A taste of reviews to come

[AbortedMan]

Rockpapershotgun.com (popular gaming blog site) has a weekly editorial on all things sim-like called "The Flare Path" and they have been following BoS loosely for quite some time. They covered this week's flub and it's not looking good...

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/10/the-flare-path-lochs-and-unlocks/#more-240191

[ST_ami7b5]

How sad...

[=SqSq=Sulaco]

Thanks for the link, looks like word's spreading.

[=LD=Hethwill]

(...)

 

Though 777 and 1C Game Studios had made no secret of the fact that – initially at least – the ‘career’ side of the sim would be fairly rudimentary (...)

 

(...)

 

In effect we’re every(air)men… ghostly EXP gatherers rather than the specific pilots attached to specific squadrons we are in many other sim campaigns.

 

(...)

 

To move from one chapter to the next, six randomly generated sorties must be completed successfully. 

 

(...)

 

In its favour, the approach is refreshingly uncomplicated. Because paintjobs and loadouts must be unlocked with EXP (Slaying secondary targets, flying with ‘expert’ realism settings, and choosing to start/finish sorties on the ground generates heftier rewards) there’s encouragement to fly realistically and hunt energetically.

 

(...)

 

The mission generator ensures ground targets are always present, aerial ones prompt to arrive, so there’s no scanning barren snowscapes and horizons for hours at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

Very small but he put up all the central points of the Campaign updates, both good and less good.

 

RPS has the same approach to reviews as all other 'zines - Forums, Videos, word of mouth. No idea IF this writer did this or actually played it proper.

 

( But I like their wargames reporter on wargames. He seems like a hands on approach fellow. )

[johncage]

people still go to that site? which has admitted to ethical breaches and misconduct? yeah, if you want to give them your clicks and generate revenue for them because of a superficial "sim" editor at that site, go ahead. that pos url will never enter my search bar.

[IRRE_Belmont]

That site isn't exactly objective

 

 

Good points about unlock and campaign system though

[1./JG42Nephris]

Doesnt matter if you go to the site or not.

The word is starting to spread.

It is actually that kind of press a lot of users in the forums warned by going that way we saw the past weeks.

As sad as it is , but it is not surpising though imho.

You neednt a glass ball for it.

[AbortedMan]

people still go to that site? which has admitted to ethical breaches and misconduct? yeah, if you want to give them your clicks and generate revenue for them because of a superficial "sim" editor at that site, go ahead. that pos url will never enter my search bar.

Oh that's a bummer, because I like to blindly follow whatever the first news site I click on, then base my artificial preferences solely on their opinions so I don't have to do any work up in my brain holes.

 

Welcome to the Internet.

Edited October 10, 2014 by =SE=AbortedMan

[LizLemon]

Doesnt matter if you go to the site or not.

The word is starting to spread.

It is actually that kind of press a lot of users in the forums warned by going that way we saw the past weeks.

As sad as it is , but it is not surpising though imho.

You neednt a glass ball for it.

 

Exactly.

 

A few very dumb decisions can lead to lots of bad press that the game simply can't recover from.

 

Just take a look at Cliffs of Dover for an example.

 

What should really be worrying 777 are the metacritic and other user reviews. I can't imagine that 1c will be happy to see stuff like that.

[No601_Swallow]

 

... if you want to give them your clicks and generate revenue for them because of a superficial "sim" editor at that site, go ahead. that pos url will never enter my search bar.

 

 

 

 

The author, Tim Stone, is a bit of a sim veteran, having covered sims for PC Gamer (UK) for many years. Personally I think it's a not unreasonable summary of the state of play.

 

Incidently, he criticised CloD on release for going down the "hardcore" route of simming and neglecting completely the "gameplay" aspect, bemoaning the lack of imagination and creativity in its devs, if I recall correctly. To me, he seems not unsympathetic to the unlock  mechanism of the SP game. I think he's mostly pointing out the lack of a narratively consistent historically based campaign. And pointing out the apoplexy of the "community" here.

Edited October 10, 2014 by No601_Swallow

[IIN8II]

Some valid points in that review for sure, but I doubt the writer even played the sim. After reading that it just seems that they wrote a concusses of what some of the communities biggest concerns are regarding the single player content and unlock system.

[Vaxxtx]

This surprise anyone? Its spot on.

[Nil]

Metacritic down to 5.8.. weeks before the games (new) official release. But the way the unlocks were implemented where the biggest shot in it's own feet since... Well I can't even begin to imagine I saw one that big ever in my 30 years of gaming/simming (except the one game I bought for my C64 that had atari screenshots on the backside of the box.. and the game itself just looked good in the screenshots, it played awful)

Here we have a great base-sim, in a fun era 1942-43, and it includes the IL2, so it deserves the IL2 name (that CLOD didn't at release, neither in quality, nor in availability of an IL2), that can be taken down totally with one single decicion! This have/(had) it all to be a 10+ years success story, like the first IL2.. but right now I actually don't really bother to check the updates today..

[3instein]

Unlocks or no unlocks, I don't think it will be changed this late in development anyway.

 

I really think if they altered the campaign just a little so you could at least name your pilot and have it so you sort of care for his little life to try and stop him from dying would go a long way to make the campaign a lot more enjoyable.

 

I would like to think this wouldn't take too much coding for the maximum amount of benefit in the short time they have before launch.Nothing  major like ROF, just now anyway,  just a way so that you at least try and keep your pilot alive. (if you know what I'm trying to say)

 

Mick.

[Vaxxtx]

Unlocks or no unlocks, I don't think it will be changed this late in development anyway.

 

I really think if they altered the campaign just a little so you could at least name your pilot and have it so you sort of care for his little life to try and stop him from dying would go a long way to make the campaign a lot more enjoyable.

 

I would like to think this wouldn't take too much coding for the maximum amount of benefit in the short time they have before launch.Nothing  major like ROF, just now anyway,  just a way so that you at least try and keep your pilot alive. (if you know what I'm trying to say)

 

Mick.

It would not do anything for me. Dull campaign is a dull campaign with or without a pilot name. I am not going to be excited or reccomend BoS until the devs or the community makes a campaign at least on the same level as 1946.

[FuriousMeow]

It would not do anything for me. Dull campaign is a dull campaign with or without a pilot name. I am not going to be excited or reccomend BoS until the devs or the community makes a campaign at least on the same level as 1946.

 

 

This again... There is no campaign in 1946 made by the developers - totally user made. Additionally it has 10 years of development behind it.

 

You want campaigns with almost a decade of growth and development behind it, you have to wait almost a decade for it.

 

At least be honest with your points, not bringing up systems that have been 1) user built and 2) built over the course of a decade compared to something put together in less than a year.

Edited October 10, 2014 by FuriousMeow

[3instein]

It would not do anything for me. Dull campaign is a dull campaign with or without a pilot name. I am not going to be excited or reccomend BoS until the devs or the community makes a campaign at least on the same level as 1946.

 

I hear you buddy, but at least the devs have kinda admitted to the fact that it is shallow, due to time constraints, that's a start at least.Knowing it will get better (can't really get worse) is some consolation I suppose.

 

Mick.

[dburne]

 

Of course, we all know that BoS has an extremely accomplished sim at heart, and the campaign etc will be improved over time but the problem is that review sites don't tend to re-review games 12 months later.

 

Perhaps in about 12 months I will give BOS another look...

[Vaxxtx]

This again... There is no campaign in 1946 made by the developers - totally user made. Additionally it has 10 years of development behind it.

 

You want campaigns with almost a decade of growth and development behind it, you have to wait almost a decade for it.

 

At least be honest with your points, not bringing up systems that have been 1) user built and 2) built over the course of a decade compared to something put together in less than a year.

This again....it does not matter how long it took to get where it is. The fact there is great campaigns from 46', and the creators (users), that 777 could have taken some ideas, user talent, and exampanded on it. Just like everything made today. You think after the Bf109E1 was made, they started from scratch on the G2? Or took the things that worked and built upon them?

 

I am honest with my points, which is why I said when the devs OR community can make a good campaign.

[LuftManu]

I am really dissapointed with all of this "unlock" things, I was supporting the game from the early beggining, but not anymore.

 

All of my whole communty thinks the same.

 

Sorry for my English

[AbortedMan]

This again... There is no campaign in 1946 made by the developers - totally user made. Additionally it has 10 years of development behind it.

 

You want campaigns with almost a decade of growth and development behind it, you have to wait almost a decade for it.

 

At least be honest with your points, not bringing up systems that have been 1) user built and 2) built over the course of a decade compared to something put together in less than a year.

I use to think this same thing, but then I realized that it's not an excuse to regress back to the barebones basics, especially after the standard for a great game has been around for over ten years. It took 10 years because it was a modding community and not a proper studio.

 

Releasing a new game with none of the functionality or gameplay mechanic standards of a game that is so old kind of nullifies any progress the franchise has made. Today's 777/1C doesn't need ten years to create the things that made 1946 good in context with the current BoS planeset. IL2 1946+10 years of mods should have been the absolute baseline for features and functionality (aside from the amount of aircraft, understandably).

 

In today's update, it says the campaign will be worked on and complete in 6-12 months...so hold release until 6-12 months, because the state the game as a whole is in right now is unsat and not fit for release.

[LuftManu]

EDIT: Afteer seeing the post of Feathered_IV, I would say to the DEVs to Hold the release even 6 months and make that campaign, there is no excuse, even a more simple campaign would be a one million time better than the "thing" we have now.

 

and for the Unlock system as before, there is no way to put Unlock things on a Flight sim, nice innovation, but bad idea, or badly implemented

Edited October 10, 2014 by Manu_vc

[BladeMeister]

  I would encourage Pilots who have tried out BOS to go to Metacritic and register(it takes 2 minutes) and write a fair review of BOS. Right now the only positive reviews are all 10. I am not trying to sway anything, but consumers who are looking at purchasing BOS should know that it is a not a 10. Of course, if you think it is a 10, well then I have to disagree with you, but that is for another thread discussion. If you do critique it, please write a fair review, noting positives and negatives. Please don't just bash it. Thanks.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/il...d/user-reviews

S!Blade<><

[StG2_zulu354]

Well, I guess these words not only gave the game as reason. When I think about how some folks talked and whining about the mode, without any kind of constructive critism, I don't wonder about harsh articles in the press. I mean, nobody has to be an allway-yes-sayer, but critism can and should be handle always constructive, not destructive. It's a good community that make good games to awsome games. And at the moment, I sadly recognize, that here are some folks that want to destruct our game more than bring it forward. Just think about it...

[Gambit21]

This product is already so much better than the original IL2 I booted up on it's release day - and enjoyed that original one plenty.

We're in early days right now. Although I want some to see some course corrections from Russia down the road, I'm happy with where things are at

for the most part. 

 

This really should be called the "Phase 1" release. This would get out in front of negative criticism - and it's the truth.

 

The coming 3rd party single player content is where the rubber will really meet the road in the short term.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Gambit21

[No601_Prangster]

I remember DGEN being a rather bland mission generator with the possibility of gaining some rank and medals as rewards. Obviously I don't have the rose coloured memories of some here. I also remember the storm when Oleg announced he was going to sell Forgotten Battles as a whole new game when everyone was expecting an add-on to IL-2. It's amazing that people look back at games far more fondly than they reacted to them at the time, just look at CLoD. 

 

Sometimes I think the flight sim community would rather not have any game developers at all. Nothing to disturb the dream of a perfect flight sim that could have been created if only they'd been listen too.

[[TWB]otavio]

Well, there's that old saying "You reap what you sow". Devs should learn a lesson from their own actions.

[LuftManu]

Looking in some forums the situation is not better... 

 

Hope it is not late to change all of this,

Edited October 10, 2014 by Manu_vc

[Nil]

I consider myself already got all the moneys worth on this one, I'm just worried that it will not take off well to the hardcore simcrowd, nor the mainstream 'gamers'.. and is just worried about the future of what have (had?) all odds of becoming a classic that I still play, with more planes and maps when I turn 50 (in 8 years)
I don't really mind the unlocks so much (even thou I dispise the concept of being forced to unlock), as I will play a lot SP also.

So it isn't about the money spent, it's about the future of the sim.. and probably the entire 'niche' market of realistic WWII sims.. for ever!

[[TWB]otavio]

I consider myself already got all the moneys worth on this one, I'm just worried that it will not take off well to the hardcore simcrowd, nor the mainstream 'gamers'.. and is just worried about the future of what have (had?) all odds of becoming a classic that I still play, with more planes and maps when I turn 50 (in 8 years)

I don't really mind the unlocks so much (even thou I dispise the concept of being forced to unlock), as I will play a lot SP also.

 

So it isn't about the money spent, it's about the future of the sim.. and probably the entire 'niche' market of realistic WWII sims.. for ever!

 

I wouldn't worry about the future of WWII sims. We've got a company that's actually serious about their work (Eagle Dynamics), and they're pushing awesome modules on DCS World with more birds to come from 3rd party developers, then with EDGE just around the corner things will only get better.

[Vaxxtx]

I remember DGEN being a rather bland mission generator with the possibility of gaining some rank and medals as rewards. Obviously I don't have the rose coloured memories of some here. I also remember the storm when Oleg announced he was going to sell Forgotten Battles as a whole new game when everyone was expecting an add-on to IL-2. It's amazing that people look back at games far more fondly than they reacted to them at the time, just look at CLoD. 

 

Sometimes I think the flight sim community would rather not have any game developers at all. Nothing to disturb the dream of a perfect flight sim that could have been created if only they'd been listen too.

I am playing Boleckes West Front Campaign in IL246 using HSFX 7.03 currently. No need for memories or rose colored glasses....I am living it, and I am loving it. Also, have not gained a rank yet, or a medal yet, but I will. But I do like the fact its dynamic, and the front actually moves due to actions in the mission by each ground and air units actions. Also love that a bridge that was detroyed stopped enemy armor from advancing....and love that it was not magically reapaired the next mission.

 

Maybe your memory as not as good as you think.

 

Funny how somone can call a Dgen mission bland when its a dynmaic career when I was comparing to the BoS campaign. Thats rich.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Vaxxtx

[1./JG42Nephris]

Things would ve been probably easier ,if the FMB would already ve been available, which again would mean there was enough user content and probabyl a static but decent SP campaign around release day to download.

So the bad critics dont come from nowhere.

Crying after the baby fell into the cave is abit odd, I repeat myself in saying ,this was and has been predicted, which is really ashame.

Get the community more aboard in certain decision ,I suppose this is a much better than any  marketing researches, as we know what we want to play.

Best for another 10 yrs.

 

But to stay fair one has to creally to consider the game was basically developed within 18month or so?

Which is some kind of a record, even if the engine was already made and estblished.

So for the development time it is a huge throw, but no public or official reveiw will consider this as it is the product what counts and not the development time. Maybe one should reconsider the release date for another 6 months.

[Nil]

I wouldn't worry about the future of WWII sims. We've got a company that's actually serious about their work (Eagle Dynamics), and they're pushing awesome modules on DCS World with more birds to come from 3rd party developers, then with EDGE just around the corner things will only get better.

I have most DCS products.. but it's WWII is not in the 'fun' timeline, it's just late war. and currently it's almost impossible to spot a plane below you, as it blurs out too good with it's current engine. And there are delays in everything.. from premium kickstarter thingies, to it's producers communication etc etc. and one plane takes years to build.

[[TWB]otavio]

I have most DCS products.. but it's WWII is not in the 'fun' timeline, it's just late war. and currently it's almost impossible to spot a plane below you, as it blurs out too good with it's current engine. And there are delays in everything.. from premium kickstarter thingies, to it's producers communication etc etc. and one plane takes years to build.

 

Well, i think they are doing great with the plane development, we just got the Dora 2 months, and in 20 days we're getting the K4, but that's just the price we pay for accurate flight modeling and advanced systems modeling. Regarding spotting, there are some tweaks that someone on the forums found out about a week ago that you can edit a couple of lod files, and it improves visibility 200%. Anyway, with edge coming at the latest in december, i wouldn't worry too much, everything regarding that is getting fixed with it's release. About the kickstarter, i'm glad that ED stepped up and took over the development of DCS WW2 and invested it's own funds to get it done.

Edited October 10, 2014 by [TWB]otavio

[dburne]

I am playing Boleckes West Front Campaign in IL246 using HSFX 7.03 currently. No need for memories or rose colored glasses....I am living it, and I am loving it. Also, have not gained a rank yet, or a medal yet, but I will. But I do like the fact its dynamic, and the front actually moves due to actions in the mission by each ground and air units actions. Also love that a bridge that was detroyed stopped enemy armor from advancing....and love that it was not magically reapaired the next mission.

 

Maybe your memory as not as good as you think.

 

Funny how somone can call a Dgen mission bland when its a dynmaic career when I was comparing to the BoS campaign. Thats rich.

 

If nothing comes up between now and then, I will be reinstalling 1946 tomorrow morning and modding it up, really looking forward to giving it another go!

Main thing, I just gotta find that dvd lol.