SOW freview

[HFC_Dolphin]

SOW is a nice game, but I got bored of it pretty soon.
All of my old friends are not flying anymore.
In all these years of waiting, some of them passed away, some others got married and had children. A couple of them started university and now are doing their PhD. One of them discovered that he's happier as a transvestie and doesn't play pc games anymore. He prefers buying makeup stuff. One other is travelling around the world on a bicycle. Most of them just kept on their lifes and can't reach them anymore in their XXX-squad@squadsmail.com.

New pilots are good guys, but SoW is their first simulator and it'll take lot of time to develop their skills and tactics to the level I used to know.

Graphics are better. Quite better than IL-2's.

Sound is at mods' level.

FM is better, but still limited by the fact that it's still played in a PC, on a 15-30'' monitor. Still can't make you feel any better than IL-2.

DM is much-much better and that' the greatest imprivement over IL-2. There are so many different ways of getting hit, but still the controls become "unsuable".

The map is much better than all of the IL-2's maps, but if I had to pick between this one SOW map and the many IL-2's maps, I'd choose the IL-2's maps.
There are many objects in the maps, but this makes it too difficult for my pc, especially online. I can choose the smaller online map, but then I lose most of the beauty of the big map.

Online transfer protocols are sofisticated, but as mentioned before, are limited by the connections we still have. Cheating is impossible for the time being, if using the standard version.

We got the choice to create our own online maps and use modded planes in them, but this made the thing worse, cause now the (already small) community is split in many parts and besides the standard map, in all other maps cheats exist. I still remember the first time I saw a Stuka flying faster than my Spitfire. I hunted it for 30' but then I quit. It was worse than hunting a P38 with a BF109 in IL-2 days.

One other thing that I don't like is that in only a few months a new add-on appears and we have to pay again for new content. Many people do not buy the new add-on and the community is split even more. Rumours say that we're going to see at least 4 add-on, therefore I can only imagine a lobby full of people flying different versions of the game. In the end, most of them can't find other people flying the same version, thus they chat for a while and then leave to play offline "Pacman 2014", the only good game that was released in the same year as SOW.

[Tree_UK]

lol, your going to be joining me in the most unpopular person contest. :grin::grin:

[6S.Manu]

Kudos my friend! :D

[JG52Uther]

Change your drugs man! :)

Actually it upsets me that,even though I flew SoW about 3 years ago (really) there is STILL no sign of a Do17!

(Dolphin is it you in the dress?)

[ramstein]

If only I could let my sarcasm and humor rip here... if only,,, I can dream though..

[13th Hsqn Protos]

(Dolphin is it you in the dress?)

Take it to the Bank !

[hiro]

D I D (Dear IL-2 Diary )

2014 was a strange year. SOW is going strong and the most common question is "German gunsites are half covered, how do I fix this?" the second is "how come I'm stuck launching from a carrier".


One of the more dubious things was the Chinese govt sanctioned SOW series. Like they are trying to do with replacing the Catholic Church with their "People's Catholic Church," they doin the same to SOW series.

Despite many violations of international copyright law, the Chinese govt basically "re-released SOW: Manchuria" and SOW: Early War Years Flying Tigers with communist markings instead of the national Chinese markings."

And their Cultural revolution campaign where you play a PLAAF pilot with access to entire planesets. Including the MiG-15 or J-2. Whats funny is you can play it with full realism settings on but in game is full arcade.


Yeah the uproar was nuts. And the worst was the SOW Korea Times. The Chinese MiG-15 the J-2 , has vastly overmodelled FM and DM, near unlimited ammo, and the 37 mm cannon with .50 cal ROF. It can hover too, and has Macross style cluster homing rockets LOL. Oh and you can see LOMAC 4's missile sets for the loadouts too. Sidewinder anyone? They even have a Mao pilot ROFLMAO.

Its funny because the North Korean and Soviet MiG-15s weren't overmodelled, but as soon as you switch to China or put Chinese markings, you get the modded MiG.

Their are probably more jokes circulating in the forums about People's version of SOW than they are people in China itself.

And the entire community as divided as it is, is singular in supporting Oleg & Co in banishing this version. Even to the point where they have People's check along with check sum for all online servers. Usually servers running people's version is hacked to death in a few hours, a day at the most.


On of the best, best meaning interesting mods was the 'sea life mod' aka "FUBAR carrier launch mod". Seamster made this awesome mod that puts sea life in SOW: The Pacific Elite. The dolphins leaping out in front of the carrier bow is frickin awesome. PETA is trying to sue KidWhoDid74 for posting his vidoes of the SBD gunner gunning them down. The Mortal Kombat gore mod doesn't help his case either (M4T, PhantumOpera made it).

The thread "I crash because I look back at the dolphins after launching" thread is 890 threads and its the 3rd carried over.

But the first wild life mod was "birds" by larrybird33 where if you flew over tree's birds would fly out and get slammed by the jet / propwash.

The community this year is mixed. nearly everyone frequents the WW 2 mid servers. The Korean one has some but since someone got the people's MiG undetected into the plane sets, everyone's avoiding that until a patch to catch it.

M4T has been the target of hacks, probably because of the several thousand page long threads of People's version of SOW jokes.



One of the most anticipated mods is the World War Online, where FPS ground and vehicular action can occur.

Can't wait for that.


The other stuff of note is the motion picture association of american and recording industry association of america trying to sue 1C on the grounds of 'providing a product that facilitates use of copyright violations.' IE, they were upset of vast popularity of SOW series and thousands of youtube videos people made with "copy righted" music or copyrighted "scenes" like recreation of battles.

The most absurd is the 'violation' of making a SOW based machinima video depicting the doolittle raid or pearl harbor attack due to copyright violations to the pearl harbor movie.

Ah good times.

Still SOW is fun, fun fun!

[fuzzychickens]

SOW is a nice game, but I got bored of it pretty soon.
All of my old friends are not flying anymore.
In all these years of waiting, some of them passed away, some others got married and had children. A couple of them started university and now are doing their PhD. One of them discovered that he's happier as a transvestie and doesn't play pc games anymore. He prefers buying makeup stuff. One other is travelling around the world on a bicycle. Most of them just kept on their lifes and can't reach them anymore in their XXX-squad@squadsmail.com.

New pilots are good guys, but SoW is their first simulator and it'll take lot of time to develop their skills and tactics to the level I used to know.

Graphics are better. Quite better than IL-2's.

Sound is at mods' level.

FM is better, but still limited by the fact that it's still played in a PC, on a 15-30'' monitor. Still can't make you feel any better than IL-2.

DM is much-much better and that' the greatest imprivement over IL-2. There are so many different ways of getting hit, but still the controls become "unsuable".

The map is much better than all of the IL-2's maps, but if I had to pick between this one SOW map and the many IL-2's maps, I'd choose the IL-2's maps.
There are many objects in the maps, but this makes it too difficult for my pc, especially online. I can choose the smaller online map, but then I lose most of the beauty of the big map.

Online transfer protocols are sofisticated, but as mentioned before, are limited by the connections we still have. Cheating is impossible for the time being, if using the standard version.

We got the choice to create our own online maps and use modded planes in them, but this made the thing worse, cause now the (already small) community is split in many parts and besides the standard map, in all other maps cheats exist. I still remember the first time I saw a Stuka flying faster than my Spitfire. I hunted it for 30' but then I quit. It was worse than hunting a P38 with a BF109 in IL-2 days.

One other thing that I don't like is that in only a few months a new add-on appears and we have to pay again for new content. Many people do not buy the new add-on and the community is split even more. Rumours say that we're going to see at least 4 add-on, therefore I can only imagine a lobby full of people flying different versions of the game. In the end, most of them can't find other people flying the same version, thus they chat for a while and then leave to play offline "Pacman 2014", the only good game that was released in the same year as SOW.

Interesting predictions, but I don't think Oleg would be dumb enough to make paid addons incompatible with previous versions online. If the content is just additional planes - why wouldn't the versions work together online?

I hope he doesn't pull any Rise of Flight crap. Doesn't that game force you to sit out in online games if players are using planes you don't have?

Major mistake to fragment community if he does that. Paid planesets are fine by me and I'll pay for them, but online compatibility should be intact regardless if you bought a planeset or not.

[Rama]

I hope he doesn't pull any Rise of Flight crap. Doesn't that game force you to sit out in online games if players are using planes you don't have?


No it doesn't. If you have one of the mission plane type, you can fly.
Online compatibility is preserved whatever planes you bought.

No problems with RoF's critics,... but don't spread false information please...

[fuzzychickens]

No it doesn't. If you have one of the mission plane type, you can fly.
Online compatibility is preserved whatever planes you bought.

No problems with RoF's critics,... but don't spread false information please...

This is a quote from the simHQ review:

"In the near future, we should start seeing Camel versus Fokker Dr.I missions (for examples), which will both be pay-to-fly models. If one hasn’t purchased the planes, one is forced into spectator mode."

Sounds like the reviewer thinks pay-planes do just that and force you to sit out of matches if you don't have a plane. Or can you still join the side for which you own a plane?

Also, the multiplayer is setup like a mission - no respawn, you crash - end of game. Kind of kills the chance you'll ever see a server full of planes like in IL2.
The reviewer pointed out many negatives about it's multiplayer.

[HFC_Dolphin]

First of all, this was a joke post - you have to be constipated to see it in any other way :-)

Now, with regards to compatibility of add-on planes, I'm sure that all SoW versions will be compatible online, but imagine this: in IL-2 where everyone has the same choice of planes, 98,45% of the people whine about balance issues. What will happen when many people won't have the same choice of planes? Can you imagine this? I can and I'm already laughing !!!!

[fuzzychickens]

I will be great when people get blown to pieces online by a plane they don't have.

I look at it as a way to promote sales of the addon planes so Oleg and crew have the funds to keep enhancing the game.

It is my duty to completely destroy poor saps who may not have access to a plane I bought and then tell them, "Oh yea, I have no skill at all, the only reason I'm kicking your butt is because I bought this here fancy new uber-plane that came in a plane set addon, so you better go download it too!"

[Rama]

This is a quote from the simHQ review:
"In the near future, we should start seeing Camel versus Fokker Dr.I missions (for examples), which will both be pay-to-fly models. If one hasn’t purchased the planes, one is forced into spectator mode."

Sounds like the reviewer thinks pay-planes do just that and force you to sit out of matches if you don't have a plane. Or can you still join the side for which you own a plane?

Read better "If one hasn't purchased the planes".
If you don't won ANY of the planes of a mission, of course you can't join. But if you own just one of them, you can.
If you had asked the question on SimHQ in the review discussion, you would have known.
More generally, it is not a good idea to spread "information" about a game when you never played with it and don't know anything about.

Also, the multiplayer is setup like a mission - no respawn, you crash - end of game. Kind of kills the chance you'll ever see a server full of planes like in IL2.
The reviewer pointed out many negatives about it's multiplayer.
Of course they are today "many negatives" about RoF multiplayer. Dogfight mode is not even yet released (which is the mode that normally interest the vast majority of the online players), the Mission editor manual is still not translated (which means there are a very few users creating coop missions) and the in-game multiplayer lobby isn't very practical.
... still... there's no nead to spread some false information..