Would you recommend buying Battle of Normandy for single player?

[parkerc341]

I only play single player, but I really am tempted to get Battle of Normandy. I would be getting standard, as even though I like the spit XIV, i have no interest in the arado. My main reason is the mosquito, but I also think I could enjoy other careers. I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

[Mtnbiker1998]

I doubt you'll see many people telling you not to buy it. The map is excellent, the planes are great, especially the Mosquito (and thats coming from someone who doesn't usually like Brit planes) Career mode, AQMB and EMG will have plenty to keep you occupied in SP, and eventually PWCG will be updated aswell.

 

Plus, you can still get the pre-order discount and get the standard edition for $50, which his probably as cheap as it will go for a little while. Now is a good time to snag it.

[parkerc341]

41 minutes ago, Mtnbiker1998 said:

Plus, you can still get the pre-order discount and get the standard edition for $50, which his probably as cheap as it will go for a little while. Now is a good time to snag it.

Yeah, I think I'll pick it up tomorrow on payday.

[PaladinX]

Do not forget, you can not control the AI. Thats a big minus in singleplayer compared to the legendary IL2 1946.

[Art-J]

Well, people have been reporting some issues with single and career missions, but that's normal for a fresh product. Still a bit rough around the edges, almost in Early Access phase, plenty of tweaking still in the pipeline I'm sure. That being said, it's only going to get better (especially once PWCG implements the Normandy), but so will the price get higher. I'd take it while the discount is still on.

[Dallas88B]

@parkerc341 Normandy certainly looks terrific. The scenery is quite different to the other Great Battles (Bodenplate, Kuban etc) which, to me, is a bit appealing in itself. I have not played it myself yet (other commitments) but I would not hesitate to get a copy for the reasons others have described here.... I ordered it when it first became available for preorder and that was ages ago.
 

If you have a half decent internet connection, can I commend to you to try Multiplayer. Server administrators have Normandy maps running now and you really should try that out when you can... initially maybe try in a quieter time when less folk are on the server. Some servers have training servers too and thats always worth a try first. Combat Box is excellent and Unprofessionals is good too (Unpro is in Australia)

 

IL2 is pretty hard to beat if you can play Multiplayer with a mate...being able to talk to each other as you fly together, calling out the enemy to each other, working tactics together... it is a terrific experience. Even on your own its OK...albeit harder, it seems some excellent pilots, You Tubes Der Sheriff, and others, (and rubbish pilots like me) fly alone often. 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Dallas88B
Added address

[Ala13_UnopaUno_VR]

Take 49$ Now!! 

[ST_Catchov]

1 hour ago, Dallas88B said:

IL2 is pretty hard to beat if you can play Multiplayer

 

What up/down speeds do you have? And ping to Euro/US servers?

[Dallas88B]

54 minutes ago, ST_Catchov said:

What up/down speeds do you have? And ping to Euro/US servers?

 

IL2 gives the player an idea of suitable ping (good connections) by the colour scheme (Red, Yellow, Green) in the multiplayer server list.

Obviously this varies depending in where the player is located compared to the server location.

With Upload of 8 Mbps and download of 35 Mbps from here I have been able to play on US server Combat Box without issue (235 ping and yellow on Il2 list)

European servers I have not tried much - some were problematic for me and I mostly fly Combat Box and Unpro.

"Finnish Virtual Pilots" doesn't report ping (although I have been able to connect and fly in the past).

Wings of Liberty ( I have never tried) is showing 314 and red - don't know if that would work or not from here.

[ST_Catchov]

38 minutes ago, Dallas88B said:

With Upload of 8 Mbps and download of 35 Mbps from here I have been able to play on US server Combat Box without issue (235 ping and yellow on Il2 list)

 

Thanks Dallas. That's pretty much the speeds and ping I get. Unpro is very good ping of course being based in Oz but I wish they had an Arras map for FC.

[depapier]

I think its terrific. But you can't be a flight lead since AI doesn't listen (on any map, campaign, scenario), so that's a bit sad. Otherwise, the plane set, the map, the scheduled events like landing are fantastic.

[R3animate]

7 hours ago, parkerc341 said:

I only play single player, but I really am tempted to get Battle of Normandy. I would be getting standard, as even though I like the spit XIV, i have no interest in the arado. My main reason is the mosquito, but I also think I could enjoy other careers. I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

 

If you enjoyed BOBP, Normandy feels like an improvement in every aspect. 

 

I tend to play more RCAF careers than anything else -- for Spitfire/Mosquito, the early career starts you in England. You'll do a lot of airfield bombing (at night too) and V1 intercepts. In the later phases, you'll move into France. At this point you'll get some missions that take place quite close by with a lot more excitement going on.

 

The late career for Normandy is probably the best the career mission generation has been. There's SO MUCH going on and the travel time is drastically reduced.

[hebog5]

Will this be available on Steam soon?

Thank you.

[Gunfreak]

Lots of bugs and not well planned features (like adding tones of historically correct clouds but not doing anything with the AI so the AI just flies inside the clouds for 40 minutes. Or missions not registered as successful after it actually was successful. 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

39 minutes ago, hebog5 said:

Will this be available on Steam soon?

Thank you.

Pretty sure it will be. Although exactly when, nobody knows. Might be today, might be a month from now.

[Eisenfaustus]

9 hours ago, parkerc341 said:

I only play single player, but I really am tempted to get Battle of Normandy. I would be getting standard, as even though I like the spit XIV, i have no interest in the arado. My main reason is the mosquito, but I also think I could enjoy other careers. I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

I'm playing a I/JG 26 Career currently and having a blast. I love the map and planes - there are some mosquito squadrons positioned close enough to the coast, that you'll reach France in a reasonable time - in Contrast withe the German heavy fighters there is a lot of marching...

 

But soon pwcq will include normandy - I'm very much looking forward to that.

[PaladinX]

For singleplayer only i seriously recommend the old IL2 1946 with the B.A.T. mod and a good A.I. and endless missions and campaigns, even dynamic ones...

I have the old and the new IL2 installed parallel because sometimes i like to fly online with the new IL2.

[Harlequin]

The AI squad commands do work sometimes.  I've found recently in PWCG they are working more times than not.  But they're not perfectly reliable.  If it's an escort mission it's best to not be lead as the ai is better at the bomber rendezvous etc.  Ground attack they seem to do ok.  For patrol type missions I usually go as flight lead.  If they attack when you give the order they'll usually behave for the rest of the mission.  I'd say 6-7 missions out of ten they do as they're told.   Not perfect but better than before.

[CountZero]

10 hours ago, parkerc341 said:

I only play single player, but I really am tempted to get Battle of Normandy. I would be getting standard, as even though I like the spit XIV, i have no interest in the arado. My main reason is the mosquito, but I also think I could enjoy other careers. I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

If im you my way of thinking would be, If i like SP with DLCs you have, i will like Normandy SP also.

If i waited this long and not got BoN when it was 10$ off, i can probably wait few months more and get it when it gets 25% off, like for example BoBp was 25% off in february 2020 just 3 months after it got released in late 2019, so i would be counting on sale of BoN later in 2022. 

Edited September 13, 2022 by CountZero

[=LD=dhyran]

if you like IL2, its a must have! i bought all parts, collector planes etc and never regret even one cent! Our little combat flight community is realy a niche market, so we support with every $ the ongoing development. So my clear advise: BUY!

[Avimimus]

10 hours ago, parkerc341 said:

I only play single player, but I really am tempted to get Battle of Normandy. I would be getting standard, as even though I like the spit XIV, i have no interest in the arado. My main reason is the mosquito, but I also think I could enjoy other careers. I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

 

I originally thought I wouldn't be interested in the Arado... but I've found that I fly it quite a bit (a lot more than in the original Il-2). So I'd recommend keeping an open mind.

 

The Typhoon is also quite interesting, and the Ju-88C can be pretty satisfying for strafing (if one learns to avoid the AA and trees). The Me-410 is its own thing 'relaxed static stability without fly-by-wire'... inherently unstable, and thus extra fun for aerobatics if you are a bit mad.

 

I was a bit disappointed by the English side of the map, but the Continent is quite well done... and it is definitely one of the most interesting maps so far (lots of valleys in some parts of France, several types of cliff etc.)

[JG4_Moltke1871]

I play all, single and multiplayer.

And in my opinion both parts each alone are worth to buy it.

And with a separate view on the single player: Especially the career mode have so many options. On the German side a lot of night sorties with Ju88 or Me410, with the Mosquito on British side so nice action attack train stations, V1 launchers or gun positions. I hope with the next updates also get the chance fly a A20 career there. I can chose already a C47 squad without a plane ?

AQMB for some quick action…

You have no interest for Ar234?

Jump in and learn to love it.

So many Careers I just started to check out all the planes ?

For me it’s simply impressive have the flights over the channel with my AI squad mates and enjoy the engines sounds.

Just my opinion.

Write this makes me horny to fly, I think I continue my Mosquito Career now ?

[F19_Haddock]

The AQMB is just brilliant. That's all I play these days. plenty to keep you busy until we get some scripted campaigns for Normandy

[RyanR]

I'd buy it for sure, just to have the planes for Battle of Bodenplatte. I wouldn't plan to *enjoy* single player career in Battle of Normandy until a lot gets fixed. For now, the map feels like a tremendous waste of effort as all you see is the featureless English Channel. Take off, hit the enemy coast, then basically everyone dies. Do that once or twice, and that's a wasted evening.

 

Back to Stalingrad then Kuban for me. Maybe BoN will be functional by then.

 

-Ryan

[Gambit21]

11 hours ago, F19_Haddock said:

The AQMB is just brilliant. That's all I play these days. plenty to keep you busy until we get some scripted campaigns for Normandy

 

The scripted campaigns will come eventually no doubt - although not like you saw with the previous release unfortunately.

Wait long enough though and you'll see a few. However from what I hear the AQMB is so good that you won't miss them as much.

 

 

 

[senseispcc]

Yes, and only bacause the map is so big that you could ever hope to see all of it!?

[F19_Haddock]

14 hours ago, RyanR said:

 For now, the map feels like a tremendous waste of effort as all you see is the featureless English Channel. Take off, hit the enemy coast, then basically everyone dies.

 

You know you can start a campaign post D-Day? With airbases for all sides on French soil? It's pretty cool

[jeanba]

I agree : the Allied careers starting from England I tested are not very exciting, only the Mosquito career has some interest.

But careers starting from France are fairly similar to previous module.

[Gunfreak]

17 minutes ago, F19_Haddock said:

You know you can start a campaign post D-Day? With airbases for all sides on French soil? It's pretty cool

 

True but many squadrons will still be on the other side. If you choose the Caen offensive.  There's only one squadron of IX in France,  the vast majority of France based squadrons for the RAF seem to be typhoons.

 

I personally don't mind the long flights, even tho it doesn't feel very IL2, it feels DCS. However those long flight get boring quick because of the changes to the AI, where you'll get shot. Randomly from strange angles with no warning. 

[Alexmarine]

I'll never get the aversion of combat flight simmers to actually flying the planes for any long period of time... 

[Boomerang]

On 9/13/2022 at 12:14 PM, parkerc341 said:

I am just unsure as I am not good at making decisions.

Hi,

Never know unless you give it ago. I have no regrets, (personal choice).

 

[RyanR]

5 hours ago, F19_Haddock said:

You know you can start a campaign post D-Day? With airbases for all sides on French soil? It's pretty cool

 

So bypass everything about the Battle of Normandy in the Battle of Normandy campaign?

 

It kinda becomes BoBP-"lite" at that point. Might as well play BoBP itself, which is a ton of fun in any plane.

 

Flying across the channel is actually super cool. All the WWII memoirs I've read over the decades were skewed towards the ETC mostly because I'm a B-17 geek. It's a thrill to hit the enemy coast, just as it's exciting to see the white cliffs of Dover again as you anxiously nurse a plane back that's damaged and/or low on fuel. All the ingredients are there for this to be very fun. Unfortunately, the career mode in BoN is almost completely unplayable.

 

-Ryan

[[CPT]Crunch]

I'd definitely recommend it for Married Players.

[Jaegermeister]

To the OP...

 

If I were just starting out in this series, as a single married pilot, I would go with Battle of Normandy, and then get Battle of Bodenplatte after. You can fly a career with certain squadrons all the way through from early 1944 until the end of the war in April '45.

 

I would get the premium edition of both, which would give me the P-38 Lightning and the Spitfire Mk XIV allowing me to fly with more squadrons throughout the Western Front war.

 

Fortunately I don't have to choose, because I have all that already, but that's what I would do.

[percydanvers]

I play a lot of single player and I very much enjoy Battle of Normandy. You will not be disappointed.