The latest update from 1C Game Studios for IL-2 Series Korea is focused on clouds. Flight simmers are a bit obsessive about clouds and for good reason, they make up a good portion of the sky. In combat sims they also provide “landscape” with which to potentially ambush or escape the enemy. We have a lot of screenshots and a few details to go through.

In the clouds

The latest update is a little light on technical details but the screenshots do a fair bit of heavy lifting here when it comes to the visuals of clouds in IL-2 Korea.

Most of the blog confirms that they are using a similar technology to what has most recently been employed in the Great Battles Series but with some updates. You may recall that Great Battles itself had its cloud rendering adjusted significantly a few years ago (back in 2021 as it turns out) using the same kind of volumetric technology that other titles including DCS World, MSFS, and X-Plane were using. That is still what everyone is using so refining the current technology does seem to be the way of things.

1CGS have noted that while the technology is the same, they have adjusted the visuals in a variety of ways including the following:

The structures of cloud formations, their shapes, and distribution maps have been revised. Now they are, firstly, more realistic, and secondly, much more artistic. There is greater diversity in cloud types and varieties. We are confident that from the many cloud options we have prepared, everyone can find the sky condition they like best.

Most of the screenshots do look quite convincing and while I don’t think it leapfrogs Korea into the lead on cloud rendering technology, it certainly keeps it up with the competition.