Friday 2010-07-09 Dev. update and Discussion Thread
 

Hi,



As I told we will tune graphics, effects , etc till final end. However all is working nice. Just to be sure - all will be even more better :)
Today is a bit unusual update. I want to show some features of engine for the future modeling.

Here is the view from 200 m to 40 km with modeling of atmospheric physics (contrast of hills/mountains at highest altitude will be more nicely tuned later) :

Just to remind: still WIP
 

You may see that we are thinking about third party developers and our own upcoming after BoB titles using this engine :) Hope you all understand what I mean.

Final part of today's update.
 

On the third shot - still in tunings trees and ground (depending of video card). Dots there - its tracers in pause. Currently they are looking as dots in pauses when we grab screen shots.


Notice: Next week Ilya will post update with some new screen shots. I will be in vacation next week.

Just beautiful..nothing more to say

Yep Oleg it is looking superb :grin:

Fantastic sunrise!
What area is that map?

Skarphol

Looks superb! I got one question though: what will be the max. size in KM for the maps?

Many thanks in advance!

Great!
 

Oleg, it will be really superb, if You make the fire and the flames, the smoke and the explosions more and more realistic as much as possible. And please add some long lasting bomb craters, in order for us to create "Moon surface". Everything is very good. Really!
~S!

Thanks Oleg, great shots, can't wait for the release

I guess it's time to start saving for a new computer :grin:

Freakin hell Oleg...stunning, made my friday:grin:

Look like north of Portsmouth looking south.
The far coast should be Cherbourgh

The size of the map could be unlimited (sphere) but with small amount of detail and decreased resolution.

So will be limited map.

As I told in the past there will be no Norway or Berlin.

Ok, I move in vacation right now. Sorry.

I'm running out of superlatives...
 

Wow. Just WOW!

Beautiful work, guys! It seems a very good sign that you can manage a vacation at this stage in development, Oleg.

Someone needs to start the 3-D modelling of a space shuttle- looks like the SOW engine can handle it!

Amazing!

Oleg have a Great vacation ! Thanks for taking the time to give us these Great Shots before your trip .
DESODE

Seems like you are right!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/...ortsmouth2.jpg

From Google Earth, eye alt 40km:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/...rtsmouth-1.jpg

Skarphol

Oleg the game looks almost photo reaistic I am really looking fowerd to it. When i was young (4 or 5) I wanted to be a spifire pilot (back in the 80's) I had lodes of old combat sims and I am in no doubte that this will be the best i have ever played. Mabey even better then IL2? :)

Thanks for the reply Oleg!

Have a nice vacation and don't forget your camera('s)!

Thanks for the update! Beautiful landscape screens :D
Have a good vacation Oleg.. don't go too far for too long though ;)

Looks absolutely awesome. I still think the landscape textures and trees have a way to go yet to look as good as the planes ;)

Not bad, but it would be cool for the finished game to have colors which look like the colors of the described area. I hope also that the final trees will be improved and that the land textures will have more resolution.

S!

Nice shots. Enjoy your vacation :)

Very unexpected content in this one. Looking very nice even at this stage. Enjoy your time off.

Lovely screenshots Oleg - I especially like the sun set/rise images. That will make flying beautiful.

Just a couple of things:

1. I know this is WIP and it's been discussed a lot, but I think the grass on the airfield (1st image, final part) is too green. I'm sure you know, but ... ;)

2. The edges of the Bf110 in the 3rd image, final part, seem very sharp. Presumably this is again WIP?

Have a great vacation!

PPanPan

just to make sure everyone get it right...this is no sunset....the time is frozen but the camera moves upwarts to the sky. im pretty surprised in a very positive way that oleg decided to go the "sphere" model of the planet. that really opens up possibilities :) well done team oleg!

.

From what I understand they are using Speedtree (?) - a third party "vegetation 3D api", and they are working with them on some problems with distance rendering of trees. Speedtree are experts in this area (most major game titles use their trees) so I suppose they will fix it... Oleg said some time ago that they have the trees at "low render settings" now while tuning them.

/Mazex

This update is highly fascinating. If i understand correctly, the game world is curved like the shape of the earth, even if the game map is limited. And more, engine renders up to the limit of space and maybe even beyond. That opens thrilling possibilities -- wow!

Ah and sunset screenshots look all superb. Photographic quality there, congrats !

Beautiful pics!

Thank you!!

Yet again beautiful screenshots,thanks oleg

What Bf 110?

What would the right colors look like?

I think resolution on surface textures are good enough for today's video card memory amount. After all we're talking about a flight sim.

I want to fly NOOWWW !!! :x

Have a well deserved holiday Oleg

Hmm, it doesn't look as good as RoF or WoP in the terrain part (I'm not talking about the first 2-sets of pics that Oleg posted BTW) so I think that it still can aim higher in that part. ;)

Looks fantastic! I think this is the best update so far. Thanks for kicking my weekend off to a nice start :)

Amazing!:grin:

The sunrise shots are stunningly beautiful.

There are some nice details in the final set of three shots as well.

In the first one with the burning dornier (that fire looks really frightning) it appears that the gunner/navigator is looking at the camera. That is the first time I've seen any crew member not looking straight ahead.

In the last shot with the tracers it looks like there is smoke from the chimney of the house with the red roof in the bottom right corner!:o

Great update, again.

Enjoy your vacation Oleg. And a bit of advice, forget about work completely, have a nice rest, and come back fully refreshed.:cool:

Thanks for the great update Oleg and have a relaxing break.

These shots demonstrate just how advanced Oleg's new engine is. The possibilities for such an engine are incredible. It's easy to forget how far we've come when we get caught up in all the nit picky details.

The shadows on the landscape at different times of day are simply mindblowing.

Having said that, I do hope the airfield grass is toned down a bit;-)
Something like this would be great...

Oops, quite right Foo'bar. I should of course have said Do17 :oops:

It's back to aircraft recognition school for me (again)!

PPanPan

Fantastic shots again!!! Thanks Oleg!!! :smile:

Each update is stunningly more impressive than the last! Satisfying to see, but makes the waiting that much more painful... ;)

Have a great vacation, Oleg, and rest up!

IF SOW ended looking a bit not so nice than WoP in graphics , it will make sense, because WoP is all about graphics, nothing more ( I play it for three days , never fired again, because it´s not my cup of tea, really)
And SOW probably will use more realistic looking , WOP is more hollywoodish with all that green filter, impressive but I felt like I was in Mars or something...)

I know what you mean about WoP's filter, but take RoF...if it had hedgerows it could look photographic. From what Oleg said, this is meant to look photographic, but I don't think those trees look bery good at the 'mo.

A big issue will be how far you can spot a boogie and what this has to do with the graphics card power.

As you all know in a dogfight the first advantage is to see the enemy before he sees you!!

Nice pictures, Oleg!

Btw, what do you think about "outerra project". They have very good looking engine for seamless planet rendering from space down to the surface.

Example is here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/lhrabcak.../0/TVjCetERjN8

Time lapse movie :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gAvVIv5mAI

The fire looks excellent!!

Oleg has already made comments on it in last weeks update thread.

Oleg, are the atmospheric conditions being done in 1940 standards?
What I mean to say is that there was a lot less air pollution back then.
I also wanted to say that so many elements are being so well done are really coming together to make something unprecedented and truly extraordinary :)

It's beautiful. Tree have you figured out I'm Hackl?

I'm used to seeing the dawn being more bluish in hue, like this:

http://www.atacamaphoto.com/atacama-...amacoast25.jpg

Is that just me coming from an area with less air pollution (I'm from Norway) or is a different time of the morning? I've always thought the early dawn in IL2, with haze clinging to the low ground was rather well done.

Noticable improvement in colors of terrain over previous. Looks like we'll have BoB for Christmas this year. Thanks for the great update Oleg, you've earned your vacation!!!

Dawn? This isn't a sunrise, I think it's a set moment in time (near sunSET, look which direction the sun is located) and the only thing changing in each shot is the altitude of the camera. I've taken off just after sunset heading west, seen the sun 'rise' in the west while climbing, then set 'again' after leveling at altitude. It's just the perspective you get at a higher viewing point.

Oleg: Very nice update - just stunning - thanks :)
Have an excellent holiday.

Sun over the Isle of Wight - thats home for me. :cool:

Any chance of a screenie of Stukas over Ventor downs radar station on the island in the next update ;) :rolleyes:

Airfield colour
 

I hope they keep the grass strips looking like grass, not like dried out harvested wheat on a wheat field that used to be grass.

I like how the fighters on the airfield are rendered in the distance.

I know that it's been mentioned a beefy computer will be required to run high settings - I'm wondering though, would a really fast GPU or CPU be preferred? (Hopefully ATI cards in SLI will be supported?)

Well ...an extremely impressive update. I can't help but ask if the simulation can model 60-100km range. With a more complex gravitational model orbitersim could be in for competition... Oleg: Will the moon be landable ;)

It could also be that you're still further north. Light is different depending on latitude. A lot of games developed in California look far to bright and colour saturated for my Canadian eyes, whereas games which have semi-realistic snow covered landscape automatically get played two-three times as much (more immersive).

I'm not sure that the air in 1940s England was any less polluted than it is today. Remember that there was far greater and more widespread use of coal at the time (trains, ships, residential and commercial heating, factories) than there is today.

Wasn't it in the 1950s that people died in London due to heating-coal smog lasting days?

I'm not saying it wasn't less polluted than today, I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't assume that it was just because we're talking about 60 years ago.

G.Wellum describes in detail the smog that he could see over London when flying over the city in his book. At least, I believe it was London, but it was no-doubt a city he was describing. ;)

"...a lot less air pollution back then."

I'm sure that's not correct.
The first half of the twentieth century was all coal-fired - industry, transport, domestic - everything came from the burning of massive amounts of coal. Electricity was generated by coal burning power-stations, and 'house' gas was a by-product of coke production. (no, not that type of coke! :) ) Just the daily burning of coal in houses in , say, London created an incredible amount of air pollution. In certain atmospheric conditions London was subjected to heavy 'smog' (literally, smoke and fog) which caused a large number of deaths every year, leading eventually to the Clean Air Act which outlawed the use of coal in London. That came two decades after 1940 however, and the pollution of the time was increased by the need to produce more power, use more trains, and run more factories when war broke out.
The atmosphere over Britain was thick with the carbon particles that coal-burning churns out.

B

Quite right C_G, the Clean Air Act and the a change from using solid fuels to gas in 1970s means the air at lower levels in especially urban Britain is much cleaner than it was in the 1940s. Much of this black air would coat everything. Back in the , 70s, and 80s many old and historic buildings were cleaned. I still remember York Minster and the railway station there with their coating of industrial grime. Both were cleaned up in the 70s and 80s and have gone from brown and black to their natural stone colour. The Old Dart must of looked very grubby back when.

Great shots overal but i have to agree with Philip.ed. The trees could look better. As i understand the trees are not made in house, that may be the reason it takes longer to adjust.

The flight at 40 km - you nailed it Oleg & Co - absolutely jaw dropping. Can't wait to fly a U-2 up there. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6cZLfK4Zjk

I hope trees are not final yet. They spoil the terrain to me :(

London at least was know for it's smog.
Don't know too much about wartime years but air quality now might even be better than it was in the past.

Anyone have any idea?

:/

Whats with the overly saturated greens and browns again in the third set ......

2010 and still screenshots have no AA :rolleyes:

After this game gets launched and you reload bank accounts, you guys need to buy all new MODERN rigs with 24' widescreen monitors .....

A good high res movie 720/1080 is in order at this point.

one of these days we'll be able to fly to the moon! Mark my words.

Very beautiful!

That is very interesting.
What about the overall pollution over rural areas? Would this have been worse back then as well?
I am only asking as I have seen photos of mountain ranges (in the US) from the 1940's and compared them to the same view today.
The view from 70 years ago is much more clear.

Oh, Protos...you are such a "card", you shuffle when you walk and you need to be dealt with (lol). ;)

You realize that the rocky mountains of the US were pretty much deserted at that time vs the south of england right? Your using an example of one of the(at that time) least industrialized areas of the world with one of the most industrialized areas of the world.

"London


Victorian London was notorious for its thick smogs, or "pea-soupers", a fact that is often recreated to add an air of mystery to a period costume drama
In 1306, concerns over air pollution were sufficient for Edward I to (briefly) ban coal fires in London.[11] In 1661, John Evelyn's Fumifugium suggested burning fragrant wood instead of mineral coal, which he believed would reduce coughing. The Ballad of Gresham College the same year describes how the smoke "does our lungs and spirits choke, Our hanging spoil, and rust our iron."
Severe episodes of smog continued in the 19th and 20th centuries and were nicknamed "pea-soupers". The Great Smog of 1952 darkened the streets of London and killed approximately 4,000 people in the short time of 4 days (a further 8,000[12] died from its effects in the following weeks and months). Initially a flu epidemic was blamed for the loss of life. "

guys remember, colorgrading should be done as a post fx. im pretty sure oleg has lots of possibilities to desaturate and colorkey the final output. add motionblur, dof, vignetting, maybe some film-grain and you magically get a very convincing looking picture for not that much graphic power nowadays.

is the gunner slumped over in the last shot?

This is the most interesting news yet. Unlimited map (sphere) suggests a world map, with only the BOB area being modeled in detail in the first addition of the series. Also saying that there will be no Norway or Berlin modeled brings hope that Paris will. ;)

This unlimited sphere map bodes well for future addons that included bomb raids to Berlin etc. Hopefully computers will be strong enough then to have such large detailed maps. FSX does have a world map but photo scenery looks ok at high level but sucks big time at low level.

I find the current state of the terrain scenery is good, but still needs work to make it photo realistic. Although maybe all thats needed is more varieties of trees, and hedgerows, more realistic color palette, and higher resolution. Yes I know its still a WIP.

CAnt wait, looks incredible

He is what is scientifically know as a 'tit'.

awesome ... i cant wait to buy this game.... any ideas when that may be??
~S~ Bear.

~S~

Bloody FANTASTIC!!! Made my Friday as well :P

Can bet it is not soon enough Bear :P

Beautiful stuff.

Отлично!!!!

The model that is being hinted at is incredible in potential.

I had something to say about the belief that pollution is worse now but I refrained in fear that I would be misunderstood.

Splitter

Friday is my favorite day of the week. For more than one reason now. :)

Your aliasing bores me .....
Try another nick roflol ;)

:-Pvery very nice Oleg you and our staff will great job ,however if you have to rest you, you can come very well in southern Italy where you can make excursions subacque (your hobby) and to see wonder of archaeology Roman-Greek frets.If you have chosen different destination, can make vacation Olga. A place in my house is always found... therefore Olga sole,mare,pesce freso,frutta of season and a beautiful tan, will return in fortified Moscow so that to finish this blessed S.O.W!!

looks great.

in these snapshot views of the actual product, in development, it looks good.

I think you are right, a sunset looks far more like it. SunSETs are usually more colourful than sunrises, at least where I come from. I suppose the reason is that the day see a combination of sunlight and wind, drying up the topsoil and sending particles up into the lower atmosphere. Also, industry, road traffic and other polluters are most active during the day. When night comes, wind subsides, temperature drops, water in the air condensates and helps clean the air.

Imagine flying over such a landscape when taking off for a night mission! I wonder what Oleg manages to get out of London burning...

The images is taken more or less due south seen from a little north of Portsmouth. The sun seems to be straight to the south. Thus it should be in the mid of the day. It is a little bit weird that the sun isn't higher on the horizon.

Skarphol

On the highest altitude screenshot you can see an east-west line in Northern France, beyond which there is no terrain drawn. That looks like map-edge to me.

Either that or its the point where the engine stops drawing the map. The line looks to be about 150 miles away from the viewpoint.

T.

...


Same feeling here, Deadmeat. ;)

http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Kanal5.jpg

http://www.checksix-forums.com/showp...postcount=1097






What about the "WIP settlement" of the three models of hangars on the first Do 215 screen.
Those hangar main doors are sitting intimately face to face) .

http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Hangar1.jpg




A comparative study with the following aerial pictures of Thorney Island airfield(1945).



http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Hangar.jpg

During an attack on Aug 18th, 1940, the luftwaffe (Stuka) has damaged two hangars, one of which remained a burnt-out shell until after the war.

http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Hangar2.jpg




These "siamese" hangars at Andover drome, in 1918 've loved to keep a respectful distance from each other. ((:)))

http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Hangar6.jpg

...

Thanks again Oleg. There's a feeling of depth in those shots. Enjoy your vacation.

I think it's very safe to assume hangars have only been placed there for demonstration or testing. Oleg's team knows how airfields look like, moreover airfield takeoffs and correct hangars in SoW could be seen in videos already in 2007. Some of you guys really panic at the slightest bit ;-)

...


I'll like to thank, Doctor Nausicaa for the nice diagnosis. :grin:

But we should learn to interpret the members messages appropriately.



Please, let's maintain our sens of humour. : ))



Tchuss !
...

Great stuff Oleg, have a great holiday.

great looking update! today is July 10 the beginning of The Battle Of Britain :grin:

Or reading all the updates and Olegs/Luthiers comments that exist for this sim first ?
A very good translator is Globefish for Firefox...
https://addons.mozilla.org/fr/firefox/addon/7361/

..just select the text and, voila, the translation is there..you don't even have to select which "language to language" first, it recognizes it automatically. Talk about this to the guys at checksix too ! (<--sense of humor ;-)

seems rather obvious to me, its just a few buildings plonked down in the field temporarily so
1) the aircraft flying from there have a reference point to locate the field (untill scenery is improved enough to do proper VFR)
2) its a nice little challenge to fly through all 3 hangers, they all have their doors open and are aligned end on end

:)

what is more interesting, did anybody spot the smoke rising from the chimney of the english house in the other new screenshot ? about a year ago oleg also gave screenshots (in close up) of houses with interior lights on. those are nice attentions to detail which will go well with some of the other new elements we are getting to improve immersion in the game (AI road traffic, birds flying in the sky, etc..), and starting to see see it as a living breathing world we fly around in.

AA?
 

These are stunning pics, but just out of curiosity, why is there no AA in these pics?

Because it is an Alpha - weight a few months and you'll see player controllable antiaircraft guns (or DX11 with simultaneous anti-aliasing and HDR).

+1 on you name btw. It actually seems like something new...

...


We are sharing the same progressive thoughts.


It look's obvious to everyone here. :grin:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachm...7&d=1273240813



TWIMC
Have you see, what could be some runway edge equally spaced markers (05 brownish dots) ??
Anyone got a idea what they could look alike ?

http://users.teledisnet.be/web/mfe39146/Hangar1.jpg




...

I think lawfulfalafel was talking about Anti Aliasing instead of Anti Aircraft. Oleg stated somewhen before that AA is fine tuning wich will come later.

I bet those trees will look alot better with transparency AA.

Stunning,

Great work.

Don't haste the release...

expect such a dawn cruise

As a professional artist and digital artist i assure you there is nothing wrong with the colour range. Try calibrating your monitor properly.

Great developement work! That engine is gold