Discussion of Developer Diary #09

[Jason_Williams]

Quote

DD 09

Dear Pilots,

Today’s developer diary showcases progress on our 3D assets currently under development. We are also happy to report that progress is also being made on vital features to make a CFS set in the Pacific theater possible. Items such as cameras, tailhook assisted landings, ships that can move, detailed aircraft systems and engine startup sequences. We also continue to improve our sound environment which is so important for legendary piston-powered warbirds.

More importantly, we’ve also identified our long-term development goals and created a plan to reach them in the coming days, weeks, months, and years to come. We plan to share more on this in September. So, stay tuned everyone!

Community Feedback

Before we get into the details of this Dev. Diary, we want to point you to our new Community Feedback questionnaire utilizing Google Forms which is very easy to work with and manage. We'd like to know your preference about how certain types of non-combat related engine damage should be modeled. 

Give Feedback Here

USS Enterprise Textures

Our first two aircraft carriers are in the final texturing stage now. DigitalForms is doing a fantastic job as always. Two giants readying for waaarggh! (IYKYK)

The Big 'E' is definitely looking for trouble in her brooding mid-1942 colors. 


   
   

IJN Akagi Textures

The Akagi looks almost too beautiful to sink! 


   
   

M3 3 Inch AA Gun

The M3 3-Inch AA gun being built by Stefan will help the USMC defend Midway from aerial attack and like other mobile AA guns, it’s a complex piece of machinery!

   

A6M2 Cockpit

Our Zeke cockpit being built by John continues to take shape. And we continue to work on its flight model using historical sources and our own aerodynamic research.

 

F4F-4 Cockpit

The F4F cockpit is coming together quite rapidly thanks to Chris. Your arm will be tired from manually cranking up the gear before you know it! We also continue to work on its flight-model and testing the results. The F4F will also be our first plane to benefit from our CFD tools. 

    

In-Flight

By popular request, here are a few shots of our first two birds in-flight in the engine. Remember, these are still considered early WIP shots. Visuals are not final.

    
    


Enjoy! 

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”

                    -  President Franklin D. Roosevelt
 

The Combat Pilot Team

Full Developer Diary is HERE!

Jason

[Trooper117]

The level of detail is outstanding!... thank you  👍

[Hartsblade]

Looks Awesome. Poll answers submitted!

[Shinobimono]

Thank you very much, sir. 

I wonder if last updated info on Japanese wrecked ships was used for 3D-models. Just interesting, because many things was filmed during expeditions of last 5 years. 

[Enigma]

Curious to see what the survey results are like

[Skelthos]

Looking great! 

[FlyingShark]

WOW.

Thank you for the survey, really appreciate this kind of interaction with users.

 

Have a nice day.

 

[Sea Serpent]

Out of all the screenshots, I keep being drawn to the one looking down one of Akagi’s hangar decks.  That’s awesome stuff, and bodes well for the detail of the sim!

Edited August 13 by Sea Serpent

[javelina]

Wow, looking great!

[Props]

Excellent work! The Big E is looking fantastic (my personal favorite carrier considering it's outstanding career), but I know I'll probably be flying mostly in a Zero from the IJN decks so the the Akagi is also beautiful.

Great survey! Make it as real as possible keeping in mind that this is a sim and some players, even some seasoned players, don't handle engine management well. Personally I want to hear some detonation when I don't manage my mixture well, feel the engine running rough when things are going south, etc., but also bear in mind that some of these big radials kept running even when they had a cylinder shot out albeit rather shakily:-). It would be interesting to have to babysit a F4F's radial while trying to get back to the fleet.

I trust you guys will do you best to make this as good as possible with options as needed for all levels of experience. 

[Barnacles]

The textured models of those carriers are exquisite o7!

 

[BlitzPig_EL]

Looking really good so far!!

[InvisibleBlade]

Submitted my thoughts. I'd also be interested in seeing the survey results. 

[CPT Crunch]

Some really detailed decks, should go a long way in upping the fidelity in carrier ops.

[Trooper117]

Survey complete... hope this stuff helps in some way  🌞

[Ambaryerno]

Regarding the survey:

My experiences have been that engine temperature limits have been simultaneously over AND under modeled in any sim I've ever played.

While the modeled effects are usually milder than real life, with more warning and feedback than real pilots may have received, and usually lacking permanent damage so long as you let the engine cool down, having everything triggered exactly on the listed specifications ultimately just ends up frustrating because it makes engine management TOO restrictive, predictable, and gamey

My thoughts would be to first make everything granular based on the server and offline difficulty settings. So if you want those more extreme, severe effects rather than treating engine overheats as a "cool down timer," you can.

However, I'm not a fan of restricting thresholds to the manual at all. Surely there's a more realistic way this could be managed than X time at Y power = engine go boom? From my own reading, it sounds like pilots routinely pushed their aircraft beyond the book restrictions in combat, often because squeezing out a little more power for a little longer could mean the difference between getting shot down and making it home for your crew chief to yell at you. Some engines were also considerably more robust than others (IE the built like a tank R-2800) which would make this ability to push the aircraft harder with less risk of failure an important advantage (imagine a late-War Japanese campaign, where the poor reliability of the Ki-84's engine becomes a factor).

One idea I'd had was if the game has a logistics model, (think European Air War, where you could limit the number of aircraft, bombs, etc. available) this could work into the engine modeling. Say, pushing the engine too hard would mean you're short an aircraft on the next sortie, because the mechanics have to do a tear down and rebuild to make sure you didn't damage something that could affect the engine's performance, or the chance of a failure increasing the longer the engine goes without an overhaul (which would especially be a factor in something like a Guadalcanal campaign).

[Calos_01]

I hope they don't introduce engine timers. There should be no immediate penalty for exceeding the timer if the engine is still within the temperature limits. No artificially excessive wear and tear.  Probability of failure should increase, but no instant catastrophic failure 30 seconds after exceeding time. The natural penalty has always been increased fuel consumption (when operating engine hard).Perhaps this could have an impact on the availability of aircraft for further missions (need for inspection and possibly engine replacement). 

 

Edited August 13 by Calos_01

[Chief_Mouser]

Oh wow don't those carriers look superb. It's going to be some experience taking off and landing on those. Great DD - thankyou 🍻.

[Calos_01]

16 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

Regarding the survey:

My experiences have been that engine temperature limits have been simultaneously over AND under modeled in any sim I've ever played.

While the modeled effects are usually milder than real life, with more warning and feedback than real pilots may have received, and usually lacking permanent damage so long as you let the engine cool down, having everything triggered exactly on the listed specifications ultimately just ends up frustrating because it makes engine management TOO restrictive, predictable, and gamey

My thoughts would be to first make everything granular based on the server and offline difficulty settings. So if you want those more extreme, severe effects rather than treating engine overheats as a "cool down timer," you can.

However, I'm not a fan of restricting thresholds to the manual at all. Surely there's a more realistic way this could be managed than X time at Y power = engine go boom? From my own reading, it sounds like pilots routinely pushed their aircraft beyond the book restrictions in combat, often because squeezing out a little more power for a little longer could mean the difference between getting shot down and making it home for your crew chief to yell at you. Some engines were also considerably more robust than others (IE the built like a tank R-2800) which would make this ability to push the aircraft harder with less risk of failure an important advantage (imagine a late-War Japanese campaign, where the poor reliability of the Ki-84's engine becomes a factor).

One idea I'd had was if the game has a logistics model, (think European Air War, where you could limit the number of aircraft, bombs, etc. available) this could work into the engine modeling. Say, pushing the engine too hard would mean you're short an aircraft on the next sortie, because the mechanics have to do a tear down and rebuild to make sure you didn't damage something that could affect the engine's performance, or the chance of a failure increasing the longer the engine goes without an overhaul (which would especially be a factor in something like a Guadalcanal campaign).

Similar thoughts, you posted first🙂

[Docjonel]

Looking fantastic even at this early stage!

 

I remember my father bringing home Pong and being amazed. I've watched so many movies and documentaries about this time.  I think when I put my VR headset on and sit in that cockpit on that crowded deck with so many props spinning up that I will be much closer to experiencing what it was like to be at the Battle of Midway than I ever thought would be possible in my lifetime.

 

BTW, do you hope to have any animated ground crew at any point?

[Mysticpuma]

[Simfan1998]

2 hours ago, Ambaryerno said:

Regarding the survey:

My experiences have been that engine temperature limits have been simultaneously over AND under modeled in any sim I've ever played.

 

Must say, that until now, the best engine handling is in CoD. you can go further than the limits without destroying the engine, but you also can destroy the engine at low power if badly managed . i'm a certified Daimler Benz exploder in whatever condition. i know what i'm talking about

[Ambaryerno]

29 minutes ago, Simfan1998 said:

Must say, that until now, the best engine handling is in CoD. you can go further than the limits without destroying the engine, but you also can destroy the engine at low power if badly managed . i'm a certified Daimler Benz exploder in whatever condition. i know what i'm talking about

SO many P-38 engines destroyed because the pilots were trained with the wrong cruise power settings...

Edited August 13 by Ambaryerno

[Mission_bug]

The detailing on the carriers is really quite exquisite, you can almost feel every plank, bolt and rivet and all the various textures of the fabric and such with rust and dirt as well, congratulations to all those involved, really impressive.

Take care and be safe.

 

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[GOA_Karaya_CRI]

Jason and his team are the examples of prevalence and compromise for fulfill a mission, and that mission is bring to a live the Ww2 Pacific Theatre..

 

Kind regards.