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

[JVM]

Oxygen issues are really very difficult to notice: high profile accidents in business jets and light aircrafts (one pressurized in US, the other with a portable oxygen system in France) with highly experienced people (the light aircraft pilot was a test pilot on a ferry flight) in recent years and the countless accidents in the military tend to prove one thing:

- the pilot cannot (except by incredible and rare luck, or specifically trained to recognize deprivation initial symptoms) realize by himself he is is suffering of oxygen deprivation

- for him, everything appears normal up to the point he will brutally loose concisousness

- the only way to get out is to have a wingman (or sometimes ground control) understanding something is wrong and able to reach at whatever useful mind is still there by yelling orders...but usually when the problem is noticeable from the outside, it already very late in the drama, and only luck will allow a positive outcome!

- If for instance the aircraft is trimmed properly for cruise, there is not chance that the pilot will ever recover: if he did not died of oxygen deprivation the loss of power at the end of the fuel tank and the ensuing imbalance (no more torque, dissymetric loads) will precipitate the descent to such an extent that the pilot may very well have no time to wake up, as already pointed out before...

- so the only way to simulate is quite simple: for some reason (failure or battle damage) the oxygen is cut off...

- then if a blinker is present it will cease working (this is only "positive" way for the pilot to know in time something is wrong with the oxygen but he must be disciplined and trained to check his blinker often at altitude!)

- after a while depending on possible factors like fatigue, health, injuries and whatnot, the screen becomes black, with a message "OXYGEN", no more. At this point the pilot has no means of action, has a limited life expectancy (defined by the game), and may be allowed to wake up with a gradual removing of the black screen (much in the same way as blackout) and be given back his controls...if the aircraft reaches a breathable altitude and assuming it did not crash or be shot down before!
Once the oxygen is failed a randomly aired message may be given to the wingman or ground control to simulate a visible problem (random to simulate lack of awareness of the wigman/control).

Believe me it will be as realistic as it can get (I am quite familiar with hypoxia, having already flown up to 30000 ft with an failed oxygen mask and a friend with a good one!)

JV

[Runar]

Great update Oleg. I'm really looking forward to this game now

I'm just wondering, will the 'thing' Roman uses to shoot at the Stuka with the .303 guns come with the game so we can play with it and do experiments ourselves when it is released?

Edit: This is the 'thing' I'm talking about:

Roman carries on with demos of the Junkers damage model. He is using his mouse and select an english .303 weapon. He then clicks like hell on the Stuka and explains that all small caliber bullets will be taken in account in the aircraft DM and indeed after two dozens of mouse clicks I notice after every click a hole appeared in the aircraft fuselage at the exact location where he clicked.

Edit2: Today is my birthday, and I believe that is a valid reason for demanding answer!

[brando]

Originally Posted by philip.ed

It is rather isn't it? But then, so is war

I don't disagree with your statement. I just don't think it's necessary or desirable to depict such a gross image in a flight simulation. Pilots got burnt on any area of skin that was bare - we mostly know that. In Britain many seriously burnt pilots received pioneering skin-grafts and facial rebuilds from Dr Archibald MacIndoe - we mostly know that too. I just think that requiring to see the human torch effect of the oxygen mask is morbid and macabre. We're not asking for a snuff movie, we just want a flight sim.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by philip.ed

My question to you is, could SoW model this feature? It wouldn't be pretty, but it would be extremely realistic.

Probably no.

However.... even the simplest russian oxigen mask of 1930th had two valves - in and out. On the oxigen balloon was the simple reduction of pressure (same as we may see on the British balloon). That is enough when you are not using it - oxigen isn't going.... hovewer possible oxigen seepage in case of bad valves and for this of course is the close cock on the balloon.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by JVM

Believe me it will be as realistic as it can get (I am quite familiar with hypoxia, having already flown up to 30000 ft with an failed oxygen mask and a friend with a good one!)

JV

Probably you are completely right.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by Urufu_Shinjiro

Oleg, I know this may be a more technical question better suited for you programmers, can you say what sound API will be used, DirectSound3D, OpenAL or other? Windows Vista and Windows 7 no longer support sound card hardware acceleration for DirectSound3D but do support hardware acceleration with OpenAL.

As told me Rudolf Heiter(our sound engineer) when I noticed him about such a problem, he said that all there will be fine. More precise I can ask him on Monday.

[Flanker35M]

S!

Good news since sounds have been a bit problematic in IL-2 during the years. Currently I am using a Realtek AC1200 sound chip installed on my motherboard. It seems to work just fine, even better than my Creative X-Fi I have there. That card caused popping sounds etc.

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by Flanker35M

S!

Good news since sounds have been a bit problematic in IL-2 during the years. Currently I am using a Realtek AC1200 sound chip installed on my motherboard. It seems to work just fine, even better than my Creative X-Fi I have there. That card caused popping sounds etc.

Probably you was need to minimize the channels and frequency, then - no problem.
However yes, the sound of Il-2 was designed for hiend sound cards and good speakers with subwoofer.
Now it is designed for both - entry level and high. Should works everywhere the same. Now it is independed of sound drivers of different producers that had different panning and other features and quality. For Il-2 the lowest was Creative SB Live - only on such cards you may hear the supercharger separately of other sounds.
modders simply killed it...

[KG26_Alpha]

Oleg

Is Open GL dropped from SoW in favour of DX ?

Originally Posted by Flanker35M

S!

Good news since sounds have been a bit problematic in IL-2 during the years. Currently I am using a Realtek AC1200 sound chip installed on my motherboard. It seems to work just fine, even better than my Creative X-Fi I have there. That card caused popping sounds etc.

Strange i have completely the opposite experience !!

[Oleg Maddox]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

Oleg

Is Open GL dropped from SoW in favour of DX ?

Yes. Unfortunately.
And this is done also becasue of future possible portings. It is more easy from DX...
However to make better is still better in OpenGl... even it is harder now. But the life dictate us DX...