In what will probably be the final developer diary for the IL-2 series in 2022, we have a wrap up post from IL-2 Producer “Han” on the IL-2 forums with both a look back and a look forward. There are some priorities outlined for the new year that continue to hint at new directions for the developers in 2023 so lets have a look at this all.
The last year
The first part of the post touts the last year of development with some pretty impressive accomplishments and numbers. Some of those include 9 updates with 365 listed changes and improvements. There were 6 visual improvements including clouds, skydome, tactical codes, and damage effects. We also got two maps, 10 new released aircraft (9 player controllable), two new vehicles, 9 new AI vehicles, and 7 new ships.
All of this highlights the immense amount of content that has come from the team over the course of the year. It also saw the official release of IL-2: Battle of Normandy and the near completion of Flying Circus Vol 2.
The team have also released a slideshow with screenshots of all of the new content and features summarized in about 4-minutes. Have a look!
Goals ahead
The next part of the update is focused on talking about 2023 and here we get some interesting information. There’s no big reveal here but we do get some tidbits of information that might help give us a sense of where they are going in the next year.
The report reminds us and gives us some specifics on what is happening with the team. They have hired two new programmers, two flight model engineers, two 3D artists and two community managers. This is apparently not all that is planned and they intend to expand the team further – this is presumably the result of the corporate changes that we’ve been learning about recently.
The goals ahead that they have listed include a six point plan that includes bringing their new project up to speed, developing new base technologies, developing new user experiences and adding new employees. They also list Great Battles in their priorities with the intent to continue releasing new content for Great Battles and establishing partnerships with third parties to continue development for Great Battles as well as the new project.
Read the complete developer diary for more details of their look back and look forward.
Reaction
Although we’re still dealing with some vague language here, this message is more complete than the one that we got with the live stream back in November. It confirms that the team are working on something new that is likely separate and distinct from the Great Battles Series.
But it also seems to indicate that additional content for Great Battles is likely to come out over the next year or longer as the team builds up a new project.
New sims, with dramatically different technologies, can take a few years to develop. 1CGS aren’t starting from zero as they already have a bespoke engine and decades of experience (even if they have hired new staff) so this isn’t an entirely new from the ground up effort. It also sounds like its a significant departure needing new technologies so the next project will probably be a few years from completion.
Great Battles will probably continue to be the key piece of 1CGS puzzle for the near future. I don’t think we’ll see another battle release, but it may see some smaller individual pieces (i.e. the already announced Collector Planes) or smaller packages. Meanwhile, the new sim will likely occupy much of the development.
We’ll see how this begins to play out in 2023!
Stormbirds 
I’d love to get an early-WWI Flying Circus package in order to be able to do a beginning-to-end career in WWI like in the old Red Baron days. Currently my OCD isn’t letting me get FC until that happens, but if it doesn’t I’m sure I’ll be able to talk myself into it.
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Flying Circus V3 is my greatest worry about this whole thing. Lord knows how long it would take them to come back around to WW1 in the new project/series.
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My fear as well!
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I don´t think FC3 will ever happen. They will close this one down with the release of the FC2 singleplayer career mode. I could be wrong though.
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There’s a good experience here, particularly in multiplayer. For single player it remains to be seen what the new career mode can offer.
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Thanks for this summary ☘️ It sounds promising and I look forward to the future developments.
For me IL-2 offers a very enjoyable multiplayer experience and provides a platform for our Flying Tin Cans WWII campaigns. Also, Flying Circus in VR has provided me with some of the best flight sim experiences I have ever had. Flying on Flugpark in the pre-dawn on a bombing raid with some mates trying to avoid enemy scouts is something to be experienced. Some more early WWI aircraft would be icing on the cake.
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Why would anyone create a video that’s partially meant to show off your product using a bunch of low-res (some are really bad JPEG’s) screens and a very poorly composed track that obviously has encoding issues? It’s like they couldn’t be bothered to put together an actual video of similar length that might actually garner interest from new or returning customers.
I kept waiting for the Critical Drinker in dev form to popup and ask – “Why? Don’t care.” This is epically low effort.
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The quality of the presentation could have been better. It’s a nice look back but I agree that presenting it this way can be distracting.
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It looks cheap and gives the impression that the developers simply don’t care. They need to hire a professional videographer as they can do wonders for marketing, something BoX has been lacking for years…
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This is exactly what I thought. There are a few great video makers such as myself or Shamrock who I’m sure would have done a way better job than this crap which would have showed off the product in a similar way DCS does. Such a missed opportunity and very low effort.
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Things seem to be different these days… But certainly no indictment on your talents. You’ve done some great stuff Soto!
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I wonder whether the new project is Korea, if it is I’m excited, it’s a throwback to the old ‘MIG Alley’ and represents (at least in my mind anyway) enough of justification for all the new resources. I’d live to see more Gretlat Battles and Flying Circus stuff as well but don’t think another add on could justify the investment being made (unless of course it’s a parallel project).
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I suspect it is! See my recent piece about that from a few weeks ago. It makes a lot of sense.
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You knows it…
@ CAP: good reference. He’s a fun chap and I often have him on while making dinner.
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Once again – may be it is cultural – the team decide to offer nothing of any substance or utility. Scan down the forum users asking nicely for anything of merit regarding plans and count up the bars by their names and hence the money paid to the company. And yet, despite these people represneting their EA revenue stream, Han and whoever else is there seem determined to avoid answering even the most basic of questions.
There is keeping info back and there is annoying your community. Good will is hard to rebuild. Absence of information will lead to arguments, irritation and finally apathy. And this is such an unforced error. They do not need to confirm, just to indicate in a manner that has a soupcon of clarity. I throw out some non-binding examples:
– We will continue with Collector Aircraft
– We are in discussions with partners over further and possible maps, but these have to be balanced against longer goals and PnL calculations
– We are focussing on whether it makes more sense to opt for a significant engine evolution or something more substantial
– We have agreed on the new theatre and hope announce in mid-Jan
Obviously I am making these up, but they are a few bullet points and none of these will cause earthquakes while be reassuring and friendly. Instead………nothing.
Wardog appears totally toothless (LOL) and unable or unwilling to help. The spirit of interaction and community has died over there. Hell, even the ‘can we tidy up the dead stickies’ thread has had zero official reaction of worth.
I really do wonder if this is a cultural thing: an organisation should be entirely secret and never reveal anything. Otherwise they are repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot from both reputational and financial perspectives. Or maybe they just want to be Star Citizen….except that is a poor model for a WW2 flight sim house.
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My formula is simple:
No Flying Circus 3 on the current engine, no purchases on the new project no matter what it is.
Just because it was announced that Flying Circus will be minimum three parts.
Changing this roadmap is unacceptable for me an I will withdrawal as a customer.
So far I buyed everything of the Great Battle series, mixed steam and direct. Purchase.
I started flight sims and Il2 in 2020, so enough content to make me happy for a long time 😅
They talked about they still will work on GB content. So I assume they will minimum complete the western front map.
But 10 more planes should be offered in one more part!
We will see what happens or not happens..
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For whatever reason – and frankly to me it is a mistake – they seem reticent to announce much.
As I said above, they need to be open on this or trust is lost. Or, to be exact, more trust is lost, and it has been going downhill since the Autumn. Cannot imagine why.
But, for whatever reason, they have decided rhat not saying anything is the best form of customer relations. Culture, as far as I can tell.
Certainly resembles a certain not-conflict happening with totally not-Russian involvement. Hmm, wonder where are from the current GB management team…
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