Developer Diary, Part 81

[Leaf]

Change log for an update on October 8th:

 

- GUI won't minimize randomly anymore

- Incorrect markers for bombs and rockets fixed

- Aim helper mark for rockets is only shown on the ground and disappears if the ground is too far away

- Too frequent night missions fixed

- Bomb raids, Interceptor missions, Convoy missions are now starting on various altitudes

- Similar machine guns and cannons are now gathered into one block on the GUI speed bar

- A mission would now end automatically if a player goes for an emergency landing or successfully bails out

- In interceptor missions enemy is now more aggressive

- Autopilot is back in Normal mode

- In campaign and in QMB a warning will be shown if you shoot friendlies (later we'll add XP penalty)

- Bf 109 G-2 max speed is now tuned properly according to the reference with tail wheel retracted (speed increased for 10-12km/h)

- Hitting enemy plane's bomb hatches and gears can now break them off.

- Horizon Autopilot tuned correctly: excessive wobbling removed, turning around on high altitudes improved

- Some IL-2 and La-5 skins descriptions fixed

- Order to pass command to a wingman removed

- A player can now pass checkpoints on a heavily damaged plane

- Player's wingmen cannot switch checkpoints

- Fancy phrases about sky were removed from campaign briefing

- Kotelnikovo airfield location fixed

- Intercept Bombers mission now has alied AAA shoting at the enemy

 

 

Thanks Zak! Whatever the reaction to the singleplayer aspect of the game, no one can accuse you of not working hard. Great stuff!

[BigDally]

Change log for an update on October 8th:

 

- Autopilot is back in Normal mode

 

 

Me thinx you just made alot of MP'ers happy.

 

Thanks for the update!

Edited October 8, 2014 by BigDally

[LLv24_Zami]

Yeah, serious update pace. Thank you!

[LLv44_Mprhead]

I am hoping that campaign will get a lot more meat before release. Then I wouldn't really mind flying it some. And I think something should be done to term "action point"...

[wellenbrecher]

Me thinx you just made alot of MP'ers happy.

 

Thanks for the update!

 

Ah, technically getting 16x back would've been more useful for that, but hey, it's something!

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 Exactly, action point sounds arcadeish. Maybe could use Ingress point for waypoint before the Target area(action point) and Egress point for the "exit point".

[Afwastus]

Ah, technically getting 16x back would've been more useful for that, but hey, it's something!

 

Next patch maybe? 

[oneeyeddog]

Thanks for the  reduced frequency of the nite missions. I'm not sure why buts it practically impossible for me to see anything, maybe some moonlight would help?

[BigDally]

I'm not sure why buts it practically impossible for me to see anything, maybe some moonlight would help?

 

I literally found myself with my nose almost touching the screen at times....

[Trooper117]

Thanks for the update...

[oneeyeddog]

I literally found myself with my nose almost touching the screen at times....

Indeed. Its no exaggeration to say i can't see the wingtip of my AC. Whats strange is there was an MP mission (Syndicate or Eagles Nest) that inadvertently stayed 'nite' the entire mission but it was much much easier to see, because of the Moon perhaps? i found that mission a great deal of fun to fly.

[GOZR]

How will we do with custom made skins?

[Blooddawn1942]

There was an update (we'll be updating daily, I think). I'm preparing the change log for you.

Thanks for the update Zak.

Updates on a daily base? Whow. You guys are leading the pace  around the last bend approaching the finish line!

[JG4_Nemesis]

how about autopilot and accelerated time in campaign?

 

I mean, will time acceleration automatically switch back to 1x (real time) if you will have enemies nearby?

 

Or will time acceleration make you die faster because the enemy gets you faster than you can react (lets mind as if we were on 16x accelerated time)

[II./JG77_Manu*]

109 G2 getting fixed. So there is still hope, that the 190 get's fixed as well 

[oneeyeddog]

how about autopilot and accelerated time in campaign?

 

I mean, will time acceleration automatically switch back to 1x (real time) if you will have enemies nearby?

 

Or will time acceleration make you die faster because the enemy gets you faster than you can react (lets mind as if we were on 16x accelerated time)

Nemesis, as of now we only have accelerated time x2, maximum, in the campaign.

Edited October 8, 2014 by oneeyeddog

[Matt]

109 G2 getting fixed. So there is still hope, that the 190 get's fixed as well 

Only problem is, that the G-2 is performing exactly the same as before the update. At least the maximum speed is the same, which was supposed to be changed in this update. Maybe it didn't make it in.

[=69.GIAP=VLADI]

A mission would now end automatically if a player goes for an emergency 
landing or successfully bails out

leads to a Crash to Desktop for me, nothing happens, but whenI hit escape and cancel Mission, then CTD

[LastRightsXIII]

A mission would now end automatically if a player goes for an emergency 
landing or successfully bails out

leads to a Crash to Desktop for me, nothing happens, but whenI hit escape and cancel Mission, then CTD

 

Here too.

Only it crashes on its own.

Edited October 8, 2014 by LastRights13

[Rjel]

Thanks for the continued updates... daily??? That impresses me. I can't think of any game I've ever had that was done.

 

For all the turmoil and genuine disappointment for many, I'm still enjoying this sim. Those that walk away now, their decision. I'm sure most will come back once everyone calms down.

[JG4_Widukind]

109 G2 is the same before the patch, ithink.But i see and hope the work

On the Fm.

I hope realy they have or read the posts from focke wulf.in the time arealy

Bad to flying plane.

[IckyATLAS]

I just played with the last patch of today. I have got two times a system crash. The image just disappears and I am back on desktop with a small window saying that Il2 has closed due to a problem.

 

These crashes happened with escort missions were I  fly a Yak against Messerschmitt BF102 and were the bombers (PE-2) after successfull bombing run  have left the exit point and I am in the middle of a long dogfight. Both crashes with a similar configuration and I am in Uranus phase of the Campaign.

 

Windows is 8.1 and graphic board is Nvidia Titan Black with drivers 344.11 and Hotas is Saitek Pro Flight X55-Rhino.

Motherboard is a Asus Rampage IV Extreme,  and CPU intel i7 4960X, all with fast 32GB Ram.

[FZG_Merlin]

id have prefered the 16x rather then the autpilot, but it seems they have dont a step in the direction some wanted. I applaud the devs.

[sturmkraehe]

During intercept missions in expert mode I miss a relative height announcement when my wingmen tell me where to look for enemies. It is just 12 oclock or else but I constantly miss them because I don't know if they are lower, co-alt or high. This information is vital and should be easy to implement.

[303_Kwiatek]

Dunno about 109 G-2 speed increase with new update but im sure that throttle is still buged in G-2.  It should be really simple fix and we still don't get it.

[Jade_Monkey]

Dunno about 109 G-2 speed increase with new update but im sure that throttle is still buged in G-2.  It should be really simple fix and we still don't get it.

 

I have never known whether that was a bug or worked like that in real life. Either way I dont like the way it works where it's really sensitive between 2200 and 2600 rpm.

[1./JG42Nephris]

Are the markers and aswell the playne marker on the map intended to be there in Expert mode?

Or is just some sort of dummy as long as we got no proper ingame for navigating?

 

Personally I would prefer a "Expert mode" like flying without any helpers.

And yes, I do know I can switch it off by personal means ingame by pressing "H", but I suppose you understand it is not the same.

 

Is there a chance to add more life to the campaign?

For now I got the impression it is just me and my flight and the target flight on the map.

[Adamfp3]

Thanks for the update devs

[guidom]

for what it's worth this is even now the best flight sim i have ever played. we can be pedantic about a few small problems, but after all it is still in beta, and we should expect these. thanks developers for your continued hard work and rest assured that most of us appreciate it.

[Sokol1]

Why dont set Autopilot to automatic disable when enemy are near?

[Brano]

Things to do for Advanced QMB (that is what we have now) to become serious offline Campaign

1.Unit management level

- specific units,as example 287. IAD (fighter division) consisting of 27.,240.,297. and 437.IAP (fighter regiment) equipped with La5 on Stalingrad front

- pilots roster (regiment CO,Escadrille/zveno/para leader)

- ranks and awards/medals instead of unlocks

- AI comrades in unit gaining experience,ranks,medals,dying,same way as you do.

2.Timeline - missions interconnected to create your own story from enlisting to unit until either end of operation or your virtual heroic death.

3.Possibility to have more then one pilot/career (for soviet fighter,german bomber etc)

4.In case you are not fan of DiD,possibility to replay failed mission again.

5.General commentary of events,either via newspaper or kind of breefings informing about progress of operations.

 

To sum it up,nothing new,everything has been allready done in many simulators years ago and it worked perfectly.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Why dont set Autopilot to automatic disable when enemy are near?

Absolutely agree. It has been done with good results in several other titles.

[JG1_Daze]

Red Baron 3D  campaign had it right....just copy it...no unlocks...pilot value should increase with missions by medals fight time records friends killed ect..  give us something to do during the flight to the "Action Area" randomly triggered enemy jumping us enroute that we have to watch for. Unforseen ground forces firing at us. Maybe even the requirement to stay in formation or get yelled at when you get back to base.   In RBII, if you shot up your own base or squad mates you would be executed. "You have 5 minutes to write a goodbye letter to your family then you will be shot!"  Who rememebers this?

[II/JG17KaC_Wolfe]

Really impressed with the AI on campaign mode -really testing.  Well done Developers !

[CheeseGromit]

I've flown a few SP campaign missions, and I feel the scoring system and awards and unlocks quite motivating.  However, it has to be a certain relation of progress, so not everbody has to spend far too many hours to get the unlocks all done.

 

This is where you can potentially run into problems with unlocks. Different people have different amounts of time they can spend playing the game so one player may find unlocks a good way to prolong the play-life of the game whilst another will get frustrated. It no longer becomes a motivation but a hurdle that is inhibiting the ability to play the game a certain way. The weapon unlocks we have are a simple example of this. You cannot fly ground attack missions in your fighter until you've flown a certain number of intercept or escort missions. Some people will be able to earn that XP in a day, others may need weeks. There is no one size fits all.

 

I've also seen in other games where people question what there is to do in a game after they've acheived the unlocks. It echos something mentioned many pages ago, there is a risk that unlocks become the focus of why people play the game rather than playing because they enjoy the game. I know this has happened to me in other games. They're all games I have installed on my computer but I don't play much of them. Equally I guess it may be a wider issue with modern gaming, unlocks and acheivement systems are so common that some people may need them as a reason to play a game in the first place.

[Chuck_Owl]

I gave the campaign a try, honest. I did 10 long/full missions, no auto-pilot no crutches no nothing. No matter how much I like the historical setting, these hours spent in an empty shell of a Stalingrad weren't particularly exciting, nor fun, nor hard. A stunning snooze, really.

 

By GOD... I can't believe how they expect us to grind through this. I gave this game a chance, I really did... but I'm just speechless at this point.

Edited October 8, 2014 by 71st_AH_Chuck

[Brano]

Red Baron 3D  campaign had it right....just copy it...no unlocks...pilot value should increase with missions by medals fight time records friends killed ect..  give us something to do during the flight to the "Action Area" randomly triggered enemy jumping us enroute that we have to watch for. Unforseen ground forces firing at us. Maybe even the requirement to stay in formation or get yelled at when you get back to base.   In RBII, if you shot up your own base or squad mates you would be executed. "You have 5 minutes to write a goodbye letter to your family then you will be shot!"  Who rememebers this?

I do   Those good old times.No internet connection,no multiplyer meatgrinder arenas,no forums to go to cry and bi*ch about things,sort out everything yourself....

[Boomerang]

Thank you for another update

 

Flew the campaign a hand full of times last night, long and short missions.

 

Viering from course, I sight distant glowing rounds in the evening sky and felt the need to investigate. This discovery had turned out to be an enemy airbase!

The AA fire was intence, search lights where tricky to evade and my heart was pounding. I had ammo, so there it was, a decision was made to engage.

As I looked over my shoulder, I sighted my squad engaging and evading. I could not help but feel concern for the loyalty and bravery that was with me on that evening. We fired every thing we had, only leaving wnen the last round was spent.

Touching down back at base, I was glad to be home again.

 

Dingo

 

I have a question regarding the number of aircraft in the QMB

At present, we are able to select up to 8 aircraft per side, will this number be increased in the future?

[J2_Trupobaw]

I gave the campaign a try, honest. I did 10 long/full missions, no auto-pilot no crutches no nothing. No matter how much I like the historical setting, these hours spent in an empty shell of a Stalingrad weren't particularly exciting, nor fun, nor hard. A stunning snooze, really.

 

By GOD... I can't believe how they expect us to grind through this. I gave this game a chance, I really did... but I'm just speechless at this point.

You may be to good for your own good, I'm finding elements of campaign to be at least challenging.

 

It may serve you best to lay off campaign till November (unless there are unlocks you really need for October MP). Devs are tweaking the campaign daily now, either it will be more to your liking by time of release ...or not. No point to go through intermediate versions you wouldn't like, check out release version and make opinion then. The results from October are going to be wiped, anyway.

[Chuck_Owl]

Too good for my own good? Err... Not quite.

 

With Eagle's Nest down and SP being a grind that I do not have fun doing nor the time to do... I think I'm better off uninstalling my game. I expected better from 777, seriously. I had high hopes for this game, I really did. I followed it, supported it and promoted it just like I did with DCS WWII from the very beginning. But obviously, this game is not for me. I don't have the patience to spend 20+ hours to "unlock" skins and mods against AI fighters. I play flight sims for the social experience it provides. You get to meet new, interesting people and make friends with the people you fly with and the people you fly against. That's why I don't fly alone; I don't see the point. For me, it's just not fun.

 

BoS doesn't know what it wants to be. It has neither the amount of content of War Thunder, nor the system fidelity of DCS nor the scale of Cliffs of Dover nor the campaign of Rise of Flight. What we have is an uninspired successor to the Il-2 franchise. I know 777 worked hard on this... but it's a darn crying shame they had to dictate the way people want to play their game. 

 

LOFT often spoke about how "hardcore simmers are the death of flight sims". He may be right: we're not lucrative like the first-person-shooter crowd is.

 

I'm just saying... But if they are in the flight sim business to make insane amounts of money, maybe they should be doing something else.

Edited October 9, 2014 by 71st_AH_Chuck