August 6 2011 Development Update

[luthier]

Hi everyone.

Here’s what we’ve been doing, and what we’re planning for the nearest future.

The main areas of development are:

1. Graphics. Our graphics team is in the middle of a dramatic revision of our graphics engine. The new engine, still in alpha stage, is both faster and better looking. I won’t get into the technical details, but in a word it’s faster and more streamlined.
From the appearance point of view, the change is equally as dramatic but is easier seen. Colors are calculated differently, especially in terms of distance. I’m attaching some screenshots showing before and after. The colors are not yet tuned, and there are some other issues but we are much happier with the game’s visuals today than we’ve been for quite some time.

2. Sound. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we’re completely redoing our sound engine from scratch. The work is being done in three stages. Stage 1, alpha, where we test basic functionality with some bare-bones samples has been passed a while ago. Stage 2, beta, where we have all aircraft sounds complete, and have some bare-minimum sounds for other objects, is almost here. Stage 3, a complete sound engine with all object and ambient sounds, will follow.
What we have now is brand new DB601, Merlin, Mercury, and Jumo 211 engines in a new environment, infinitely more stable and supporting realistic sounds from dozens or hundreds of engines within hearing distance. Various secondary and tertiary sounds are also there – G loads, flutter, controls movement, etc. The aircraft feel alive, especially when you’re inside the cockpit.

3. Physics. We are doing a major rewrite of some portions of aircraft landing gear physics (i.e. landing, taxi, take-off) as well as major changes to our secondary physics (ships, vehicles, debris, etc).

4. Models. We have quite a few new aircraft variants in the oven, and our ground modeling team has finally finished a major task that perhaps too few people will appreciate. We’ve completed a huge library of historical German rail engines and cars.

Timeline wise, what we’re looking at is a beta sound patch in a minimum of 2 weeks, and at least a week of tests for that. The new graphics will also be included with it. The same upcoming patch will also include some new aircraft and most likely the German trains. Due to all new sounds, it’ll be one of the largest patches so far, but still way under a GB.

Thank you all for your support!

[JG52Krupi]

Sweet, nice work MG.

[FG28_Kodiak]

THANKS!


But dont forget the COOP interface, please! ;)

[ATAG_Bliss]

Awesome :)

[pupo162]

i think i like the older shadows better :S

PLEASE FIX THE BUILDING POPPING!

[GF_Mastiff]

Can't wait Luthier

[Dano]

<sarcasm>What? You're still working on it?</sarcasm>

Looks and sounds good, the first two comparison shots look to have lost some contrast though, they look a little washed out now, assume that this is due to a lack of tuning?

[connie]

Looks way better so far.

[2GFlea]

Luthier, thanks for your continued work on this.

I'm not sure if you've seen my Aircraft Checklists or not, but I would like to update them for any additional aircraft that you will be adding. I will sign any NDA you need, but if you could PM me a list of the new additions, I could get started updating the checklists for a release about the same time as the patch.

Thanks again for the work you guys are doing.

[Jumo211]

THX a lot , excellent update thus far :cool:

[wolf74]

I notice fps hit with new graphics (see the first pic). If possible, adjust radio commands.
Ciao.

[furbs]

A much better update.
looking forward to the changes.

Luthier, any word on FSAA and CO-OPs?

[baronWastelan]

New look of terrain makes beautiful scenery even more realistic. Thanks for the update and screen shots!

[RCAF_FB_Orville]

Nice, an already dramatic colour improvement even at this stage......very glad that the spiteful and horrible English 'whiners' (;)) who correctly observed that this needed to be addressed (despite lots of opposition on this very forum lol) have been vindicated.......It feels good to be right and thanks for listening Luthier. :)

I would like to know about FSAA too, as well as Spitfire rotol prop-fuel type situation, as well as some news regarding other under performing aircraft being updated properly.

Great news though, big step in the right direction, and cheers. :grin:

[JG52Krupi]

I notice fps hit with new graphics (see the first pic). If possible, adjust radio commands.
Ciao.

Yes but look at the average fps they have improved.

[Dano]

Yes but look at the average fps they have improved.

Second pic says otherwise :(

Terrain looks better in colour, pits do not :(

[Strike]

LOL! Caturday updates for the win!

http://lolpics.se/pics/3.jpg

[Blackdog_kt]

Thanks for the update guys, keep chiseling away at it ;-)

Stickiness applied for ease of reference.

[smink1701]

Good to hear from you Luthier. I think the next patch will be great but the best part is you took the time to provide an update. We know you can't post daily but once a week would be nice. I think if you or someone else could manage that about 90 percent of the frustration and hate would go away. This game has great potential. We all want to see it get there and appreciate your efforts. You've restored a lot of good will today so don't be a stranger.:)

[41Sqn_Banks]

Any chance that we can get a example how to create a server and a client addin?

[kristorf]

Many thanks gents for the update

[Doc_uk]

Who toke the screenshots, they look horrible, more so the stuka's
And befor and after shots, looks like someone has just raised the brightness up
After shots dont look as good as, befor shots:confused:

Or maby ive got it wrong, are the befor shots what were getting? because they look way better?

But good to hear about the sounds

[1PL_Lucas]

Thank you very much for the update. The ground scenery looks great! The Stuka screen and the crops pattern together with colors reminds me the Fall Weiss:)
Good luck with the patch!

Lucas

[FlyingShark]

Thanks for the heads up, Luthier and thank you for your hard work @ the team.

~S~

[furbs]

Looking again at the screenshots...

The cockpit shots, i cant see where they are better, in fact they look worse to me, check the roundels on the hurri, can anyone tell me what im missing?

The landscape shot looks much better.

very much looking forward to the new sounds.

though still no word on some pressing issues.

[Norseman]

Thanks a lot for the good update!
-must say, (after 40years airborne) this really begins to look real !
~S~ Luthier & Team :)

[Towarisch]

Thank´s for the SATURDAY Update;)

And thanks for the pics. They looks GREAT. I like the after pic. It looks realier out now. Good LUCK with the PATCH, and THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR HARD WORK



Towarisch

[JG53Frankyboy]

i like very much how much better the instruments are to read !

[bongodriver]

Looking again at the screenshots...

The cockpit shots, i cant see where they are better, in fact they look worse to me, check the roundels on the hurri, can anyone tell me what im missing?

The landscape shot looks much better.

very much looking forward to the new sounds.

though still no word on some pressing issues.

I imagine the pressing issues are a bit subjective, if they are doing a major overhaul as explained those things will be on the back burner, they really don't need to explain it, at least we got a 'word'......

[JG52Krupi]

Looking again at the screenshots...

The cockpit shots, i cant see where they are better, in fact they look worse to me, check the roundels on the hurri, can anyone tell me what im missing?

The landscape shot looks much better.

very much looking forward to the new sounds.

though still no word on some pressing issues.

You clearly did not read his post did you now furbs.. there still tweaking it. Clearly the shots were to show off the new landscape colors!!!

[Redroach]

as of every patch so far, my questions are:
What about radio commands and loadout options fixes?

Radio comms are most essential for any flight sim but the pure arcade ones. Online and offline.

Sorry, but my personal opinion is: Until these 2 issues (in fact those that make the game broken from my pov) are fully fixed and streamlined, I don't even want a new graphics engine, to be perfectly honest.

[furbs]

Agreed bongo, but why say they look better? can you see where?

Like i say, the landscape shot i can see the improvements.

[bongodriver]

Agreed bongo, but why say they look better? can you see where?

Like i say, the landscape shot i can see the improvements.

I'm assuming it is because there is a propper haze effect, yes the new roundel is awfull and the less contrasted shadows are awfull too, but the update mentioned it is 'not tuned'

I can say the new look of the enviroment is 'spot on', the haze and landscape colours and the light reflected off the river are the main improvements I see.

[Sternjaeger II]

FINALLY!! :)

Thanks for the update Luthier, it looks like a lot of work you guys been putting into it! I would say to wait and try the patch before panicking on the colours guys.

Keep up the good work and feel free to update us more often ;)

[slm]

Good to hear some news, will be interesting to see how much the new gfx engine will change things.

[ACE-OF-ACES]

Thanks for the update luth.. Cant tell you how happy I am to hear work has not stopped on this sim.. It has so much potential!

[jojimbo]

wasnt expecting a graphics engine overhaul, nice one guys

[furbs]

You clearly did not read his post did you now furbs.. there still tweaking it. Clearly the shots were to show off the new landscape colors!!!

if showing the landscape improvements why cram the shot with a cockpit that looks worse? anyway just sayin. :)

[CharveL]

New terrain looks a lot better, not so bright and cartoony.

I suspect the framerates will improve with optimization but it could just be that there weren't that many rendered by the time the screenshots were taken since they're averaged out over the number of frames. Initial rendering always drops the framerate when first entering the world until the memory caches are filled up.

Hopefully the new engine's shadow rendering doesn't cause tree flicker this time around.

I'd love to hear the new sound engine in action too as the old one really didn't capture 3D positioning and occlusion that well imho, beyond the obvious problems of dropouts in MP.

[Winger]

Thanks for the update. Really looking forward to the new patch. Ill pray that everything comes out well and will not take longer than 2 weeks:)

Winger

[albx]

Thank you very much for your work and to take time to post your progress here!

[JG52Uther]

Thanks for the update.
News of the sound improvements is good news.The ground looks much better, I assume the poor cockpit in the pics is due to the alpha status currently?

[von Pilsner]

Hi everyone.

Here’s what we’ve been doing, and what we’re planning for the nearest future.

The main areas of development are:

1. Graphics.
2. Sound.
3. Physics.
4. Models.


That is great news!!!

[Bonkin]

Thanks for the update. As its work in progress at the moment I'm reserving judgement. Personally I'm waiting for the weather changes. Looking at the cloud shadows on the ground I think the landscape will look more realistic when we have more clouds.

[1.JaVA_Sharp]

interesting news.

and I intend to do the same as Bonkin, I want to see how it 'll play out before I'll comment further.

[Jatta Raso]

more performance... overall excellent news, my faith is with this guys. they seem to be taking it seriously after all.

i see better colour grading in rivers and ocean water, that combined with the terrain tuning will make a world of difference in the landscape.
will we get the clouds this time around??

[Tigertooo]

from me you can take all the time you need.I had faith from the beginning, still have and wil have.I am sure in the end, all those whiners will be silent
Thanks for this hope giving update

[ATAG_Dutch]

Hmmm.....I'm not sure about the looks of the 'before and afters', it looks as though someone just turned the brightness up and contrast down. A lot. But I accept it requires tuning.

The in-cockpit atmosphere of Cliffs is its best feature in my view so I hope this isn't going to tone it down too much.

But that said, it's extremely gratifying to at last have an updated progress report.

The news of the sound plus graphics and all the other features being possibly beta in the 'proverbial' is getting me pretty excited.

So thanks chaps. ;)

(Doffs cap and touches forelock).

[Flying Officer Barry]

from me you can take all the time you need.I had faith from the beginning, still have and wil have.I am sure in the end, all those whiners will be silent
Thanks for this hope giving update

+1!

Thank you so much for the update luthier! We wuv woo <3

[addman]

Cheers luthier! I don't know if the new landscape colours are more realistic or not but I do know that they are kinder to my eyes :). Great work guys! Looking forward to the patch.

[6BL Bird-Dog]

Thank you for the update luthier

[Ze-Jamz]

Thanks for the update.

Hopefully now no more 'they have abandoned us' posts!?

Good work

[Pitti]

Great news! :)

The cockpit view looks better in the "before" pictures but you mentioned that this is not final so I have no worries about that. :)

[335th_GRAthos]

Very nice update on the progress and when to expect things delivered.

Thank you very much for this update!

~S~

[badfinger]

I'm with Doc UK. The before/after shots don't impress me. The interior shots of the cockpit have less contrast, and the metal looks less metallic.

The scenery in the others looks washed out.

Just my opinion.

binky9

[Lololopoulos]

thanks a lot luthier for ur update!!!! really appreciate it!!!

[Bokononist]

Outstanding, looking forward to this one...............................

[ATAG_MajorBorris]

Thank you,

Bomber pilots love ground content, makes the sim feel alive. The work your team does to create new content is appreciated by many!

Ground wish list: (just for fun/no real order)

1) Hydroelectric Station.

2) V1/V2 launching area.

3) Paris Gun.

4) Ships to support Normandy invasion

5) HQ/Staging area

6) Everything in ww2!

[mazex]

Thanks a lot for the update Luthier!

[kestrel79]

Thanks for the update!

I'm looking forward to the NEW SOUNDS the most. Can't wait for that. Also some better AA and AF would be nice too, I hope the new graphics engine maybe handles that better so we have less jaggies.

As for the color changes of the terrain I'm not going to comment since Luthier stated it has yet to be tuned, I'll wait for later screenshots that are more close to release.

[Thee_oddball]

the before/after shots look like the alpha was turned up...the ground does look better though :)

rewriting the sound and graphics engine which are 2 major components of the game in just a few months is very impressive indeed.

thnx for the heads up Lu

S!

[jimbop]

Thanks for the update, much appreciated and looking forward to testing the patch.

Rebuilding the graphics and sound engines... Very welcome news especially with potential performance gains but I'd love to know what happened before release!

Very positive update, thanks again.

[Katana1000S]

Yep I know this still needs further tuning so don't jump on me please, but as feedback it does just look look like brightness and contrast turned up, inside the cockpit does make the instruments look more readable, the roundel on the wing looks a lot worse ... also there seems to be a big drop in FPS in the first comparison shot, but no real difference in the other ones.

Screen shots are one thing but seeing things in motion on your own screen are another too I guess.

But I'll leave final judgement until its tweaked.

Good to hear about the sound overhaul, one of the things I was looking forward to was hearing the sound of the Merlin engines in particular, there are lots of examples of the merlin sound in the public domain from various airshows ETC.

After this they really need to address some very outstanding issues though like the radio communication commands.

But good to see more progress :cool:

[jimbop]

As far as I'm concerned the quality of graphics in the current release is adequate (apart from landscape colours). If the new engine improves framerate/performance but does little else I will be very satisfied.

[flyingblind]

Thanks for the update Luthier. Great to hear good progress is being made and looking forward to release. Personally I actually prefer the level of brightness and contrast in the after shots of the cockpits. Considering you are high up on a sunny day it is more as I would expect it to look. The shadow deep in the footwell is just as dark as the dark shadows in the before shots. I always thought colours as we have now seem a little dull as though it is always overcast even when sunny. Landscape much better. Doubtful about roundel colours but you say you still have tweaking to do.

[Rattlehead]

The terrain looks much better, I must say. I can't wait to try it out in-game.

Thanks for the update Luthier. Hopefully it will quell a lot of the panicking that has been going on here lately. ;)
Looking forward to the next patch.

[Gourmand]

before 40fps, after 24fps :rolleyes:

1. Graphics.
2. Sound.
3. Physics.
4. Models.
you should include
5. Gameplay like rearm refuel feature ;)

[Stealth_Eagle]

Thank you so much for the update. It has made my day. Check my thread of the next patch info and compare it to this which may surprise you and also has a sad note at the bottom or my latest post in it.

Also thanks for the German trains, that is going to be a worthy part of a new mission I am slowly working on once my PC is back to normal.

[JG53Frankyboy]

before 40fps, after 24fps :rolleyes:

same PC ?!

[jimbop]

before 40fps, after 24fps :rolleyes:

Averages (edit, and minimums!) are what count and two screen shot comparisons are not adequate for an answer. I look forward to testing!

[BRIGGBOY]

thx luthier keep up the good work fella.

[NedLynch]

Well done Luthier, that's what the community needs, to be kept in the loop.

Not hearing from the dev team is the worst thing imho, just gives room to speculations and rumors, i.e. "the game is dead".

Better graphics engine, performance wise, sounds exellent to me.

I know you guys are working on things you see most pressing, but to make this into a "real" game I think some kind of DCG is sorely needed, even if it's a simple one in the beginning that can be updated and improved on later.

I am enjoying the game and I am happy that when I decided to buy it, mostly to support 1C, I made the right decision.

[ATAG_MajorBorris]

In 1940?

No, I was just trying to think of any fun ground content possibilities for the area, not so much the time.

[Buchon]

Hi everyone.

Here’s what we’ve been doing, and what we’re planning for the nearest future.

The main areas of development are:

1. Graphics. Our graphics team is in the middle of a dramatic revision of our graphics engine. The new engine, still in alpha stage, is both faster and better looking. I won’t get into the technical details, but in a word it’s faster and more streamlined.
From the appearance point of view, the change is equally as dramatic but is easier seen. Colors are calculated differently, especially in terms of distance. I’m attaching some screenshots showing before and after. The colors are not yet tuned, and there are some other issues but we are much happier with the game’s visuals today than we’ve been for quite some time.

2. Sound. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we’re completely redoing our sound engine from scratch. The work is being done in three stages. Stage 1, alpha, where we test basic functionality with some bare-bones samples has been passed a while ago. Stage 2, beta, where we have all aircraft sounds complete, and have some bare-minimum sounds for other objects, is almost here. Stage 3, a complete sound engine with all object and ambient sounds, will follow.
What we have now is brand new DB601, Merlin, Mercury, and Jumo 211 engines in a new environment, infinitely more stable and supporting realistic sounds from dozens or hundreds of engines within hearing distance. Various secondary and tertiary sounds are also there – G loads, flutter, controls movement, etc. The aircraft feel alive, especially when you’re inside the cockpit.

3. Physics. We are doing a major rewrite of some portions of aircraft landing gear physics (i.e. landing, taxi, take-off) as well as major changes to our secondary physics (ships, vehicles, debris, etc).

4. Models. We have quite a few new aircraft variants in the oven, and our ground modeling team has finally finished a major task that perhaps too few people will appreciate. We’ve completed a huge library of historical German rail engines and cars.

Timeline wise, what we’re looking at is a beta sound patch in a minimum of 2 weeks, and at least a week of tests for that. The new graphics will also be included with it. The same upcoming patch will also include some new aircraft and most likely the German trains. Due to all new sounds, it’ll be one of the largest patches so far, but still way under a GB.

Thank you all for your support!

http://i51.tinypic.com/33f6u09.gif

[AWL_Spinner]

Cheers for the update. Would be awesome if I could actually start the game when this patch arrives :)

[klem]

This is what many of us have wanted, real information. Many thanks.

PLEASE can you keep us up to date on this work on say a two week basis and add any 'next steps' as you pick them up?

I can't wait to get my hands on the sound beta and look forward to seeing the new graphics update that will come with it. No feedback on your screenshots because I'd rather comment on the real deal when it arrives.

For the 'fps have dropped' posters, please understand that the first fps number is an instantaneous figure that can vary dramatically second by second. The Average and Minimums are the ones that tell you how well it will run and a minimum of zero can easily show up under a number of circumstances, like if there has been a reload without resetting the FPS counter.

[catito14]

Thanks for the update, Luthier! The new landscape´s colours looks AMAZING and it looks like the UK and not like the Russian steppe anymore lol. I hope you also working to fix the gelded FM´s to use their full potential.

Keep up with the great work!!

[Hecke]

I hope all the changes and improvements make it into the sequel and will make it a solid product from the first hour unless Clod.

[Ali Fish]

Great to read a little update today \o/.

re landscape. I LIKE. i was trying to deal with the distance atmospherics in my mod thread but you did it. excellent. thanks big L.

[ParaB]

Thanks for the update, sounds very promising.

[seaeye]

Great news that things are progressing well. Definately get a postive feeling from your post.

Looking forward to the patch!

The FPS counters don't mean a thing on a screeshot without knowing the spec of the computer the sim is running on. When I start a new session in COD the FPS jumps for a couple of seconds and then settles down, so I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

[Plt Off JRB Meaker]

Thanks Luthier for the update,hey our 'seance' worked,the spirit Luthier has communicated through us:lol:

[Varrattu]

Thanks for the update, Luthier! And screen shots!

Regards Varrattu

[adonys]

No word regarding the Radio Comm ?!! It's the part of the game needed the most, and also the most broken :(

[Das Attorney]

Thanks for the info. Megawin :)

[Allons!]

Hah, THAT deserves an answer..as well for the feeling and if you are in search for a train sound, ahem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLcMnD5TJo&feature=related

[BRIGGBOY]

No word regarding the Radio Comm ?!! It's the part of the game needed the most, and also the most broken :(

for **** sake it will get done. i admit it is a pain, but good things come to those who wait. and before you put me on your gimp list, this is the first pc sim i have bought.

[adonys]

If the work on the series continues, as it apparently does, I sure it will get fixed..

Problem is, it should have had the biggest priority, as it is the most broken critical feature of the game. I would for sure prefer that, instead a new revamp of the graphical engine.

[BRIGGBOY]

i agree that if i was one of the DEVS i would of done it before the graphics. but i am sure in time it will get done.

[Zappatime]

Sounds like a lot of work has been going on and I look forward to these changes with great anticipation; great news to hear about the forthcoming German rail engines etc, I for one will appreciate it after my disappointment to find that they were missing from the initial release:)

[skouras]

thanks for the news and the infos :grin:

[SEE]

Many thanks and looking forward to the next update!

[Helrza]

thanks for the update luthier, lookin forward to it :)

german rail cars to shot up.. woot woot :D

[Ploughman]

Great stuff. Thanks for the update, appreciate the communication. I bought a Russian and 2 EU installs of this game to try and help get you guys off the ground. I'd do it again if I thought it'd help, but please do more to keep in touch with your customers, five minutes a week for a few lines of 'where we're at' isn't too much to ask.

[ChocsAway]

Thanks for the update :cool: and for your continuing efforts.

I hope the AI will receive some much needed attention for us offliners when time permits. ;)

[AARPRazorbacks]

Thanks for the update luthier.

I like Trains.

If we can drive them CLoD would have a whole new fan base.


This will be a good addiction.


flyer01


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fBWQLEapPc&feature=related

[rpgielow]

Hello Luthier !!!

Great move changing the colors!! As a real life pilot the pictures really look like real world enviroment. That misty landscape is very close to reality :)

The lighter colors in the cockpit give us a perfect feeling of the sun light glare. It's quite real too :)

But the RAF markings on the wing seems worse on the "after" picture than on actual version.

Keep the good work!!!

[ECV56_LeChuck]

Thanks for the update!

[HamishUK]

The fact that there are major re-writes of the code going on pretty much sums up that the original game was far from ready for release.

Reading into the emails these are pretty large steps being taken on the entire game engine. This is a positive move but doesn't deserve a pat on the back nearly 6 months after release.

[skarden]

Fantastic news! I love the new landscape,it definitely has a more "real" look to it,I also prefer the new cockpit colours,it looks a little more naturally lit to me.

Any news on the FSAA? other then the sound cutting out during MP it's really my only gripe.

Thanks for the update either way ~S~

[sorak]

2 weeks eh?

How come I dont believe that...??

heheeh

[Damixu]

Thank you for the information (finally) Luthier.

Please update us at least once a week from now on, please....

[retrojet]

Thanks for the update, Luthier.

...Not that it will satisfy the doom and gloom crowd...
:-D

[Viper]

Everything is good on the first AFTER screenshot except marking on the right wing. Why do they look washed out to compare with the wing texture? I hope it will be fixed.

[jayrc]

AWESOME:grin:

[Tiger27]

Looking again at the screenshots...

The cockpit shots, i cant see where they are better, in fact they look worse to me, check the roundels on the hurri, can anyone tell me what im missing?

The landscape shot looks much better.

very much looking forward to the new sounds.

though still no word on some pressing issues.

I imagine a new sound engine and new graphics, may either remove or create some new pressing issues, once they bed in the new sound etc, hopefully the game will then be in shape too fix the myriad of other bugs that need looking at, but at least things are looking up, if they can get the sounds right, that in itself will make a massive difference to gameplay, and maybe I will be able to stay online and hear sound at the same time :grin:

[Tiger27]

The fact that there are major re-writes of the code going on pretty much sums up that the original game was far from ready for release.

Reading into the emails these are pretty large steps being taken on the entire game engine. This is a positive move but doesn't deserve a pat on the back nearly 6 months after release.

Generosity not one of your strengths by the sound of it ;-) I know you paid your dollars and expected a game too play, but at least they haven't done a SH5 on us, and as the repair work they are doing is not costing us anymore dollars, I think a thanks isn't really too much to give is it ?

[Tiger27]

No word regarding the Radio Comm ?!! It's the part of the game needed the most, and also the most broken :(

It's possible that it is tied into the sound update in some way, I remember Luthier saying they had employed someone to work on the AI, as this is a component of the radio sounds, so fingers crossed they will have it all ready to go in one package.

[FS~Phat]

Love the new look. Especially the new lighter cockpit, makes it feel less clostraphobic and more realistic. Could maybe do with a bit more contrast and slightly more color saturation on the wings but otherwise a great improvement!

[zxwings]

Fantastic news! I love the new landscape,it definitely has a more "real" look to it,I also prefer the new cockpit colours,it looks a little more naturally lit to me.
+1 :grin:

The new development in graphics is wonderful, even in its alpha stage.

[LcSummers]

Hi dev team,

thank you for this update, looking forward to test it.:grin:
It sounds promising. I huge update, a lot of work but i am optimistic.;-)

Great and have a nice weekend.

[Phazon]

I am so glad that Luthier has shown that the dev's passion for the game is just as much as our own. It just seemed like at launch the devs faced a losing uphill battle but its clear that they have really sat down and said "right, what do we need to do to make it the greatest WW2 flight sim ever known to man".

You have addressed some of the biggest core issues with this post Luthier, and I am more than willing to help Maddox Games beta-test and get this game back on its feet. :)

[rakinroll]

Thank you Luthier.

[adonys]

I really fail to see and understand how you guys can perceive the after screenshots as better. They are completely washed out, by having the fog effect applied on the aircraft and inside the cockpit too, which it shouldn't. unless that it's a foggy day, or an early morning mist, the landscape it's way too washed out too..

I don't understand you guys jumping in head on and stating that you like them. I wouldn't have said anything to Luthier about this, as the man said work in progress so it is not a final outcome, but seeing you hearding the like button it's kind of disturbing.

also, I really hope the new render is a dx11 one. this rework of the render seems kinda of fishy to me. I'm not saying it is not done, I'm just saying that it actually fits a reasoning saying that actually IL2CoD was released on a placeholder IL2 1946 engine (the technical proof-of-concept one they've developed using the old IL2 one to test the new FM & DM), with some modifications, they were forced to release it like that (with lots of "placeholder" parts), and they are about to catch up from behind with the new engine. a reasoning getting stronger and stronger with each step they are making..

[fireflyerz]

Agreed

[albx]

I really fail to see and understand how you guys can perceive the after screenshots as better. They are completely washed out, by having the fog effect applied on the aircraft and inside the cockpit too, which it shouldn't. unless that it's a foggy day, or an early morning mist, the landscape it's way too washed out too..

I don't understand you guys jumping in head on and stating that you like them. I wouldn't have said anything to Luthier about this, as the man said work in progress so it is not a final outcome, but seeing you hearding the like button it's kind of disturbing.

also, I really hope the new render is a dx11 one. this rework of the render seems kinda of fishy to me. I'm not saying it is not done, I'm just saying that it actually fits a reasoning saying that actually IL2CoD was released on a placeholder IL2 1946 engine (the technical proof-of-concept one they've developed using the old IL2 one to test the new FM & DM), with some modifications, they were forced to release it like that (with lots of "placeholder" parts), and they are about to catch up from behind with the new engine. a reasoning getting stronger and stronger with each step they are making..

we can't judge it by some screenshots... let's wait for the patch ok? ;) now I feel the things will be better.... thanks again Ilya

[klem]

we can't judge it by some screenshots... let's wait for the patch ok? ;) now I feel the things will be better.... thanks again Ilya

+1
there's probably some tweaking to do anyway
clearly they are doing some major rework and thats not something to be criticising given the general state of the game.

[jomardi]

"dear" OLEG if you go make new game... ever, you must make free for all members, who has buy this game! remember this!!!

[esmiol]

oleg don't work anymore in 1C ... and not even in the game industry.

thx for the news... it is great to have finally news... and good news.!

[skouras]

the terrain looks very promising
but the shandows is a little washed out in the cockpit And with worse FPS
also the water has changed and i liked that water
anyway i'm sure they will be an awesome patch;-)

[aaltomar]

I have to say that purely from a visual standpoint the "before" cockpit shot was better than "after". If the main idea is to make the dials more readable in a bright sunny day then I guess that's a compromise one can live with, but still I do prefer the original shot. Outside looks good.

[Baron]

I really fail to see and understand how you guys can perceive the after screenshots as better. They are completely washed out, by having the fog effect applied on the aircraft and inside the cockpit too, which it shouldn't. unless that it's a foggy day, or an early morning mist, the landscape it's way too washed out too..

I don't understand you guys jumping in head on and stating that you like them. I wouldn't have said anything to Luthier about this, as the man said work in progress so it is not a final outcome, but seeing you hearding the like button it's kind of disturbing.

also, I really hope the new render is a dx11 one. this rework of the render seems kinda of fishy to me. I'm not saying it is not done, I'm just saying that it actually fits a reasoning saying that actually IL2CoD was released on a placeholder IL2 1946 engine (the technical proof-of-concept one they've developed using the old IL2 one to test the new FM & DM), with some modifications, they were forced to release it like that (with lots of "placeholder" parts), and they are about to catch up from behind with the new engine. a reasoning getting stronger and stronger with each step they are making..

So, they switched the entire core game engine from old IL2 to the new CoD and the patch is still under 1 GB.

That is some serious coding going on there. ;)


P.S. The colours is NOT yet tuned.


Good work Luthier and team, as others have said its good to hear how much work is been done and we should wait till the actual patch arrives before busting a vein.

[Rickusty]

Great news!

I really thought you were already sunbathing in the black sea, with hot russian girls all around you
http://www.ukrainebride.net/images/activity-girl-group-photo-2.jpg

but... not.


You're still working hard and trying to improve the beast.

Bravi !

Cheers!
Rick

[Kankkis]

Thanks Luthier.

[adonys]

we can't judge it by some screenshots... let's wait for the patch ok? ;) now I feel the things will be better.... thanks again Ilya

that's exactly what I said, that we can't judge it by those screens, as they are WIP. but even if we would, we couldn't say they are better, as many are claiming right here and now..

So, they switched the entire core game engine from old IL2 to the new CoD and the patch is still under 1 GB.

That is some serious coding going on there. ;)

code by itslf is small. if they can use the same data with it (as in they've modified the old engine to use the new format they wanted for CoD, or they are forcing the same forats into CoD as in old IL2 - though the last one would be worse), the change would be only a few megs.

the 1 GB size can only be because of new media data added, namely sounds and textures.

and working on a new rende in no way is a job of a few weeks, like they want us to believe. it should stretch on at least a couple of months (and only if you have some genial programmer working like crazy), several months more probably..

[tintifaxl]

as of every patch so far, my questions are:
What about radio commands and loadout options fixes?

Radio comms are most essential for any flight sim but the pure arcade ones. Online and offline.

Sorry, but my personal opinion is: Until these 2 issues (in fact those that make the game broken from my pov) are fully fixed and streamlined, I don't even want a new graphics engine, to be perfectly honest.

+1 to that. Fixing the radio comms is the most important issue for me.

[Seeker]

Thanks for the info.

Mind you, one is pressed to ask:

If you've had to make new graphic and sound engines in the past months, if indeed you CAN make new graphic and sound engines in mere months, just what the hell where the six years of development used for?

It sure as hell wasn't used on fancy interfaces.

Nonetheless, thank you for the news.

[Baron]

that's exactly what I said, that we can't judge it by those screens, as they are WIP. but even if we would, we couldn't say they are better, as many are claiming right here and now..



code by itslf is small. if they can use the same data with it (as in they've modified the old engine to use the new format they wanted for CoD, or they are forcing the same forats into CoD as in old IL2 - though the last one would be worse), the change would be only a few megs.

the 1 GB size can only be because of new media data added, namely sounds and textures.

and working on a new rende in no way is a job of a few weeks, like they want us to believe. it should stretch on at least a couple of months (and only if you have some genial programmer working like crazy), several months more probably..


All im saying is that there is a huge difference between using an old engine with some new stuff as suppose to a new engine with some old stuff.

[yellonet]

that's exactly what I said, that we can't judge it by those screens, as they are WIP. but even if we would, we couldn't say they are better, as many are claiming right here and now..Yes one can say they are better, or worse. "Better" is a very subjective term so if I think it looks better I can very well think so and say so, but you don't have to agree.

[Blackdog_kt]

Regarding the "it's ported from IL2" assumption, i highly doubt it since they are coded on different programming languages.

I think they just had a "basic" build of CoD that they had to release when Ubi said "no more money" but they had probably started work on a better one already, maybe even being half-way done with it, and the reason we are only seeing the results now is that it's getting closer to completion and there's something tangible to show.

[justme262]

It worries me that so many people see the screen shots as an improvement when they look so much worse to me. Washed out and colorless...

I just got COD running great with the darker terrain mod and sounds mod at 60fps with no stutters and now they are gonna change everything...

We have had new bugs introduced with patches, such as the prop pitch bug when they changed the 109prop pitch and the loadout screen not working after a patch. I hope this doesn't fix what isn't broken.

I would be much happier if they said they were fixing bugs like the controls bugs, spits mkI 100octane fuel, CSP.... adding British destroyers...ect

I am gonna make a copy of the way it is now ...

[JG52Krupi]

It worries me that so many people see the screen shots as an improvement when they look so much worse to me. Washed out and colorless...

I just got COD running great with the darker terrain mod and sounds mod at 60fps with no stutters and now they are gonna change everything...

We have had new bugs introduced with patches, such as the prop pitch bug when they changed the 109prop pitch and the loadout screen not working after a patch. I hope this doesn't fix what isn't broken.

I would be much happier if they said they were fixing bugs like the controls bugs, spits mkI 100octane fuel, CSP.... adding British destroyers...ect

I am gonna make a copy of the way it is now ...

They reason they broke things is they rushed patches out and broke things and ppl moaned, now they have spent time debeloping the next patch, in fact STATED that they were going to take longer and still ppl frickin moaned :confused: :rolleyes:

[skouras]

They reason they broke things is they rushed patches out and broke things and ppl moaned, now they have spent time debeloping the next patch, in fact STATED that they were going to take longer and still ppl frickin moaned :confused: :rolleyes:

agree

[jimbop]

Regarding the "it's ported from IL2" assumption, i highly doubt it since they are coded on different programming languages.

I think they just had a "basic" build of CoD that they had to release when Ubi said "no more money" but they had probably started work on a better one already, maybe even being half-way done with it, and the reason we are only seeing the results now is that it's getting closer to completion and there's something tangible to show.

+1. This is logical and closer to the truth I think. Frankly, though, I don't really care what happened at release (it's past, can't change it) as long as the devs make amends now (which they seem to be).

[Bonkin]

2 weeks eh?

How come I dont believe that...??

heheeh

If I read it correctly we're looking at least 2 weeks of further development and at least a week of testing. We therefore cannot expect to see the patch become available until 27th August at the earliest.

This doesn't bother me... I'm just glad for the communication from the devs - so we know they are still working it.

[JVM]

"Washed out and colorless..."

This is exactly what was missing...Any RL flyer will tell you this is the way the landscape looks like most often when flying, In England or elsewhere...So far CloD seemed to be consistently high noon with prevailing NW winds hence very clear atmosphere...this was not the case all the time, especially not during summer 1940!

Note that A/C flying a bit lower altitude than you should now be a lot easier to spot, like in real life...

JV

[Pluto]

... that things are progressing well !
:!:

[furbs]

They reason they broke things is they rushed patches out and broke things


Krupi, come on now mate, you just made that up. :grin:

You or i have no idea why they broke it.

[Cpt_Farrel]

Great news! Thanks for the update. Looking forward to this!

[Bonkin]

"Washed out and colorless..."

This is exactly what was missing...Any RL flyer will tell you this is the way the landscape looks like most often when flying, In England or elsewhere...So far CloD seemed to be consistently high noon with prevailing NW winds hence very clear atmosphere...this was not the case all the time, especially not during summer 1940!

Note that A/C flying a bit lower altitude than you should now be a lot easier to spot, like in real life...

JV

I fly a bit (just PPL) and my experiences (in the UK) are that often there is no clear horizon (colours wash out), but looking down the clouds often cast great dark shadows across the landscape so you never have any uniformity of colours. At the moment I think CloD captures the horizon very well. I think as the dynamic weather patches come along we'll see some great visual improvements.

[Flanker1985]

Sorry sir. We just want to ask when does the eastern front version of this game is coming out. Because we all loved the previous IL-2 game especially the dynamic Soviet fighter campaign. Me and my friends are all eager to pilot the MiG-3 and Lavochkin serious in the new IL-2 game.

Thank you in advance for replying us.

[justme262]

Did anybody else notice that reflections were enabled in the last beta patch and then disabled again in the official patch? It was a nice effect. I was sad to see it gone again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye_VY1aV3Zg

I see real life pilots saying the cockpit lighting looks more realistic in the after screens. I suppose there would be a lot of ambient light in a cockpit on a sunny day...
What do the other who fly real planes think?

[bongodriver]

Did anybody else notice that reflections were enabled in the last beta patch and then disabled again in the official patch? It was a nice effect. I was sad to see it gone again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye_VY1aV3Zg

I see real life pilots saying the cockpit lighting looks more realistic in the after screens. I suppose there would be a lot of ambient light in a cockpit on a sunny day...
What do the other who fly real planes think?

I fly professionally and would agree the after shots are more realistic of ambient light levels but I actually preffered the old higher contrast.....but Luthier did explain this still needs tuning.

[klem]

I fly professionally and would agree the after shots are more realistic of ambient light levels but I actually preffered the old higher contrast.....but Luthier did explain this still needs tuning.

I'm waiting for the patch to see what we really get but if the after shots turn out to be a good representation I'd say the cockpit is washed out but not the terrain.

[Continu0]

Without reading trough the whole tread, two things that came up to my mind:

1. Luthier is talking about a "Development Update", not about a patch- or bug-fix update. To me, this sounds like they know exactly that there is still a lot of work to do and they are also planing (and able(in terms of money, etc.) to do it!
Sounds positive for the future!

2. I am okay with the rare posts from luthier. People are moaning anyway and a weekly update with hundreds of replies like "but my priority-list looks different" etc. doesn´t help anyone.

So I am looking forward to the next patch and hope for the best:)

Continu0

[Sammi79]

Thank you Luthier for an informative development update. Sounds like work is progressing well, good news on all fronts - FMs, sounds, new aircraft, new ground units, graphics etc... keep up the good work.

:)

[Rattlehead]

Thanks for the info.

Mind you, one is pressed to ask:

If you've had to make new graphic and sound engines in the past months, if indeed you CAN make new graphic and sound engines in mere months, just what the hell where the six years of development used for?



Probably for a number of reasons.

For one, the team are working flat out to release these patches, and in the early conceptual stages of the game, work was most likely undertaken at a much more leisurely pace, which is normal.

The early planning of this game must have taken months by itself, before even starting work on the engine.
Numerous meetings to decide what exactly they want to do with a new simulator, what content to include, what campaign to start with, what api to use, which members of the team will be doing what etc. etc.

Then, because of the new CEM, huge amounts of research was undertaken, which can take forever. Doing all the research for the content of this game, to keep it historically accurate, must have been exhaustive and taken up a massive amount of time.

Building the engine must have been another monstrous undertaking, especially with a small development team. Most game developers just don't have the time and money to build a whole new proprietary engine, preferring instead to use an already existing engine, but MG have built their own from scratch, and the graphics and sound are only a tiny portion of the overall engine build. Think of all the insane calculations done by this game...the CEM, all the collision detection, the AI...it goes on and on.

Given the size of the team, and given the fact that this was built from scratch with quite mind-boggling detail, I don't think 5-6 years is really unreasonable.

[Redroach]

Don't get too upset about the new graphics! The way I see it, they just fiddled a bit with gamma correction and edited terrain textures to darker colors, as of now. Let's see how it looks in the actual patch it is contained in.

Radio comms and loadouts plx!

[Mogster2K]

As someone who lives in the UK the new colours are much better, less lime green, I also like the softer shadows. Although the cockpit lighting looks a bit less WOW, I prefer that to the harshness of the old lighting, it feels more realistic.

So at a glance its a hesitant thumbs up from me.

[Kodoss]

Should'nt we all wait what we get in the next patch and then list the Bugs?

Luthiers Team is still working on it. Even if you complain now about things, does'nt mean that they would implement it.
IMHO its better to wait for the patch and look what we get, then to complain endlessly and never getting it.
I personally think that the beta will be out in approximatly 4 weeks.

But it would be nice if they could give us the SDK (or at least the specifications for A/C and stuff) with the patch and tell us which A/C they have in the line, that we could start on planning our own content.

[unreasonable]

"Washed out and colorless..."

This is exactly what was missing...Any RL flyer will tell you this is the way the landscape looks like most often when flying, In England or elsewhere...So far CloD seemed to be consistently high noon with prevailing NW winds hence very clear atmosphere...this was not the case all the time, especially not during summer 1940!

Note that A/C flying a bit lower altitude than you should now be a lot easier to spot, like in real life...

JV

Yes but one might hope that the engine would be capable of producing this clear day effect when you stick in clear weather options into the FMB - otherwise how will the N.Africa Campaign Expansion due in 2023 look? Surely the hazy atmosphere effect should be part of the weather options rather than the default?

[David198502]

thank you luthier for this update!nice to see you here, and nice to be informed!this update shows me that you indeed listen to the community.the graphics changes look really improved!waoh im really looking forward to this patch.

[Qpassa]

Thanks.
Hope to see more news soon

[OverVolts]

1.) Graphics - Definitely needs adjusted, the old colors look more vibrant and the new shots colors look washed out. Also with the fps showing I see the same fps in before and after shots. Based on the before after shots the beta graphics look like a downgrade to something crappy.

2.) Sound - Current sounds are terrible so it won't take much for it to be considered an improvement.

Guess I'll have to wait and see what the final result will be after adjustments.

[JokkerFX]

Thanks, it is great that the sim is developed continuously better.

[Flanker35M]

S!

Well, it seems when autumn hits us CoD will get goodies so I can finally start flying and enjoying it :)

[Spinnetti]

WOW! Sounds great! I can't wait..... I've had the game since launch, but can't play it do to so many issues.. I'm sure this will be the best sim ever once it gets a little further in development....

[WWWringer]

I like the AFTER cockpit shots a LOT better.

The BEFORE shots with the harsh shadows look like the light source is from a pinpoint - or if the scene was lit by the sun during a solar eclipse a minute or so before totality. (yes, I have been fortunate enough to experience a total solar eclipse in good weather)

The AFTER shots look much more natural. The light source is a bit more difuse so that the lighting levels are not unaturally contrasty.

Keep up the good work.

[jg27_mc]

Thank you for the update. It looks very promising. :cool:

[katdogfizzow]

THANKS for the update

[JumpingHubert]

The BEFORE shots with the harsh shadows look like the light source is from a pinpoint.
the ligthsource of the sun IS a (not moving) pinpoint. Direct sunlight at clear weather makes harsh shadows. Only at distance the contrast may be washed out..

[furbs]

they didn't bend, they fixed, it was wrong before.

[CharveL]

Luthier, please don't listen to those who like the old vibrant, gay disco lighting. These are the same people who walk into BestBuy to purchase the brightest, most garish TV on the shelf.

As long as you remember this is a simulator and not some Unreal engine FPS I think we'll be happy. Let Wings of Prey take care of the other crowd, most of us will prefer the new lighting system I'm sure if it turns out as promised.

The after screenshots look much better even at thus early stage (minus the roundels) but it can be hard to tell from a couple screenshot stills. Mainly I hope the flickering shadows are gone next patch.

[csThor]

I'll reserve judgement until I can actually see and hear what is in the making. It's probably the only sensible thing to do ... instead of vivisecting a bunch of screenshots for the eternal truths of the universe as some people seem to be so fond of. ;)

[VO101_Tom]

It's amazing, we used to get threads every week about how "cartoony" the colors looked, that it was nothing like "real" England, and was too vibrant. Now they finally bend for these vocal individuals, and the sentiment changes to too washed out.

different people, different opinion, but both may have truth! I like this humid weather anyway, than the previous cold front weather.

[Borsch]

Thanks for the update Ilya!

Please look into AI doing barrel rolls 3 times faster than the player! It is not possible to play offline with this bug.

[JG5_emil]

Looks great. Love what you've done with the landscape.

:D

[kedrednael]

Finally an update. thanks!:grin:
New colours look much better as before, they make the textures look a lot more realistic.

[flyingblind]

As I said in previous post, I prefer the after to the before. I personally think the after looks more realistic, the before sort of looks like you are wearing polarizing sunglasses. So perhaps that is the solution - if you like the after better, nip into Boots and grab a cheap pair to wear whilst playing. :-)

[Krt_Bong]

Heh, heh he said 2 weeks, Ha Ha

[ATAG_Snapper]

Heh, heh he said 2 weeks, Ha Ha

Two weeks, be sure! :D

[GF_Mastiff]

more than likely 6 weeks from the sound of it.

[KastaRules]

Hi everyone.
[...]
Thank you all for your support!

You guys are awesome! :cool: After all your hard work and support, I feel guilty about having bought only one copy, I think I am gonna get a second one!

[mungee]

I must add my thanks as well!

You're working on a "masterpiece" - the detail staggers me!!

[speculum jockey]

the ligthsource of the sun IS a (not moving) pinpoint. Direct sunlight at clear weather makes harsh shadows. Only at distance the contrast may be washed out..

Cockpits with curved glass canopies, lots of polished metal, and tons of instruments can result in "washed out" shadows since the sun's light is being reflected off of many different surfaces, from many different directions.

Maybe one of the nerds here can drag his $15,000 Spitfire simpit outside so we can see what it looks like for real (or as close as real as his allowance will let him).

Not the same, but you can see the "lightplay" at work, even with the canopy glass rolled back.

http://i.imgur.com/lqr9Vl.jpg

[Mad G]

Two weeks, be sure! :D

:-P
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2514/turtlezg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/685/turtlezg.jpg/)

But some improvements has shown, let´s see. Patience is a virtue...

[kendo65]

Thanks for the update. Seems like an improvement to me on the screen shots.

Intrigued as to what the "quite a few new aircraft variants in the oven" will be, and whether they'll be flyable?

Cheers

[Rattlehead]

Intrigued as to what the "quite a few new aircraft variants in the oven" will be, and whether they'll be flyable?

Cheers

Yes, interesting question. That part of the announcement got lost in the shuffle a bit I think, but it's going to be interesting to see what the devs have in store.

[philip.ed]

Firstly, brilliant update Luthier, many thanks.

I was looking through some of the old development updates and saw this:
http://fooblog.mexxoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shot_20101223_161801.jpg

Seems to have the best of both worlds...

[SYN_Repent]

for **** sake it will get done. i admit it is a pain, but good things come to those who wait. and before you put me on your gimp list, this is the first pc sim i have bought.

so what makes you an expert? and start swearing?

[jamesdietz]

Thanks so much for the Gen- I love this sim but really want to see it come up to its full potenial.I appreciate the update!

[skouras]

Yes, interesting question. That part of the announcement got lost in the shuffle a bit I think, but it's going to be interesting to see what the devs have in store.

the E4 IS ONE OF THOSE FOR SURE

[JG52Uther]

the E4 IS ONE OF THOSE FOR SURE

I think thats a safe bet! CR42 would be nice as well ;)

[JG52Krupi]

I think thats a safe bet! CR42 would be nice as well ;)

If an E4 is present we will be hearing a massive scream of anger from the RAF... those mineshells take no prisoners....:twisted:

[159th_Jester]

Just been looking at Luthier's screenshots and first impression is that the landscape looks a thousand times better than it did at release.

Be very interesting to see the final product when the colour balancing and other tweaking is done. :)

[Pluto]

... I hope the BF-109E4 will be added ! ! ! (or even better, give me the F4) and I also hope, that the modelings of both are rather close to real, otherwise the complaining about the overmodeled Spitfire will start, like in the old IL2 again.
If - ... those mineshells take no prisoners.... - then learn to avoid them.

:mrgreen:

[VO101_Tom]

I will be curious about the equipment of the new german types. Automatic systems, engine verions (= performance), weapons...

[Skoshi Tiger]

Two weeks, be sure! :D

No, he actually said he not before three weeks minimum. That would be not before the 27/8 by my calendar

Luthier didn't mention anything about the Beta being released to the public.


Hi everyone.

Timeline wise, what we’re looking at is a beta sound patch in a minimum of 2 weeks, and at least a week of tests for that.

Cheers!

[Redroach]

If an E4 is present we will be hearing a massive scream of anger from the RAF... those mineshells take no prisoners....:twisted:

The E1 came last patch, would be time for some RAF love as well - make the Wellington flyable! ;)
Though the server admins could just unlock the Spit MkII as well

[Richie]

Aren't they backwards.... the before are better than the afters?

[Blackdog_kt]

Maybe the missing RAF variants will be included in new slots and the current ones renamed, especially since it takes no 3D work to do it (it would only need changing some parameters in the FM).

So, we might end up with a Spit Mk.I with 87 octane fuel and two-speed prop for battle of France scenarios (what we currently have, makes sense to keep it since we have the map to use it), a Spit Mk.I with 100 octane fuel and constant speed prop for battle of Britain missions, same for the Hurricanes, etc.

The E4 is also easy in that regard but it might need a bit of cockpit rework (moving the pitch control from the instrument panel to a rocker switch on the throtttle and adding the armored glass panels), but the rest of what it needs is already in the sim (the mineshells).

I'm just guessing here mind you, i just think it would be an easier way to expand the planeset than creating completely new aircraft from scratch so it might be possible.

[wolfhound338]

Aren't they backwards.... the before are better than the afters?

Ok I'll stop being a Troll, But I was thinking the same thing M8. I shall not complain as I think we all get it ^^

Looking forward to the new patch : Tally HOOOOOO


PS : Remember ' You can train MONKEYS to fly better than that'........I know, but's its a classic statement :P

Edit after some MOAR TROLLING I see this has been mentioned before :p

PS x2 : Look out Tracker IR boys I am here with the 'Charlie Foxtrot' squadron.....

[Bobb4]

Yes I am also confused about the before and after shot?
But one thing I am happy about is final confirmation that they are hard at work fixing stuff.
Hoorah and I promise not to say another negative thing for the next two weeks :grin:
I think a few "others" should try and do the same ;)

[Untamo]

S!

Great news! Keep up the good work :)

[VO101_Tom]

The E4 is also easy in that regard but it might need a bit of cockpit rework (moving the pitch control from the instrument panel to a rocker switch on the throtttle and adding the armored glass panels), but the rest of what it needs is already in the sim (the mineshells).

I'm just guessing here mind you, i just think it would be an easier way to expand the planeset than creating completely new aircraft from scratch so it might be possible.

The E-4 equipped with a automatic radiator (oil and water) and automatic Prop pitch too. E-7 equipped with external fuel tank. The /N engines (E-4/N, E-7/N) has different characteristics, than older ones (not only more powerful, but it has greater supercharger). This may mean much programming if they are not yet ready.

[roadczar]

That's more like it. Good work!

Hopefully there are some Eyefinity and Crossfire optimizations as well.

[Insuber]

Looking at the Hurricane shot, finally the grey perspex has been corrected to a more natural clear shade.

Cheers!

[Tvrdi]

so basically the new game...sweat..at least you didnt run away lol

[FlyingShark]

Indeed, sounds promissing to me though.

~S~

[catito14]

I hope the devs finally deliver to us the BATTLE OF BRITAIN Spitfire MK.Ia with Rotol constant speed pitch instead the BATTLE OF FRANCE Spitfire MK.Ia with De Havilland two-pitch airscrew that we have now.

[Fansadox]

Will anti aliasing work now?

[connie]

Will anti aliasing work now?

Anti aliasing will be implemented once the game is optimized. They likely disabled it to save FPS and make it flyable. They would not be the first devs to do this on a premature release.

[Chivas]

I'm just wondering if AA is that important when your using high resolutions like 1920x1080 etc.

[LoBiSoMeM]

I have AA working ok in near planes. But with the new graphic tweaks, with more haze in distant objects, maybe AA work nice in future patches.

[LoBiSoMeM]

I'm just wondering if AA is that important when your using high resolutions like 1920x1080 etc.

Yes, it is. In games/sims with far "dangerous" objects, fully functional AA helps a lot.

[furbs]

Yes, its very important.
Trying to ID targets mostly, but also for eye candy.

lets hope it will be switched on soon, as in game it says we can have up to X8.

It is slightly worrying though that Luthier has never spoken of FSAA or AF since before release.

[skouras]

the AA doesn't work above 2x
the game lose a lot ;-)

[connie]

the AA doesn't work above 2x
the game lose a lot ;-)

I run it at 2650 x 1600 and with 2x AA it looks really bad and is all shimmering. You cannot force aa either in control panel or nvidiainspector. I am sure they disabled it knowing fps was bad and will implement it when they optimize. Because without it it looks really bad and it is really ugly. Doesn't show as bad in screenies as it does in game.

[VO101_Tom]

I hope the devs finally deliver to us the BATTLE OF BRITAIN Spitfire MK.Ia with Rotol constant speed pitch instead the BATTLE OF FRANCE Spitfire MK.Ia with De Havilland two-pitch airscrew that we have now.

Actually, we dont know, where is the end of the game timeline. In 1940 Aug the LW got the first E-7s, but we have only E-1, E-3. In same month, the RAF got first Spit IIa. However, this plane exist in game, but missing the BOB era developments. Same on the German planes, this E-1 E-3 configuration flew in the Spanish civil war with one and a half years early already. This is a little bit obscure for us.

[grunge]

That's news! keep up the good work! ;-)

[Barso]

Thanks for the update, sounds fantastic.
Much appreciated.
Could you also ask ubisoft for a decent silent hunter 5 patch?

[Ze-Jamz]

Thanks for the update, sounds fantastic.
Much appreciated.
Could you also ask ubisoft for a decent silent hunter 5 patch?

:shock::confused:

[ChrisDNT]

As a long time color whiner, I must say this looks very nice. Congrats to the team, right direction !

[skouras]

Thanks for the update, sounds fantastic.
Much appreciated.
Could you also ask ubisoft for a decent silent hunter 5 patch?

LOL


ask for a new patch here



http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/1121062387

[Frankenscence]

Thanks for the update.

[JG27CaptStubing]

Well despite all this moaning stuff I'm glad to hear they are improving things.

I certainly hope they look into the future a bit and see what DX11 might bring to the table.

[sorak]

If I read it correctly we're looking at least 2 weeks of further development and at least a week of testing. We therefore cannot expect to see the patch become available until 27th August at the earliest.

This doesn't bother me... I'm just glad for the communication from the devs - so we know they are still working it.

I know man.. I guess you dont know the '2 weeks' joke I was teasing at.

[LoBiSoMeM]

At least we have now fully working AA:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=25281

Let's see if MG will tell Valve that we want to use it online without being VAC banned...

[Phazon]

It is slightly worrying though that Luthier has never spoken of FSAA or AF since before release.

It is, but I guess coming here and telling us that the whole graphics engine is being overhauled probably includes the anti-aliasing filter.

[LoBiSoMeM]

It is, but I guess coming here and telling us that the whole graphics engine is being overhauled probably includes the anti-aliasing filter.

Read my last post, please. We have fully working FXAA now. No need to wait the big patch with overhauled graphics engine. :-P

[catito14]

For online we still need the FXAA patch. :(

[chungpe84s]

Awesome

[LoBiSoMeM]

For online we still need the FXAA patch. :(

Three tiny archives... dxgi.dll, Fxaa3_11.h and shader.hlsl... Not even a "patch"... :-P

We just need that MG tell Valve that we aren't "cheaters" if VAC see this three archives in CloD main folder... It's really simple!

[catito14]

Three tiny archives... dxgi.dll, Fxaa3_11.h and shader.hlsl... Not even a "patch"... :-P

We just need that MG tell Valve that we aren't "cheaters" if VAC see this three archives in CloD main folder... It's really simple!

Great, i didn´t know that :grin:. Well, in the actual condition even a 1 byte file could be considered like a patch ;-).
Hope that MG put this 3 archives formally, and lets play it online with FXAA.

[Timberwolf]

Great that the sounds will be up to par with a 2011 game rather then the old ones from 2005

Good to know that the physics of landing will be corected I'm just hoping maybe some speed and lift will be added to this inflight The physics of flight feel sluggish at best

As for the new grafix samples Before looks better then after

( after ) In cockpit looks better your able to read the panel better

( Before ) Distance looks better water is less "misty" looking

I play the offline missions now and then and played online 2 times since April Still waiting for a good online battle sim like the ones i played 4 years ago

[Filthy Pierre]

Looks like from the screen shots its just made lighter and added more haze to the distance. Otherwise looks the same. Not that its a bad thing it looks alright to me. Just needs to be made smoother. I haven't seen one video of the game without a stutter and low level with buildings.

[cellinsky]

Thanks for the update, sounds promising so far..

Regarding the screens:
Love how the haze is done now. More like an european standart day. I assume it depents on weather-conditions set in MB, but seems to blend much better with the ground. Desert conditions are still possible I hope.

Ground-colors are much better. Love the greens now. But IMHO, overall its too dark/heavy now (12 oclock am, sunny day?). The roads should stick out more as an example...

Judging from my car-and cessna-pit on a sunny day: deep-shadows should be darker. The current pits have a bit too much contrast for my taste, but it brings the pit to life like no other sim does. Please keep this.....

Great Job however, looking forward to put an ear on this ;) ..............

[TomcatViP]

Hi Devs,

Thx for this very promising update (again)

Just my own though but pls bear in mind that I did not read all of the above post and might duplicate some one here :

The railroad network in France might hve been dominated by French machines. The state run company (the SNCF) had 2/3rd of it's assets and workers sized by the Germans with 1000 locomotive and 35000 wagons requisitionned as early as July 40.

If you are going to invest in extensive research on this subject you might be out of topic (unles you want to re-use this for a late theater :grin:)

Anyhow IMHO a German locomotive strafed at 500kph look like very much as its French counterpart ;-)

~S!

[Cataplasma]

Nice pics but still no mention about the sli compatibility...:confused:

Blair of NVIDIA said:
" "IL2:Cliffs of Dover" requires a Patch that enables SLI without Errors. I have managed it under DX10 and SLI, but unfortunately only with Flickering and that is useless. The Game needs Adjustments and I think therefore exists no Driver SLI Profile."

Sli working and 3D vision could be the icing on the cake...:cool:

[DUI]

After reading for months in this forum this update news was enough of a reason to register finally.

Even I am already quite content with the current status of CoD I am really looking forward to the update. It probably will be the first time that I will also try the beta version!

Thank you very much for the good news and great work so far and yet to come! :grin:

Best regards
DUI

Btw: Big thanks to Nikita who created my account manually.

[skouras]

After reading for months in this forum this update news was enough of a reason to register finally.

Even I am already quite content with the current status of CoD I am really looking forward to the update. It probably will be the first time that I will also try the beta version!

Thank you very much for the good news and great work so far and yet to come! :grin:

Best regards
DUI

Welcome to the club :grin:

[Le0ne]

Thank you a great improvment

[zxwings]

- In the BEFORE screenshots, the sun that shines on the landscape is not the same sun that lights up the cockpit. In the BEFORE cockpits the light-and-shadow contrast is so strong that the sun creating this effect must be very bright. Yet the landscape is not bright enough to have a very bright sun above it: in fact it looks like the landscape of a wet and cloudy day.

If your eyes jump between the gloomy landscape and the strong light-dark contrast cockpit, you tend to think that the cockpit is lighted by a 200 watt bulb.

- On a sunny day, it is always both the sun and the sky that light the cockpit - the sun's light creates the shadows, whereas the sky's light, very bright too but from no specific direction, illuminates the shadows.

- The AFTER screenshots are absolutely much better, but are not without its drawbacks: the woods and the shadows in the cockpit should be minutely darker - but still, of course, considerably brighter than those in the BEFORE screenshots.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=6782&d=1312652794

[LoBiSoMeM]

- In the BEFORE screenshots, the sun that shines on the landscape is not the same sun that lights up the cockpit. In the BEFORE cockpits the light-and-shadow contrast is so strong that the sun creating this effect must be very bright. Yet the landscape is not bright enough to have a very bright sun above it: in fact it looks like the landscape of a wet and cloudy day.

If your eyes jump between the gloomy landscape and the strong light-dark contrast cockpit, you tend to think that the cockpit is lighted by a 200 watt bulb.

- The AFTER screenshots are absolutely much better, but are not without its drawbacks: the woods and the shadows in the cockpit should be minutely darker - but still, of course, much brighter than those in the BEFORE screenshots.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachment.php?attachmentid=6782&d=1312652794

+1 to that.

[zxwings]

the ligthsource of the sun IS a (not moving) pinpoint. Direct sunlight at clear weather makes harsh shadows. Only at distance the contrast may be washed out..
Well the lightsource is not only the sun. One does not have a bright sun around which there is pitch black sky everywhere. The BEFORE shadows are somewhat too dark (see my explanations above).

[zxwings]

If it's possible to simulate the sky's illumination effect on the cockpit shadows, their darkness will vary inside the cockpit. This is absent from the current creenshots.

In the AFTER screenshot attached below, the long narrow shadow enclosed by red lines ought to be darker than the shadows enclosed by yellow lines, because much less light from the sky (not the sun) will reach the red-line shadow's surface.

[albx]

If it's possible to simulate the sky's illumination effect on the cockpit shadows, their darkness will vary inside the cockpit. This is absent from the current creenshots.

In the AFTER screenshot attached below, the long narrow shadow enclosed by red lines ought to be darker than the shadows enclosed by yellow lines, because much less light from the sky (not the sun) will reach the red-line shadow's surface.

do you know how many calculations are needed to do what you say? This is a flight simulator, not a 3DS Max to render photorealistic scenes.

[Heliocon]

do you know how many calculations are needed to do what you say? This is a flight simulator, not a 3DS Max to render photorealistic scenes.

He is right though.

Imo to me it just looks very washed out, its less of a lighting problem and more of a contrast one. However it pays to remember that we are looking at a digital image with little differance interms of actual light output between dark and light areas (if the screen is on and dark it is still emiting light, thats why you cant get a "real black" on a LED screen, got to switch to OLED) where as in real life where its all light from the sun bouncing around, there is a bigger ratio although it is ofcourse differerd.

[150GCT_Veltro]

Landscape is still horrible for my opinion, my personal opinion but this is a dead horse i think. It will never be reworked from scratch as it should be for a DX10 game.

It seems that textures has been recolored with a new layers instead of a new palette.

Lights and shadows are gone (?), and this was on of the best feature of this game.

[Tree_UK]

Landscape is still horrible for my opinion, my personal opinion but this is a dead horse i think. It will never be reworked from scratch as it should be for a DX10 game.

It seems that textures has been recolored with a new layers instead of a new palette.

Lights and shadows are gone (?), and this was on of the best feature of this game.

Well Luthier has stated that DX11 will be introduced and it was a very high priority, so i would imagine they have had someone working on it since release, so this could be any time soon.

[Phazon]

The game isn't even really using DirectX10 features as it is now. :P

[SlapStik]

I'm new from the US release and am glad to see the support!

[JG52Krupi]

Good to hear Slapstik hope to see you online tonight :D

[SlapStik]

Good to hear Slapstik hope to see you online tonight :D

Lol, I'll bet you anyone in need of a few (hundred) kills would be! I've been out of WWII error sims for too long and need some serious practice,,,,,, and I don't mean being on the wrong end of target practice!
:mrgreen:

[skouras]

i like how some people critism the sim
guys come on....
the sim isn't finish yet and Luthier already state's that the photos isn't tuned yet...so lets wait at least for the next beta to test it and post our comments after that..:-P
-S-

[Cataplasma]

i like how some people critism the sim
guys come on....
the sim isn't finish yet and Luthier already state's that the photos isn't tuned yet...so lets wait at least for the next beta to test it and post our comments after that..:-P
-S-

People waits for long time and life goes away...:cool:

[robtek]

Yeah, but that happens anyway. :D

[Robert]

Lol, I'll bet you anyone in need of a few (hundred) kills would be! I've been out of WWII ERROR sims for too long and need some serious practice,,,,,, and I don't mean being on the wrong end of target practice!
:mrgreen:


Freudian slip?

[Insuber]

Honestly I prefer the "before" pictures. Cockpit lighting & shading are way better in the "before", and fog is horribly overdone in the "after". That's the wrong way to go, if we stick to the pictures.

Cheers,
Insuber

[zxwings]

do you know how many calculations are needed to do what you say? This is a flight simulator, not a 3DS Max to render photorealistic scenes.

By "if it's possible" at the begnning of my words, I had already indicated that. But sorry for my choice of the term "possible", in stead of which I should have used "practical". :)

Moreover, do you know that in a simulator not everything in relation to 3D is calculated in an exact 3D manner? The reflections on the glass of the gauges in the cockpit, for example, if I remember correctly, are 2D or something, but are well acceptable, and better than if you don't have them at all. Those darker shadows I mentioned will always be the darker ones in the cockpit - then, like the gauge glass ...