An opinion,and that's all it is.

[carts]

As a grade" A" fence sitter and forum watcher,I thought,armed with a few beers and all that that entails,I would offer my personal thoughts on the current state of BoS. As someone with an avid interest in aviation,a condition I contracted in childhood,which manifested in many hours in airless rooms building Airfix models and inhaling catastrophic amounts of glue fumes,and an unhealthy attraction to the aircraft of ww2.

Fast forward about 35 years and those passions are undimmed,but in the meantime the computer age delivered the "flight sim" .European Air War was my first real introduction to this genre,and i remember sitting in front of my massive 12 inch screen with my jaw hanging down at the realisation that I no longer had to imagine being a pilot in the major air battles of ww2,I could actually experience it,(without the fairly obvious consequences) Then I saw an advert in a computer magazine for" il2 Sturmovik",I was intrigued,like many in the west the epic battles between the Russians and the Germans were an unknown theatre of War.So I downloaded the demo and spent a ridiculous amount of time parked right behind an iL2 in a 109 with unlimited ammo,and still couldn't shoot the bugger down,then I joined an" Air Quake" server where every body flew Hurricanes because no one could take off in the other aircraft,Then i practised with full cem because i wanted a more immersive experience Then i came across the iL2 Skins website,and joined,(and first came across a lot of the people I see on this forum)then I started skinning because I wanted to have a go,etc. etc...

And so,many years later ,we arrive at BoS,Myself as a fairly experienced(offline) flight sim player,and a new kid on the block with an impressive pedigree.

As a primarily offline player,I cant say I was overawed by the whole un-locks scenario,but I  will say that this game has given me some real "Bloody Hell" moments,like seeing searchlights flare up in night-time missions,like, seeing in playback,snow thrown up by a bomb impact,before the explosion,like the clouds and sun effects in most missions(on low settings!) The feeling of flight,is ,in my opinion ,hands down the best I have ever experienced in a Flight sim,Am I happy about everything? well that would be a no,Am I impressed with what we have so far,that would be a yes.

Two more beers and I'm off to the Steam store to buy the Fw190

Happy Flying Comrades!

 

[OldLinePaul]

Have one for me boyo!

[Leaf]

Great stuff, glad you're enjoying it!

[busdriver]

Funny you mentioned the searchlights and other atmospheric goodies. I too am a long time student of air combat. I played EAW, Aces over Europe/Pacific, MiG Alley, and Red Baron 3D for hours.

 

My knee jerk reaction was to be offended by the unlock process. I initially started out letting the autopilot fly the missions just to get through the unlock "feature". Then a funny thing happened. After watching a couple sorties I decided to play the missions. Right now I'm sticking with Chapter 1 even though it says I've unlocked Chapter 2. I'm flying the paint off my Bf109F-4. I have a half dozen in the G-2 and a single Stuka sortie.

 

I experienced my first CTD after 22 sorties. I just experienced my FIRST screen lock whilst closing in for a second IL-2 kill. 

 

I LOVE the map and the detail, reminds me of flying low level in Europe 30+ years ago. I cycle the icons off and on to build SA and look for targets of opportunity, the latter after I complete my primary mission. I've been tremendously impressed with the environment...the searchlights, my home airfield firing off a flare that we can land...and then bonfires to outline the flarepath. I'm enjoying the hell out of this sim! I'm a avid fan of hitting PAUSE just so I can look around and admire the geometry of dogfights and take screens of these GORGEOUS airplanes. I confess that I use the airstart method, but hand fly after that, all the way through taxiing off the runway.

 

I found myself not even thinking about XPs and unlocks, I've been too damn busy smiling, and saying, "That is so Cooool."

 

Complaints? Sure. I miss the fiction of having some Staffel affiliation and Rank/position. I lost a wingtip and somehow that severed the aileron cables for the opposite wing too...so I bailed out. I noticed Russian Flight Leaders have a tendency to roll inverted when their flight is jumped and fly straight and level maybe another 5 seconds (maybe it's only three but it seems like a long time) until you get inside 500 meters, maybe 400 meters before pulling into a Split S or Sliceback.

 

I managed to lose all three wingmen after the ONLY time I gave them the command to attack ground targets (LALT+2) and my escort Rotte of G-2s lost to a pair of LaGGs. My bomb missed the train, so I failed the mission. I flew home alone without the waypoints cycling as they do when you succeed. I landed safely without radio contact with the tower, but when I got the mission report, I only got 12 points for my two LaGG kills, NOTHING for the safe landing. (I have not figured out how to contact my base to request landing clearance manually, otherwise it just happens automatically.)

 

But again, I could care less about points...I throw it out there for guys that are score keepers. I'm digging the whole atmosphere. I find myself saving some ammo for the RTB just so I can kill another Yak or Pe-2 (I love killing Pe-2s!).

 

I'm having FUN!

Edited November 1, 2014 by busdriver

[1./KG4_Blackwolf]

There is a whole lot of good stuff in this game..some not so good but its just getting started, so have one for me bro and I'll have two for you! S!

[Rjel]

It's a great base to build upon. I'm enjoying what there is right now to be too concerned about what there isn't yet. I think this sim will look as different six months to a year from now as it did a year ago. I'm in this for the long haul.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Rjel

[Bearcat]

Yes it is...

[Potenz]

the first time i started bos was like the first time i started up the original il2, it's amazing

have that feeling all over again, and i'm sure that we will have so many more to come

[ParaB]

Nice post.

 

I am also greatly enjoying many aspects of this sim. The atmosphere while on a dawn raid in bad weather is just breath-taking.

 

[Yakdriver]

Oh man...
I am only 32 but can absolutely understand.
The Path started a bit different with REVELL kits and TAMYIA kits, but still the same glue fumes...
It also had the element of Flight Magazines stacked knee high on the floor, and plane posters glued to the ceiling in a manner to take up every inch of space.
You could also add an element of social anxiety, a strange hatred for those peers liking mainstream pop stars, hatred for those kids around me not willing to look at the past to understand our future...

Then Came the Nintendo console, and TOP GUN - oh what frustration
The Playstation with that AH-64 game - and i didnt understand the english instructions. on what to do, how to do.
And then, came the fiirst PC and a copy of Combat flight simulator... and a Joystick on the same day.
And here we go - now i sit at the same conclusion:

It aint perfect. But Daim! It's awesome.

I hope you enjoy that 190, and think of her older brothers that you built as kids.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Hawker_Typhoon