IL2 Great Battles: Odessa and Leningrad

[Bremspropeller]

On 5/22/2025 at 3:56 AM, Jackfraser24 said:

Agreed. The Ju-87 B-2 would be a fabulous addition to Great Battles, especially for Battle of Moscow pilot career and AQMB. 

Indeed it is. But what is most likely if it were down to only eight more planes? I’ll have a guess:

 

Finns

• Blenheim Mk.IV
• B-239 
• D.XXI Sarja 
• G.50Bis
• Hawk 75A

Soviets

• Pe-3Bis
• Tomahawk Mk.IIa/b
• SB-2

Just a harmless guess, right or no? At the end of the day we’ll have to wait and see what they bring us. I’ll be happy with anything.

 

 

That would be quite an awesome line up!

 

The only thing missing (cherry on top) would be a Fw 189A. Not because of it's relevance in theater, but because of it's relevance across the board.

[Jackfraser24]

8 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

 

That would be quite an awesome line up!

 

The only thing missing (cherry on top) would be a Fw 189A. Not because of it's relevance in theater, but because of it's relevance across the board.

Yeah, the Fw-189A was a relevant aircraft in the war, so maybe? Who knows? There are lots of aircraft that I would like to see for Great Battles that they don't currently offer. But there are too many on my list to name! But once Siege and Liberation is done, I think they will be focusing on aircraft that fought for the Finnish Air Force, and maybe some more aircraft for the VVS (i.e. possibly the Tomahawk Mk.II, Pe-3Bis and SB-2) and then that's it, they're done with Great Battles. But one thing I have realized over the years is that these people can surprise us with something that challenges our expectations (in a good way).        

[Cardolan]

From a comercial standpoint only when sales drop significantly then the curtain should drop on BoX engine. I am just a single customer, but I believe there continues to exist a market for more BoX scenarios and planes, even if developed at a slower pace as the devs have their sights on Korea and the Pacific. On top of it, there is also 3rd party content that can be monetized by the company.

 

My two cents.

[Jackfraser24]

4 hours ago, Cardolan said:

From a comercial standpoint only when sales drop significantly then the curtain should drop on BoX engine. I am just a single customer, but I believe there continues to exist a market for more BoX scenarios and planes, even if developed at a slower pace as the devs have their sights on Korea and the Pacific. On top of it, there is also 3rd party content that can be monetized by the company.

 

My two cents.

I know what you mean. I would like to see some more Eastern Front modules like Kursk, Crimea, and the Courland Pocket (1944-45) but I have come to terms that they need to move on. Great Battles is showing its age, and there are some things that need to be improved but due to the game’s developmental limitations I don’t see it happening. For example, command and communications systems need to be improved but they can’t do it. AI wingmen need to be worked on but they can’t. Great Battles is derived from Rise of Flight, or at least partly, and therefore they have so many shortcomings that are virtually impossible to correct (from my knowledge).
 

I have hope for the new series that it will go well beyond Korea and the PTO. I speculate that they will do Burma; the MTO; and other areas of the Eastern Front that have not been done since the old days of IL-2 1946. And then who knows? But they will be able to address many of these shortcomings that Great Battles couldn’t deliver on. Plus the flight and damage model will be way more detailed so that’s something to look forward to too. 

Edited June 7 by Jackfraser24

[Cardolan]

On 6/7/2025 at 2:37 AM, Jackfraser24 said:

I know what you mean. I would like to see some more Eastern Front modules like Kursk, Crimea, and the Courland Pocket (1944-45) but I have come to terms that they need to move on. Great Battles is showing its age, and there are some things that need to be improved but due to the game’s developmental limitations I don’t see it happening. For example, command and communications systems need to be improved but they can’t do it. AI wingmen need to be worked on but they can’t. Great Battles is derived from Rise of Flight, or at least partly, and therefore they have so many shortcomings that are virtually impossible to correct (from my knowledge).
 

I have hope for the new series that it will go well beyond Korea and the PTO. I speculate that they will do Burma; the MTO; and other areas of the Eastern Front that have not been done since the old days of IL-2 1946. And then who knows? But they will be able to address many of these shortcomings that Great Battles couldn’t deliver on. Plus the flight and damage model will be way more detailed so that’s something to look forward to too. 

 

Each one of us has his/her own opinion but to me, the present BoX engine does not look dated at all. Admittedly with the privilege of enjoying the game maxed out in terms of graphics, it seems the engine has legs to offer us much more content for years to come.

 

The only issues I find with the present engine are the low number of planes in the air - compare it with 25 years old releases such as Wings Over the Reich (CFS3 engine) or Rowan's Battle of Britain that can show without noticiable lag hundreds of planes in the air around the player and the puny IL2 engagements pale in comparison - and the lacklustre communications with squadron mates/ground control. Given the full experience the game delivers at present, these two shortcomings can be easily overlooked.

 

Of course for any well run business it will be the market that decides the fate of the present engine, but I believe people continue to be enthusiastic about what the BoX engine can deliver and will act accordingly with their wallets. One has only to browse the threads about the upcoming BoX campaign to check how the community is engaging and enthusiastic about the new content.

 

I am not a ludite that keeps living in the past and am as enthusiastic as anyone else about the new stuff about Korea and the Pacific but I believe the present BoX paradigm still has a lot to deliver. To us the consumers and obviously to the company in terms of sales.

Edited June 11 by Cardolan

[AEthelraedUnraed]

45 minutes ago, Cardolan said:

Each one of us has his/her own opinion but to me, the present BoX engine does not look dated at all. Admittedly with the privilege of enjoying the game maxed out in terms of graphics, it seems the engine has legs to offer us much more content for years to come.

 

The only issues I find with the present engine are the low number of planes in the air - compare it with 25 years old releases such as Wings Over the Reich (CFS3 engine) or Rowan's Battle of Britain that can show without noticiable lag hundreds of planes in the air around the player and the puny IL2 engagements pale in comparison - and the lacklustre communications with squadron mates/ground control. Given the full experience the game delivers at present, these two shortcomings can be easily overlooked.

 

Of course for any well run business it will be the market that decides the fate of the present engine, but I believe people continue to be enthusiastic about what the BoX engine can deliver and will act accordingly with their wallets. One has only to browse the threads about the upcoming BoX campaign to check how the community is engaging and enthusiastic about the new content.

 

I am not a ludite that keeps living in the past and am as enthusiastic as anyone else about the new stuff about Korea and the Pacific but I believe the present BoX paradigm still has a lot to deliver. Tu us the consumers and obviously to the company in terms of sales.

I largely agree; BoX has a lot of great content and it won't just disappear overnight.

 

However, some of the changes the Devs have shown in their DDs concern their workflow. As someone who has some experience with the IL2 map editor, these are some pretty important changes that make it possible to create cities in a fraction of the time it costs in BoX. Even though BoX with all its shortcomings is still pretty good and, most importantly, has a large amount of aircraft types, why would a third party spend effort in making additional content, if they could make the same content in less time for the new engine?

 

The only ones I see doing any such thing are modding teams. But modding takes a *lot* of time and effort, and I frankly do not see that happen for any kind of big maps; only small ones maybe. Kurland, anyone? 😬

[Jackfraser24]

18 minutes ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

Kurland, anyone? 😬

I’d like Kurland, but what I would like more is a module with an entire Baltic Region. And I think it would make sense to do so.
 

Firstly, it would start where the Siege of Leningrad left off, thus continuing the story of how the German Army Group North go defeated.

 

Secondly, IL-2 Battle of the Baltics pilot career mode would span from January 1944 until May 1945, starting with air raids from the Soviet Air Force in Jan 44, followed by the Battle of Narva, which lasted from Feb - Aug 44 (German defensive victory) and the later subsequent Soviet offensive into the Baltics from Sep - Nov 44, (Soviet Victory), and ending with the Courland Pocket (German resistance until May 45). And they could span this period from lifting the Siege of Leningrad, to the end of the war in Europe under a single module. 

 

Thirdly, there are enough planes they could scrape together to make a wholesome plane list. I won’t go into the details, but I think the Soviets should have planes that entered service from late 1944-45, the same as how the Germans, British and Americans do. I believe it’s only fair.

 

Fourthly, I think it is a good thing to have a module of a scenario that happened on the Eastern front that was roughly concurrent to Battle of the Bulge and the Rhineland. 

 

Lastly, the Baltics really should be done because it hasn’t been touched by combat flight simulation in a really long time, if ever.

 

[Trooper117]

Fifthly???...

[AEthelraedUnraed]

17 hours ago, Jackfraser24 said:

I’d like Kurland, but what I would like more is a module with an entire Baltic Region. And I think it would make sense to do so.

A map of the entire Baltics would be great, especially because together with the upcoming Finland map, it would allow a continuous campaign from almost the beginning of Barbarossa until May 1945.

 

However, the Devs aren't going to put in the effort anymore and for a modding team it's a much too large area. At best, a modding team could realistically do a 200x250km area, stopping just west of Riga. I wouldn't expect any more, and most likely not even that.

[Jackfraser24]

4 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

A map of the entire Baltics would be great, especially because together with the upcoming Finland map, it would allow a continuous campaign from almost the beginning of Barbarossa until May 1945.

 

However, the Devs aren't going to put in the effort anymore and for a modding team it's a much too large area. At best, a modding team could realistically do a 200x250km area, stopping just west of Riga. I wouldn't expect any more, and most likely not even that.

We’ll see what happens in the near future. I think what’s most likely to come next (and probably finally) is a Finnish aircraft pack dlc for Great Battles (along with some Soviet/Soviet lend lease planes), but they could potentially surprise us with maybe another map of somewhere. I’d like to see Kursk and Crimea, but I theorise that if they were to do so, it would be one of Murmansk and/or White Karelia. 

[claw]

On 6/5/2025 at 3:17 PM, Bremspropeller said:

 

That would be quite an awesome line up!

 

The only thing missing (cherry on top) would be a Fw 189A. Not because of it's relevance in theater, but because of it's relevance across the board.

Taste in cherries varies. My cherry would be the henschel Hs 123. 

[sevenless]

On 6/14/2025 at 1:40 PM, claw said:

Taste in cherries varies. My cherry would be the henschel Hs 123. 

 

That would be a really cool one. And usable in career modes of Odessa, Moscow, Stalingrad and Kuban. IIRC it was used even until 1944.

 

 

[Trooper117]

Yes, good video that...

[Jackfraser24]

On 6/16/2025 at 1:35 AM, Trooper117 said:

Yes, good video that...

Who knows maybe the Hs-123 is on the cards. 

[Jackfraser24]

On 6/12/2025 at 4:31 AM, AEthelraedUnraed said:

A map of the entire Baltics would be great, especially because together with the upcoming Finland map, it would allow a continuous campaign from almost the beginning of Barbarossa until May 1945.

 

However, the Devs aren't going to put in the effort anymore and for a modding team it's a much too large area. At best, a modding team could realistically do a 200x250km area, stopping just west of Riga. I wouldn't expect any more, and most likely not even that.

Can I ask you a question about how challenging would it be for the dev team to make a North Africa module if they were to continue work on the series until 2030? Even if it was just a map or two and some planes that that would be needed and don't already have?

Edited July 4 by Jackfraser24

[BlitzPig_EL]

Jack, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, the fact is that once Korea is launched, Great Battles will be just a fond memory in the eyes of the devs. They will be focused squarely on the future, and that future is the Pacific done in the new engine.  GB will not be supported to 2030.

[Zooropa_Fly]

See RoF.

 

To be fair, GB hasn't been the emergency stop manoeuver that RoF was.

[Kubert]

I wonder if maps for future Pacific will be releasing the same way as current GB modules. Imagine, waiting for a few years and getting a map of the Coral Sea. Water, water everywhere.  The dream of all mapmakers.  Though, it would be challenge to navigate. 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

8 hours ago, Jackfraser24 said:

Can I ask you a question about how challenging would it be for the dev team to make a North Africa module if they were to continue work on the series until 2030? Even if it was just a map or two and some planes that that would be needed and don't already have?

Extremely challenging.

 

Not because a North Africa map is particularly hard to make; on the contrary. But because 1CGS won't be keen on developing content for the old game, while time and money is better spent on the new one.

[Aapje]

3 hours ago, Kubert said:

I wonder if maps for future Pacific will be releasing the same way as current GB modules. Imagine, waiting for a few years and getting a map of the Coral Sea. Water, water everywhere.  The dream of all mapmakers.  Though, it would be challenge to navigate. 

 

I expect Gaudalcanal and New Guinea. Both maps with a lot of land.

 

I don't see maps doing well that are almost all sea. At most I foresee an anthology module that has a bunch of smaller islands and a lot of sea, where you are expected to fly from carrier close to the islands, rather than huge distances over the sea.

[LukeFF]

The first PTO installment in the new series will have plenty of land, don't worry. 🙂

[Enceladus828]

2 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

Not because a North Africa map is particularly hard to make; on the contrary.

Out of curiosity have you tried making map mods for GBs because it definitely will take a few years at best but don’t think making a Libya-Egypt map would be that hard and how much more difficult would it be for Tunisia?

 

It’s all good I just don’t like the pessimism unless the person actually has experience working with this game engine. That theater would be appealing to players and finally give the MC. 202 a proper home. I’m still hopeful another team can add more FC maps.

[LukeFF]

Back on topic please

[AEthelraedUnraed]

14 hours ago, Enceladus828 said:

Out of curiosity have you tried making map mods for GBs because it definitely will take a few years at best but don’t think making a Libya-Egypt map would be that hard and how much more difficult would it be for Tunisia?

 

It’s all good I just don’t like the pessimism unless the person actually has experience working with this game engine. That theater would be appealing to players and finally give the MC. 202 a proper home. I’m still hopeful another team can add more FC maps.

Yes I have. I had a project together with @Hamaha15 to update the Rheinland map, including all its aspects (villages, textures, water, forests, some minor heightmap changes). Then last October he unfortunately died from cancer 😢. That means most of his excellent work is likely lost forever and the project is now on hiatus, although I still plan to finish and release some of my own changes someday.

 

13 hours ago, LukeFF said:

Back on topic please

I hate wrapping up discussions while still having outstanding questions, so I hope you can forgive me this one transgression 😬

[Jackfraser24]

When should we expect the next news update? 

[Kubert]

Were any IL-2 squadrons in Odessa region between June-October 1941? Or fighters will be soviet ground attackers? I read Pokryshkin's book and he wrote as his MiG squadron done many ground attack missions.

[Jaegermeister]

There were IL-2s to the east of Odessa that were sent on ground attack missions, but they were not based "in" the Odessa perimeter. I have not spent the time to located their bases yet. I think a few IL-2s were staging out of the Odessa airfields late in the Siege to rearm/refuel.

 

I-153s attached to the Black Sea Fleet did some ground attack missions, and there were SB and DB-3 bombers sent against Romanian ground forces.

[sevenless]

On 8/2/2025 at 7:00 AM, Jackfraser24 said:

When should we expect the next news update? 

 

End of Summer - my guess - with news of Yak-3 and Yak-1 early

 

https://il2sturmovik.com/news/883/dev-blog-370/

[Jackfraser24]

Question. Has it been decided as to whether there will be anymore collector planes for Great Battles yet? And if so, is that subject to change?

Edited August 4 by Jackfraser24

[LukeFF]

2 hours ago, Jackfraser24 said:

Question. Has it been decided as to whether there will be anymore collector planes for Great Battles yet? And if so, is that subject to change?

 

Please don't make this topic into yet another wishlist post. Any more posts here that are not about the Odessa and Leningrad module will be removed. 

[Jackfraser24]

1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

 

Please don't make this topic into yet another wishlist post. Any more posts here that are not about the Odessa and Leningrad module will be removed. 

That wasn't my intention. I genuinely want to know as to whether there will be more collector planes, espcially ones made for Odessa and Karelia. I could name a few but, I'm a man of my word. I won't turn this into a wishlist. 

Edited August 4 by Jackfraser24

[BlackSix]

17 hours ago, Kubert said:

Were any IL-2 squadrons in Odessa region between June-October 1941? Or fighters will be soviet ground attackers? I read Pokryshkin's book and he wrote as his MiG squadron done many ground attack missions.

46 oshae VMF (IL-2)

232 ShAP (I-153, IL-2)

299 ShAP (I-153, IL-2)

 

[Enceladus828]

8 hours ago, Jackfraser24 said:

That wasn't my intention. I genuinely want to know as to whether there will be more collector planes, espcially ones made for Odessa and Karelia. I could name a few but, I'm a man of my word. I won't turn this into a wishlist. 

I believe it’s only the G.50 and B-239 which won’t be for a while. Maybe more Finnish aircraft if that team finds additional modellers or they do the Hurricane and Fokker D.XXI once they’re done with the aforementioned two.

[Jackfraser24]

14 hours ago, Enceladus828 said:

I believe it’s only the G.50 and B-239 which won’t be for a while. Maybe more Finnish aircraft if that team finds additional modellers or they do the Hurricane and Fokker D.XXI once they’re done with the aforementioned two.

I'm looking forwards to the announcement for 2026. 

[kraut1]

You could try out to create some 1941/44 semi historic missions.

Some additional target objectives are still required, but in general it works.

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/91755-emg-odessa-modification-v2-update-04082025/#findComment-1356948

[Kubert]

Is revisition of pilot backgrounds in career mode planned before full release? Almost all of them assume that the war is already underway when we start our career. That won't be the case with Odessa set in June 1941. I know it is small thing with minimal priority, unrelated to gameplay or new content...I am just curious. 

[LukeFF]

I don't think so.

[Jackfraser24]

20 hours ago, kraut1 said:

You could try out to create some 1941/44 semi historic missions.

Some additional target objectives are still required, but in general it works.

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/91755-emg-odessa-modification-v2-update-04082025/#findComment-1356948

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. 

[Jackfraser24]

On 8/6/2025 at 9:46 AM, LukeFF said:

I don't think so.

Hey Luke, do you know when we are likely to get another DD update for Great Battles? Sorry to be a pain, its just that there are a lot of us dying to know what will come next for Great Battles after Odessa and Leningrad. I know if you have knowledge about what is coming next I respect the fact that you cannot disclose what it will be. I just want to know when the next update will be. 

Edited August 9 by Jackfraser24

[LukeFF]

There is no timeline right now for the next update. When we have something to share we will. 🙂