Friday 2010-02-25 Development update:Interview by Grégory Lemasson/Discussion Thread

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by sport02

many good news this week ,

also can we have wreck of plane , boat , vehicule , bom crater , smoke , haze of smoke when massive bombing or blitz etc ...., all of that which d' ont disappear after a few time but stay during all the mission ?

it's will be shame to not see your nice DM during the party and better for immersion but not good for fps , also perhaps a game option ?

Maybe in time. There is some problems with such features in continues buttles (sigle or online. At least possible to make special models - damages and lace them as an objects , add smoke , etc... But in automatic code - don't know yet. this is a geat work with additional models (various damaged).

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

How many of the aircraft in SoW have visible functional trims in the cockpit? Real pilots could probably see this before take off and in flight. Then our off-set makes no difference and causes no problems (it does in IL-2, because IL-2 often does not have these cockpit details). When airborne we can just see or feel if we need to trim so center doesn't even matter there.

Optional helper: Small, transparent pop-up window (at any time) showing the position of our flight controls. Useful for more than just checking trim positions.

Profiles: Force feedback tweaks, and the 'force sensing joystick' tweaks (I posted topic a week ago suggesting how it should work) could be useful for each aircraft. Our force feedback joystick motors are not strong. Also some hardware doesn't work that well with too much or little forces involved. Flying a heavy plane can make it function badly while a normal one is ok. Profile tweak can fix so we don't have to alt-tab each time.

Force feedback for SoW. Much better than IL-2? There's a big spring deadzone in IL-2 from the old FFB drivers, and the center of forces is always in the same place.

Trims and joystick center - This is a big topic for controllers. IL-2 trims control surface deflection directly, making it possible for us to let a spring joystick rest in at center yet still fly straight. Can even fly aircraft completely without having a joystick connected.

In real aircraft, trims only changes the forces on the stick, allowing the pilot to push the stick to a new position (required for flying straight) and keep it there without force. With the arrival of the G940 (and other existing no-absolute centering joysticks - Tarmac Aces in France make some amazing things) and probaby more to come, we could allow trims to work like real trims; change the force feedback, not the control surface deflection (they still permit the control column in game to move further during compressability though, as this cannot be simulated purely through a consumer type joystick).

If using curves with a sharp center point on the joystick it can become slightly less intuitive when the stick is off-set. If trimmed forward because of high speed (dive etc), moving the stick can give a different response to input. But (edit) we never need to move the stick far for trimming anyway (except in exterme situations, but then we are not gunning, or the plane simply cannot move much anyway due to compressability), and we don't have to use a 100% spiked curve for the joysticks. A bit flatter, larger center of the curve and it won't be noticed. The offset in our hand also makes it obvious the stick is not centered.

The features of this is freezed already. Open was only about trims.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by TheGrunch

Better repost this...

There is different in Il-2 and in BoB. In I-2 just for some parts was selected identical. There was a limit.... say mustang wouldn't fly at some maneuvers without damage of spars.... 6 G.... was limit in technical manual.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by Flanker35M

S!


Thank you Oleg for the respones in this thread, really interesting read I have one question about SoW. As it is mentioned in some interview or a website, the planes in SoW will wear in use etc. If I recall right that is. So for this, can we see the plane get dirty, the bullet holes (fixable, minor ones) and other tear & wear visible on "our" plane in outside view, for example after landing or in briefing?

Many times mechanics of FiAF mentioned the noses of the Bf109's being greyish of guns being fired and they had to clean the glasses etc. This applies to modern planes as well, seen under years how the planes gradually turn from factory fresh to dirty, paint patched more used planes today So possibility of dynamic dirt and show of damage etc?

There could be some nice features of the ground crew added later, but which ones are interesting for a few times and pointless to the game and those that really would matter is another issue. Maybe pilot (gamer) checks the plane before flight, the pre-flight inspection etc. Just a few..

Yes we have this feature in code. In time from mission to mission the plane looks older. But of coure it isn't 100% real life changes. Just approximation. But looks superb and add immersion

That to make inspecition we should add a lot of other features of unprepared or prepared for the flight aircraft. Then it will have sense. But we don't plan to go in this direction. It is too complex code in terms of time cration and don't have too good effect on the gameplay if to calculate ration time/money = final effect

For any feature is some calculation in these terms. In two words - how much cost and what the result...

[Freycinet]

HB252, thanks for the link to Spanish civil War Messerschmitts, some great pics there! Lovely photo of Mölders and really funny photo of the two 109s with broken landing gear. If they had only learnt from that they would not have had so much trouble with the 109 in WWII...

Oleg, now you have had a chance to see the wonderful comics by Romain Hugault. Incredible, aren´t they? I really think you should consider having him work with you. He is very happy to do work outside of comic books, and he knows your sims too. He could do some magnificent illustration for SoW-BoB in a very momorable and unique style.
- His blog:
http://romain-hugault.blogspot.com/
- Cover of his latest album, girls and planes, what more can you ask for!:
http://rhugault.free.fr/images/bd/PW2couv.jpg

BTW, if you go to rome one day, you should really see the Italian air force museum at Vigna di Valle. Quite a few well-preserved WWII types there, I think you would find it interesting...
- Panorama of one of the halls:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...Valle-2009.jpg
- more pics:
http://www.airliners.net/search/phot...(LIRB)+(closed)
- Info and link to home page:
http://luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/imh/iva.htm

[tagTaken2]

Will there be an upper altitude and speed limits on the SoW engine?

Cheers.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by ECV56_Lancelot

Several times i asked myself what if BoB recommend four or more gigas of RAM. Then obviously an 64 bit machine and OS will be needed.
How many people would be left out because they have a 32 bit OS?

Currently 3 Gb RAM minimum for running the game. More - beter.
Waht will be final specs... can't say. Maybe 4 minimum. I'm unsure.
Sure that if there will be more greater size map with the same level of the details - then we will need really more RAM if we would like to play smooth.
We try to optimize everything and keep balance in that.

[Snake_C6]

I have only one thing to say ....
Thank you Oleg to take time to answer the questions of the community !!!

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by tagTaken2

Will there be an upper altitude and speed limits on the SoW engine?

Cheers.

Didn't understand. If you speaking about some unprecise things in IL-2 over 10,000 meters then I would say that SoW has totally new physics engine.

[Freycinet]

Originally Posted by Oleg Maddox

It is really very hard task but my target.
At the moment we can't begin with civilian big aircraft. There is not some special features that are neccessary for modeling such aircraft and envirouments (modern radar system, speeches, etc)
But....
Right at the time when we will release first tools will be possible to make:

1. Sport piston engine aircraft
2. Almost any or any piston engine or multi engines aircraft of WWII time
3. envirouments, including new ground objects that will corresponds to that time (cars, ships, U-boats, tanks, rail road cars and many other things...)
4. to make own campagin engines, including for online. As a separate modules, that are using our API.
6. To program new devices for aircaft and other technics (this will happens a bit later that all above).
7. To add new calsses of controlable units in the game (cars, tanks, ships, u-boats, maybe even human as a first person... ). But this tool will be relased as the last from our side and for this we will need a time. The most complex.

Then... at the same time we should make own next sim. The next will be separate sim, but it will be possible to install as a merged version with previous one... Experience show me that this is the only one right way.
With new sim we will add new features (like in the past). Half or the models already done for the new sim so probably you may calculate what the sim it should be. Can't name you... because everything may happens... And in reality we was planning two sims right after BoB.... Maybe this also happens. All will depends of success or no success on the market with BoB. Hope success... everything will be fine then. I even can image how fine and how great will be life of this project Then I can to retire on a pension after some 10 years of SoW success

I know it is a big task, but who else is there to pick it up?

MS threw the hat in the ring, Austin Myers is doing his (great) thing but doesn´t seem too interested in systems modelling of more complex planes. But that is exactly the point: systems modelling of complex modern planes CANNOT be made by the same guy who makes a civil flight sim "back-bone". It MUST be outsourced to 3rd party developers, who will flock in if they get the right engine to work with.

As Obama learned in politics: If you are a small player, it is necessary to start a MOVEMENT, not just do all yourself, or with a small staff. If SoW can become a civil sim backbone, then giving the right instruments to 3rd party developers could possible create a catalyst effect, and we would have Take-Off!

From what I see in the Spitfire vid and elsewhere, SoW has the technical capacities in-built for professional developers to create content. The requirements are too high for amateur developers like the third-party scene around Il-2, but professionals who can actually earn money selling add-ons should be able to work with it, I guess. Just get some translators to work on documentation (very important!) and change the name of the engine (SoW is too warlike).