How can we get more people interested?

[6FG_ST0N3DLAMA]

how can this game have so little player base 
IL2 DOMINATES the competition !!!!

[AndyJWest]

Which 'competition' are you referring to? War Thunder? DCS? Fortnite?  YouTube videos of cats?

[[DBS]Browning]

It's true that IL2GB had noting like the multiplayer player numbers that 1946 had.

Partly this is because there is some competition now from several other games and sims with plane combat.

Partly it is because IL2GB is a little less beginner friendly online than 1946.

There may be issues about the way the DLC works as well.

 

The best thing you can do is just to tell people about the game and how great it is.

 

[Irishratticus72]

3 minutes ago, AndyJWest said:

Which 'competition' are you referring to? War Thunder? DCS? Fortnite?  YouTube videos of cats?

Videos of Cats are never gonna lose the throne. 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Irishratticus72

[AEthelraedUnraed]

Just now, AndyJWest said:

Which 'competition' are you referring to? War Thunder? DCS? Fortnite?  YouTube videos of cats?

And what do you mean by "dominate"? From what I know of them (I own neither), DCS and WT both have their advantages, and what works for one player may not work for another. For someone who wants to control every single subsystem of your aircraft, I imagine DCS is much better suited.

 

That said, I do think IL2 provides a great tradeoff between realism and gameplay.

[Feathered_IV]

1 hour ago, 6FG_ST0N3DLAMA said:

How can we get more people interested?

 

Better gameplay

[LizLemon]

Very easy

or just pander to the chinese market

[CountZero]

Anounce Battle of Midway being made next... and then dont do it for few years

 

PS 

I remenber they said if amount of people who bought originaly BoS, buy all next DLCs also they would be rocking, and MP numbers only incresed for some amount since BoS, so i guess they lost SP guys interest in new expantions, so better work on SP contect, more interesting storys dynamic missions, better AI and so on... or ppl just didnt like unlocks in SP at start and didnt bather to check it out again after they got finaly ditched.

Edited August 15, 2020 by CountZero

[danielprates]

1 hour ago, AndyJWest said:

YouTube videos of cats?

 

There is really no competing with that.

[SJ_Butcher]

Easily, improve graphics to insane level like MS flight simulator did, so the media will talk about it. Then fix the damn critical bugs like visibility to retain the players that will come here, FFS increase the polygon count on the planes and cockpits, put real textures on 4k-8k. If devs can manage to do that, they will attract more people just because the graphics.

 

Add the best optimization you can without stutters, so more people will be able to play, make sure your game looks really good even on minimum settings.

Edited August 15, 2020 by SJ_Butcher

[Blutaar]

Better AI

[Elem]

2 hours ago, 6FG_ST0N3DLAMA said:

so little player base 

Specifically?

[Zeev]

1 hour ago, SJ_Butcher said:

Easily, improve graphics to insane level like MS flight simulator did, so the media will talk about it. Then fix the damn critical bugs like visibility to retain the players that will come here, FFS increase the polygon count on the planes and cockpits, put real textures on 4k-8k. If devs can manage to do that, they will attract more people just because the graphics.

 

Add the best optimization you can without stutters, so more people will be able to play, make sure your game looks really good even on minimum settings.

1. What are you talking about the cockpit and plane models? In my opinion they are better than DCS and any other flight sim, at least at my med-high 4K resolution settings.

2. Flight Simulator 2020 downloads real satellite images in game and recreates the building objects according to satellite image with AI while you are playing, how do you want to do it if we are playing WWII sim?

3. Unlike other sims, I have the less amount of stutters when playing this game at 4K 60 FPS (i7-9700K, RTX2080TI, 16 GB RAM, installed on SSD)

4. Never tried the minimum settings so I cannot comment on it. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Zeev

[cardboard_killer]

Update the website. It's at least one product behind (i.e. it doesn't have detailed information on BoBp planes) and has a number of other problems. I've recommended the game to people and had feedback about this and brought it up twice already in the recommendation folder. Sad fact is that when a tech company has an outdated web page, it reflects poorly on their tech ability.

 

However, mostly I hear people complain about the steep learning curve and the hardware requirements. Both of those things are both selling points and limiting factor for a greater player base. I think mostly we need to face the facts that WW2 simming is dying the farther away from WW2 we get.

[BlitzPig_EL]

11 minutes ago, cardboard_killer said:

I think mostly we need to face the facts that WW2 simming is dying the farther away from WW2 we get.

 

Pretty much this.  Younger people are not interested.  I see the same thing in the automotive collecting world, which is where I make my living.  Young people in general are losing interest in the automobile, and in the collecting hobby, the great cars of the pre WW2 era, and even into the early 60s, are losing favor, and value.  No one wants them anymore except those that already have them.

 

People are like crows, they always go for the new, more glittery bits.  Grandad's stories from the World War no longer interest them.  Maybe we need to have cell phones in the cockpit and really skinny jeans on the pilot models????

[CanadaOne]

Drastically improve the SP experience. 

[cardboard_killer]

18 minutes ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Younger people are not interested.

 

Not interested at all. Ask your next waitress under 40 what the Cold War was and you'll get a blank stare. We are the relics of a past generation, just as has always been.

[Ptolemy_Soter]

I'm 31 and I'm more than interested in WWI, WWII and Korean War aviation since IL2 Forgotten Battles.

Maybe I'm an OVNI.

 

To speak about game's graphics they were updated with Bodenplatte release.

Aircrafts are now more detailed (shapes are much more detailed). 

Unfortunately Stalingrad, Moscow and Kuban planes are still with their old graphic models.

Moreover aicraft with an already modeled older variant weren't modeled with the new standards.

Two exemples: the Spitfire IX and the Fw 190 A-8.

Edited August 15, 2020 by Ptolemy_Soter

[J2_Bidu]

Easy: improve people.

[ImaginativeTruth]

I wonder if the biggest barrier is money, space and housing.

 

For flight sims you need a relatively powerful desktop computer, monitor and peripherals - these cost money and also take up space. Money and enough space are things (in the EU at least) that are very hard to come by for people under 40, a lot of people house share.

 

Most people rent or live in transient housing - why would you invest in relatively expensive hardware when you have the likelihood of having it damaged by future moves or by landlords.

Edited August 15, 2020 by ImaginativeTruth

[Ptolemy_Soter]

Money is certainly a barrier. A game like this one will never be finished. New planes, new fronts will be added and this cost a lot.

[BraveSirRobin]

The obvious answer is to improve the parts of the game that I like and use the most.

 

But seriously, it’s a niche game.  Thousands of new players will not be walking in the door any time soon.  Or ever.

[Guest deleted@50488]

Make a civil aviation port... That's what could surely attract more users...

[[-=BP=-]Slegawsky_VR]

Business aside but

please don't

we are simply the elite.

 

7 minutes ago, J2_Bidu said:

Easy: improve people.

KillGates is on it lol

[AEthelraedUnraed]

Just now, ImaginativeTruth said:

I wonder if the biggest barrier is money, space and housing.

 

For flight sims you need a relatively powerful desktop computer, monitor and peripherals - these cost money and also take up space. Money and enough space are things (in the EU at least) that are very hard to come by for people under 40, a lot of people house share.

 

Most people rent or live in transient housing - why would you invest in relatively expensive hardware when you have the likelihood of having it damaged by future moves or by landlords.

You must live in a different part of the EU than I do as I know no-one in transient housing (I'm a student, I and most of my friends simply rent at the local student housing association for a fair price, and the ones that aren't students simply rent). Even more, why would a landlord damage your hardware? Where I live, a landlord cannot lawfully simply enter your rented house/appartment, let alone mess with your stuff. I've also never considered a future move a reason not to buy expensive hardware. In my job, I move around expensive hardware daily and I've never damaged a single PC, so I see no reason why my hardware would get damaged when I move.

 

I also had no problem running IL2 on my 5 year old laptop (only the Kuban map suffered from some low framerates), so you shouldn't even need expensive hardware to run it.

 

That said, it's an expensive game and I imagine it does put people off when they see the steep prices of the game and DLC's.

[Bernard_IV]

Difficult, expensive, and can be boring if this isn't your thing.  Flight sims like this will always be a niche thing.

[Ouky1991]

Good question. I often wonder why there aren't any articles on gaming sites, I would expect at least a mention of BoBP when it came out. Is it something devs would have to pay for?

I had to literary google IL2 to find out Great Battles series even existed.

Edited August 15, 2020 by Ouky1991

[cardboard_killer]

28 minutes ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

That said, it's an expensive game and I imagine it does put people off when they see the steep prices of the game and DLC's.

 

And yet, when there's a sale on, it's cheaper than any other flight sim worth the name since I first flown a flight sim, SWOTL anyone. I've bought the entire suite, and given away another suite during sales [exc TC, not my thing]. I cannot go to a movie for $20, but I can buy BoKp for $19.99.

[SJ_Butcher]

2 hours ago, Zeev said:

1. What are you talking about the cockpit and plane models? In my opinion they are better than DCS and any other flight sim, at least at my med-high 4K resolution settings.

2. Flight Simulator 2020 downloads real satellite images in game and recreates the building objects according to satellite image with AI while you are playing, how do you want to do it if we are playing WWII sim?

3. Unlike other sims, I have the less amount of stutters when playing this game at 4K 60 FPS (i7-9700K, RTX2080TI, 16 GB RAM, installed on SSD)

4. Never tried the minimum settings so I cannot comment on it. 

 

Well you need a pair of glasses because the textures, oh my God it sucks, only on the D9 Is decent, but older planes are forgotten... looks like you are a fanboy, the texture and models of latest planes are incredible detailed, not like here. As I said if you want that people talk about your game, push the graphics to the limits.

Edited August 15, 2020 by SJ_Butcher

[Eisenfaustus]

2 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

Update the website. It's at least one product behind (i.e. it doesn't have detailed information on BoBp planes) and has a number of other problems. I've recommended the game to people and had feedback about this and brought it up twice already in the recommendation folder. Sad fact is that when a tech company has an outdated web page, it reflects poorly on their tech ability.

 

However, mostly I hear people complain about the steep learning curve and the hardware requirements. Both of those things are both selling points and limiting factor for a greater player base. I think mostly we need to face the facts that WW2 simming is dying the farther away from WW2 we get.

Very good points indeed!

Il2 seems to be made for people who are already into ww2 cfs. Rise of flight had a great tutorial campaign - something similar would be needed here. Get trailers out way before release. Contact important gaming magazines and stuff like that. Maybe even a 1998 style pdf manual that teaches flying to someone who has 0 digital flight hours. 
 

But no interest in WWII? WWII fps and rts work great - and cfs suck at marketing. And at getting newbies started

[sniperton]

1 hour ago, Bernard_IV said:

Difficult, expensive, and can be boring if this isn't your thing.  Flight sims like this will always be a niche thing.

Very much this. Back in the 1990s I could 'fly' with a mouse and keyboard on an all-purpose PC with an all-purpose monitor. I was 'already in the business' when Il-2 convinced me in 2002 that I needed a joystick.

 

Now just to find out whether you really like combat flying or not, you have to invest a lot of time and money in acquiring a proper hardware and the proper skills, and the equipment needed (HOTAS or stick, rudder, TiR, gaming monitor or VR) are special to a degree that there's not much use for them elsewhere in the household.

 

And if you go online, you're told by the Experten (with USD 3000+ equipment and 10+ years of experience in flying) that using controllers is 'arcadish', that object icons are 'arcadish", that helping your hopeless spotting with Reshade is a cheat, and that anyone willing to start his engine with a single 'E' keystroke is not worth this noble community and should immediately return to playing War Thunder.

 

It is not a niche game. It has been made a niche game.

Edited August 15, 2020 by sniperton

[J2_Bidu]

2 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

since I first flown a flight sim, SWOTL anyone.

 

?

 

We need V2! Maybe the non-flyable version...

Edited August 15, 2020 by J2_Bidu

[DBFlyguy]

Better marketing would be a start.  Honestly, I had no idea this sim  even existed until I ran across one of Bismark's "Military Aviation History" videos featuring footage from GB a couple years back.  The main website is in dire need of updating, especially the "about" page which still doesn't list out Battle of Bodenplatte, Flying Circus or Tank Crew like it does with the earlier releases such as Battle of Moscow:

https://il2sturmovik.com/about/

 

Also, the Youtube page could use some more activity.  The trailer for Bodenplatte just came out a few weeks ago while its been in a released state for months... and the Kuban trailer has been on there for less than a year..when was Kuban completed again???

 

Also, there needs to be a lot better job reaching out to the content creators who are actively supporting the game like Wolfpack345, Magz, TJ3 Gaming, Taff in Exile, Sheriff, Military Aviation History...etc  Give them earlier access to products so they can build up hype for them prior to release, this is something the Team Fusion team knocked out of the park for CloD: Desert Wings Tobruk.  

 

One thing DCS actually does well is market their products with cool catchy trailers and reach out content creators to get that hype train going and it almost makes me forget all about the unfinished, bugged and overpriced mess that DCS currently is.

 

GB is my favorite air combat sim, I have a blast every time I start it up and I want them to do well and continue to grow, but they really...really need to step it up in the marketing,  That's my .02 cents on how to get more people interested. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by DBFlyguy

[cardboard_killer]

2 hours ago, Eisenfaustus said:

WWII fps and rts work great

 

Actually, I don't think they do anymore. Now a Space Force(tm) fps . . .

[No_Face]

51 minutes ago, DBFlyguy said:

Better marketing would be a start. 

It is true that when you do not know this game, you are quickly lost between BoS, BoM, BoK, BoB, BoN. We are not necessarily aware that everything is linked, you may think this is a new sequel. You can add TC (tanks in an airplane simulator?) Just to lose a little more someone foreign to this series. All this belonging to the great battles. There is also FC, which is similar to RoF (which is free)

Add to that the previous opuses but which come out of content like Il-2 Sturmovik: Desert Wings - Tobruk.
Add the premium versions, which are available on the site but not on Steam because yes, this game is available in two places but not with the same offers (no premium or early access on Steam), which must be linked to account.

 

So yes, we should perhaps review the marketing aspect a little so that the general public can find better.

Edited August 15, 2020 by No_Face

[cardboard_killer]

The best marketing has and always will be word of mouth. I belong to a board/wargaming site and started a flight sim folder to which I post lost of great screenshots and videos. When there's a sale on I have a standing offer to buy BoX for any new gamer interested. Only had one person take me up on it. Still, word of mouth is free and works.

[[DBS]TH0R]

To name a few ideas...

 

The game is missing its "easy mode" for new players coming in. This is by large, still a game tailored for seasoned flight sim veterans.

 

Introduce a realistic visual spotting that actually competes with other titles.

 

MP nowadays is a much broader aspect from what original IL-2 had to compete with. And here the game simply flops when compared to modern MP interfaces.

 

New content can sell only for so long, especially if you are selling it to the same crowd and not expanding your market. Bigger focus on new features and fixes, than new planes and maps is needed IMHO.

Edited August 17, 2020 by [DBS]TH0R

[AEthelraedUnraed]

56 minutes ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

And yet, when there's a sale on, it's cheaper than any other flight sim worth the name since I first flown a flight sim, SWOTL anyone. I've bought the entire suite, and given away another suite during sales [exc TC, not my thing]. I cannot go to a movie for $20, but I can buy BoKp for $19.99.

Absolutely. You know and I know that every few months there's a sale and the IL2 products have a 75% or so discount. But for someone who's just looking for games or takes a quick glance at the IL2 store, the steep prices will scare him off.

 

I'm not an economist or marketing stragetist, but I can't help but wonder if the total sales wouldn't improve with a cheaper default price and less discount during sales.

[cardboard_killer]

4 minutes ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

 

I'm not an economist or marketing stragetist, but I can't help but wonder if the total sales wouldn't improve with a cheaper default price and less discount during sales.

 

I think that because it's a niche market, the early release/quick discount once released is the best method. But you're right it does reinforce the niche "ness" of the product and probably has kept the casual buyer away during non-sale times. It's back to the problem that the very things that make the game great are impediments to casual buyers/players.

[HagarTheHorrible]

8 hours ago, LizLemon said:

Very easy

 

  Reveal hidden contents

or just pander to the chinese market

 

 

Which begs the question, why haven't they done, or prioritized, a Korean War expansion ?