Beyond 414 wish list

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

I'm not sure that IL-2's DM is something to get so troubled about.

Fair point. Most of my complaints are about cosmetic issues - things that don't LOOK right, but which actually are right on a technical level.

There were actually very few actual remaining damage model problems under 4.13 when I did my damage model tests. The posts and database results are still somewhere around on this forum if people care to hunt for them.

I also agree that it would be a massive undertaking to bring IL2's damage models up to 2020 standards, just like it would be a massive undertaking to improve the graphics or to further refine the flight models. Not a realistic request.

That said, this IS a wishlist thread!

Originally Posted by Treetop64

Sure, they aren't perfect, and I agree there is favoritism applied - accidental or otherwise - to some Russian equipment, but still...

My tests indicated that there wasn't that much actual favoritism so much as some crude damage modeling in some of the early planes. If there's favoritism towards Soviet aircraft it's because they really were that tough (e.g., IL2 series) and/or because they were some of the first aircraft modeled.

Likewise, there are a few very minor potential errors in the DM for some of the German aircraft.

For example, in the Bf-109 series, there's a very small gap between the firewall behind the engine and the armor glass on the front of the canopy. If a bullet just happens to go through that gap, which can happen when you're diving on an enemy bomber and the tail gunner is shooting up at you, then it's very easy to get a PK result. That might be realistic, or it might not be depending on whether the control panel was made of metal that had protective value.

The actual damage model problems are mostly quick fixes, like making sure that hits to the left wing fuel tank actually affect that tank, or recalculating some numbers to make big but lightly-built aircraft (e.g., Me-323) less vulnerable to airframe damage.

Originally Posted by Treetop64

Probably best not to get all huffed up just because the effects of some AI turret gunner's pinky finger being blown off isn't modeled. There are far bigger, more important fish to fry.

Agreed. Given the choice between someone making new aircraft to fill in the remaining gaps in the roster, or turning AI aircraft into flyables (ahem . . . Blenheim) vs. spending time upgrading damage textures, then I'll go with the first option.