Video games - IL-2 Sturmovik

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	Video games - IL-2 Sturmovik

IL-2 Sturmovik is the name of a combat flight simulation video game, focused on the air battles of the Eastern Front during World War II. It is named for the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack fighter, which played a prominent role in the theater.

The game was developed by 1C:Maddox Games and published by 1C in Russia and Ubisoft in the rest of the world, for the PC on November 18, 2001. The game has been frequently updated, the latest version with all sequels and patches being 4.04. Along with its sequels, it is considered one of the leading WWII flight simulators.

The flight simulator IL-2: Sturmovik and the sequels Forgotten Battles, FB Ace Expansion Pack and Pacific Fighters now contains over a hunderd flyable aircraft, covering most major aircraft of all fronts.

Flyable aircraft

The original version of the game features 31 playable Russian, German, British, French and American planes and an additional 40 non-flyable planes, although many of these are different variants of several planes.

Allies

Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1
Ilyushin Il-2 (10 variants from 1941 to 1943)
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-3 (two variants from 1941 and 1943)
Lavochkin La-5FN
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 (six variants from 1941 to 1942)
P-39 Airacobra (three variants from 1942)
Polikarpov I-16 (two variants from 1939)
PZL P.11
Yakovlev Yak-1 (two variants from 1941)
Yakovlev Yak-7
Yakovlev Yak-9 (five variants from 1942 to 1943)
Yakovlev Yak-3

Axis

Messerschmitt Bf 109 (11 variants from 1940 to 1944)
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (3 variants from 1942 to 1944)
Junkers Ju 87B-2

Sequels

A sequel was released in March 2003, titled Forgotten Battles, which greatly expanded the number of simulated planes and battlefields. The game is based around the "forgotten" Russo-Finnish Continuation War of 1941-1944. The Ace Expansion Pack followed in March 2004, which improved the game still further.

In October 2004 Pacific Fighters was released, which can be installed on top of the earlier releases or as a stand-alone game. It expands the action to the Pacific, adding many Japanese and United States planes as well as carriers and battleships.

Most users of the IL-2 series choose to "merge" together Forgotten Battles, Ace Expansion Pack and Pacific Fighters into one installation. Having this merged version of the game is essential to be able to access the majority of IL-2 servers for online gaming

With a merged install the following additional planes are flyable:

Allies

Brewster Buffalo (three variants)
Gloster J8 Gladiator
Hawker Hurricane Mk. II (three variants)
Tupolev TB-3 4M (three variants from 1933)
Lavochkin La-7 (two variants)
Polikarpov I-153 (two variants from 1939)
Polikarpov I-185 (two variants from 1942)
P-38 Lightning (four variants from 1943)
P-47D Thunderbolt (three variants from 1943)
Curtiss P-40 (seven variants from 1941)
P-80 Shooting Star
P-63D Kingcobra
P-51 Mustang (five variants from 1943)
Supermarine Spitfire (16 variants from 1941 to 1944)
Hawker Tempest
de Havilland Mosquito
SBD Dauntless (two variants)
F4U Corsair (six variants)
B-25J Mitchell
A-20 Havoc
F6F Hellcat (two variants)
F4F Wildcat (three variants)
Bristol Beaufighter

(Note that due to intellectual property issues, several important US planes - such as the TBF Avenger - could not be included in the game as flyables. )

Axis

Heinkel He 111H (two variants)
Heinkel He 162
Junkers Ju-88
Messerschmitt Bf-109K4 C3
Messerschmitt Bf 110G
Messerschmitt Me 163B
Messerschmitt Me 262 (three variants from 1943-44)
Horten Ho 229
Dornier Do 335
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H
Focke-Wulf FW-190A5 1.65Ata
Fiat G.50
Fiat CR.42
Nakajima Ki-43 (three variants)
Nakajima Ki-84 (three variants)
Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty
Mitsubishi Zero (10 variants from 1940 to 1945)
Mitsubishi J2M
Kawasaki Ki-61 (three variants)
Macchi Mc.200
Macchi Mc.202
Macchi Mc.205
Kawasaki Ki-100
Aichi D3A1 Val
IAR 80 and 81 (three variants)

The future

The next game in the series, yet to be released, will be Battle of Britain, based on the major air battles between the Luftwaffe and RAF during 1940 and 1941. This game will utilize a new and improved engine, and so will not be compatible with the earlier ones.

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