February 14 Update - First Impressions

[LY_LCT_unknwn]

Is there a possibility to change individual graphic settings? There used to be startup.cfg for that. I would like to turn of hdr and bloom effects.

[LY_LCT_unknwn]

Not any more. We're bound by the in-game Graphics Presets.

Any information if in-game settings will provide more options? or just simple low, high and etc.

[dburne]

Dang it, just got back in town  late last night , so much has happened since I left! Hope to get some time this weekend before leaving again, have a really busy day today though, will see. I am having fun just reading the forums and getting caught up on all the new stuff...

[WhiteEagle]

These are some luscious screenshots. Are you using SweetFX?

 

Yes, with Fifi's settings from this thread.

[150GCT_Veltro]

Insane, this update is insane. This IL2 give us an idea or the real potentialities of this flight sim. The flight feeling is similar to the SU-25 from DCS, simple stunning.

[Rivet]

First impressions? Where do I start? A good place would be to give a Big congrats to the team. You have out done yourselves with this update.

 

Now I'm not easily given to hyperbole, but this has truly blown my mind for the following reasons:

 

Fantastic job on the IL-2. It's a beautiful aircraft to fly and feels slow and heavy. That said it can maneuver reasonably well and is easy to take off and land. It is also a good steady gun platform and has a devastating effect on its targets. It's a beast. I love it.

 

Stalingrad is now a very dangerous place to fly over. The new flak and AAA are very impressive - and effective . Now I actually get a feeling of foreboding approaching Stalingrad. No more sightseeing flights now.

 

Overall, I think this update is a major step forward. There is a lot more happening over Stalingrad now and there has obviously been a major tweaking of the smoke columns. How do I know this? Well I have now gone from the Low graphic preset to the Balanced preset and still get improved frames over the previous update.

 

Maybe just one small criticism. I think that the accuracy of the AAA may be just a touch overdone? They seem to be sniper accurate. I haven't been able to make one pass over the full length of the city without being blown out of the sky.

 

I'm still a bit in shock with this update and still have a big smile on my face. I think I've found my new favourite ride .

 

Only 39% complete? I can only imagine what the finished game will be like if this keeps up. This sim will be a classic for sure.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Rivet

[dburne]

Hey gang, it may be tomorrow before I get a chance to try the new update - any changes to motion blur? Just curious, last week it was too much for me in the Ultra preset...

[SYN_Ricky]

As I haven't been able to fly during the las four access periods, I have a lot to discover this time.

First, the Stalingrad map is reall looking good and doesn't seem to hit performance too much on my ageing system.

Flak is quite deadly I thought I'd have a peaceful sight-seeing flight in free practice in an Il-2, I was wrong

I had been waiting for the Il-2, I wasn't disappointed, flying this beast is feeling great so far, looking forward to try the combat mission.

 

Overall game is looking better and more alive, can't wait for multiplayer.

 

Congrats to the team, good job !

[ph1317]

Sounds are very impressive.

 

One thing I noticed about IL2:

when the "canopy window" is closed and I look left or right, the metal part of the sliding canopy is blocking my view.

At least when using TrackIR.

So I'm wondering if the pilot's view point is too far behind inside the cockpit or was it really like this?

The pilot couldn't see 90 degree left/right from his normal sitting position?

[Tektolnes]

The side armour was for head protection during strafing runs I presume. Does make the view pretty restricted alright. While I don't know I wouldn't be surprised if they flew with the cockpit open often and only buttoned up during combat.

 

With the cockpit open you do seem to be able to lean out a bit too much to check your six - it's like as if the pilot isn't strapped in.

[Matt]

So I'm wondering if the pilot's view point is too far behind inside the cockpit or was it really like this?

You can change the default view point with the head movement buttons (ins/pos1).

 

 

My impressions from the update:

 

Performance much improved (i think by atleast 10-15 FPS in Stalingrad)

IL-2 feels great already. Very enjoyable to fly, not as heavy as i expected. Will probably even be fun as a gunner, because the controls seems to be a bit more streamlined from my experience in RoF. Atleast it feels a bit crisper to control the gun.

The IL-2 missions are a lot of fun, especially because there are actually some more planes flying around.

AAA is quite tough, though i think the Flak 38 is very nice like this, becausei t's not overly accurate and can be destroyed before they can hit you. The heavy AAA is too accurate and has a too fast traverse speed imho.

New radio sounds are an improvement.

 

I don't like some of the new graphic features, like that lens-flare-like effect even in first person view and the bloom (not sure if it has been that strong that before). But those are the only issues i'm currently having.

[smink1701]

I've had a chance to play a bit and I'm really impressed with this latest version.  It amazes me that as finished as this looks the game still has 60 percent of new content to go!  Flying the IL2 is a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  Like a big Buick ... but I'm amazed by the dev's comment that a Hurricane is larger!!!  Also, Stalingrad is getting better and better.  Flying around the city almost has the feel of Call of Duty with the bombs, smoke, tracers, etc.  Wasn't expecting this in a CFS.

[DD_fruitbat]

I've had a chance to play a bit and I'm really impressed with this latest version.  It amazes me that as finished as this looks the game still has 60 percent of new content to go!  Flying the IL2 is a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  Like a big Buick ... but I'm amazed by the dev's comment that a Hurricane is larger!!!  Also, Stalingrad is getting better and better.  Flying around the city almost has the feel of Call of Duty with the bombs, smoke, tracers, etc.  Wasn't expecting this in a CFS.

 

so am I since its not actually true at least according to wiki and every other source I've ever seen, Hurri does stand taller of the ground though,

 

• Ilyushin Il-2

  Attack aircraft

• The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers. Wikipedia

•  

• Top speed: 414 km/h

• Wingspan: 15 m

• Length: 12 m

• First flight: October 2, 1939

• Introduced: 1941

• Engine type: V12 engine

• Manufacturer: Ilyushin

   

   

   

  • Hawker Hurricane

    Fighter aircraft

  • The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force. Wikipedia

  •  

  • Top speed: 547 km/h

  • Wingspan: 12 m

  • Length: 9.83 m

  • First flight: November 6, 1935

  • Engine type: Rolls-Royce Merlin

  • Designer: Sydney Camm

  • Manufacturers: Gloster Aircraft Company, Hawker Siddeley, Austin Motor Company, Hawker Aircraft, Canadian Car and Foundry

Edited February 15, 2014 by fruitbat

[Georgio]

Had a chance this morning to take the IL-2 for a spin at night and your survival chances are much improved, at least until the searchlights cone you. Still, managed to ingress, take out two of three tanks and egress at very low level and land though judging by the amount of black smoke I was trailing my IL-2 was probably destined for the scrapheap....

Best bit of advice I can give is not to duke it out with the flak, treat them like hostile radar and 'beam' them to keep them on your shoulder, then when you're about 2k from the target wing over but go high or low, attack the target and keep going. Don't try and reverse back onto the target for another run; beam the flak again then wing over for another run though in my experience one attack run was enough.

 

Pretty much realistic then...

[Wolfstriked]

Interesting that many find the Il2 feels light when I find it a pig and ready to stall constantly.....I love it!!

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 Only had a brief time today to test the update, so no idea on performance fixes etc. IL-2 flies nicely, behaves like a big and bulky plane. More testing tomorrow What struck me, once again, the use of these darned post effects like SSAO, HDR and bloom. If not giving us options to turn them off, at least tone them down a bit. Please. As they are now, too proounced and makes the picture look overdone and bloomy. Urgh. Otherwise OK update so far.

[ph1317]

... While I don't know I wouldn't be surprised if they flew with the cockpit open often and only buttoned up during combat.

 

I watched what IL2 AI pilots were doing before taking off. Some had cockpit open during taxiing, some had closed it.

They didn't seem to take off without me (my plane had crashed), so I didn't see if they flew cockpit closed.

 

Taxiing was quite interesting thing to watch: AI planes moved a little and stopped.

Pilot heads checking surroundings and then continue when the plane before them had moved some.

Also saw a friendly AI Lagg go to spin just next to air field and crash. His pair kept flying.

First I thought there was an air battle above the air field, but probably the noobie? AI pilot had made some kind of mistake during flight and crashed.

Edited February 15, 2014 by ph1317

[216th_Peterla]

_{To be honest...quite amazing. I just waiting the option to continue watching the mission after I get buried on the ground and not simple finish the mission.}

_{The game looks and feels superb.}

_{Really good job guys.}

 

 

_{+EDIT: And yes, AAA is too accurate...but its only one plane in the air in my case.}

Edited February 15, 2014 by peterla

[BigMotor]

Are the different opinions on the IL 2 handling due to the huge weight variation it is capable of?

[skline00]

The Il2 is a BLAST. When a klutz like me can take off and land it without crashing, it shows one tough plane.  Congrats to the development team.

[ParaB]

Are the different opinions on the IL 2 handling due to the huge weight variation it is capable of?

 

Most probably. I have no idea how anyone could e.g "...find it a pig and ready to stall constantly..." like someone wrote earlier.

 

Maybe if you tried dogfighting with a full fuel load, rear turret plus gunner and the heaviest bombload available.

 

For me the IL2 is incredible docile. A pleasure to fly.

[Rjel]

_{I just waiting the option to continue watching the mission after I get buried on the ground and not simple finish the mission.}

 

I'm hoping this becomes a standard feature also. I would think movie makers would need this as a an option too.

[76SQN-FatherTed]

Strange I dont get full power to start in the il2... only about 2080rpm when I go to full throttle. Has anyone else this problem?

 

Mixture?  I noticed this also but setting the mixture to 50% (had been 0%) upped the rpms markedly.  Mind you I still couldn't get the thing off the ground!

Edited February 15, 2014 by =CfC=FatherTed

[Matt]

Are the different opinions on the IL 2 handling due to the huge weight variation it is capable of?

 

In my case, i usually take maximum loadout (means bombs and rockets or the 250 bombs and always full fuel load). It still feels light to me and very easy to handle. Which doesn't mean that i think it can win a dogfight, but that's not the purpose for that plane.

 

Maybe people who feel that it "flies like a pig" are not using the correct mixture and/or RPM setting and get a much lower performance.

[Georgio]

Regarding the flak, I think once we can set up some tactics with wingmen to 'occupy' the gunners, flak effectiveness won't be such a problem, after all they can only fire in one direction and the knack is making sure that direction is opposite to you...^^

[Volkoff]

The update is fantastic. I really like the Il2. The AM 38 engine sounds substantial and you get a real sense that the AM 38, as powerful as it seems, has to help the propeller pull a really heavily  plane through the air. The Il2 seems very heavy, yet, it is also surprisingly maneuverable, at least in the horizontal.  The cockpit looks just like the historical plane and seems very cramped, especially with the canopy closed. The Il2 is a formidable killer of trucks, tanks, and trains. Opening up the twin 37 mm cannons, along with the central 20 mm cannon, is a very satisfying experience, whether you hit the target or not.

 

As effective a killer as the Il2 is, the anti air ground crews can kill Il2s with ruthless and awe inspiring efficiency. The AAA is brutal and forces you to plan your attacks very carefully.The Il2, like the LaGG-3 and BF- 109, comes with practical and fun missions. The Il2 also comes with a special mission where you lead a flight of Il2s on an attack on an enemy airfield. This mission is very  immersive and is really a lot of fun. The current early access build is a big hit, in my opinion.   MJ

Regarding the flak, I think once we can set up some tactics with wingmen to 'occupy' the gunners, flak effectiveness won't be such a problem, after all they can only fire in one direction and the knack is making sure that direction is opposite to you...^^

+1 Yeah, I think that  team should leave the ground crews as lethal as they are, at least for multiplayer, and let us think of tactics to deal with the problem. Developing tactics is fun.  MJ

Edited February 15, 2014 by =69.GIAP=MIKHA

[Bussard_x]

The AAA is too good at the moment. This really needs urgent attention by the developers. 

[Nil]

..OK now I'm  getting a bit pi**ed off by the AA. 4!! times in a row the AA have killed me when I were so close to homebase that my wheels were down, (109-f4 dogfight) Have they invented laser guidance already? No previous hits taken from the pretty tame AI lagg-pilots.. Just seeing explotions gettin closer and closer, and then wings are gone or plane in 50 pieces.

 

Edit-> on the ..hmm non Stalingrad map

Edited February 15, 2014 by Pigmachine

[Wolfstriked]

I am that person who wrote "flies like a pig",I do fly it with full load except for fuel at 20%.Afterall,what is a Sturmovik without its teeth?  

[andyw248]

I think it's really fun to fly the Il-2 ground attack mission where I'm flying with a flight of 4 Il-2s and 2 LaGGs. This distracts the triple-A sufficiently enough so that they don't focus on me too much. It's also nice to see that the two AI LaGGs are capable of keeping the two 109s busy that will spawn in the target area

[GRehalkov]

FPS over Stalingrad looks good currently, big thanks. Furthermore these night missions looks awesome with new established system of searchlights, good for immersion. Overall very happy with this new update.

[jaydee]

Ive enjoyed spending a few hours in the IL2...I like the flak and I hope its not "softened" up later !

My First Impressions are really good !

Thanks for the update, ~S~

[Zoring]

The Il2 is beautiful, rockets, cannons, bombs, lovely. Beautiful cockpit and Stalingrad is looking great. Still want to get those graphic options tweakable please. Someone will mod it eventually, so you might as well let us change things imo.

 

I hope the trim fixes up the elevator pitch and we're not forced into the SE5a situation from ROF

[Bungmiester]

Really liking this update, and running well on my not so up todate system, Loving the flak and new il 2, but can't wait to get my hands on the Stuka.

The only thing I noticed was ace pilots tend to do a lot of fish tail wagling when performing manoeuvres in combat but not the novice pilots;" which seems to be fixed"

 

Settings on High.

Intel core Q9650 procc 3.ghz
GTX 560 Graphics card. 314.07 drivers
8 gig of RAM
Creative sb x-fi sound card
windows vista

[sturmkraehe]

I think we should postpone moaning about flak accuracy until we get squadron mates flying together with us. Currently flak is concentrating its fire on one plane only. If there are two planes in the air the hit probability will be devided by 2, with 3 planes by 3, ...

 

No one in real life would ever go on ground attack mission alone.

[Fifi]

I think we should postpone moaning about flak accuracy until we get squadron mates flying together with us. Currently flak is concentrating its fire on one plane only. If there are two planes in the air the hit probability will be devided by 2, with 3 planes by 3, ...

 

No one in real life would ever go on ground attack mission alone.

 

In the IL2 scenario mission, with all other AIs, was also shot down by AA...and none of them.

Like if AA was focusing only on me.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Fifi

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

I can imagine ppl flying circles over the target and getting hit all the time. Just dive, full throttle and spent all your rockets and bombs on the first pass. Stay on the deck and run away until aaa 20mm are out of range. Turn around for a second strafing pass, max speed, altitude zero and spent all your ammo on parked planes then go home. Thats it!!

 

My impression is that someone removed my IL2 armor plates. She seems heavy and slow but quite vulnerable to 20mm rounds.

[JG4_Sputnik]

In the IL2 scenario mission, with all other AIs, was also shot down by AA...and none of them.

Like if AA was focusing only on me.

On my last mission the AAA went for my wingmen and I was able to destroy the Flak with my cannons because they only had eyes for the other planes. But when the AAA is focusing on you you have to run until they begin again to shot other planes. Then come back and destroy them. Worked fine for me, however its really scary to attack the AAA alone.

Edited February 16, 2014 by JG4_Sputnik

[150GCT_Gryphon]

 

 however its really scary to attack the AAA alone

 as it should have been in real life

[Georgio]

I can imagine ppl flying circles over the target and getting hit all the time. Just dive, full throttle and spent all your rockets and bombs on the first pass. Stay on the deck and run away until aaa 20mm are out of range. Turn around for a second strafing pass, max speed, altitude zero and spent all your ammo on parked planes then go home. Thats it!!

 

My impression is that someone removed my IL2 armor plates. She seems heavy and slow but quite vulnerable to 20mm rounds.

I would have thought anything flying was vulnerable to 20mm; the armour plate was probably only rated to protect against MG rounds.