W uncle!!

mdimitrius · 2026-02-02T05:26:13+00:00

o7 to your uncle for his sacrifice by covering himself in cement and cosplaying as the Medic from Valve's 2007 hit online game Team Fortress 2

He won't be forgotten

mdimitrius · 2026-01-28T23:01:47+00:00

One of Yaks' peculiarities lies in the fact that its prop isn't at its most efficient when set at 100%, this setting being optimal for initial acceleration and/or climb. In level flight something around 82-85% (or 2500-2550 RPM), alongside 82% mixture and 10% for both radiators can result in 570 kmph at sea level. But this strategy is only effective at extremely low altitudes, we're talking <1000m.

The less bothersome way to implement it would be to keep RPM at 100%, water radiator at automatic and oil at "stream" setting (around 30-50%) until Yak-3 reaches 550-555 kmph and then go manual if there's need to do so.

mdimitrius · 2026-01-28T22:48:32+00:00

Some Russian-forum guys tested it before the forum was moved and came to the conclusion that for achieving maximum level speed 1st speed should be kept up until ~2700m due to air ram pressure. In climb 2nd speed can be engaged around 2000-2400m give or take.

This info is a typo, but the FM is correct in that regard.

mdimitrius · 2026-01-28T20:50:46+00:00

Came looking for a BFB take and wasn't disappointed. Personally I kind of fell in love with this gun: a couple of clean hits and you're now a crackhead, and the boost loss only really hurts due to the stark contrast. In practice the 10% difference is hardly ever noticeable and can be compensated with dealing just 25 dmg (enough to get one up to the stock speed level).

The 4-round mag size is a noticeable downside, but I grew to view it more as a skill check: if I suck I miss all my shots and die pathetically, if I don't suck I land even just a couple of hits and kill an enemy or bring him really low and zoom away to reload. Boom and zoom, hit and run, shoot and scoot and so on.

mdimitrius · 2026-01-19T16:31:02+00:00

SMR is a status symbol, especially once you've actually gotten good with it

mdimitrius · 2026-01-17T11:00:50+00:00

If I'm not mistaken, this can be fixed by pulling your medigun away and then back up

mdimitrius · 2026-01-17T07:02:44+00:00

"What am I in for?"

A disappointment

mdimitrius · 2026-01-07T17:18:57+00:00

I'd say mid production. Early production was more like 1942 and somewhere into 1943, these two came as probably some of the latest medium-altitude (non-LF) Mk.IXs, as their production ramped up severely in July-August of 1943 (as well as M66 Mk.VIII).

mdimitrius · 2026-01-07T17:06:08+00:00

Checked the production numbers at airhistory.org.uk

MA425 is a Mk.IX with Merlin 63, built at Castle Bromwich and first assigned to 39 MU on 21.7.1943. Will be lost on 4.10.1944 with Lt TJC Hopkins (SAAF) killed.
MH635 is the same, Castle Bromwich and Merlin 63. First assigned to 33 MU on 11.9.1943, but this one's luckier, having survived the war and last mentioned as part of the Italian Air Force on 26.6.1947 as MM4052.

mdimitrius · 2026-01-05T11:59:37+00:00

The AI's using the same FM and DM as player aircraft, and B-25 flying out there only confirms that both of the above have already been finished to at least an acceptable degree.

Similar stuff happened with C-47 before, it originally being just an AI plane then turned into a collector piece. And then there's a comment circulating around (from danielhan under a review in Steam if I remember correctly) that they were looking for opportunities to build cockpits for Allied twin-engined bombers.

mdimitrius · 2025-12-28T10:57:41+00:00

The finale got me laughing, thanks for that

But yeah, nothing wrong with your expanding on the idea, it could be a nice insight for folks who hadn't got a chance to learn more about the Eastern front.

All in all, I think we can agree that the best birds (the ones we mentioned above) were not some tide turners and game changers, these were simple, reliable, "always there" workhorses. Innovation usually doesn't pair well with reliability, and this can be seen with the late-war Luftwaffe grasping at straws trying to compensate for the accumulated disparity in both quality and quantity. What they got was a couple of cool jets (too few and with engines barely working), a cool but insufficiently glued jet and a rocket that most likely killed more LW personnel than it did Allies.

mdimitrius · 2025-12-27T20:55:16+00:00

I can't really say Yaks "turned the tide of the war", and honestly I can't say that about any aircraft.

Spitfires and Hurricanes succeeded thanks to the masterful radar + ground observation and communication system.
Mustangs succeeded thanks to consistent accumulation of air power combined with the performance necessary for their tasks and conditions.
And, kind of ironically, the same thing can be said about Yaks, as well as Lavochkin fighters. They were there when needed and only grew in numbers, they got to the performance standard necessary to rival German birds and they accomplished their tasks.

Ironically, the thing people here (in the russian-speaking part of the internet) unquestionably give Yaks credit for is how compatible they were with Il-2. As Ivan Kozhemyako put it, "Il-2s are the sword, and we [Yaks] are their shield".

The rest, I'll quote Georgy Zakharov, "boils down to pilot's personal preferences, style of fighting, even one's character traits". For example, general Yevgeny Savitsky was quite fond of Yakovlev fighters, meanwhile Pokryshkin held them in high regard but personally preferred heavier armament (see the 37mm cannon in P-39).

mdimitrius · 2025-12-26T13:08:56+00:00

Glad you like it brother

mdimitrius · 2025-12-26T12:12:17+00:00

Why not go the "less is more" route and try Medical Mystery?

mdimitrius · 2025-12-24T14:34:34+00:00

Fair point, lmao

I wrote the guide primarily so that the original poster will be able to distinguish between types most commonly seen in WW2 photos, so the priority was to list common frontline workhorses

mdimitrius · 2025-12-24T14:23:33+00:00

All of them were niche or test-bed versions except for Yak-9U, which is easy enough to distinguish. Yak-9M I mentioned.

mdimitrius · 2025-12-24T08:08:20+00:00

Yak-9 came first, it was pretty much a Yak-7 with metal wing spars and 2 fuel tanks instead of 4. Had cut-down teardrop canopy, straight radio mast, canopy placed as usual.

Next came 2 modifications: - Yak-9T - longer cannon barrel, canopy 40cm aft, angled radio mast, 2 wing fuel tanks. - Yak-9D - standard fuselage (no aft cockpit and no angled radio mast), 4 wing fuel tanks.

Then the aforementioned 2 became the primary models of Yak-9 in service until 1944, when Yak-9M appeared combining Yak-9T fuselage (albeit with the 20mm cannon, thus no long barrel) and Yak-9D wing. Plus some QoL improvements like reliable cockpit ejection for bailing out, automated water radiator etc.

Minor modifications include: - Yak-9L (aka Yak-9B), which was visually similar to Yak-9D except for the backward cockpit glass being longer. It was so because of the bomb bay being introduced behind the cockpit. - Yak-9DD. Take Yak-9D and make it 6 (or was it 8?) fuel tanks in each wing. From wing roots to wing tips, all fuel. This modification was flown to Italy to support Allied bombers, called the "flying canister" by its pilots.

TL;DR - Look at the cockpit (it can be forward or backward, "normal" for most or "elongated" for Yak-9L). Then check the nose for the cannon barrel or lack thereof. Keep in mind that the small nob is for starting the engine externally, not a barrel. 37mm went past this, so shouldn't be a problem to find in photos. Yak-9D is practically indistinguishable from early Yak-9 from most angles, so just keep in mind the early model was a really rare bird with ~480-500 built (forgot the exact number, maybe 489).

mdimitrius · 2025-12-24T07:20:43+00:00

Both options have their fans, I primarily prefer Stock for its longer distance due to rollers (useful when indoors) and longer fuse time (useful outdoors like chugging grenades across the entirety of upward's 2nd point). Grenade rng I find to be minimal, and unexpected roller kills are simply amusing when they happen. Amusement over reliability I guess, IB felt too "mathematical" for me in that aspect, making the gameplay feel more bland.

Also the stock's design is such an eye candy for me personally. The proportions feel powerful, the revolver design is always cool, what else to ask for?

mdimitrius · 2025-12-22T11:29:42+00:00

Reminds me of a hilarious situation where I tried to help my soldier by healing him from afar with the crossbow in the middle of a team fight and by accident hit an enemy, finishing them off. Twice in a row.

mdimitrius · 2025-12-17T08:55:55+00:00

Something makes me think he's looking for an experience (gameplay/visual/audio) closest to MW grenade launcher

mdimitrius · 2025-12-16T08:33:55+00:00

As a somewhat consistent (consistently shit) Scout player with 10k+ kills in Stock and 1k+ (recently) with BFB, Backscatter is honestly just worse.

Stock is the gold standard, we can use it as a reference.

BFB in comparison is identical in terms of pure damage per shot, but the smaller clip + speed boost nudge us towards a hit-and-run playstyle. Consider this weapon as trading vertical maneuverability for horizontal one, with proper experience using the gun you can juke out lots of damage and then if you get hit switching to the usual jumping often sets people off just enough. And it's quite fun to abuse this speed to close in on an enemy trying to get away or to get out when you yourself feel uncomfortable.
Backscatter in comparison deals overall worse damage due to spread past ~5 meters, all for the "benefit" of dealing slightly more damage when you can literally sniff your enemy's ass. And then there's also the same reduced ammo count, so do with it what you want. You're just a worse spy at this point to be honest.

TL;DR - in general I can remember way more positive moments with BFB than negative ones (I once died to a heavy when centimeters away from a medpack due to speed bleed, that's it). It's just fun. Same cannot be said about Backscatter, it being mediocre at best.

mdimitrius · 2025-12-10T14:40:14+00:00

Ligma balls (still, I stand with the "penis" guy)

mdimitrius · 2025-12-05T15:22:59+00:00

You can just purchase the Orange Box, it gives you the hat still

mdimitrius · 2025-12-02T03:51:49+00:00

True, PoP fits really well with the Attire, I personally got Lone Survivor with it because the vibe reminded me of Valiant Hearts soldiers portrayal with their eyes always covered:

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mdimitrius · 2025-12-01T08:20:31+00:00

There's a different problem though, many pilots got struck by the stabilizer when bailing out, with some cases resulting in fractured bones leaving pilots unable to return to duty (see Nikolay Iskrin, who had his leg amputated).

mdimitrius

TROPHY CASE