Aircraft Update July 2024: B-17E

[Buzzsaw]

Hello All

 

The B-17E external and damage models are complete.

 

It has been placed in the queue for import into the game.

 

Cockpits and turrets are well underway... images will be part of a later update.

 

Images are from 3dsMax viewer and do not include in game shadowing and reflection effects.

 

https://i.ibb.co/phzgwmk/promo-063124-1.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/Q9xqc7n/promo-063124-2.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/GRMP3gF/promo-063124-3.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/ky8wK6D/promo-063124-4.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/LQHDWjK/promo-063124-5.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/Vw2hPwP/promo-063124-6.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/NZYbPSX/promo-063124-7.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/7VvJHqx/promo-063124-8.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/0VHXVWG/promo-063124-9.jpg

 

[jcole]

Great! AI flyable when first released, correct? 
and Thanks to all. 

[Enceladus828]

16 minutes ago, jcole said:

Great! AI flyable when first released, correct? 
and Thanks to all. 

No it will be flyable on first release 😉

[Buzzsaw]

1 hour ago, jcole said:

Great! AI flyable when first released, correct? 
and Thanks to all. 

No it will be human flyable... full pilot/bombardier/turrets except waist gunner positions, (no one uses these as they are very difficult to hit with and also require a huge amount of 3d modeling) and no Radio/Navigator positions.  (these have no functional use in the game)

[Missionbug]

All that beautiful moddelling and them we shoot them full of nasty big holes, appalling behaviour.

 

Them rivets make my eyes water, how is that sort of detail possible.

 

As always excellent model work, congratulations to all involved.

 

Take care and be safe.

 

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Looks excellent😎B17 has an appeal for sure👍

[Trooper117]

Looking good... well done to the team.

[ACG_Blondi]

Does full pilot mean a Copilot as well?

[354thFG_Leifr]

Looks great.

[jaguar]

Model looks good, but i do not get why navigators are useless. I guess that flying in north-western european weather and possibly at night (for instance in Lancs) makes navigators far from useless.

[Blitzen]

Be still my heart- wonderful progress-thanks for the update!

[Buzzsaw]

52 minutes ago, jaguar said:

Model looks good, but i do not get why navigators are useless. I guess that flying in north-western european weather and possibly at night (for instance in Lancs) makes navigators far from useless.

Hi Jaguar

 

Its a  matter of balance... what adding such positions would add to the player experience, and what would be required in terms of team work load.

 

Yes, there is quite a bit of skill required when navigating without a map icon.

 

But all of those calculations can be done by the player/pilot himself... it does not require a Navigator.   There are 3rd party programs which allow the calculations.

 

And 95% of the time a Player/Navigator would have nothing to do.

 

Contrast that with the fact the extra work to model the Navigator/Radio Operator compartments in 3D VR is considerable... nearly as much as modeling a single engine fighter cockpit.

 

Below is a video of the Navigator position in the Lancaster... you can see how complex the modeling would be.

 

 

Not to mention... navigation is a very complex subject... which would require a LOT of study by the player to understand... most players would not probably be willing to invest the time.  A Navigator was the #2 ranked member of the crew in both Lancasters and B-17's... because his job was so complex and required so much study.

 

If TF had the kind of budget the big development Studios have, then obviously we would probably model a Navigator/Radio Operator position.  But TF has a budget of ZERO, so we have to focus on what we need to do.

 

There is the potential in future for us to model some of the instruments used.... by themselves... so if we do this, then the player could use the instruments to make calculations to plot the course.... just using/looking through the instruments... but not actually being in a 3D compartment.

 

There is the potential for us to model a usable navigator's position in the B-17... because the position is part of the nose compartment which we are already modeling for the Bombardier and nose gunners.  But no guarantees.

[JMax]

The B17 looks excellent.Great work!

[343KKT_Kintaro]

Hey @Buzzsaw, did the guy in this video say he's Rowan Atkinson? 🤔

[Kapteeni]

Flyable B-17... A dream comes true. And new bigger map too..

[II./JG27_Rich]

I always thought the B-17 and also the B-25 were fantastic looking aeroplanes.

[Kapteeni]

11 hours ago, II./JG27_Rich said:

I always thought the B-17 and also the B-25 were fantastic looking aeroplanes.

Me too.

[Mysticpuma]

As we are only 4 months away from release, is there any update showing this in game yet?

[Dagwoodyt]

33 minutes ago, Mysticpuma said:

As we are only 4 months away from release, is there any update showing this in game yet?

I hope we are not forgetting that crew models and their animations are an integral part of the package. Will they still be the wooden figures we've seen previously? If upgraded, won't the current models need corresponding upgrades? We are in an information vacuum forever begging for crumbs. Maybe beyond TFS' historical communication style is that there will not be much to show for a considerable time to come. Hopefully the same question won't need to be asked this time next year. 😉 

[Blitzen]

52 minutes ago, Dagwoodyt said:

I hope we are not forgetting that crew models and their animations are an integral part of the package. Will they still be the wooden figures we've seen previously? If upgraded, won't the current models need corresponding upgrades? We are in an information vacuum forever begging for crumbs. Maybe beyond TFS' historical communication style is that there will not be much to show for a considerable time to come. Hopefully the same question won't need to be asked this time next year. 😉 

Good point- the bombardier in the Ju-88 is still kinda "creepy..." to me anyhow...

[343KKT_Kintaro]

15 hours ago, Dagwoodyt said:

I hope we are not forgetting that crew models and their animations are an integral part of the package.

 

 

Interesting point, I have to admit. I cannot remember when was the last time TFS broached the subject, but I think there isn't a deadline for that. At any rate, our crews in Cliffs of Dover need urgent plastic surgery, for sure they need it, and I hope that the problem will be solved sooner than later.

 

 

[BOO]

14 hours ago, Blitzen said:

Good point- the bombardier in the Ju-88 is still kinda "creepy..." to me anyhow...

Shove a mask and goggles on him. Lessens the distraction. 

 

The alternative is to fly a course to target where you only turn left.....

[Blitzen]

6 hours ago, BOO said:

Shove a mask and goggles on him. Lessens the distraction. 

 

The alternative is to fly a course to target where you only turn left.....

I haven’t figured out a way to do that though I’ve tried…

[Dagwoodyt]

Mentioning oxygen systems might raise someone's hackles.😉

[jdu]

On 12/31/2022 at 1:26 PM, OBT-Eazy said:

 

Solution for you.
Build a real working oxygen mask and program an Arduino or any other microprocessor board that somehow retrieves the altitude of the player's plane. This Arduino will then regulate the oxygen supply in the mask (perhaps by reducing the oxygen level and increasing the nitrogen level) depending on the altitude.
If your system is operational and works as expected, then you can market (or open source) this accessory as an add-on to increase the realism of the game.

DISCLAIMER: This is only an imaginative experience (Indeed, how can Dagwoodyt do something to improve the game?). Never reproduce this at home. This could have serious or even lethal consequences for your health.

You haven't yet built this special article for you?

[Dagwoodyt]

50 minutes ago, jdu said:

You haven't yet built this special article for you?

Triggered?
😉

[jdu]

 

31 minutes ago, Dagwoodyt said:

Triggered?
😉

Yep.
I just see nothing change.
(Indeed, how can Dagwoodyt do something to improve the game?)

[Dagwoodyt]

2 hours ago, jdu said:

I just see nothing change.
(Indeed, how can Dagwoodyt do something to improve the game?)

Maybe I should be tasked to fix this too:😉

 

 

 

[343KKT_Kintaro]

22 minutes ago, Dagwoodyt said:

Maybe I should be tasked to fix this too

 

 

For years now you already self-tasked yourself to remind it every couple of posts of yours, so no worries, it's fine as it is.

 

 

[jdu]

1 hour ago, Dagwoodyt said:

Maybe I should be tasked to fix this too:😉

 

 

 

 

If you think this game is dead, what the f*ck are you doing here, other than nursing and inflating your ego?

 

[BOO]

10 hours ago, jdu said:

If you think this game is dead, what the f*ck are you doing here, other than nursing and inflating your ego?

 

 

As much as some who bought the game and its its DLC on the promise of VR being around the corner 2 (even 3) years ago may be happy to sit back and give TFS endless slack, others aren't. Just the way of the world. You dont have to agree, I dont always agree. If you cant come up with a response that amounts to much more than "shut the f up" though I'd argue that you're equally open to the charge that you make given the overwhelming (used advisedly) feeling in the room and the almost guaranteed "thumps up" responses such posts would get from the usual suspects (oh and theres another upvote for it from KIntaro surprise surprise). .  

 

There isnt much that can be said about those charts. They look grim. And they are grimmer still when you consider Steam is showing the total use not just a proportion of use channeled by them.  No getting away from that. Perhaps then Dagwoody is right to raise it as a problem as often as he does as clearly nothing TFS or the player base is doing or has done in 4 years is reversing that trend. Little point dreaming of a brighter tomorrow if you die in your sleep. 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2024 by BOO

[354thFG_Leifr]

11 hours ago, jdu said:

If you think this game is dead, what the f*ck are you doing here, other than nursing and inflating your ego?

 

Waiting on the Visual Update, something promised for several years now but strung along on the back of 'VR first'... 🥲

[Dagwoodyt]

My only qualification to post comments is that I am a customer, just like probably everyone else who posts to this thread. Once I recognize that someone will resort to vulgarity in order to prevail in a back-and-forth they requested, I just ghost them.

[Blitzen]

Any new news?

[Buzzsaw]

Hello

 

Regarding the Visual Update/VR etc.

 

-  We are currently testing the latest patch to isolate bugs

 

-  We are working on adding Telemetry to the Beta to allow us to more readily identify the areas which are a problem

 

-  Speedtree 8.42 is advancing well, we are working with the shaders to colour-match.

 

The main problems remain the integration of Simul trueSKY and VR... the interaction of these two added pieces of software is the likely source of most bugs.

 

I am sure this explanation won't satisfy all, but rest assured, we are focused and working as hard as time allows.  (of course we are just coming out of summer, and many of our members have been taking time off to spend with their families)

 

As a further note:

 

In the fall we will be putting up a survey on the ATAG forum asking the community their opinion on various subjects related to CLIFFS and its development.

[Dagwoodyt]

Certainly the survey will also be posted here(?)

[Blitzen]

[BOO]

Given the above I predict the follow survey question

 

As a VR user how important are clouds to you?

 

a) What are clouds?

b) Blue skies all the way baby

c) Clouds are for sissys

d) Ive sacrificed every other vestage of quality to soak in the realism, so to hell with clouds

[Dagwoodyt]

1 hour ago, Buzzsaw said:

In the fall we will be putting up a survey on the ATAG forum asking the community their opinion on various subjects related to CLIFFS and its development.

Just to be clear:

This is a Steam game. It seems like the Steam Cliffs Forum is the appropriate center to host discussion.

[Blitzen]

Clouds? We ain't got no clouds ! I ain't got to show you no stinkin' clouds!