Friday 2010-09-10 Dev. update and Discussions

[Oleg Maddox]

Attention: Some details is temporary missed on the screenshots of city. As I told that some of interesting features and details we will tune and/or insert up to the X day :).

The last screen shot here - its by the case... He was too late to bail out....

[Robert]

Sorry. I have to post. You have the wrong date Mr. Maddox. It should be 2010-9-10

[NSU]

yes, but the pictures look nice, i love the London pic.

[Foo'bar]

Sorry. I have to post. You have the wrong date Mr. Maddox. It should be 2010-9-10

Copy & Paste error ;)

[Oleg Maddox]

On the last screen shot here - canopy icing.

[Oleg Maddox]

Copy & Paste error ;)

Unfortunately, I can't change my typing-copy/paste error.
It will be done later by admin.

[PeterPanPan]

Thank you Oleg. This is looking fantastic! Best update in ages. The icing looks terrifying - simply brilliant. Will the ice fall away visually at lower altitudes?

PPanPan

[pupo162]

this looks amasing, love the 109 take off screen.... amazing

[JG27_PapaFly]

Cooool! Ice Ice Baby....

[335th_GRSwaty]

Thank you Oleg!!!

[T}{OR]

These updates keep getting better and better. Thank you. :)

[PeterPanPan]

The flames are looking sooooooo much better too. They look hot now, if you know what I mean.

PPanPan

[Insuber]

Wonderful Mr. Oleg ... glad to see you back! Any development news for us? :D

[csThor]

Neat. You guys are aware, however, that the black triangle was a tactical marking (of II.(Schlacht)/LG 2) in the same way as the horizontal bar, the "wave" or the vertical bar with the fighters were? ;)

[pupaxx]

well done, reserve 2 copies for me!

[Oleg Maddox]

Neat. You guys are aware, however, that the black triangle was a tactical marking (of II.(Schlacht)/LG 2) in the same way as the horizontal bar, the "wave" or the vertical bar with the fighters were? ;)

Ilya, when he is doing such screens with "wrong" markings put usually different things that to show some amount of coming in future sim features.

[Baron]

The water and the Bf cockpit looks....wow.

[the Dutchman]

Well,i hoped that zooming in to the cockpit from the outside would show the 3D version with working dials not a flat graphic representation,it's possible FSX has it!

[pupaxx]

Oleg please,
Tell us how far are you from 100% done. Even in elusive way:grin:
Ciao!

[Pato Salvaje]

Amazing shots, as always...
Love the city and the 109´s in the airfield looks fantastic...

Thank you Mr Maddox...
Any news about the development situation?... is near a "beta phase"?...

Thank´s a lot

[DD_crash]

Looking great Oleg :) Thank you for the updates, I cant wait for the release.

[johnnypfft]

As I told that some of interesting features and details we will tune and/or insert up to the X day :).

X day, i hope you dont mean Xmas/christmas day :-P

[maclean525]

This looks, well, quite simply unbelievable! The water looks completely photo-realistic and the level of detail of London is amazing. I am frankly astonished at the quality of work that's being exhibited here. Even if the flight model was just as good as IL-2's this would be an absolute winner. The mind boggles at how good this sim is going to be when it's released.

And when will that be exactly? ;)

[csThor]

Ilya, when he is doing such screens with "wrong" markings put usually different things that to show some amount of coming in future sim features.

I had to ask. Since that triangle was used in conjunction with a capital letter to the aft of the Balkenkreuz. As I outlined in great detail in the manual on the markings of the dedicated Jabo units. ;)

[Skoshi Tiger]

Great screen shots, Thankyou!

The screen shot of the 109's starting up on the field has made me wonder.

Will we get buffeted by the propwash of an aircraft that is close by on the ground?

Cheers!

[Flying Pencil]

Oleg, good to see you are all better!

I can't wait to play this game!

[Robert]

I didn't realize an admin had to change topic titles. Oh well. Stuff happens.

Now onto the gooooooood stuff. The city looks maaaaaaavelous. The buildings give the impression of weight instead of cardboard cut outs thus lending to the realism of the environment. The 109s taking off is brilliantly done. The colouring of the grass looks pretty neat to my eyes. The water looks wet.
I love the draw distance in the back ground. The 109s canopy looks like my car windows on a cold February morning.

The lighting gets more and more impressive each update. The long shadows in the 4th picture is a beaut of a reality booster for me. It's either very early morning or just before twilight when the sun is low and blinding on the horizon.

There's more but I need to look some more. Too much goodness at one time.

Thanks Oleg. Appreciate the update.

[zapatista]

Oleg $ Co,

nice update !

the city looks good, and the plane on fire looks amazing and very real :)

yeah baby, we're getting close now :)

[ChrisDNT]

About the water which looks very black in the sim (I know it's WIP, ok), here a link showing some pics taken over the coasts of Bretagne (not the Channel, ok, but not very far away) :

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/index.html



http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0151B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0152.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0489.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0110%20-%20kopie.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0096B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0126.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0153B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0168B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0175.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0175B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0185B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0172B.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0319.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0332.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0364.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0411.html

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0475.html


P.S: you can get big pics by clicking on the upper right corner on the above links.

[Hecke]

Very nice pictures Oleg.

last picture: Is that real that the ice has straight "cut lines" in it?

I can't really say but the ice maybe looks a bit low res.


Anyway i can't wait to see this game on a higher end machine in directx 11. Hope all the textures will be sharp as hell then. (planes, houses,...)

[JtD]

Looks great, thank you.

With the 90% pilots you have to use the 109 cockpit looks quite roomy.

[Foo'bar]

Very nice pictures Oleg.

last picture: Is that real that the ice has straight "cut lines" in it?

I can't really say but the ice maybe looks a bit low res.


Anyway i can't wait to see this game on a higher end machine in directx 11. Hope all the textures will be sharp as hell then. (planes, houses,...)


The straight cut line is the edge of the separated window pane imho.

[ChrisDNT]

http://i51.tinypic.com/6gvi9u.jpg

I know the luminosity may be different, but the black sea I see in this wip screenshot looks too much like the black sea I see on some maps in Il-2.

I must nevertheless say that the geometry of the waves looks amazingly good.

[Flanker35M]

S!

Thanks for the update :) Have a nice weekend.

[Urufu_Shinjiro]

Great shots, it's really coming together now. Shot number 4 (either post) is quite impressive with the longs shadows and the fog, lighting is top notch. Can't wait to see it all in motion.

[chiefrr73]

Thank s for the very nice update, Oleg!!
WTF!!!!!
The pictures are looking better and better, this is looking very photorealistic!! I can not emagine how this all will look in motion, i think i will not be abel to take it, and i think you developers are INSANE!!! I can not belive that you are making such a good thing. lots respect so far.
It s hard to wait

[Avimimus]

The only graphical flaws which stand out are the low detail buildings and the lack of terrain texture detail. I hope it will be possible to have detailed ground textures for those of us who will turn the grass off (for the first few years at least).

Very impressive.

[Bloblast]

First picture of London! Looks very good!

I like the 109 take off, nice camo on that closest 109!

[Hecke]

Thx Foobar, didn't realize that.

Still the ice looks a bit too less sharp imho.


Concerning those awesome looking waves i am wondering if we will be getting real shaped cricle waves around the object that crashed in water?

Would be really cool if the "failing" pilot would be screaming visually (+acoustic).

[Skarphol]

I know the luminosity may be different, but the black sea I see in this wip screenshot looks too much like the black sea I see on some maps in Il-2.

I must nevertheless say that the geometry of the waves looks amazingly good.

I'm no expert on this, but I'm convinced that the color of the sea is totally dependable of the color and brightness of the sky above it.

Skarphol

[pupaxx]

A qustion haunts me since I play Flight Sims, AI pilot seem not affected by the load of work Humans are charged in flying a mission (ie reading gauges, acting on knobs and keyboard, recognise a dot like friend or foe before fire, mantain the situation awareness, and choise a correct tactic before engage combat, mantain formation, etc.). The picture showing frozen glass suggest me a question: is AI affected by this phenomenon and is it conditionated by this? My opinion is that AI ability should be reduced by a factor 0,xxx in several circumstances.
Do you agree?
Ciao

[Daniël]

Very nice update! Thank you!:grin:
Some questions:

1.Will droptanks explode violently if they are hit?

2.Will there be jamming stations in SoW, so the radiocantact can falter?

3.If planes are very much used in a campagne and the engine is almost broken and almost al the paint is gone, can the engine be changed and can the plane get a new coat of paint?

[krz9000]

the northsea is a pretty dark sea...pls dont add confusion just because you want to show of your vacation pics. a quick search in google for northsea makes it pretty clear that oleg is much closer to reality then your pics

[Icewolf]

Great pictures!

Developement news would be nice.

and thank God we cannot see the spitfire pilots head! or another thread would be highjacked by idiot trolls

[Codex]

I had to ask. Since that triangle was used in conjunction with a capital letter to the aft of the Balkenkreuz. As I outlined in great detail in the manual on the markings of the dedicated Jabo units. ;)

I nominate csThor for quality control ;)

[Hunden]

fantastic shots!!!! I've only been waiting a year but seems like 5 at least. Looks Good enough to me, lets patch the rest!!!!:grin:

[=XIII=Shea]

Great screenshots Oleg,great to see you back in action,Can you tell us how close you,s are to finishing the sim?Just cant wait any longer:-P

[Cpt_Farrel]

Looking better and better. I love the fact that there seem to be several stages and variants in the level of mottle and I.D. makrings on the 109's, just like it should be!

[Codex]

Awesome screen shots, SoW is shaping up to be more that what I was expecting. I do need to apologise however, this was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this shot ....

[JVM]

Thx Foobar, didn't realize that.

Still the ice looks a bit too less sharp imho.



This ice is quite a good representation...it is even too clearly defined, in RL ice cristals are in fact smaller and block very effectively vision (you would probably not see our wing so clearly, it would be more like a shadow). On the other hand it will take time to cover entirely the cockpit interior, and the first ice growth will be little patch by little patch randomly arranged in the coldest areas which will be slowly joining together and then getting some additional thickness if the situation is allowed to continue.
De-icing is usually done only by mean of an electric de-icer or a powerful and sooo cold air flow when non de-icer equipped...and it takes time!
Having cockpit ice in enemy territory is akin to a death sentence!

JV

[speculum jockey]

The trees look great, which leads me to wonder if we can have non-critical/fatal crashes with them in our planes. Can we skim trees and have them brush the underside of our plane and not lose a wing or explode, or is it like IL-2 where touching an object = fireball?

Also, In the third pic posted (the lone 109 flying with the gear partially up):

There is a windmill in the bottom centre of the picture. Will it's blade rotation depend on wind speed?

Still day=no rotation
Windy day=fast rotation

Even if they're static, that's ok in my book (I just want to fly), but I was interested in how much detail you are putting into it.

[PeterPanPan]

... and will the windmill have variable pitch and auto feather? ;)

PPanPan

[Oldschool61]

Attention: Some details is temporary missed on the screenshots of city. As I told that some of interesting features and details we will tune and/or insert up to the X day :).

The last screen shot here - its by the case... He was too late to bail out....

Nice pics!!

Can we get some of these types of pictures from inside the cockpit looking out. I dont plan on playing this in third person view.

[Splitter]

Awesome screen shots, SoW is shaping up to be more that what I was expecting. I do need to apologise however, this was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this shot ....


EXACTLY what I was thinking, you beat me to it lol. It looks like Hitler breaking it down lol.

The screen shots are just awesome. Those city pics are amazing. I can already hear my CPU and GPU whimpering. This looks like the type of game that, sometimes, I am just going to jump into a plane and go sightseeing. It looks like a top notch flight sim AND a top notch combat sim rolled into one. I guess we'll know more when we see some video.

To the development team I can only say: terrific.

Now I await 20 forum pages arguing about some minor detail.

Splitter

[David603]

Is that France we see in the Bf109 pictures? London looks amazing, I would love to drive around it as well as fly over.

[Insuber]

Mr. Oleg,

I notice that the pics are all 1920 x 1080. It's good because the majority of big LCD monitors on the market have this 16/9 resolution; I expect nevertheless that also other large formats will be supported, such as 1920 x 1200.

Regards,
Insuber

[TheFamilyMan]

Thanks for the latest update. These pics are by far the most immersive yet. If this is but a small percent of what we can expect from SoW:BoB, I'm buying it instantly even if it comes with only two flyables. I can't wait to see screen shots like these blasted clean with decent doses of AA and AF. S!

[philip.ed]

Awesome screenshots, in every respect all are wonderful and show some excellent features!

However, the reticle on the 109 gunsight is wrong. This should be changed for release. I am sure many who know a lot about the Luftwaffe could show you what it should look like but here is a good example (I don't have access to any official documents, but this is correct)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:SuyOkDIku0JMGM:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/vadenstick/109sight20.jpg

Those cities look fantastic. I will say though that the trees and hedges don't look as realistic as the rest of the scenary. I say this in the sense that their placing seems a bit ordered; a tree here, space, tree here, space etc A more random arrangement with dense-groups of trees and lots of thick hedges would look much more realistic :P I must say that the textures for the trees are looking really good. Great work! Also, when the 3D grass fades to a 2D texture, perhaps the transition could be smoother? I understand this is very much WIP but I am just clarifying ;)

I hope you're better, Oleg.

[PeterPanPan]

The density and arrangement of buildings in London look fantastic. Some low level flying at street level beckons me thinks.

I know it's WIP, but just to clarify, the colours of the buildings may be a little off. Buckingham Palace looks too 'blue' IMHO and should be paler/yellower. Also, I understand that London buildings (possibly including Buckingham Palace?) were much dirtier in 1940, from all the coal smoke and soot that was cleared up in later years by the Clean Air Act.

PPanPan

[PilotError]

Very impressive update.:)

The city shots look really good, but I can't help but wonder that my computer is quaking in it's boots looking at them.

I half expected to see the King out on the palace balcony.;)

It's looking better and better every Friday. Can't wait to buy my copy.


Also, In the third pic posted (the lone 109 flying with the gear partially up):

There is a windmill in the bottom centre of the picture. Will it's blade rotation depend on wind speed?

Still day=no rotation
Windy day=fast rotation

Even if they're static, that's ok in my book (I just want to fly), but I was interested in how much detail you are putting into it.

If you look in the picture quoted above the windmill has it's sails in the "X" position.
In the second set of screenshots, the one with the three 109s starting up, there is a windmill above the rearmost 109's tail with it's sails in the "+" position.
Maybe the windmills do rotate.:cool:

Thanks for the update Oleg and team.

[jameson]

First part of update, frame 2 we see the trees have evacuated St James's Park. In frame 4 we find them marching towards the coast, across fields and by the sides of roads. In part two frame 4 we see that they have reached the coast and are desperately awaiting rescue by small ships!
Oleg why are the trees running away?

[choctaw111]

Another great update.
Keep up the fantastic work.

[PeterPanPan]

I half expected to see the King out on the palace balcony.;)


... but then again the Royal Standard isn't flying so I guess the King was out that day :lol:


If you look in the picture quoted above the windmill has it's sails in the "X" position.
In the second set of screenshots, the one with the three 109s starting up, there is a windmill above the rearmost 109's tail with it's sails in the "+" position.


... superb spot. You've gotta love the detail!

PPanPan

[Igo kyu]

Last week's railway was wrong. The problem wasn't the rolling stock, it was the unfenced, unhedged tracks and the ungated level crossings.

I found a couple of links to magazines, I'm not aiming to sell them, just to point out that they exist, and that there is a market for them. I saw some copies of the first in a doctor's waiting room, so I know it's not a web only situation.

http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/store/displaybrand.asp?sid=4299&gclid=CMfcgKmW_aMCFYKY2AodmmRbHg

http://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/

I hope posting these isn't against the rules, I unreservedly apologise if so.

The UK's passion for steam trains should not be underestimated.

I am a flight enthusiast first, and not very enthusiastic about railways at all, so I can put up with the current state of railways in SoW, those people may not be so forgiving, though perhaps not many of them are flight simulator users.

[proton45]

Thank you Oleg...its nice to have you back.

I really like how the cityscape is shaping up...fantastic! And the Me109 cockpit is looking as impressive as the Spitfire.

[PilotError]

... but then again the Royal Standard isn't flying so I guess the King was out that day :lol:


PPanPan

Yes, maybe he was out, inspecting a Spitfire factory or something.:grin:

Having said that, did they fly the Royal Standard during the war?
It might have been a bit of a give away as to where the King was and a threat to his safety.
It's amazing what this forum makes you think about.:eek:

[Il2Pongo]

As has been posted, the pilots in the 109s seem bigger then last weeks hurricane pilot, but still way to small.

[luthier]

Just to add, the windmill blades do rotate.

[kedrednael]

oh my god... or something like that

The screens look awesome!! :grin:
The trees look almost perfect and I really like the mist, really realistic, the shadows the trees cast on the ground look perfect as well, you can see them really well from the air.
I really like how you can see how fast the prop is spinning when it starts in the 7th shot. Even in ROF it goes from a stationary prop to a disc like one.
the 9th screen looks perfect in almost every way, the shadows from the trees, the trees the mist, the sun, the bf 109 the pilot size in that bf109 the glass visibility and the propellor.
I never had icing on the canopy luckely, but it look fantastic here, does it apear when you are flying trough clouds? or just when it is cold? do you need to make it go away by opening the window then?
Will there be raindrops on the canopy when you fly trough rain?
The reticle looks verry good as well, beter visible I mean.
London looks great, although the building textures are probably tuned down a little or WIP.
I really like the little town and the trees in the 3th picture.
Actually I like everything in this update and we saw a lot :cool:.

[NSU]

Just to add, the windmill blades do rotate.

heeehee it give a good training target :-)

[Doogerie]

it may just be me but has anyone noticed this is the first update that does not say WIP at the end?

[ChrisDNT]

I read "awesome" every two posts, but a landscape like this...

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3238&d=1284120152

... for a 2010/2011 sim is not "awseome" at all. Ground textures look crude, lighting is very "plastic", trees are strange and the general feeling is not of "being there".

Frankly, blind fanboism is worth nothing to a constructive critical process.

Of course, it's WIP, but there's still some way to go to get to something like that (of course, in the limits of the current technology abilities) :

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0208B.html

[SlipBall]

Thanks for the up-date, looking great!:grin:

[FG28_Kodiak]

However, the reticle on the 109 gunsight is wrong. This should be changed for release. I am sure many who know a lot about the Luftwaffe could show you what it should look like but here is a good example (I don't have access to any official documents, but this is correct)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:SuyOkDIku0JMGM:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/vadenstick/109sight20.jpg


I don't know from where you get your information, this shows the Abkommen from orginal Document:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1300/bedienungsvorschriftrev.jpg



A Video from a later Revi:
http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-981089460021819993&hl=de#

[philip.ed]

I read "awesome" every two posts, but a landscape like this...

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3238&d=1284120152

... for a 2010/2011 sim is not "awseome" at all. Ground textures look crude, lighting is very "plastic", trees are strange and the general feeling is not of "being there".

Frankly, blind fanboism is worth nothing to a constructive critical process.

Of course, it's WIP, but there's still some way to go to get to something like that (of course, in the limits of the current technology abilities) :

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0208B.html


I'd imagine the landscape is very much WIP. I agree with you that the textures are poor, but the trees are steadily improving. I can imagine that something like that picture of yours is possible. It's all relative on the placing of the field textures and then the placing of the trees. ;)

[dali]

if you look closely - on the second shot you can see a man in the 3rd window from the left on the second floor (westminster). His fingers are too small.

[Thunderbolt56]

Cool stuff. I just hope the "Jesus mode" that allows people to walk on water is a server side toggle like the old Wonder Woman view was in IL2.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/Thunderbolt56/Smilies/takebow.gif

[csThor]

Oleg, Ilya ... I just sent a mail re: the yellow ID markings on the 109. Just a comment.

[philip.ed]

I don't know from where you get your information, but from orginal Document:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1300/bedienungsvorschriftrev.jpg

From experts I have spoken too, I have been led to believe that that is the later type of reticle. In the BoB, the type I showed were the type in use. But this is as far as I have been told. The BDG who have worked on BoB2 are a very knowledgeable bunch, so changing the reticle to the type I pictured would have come from many hours spent researching. by all means, search the a2a BoB2 forum as there may be an answer then, but I am pretty certain this was the type used in 1940.

EDIT-I say this, but your picture shows a c12/c which was in use in the battle....(although it was used after too I think) In any case, I am no expert and I'm basing by views around others. I may pose the question on the A2A forum and see what the answer is. I am just confused now...

[csThor]

I nominate csThor for quality control ;)

I made those emblems and collected what markings need to go where. I am allowed to grumble. :mrgreen:

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/KG30.png
KG 30

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/IJG27.png
I./JG 27

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/4_ZG26.png
4./ZG 26

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/5JG51.png
5./JG 51

[erco]

Great update- I can't wait to see DX11 shots!

About the ice, what sort of conditions are assumed to be causing the icing? It doesn't look much like the in-flight icing I've seen.

Thanks for the update!

[Splitter]

Great update- I can't wait to see DX11 shots!

About the ice, what sort of conditions are assumed to be causing the icing? It doesn't look much like the in-flight icing I've seen.

Thanks for the update!

I dunno, maybe this is a language issue. What I see on the screen shot looks like heavy "frosting" to me. "Icing" that I have seen while flying has looked more "crackly" to me, but I haven't seen much of it (thank goodness).

Still though, it's a small detail and I am impressed that it is modeled at all.

Splitter

[Matt255]

Nice update.

However, i think the wheels of the 109's are too big. They look like the bigger wheels of G-3 variant, not like the ones of the early 109's.

[Bloblast]

I'd imagine the landscape is very much WIP. I agree with you that the textures are poor, but the trees are steadily improving. I can imagine that something like that picture of yours is possible. It's all relative on the placing of the field textures and then the placing of the trees. ;)

I do not agree. The grass, trees and the colours used look fine to me.
Look at the grass on the 109 pictures, I absolutely like it.

The dawn patrol pictures have the long shadow of the trees together with the upcoming sun, together with the mist give a good early morning atmosphere. Well done!

[Tree_UK]

Thanks for the update Oleg, its not cinematic yet but im sure you will get there.

[McHilt]

I love the update, as usual: GOOD work!

Thanks Oleg and Crew...

[Insuber]

Just to add, the windmill blades do rotate.

OMG that's just INSANE ! ;)

[BigC208]

Great progress shots. Ice textures on the windscreen look like the real deal. Real enough to give me the creeps knowing it might not come off before landing. May have to open a window and sideslip a bit.

All the terrain needs are more forrest groups and hedges instead of just trees and bushes here and there. RoF has that done nicely balanced. Their trees are not as detailed as yours so it may not be possible recources wise.

There is one problem with the high detail level you guys are putting in this sim. The whole thing wil feel unrealistic or unbalanced if not everything is up to that high level of detail. Railroad lines and embankments, roads, building details and colors, even eventual population. This is not what you normally hear people complain about in a combat flight simulation.

You're being judged on your worldbuilding skills. Foobar makes these realistic looking trains. Now we all want those trains to move about a realistic looking rail system. Who would've thought this a few years ago? Only thing I would've thought about is how will the train explode and is it gong to dammage me if I get too close. Not if the embankment looked right or if there were guarded crossings.

I hope we soon start seeing some video of how it all comes together and some details about the campaign, flight physics and AI behavior.

[Insuber]

BTW the 109 cockpit looks great!

[Towarisch]

Hello Oleg. Its nice to see you back here. And I hope your Flu has leaving you;) Hope you are OK!

For the pictures I have no words. They are sooo great. All in one THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT WORK. The same one to your Team.

And Iam looking forward to the day who we can play this wonderfull game.

Have a nice weekend and a stressfree time for your health


Thanks

[Hecke]

Just to add, the windmill blades do rotate.


Could you clarify that a bit more pls.

Is the rotation speed affected by the current wind effects or is this "only" animated to rotate always the same speed.

[Mington]

the black sea

Polarising filter

[BG-09]

Where is the third part of screenshots...?

[philip.ed]

I do not agree. The grass, trees and the colours used look fine to me.
Look at the grass on the 109 pictures, I absolutely like it.

The dawn patrol pictures have the long shadow of the trees together with the upcoming sun, together with the mist give a good early morning atmosphere. Well done!


From living in England all my life, the grass really is far too green for the hot-summer of 1940, and even then it's probably too light-green for wet-grass. It's noticeable if you've lived in the country all your life :-P
And regarding field textures I think they ould be much higher-res to look more realistic :D The shadows, mist etc are wonderful. There's no doubt about that.
The grass too looks good (is it better than RoF though? I mean if a plane crash-landed in a stretch of grass, would there be flowers?) although, the grass on an airfield wouldn't be that long. But this is just cosmetic stuf that can be changed I'm sure.

[Robert]

I read "awesome" every two posts, but a landscape like this...

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3238&d=1284120152

... for a 2010/2011 sim is not "awseome" at all. Ground textures look crude, lighting is very "plastic", trees are strange and the general feeling is not of "being there".

Frankly, blind fanboism is worth nothing to a constructive critical process.

Of course, it's WIP, but there's still some way to go to get to something like that (of course, in the limits of the current technology abilities) :

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0208B.html


So then, other than stating that there are a bunch of fanbois on the forum and things don't look right to you, what have you added?

I'm personally looking at the PROGRESS from week to week. I see improvements all the time. People biotched about the terrain colours and it looks pretty good to me in the 109 shots. So tweaking goes on until the desired outcome is met.

For example, I've not seen long shadows like in the 4th shot in a sim before. Others on the forum have talked about improvements they've seen in the updates. I don't think any of us believe this is final, but looking at the progress each week things are improving and becoming more like the game 1C/Maddox games wants to release.

It may not look like a 2010 game to you, but these are DX 9 shots. As far as I see the buildings and the lighting far surpass any flight sim I've played. (MSFSX with add-ons doesn't count) By seeing the advancement of just those two aspects of the game design (lighting, buildings) I'm confident that Oleg and crew will have the terrain just the way he wants it released. And the final outcome will look as beautiful as the cockpits, buildings, lighting, and sea we've been privy to witness.

[Bloblast]

From living in England all my life, the grass really is far too green for the hot-summer of 1940, and even then it's probably too light-green for wet-grass. It's noticeable if you've lived in the country all your life :-P
And regarding field textures I think they ould be much higher-res to look more realistic :D The shadows, mist etc are wonderful. There's no doubt about that.
The grass too looks good (is it better than RoF though? I mean if a plane crash-landed in a stretch of grass, would there be flowers?) although, the grass on an airfield wouldn't be that long. But this is just cosmetic stuf that can be changed I'm sure.


An idea is to put more yellow in the grass like on this picture:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/bloblast/Spit-Colour.jpg

[ATAG_Dutch]

As I told that some of interesting features and details we will tune and/or insert up to the X day :).


In other words, there's a lot more stuff to add that's already finished that they don't want to show, and they'll carry on 'tuning' bits they already know aren't quite correct, if they haven't corrected them already, or they've deliberately shown them 'untuned'.

All sounds very positive to me.;)

[Bloblast]

In other words, there's a lot more stuff to add that's already finished that they don't want to show, and they'll carry on 'tuning' bits they already know aren't quite correct, if they haven't corrected them already, or they've deliberately shown them 'untuned'.

All sounds very positive to me.;)


Why should they show old WIP? It does not make sense.

[Richie]

The 109s are ......BEAUTIFUL!!!

[philip.ed]

An idea is to put more yellow in the grass like on this picture:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/bloblast/Spit-Colour.jpg

Awesome picture. You can't beat that! :D

[BG-09]

Oleg, nice update! But I think that, the buildings must have deep shadows, and the windows of the buildings must reflect the sun light - this will give much reality to the city, and the city would not look like made of paper. Sun in to the window glasses of the buildings - what a realism! I know, you have this efect for the aircraft cockpits.

Oleg, plese look at the photo for grass development, and detail visisbility in to the real world. You have to add some flowers in to the grass!!!
This picture is huge more than 4 Mb, and you can zoom for details and may be for colors and light effects.

The cockpit of the Bf-109 is looking...I do not know what to say...I am standing speechless...

Cheers!

<------BG-09------<<<

[ATAG_Dutch]

Why should they show old WIP? It does not make sense.

I didn't mention 'old WIP'. Nor did Mr Maddox mention 'WIP' at all.
He said there are interesting details to insert and/or tune.
I'm of the opinion that SOW is much closer to completion than some may think.
Also I trust them to do a fine job without some of the 'help' they get from many posters on the forum.

[pupaxx]

This has nothing to do with this thread, but this endless wait for the game raised my desire to come back to Flying Legends in Duxford.
This consolatory picture is for you guys from Legends 2008.
Cheers
3248

[Hecke]

...and the windows of the buildings must reflect the sun light

Well due to the fact that the windows of the buildings unfortunately are only painted, reflecting seems impossible to me.

I was also looking forward to burst hundreds of windows, but ...

[Richie]

Nice video with pilots getting into Emils.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFO1O4aL0xk

[the Dutchman]

I think it's actually FAR from release,many things are still a crude representation of the real thing,i wonder how it looks running.........

[pupaxx]

...just another one from my private collection to wish a good night.
Ciao!
3249

[pupaxx]

...you missed this dev. update
3250

[ATAG_Dutch]

I think it's actually FAR from release,many things are still a crude representation of the real thing,i wonder how it looks running.........

Every week, I add the latest screenshots to a slideshow and every week I see old screenshots with stuff in them that people complain are missing from the new ones. Or Hurri pilots with mask and helmet on which no-one complained about and are the same size as last week's picture which caused huge debate. There was a great picture of a shot-up Spit sitting in a yellow field.
It really is worth going through the 'links to updates' list to refresh your memory.
How it looks running.......?
I'm just jealous of the blokes who see it every day and get paid for the privilege...........!

[major_setback]

Nice update. I noticed the long shadows on the sunset photos.

Of interest (this photo is dated September 9th 1940, almost the same day of the year as this update):

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/major-setback/album%202/Clipboard01-5.jpg

[BG-09]

Well due to the fact that the windows of the buildings unfortunately are only painted, reflecting seems impossible to me.

I was also looking forward to burst hundreds of windows, but ...

Hmmm, I do not know....may be it is not too late for this effects...

[jippy13]

Oleg,

September 15th, is just in a few days. Please, Oleg give us some details about the date of the release...the X date.

Can you send a video for the next update ?

Anyway, thanks for the pictures.

[BG-09]

...you missed this dev. update
3250

Nice picture for detail hunting...Thanks!

[kendo65]

Trees seem to have changed greatly for the better since we last saw them. Nice work.

Some great shots there.

Have to say I disagree with the critical comments about the fire and sea colour. Both seem fine.

Thanks.

[major_setback]

Hmmm, I do not know....may be it is not too late for this effects...

Look at foobar's (official SoW model maker) comment on the last update. Some windows will be breakable on the hanger, others not. I imagine some buildings will have them, others not. I don't think building like Houses of Parliament and Buck' Palace will have a damage model, I think Oleg said before that they won't be able to be targeted/damaged. So no need for damaged windows.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=179075&postcount=170

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3165&d=1283522572





-

[flyingbullseye]

Nice update. Anyone else notice the falling pilot looks similar to a Russian flight sim developer?

Flyingbullseye

[ATAG_Bliss]

FABULOUS!

Thanks Oleg and team :)

[zakkandrachoff]

oh my god... or something like that

The screens look awesome!! :grin:
The trees look almost perfect and I really like the mist, really realistic, the shadows the trees cast on the ground look perfect as well, you can see them really well from the air.
I really like how you can see how fast the prop is spinning when it starts in the 7th shot. Even in ROF it goes from a stationary prop to a disc like one.
the 9th screen looks perfect in almost every way, the shadows from the trees, the trees the mist, the sun, the bf 109 the pilot size in that bf109 the glass visibility and the propellor.
I never had icing on the canopy luckely, but it look fantastic here, does it apear when you are flying trough clouds? or just when it is cold? do you need to make it go away by opening the window then?
Will there be raindrops on the canopy when you fly trough rain?
The reticle looks verry good as well, beter visible I mean.
London looks great, although the building textures are probably tuned down a little or WIP.
I really like the little town and the trees in the 3th picture.
Actually I like everything in this update and we saw a lot :cool:.
+1
good post! one of the bests! good skins!: are fragmented skins or entires skins? (i think this question is already answer)

I made those emblems and collected what markings need to go where. I am allowed to grumble. :mrgreen:

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/KG30.png
KG 30

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/IJG27.png
I./JG 27

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/4_ZG26.png
4./ZG 26

http://home.arcor.de/csthor/SOW/5JG51.png
5./JG 51

nice work pal

[Romanator21]

Good update Oleg and Co. It's really getting there :grin: 2 weeks?

How's the GUI going to appear? Any other features that a screen-shot can't show us? :-)

[wilky210]

Good update Oleg. Keep it up!

[Blakduk]

Looking better and better- London looks good but very clean for the time.
Once you have dialled up the dirty atmosphere it will look fantastic.
The icing in the 109 looks really scary- the future of this sim looks good (thinking of eastern front battles). It'll be interesting to see how the icing works in-game.

It looks like a lot of the tricks learned in Il2 will be redundant in SOW- dogfighting in bombers will no longer be possible with crew members being thrown around inside the aircraft, and carelessly diving into storm clouds with the increased atmospheric effects will be a thing of the past.

I can't wait for the new challenge!

[Dozer_EAF19]

I bet the fifth picture - the Hammertime freefaller - is included to demonstrate that falling aircrew don't automatically assume the 'modern' skydiving posture (because some people said it is unhistorical a week or two ago.). Although, MC Hammer is equally anachronistic :-P

Oleg and 1C are in a terrible situation. Whenever they work on the sim, they can only increase the ability of the community to nitpick. The more details they include, the more anomalies the community will spot and loudly declaim. Every added feature presents three new features to follow after it, and the community will ask for all of them and claim to be insulted they're not included already. It's a paradox - the better the sim gets (and all their work does make it better!), the more the community will find reason to complain!

***I'm not saying it's wrong to point out discrepancies (I do it too!) - in fact it probably helps Oleg&Co. to make the sim better. I just think this paradox is interesting/tragic/amusing***

[_YoYo_]

I know this man! :grin:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/817/bratblizniak.jpg

[Blackdog_kt]

This is really one of the best updates in a long time. Long shadows? Moving windmill blades? In my flight sims? I get the feeling this engine will be heavily licensed by other developers, there is that much detail near the ground and a solid "world building" background, especially with the care taken in modelling not just realistic atmospheric and time-of-day conditions, but also having them interact with the way the graphics are displayed.

The pieces might not all be in place (in some cases i think the pieces are taken out, reworked and put back in) but the rate of progress reminds me of a steam engine...it starts slowly but when it builds up speed, good luck trying to stop it :-P

As for the features requested during the course of the past few months:

Every week, I add the latest screenshots to a slideshow and every week I see old screenshots with stuff in them that people complain are missing from the new ones. Or Hurri pilots with mask and helmet on which no-one complained about and are the same size as last week's picture which caused huge debate. There was a great picture of a shot-up Spit sitting in a yellow field.
It really is worth going through the 'links to updates' list to refresh your memory.
How it looks running.......?
I'm just jealous of the blokes who see it every day and get paid for the privilege...........!

I more or less agree. I was recently linking the updates to a friend of mine, he used to be a Falcon4 flier back in the day and i'm trying to get him back into flight simming.

Since he's not registered on this forum i linked him foobar's excellent update blog and while doing so, i started going through past updates myself. There were so many things that have already been shown and yet, i didn't remember seeing them. And yes, most of what people ask for has been displayed at one point or another in previous updates.

It might not be a case of "take a look at our awesome yellow ochre, dry grass", but the screenshots are there, it's just that they don't advertise the features too much yet. Some things are subtle but they are definitely there and to be honest, i kind of like it when i re-examine the update screenshots and spot things that i missed during the first viewing. It's nice hunting to spot features just like in this update, where people have spotted the windmill rotation and it was confirmed.

The positive feeling i get from it is that if i'm surprised with this title by watching still pictures, imagine how surprised i'll be when i get to watch everything in motion for the first time. My biggest hope is that i won't only be surprised...i want to actually get scared the first few times. I won't go straight to the QMB to see explosions and fireballs and listen to the sounds because i wouldn't want to spoil it. Instead, i'd get the longest campaign option possible and set right into the mood of things...

Imagine that you create a pilot and enter a carreer, the game asks you "do you want to fly the flight school missions?" and you click yes. After some flights in the Tiger Moth you get posted to a conversion unit a bit further north to avoid combat while learning to use your new fighter.

You've gotten to grips with the basic interface of the sim, you've configured your controls and graphics to your liking and you are gradually but steadily getting pulled into this virtual world with every extra flight you make.

Before you realize it you feel like you're actually there. You know, it's a fine summer day and you're cruising along on a training familiarization flight in your Hurricane, courtesy of the operational training unit you've been assigned to. You haven't even seen combat in the new sim, heck, you don't even know how a machine gun sounds in SoW. Just soaking in the sun, taking in the sights and enjoying the reassuring, throaty rumble of a few hundred horses under your Merlin's cowling...a complete upgrade in terms of excitement compared to the puny Gupsy Major powering the Tiger Moth.
As you turn around to your next waypoint, your tail faces the sun and you revell in how real and believable the change in lighting angles is diplayed with your instrument panel turning from a darkened, shady one to a bright one, basking in the sunlight.

In fact, you're so immersed that you can almost feel the warmth of the sun and smell the exhaust fumes entering the cockpit from your partially opened canopy. After all, it's such a nice weather out there with nice cumulus clouds formed by the thermals rising from the plowed fields that you really don't want to slide the canopy shut and spoil the visibility. You're just enjoying yourself cruising along the countryside, in fact you're so relaxed that even though you notice it with your peripheral vision, it fails to actually register on your brain, the ominous shadow that gradually superimposes itself on your instument panel...it's a twin engined plane.

You think to yourself "bah, they can't be that far north, after all it's still a game and games are predictable". Then, in the split seconds it takes to marvel at the way the shadow interacts with your cockpit interior and while you leisurely decide to give a bit of bank and turn your neck around to check six just in case, you hear the sound of gunfire whizzing by, see the tracers and feel a couple of loud thumbs. You almost jump out of your seat, endangering the welfare and continued operation of the connecting wires and consequently your entire headphones/TrackIR/Trackclip assembly, but nevertheless satisfied that this simulator is capable of smacking some fearful respect and surprise back into the soul of a person who's been into flight sims for the past 18 years. Nursing your crippled bird back to base seems impossible even after damaging your attacker and forcing him to disengage, so it looks like it's time to set it down in a nearby farm and enjoy the hospitality of the local population. Looks like a nice chance to sneak a few pints of beer to relieve the tension.

After bringing up the "end mission" dialogue and exiting to the menu, you are still so immersed that your mind fills in the missing parts...the phone call back to base, sending a car to pick you up and driving you to the debriefing tent. Taking a look at the debriefing screen you identify your solitary menace that almost cut down your carreer of virtual acedom before its prime...a Me110 that probably got lost and separated from its flight during a long range freijagd mission. Seems like you got your first probable, as a sound spotting station further to the south reported a 110 crashing near the coast. Alas, it will be a week or so before accurate confirmation and even then you might not get full credit, but at least you survived and you are thankful for that. You are even more thankful for the fact that the sim managed to make you feel like a rookie, rediscovering the joy of it all :grin:

[furbs]

nice post mate...lets hope we can do all that and more :)

[ATAG_Dutch]

Blimey Blackdog, you can write a long post.
But you said it in not quite a nutshell.
The beer would have to be in a can unfortunately, unless you take your laptop to the pub.

[Afdn]

sorry for my boldness
the skin of the Spit and the Skin of the Bf 109, there is much difference in quality http://i56.tinypic.com/fmjoqr.gif
thanks and sorry http://www.escuadrillasazules.es/components/com_agora/img/smilies/icon_redface.gif

[bf-110]

I know this man! :grin:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/817/bratblizniak.jpg

Haha.Can be used as signature by someone...Maybe I do...

BTW,the pilots when bail look to have ragdoll effect.Do they have,or it´s like in IL2?

[ECV56_LeChuck]

It´s getting better... thanks Maddox Games!

[Skoshi Tiger]

Of course, it's WIP, but there's still some way to go to get to something like that (of course, in the limits of the current technology abilities) :

http://www.ehhvphotobook.com/VSH%20Bretagne%20Trip%202010/slides/DSC_0208B.html

Your right, probably about 10 years before its mainstream.

In a previous life as a computer programmer and systems analyst I actually participated in the constructive critical process quite often, and nowhere was it appropriate to denigrate the comments of other people who were involved in the process.

Frankly, accusing people of "blind fanboism" is worth nothing to a constructive critical process.

Cheers!

[Buglord]

Thanks for the update oleg , everything is looking great, & the prop blur effect on the 109 is well----WOW.

[Robert]

I know this man! :grin:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/817/bratblizniak.jpg


I am laugh. Thanks _YoYo_

[kalimba]

I know this man! :grin:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/817/bratblizniak.jpg

Hum...Oleg's head seems a bit...big ?
:cool:

[jocko417]

About the 109 markings, is SoW using the same type of markings placement code as IL2 - putting the markings on over top of the existing skin? I had thought the lines and rivets and weathering were to be on separate layers and the markings would be under those layers. Right now it looks like IL2: "Sticker" markings stuck on the plane rather than looking like they are actually part of the paint scheme (rivets and panel lines, scratches, etc should show through the markings, not be obliterated by them). This was cool in 2001, not now.

The Spitfire markings look realistic, the 109 markings look like an afterthought.

[Letum]

Thanks for the update!
Looking good!

[csThor]

About the 109 markings, is SoW using the same type of markings placement code as IL2 - putting the markings on over top of the existing skin? I had thought the lines and rivets and weathering were to be on separate layers and the markings would be under those layers. Right now it looks like IL2: "Sticker" markings stuck on the plane rather than looking like they are actually part of the paint scheme (rivets and panel lines, scratches, etc should show through the markings, not be obliterated by them). This was cool in 2001, not now.

The Spitfire markings look realistic, the 109 markings look like an afterthought.

Actually the 109 received the markings only very recently since it was a late-comer to the engine. As a result the markings on it aren't finetuned.
Besides ... I am not sure that the markings on the Spit aren't part of the texture ATM. ;)

[stukabomber44]

not too shabby, won't lie - I'm still disappointed that we won't be able to play for a while still, I wanna see some 4 or 5 min video, then I'll be more amped up.

[jctrnacty]

I will definitely buy this game , but i cannot stop thinking that those colors in the game look too cartoonish. Is it just my opinion or others think that too?

[Blackdog_kt]

nice post mate...lets hope we can do all that and more :)

Well, thank you :grin:

Blimey Blackdog, you can write a long post.
But you said it in not quite a nutshell.
The beer would have to be in a can unfortunately, unless you take your laptop to the pub.

Heh, i agree. I just get carried away when i'm enthusiastic i guess.

Maybe i should take up writing after-action reports when the sim is released, that way i could vent without cluttering up the entire forum. In fact, i'd be more than happy to contribute a piece about as long as my previous post to be used in the promotion of the simulator/as an introduction in the manual/on the back of the DVD box or whatever else promotional, but to do that i would actually need to get my hands on something like an early demo...yes, i know, "don't push your luck" :-P

However i'm sure there are others who can do just as well or better than me and that gives me an idea (since i'm all ideas that end up being done by others :grin: ). Maybe we could have a fan-fiction writing contest here in the forum when the time of release draws near. We could vote the best entry and the piece would be used in some form of official promotion for the simulator with the author getting credited on the DVD Box or in the manual, or maybe he would get an autographed copy of the simulator. It would definitely be a more creative use of our typing than splitting hairs over non-final screenshots or going at each other's throats all day long ;)

Back on the topic at hand, did i already say this was probably the best update in terms of pieces-finally-coming-together? I don't know if they will make the October intended release date, but i'm 90% confident we'll finally see SoW on the shelves within the next 3-4 months, maybe even earlier :grin:

[BG-09]

Lets say it again - the Bf-109 cockpit is unbelievable!
Now the effects:
1. Oleg, I think, that if a bomb falls at the street, the glass of the windows of the buildings arround have to desappear, because thay have to be shattered to pieces.
2. All human objects - pilots and civilians must have raggdoll effect when attacked - just raggdoll, no blood, no gore.
Cheers!

[Abbeville-Boy]

quote
2. All human objects - pilots and civilians must have raggdoll effect when attacked - just raggdoll, no blood, no gore.
Cheers!



this would be cool! update looks very good oleg :grin:

[sport02]

on the screen with Big ben you d' ont see quay along the Tamise

[kendo65]

...
September 15th, is just in a few days. Please, Oleg give us some details about the date of the release...the X date.
...


Now that would be funny:

Oleg posting on September 14th - "Actually, guys - the game's been ready for months. We've just been winding you up...it's out tomorrow."


apologies for the crap Oleg-ish. I know he doesn't speak like that ;)

[ChrisDNT]

It would be cool to have also the sea looking sometimes like this :

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/AgustaWestland-EH-101-Merlin/1777979/L/&sid=e411f9c81338dc8afd194dc0d0807909

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Avro-683-Lancaster/1777978/L/&sid=e411f9c81338dc8afd194dc0d0807909

[ChrisDNT]

Or like this :

http://i54.tinypic.com/2mfn3hj.jpg


P.S: same wish for the green.

[Stiboo]

" Patience is the greatest of all virtues " - Cato


We must have patience and wait for this 'game' and Oleg must have patience with our posts.... so many experts on every subject on this forum, we are very lucky!


" Where facts are few, experts are many " - Donald R Gannon

[philip.ed]

For me, this shot is just so awesome:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3241&d=1284123142

Man, some colour tunings and everything is really perfect. The prop-animation is so cool. I know I asked this a few weeks back (and a few others agreed with me too) but will we be able to select different-shutter settings for taking screenshots as though we were using different types of cameras? Also, it'd be so awesome to be able to choose how the prop displays in-game, as personally I like seeing the blurred outline of each prop (I know this is unnrealistic :-P )

I'd be interested to know whether the really-high clouds will be worked on too, but obviously this is bottom-of-the pile stuff.

The issue with posting these updates is the knit-picking, and I know I do my fair share. If you take RoF, I only ever saw that game when it was released. I am 100% confident that if RoF saw this much attention pre-release, it would have been slammed so badly on release. What we're seeing here is an excellent marketing scheme by Oleg and co, and ultimately we're all contributing in our own tiny, tiny way to an ultimate-game. Release it at any-time you want. I'll buy it.

[kendo65]

The one that did it for me was the 109 retracting its gear on take-off.

The trees and scenery in that could almost have been a photograph. :grin:

[rakinroll]

Thank you.

[Peffi]

I hope Oleg will put a flyable Lysander in the sim. Not all missions should be about blowing up things. Paint them black and let us fly low into France with only a compass, a map and the full moon to help us find the way. A short field landing to pick up the spy or downed airman and then a hasty departure with german bullets tracing. This will put the terrain-features and geography-accuracy and the lighting and shadowing to the test. As well as our flying skills... :)

[kedrednael]

I hope Oleg will put a flyable Lysander in the sim. Not all missions should be about blowing up things. Paint them black and let us fly low into France with only a compass, a map and the full moon to help us find the way. A short field landing to pick up the spy or downed airman and then a hasty departure with german bullets tracing. This will put the terrain-features and geography-accuracy and the lighting and shadowing to the test. As well as our flying skills... :)

That would be fun, although I think there is also an altimeter and an airspeedmeter in each aircraft.
Some planes that where in the AI list moved to the flyable list in februari etc, maybe it will happen again ;)

[Hecke]

That would be fun, although I think there is also an altimeter and an airspeedmeter in each aircraft.
Some planes that where in the AI list moved to the flyable list in februari etc, maybe it will happen again ;)



Cool, can you give me a link to where i can see that or tell me which planes those are?

[Slipstream]

buildings still look like cardboard =/

[He111]

I'm in luv with Emil! :grin:

BTW, any update on the final list of flyable and non-flyable planes in the 1st release?

[Peffi]

That would be fun, although I think there is also an altimeter and an airspeedmeter in each aircraft.
Some planes that where in the AI list moved to the flyable list in februari etc, maybe it will happen again ;)

I am not sure what you mean by each aircraft also having an "altimeter and an airspeedmeeter" (airspeed indicator being the right name) ? I never implied the Lysander, or any other airplane, does not have theese. And they are not used for low-level navigation.

[Tbag]

And they are not used for low-level navigation. Navigation without an airspeed indicator? Might get difficult very quickly!

[daHeld]

The 109 lifting off, isn't that Galland's plane?
If so, it shouldn't have the Revi installed since he had it replaced with a telescopic sight and a cutout for it in the windshield... ;)

[Modding_Monkey]

my guess is you want a release date? look at the title of some of the videos, See you in Oct.

Octagon, no no, maybe october? I'm thinking October 13th.

[runyan99]

That one with the three 109s on the grass is my new desktop image. Nice.

[Hecke]

Someone here said that Buckingham Palace won't have a damage model?

Is that really true? Why is that? That isn't realistic.

[Peffi]

Navigation without an airspeed indicator? Might get difficult very quickly!

If you were a pilot you would know how to navigate without an airspeed indicator. Wonder if you have the same problem if the speedometer brakes in your car, but you probably don't have a drivers license.

[swiss]

Would be really cool if the "failing" pilot would be screaming visually (+acoustic).

In fact, I don't think people who fall - scream at all.
I know I wouldn't, I would just think "oh ****!" and take my last breath.

[Sutts]

Wow, looks great Oleg. Things are really coming along nicely.:grin: That 109 cockpit is simply stunning. Ice looks great, fire looks great with the flames licking back, sea is amazing. Also the trees look so much better now.

I have a couple of questions.

Will the Thames be given 3D river banks at some point? I think I remember the team mentioning a mesh system that could support such a feature.

London is a vast city. Today it is covers an area over 600 square miles. Not sure how much it has grown since 1940 but even if it was a quarter of that then it's still a huge area to cover in buildings. How will the areas outside the center be portrayed please? I can fully understand that covering that kind of area in 3D objects will simply not work with today's computing resources.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

[philip.ed]

I think you'd scream without thinking the minute your chute didn't open or you realised you were going to die. but let's not get morbid here :-P


Oleg, will the chute snag in trees? So can a pilot get himself stuck in a tree? It'd be great to land in a tree, and have a clip of the chap getting bustled by the home-guard....
"good afternoon..." :grin:

(how many times can I say tree in one sentence?! :D Eries'll get a hard-on)

[Sutts]

Well, thank you :grin:



Heh, i agree. I just get carried away when i'm enthusiastic i guess.

Maybe i should take up writing after-action reports when the sim is released, that way i could vent without cluttering up the entire forum. In fact, i'd be more than happy to contribute a piece about as long as my previous post to be used in the promotion of the simulator/as an introduction in the manual/on the back of the DVD box or whatever else promotional, but to do that i would actually need to get my hands on something like an early demo...yes, i know, "don't push your luck" :-P

However i'm sure there are others who can do just as well or better than me and that gives me an idea (since i'm all ideas that end up being done by others :grin: ). Maybe we could have a fan-fiction writing contest here in the forum when the time of release draws near. We could vote the best entry and the piece would be used in some form of official promotion for the simulator with the author getting credited on the DVD Box or in the manual, or maybe he would get an autographed copy of the simulator. It would definitely be a more creative use of our typing than splitting hairs over non-final screenshots or going at each other's throats all day long ;)

Back on the topic at hand, did i already say this was probably the best update in terms of pieces-finally-coming-together? I don't know if they will make the October intended release date, but i'm 90% confident we'll finally see SoW on the shelves within the next 3-4 months, maybe even earlier :grin:


Nice post Blackdog.

I was just thinking the other day what effect truly realistic weather conditions, huge clouds, fog, ice etc. could have on our simulator experience.

I live in an area of the UK where many a fighter and bomber came to a sudden end flying into high ground at night or in bad weather.

Just imagine if SoW allows us to replicate the sheer terror of flying into a bad weather front in failing light while returning to base - without the aid of an electronic map...

I can imagine the tension now....you're not entirely sure of your position and visibility is decreasing rapidly. Before you know it you're flying on instruments alone. You gently let down through the cloud but still no sight of the ground. Then the buffeting starts as you approach a storm front, or the icing begins to creep across the canopy. You panic a little and decide to turn 180 degrees and get out of this desperate situation.

But you've lost your bearings now and are pretty much lost. Need to find somewhere to land soon - fuel is running low. I could go on but I'm sure you get the point. Flying into a vast ground hugging cloud system could be a truly scary experience in an area with high ground threats. I think that would certainly get the heart pumping.

I'm really hoping immense cloud systems and low visibility scenarios are part of SoW. The ability to disable the moving map would be great too - much temptation to cheat in such dodgy situations.

[swiss]

I think you'd scream without thinking the minute your chute didn't open or you realised you were going to die. but let's not get morbid here :-P



Just found on YT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=QNBZzX8OWrc&feature=related

They don't scream.

[fireflyerz]

Ya dont know what your talking about, its a fact that some do and some dont, and if they do they can be heard from miles away by people on the ground....FACT.

[Hecke]

OUUTTCHH. I actually didn't mean that serious i just didn't like so much that the face of the pilot was still the same.

[Avimimus]

In fact, I don't think people who fall - scream at all.
I know I wouldn't, I would just think "oh ****!" and take my last breath.

Maybe there should be an option to choose:
- Curse
- Scream
- Pray
- Inhale and be silent
- Make cawing noises and flap your arms
- say "oh dear" and then forget to hit the ground (throw yourself at the ground and miss)

A must have feature ;)

[Chivas]

Maybe there should be an option to choose:
- Curse
- Scream
- Pray
- Inhale and be silent
- Make cawing noises and flap your arms
- say "oh dear" and then forget to hit the ground (throw yourself at the ground and miss)

A must have feature ;)



" Make cawing noices and flap your arms " LMFAO :)

[Jaws2002]

Beautiful shots gents!!

But...

Sorry. i had to::mrgreen:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/<FA>Jaws/sho920copy.jpg

[Dwg]

:grin:

[Rall]

Great update!

[proton45]

I think you'd scream without thinking the minute your chute didn't open or you realised you were going to die. but let's not get morbid here :-P

I was once in a pretty bad car accident and I didn't scream...I saw a car loose control on the ice and drift in my lane (head on), and in those 5 to 7 seconds, I only thought to myself, "this is going to hurt". First, let me say that at the time I knew it was going to be a pretty bad collision....and in fact I spent a couple months learning to walk again. So I dont think that screaming is an automatic reaction that everyone has...

[Hecke]

come on, lets not debate about my joking post pls.

But let me ask the question:

Will the figures have some motion in their face or is he always looking static?

[Splitter]

That second sky diving accident has to be faked. If it's not then...still an owie but better than the alternative.

I remember a video of a stunt man hanging on the undercarriage of a small plane, no chute. When he lost his grip, just a curse word grunted out, no scream. I also don't remember hearing about screams from the jumpers at the World Trade Center and that was about a 10 second fall. I think unless I was working on something like a fouled chute, I would be screaming.

Heck, I've jumped out of a perfectly good airplane twice and had to consciously suppress a scream. Seriously, the scariest thing I have ever done by choice, glad I hit the men's room before take off ;). On the tandem jump, the little gal that I was attached to pretty much shamed me out of the plane by name calling and cursing lol. BTW, once the chute opens, it's one of the best feelings in the world...but I won't be doing it again. I love getting tossed around the sky in a small aircraft and have no fear there, just not that parachute thing.

Thanks for the videos even though they gave me the willies. I'm guessing I am going to have a few of those "falling" dreams over the next few nights so, ah, thanks for that...

Splitter

[Richie]

Someone was saying something about the water looking to dark not remembering that it will change colour probably by depth and cloud cover

http://fooblog.mexxoft.com/2010/06/

[philip.ed]

I was once in a pretty bad car accident and I didn't scream...I saw a car loose control on the ice and drift in my lane (head on), and in those 5 to 7 seconds, I only thought to myself, "this is going to hurt". First, let me say that at the time I knew it was going to be a pretty bad collision....and in fact I spent a couple months learning to walk again. So I dont think that screaming is an automatic reaction that everyone has...

A good point; actually I think you have nailed the reaction there. A scream is more when something happens like when someone makes you jump etc
Perhaps in this type of situation, the adrenaline kicks in to try and decide whether to 'fight or flight' as it were.

Quite interesting really, but maybe we're thinking too hard about such a small aspect?

:grin:



LOL :D that made me laugh so much. You're a talented guy.

[AdMan]

great shots of the lighting

still needs shrubbery around the buildings

[philip.ed]

A nice shot posted in 2009:

http://fooblog.mexxoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/grab0010.jpg

the trees look quite nice here; although probably no-where near as detailed as those shown recently.

[Splitter]

Well, thank you :grin:



Heh, i agree. I just get carried away when i'm enthusiastic i guess.

Maybe i should take up writing after-action reports when the sim is released, that way i could vent without cluttering up the entire forum. In fact, i'd be more than happy to contribute a piece about as long as my previous post to be used in the promotion of the simulator/as an introduction in the manual/on the back of the DVD box or whatever else promotional, but to do that i would actually need to get my hands on something like an early demo...yes, i know, "don't push your luck" :-P

However i'm sure there are others who can do just as well or better than me and that gives me an idea (since i'm all ideas that end up being done by others :grin: ). Maybe we could have a fan-fiction writing contest here in the forum when the time of release draws near. We could vote the best entry and the piece would be used in some form of official promotion for the simulator with the author getting credited on the DVD Box or in the manual, or maybe he would get an autographed copy of the simulator. It would definitely be a more creative use of our typing than splitting hairs over non-final screenshots or going at each other's throats all day long ;)

Back on the topic at hand, did i already say this was probably the best update in terms of pieces-finally-coming-together? I don't know if they will make the October intended release date, but i'm 90% confident we'll finally see SoW on the shelves within the next 3-4 months, maybe even earlier :grin:

Off topic:

I would LOVE to read after action reports from members when they fly a particularly interesting mission. Most missions aren't that memorable, but then you get those few that stick in your mind. Maybe strange things happen, or the fight is memorable, or you are forced to nurse a heavily damaged plane back to base. Sometimes all three :) (those are the BEST!).

Splitter

[Darbo]

http://i51.tinypic.com/6gvi9u.jpg

I know the luminosity may be different, but the black sea I see in this wip screenshot looks too much like the black sea I see on some maps in Il-2.

I must nevertheless say that the geometry of the waves looks amazingly good.

dunno if its already been stated but probly a water depth issue
were the lighthouse is = shallow water
once your over deep sea then its Dark

[Skoshi Tiger]

Also the angle that the photo's taken at, position of the sun and things like if your using a polarized lens, exposure settings, camera etc.

There is so much disimilararity between the two imaged to make the comparison meaningless.

[dflion]

Thanks Oleg - great pics!
I liked the early morning sun-effects and ground mist in the Bf109E shots - very photo realistic.
I will look forward to taking-off from the grass field, in formation - the Bf109E's looked very good from any angle.
The 'internal fire' in the FW200 Condor looks very realistic - you can certainly feel the heat!
Good to see you back on deck with the team.
DFLion

[jocko417]

If you were a pilot you would know how to navigate without an airspeed indicator. Wonder if you have the same problem if the speedometer brakes in your car, but you probably don't have a drivers license.


A wristwatch might be nice to go with that compass...

[major_setback]

It amazes me how few polygon edges you can see in such a close up screenshot as this:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=3243&d=1284123330


The English channel may look darker on some days, depending on where your viewpoint is, and from above it can appear even darker:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll146/anagahan/France/France.jpg?1284255960

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/16/article-0-0060D51900000258-271_468x389.jpg

http://www.photalphotography.co.uk/resources/products/image1/005025/Beachyhead15cwebpp.jpg

[Peffi]

A wristwatch might be nice to go with that compass...

True, but you wouldn't get lost without it.

[jocko417]

True, but you wouldn't get lost without it.

Actually, my post was more of a hint that one really needs more than a compass to navigate effectively. As you say, one can figure out what compass heading to fly based on tracking between two landmarks along your route. Once you've found a heading that corrects for any wind drift you can hold that heading and follow along with your map, spotting landmarks as they appear ahead. This is called Pilotage.

But what about the Lysander crossing the Channel example above? With no landmarks enroute you can just fly a heading and hope for the best, or you can do yourself a favour by calculating in advance the length of time to fly the crossing at a set speed, and then use your airspeed indicator and wristwatch to monitor your progress based on an ETA. Your heading would also be worked out in advance based on forecast wind along your route. This is called Dead Reckoning.

If you do get lost, a watch and knowledge of your speed are tools to help you deduce your position.

And if I'm planning to fly over the Channel on a moonless night I'll take that altimeter as well. Remember you can try to beat the high altitude flying record, but you can only tie the low altitude flying record...

[DuxCorvan]

Nothing to say about the impressive sea, planes, buildings, etc., but the terrain textures still look poor to me, and quite behind those of Wings of Prey and other modern simulations. They're poor and I've not seen significant advance, but for terrain objects, and clear intention of avoiding terrain screenshots from high above. They are far beyond the rest of what's been shown, and I wonder if they're gonna be enhanced, or they'll leave it in this IMHO WIP state.

Everything else looks nice or simply fantastic.

[tourmaline]

Wonderful screenshots, oleg and team!8-)

[Pierre@]

Nice Friday Update! Thanks.

And now, a friendly message to the nitpickers: did you notice Oleg's team has corrected the rear aerodynamical cone on the Emil antenna wire which was fitted in the wrong direction on previous screenshots? ;-)

[major_setback]

There seem to be trees alongside roads now. I don't think we saw that before, at least I don't think so.
Is this the purpose of that screenshot, to show that addition? This sort of thing is honestly hard to spot, if you are not specifically looking for them....it would be better to let us know what we're being shown. Please dev' team - state what the specific point of a screenshot is. Otherwise we will comment on everything that is periferal in the screenshot and miss the main point.

[Splitter]

There seem to be trees alongside roads now. I don't think we saw that before, at least I don't think so.
Is this the purpose of that screenshot, to show that addition? This sort of thing is honestly hard to spot, if you are not specifically looking for them....it would be better to let us know what we're being shown. Please dev' team - state what the specific point of a screenshot is. Otherwise we will comment on everything that is periferal in the screenshot and miss the main point.

I have this picture in my mind of Oleg sitting back in an easy chair, ice cold vodka in hand, sprinkling a little pepper in the glass and chortling to himself over comments about the screen shots.

Methinks the development team is having some fun at our expense.

Splitter

[kalimba]

I have this picture in my mind of Oleg sitting back in an easy chair, ice cold vodka in hand, sprinkling a little pepper in the glass and chortling to himself over comments about the screen shots.

Methinks the development team is having some fun at our expense.

Splitter

I agree with you Splitter ! I am pretty sure that Oleg is showing us WIP from last year....And the whole team is pulling our legs....;)
Oleg's big next move will be a very impressive video ...Until he feels it is flawless, he will post very conservative screenshots with little improvements at
a time...:cool:

[chiefrr73]

+1 lol

[furbs]

I agree with you Splitter ! I am pretty sure that Oleg is showing us WIP from last year....And the whole team is pulling our legs....;)
Oleg's big next move will be a very impressive video ...Until he feels it is flawless, he will post very conservative screenshots with little improvements at
a time...:cool:

:rolleyes: ....i really wish it was true though :grin:

[Tree_UK]

I agree with you Splitter ! I am pretty sure that Oleg is showing us WIP from last year....And the whole team is pulling our legs....;)
Oleg's big next move will be a very impressive video ...Until he feels it is flawless, he will post very conservative screenshots with little improvements at
a time...:cool:

Tell me you guys arn't really serious?? you not are you? .... are you?

[Insuber]

I have a question for Luthier & Oleg :

- Will the clouds have « internal » shadows, that is shadows cast by parts of the cloud on the cloud itself? I was flying early this morning over nice clouds, and noticed how they appeared very volumetric thanks to this light/dark effect.

Cheers,
Insuber

[Insuber]

As far as landscapes quality, it must logically be equal or better than BoP, since the individual elements are equal (textures) or better (trees, buildings, trains, vehicles etc.). There is no reason for it to be worst than BoP or RoF.

I’m quite sure that the final rendering (DX11 or whatever) will polish the terrain and give it a much better appearance. Oleg is just holding back horses… :D. Maybe a graphic designer could confirm my idea.

Cheers,
Insuber

[kalimba]

Tell me you guys arn't really serious?? you not are you? .... are you?

Haha! Well...Half serious,but...Remember last year updates ? Video of pilot bailaing out ? "illegal" video of the Pit's cockpit? Detailed skins with damage model ?
Since few months, what we got is really conservative and IMHO does'nt show half of the work they have done in the last 6 months....
Even if the game was to be released in 6 months from now, it would still be far from getting the photorealistic quality Oleg wants to acheive....ANd I do beleive him when he said he would not release until it is at that level...
SO either the game is out in at least a year from now....or ? ;)

Have a nice day !

[Splitter]

Haha! Well...Half serious,but...Remember last year updates ? Video of pilot bailaing out ? "illegal" video of the Pit's cockpit? Detailed skins with damage model ?
Since few months, what we got is really conservative and IMHO does'nt show half of the work they have done in the last 6 months....
Even if the game was to be released in 6 months from now, it would still be far from getting the photorealistic quality Oleg wants to acheive....ANd I do beleive him when he said he would not release until it is at that level...
SO either the game is out in at least a year from now....or ? ;)

Have a nice day !

This is close to what I am thinking, but I think the game is closer to release status and the screenies we are getting are just showing bits and pieces.

What we don't know is where the game play is in development. I think most of us would agree that the graphics are good to great (with a few posters taking exception lol). But are the game play aspects close to release status? Have frame rates been optimized sufficiently?


"We" don't know (I certainly don't) anything really. Oleg might be the only person who knows for sure with everyone else working on bits and pieces. Anything I or anyone else says is speculation and pretty pointless.

I will say this though....Christmas is around the corner. One would think there would be a push on to get the game out sooner than later for the buying season.

The good news for me personally is I am new enough to IL-2 to have plenty of game left to explore :). You guys that have been with this for 10 years are the ones who are hurting.

Splitter

[Insuber]

LOL I've been around since the beginning, and I'm not yet tired at all of Il2 ... on the contrary I still enjoy online combat with my squad mates on full switch servers ... and recently had a lot of fun with the Joint-Ops courses ... actually re. SoW:BoB the latest willthe better, because I'm afraid I will miss the scenario/planes variety of Il2.

Ins.




The good news for me personally is I am new enough to IL-2 to have plenty of game left to explore :). You guys that have been with this for 10 years are the ones who are hurting.

Splitter

[Friendly_flyer]

Methinks the development team is having some fun at our expense.


i really hope so, the last two or three weeks discussions have been ... well, something you'd need a good dose of humor to enjoy.

[kalimba]

Tell me you guys arn't really serious?? you not are you? .... are you?

Not so long ago, there was a rumour that SOW was dead...Ubisoft was under fire and nothing was moving on this forum...Oleg was gone and we all feared (:confused:) that the project was canned. Suddenly, Oleg was back on tracks with SOW, and the game looked a bit different than what was previously presented to us... So what happended ? What was going on during those few ( months) ? So is it possible to assume that we dont have a clue about the real state of SOW ? IMHO, this mystery is part of the big secret surrounding SOW...
ANd it is just plain fun to get into X-Files conspiracy theory...:grin:...since we have nothing else to do for now...Hum...Apart working, taking the kids to school and so on....:rolleyes:

Salute !

[katdogfizzow]

looking great...cant imagine having all those distance images rendering, that is going to be incredible...water looks fantastic..:cool:

[Peffi]

And if I'm planning to fly over the Channel on a moonless night I'll take that altimeter as well. Remember you can try to beat the high altitude flying record, but you can only tie the low altitude flying record...

The Lysander-operations took place only during periods of moonlight. For really low flying you don't use the altimeter, you use your eyes.

[Letum]

Not so long ago, there was a rumour that SOW was dead...Ubisoft was under fire and nothing was moving on this forum...Oleg was gone and we all feared (:confused:) that the project was canned. Suddenly, Oleg was back on tracks with SOW, and the game looked a bit different than what was previously presented to us... So what happended ? What was going on during those few ( months) ? So is it possible to assume that we dont have a clue about the real state of SOW ? IMHO, this mystery is part of the big secret surrounding SOW...
ANd it is just plain fun to get into X-Files conspiracy theory...:grin:...since we have nothing else to do for now...Hum...Apart working, taking the kids to school and so on....:rolleyes:

Salute !

My conspiracy theory is that SoW was dropped by the publisher. Hence the move to the new forums and the removal of IL2 references in storm of war.

[philip.ed]

I have this picture in my mind of Oleg sitting back in an easy chair, ice cold vodka in hand, sprinkling a little pepper in the glass and chortling to himself over comments about the screen shots.

Methinks the development team is having some fun at our expense.

Splitter

LOL, they'd laugh at comments like yours :-P

Seriously, if these shots are a year old or more then it would have to be one hell of a conincedence to see new additions and tweaks to the game that members of the community suggested. Not only that, tweaks to the game that people talked about with Oleg via e-mail etc.

Despite some funny issues of debate that stretched for pages (head size etc) a lot of the comments are quite interesting and the discussion is too.
Whether or not Oleg replies to every-post now, clearly they take all the comments on board in one way or other.

[philip.ed]

I will say this though....Christmas is around the corner. One would think there would be a push on to get the game out sooner than later for the buying season.

Splitter

A few years ago, some-people were saying exactly the same thing. They then said it the next year, and the next. It doesn't work like that. The game will be relased when the team are happy to release it (unless they're under pressure to get it out). Oleg and the team have cornered their market already. A celebration of jesus' birthday wouldn't convince me to buy the game any more than a normal week-day would.
Of course there's a Christmas market, but having a few more buyers won't affect sales drastically. In fact; if the game is incomplete on release, the newer buyers would be put off the genre.

there's a lot of factors involved.
personally I'd just like to see a sim that lives up to the expectations we've been hinted to be able to enjoy. That's all I can ask for. otherwise it's back to BoB2/Il-2. The former has the best dynamic campaign, and the latter the most to offer out of any flight sim.

;)

[kalimba]

LOL, they'd laugh at comments like yours :-P

Seriously, if these shots are a year old or more then it would have to be one hell of a conincedence to see new additions and tweaks to the game that members of the community suggested. Not only that, tweaks to the game that people talked about with Oleg via e-mail etc.

Despite some funny issues of debate that stretched for pages (head size etc) a lot of the comments are quite interesting and the discussion is too.
Whether or not Oleg replies to every-post now, clearly they take all the comments on board in one way or other.

But they can modify some models without showing anything in hi-res or any F/X...They also can add suggestions and posting sreenshots in low-res, DX9 and no AA...Hum...That is exactly what they are doing....?
ANd the terrain looked much better a year ago in some sreens...
All I am saying is that they are keeping the best for a final official video
that will be amazing :grin: ...Because we already have had bits and pieces of
much better exemples of the top notch quality of SOW in previous postings...
Otherwise, it would mean that the game is months away from final release..
That is also a possibilty...:(

salute !

[philip.ed]

Well, they'd need a lot of free time to do that! LOL

I secretly hope you're right. It'd be a laugh :D

[proton45]

Not so long ago, there was a rumour that SOW was dead...Ubisoft was under fire and nothing was moving on this forum...Oleg was gone and we all feared (:confused:) that the project was canned. Suddenly, Oleg was back on tracks with SOW, and the game looked a bit different than what was previously presented to us... So what happended ? What was going on during those few ( months) ? So is it possible to assume that we dont have a clue about the real state of SOW ? IMHO, this mystery is part of the big secret surrounding SOW...
ANd it is just plain fun to get into X-Files conspiracy theory...:grin:...since we have nothing else to do for now...Hum...Apart working, taking the kids to school and so on....:rolleyes:

Salute !

God people will believe any little comment someone posts....their was never a reliable rumor about the sim being dead. Just troll posts...

[kalimba]

God people will believe any little comment someone posts....their was never a reliable rumor about the sim being dead. Just troll posts...

I was only reffering to a situatiuon that lasted for few weeks on this forum...
Of course it was nothing more than a rumor.,.But this whole forum is all about rumors ;) since all we've got is few low- res screenshots every 7 days on one hand, and on the other Oleg's statements about up coming (he insisted on 2010) release and top notch graphics...
Now, with the info (or lack of) we have at this point, trying to put those two hands togheter :!: demands a lot of...speculation ...and imagination...:cool:

Speculation + imagination= rumors...:rolleyes:

Salute !

[Jumo211]

Don't forget there was transformation from OpenGL in to DirectX .
That of course must look different comparing OpenGL graphics back
then and now with the latest DirectX screenshots .
So called " BoB:SoW " video which was included with IL-2 1946 release
was using previous OpenGL rendering engine and not the new DirectX :cool:

[Hecke]

Didn't Oleg tell some time ago that OpenGl will be the main in SoW BoB? So i guess it will look better in OpenGL.

[The Kraken]

Didn't Oleg tell some time ago that OpenGl will be the main in SoW BoB? So i guess it will look better in OpenGL.

No, it was the other way around and the engine is now based on DirectX. Shouldn't make much of a difference for the end result anyway; my understanding is that DirectX is more convenient for development these days, and the driver situation also seems to be better.

[Hecke]

Thanks for clearing up.
But he said that it will look better on Nvidia cards? Hope i'm not wrong again.

[speculum jockey]

Thanks for clearing up.
But he said that it will look better on Nvidia cards? Hope i'm not wrong again.

I'm sure he probably meant that the game is more optimized for NVidia cards since they apparently supplied him with some samples. Then again he's not likely to ignore over 1/2 the market and not do some optimizing for ATI cards as well. A lot of games that were optimized for one usually only run a few FPS better than the competitor.

As far as looking different on one card compared to the other . . . I don't think you can really do that.

[Richie]

I don't think Nvidia has a card as fast as a 5970.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oddGwo5oM8

[zakkandrachoff]

I don't think Nvidia has a card as fast as a 5970.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oddGwo5oM8

son of the b
in december when i buy my 5850 i was thinking i have the (almost) top of the top, except the 5870.

[Richie]

Linus here gives a brief description of why dx11 so good. I didn't know this about running better.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkWsVBpApOY

[Hecke]

Either it runs better, or you can have more polygondetail and it runs the same. I think that should be the advantage of DirectX 11 so you can't say BoB will definately look better with it.

Personally, i'm not interested in 3 Monitors.

[major_setback]

Linus here gives a brief description of why dx11 so good. I didn't know this about running better.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkWsVBpApOY

Looks good here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mng8JU692iY

[BG-09]

The yellow covering of the Bf-109 engine at the update photos, have to be dirty just like the fuselage of the Spitfire at the photo bellow.
There have to be a traces of lot of oily fingers and palms on it!
~Cheers!

[Skoshi Tiger]

The yellow covering of the Bf-109 engine at the update photos, have to be dirty just like the fuselage of the Spitfire at the photo bellow.
There have to be a traces of lot of oily fingers and palms on it!
~Cheers!

We'll need grass clippings from the grass strips!

[Feathered_IV]

The yellow covering of the Bf-109 engine at the update photos, have to be dirty just like the fuselage of the Spitfire at the photo bellow.
There have to be a traces of lot of oily fingers and palms on it!
~Cheers!

Yellow paints are notoriously thin on pigment. Always have been, no matter how much lead they chuck in it. The various colours of paint underneath tend to show through also.

[tourmaline]

Then i got even worse news for you;


ati is comming with the 6000 series near christmas this years, faster then the 5870 or the 5970...:cool:
So, this christmas you could buy a faster card for the same money as you wanted to buy in the same period.

So, you still get to beat the 5870...Or at least simular performance for way less.




son of the b
in december when i buy my 5850 i was thinking i have the (almost) top of the top, except the 5870.

[speculum jockey]

Then i got even worse news for you;


ati is comming with the 6000 series near christmas this years, faster then the 5870 or the 5970...:cool:
So, this christmas you could buy a faster card for the same money as you wanted to buy in the same period.

So, you still get to beat the 5870...Or at least simular performance for way less.

I'd probably even wait a card or two into the 6000 line before buying. The first card usually has a bit of a price-gouge effect going on, and later ones (sometimes even a month later) can usually be had for much less and unlocked to run the same speed or even faster than the "flagship card".

[BG-09]

Yellow paints are notoriously thin on pigment. Always have been, no matter how much lead they chuck in it. The various colours of paint underneath tend to show through also.

That's right! More details - better immersion!

~Regards!

[Hood]

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the men and woman who under the most difficult odds over came adversary and put a halt to the planned invasion of Britain.

But hay still no SOW!!!! Looks like we are going to wait till the next anervisory 71st before we see anything.

I read that Oleg was planning a release date of around the BOB anniversary but still nothing... Starting to get a little board Oleg…come out of the dark woods and give the community a date or let them know whets is happening.

Screen shots are all fine and dandy. But Action speaks louder than words.
And keeping us all in the dark is not doing you public relations any favors.

You do know in your mind of a date and you will have a time line of when, let the people know Oleg you owe it to all the people who are waiting for some proper news.

Thanks

The 15th is Battle of Britain day, and the "Battle" itself went on until the end of October 1940 so there might not be an announcement for another six weeks or so. Plus of course the Axis didn't recognise it as a "Battle" as such and as they were the other team taking part I suppose their opinion is just as valid.

Anyways, my point is that it's done when it's done. Personally I hope it takes a little longer so I can save up more for my next rig.

Hood

[Tree_UK]

The last we heard from Oleg was that 'thousands will be playing in or before October', obviously this isn't going to happen, but to be fair he didn't say which October. :grin:

[major_setback]

ha ha yeah,

i just think is now starting to become a bit of a joke.

How long ago was it that this project was first mentioned ?

S

1941.

[GOA_Potenz]

Ha ha yeah,

I just think is now starting to become a bit of a joke.

How long ago was it that this project was first mentioned ?

S

2005, and supposed to be released in 2007...

[nearmiss]

The last we heard from Oleg was that 'thousands will be playing in or before October', obviously this isn't going to happen, but to be fair he didn't say which October. :grin:

You are wrong!

The last we heard from Oleg is the first post of this thread. This is a weekly update.

We hear from Oleg and Luthier on a regular basis. Every forums on the internet links to the weekly update thread on this site. People are always excited to see what is coming in SOW.

[O_Smiladon]

As I have just been told to pull my head in..on the suject and I will..

I will not say another word.

But I stand by in what Have said

Thank you for reading

and Salute

p.s Oleg if I have Insulted you in my comments Sry. Just That I say what i think.

[McHilt]

i hope oleg will put a flyable lysander in the sim. Not all missions should be about blowing up things. Paint them black and let us fly low into france with only a compass, a map and the full moon to help us find the way. A short field landing to pick up the spy or downed airman and then a hasty departure with german bullets tracing. This will put the terrain-features and geography-accuracy and the lighting and shadowing to the test. As well as our flying skills... :)


:mrgreen: +100

[Tree_UK]

You are wrong!

The last we heard from Oleg is the first post of this thread. This is a weekly update.

We hear from Oleg and Luthier on a regular basis. Every forums on the internet links to the weekly update thread on this site. People are always excited to see what is coming in SOW.

Obviously I was refering to release dates.

[steam]

The last we heard from Oleg was that 'thousands will be playing in or before October', obviously this isn't going to happen, but to be fair he didn't say which October. :grin:

Maybe Oleg had in mind a large team of testers (thousands members) :grin:

[Richie]

Was this done in Dx11? Does anyone know?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFFQGryWhk&NR=1

[Bobb4]

You will know it is nearly done when a website officially opens and teaser video's start doing the rounds. As with all games before it until you start seeing promo material it is nowhere near done.
The promo stuff will be linked to the "new" publisher and so will the website.
Until then, be happy with what we are getting very decent updates, regular feedback and the joys of reading Tree :)

[Tree_UK]

You will know it is nearly done when a website officially opens and teaser video's start doing the rounds. As with all games before it until you start seeing promo material it is nowhere near done.
The promo stuff will be linked to the "new" publisher and so will the website.
Until then, be happy with what we are getting very decent updates, regular feedback and the joys of reading Tree :)

Woohoo, you are 100% right though Bobb IMHO, and I have being saying the same for quiet some time.

[The Kraken]

Was this done in Dx11? Does anyone know?

It doesn't contain anything graphics-wise that hasn't been shown in screenshots, so it's unlikely to be DirectX11. Although I'm not expecting a huge difference anyway.

[Baron]

Just developed a wild theory.

Doesnt this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFFQGryWhk


remind anoyne of this (from 0:24):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtsNqaE1yU



One and the same?

Both spits seems to behave iraticly sometimes (unstable/stall whatever)



Nothing speciall really, would just mean the SoW Spit video is quite old. Got to thinking since there seems to be a "debate" about weather we are shown everything thats brand spanking new or some old stuff just to tease us. :)


My point is: since noone of us knows the full context of whats beeing shown peoples crituiqe is based on mere guesses wich is proppably why every friday uppdate derails into nitpicking.

[steam]

Actually, the official date of celebration of the victory of the Battle of Britain could have and a gift made in the form of video or, at least, more information about the progress of work or the official website launch ...;)

[Thunderbolt56]

LMAO...these forums are like the virtual Church of Oleg. The worshippers all gather 'round and play patty cake anticipating the arrival of their savior and in the meantime pass the time straining their eyes and imaginations looking for the image of their beloved spitfire in the entrails of chickens. Once in a while the pastor shows up and wiles the worshippers with his wisdom who cling to it as though it were food and water.

Don't get me wrong, I'm digging these weekly screenshot rations, but honestly, that's all they are. They show some cool stuff, and display a definitively higher level of detail, but isn't that expected?

Forgive me for wanting meat and potatoes instead of cabbage water.

[Blackdog_kt]

I think that the more people wait, the more they cover the same ground and after a while sides form and get entrenched.

There's many good points made by a lot of people here, regardless of what they believe about the state of the simulator and the potential of release, and there's also some needless remarks made by the exact same persons. It just goes part and parcel with the nature of internet forums and a bunch of highly enthusiastic (and thus, some too impatient and some too perfectionist) people discussing the same or similar things too often. People get tired of the repetition by others and then state something themselves that is already repetitive as well :grin:

The developers are not gods, but they are not stupid either. Could they screw up? They could potentially, they are humans after all. Do they have a proven track record? I'd say they do and i give them the credit due for it and the burden that goes alongside said credit that they will deliver another benchmark product.

I too get tired of reading a lot of similar things, but then again nobody is forcing me to and i'm also guilty of doing it myself for the reason outlined above: we cover the same ground too often. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that if one is willing to dissect the flow of posts in a reasonable manner, it's very much possible to separate the useful bits from the rest.

In short, don't let it get to you everybody and keep posting, as statistically speaking when you have a large enough number of people with a wide spectrum of opinions, you also will have a better spectrum of potential ideas and constructive criticism...we just have to be calm and separate the chaff from the wheat ;)

I think that despite the various rivalries, the place is still bubbling with anticipation if heated debates are anything to go by and most importantly, harsh remarks might be made from time to time but there has not been a concentrated effort to shut down anyone who's critical of the pace that progress occurs or any real or perceived features of the title.

We've had threads discussing anything from mission design and campaign structure to DRM, as well as people pointing out flaws and disagreements in some strong language and yet, to my knowledge there hasn't been any "forum-pogrom" by one side against the other. There are usually a few people who take up "forum-dueling" among themselves but the rest, regadless of personal opinion, manage to maintain a level-headed attitude.

This is way much more than can be said about another recent simulator title that was released in a state and with features that many potential customers found quite disagreeable. I don't want to point fingers just for the sake of pointing fingers, but if something is true then it's true and that's all there is to it.

When RoF was released (a year and a half ago was it?) it had a handful of flyables, no offline single player mode, no persistent server multiplayer mode, quite the host of technical issues, a precarious development history under a team that people weren't familiar with and a restrictive activation system that extended to the very ability to use the simulator one paid for with their hard earned cash and yet, when people talked about it all hell would break loose.

Hell can break loose in here too, but people are allowed to nitpick details to no end, from aircraft related ones that can be considered important like incorrectly modelled trim tabs, to scenery related ones like foliage types, plus they are allowed to do it to an extent that sometimes even important details get dragged down to the level of minutae, or as an ancient Greek saying goes about diminishing returns for the effort expended when directly translated, "refining the mosquito". Just a single comparison made for the sake of maintaining some perspective. The difference in amount of slack provided and scale of allowed criticism is enormous.

I don't agree with all the nitpicking, but i don't agree with the "wait and hope it gets fixed" school of thought either. It might seem like constant arguing sometimes, but i think the end statistical result of it all is a good amount of synergy between developers and fans and you know what? I think the dev team sees this too, despite the tiresome taks of having to wade through the static, otherwise they wouldn't let it continue or they would throw us a bone as a means of appeasement.

They know what we want to see in this sim because we are allowed to scream at what we think is wrong and vice versa, they actively try to fix issues that are being pointed out as evidenced by corrections shown in the weekly update (yes, issues as small as a reversed aerodynamic fairing on the 109's radio mast, i'm not saying it shouldn't be correct but it wouldn't make the sim unplayable for me if it wasn't) and for me, that's the most important thing. I don't know if they will get 100% right on release, but i guess it'll be a solid 70-80% in the worst case scenario and that is worth a delayed release in my book, as opposed to having to "fight" the game for the first few months and losing interest in it.

Of course, this is my personal opinion and not the absolute, universal truth, so everyone do feel free to strongly disagree, pick it apart and shoot it down at your own leisure...who knows, something positive might come out of the whole exchange and if it does, that's worth it too. It's good for a community when members are strongly opinionated, what's bad is them being dogmatic ;)

[Xilon_x]

i like much first video of Sow i look the son reflection in the cokpit is fantastic but not send the sound of enjine.

[nearmiss]

Blackdog

A nice expression

The SOW will be released when it is done.

The SOW development is on the downwind leg.

Nothing mentioned on these boards will make it "Gold" faster.

There is pressure on the developer for the SOW to be finished, alot more pressure than most posters on this board have ever experienced.

Get busy with your life on other things, drop by every now and then to check status. Time will pass faster.

No sense working yourselves into a frenzy, and saying things you might regret. We all are anxious for SOW. We are all members of the "Waiting for the greatest WW2 air combat simulator of all time" club/clan.

[Tree_UK]

Good post Blackdog, I would like to add that maybe the dev team should be a little more open about where they are currently, this would immediately end speculation and divsion, Oleg makes a statement about a potential release in September and then nothing! A simple 'we are not there yet guys' but soon, or we are aiming for blah would stop most of the bickering, its called communication and it simply stops speculation form all sides of the house and keeps 'us' informed. The constant 'none' statements from the dev team about previous hinted dates for either release/website construction/system spec's only serve to dishearten all but the most hardy.

[philip.ed]

Just developed a wild theory.

Doesnt this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFFQGryWhk


remind anoyne of this (from 0:24):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtsNqaE1yU



One and the same?

Both spits seems to behave iraticly sometimes (unstable/stall whatever)



Nothing speciall really, would just mean the SoW Spit video is quite old. Got to thinking since there seems to be a "debate" about weather we are shown everything thats brand spanking new or some old stuff just to tease us. :)


My point is: since noone of us knows the full context of whats beeing shown peoples crituiqe is based on mere guesses wich is proppably why every friday uppdate derails into nitpicking.

I'd say that is an interesting approach, but I don't think the two are related. I think the video that was leaked is indeed the current SoW model. Watch it again and you'll see that a lot of aspects of it match what we have been shown over the past year.
A good example is the self shading, which I think never reached the old SoW version developed from Il-2. In many sense, the SoW video from 2006/7 time looks quite finished.