Stalingrad Campaign Question

[dburne]

Hey gang,

 

So after a really long time I am now back into the fold and enjoying the heck out of this sim.

I have now resumed playing the Stalingrad campaign.  Being it has  been so long I have some newbie type questions here now on the stock campaign.

 

If I recall correctly, originally one had to play both sides in the early part of the campaign in order to keep progressing into the next parts, is this still the case? Or can I play on the Allies side in my Yak all throughout this campaign?

 

Levels - I noticed yesterday after completing a mission I moved up from Level 2 to Level 3. Also if I recall correctly, seems like the AI was designed to increase in skills as the level one was at increased - is this still the case?

 

I am going to eventually here soon be playing Juri's Yak campaign - Ivan's War I believe , but thought I might have a go at the stock campaign first to see how I did in it.

Any feedback and tips would certainly be appreciated!

[Maple_X]

About level, see the information of Update 2.002.

 

1. Player ranks added to campaigns. You'll have a separate rank for each side in each campaign you have. Mission difficulty depends on this rank.

 

Your rank is shown in the profile. In addition, (if my memory is right) when your pilot level reaches lv.5 or lv.10, mission difficulty increases as if your rank is 1 or 2 higher.

[ShamrockOneFive]

You never had to play both sides to progress. Just keep "scoring points" and eventually you'd unlock the next chapter. So by all means go ahead and fly that beautiful Yak-1 and enjoy

 

BTW: A new campaign system will arrive sometime (probably this fall) based on the Rise of Flight system and it should be much better than what we have now.

[dburne]

Awesome, thanks much guys!!

I shall proceed with flying my Yak-1.

 

And yes I am very much looking forward to the new campaign system!

[Yogiflight]

Shamrock, you are not quite correct. When I started playing BOS, I had to fly three (IIRC) missions in a russian fighter, in the campaign, before I was able to take the german ones. But this was really only at the very beginning.

[dburne]

Shamrock, you are not quite correct. When I started playing BOS, I had to fly three (IIRC) missions in a russian fighter, in the campaign, before I was able to take the german ones. But this was really only at the very beginning.

 

Thanks, I knew I was not going crazy LOL.

I remember that being one thing about the newly released campaign at that time I did not care for.

 

Great to know it is not the case any longer.

[dburne]

I am still only on Chapter One, got a few medals and have managed to make Lt.

But I am pretty sure I am having more fun now than I have had in a long, long time!

 

So much more great SP action lies ahead for me as well, it does not get much better than this.

[SAG]

I am still only on Chapter One, got a few medals and have managed to make Lt.

But I am pretty sure I am having more fun now than I have had in a long, long time!

 

So much more great SP action lies ahead for me as well, it does not get much better than this.

 

 

Ohh but it will get much, MUCH better with the new campaign system 

[dburne]

Ohh but it will get much, MUCH better with the new campaign system 

 

Yeah and I am so looking forward to that!

[=IRFC=SmokinHole]

I had to quit the campaign with 2.009.  Prior to the update we on the Russian side could hold our own.  But now every Yak is out of commission within the first 5 minutes (Expert) and I am nowhere near good enough to protect IL2s from four 109s on my own.  I was really enjoying myself too.  Maybe switch to German?

 

EDIT:  Switching sides worked.  Reasonable chance of success now.

Edited April 17, 2017 by SmokinHole

[ShamrockOneFive]

Shamrock, you are not quite correct. When I started playing BOS, I had to fly three (IIRC) missions in a russian fighter, in the campaign, before I was able to take the german ones. But this was really only at the very beginning.

 

Aha! Yes, I had forgotten about this detail.

 

Thanks, I knew I was not going crazy LOL.

I remember that being one thing about the newly released campaign at that time I did not care for.

 

Great to know it is not the case any longer.

 

Not crazy at all! The way you had asked it I had made some assumptions about your experience but when you factor in those training missions... yeah... definitely you have to go through that first.

[dburne]

I had to quit the campaign with 2.009.  Prior to the update we on the Russian side could hold our own.  But now every Yak is out of commission within the first 5 minutes (Expert) and I am nowhere near good enough to protect IL2s from four 109s on my own.  I was really enjoying myself too.  Maybe switch to German?

 

EDIT:  Switching sides worked.  Reasonable chance of success now.

 

Yikes!

 

I am doing ok in the Yak so far, probably good thing I am flying on Normal setting for now!

[=IRFC=SmokinHole]

It could be that the campaign has always gotten more difficult for the Soviet side at the beginning of winter and has nothing to do with the update.  I do know that they took away my deathray.  Gunnery has never been a strong suit for me.

[dburne]

Ok gang so am progressing in this campaign and still enjoying it very much.

Currently in Chapter Two of Part 1.

I have reached Level 5, AI certainly seem to be getting better.

 

Question for ya - have been playing on Normal realism, and am now thinking of making the move into Expert settings, so I can experience little more simulating with the engine management and get that under my belt.

Does Expert effect the skill level of the AI? Are they going to become even much more difficult at Expert versus Normal, or does this setting not effect that at all?

 

Thanks for any tips,

[Hotspur]

 

Question for ya - have been playing on Normal realism, and am now thinking of making the move into Expert settings, so I can experience little more simulating with the engine management and get that under my belt.

You can invoke engine management in Normal mode using the toggle controls which can be mapped to a single keystroke or button for ease of use.

LShift+M  - Mixture and Supercharge

LSift+N - RPM limiter

LShift+R - Radiator

This enables manual control of Mixture, RPM, Radiators, Prop Pitch, Supercharger.

[dburne]

You can invoke engine management in Normal mode using the toggle controls which can be mapped to a single keystroke or button for ease of use.

LShift+M  - Mixture and Supercharge

LSift+N - RPM limiter

LShift+R - Radiator

This enables manual control of Mixture, RPM, Radiators, Prop Pitch, Supercharger.

 

Thanks, but don't think that will work in the stock Stalingrad campaign? I have them mapped to buttons on my Warthog but appears to be hard coded into the stock campaign when set to Normal mode.

 

[LukeFF]

Thanks, but don't think that will work in the stock Stalingrad campaign? I have them mapped to buttons on my Warthog but appears to be hard coded into the stock campaign when set to Normal mode.

 

It works in the stock campaign, yes.

[dburne]

It works in the stock campaign, yes.

 

Ok thanks,  I will have to give it another try. Could have swore I tried it and it had no effect in Normal mode.

[dburne]

Hey gang,

 

I am currently in Part 1 of the Stalingrad campaign, in Chapter 3 - City Assault.

I flew an Escort mission in my Yak-1. Prior to the mission start, I was at Level 5 knocking on the door to Level 6.

I completed the mission with success.

 

At mission results, it reset me to Level 1 now , like it is starting all over. Still shows my campaign progress with all my aerial and ground victories recorded, but Level now says 1 again and progress bar for Level reflects that.

 

Any idea what happened here?

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Edit: Well went back into the game to fly another mission and now shows me back at my previous Level 5.

Chalk it up to one of those things lol.

Edited April 26, 2017 by dburne

[Yogiflight]

Don't worry, it happens from time to time. IIRC, I sometimes have no pilot level at all.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Yogiflight

[dburne]

Well after a successful ground attack mission on a convoy in the city, I have now moved up to Level 6 and successfully completed Part 1 of the Stalingrad campaign - ready to move on to Part 2 finally.

[dburne]

Still moving along in the campaign, currently in part 2 , chapter 2 - Operation Uranus I believe.

 

One thing that has me a little frustrated of late, have had a couple missions - one I just finished - where I get 0 points for victories and I have had successful kills.

This one I just finished was an Intercept mission, where we intercepted some BF 109's at the action point. I was doing well and managed to kill two of them. I know the last one I shot out of the air the pilot had ejected, don't know if that makes a difference or not. But I was kinda bummed after making it back to my base with a clean landing, I got experience points and mission success message, but 0 points for victories and I had shot two of them out of the air...

 

I am determined to get through this whole thing though - the missions do get repetitive as they are all basically about the same but I  am having some fun nonetheless. I would like to finish this before embarking on either Ivan's War ot PWCG.

I have now logged around 24 hours in BoS since 2.009 release. It has been rock solid for me.

[dburne]

Man I am beginning to wonder if I am ever going to get through this campaign lol.

 

I am in the latter stages of Part 2 of the Stalingrad Campaign, and it is getting brutal.

So I select an intercept mission in my Yak-1, and there I am on the runway ready to take off with one - yes only one, lone wingman.

We take off and head to the action point. We get there, and there they are - 4 BF 110's we are to intercept. And they happen to have 4 - yes 4 - 109 escorts.

So the two of us are tasked with taking out some of the 110's whilst trying to defend ourselves against those 4 109's. Needless to say, I got waxed fairly quickly. 

 

Brutal I tell ya, brutal.

[Yogiflight]

I had the same joke with two 110s intercepting a flight of IL2s or Pe2s escorted by four Mig3. When you are lucky, they pass you to attack your wingman, so you can get your intercept kill and then you'd better run, you can write off your wingman anyway.

[dburne]

I had the same joke with two 110s intercepting a flight of IL2s or Pe2s escorted by four Mig3. When you are lucky, they pass you to attack your wingman, so you can get your intercept kill and then you'd better run, you can write off your wingman anyway.

 

Good tip, I will try that the next time I am faced with a similar situation.

 

Thanks,

[Quax]

Erich Hartmann never lost a wingman in the whole war      ... never write him off 

[Yogiflight]

I guess he never was flying with two 110s against four Migs.

[PatrickAWlson]

I had the same joke with two 110s intercepting a flight of IL2s or Pe2s escorted by four Mig3. When you are lucky, they pass you to attack your wingman, so you can get your intercept kill and then you'd better run, you can write off your wingman anyway.

 

You don't have to run faster than the lion.  You just have to run faster than the guy next to you.

[Yogiflight]

And be far away enough, when the lion got the other guy and still is hungry.

[Herne]

I really enjoyed RoF's career mode. I played a kind of self imposed Hardcore, in that if the pilot died, I would then rejoin the same squadron the day after he died as a battle casualty replacement. My only wish was that if my now dead pilot had gotten onto the leader-board of top aces, then I wish he remained there for the duration of the war, no matter how many new pilots I had to create.  

[Yogiflight]

This is exactly the way I wish it will work. I hope that I know enough names to get through the campaigns.

[dburne]

My goodness, this thing is getting tough here in the very late stages of Chapter 2 of the Stalingrad campaign. Beginning to wonder if I am ever going to get through it! 

 

So spent some time with it during the day yesterday. Last mission I flew, was an Intercept mission. I fly full mission so always take off from the runway. It started with me on the runway and this time three other wingmen , ok that is a good sign at least I have some decent help this time.

We get to the action point, and shortly after the target appears - a BF-110. And, it had only 2 escorts - only 2! So 4 of us, against one lonely BF-110 who had only 2 escorts - I am liking my odds on this one!

 

We head toward the target who had his 2 escorts following behind - I start to come in from high at an angle, and just as I was approaching the target a 109 turned toward my direction and started climbing. Now before he even had a lead on me, was just angled a little toward my direction, he made a quick short burst and blammo! My engine is fried! Black soot all over my windshield and very shortly after the engine died.

How the heck did he manage that, no way he had a lead on me at that point. Dang AI!!!

 

In hindsight, probably what I should have done is circle back around as my wingmen were approaching, let them deal with those 2 pesky 109's and then I take my time and then come back around to engage that one 110 which was the target.

Ugh, live and learn...

 

I am hoping to get through this dang thing before the update comes that corrects the airfield performance on the BoM map, so I can start it's campaign as soon as I am done with this one - beginning to wonder if I will ever get done though at this point lol.

[dburne]

Sheese I think I am going to give up hope finishing part 2 of this dang campaign.

 

Flew an Intercept mission, got to the action point and took out a couple of the target BF 110's. Had the arrow showing the green light to return to base.

Feeling great on the return to base. Successfully avoid flak and get into friendly territory.

 

Flew all the way back to base, on approach gear and flaps down, and a lone 109 came out of nowhere behind me - took one short burst and my plane exploded showing me killed... Now that was frustrating.

[Yogiflight]

When I return to base, I always fly a circle around my airfield and especially look for the AAA, it is usually the best indicator for arriving enemy aircrafts. And if there are enemy fighters, I stay low at my airfield, to be supported by AAA, and look for a good chance to, either do a quick landing, or, if possible, attack the enemy.

[dburne]

Woohoo!

 

Finally, I have successfully finished the Stalingrad Campaign!

 

Spent a couple of hours this morning flying the latter stages of Part 2, and managed to get it done. It sure took me a while, and I am glad I finally got through the thing.

I flew the entire thing in VR, and it was an awesome experience. I am still just totally amazed at what  a great job they have done with their implementation of VR support for this sim. 

 

I flew this one in Normal realism. I guess for my next campaign I fly I will see if I can graduate to Expert Realism and manage my own engine settings. The only thing I will really miss is the external view ability. When flying to the target area I like to occasionally view a fly by or pan around with the fixed external view briefly before returning to cockpit view.

 

Now just deciding which one to do next. I have Juri's Ivan's War campaign installed and ready to go, or may go with the BOM campaign but will probably wait on that one till the update comes out that addresses the performance at the airfields which I think may be in our next update.

[Yogiflight]

Hi dburne, congrats to your successfull ending of the campaign.

For the difficulty settings, when you fly scripted campaigns and missions, you can select custom difficulty setting and exclude the game engine management. When you fly the BOM campaign, you can stay with Normal difficulty, but exclude the game engine management with the first three keys in the settings for engine management and the aim assist with a key in the weapons keys.

[dburne]

Hi dburne, congrats to your successfull ending of the campaign.

For the difficulty settings, when you fly scripted campaigns and missions, you can select custom difficulty setting and exclude the game engine management. When you fly the BOM campaign, you can stay with Normal difficulty, but exclude the game engine management with the first three keys in the settings for engine management and the aim assist with a key in the weapons keys.

 

Great, thanks for the tips!