http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/page-4?&p=378896

130

Dear Pilots,

Today we announce that we unlocked all modifications (weapons, equipment, skins) for all planes if you own either the Standard Edition or Premium Edition of BOS or BOM. The Starter Edition, primarily sold in Russia, will not be changed. Unlocking all modifications is the first step in a new direction (or old direction depending on your point of view) for our beloved IL-2 Sturmovik series. More interesting details will follow soon after we finalize our development plan. We value our customers and we have listened closely to your wishes and dreams since the initial release of BOS. We hope to make flying Sturmovik an even more enjoyable experience for you in the coming months and years! The team is as dedicated as ever to this genre and we pray you will continue to support our efforts moving forward as you have in the past.

On a different note, sadly, today we are also forced to take action with regards to players using cheat tools. It is unfortunate, but necessary we take action. As we have previously warned, if we detect any player using such cheating tools, we will ban them from IL-2. We have been carefully monitoring usage of such tools since June 10th and some continue to cheat. The overall number of cheaters is very small in relation to our total players, but some violations have still occurred after our previous warning. So, we are banning these players from accessing IL-2 for a period of two (2) weeks beginning today. We have a zero tolerance policy on cheating. If these users continue to cheat, the bans will become more severe and possible permanent bans will be implemented.

We are committed to Fair Play for all and cheating has no place in IL-2. Only practice and daring can make you a true ace in the virtual skies!

One final note, we will now be encrypting all un-activated key-codes, including Gift codes, for BOS and BOM sold through the official Store. You can still send Gifts to your friends, but they must go to a valid user account where they can be activated safely and securely.

We must also reiterate that BOS/BOM key-codes or user accounts sold on any other website OUSTIDE of the official IL-2 website, Steam, Gamersgate.com, Muve.Softclub.ru or Softclub.ru have likely been acquired by using stolen credit card data. Such stolen keys will eventually be discovered by us and de-activated. Like cheaters, we do not tolerate fraud and theft and we will not re-activate accounts using stolen key-codes even if that user believes he or she bought a key from a legit retailer. If you are uncertain about a specific retailer, please ask us to verify their legitimacy. And Steam keys found on any discount website for BOS and BOM are also likely fraud connected keys. Do not buy them no matter what the price may be. Credit card fraud hurts everyone in the genre by robbing developers of needed funds to continue working. Please only buy keys from official, legitimate sources.

So enough with the serious news! Here are some pics of the WIP Odessa map, Ju-52 and Yak-1b coming soon to Sturmovik! Looking very good!

http://il2sturmovik.com/informburo/831838da6d814753b17a9e9ace9b801a/eabed94cec439281ef65e6efaf1db5b5/

http://il2sturmovik.com/store/

123

Hello everyone!

With Battle of Moscow project being close to its finish, we have some time to spare on the tasks that were postponed for a long time. In the developer diary #120 we told you about our plans to improve physics and aircraft systems, bomb sights are also being worked on. In the recent update 1.107b we added the more flexible modifications filter system requested by many multiplayer server owners and the additional logging to assist us in the search of hard to find issues like invisible planes in multiplayer and crashes that happen sometimes.

Among other things for the next update 1.108 we're preparing aircraft information that will be accessible for each plane in player profile and in full screen map mode during a flight.

Collecting the data required for it wasn't that simple since many of the reference values are 'soft data', many depend on an aircraft mass and configuration which are different in different tests performed back then, so it was needed to do ingame tests to measure them. These characteristics aren't specified in the game code: they are the integral result of a really complex physics simulation system. When our engineers build a plane, they set and tune aerodynamic elements and engine parts, aiming to meet the reference data available (such as maximum speeds, climb rates, lift-drag and trim curves, takeoff and landing run lengths when available, etc.). Moreover, the reference data analysis is always a research task, so there could be different cases. In some cases there is not enough reference data available and thorough engineer analysis is required to make an educated guess while keeping other values close to the reference data. In other cases, there could be several contradicting sources and we need to determine which one is more credible.

Characteristics presented below were measured in the game, which took almost two weeks of hard work. In the end we've got informative and standardized data for all planes in the game we'd like to present you below:

Airplanes of "Battle of Moscow":

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/?p=336140

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/?p=332043


Posted Today, 06:01
update# 122

"Hans"

Hello!

Today we're assembling Ju 88 A-4 cockpit consisting of 4 crew stations. Required animations are being made right now. We plan to have working quick mission mode for Moscow map by the end of this month and start campaign beta-testing in early March.

There is a plenty of work going on Battle of Moscow, but we aren't forgetting about optimizing the sim as the whole. Some old multiplayer bugs are very hard to reproduce on purpose, for example, a bug with bombs or turrets appearing in a wrong place takes up to 100-150 re-spawns to reproduce it. So we need to choose another approach to find its cause - add special logging to the public version of the game and analyse the submitted results. Next week we plan to release 1.107b hotfix that will include many changes and this additional logging to find the cause of this elusive bug.

1.107b version changes:

Global:

1. We'll add crash dump files saving. There will be a special forum thread for submitting such a file if you encounter a game crash, helping us to find and fix it;
2. Workaround for 'invisible planes' bug added (it doesn't fix the cause of their appearance since it is still unknown but eliminates its consequence);
3. Logging for 'invisible planes' bug added (we'll create a special forum thread about it to collect logs submitted by players);
4. Performance in the first Soviet scenario mission (first, summer, chapter of Stalingrad campaign) improved;
5. Crash that could happen while playing back large recorded tracks has been fixed. Unfortunately, tracks recorded in previous versions of the game won't work, so please consider video capturing your favorite ones if you'd like to keep them;
6. Compatibility with third party overlay software improved (for example, Steam and Teamspeak overlays);

Features:

7. It will be possible to tell which side controls an airfield before choosing your own allegiance in multiplayer;
8. Multiplayer mission author will be able to specify a range of allowed unlocks, not just individual ones;
9. IL-2 sight can be moved back and forth using Lalt-F command;
10. Light reflection and relief detail improved on thin metal parts of IL-2 model 1941, IL-2 model 1942, I-16 type 24, MiG-3 series 24, Pe-2 series 35, Pe-2 series 87, LaGG-3 series 29, La-5 series 8, P-40E-1, Ju 87 D-3, Bf 110 E-2 and MC.202 series VIII;
11. MC.202 cockpit canopy textures improved;

Physics changes:

12. Fineness ratios of all planes were re-checked with their flaps extended. Fineness ratio was decreased for LaGG-3 series 29, La-5 series 8, Yak-1 series 69, IL-2 (both) and P-40E-1. Other planes fineness ratios were found to be correct;
13. Twin turret machine guns are now reloaded one after another (not simultaneously);
14. Bf 109 F-2 radiator functioning in manual mode was corrected: it opens fully, but slower. There are contradicting sources available - text one and hydraulic schematic. Text one says "die kuhlerklappen durh den luftdruck geoffnet" which means that radiator was opened by approach flow. However early Bf 109 F-2 hydraulic schematic shows that radiator was manually opened by fixing the valve in 'open' position. After discussion we decided to follow the schematic;
15. MiG-3 cooling system has been corrected: now it requires opening its radiator to degrees similar to other Soviet aircraft, but at higher altitudes (since its power output maxes out at higher altitudes);
16. MiG-3 elevator trimmer won't work if the right side of the elevator is lost (where trim tab is located);

Other changes and fixes:

17. Selected modifications won't reset after re-entering the modifications screen;
18. Spotters correctly spot enemy aircraft closer than specified distance (with the exception of ground vehicles that can't be detected closer than 3 km);
19. Track playback progress bar corrected;
20. Wingmen correctly drop bombs after leader (player) while carrying out 'do like me' order;
21. AI gunners will fire at any planes, not only fighters;
22. Various graphical bugs caused by crossroads fixed (missing triangles, missing crossroads or road parts, etc.);
23. Airfields and taxi ways pavement corrected for autumn Lapino map;
24. Roads will look correctly in overcast light conditions;
25. La-5 canopy texture mapping fixed as requested by skin authors (it is no longer symmetric);
26. Mission editor won't crash after repeated loading of missions containing many objects.

A bit more info about Battle of Moscow. Today we can show you preliminary (there are no trees in the city yet) screenshots of Moscow as you'll be able to see it in the game from the border of flyable area.

As you can see, while the city is effectively a scenery set, its level of detail and accuracy is unprecedented among WWII sims. The city layout of 1941 recreated in the game is historically accurate (different from the modern one), there are major landmarks, all bridges and so on.
We can show you some more autumn Moscow map screenshots as well (it is 90% completed):

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/168-developer-diary/?p=330237

121
Hello!

After 1.107 release, Battle of Moscow project is nearly finished. Ju-88 exterior model, flight physics and armament are finished and we are working on cockpit instruments and audio at the moment. The aircraft fleshes out to be an interesting one:
Ju88A4_1.jpg Ju88A4_2.jpg
Ju88A4_3.jpg Ju88A4_4.jpg
Our artists have finished drawing Battle of Moscow campaign medals:
BoM_Awards.jpg
Scenarios for unique static missions (in addition to dynamic missions) in the campaign were approved, so scripting process started. Such missions were introduced in Battle of Stalingrad summer campaign. There will be two static missions per phase, campaign consists of five phases, resulting in 10 unique static missions in total. Here is the list:

01 "The road to East"
Two Bf 109 F-2 pairs cover supply columns along Yukhnov - Gzhatsk road.

02 "Steel snake"
I-16 flight attack enemy mechanized columns in Kurgany-Myatlevo area and assist the ground forces defending Varshavskoye highway to South-West of Medyn.

03 "Chained to ground"
Bf 109 E-7 pair goes free hunting in the area of Chupriyanovka and Reshetnikovo railway stations.

04 "Dark omen"
Two flights of MiG-3 planes take off to intercept enemy bombers approaching Moscow along Minskoye highway.

05 "Bad day"
Three Ju 88 flights take off to dive bomb Klin railway station.

06 "Breaking point"
Six IL-2 planes fly ground attack mission against enemy forces in Solnechnogorsk area.

07 "Red hydra"
Two Bf 109 F-2 patrol above their airfield.

08 "Go West!"
Two MiG-3 flights provide air cover to ground forces advancing in Istra-Buzharovo area.

09 "Qui pro quo"
Mixed group of 4 Bf 110 E-2 and 4 Bf 109 E-7 attack Soviet ground forces to the West of Sychevka.

10 "Falling star"
A lone Pe-2 goes on a mission to recon enemy trains movement on Rzhev - Vyazma railway.

To complete the today's diary we present you several screenshots from BoM campaign scenario missions captured by its author Black Six:
Mis02_1.jpg Mis02_2.jpg
Mis02_3.jpg Mis02_4.jpg

You can discuss the news in this thread