IL2 - BOS compared with CLOD .... worth the effort?

[KPnutskgwanchos]

Hi folks .... So I recently came back to BOS after 4 years and have been mightily impressed at the progress thats been made and is continuing to be made. Then I recalled how excited we all were back in the day when Oleg was showing us exciting developments he was working on for Cliffs of Dover. I saw that the user community has kept working on it and heard some good things so I brought it out of curiosity to see where it had got to. 

 

So I have some questions for those of you that fly both sims.

 

First impressions are obviously a little shaky regards the user interface but I can deal with that.  So I started to get everything set up as close as I can to my BOS setup and have been making some progress. I dont think the external visuals of the aircraft can match BOS but its great to see the huge variety. I think the cockpits are really nice and theres something that seems a litlle more "alive" about them compared to BOS... maybe its the dancing needles in the gauges? I love the water, really nice job. The scenery in general looks pretty impressive if a little washed out but thats just personnel preference I guess.  

 

So I guess I have got to the point where I feel it may be worth spending some real time getting it fully set up and trying some action. To those you who fly both what is the combat experience like?. Im getting the impression that the CLOD aircraft tend not to "bob" about so easily as gun platforms in comparison with BOS?. The tracers seems a little strange, heavy on the smoke trails and kind of blowing smoke rings?.. I always thought that was just the motion blur effects of the gun cameras ... none the less it looks pretty satisfying. Also I seem to have a few issues getting the FFB right on my MFF2? 

 

Be really interested to hear any experiences and tips regarding setup from anyone using both sims anyhow  ?         

[InProgress]

I don't feel much difference in shooting except fact that you must shoot better in clod due to low ammo and fire rate on 109, cant just spray and hope you hit something or you will be out of ammo in seconds. Should change tho with new planes (F versions).

 

19 minutes ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

The tracers seems a little strange, heavy on the smoke trails and kind of blowing smoke rings?

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by InProgress

[INVADER_WARHAWK]

I dont know how realistic is CLOD , but I belive it is quite realistic in the systems damage department . Well , except from some weapons like the Recoilless Antimatter Mortar.. Anyway , comparing it with IL 2 Great Battles , the latter has by far better AI  .  What I really like about CLOD ( aside the detailed systems , and their damage model )  is that you can get big formations in the air , without the fps dropping to power point level 

[cardboard_killer]

4 hours ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

So I guess I have got to the point where I feel it may be worth spending some real time getting it fully set up and trying some action

 

I'm in about the same boat. I don't get too much time on the trigger so I don't know that I should spend it on a less satisfying system. If it were just the curent plane set I would not, but the desert plane set is intriguing (a Martlet!) so I think that will push me over the edge. Depending on price. So far I've only got $15 into CLOD, so not playing it isn't a big deal. When Cliffs of Malta comes out for $80 (or whatever) it may be different calculus.

Edited March 29, 2020 by cardboard_killer

[Mika_87]

I dont like CLOD at all.

I tried to like it but no. Singleplayer was so unfinished that I dont even want to install it anymore.

Multiplayer might be ok but I like single player campaigns and missions more.

 

I bought it on full price when it was new. Waste of money.

 

Battle of X series is so much better!

Edited March 29, 2020 by Mika_87

[SIA_Sp00k]

There is nothing “wrong” with Clod.  I dont think some of you above have either flown it for sometime or haven’t flown it in MMP with experience in all the servers.  Like any sim, it has a variety of server types, particularly relating to the AI and a couple of them have great AI, others have a good balance between AI and Human pilots and others cater to particular desires, Bombers, dogfighters, mixture of both.

 

Like many sims before it, its continued existence is dependant upon a small team who for many years voluntarily worked the thousands of hours required to continually update it completely free to its primary player base, so pilots entering at various parts of its history in the past, get a glimpse of both improvement and failings.   I am not sure there is a sim out there that everyone is completely happy with.

 

Offline play does have its issues. (I never fly offline anyway). Leftovers of its beginnings but it has also benefitted from the many updates. Updates do take a long time.  

 

Clod MMP is great for Squadron play.  FOr the lone gun, you face the same challenges in both CloD and BOS.

 

The damage model into is currently better in CloD however it looks like BOS will match that soon enough hopefully.  There is less variety of aircraft in CloD.  Lots of aircraft but as it has focused on BOB and soon (tm) to be Desert warfare it remains true to the period of the time.

 

I think the clouds are better in BOS, than CLoD and I prefer CloDs Sky. (No idea why, I just do). BOS on the ground however is better.  This could be theatre related.  BOS has more working features on the ground but the CloD crew are slowly unlocking CloDs secrets and I expect TFS 5.0 the next version will see a further increase in those being shown.

 

I think BOS sounds are better but I dont have issues with what CloD has.  I think BOS aircraft have a better feel to them when flying but not necessarily the better flying model. (Hopefully soon to be addressed).

 

What BOS has that CloD does not is VR and this is where it has a huge attractive element.  TFS have stated they will include VR if TFS 5.0 is a success and then they may be competitive if BOS hasn’t moved into in room holograms by that time.  At present however, VR for me is the killer.  Going back from VR to TrackIR is like giving up the Warthog HOTAS and using a plastic CH stick again, its like giving up the HOTAS on a wheel stand pro and going back to having the stick at stomach level on a desk.  Its like leaving Flying Circus’s graphics and flying Simguilds Flying Circus again (1998).  I would rather eat broken glass and shove a fork in each eye.

 

As sim, CloD gives you many options.  BOS currently gives more.  I hope they are successful with TFS5.0, I know the TFS team are doing their best and I know they are behind their competitors in terms of technology.  They genuinely care about their community and their game and they have made a huge difference to the game from where it was when they got it.

 

It remains to be seen whether the desert war around Tripoli will be the success they envisage.  I neither like the desert, nor the snow. Ive been in both and never had a good time lol. Still that in itself is different to what else is out there and that alone may be the reason to attract additional customer base.  But it will always be behind the 8 ball without VR.  With VR, it will be every bit as good as BOS without the large plane varieties.

 

With either sim, there is something for everyone if you look for it.

[Krisu]

The most memorable part of CloD for me was the ballistics, it's almost like you feel your inputs flex the wings and mess your shots up, you have to be smoother have more finesse to hit things. Not only that but the flashes and holes it leaves in the plane just look way more detailed, damage model more detailed, you can actually see which internal components you damaged. I'm not a pilot, I don't know anything about flying I just like to see things blow up. 

 

I think as a flight sim game BoS is waaaaaayyyyyyyy ahead of CloD with its archaic interface and mega niche servers. CloD has nice small details like picking the type of ammo you fire, that used to be pretty fun.....but compared to the extra details BoS has? Nothing. 

 

BoS is superior in every other regard, you don't feel like flying on rails, the graphics and engine murder CloD although CloD's cockpits/clouds still look impressive. Flying itself is way easier in CloD, on rails as they speak...managing engines not so much. Engine management more complex and less forgiving in CloD but nothing like DCS obviously; one could say engine management in BoS is super lax. 

 

Disclaimer: I don't know wtf I'm talking about, just my opinion. 

[KPnutskgwanchos]

17 hours ago, Mika_87 said:

I dont like CLOD at all.

I tried to like it but no. Singleplayer was so unfinished that I dont even want to install it anymore.

Multiplayer might be ok but I like single player campaigns and missions more.

 

I bought it on full price when it was new. Waste of money.

 

Battle of X series is so much better!

So it sounds like you haven't tried it for years ? 

 

[Blitzen]

I have both on my PC and have kept current with both. I bought both very early and have to say that initially neither was quite what was promised.Clod had real problems that took quite a while for third parties to resolve & disappointed a lot of people , some who are still angry about it.BoS was pretty barebones at first & had its own problems but I have to say developers stuck with it,and put out fires quickly & have “grown” it into what we have today:BoS,BoM,TC, and the still a sort of orphaned FC ( my opinion.) What separates the two sims for me(other than different AI behavior,) is that BoS ( GB) embraces VR technology.This makes all the difference to me, even at the price of some clarity because of SDE ( screen door effect,) initial extra cost for a PC that will run it & choice of headsets.

  Let me ad I am looking forward to CloD v 5.0  through ATAG am that will bring a new North Africa map and many new aircraft, vehicles & effects I like others have been waiting quite a while for this ( years & years it seems) and hope my patience will prove worthwhile. I’m sure I will play it more often than I do CloD Blitz, but until it too incorporates VR it will only be a backup to  Gb, which in the next year will also have a new map, new aircraft & new eye candy effects.

[DD_Arthur]

1 hour ago, KPnutskgwanchos said:

So it sounds like you haven't tried it for years ? 

 

If you're a single player none of the basic flaws in Cliffs have been addressed.

[Enceladus828]

I'd say that IL-2 GBs (including BOM) and IL-2 Cliffs of Dover are great games that one should buy.

In comparison, the visuals and cockpits in Cliffs seem better, there's a better and more realistic DM, the game can handle large number of planes, etc.

 

With IL-2 GB the FM is much better, crashes and collisions are more realistic than in Cliffs, there's a Pilot Career and VR (though they didn't added until the 3rd installment), has more locations where one can fly, and some other things.

 

The two games have their share of Strengths and Weaknesses and problems, but they're still great games that should continue to be supported and people should buy.

[Jason_Williams]

Guys,

 

Posts like this are not encouraged or welcome so I'm closing it. Team Fusion is a partner of ours and they have done  a tremendous job improving CLOD and their new North Africa product. Threads like this are not fair or necessary. In the IL-2:GB forum. Please go ask questions in the CLOD section of this same forum.

 

Jason