Brief Room Episode 36: Year in Review

[PanzerAce]

So the big great battles news is 6 planes coming in 2026. Could at least TELL US what the planes are

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, PanzerAce said:

So the big great battles news is 6 planes coming in 2026. Could at least TELL US what the planes are

We will, naturally, but the focus right now is completing the current module and preparing for the start of Korea beta testing. 

[Aapje]

If I would drip news this slowly, I would get a prostate exam 😉

[hijoerdiablo]

I think it's great that new content is being made for GB; I've bought everything related to this project, but I think the AI needs some attention and improvement.

[Catch]

54 minutes ago, hijoerdiablo said:

but I think the AI needs some attention and improvement.

Hmm yes. It's a pertinent point you raise.

I wonder if the Korea AI will be more of the same? Was there a blog about it I may have missed?

[Leifr]

5 hours ago, Catch said:

Hmm yes. It's a pertinent point you raise.

I wonder if the Korea AI will be more of the same? Was there a blog about it I may have missed?

There was a DD blog about it, or perhaps one of the videos, where 1C said it has all been much improved and revised. Without video evidence though, it's just conjecture. 🤔

[Dash,Polder]

11 minutes ago, Leifr said:

There was a DD blog about it, or perhaps one of the videos, where 1C said it has all been much improved and revised. Without video evidence though, it's just conjecture. 🤔

I wouldn't call it without any video evidence, that B-29 mass box formation was pretty indicative of some major AI change going on. 

[BlitzPig_EL]

And do remember that things done for Korea won't be ported back to Great Battles.

[LukeFF]

6 minutes ago, Dash,Polder said:

I wouldn't call it without any video evidence, that B-29 mass box formation was pretty indicative of some major AI change going on. 

That, and the radio command system is being entirely reworked, since it's no longer based on the original code intended for WWI.

[Enceladus828]

9 minutes ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

And do remember that things done for Korea won't be ported back to Great Battles.

True, but things like over-aggressive AI, AI planes swarming on you miles away after bombing their airfield as if they had very accurate onboard radar and real-time tracking, and defending the field from a potential second attack didn't matter, magic bullets, and the pilot needing to absorb more energy during a ground collision could probably be fixed or rectified in GBs. Of note I sent track files regarding these issues on the old GBs forum.

Edited December 29, 2025 by Enceladus828

[BlitzPig_EL]

I don't disagree with you on any of these issues.   I have many gripes about AI gunnery, both from tail gunners, especially in a maneuvering aircraft, and the absurd AI Bf109 head on kill shots from ranges that boggle the mind.  It's one of the reasons I don't play very much anymore.  It gets so tiring, sitting behind an R2800 and an armored windscreen and POW!, the golden 7.92 bullet/black screen.   

I have said this several times over the years, gunner skill level needs to be set independently from flying skills.  In order to get any kind of a challenge out of the AI you have to set them to "Ace" or else they are just target drones.  However, that makes their gunnery super human.  It's so silly

[PanzerAce]

On 12/27/2025 at 6:56 PM, LukeFF said:

We will, naturally, but the focus right now is completing the current module and preparing for the start of Korea beta testing. 

But you're able to tell us the Pacific and B-25 (pacific) are coming tho right? I don't know why you're still holding onto that info and not telling us what the 6 planes are

and also from what I read since the 6 planes are based off existing airframes currently in the game, does that mean we aren't getting the G.50?

Edited December 30, 2025 by PanzerAce

[Enceladus828]

Just now, PanzerAce said:

I don't know why you're still holding onto that info and not telling us what the 6 planes are

I would just want to know how many entirely new planes are coming, how many variants of existing aircraft already in the game (e.g. Pe-2 1944 mod) and if there will be any WW1 planes?

[PanzerAce]

1 minute ago, Enceladus828 said:

be any WW1 planes?

they said all the planes will be usable in the odessa/leningrad module

[Avimimus]

15 hours ago, PanzerAce said:

and also from what I read since the 6 planes are based off existing airframes currently in the game, does that mean we aren't getting the G.50?

I gather that the developers are cautious about third party projects, and don't want to announce them until they are sure they will be completed. So it would be unsurprising to me if it were to be announced later and released separately.

 

  

On 12/29/2025 at 8:01 PM, BlitzPig_EL said:

I don't disagree with you on any of these issues.   I have many gripes about AI gunnery, both from tail gunners, especially in a maneuvering aircraft, and the absurd AI Bf109 head on kill shots from ranges that boggle the mind.  It's one of the reasons I don't play very much anymore.  It gets so tiring, sitting behind an R2800 and an armored windscreen and POW!, the golden 7.92 bullet/black screen.   

I have said this several times over the years, gunner skill level needs to be set independently from flying skills.  In order to get any kind of a challenge out of the AI you have to set them to "Ace" or else they are just target drones.  However, that makes their gunnery super human.  It's so silly

This is moddable btw. I can show you how. That said, I suspect that the overall accuracy for AI gunners isn't the issue, it is how it appears (i.e. they stand no chance of hitting a most ranges, but at specific ranges they become hyper-accurate - something about how parts of the gunner equation cancel each other out). In any case, I can walk you through how to make a mod (if I can find the free time).

[BlitzPig_EL]

Thanks Avimimus, but I don't do mods.   Swore them off after the way they fractured the Forgotten Battles community.

Serious question though, if you, or any other person who understands this stuff can do it, why can't the developers make a more realistic sim?

[Avimimus]

On 12/31/2025 at 3:04 PM, BlitzPig_EL said:

Thanks Avimimus, but I don't do mods.   Swore them off after the way they fractured the Forgotten Battles community.

Serious question though, if you, or any other person who understands this stuff can do it, why can't the developers make a more realistic sim?

I think the question then becomes 'what is realistic?' Depending on the gunner, the gun system, and the type of training... the Il-2 series has always tended to favour the tactics of Il-2 gunners - conserving ammunition for carefully aimed mid-short range bursts... as opposed to longer range deterrence/volume fire.

I think they also tend to treat the gunners as being among the most highly skilled because they want the player (in a multi-seat aircraft) to feel that they at least stand a chance. At the same time, if you memorise the gunner fire patterns, there are ways to slide through without much risk... I've subconsciously learned the algorithm and can get past it if I'm the attacker.

So it isn't as simple as 'realism'. Especially as gunners aren't rolled homogeneous armour... they are complex physical and psychological systems... it is very hard to say exactly what is realistic.

[Mysticpuma]

Maybe asking a bit much but once the 6 new aircraft are released, will the team continue to support the product with more aircraft or will that likely be it and Korea is the only option after?

[Avimimus]

34 minutes ago, Mysticpuma said:

Maybe asking a bit much but once the 6 new aircraft are released, will the team continue to support the product with more aircraft or will that likely be it and Korea is the only option after?

I think that would be looking too far ahead. If I were in their position, I wouldn't make such a decision until I had preliminary sales data for both Korea and for the new Collector Aircraft. So I think we'll have to wait to find out.