IL2 Normandy

[bozon]

Anyone has any info about that title?
It has a Mossie FB.VI on the cover image so it made me poke my ears up.
Are the other titles of “great abttles” any good? How does the multiplayer work?
I suppose that recently release Bodenplatte is the most similar title, is that one any good? (Can it be without mosquitoes?)



I disliked older IL2 titles. The view system was a no go for me - I am used to keypad views and it is difficult for an old dog to learn new tricks. Maybe it is time I moved on to trackir.
Older titles were mostly about the eastern from that has nearly 0 interest for me, offline gameplay was meh, and online was no competition to AH.

DCS player Mosquito and Mirage III after announcements that made me soil my underwear, were sent to the end of the queue, with no release date in the next decade. So I was wondering if this IL2 title could be something to play while I keep dreaming.

Any thoughts? Info?

[perdue3]

I am not sure what you mean about the view system. You can set your views to be identical to AH pan, snap, or otherwise. IL-2 is phenomenal in most ways. The transition from AH to IL-2 is pretty arduous, but it is only time. There are multiplayer servers, varying in realism settings, that you join. I recommend Wings of Liberty and Berloga Dogfight to get your feet wet.

Usually when a new DLC goes active, there are servers dedicated to that plane set unlike others that keep it balanced with various plane sets. Stalingrad is the vanilla IL-2 and should be on sale now if you want to give it a try.

[Nefarious]

To me, the game looks and feels like the original IL2 games with major improvements graphically and to the interface.

I have BoS, BoM, and BoK, as well as Boddenplatte. Been having fun with former AH squaddies on their server. It launches missions with AI fighters and bombers and ground targets, it's been a lot of fun. I'll probably buy Normandy and maybe the Tank game.

[bozon]

I am not sure what you mean about the view system. You can set your views to be identical to AH pan, snap, or otherwise.
...

The head position was fixed in the cockpit (at least in original IL2 forgotten battles), aka “head on a stick”, unlike AH where you can set the head position for each view direction. Not much good if you look “left” and there is a canopy bar right there to block 80% of your field of view...
Also the slow head movement when going from rear-left to rear-right was annoying, but I could live with that.

What are the objectives in the online servers? Just furball arenas?
Do they have simultaneous (or periodic) spawns of player, or is it “get shot down roll again” kind of thing?

[Nefarious]

The cooperative missions I have flown, have one dedicated launch and when you die, you can spectate using external views. After everyone is down, or on agreement of everyone, the mission can be ended where they all return to the map screen and prepare for the next mission.

I'm sure that is dependent on the server settings though.

[perdue3]

The head position was fixed in the cockpit (at least in original IL2 forgotten battles), aka “head on a stick”, unlike AH where you can set the head position for each view direction. Not much good if you look “left” and there is a canopy bar right there to block 80% of your field of view...
Also the slow head movement when going from rear-left to rear-right was annoying, but I could live with that.

What are the objectives in the online servers? Just furball arenas?
Do they have simultaneous (or periodic) spawns of player, or is it “get shot down roll again” kind of thing?

My views are identical to keypad AH snap views. I can assure you that you will have a view system just like AH. My only gripe with the views is that my pilot looks 7 o'clock and when I want to look 6 from that position I turn my head all the way around. You can move your head position in each angle and save the head position just like AH.

The Dogfight server is just that. You get spawned at about 300m and immediately get caught up in the soup. It is fast paced, intense action. The other war servers, like Wings of Liberty, have a mixed bag. A typical map will have about 6 targets on each side, all varying from tanks to bridges to factories, which are to be destroyed by bombs. The first side to destroy all the targets win that map. It is always Axis vs. Allies in there and naturally, many people gravitate toward the bombers and attack planes. The fighter guys escort/defend the targets and there is always something to do for everyone. The problem is side balancing sometimes dictates which side you fly on. Generally, the KN guys will launch fighters and defend a target or patrol an area. Sometimes we are unlucky and see nothing, but I'd say 4/5 times we get into something.

[Devil 505]

The head position was fixed in the cockpit (at least in original IL2 forgotten battles), aka “head on a stick”, unlike AH where you can set the head position for each view direction. Not much good if you look “left” and there is a canopy bar right there to block 80% of your field of view...
Also the slow head movement when going from rear-left to rear-right was annoying, but I could live with that.

Bozon, I use a hat switch in IL-2 just like AH. Not sure how different using key commands for views, but with the hat switch Il-2 offers more flexibility in views than AH - with one noticeable drawback.

In AH, your view angles are locked into increments of 45 degrees regardless of where you move the head position using the mouse keys.

In Il-2, the Insert, Home, End, Delete, Page Up, and Page Down keys move your head positions and you can move the mouse to adjust the center point of a given view. Also, all views are zoomed in about 50% by default, so zoom out each view to get total coverage.

The snap speed is adjustable in the options menu.

The only drawback to the Il-2 view system is how handles the dead 6 O'clock position. In AH, it is exactly 180 Degrees and it will rotate to that position in the shortest path possible from your current view. In IL-2, dead 6 is either 179 Deg. (over the right shoulder) or 181 Deg. (over the left shoulder). This becomes a problem when tracking an enemy rearward from the side opposite the saved 6 O'clock view. For example, if your dead 6 view is 181 Deg. and your enemy is passing on your right, as your enemy moves from your right-aft view into the dead 6 view and you press the key for dead 6, the view will rotate left from right-aft through the forward position, all the way to 181 Deg. You will lose sight of the enemy every time.

[CptTrips]

Bozon,

I just picked up BoS, BoM, BoK, on sale for $12  each the other day.  I've been toying with them.

Like you, I was never that interested in Eastern Front stuff, and I hated the IL2 view system.  With VR now, the view system at least is not an issue.
I would have loved for them to have added VR support to CloD, but I gave up waiting.

They definitely have a graphics advantage over AH. 
AH AI is definitely better.
The FM feels pretty similar to me.  Maybe some subtle differences. 
Gunnery feel maybe a little harder in IL2.  (?)

I haven't bothered with the online servers yet.  IF they try and pull all that no icon baloney, then I wouldn't be interested.

While I know everyone around here turns their nose up at the single player campaign feature, I'm pretty sure that is why everyone has heard of IL2 and very few have heard of AH.

All in all, might be interesting to toy with.  I'll be interested in reviews of the Normady module.   I wish they'd redo the BoB version with full VR support.

 

[Devil 505]

I haven't bothered with the online servers yet.  IF they try and pull all that no icon baloney, then I wouldn't be interested.

All the consistently populated servers are no icon.

[CptTrips]

All the consistently populated servers are no icon.

OK.  To each their own. 

I wasn't really interested in the IL2 MP experience anyway.  I got AH scenarios for that.

 

[TheBug]

Wow for $12 bucks each I might have to give them a try.

[CptTrips]

Wow for $12 bucks each I might have to give them a try.

That was on Steam. 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/307960/IL2_Sturmovik_Battle_of_Stalingrad/

One of them "Bodenplatte" was still like $49 ish.

[Devil 505]

Wow for $12 bucks each I might have to give them a try.

I'd recommend trying Stalingrad or Kuban to have the most available planes in multiplayer arenas. The arenas have planes sets based on the historic battles and planes that balance with them.

[TheBug]

Thanks I'll probably grab all three like Trips at that price.

[Bruv119]

If you could take the best bits from them all then we would have our flight sim Nirvana. 

I can't help feel the IL2 franchise is just a money spinner, release the next battle with a handful of new planes but its just the same game regurgitated with some minor improvements. 

A DCS mossie would be epic.  But it seems the F4U1D with a WW2 carrier and the P47D will be the next plane modules.  However the attention to detail makes them very satisfying to learn and master.  They just need a more permanent Multiplayer environment like AH. 

VR is the future, learning track IR is not so hard with less people around and dogfights in those games don't tend to get overwhelming. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY23XJamrfI

a little fight I had with a K4.