Update 4.003

Dear friends,

We have decided to release a bugfix update to prepare for the coming winter holidays - it doesn't bring new content, but its fixes are important enough. The most of them are AI improvements - we have spent a lot of time this month to improve dogfighting algorithms and we'll continue to improve AI further. There are also important fixes for the player controlled ground vehicles and our friend =Luke FF= worked on improving the Career mode. The full list of changes is following:

AI improvements

1. AIs finish a ground attack run by pulling up harder, which should improve their survivability rate in hilly terrain;

2. AI bombers drop the bombs better;

3. Advanced AIs won't 'stuck' in an endless circle during dogfight anymore;

4. AIs perform "Low Yo-Yo" and "High Yo-Yo" maneuvers better;

5. Detailed AI tanks engage the nearest targets by default like simple AI tanks do;

6. AI drivers of self-propelled artillery and other ground equipment with a fixed main weapon now face the target to aim if the priority of the mission command being executed is LOW;

7. Ground vehicles won't 'jump' on steep slopes;

8. Ground vehicle AIs won't turn their engines off immediately after stopping;

9. AI ground vehicles have a variable exhaust effect when moving;

10. The steam locomotives won't turn on the lights during the day;

11. AA guns and machine guns mounted on trains follow mission command priority;

Aircraft improvements

12. The game won't crash when repairing a dirty airplane canopy;

13. Fixed excess clicks of triggers in the cockpit for missing weapon groups;

Player controlled tanks improvements

14. There is a turret ventilation sound in Pz.III Ausf.M, Pz.IV Ausf.G, Pz.VI Ausf.H1 and T-34-76UVZ-43;

15. The master switch is turned on not only when the engine is turned on, but also when the headlights, lighting, signal, tower control with electric trigger or fan are turned on;

16. Fixed the "loss" of the camera when switching from a gunsight to the normal view;

17. Detailed tanks gunsight adjustments are displayed in technochat;

18. Opening and closing of various hatches is displayed in technochat;

19. Startup procedures, the operation of turret and gun systems of the Tank Crew tanks are displayed in technochat;

20. Sub-caliber armor-piercing rounds now lose their stability and ability to penetrate further armor barriers after breaking through the first one;

21. On SU-122, the problem with displaying the commander’s sight in VR was fixed (the second eye was not deactivated);

22. On SU-122, when choosing the DG-460A HEAT shells, the slider of the scope scale is now correctly set to the third scale;

23. Added gunsight settings for firing using a gunner’s sight to the description of SU-122;

Career mode improvements

24. Awards in career mode adjusted to better reflect the historical reality for all nations;

25. Awards text descriptions updated;

26. US careers: medals are awarded according to the criteria set forth by the US 9th Air Force in 1944;

27. German careers: new AI pilots in the squadron with previous flight time now have the possibility to have campaign awards from earlier battles (Eastern Front Medal and Kuban Shield);

28. Soviet careers: new AI pilots in the squadron with previous flight time now have the possibility to have the Medal 'For the Defense of Stalingrad' from December 22, 1942;

29. Soviet careers: Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class, Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, Red Wound Stripe, and Yellow Wound Stripe no longer erroneously awarded during the Battle of Moscow;

30. British careers: Mentioned in Despatches can now be awarded multiple times;

31. More stock aircraft skins added to all phases of career mode;

32. German fighter and attack pilots will now fly an airfield attack strafing mission on January 1, 1945, in career mode;

33. Aircraft weapon loadouts and modification restrictions updated for all phases of career mode;

Other improvements

34. Loaders in player controllable tanks, Ju-52 Co-Pilot and A-20 Navigator are invulnerable if Invulnerability difficulty option is turned on;

35. All aircraft GUI previews updated to have a similar style;

36. Simple AI vehicle sounds completely overhauled (all large artillery guns, tanks and assault guns, GMC-CCKW, WillysMB, M16-AA, 72K).