"The Cold Blue" Server - Escort vs Interceptor High Altitude Action

[357th_KW]

This Thursday we'll be having our weekly flyout, and we're rolling out our first eastern front mission.  This one is based around the Stalingrad Airlift.  Escort or hunt small formations of Luftwaffe transports trying to resupply the beleaguered Sixth Army. 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

Today we're running an updated version of the Stalingrad Airlift mission, along with an updated version of the Channel Front - July 1943 mission for our regular Thursday event.

 

In addition, here's a little teaser of something coming soon:

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday for the weekly flyout, we're celebrating the Hurricane Mk II and Spitfire Mk V with a mixed playlist of 1941 and 1942 missions on the Channel Front and over Malta. Come join us for classic Hurricane and Spitfire action against the Luftwaffe and Reggia Aeronautica! We usually see good turnout at 2000/0200/0500 GMT. 

 

 

See you guys there!

Edited March 4, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

A few screenshots from last night's flyout:

 

 

 

[357th_KW]

To celebrate the release of Masters of the Air, we're running an entire week of heavy bomber focused missions! Ranging from an early raid on Rouen in December 1942 with Spitfire escort all the way to a November 1944 raid on Leipzig. Also this Thursday for our usual flyout day, we're going to introduce a brand new campaign - The Forgotten 15th! This will start with a mission set in early May 1944, with lots of P-38s (and a few 47s and 51s) flying a raid to Ploesti, where they'll encounter the usual 109s, 190s and 110s along with M.C.202s and IAR-80s! Come join us all this week for high altitude heavy bomber escort and intercept missions! On Thursday we'll have our flyout - we usually see good turnout at 2000, 0200 and 0500 GMT - fly with us!

 

Edited March 4, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

Some highlights from the new Forgotten 15th missions:

 

 

 

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday we're doing another run of the new Forgotten 15th missions! Take to the skies over Southern Europe escorting or intercepting a raid to Ploesti. Try out the P-38, MC202 and IAR-80 at high altitude, along with the usual classics. We'll plan the usual 2000/0200/0500 GMT times. See you guys there!

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday we'll be running the December 1942 Channel Front mission, featuring a bunch of improvements! B-25s will replace the B-26s as the heavy bomber stand-in - I'm finding they are a little less durable and the gunners not quite as lethal, but they fly higher, at more realistic altitudes for a B-17/24. Overall I think it's a more enjoyable matchup. Additionally new graphical goodies have been added, along with completely reworked coding for AI interceptors and escorts. All the AI has had some randomization added, so the mission will play differently every time. And Axis spawns now transition from takeoffs to airspawns as the mission progresses, to get them in the fight throughout the map. Come join us for some classic Spitfire vs Focke-Wulf action! We'll plan the usual 2000/0200/0500 GMT times https://mytime.io/20:00/GMT / https://mytime.io/02:00/GMT / https://mytime.io/05:00/GMT See you guys there!

 

[357th_KW]

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of Operation Argument, also known as "Big Week".  I've updated the February 20th, 1944 mission on the server and it now includes the latest improvements - higher altitude bombers, improved AI coding, and improved flak visuals.  Today also marks the release of version 5.202 of IL-2 GB which includes an updated FM for the P-47, the new Spitfire Mk IXc and the IAR-80b.  We're running the improved Feb 20th mission, along with a Dec 1942 Channel Front mission featuring the Spit IXc and a 15th AF mission set in May 1944 featuring the IAR-80b.  Come check out these new features!

 

This Thursday for the weekly flyout, we'll be running The Mighty 8th - February 20th, 1944 (and potentially another Big Week themed variation if I can get it finished in time).  We'll plan the usual 2000/0200/0500 GMT times.  See you guys there!

 

[357th_KW]

This week marks the 80th anniversary of the first Berlin raids by the 8th Air Force. Bad weather had brought "Big Week" to an end on February 25th. The 8th attempted to strike Berlin on March 3rd and 4th, but poor weather continued to hamper efforts, although a few bombers and fighters missed the recall message on the 4th and made it to Berlin (though they couldn't see it through thick rain clouds). The weather was only slightly better on the 6th, but the mission proceeded resulting in heavy combat over the German capital. Another full strength mission was flown on March 8th, again resulting in a massive air battle. A third raid was flown on the 9th, and this time after heavy losses the previous few days combined with poor weather, the Luftwaffe chose not to respond.

 

In remembrance of these raids, I've rolled out a March 6th Mighty 8th mission. This coming Thursday we'll be running this mission along with the two "Big Week" mission variations. If you like razorback P-47s and P-51s, this is for you! For those in Europe, we'll aim for Thursday at 2000 GMT. For the US crowd we'll try to meet up at 6pm EST and again at 6pm PST.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

 

This week for our Thursday flyout, the forecast calls for Lightning!  We've got 3 missions lined up featuring the mighty P-38J Lightning flying over the MTO and ETO: two 15th Air Force missions set in May and August 1944, and an 8th Air Force mission set in July 1944.  Take to the skies against German, Italian and Romanian fighters while covering friendly bombers at high altitude.  Or come over to the axis side and enjoy the 109, 190, IAR-80 and Macchi C.202.  For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up at 2000 GMT and for the US folks we'll jump on around 2100 EDT.

Edited March 19, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

 

This week we're doing Thunderbolt Thursday! We've got 3 missions lined up featuring the mighty P-47D Thunderbolt escorting bombers in the ETO. Come fly some historical high altitude missions set in February, May and July 1944. For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up at 1900 GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 2100 EDT. See you guys there!

 

 

Edited March 27, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

Spring break is arriving for many of us, and here's a spring development update.  The process of bringing all the existing missions up to the newest standard of coding and features is moving along well.  We've got 14 different mission variations in rotation, and 6 more to go (two Malta, two 8th AF, two Channel front) to finish the task.  Hopefully I'll have these knocked out in the next week or two.

 

 

This Thursday we're running missions featuring The Channel Front! Specifically, we're going to tackle the Focke-Wulf Menace! I've built a new April 1942 mission highlighting the FW-190s early dominance, and rebuilt the old July 1942 mission - focusing on the introduction of the Spitfire Mk IX in response. These newly built missions offer some classic 190/109 vs Spitfire match-ups. I'll have some of the other Channel Front missions mixed in as well. For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT. See you guys there!

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

Following the announcement of an IL-2 multiplayer video contest we want to get in on the fun.  The Cold Blue will be giving away a copy of Battle Of Normandy: Standard and Battle of Bodenplatte: Premium to the best two videos shared featuring The Cold Blue!  Put together a great video of some incredible high altitude action for a chance to win big!  Post you submissions by April 12th here in the discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

 

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday for our weekly flyout we're running The Siege of Malta!  All three of the Malta missions have been updated with the latest AI coding and visual improvements, as well as an extra Axis AI fighter sweep to keep the action moving in the middle of the mission and some late air-spawns for the defenders to keep them in the fight later in the battle.  First take to the skies in early 1941 flying the Bf109E-7 and Bf110E against the classic Hawker Hurricane.  Then we'll have a late 1941 mission featuring an interesting Hurricane vs. Macchi C202 matchup.  Finally we've got a spring 1942 mission featuring the Spitfire Mk V and Hurricane vs the mighty Bf109F-4 and the Macchi C202.  For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

 

[357th_KW]

Here's a Spring 2024 update.  Updates to the existing missions are almost complete - once they're all done we'll have 20 historical missions from 5 different campaigns.  At the same time I've been working on developing some new and different stuff - hopefully we'll see some really interesting and different missions coming in the next few months.

 

Here's a list of the current mission and campaign rotation:

 

The Mighty 8th - USAAF heavy bomber raids against Germany, featuring large formations of high altitude B-25s with increased durability to simulate the B-17/B-24.

February 20th, 1944:  The first raid of "Big Week", featuring P-47D-22, with limited P-38J, P-51B vs Bf109G, Fw190A, Bf110G, Ju88C, Me410.

February 22nd, 1944:  A withdrawal route "Big Week" mission.

March 6th, 1944:  The first raid on Berlin.  Features additional P-38J and P-51B spawns.

May 12th, 1944:  The first raid on the German oil industry.  Features limited 150 octane for P-47D-22s, P-51B malcolm hood and -7 engine, and the introduction of the Bf109G-6AS.

July 7th, 1944:  Raid on German oil industry.  Addition of P-47D-28, P-51D, adoption of 150 octane, K-14 gunsight.  MW50 on the axis side, reduction in zerstorers.

November 2nd, 1944:  Raid on German oil industry.  P-51D now standard, with limited P-47D, P-51B spawns.  150 octane, K-14, G-suit available.  109G/190A plus limited K4/D9.  Me262 spawn available when enough USAAF players are logged in.

November 26th, 1944: Return route raid on German rail targets. 

 

The Channel Front - focused on the battles between the RAF and the Luftwaffe over the English channel between 1941-43.

September 18th, 1941:  RAF Circus raid targeting the Rouen power station.  Bostons (A-20) filling the role of the historical Blenheims.  Hurricane IIb, Spitfire Vb vs 109F2/F4.

April 30th, 1942:  Double circus mission, with raids on Le Havre and Abbeville featuring the introduction of the Focke-Wulf 190.  Spitfire Vb vs Fw190A3.

July 31st, 1942:  Double circus mission, raids on Abbeville and Le Havre featuring the introduction of the Spitfire Mk IX.  Spit Vb with limited IXc vs 190A3 and 109G.

December 12th, 1942:  Early USAAF raid on Rouen with high alt B-25s, escorted by RAF Spitfires.  Spit Vb, IXc vs 190A/109G.

July 15th, 1943:  Thee wave RAF Ramrod by Bostons and Typhoons against Abbeville and Poix.  Spit Vb, IXc, Typhoon vs 190A/109G.

 

The Siege of Malta - 1941/1942 Axis raids against Malta.

February 26th, 1941:  Luftwaffe Ju-88 and He-111 raid against the Grand Harbor and Luqa airfield.  Hurricane IIa vs 109E, 110E.

April 21st, 1942:  Luftwaffe Ju-88s raiding the harbor and Luqa.  Hurricane IIb/c, Spitfire Vb vs Bf109-F4, MC202.

 

The Forgotten 15th - USAAF heavy bomber raids against southern Europe.  Different aircraft and mod availability to the 8th AF missions.

May 5th, 1944:  Raid on Ploesti by high altitude B-25s.  P-38J, P-47D22 vs 190A/109G/MC202/IAR-80/Bf110.

August 15th, 1944:  Raid on Ploesti.  P-38J, P-51B/D vs 109G/190A.

 

The Eastern Front - Escort/Intercept missions on the Eastern Front

December 1942:  The Luftwaffe attempts to escort Ju52 and He111 transports into the Stalingrad Pocket.  Bf109G2, Bf110E vs Yak-1, Lagg-3, limited La-5.

 

If you're new to the server, come chat on our discord and check out our weekly Thursday flyout event, where we run a limited set of themed missions!

[357th_KW]

This Thursday we'll be flying on The Channel Front!  Come join us for some classic 109 and 190 vs Spitfire, Hurricane and Typhoon action.  We'll have a mix of missions ranging from 1941 through 1943.  For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

Tomorrow, April 24th is the 80th anniversary of 8th Air Force mission 315, which resulted in a massive battle around Munich. In commemoration of this battle, we've got a new mission set on this date which will rollout for our Thursday flyout event. This mission features an increase from the usual 18 bomber formation to two boxes with 24 total bombers! The Thursday playlist will also include 8th and 15th AF missions from May 1944.  Come join us for an epic battle featuring razorback Thunderbolts and Mustangs, Lightnings, the 109G-6/AS and the Bf110 and Me410!  For our Euro crowd, we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

Edited April 23, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

This Thursday for our weekly flyout we're going back to the Mediterranean with a brand new mission! We'll be reenacting Operation Flax, the Allied air blockade of Tunisia in April 1943. P-40s and Spitfires are attempting to cut off Axis Ju52s from reaching the beleaguered Afrika Corps, while Bf109G's, Bf110G's and MC202's attempt to shepherd the vulnerable transports! In addition we'll have the Malta and 15th AF mission mixed in for a fun day of MTO action. For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday for our weekly flyout we'll be flying with The Mighty 8th! Come join us for the classic 109 and 190 vs Thunderbolts, Lightnings and Mustangs matchup. We're coming up on the 80th anniversary of the first 8th Air Force raid on German oil refineries on May 12th. This was a major turning point in the campaign, and in commemoration we'll be running missions from Spring and Summer 1944.  For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

Come join us this Thursday as we return to The Channel Front!  The old June 1941 mission has been completely rebuilt to recreate June 21st, 1941.  That day the RAF flew two Circus missions attacking St. Omer and Desvres in the Pas de Calais.  Heavy fighting that day resulted in six fighters and one bomber lost from the RAF formations in exchange for nine Bf109's destroyed.  Come enjoy some classic Bf109E/F vs Spitfire/Hurricane dogfights over the beautiful Normandy map!  For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday the Allied Strategic Air Forces continue their heavy bomber raids in preparation for Operation Overlord. We'll be running The Mighty 8th April and May 1944 and The Forgotten 15th May 1944 missions. Come enjoy some classic high altitude dogfights featuring Lightnings and razorback Thunderbolts and Mustangs up against the Bf109G and Fw190A!

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday is June 6th - the 80th anniversary of D-Day.  In remembrance of this momentous battle, we're adding a new campaign to the server - The Battle of Normandy!  These new missions are a big change of pace from previous content, primarily focused on tactical battles at lower altitudes.  They will feature some brand new elements to the server including radar that can detect players and AI and mobile dynamic ground targets.  Both ground targets and aircraft count towards mission scoring and so players will have to balance destroying ground targets against aircraft losses - suicidal bombing missions can actually hurt your team's efforts.  The initial missions will focus on the British 2nd TAF and the American 9th Air Force on June 7th in the immediate aftermath of the landings, and feature the historical B-1 emergency landing ground so players aren't forced to cross the entire channel every flight.  Additional missions will follow to round out the campaign and give a good feel for the progression of the battle throughout the summer of 1944. 

 

 

Come join us to try out the new missions! 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

 

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday we're continuing the Summer 1944 theme with another new Battle of Normandy mission and some tweaks to some other existing Summer 44 missions.  First off is a new Normandy mission, this time focused on the role of 8th Fighter Command on D-Day and days that followed.  We'll also have the 2nd Tactical Air Force and 9th Air Force Normandy missions from last week in the playlist, with some minor modifications to flak - flak zones have been adjusted so that players can potentially sneak up on them or avoid them by flying at low level and friendly fire is now possible, meaning that you can't rely on flak to identify friendly and enemy targets at distance.  The 9th AF variation has also had AI raids added, that players can participate in, so solo players can work with some AI wingmen to tackle some of the tougher ground targets in that mission.  In addition, we'll have the 8th AF July 44 and 15th AF August 44 high altitude bomber escort missions in the playlist - these have been modified to tone down the bomber gunners a bit, and the flak on these missions can also mistakenly fire on a friendly now.  

 

Come join us for some awesome Summer 1944 action!  

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

Edited June 11, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday our weekly flyout will focus on the final weeks of the Second World War in Europe.  Two new missions, set in March and April 1945 will recreate some of the last clashes between the Luftwaffe and the Western Allies.  One mission set on March 2nd will look at one of the last large scale high altitude battles between the 8th Air Force and the Luftwaffe.  The second mission is set in mid April 1945, and will feature the final desperate low altitude battles with the 2nd Tactical Air Force. 

 

 

If you love super props and jets, this one is for you!  Take to the skies in the P-51D, Spitfire Mk XIV, Hawker Tempest, Bf109K, Fw190D, Me262 - and hopefully something even more unique!

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday we'll be flying on The Channel Front!  Come join us for some classic 109 and 190 vs Spitfire, Hurricane and Typhoon action.  We'll have a mix of missions ranging from 1941 through 1943.  

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

[357th_KW]

 

We're coming up on the 4th of July, and in celebration The Cold Blue will be running a USAAF playlist this week!  Come fly some high altitude strategic bombing missions with us all this week! 

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

Edited June 29, 2024 by 357th_KW

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday is the 4th of July - Independence Day here in the US - and we'll be flying  the USAAF playlist we've been running all week for our weekly flyout. Come join us for some classic high altitude battles around the heavy bomber formations, featuring the classic P-38/P-47/P-51 vs 109/190 matchups.

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

Summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere and for many of us our focus has turned outdoors towards activities with family and friends.  That’s certainly true for myself, and camping trips and vacations are filling my calendar for much of the summer.  In light of this, I’ve been doing a bit of work to automate some of the basic day to day server functions like reboots.  This is still a work in progress, so please forgive me if there are any surprise reboots.  I hope to have some more robust systems in place by the fall, but for now my primary goal is to ensure the server is up and running when I’m out of town and not watching it closely.

 

I’ve instituted a new “playlist” system, where a list of 10 or so missions is generated every week to provide some variety, but also give players an option to see what missions will be coming up.  The weekly playlist is posted on the server discord in the #weekly-playlist channel, with an explanation of the details of each mission.  The missions run in the order listed (and all missions last for 1 hour) so you can quickly get an idea of what missions will be running and when you can catch them.  As always, if players or squads have specific requests for missions or events, please reach out to me and I’m happy to set those up as best as my schedule allows.

 

On the mission building side, this summer we’ve rolled out three new Normandy themed missions, focused on fighter-bomber action just after D-Day.  In addition a new late war Western Front mission set in April 1945 has been introduced with a similar theme, along with a March 1945 Mighty 8th high altitude bomber escort mission.  Both of these two feature the Ta152 and are based on actual missions flown by JG301’s handful of Ta’s.

 

I’ve withdrawn the Eastern Front Dec 1942 mission from rotation due to some bugs that have cropped up.  I hope to have that reworked this fall, along with adding some other eastern front themed missions.

 

There have been some small but impactful changes to all the Mighty 8th and Forgotten 15th heavy bomber escort missions.  The bomber gunners have been toned down - they are still dangerous, but it should be easier for players to attack the formation without getting PKed so often.  Additionally, heavily damaging a bomber and forcing it out of formation now scores points for the Axis side, even if the bomber isn’t destroyed outright.  The scoring of the missions is much more balanced now, and a solid effort on the Axis side can produce victories, even with lower player counts.

 

The three new Normandy missions and the Western Front mission all feature a new dynamic radar function which can detect player and AI aircraft, and communicate that to players through messages.  This is just a rough prototype at this point, but I hope to have a much more advanced version in place this fall, with much higher resolution and altitude discrimination.  Be aware that in the radar’s current form, this system doesn’t provide perfect SA - it’s possible for it to fail to detect an aircraft, and you can fly under it. Once I have the more advanced version working, I hope to incorporate it into most missions where it makes historical sense.

 

Have a good summer!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday for our weekly flyout we're returning to the Mediterranean!  We'll be flying three different Siege of Malta missions, along with the North Africa 1943 mission which recreates the Palm Sunday Massacre.  Take to the skies in the Bf 109, Bf 110 and Macchi 202, while trying to shepherd Ju52s and Axis bombers over the Mediterranean - or jump into a Hurricane, Spitfire or P-40 and try to turn the tide back in the Allies favor!

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday we'll be featuring the three Battle of Normandy missions for our weekly flyout.  The US 9th AF variant features P-47s and P-38s tasked with knocking out bridges, marshaling yards, trains and road traffic matched up against the 190A and 109G.  The RAF variant features Spitfires and Typhoons (with a few Mustang IIIs) targeting trains and road traffic against the 190A and 109G (with some limited MW50).  The US 8th AF variant focuses on P-38s, P-47s and P-51s tasked with bombing and strafing road and rail traffic, marshaling yards, and enemy airfields against the usual 190A/109G combo with some more plentiful MW50. 

 

 

Come fly with us and enjoy these classic Summer 1944 match ups in a low altitude tactical environment, complete with some limited radar that can detect player aircraft.

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

Come join us this Thursday for a Focke-Wulf focused flyout! We'll be running three 1942 Channel Front missions focused on the FW 190 in combat over the Western front. These missions focus on the 190A matchup against the Spitfire Mk V and later the Spitfire Mk IX, which was rushed into production to counter the 190 menace.

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

 

This Thursday we're going to be celebrating the mighty P-47 Thunderbolt.  Take to the skies over Normandy and Germany and test your skills as a Jug pilot, or try to knock them down in a 109 or 190!  Included in the Thursday playlist will be two Normandy themed missions focused on the 9th and 8th Air Force.  The US 9th AF variant features P-47s and P-38s tasked with knocking out bridges, marshalling yards, trains and road traffic matched up against the 190A and 109G.  The US 8th AF variant focuses on P-38s, P-47s and P-51s tasked with bombing and strafing road and rail traffic, marshalling yards, and enemy airfields against the usual 190A/109G combo with some more plentiful MW50.  Additionally we'll mix in a Mighty 8th mission with plenty of Thunderbolts in the escort role, set in July 1944.

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  Additionally I'll be hosting a late night flyout at 10:00 PM PDT - we had a great turnout in this time slot last week.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

This week we're going to be testing some variations on the standard Mighty 8th high altitude escort/intercept missions.  The playlist is made up of the following:

 

April 1944: ETO USAAF withdrawal route heavy bomber escort mission with two boxes of bombers (24 total!) - P-38J, P-47D22, P-51B vs 109G6, 190A, 110, 410, Ju88C - the two boxes of 12 are within sight of each other but spread out enough to give the attackers some choices to try to evade the escorts

 

 

May 1944: ETO USAAF heavy bomber penetration escort mission, featuring limited MW50 and 150 octane for the P-47 - P-38J, P-47D22, P-51B vs 109G6, G6/AS, 190A, 110, 410, Ju88C - standard Mighty 8th mission.

 

July 1944: ETO USAAF heavy bomber penetration escort mission, featuring bubble tops, 150 octane and MW50 - P-38J, P-47D22/28, P-51B/D vs 109G6, G6/AS, 190A, 110, 410, Ju88C - Modified to now have 27 bombers in the formation, airspawns for interceptors throughout the mission, limited AI escorts that only start spawning once a number of Axis players have joined or many bombers have been shot down.

 

 

August 1944: ETO USAAF heavy bomber penetration escort mission, featuring bubble tops, 150 octane and MW50 - P-38J, P-47D22/28, P-51B/D vs 109G6, G6/AS, 190A - Interceptors can spawn in a large wave or in the normal configuration, double the flak density, added ground strafing targets (airfields with parked planes and trains), air spawns throughout for interceptors

 

The goal here isn’t so much to pick one favorite, but rather just try all these options, and get some feedback on what’s going to be the best compromise of various options going forward.  Come check out these missions all this next week and see what you think.  If you haven't played on the server in a while, come see what's new.  The "standard" mission profile for these has evolved a lot from the beginning a year ago. 

 

And make sure to give me some feedback here, or on the server discord:  https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

I'd love to hear what people think is enjoyable, what caused performance issues etc.  Some of these configurations are really pushing the limits of what IL-2:BoX can do in a multiplayer setting.

 

[357th_KW]

The last few weeks we've been working on refining and improving the 8th Air Force themed missions.  This Thursday we're going to run another high altitude strategic bombing mission set, featuring some improvements and tweaks from the past few weeks. We'll be focusing on two bomber configurations - the standard 18 bomber box, and an alternate configuration with two 12 bomber boxes. In addition, bomber gunners have been toned down slightly from where they were in the past. In addition, the interceptor force will now have higher altitude airspawns throughout the map, with limited spawns, along with the traditional airfield spawns for players who want the full scramble and climbout experience. Lastly, we're adding messaging for AI interceptors, to make it easier for players to coordinate their attacks with the AI and avoid being swarmed by escorts.

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up this Thursday at 7:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  Additionally I'll be hosting a late night flyout at 10:00 PM PDT - we had a great turnout in this time slot last week.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[357th_KW]

Hey folks, summer is winding down and I hope you've all been taking advantage of the good weather to get outside with family and friends.  It's been a very busy season for me with lots of work mixed with some great camping trips, BBQs and a trip to Mexico.

 

Along with all that, we've made some progress here on The Cold Blue as well.  I introduced three new Battle of Normandy missions at the beginning of the summer.  These are a big departure for this server, focusing on lower altitude tactical battles.  They are built around some very different target arrays compared to what is typically seen in IL-2 multiplayer with a heavy focus on moving vehicle targets - the attackers have to go find these and need to devote some attention to searching for ground targets, while the defenders also don't know their location and can't just orbit over a fixed target and expect to bounce low enemies.  Additionally, these missions feature an active radar system which can dynamically detect both enemy players and AI and communicate that to players.  The current system is fairly simple, but I hope to have something more advanced with higher resolution and altitude discrimination coming in the next few months.  These first few missions all focus on the initial days of Operation Overlord - at some point down the road I hope to add some additional Normandy missions set later in the campaign.

 

 

Most recently, I've done a lot of testing and tweaking with the classic Mighty 8th high altitude bomber escort/intercept missions.  The end result of that testing will be as follows:

 

Going forward, these missions will be a mix of 1 x 18 bomber formation or 2 x 12 bomber formations.  I've enjoyed variety that the two box setup adds.

 

Bomber gunners have been tweaked down a bit more - they can still be dangerous, particularly in a slow stern approach, but the cases of instant pilot kills should pretty rare now.

 

Bombers that are forced from their formation will score points for the interceptor force even if they aren't shot down - 1/2 the value of a full kill.

 

Interceptor airspawns are now setup very similarly to the escorts, to make it easier for players to get into the action faster.  At the same time, airfields have been maintained for players to land at, and for those who want to take off from a runway. 

 

Additionally, interceptor AI now announces it's presence to its teammates to make it easier for players to coordinate their attacks on the bomber formation with the AI.

 

Escorts can now help their team even after losing contact with the bomber stream by strafing enemy player airfields.  Strafing enemy airfields was a point of focus for 8th Air Force fighters after January 1944, and now in these missions players can score points for their team by destroying enemy aircraft on the ground.  Strafed aircraft count as 1/2 the value of shooting down a fighter in the air.  A number of 8th AF pilots became strafing aces during the war and over 4,000 strafing victories were awarded to 8th AF pilots during the war.  Just watch out for the flak at the enemy airfields - it can be murderous!

 

 

These changes are making these missions even more fun and engaging then they were before.  So far only three of the ten Mighty 8th missions have been updated to the new standard.  I aim to have them all updated (along with the two Forgotten 15th missions) in the next month or so.  I'll also likely roll out a few more of these missions, fleshing out the late 44-45 period, and adding some 1943 variations as well.

 

 

One other change that I hope to have rolled out soon is a team balancing mechanic.  The goal here to it be able to ramp up and dial down the AI presence relative to how many players are actively flying on a given mission.  A group logs on to one team to PvE?  It will ramp up the enemy AI fighters, and dial down the friendly AI fighters to enhance the experience.  One team greatly outnumbers the other?  It will do the same thing to balance things out.  Hopefully I'll have that up and running in the near future as well.

Thanks to all the folks logging on and flying!  We've had some great battles this summer, and I'm hoping that as the weather gets worse and people get back into gaming more often we'll be able to dial it up even more.  See you online!

 

 

[357th_KW]

This Thursday we're going back to 1941-42 for some mid war action! We'll be playing a mix of Channel Front and Siege of Malta missions highlighting the Bf109E/F, Bf110E, Fw190A and MC202 vs the Hurricane Mk II and Spitfire Mk V. These missions give both the Axis and Allies and chance at both the escort and interceptor role.

 

 

Come join us for some rare mid war battles! 

 

 

For our Euro crowd we'll meet up an hour earlier then usual this Thursday at 6:00 PM GMT, and for the US crowd we'll start at 9:00 PM EDT.  Additionally I'll be hosting a late night flyout at 10:00 PM PDT - we had a great turnout in this time slot last week.  See you guys there!

 

Server discord: https://discord.gg/mA58nP6YjG

 

[Knarley-Bob]

I have flown here a few times and find it interesting. It's not the usual "Shoot 'Em up", bang, bang game. It's a different type of flying being where the air is so thin, takes a different approach. Is a peaceful flight till "The bad guys" show up. Dogfights seem to take a while; the planes are struggling in the wispy air. Up is a struggle, where down is very quick, one must plan accordingly. It's a lot of fun..........

 

I could only wish for a way, after the ammo is all gone, to gracefully re-arm or land somewhere. After fighting on the edge of space, the earth isn't recognizable to where one is at. The only way to get out of the plane is to land who knows where, crash or bail out. Seems like an awfully anticlimactic way to return as a hero of the sky.

 

Just my two cents, 

 

Regards,

KB

[357th_KW]

2 hours ago, Knarley-Bob said:

I could only wish for a way, after the ammo is all gone, to gracefully re-arm or land somewhere. After fighting on the edge of space, the earth isn't recognizable to where one is at. The only way to get out of the plane is to land who knows where, crash or bail out. Seems like an awfully anticlimactic way to return as a hero of the sky.

 

Just my two cents, 

 

Regards,

KB

 

There is a way to land somewhere.  Airfields are available to land at for both teams in every mission.  In the USAAF missions over Germany, they are labeled as "USAAF Recovery Field" as seen below.  Yes, navigating to them can be a bit of a challenge, but this was one of the hurdles faced by Allied airmen operating deep over enemy territory.  I'd love to offer some sort of "aerial despawn" function so that players would simply fly West towards the UK and eventually be able to safely despawn if no enemies were near.  Unfortunately the only way to do this is to allow all players on all teams to end their mission at any point, which then leads to players simply exiting their aircraft anytime they are in danger to prevent the other team from shooting them down.

 

 

Another feature that I've recently added is scored strafing targets at Axis airfields on these maps - so if you find yourself down on the deck after a dogfight with some ammo left over, you can opt to strafe enemy airfields on the way home which scores points towards your teams victory.  And who knows, maybe you'll encounter another enemy taking off or landing at that airfield.

[Knarley-Bob]

Perhaps if the map could show where the player's plane is, only theirs, it would make navigating easier. Yes, I understand how it was in real life, but this isn't. Adding a little help would help make the game more enjoyable...... and flown more often?

Just a thought.

 

KB