This year is off to a great start. We’ve already released a couple major updates that not only added new content for Battle of Kuban owners (new aircraft Bf 110 G-2, Fw 190 A-5 and He 111 H-16) but also numerous improvements to the entire series. The Fw 190 A-3 flight model was improved, the La-5F engine modification was added and almost all aircraft 3D models saw corrections and improvements. There were many small changes and additions that made AI pilots smarter, graphics faster and cleaner and flight models even more advanced, etc.
And now we prepare the biggest update so far, this year. In addition to DirectX 11 support added in December last year - Virtual Reality support that will be released next week. This is a huge step forward in making our sim future proof and supporting cutting edge tech for years to come. We faced some difficulties in implementing VR since it’s a new ground for aircraft sims, but we like how it turned out. It’s not ideal - the resolution of VR HMDs is somewhat limited in this generation and gunner positions have some quirks. It is very different than playing on a flat screen, but this as close as you can get to actually being in a WWII warbird cockpit while sitting in your very own home.
And not only VR fans will like the 2.009 update - we made significant improvements to our graphics and GUI subsystems. For example, the trees ‘popping’ effect when you fly close to them is nearly gone now so it won’t detract from immersion. New graphics options were added like post-sharpening visual filter that has almost no impact on the performance and a dynamic resolution system that can decrease or increase graphics clarity on the fly to try and keep the frame rate on the level you set. We’ll tell you more about all this cool new stuff in detail next week with the 2.009 version release. Stay tuned!
And to celebrate the arrival of Spring temperatures and the Easter holiday we have launched a huge sale in our store and on Steam - this is a good opportunity to get the game at a discount to prepare for VR support release next week!
IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad editions are 50% OFF and Battle of Moscow editions are 40% OFF, while Fw 190 A-3 and La-5 Collector Planes are 50% OFF and P-40E-1 and MC.202 are 33% OFF. And the entire Rise of Flight lineup is 66% OFF. The Steam sale will end on April 10th while the discounts in our store will be active until 9:00 GMT April 15th.
Be sure to check our huge 2.009 update next week, especially if you have a VR HMD. See you in the skies!