Frustrations as a Beginner in IL-2 Multiplayer

[friendlybeard]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been enjoying IL-2 Normandy for a while and recently decided to try multiplayer to connect with other players and add some excitement to the experience. I've played on Combat Box and EU servers and have encountered a mix of friendly and not-so-friendly interactions.

As a beginner in multiplayer, I’ve found it tough to fully enjoy the experience. Some players take the game very seriously, and while I understand the passion, it feels a bit over the top at times.

 

For instance, despite my best efforts to identify planes (my 15" laptop screen probably doesn't help), I’ve made the mistake of shooting at friendlies. When this happens, the anger I receive is as if I’ve committed a mortal sin. Even after apologising profusely, it often feels like the damage is irreparable. Honestly, if someone accidentally shot me, I’d shrug it off—it’s a game, and mistakes happen!

 

Not sure what I'm after here, I guess I just needed to vent my frustration. I had hoped multiplayer would feel more welcoming to newcomers, but it hasn’t lived up to that so far. I’m considering taking a break from online play, although it’s a shame because AI can get pretty predictable.

 

Thanks for hearing me out, and happy flying to you all!

 

All the best,

 

Rob

 

  

[dryheat94]

All multiplayer games are like that. Some are out just to have fun, and others play like it's irl and their lives are on the line. Look for a squadron of like minded players as yourself, who just want to have fun.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

Although you should not team kill, your problem is that you let it bother you.

[friendlybeard]

2 hours ago, dryheat94 said:

All multiplayer games are like that. Some are out just to have fun, and others play like it's irl and their lives are on the line. Look for a squadron of like minded players as yourself, who just want to have fun.

True that. Thanks.

 

1 hour ago, -TBC-AeroAce said:

Although you should not team kill, your problem is that you let it bother you.

 

I do have a thin skin. I don't like pissing people off. I just want everyone to have fun!

[BraveSirRobin]

I was shot up by a “friendly” on Combat Box last night.  I gave him a pointer about how to ID whether an aircraft is a bad guy over a friendly airfield.  I’d like to think he’ll also use the new callsign I gave him.  Dumbass.

 

If you shoot up friendly aircraft you should expect a negative response.  But I thought calling him a dumbass was pretty tame.  Especially since I also provided good advice.

BTW, you can be banned by a server if you keep shooting down friendly aircraft.  You might want to get a bigger monitor.

[AndyJWest]

At the risk of sounding controversial, might I suggest that if you can't tell a friendly aircraft from an enemy, you shouldn't be shooting?

 

Some multiplayer servers can be pretty toxic for newcomers, but you do need to at least meet them half way.

[Avimimus]

2 hours ago, friendlybeard said:

I do have a thin skin. I don't like pissing people off. I just want everyone to have fun!

 

Yeah, I get that it is sometimes harder to 'not let people bother you'.

 

You might try joining a squad or finding people to fly with. Find the right people and it'll ensure that at least some of the interactions are nice and supportive.

[R33GZ]

7 hours ago, friendlybeard said:

Hi everyone,

 

I've been enjoying IL-2 Normandy for a while and recently decided to try multiplayer to connect with other players and add some excitement to the experience. I've played on Combat Box and EU servers and have encountered a mix of friendly and not-so-friendly interactions.

As a beginner in multiplayer, I’ve found it tough to fully enjoy the experience. Some players take the game very seriously, and while I understand the passion, it feels a bit over the top at times.

 

For instance, despite my best efforts to identify planes (my 15" laptop screen probably doesn't help), I’ve made the mistake of shooting at friendlies. When this happens, the anger I receive is as if I’ve committed a mortal sin. Even after apologising profusely, it often feels like the damage is irreparable. Honestly, if someone accidentally shot me, I’d shrug it off—it’s a game, and mistakes happen!

 

Not sure what I'm after here, I guess I just needed to vent my frustration. I had hoped multiplayer would feel more welcoming to newcomers, but it hasn’t lived up to that so far. I’m considering taking a break from online play, although it’s a shame because AI can get pretty predictable.

 

Thanks for hearing me out, and happy flying to you all!

 

All the best,

 

Rob

 

  

I know personally, it can be more than a little annoying sometimes.... Ive taken 30min to take the long safe way to a target before, only to be damaged enough to not be able to continue.... by a friendly. You'll get better at ID, even better again if you have a bigger, better monitor 😉

[Panzerlang]

A 15" screen. Holy mother of god. I feel a mixture of awe and pity. Lol.

A lot of players are role-players, playing DiD (Dead is Dead) and being killed by a careless comrade will, very predictably, induce rage. So, instead of prioritizing your kill (of an uncertainly identified target), prioritize instead the survival of potential friendlies, even if/when it means losing out. There is no excuse, and that most certainly includes your lack of hardware. 

[GenMarkof007]

S! @friendlybeard

 

I understand how you feel...
But, one of the rules in MP servers, is always try your best to identify your enemy planes before shooting... even if this means that you will get shot first.

Also, they are Multiplayer servers for intermediate and veteran pilots and some for new pilots.
The biggest thing about veteran servers (like Combat Box and TAW campaigns), most of the time, you will see more squadrons playing on those servers.. and most of the time, players are more serious about playing sim flying (and not getting shot by friendly). Also, those servers are more difficult for engine management and navigation.

Also, try not to learn new planes on MP servers... one quick trick I do for most of the learning of new planes...
1- try to see if you can find any tutorial on that plane on YouTube.
2- try to do a few single-player flyouts and see how things goes (taking off, flying, and landing).
3- when ready, try to fly on easy MP servers and if possible, see if you can join any of the pilots on Discord.

I think that some of the more expert players do post some helpful tips for new pilots and tankers coming into the IL-2 community.
Might be helpful to try to find some topics for new pilots in the IL-2 Forum...

Cheers,
GenMarkof  +

Edited January 9 by GenMarkof007

[ShamrockOneFive]

Sorry to hear that you've had a negative interaction online. It will happen no matter your skill or experience level. Most folks are generally pretty understanding, however, I have been shot at by friendlies and even after extensive attempts to get them to recognize that we were friendlies they still ended up shooting at me a bunch more times. It's a very frustrating situation to be on the receiving end as well.

 

The best thing to do is move past it, you made the mistake, your apologized and then the next step is to try and avoid doing it again. That's the learning process and so as long as you're doing that I think you'll be doing just fine.

[357th_KW]

9 hours ago, friendlybeard said:

Hi everyone,

 

I've been enjoying IL-2 Normandy for a while and recently decided to try multiplayer to connect with other players and add some excitement to the experience. I've played on Combat Box and EU servers and have encountered a mix of friendly and not-so-friendly interactions.

As a beginner in multiplayer, I’ve found it tough to fully enjoy the experience. Some players take the game very seriously, and while I understand the passion, it feels a bit over the top at times.

 

For instance, despite my best efforts to identify planes (my 15" laptop screen probably doesn't help), I’ve made the mistake of shooting at friendlies. When this happens, the anger I receive is as if I’ve committed a mortal sin. Even after apologising profusely, it often feels like the damage is irreparable. Honestly, if someone accidentally shot me, I’d shrug it off—it’s a game, and mistakes happen!

 

Not sure what I'm after here, I guess I just needed to vent my frustration. I had hoped multiplayer would feel more welcoming to newcomers, but it hasn’t lived up to that so far. I’m considering taking a break from online play, although it’s a shame because AI can get pretty predictable.

 

Thanks for hearing me out, and happy flying to you all!

 

All the best,

 

Rob

 

  

Aircraft ID and spotting are fundamental to PvP play, and you are at an enormous disadvantage on a 15” laptop screen.  You could try out some icons on servers.  Though many find that a little disappointing.
 

On top of that, this game has been around for over a decade now and veteran players are incredibly dangerous.  Maybe try some PvE or mixed PvE/PvP.  Flying with human wingmen is a game changer, but it can sometimes be tough to link up with folks as a new player in competitive environments like that.   I run a mixed PvE/PvP server with no permanent scoring, and things tend to be a little more light hearted and friendly.   We’re having a fly out event tomorrow - come check it out and I’ll wing up with you.

 

If this is a hobby you decide to pursue further, it’s definitely worth it to pick up a larger external monitor.  

 

[friendlybeard]

Thanks everyone who replied. 

 

What has helped me is to know that my 15" screen gives me disadvantage, because I honestly I do try to ID (use Zoom, fly closer, I even printed out some silhouettes) before shooting, but I have found it extremely difficult to get it right. By the way, my friendly fire incidents have only happened 3/4 times over playing most nights for 3 months and only one resulted in death. But maybe due to my screen size, I shouldn't be playing multiplayer for sake of other people.

 

Thanks for helping me understand the other side more. I guess I'm just one of those guys who has never taken games or sport seriously. It makes me think of school, playing football, where some people took it sooo seriously, as though they were playing the cup final! I just could never understand it - I thought sport was meant to be fun, but I'm just probably not a competitive person, and I think 'I might die tomorrow', so I'm not going to take a football match or flight sim game very seriously.

 

4 hours ago, 357th_KW said:

Aircraft ID and spotting are fundamental to PvP play, and you are at an enormous disadvantage on a 15” laptop screen.  You could try out some icons on servers.  Though many find that a little disappointing.
 

On top of that, this game has been around for over a decade now and veteran players are incredibly dangerous.  Maybe try some PvE or mixed PvE/PvP.  Flying with human wingmen is a game changer, but it can sometimes be tough to link up with folks as a new player in competitive environments like that.   I run a mixed PvE/PvP server with no permanent scoring, and things tend to be a little more light hearted and friendly.   We’re having a fly out event tomorrow - come check it out and I’ll wing up with you.

 

If this is a hobby you decide to pursue further, it’s definitely worth it to pick up a larger external monitor.  

 

 

Thanks so much for the invitation! I will think on it, as my screen isn't getting any bigger and quite frankly, I'm scared I'll mess up again! But how do I load/join the server, will it just show up on the list of servers?

 

Thanks all,

Rob 

Edited January 9 by friendlybeard

[Zooropa_Fly]

Have you thought about doing some ground attack Rob ?

 

I have to fly right past another plane to identify it.. and even then..

ID'ing things in ww2 is a problem for me, and that's on a 36" screen.

ww1 not so much as I've much more experience and other planes tend to be closer and much slower.

 

So, when I'm on a ww2 server I'll most likely be attacking ground targets and trying to avoid combat.

Either that or circling a 'friendly' target hoping to intercept lone multi-seaters, which are easy to ID, plus I have the comfort of being able to make a pass at high speed with the knowledge I'm likely to be in a much faster plane than my quarry.

 

A bigger screen would definitely help you, and I suspect if you're struggling for frame rate - that makes it a harder still, if not near impossible at times.

But aye, best not to shoot if unsure..

 

S!

 

[Stonehouse]

Old guide but may help you. Most aircraft have some sort of unique characteristic and if you are too far out to really make out this level of detail then you are too far out to shoot anyway.

[dgiatr]

1 hour ago, friendlybeard said:

Thanks everyone who replied. 

 

What has helped me is to know that my 15" screen gives me disadvantage, because I honestly I do try to ID (use Zoom, fly closer, I even printed out some silhouettes) before shooting, but I have found it extremely difficult to get it right. By the way, my friendly fire incidents have only happened 3/4 times over playing most nights for 3 months and only one resulted in death. But maybe due to my screen size, I shouldn't be playing multiplayer for sake of other people.

 

Thanks for helping me understand the other side more. I guess I'm just one of those guys who has never taken games or sport seriously. It makes me think of school, playing football, where some people took it sooo seriously, as though they were playing the cup final! I just could never understand it - I thought sport was meant to be fun, but I'm just probably not a competitive person, and I think 'I might die tomorrow', so I'm not going to take a football match or flight sim game very seriously.

 

 

Thanks so much for the invitation! I will think on it, as my screen isn't getting any bigger and quite frankly, I'm scared I'll mess up again! But how do I load/join the server, will it just show up on the list of servers?

 

Thanks all,

Rob 

Why don't you close the "players messages" option when you fly MP?

 

When I was flying MP i never had that game option activated and never regretted it. I don't know many players who stay calm when they fly MP, considering me too..That's the main reason I abandoned flying MP because you often receive the negative energy especially when "players messages" option is activated, from some other players flying online and you send them yours too..

 

Of course you miss the excitement if you don't fly MP , single player missions are quite boring especially  with those stupid AI enemies ....but that's life something you loose, something you win....

Edited January 9 by dgiatr

[[CPT]Crunch]

Four eyeballs are ten time more effective.  Find a wingman or squad, the task is too much starting out online alone on those servers.

Edited January 9 by [CPT]Crunch

[friendlybeard]

21 hours ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

Have you thought about doing some ground attack Rob ?

 

I have to fly right past another plane to identify it.. and even then..

ID'ing things in ww2 is a problem for me, and that's on a 36" screen.

ww1 not so much as I've much more experience and other planes tend to be closer and much slower.

 

So, when I'm on a ww2 server I'll most likely be attacking ground targets and trying to avoid combat.

Either that or circling a 'friendly' target hoping to intercept lone multi-seaters, which are easy to ID, plus I have the comfort of being able to make a pass at high speed with the knowledge I'm likely to be in a much faster plane than my quarry.

 

A bigger screen would definitely help you, and I suspect if you're struggling for frame rate - that makes it a harder still, if not near impossible at times.

But aye, best not to shoot if unsure..

 

S!

 

Thanks for your message - yes that could be a way to go, thanks for the idea!

21 hours ago, dgiatr said:

Why don't you close the "players messages" option when you fly MP?

 

When I was flying MP i never had that game option activated and never regretted it. I don't know many players who stay calm when they fly MP, considering me too..That's the main reason I abandoned flying MP because you often receive the negative energy especially when "players messages" option is activated, from some other players flying online and you send them yours too..

 

Of course you miss the excitement if you don't fly MP , single player missions are quite boring especially  with those stupid AI enemies ....but that's life something you loose, something you win....

Thanks, yes I could do that. But then I can't apologise if I mess up! 🙂 I'll think on it, cheers!

 

[friendlybeard]

22 hours ago, Stonehouse said:

Old guide but may help you. Most aircraft have some sort of unique characteristic and if you are too far out to really make out this level of detail then you are too far out to shoot anyway.

Thanks very much for this. Look at the Spit compared to the BF109 F2 onwards - so similar! I know: practice, practise, practise. 

[ITAF_Rani]

Hi if you are new at this sim I suggest to make practice with the identification of planes before flying  in servers more demanding...

I can suggest you to follow this scale:

 

 Berloga: training dogfight pvp/ AI server  

 

Wings of liberty: the situation become more interesting but always " casual ".

In my opinions offers help as navigation icon "on" and missions less structured.

It is an intermediate situation,you have practice in a contest more structured  than berloga.

 

TAW and Combat Box: in my opinion, these two are more demanding and are populated by squadrons and players who take the sim in a more seriously way.

Pay attention to recognize planes.

 

I suggest to make practice with the first two servers  before proceed with TAW and Combat Box.

Edited January 10 by ITAF_Rani

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

On 1/8/2025 at 7:34 PM, friendlybeard said:

I had hoped multiplayer would feel more welcoming to newcomers

PvP are rarely friendly environment. Sim players are the most friendly I think so. 

Try WW1 those guys are honorable in most cases o7

[Stonehouse]

11 minutes ago, friendlybeard said:

Look at the Spit compared to the BF109 F2 onwards

The giveaway is the Spit has one radiator on the right wing and the 109 has two. There is usually some feature you can use to tell if you look closely.

[friendlybeard]

27 minutes ago, Stonehouse said:

The giveaway is the Spit has one radiator on the right wing and the 109 has two. There is usually some feature you can use to tell if you look closely.

Sure, the earlier versions, but later had 2. My point is, it's tricky. I feel like it wouldn't have been as difficult in real life, in full techincolour, so's to speak! I know friendly fire incidents did occur, but I wonder if the colours and symbols would have been clearer - I wonder if IL-2 should make it a bit easier to identify planes, for a monitor, no matter how big it is, will never be as clear as real life vision. But I may be wrong. 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

27 minutes ago, friendlybeard said:

Sure, the earlier versions, but later had 2. My point is, it's tricky. I feel like it wouldn't have been as difficult in real life, in full techincolour, so's to speak! I know friendly fire incidents did occur, but I wonder if the colours and symbols would have been clearer - I wonder if IL-2 should make it a bit easier to identify planes, for a monitor, no matter how big it is, will never be as clear as real life vision. But I may be wrong. 

Yes, of course in real life it would have been easier, especially with the larger "resolution" of your eyes. And as you note, even then friendly fire did occur. IL2 has the option to use icons for those who want easier ID, but besides that I don't really know what else they could do.

 

Regarding the ID guide above, remember that it's from dead astern and personally that's rarely how I ever see an aircraft. If the enemy is turning, you should be able to see his wings and those are a lot easier to ID. In the rare cases that you surprise an enemy from behind, you can always drop down a bit and have a good look from the bottom.

 

But yeah, I agree that multiplayer isn't always a nice place. That's one of the reasons I stick to singleplayer these days. I found the most enjoyment to be found in well-made scripted campaigns, which give a good amount of variation and the occasional surprise, while sticking to a historical framework. If I'd ever choose to fly multiplayer again, it'd likely be in some kind of squadron, where if you've got a well-made mission, it should be just as fun as, and perhaps even more engaging than, a scripted singleplayer mission.

[Charlo-VRde]

Many of us spent hours in our youth building plastic and/or balsa wood models of the aircraft we now get to fly, and we also own books filled with photos of these birds. I’d bet many of us have screensavers of warbirds, too. These all contribute to recognizing planes as part of our hobby.

[Lazy82]

Just a heads up I plan on hosting a newbie friendly server with lighter rules, such as using markers / other views / mini map to help people such as my self get

used to playing with other people,   I find the servers that are populated are usually more expert servers and filled with the "try hards" I intend mine to be more casual . 

 

 

[friendlybeard]

4 hours ago, Charlo-VR said:

Many of us spent hours in our youth building plastic and/or balsa wood models of the aircraft we now get to fly, and we also own books filled with photos of these birds. I’d bet many of us have screensavers of warbirds, too. These all contribute to recognizing planes as part of our hobby.

Yes, I made airfix models and have loved WW2 aircraft from young. I have a painting of a spitfire my father painted, hanging on the wall. So it's my hobby  too 😜

6 minutes ago, Lazy82 said:

Just a heads up I plan on hosting a newbie friendly server with lighter rules, such as using markers / other views / mini map to help people such as my self get

used to playing with other people,   I find the servers that are populated are usually more expert servers and filled with the "try hards" I intend mine to be more casual . 

 

 

This sounds like just what I need! What's it called?

10 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

Yes, of course in real life it would have been easier, especially with the larger "resolution" of your eyes. And as you note, even then friendly fire did occur. IL2 has the option to use icons for those who want easier ID, but besides that I don't really know what else they could do.

 

Regarding the ID guide above, remember that it's from dead astern and personally that's rarely how I ever see an aircraft. If the enemy is turning, you should be able to see his wings and those are a lot easier to ID. In the rare cases that you surprise an enemy from behind, you can always drop down a bit and have a good look from the bottom.

 

But yeah, I agree that multiplayer isn't always a nice place. That's one of the reasons I stick to singleplayer these days. I found the most enjoyment to be found in well-made scripted campaigns, which give a good amount of variation and the occasional surprise, while sticking to a historical framework. If I'd ever choose to fly multiplayer again, it'd likely be in some kind of squadron, where if you've got a well-made mission, it should be just as fun as, and perhaps even more engaging than, a scripted singleplayer mission.

Thanks for your input. I just wonder if they could 'brighten' the planes/make them more colourful or improve zoom (zoom is awkward and jittery) Yes, for the first time in a while I played a single player mission and actually enjoyed it - no being told off and unforgiven! 

Edited January 10 by friendlybeard

[Lazy82]

1 hour ago, friendlybeard said:

Yes, I made airfix models and have loved WW2 aircraft from young. I have a painting of a spitfire my father painted, hanging on the wall. So it's my hobby  too 😜

This sounds like just what I need! What's it called?

Thanks for your input. I just wonder if they could 'brighten' the planes/make them more colourful or improve zoom (zoom is awkward and jittery) Yes, for the first time in a while I played a single player mission and actually enjoyed it - no being told off and unforgiven! 

I dont have it up or named yet, will this weekend, will prob be something along the lines of my user name  which in game is "lazy43 - Beginner server - TEST ".

I am building some simple missions and testing them out with EMG .  It will also only be up when i am on at first until i get a Dserver going . 

 

 

Also, for ZOOM, idk what you are using for controls. I have an X52 pro which has a nice slider on the throttle handle along the thumb acts as an axis and is great for smooth in and out zooming .  

1 hour ago, friendlybeard said:

Yes, I made airfix models and have loved WW2 aircraft from young. I have a painting of a spitfire my father painted, hanging on the wall. So it's my hobby  too 😜

This sounds like just what I need! What's it called?

Thanks for your input. I just wonder if they could 'brighten' the planes/make them more colourful or improve zoom (zoom is awkward and jittery) Yes, for the first time in a while I played a single player mission and actually enjoyed it - no being told off and unforgiven! 

another thing to look at for allied and axis planes is most allied fighters have intakes on the bottom of the fueselage / fueselage that protrudes the bottom of the wings from behind . . Axis/German fighers usually have flat bottoms from behind and wings are lined up with the bottom flush 

[-TBC-AeroAce]

In defence of the OP, if you set up an attack on a friendly and shot them down, that player was likely not concentrating and was possibly not a good player anyway.

 

If I see any plane online coming into the kill zone behind me I am extremely wary for this very reason. Ignoring the way a plane is flying at you just because it is a friendly type is not a good idea.

 

Also, I have been on some servers recently where the chat was filled by obnoxious, flame chat, man-children that reminded me of a COD game. There is no excuse for what I see in there even if their beloved pilot was killed, guess what, blue on blue is a real thing.

 

It's simple, these people need to grow up and as there is not always admin, sadly all you can do is ignore them and don't bite back.

 

 

Edited January 10 by -TBC-AeroAce

[MrsVonSturm]

I presume that if you made Airfix kits (as I did, in the seventies) you are a senior, as they say, or at least not certainly a teenager.
I'm not a rookie in this game, but I keep being quickly murdered, regularly, in the multi-servers. Guys have full-blown systems, VR-headsets, mega-throttles, super-pedals and I bet some of them use Pervitin or something alike to be so situational-aware.
That being said, I remember very well the shape of the planes I built, I can draw them from memory, but I find World War II a bit too fast for my senses, you can be killed in a second from a 30mm.

 

I recently bought a couple of volumes of Flying Circus. It's another game and another world, The sky looks bigger, really. At 100 mph you see the enemy lurking at you from miles away, slowly pacing. You can think your strategy for half a minute, you can run away if your plane is faster, you can get many holes in your rag wings and keep flying. The furball dogfights even with AI are super funny, trying not to collide with the others; the planes turn wildly (in horizontal), and their shapes and markings, much closer than in WWII, are distinctly different. To take down a bimotor bomber is almost suicidal for a lonely fighter. The sound and vibration of the engine provide an almost sexual pleasure, and you can land in Paris for dinner. And there are some funny multiservers out there.

 

Well, that was just a suggestion. I will accept a sales commission from 1C games, thank you.

Edited January 10 by MrsVonSturm
typo

[FeuerFliegen]

@friendlybeard you should check out my favorite server,  Wing Walkers.  It's PvE 95% of the time, and the guy who runs it has done some very unique things regarding how the AI works, and it's way better than offline single player.  There are over 100 missions in rotation and they are all very unique.  The server is up 24/7 and even if it's empty,  there's plenty of fun to be had.   There are also meet-up events- WW2 Sunday and Tuesday; WW1 Thursday, at 6pm PST / 9pm EST where we will get together in a discord server and play a specific mission together. 

 

You will find it at the bottom(because it's in alphabetical order) of the multiplayer list in the "dogfight" section.  

 

Discord link:  https://tinyurl.com/ww92invite

[friendlybeard]

7 hours ago, FeuerFliegen said:

@friendlybeard you should check out my favorite server,  Wing Walkers.  It's PvE 95% of the time, and the guy who runs it has done some very unique things regarding how the AI works, and it's way better than offline single player.  There are over 100 missions in rotation and they are all very unique.  The server is up 24/7 and even if it's empty,  there's plenty of fun to be had.   There are also meet-up events- WW2 Sunday and Tuesday; WW1 Thursday, at 6pm PST / 9pm EST where we will get together in a discord server and play a specific mission together. 

 

You will find it at the bottom(because it's in alphabetical order) of the multiplayer list in the "dogfight" section.  

 

Discord link:  https://tinyurl.com/ww92invite

Brilliant, thank you, I will check it out!

8 hours ago, MrsVonSturm said:

I presume that if you made Airfix kits (as I did, in the seventies) you are a senior, as they say, or at least not certainly a teenager.
I'm not a rookie in this game, but I keep being quickly murdered, regularly, in the multi-servers. Guys have full-blown systems, VR-headsets, mega-throttles, super-pedals and I bet some of them use Pervitin or something alike to be so situational-aware.
That being said, I remember very well the shape of the planes I built, I can draw them from memory, but I find World War II a bit too fast for my senses, you can be killed in a second from a 30mm.

 

I recently bought a couple of volumes of Flying Circus. It's another game and another world, The sky looks bigger, really. At 100 mph you see the enemy lurking at you from miles away, slowly pacing. You can think your strategy for half a minute, you can run away if your plane is faster, you can get many holes in your rag wings and keep flying. The furball dogfights even with AI are super funny, trying not to collide with the others; the planes turn wildly (in horizontal), and their shapes and markings, much closer than in WWII, are distinctly different. To take down a bimotor bomber is almost suicidal for a lonely fighter. The sound and vibration of the engine provide an almost sexual pleasure, and you can land in Paris for dinner. And there are some funny multiservers out there.

 

Well, that was just a suggestion. I will accept a sales commission from 1C games, thank you.

I'm 43, so feeling more and more like a senior! Thanks for the tip!

[ITAF_Rani]

16 hours ago, Charlo-VR said:

Many of us spent hours in our youth building plastic and/or balsa wood models of the aircraft we now get to fly, and we also own books filled with photos of these birds. I’d bet many of us have screensavers of warbirds, too. These all contribute to recognizing planes as part of our hobby.

Yes as me, now 51 years old, a  lot of players grown with the love for warbirds had only their  books or models to admire such marvelous machines..( maybe I was little bit more lucky cause I had accounts directly from my grandapa who was fighter pilot during WW2).

When we had the first pc, my first thought was, " I hope one day this new technology will offer same kind of possibility to admire better these planes", and we had it .....the VR !!!😍

Totally shoked the first time I was myself sitting in a cockpit (yes virtual, but the sensation was great) I felt myself If was If I was living the stories I red when I was a kid.

My dreams came true and now I m totally satisfied,but I bet in the next 10-20 years we will have more advanced thing😎...will see😀

Enjoy what you have now,enjoy the sim, make friendship with other players and think only to have fun..

P.s. sametime make a stop to have only combat mission in the server...prepare  a solo mission, go to 6k altitude and have fun to make all aerobatics you have always dreamed...

 

[MaxPower]

I agree with the others that say that target identification should precede target 'prosecution'.  The only behaviour you can control is your own, so most of your effort should be focused on mindfulness about whether the target's identity is known in the heat of the moment.  This will make you a better il2 multiplayer team mate  

On the social side, once the mistake is made, all you can do is apologize.  Admittedly, I don't play il2 multiplayer in the way most other people play it (I just play PvE missions with my friends with a client server), so I'm not sure what tools the multiplayer client has to 'filter' player messages.  If you feel like you're being beat up over it, though, I would just do whatever is in your power to ignore/mute/etc the other person after you've done all you can do.  If the transaction has made the other person persistently irate, there's really nothing you can do.  Absorbing abuse is not part of the game either.

[Zergling924]

I'll also put a plug in for this excellent flashcard app online someone put together that teaches you how to ID planes from multiple different angles: https://community-courses.memrise.com/community/course/2205705/il-2-airplane-recognition-v1-by-brzi_joe/

 

I've been coming back to it every day or so and learning a few new planes each time while reviewing the old ones, and I can feel myself getting better each time.

 

When you've learned the outlines of each plane, you can test yourself by practicing ID on screenshots from in-game: https://il2.ijj.li/identify/

 

I've been challenging myself to practice ID-ing planes on the Combat Box practice server at the low altitude gunnery range spawn (the one where a plane flies in a straight line for you to practice shooting down). This lets me fly in close to the plane without risk of it shooting me down and I can try to ID it from far away and confirm my thoughts by flying in closer. Shoot the plane down, rinse and repeat with another randomly picked plane!

 

Haven't yet joined multiplayer, as I've wanted to make sure I can handle ID-ing planes more confidently before jumping into the fray. But wanted to pass along some of the tools I've found helpful in case anyone else is looking to improve their ID skills like I have.

 

 

[Dragon1-1]

One thing that helped me a lot: on Eastern front at least, square tail is German, non-square tail is Russian. There are only a few exceptions to this, it's both one of the more distinctive parts of the silhouette, and more importantly it's consistent, with the 109 and 190 both having similar, square-ish elevators. The IAR-80 has similar ones, too. This is in contrast to very noticeably lozenge-shaped elevators of the Yaks and the very rounded shapes of British elevators. Just watch out if the Macci or the US fighters are in play, Macci has more rounded, swept elevators (...and asymmetrical wings, which are a dead giveaway), while the US aircraft tails are between Russian and German designs. Haven't flown the Western front enough to tell whether this will hold there.

 

This is helpful because it helps you recognize the target's side on a high-aspect pass, or across a turn circle, before you start maneuvering on it. If you wait until you're on his dead six, you might have wasted a lot of time getting on an ally's tail. Also, it's easier to tell that way than from behind.

Edited March 16 by Dragon1-1

[blitze]

To be honest I gave up on multiplay and now stick to career but some tips -

 

- Maybe plug your laptop through your TV if you have one - that could help.

- Know where you are in relation to your front lines - that can help in a number of ways and also then seeing actions of others you can more easily deduce friendly or enemy.

- Maybe as a new player learning the ropes, hold over friendly lines but cover important targets that might be of value to the opposition.

- In relation to that, if you are over friendly ground targets or airfields and you are unsure if planes are friendly or not, look for Nav Lights or Flak.  Nav lights might indicate friendlies taking off / landing and flak indicates enemies attacking.  With the flak, look to where it is going, easier to then pick up the enemy plane.

 

Take it easy, apologise when you make a mistake and don't let peoples anger get to you.  Welcome.

[III/JG11_Tiger]

I know the feeling, up to a couple of months ago I was using a quest 1 and it was very difficult to identify planes, after 1 incident where I shot down a bomber accidently I just decided I would not shoot unless I could be sure, thankfully I now have a quest 3 and can finally ID the planes well.

[IckyATLAS]

I have 43" screen, so should be able to better identify friends from foe. Never tested multiplayer though. I would not stand a chance anyway. 

Problem is to find enough free time. Too many things to do.

[Jaegermeister]

I had some good experiences with multiplayer many years ago, but now I just can't dedicate the time to it without interruption. It's better to be with a group of people you are familiar with and on comms. Then there is a much better sense of teamwork.

 

The career mode has improved significantly over the years with additional features, improvements and many more mission types. There are also a ton of great offline scripted campaigns available which I prefer for their historical content.