New Player - Would appreciate recommendations on a first pack

[ExtremisDiabolus]

Hi,

 

First off, happy holidays and I hope you have a happy and healthy 2025 o7

 

Apologies for echoing the age old question - "Which pack to start with?"

 

I'm looking to dip my toes into IL2. I'm completely new with very little piloting knowledge (spent a little time with a Cessna in XPlane a few years ago). My budget is low, so I would like to try one Great Battles pack to start my learning.

 

Short term, I mostly want to train in free flight, and apply that in some campaigns/missions. I'm not too picky with aircraft, I'm happy to give anything a go.

 

Thank you!

[Winkysmith]

Welcome, and a happy new year!

 

I hope that you find a lot of enjoyment from IL-2 when you pick up a module.
 

I think that for a varied experience, many would agree that Battle of Kuban is a good option to start with. It has a great variety of aircraft, including a couple of twin-engines, and an interesting map to go with them. There are a few aircraft, namely the BF-109 and FW-190, which are comparatively easy to learn in, since most of the engine systems are automated. In those, all you have to worry about really is the throttle setting and where you are going

 

As well as those, there are a few more complex aircraft that require a bit more management and finesse to fly. Some examples of those would be the HS-129 from the Premium Edition (a fairly tricky plane to fly well), and the P-39 Airacobra.

 

As such you can sort of pick your difficulty, and you can step it up or down by just picking a more complex or simpler plane. The variety also extends to different mission capabilities. You have fighters (Yak-7b, Spitfire Mk. Vb, P-39 for the Soviet Union, BF-109, FW-190, and to a limited extent BF-110 for Germany), ground attack aircraft (IL-2 for Soviets, HS-129 and BF-110 for Germany), and bombers (HE-111 for Germany, A-20 for Soviets), so there is plenty of variety in capabilities and mission types that you can play around with, too!

 

To add to all of that, the premium edition, which gives you two extra aeroplanes (the Spitfire and the HS-129 - quite a fun little plane!), is on sale currently for 20 USD, only a few dollars more than the standard edition and a quarter of its normal price. Don’t rush into a decision, but I promise you, that is a great deal!

 

I’m sure others will comment with their opinions as well. Some may agree with my points, some may have other thoughts. In the end, it really is up to you to decide what you want to buy. I only want to help you to make an informed decision.

 

I hope that I’ve been able to help!

 

Regards,

William  

 

 

[ExtremisDiabolus]

12 minutes ago, Winkysmith said:

Welcome, and a happy new year!

 

I hope that you find a lot of enjoyment from IL-2 when you pick up a module.
 

I think that for a varied experience, many would agree that Battle of Kuban is a good option to start with. It has a great variety of aircraft, including a couple of twin-engines, and an interesting map to go with them. There are a few aircraft, namely the BF-109 and FW-190, which are comparatively easy to learn in, since most of the engine systems are automated. In those, all you have to worry about really is the throttle setting and where you are going

 

As well as those, there are a few more complex aircraft that require a bit more management and finesse to fly. Some examples of those would be the HS-129 from the Premium Edition (a fairly tricky plane to fly well), and the P-39 Airacobra.

 

As such you can sort of pick your difficulty, and you can step it up or down by just picking a more complex or simpler plane. The variety also extends to different mission capabilities. You have fighters (Yak-7b, Spitfire Mk. Vb, P-39 for the Soviet Union, BF-109, FW-190, and to a limited extent BF-110 for Germany), ground attack aircraft (IL-2 for Soviets, HS-129 and BF-110 for Germany), and bombers (HE-111 for Germany, A-20 for Soviets), so there is plenty of variety in capabilities and mission types that you can play around with, too!

 

To add to all of that, the premium edition, which gives you two extra aeroplanes (the Spitfire and the HS-129 - quite a fun little plane!), is on sale currently for 20 USD, only a few dollars more than the standard edition and a quarter of its normal price. Don’t rush into a decision, but I promise you, that is a great deal!

 

I’m sure others will comment with their opinions as well. Some may agree with my points, some may have other thoughts. In the end, it really is up to you to decide what you want to buy. I only want to help you to make an informed decision.

 

I hope that I’ve been able to help!

 

Regards,

William  

 

 

Thank you, William. Very informative!

 

I did some reading prior to posting and aside from the general advice of "Pick whichever pack has the planes you want", I did see Battle of Kuban come up for people wishing to focus more on single-player.

 

I'll start with Kuban 😃 I'd love to snatch a few packs, but the bank is keeping a close eye on me (joys of mortgage applications). So I need to be on good behaviour until that's all sorted.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to answer. Happy New Year to you also.

 

Kind regards,

Seán

 

Edit - typos

Edited December 31, 2024 by ExtremisDiabolus

[Winkysmith]

5 hours ago, ExtremisDiabolus said:

Thank you, William. Very informative!

 

I did some reading prior to posting and aside from the general advice of "Pick whichever pack has the planes you want", I did see Battle of Kuban come up for people wishing to focus more on single-player.

 

I'll start with Kuban 😃 I'd love to snatch a few packs, but the bank is keeping a close eye on me (joys of mortgage applications). So I need to be on good behaviour until that's all sorted.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to answer. Happy New Year to you also.

 

Kind regards,

Seán

 

Edit - typos

I’m glad I was able to help, Seán! I hope that you enjoy Kuban.

 

Good luck with your mortgage, and with learning the sim!

 

Kind regards,

William

[AEthelraedUnraed]

@ExtremisDiabolus One more thing to consider is whether or not you're a Steam user or are interested in the advantages it offers (easy game management/installation, generally faster download speeds). If you want to play on Steam, you need Battle of Stalingrad specifically, bought from the Steam store.

 

I see you already bought Kuban from the website store (indicated by the banner underneath your name), but if you ever want to switch to Steam, buy BoS on the Steam store and link your accounts, after which you can play Kuban without having to buy it again on Steam. (Same goes for other modules you buy from the website store.)

[ExtremisDiabolus]

7 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

@ExtremisDiabolus One more thing to consider is whether or not you're a Steam user or are interested in the advantages it offers (easy game management/installation, generally faster download speeds). If you want to play on Steam, you need Battle of Stalingrad specifically, bought from the Steam store.

 

I see you already bought Kuban from the website store (indicated by the banner underneath your name), but if you ever want to switch to Steam, buy BoS on the Steam store and link your accounts, after which you can play Kuban without having to buy it again on Steam. (Same goes for other modules you buy from the website store.)

Ah, good to know! I was aware of the requirement on BoS as a prerequisite on Steam, but didn't realise I can link my accounts without re-buying modules/packs. Thanks for that

[Avimimus]

I'd also recommend picking up Flying Circus for some variety of experience - perhaps Vol.II or Vol.III (as both are on sale at a good price and have some very interesting aircraft).

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum - Battle of Normandy is a pretty nice collection. Although I'd encourage continuing to explore the war in Eastern Europe and learning to appreciate flying the earlier slower planes which lack armoured glass etc. They provide a great experience and are often more enjoyable flying experiences then the late war planes - but a lot of people get addicted to the speed and firepower that aircraft had in 1944/1945 and never learn to really enjoy the lighter and more agile fights of the early war.

[ExtremisDiabolus]

10 hours ago, Avimimus said:

I'd also recommend picking up Flying Circus for some variety of experience - perhaps Vol.II or Vol.III (as both are on sale at a good price and have some very interesting aircraft).

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum - Battle of Normandy is a pretty nice collection. Although I'd encourage continuing to explore the war in Eastern Europe and learning to appreciate flying the earlier slower planes which lack armoured glass etc. They provide a great experience and are often more enjoyable flying experiences then the late war planes - but a lot of people get addicted to the speed and firepower that aircraft had in 1944/1945 and never learn to really enjoy the lighter and more agile fights of the early war.

I definitely understand the sentiment here and I agree. Reminds me of learning to fly a helicopter in DCS - It's better to start off with something like a Huey to a) Just understand the forces at play and how to control them. b) How more advanced systems in newer aircraft actually affect the flying experience when you do graduate up. It just gives you that more rounded context and sense of appreciation when you move on.

 

So I'm all for practicing on earlier aircraft and I'll take your recommendation.

 

Thank you!

[MaxPower]

It could depend heavily on the aircraft you're interested in.  Early war tends to be good for the Luftwaffe.  Late war tends to be good for the allies on an aircraft capabilities and general war situation basis.

If you want to stomp the Luftwaffe in a P-51 or a Tempest, go with with Normandy or Bodenplatte.  The later scenarios also include more Western allied aircraft if that's your thing.  If you like the idea of flying Luftwaffe aircraft (which are by and large more automated than Allied aircraft), with all their crazy min-maxing designs, the early war scenarios are good for a new Luftwaffe pilot.  The late war Luftwaffe stuff is pure madness, but fighting late war Allied aircraft is a lot tougher.

[RNAS10_Mitchell]

Flying Circus.  Absolutely.  Volume 1 a great place to get started,  and an absolute bargin.

[PB0_Roll]

I'd go Bodenplatte.

 

Fully instrumented and trimmed planes for easy navigation and blind flying if/when needed.

 

Faster planes for faster navigation in free flight.

 

Jet !

 

More known planes in the west than Kuban's so you can read about them many, many personal stories of the ones who flew them there for inspiration.