Is there an increase of pilots lately???

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

S~!

Hey all!

So I'm not sure if it's just me but I'm noticing an increase of players online lately..

This is great! Fuller servers... some full but there are a new people every time I'm on with the "hello! I'm new to this sim. How do I ..."

Which then we obviously insist with "ctrl+E" being the default key for everything... lol.

 

But I'm glad to see new names popping up and fellow pilots helping out...

 

Let's keep up the effort in having a friendly community and wonderful online experience.

 

-Spartan85

[coconut]

Population on my normal server has suddenly increased. It would indeed seem we are getting an influx of new players. This is great!

[VesseL]

Yes, something has happened. Is it the VR or the new theater, i dont know.

[=RvE=Windmills]

We need more WoL/TAW like servers soon. Both were filled at the same time on multiple occasions in the past few days. I'm certain just the announcement of the new expansion has drawn in more people.

 

Certainly by the time BP comes out there should be at least 2 or 3 more servers to handle the extra players, if not sooner with the way its been growing.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Windmills

[7.GShAP/Silas]

The new Random Expert server should hopefully launch by Christmas/New Year, so that will help.

 

The new blood is great to see.  Things are looking up!

Edited November 28, 2017 by JV.44/Silas

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

Should there be a server for each theatre? One for Kuban, Moscow, and stalingrad?

Probably more servers with a mix of all 3 is best of course..

[Warpig]

With summer being over, and the new announcements, MP is bound to step up.

 

These are the reasons for me playing lately. Even though I've been sticking to SP, and doing the scripted campaigns.

 

The new announcements definitely gave me that drive to really dive into this game. I haven't been on too much since I purchased the game, but now I'm ready to dive in.

 

The better I get, the more I want to play.

[Wulf]

I think the change started with the release of the Spitfire.  Now we seem to have more people overall and more people flying Russian.

[1_Robert_]

VR is what brought me back to the foil and I'm sure there are others.

Edited November 28, 2017 by rweaves6

[[CPT]Pike*HarryM]

I think there was just a 1/2 off sale on Steam, maybe that brought in a few, plus increasing positives with updates (VR & DX11), future plans, etc.

[[CPT]milopugdog]

There's definitely a few new players as well. I've played with a few of em, and they sound pretty young too! (Not that you old guys are bad.) We need to get them involved with the community to get them to stay here!

[[APAF]VR_Spartan85]

It's true, sometimes I feel as though us old timer pilots are the last of the simming age... we need them to bring our seniority higher.... I mean.. with out the younger generation the demand for Sims like this will be almost obsolete...

We need to keep the dream alive!!!

Time for my nap...

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

I think the buzz around the new BoBP pre-order, the excitement around FC, and similar have helped bring some people back, and hopefully attract some new people.

 

My normal pattern is to play a lot for a couple months, then ghost for a while (as much as 6 mo or a year), then come back. For my part, definitely the excitement around the new release, and especially, the release of the Spitfire, have got me hooked really good.

Edited November 29, 2017 by DakkaDakkaDakka

[1_Robert_]

How do the current online servers compare to the old Hyperlobby days (numbers wise)?

[[CPT]CptJackSparrow]

On its epic days, HL, could have 2k folks on it.

 

40 or servers jammed full.

 

Spits v 109

Zekes v Wildcats

Warclouds

Greater Green

 

The pinnacle, a great time.

[1_Robert_]

On its epic days, HL, could have 2k folks on it.

40 or servers jammed full....The pinnacle, a great time.

No kidding, I had no idea. Well it was certainly a different era and one couldn’t expect a return to those numbers. I personally think VR holds the future of the genre in its hands. I realize many would disagree but VR and flight sims are a perfect match and hopefully as the tech becomes more affordable we will see folks jump in who may not have otherwise.

[Finkeren]

I’ve increased a bit lately. I always gain some weight during the autumn.

[VeryOldMan]

Yes, something has happened. Is it the VR or the new theater, i dont know.

Not enough VR  sets in market to make a considerable difference. PRobably peopelthat had bought game long ago and got excited by  BoBp announcement.

On its epic days, HL, could have 2k folks on it.

 

40 or servers jammed full.

 

Spits v 109

Zekes v Wildcats

Warclouds

Greater Green

 

The pinnacle, a great time.

Well  half of those 2k were just  logged in hyperlooby but AFK But it was common to  get these 4 servers quite filled up. Now. keep in mind their capacity was much smaller than WoL and TAW, so the average number of players at weekend was NOT several times higher than today.

[56RAF_Roblex]

My squad moved to BoX back in September when we saw how much it had improved with the Kuban pre-release.  Yes I suppose the Spitfire helped swing it but it was the new graphics and engine improvements as well.   It is also true that in all the flight sims I have played there is often a loss of players during the Summer months when people prefer to stay outside s long as possible that picks up again once the cold weather sets in.

 

I honestly don't remember 2000 players on Hyperlobby.   There were a handful of servers that were quite well populated (which meant what? 32 each max? so maybe 120 players in total) and an equal number that rarely had more than one or two.  There were also half a dozen co-ops of which IIRC only a couple allowed as many as 16 players and the rest about 8.  My memories could be faulty but that seems more like 200 than 2000 players.  CLoD allowed 100 players per server but usually capped it at 80 and sometimes had two servers full and another half full so that is about 200 (though only when a big event was running)    The top four  servers in BoX are probably TAW, WoL, Random Expert & Finnish and is not unusual to have two of those full and the others half full plus 20-30 in Berloga which makes about 150 and a scattering in other servers I never look at.

Edited November 29, 2017 by 56RAF_Roblex

[Herne]

I tried to get on TAW at about 18:40 GMT last night which is what I consider to be pre - prime time.

 

WoL 84/84

TAW 80/80

finnish 25/?

berloga 30/?

 

and a few more on other servers. I've noticed in the short time I've been regularly playing, that online seems to be more popular too. I've only been playing regularly since the VR patch, I encouraged a few friends to buy both VR and IL2 and they also love it. 

 

At the moment there are so many games I'd like to play, but all of my free PC time is spent in IL2. I can't thank the Dev's enough for the great job that they did with VR and IL2. I cant wait to take some of those WWI Birds for a spin in VR

 

I'm sure VR can't take all the credit for the increased popularity. I think it is definitely a factor though. I wonder if the Dev Team get stats on how many people are playing, and how many use VR / Track IR , online /offline etc.

[dburne]

The change of direction for Single Player and especially the VR implementation is what brought me back into the fold. Have flown BoS several hours a week since.

 

I am really looking forward to the new Career!

Edited November 29, 2017 by dburne

[VeryOldMan]

My squad moved to BoX back in September when we saw how much it had improved with the Kuban pre-release.  Yes I suppose the Spitfire helped swing it but it was the new graphics and engine improvements as well.   It is also true that in all the flight sims I have played there is often a loss of players during the Summer months when people prefer to stay outside s long as possible that picks up again once the cold weather sets in.

 

I honestly don't remember 2000 players on Hyperlobby.   There were a handful of servers that were quite well populated (which meant what? 32 each max? so maybe 120 players in total) and an equal number that rarely had more than one or two.  There were also half a dozen co-ops of which IIRC only a couple allowed as many as 16 players and the rest about 8.  My memories could be faulty but that seems more like 200 than 2000 players.  CLoD allowed 100 players per server but usually capped it at 80 and sometimes had two servers full and another half full so that is about 200 (though only when a big event was running)    The top four  servers in BoX are probably TAW, WoL, Random Expert & Finnish and is not unusual to have two of those full and the others half full plus 20-30 in Berloga which makes about 150 and a scattering in other servers I never look at.

Hyperloby was not for Il2 only. It supported some 15-20 different games.  The total population was about 2k, although Il2 was among the largest groups.

[marklar]

According to steamcharts.com there is a visible increase of players since mid October.

http://steamcharts.com/app/307960#3m

[[CPT]CptJackSparrow]

A slow day.

Edited November 29, 2017 by [CPT]CptJackSparrow

[BM357_TinMan]

Man, I miss H/L.  Hopefully the revamped m/p interface will be good.

However, it was nice to have an m/p interface that didn't require the game to be launched first.

[madcowz]

I'm here because:

1) It's cold and wet outside and I'm not riding my bike 4-5 evenings a week

2) The sale

3) VR

IL2 BOX has been on my radar for about 6 months after I heard about it on the ED forums but I didn't buy it until I saw it on the Steam Sale. Bought BOS on Steam, then bought BOM & campaigns directly from the IL2 website.

Then my Rift arrived the other day and now I spend my time with my jaw hanging open.

[Wedgewood]

Like myself, there are probably lots of new people taking advantage of the recent sales.  I think there are lots of people out there wanting to try this but don't want to buy full price without knowing whether of not they will be able to catch on.  Myself,  I heard the great reviews about this game but didn't want to take the plunge unless I knew that I could actually get enjoyment out of it.  For this reason I bought CLOD first on sale for $9.99 just to try out combat flight simming.  Long story short, once I realized that I could fly and have fun with this I bought the BOX set.  I think the addition of a playable demo will do wonders for the sales of this game and the multiplayer community.

[RobCarter3]

I've managed to get one friend to pick up BoS based on the BoBp announcement and the upcoming addition of co-op. I think career mode will also really help bring in new players.

[=EXPEND=Tripwire]

The demo will do wonders for sales. The original IL2 demo is what me started on this journey. Give people the chance to get a taste and they will be hooked.

[Herne]

The demo will do wonders for sales. The original IL2 demo is what me started on this journey. Give people the chance to get a taste and they will be hooked.

 

yes, I downloaded RoF for free, then bought everything

[Sunde]

The demo will do wonders for sales. The original IL2 demo is what me started on this journey. Give people the chance to get a taste and they will be hooked.

Agreed, one flight in the SPAD and well, my wallet was forever lighter. A demo with perhaps the LAGG-3 could potentially lure in more customers... 

(I do realise that ROF had a different sales model). However i would not rule out the possibility that some sort of demo could boost playernumbers.

[DakkaDakkaDakka]

Demo yes, free to play no.

[Herne]

Demo yes, free to play no.

 

No Idea what is planned for the demo, but if it had one AC from LW and VVS, that was available to use both in career and MP, then it kind of fits, both demo, and F2P. Gives a small vertical slice of what the game is all about it.

[kestrel79]

I think it's a combo of many great things this team has been doing the past year:

 

-Dev Team communication and features being added/new multiplayer direction

-VR

-Steam Sales

-New announcements getting people excited

 

More people the better! I haven't had the time of late but need to get on there soon. That pic of Hyperlobby brought back some memories thanks for posting Jack!

[[CPT]CptJackSparrow]

You're most welcome =)

[Pharoah]

On its epic days, HL, could have 2k folks on it.

 

40 or servers jammed full.

 

Spits v 109

Zekes v Wildcats

Warclouds

Greater Green

 

The pinnacle, a great time.

 

ah yes i remember those days. chatting on HL, jumping into COOPs (10 of us manning a TB3 vs 10 others manning another TB3 then going head to head). Moving to the western european theatre will DEFINITELY increase interest in BoX especially from peeps that don't like russian a/c and still play CloD or the crappiness that is DCS WWII. 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

For a long time, I have wondered what caused the general decline of flight simulation ~10 years ago.

 

I remember that the joystick was once a standard item carried by every electronics store where I lived. At some point, they just disappeared.

 

Was it the increasingly complicated software development and countless broken promises?

 

Perhaps the rise of mobile and the decline of the desktop?

 

Or just a few instances of bad luck in a small market?

 

Fortunately it seems things are accelerating again.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Mitthrawnuruodo

[Rolling_Thunder]

For a long time, I have wondered what caused the general decline of flight simulation ~10 years ago.

 

I remember that the joystick was once a standard item carried by every electronics store where I lived. At some point, they just disappeared.

 

Was it the increasingly complicated software development and countless broken promises?

 

Perhaps the rise of mobile and the decline of the desktop?

 

Or just a few instances of bad luck in a small market?

 

Fortunately it seems things are accelerating again.

Call of Duty and the FPS. They exploded at the time. Now the market is saturated with them and they offer nothing new than 10 years ago.

[=RvE=SirScorpion]

I think it's a combo of many great things this team has been doing the past year:

 

-Dev Team communication and features being added/new multiplayer direction

-VR

-Steam Sales

-New announcements getting people excited

 

More people the better! I haven't had the time of late but need to get on there soon. That pic of Hyperlobby brought back some memories thanks for posting Jack!

 

 

I got BOS when it first came out ages ago, the whole unlock system "coming from IL2 1946 HSFX/UP3 from good old spit vs 109 of warbirds" was a bad idea at start and pretty much turned me off the game.

 

Then that got fixed and Kuban was out, which is a bit more my taste "moscow was a bad idea imo for us Mplayer only crowed" dont get me wrong I enjoy it but the plane set was limited from what BOS had. 

 

Also with DCS breaking its Mplayer, Starcitizen carping the bed as well. At least in my circle Il2 BOX is an ideal candidate, now i bought all the options and even pre-ordered the new stuff. Also bought some accounts to be used by team members who where on the fence, who then also bought there own accounts. also did a few give always for BOBP and BOS. 

 

The Dev Updates also helped a lot, when having a squadron moving from sim to another its good to know what are the plans and how fast is the progress so that a squadron can invest time and money for the long term "its tough to migrate people into a new mind set. 

 

Lastly with ground combat "if its done well and fits with Mplayer it will be amazing" and the new setting of 1944/45, i have to say lots of hype in our squadrons, i had 3 dudes pre order and more planing to in the coming weeks cuz the setting interests them.

 

If i would say the perfect dream option to add to whats coming is a decent multi crew bomber "and ability of gunners to move around or even use bomb sight", i think that will convince our FPS guys who been having fun in the back of the peshkas, but a B25/17G/24 will simply be amazing if multi crew is done right. and maybe one day able to command ships. though i think that is overall hard to do, i hope the new influx of people will allow such things to happen

 

Now realistically speaking, I do hope for a 1944/1943/1945 focused game, I mean the line up we getting is great but after that, the line up needs to be more fleshed out, more options and plane sets that work well Vs. each other.

 

I have a feeling that Il2BOX has a good chance to build the best ww2 sim that allows for Mil sim crowed "not just the SP study sim guys", keep you eyes on the ball to the devs, support Mplayer more, and it will drag in more people for sure

Edited November 30, 2017 by SirScorpion

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

During the release of Battle of Stalingrad, the word 'unlocks' scared me away immediately. In the following years, I continued using 1946 v4.12.2m and WT, both of which were experiencing exciting growth. 

 

However, the direction WT was heading and the irritating limitations of 1946 made me lose interest eventually. That's when I reconsidered Stalingrad after reading that the unlocks were gone and many improvements were on the way. 

 

I think that Il-2 is finally heading in the right direction. The reasonable level of complexity allows both a steady stream of new content as well as technical improvements that keep everything running smoothly. 

 

Hopefully, Tank Crew and Flying Circus will provide enough momentum to make Il-2 the ARMA 3 of flight simulation.