Weren’t expecting a Saturday developer update were you? I wasn’t! 1CGS has detailed and shown off some screenshots of their latest work on Battle of Normandy with new images of the Spitfire XIV, new images of various Normandy landmarks, and an in-engine look at the new GAZ-MM 72-K truck.
Landmarks ahoy
With IL-2’s enhanced rendering distance, spotting key landmarks has become viable as a navigational aid as well as being a nice thing to have from a historical and visual perspective. Battle of Normandy doesn’t look to be skimping on the landmarks either as we’ve got our first look at some assets for the new map.
According to the dev update, these are the Royal Hospital Haslar (Gosport, Hampshire), Abbey of Saint-Étienne (Caen) and Bayeux and Rouen Cathedrals.
Excellent! I can’t wait to see more of the Normandy map soon!
Spitfire XIV moving closer to release
I’ve been waiting for a couple of decades to fly the Spitfire Mark XIV in a realistic combat flight simulator again and that wish is closing in on becoming true. Today we have a new look at the Spitfire XIV and news that it is closing in on being complete.
Here’s what the developer diary had to say:
We are also glad to report that the next Battle of Normandy fighter, Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV, will be finished soon – its FM should be ready in a month while its visual model, including the cockpit, is nearly finished.
Excellent news all around! With the visual model work nearly finished and flight model work ready in a month, I have high hopes that we may see this aircraft by early spring. I can’t wait to fly it! In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful screenshots of this late war Spitfire variant.
GAZ-MM 72-K in-engine!
It’s always a good sign when a new aircraft or vehicle surfaces with an in-engine screenshot. That is true here too as Soviet 72-K AA gun installed on the GAZ-MM truck chassis closes in on release. These mobile AAA vehicles are going to be very interesting additions to the series and should have an interesting impact on multiplayer gameplay.
Work is still ongoing but this image shows how far it’s gone over the last several weeks.
For all of this and more, visit the latest IL-2 developer diary.
Stormbirds 
Do you know if the MK XIV will be a collector plane on sale right away?
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If I’m remembering right, no. Usually the Collector Planes go on individual sale after the product has reached released status.
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Bummer.
But thanks.
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Time to buy Normandy? ☺️
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Not to be the world’s most broken record, but until they seriously(!) up their game as far as the QMB and Mission Editor go, I’m passing on Normandy. I would have bought the MK XIV, but aside from that DCS is getting all my money.
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Really nice surprise, I’ve been waiting for this since AoE too!
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I kinda like that they leave their ground models relatively simple – it’s gotta be one of the reasons the game performs so well relative to other sims. And they still put in enough detail to make it look good!
I personally would love to fly one of the contra-rotating-prop Spits (some day), because two props have to be better (and NOISIER!) than one 😉
The XIV looks lean and mean, though – esp with the clipped tips!
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The 1CGS folks are always good at finishing balance between detail and performance. That’s definitely on display here!
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