A visit to Oleg's Office

A visit to Oleg's Office - BOB

Written by Administrator

Saturday, 23 September 2006

Article Index
A visit to Oleg's Office - BOB
Page 2
Page 3

Page 3 of 3

While talking to Yuriy Kryachko I saw Rudolf Heiter coming over his workplace. But he looked so busy with his work I decided not to disturb him.
Instead I managed to talk to Dmitry Soldatenkov, whose work is a subject to many argues among the community members.
When came near, Dmitriy was working on the new AI in the previous game engine’s environment. I asked some questions about bots behavior in bombers under attack of fighters. Answering them, Dmitriy asked me to find descriptions of similar fights from their participants’ point of view. Preferably of the BoB period. If the community helps me on this – I will be grateful.
Then we discussed some principles of making a flight model. Dmitriy told me quite unexpected thing, which probably will serve as a salve on so some virtual pilot’s wounds. He believes that the FM of some planes represented in the game requires some significant improvements. And PC’s resources for that matter should be taken away with reducing overall aircraft models number. To be short – less quantity, more quality. “Why do we need”, - he pointed at the IL2 planes poster - “four thunderbolts?”. Such approach fits opinion of some 3D models designers, who think that it’s impossible to model that many planes as the IL2 has now.
I tried to argue with him stating that even now you can feel the features of controlling some planes. For what he replied that every plane now needs individual “tuning” and that’s not going to change.
Then we talked a bit about the planes we have now. I said that overall quality of FM is just fine and most heated debates go around several models such as Bf 109 G2 and La 5 FN. Then again I was surprised to know that these problems trouble only Russian virtual pilots, foreign community has many questions about Mustangs and such.
During our talk, IL2Compare was used for better illustration, and I using the opportunity expressed gratitude to Dmitriy for making such useful program. He said that Yuriy “Youss” is the one we should give our thanks to, because Dmitriy only provider the initial data, while Yuriy made the program itself. He also told a bit of history of it’s development. It’s creation went without knowing of Oleg Maddox of it, who in the end had to live a few unpleasant moment while talking to western users. His anger pointed towards it’s creators is quite understandable. The result was that IL2Compare banned for a long time. But, giving a credit to Oleg’s wisdom, the program was finally approved for open use.
Answering my question about further development of IL2Compare, Dmitriy said that at this point the program gives all the needed instruments and data so it doesn’t need anything.
Then we talked a while about Japanese aircraft’s FM (the ones we have now and that will come with Manchuria addon) and suddenly I was invited to Roman Deniskin’s workplace with an offer to guess the plane model by it’s cockpit. He had a very cunning look.
Surely, I could not guess the cockpit. The only thing I determined by plane’s sight is that it belongs to Luftwaffe. To what Roman replied, asking to stop trying, because it’s not even an aircraft, but, as he said – achtung. He switched to external view and I saw the Lerhe machine, announced in screenshots not long ago. Roman controlled the machine with joystick with ease and setting it vertically started to land. I mentioned that vertical position looks to be quite easy to maintain, he said that it’s because of autostabilisation turned on. If turned off it will be impossible to land at all. I then expressed confidence that we’ll surely see someone asking for the ablitity to turn it off. Then Roman turned it off and machine leaned instantly and after a few seconds crashed into water.
Maksim Prut, who was standing behind us, mentioned that at the moment four bots on Lerhe armed with guided rockets – is the most deadly combination. They’re almost impossible to fight, so now MG is thinking of ‘cutting their wings’ to able to fight them.
After that we moved to Maksim’s workplace and he showed me some features of new game engine. As one would say: everything you were eager to know, but were afraid to ask about.
To start with map. Map will be huge. Imagine the map of Normandy, which we have now, imagine it beimg three times larger, add English channel and English territory of a size comparable to Normandy. As a matter of interest specially asked if there will be Dunkirk on French territory. Yes, there will be.
Terrain surface makes good impression. Looking at textures on previously published screenshots I was afraid that ‘image dupping’ would be visible. It shows to be the otherwise. At least over Southern England everything looked well. Dover Cliffs also included, they don’t look as awesome as in ‘Pearl Harbor’ movie from above, though. Moreover, the new engine permits to extend the visibility distance. So the Earth doesn’t look like a tennis ball even from 40 km.

picture #13

Cities. When the screenshots were uploaded, somebody complained that it’s only a texture.

picture #14

I confirm that: textures. But at every building on texture – there’re 3D buildings. Everyone of them will be destructible, except of historical buildings and monuments – it’s publishers position. It looks arguable to me, as at war both sides rarely took any care of historical legacy. Can’t argue with publisher though.
And of course Maxim demonstrated some features of new weather engine. Movies showing upcoming air flow with appropriate influence, cloud fronts that could easily hide a whole kampfgruppe in it. But Maxim told me that it would be most uneasy to hold formation because of turbulence.
Some details you can hear here:
link1
link2

As an illustration to what he said Maksim allowed me to fly a Spitfire under the storm clouds. Plane was tossed aside and shakes greatly so after a few minutes it crashed into the sea. Surely, pictures of the underwater would fit very nice. Though I constantly distracted to talk to Maksim losing control over the plane. In addition because of shaking I was loosing coordination, because the point of view moved around imitating head bobbing. It’s good they didn’t implement wounds acquired because of hitting random part of cockpit, or I would surely got one once or twice. I hope that in more comfortable satiation I could handle the weather effects.
By the way, during the weather effects demonstration Maksim made interesting thing – he moved point of view outside the cockpit making literally external view out of internal. I don’t know if there will be such option in the game, but the engine surely handles it well.
At the end Maksim showed me a screenshot that shows a Spitfire in a hangar. The picture was so true I started to miss pretty armourer-girls to blow them kisses from inside the cockpit.

picture #15

Maksim said that airfield environment will be modeled to some point, but for now the main problem to deal with is wind inside the hangar, because it “doesn’t understand” the difference between the insides and outsides of hangar. It is surely a big problem, because at windy weather it’s just impossible to taxi out of the hangar.
I wished Maksim good luck in his work and he guided me to the exit. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to talk to father and chief of the project – Oleg Maddox. He appeared to out of office, when I arrived.

Things I wanted to say in conclusion. With closer look BoB amazes with courage and scale of the project. Developers’ statements about it being unique are not mere empty words. But there’s still a GREAT amount of work to be done, to implement most of planned features. MG teammembers know and understand it perfectly and are doing their best to achieve it.
Also I’d like to mention the enthusiasm of MG team. Everybody I talked to are people, who love their work and aviation, proud by the right by results of their work. And sarcasm pointed towards them by some community members concerning their attitude towards users looks just inappropriate. They express their attitude in results of their work. Once more I’d like to thank everybody in the team and personally Oleg Maddox, without amiable permission of whom this visit would never happen, and wish them good luck in their work.

<< Prev - Next

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Main Menu

Login Form

Who's Online

Latest Gallery

A hero from the past...