Friday 2010-08-06 Dev. update and Discussions

[ChrisDNT]

Sorry, but the landscape still looks cartoonish to me.
I know it's WIP, but the colors are still strange, the trees "so-so" and their implantation on the terrain not very natural.
I would have found these screenshots good four years ago, but not in 2010.

[T}{OR]

Thanks for the update, love the shots. I for one think that they are great, better yet - outstanding, but I won't be saying "wow" on just the graphics update.

When will we see some features and possibly new videos? Graphics are IMO second important here, game play and rock-solid AI is what matters the most in this kind of software. I for one don't care if the graphics are "so 2009." and similar... Give us some proper drooling stuff.


Hopefully after summer holidays are over so you guys will have more time.

[Feuerfalke]

Originally Posted by T.}{.O.R.

Thanks for the update, love the shots. I for one think that they are great, better yet - outstanding, but I won't be saying "wow" on just the graphics update.

When will we see some features and possibly new videos? Graphics are IMO second important here, game play and rock-solid AI is what matters the most in this kind of software. I for one don't care if the graphics are "so 2009." and similar... Give us some proper drooling stuff.


Hopefully after summer holidays are over so you guys will have more time.

Interesting. How do you present "drooling-stuff" without using graphics?

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by Feuerfalke

Interesting. How do you present "drooling-stuff" without using graphics?

I think he means videos showing off the technical aspects of the simulator. Things like operation of the aircraft, AI command system and the like.

For example, a video where a flight of blenheims is skimming the deck on the way to a low level run against a luftwaffe airfield in occupied France. The gunners call bogies (ie, unidentified contacts), but the player doesn't want to give away his position just yet. The command menu pops up: entire flight->gunners->hold your fire. The enemy interceptors fail to spot the low flying bombers.
A few miles down the road, another flight pops into view and the AI gunners again call bogies. As the contacts move closer the AI gunner screams on the intercom "bandits 6 o'clock high, closing fast", so he's identified them as enemy. Depending on crew experience or a randomized script, he might even identidy the type.

The player keeps on, until the AI gunner cuts in again "bandits on attack run,permission to open fire?". The player pops up the command menu again and selects entire flight->gunners->fire at will. He could order aimed fire, so that gunners only fire when they are sure they'll score hits, but that lets the enemy get closer as well, or he could even order barrage fire, so that the gunners try to deter the enemy from getting closer by spraying up a wall of fire.
On top of that, you could have short/medium/long range fire orders of each of the above modes, or you could instruct each gunner, from the entire formation down to vics, finger fours, elements and individual aircraft to do a different thing. So, there would be 3 different fire modes that could be combined with 3 range modes and a global hold/open fire toggle order. You could have the gunners throw barrage fire at close range, or aimed fire at medium range and you would be able to set you preference in advance and control when they start doing it all by issuing open/hold fire commands.

Personally, i would be drooling quite a bit if i saw something like this

[swiss]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

The player keeps on, until the AI gunner cuts in again "bandits on attack run,permission to open fire?". The player pops up the command menu again and selects entire flight->gunners->fire at will. He could order aimed fire, so that gunners only fire when they are sure they'll score hits, but that lets the enemy get closer as well, or he could even order barrage fire, so that the gunners try to deter the enemy from getting closer by spraying up a wall of fire.

You got historical records to back that up?

How should the Captain command a gunner 30 yards away?
I would think it was up to the gunner to decide when to open fire on enemy planes.

Maybe s.o. knows how this worked in RL?

[ChrisDNT]

@Swiss

Usually, I don't answer to fanboys, as what they say is always totally useless for a dev team.

But just to say that I play IL-2 since day one, that I have sent along the years enough documentation to the dev team for being written in the game credits and that, of course, I still think IL-2 is the best WWII aviation simulation up to now.

So no need for me to be cheaply patronized by some unknown a**licker like you to be taught about what this sim is.

[swiss]

fanboy?
me?
lol

sent along the years enough documentation to the dev team for being written in the game credits

So I guess I'll have to address you with "Sir" from now on.

you to be taught about what this sim is

Obviously: You don't. You wouldn't complain if you did.

I still fail to see the relationship of sending in historical documents and basic knowledge of programming.
Oh, and don't forget to move rock back over the hole when crawl back in.

[Avimimus]

Originally Posted by swiss

You got historical records to back that up?

How should the Captain command a gunner 30 yards away?
I would think it was up to the gunner to decide when to open fire on enemy planes.

Maybe s.o. knows how this worked in RL?

I know of at least one case where a frustrated Lancaster pilot dove to attack an anti-aircraft battery and ordered his gunners to start strafing via the intercom.

Similarly, in night-ops it was the gunners who gave the order on when to initiate or halt evasive maneuvers (as it was the gunner who could see the enemy after all).

I suspect that most aircraft had considerably co-ordination between pilot and gunners (and navigators who would spot enemies and keep track of them etc. etc.)

[T}{OR]

Originally Posted by Feuerfalke

Interesting. How do you present "drooling-stuff" without using graphics?

Clever way of playing with words, but I do believe you know what I meant.

In short - special features and a video would "qualify" as the shortest answer.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by ChrisDNT

Sorry, but the landscape still looks cartoonish to me.
I know it's WIP, but the colors are still strange, the trees "so-so" and their implantation on the terrain not very natural.
I would have found these screenshots good four years ago, but not in 2010.

What are you comparing it to? The only Flight Sims that have been released in that time are Black Shark, and Rise of Flight. (correct me if I'm wrong) If you're considering First Person Shooters, then you don't understand the complexity of flight sims verses FPS.... or any other genre for that matter.


There's only so many CPU cycles to go around. Some not quite perfect looking trees that won't get too much of a notice in the heat of battle GLADLY take a back seat to my airplane's FMs and enemy AI.


I fly RoF, and while I'm very pleased with the terrain and cityscapes the buildings have a tendency to look like paper cut outs. The trees rotate as you fly around them.

IOW. No game will master every detail. For 2010, I think this looks great. Perfect? No. But it's called a WIP for a reason.


I'd like to be a fanboi extrordinaire, but I find I'm only a fanboi fair to middling.