What did you not get for Christmas that you had REALLY hoped for? How about EAW in high resolution?

Ok, I admit that hi res alone wouldn't be reason for a lot of excitement, even though it does affect gameplay by giving you greater perspective on the happenings around you, and the ability to tell aircraft type from greater distance. But what about if the high res modes came with other significant improvements?

I reinstalled EAW just before Christmas because I hadn't flown it for almost two weeks. On my second mission in a FW 190 I took out five B17s and eight P38s before quitting. I was beginning to think that I was hot stuff, and beginning to be a little disappointed in the AI, when I realized I had forgotten to change the flight model to REALISTIC when I reinstalled... !

Anyway, this afternoon I did just that, AND I installed the patch, which among other things increases the armor on the bombers. Hmm. Suddenly I wasn't so hot anymore, and I've gone back to the Me109. That Focke-Wulf is for someone else to fly. Small adjustments in dogfighting AI makes most knife fights more challenging.

B17 at 950 meters. Click for 1024x768

No matter, at 1024x768 EAW is indeed impressive! I could swear that another cloud layer has been added, I don't recall flying between layers previously. At 950 meters in high resolution you can tell that your target is a bomber, and the jaggies are greatly reduced on cockpit and external views. You can crank beyond 1024 if you have the hardware. Static cockpits are not available beyond 640x480, but the virtual views work great!

And I KNOW you have been dying for some 1024x768 EAW wallpaper. Who am I to deny you your rights? ;-D Click any of the following shots for a high resolution image.

Click for 1024x768

Improvements are numerous, and include bug fixes as well as enhancements. General improvements include the following:

• · Flaps can no longer be deployed at high speed. Exceptions are P-38 and P-51, which are quipped with combat flaps that can be deployed up to speeds of 350 mph IAS (P-38) or 425 mph IAS (P-51).
• · Automatic Leading-edge Slats are added to Bf.109, Bf.110, and Me.262, making them slightly less prone to enter accelerated stall.
• · New "wing-leveler" autopilot mode is added. This function (SHIFT-A by default) will maintain current altitude, heading and speed. The original Autopilot still functions as before.
• · Bailouts are modeled more realistically. Depending on the aircraft's orientation, speed and G-forces (level and slow is best), there is a chance for parachute failure, or for various levels of injury (hitting the aircraft) during egress. Once the parachute deploys successfully, the game will continue, so you can use F9 or F12 to toggle between different aircraft and watch the rest of the mission unfold. When you are finished, press Escape to exit.
• · Blackout and redout effects are reduced.
• · Bomb blast radius and blast lethality are increased.
• · Armor values for bombers are increased slightly, so they are harder to shoot down.
• · Landing sound will now play correctly when the gears touch the ground.
• · P-38's engine torque was adjusted to allow flying with only one engine.
• · Ground collision is revised to better permit gear-up landings (ditching).
• · AI pilots will now properly perform ground attacks when ordered.
• · Ground control and AI squad leader use better logic for ordering retreats.
• · Bombers defensive logic is improved. Tail-gunners have improved bogey-tracking ability, and dive-bombers use proper evasive maneuvers when attacked.
• · Bomber Escort and Bomber attack AI is improved. Escorts will try to stay in more strategic positions during combat, and attackers will be more aware of the escorts.
• · Retreating enemy AI will no longer attempt to land if under attack.
• · AI rocket aim point adjusted for better accuracy.
• · Ground control uses better vectoring and bogey-spotting logic.
• · General dogfighting AI is adjusted to take more advantages of individual aircraft's capabilities.

There are also a dozen campaign fixes, including fixes to the resupply/replacement problem and targetting DTDT error. Multiplayer fixes include the addition of two new options to the multiplayer game setup screen: Loadout and Weather. And for you Voodoo gurus, the 2 meg limit is now history!

The patch has been released at 6 meg. Click HERE to download.