The latest 1CGS Developer Diary update brings with it some great new screenshots showing off the Me262 cockpit, new crew added to the M4A2, and a new visual effect for Tank Crew that will eventually spread to the rest of the series too.
Inside views of the Schwalbe
We’re treated this week to two beautiful new screenshots from the Me262. This jet interceptor and fighter-bomber was the first operational combat jet fighter in the world. Recreating this piece of aviation history has been a multi-month long process for 1CGS with a lot of focus and attention being put into it’s flight model and its jet engines. We’ve seen the exterior in previous developer diaries and now we get to see the interior.
The interior of the 262 is actually an interesting one from the viewpoint of how simple it is. Though a leap forward in aviation as far as the engines are concerned, the 262’s cockpit looks no more complex than that of the Bf109 with a cleanly laid out design. Recreating the jet in IL-2: Battle of Bodenplatte puts us in touch with this unique piece of history.
I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this aircraft. It should be an interesting experience.
Tank Crew M4A2 crew and effect updates
The M4A2 Sherman is now available in Tank Crew for players with early access. One thing not yet in the Sherman is the crew but 1CGS is now adding them to the tank (literally putting the crew in Tank Crew) giving this near ubiquitous American tank animated crew members to drive this tank.
Also coming to Tank Crew is a new particle based effect that will let the team include some interesting features such as fire and smoke inside the cabin. I’ll let Han tell this part of the story:
And another screenshot shows a new particle-based effects technology inside the cockpits in the first-person view. In the first stage, we will introduce this system for tanks (the effect of a fire starting from spilled fuel, the effect of extinguishing this fire, smoke when the engine is damaged, powder gasses when firing from a cannon and a machine gun). In the medium term, we also plan to use this technology for airplanes:
Han on 1CGS’s Developer Diary #2
Tank Crew once again offers 1CGS to offer cross pollination of technologies with smoke and fire effects for Tank Crew eventually making their way into the aircraft of the series. I suspect that smoke in the cockpit is just one of many effects that the team might be able to offer. Would an improved oil splatter pattern be another? I’m sure.
Future updates
This update also teases future updates and some big features. Battlefield Marshal is now in development and, according to the update, nearly completed. This feature will give multiplayer servers the chance to have a team commander role which can direct the battle on both the ground and in the air.
The Me262 is expected to arrive sometime in May along with two Flying Circus Aircraft (the Albatross D.Va and S.E.5.a) and two new tanks to Tank Crew (likely the T-34 model 1943 and PzKpfw IV Ausf.G).
The Arras map is also hopefully going to be shown off sooner than later with progress on this map being done by Ugra Media.
Attention after will turn towards three critical Allied aircraft – the P-51D-15, the P-38J-25, and the Tempest Mark V (Series II). Also don’t forget that 1CGS is planning on adding the AI (for now) B-25D Mitchell which saw service with the RAF in western Europe during this time.
We know that the Mustang is intended to arrive in June or July although we also know that plans do tend to sometimes change. Might the Mustang launch alongside another Allied fighter? These are possibilities as we enter the home stretch for Bodenplatte over the next several months. Can you tell I’m excited? Stay tuned folks for some significant updates over the coming weeks and months!
Stormbirds 
As weird as it can sound, from the pilot perspective the jet engines are much more simple and straightforward than the piston engines, hence the actual switches and procedures were simpler, as it is the throttle without all the prop + mixture etc… levers.
The jets started to get weird with the electronics, but you can jump into a F86 Sabre from a mustang, and you won’t miss anything but the big prop in front of your cockpit. And yeah, that was intended.
The IL2 sure looks gorgeous. If I hadn’t invested so much in DCS I could think about it but…
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That makes a lot of sense. This is more of an irrational thought on my end where the most advanced jet fighter of the time “should be more complex” but in reality its actually quite a simple and straightforward aircraft – exotic (for 1945) powerplants with troublesome reliability aside.
There’s always a good 66% off sale on Battle of Stalingrad or Moscow that will surely come again. IL-2 is a great series to get into offering a different take on things than DCS. It’s a lot of fun to go back and forth and appreciate each for their strengths.
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Hi, I don’t want to advertise shamelessly here, but I have a giveaway in the Il-2 forum in the next days that could be made for you. You need a forum account in Il-2 and then you can already participate. https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/42990-fossils-found-giveaway/ You can find all the terms and conditions there in the thread.
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Good luck with the giveaway. It’s a wonderful thing in the IL-2 community where this kind of gift giving spirit has taken hold.
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hey shamrock have you put any time into the AV8B?
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Yep, the AV-8B is my second most flown DCS module in time spent next to the F/A-18C. I suspect the F-14 will be climbing up to a similar number of hours soon 🙂
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The lack of management controls on the early gas turbines (think late ‘30s piston engines) made it easy for pilot error. Combined with the high speed, the aircraft could therefore be unforgiving of rough handling.
I notice the unlikely *cough* Ez-42 makes it also into the 262. Wonder when I get my Spit Mk. 22?
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That’s a good spot. I didn’t see that earlier. It does look like it will get the exceptionally rare EZ42. How often will it get used? Not much I’m sure though at this point it may be fairly easy for the team to drop it in.
I know there’s considerable interest in some late war Allied planes to add some variety to the mix. The Mark 22 is super exotic (what I wouldn’t give to fly one of those :)) but I have a pretty good feeling about a Spitfire XIV. I’ve been dreaming about one of those for a while!
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As I said / whinged / moaned / bored everyone before, I love the range of mods that the team provides: I just wish it were a little more even.
If they release a XIV alongside a properly-lethal Tempest then I may abandon DCS for a while and luxuriate in the gotterdammerung of flak and gorgeous fighters in their last hurrah above the Rhine.
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good catch blue 5 … while i have been excited for bodenplatte what has been coming out of 1CGS for this expantion has been from underwhelming to disapointing… but i have decided to take a break from IL2 untill the expantion is released then i will go back and relearn it and maybe enjoy it more. now im focusing DCS
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Never a bad thing to check out something else for a while and come back. Whenever I go between DCS and IL-2 I rediscover all of the great things about both of them.
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The problem with Mr Shamrock is that nothing flight-sim related ever gets him down 👍
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What can I say, I’m a optimist most of the time! ☺️
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Notice the difference in the 262 publicity photo flight instruments apparent attitude and the outside terrain? I know they just tacked on mountains and angle of bank for aviation sprinkles but my eyes automatically cross-checked and saw 500 km/h wings level horizontal flight with zero rate of climb. 🙂 Also, people commenting don’t seem to realize that yes, gas turbine engines were simpler than contemporary fighter piston engines but the German axial turbojets designers had only the earliest grasp of how to design turbine blades so that airflow passed through stages in maximum efficiency, or even without causing turbulence and compressor stall and catastrophic engine failure. They were the world’s most advanced axial turbojets but designed under wartime urgency they were horribly underdeveloped and dangerously immature.
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