Update 7.008: Offline Access for Steam Users Restored

[LukeFF]

Pilots and Crew Commanders!

After one of the previous updates, we received reports from players that the game was more demanding of internet bandwidth and that offline access for Steam users was no longer working as expected.

We carefully investigated the situation and identified the cause. The issue was due to a change in Steam login logic, so in Update 7.008, we have restored the previous behavior for this functionality.

If logging in through Steam in online mode fails, Steam users will see an additional screen for offline login. This will allow them to continue using the available offline modes.

In offline mode, Quick Mission, Campaign, and Missions will once again be available.

We would also like to emphasize separately: in the game “Korea”, offline mode will be available to all users, regardless of whether they purchased the game on our website or on Steam.

In addition, Update 7.008 includes other changes:

• Updated the “Operation Munich”, “Under Siege” and “Overlord” campaigns.
• AI pilots will no longer try to return to base in Duel and Skirmish mission types.

Thank you to everyone who reported the issue and helped us understand the situation! Your feedback helped us identify the cause more quickly and prepare the fix.

[Mark_Krieger]

Now I cannot update to 7.008 because I lost connection to the PC were I play (problems with the switch or router of new internet provider). 😆

[Babun]

Может я что-то не так делаю, но у меня без Стим доступ что-то не восстановился. Обновление стало, скриншот ниже.

Но при попытке запустить Il-2.exe из папки с игрой - (скрин ниже)

получаем окно с сообщением, что Стим не смог подгрузится. (третий скрин)

[Carlos_K]

Thank you for switching back to offline mode.

[[I.B.]-=ViRUS=-]

Обновился, запустил игру со стима. Вышел. Вырубил интернет, снова запускаешь игру из-под стима, игра грузится, и выдает меню с опцией запуска в офлайн-режиме.

[Riderocket]

17 hours ago, Babun said:

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I can't seem to restore access without Steam. The update has been installed; see screenshot below.

But when I try to run Il-2.exe from the game folder - (screenshot below)

We get a window with a message that Steam was unable to load. (third screenshot)

Maybe try launch it from steam instead of exe

[Babun]

Действительно, если отключить интернет, то при запуске обычным стимовским ярлыком, происходит попытка подключится к Стим, а поскольку интернет отключен, выдаётся окно с сообщением о неудаче и кнопркой подключения оффлайн. При подключении всё работает оффлайнт. Так что всё в порядке, просто раньше, вроде бы, через .exe из папки запускалось и без отключения интернета. Но так тоже нормально, всем спасибо за участие.

[Nealg49]

OK, I finally got to fly some with 7.008 today, and believe something with the AI may be a bit 'off'.  At least with relation to my old friend Otto Pilot. 😊

I use Otto quite a lot, as I fly mostly career missions which can be quite long.  Especially bomber escorts.  Normally, due to physical discomfort, I let Otto fly the return leg which are generally uneventful and he gets me home just fine.  Until today.

My career pilot was faced with 3 bomber escorts today, and I did quite well, with 1 confirmed in the first escort and 2 confirmed in the 3rd.  However, when I turned it over to Otto, in all 3 escort missions, on the return leg, he took over and began to fly completely off course as well as losing altitude rapidly.  In all 3 instances I was forced to take over or he would have flown my completely undamaged Tempest straight into the ground.  In all 3, I managed to get back on course and make it to our airfield, where I turned it over again to Otto.

Who broke out of the landing pattern, headed south, and again seemed intent on nosing in.  And would have had I not again taken control, returned to our airfield, and landed the plane myself.  Due to this, I was forced to cut my flying time short as my back was too uncomfortable to continue any longer.

This did not seem to happen in any other type of mission I had flown today, only the bomber escorts.  Causing me to wonder if perhaps some of the AI changes made may have affected this?  No idea why, however, it would only be on bomber escorts.  Had I had time to fly more, perhaps it would have worked itself out, I don't know.  Just wondering if anyone else had noticed anything odd about autopilot since 7.008?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

7 hours ago, Nealg49 said:

OK, I finally got to fly some with 7.008 today, and believe something with the AI may be a bit 'off'.  At least with relation to my old friend Otto Pilot. 😊

I use Otto quite a lot, as I fly mostly career missions which can be quite long.  Especially bomber escorts.  Normally, due to physical discomfort, I let Otto fly the return leg which are generally uneventful and he gets me home just fine.  Until today.

My career pilot was faced with 3 bomber escorts today, and I did quite well, with 1 confirmed in the first escort and 2 confirmed in the 3rd.  However, when I turned it over to Otto, in all 3 escort missions, on the return leg, he took over and began to fly completely off course as well as losing altitude rapidly.  In all 3 instances I was forced to take over or he would have flown my completely undamaged Tempest straight into the ground.  In all 3, I managed to get back on course and make it to our airfield, where I turned it over again to Otto.

Who broke out of the landing pattern, headed south, and again seemed intent on nosing in.  And would have had I not again taken control, returned to our airfield, and landed the plane myself.  Due to this, I was forced to cut my flying time short as my back was too uncomfortable to continue any longer.

This did not seem to happen in any other type of mission I had flown today, only the bomber escorts.  Causing me to wonder if perhaps some of the AI changes made may have affected this?  No idea why, however, it would only be on bomber escorts.  Had I had time to fly more, perhaps it would have worked itself out, I don't know.  Just wondering if anyone else had noticed anything odd about autopilot since 7.008?

I've seen this AI behaviour if I take off too soon (i.e. before the game expects me to). Could this be the case?

[Nealg49]

11 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

I've seen this AI behaviour if I take off too soon (i.e. before the game expects me to). Could this be the case?

HI!  And thanks for the reply.  No, I choose to air start all my career missions now.  It saves me time.  Not a lot, but, sometimes, even 2 or 3 minutes helps.

I have seen odd behavior before from the AI, including autopilot, but usually it was when my plane was damaged ( even slightly ) or bingo fuel.  This was unusual in that it happened 3 times on different bomber escort missions, and only on the return leg.  Granted, I had separated from my flight due to a dogfight, but that too has occurred before ( usually because one of our flight was damaged or wounded and had separated from the flight and for some reason my autopilot considered it his responsibility to escort the damaged craft--honorable but also odd ) and autopilot found his way back to the assigned waypoints.  This was odd.

Edited June 14 by Nealg49

[AcesDarthBubu]

My experience particular on normandy allied bomber escort missions are that the escorting AIs tends to do 3 things.

1. A few within the flight will frequently converging into 1 point , eventually colliding and crash.

2. Return leg near the home base, instead of disengaging it will still follow the bombers that are changing into landing flight pattern. Causing collision. This seems to occur post S&L module launch, as prior to that the behaviour of the escorting pair flights will normally end the escorting order once the bomber reached the end escort waypoint. 

3. The odd engine malfunction (i once observed it when turn on autopilot, that the engine was turned off while trying to keep in a slow moving formation) which eventually led to a stall and crash. (Rare to reproduce though).

Other mission types seem ok.