Dear friends,

We're happy to announce the release of the major update 5.504. The Flying Circus Vol. IV module is now available for purchase on our website (it will also be available on Steam in a few days). The new pack brings the early war Airco D.H.2 and Fokker E.III Eindecker, which don't have a throttle (use the blip switch when you need to reduce the engine RPM), and the later Albatros D.III, Roland C.IIa and the Sopwith family 1½ Strutter, 1½ Strutter B, and Pup.

As always, all Flying Circus customers will benefit from the updated map, which now includes Paris and its environs, as well as hundreds of additional settlements, churches, and other objects. The work to improve and populate this huge map is ongoing and more objects will be added.

As you can see from the long list of changes below, there are dozens of improvements and fixes to Career Mode - we hope you'll enjoy playing it even more now! There are also aircraft additions that some people have been waiting for. Enjoy, and we'll see you in the skies!

5.504 Change Log

1. The Flying Circus Vol. IV released including Albatros D.3, Roland C.2a, Fokker E.3 Eindecker for the Central Powers, and Airco D.H.2, Sopwith 1½ Strutter, Sopwith 1½ Strutter B, and Sopwith Pup for the Entente that are available in Career mode, single missions and Quick Mission Generator;
2. The Western Front WWI map update is available for all owners of any Flying Circus module: Paris and the nearby area, many small settlements, airfields, churches and other objects have been added to the map;
3. Bf 109 G-4 and Bf 109 G-6: added engine modifications from 1943 with increased operating time in emergency modes;
4. MiG-3 ser. 24: added AM-38 engine as a modification;
5. Tempest: FM revision to better match available historical data;
6. Nieuport 28: revision of flight model, corrected wing profile, increased climb rate and reduced turn time;
7. Nieuport 28: corrected engine thermal modes;
8. C-47A: fixed animation of formation lights toggle switches;
9. Multiplayer: fixed a problem with no kill credit given to the attacker in cases where the attacked player leaves the server;
10. Fixed a small memory leak when deleting fragments of destroyed aircraft;
11. Career: night bombing and transport missions now have the updated front line with a dynamic resource allocation system. The main differences from the day missions are the absence of interceptor groups, groups of patrol fighters, FO posts, fighters covering airfields and random air encounters, but there are enemy and allied night fighters, reinforced air defense, searchlights, bonfires along the front line, twisting smoke fires, as well as moving transport columns;
12. Career: increased bomber interception altitude on the Western Front to 5500 meters;
13. Career: increased Free Hunt missions patrol altitude on the Western Front to 5500 meters;
14. Career: added transport missions during operations Market Garden, Varsity, Repulse (Bastogne resupply), Stosser;
15. Career: added missions for attack and bombing of radar positions in the Battle of Normandy career;
16. Career: added missions for attack and bombing of coastal fortifications in the Battle of Normandy career;
17. Career: added missions for intercepting transports and airborne operations to the Battle for Moscow, Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kuban, Battle of Normandy, Operation Bodenplatte careers. In Battle of Normandy - only interception of transports;
18. Career: corrected the date of appearance of ShVAK guns on MiG-3s in Battle for Moscow according to new reference data;
19. Career: redesigned the Ground Attack Intercept mission (fixed a bug where the attack aircraft were not present at the mission point and adjusted the altitude of their appearance, fixed a bug where allied fighters were not returning to base, fixed a bug where the action point was too close to the player's airfield);
20. Career: in artillery spotting missions in the Normandy career, changed the rotation of the target grid to always face North;
21. Career: in artillery spotting missions in the Normandy career, the wingman or leader now protects the player from enemy aircraft attacks;
22. Career: fixed a bug in Allied Airfield Defense missions where Allied fighters would not return after completing a mission;
23. Career: fixed a bug in Allied Airfield Defense missions where a mission point was generated too close to the player's airfield;
24. Career: fixed bug in career missions where a player's rocket attack was not counted;
25. Career: fixed a bug in generating a mission point in jet aircraft cover missions;
26. Career: fixed an issue where jets could not land on an airfield in jet aircraft cover missions;
27. Career: reduced the duration of the enemy free hunt aircraft focus on the player's group and reduced the probability of patrol fighters attacking the player's group;
28. Career: fixed a bug where enemy attack aircraft were sometimes invulnerable in ground support missions;
29. Career: fixed a bug in Allied Airfield Defense missions where enemy attack aircraft would appear in the mountains;
30. Career: fixed an incorrect briefing for the cargo drop mission in the Normandy Career;
31. Career: fixed a bug where transports from the player's group were too eager to get out of there and started a home turn while still dropping cargo or paratroopers;
32. Career: added II./JG 2 for Normandy career and Bf 109 G-14 to II./JG 2 and II./JG 11;
33. Career: removed duplicate information in the briefing about fighter cover in cargo delivery missions;
34. Career: corrected a bug in Normandy cargo delivery missions where the cargo had to be delivered to an airfield that was very close to the front line;
35. Career: redesigned the river crossing and allied troops cover missions, fixed a bug where enemy planes won't arrive;
36. Career: fixed a bug in WWII careers where enemy anti-aircraft gunners always had low skill, now their skill depends on the enemy inferiority/parity/superiority Career setting;
37. Career: fixed a bug where the Me-262 could not take off with bombs in jet cover missions;
38. Fixed taxiway layout for Selsey, Kingsnorth, and Kachalinskaya airfields;
39. The takeoff direction at Anapa airfield now takes the wind direction into account;
40. Escort fighters should not collide during formation turns anymore;
41. Fixed Flak 37 and Flak 43 not appearing on the Western Front;
42. Fixed bug with incorrect friendly fighters color scheme in escort missions;
43. Fixed a bug in attack aircraft intercept missions where fighters that did not carry bombs in a given timeframe period would be selected as attack aircraft;
44. Fixed AI fighters despawning during combat in AQM;
45. Fixed a bug where AI bombers would not close their bomb hatches after dropping bombs;
46. Fixed a bug in WWI mission generation where Soviet ships would appear in the scenario;
47. Shaped charge rounds now correctly arm and explode when hitting the ground and buildings;
48. Sound: rebalanced internal sound of open-cockpit aircraft (all Flying Circus airplanes, U-2VS, I-16);
49. Sound: fixed the lack of firing sound at very short firing button presses;
50. Added red and blue team skins for Yak-9 ser. 1 and racing pylons for multiplayer events;
51. Mission Editor: Added timer functionality to MCU: Subtitle.