Friday April 11, 2014 Development Update – The Two Messerschmitts

[luthier1]

Hello folks,

Ooh, how the time flies, another Friday already? My job is the least predictable of all in the project it seems. I tend to have a huge variety of tasks in my lap, all with five alarm bells ringing, and with no one to give them to. I’ve spent all week doing emergency translations and documents. Doing that while also trying to be a single father to two young kids means that there’s literally no time for anything, especially sleep.

 

When Friday comes around, Friday morning my time, Friday evening Moscow time, that means a very sudden silence. The kids go to their mother, and there’s no urgent work that has to be completed by tonight – Moscow’s off until Sunday night my time.

 

Then it’s time for me to relax, sit back, and write a Friday update – and after that, most incredible of all, I can finally go and catch up on some z’s.

 

Work-wise, we’re moving ahead full speed getting the 109 to a stable alpha stage. Tasks are getting smaller, while the results are becoming a lot more noticeable. We’ve spent all week on the cockpit, on animating the gauges (about a third of all objects now move properly), recording new sounds for Dora and Kurfurst, completing an authentic electrical system, writing out the entire set of keybord shortcuts for the K-4 mostly based on the Mustang. Runway take-offs are finally nice and straight.

 

The new render is still a bit wacky, and that’s completely outside our control, ED guys are putting crazy hours into it as well.

 

So, the best we can show on screenshots is a couple of interior shots with needles properly pointing at things other than zeroes.

 

 

 

 

Also, here’s where we are with the Me.262 external. Hope you guys have a great weekend!

[garengarch]

Looking good - get some rest!

Loving the 262 that's sweet.

[BIGNEWY]

Thanks for the update, looking good

[Silver_Dragon]

very good, great work ;)

[SmirkingGerbil]

Sleep!

 

Thank you very much.

[Swaty]

Very good!!

 

Thank you!

[upupandaway]

Great update! :thumbup:

[Raven68]

Yes that 262 is looking very nice & nice update!! Get some rest Ilya! :)

[VH-Rock]

262 looks fantastic! She will certainly be an interesting one to learn.

[Demon_]

Cool! :thumbup: Thanks!

[buster_dee]

I know you can't hear this now, but thanks;)

[JST]

Looking great!

 

Any loose ETA on the alpha?

[Mar28]

Great news!!!

Good to hear that things are taking form!!!

Thanks!

[siipperi]

Can't wait to fly 262. That's going to be so awesome!

[Requiem]

+1 for the 262. A very special aircraft which is going to be great to learn at a DCS level.

[cichlidfan]

+1 for the 262. A very special aircraft which is going to be great to learn at a DCS level.

 

Indeed. I am sure many of us will be looking forward to your eventual YouTube tutorials as well. :)

[sg.wikman]

Thanks!

[Ganesh]

Nice!!!

Thanks for the inside view in your life, hardworking Ilya ;-)

[kazereal]

Great stuff!

Remember to rest properly, we are expecting more great work from you guys ;)

[Paradox]

+1 for the 262. A very special aircraft which is going to be great to learn at a DCS level.

 

Indeed. I am sure many of us will be looking forward to your eventual YouTube tutorials as well. :)

 

It's interesting, a lot of people seem to feel like this and I'm not sure I understand it.

 

Can anyone elucidate to me the reasons that you feel that the Me 262 is such an interesting aircraft?

 

I understand that being among the first operational jets using experimental technology and using design decisions that you don't necessarily see these days is cool but I know next to nothing specific about those aspects.

 

Just curious.

[Derbysieger]

Well, it is the first operational jetfighter ever. Kind of a big deal. Sure there were other experimental aircraft that had jet engines going back to the thirties but the Me 262 is the first jetfighter build in series and the first to see combat. It was faster than anything of the time, way ahead of any other WW2 fighter.

However there were problems with reliability partly because of the dwindling resources in germany (i.e. lower quality metals) partly because the engines needed to be handled carefully. You couldn't just slam the throttles forward like in a modern jetfighter so it will be very interesting to see how they'll model the delicacy of the engine handling.

[Bird-Dog]

The Gloster Meteor flew in WW2 but was restricted in action as the allies did not want the Germans or Soviets to get access if one was shot down . Work started on the engines in 1936 .They initially were used as defence against the V-1 shooting down 14 during the war and saw service in Europe but were never allowed to fly over enemy territory .They were involved in an exercise simulating attacks on allied bombers so the Allied fighters could formulate an effective defence against the ME262 . In March 1945 616 sqd flew armed reccae & ground attack operations and destroyed 46 enemy aircraft but never encountered the ME262.They were scrambled when Arado Ar 234 jet bombers attacked their Airfield . Probably due to the absence of air to air combat in this period the Meteor seems to miss out on mentioning .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor

[Grim_Smiles]

You couldn't just slam the throttles forward like in a modern jetfighter so it will be very interesting to see how they'll model the delicacy of the engine handling.

 

Hopefully they will simulate the engine issues (can't imagine they wouldn't simulate flame-out when not handling it right), as without it I can see multiplayer servers having tons of people hopping in 262's all the time. Making the jet as challenging as it would have been to fly in WWII would mean that those willing to learn the jet will be the ones hopping in her, while hopefully cutting down on the number of those just seeking what they think is a "pwnmobile".