Main problem, especially with graphic look of the sim (visuals) is that the very core or the engine of the game is not touched at all. It is not uncoded any bit of it. For that we need some really good programmer with serious knowledge of OpenGL programming, which in broader il2 community we don’t have. And I have looked.
And for HDR/Bloom in OpenGL I have learned that it is not so hard to fake bloom with texture buffer with certain variables for OpenGL, but in order to do that programmer said to me that he must have engine opened. Something similar already exists in il2 which proves that it is possible to do it. It is light on the sunrise, something like that could be done with the planes and land textures.
I am not specialist in this so excuse me if I am misunderstood people with whom I talked about this. Fact stays that all that we do so far is peanuts.
I kind of agree with Lowfighter here:
1) I see a lot of projects that are unfinished at best, or released as Betas and never completed. Take the Avenger for example, or adding all gunners to bombers? I thought someone was doing that but looks like that kind of fell through ... Only bombers with ALL guns are B-17G and B-29. What about B-17D, B-17E, B-17F, B-24, Ki-21?
2) there are a lot of mods we can do that do not require new models, or very small changes to current models. Like we need a P-38F for the PTO, which is mainly a FM/DM mod to the current one put in a new slot. Same with Avengers. We could give them all a new FM/DM and put them in a new slot and just use the same model.
3) I still see a lot of focus on the ETO. There is nothing wrong with this per say, and I am overly excited about the Typhoon, one of my childhood favorites, but the reality is the PTO is DESPERATE. The Japanese plane set was pathetic until all AI were made flyable. And several KEY planes are missing. You cannot have late war PTO maps without a Helldiver. Also a Judy would be nice to offset the helldiver.
@ magpie - I know and respect the whole what the modder wants. I really do. I just feel the PTO from Oleg was shameful and dissapointing at best, and know that we have the ability to add knew stuff, the one theater that needs it most is getting the least attention. Just how I feel, but I still respect the amount of dedication and work put into any project, and of course will be appreciative and enjoy what ever mods do come out.
But the fact is the PTO is lacking ... A LOT.
Personally, I don't focus on a given theater, and am well aware of the PTO shortage. In fact, one of my own meager contributions, the Silverplate, is theoretically a PTO aircraft...
The Whirlwind is a ETO yes, unfortunately the poor wee girl didn't recieve enough attention, production, or prolonged development to see her deployed to the Far East or PTO, but she is my favorite bird, and is why I personally am doing her. As I said earlier, its not whats really needed that gets attention, but what we WANT to do.
On the PTO note; I'm helping RAF_Leigh produce the Boomerang, a PTO aircraft, which should be ready hopefully at the start, or very early in, of the new year.
As for unfinished mods, well a lot of reason why mods seem to stay in the Beta section is that they simply do not get submitted, or their parents decide to abandon their children in that orphanage. Work in Progresses are just that, they are projects, which mean people are working on them. Have some patience - these things don't simply happen over night.
The original mods, such as the AI made flyable, ARE getting attention to fix them up to standard, again I can personally vouch for at least ONE of those that I am involved in.
In some cases its still impossible to create what we need to do to fix, or its simply not enough man power, or its something that a modder really has ZERO interest in.
As for your Number Two, I am aware that the avengers are getting attention, infact its been semi-announced as of late that is happening. The P-38, I am not aware of action being taken in that direction however.
i find it rather sad when modders need to justify themselves....
can you people just enjoy what you've been given ?
Alternative is : do it yourself and not lobbing and bitching around
And before starting with complains about not having proper tutorials .... just remember we don't have it either ( and never had ) . Except for FatCat , nobody didn't teach me anything regarding modding ... all i know i've picked from posts here or discovered by myself .
regards
Z
To put it in a more friendly way than in my original post : what directions in modding do you consider are more important to pursue? Sure everyone does whatever modding he likes, but M8s do you consider a discussion about what is important in il2 would be fruitless or even do harm?
PS Next time if I'll post on such controversial matters I'll try to be more careful with words, I many times forget...
The many new planes don't bother me, the more the merrier i say. But what i don't like about it is that most of the newest addons (as well as WIPs) are almost exclusively late-war or 1946 uber-planes. I would like to see more actual warbirds, something that was used during the war - like the French or Italian types were still missing - or even 1930's and early war stuff - like P-26's, Hawker Fury (the biplane), He-51 and such.
But the modders will do what they like to do, so i'm not keeping my hopes up that much.
Also, what we really need IMHO is more variety in regards of ground targets - more tanks and cars and guns and stuff like that. This is where the game is currently lacking the most. I was looking a bit into the possibility to import models from ToW but so far no success.
In any case, i'm grateful for whatever new mod gets done, thanks to all those involved in making them!
