New Players start here ...

[Schleppel]

Hey flaptrack,

 

I'm not a great expert on this game. I only have been playing for a month.

Maybe you can find some answers here: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/2074-game-setup-and-settings-faq/

 

 

Something I found out myself wat too late is that you have to bear in mind that you run the game using your gaming processor and not your integrated processor. I could barely play the game at 10 fps and with the gaming processor I can easily play at 60+.

 

I hope this helps...

[RedKestrel]

On 5/30/2021 at 12:22 PM, FlapTrack said:

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.
??

Welcome to the sim!

Unfortunately it's gonna get a bit technical, sorry!

First, the game does require an Internet connection, at least periodically, and for the frequent updates which come usually about once every month to six weeks, though sometimes longer, depending on what is ready. To play the Career Mode you will need to have online connection, but you can play QMB and single missions or scripted campaigns without one. You can also download Pat Wilson's Campaign Generator and use that one offline.

The game requires periodically 'checking in' via online connection so every once in a while you will have to log in online.

The way the game's distribution works is this: there are several Great Battles 'modules' called "Battle of ________" consisting of a map and a collection of aircraft that all work in a common game engine. You buy the modules you want from the online store and download the game installer - its the same installer for every module, so don't worry if it says "Battle of Moscow" when you want to have Battle of Bodenplatte! When you download the game, EVERYTHING is already there in your install files, even the planes and maps you don't own yet and can't use. When you log in, the game determines which content you have purchased. So if you purchase Battle of Stalingrad, and later on you buy Battle of Bodenplatte, you don't need to download or install anything later, it's just unlocked on your computer immediately. You can also buy 'collector planes', some of which are included in the premium versions of some of the "Battle of_______" modules, and others are complete stand alones. 

You can also buy scripted campaigns from the store. There are also free user-generated campaigns, missions and mission packs out there. 

Currently, there are a couple of modules in 'Early Access' status and can be pre-ordered at a small discount. These are Battle of Normandy and Flying Circus Volume II. These modules are not complete yet, but a few of the planes are ready for each of them, but not the maps or the career. In Battle of Normandy, the Bf-109G6-Late, the FW-190A6, the Spitfire MK. XIV, the P-47D-22, and most recently the Typhoon Mk. 1B are flyable. If you pre-order the game you can fly the planes as soon as they are ready. Most of the planes in the Battle of Normandy module can be flown in the Battle of Bodenplatte career mode if you also own that module. They can all be flown online where available, or in the QMB, or in any user-generated content that uses those planes.

If you are going via steam, you MUST buy Battle of Stalingrad first before buying any of the other content. This is because of how Steam works. Then you can buy other content at will as 'DLC'. You can join your steam and store accounts together to mix and match content, but I would just go with the web store for simplicity, and the frankly great sales that come along quite frequently.

When you launch the game it checks for any updates and automatically downloads and installs them. 

For entry-level joysticks you have the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro as probably the most affordable one out there, and it has enough buttons, a twist axis, and a little throttle scroller that you can  make do if you are happy using your keyboard for some bindings. I used this in old Il-2, now I use CH fighterstick The next one up from that IMO is the VKB Gladiator NXT as a mid-range stick in the 120 dollar range - Im looking at eventually replacing my CH stick with this one. After that things get pricey. The T16000M throttle and stick are also popular if you want a separate throttle for not too much expense.

For the hardware to run the game, I would recommend going above the minimum as the minimum that's on the website is REALLY the minimum. The game is more processor-heavy than most other games, especially career mode where there is lots of AI and mission logic to slow things down. You want a processor that goes over 3.0 gHz at least. Intel processors seem to perform better in previous generations,  but if you use the latest AMD ones like the 5600X, which are currently I think the best performers in the game. More cores doesn't really matter in Il-2, it uses multiple cores but most of the activity it on a single thread so having 8 or 12 cores just doesn't improve things much.

The GPU is pretty important and honestly, if you are buying a video card now you are getting hosed no matter what, the market is insane, taken over by scalpers, bots, and bitcoin miners. 

My computer specs are
i5 7500 processor at 3.4 ghz
16 GB Ram at 2633 mhz
GTX 1660 Super - a great value card when it was going for 250 bucks, now thanks to the shortage they go for like 900 bucks canadian! 
1 TB standard hard drive
Windows 10
1440p monitor.

with all that and medium settings in game I get 60 frames per second pretty easily. On my old 1080p monitor I could get over a hundred. If you are on a budget go with a 1080p monitor, it will be much easier to get good performance on that rather than a bigger one like mine. But if you can swing it the game looks amazing in 1440p or 4k (but it gets very pricey at this side of things).

For specific recommendations on hardware, you can go to the hardware subforum for recommendations - there are some true gurus there. For tutorials on how to fly the planes and such, Manuals, Tutorials, Guides and Tips has some good stuff. I can't recommend enough the Air Combat Tutorial Library on Youtube, put together by Requiem. 

I hope this helps and was not overwhelming.

[Vishnu]

On 8/21/2014 at 5:25 PM, smink1701 said:

Welcome and thanks for supporting BOS!  A rising tide (of buyers) lifts all ships which means a healthier game developer 777 / more planes / more theaters of war / and stronger CFS gaming category!  

 

My personal suggestions...

-Get TrackIR.  Just get it!

-Get a good joystick.  Mine's a Thrustmaster T-Flight Stick X, on Amazon for $28.00 U.S.  You can pay a lot more but I really like mine.  It's pretty much a must.

-Get a decent video card.  Kind of optional but if you can manage it you'll be happier in the long run.

-Intall Sweet FX and Flight FX.  IMHO they make a huge difference to the look of the game.

-Start, play and enjoy ... often.

 VR ....period

[Patricks]

On 6/7/2021 at 2:24 AM, Vishnu said:

 VR ....period

 

Triple screens, VR=puke to many... 

[Roy35150]

Hi,

 

Just saying hello...

 

Got the sim on steam yesterday and im amazed at the ATD and graphics...

 

Amazing stuff.

[Beazil]

2 hours ago, Roy35150 said:

Hi,

 

Just saying hello...

 

Got the sim on steam yesterday and im amazed at the ATD and graphics...

 

Amazing stuff.

Welcome!

[Roy35150]

Thx as well,

 

Im 55 and and an oldie but thx for letting me see what it would be really like...

 

The sim rocks.

 

June 6, 1944 – The Light of Dawn - Colorized Documentary - YouTube

 

 

[=FEW=fernando11]

3 hours ago, Roy35150 said:

Thx as well,

 

Im 55 and and an oldie but thx for letting me see what it would be really like...

 

The sim rocks.

 

June 6, 1944 – The Light of Dawn - Colorized Documentary - YouTube

 

 

You are 10-15 years younger than some here!

Welcome aboard

[venger]

Hi! Not that it matters but I'm 64yr old kid when it comes to this stuff. lol
Anybody remember the old win3 or win95 Red Baron game? yep, that old

 

I played ROF up until economic crash, now recovering and want to play flying WW1 planes again.

Recently bought an ASUS ROG Zephyrus g14, AMD Ryzen 9 5500, Geforce rtx3060, 16gb,1TB hd, 144hz sRGB 14" display with an eternal 27" 144hz, 1080p ASUS monitor with Gsync and all that.

 

So, looking into playing ROF I discover FC2!! Looks amazing!
I was just "considering" purchase until I read up some on this forum, doing my research as it were. wow, glowing reviews
I'm buying in.
No peripherals yet. This laptop is VR ready though.

 

I will be getting a HOTAS setup but just curious, With VR, what role would the controllers play in flight if any?

Does anybody play with just the VR controllers? Would that even be possible?

 

Back then I had a Saitek x52, not the PRO version, but it was squirrely from day one on all games. Passable but, Never again.
I have a medium budget, so on my radar; Thrustmaster-quality gear. would love the TM Warthog, but not gonna happen. 
I'm not target locked on brand, just something that will hold up under extreme "holy cow!!" moments, and just perform well over all.
I will need two separate controllers as opposed to a single combo due to my desk's layout.

Back when I flew ROF I made some fair rudders out of a Logitech Extreme, might do that again idk. Pedals are pricy

Watching prices for Oculus Rift, as I don't favor Quest 2 facebook login requirement.

 

Anyway, I should talk hardware in another thread, just typing out loud...

btw

I read RedKestral's reply above. very good. I needed that.
Cant wait to TRY and fly! (pun intended, I remember ROF well) lol

.

Edited June 29, 2021 by venger

[Patricks]

1 hour ago, venger said:

Hi! Not that it matters but I'm 64yr old kid when it comes to this stuff. lol
Anybody remember the old win3 or win95 Red Baron game? yep, that old

 

I played ROF up until economic crash, now recovering and want to play flying WW1 planes again.

Recently bought an ASUS ROG Zephyrus g14, AMD Ryzen 9 5500, Geforce rtx3060, 16gb,1TB hd, 144hz sRGB 14" display with an eternal 27" 144hz, 1080p ASUS monitor with Gsync and all that.

 

So, looking into playing ROF I discover FC2!! Looks amazing!
I was just "considering" purchase until I read up some on this forum, doing my research as it were. wow, glowing reviews
I'm buying in.
No peripherals yet. This laptop is VR ready though.

 

I will be getting a HOTAS setup but just curious, With VR, what role would the controllers play in flight if any?

Does anybody play with just the VR controllers? Would that even be possible?

 

Back then I had a Saitek x52, not the PRO version, but it was squirrely from day one on all games. Passable but, Never again.
I have a medium budget, so on my radar; Thrustmaster-quality gear. would love the TM Warthog, but not gonna happen. 
I'm not target locked on brand, just something that will hold up under extreme "holy cow!!" moments, and just perform well over all.
I will need two separate controllers as opposed to a single combo due to my desk's layout.

Back when I flew ROF I made some fair rudders out of a Logitech Extreme, might do that again idk. Pedals are pricy

Watching prices for Oculus Rift, as I don't favor Quest 2 facebook login requirement.

 

Anyway, I should talk hardware in another thread, just typing out loud...

btw

I read RedKestral's reply above. very good. I needed that.
Cant wait to TRY and fly! (pun intended, I remember ROF well) lol

.

 

Welcome youngster!

 

You may already know this, but to support the developers please buy any modules you want from the IL2 Store, not Steam if at all possible. Also, only modules bought direct show up a cool badges under your name here..  Your machine specs are fine, but do what you can to keep it cool as laptops don't do well being stressed (heat buildup). I had an Alienware similar to yours and after about 30 minutes of a graphics intensive sim it would throttle down...

[venger]

37 minutes ago, GPatricks said:

 

Welcome youngster!

 

You may already know this, but to support the developers please buy any modules you want from the IL2 Store, not Steam if at all possible. Also, only modules bought direct show up a cool badges under your name here..  Your machine specs are fine, but do what you can to keep it cool as laptops don't do well being stressed (heat buildup). I had an Alienware similar to yours and after about 30 minutes of a graphics intensive sim it would throttle down...

Thanks GPatricks

I will buy from the webstore for sure. I totally get that. 100% to the devs.  And the badges are cool!

 

I bought a cooler pad for to help with that. I hope

This laptop also came with heat managing app they call "Armory Crate", very nice. It's part of the ROG (Republic of Gamers) thing.

You can manually tweak and overclock things but,

It boasts an Ai of sorts that balances things according to your apps which you can tag for the level of performance you need.

There is WINDOWS mode for everyday use, conservative power. Stays very cool

There is PERFORMANCE mode for CPU heavier tasks, balanced with GPU, most of my current games run this with average 150fr on max settings. Sweet. Fans come on medium and Laptop gets warm to the touch. Comfy. I pretty much stay in this mode to play, unless I want to see all the pretties, fir a little while.

 

Then there is TURBO mode. Its overclocking with dynamic discretion I guess I could say. My most demanding game is Total War: Warhammer, with extreme settings and in TURBO mode, average 90fr, so smooooth, although she gets hot enough to prolly cook an egg in time, and the fans kick into high gear and they are loud enough to get scary so.. I totally hear you!

 

I play ONE battle in Warhammer, and take a break and let her cool down. The performance Warhammer set to extreme in TURBO is amazing me though.

However, I dial back the settings and enjoy it just fine Performance mode. Life of the laptop and all.

 

I look forward to FC2

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by venger

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

38 minutes ago, venger said:

Thanks GPatricks

I will buy from the webstore for sure. I totally get that. 100% to the devs.  And the badges are cool!

 

I bought a cooler pad for to help with that. I hope

This laptop also came with heat managing app they call "Armory Crate", very nice. It's part of the ROG (Republic of Gamers) thing.

You can manually tweak and overclock things but,

It boasts an Ai of sorts that balances things according to your apps which you can tag for the level of performance you need.

There is WINDOWS mode for everyday use, conservative power. Stays very cool

There is PERFORMANCE mode for CPU heavier tasks, balanced with GPU, most of my current games run this with average 150fr on max settings. Sweet. Fans come on medium and Laptop gets warm to the touch. Comfy. I pretty much stay in this mode to play, unless I want to see all the pretties, fir a little while.

 

Then there is TURBO mode. Its overclocking with dynamic discretion I guess I could say. My most demanding game is Total War: Warhammer, with extreme settings and in TURBO mode, average 90fr, so smooooth, although she gets hot enough to prolly cook an egg in time, and the fans kick into high gear and they are loud enough to get scary so.. I totally hear you!

 

I play ONE battle in Warhammer, and take a break and let her cool down. The performance Warhammer set to extreme in TURBO is amazing me though.

However, I dial back the settings and enjoy it just fine Performance mode. Life of the laptop and all.

 

I look forward to FC2

 

 

 

 

 

You're going to need every ounce of power to pull of IL-2 in VR, especially singleplayer. Even Ryzen desktops with the rtx 3080 can't max out IL-2 with the Reverb G2 on the highest settings in all scenarios yet. Don't be discouraged, I too run il2 in vr on my laptop (i7-9750h, 32 gb ram, and rtx 2070). You will fare better with your cpu, but you will have to tweak it properly to have a good experience. I also use a Rift S, so I'm not having to render too many pixels. You might want to try to pick one up over a Quest 2 which has much worse performance because of compression latency and higher resolution.

Edited June 29, 2021 by =AW=drewm3i-VR

[Beebop]

2 hours ago, GPatricks said:

support the developers please buy any modules you want from the IL2 Store, not Steam if at all possible.

+ 1000 

As far as I can tell Steam's only real advantages are it will automatically update as improvements are released and you can do file integrity checks.  Also additional content from planes to campaigns are often available as soon as the devs release them while you sometimes have to wait for Steam.  Also Steam requires you to purchase Battle of Stalingrad to use their service.  Integrating Steam and any purchase you make at the official store can be frustrating. 

The Dev Team is small and can use as much money as we can give them so we can get the enhancements that make this a superior flight sim and additional content we want as soon as practical.  The best way is directly IMO.

[Auger]

I've had IL-2 BoS for awhile now, bought it through Steam. Never got around to playing it because I was spending my time learning DCS. When FC came out (Steam) I had to give that a try and really enjoyed it, which piqued my interest in IL-2 again (actually had IL-2 1946 on disk from many years ago and had dabbled with that.)

I find myself enjoying IL-2 and the simplicity (compared to DCS) of getting up in the air (109) and flying. I'm playing on VR (Rift S) and flying on MP servers. My SA sucks as I always seem to get someone on my six and shot down before I know it.

I've also bought Battle of Bodenplatte.

 

I am planning on buying more DLC like FC2, P38 and a few others and I would like ALL the money to go to the developers. Is it fairly easy to change over from Steam to stand alone IL_2? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction for instructions on how to do this? If this is too big a problem, can I just start buying future DLC from the IL-2 site and have it integrate with the Steam game?

 

Also, would I be saving resources playing through stand alone versus using Steam? I would think so.

 

Thanks

[Patricks]

17 hours ago, Auger said:

I've had IL-2 BoS for awhile now, bought it through Steam. Never got around to playing it because I was spending my time learning DCS. When FC came out (Steam) I had to give that a try and really enjoyed it, which piqued my interest in IL-2 again (actually had IL-2 1946 on disk from many years ago and had dabbled with that.)

I find myself enjoying IL-2 and the simplicity (compared to DCS) of getting up in the air (109) and flying. I'm playing on VR (Rift S) and flying on MP servers. My SA sucks as I always seem to get someone on my six and shot down before I know it.

I've also bought Battle of Bodenplatte.

 

I am planning on buying more DLC like FC2, P38 and a few others and I would like ALL the money to go to the developers. Is it fairly easy to change over from Steam to stand alone IL_2? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction for instructions on how to do this? If this is too big a problem, can I just start buying future DLC from the IL-2 site and have it integrate with the Steam game?

 

Also, would I be saving resources playing through stand alone versus using Steam? I would think so.

 

Thanks

 

As far as buying from the Developers your "IL2 Store" purchases will get linked to your Steam account during the install (you need to allow it IIRC) and ALL modules will be accessible in Steam. The unfortunate part of this is that you now have two separate installations on your system, which if you have the space is of no consequence. The second issue is that it is a one-way coexistence, meaning ALL modules are playable on Steam but only the modules you buy directly are available on the 1C Game Studios installation. Also any progress you make in any Campaign is only seen by the installation you played on, they do not communicate, and all the cool badges you see here only appear if you buy direct.. . I did essentially the same thing as you and use Steam now to play..

Edited July 6, 2021 by GPatricks

[vcharng]

New guy here, bought bunch of stuff on steam but not sure if they will show up properly.

I just want to ask: is there a medal guide for the score for each target destroyed?

Right now all I can be sure is:

1 medium plane destroyed = 2 lights

1 heavy = 3 lights

Iron Cross 2nd = 5 light planes equivalent

German Cross in Gold = 30 light equivalent

Knight Cross of the German Cross = 60 light equivalent

 

But I'm not sure about all the ground targets...

[T_Khomeriki]

I'm in preparation to get a new HOTAS to get into Bodenplatte/Normandy, and have been looking through the squadrons section of the forum. I expected to see more of the units being active, but looks like only a handful of threads has seen activity over the past month or so. Is that because most activity takes place in Discord channels, or are only around 5-7 squadrons active on a weekly basis?

 

I also have a question about balance. Based on how I understand content compatibility from different Great Battles titles/DLCs works in multiplayer, if people with aircraft from different eras can enter the same server, how is balance maintained in such situations? e.g. Someone with a 109 K-4 can join the server where another person is flying a Spitfire Mk. V.

Edited July 14, 2021 by T_Khomeriki

[Beebop]

17 hours ago, T_Khomeriki said:

if people with aircraft from different eras can enter the same server, how is balance maintained in such situations? e.g. Someone with a 109 K-4 can join the server where another person is flying a Spitfire Mk. V.

The mission builder, whether self made or generated, determines what planes are available, as well as what planes you have "bought".  If a plane isn't available in the mission, you nor anyone else can fly it.  If it is available in the mission but you haven't bought the appropriate DLC ("Battle of 'X' or Collector plane) you will not be able to fly it.  That plane choice will show as locked to you.  You will need to fly whatever is shown to be available to you.

 

HTH (and I hope I got it right)

Edited July 15, 2021 by Beebop

[Patricks]

On 7/14/2021 at 11:01 PM, T_Khomeriki said:

I'm in preparation to get a new HOTAS to get into Bodenplatte/Normandy, and have been looking through the squadrons section of the forum. I expected to see more of the units being active, but looks like only a handful of threads has seen activity over the past month or so. Is that because most activity takes place in Discord channels, or are only around 5-7 squadrons active on a weekly basis?

 

I also have a question about balance. Based on how I understand content compatibility from different Great Battles titles/DLCs works in multiplayer, if people with aircraft from different eras can enter the same server, how is balance maintained in such situations? e.g. Someone with a 109 K-4 can join the server where another person is flying a Spitfire Mk. V.

 

I can highly recommend the "WB - Clash of Eagles" MP (beta) servers. They use 6 (relatively historically correct) rolling plane sets for Allied and Axis and have a "Main" arena which allows labels and the auto-control of plane systems like radiators and prop pitch, and a "Realism" server that is set in full realism mode for all planes. They actually have a "Training" server also but i've found the Main arena is a fun place to learn the planes, do ground attack missions, etc. without being jumped constantly (just pick a base away from the front lines).. The guys are greatly helpful, they keep a Stats page to track your progress in A-A, A-G, and overall. Reminds me a LOT of Aces High way back when, except the fact that its FREE! 

Edited July 20, 2021 by GPatricks

[venger]

Hello

I'm excited to finally begin my new flying adventures in FC. I loved RoF

But on to bigger and better things.

Back when I played RoF, there was a server that offered beginner flight courses and advice. Can't remember what they were called. A great bunch of guys.

Is there anything like that for FC?

 

BTW- Thanks everyone with previous replies. I did indeed buy from the store

Just saying hello 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by venger
correction

[RNAS10_Oliver]

16 minutes ago, venger said:

Hello

I'm excited to finally begin my new flying adventures in FC. I loved RoF

But on to bigger and better things.

Back when I played RoF, there was a server that offered beginner flight courses and advice. Can't remember what they were called. A great bunch of guys.

Is there anything like that for FC?

With them I learned to fly right, then life took a nosedive. Now I'm back

Just saying hello 

 

Quite some time ago that I played Rise of Flight, not been back since Flying Circus and Bodenplatte began their early access programs. So I may be mis remembering but was this the New Wings server or there also a sever/group called New Flyers And Friends?

 

But anyway atm I think the best thing is to jump onto the Jasta 5 Flugpark Discord and fly and learn from others on there while on the Flugpark server (or their training server if that’s still about).

 

Here is the link for the Flugpark Discord btw;

 

https://discord.gg/5wgQRECN

Edited July 26, 2021 by RNAS10_Oliver

[venger]

On 7/26/2021 at 11:34 AM, RNAS10_Oliver said:

Quite some time ago that I played Rise of Flight, not been back since Flying Circus and Bodenplatte began their early access programs. So I may be mis remembering but was this the New Wings server or there also a sever/group called New Flyers And Friends?

 

But anyway atm I think the best thing is to jump onto the Jasta 5 Flugpark Discord and fly and learn from others on there while on the Flugpark server (or their training server if that’s still about).

 

Here is the link for the Flugpark Discord btw;

 

https://discord.gg/5wgQRECN

Yes! Tht was it, New Wings.  

Ok thanks Jasta 5 Flugpark. 

After I can at least take off and land properly

[RNAS10_Oliver]

1 hour ago, venger said:

Yes! Tht was it, New Wings.  

Ok thanks Jasta 5 Flugpark. 

After I can at least take off and land properly

 

Ah fair enough, go on the discord anyway, you can get help on the chat channels on there also...

 

Take off is a cinch, full rich mixture, idle throttle, start engine, lean out mixture a touch (somewhere around 80% to 85% ish is good in Camel and most Entente to start with), raise the throttle to full, pitch down enough to lift the tail off the ground as soon as you start moving, use rudder to keep you straight, and take off. ? The failure to pitch down and raise the tail right away seems to be an common mistake that tend to see from new players on the server that are having trouble with taking off.

 

Landings the harder part and more plane dependant. If Entente is your chosen poison the SE5a and Bristol are rather nice and relatively easy to land.

Edited July 27, 2021 by RNAS10_Oliver

[RNAS10_Oliver]

2 hours ago, venger said:

Yes! Tht was it, New Wings.  

Ok thanks Jasta 5 Flugpark. 

After I can at least take off and land properly

The Air Combat Tutorial Library is also quite a good resource to help you also. You might remember the author of them IRFC_Requiem from Rise of Flight.

 

https://youtube.com/c/TheAirCombatTutorialLibrary

Edited July 27, 2021 by RNAS10_Oliver

[venger]

On 7/27/2021 at 5:59 PM, RNAS10_Oliver said:

The Air Combat Tutorial Library is also quite a good resource to help you also. You might remember the author of them IRFC_Requiem from Rise of Flight.

Requiem does sound familiar. Thanks for this link, awesome

Edited August 1, 2021 by venger

[Nexus00110]

Hello I'm Nexus00110 and I'm looking to get back to playing flight sims. I still need to get a joystick, I'll probably start with Logitech. I played IL Sturmovik around the time 1946 came out a while back with a few squadrons. I've been playing War Thunder lately but I think I'd enjoy flying simulator with a Squadron again. One that values fun friendship over winning. Also a Squadron that offers training would be great. 

I know some of the basic principles behind dog fighting but it would be great to find a group to train with to be honest I'm not very good at it. I prefer ground attack and bombing using single-engine fighters. I like both Allied and axis aircraft in particular one is that operate best at low altitude. I can navigate, I've done formation and I wouldn't be using any head-tracking I think I'd use the Hat switch which I have been fine with in the past. My timezone is Central Standard Time. Hope to hear back from someone soon. Looking forward to flying with you all.

[Pastrana]

Excuse me I am new to IL2, I come from the other simulator and I want to give it a try, so far I love it, I would like to know if IL 2 does not have marks of cannon shots and rockets on the ground?

Edited August 29, 2021 by Pastrana

[InfernalVortex]

My biggest fear online is shooting down a friendly. I havent done it yet, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. I fly in VR, and most of the servers that are populated dont allow the HUD tags to let you see who is a friendly and who isnt. I love my Odyssey Plus, but it's not a Reverb G2 or a Valve Index, and even if it was, I need a video card upgrade to really take advantage of those. 

 

With that said, I tend to get shot down trying to identify people, and I'm okay with that for now. Just trying to remember proportions and wing shapes and so on. I have picked up that the German fighters tend to have yellow painted on them. This was, for some reason, a revelation for me and has helped a lot. Are there any other similar tips? I've seen that german aircraft tend to have cropped, or sharp angles on their wing tips, but that doesnt really seem especially true from looking at different variants. 

 

But aside from basic static visual cues, I had a couple of incidents yesterday which made me wonder if there were some other traditional customs.

 

• I was flying a 109F4 on Berloga and I was banking into an unidentified fighter just outside of easy ID range and I saw him do a full roll which made the yellow paint and the wing crosses very obvious to me, so I knew it was a friendly right away. Is this roll maneuver an intentional tactic to help someone identify you? If I see a friendly trying to move in to identify me, should I do a roll to help signal that I'm friendly? Or is this just a coincidence that they did a full roll there? 
• I had another person I saw flash their nav lights. Is there a convention on what exactly this means? I saw a supply plane come in for landing with nav lights on, but I think I saw someone else flash nav lights during an interesting encounter where it was 4 of us converging at extremely high altitude. Turns out all of us were friendlies but I think we all spent a minute trying to figure that out. 

 

So basically, aside from little visual cues like wing shape, scoops, and rudder shapes and so on, are there any other potential tools in the tool box that have traditionally understood meanings that I may not be catching onto because I am new to all of this? 

[Patricks]

20 minutes ago, InfernalVortex said:

My biggest fear online is shooting down a friendly. I havent done it yet, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. I fly in VR, and most of the servers that are populated dont allow the HUD tags to let you see who is a friendly and who isnt. I love my Odyssey Plus, but it's not a Reverb G2 or a Valve Index, and even if it was, I need a video card upgrade to really take advantage of those. 

 

With that said, I tend to get shot down trying to identify people, and I'm okay with that for now. Just trying to remember proportions and wing shapes and so on. I have picked up that the German fighters tend to have yellow painted on them. This was, for some reason, a revelation for me and has helped a lot. Are there any other similar tips? I've seen that german aircraft tend to have cropped, or sharp angles on their wing tips, but that doesnt really seem especially true from looking at different variants. 

 

But aside from basic static visual cues, I had a couple of incidents yesterday which made me wonder if there were some other traditional customs.

 

• I was flying a 109F4 on Berloga and I was banking into an unidentified fighter just outside of easy ID range and I saw him do a full roll which made the yellow paint and the wing crosses very obvious to me, so I knew it was a friendly right away. Is this roll maneuver an intentional tactic to help someone identify you? If I see a friendly trying to move in to identify me, should I do a roll to help signal that I'm friendly? Or is this just a coincidence that they did a full roll there? 
• I had another person I saw flash their nav lights. Is there a convention on what exactly this means? I saw a supply plane come in for landing with nav lights on, but I think I saw someone else flash nav lights during an interesting encounter where it was 4 of us converging at extremely high altitude. Turns out all of us were friendlies but I think we all spent a minute trying to figure that out. 

 

So basically, aside from little visual cues like wing shape, scoops, and rudder shapes and so on, are there any other potential tools in the tool box that have traditionally understood meanings that I may not be catching onto because I am new to all of this? 

 

Welcome, you are not alone with ID issues. I really think 1C needs to open up the editing of "labels" properties on MP servers. One idea being tossed around (which can't be done as it stands) is NO labels for enemy contacts at all and instead of a giant neon sign over friendlys just put a small green dot over an ally once you are under 1000m away. This won't change plane spotting or effect dogfighting in ANY way but will prevent friendly fire deaths. Once you become VERY good at plane ID you will never see the green dot (and of course can turn it off via KB shortcut), until then you will see its a friendly well before guns range and move on..

[ITAF_Airone1989]

38 minutes ago, InfernalVortex said:

My biggest fear online...

 

Some short tips given to me from a teammate that I found really useful at the beginning:

 

Skinny&long -> Bf109

Short -> Russian

Round wings -> British

Round nose -> Fw190/La5

 

Of course this doesn't cover all the situation, but it's a good start.

 

About the roll: yes, if you see a friend coming too close rolling your wings is a good way to help him to see your wingtips and also that you're not starting defensive manoeuvres...

(But still, I did a lot of roll to some enemy getting close and seems they were pretty happy to shot down a sitting duck ?... So be sure he's a friend!)

 

About the lights:

You will never know. Maybe he's using the light to say to you that is a friend, maybe he's doing because is an enemy and he's calling his friends, maybe he didn't notice you but get lost from his wingman... So, there is not a rule.

 

 

Edit:

P.s.

You don't need to learn all the aircraft shapes.

Just pick up one side and memorize them (I suggest axis cause most of them are 109 or 190, so not so much work)

Study their wing/nose/tail shape and colour from any angle, then if you see something that you don't know you are pretty sure that it's Russian/American/British...

So, half of the work

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by ITAF_Airone1989

[JimTM]

55 minutes ago, InfernalVortex said:

...

• I was flying a 109F4 on Berloga and I was banking into an unidentified fighter just outside of easy ID range and I saw him do a full roll which made the yellow paint and the wing crosses very obvious to me, so I knew it was a friendly right away. Is this roll maneuver an intentional tactic to help someone identify you? If I see a friendly trying to move in to identify me, should I do a roll to help signal that I'm friendly? Or is this just a coincidence that they did a full roll there? 

...

 

The friendly fighter could be doing a defensive lag roll, as Requiem explains at 4:40 in this video (which is part of this series):

 

 

 

 

There are some aircraft ID links near the end of the "Air Combat Guides" section in the IL-2 Sturmovik Resources post.

 

 

On 8/21/2021 at 7:39 PM, Nexus00110 said:

Hello I'm Nexus00110 and I'm looking to get back to playing flight sims. I still need to get a joystick, I'll probably start with Logitech. I played IL Sturmovik around the time 1946 came out a while back with a few squadrons. I've been playing War Thunder lately but I think I'd enjoy flying simulator with a Squadron again. One that values fun friendship over winning. Also a Squadron that offers training would be great. 

I know some of the basic principles behind dog fighting but it would be great to find a group to train with to be honest I'm not very good at it. I prefer ground attack and bombing using single-engine fighters. I like both Allied and axis aircraft in particular one is that operate best at low altitude. I can navigate, I've done formation and I wouldn't be using any head-tracking I think I'd use the Hat switch which I have been fine with in the past. My timezone is Central Standard Time. Hope to hear back from someone soon. Looking forward to flying with you all.

 

Welcome @Nexus00110. I'm not in a squadron, but you could try the Virtual Squadrons and Special Events forum to see what's available.

 

On 8/28/2021 at 8:23 PM, Pastrana said:

Excuse me I am new to IL2, I come from the other simulator and I want to give it a try, so far I love it, I would like to know if IL 2 does not have marks of cannon shots and rockets on the ground?

 

Hi @Pastrana, welcome to IL2. Rockets and bombs will leave a mark on the ground, but bullets and cannon shells won't.

Edited August 30, 2021 by JimTM

[WoolieWool]

On 8/30/2021 at 1:48 PM, InfernalVortex said:

My biggest fear online is shooting down a friendly. I havent done it yet, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. I fly in VR, and most of the servers that are populated dont allow the HUD tags to let you see who is a friendly and who isnt. I love my Odyssey Plus, but it's not a Reverb G2 or a Valve Index, and even if it was, I need a video card upgrade to really take advantage of those. 

 

With that said, I tend to get shot down trying to identify people, and I'm okay with that for now. Just trying to remember proportions and wing shapes and so on. I have picked up that the German fighters tend to have yellow painted on them. This was, for some reason, a revelation for me and has helped a lot. Are there any other similar tips? I've seen that german aircraft tend to have cropped, or sharp angles on their wing tips, but that doesnt really seem especially true from looking at different variants. 

 

But aside from basic static visual cues, I had a couple of incidents yesterday which made me wonder if there were some other traditional customs.

 

• I was flying a 109F4 on Berloga and I was banking into an unidentified fighter just outside of easy ID range and I saw him do a full roll which made the yellow paint and the wing crosses very obvious to me, so I knew it was a friendly right away. Is this roll maneuver an intentional tactic to help someone identify you? If I see a friendly trying to move in to identify me, should I do a roll to help signal that I'm friendly? Or is this just a coincidence that they did a full roll there? 
• I had another person I saw flash their nav lights. Is there a convention on what exactly this means? I saw a supply plane come in for landing with nav lights on, but I think I saw someone else flash nav lights during an interesting encounter where it was 4 of us converging at extremely high altitude. Turns out all of us were friendlies but I think we all spent a minute trying to figure that out. 

 

So basically, aside from little visual cues like wing shape, scoops, and rudder shapes and so on, are there any other potential tools in the tool box that have traditionally understood meanings that I may not be catching onto because I am new to all of this? 

I am a novice pilot on VR too and I bound a button to my joystick for the second-highest level of zoom. It's not a panacea, but it helps.

 

I bought a boxed copy of BoS way back in the day and ended up completely over my head trying to learn fighter maneuvering from the ground up and not having any sort of head tracking whatsoever, and left it to rot. However, last year I bought Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and earlier this year I got an Oculus Quest 2, and hearing that Il-2 GB now supports VR and modules were on sale at a huge discount led me here. I'm working on my first career of Battle of Moscow, gradually learning the basics of maneuvering and fighting in the Bf 109. How important are rudder pedals for this game? I am currently using the twist axis on my VKB Gladiator and, while it was fine for flying Pipers, Cessnas, and XCubs in MSFS, it feels pretty imprecise and clumsy for fighter maneuvering.

[Beebop]

1 hour ago, WoolieWool said:

How important are rudder pedals for this game?

IMO, extremely.  Everything from dogfighting to ground pounding to taxiing is easier with pedals not to mention just flying the plane.

I too flew for years without them.  On my old Saitek X-45 I used a rocker switch on the throttle then on my first X-52 I used the twist grip.  But when I got pedals it was like a new world opened up for me.  Like Track IR (and VR for many) I can't imagine flying any title without them.

 

Logitech (ex Saitek) makes some nice budget pedals for ~$200 USD.
Thrustmaster makes some nice entry level pedals ~$166 USD.
Logitech's are wider than Thrustmaster's but both are serviceable as long as you don't slam the around as they are made of (fairly) high impact plastic.
For more heavy duty (read metal) entry level option there are CH Pro Pedals ~ $175 USD.

Beyond that you get into some very high quality pedals but in today's inflated Bitcoin market you are thinking around ~$500-$1000 and sometimes higher.

If budget is your primary concern I'd say look at the CH Pro's.  Good price and well built "starter" pedals.

 

(two kopecks from me)

 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Beebop

[Patricks]

5 hours ago, Beebop said:

For more heavy duty (read metal) entry level option there are CH Pro Pedals ~ $175 USD.

 

 

Agree with all you said but when did CH switch over to Metal? I have owned the same set of CH Pro Pedals since about 1998 and I can assure you there is little to no metal involved in their construction besides screws and the rollers the inside mechanisms glide on. Regardless of that, they virtually last forever and have the smallest footprint of any pedals available (and are the only pedals with the width to fit properly in the "Next Level racing" flight sim stand). In 23 years I have recently replaced the toe-brake potentiometers (only one went bad, did both) and recently had to repair a wire that sheared off internally. For some people the feet are too close together but that never bothered me..

[cardboard_killer]

5 hours ago, Beebop said:

~$500-$1000 and sometimes higher.

 

There are some over $2,000 out there. Otherwise, I just wanted to add the VKB pedals, which lack a toe brake, but are otherwise reviewed very highly and are only a bit more pricey than the plastic models. $215 plus shipping. And there is also the used market, plenty of the plastic models used out there cheap. I was lucky to snag a set of crosswinds used for half the price of new.

[Patricks]

3 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

There are some over $2,000 out there. Otherwise, I just wanted to add the VKB pedals, which lack a toe brake, but are otherwise reviewed very highly and are only a bit more pricey than the plastic models. $215 plus shipping. And there is also the used market, plenty of the plastic models used out there cheap. I was lucky to snag a set of crosswinds used for half the price of new.

 

Yep, I would recommend a set of whatever brand except VKB if you plan on flying any DCS WWII stuff, especially the 109.. All rudders should have toe-brakes, no idea what they were thinking by omitting them?

[Beazil]

3 hours ago, =LD=Icer said:

 

Yep, I would recommend a set of whatever brand except VKB if you plan on flying any DCS WWII stuff, especially the 109.. All rudders should have toe-brakes, no idea what they were thinking by omitting them?

They were thinking "Russian Jet" probably.  Lots of planes have the break axis on the stick and not the pedals.  British fighters in WWII followed this method as well.

 

Just as a matter of fact I'm using saitek pedals atm but am looking (not urgently) at alternatives at some future point.

Edited September 1, 2021 by JG51_Beazil

[cardboard_killer]

4 minutes ago, =LD=Icer said:

All rudders should have toe-brakes, no idea what they were thinking by omitting them?

 

I would guess they were thinking they could sell rudders at a sweet spot between the expensive plastic models and the least expensive metal models. E.g. 64% of the cost of MFG Xwinds, and only slightly more expensive than Logitec/thrustmaster plastic slider models.

 

Virpil followed suit with their WarBRD model.

 

If I had not gotten the MFGs cheap, I would have gone the VKB route; I mostly fly USSR/RAF planes so am used to using buttons to brake.

 

[InfernalVortex]

I love my VKB T-Rudders. They allowed me to have compact rudder pedals that were high quality but could be put away for racing sims. The lack of toe brakes is a little annoying, but it doesn't matter for a lot of things. If I was only doing flight sims, I'd probably set up my rig for permanently mounted rudders with toe brakes. 

Edited September 1, 2021 by InfernalVortex

[Patricks]

8 minutes ago, InfernalVortex said:

I love my VKB T-Rudders. They allowed me to have compact rudder pedals that were high quality but could be put away for racing sims. The lack of toe brakes is a little annoying, but it doesn't matter for a lot of things. 

 

I agree they are nice pedals but I can't even imagine not having toe-brakes after so long with them.. I considered them because they would just fit on my Next Racing stand (49cm max). The CH pedals (Base) is only 33cm! I do use the Paddle lever on my Warthog for the Spitfire and others with a single brake though, so it really depends on what you want..

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by =LD=Icer