Slitherine

• Fixed Scoring bugs for intro and short campaigns and some other scenarios.
• Added "BigDuke66"'s BoB map graphic fix and several fixes to BoB location errors. fixed KG 40 HQ assignment.
• The Halifax V and Lancaster II are now available for BTR. Both aircraft reside within 6 Group. (Requires scenario restart).
• German Gruppe now contain 40 aircraft max.
• Added ability to select location and airbase info on the map during the reaction phase.
• Sunrise and sunset now track much more realistically to the seasons (based on Paris latitude). This means the attacker really has to pay attention to the time of year and plan his day and night raid launch times accordingly.
• Added sunrise-sunset info to main display and planning display.
• Added menu toggle button to stop re-centering of map during reaction phase(!) You can pan but you can't zoom with this feature on.
• More fixes to speed up play and stop "turnback to target" events.
• Made some tweaks to Allied BTR AI.
• Updated promotion feature and fixed a few bugs. Most promotions in the game were just pilots replacing a fallen or wounded leader. Now you will see a message to that effect - either assuming command or an actual rank promotion. Promotions don't have much effect in the game - yet.
• fixed several variable-type classes that were causing issues with range calculation routines.
• Removed ability for axis human player to add AA factors to troops. Allowing this
was causing several issues with the land combat routines. AI will still replace destroyed troop AA up to pre-set limits. AA factors now contributes to overall troop strength.
• Game now shows Axis player when new and in-transit rail-flak arrives at destination.
• Fixed a database error where several Wilde Sau nightfighter groups entering in the 1943 scenarios did not have their FuG 217’s equipped. Current games will automatically upgrade these groups to be equipped. Scenarios starting in 1944 were OK.
• Made some more tweaks to ground combat resolution. Axis troop supply now shows impact of oil shortage. Oil shortage greatly reduces the ability of ground troops to resupply.
• “Rail use” is now tracked by the AI through rail centers and ports and can impact movement and supply of ground troops. Strafing rail centers can reduce the capacity of rail use where it had no impact in the game before. Axis player can monitor rail use by clicking on rail centers.
• Added ability to review weapons database from the aircraft list screen.
• Fixed a bug causing game to crash when wind was from SW and clouds graphics were on.
• Added additional morale recovery penalty for groups if ready A/C drops below 33% of full group establishment.
• Increased restriction on groups flying with low morale.
• Fixed a bug where radars in Brittany (BTR) and Cornwall (BOB) were not detecting raids.
• Additional tweaks to Allied AI raid planning.
• Fixed an exploit where the defender player could bring future plane types into their replacement pool through the OOB screen.
• Reduced chance of opportunity target during cloudy weather.
• Stopped updating of recon data if photo unsuccessful.
• Ensured incremental climb-out from takeoff.
• Nightfighters will start readying after sunset instead of 18:00 to account for new sunset times.
• Luftwaffe interceptors more likely to engage returning enemy flights in the Med all the way to Sicily.
• Auto-aircraft upgrade is now removed for both sides, except Allied conversion of fighter groups to fighterbomber groups and vice-versa.
• Tempest type changed to Fighter-Bomber (requires scenario restart).
• Fixed a data error where some of the '44 Campaign locations and factories had the same delay as the '43 Campaign. This meant that several locations, Rail-Flak, and factories were delayed an additional 3 months later than they should have been. (Requires restart of '44 Campaign).
• Leaders returning from the hospital now get their old commands back if they outrank the current leader.
• Added more jet types for early arrival in Jet-age scenario.
• Ensured raiding groups follow waypoints inbound and outbound.
• Randomized attacking aircraft pool to better balance commitment of group pilots.
• Increased likelihood of nightfighter engagement with higher moonlight values.
• Fixed a long time bug in the combat code where the defender pilots were temporarily copying the attacking pilots experience and fatigue and also gaining the attacker experience and fatigue. Attackers were not effected.
• Changed the air combat engagement code so that aircraft now compare maximum speed instead of current speed to determine ability to engage the enemy.
• Removed UFAC from mandatory targeting per the manual. This was causing conflicts with UPEN targeting.
• Altitude performance modifiers now impact ability to engage in attacks.
• Climb rate now impacts ability of lower attacker to engage higher defender.
• Low pilot morale (<30) now easier to increase when rallied.
• 1943 German groups enter with slightly higher morale and experience
• Returning level bomber groups will now shed slower, straggler aircraft, and Interceptors now more likely to pick off returning stragglers.
• Reduced repair rate of damaged aircraft on over stacked airfield.
• Made it even harder to inflict bomb damage on uboat pens and large targets.
• Randomized flak attacks on enemy flights to even out likelihood of group commander being singled out.
• Added more flight info to pilot list screen, including minutes to takeoff for defender groups assigned to intercept or patrol.
• Single fighter-bomber and recon groups can launch day raids before sunrise but never before 6AM.
• Defender flights will now drop altitude on return to base for improved friendly fire recognition.
• Stirling I now has options to swap out frag cluster bombs for general purpose bombs.
• Mossie intruders will now spread out into single a/c flights during night raids.
• Italian units now surrender 4 days after the invasion of Italy, not the day of.
• Group display now shows current installed navigation and radar device types instead of default.
• Fueling aircraft are now more vulnerable to attack by air.
• Flights will climb out at 50% rate if not all aircraft are in the air yet.
• Navigation devices Oboe (range=350) and Gee (range=300) only function within these ranges from the coast of England. These devices will not function in Italy. The ranges improve slightly the higher the aircraft is. The ability to navigate with these devices is easier, but now impacted by experience and fatigue of the flight.
• Fixed a bug that made several German radar sites immune to jamming.
• Ensured maneuver and speed penalties were applied to rocket-equipped aircraft during dogfights.
• Relocated the "Done (esc)" button in raid planning and intercept menus to lower panel UI for ease of selection. Also, "Add bombers" or "Add escorts" buttons will now appear in the "Select Lead Aircraft" menus for ease of selection, eliminating an extra mouse-click.
• Remove "Load Game" button from main in-game menus to eliminate memory and graphic glitch issues. You now can load games only from initial screen, but you should still exit all the way to desktop first.
• Fixed a bug to stop AI from upgrading plane types for groups that were relocating or had surrendered (non-Italian axis minors only).
• Fixed the BoB pbem campaign bug.
• Edited the "Eagle Day to Bombing the Reich Production System" Manual to correct and clarify some concepts of aircraft replacement production.
• Added feature for replacements:

In the unit list screen you see the number produced (meaning delivered if defender or received if attacker) by a/c type. The "replacement" screen is no longer redundant, it now shows the net number allocated for each a/c type. A negative number means your pool has dropped below the total #repl at start and produced (i.e. you are burning through this a/c type). A positive number means your pool has increased above the total #repl at start and produced, also caused by upgrading to a better plane type which puts those old planes back in the pool.

Matthew Ravenwood

QA & Operations Manager

quote:

And I'd be really interested in seeing the code that was responsible for this change:
"Fixed a bug causing game to crash when wind was from SW and clouds graphics were on."

quote:

Will Oboe ranges be amended to reflect the location of mobile ground stations in France/Belgium after June 1944?

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What exactly is meant by spread out? Does this refer to how they seem to stagger out in intervals when you send a group? Or does it mean spread out as in spread off their flight back to near by airfields?

quote:

Has this patch boosted up the B-17 gunners to meet their own claims during the war?

quote:

I've noticed some pretty weird things from the AI. I am Allied and I was seeing interceptors in southern Italy lifting to chase Fighter Bombers on shallow penetration flights into France. I then saw interceptors in western France lift to chase shallow penetrations to the boot of Italy. Later in the afternoon I saw a group of 40 109's cross the map from southern Europe to a field in Northern Germany, but they had no real reason to be airborne and they appeared as a orange Allied box instead of one of the Axis colors.

quote:

ORIGINAL: simovitch

quote:

Has this patch boosted up the B-17 gunners to meet their own claims during the war?

Nothing was done intentionally to boost the defense fire of level bombers so it is likely a result of the tweaks and fixes we have done to the air combat code. The dev team acknowledges that the level bomber defensive fire is a bit to deadly and needs to be specifically reviewed. We should have a new beta to test in a week or so.