Astronomy

[xvii-Dietrich]

Okay, I'm seriously impressed.

 

I've just completed a series of He 111 night missions in IL-2:Battle of Stalingrad and have been pleasantly surprised at the nocturnal detail. Apart from the on-board aircraft equipment (navigation lights, cockpit lights, luminous instrumentation, etc.), the environment is superb. The landing lights give a fantastic illumination of the runway and surrounding areas, and the lights, fires and scenery on the ground show up with beautiful effect.

 

However, what really impressed me was the astronomy.

 

I first noticed the correct rendering of constellations when, looking out the cockpit window, I recognised the constellation of Leo. I then started some in game stargazing and everything seemed to be as if it were a real sky. I took some screenshots and afterwards, using the desktop planetarium "Stellarium", I checked the locations of stars and they are pretty-much all correct for the time, date and location of my missions. I've also checked the sun and moon positions, along with sunset times (I've not tested dawn yet): yes, these are correct too. And also, I looked at the phases of the moon and these are also spot on. I've not tested planets, but I'll check in the next mission I fly. Games usually don't bother with this sort of thing, and the last time I saw a correct astronomical model was in Silent Hunter III... but Battle of Stalingrad goes way beyond that.

 

Wow.

 

To gild the rose, there are a few things that I think could be slightly better. The colour saturation is perhaps a little too strong (because low light levels do not register on the colour sensors in the retina, so stars should have less saturation). I also think with a fuller moon's phase, the sky should be slightly washed out, due to the strong lunar light. However these are minor details. Already this sim has excelled in this area.

 

Thanks and congratulations to the developers... I really appreciate this attention to detail.

 

 

 

PS: If I could dream, it would be to have the Murmansk map with correctly modelled aurorae. (In real-life, I'm an auroral scientist, and I would gladly volunteer to assist any such endeavour!)

[-TBC-AeroAce]

At op yeah I noticed it was really detailed in terms of stars.....

 

 

Last yeah after a solar eclipse in England I joked could they be represented in game as that could make a cool mission if it suddenly got dark.... But I never took it any further or did any research.

 

I found two partial eclipses for Stalingrad in the time period of WW2

 

21/9/1941 and 9/7/1945

 

For time info go here

 

http://eclipse.astronomie.info/sofi/inter/inter/R487445.HTM

 

I wonder if someone as geeky/nerdy/generally interested as me whom knows how to use the full mission editor could check these dates/times out and see if we get an eclipse in game.

 

That would make for some epic graphics and a strange mission.

 

If your saying you check sun and moon positions with planitaruim and they was correct for the date time and location there is a chance this might actually work

Edited January 31, 2016 by [TBC]AeroACE

[Juri_JS]

Sorry [TBC]AeroACE, but there are no visible eclipses on both dates.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

O well was a long shot!

 

Out of interest is that because they were not actually visible in real life? I noticed that the times were suggesting early morning but I didn't quite understand them.

 

Or is it the game just does not represented them?

 

Edit third option I completely got them dates wrong?

Edited January 31, 2016 by [TBC]AeroACE

[Bearcat]

Okay, I'm seriously impressed.

 

I've just completed a series of He 111 night missions in IL-2:Battle of Stalingrad and have been pleasantly surprised at the nocturnal detail. Apart from the on-board aircraft equipment (navigation lights, cockpit lights, luminous instrumentation, etc.), the environment is superb. The landing lights give a fantastic illumination of the runway and surrounding areas, and the lights, fires and scenery on the ground show up with beautiful effect.

 

However, what really impressed me was the astronomy.

 

I first noticed the correct rendering of constellations when, looking out the cockpit window, I recognised the constellation of Leo. I then started some in game stargazing and everything seemed to be as if it were a real sky. I took some screenshots and afterwards, using the desktop planetarium "Stellarium", I checked the locations of stars and they are pretty-much all correct for the time, date and location of my missions. I've also checked the sun and moon positions, along with sunset times (I've not tested dawn yet): yes, these are correct too. And also, I looked at the phases of the moon and these are also spot on. I've not tested planets, but I'll check in the next mission I fly. Games usually don't bother with this sort of thing, and the last time I saw a correct astronomical model was in Silent Hunter III... but Battle of Stalingrad goes way beyond that.

 

Wow.

 

To gild the rose, there are a few things that I think could be slightly better. The colour saturation is perhaps a little too strong (because low light levels do not register on the colour sensors in the retina, so stars should have less saturation). I also think with a fuller moon's phase, the sky should be slightly washed out, due to the strong lunar light. However these are minor details. Already this sim has excelled in this area.

 

Thanks and congratulations to the developers... I really appreciate this attention to detail.

 

 

 

PS: If I could dream, it would be to have the Murmansk map with correctly modelled aurorae. (In real-life, I'm an auroral scientist, and I would gladly volunteer to assist any such endeavour!)

 

 

I noticed this from the very beginning. The night operations in this sim are unlike anything that has come before it and for me it always hinted at what was to come which was one reason why I always defended the sim and the team so ardently.

[Juri_JS]

Does anyone know how navigation by stars works? It would be interesting to try it in the game.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

You need a sextant!! Quite complicated

[GP*]

personally i rather use the sun to navigate than the compass

I think you should go stare at the sun for a while.

 

Anyway, it's details like this that make this game wonderful, no matter what issues we're arguing about this week.

Edited January 31, 2016 by Go_Pre

[Dakpilot]

After having attended a lecture on Celestial Navigation during the day, later that night I was stranded at the Pub, and tried to walk a direct route back to the base, using my now rudimentary knowledge of the stars, needless to say it did not go well 

 

there are so many hidden features that every now and again give that wow factor, night sky's in BoS being one of the many details

 

Cheers Dakpilot

[Juri_JS]

I've just tried to locate Polaris in the game to find North and I think it works.

[Bando]

Ha Dak, that was not knowledge but bravery that got you in the wrong place.

 

My mom used to say when I came home late in dubious condition "are you being brave again?".

Never figured out why she said that, next morning I never asked her.

[Freycinet]

Does anyone know how navigation by stars works? It would be interesting to try it in the game.

 

This will be a good help to find true North (The Polar star, Polaris):

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Freycinet

[Rjel]

I've marveled at the night sky also. I've enjoyed watching daylight transition to night time then back to daylight (not in real time). It's all very impressive. One feature I'd like to see but never have is a shooting star. Maybe it's already there and I've just never seen one. That would be a real "wow" moment for me.

[No601_Swallow]

Looking for the Polaris was almost the first thing I did in a night mission. It and the Plough are the only things (OK - and Orion) I can usually find in the night sky, and when I noticed the Plough, I checked my compass for north, and there it was! Amazing, I thought.

[Ace_Pilto]

Astrolabe navigation would be a massive step forward in realism.

[unreasonable]

This will be a good help to find true North (The Polar star, Polaris):

 

 

This plus the W of Cassiopeia - not precise, but it is easy to see because bright and compact, and with a little experience you can use it to point to - or even estimate the position - of Polaris the North Star.

 

Saved me from embarrassment a couple of times.

[Cloyd]

It's great that they modeled the night sky as well as they did. I noticed it early on.

 

I am, however, shocked that people can't look up in the night sky and tell which way is north! I'd be surprised if there were a WWII pilot, who could see stars through his crappy canopy glass, who could not find the North star. Please excuse my yelling but, IT'S IN THE SAME LOCATION EVERY NITE AND HAS BEEN EVERY NIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!.

 

There, I feel better. Carry on.

 

Cloyd

 

EDIT: After reading L_F_H's post below, I have to apologize to my Southern-hemisphere friends for my Northern-hemisphere-centric attitudes. If I were in the Southern hemisphere, i would barely be able to tell which way was up.

 

Cloyd

Edited February 2, 2016 by Cloyd

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

You know, I can more or less sort myself out in Europe but I'm sure others used to the Southern Hemisphere can relate to how foreign the Northern skies can feel sometimes, especially further North like Stalingrad, Moscow and such. Go-to references like the Southern Cross are suddenly very, very far away

[Feathered_IV]

I don't know if I could tell the Big Dipper from the Big Bopper.

[Ace_Pilto]

I don't know if I could tell the Big Dipper from the Big Bopper.

Throw a hamburger at it, if it comes back you're looking at the big dipper.

[Jupp]

High Flight  

 

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air… .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

 

--- John Gillespie Magee, Jr  (09 June 1922 – 11 December 1941) ---

 

 

 

[Freycinet]

 

EDIT: After reading L_F_H's post below, I have to apologize to my Southern-hemisphere friends for my Northern-hemisphere-centric attitudes. If I were in the Southern hemisphere, i would barely be able to tell which way was up.

 

Cloyd

 

The Southern Cross is really easy to find and serves the same purpose as Polaris.

[andyw248]

 

 

After having attended a lecture on Celestial Navigation during the day, later that night I was stranded at the Pub, and tried to walk a direct route back to the base, using my now rudimentary knowledge of the stars, needless to say it did not go well

 

Exactly...

Is there an MP server featuring night scenarios?

[7.GShAP/Silas]

Exactly...

Is there an MP server featuring night scenarios?

 

 

The guys at DED were very fast to add in dawn and dusk missions when requested, maybe they could be persuaded to have night fall properly.

[Quax]

If only the moonless nights would be dark. And if you have clouds at night, it should be dark below them as well. I like the correct stars as well, but with dark nights, a lot of other details, the sim is providing, would be used !

[Sokol1]

Probable night's have "full moon" during all month for people... do dogfights at night...      

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by Sokol1