehicles!

The Sturmovik Team

Update 4.501

Dear Friends,

We just released the new update - 4.501. Its shifted version number means it is a kind of a milestone and it really is. First, the research we did on the community opinion on the aircraft spotting allowed us to make many improvements to this important part of the sim. The distant LOD scaling system has been adjusted, their lighting has been made full, atmospheric haze option and an increased MSAA level have been added. We're sure that this update will make the online multiplayer experience totally different from how it was before. Now our next target, for the next update, is the improved pilot G tolerance model we do after asking the community taking the account the new reference data provided by the community members.

Please take in attention: adding Haze option to the mission format makes previously saved .msnbin mission files obsolete. Delete them and save the new version using .Mission files.



In addition to these very important changes, today's update brings you the new campaign 'Wind of Fury' by Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov that is included in the Bodenplatte module. This means that our promises on what Bodenplatte will include are finally fulfilled. Of course, it doesn't mean we'll stop improving it, for instance, now we plan to improve the Rhineland Career mode.




Also, P-39L-1 "Airacobra" (Battle of Kuban) and Bf 109 G-6 now have 4k quality external texturing created by Martin =ICDP= Catney. The work on bringing all the aircraft in the sim to 4K texturing continues.



Tank Crew gets the last planned features for its release in this update, making 4.501 a milestone for it as well. The new turret and gun control mode and fixed visor cameras were requested by the community for a long time and they are available now.



We think that this update will mark an important step for our sim and we hope you'll enjoy it!

Main Features
1. The new scenario campaign "Wind of Fury" is now available to all owners of the Bodenplatte project for free;
2. P-39L-1 "Airacobra" and Bf 109 G-6 fighters now have 4K quality external textures created by Martin = ICDP = Catney;
3. The long-range LODs scaling system for aircraft has been adjusted. Aircraft spotting at short to medium distances, especially when using wide camera angles, is greatly improved. The visibility at distance has been adjusted to be closer to reality.
4. Alternate Visibility has been renamed Enhanced Visibility: this mode gives a much greater increase in aircraft visibility at long ranges compared to the new standard visibility. At medium ranges, visibility is also significantly improved compared to the old Alternate Visibility option;
5. MSAA x8 option has been added, but please note that this level of AA is very demanding to the graphics card performance;
6. The atmospheric haze density option has been added to the Quick Mission Builder. Its minimum value corresponds to the haze density available earlier;
7. Dawn/Dusk Fog option has been added to the Quick Mission Builder. This option is available only when the haze density is set to half of the maximum value or more;
8. The haze density option (from 0.0 to 1.0) is now stored in a mission file. Radiation fog appears at dusk if the value of the haze is more than 0.5 and the weather preset name contains an odd number at the end. The denser haze makes it easier to spot other aircraft against the background of the landscape when the distance from the observer to the target is much less than the distance from the observer to the landscape behind the target. This can be used when designing multiplayer missions for game servers;
9. Distant levels of detail (LODs) of the aircraft now have the same surface material setting as closer and more detailed LODs, making the lighting of distant aircraft much more realistic and enabling reflections and glints when the relative position of a contact, an observer and the light source(s) is right;
10. In a multiplayer game, a tooltip has been added to the list of game servers when hovering the mouse cursor over the difficulty preset icon. This tooltip displays all the difficulty settings of this multiplayer server;
11. This information is also available in the multiplayer server lobby (“About the server” section);

AI Improvements
12. AI wingmen keep the optimal climb speed when the wing leader is far and higher;
13. AI aircraft now use combat and emergency engine modes for a fastest possible climb when following the terrain;
14. AI fighters now more actively attack maneuvering targets at lower speeds;

Player Controllable Tank Improvements
15. New control mode allows aiming a tank gun using a joystick (or buttons);
16. Aiming the tank guns and machine guns with the mouse is more convenient;
17. Fixed cameras added to tank visors and other observation devices. Loader viewing devices are, most often, can be used from the gunner's station. You can cycle the views using LShift + V keys;
18. The target marking cursor when giving orders as a tank commander is visible at any settings;
19. The current sight or observation device is indicated;
20. In multiplayer, a connected player in someone else's tank will correctly see the messages from the loader and see the ammo information in the HUD;
21. The time required for repairing the tank systems outside the service areas is doubled;
22. The projectiles correctly penetrate the armor if they hit certain extremely thin areas of the object's surface (a rare issue);
23. Ferdinand: the inverted direction of inclination of the panoramic viewing devices has been fixed;
24. An SPG AI gunner correctly fires at an invisible target by the order of the SPG commander (using the direction and range);
25. Fixed the issue where the AI gunner did not follow the commander's instructions to choose the ammo type in certain situations;
26. Pz-III-M: the KFF 2 binocular periscope is functional (when using the camera selected by LShift + V);
27. SU-152 commander can't use the panoramic sight when unbuttoned;

Other Changes
28. Fixed an issue with parts of the canopy and cockpit instruments that could not be restored after repair;
29. Flare gun and sidearm ammo can be replenished in the reload zones just like other ammo;
30. SdKfZ 251 and similar vehicles and tanks can function as supply vehicles if set this way in the Mission Editor;
31. The dawn/dusk fog level has been corrected on Moscow, Stalingrad, Prokhorovka, Velikiye Luki, Lapino and Novosokolniki maps, it appears in the lowlands;
32. Due to the introduction of the atmospheric haze option, the issue of the dawn/dusk fog blinking near the horizon has been minimized;
33. The difference in the density of atmospheric haze is minimal when using the minimum (40 km) and maximum (150 km) visibility range options;
34. For a tank crewmember to recover from the loss of consciousness in the event of powder gases poisoning it is required for the air to become noticeably cleaner (now the loss of consciousness will last longer);
35. Fixed a graphical artifact at the base of the La-5FN headlamp switch;
36. Fixed the lack of sound when releasing or retracting the landing gear on I-16 and Ju-88;
37. Added the Spitfire IX invasion paint scheme.

NOTE: This update includes content for Tank Crew which is not yet available on Steam, but is coming soon to the Steam platform. Stay tuned!

The Sturmovik Team

#260

Dear Friends,

The Autumn is here and our project is very close to another milestone. The next version 4.501 that will be released in a few weeks will contain very important improvements. For instance, after constructive discussions in our community, we have come to decisions on two aspects of the sim which are very important for the players: providing a required visibility level for the airplanes in a dogfight and modeling a pilot reaction to high-G loads. We're working on both things right now and the result of this work should be released in the aforementioned update. Another addition will be the MSAA x8 graphics setting, but please note that it will put quite a load on your graphics card.

We have almost finished two neat features for Tank Crew as well: controlling a turret using your joystick or buttons and looking through the visors and view slits with the help of preset cameras. Good news for Bodenplatte owners: the long-awaited campaign for this module will be included in this update as well - its author Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov has much to tell you about it:



In today's Dev Blog we'd like to tell you more about the new historical campaign 'Wind of Fury' that will be released for free for all Bodenplatte owners very soon.

It is dedicated to the No. 486 (New Zealand) Squadron RAF that flew Tempest Mk.V fighters and will picture the unfolding of the air battle in the skies of North-Western Europe since October 1st, 1944, till January 1st, 1945.



With the V-1 launch sites in Northern France captured or destroyed and this threat against the England territory eliminated, at the end of September 1944 it was decided to relieve the five existing squadrons of Tempest interceptors from the ADGB (Air Defence of Great Britain) duties and move them to the continent. Unlike Spitfires and Typhoons, Tempests could not carry rockets or bombs at the moment, making them inadequate for a fighter/bomber role, so the 2nd Tactical Air Force had tasked them with patrolling over own territory, intercept attempts against the German Me 262 jets and free hunting for enemy aircraft and road and railway traffic far behind the enemy lines.



The story of the campaign is based on the Operations Record Books of the 486th for the second half of 1944 and the historical works on the late war RAF and Luftwaffe actions available in English. After doing the research of the ORB, the most interesting missions were selected that were not too long to require the external fuel tanks which are not yet available in our sim yet. In reality, Tempests were flying with additional fuel tanks almost all the time and we'll add them to the campaign later, but for now, you'll be able to finish any mission with a default fuel amount.

There are no B-26 and Typhoon escort missions yet as well - these birds will be available a few months later in the Battle of Normandy Early Access program. We plan to add all the required, but not yet available, objects like B-26, C-47, Typhoon Mk.Ib, Spitfire Mk.XIV, Fw 190 A-6, Bf 109 G-6 Late as well as the British ground vehicles and artillery to the campaign at a later date.



It may appear counterintuitive, but having detailed reports on the squadron actions for many days and even hours may affect the campaign and its gameplay negatively if you use such data as is. During the long life of the IL-2 Sturmovik series, there were many attempts in the community to do just that, dramatize the historical documents or famous pilot memoirs word by word, but they reached only limited success, if not a failure.

This is caused mostly by the well-known fact that most of the missions were routine and repeating, 'Groundhog Day' type ones and enemy encounters did not happen in each one, but also by the peculiarities of the process of recreating real combat operations in a flight sim. Even when you select the most interesting missions with much action going around and that are not too long, you may have a rude awakening finding out that:

- several subsequent missions happen in the same time of day;
- direct time of day recreation makes a ground attack mission nearly unplayable during dawn or dusk hours;
- too few aircraft or vehicles participated in the action so the players will find the mission too dull and empty, even if real pilots back then thought that it was more than enough action for them (or vice versa, too many and the performance reasons come into play).

Such factors mean that simulated events will differ from reality even if it is possible to recreate them exactly because of the performance, convenience and gameplay reasons. In the practice this means that a takeoff can happen in a different time, there will be less allies, but more enemy encounters or more enemy aircraft in a certain dogfight, etc.



In general, Wind of Fury campaign will make you familiar with nearly the entire range of the real combat missions flown by Tempest pilots during the second half of 1944, briefly including the Battle of the Bulge, and will end with the Bodenplatte strike on the allied airfields on January 1st, 1945.



P.S. We would like to thank the community member @Obelix for his 4K skins for the Tempests of 486th squadron which were used to create the images for the campaign and his advice on the additional official Tempest skin with the invasion stripes that was added to the sim.

We will continue our Dev Blog with another important change that affects the aircraft visibility - update 4.501 will include the atmospheric haze setting. It will be adjustable in Quick Mission Builder for your liking and can be set by an author in other missions. The minimal setting corresponds to the haze level in the current public version while higher values will look like these screenshots. By the way, you can see the progress made on another important thing on them as well. ;-)



We'll finish with a short report on the Normandy development. Here's our hero of the day - USAAF pilot in early war uniform and without the G-suit that was introduced in the theater later.



Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

Attention Pilots!

The DLC Madness Sale is on! Grab yourself a Collector Plane or two and try one of our awesome Scripted Campaigns!

The sales runs from Sept. 1st until Sept. 8th on Steam.

IL-2 ON STEAM
https://store.steampowered.com/app/307960/IL2_Sturmovik_Battle_of_Stalingrad/

Blazing Steppe - 75% OFF
Ten Days of Autumn - 75% OFF
Havok Over the Kuban - 75% OFF
Fortress on the Volga - 75% OFF
Achtung Spitfire! - 75% OFF
Ice Ring - 25% OFF
Hell Hawks - 25% OFF
Yak - 9 - 30% OFF
Yak - 9T - 30% OFF
P-38 - 66% OFF
Dora - 66% OFF
U-2VS - 75% OFF
Spitfire VB - 75% OFF
Hs-129 - 75% OFF
La-5 FN - 75% OFF
Bf-109 G-6 - 75% OFF
Ju-52 - 75% OFF
Yak -1B - 75% OFF
P-40 - 85% OFF
Mc.202 - 85% OFF
Fw-190 A-3 - 85% OFF
La-5 - 85% OFF

NOTE: Due to an entry mistake the P-40 and Mc.202 will be on sale starting tomorrow.

All ROF Content - 75% OFF
https://store.steampowered.com/app/244050/Rise_of_Flight_United/

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

Hello Pilots

Although this crazy sequestered summer of 2020 is coming to an end, life goes on, and our work goes on. Many things are happening in our “virtual office” including finishing a new Free Scripted Campaign for Battle of Bodenplatte featuring the Tempest Mk.V called “A Violent Wind” built by Alex Timoshkov. Also, as a result of recent discussions in the community, work is underway to improve general aircraft visibility, which we hope will appear to be both realistic and more comfortable for players. This may require more than one future update to fully conquer, but we’ll see. Additionally, there is some progress towards the completion of the Air Marshal feature which has taken much longer than planned. We’ve also had to build up technical capacity in the field of map production, which is necessary to implement everything planned for the Normandy landscape. And as always improvements to the AI for both aircraft and ground vehicles continue.

Our engineering department is fully engaged in the development of flight models of three aircraft - the C-47, Bf-109G-6 Late and the Spitfire Mk.XIV, while at the same time work on deepening the model of aircraft fuel systems is in the research and prototyping stage. Creating the technical specifications for all aircraft and other objects of for Battle of Normandy is coming to and end which is was a huge and complex research task. Completion of this allows Viks to now focus some attention to the Career mode. At the moment, 3D models of several aircraft are at various stages of development - the Hurricane, P-51B, Spitfire Mk.XIV, Bf 109 G-6 Late, Mosquito, Typhoon and C-47. It is the last aircraft from this list, the twin-engine C-47 military transport, that today we are ready to show you in the game world:



See you in the skies!

The Sturmovik Team

Attention Pilots!

We are aware that many of you are sight-seeing in your Cessna or flying an Airbus today. We consider this activity a little perverse of course. Not that there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not our thing! However, with everyone being in a flying mood today, we have launched our REAL VIRTUAL PILOTS FLY COMBAT Sale with some mind-blowing savings on several Great Battles products.



If you’ve wish-listed any of our products on Steam or been thinking about grabbing one of these from our website now is the time to make your move! We’re almost giving them away. Get in the cockpit today and BECOME A WARRIOR NOT A TOURIST! Tell your General Aviation friends this hobby is much more than driving a bus with wings.

Here’s what’s on Sale on Steam T

The sale runs from August 18th – August 24th 2020

Battle of Stalingrad – 85% OFF for the first time ever! 

Battle of Moscow – 75% OFF 

Battle of Kuban – 75% OFF 

Battle of Bodenplatte – 66% OFF for the first time ever! 

Flying Circus Volume I – 66% OFF for the first time ever! 

IL-2 Sturmovik on Steam

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

See you in the war-torn skies of Europe combat pilots!

The Sturmovik Team

Update 4.009

Dear Friends,

One month has passed since the previous update, and once again we are ready to present you with a new package of innovations and improvements. The main additions in this version are the new campaign Hell Hawks over the Bulge (website exclusive), new free summer map Velikiye Luki, and new single missions for the Bodenplatte aircraft and Tank Crew tanks - now each model of these modules has a single mission designed for it.



We have also added more beauty to our simulator, in several meanings of this word. First, the P-40E-1 Kittyhawk received 4K texturing of the outer model by Martin =ICDP= Catney. And second, U-2VS, Yak-1 series 69 and Yak-1b series 127 now have female crews option! U-2VS this was done in the memory of the 588th Night Light Bomber Aviation Regiment, known under the nickname "Night Witches", and for Yak-1s in the memory of the fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak, the most effective female fighter pilot of World War II.



This update includes a total of 78 points of changes mostly targeted at the two main areas - AI improvements in and the refinement of the recently completed line of player controllable tanks. There are many extremely important changes in this list for other areas of our sim as well. Despite everything that happens in the world this year, our team continues to work on improving the IL-2 Sturmovik game world and keep the fast rate of development.

Main Features

1. The new map Velikiye Luki (Summer) is available to all owners of any IL-2: Great Battles module;
2. Velikiye Luki (Winter) map has been improved and updated;
3. The new historical campaign “Hell Hawks over the Bulge” is released;
4. The visual models of the U-2VS Collector Plane crew members were replaced with new ones in the correct uniform (according to the year set in a mission, without a helmet and a parachute);
5. Female crews option added to U-2VS, Yak-1 ser. 69 and Yak-1b ser. 127 aircraft;
6. P-40E-1 now has 4K quality external textures thanks to Martin =ICDP= Catney;
7. Each Bodenplatte aircraft now has its own single mission;
8. Each Tank Crew - Battle of Prokhorovka tank now has its own single mission;
9. Since the technochat can be disabled by difficulty settings, the critical information such as the service maintenance indication (refueling, repair, first aid) will be visible in the HUD anyway;

Aircraft AI improvements

10. An AI flight leader shouldn’t circle on the ground after landing;
11. An AI error in the following terrain routine has been fixed that could cause the AI-controlled aircraft to stuck in the climb spiral and the AI wingmen in the formation to stall;
12. An AI flight leader will correctly maintain the set speed on the route;
13. AI climbing on the route corrected (they shouldn’t do too shallow of a climb and accelerate more than required as a result);
14. AI pilots shouldn’t climb on the route too steeply and, as a result, lose speed too quickly;
15. The low route speed limit has been corrected for a number of aircraft, enabling them to reach a maximum climb rate;
16. AI settings corrected for Yak-1, Yak-1b and Tempest, making them able to correctly maintain their position in a formation in level flight;
17. AI settings corrected for P-47D-22, making the formation flying more stable;
18. AI settings corrected for Flying Circus aircraft, making the formation flying more stable when descending;

Player controllable tanks improvements

19. IMPORTANT: all player-controllable tanks have detailed descriptions of their equipment, general control and functionality recommendations and individual lists of input commands accessible from the in-game Esc menu;
20. All the player-controlled tanks have animated and audible MG and main gun traveling locks;
21. Important information on sighting and radio communication equipment has been added to all tank help screens;
22. The powered turret traversing drives (where available) are automatically switched to manual mode at low turn speed for precise aiming and from manual to the powered mode drive for turning the turret fast;
23. Pz.III Ausf.M, Pz.IV Ausf.G, Pz.V Ausf.D, Pz.VI Ausf.H1 and M4A2 have functioning gyrocompass course director (controlled by the LShift + Z / LShift + X keys);
24. DT machineguns (T-34-76UVZ-194 and KV-1s) and M2 .50 AA machineguns (M4A2) iron sights can be adjusted for range (RAlt + Semicolon / RAlt + Period keys);
25. All tank radios have audible umformers (electro-mechanical converters) sounds;
26. Pz.III Ausf.M, Pz.IV Ausf.G, Pz.V Ausf.D, Pz.VI Ausf.H1 have audible gyrocompass sounds;
27. SU-152 and KV-1s: the control levers are locked in the parking position by the corresponding buttons;
28. Enabling and disabling a parking brake is reflected in the technochat;
29. To view a correct fuel reading on the KV-1s and Pz.III Ausf.M tanks, it is necessary to pump the fuel gauge first using the F key;
30. KV-1s: it’s possible to switch the fuel gauge indication between the different tanks with the LShift + F key;
31. M4A2: it’s possible to switch the fuel gauge to display the oil level as well as switch between the different tanks with the LShift + F key;
32. You can raise and lower the M4A2 commander visor;
33. M4A2 engine clutch lock buttons are correctly animated in case of a clutch failure;
34. You can use the loader visor when playing as the gunner on M4A2;
35. M4A2 AA machinegun can be shot off;
36. SU-152, Sd.Kfz.184, Pz.III Ausf.M and Pz.IV have functioning gun recoil indicators;
37. Pz.V Ausf.D ready to fire signal lamp has been corrected;
38. Pz.V Ausf.D gun mantlet armor has been corrected (its upper and low parts became more detailed);
39. All crew members who did not have access to tank intercom equipment are correctly displayed without headphones and microphones;
40. MGs and main guns won’t move a little in a stowed position;
41. The German tank commander model as been corrected (he is easier to hit in the unbuttoned position).
42. The crew models won’t appear and disappear when the camera moves in the cockpit (except the no-restrictions mode in VR);
43. The lateral aiming correction marks were corrected on German tanks;
44. It’s no longer possible to control tank weapons from certain crew stations that did not have access to them;
45. The ‘no ammo left’ message shouldn’t be repeated many times anymore;
46. AI controlled SPGs turn to face the target when ordered to engage it;
47. The ‘fuel system repaired’ message shouldn’t be repeated many times anymore;
48. The ammo counter correctly displays the remaining rounds when certain ammo load-outs are selected;

Other improvements

49. Yak-9T engine control helpers won’t cause the engine to stop when turned on at low temperatures;
50. Engine control helpers won’t incorrectly limit the engine speed after a short shutdown on twin-engine aircraft;
51. Ice Ring campaign is available in the French language thanks to our community member DN308;
52. Tank and aircraft turrets with 3 degrees of freedom have correct stowed positions;
53. Paratroopers jump from Ju-52 correctly;
54. P-38J: drag and pitching moment from the released dive flaps have been increased;
55. Il-2 model 1943: the front iron sight won’t fall off at minimal damage;
56. Pe-2 series 35 bomber: interrupting the startup procedure won’t make it impossible to start again;
57. The problem with resetting the controls to zero when switching between the engines on multi-engine aircraft has been fixed;
58. Bristol Fighter F2B control stick animation has been corrected;
59. A-20B: black artifacts that could be seen from the upper gunner station were removed;
60. Lewis and DT machine guns ammo drum won’t visibly ‘jump’ when reloaded;
61. Aircraft guns ammo reserve is correct now (it was 1 round short);
62. It is no longer possible to reload the magazine when the machine gun is cocked, which led to reloading animation errors;
63. Fighter and tank crew models are being loaded in the sim faster;
64. Character animations were further optimized, which could reduce the stuttering on some configurations;
65. Soviet and American pilots won’t be invulnerable when holding a flare gun or a pistol;
66. MLRS artillery won’t try to shoot at paratroopers;
67. The jerky behavior of rail cars on terrain bends and bridge slopes has been fixed;
68. A bug that could destroy a train when it changed the direction of movement has been fixed;
69. Sorting the list of game servers by the number of players now sorts from highest to lowest on the first click;
70. Fixed an issue that caused the world lighting to have a wrong shade for several seconds at the beginning of the mission;
71. The “F4” camera (chase camera) won’t cause graphics artifacts to appear;
72. A correct hangar will be displayed in the multiplayer lobby (previously it was always the summer one);
73. Camera behavior on mission end has been improved;
74. Numerous static objects won’t disappear from view to early and their collision models were corrected;
75. IV / JG27 will correctly continue after January 23rd in Rheinland career mode;
76. Rheinland Career mode cutscenes added;
77. The service times for all equipment have been adjusted. Now a service operation takes 2-4 minutes at the default service speed (x1 value set in Mission Editor).
78. The tank and aircraft repair settings were clarified in the Mission Editor dialog window.

See you in the skies!

The Sturmovik Team

Hello!

We are currently preparing version 4.009 for release, the process is not easy, but we hope for its successful completion very soon. In view of this, the diary today will not be very detailed, but the topic is interesting. Today we show you the P-51B / C being developed for Battle of Normandy and will be available in a future update for all BON Early Access customers. This single-seat fighter is the predecessor to the P-51D previously created for Operation Bodenplatte. Although she is a predecessor, the B/C model is somewhat superior to the D model in speed at ground level and maneuverability. The reason for this unusual situation is that the teardrop canopy creates more aerodynamic drag than the high-backed design. In addition, the P-51B / C is somewhat lighter than its successor.

In the sim, the aircraft will be presented with a set of modifications allowing the use of two engine options. The first version of the engine is the Packard-Merlin V-1650-3, created on the basis of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 63. The second, more powerful version is the V-1650-7, which was based on the Merlin 66. 150 -Octane gasoline will also be an available modification, significantly increasing the capabilities of the power plant.

It should also be noted that our P-51B / C will come with a rather famous modification - a special canopy called the "Malcolm Hood" which was used in rather significant numbers by Mustang pilots. There will also be as many as three options for gun-sights, one of which will be gyroscopic.

All in all, it should be a very interesting aircraft, with a wide range of equipment options and outstanding flight performance. Like the P-47D ‘Razorback” the P-51 B/C also flew in mixed squadrons as units transitioned from the B/C to the D model.



Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team