SvAF

Maddox Games seems to have taken up Friday Updates, partly for the work of fixing Cliffs of Dover and partly for the upcoming title that we guess is Battle of Moscow or similar.

First the results from a benchmark with the new graphics engine and then Luthier answers questions from the community:

Benchmarks on the BETA version of the new graphics. Testing FPS on the first British campaign mission. Max details. Old graphics – 74 FPS average. New graphics – 134 FPS average. i7-870, 4Gb RAM, GeForce GTX 570.

1. Will the new graphics engine have improved SLI/Crossfire performance? SLI currently gives minimal frames per second increase for many players and can introduce stutters.
I’d rather not say anything at all until we have final code with verifiable benchmarks.

2. To dev team regarding the SpeedTree technology. We all know the problems with them: shimmering, LOD changes and what not. I scoured thru SpeedTree forums and saw similar issues with trees and also solutions. Add that there are new versions of it etc. So my question is that has dev team worked with SpeedTree Inc and using newer version and tools? Can anything be done with trees?
The code we use for trees has very little in common with stock SpeedTree technology. I doubt you would find any other game that uses SpeedTree in quite the same way we do. So while it may seem that we’re experiencing common problems, we usually cannot use common solutions.
If you thought that we could just install a patch from the internet or insert a few lines of code from a forum and voila, better trees, I wish it was this easy.
I also have to add that our project currently has a lot more pressing problems than shimmering trees, many of which have to be solved by the same people who can improve on trees. We’ll get there when we get there.

3. Do you have any plans to enable 6DOF vision in the bombardier's seat? Bombing without the horizontal stabilizer in the Blenheim is hard enough and 6DOF here would help a lot.
The bombardier’s seat on the Blenheim does have limited 6DOF in the normal (non-zoomed) mode. The idea is, while you’re looking for the target, you can look around and so on. Once you lean in, that’s it, you’re looking through the sights and there’s no use fidgeting.
We talked this over amongst ourselves. Perhaps we’re missing something – how would 6DOF help while you’re looking through the sight?

4. Do you plan to expand (or explain) server settings for client control? Currently a dedicated server only has the ability set netspeed and turn VAC on/off through the [Net] code but there is no options to control the clients connected. This is resulting in exploitation.
For reference, some of the relevant IL-2 settings are checkServerTimeSpeed, checkClientTimeSpeed, socksHost, checkTimeSpeedDifferense, checkTimeSpeedInterval, farMaxLagTime, nearMaxLagTime, cheaterWarningDelay, cheaterWarningNum.
Not in the upcoming patch for sure.

5. Have you considered a formal bug tracking system that the community can get involved in? It is difficult to tell what bugs the devs are/are not aware of at the moment since the bug threads do not get feedback.
Sorry, we have no technical capabilities to set up a public database, or resources to maintain and update it. A community-run database however would not be a terrible thing at all!

6. Oleg didn't promise, he just alluded to the hypothetical suspect of the probable but unconfirmed existence of occasional glints from distant planes' canopies, and only in the version of the game compiled at the time of his propositions. Now, can we have those reflections again?
I might probably allude to the hypothetical possibility that this feature might or might not eventually make it into the game.

7. Will the Russian aircraft be modelled historically in terms of equipment? For example most Russian fighter aircraft (especially early war) had only a crudely painted gun sight. Radios were usually removed to save weight as the quality was poor and often they were useless. Except of course with the GIAP regiments who had access to the best aircraft and equipment.
We’ll have to disappoint you somewhat in that historically early-war Guards regiments flew the same aircraft as everybody else, the only difference being the monthly paycheck.
But yes of course, we do plan to model all aircraft and their systems with full attention to historical realism.

8. Are you planning to return to the reflections on aircraft surfaces as shown in this video? http://youtu.be/Ye_VY1aV3Zg
These exact same reflections you see are there today, just toned down.

9. Are you planning to fully support force-feedback joysticks such as MS FF2, which are currently not supported the game?
We are using standard DirectX drivers to interface with controllers. Chances are, if you’re using an ancient joystick model discontinued in 2003, its 10-year-old drivers made for a different OS and a different DX version will glitch.
This is no different than if you were having graphic glitches trying to run CoD on a 10-year-old card.
We have absolutely no plans to hack dedicated support for individual peripherals. We’ve never done that in the past. We’ll just go insane if we do that.

10. Will there be a closed beta for the next project?
Of course.

11. Are you planningto make different octane fuels an option for the plane load out?
Not for Cliffs of Dover.

12. Are you planning a working airmass model that affects aircraft, including propwash etc?
Yes, it’s one of the major features that’s been continuously put on the backburner for years. Gotta have it.

Finally some pics from the new title; Damage model for a I-16.

Original thread here.