Friday 2010-12-03 Dev. update and Discussion

[T}{OR]

A very interesting update. Thank you.

Few questions related to the bomber formations, in comparison with IL2 as you requested:

Under "Object/Group Properties":

• How many planes per flight? 5 planes are needed for a VEE which Luftwaffe used a lot.
• If the answer to the above question is more than 5, then is the limit of planes per squadron limited to 12 or perhaps more?
• Am I right in assuming that whole squadron can now fly in one close formation?
• What types of bomber formations will be implemented? To my understanding Luftwaffe used mostly 3 plane VIC and 5 plane VEE's, either in line astern or (almost) line abreast to one another...
• Can more squadrons form one large formation? If not, can one be set as lead for others to follow it (to avoid setting way points for each formation)?

Thanks.

---

From a bomber pilot's view, formations were the biggest let down for me in IL2. Setting up a 5 plane VEE formation was impossible. Not to mention the complex USAAF formations used later in the war. Second was the team killing AI gunners that nullified the whole purpose of bombers flying close formations in the first place...

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by Oleg Maddox

Would like to see your discussion and discovering of features.

This is a really interesting update.

In IL2 FMB, many of the objects were quite difficult to find by simply scrolling through the lists. Particularly the 'object 239 / 240 / 241' list for buildings etc.

Will all objects carry a description and be filtered by drop-down lists?

If so, will the 'Sort by' categories cover all objects in detail such as 'farmhouses' or 'city houses', or would the category be more broad, such as 'houses', or more simply, 'buildings'?

Great to see the He115, Wellington and the Anson in the lists.

Many Thanks!

[Richie]

Originally Posted by Tree_UK

Really nice maps thank you, is it possible we could see a weathered 109 blowing a wing off a spit next week Oleg. Thanks.

lol...Me too Tree

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by Oleg Maddox

Hi all.
Today I decided to make some surprize. Would like to see your discussion and discovering of features. I will look during several days and then will correct or answer some of posts. But only about these that I want to comment. Please be patient if I didn't answer for some questions. This means that it isn't right time yet to answer.
I'm inviting in discussion all who knows Il-2 FMB. That to make comparison.

Hi

Thanks for the usual Friday update.

Can we have the ability to create new folders within the FMB to put .mis & .prop files into.
It makes it easier when creating new missions campaigns to keep them in separate folders.

Also the ability to copy and paste directly in to the FMB file directory from your desktop rather than opening game installation directory C:\IL2\IL2 1946 v4.09m\Missions\Net\coop etc etc when working with multiple files its much easier to have this type of access.

With the display filter can this be fixed so that it stays active when you have selected/deselected an item in the list as its a pain when you want to filter more than one item to keep repeating the process opening the menu.

Picture number 5 could you elaborate/explain further please

Weathering option is very nice feature.

Delayed spawning for ground take off aircraft, is it possible to have these shown actually at the missions start but delayed take off instead of the popping in spawning as they do currently in IL2, and/or have the option to show/hide delayed spawning aircraft.

Ability to group massed flights at the moment its tedious to keep repeating formation flights of 30 aircraft. One waypoint and allow more than 1 flight to use the waypoint.

Ability to place a .jpeg in the ready room/briefing area for recon of target area/point of interest/mission parameter.

Looking at the new FMB pictures is it possible to list aircraft by country not alphabetically or have the choice to select either.

Lastly just a little criticism................... can you make the GUI look more Windows 7 rather than Windows 95 ........... or allow the user to modify

Have a good weekend.

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by Dutch_851

This is a really interesting update.

In IL2 FMB, many of the objects were quite difficult to find by simply scrolling through the lists. Particularly the 'object 239 / 240 / 241' list for buildings etc.

Yes, this has always been an issue I feel. 'Stationary Objects' have names e.g. searchlight, barrage balloon etc. but 'Objects' just have numbers. I'm sure there are hundreds that have never been used because they are so hard to find. Also, it's always been a bit irritating when moving through a list of objects with the scroll arrows, and just when you've found what you are looking for, you move the mouse away from the scroll arrow and the list jumps back to the top. It gets me every time!!

[Il2Pongo]

Looks great and clear.
interlopation seems to control how the planes will transtion between indicated points. IE they will not leave a 4000 m point arrive at a 6000m point and start to climb. They will climb to the 6000m point so they are that hight when they get there?
Just a guess.

Hope we can indicate how AI will behave in a tactical sense. Agressive where they plow into the enemy even if they are out numbered 2 to 1 and down sun and 1000m below. Then moderate where they will engage roughly equal enemy but will try to gain advantage postion before they close. To cautios, where you will have to drag a broken wing under them to get them to dive on you and they will not try to mix it up, they will try to bounce and leave.

My hope....

[ECV56_Lancelot]

Originally Posted by Oleg Maddox

Hi all.
Today I decided to make some surprize. Would like to see your discussion and discovering of features. I will look during several days and then will correct or answer some of posts. But only about these that I want to comment. Please be patient if I didn't answer for some questions. This means that it isn't right time yet to answer.
I'm inviting in discussion all who knows Il-2 FMB. That to make comparison.

Finally for me a very interesting update, graphically i've been convinced with the sim long ago, and make missions with il-2 is something i expend a lot of time. .

Well, now to the questions. By the way, if the question has already been asked and answered, please ignore it or say its already answered and i will look for it. I'm kind of short on time and can't watch the whole thread for the moment.

1) What is an "AI Actor"?. Can't guess what could be.

2) What is the function of "Process Roads"?

3) What is the function of Smooth ship path?. Is it necesary for ships to make cuved turns?

4) Is it possible to have some kind of filter with the list of objects on the mission?

5) Apparently, with the "Sort By" (1st picture of seccond post) we will now have some kind of filter. Excellent. Is it possible to know what option we will get there? To suggest some new ones, if we find it handy, and possible.

6) I don't know if it will used much, for historic reasons, but i would like to have the possibility to select several skins for a plane/planes, and that randomly inside the sim one of those skins is displayed, but if i play the mission again, same plane could be with another paintscheme.
That means, that in the "skins" option, to have something like "skin group" with a subbutton where you select the group of skins.

7) Important point mentioned previously about which speed the FMB makes reference. For help coordinating flights, it should be ground speed, but if its unreachable some indication that its not possible would be very helpfull.
Still, would like to know if its ground speed, IAS, TAS or other the one set on the FMB.

The radio silence clickmark. Will it work when the aircraft is going toward that waypoint, or once passed that waypoint?
Also, will it work all the waypoints after that or once passed the next waypoint will cease to function?.

9) If you can, please would like to know a little more about the "Inbetweening". What is it for and how it works. I cant figure out what is it. I don't understand it.

Group Properties

10) What is "Script Spawn C"?

11) What are "Detonators"? Something related to the fuse bombs?

12) Each flight of the squadron is only a single aircraft or it can be several aircrafts? If its the seccond, how do you assign several aircraft to each flight?.

13) With the "idle" option the aircraft will spawn on the runaway or the taxi?

14) Can we assign where on the airfield the "spawn parked" aircraft or flight will spawn.

15) Please, add also filter to the squadrons names. Like bomber squadrons, fighters, reconnaisence, mediterranean squadron, scotland squadrons, and so on. So we dont have to scrall through hundreds of squadrons like we have to do now with IL-2. It gets terrible tedious.

That is all for now.

Thanks for this informative update!

[ECV56_Lancelot]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

Hi

Lastly just a little criticism................... can you make the GUI look more Windows 7 rather than Windows 95 ........... or allow the user to modify

Have a good weekend.

He he he he, i like this. Even if its not important, but i have to agree the GUI could benefit of some visual improvements. .

[ECV56_Lancelot]

Originally Posted by T}{OR

[*]What types of bomber formations will be implemented? To my understanding Luftwaffe used mostly 3 plane VIC and 5 plane VEE's, either in line astern or (almost) line abreast to one another...
...

I'm not expert, but for what i read, it was the other way around, and Luftwaffe used four plane four finger formations while the RAF used the three planes formation, and later changed to four planes.
I could be mistaken though, its something that happened when i started to follow this forums.

[SlipBall]

Very interesting Fri up-date...I was hoping that the up-dates would drift away from the usual, and reveal some of the features of the game. This up-date has delivered some of that and I like what I see. The weather map I find to be the most interesting, and I would like to get a look at it. Should be very cool to cir cum-navigate a frontal system that may have 50 thousand foot high thunderstorm column