There’s not going to be a developer diary update for the IL-2 series today but we did hear from Executive Producer Jason Williams today on what they are currently working on. I thought maybe now would be a good time to have a look at what’s coming in the near term for IL-2. Let’s go.
Up next?
I’ve written not too long ago with some theories about where the Great Battles series might go next with successors to their current line of products. A Flying Circus Vol 3 seems almost inevitable and there are hopes for a follow-up to Tank Crew. And for the mainline of the series? Fan theories range far and wide.
Today, however, I’m not focused on those things but rather on stuff that is nearer to release.
In the now 295 page long “DD Today?” thread that the community has kept going for many years now, Executive Producer Jason Williams, posted that there would be no developer diary but he did say what’s currently on their plate.
Sorry, but no DD today. Focused on the Beta and working out bugs in the 410 and custom input profiles. Everything else is WIP as per the plan. FC2 map, C-47, Snipe, Siemens, IAR, Churchill and Stug are all being worked on, I just have no new images or info to share today.
Next up on the release cycle is likely to be the Me410 which we saw some great screenshots recently. The 410 rounds out the flyable aircraft release plan for Battle of Normandy leaving just the V-1 and its launcher on the to be release list.
The C-47 is a well known add-on that Ugra Media have been working on. The cockpit has been shown in recent updates suggesting that they are closing in on a finished product. No release date just yet but I look forward to having the transport make an appearance in the series.
The IAR80/81 is a third party/1CGS effort to bring us a unique Romanian fighter and fighter-bomber from WWII. Development is underway and recently they were asking about references for the type’s gunsight.
Let’s not forget too that 1CGS recently put the Spitfire XIV bubble canopy variant up on offer as a separate Collector Plane. It was long sought after and makes for a nice bonus airplane for those who were desperate to see this version. With a bubble canopy and even better rear visibility together with slightly different handling, this extreme late war version is a bit of a rarity but a welcome one for Spitfire fans!
The Sopwith Snipe and Siemens-Schuckert D.IV are new Collector Planes for the Flying Circus series sitting independent of Vol 1 and 2. These late war fighters saw more limited use but they are among the top asks from the Rise of Flight and Flying Circus community. Like their WWII bretheren, these late war types show us what the best of 1918 technology could accomplish and that’s fun in this simulation context to consider.
Tank Crew fans aren’t left out of the mix either. 1CGS is once again working with Digital Forms to do some beautiful renditions of the Churchill Mark IV and StuG III. The early work in progress shots show the level of detail on display.
Map releases
Both Normandy and Flying Circus are awaiting their map releases. Normandy map we’ve seen quite a bit of recently with recent developer diaries offering up some great views of the airbases. Earlier updates have shown us towns and even earlier updates showed us some of the key landmarks. Flying along at 300kmh while dodging flak and searching for bandits sometimes lets us forget the thousands of hours of work that the map team put in.
We’ve not yet seen the new Flying Circus map but we do know that it’s a follow-up to the smaller Arras sector map that came in Vol 1. This follow-up effort, being done by Ugra Media, is notable as it includes four seasons and so should offer Flying Circus pilots some different looking scenery.
Both maps getting to release state are also critical for another piece of content. Career mode and Advanced Quick Missions. Flying Circus is getting its Career mode as part of the Vol 2 development cycle and the new map is an essential piece. 1CGS have also prioritized the new map for their AQMB functionality.
Similarly, Battle of Normandy will be getting Career mode support to match the other Great Battles series titles but it can’t do that until the map is ready. That day is clearly coming soon but isn’t here quite yet. Once it does, I expect that will be the end of early access and the full release of Battle of Normandy.
Lots to come
While we don’t yet know the long range forecast for the series, we do know the short range and its looking like a 100% chance of new content. With new content planned for all segments of the Great Battles series, it seems like there’s plenty to look forward to and that’s just over the next several months.
Stormbirds 
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