Update 7.001: Odessa and Leningrad

[AndreiTomescu]

1 hour ago, MDzmitry said:

This actually reminds me of Pierre Clostermann's first impressions flying a Typhoon, which he referred to as "the Beast" after the nimble and predictable Spitfire.

very good remark, although i see the Typhoon as a Hurricane 💗 on steroids, as not from the Spitfire family.

[MDzmitry]

6 часов назад, AndreiTomescu сказал:

although i see the Typhoon as a Hurricane 💗 on steroids, as not from the Spitfire family

And you're correct, it's just that Clostermann had to switch from the Spit to the Typhoon/Tempest at one point, so he could compare both

[AndreiTomescu]

7 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said:

Please, guys, what options should i set as to be realistic?

in terms of air density, AAA forces, ground forces, etc. I've put parity for air forces, but is it accurate?

any thoughts on this, regarding 1941 Leningrad campaign, 5th IAS VVS?

pls?

thx!

[Kubert]

I tested various career settings extensively and for early war soviet fighter is, in my opinion, the best setting Parity with Scattered air/AA density and Medium ground forces. 

It highly depends what aircraft you are flying and in what time period. From Kuban on is fine to rise air/AA density to Medium because late war soviet AIs can hold their ground better against less agile BF-G4s/G6s and FWs, so they can handle more of them.

For BF career however, is OK to have Parity, air/AA density Medium and Medium ground forces all the time. Because BF AIs can survive agains soviets easier.

For ground attacker career I set E.Inferiority, air/AA density to Medium and ground forces to Medium or Numerous because low flying IL-2, P-47 or Typhoons are defensless against BFs/FWs and escort is not dependable. Only for "high risk" missions, like airfield attack or some targets very deep in enemy teritory I switch that to Parity, air/AA density to Scattered and ground forces to Medium. As ground attacker I never use Parity and air/AA density to Medium at once because it usually turns into a shitshow. 

My goal was always not to make the game easier for me, but tweak settings for the best immersion. I could put everything to maximum. I would probably survive, but having 80-100% losses of my squadmates after every mission is really immersion breaking. So that is why I balance difficulty around AIs survival, not mine. 

[Avimimus]

16 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said:

My next objective is.....Mig-3.....;) 

Excellent choice! A chivalric choice! Until the Bf-109G comes out you have an advantage in speed at many altitudes (i.e. you should be able to outfly the 109F and 109E).

It bleeds a lot of speed in a turn, especially at low altitudes. You can actually turn more sharply than a Bf-109E/F, but you'll lose energy faster.

The UB machine gun is effective, but you'll need to have a good aim. It is a plane which rewards precision. There are also a few exotic manoeuvres that it can do which other planes have trouble with. 

 

15 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

The Mig 3 is utterly different from the Yaks.  It was originally developed as a high altitude fighter.  It is not nearly as nimble as the Yaks, though it can be somewhat fast at altitude for the early time period.  And it's a very cool looking plane.  It has very quirky flap deployment,  better read about it first.

Yes, the Mig-3 is very much its own thing. 'Somewhat fast'... it is technically faster than anything else at altitude (until the Bf-109G), but more prone to losing energy in a turn... but yes, it is quite different from the Yaks and needs its own mentality. You have to learn it on its own terms...

 

16 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said:

Wow, so....it's practically the same huge cannon that we had on the Mig-15 ??

Similar amount of damage. The Mig-15's weapon was made lighter and lower velocity.

N-37: 400 rpm, 690 m/s, 735g (Mig-15)

NS-37: 250 rpm, 900 m/s, 735g (Yak-9T/Il-2)

Sh-37: 170 rpm, 900 m/s, 735g  (LaGG-3 s.29)

BK 3,7: 160 rpm 900-1140 m/s, 680-405g (Ju-87)

M4: 150 rpm, 610 m/s, 610g (P-39)So the gun is a proper anti-tank one.

[Avimimus]

 

6 hours ago, Kubert said:

My goal was always not to make the game easier for me, but tweak settings for the best immersion. I could put everything to maximum. I would probably survive, but having 80-100% losses of my squadmates after every mission is really immersion breaking. So that is why I balance difficulty around AIs survival, not mine. 

Yes, this goes to a fundamental problem (I recall talking to Starshoy about this in the original Il-2 days) - our AI doesn't have a realistic sense of self preservation. It is too good at detecting the enemy, and will enter a fight even when it has an energy disadvantage or is outnumbered... and the fights tend to last longer too - historical accounts show most fights involving one pass, a few involving a turning fight, but a prolonged turning fight was very rare and quite noticeable...

[Kubert]

I am not sure if AI self-preservation can be implemented, probably not. I always fly career mode as squad leader from the start and do whatever I can to maximize survival of my flight. From choosing correct difficulty settings, waypoints tweaks (altitudes, positions) and at last, I lead them to fight with altitude advandage and avoiding enemy positions where flak is expected. Sometimes I fly completely different path as waypoints are. For example when target is on the opposite side of Stalingrad encirclement. There is not enough waypoints to make path like that, so I guide my flight around it. Career mode is not perfect, but there are workarounds around most of the problems...

Edited February 2 by Kubert

[AndreiTomescu]

That damn commander of the 5th IAS sent me on the next mission in a flying armory, the LaGG-3. Never flew one before, but i was embarrassed to tell...

So after a valiant fight in which I found that besides Fw-190 and P-47 there is another flying weapons store that i can't manage satisfactory (the LaGG-3), and after getting to ashess 2 Bf-110 E4s, i've got myself shredded to pieces by some 109 F s that i really couldn't tackle. Died burning, couldn't bail out. The LaGG-3 is not for me. at least not now....i think it goes in the same type of aircrafts as the 190 and the Jug.

So back to the german campaign, only to find a bug:

managed to go round this by not following the rest of the flight east of the map...... but it's not ok, hope it will get fixed. 

Some few km more to the east would be awesome, i think.

maybe taking a soviet career with that lovely but deadly I-153, based on a nice little island, would be nice?

[BlitzPig_EL]

That nice little island in the Gulf of Finland perhaps?  😁

As soon as we get some early FAF planes, that will be something I will be working on.

[AEthelraedUnraed]

2 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said:

That damn commander of the 5th IAS sent me on the next mission in a flying armory, the LaGG-3. Never flew one before, but i was embarrassed to tell...

So after a valiant fight in which I found that besides Fw-190 and P-47 there is another flying weapons store that i can't manage satisfactory (the LaGG-3), and after getting to ashess 2 Bf-110 E4s, i've got myself shredded to pieces by some 109 F s that i really couldn't tackle. Died burning, couldn't bail out. The LaGG-3 is not for me. at least not now....i think it goes in the same type of aircrafts as the 190 and the Jug.

Yeah the LaGG isn't the best of the Soviet fighters... As Avimimus notes, the MiG has similar performance to the Bf-109 (even better high-up). The Yak isn't quite as fast but can out-turn the Messerschmitt. The LaGG on the other hand is neither particularly fast, nor a particularly great turner.

Still, in the default LaGG mission, I succeeded in defeating a pursuing Bf-109 (as well as 3 Stukas) 😄 Although that did require forcing an overshoot, and wasting energy like that is never good except as a last resort.

11 hours ago, Kubert said:

I am not sure if AI self-preservation can be implemented, probably not.

Technically there's no reason why AI couldn't have self-preservation. But IIRC, the Devs mentioned a while ago (I think in one of their retrospective "Dev blogs") that they designed their AI framework around the notion that single players would want similar battles as multiplayer pilots. Intense, fast-paced action that's often a fight to the death. That assumption is probably true for a part of the players, but I belong to the other camp that'd rather have realistic fights.

Anyhow, it's too late for GB but perhaps we'll see some self-preservation in Korea. I hope something similar is covered by the "modified behavior logic in special situations" that Han announced.

[Avimimus]

Yes, the later LaGG s.29 can turn inside of the Bf-109 and a skilled pilot can still come out ahead. I think it might also have a superior roll rate? But one is disadvantaged in speed. It isn't optimal, but in some ways I like it as much or more than the Yak-1 (and I'm not sure it really is that much inferior to the Bf-109E).

The LaGG s.4 on the other hand is... well, 'marginal' might be putting it politely. It can make a decent bomber destroyer, but it does remind me of the 'fighter that works only if escorted by a better fighter'.

 

1 hour ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

Technically there's no reason why AI couldn't have self-preservation. But IIRC, the Devs mentioned a while ago (I think in one of their retrospective "Dev blogs") that they designed their AI framework around the notion that single players would want similar battles as multiplayer pilots. Intense, fast-paced action that's often a fight to the death. That assumption is probably true for a part of the players, but I belong to the other camp that'd rather have realistic fights.

Yes. Choosing not to engage if outnumbered and lacking an energy advantage. Having a probability of disengaging after the first pass. Have a probability of becoming disoriented and trying to disengage or regroup... a lot of this is relatively simple compared to other parts of AI.

To be historically accurate there should also be a probability of aircraft having worse situational awareness (at least temporarily).

However, the resulting gameplay would have a lot more:

- Watching aircraft which don't engage you.

- Spotting aircraft below you, diving on them, shooting one down before they can react... and then retreating.

Of course, the rare time one got into an intense dogfight would be that much more memorable (and the AI could probably be further enhanced in those situations to make it a bit more terrifying).

It'd be nice to have realistic morale and realistic situational awareness as options at the very least.

One can dream.

[Nerpo]

Today I saw this film on YouTube.
I don't know if it has already been published here on our forum...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5AvjbDZP0

 

[AndreiTomescu]

wow! they has so many airplanes,from so many places! one particular one caught my eye.....

Spoiler

what a real beauty! 

P.S. the aircraft looks nice, alas... 🙂 🙂 

[Nerpo]

and for me this is the most beautiful and most necessary in the Il-2 project!!!
 

[MDzmitry]

17 минут назад, Nerpo сказал:

and for me this is the most beautiful and most necessary in the Il-2 project!!!
 

I personally much prefer this modification

But to be honest, it would also be quite great if we got some more paint schemes for S&L aircraft. Primarily such that can have their numbers changed.

Take for example Yak-3: we have multiple camos of units like 150 GIAP (Yakimenko) and 402 IAP (Ermokhin). If we just use the decals used for them we can get clear camouflages of these respectable units to customise to our liking (only need to leave out the spiral on the nose of the Ermokhin's Yak, making it just red). Also I'd really like to have an 18 GIAP camouflage, although it wouldn't be customisable due to specific number placement between the cockpit and the star. And I don't even need to mention Normandie-Niemen.

Скрытый текст

Examples of mentioned units' aircraft:

It might be a personal thing, but I'd rather feel myself a part of a unit rather than someone piloting a real pilot's machine. Feels shameful each time I crash one, lol, I'd rather ruin my "own" aircraft instead.

Another option for camouflages would be introducing/implementing camouflages made by users, provided they are historically correct. That would be a nice option in my opinion.

[FAW_Albertmarcel]

Hello all,

I began to create a new mission with the full mission editor on the beautifull Karelian's map.

Is this map always in WIP ?

When I "import from file" the assets I have a lot of issues in the check integrity,

https://ibb.co/qF9zHTJz

It's the  same with some new buildings, an error message appear when loading the mission in the game...

 

Edited February 6 by FAW_Albertmarcel

[IckyAtlas]

On 2/5/2026 at 8:53 AM, FAW_Albertmarcel said:

Hello all,

I began to create a new mission with the full mission editor on the beautifull Karelian's map.

Is this map always in WIP ?

When I "import from file" the assets I have a lot of issues in the check integrity,

https://ibb.co/qF9zHTJz

It's the  same with some new buildings, an error message appear when loading the mission in the game...

 

You are absolutely right. The check integrity error is due to all script files missing. Maybe the system does not find the directory where they should be.

Thank you to LukeFF to check with the Karelia team or devs where is the issue.

[Rurik_54]

Hello, dear developers!

I was trying to create a mission about the Road of Life. The trucks don't move on the ice of Lake Ladoga. However, they drive perfectly on the roads. Isn't there a function for driving on ice?  If trucks can't drive on ice, I'm  very sorry.

Edited February 9 by Rurik_54

[sandmarken]

29 minutes ago, Rurik_54 said:

Hello, dear developers!

I was trying to create a mission about the Road of Life. The trucks don't move on the ice of Lake Ladoga. However, they drive perfectly on the roads. Isn't there a function for driving on ice?  If trucks can't drive on ice, I'm  very sorry.

Have you tried using the formation MCU and the "off-road column"?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

2 hours ago, Rurik_54 said:

Hello, dear developers!

I was trying to create a mission about the Road of Life. The trucks don't move on the ice of Lake Ladoga. However, they drive perfectly on the roads. Isn't there a function for driving on ice?  If trucks can't drive on ice, I'm  very sorry.

I've noticed this as well. The advanced (playable) vehicles can drive on ice just fine; however all other vehicles sink through the ice as if it were water.

Given the importance of the Ice Road (and German air attacks on it), I think it would be nice if this were fixed.

[Carlos_Cota_517]

Man... I was really looking forward to fly the La-7 in bad weather, at night, over the Baltic sea and the ukrainian black sea coast. Especially when the maps in S&L are this good

I mean, the 1945 manual got me hyped up for a horizon indicator modification

" Кроме этих приборов, на центральной части доски приборов предусмотрено место для установки авиагоризонта. " - "In addition to these instruments, the central part of the instrument panel provides space for an artificial horizon."

And some articles talked a little about it

https://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/la7.html
https://war-book.ru/lavochkin-la-7-istrebitel/

" Для безопасности полетов в облаках необходима установка авиагоризонта, для ориентировки в плохих метеоусловиях и при ведении воздушных боев на самолете Ла-7 желательна установка радиополукомпаса. " - "For safe flights in cloud cover, the installation of an artificial horizon is necessary. For orientation in poor weather conditions and during air combat on the La-7, a radio compass is recommended"

I'm really looking forward to the new planes that are yet to be announced, but I'm a bit sad that the MiG-3s24 is the only native fighter that has an ADI in game right now

 

By the way, Will there be new frontline cutscenes for the Odessa and Leningrad careers?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

14 minutes ago, Carlos_Cota_517 said:

Man... I was really looking forward to fly the La-7 in bad weather, at night, over the Baltic sea and the ukrainian black sea coast. Especially when the maps in S&L are this good

Couldn't help but think of this song:

Anyhow, you can still do that - it's just going to be even more exciting 😎 As long as it isn't the middle of the night and you're still able to make out the ground/sea, you should be fine. If the weather is so bad that you can't even see the ground anymore, then you probably shouldn't be flying a single-seat fighter even if you did have an artificial horizon 😉

[Rurik_54]

9 часов назад, sandmarken сказал:

Вы пробовали использовать формирующий микроконтроллер и «внедорожную колонку»?

Yes, I've tried all the options. It turns out that trucks don't move on ice. In the editor, you can place them on ice. They appear. However, they're not present in the game. I've used the commands "Formation  off Road Column" and "Off Road User Formation." Nothing works. I really hope the developers will fix this issue.

[zeus--]

2 часа назад, Rurik_54 сказал:

Yes, I've tried all the options. It turns out that trucks don't move on ice. In the editor, you can place them on ice. They appear. However, they're not present in the game. I've used the commands "Formation  off Road Column" and "Off Road User Formation." Nothing works. I really hope the developers will fix this issue.

Work on the "Main" and "Minor" Roads of Life is planned, as is the expansion of the flight zone and settlement development on the map south and east of the current borders.

[Sayan]

6 часов назад, Carlos_Cota_517 сказал:

который сейчас имеет в игре систему ADI.

что за система?