New Players start here ...

[BlitzPig_EL]

It comes with a reflector array you clip on a hat.

[Irishratticus72]

It comes with a reflector attachment for the supplied baseball cap, at least that's what came for me, I also got the pro clip, which is an active IR attachment for a headset, but I've since switched to VR 

[cardboard_killer]

 

 

[Schleppel]

That thumbnail is going to give me nightmares.....

 

By the way guys I've been playing for a week almost non stop next to my normal work/study duties. Love the game. The way planes just break and stuff is epic, never seen a game even remotely coming close to this level of detail. I only have a myriad of questions and am not sure whether this is the best topic for it or I need to search the whole forum for the best answers. Do you guys mind if I ask them here. They are still more or less noob questions  

[Beebop]

Welcome to the addiction!

You can ask here but see if you can find a thread that is specific to your questions.

Setup questions about your controller or other hardware?  Go to Hardware, Software and Controllers.

Questions about how to get things to work?  Try Manuals, Tutorials, Guides and Tips.

Check out Youtube for visual How To guides.

 

Don't worry though about where you're asking, just ask.  It's been my experience that this is a great community for help.

[Schleppel]

Ahh yes thank you so much! I'll try to look around there and otherwise I'll still post the questions. Because after seeing those I got a few more but maybe they will be answered there.

[KevPBur]

18 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

 

I was about to post the same suggestion.

I've been using AiTrack along with OpenTrack for 2 months now with a very average and old webcam and it works perfectly, even with my less then perfect eyes/face. I'd highly recommend it.

If you have even an old webcam it will provide a perfectly usable free headtracking solution.

Hopefullt, I don't look as scary as that doll!

[BlitzPig_EL]

Could be worse, it could have been a clown.

 

God I hate clowns.

[Patricks]

On 5/8/2021 at 4:16 PM, pippa101 said:

I don't wear a headset, does it come as a headband or hat?

 

I believe it comes standard with a clip-on reflector attachment for a baseball cap also...

[Schleppel]

Okay I think I'm still going to ask a few here.

 

1 - How high do anti-air guns reach? I sometimes escort a few planes and when there is no interception force or they take too long to reach us, I more or less just circle around the target until the escorted planes are done. However I barely pay attention to the anti air and sometimes all of the sudden I drop like Icarus out of the sky.

2 - How fun is it to play as bombers? I have flown two dozen sorties as a fighter pilot which I thoroughly enjoy, but maybe mixing it up would be cool. I'm just curious whether it will not be massively boring (with mouse so many assists are on) to fly for 20 minutes (because bombers mostly have their airport further away right?) drop a few bombs and fly back. And in the mean time pray to baby Jesus that you do not get a bullet through your skull?

That said, big respect for real live bomber pilots. It must have been the most scariest plane to fly. 

3 - Do you guys have any recommendations for books, movies or documentaries which are easy to read/watch about pilots/planes/air warfare from this period? I read on the forum somebody claiming the eastern front was especially fierce regarding (air) warfare and was curious where I can find out more

4 - I saw that if I died, I was able to restart the campaign and I saw that if I wanted to start at a later chapter that's also possible. But is it also possible to continue in the unit in which you died but with another character? I know it seems like a silly request but if I continue on this course I will be the only pilot of my unit surviving the whole campaign and have like 50 victories compared to 5 by others... Seems slightly unrealistic (or isnt it?)

5 - Are the locked planes unlockable by progressing through the career mode or are they planes which become available as soon as I buy the other games. 

6 - I believe the sale by 1C games has just ended. But I think as soon as the next sale is here I'm done with my career and I wanna pick up another. Which do you guys advice? Kuban or Moscow? Although I was skeptic at first, man I love fighting at the Eastern front so I think Imma play those two before Bodenplatte and Normandy. 

 

Thank you in advance for the response :3 

[Soilworker]

@Schleppel

 

Hi

 

Answer to no. 5: No, you can't unlock planes, you get planes with modules when you buy them, 8 with the standard version and 2 collector planes with the premium version (but you can buy them separately). There are also stand alone collector planes (however I would suggest checking which ones come with premium modules before buying just in case you're planning on buying a module that has collector planes you want, better value you see). 

[BlitzPig_EL]

Definitely get Kuban next.  It's the best looking map in the sim, and comes with a really good set of aircraft.

[Beebop]

6 hours ago, Schleppel said:

1 - How high do anti-air guns reach? I sometimes escort a few planes and when there is no interception force or they take too long to reach us, I more or less just circle around the target until the escorted planes are done. However I barely pay attention to the anti air and sometimes all of the sudden I drop like Icarus out of the sky.

It depends on two things.  The guns actual range and the mission builders enable/disable logic.  i.e. a gun that can shoot 3k meters might be set to start later (shorter distance) in say a surprise attack mission.

6 hours ago, Schleppel said:

2 - How fun is it to play as bombers? I have flown two dozen sorties as a fighter pilot which I thoroughly enjoy, but maybe mixing it up would be cool. I'm just curious whether it will not be massively boring (with mouse so many assists are on) to fly for 20 minutes (because bombers mostly have their airport further away right?) drop a few bombs and fly back.

Tons-o-fun.  And the bombsight is pretty easy to understand.  Mastering it is another story.  Practice, practice, practice.

It can be boring if you let it.  But remember for the crews getting to the target was the best part (until enemy fighters/flack appeared.)  Again the mission maker can determine how long it takes.  They can make a mission that's only 15 minutes from target or 50 minutes.  Use the time to test out using the bombsight.  Ground Attack is a lot of fun too, especially dive bombing.

6 hours ago, Schleppel said:

3 - Do you guys have any recommendations for books, movies or documentaries which are easy to read/watch about pilots/planes/air warfare from this period? I read on the forum somebody claiming the eastern front was especially fierce regarding (air) warfare and was curious where I can find out more

Google is your friend.  Personally I have several volumes of " Black Cross Red Star" which have detailed information about the air war over Russia and the Eastern Front.  Some volumes are near impossible to get.  Volume 1. I've seen for up to $3,000 USD!  Volume 2 is close to $1.000 USD on Amazon!  But they are quite good.  Christer Bergstrom, the author, does an excellent job of documenting that part of WWII.

YouTube has documentaries that cover everything from the war itself to one I love about how to fly the IL-2.  It's in Russian though but still interesting. 

Just start looking and it will find you.

4.  I don't fly campaigns much.  Perhaps someone else can answer that.

5. Already covered by Soilworker.

6. I agree with BlitzPig_EL.  Kuban is excellent! 

There are some great planes with Moscow and when it goes on sale Moscow is usually pretty cheap.  Sales happen at least four times a year, (Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter) plus the occasional 'Special Event' like Jason's birthday a while back.  Bookmark that page.  Both Bodenplatte and Normandy offer iconic US and German planes.  Consider getting them.  they have planes that can be used for many different kinds of scenarios.  And remember, you can't fly a plane you don't own so if you get say Gambit's HellHawks campiagn you couldn't fly it unless you owned Bodenplatte. 

There are several planes in the Collectors section that aren't available in any edition.  Look for sales on them.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Beebop

[JimTM]

7 hours ago, Schleppel said:

...

2 - How fun is it to play as bombers? I have flown two dozen sorties as a fighter pilot which I thoroughly enjoy, but maybe mixing it up would be cool. I'm just curious whether it will not be massively boring (with mouse so many assists are on) to fly for 20 minutes (because bombers mostly have their airport further away right?) drop a few bombs and fly back. And in the mean time pray to baby Jesus that you do not get a bullet through your skull?

That said, big respect for real live bomber pilots. It must have been the most scariest plane to fly. 

...

 

 

I think it depends on what kind of experience you prefer, that is, lots of action and quick thinking in fighters versus staying evasive and enjoying the trip in bombers. For bomber pilots, it can be fun and challenging to fly a carefully-planned route at very low level or hugging the clouds, making adjustments along the way to avoid patrols, dogfights, or enemy strike packages. Fans of sims such as MS Flight Simulator will likely enjoy the longer trips into the target, tweaking aircraft performance, tackling challenging navigation problems (without GPS on some servers), and admiring the scenery along the way.

 

Just as some fighter pilots enjoy contributing to mission objectives by flying CAP over a target or escorting bombers, bomber pilots get the same enjoyment out of making it to the target and taking it out (or at least depleting it substantially). If you are playing on a server, try to fly with other bombers and get an escort, which gives a far more enjoyable experience.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Embrace the A20, it is your destiny.

[pippa101]

I've figured out that I'm not a great fighter pilot, can't hit a city from 2000ft in a bomber but I may be the best transport or photo recon pilot ever known. I've never flown transport or photo recon but I fly the others all the time. I just have fun, give the bomber a go, you might be surprised.

[Beebop]

3 hours ago, pippa101 said:

I just have fun

There ya go.  That's all you really need.

[Schleppel]

14 hours ago, pippa101 said:

the best transport or photo recon pilot ever known. 

Is that possible in the career mode? ?

Photo recon pilot sounds amazing. Flying sneaky, take the picture and quickly fly back....

 

@beebop and all others responding, thank you so much. Amazing answers and community ? Books look amazing i'll check them out. 

I'm definitely picking up Kuban then and I think I'm going to try a dew bomber flights soon. Night witches style

[Patricks]

22 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Embrace the A20, it is your destiny.

 

It's funny but one of the best nights I ever had back in the prime days of Aces High (about 20 years ago) was a mission our squad (about 15 of us) flew in A20's. 50' off the deck to avoid the radar to blow hell out of a base, was a blast!

[Beebop]

7 hours ago, Schleppel said:

Night witches style

Then definitely get the Po-2/U-2 Collector plane.

[Schleppel]

In pictures on Steam I saw pictures of flights in the dark. Will those also come in the career mode or mainly online or something scripted?

[40plus]

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

In pictures on Steam I saw pictures of flights in the dark. Will those also come in the career mode or mainly online or something scripted?

 

There are a few scripted missions that are night flights and you can set it up in QMB but, as far as I know, there is no night operations in the carrier campaign structure. . . . . at least I haven't encountered one yet.

[IL2Battle]

Actually, if you fly with bomber (He 111, Ju 88, Pe-2 or A-20B) some missions are in late evening, when it's already starting to be dark. Although not pitch dark, but still dark. I haven't fly with U-2 (Po-2), so didn't know if it's ground attacker like IL-2 or like basic bomber. With IL-2 or with Stuka, I didn't have late evening missions.

[LukeFF]

There are lots of night bomber career missions with the German and Soviet bombers, and there are also night ground attack missions on the Rhineland map with Fw 190s and Ju 87s.

Edited May 13, 2021 by LukeFF

[NoelGallagher]

i got the BOS by trying to buy tank crew on steam 

 

and i want to learn how to fly the aircraft

 

i'm a completely newbie and have whatsoever no knowledge about flying aircraft 

 

is there anything that you guys have recommendation for the player like me ?

 

and also i'm planning to buy track ir and joystick 

 

but before that i want to fly with mouse but the key setting is just beyond me (i can't understand anything LOL)

 

so i'm asking you if there's any kind of alternative keybind setting for mouse users?

 

thanks have a beautiful day ?

[ShamrockOneFive]

Welcome! Glad to hear about new people tacking on the challenge of learning to fly aircraft. It's a challenge at first and there's a lot to learn but take it one step at a time and keep on learning.

 

I can recommend two resources:

 

1) The Air Combat Tutorial Library is an IL-2 focused tutorial library that contains everything from the basics of flight to advanced combat tactics. https://www.youtube.com/user/RequiemBoS

2) Check out Utopioneer's Flight School campaigns. There's a short campaign for every aircraft released in the sim. Pick the one you want and run through the training designed to get you up and running.

There won't be many people flying with a mouse here but if they do maybe they will be able to share some configurations that work for them.

 

[Beebop]

3 hours ago, NoelGallagher said:

is there anything that you guys have recommendation for the player like me ?

 

3 hours ago, NoelGallagher said:

and also i'm planning to buy track ir and joystick

Both are must have's, especially the joystick.

 

3 hours ago, NoelGallagher said:

but before that i want to fly with mouse

It's difficult that way and you may develop some bad habits.  Get the joystick at least ASAP.

3 hours ago, NoelGallagher said:

the key setting is just beyond me (i can't understand anything LOL)

In the Settings > Key Mapping there are three columns.  The left one is the default keybinds.  I would recommend keeping those so you have something to fall back on as you expand your abilities.  Use the second and third columns to assign keys and joystick axes/buttons that work for you.

 

Be patient and you will be rewarded greatly.

 

ADDENDUM:  I see ShamrockOneFiv beat me to the Flight School. ?

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by Beebop

[DD_Crash]

I would look here https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/forum/17-virtual-squadrons/

It will help if you can talk to others while you are learning the basics.

[Rjel]

I've flown sims now for over 30 years. I started out just as you describe yourself with little idea of flying, only to keep it in the air and right side up. I'm still not an expert by any stretch but I started out with a fascination of airplanes and history like most here so it was fun learning. There are a lot of very helpful people here that will point you in the right direction.

 

I'd recommend the Flight School Campaigns also. I've flown a few and find them helpful. A tremendous amount of work went into them. I hope the author will continue to expand them. I always enjoyed the CLoD Tiger Moth landing training method where the pilot was given a visual flight path to perfect his landings. I'd love to see something similar in this series someday to help new comers learn the ropes of flight.

 

Good luck in your training.

[SqueakyS]

My advice would be to learn the basics from what everyone else has posted and then to go into multiplayer Wings of Liberty and ask for someone to help you learn the more advance stuff. The community is super friendly and someone is always there to help new players.

[Vortice]

Release the brakes, open the throttle and pull back on the stick when the tail starts to lift.

[Zeev]

24 minutes ago, Vortice said:

Release the brakes, open the throttle and pull back on the stick when the tail starts to lift.

[cardboard_killer]

Throw yourself at the ground and miss.

[Luftschiff]

It's going to be probably harder to fly with the mouse than with a joystick, so even a very cheap and basic one is a great step. However, regardless of if you're flying with mouse or stick, some of the aircraft are definitely easier to learn than others.

 

On 5/15/2021 at 2:50 PM, NoelGallagher said:

i'm a completely newbie and have whatsoever no knowledge about flying aircraft 

 

For flying something like the Bf109 F or G  models you really needn't worry about any keybinds aside from G (for raising/lowering gear) and the throttle. Almost everything is automated. If you want to fly some other aircraft there are also difficulty settings for automated radiator/engine controls which will make it easier for you to get comfortable just flying. 

 

Personally I actually learned by way of the World War 1 planes of Rise of Flight, because they're much simpler machines, some don't even have throttle controls!  Once you get used to it, there's nothing quite as wonderful as flying  Keep at it! 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Luftschiff

[Schleppel]

On 5/15/2021 at 2:03 PM, Beebop said:

It's difficult that way and you may develop some bad habits.  Get the joystick at least ASAP.

 

Can I ask what bad habits might form from playing only with mouse and keyboard? 

And if you'd recommend a joystick, are pedals needed?

[Beebop]

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

Can I ask what bad habits might form from playing only with mouse and keyboard? 

Depends.  Being as you are flying in an "arcade" style your eye-hand coordination will not be analogous to moving a joystick which is more symbiotic.

 

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

And if you'd recommend a joystick...

Joystick; depends on your budget.  I use a Saitek (now Logitech) X-52.  It has lots of buttons and axes so I hardly ever need to use the keyboard.  If you have a bigger budget look at the VKB Gladiator series.  A couple of the guys I fly with have them and really like them.

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

are pedals needed?

Technically no.  But once you use them you'll wonder how you were able to fly without them.  I'm using a set of Thrustmaster T-Flight pedals.  I've used Saitek/Logitech pedals.  They have a realistic spread between the pedals and are quite comfortable.  However they are plastic and while that is not necessarily an indication they are cheap, (they are well made and function very well), you do need to use care.  Same with Joysticks.  If you slam your controls around you might want to spend the extra money on high quality metal builds.  Again if your budget allows look at the VKB rudder pedals.  Other quality pedals are the Thrustmaster TPR and CH Pro.

 

Once you have a good HOTAS setup definitely get Track IR or some kind of head tracking system.  It's a whole new world using it.

The beauty of having a good HOTAS and Head Tracking is it translates perfectly to any other kind of flight simulator, be it something like DCS jets/helos to M$ Flight Simulator/X Plane/Prepar3D. 

 

HTH

 

 

[SirFlappy]

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

 

Can I ask what bad habits might form from playing only with mouse and keyboard? 

And if you'd recommend a joystick, are pedals needed?

I bought a Thrustmaster T16000 a few years ago for £34.00 ,its got magnetic sensors and a twistgrip rudder which is all you need really.

 Pedals add more "realism" I  guess but are not essential.

  If your feeling mean and or poor ,just look at one of those cash converter or Cex places (I am in UK),and pick up a used Saitek twist grip joystick for a couple of quid.

It will be 100 times better than a mouse and keyboard.....you will have much more control ....good luck.

 PS- As the guy above said (Beebop) ,if you get into the game (now with a joystick maybe!!), Track ir is also a good bet...I have an old one TrackIR 3(non 6dof) ,but it performs well.

 I use an old headphone band with the MIC boom screwed to the top of the headband with the mic at the end of the boom covered in the reflective dots you get with the kit.

 This has performed very well the last 10 years or so......just remember to set a large(ish) deadzone in the middle of the profile setup so you dont move all over the place when you dont intend to !!.......with this bit of kit you can pan around your cockpit with greater ease.

Edited May 18, 2021 by SirFlappy

[Schleppel]

Hmm okay interesting arguments guys, thank you for the clear explanations!

 

I currently have a Thrustmasters T150 steering wheel for when I race Formula 1 at my parents house with some good pedals. I was thinking maybe I can buy a compatible joystick for when I'm working full time there this summer and play IL-2 when I get home after work.

But then I think I'll have to look for the right price and compatibility.

 

TrackIR sounds really cool! But I'm curious, with a joystick how does changing your view work? 

 

[cardboard_killer]

1 hour ago, Schleppel said:

But I'm curious, with a joystick how does changing your view work? 

 

Most new joysticks have a "hat" that serves to change view. Otherwise, views can be changed via the keyboard (usually the 10-key number pad is used).

 

For cheap head tracking alternatives, google it.

 

 

[FlapTrack]

Hello there you lot.
It's a pleasure to be here talking to you and I need your collective help. Not like the Borg ok. None of that assimilating stuff, I'm too pretty to for that. Anyway.

Back in the day I used to play IL2 when it was a brand new and visually a massive game. I used an up-to-the-minute PC and have some tremendous memories of spending WAAY to many hours with my face glued to the monitor.

Now, I'm older, not much wiser but I do want to get back to playing what was always my favourite game. So, here's where I need your advice...

How the hell do I start at this new version? I'm a complete PC idiot, so please don't bamboozle (what a great word that is) me with techno jargon stuff, please just tell be that basic system performance bits that I need to get the best out of it.
I'm not much into on-line playing, this will probably be just single palyer missions and campaigns. Do I even NEED an internet connection? I'd rather not but will if I must.
I used to have the Sidewider joystick and loved it, so what's the new kid on the block where that's concerned?

Thank you all...and happy gaming.
??

Edited May 30, 2021 by FlapTrack