IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad Discussion

[JasonPratt]

I snuck Cliffs of Dover Blitz out of the sale just over the wire it ends in about 30 minutes, just on the hope that someday it won't be a broken mess...  :dreamer:

  You have to get the fusion group's rebuild (I think that is even on Steam): Blitz

I did. Latest word is that they even have Mediterranean Theater DLC on the way!

[MengJiao]

I snuck Cliffs of Dover Blitz out of the sale just over the wire it ends in about 30 minutes, just on the hope that someday it won't be a broken mess...  :dreamer:

  You have to get the fusion group's rebuild (I think that is even on Steam): Blitz

I did. Latest word is that they even have Mediterranean Theater DLC on the way!

  Oh, well at this point its not a broken mess or at least it seems reasonably functional to me.

[JasonPratt]

 :bd:

[Tuna]

Since I grabbed Kuban this morning, I was looking for Engine specs. .found this great PDF covering BOS, BOM and BOK

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/30773-bom-cockpits-and-operation-quick-guide/

[Father Ted]

@ Jason - I reckon a fair few of your issues with BoX will fade away with TIR.  Admittedly it's not cheap, but you seem to to be getting into your flightsims and TIR (or the DIY solutions) will make the whole experience that much better.

[Gusington]

Thanks for posting the above, Tuna!

[JasonPratt]

@ Jason - I reckon a fair few of your issues with BoX will fade away with TIR.  Admittedly it's not cheap, but you seem to to be getting into your flightsims and TIR (or the DIY solutions) will make the whole experience that much better.

I know; I was looking at the latest TrackIR setup at Amazon today, although I'll probably test out ViewTracker first.

However, really a lot of my issues were solved by learning how to use keyboard 'leaning'. I'm just still poking around in the interface getting comfortable with it. 

The main thing I'm worried about at this point is why my stick-and-throttle set didn't work the first night I ran it. I didn't try getting those to work last night; will probably try to tonight. But even if I'm stuck playing bombers by keyboard and mouselook, I'll have gotten my money's worth.  O0

[JasonPratt]

Some artsy nonsense last night. (Click to toggle embiggeness)

5am in the cockpit, looking out over the left wing.


Craft is totally dead. Where did Germany get all the Tritium necessary for this glow...?  :o


Looking up at the sky through the canopy (and at the fuel gauges and main console, all overhead)...


The 'main console' keyboard stretchpoint.

[JasonPratt]

Behold! -- the cabin lights!




How useless are the cabin lights?



This useless (in the game anyway). They light up things that I can already see in the dark already. And nothing else. For comparison...



If that was a kneepad or something I'd accept the result even if I couldn't use it in the game. But it lights up something the pilot would never be able to use for writing on or whatever.  :P

I assume at night in the dark, with night vision, these lights would be far more useful in real life. In the game, their only use is for the repeater compass on the right. (And I don't know why I would need the repeater except in case of absolute emergency navigation with one having been shot up.)

[JasonPratt]

0645ish. The crew has arrived, and we patiently pose as the propaganda schmuck dollies around outside...


Our grim resolve illustrates the harsh reality of war. (And of living in a Nazi regime where we'll be shot if we don't pose for the propaganda photos with grim resolve.)

[JasonPratt]

I'm not the world's biggest fan of lens flares in most of my games, including this one -- I'd turn it off if I could figure out how! -- but it does sometimes make for artsy "photo" ops (where its presence makes actual sense):


A few minutes later with the engines now warming up:



Higher angle = superior propaganda! (Thanks Goebbels!)



Same shot slightly tweaked to remove the bourgeoise lens flare in favor of romantic realism.



The photos don't do justice to the dust being blown backward by the wash in the morning. This was the best I could get for that effect.



Based on this shot and similar doll-arounds outside, I infer that the bombsight must be, as I would kind-of expect, under the front gunner. Why I never see it there, in his position or the pilots, I don't know. I can see the gears and chains to open the bomb-bay doors (or possibly the manual crank for the landing gear), but not the bombsite apparatus.

For practice and familiarization I'm setting up without an exterior bomb, which you can or rather cannot see slung outside under the left of the fuselage (photo right). The bay doors are photo left of the bomb clamps. The sim requires me to put something in the bay, so I've got some practice smokebombs. I'm not entirely sure I ever saw them from any of the crew positions, but freezooming the camera around and clipping through the body of the craft, I can see where they are.

Now off to figure out whether I can get my Thrustmaster rig from a few years ago to work...

[Gusington]

SWEET paint scheme BREH

[Barthheart]

...
Craft is totally dead. Where did Germany get all the Tritium necessary for this glow...?  :o

...

That is most likely radium on the dials not tritium. Pretty sure radium was still widely used through the war years. Easier to get and brighter that tritium.

[Toonces]

The Germans sure know how to do a killer paint scheme!

[JasonPratt]

I signed up my campaign for the Condor Legion, too, so it's historical for the Battle of Moscow. (At least sort-of.)