Moon Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 ...and he brought a bunch of surprises! We've saved up a few goodies/free updates in order to release them all in one go in a large x-mas bundle. Just like the regular bi-monthly updates, this bundle is completely free and immediately available via the auto-update feature of the game. (requires the full version) The x-mas bundle includes: - four (!) new campaigns (see below for details) - one set of updated animations for the F4F Wildcat - a WHOLE NEW PLANE: the Brewster Buffalo - and new fatigue rules for pilots as well as a few small bug fixes, too. The four campaigns are: Greece - Operation Marita: the last part of the German offensive in the Balkans Crete - Operation Merkur: Germany's biggest and last airborne operation of the war (includes the new Buffalo aircraft) Malta - Operation Herkules: The German plan to remove the threat of British based fighter aircraft being able to hinder the supply of Rommel's Afrika Korps. Leyte Gulf - Operation Sho-Go: one of the greatest sea battles to ever take place. The x-mas bundle is available immediately for those with the full version of the game. FULL BRIEFINGS: >>> Greece: Operation Marita Operation Marita was the last part of the German offensive in the Balkans. The German occupation of this region did protect the German Southern Flank for Operation Barbarossa. The real goal was to strike Crete, which was to begin shortly after. The operation was even faster in terms of the employment of the blitzkrieg tactics made famous in Poland and France. Much of this was due to the Greek and Yugoslavian armies' lack of training and equipment. But a resounding success none the less. The operation also was to be another amazing escape of British forces from the island while being pursued just as had happened in France and later in Crete. British forces receive 2X the points. >>> Crete: Operation Merkur Germany's biggest and last airborne operation of the war was tasked with assaulting and taking control of the vital Mediterranean island of Crete. Preceeding the aerial assault was the Luftwaffe's VIII Fliegerkorps with over 700 planes softening up the island and attacking Britian's Aegean fleet. The German victory was very costly but secured a vital base of operations that lasted until the end of the war. Britian receives 2x the points. Includes the new plane: Brewster Buffalo Special thanks to Ron Alderdice and John Mistura for all the help on the campaign. >>> Malta: Operation Herkules When you think of island paradise, Malta is one of the most beautiful of all islands in the world, but in World War Two, Malta was one of the most contested pieces of real estate on the planet. The Germans formulated a plan called Herkules to rid the threat of British based fighter aircraft being able to hinder the supply of Rommel's Afrika Korps. In what was thought to be a short campaign, the Germans ended up dropping more tonnage of ordnance on the small island than they had done in the London Blitz. The British - knowing that to lose this as a viable base from which to strike would be disastrous - rushed to the island the brand new Spitfire V and stopped the Germans from achieving their goal. The real heroes of this unimaginable event were the citizens of Malta who pulled together and survived even though over 1,500 of their countrymen did not. Perserverance won this battle as much as any Spitfire did. These heroes shall never be forgotten. Special Thanks to Ron Alderdice and John Mistura for thier work on this. >>> Leyte Gulf: Operation Sho-Go THIS CAMPAIGN BEST PLAYED AS HUMAN VS HUMAN. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was without a doubt the greatest sea battle to ever take place. Taking place at distances of up to 1000 miles, the battle was comprised of 4 major actions where more surface ships were involved than any other battle in the history of naval warfare. The blow the Americans inflicted was one Japan would never recover. Japan receives 2 times the points. Very Special Thanks to Zonzo, Mistura, and Kuroi Neko for thier long hours on this. We couldnt have done it without you guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauffer Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Thanks Santa ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistura Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I like the fact that all planes have NO FATIGUE. That should be a big help to the players that had runaway fatigue problems. May Santa be as kind to the DIF staff. THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Yes, Indeed. May Santa be kind to the DiF staff and to you Mistura, Zonzo, Sixxkiller and all the folks that helped bring the new campaigns to us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred19 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Thank you Santa for bringing me those gifts in times when I don't have too much fun. But - Santa has to do so much work at this time of year so some of those nasty word-flaws have sneaked in: In the Crete camp it should be Jagdgeschwader and Zerstörergeschwader. Anyway, have a Merry Christmas all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartbert Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 We were just trying to see if anyone was paying attention. You passed the test! The spelling has been fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fej425 Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 "I like the fact that all planes have NO FATIGUE." What's this about no fatigue, Mistura? I didn't see anything about that in there. What you talkin 'bout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistura Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Hi all. It means that after I downloaded the update all of my Leaders had 0 fatigue. I know before the update I had fatigue on half of the pilots, but when I looked I had none. A clean start for all. I know one thing and that is TARGET PILOT has worked every time one of my pilots is shot down. At this rate all my pilots will be DEAD by New Years. I HOPE NOT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raxulus Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Thanks for this nice christmas gift. Good job ! Your support for this game is really appreciated Merry christmas for the whole team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixxkiller Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 I am mildly dyslexic and German isnt my forte hehe. Besides I copied the names straight from the source haha. And also special thanks to Martin "Moon" van Spelling B Champion for fixing my mistakes and gramatical errors. He has to be related to Mrs. Ussleman (my 1st grade teacher). And Fej, when the patches come out, all your planes get set back to NO fatigue. Its a great feature! Must ask Brian if its intended but I think I just did. Hope you all enjoy the new stuff. The Buffalo is really neat looking. Sad that I didnt even get to test it before you guys did. And there will be more to come shortly guys, including some things to get you more involved in the DIF community. Happy Holidays! -Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartbert Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 The fatigue got reset back to zero because of the changes in the way fatigue works. You guys with high level pilots are well aware that in the previous fatigue system, just flying a mission resulted in acquiring 100 to 200 points of fatigue. If I didn't reset fatigue back to zero, you would only regain those fatigue points back at the rate of 9 points per mission. Somehow, I didn't think you would be happy about that. So, for this particular update, everyone got their fatigue points reset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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