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

In their work to uphold the integrity of the events and recreate them faithfully, Gaijin set up sound recording sessions at Kubinka Airfield in Russia. Here, they captured audio from real planes to ensure that the in-game sound was as real as sitting in the cockpit in World War II. In the developer diary, you will also hear from Head of European Development Andrew Wensley, 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 six major battles to engage in - 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 four scenarios - Dogfight, Team Battle, Strike and Capture the Airfield.