Open your auto-updater up because IL-2 patch 3.011 is now out with two new aircraft and a bunch of updates to the series as development presses forward. Let’s have a look!

Two new planes, animated crew, new fixes

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Flying Circus fans are going to be happy with the release of two new aircraft: the Fokker D.VII and the Sopwith Dolphin. This brings the total for the second generation WWI simulator up to 6 and that will really begin to help with the diversity of online dogfights.

Also added is a new animated crew for the KV-1S and Panzer VI tanks for Tank Crew (literally putting the crew in Tank Crew).

There are also a whole bunch of updates including some highlights:

• AI pilots correctly attack landed or taking off enemy planes;
• Simple (not player controllable) vehicles now have more detailed armor. This is noticeable while attacking them from above;
• There are new AI vehicle formations available – line left, line right, centered line – and ability to make naval-like all-together turn;
• In-cockpit gunfire sounds were improved for Flying Circus aircraft.

These are just some of the updates included in the patch notes that I wanted to draw peoples attention to. Improvements to AI, detailed improvements to “simple” vehicles, new types of AI formations (that hint at future Tank Crew management for formations of AI vehicles) and new sounds are definitely things that I like to see. Also solved are a crash and several other bugs. Check out the full patch notes here.

Future updates

I’m now expecting that we’ll see the FW190D-9 and Me262 in the next patch (I had thought perhaps we’d see them in this one) alongside some major Tank Crew updates as well.

Second, our Tank Crew project finally includes visible crew for two already released tanks. Since we’ll be releasing four new tanks and Prokhorovka map really soon, this project is also maturing at a good pace.

Han on the IL-2 forums

The M4A2 Sherman, T-34-76 mod. 1943, PzKpfw IV Ausf.G and PzKpfw III Ausf.M are the next four tanks expected as well as the Prokhorovka map.

Assume all of these come mid-April means that we’ll be looking towards a couple of updates going into May and June including the Mustang. It seems like a long time away but its only a few months and with the stream of Tank Crew, Flying Circus and Bodenplatte content coming out it seems like we won’t be short on new content.

We’re currently in that spot too where all three products are starting to come along and content is slowly being put into place – but the key things that bind everything together aren’t quite there yet. Not having maps for any of the projects nor the Career mode are what turns a list of aircraft into a cohesive whole and its a fantastic thing when that happens. I can’t wait!