Wauw, another bunch of amazing renders, thanks a lot guys! - I love the disabled German tank, with the very realistic damage of just fire marks and a track that has come off. Exactly the damage one would expect from an attack with puny airborne bombs.

Martin, you talk about constructive criticism, but I think that your criticism is not a good example. All your words in CAPITAL letters amount to SHOUTING, your personal attack is over the top ("you guys can't get some basic things right") and you don't even say one appreciative word. Don't know how you usually talk to people, but the way you do it here is not at all agreeable.

As for the question about bullet holes and whether they should be round or not. Well, the Il-2 engine allows for "general" damage textures to be applied progressively during a dogfight, not specialised textures for every bullet hole in an exact place.

Since we don't have an exact graphical rendering of what goes on in the physics engine, there has to be some general rendering of whatever damage might be suffered by a plane, it can't be too specific. Otherwise we'd have players always complaining about how the planes are always damaged in the exact same, highly memorable way.

So, the same bullet-hole textures have to cater for both high-deflection shots and rear-quarter shots. The Il-2 DM engine accounts for hits, but not their angle, AFAIK. You could say that it will be more probable with hits from the rear than from the side, but if we get elongated bullet holes from a side shot that might look more weird than round holes from a rear shot?

It is a question of understanding what can be done with the sim engine, rather than a question of comparing what you see here with real-world reality.

Also, the real-life holes might actually be more round than anything else. A grazing bullet would push in the canvas until it goes so deep that it effectuates a sudden penetration. That might just make for a rounded hole, more than a long gash.

In any case, the same damage texture has to cover all possibilities of hits from all angles, and furthermore can't be too specific. That's something you have to remember, it is a limitation of the Il-2 engine (we'll hopefully see something better in the BoB engine). Don't forget, if you don't like that limitation, that it is imposed by computer power, making all this work together is a question of juggling priorities: would you rather like perfect damage-textures or a refined flight model or good AI? - you have to weigh it all together.

I think the bullet holes are a fine compromise and are beautifully done, as all the textures we have seen so far.

When it comes to the rest of the damage model on that plane, I can just say WAUW. The texture even shows the rippling canvas, no longer taut, next to the upper-wing damage. Great job!