Questions for Luthier

[BlackSix]

Attention!
Please ask questions for Luthier in this thread. He will try to answer them tonight.

[Feathered_IV]

The single player experience in Cliffs of Dover has been roundly criticized as being decidedly below standard. Can you tell us specifically in what ways you think it is lacking, and explain what you intend to do to improve it?

[JG52Krupi]

Can the sequel be merged with COD like the original il2 series and if it can will we get to test features that will be appearing in the sequel I.e. Weather etc..

[baronWastelan]

How many people are there working on IL-2 Sturmovik series now?

[JG52Uther]

Why were the Flyable G50 and Br20 modelled for CoD, when they only played a very minimal role, and more common aircraft left out, such as a flyable Do17 and indeed even the CR42?
Was it originally intended to move to the Med theatre after the BoB?

[IvanK]

Have you addressed the bugged Mixture issues in the RAF types ?
Have you addressed the Engine Overheat issues in the RAF types ?

[arthursmedley]

Originally Posted by JG52Krupi

Can the sequel be merged with COD like the original il2 series and if it can will we get to test features that will be appearing in the sequel I.e. Weather etc..

This question Ilya! Please confirm that the sequel will be able to be merged with our current game as in all previous IL2 releases.
Also, please, please introduce a coop mode similar to the one we had in IL2 as you are loosing potential sales without this!

1. Why was Clod released (in the condition it was in)?

2. Have you had serious problems re-writing the various code routines?

3. Do you still have some of the original engine coders?

4. Do you have anybody responsible for 'gameplay?' - serious question.

5. Do you think releases (both game and patches) have been handled competently?

6. Do you think the strong criticisms of Clod, on a forum such as this, are fair and reasonable?

[banned]

Luthier,

Have you seen how many times the same questions are asked, and if so

Why are they not being answered unambiguously, or a way that appears deceptive?

Why is there so much emphasis placed on the sequels process when most want CoD fixed?

[csThor]

What is your view on Gameplay and its impact on the success of a release?

To elaborate: Many flight sims released in the last decade or so showed the tendency of the developers to curtail the amount of work they put into gameplay questions (such as training missions, single missions and campaigns for offline and online players) and focus instead on technical fidelity, details and other things related to "crude matter" . Operational procedures and increased technical systems modelling have increased the realism (and frustration factor since often enough the customer was left alone with inadequate documentation and without guidance to using said systems properly) which received applause from many within the simmers communities, but at the same time the key factor to the success of the classic flight sims (such as Aces over Europe, F19 Stealth Fighter, European Air War or even Strike Commander) - the offline campaign and gameplay at large - got reduced to second-rate importance (if any at all). That received applause from certain elements within the communites as well, but generally it added another hurdle to success with more casual gamers because the releases tended towards sterility of the GUI and mission environment.
IMO a decent offline campaign system, with several well researched and designed campaigns, a collection of equally well designed offline missions and an FMB which lets the average user create missions of his own are one of the major pillars of a successful flight sim. It can provide a showcase for the performance of the engine, the dedication of the developers and the amount of research that went into making these missions/campaigns.