Take flight in this developer diary

Take a look behind the scenes of IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, one of this year's most anticipated aerial combat games for PlayStation®3 and PSP®.

505 Games, in collaboration with 1C Company, has today released a brand new video for aerial combat game IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey.

The IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey team prides itself on the incredibly high level of detail and realism used to recreate the aerial battlefields of World War II. To achieve this, Gaijin Entertainment have used every piece of data available, painstakingly poring over hundreds of wartime photos, documents and maps to create the incredibly detailed environments, and ensuring the plane engines have accurately captured the atmosphere of dog fighting over war-torn Berlin.

To this end, Gaijin set up sound recording sessions at Kubinka Airfield in Russia. Here, they captured audio from real planes to ensure that the result was as real as sitting in the cockpit yourself. In the Dev diary, you will also hear from Andrew Wensley, Head of European Development as he shares behind-the-scenes information on the development of IL-2 and on how the dynamic sound system works to enhance the gaming experience. 

Based around large-scale aerial combat over the ground-based military operations of World War II, variety is at the heart of the action in IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. Players participate in the most famous confrontations of the era piloting fighters, battle planes or heavy bombers across a range of missions. There are 6 theatres of war in which to engage – The Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily, the Battle of the Bulge and Korsun – representing the main airborne battles of World War II in Europe.

As well as taking environmental and landscape visuals to new heights by incorporating satellite technology, IL-2 also boasts a tangible damage effects engine. Players will see real-time damage to the aircraft such as holes in the wings and trail lines during dogfights. IL-2 will support up to 16 players in multiplayer aerial combat set across 4 scenarios - Dogfight, Team Battle, Strike and Capture the Airfield.

IL2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey will be available on 3rd September 2009 for PS3 and PSP. For the latest info go to www.il2game.com or download the demo from PlayStation Store to get a taste of the action before launch.