Dear players!

 

Today is a big day for IL-2 Sturmovik project - version 1.201 release. It brings several very important additions.

 

First, we launch the open beta of the Battle of Moscow campaign and Moscow maps. This is another step forward in mapping technologies - it contains several innovations and will bring you many interesting features not available before, for example: grass airfields without a dedicated landing strip, historically reconstructed city of Moscow, towns of the Moscow region that also have historically correct layouts and architecture, new 'late Autumn' season, water reservoirs, canals, canal locks, many new railway and road bridges, forestation different to Stalingrad region one and other things.

 

We'd like to point out that now, at the open beta stage, the map will still be improved: pine trees will be added to the forests and the overall distribution of various forest types on the map will be more detailed. Of course we'll keep track of your impressions and improve the map where possible to make it as best as possible to the official Battle of Moscow release date. The campaign is also in open beta: it contains regular, generated missions, while scenario, static ones are being finished. Video intros between campaign chapters and chapter map tactical overlays are also WIP at the moment.

 

 

 

 

Second, players who pre-purchased Battle of Moscow will also get their hands on German twin engine dive bomber Ju 88 A-4 today. We must admit that it is the most complex aircraft in the entire project, but in the same time it is also a most interesting one in many ways. Rich instruments array, many system and flight model peculiarities, unusual gunner stations - it was an interesting experience to research and recreate and we think it will be interesting to fly it.

 

 

 

Third, all 10 Battle of Moscow planes now have 10 official skins per plane that can be unlocked by progressing in the campaign. In addition, all 20 controllable planes in the game and each and every modification for them now have a technical specification you can view in player profile, during a mission briefing and even in the flight.

 

Fourth, the sim now has 64-bit architecture. This increases the engine potential and allows more detailed objects and textures to be created. Moreover, we used the dumps you submitted to fix several bugs that could crash the game. All this development should make the game much more stable in heavy, complex missions.

 

One of the crash fixes involved the track recording system, so the tracks format has been updated unfortunately - old track records won't work in the new version.

 

Finally, the new version 1.201 contains many additional fixes and improvements (as always) which should increase the quality of your play experience and add more realistic features.

 

Main changes:

 

1. Moscow region maps (Autumn and Winter seasons) are now available to Battle of Moscow owners in all game modes;

2. German bomber Ju 88 A-4 is now available to Battle of Moscow owners;

3. Open Beta of the Moscow campaign is now available to Battle of Moscow owners;

4. The sim is 64-bit application now, which increases its stability at heavy loads and improves physical engine performance by 10-20%;

5. 10 official skins added for each of 10 Battle of Moscow planes. They can be unlocked by progressing in the campaign;

6. Aircraft specifications added containing flight characteristics and other useful information for every playable plane in the game (you can view them of full-screen map during flight, in the briefing and in player profile);

7. Modification characteristics added to their tooltips (how much mass and velocity you lose or gain by adding them to your aircraft);

8. Morning and evening fog added to all maps (in half of the weather sets, the ones that have non-even numbers);

 

Physcis, damage, systems and AI changes:

 

9. A rare problem that caused the plane to be invisible in multiplayer fixed;

10. A rare problem that caused the bombs or turrets to float next to their aircraft fixed;

11. You can turn the bomb sight left and right in View mode;

12. Bomb sight mode won't reset after leaving and re-enabling it anymore;

13. Back view angle increased for Pe-2 bomb sight in View mode;

14. Bomb sight view won't 'wave' while passing the zero mark;

15. Tracer rounds removed from ShVAK autocannons for Battle of Moscow timeframe planes because they were produced later in 1942;

16. Fw 190 A-3 aerodynamic characteristics corrected to meet the now available data (in short, its fineness ratio was reduced a little while its climb rate at high altitudes increased somewhat);

17. RPM limiter (helper) on MiG-3 won't wrongly set the throttle to low values at low air temperature anymore;

18. Bf 109 E-7, He 111 H-6, Пе-2 ser.35 and ser.87 damage models corrected (wrong parts were flying off when damaged);

19. Additional armor plates and armored windshield mass is correctly added to Bf 109 E-7;

20. MG FF mass is correctly added to He 111 H-6;

21. Air drag caused by MC.202 bombs corrected (decreased);

22. Air drag caused by Bf 110 E-2 bomb holder corrected (increased);

23. MC.202 series VIII flaps are now forced back by air stream at high speeds, which should prevent their damage;

24. Flaps release kinematic link calculations corrected on Yak-1, both IL-2 variants and MiG-3 (they are more stable when fully retracted);

25. He 111 H-6 elevator trimmer handle now stops at the same time when techno chat shows 100%;

26. He 111 H-6 elevator trimmer handle animation corrected (it was inverted);

27. A turret won't be left in the air after aircraft explosion in multiplayer (a rare issue);

28. Turret machine gun won't 'wobble' in extreme positions;

29. Turret gunners correctly spend the remaining 150 rounds;

30. Wingmen correclty drop bombs after wing leader in 'do like me' mode;

31. AI now is able to takeoff during strong crosswind on LaGG-3 and Yak-1;

 

Other changes:

 

32. Thanks to submitted crash dumps, several issues were found and fixed. The work on stability improvements continues;

33. Modification locks in multiplayer work correctly in a case of wrong lock configuration;

34. When only a certain skin is allowed in multiplayer, default one will be available as well;

35. Modifications correctly lock and unlock while changing selected mission type in the campaign;

36. Fast clicking on modification buttons won't hang the GUI anymore;

37. GUI recalculates modifications and weapon sets faster (for example for IL-2 which have lots of them);

38. Anomalous slowdown when flying a plane with bomb sight and increasing time scale fixed;

39. A tank turret won't magically 'heal' damage when a guest gunner takes control;

40. Pz III main gun rate of fire increased;

41. Earned modifications and skins can be correctly selected in Offline mode of the game;

42. Visual damage improved for MiG-3;

43. Special objects were added for scenario creators, including airfield taxi and landing signs;

44. Mission designers can remove object markers from any objects by giving them NOICON name.