A few ideas on why this game is dead online

[fritzwendel]

This isn't a flame thread, or a merciless bashing of the publisher, just a few thoughts on why the game has a small community.

1.) players waiting for the patch

2.) a BOATLOAD of excellent games are out right now(ahem, anyone heard of MW2?), and have players engaged in other fields of play.

3.) the lack of support for American planes(handling and selection of craft)

4.) limited online progress tracking(this is big to me; I like seeing my stats, unlock progress, and special challenges for XP rewards/rank. It has been done so well the last 3 years, why did this game drop the ball in this regard?


Please feel free to elaborate, or offer an opposing opinion. Just keep it civil so that people don't start whining. LOL.:grin:

(the silver lining is that the skies will fill up again. There is longevity in this game because it is the best the genre has to offer. New players will take to the skies as the game drops in price.)

[dkwookie]

I have seen a few new players here and there but they dont seem to stay long. From the conversations I have had with them they cant seem to get to grips with how to get kills and get sick of being shot down all game they end up leaving for Fifa, MW2 etc

So to all the aces here if you see a new guy in a game dont hammer him so much he doesnt come back!

All your points are valid though. But on the bright side there is only so much MW2 you can take before you get sick of it. One of the original guys I used to play with was back on tonight after abandoning it for MW2.

It was strange tonight, loads of games then it hit 10 and none. It usually gets busier around that time

[TRC Subaru]

I have seen a few new players here and there but they dont seem to stay long. From the conversations I have had with them they cant seem to get to grips with how to get kills and get sick of being shot down all game they end up leaving for Fifa, MW2 etc

So to all the aces here if you see a new guy in a game dont hammer him so much he doesnt come back!

The guys that I fly with try to “even-up” the missions (Team Battle, CTA, etc) by picking teams and putting a few of the newer players in with some of the veterans so they can learn and at least get a chance to get a kill.

_

[miatar]

people who love combat flight sim and have a console will stay. The learning curve is a bitch but thats the challenge

[Yossarian]

people who love combat flight sim and have a console will stay. The learning curve is a bitch but thats the challenge


I've played and love flight sims since the early 80's, I've played nearly every flight sim released and had at one point 4 different HOTAS controllers. I completed IL BOP on sim. So I can assure you that it was not 'the learning curve' that made me stop playing and trade in the game.

Firstly they split the community far too much for a niche game, 3 difficulty levels and 4 game types = hardly anyone in any of the modes. It became impossible to find a game on realistic or sim unless it was with friends. Arcade = a waste of time, go play Heroes over somewhere if you like that crap.


It was the fundamentally broken online that killed this game stone dead on arrival and made me get rid of this game. Not being awarded kills unless the enemy exploded or crashed within 5 seconds of you hitting it, which is not likely at 8,000ft. The absolutely impossible unlocks, like destroying 50 ground targets with fighters and stuff. The stupid message users received when searching for games if none could be found, which led people to believe that the IL BOP servers were down. Destroyed this game for most players.


The bullshit about prompt updates to fix all of the above and add German cockpits, which turned into vapourware. The game came out in September, we were told the update would arrive soon after, the last I hear the 360 update has not even gone into publisher QA let alone MS cert, so you'll be lucky to get that before next Feb at the earliest, 6 months after the game shipped. It's not on for these sorts of issues to not be fixed in 6 months I think.


I put at least 30 people from these forums in my friends list, over the course of 3 weeks they all except for a couple (House MD and LawnmowerDan) stopped playing in frustration with the issues I raised above.


I liked the game for all it's faults, but the SP was weak the AI was utter rubbish, there was no 'dog-fighting' and most mission could be completed without ever shooting a single plane down yourself. MP I've already talked about.


And don't forget the ripoff DLC, 800msp for content on the disc, go feck yourself. Especially since it was only 2 aircraft, Battlestations Pacific did a DLC pack with 2 aircraft, 2 BB's and 2 CA's for 160msp, it made the IL BOP DLC seem like what is was, greed.


I don't really blame the dev's it's the publishers that have to approve/pay for everything and 505games are a tiny company without much resources, so I don't really blame them either.


I'll may buy a sequel if they make one, but they've had their chance, if it has the same sort of problems as IL BOP then I will probably will not buy it.

[kozzm0]

So to all the aces here if you see a new guy in a game dont hammer him so much he doesnt come back!

Today in a team battle there was a newbie who got teamed up with nearly-invincible Mergervin, so my side double-teamed Mergervin the whole round... we managed a tie score though they still got the win. Then I fought the dude's la7 with a Messerschmitt, and he started flying better.

I always try to make sure people don't quit... the matches aren't for money, though there is the still-mysterious ranking system, which has sometimes increased my level for losing matches and reduced my level for winning 5 to 0 with no crashes.

[Desode]

My reason is, To many great flight sims on pc right now. DCS Black Shark, AAA mod U 1.2 for Sturmovik 1942 + New Sturmovik patch 4.09 with new maps and new planes, then there is Over Flanders Field (WWI) , Rise of Flight (WWI).

There are some really amazing flight sims right now on pc and I just built a new pc to play them all.
A good Quad system can be built pretty cheap right now.

I'm still waiting on this patch though, but I have some grey hairs from endless hours of checking these forums.

LOL
I'm going to owe some grey hairs to Good Old Oleg too, when SOW BOB finally gets here, Damn I have been waiting on that for ages now !

DESODE

[InfiniteStates]

I fully agree with the OP, although I think it's kind of sad that number 3 is true when there are so many nice planes in the game. But hey, can't knock you guys for being patriotic - I think I'd be pissed too if my beloved Spitfire was as crap as the P51.

And I really feel for you XBox guys - there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel for us PS3ers, but you others are still kind of left hanging in the wind... I hope your patch is right behind ours. At least you can get a heads up when ours comes out as to whether it's worth waiting for yours... Maybe you can take inspiration from edal and his awesome tournament - it really does breathe fun into the game. There must be enough of you to make it viable?

And yeah - the DLC was kinda ridiculous. At least the karmic balance is that XBox guys had a (brief) chance to bag it for 1/2 the price we did.

But I will definitely be buying a sequel, and do feel I have had way more than my money's worth out of this one. Just want the platinum to show my appreciation for the game - only need the weapon unlock (and 100 IL2 missions)... :)

[SEE]

There are bunch of die hard reguilars on Xbox every night but the search facilty often results with no games in session when in fact there are. I rely on my friends to send me an invite as soon as a session ends and a new one is started. If you want to play regularly then take the opportunity to send friend requests as soon as you are in a session. I agree about the point concerning new players, setting teams that are balanced to encourage them but it helps if you accept that being awarded a kill is not the only goal of the game. If a player crashes then that player is out of the game for the respawn time and this itself is useful. Don't let the 'kill' score be your only objective to enjoy the game.

Some players prefer to fly with their pals and employ a range of tactics. Won't name the guys but they are Eastern European and always fly together using tactics that earn them high scores. Its down to the other team to counter them and I won't divulge how or what tactics they use. Sign On and and find out for yourselves. I have yet to sign on and not get a SIM game and a really rewarding experience that other games don't offer. It's BOP or nothing for me on-line, only patch I need is a nicotine one (tried one but found it hard to roll and keep lit) :grin:

EvangelusE (gamer tag)

[Sandylowlead]

people who love combat flight sim and have a console will stay. The learning curve is a bitch but thats the challenge
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll48/Ragenbeef/i_support_this_post.jpg

[Zatoichi_Sanjuro]

Fundamentally it's the multiplayer backend structure that is the problem.

You can't see any games that are in progress and you can't join anytime you like. There might be people in the middle of 20min matches, but the place would look empty unless you sat in the lobby hitting search every five minutes.

Then there's the realistic/sim divide which didn't really warrant the split given the cockpit view isn't locked.

Hopefully, they both learned from their mistakes with the mp, and profited enough to make a sequel.

[fritzwendel]

I think the DLC is most upsetting; I bought it @ 400 MS points, but I was under the impression that I was getting the long awaited cockpit for the 109.

I already had the P-47/Ta-152, and don't care for the extra missions, so needless to say I didn't get my moneys' worth.

On the bright side, at least I didn't fork out 10 bucks for it! LOL.

On MW2: that is the biggest example because EVERYONE and their brother are playing it. Still, there's Borderlands, OPFP:DR, Forza 3, Uncharted 2, Assassins Creed II, Dragon Age...... just a boat load of games competing with flight time right now.

I won't send my copy of IL-2 to Siberia yet; the title update(and a bf109 cockpit) will go a long way to bringing back some pilots. I hope the next DLC is JUST PLANES. P-38, P-39, P-40 Anyone???

@ devs: PLEASE take a page out of Ubisoft's book and add in some of the online features that HAWX used for the IL-2 sequel. Having a sense of progress is an integral part of keeping players in the skies.