We just released the new update - 4.501. Its shifted version number means it is a kind of a milestone and it really is. First, the research we did on the community opinion on the aircraft spotting allowed us to make many improvements to this important part of the sim. The distant LOD scaling system has been adjusted, their lighting has been made full, atmospheric haze option and an increased MSAA level have been added. We're sure that this update will make the online multiplayer experience totally different from how it was before. Now our next target, for the next update, is the improved pilot G tolerance model we do after asking the community taking the account the new reference data provided by the community members.
The Autumn is here and our project is very close to another milestone. The next version 4.501 that will be released in a few weeks will contain very important improvements. For instance, after constructive discussions in our community, we have come to decisions on two aspects of the sim which are very important for the players: providing a required visibility level for the airplanes in a dogfight and modeling a pilot reaction to high-G loads. We're working on both things right now and the result of this work should be released in the aforementioned update. Another addition will be the MSAA x8 graphics setting, but please note that it will put quite a load on your graphics card.
Although this crazy sequestered Summer of 2020 is coming to an end, life goes on, and our work goes on. Many things are happening in our “virtual office” including finishing a new Free Scripted Campaign for Battle of Bodenplatte featuring the Tempest Mk.V called “A Violent Wind” built by Alex Timoshkov. Also, as a result of recent discussions in the community, work is underway to improve general aircraft visibility, which we hope will appear to be both realistic and more comfortable for players. This may require more than one future update to fully conquer, but we’ll see. Additionally, there is some progress towards the completion of the Air Marshal feature which has taken much longer than planned. We’ve also had to build up technical capacity in the field of map production, which is necessary to implement everything planned for the Normandy landscape. And as always improvements to the AI for both aircraft and ground vehicles continue.
One month has passed since the previous update, and once again we are ready to present you with a new package of innovations and improvements. The main additions in this version are the new campaign Hell Hawks over the Bulge, new free summer map Velikiye Luki, and new single missions for the Bodenplatte aircraft and Tank Crew tanks - now each model of these modules has a single mission designed for it.
We have also added more beauty to our simulator, in several meanings of this word.
We are currently preparing version 4.009 for release, the process is not easy, but we hope for its successful completion very soon. In view of this, the diary today will not be very detailed, but the topic is interesting. Today we show you the P-51B / C being developed for Battle of Normandy. This single-seat fighter is the predecessor to the P-51D previously created for Operation Bodenplatte. Although she is a predecessor, the B/C model is somewhat superior to the D model in speed at ground level and maneuverability. The reason for this unusual situation is that the teardrop canopy creates more aerodynamic drag than the high-backed design. In addition, the P-51B / C is somewhat lighter than its successor.
