A new sim gives us an insight to the conflict between the German
Luftwaffe and the Soviet Union’s Red Air Force (VVS) on the
Eastern Front of World War II. The sim, named IL-2 Sturmovik, was
designed by a Russian-based software-development company—1C:Maddox
Games, in conjunction with Blue Byte Software, Inc., of Austin,
Texas. The Ilyushin-2 Sturmovik (Stormer) was a famous tank-busting
aircraft, called the “Flying Tank” by the Russians and
the “Schwarzer Tod” (Black Death) by the Germans.
Luftwaffe pilots referred to it as a “Betonflugzeug”
(concrete plane), because it was so hard to bring down. Think of
it as a forerunner to the Soviet SU-25 Frogfoot or the U.S. Air
Force’s A-10 Warthog.
Blue Byte Software gave us an inside look to this historical flight
sim, even though it was still under final development at the time.
The game includes 17 different types of Russian, German and even
American aircraft (the U.S. Lend-Lease P-39 Aircobra), which you
can fly as the pilot or rear gunner (IL-2 only) in six historical
campaigns. You fly both air-to-air missions and air-to-ground missions.
Want originality? Design your own nose art, seasonal camouflage
patterns or national markings for your chosen aircraft. Play with
up to 32 different dogfight players via the Internet or 16 players
in cooperative mode. You can even get voice capability via network
or Internet.
Options include the ability to create new single- or multi-play
missions and scenarios with an easy-to-use mission builder. You
can select missions such as air attack, escort duty, ground attack
or over-sea attacks, as a wing leader or part of a squadron.
Some of the aircraft, beside model variations in the IL-2 series,
include the LaGG-3, MiG-3, P-39 (N & Q series) and as a change
of pace, the Bf-109 (F & G series). There are even encounters
with rare birds, such as the HE-111-Z (German Tow Plane) and Fiesler
Storch (German STOL craft). Among these models, you get a choice
of the weapons load-out for your aircraft, including drop tanks.
This puts this flight sim in a unique category, including aircraft
types never seen in other games.
Since the IL-2 was a close ground-support aircraft, Maddox has
done a fantastic job on ground details, structures (bridges, buildings,
airfields) that blow up realistically, contrails of high-flying
formations, and, of course, snow-covered terrain.
Battle damage is depicted in great detail. It can be startling
to look out at a wing clipped off in a dogfight or collision. The
developers refer to this as “realistic, dynamic damage modeling.”
You can even record and edit flight tracks for replay and training.
None of this comes cheap. System Requirements include: Windows
95/98/2000, P III 600 or better, 128 MB RAM, 32-bit 3-D accelerator
with 32 MB RAM. Screen shots are available at www.bluebyte.net/il2-e/.
This sim was scheduled to become available during the second quarter
of this year via Blue Byte Software. Suggested price: $49.95. Telephone:
(800) 933-2983.
Combat Squadron
Abacus has released an add-on for owners of CFS 1 or 2 (Combat Flight
Simulator by Microsoft) and Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2000.
The add-on features 18 new warbirds, including the B-25C Mitchell
Bomber, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Brewster F2A Buffalo, Curtiss
P-40 Warhawk, as well as TBD/SBD, F6F/F4F, P-38 Lightning, G4M1
Betty, N1K1 George, and a bunch of Mitsubishi Oscars, Raidens and—of
course—the Zero.
Each model is finely tuned to provide accurate performance characteristics.
Available on CD-ROM for $29.95. Screenshots are available at www.abascuspub.com/catalog/s440.htm.
Telephone: (616) 698-0330. This is an ideal add-on to Microsoft’s
Combat Flight Simulator 2—CFS-2—which recreates air
combat in the Pacific Theater of World War II (See Digital Marketplace,
Page 39, in the January 2001 issue of National Defense Magazine).