New Player?

[killspeed]

Hey there guys.
After the fiasco I had trying to get Blazing Angels working, I have decided to move on to a better WWII combat Sim game. I have researched for a few days and found IL2:1946 as a possible candidate for my next combat flight sim game. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth dealing with the whole non existent Ubi tech/control support, but I see here there is somewhat of a community still alive.

Do you guys think its a good idea to jump into IL:1946? I'd like to fly against other players so i would like some kind of active community. I have found Ace's High II, but not sure I want to spend a monthly subscription just yet.

Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.

[DKoor]

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/49310655

community help forum link

For the joystick - I'm using Cyborg EVO for 3 years and it's a great stick for the money invested.
You should install the game without much trouble... if you encounter some troubles go on that forum and ask, plenty of helpful people there that will help you out with your prob.

[WTE_Galway]

Hey there guys.
After the fiasco I had trying to get Blazing Angels working, I have decided to move on to a better WWII combat Sim game. I have researched for a few days and found IL2:1946 as a possible candidate for my next combat flight sim game. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth dealing with the whole non existent Ubi tech/control support, but I see here there is somewhat of a community still alive.

Do you guys think its a good idea to jump into IL:1946? I'd like to fly against other players so i would like some kind of active community. I have found Ace's High II, but not sure I want to spend a monthly subscription just yet.

Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.

Installing start with the DVD and then patch up to at least 4.08 or if you want try 4.09 (beta).

Once you are happy with the standard setup (after a week or two of flying) go to mission4 the day and download some addons to try out. Il2stab (easier setup utility) and Il2mat (historical weathered skins) are brilliant, there are also some excellent joystick setup utils out there. If you fly offline a lot try out DCG an alternate dynamic campaign generator.

In terms of community you absolutely cannot go wrong joining a squadron. They will train you in the planes, help with technical problems and you are guaranteed a couple of good co-op missions a week plus people to fly with online in the odd dogfight furball yank and bank server if that is also your thing. Find a squadron in your time zone (joining a squad that practices at 3.00 am your local time is just silly) and get in touch. There is a squadron forum over at UBI. If you are in the Australian region I recommend WTE, they are a great bunch of guys.

You will need a minimum of a twist stick but rudder pedals are better. TrackIR is not exactly essential but in my opinion it is pretty close to it.

Personally for a joystick I recommend the MS FFB 2 force feedback. It has been out of production for years but if you are in the US gogamer seem to have them for sale new. otherwise you may get an Ok one on Ebay.

[Avimimus]

Welcome,

Basic advice:

- Always land with some of your ammunition left (don't be too aggressive, don't repeat attacks too often and don't become target fixated - your primary goal is to survive).

- If you see tracers coming at you (from aircraft gunners or anti-aircraft fire) turn away and avoid flying any closer to them.

- Knowing good tactics can allow you to beat a faster, better climbing, better rolling, better accelerating, all round more manoeuvrable, better armed aircraft. But tactics only get you into position to shoot - the actual shooting is essentially instinctual (although it may take time to acquire).

- Negotiate with your plane. Trust it and it will trust you. It has to be nursed through manoeuvres not forced through them. Also, don't panic and go rigid - a steady relaxed hand prevents spins.

- Don't expect to be an ace (if you shoot down one plane or get half your bombs on target you are doing a good job). Similarly, even different variants of the same family of aircraft can be quite different (eg. Yak-9 and Yak-9U), each one takes some time to learn. So be patient and don't only fly in combat (try other activities and basic flight manoeuvres).

- Fly the Mig-3, it is the best plane in the world (failing that try the Pe-3 1941). Generally speaking, flying aircraft with weaknesses is fun and builds character (as opposed to picking the one which is fast and has the biggest guns).

S!

[tagTaken2]

[QUOTE=killspeed;46076
Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Il-2 has always been pretty stable and reliable. A good joystick is essential, cheap ones are just frustrating.

Don't get overwhelmed by the patching/mods etc.

Go ahead and pick the fastest aircraft with the biggest guns... it's fun.

[Thunderbolt56]

IL2:46 is the BEST WWII sim out there...period. Also, it's one of the hardest for a relative newcomer so be advised. That is in no way meant to dissuade you from getting it, just don't expect to hop right in and fly off into the wild blue without some measure of teething pains.

Get a decent joystick (as already mentioned). CH Fighterstick + rudder pedals or an X52 Pro would be my 2 recommendations. CH is more expensive but I wouldn't personally use anything else...and I've tried them all.

Once you get the DVD (IL2:46) the only other thing you'll need it the 4.08m patch. It's pretty big, but will get you up to speed with 90% of the rest of the community.

After that, you'll want to get a server-finder program. Either Hyperlobby or Xfire will do fine. I'd also recommend getting a TrackIR. It may seem frivolous now, but it's a great piece of hardware that will last you for years and once setup is very trouble-free. Highly recommended.

Lastly, get and use TeamSpeak. It's free and a cheap headset/mic will put you in touch with many many other players that can save your bacon, help you through your IL2 growth and make things more rewarding in many different ways. Most servers have a TeamSPeak server for players playing on their IL2 servers and despite a few that can hog the channel (it happens everywhere) it will help with navigation, mission objectives, teamwork and answering any other questions you may have.

Ask questions. None are stupid and you won't regret it.

[Zoom2136]

The only thing to know with iL2 is if you are running it under Vista you need to install it outside of your program file folder... so just create a game folder outside of the program files folder and install there... If you don't iL2 won't start...

Other then that its all minor thing (video settings, sound settings, stick setting, etc) and we can help you with them. Take about an hour to setup.

For help you can go at Coasties website for setting up video cards,

For the rest if you run into trouble just ask and we will bail you out...

[Bobb4]

Learn how to take-off and land in both single engine and twin engine planes. Learn how to set trim, adjust fuel mixture and set your superchargers correctly. Learn or map crucial keys that are not always set at all in default mode.
That should take you the better part of a week, only kidding. Go to quick mission builder, climb in a plane you like, make four friendly stuka’s join you and launch the mission.
Then try and shoot the friendly stuka’s down.
It is one of the best ways to practice gunnery. They might moan at you but they will not try and avoid your fire.
When you can safely zoom down and dispatch one with a two second burst you are ready to put some ai enemies in the sky.

Know your planes. If you like turn fighting, the traditional dogfight then the best planes are:
Zeke (Zero) – turns on a dime but burns easily.
I-16 – Turns on a dime but if not handled with kid gloves can flip over and spin easily.
Spitfire – Turns well – Gives a false sense of security, a good 109 jock just may surprise.
La 5 – Turns well – Will lose its wings in any high speed dive.
All the above planes perform well in turn fights but most good boom and zoom pilots will never enter a turn fight.

Boom and Zoom planes:
P51 has speed and grace – Stalls easily in any turning fight.
Me109 is the king of boom and zoom from early war to mid war (the F to G series). Cannot turn with much, however the G2 can stay in the running with most planes.
FW190 – Takes the title from the 109 and holds it till the end of the war. Lots of big guns as well. A stunning roll rate. Drawbacks are deadly spins and very poor turning circle. The spins will come with any attempt to turn fight.

Middle of the road planes.
P39 has big guns and is an ace maker but if you get into a flat spin it takes forever to get out of one.
Hurricane is an okay plane.
Brewster is great can turn well but lacks power.
Me110 can get kills but only by luck or in a good team play.
All Yaks are okay and remind me of the Spit.
P38 the only true twin engine fighter, good all round performance.
P47 is a plane that can take damage and dish it out.

Suggested planes for starting out.
If I were new to the game I would learn how to fly the Me109, as it is found throughout the war in and will most likely be available to fly in most online servers making your transition from off-line to online easier.

The Zeke because it is very stable, hardly ever spins out and handles like a dream. It is also easy to take-off and land. It does require more engine management than the 109.

Lastly if you are really battling to learn how to fly, the Stuka is a dream, an ideal plane to learn take-off and landing in.

These are just my opinions on the planes you will form your own soon enough.

[killspeed]

Thank you all for the welcome and advice. I'll keep all these in mind. Looks like I have found the Flight Sim I have been looking for.

[DKoor]

Warning! Do not become an addict of IL2... many have succumbed.:grin:

[killspeed]

haha.
I tried out the demo and its great. I still have to get used to all the controls, but this is quite enjoyable fellas.

What do I use to aim my bombs at a ground target? Do I use the gunsight?

[ImMoreBetter]

haha.
I tried out the demo and its great. I still have to get used to all the controls, but this is quite enjoyable fellas.

What do I use to aim my bombs at a ground target? Do I use the gunsight?

Depends on the plane you are using. Some planes have bombsights, but most don't. You just have to use the force.

[killspeed]

... Stay on Target....
Ok, thanks.

I must admit many of the things I have been reading here goes over my head. I'll try my best to comprehend all this lingo. Its cool that I can pan around a fighter, they planes are beautiful!

[Meusli]

I'm still trying to get my head round some parts of this game. Its all about how far down the rabbit hole you want to fall. Just try and keep your hobby cheap unlike myself who's wife is wondering why her husband needs Trackir 4, throttle, pedales and joystick!

[WTE_Galway]

haha.
I tried out the demo and its great. I still have to get used to all the controls, but this is quite enjoyable fellas.


The original demo from 8 years ago ??? That came out when people where still flying CS2 and MSFS2000. You are in for a pleasant surprise when you get the 1946 DVD. Things have moved ahead a lot since then.

[WeedEater]

Well first learn to take-off and land... and do it fairly well. A great starter plane is the Hurricane. Its a good teacher of basic flight and gunnery (great sight coupled w/ some fun guns :-) ). After some time time in that, try out the 109(40'-43'). The 109 should teach you the basics of air combat. You can't outturn a spit, but you can out-run and and out-climb it. Get above him and dive down, shoot, and zoom up. Rinse an' Repeat :cool:. Done correctly this is called Boom n' Zoom, however done incorrectly and they call it "a ram" :rolleyes:.

There's a feller named "Dart" that has some nifty videos on ground attack amongst other things: http://www.darts-page.com/

I'd advise not getting used to the La-5FN, La-7. You get better by getting shot down (you do, really!), and you don't get shot down often in them things. Get into a bomber once in a while too, this sim needs more mudmovers. ;)

Oh and if your taking potshots at friendlys in the QMB, goto your radio (tab I think), goto 9. Frequency, then switch it to enemy. You won't be hearing those annoying screams any more (especially the Germans... Russians made the Germans sound like frightened children! :-P)

[mazex]

Good advice from everyone here. One I would like to put some emphasis on is the convergence range for your guns. You set it at the "arming" screen before takeoff. Many prefer to set it at about 200 meters, but there are many "schools". The important thing is that a "clean" shot straight behind your enemys tail is NOT easy in IL2. There is no "hitbox" so the bullets really need to hit those thin wings or the narrow fuselage. With the wrong convergence you will almost never hit and get frustrated (you will in the first 20 hours of gameplay, but long time veterans have problems with the convergence too so don't give up). It is often easier to hit with a bit of deflection (not straight from behind). The really juicy targets are slowly climbing planes that you hit slight from above. Much more plane to hit... By the way, the number next to the plane ("0.23" etc) is the range in meters (230 meters when it says .23).

Here are some articles about convergence an IL2 aerial gunnery:

http://www.combatsim.com/memb123/htm/2002/02/a2a2/

http://www.simhq.com/_air10/air_312a.html

Ground attacks may also be a bit hard in the beginning (many crashes into the ground near the target ;)). Here's an article about that:

http://www.simhq.com/_air10/air_307g.html

EDIT: The tool called IL2 compare is really good to compare the performance of different planes in IL2. Does a Spitfire Mk Vb really turn better than a Me 109 G2 at 360 km/h? Which is the better climbing aircraft of the FW 190 A8 and the P47 D-10? Really good to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the different aircraft... Just like Bobb4 I would recommend the 109 in the beginning. Its rather midrange in twitchiness etc... It was the first fighter for the olde ones here as it was in the original demo, so I may be biased ;)

Link to download IL2 compare:

http://war.by-airforce.com/downloads/il2compare-4.07.html

Good luck! /Mazex

[Thunderbolt56]

Just try and keep your hobby cheap unlike myself who's wife is wondering why her husband needs Trackir 4, throttle, pedales and joystick!

Screw that! Quit lyin' to the boy. Those peripherals are REQUIRED for proper enjoyment of this sim.

[EAF92_Brigstock]

Just try and keep your hobby cheap unlike myself who's wife is wondering why her husband needs Trackir 4, throttle, pedales and joystick!

The long suffering missus LOL, I reckon there must be some sort of support group somewhere for sim widows :)
I've taken it to the next level and just started flying lessons at £180 a pop twice a month....that raised some eyebrows round my gaff..let me tell you :)

[WTE_Galway]

The long suffering missus LOL, I reckon there must be some sort of support group somewhere for sim widows :)
I've taken it to the next level and just started flying lessons at £180 a pop twice a month....that raised some eyebrows round my gaff..let me tell you :)


The thing that surprised me when I finally learnt to fly real time was how much closer to real aircraft IL2 was then MSFS .. even though MSFS is supposedly GA planes like Cessnas and IL2 features old warbirds :)

Anyway as I have always said, why drive over a bridge when you can fly under it upside down. Good luck with it !! Make sure you do some spin training !!!!

[killspeed]

Yes, I am playing the old demo, but it is fun. I have learned that at least one of the plane variants is extremely finicky and have crashed twice before even getting to the objective.

I have not tried take-off yet, but I have been able to land. Ground targets are a little tricky as you say. I have crashed into or rammed them a few times, but I the more I play, the better I get.

I'll take a look at those links when I get home, thanks again for the support, and yes I'm looking where to buy the IL-2 1946 DVD for the best price.

I do plan to stay away from the P51 and maybe use a Hellcat variant, Hurricane or 109 as you suggest.

[killspeed]

I finally installed IL-2 1946 and have been playing online this week for the first time. I do have some issues and/or questions:

1) I was reading some other player's post regarding the physics of the aircraft and why they are so unstable and they are not like that in real life. I know when I fly, if I bank past 90* even at full throttle, I'm in a stall about 90% of the time depending on the aircraft. With that said I crash a lot! lol Maybe I should bank slower, build up inertia and then go for a hard bank?

2) I only use a Wingman FF joystick, and notice the elevators not move at all when I maneuver. Along with that, I see other players' aircraft move so gracefully in the sky, bank, spin, ascend, while I struggle to simply bank without stalling. Its hard to keep up with them and I am sometimes afraid if I bank and pull back on the stick, I'll stall. I suspect it has something to do with me not being able to control the elevators. Are most of you using some kind of pedal control to help you control your aircraft? Any advice? SaiteK?

3) I've read about trimming out the aircraft, but seems to fly any which way and not specific to one direction. I just have my hand on the stick for safety :)

4) Do you have any advice on setting my guns at a better convergance distance? 500 seems to far. Is there a way to calculate distance if an aircraft is say..1.00 away?

Thanks for any further advice. The simulator is awesome, even with me having trouble taking off sometimes. At times, I can't get myself away from the computer.

[Xiola]

I have NEVER seen an IL2 question on UBI forums go unanswered, so I am wondering where you get the 'Non existant IL2 support'from?

Just ask here if you neeed anything....

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/49310655

Welocme to your new addiction, wait until yo9u get online then the true addiction starts ;P

[*Buzzsaw*]

Salute Killspeed

I just replied to another query regarding stalls not too long ago on the UBI forums, so here it is again.

Stalls:

If you consider the reality of virtual air combat, most stalls happen when the stick is about halfway through its travel. Ie. you are in a turn, pulling back on the stick, you try to add just a little more elevator, and the plane stalls.

The best scaling for a stick is one which modulates the jumps in the virtual input at that critical middle section of the stick.

It's all about transitions, if you do not have smooth transitions between each step in the 10 programmable units in the scaling of input for the elevator, you will have a tendency to stall more easily. The same applies to Rudder and Aileron, although poorly setup scaling for these last two cause less problems re. stalls.

If you doubt me, take at careful look at the movement of the joystick as shown in the game's input section, ie. the twin axis setup, where two marker squares move along the axis of the joysticks movement. The red square follows exactly the physical movement of your joystick, the green square is the virtual movement you are inputting to your aircraft's controls. If you put in a typical profile, ie. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and then compare this, with the one I list below in my suggested profile, and notice how smoothly one moves compared to the other. The typical profile has the green box jumping quickly in the middle range, making those fine adjustments when you are on the edge of the stall very difficult to input.

Here is an excerpt from the RAF74 Pilot's guide, showing how to setup INPUT for your joystick:

>>>

Pilot Handbook Part 1 (continued)

>>>

2) Scaling the Joystick


A Joystick must now be set up so that the Elevator, Aileron and Rudder are easily and smoothly controlled by the pilot. Incorrectly setup Elevators, Ailerons and Rudder will cause the pilot to stall his aircraft more often and also to maneuver less efficiently.

A Pilot scales his Joystick by using the INPUT interface. Access the INPUT interface by selecting HARDWARE SETUP from the main menu and then INPUT.

You will see on the upper left a box which allows you to select one of three Axes: Pitch (Elevator), Roll (Ailerons) and Yaw (Rudder). Each selection then can program a ten step scale of input degree for each of the three potential Axes. Step 1 must be at least 1, and Step 10 can be a maximum of 100.

The idea for the scale is that a Pilot will want to have a slightly finer set of inputs available to him when he is using the initial few centimeters of movement of the joystick, but at the same time, a set of smooth, non-abrupt transitions in the middle range, where stalling typically happens. This is to allow him to make fine adjustments to allow for accurate gunnery, with larger, but smooth adjustments to input in the middle and upper range.

Normally a pilot will program, by entering a number between 1 and 100 for each of the ten steps, a rising scale, that takes the form of an initially gentler slope, slightly steepening as it approaches 100.

Each pilot will have to determine what best suits him, but as an example of what I program here are my 10 steps for each of Pitch, Roll and Yaw.

50-60-75-90-100-100-100-100-100

What this level of scaling means, is that when I have moved the joystick the physical equivalent of 1 of the ten steps, or 10% of the movement distance available to the Joystick, I am inputting electronically just slightly over 5% of the virtual control. At the medium end of the scale, with movement equivalent to 3 of the ten steps, or 30%, I have inputted 22.5% of the virtual control. At the 5th step, I am inputting 50% of the virtual control or a 1 to 1 ratio of hand movement to virtual input. At 9 of ten steps, I am inputting 90% of the virtual control. The whole key to setting the input is to make the transitions between the steps as smooth as possible, otherwise you will not be able to fly the aircraft as accurately as you wish.

There are also scalable settings availabe for FILTERING and DEADBAND. Filtering is used when a Joystick is slightly prone to spiking, and can moderate such wild inputs. For those with a good joystick, this is unnessesary. Deadband creates a dead area around the center of the joysticks physical movements and thus prevents small, involuntary movements of the pilot’s hand from affecting the plane’s control surfaces. I prefer to set both to zero, but many like to have a deadband of 5 or 10. However, when you allocate a percentage to deadband, you are actually reducing the amount of physical movement of your joystick, which is actually dedicated to control. Therefore the whole scale becomes less fine, and less movement of your hand results in more movement in the virtual aircraft.

<<<

Some other suggestions:

It takes a while for an aircraft to get settled into a turn, a pilot has to have the patience to allow it to. I almost always used to find that I had to back off on the elevator input once I got into a turn, but now am disciplining myself to add just enough.

Putting aside elevator inputs, in many ways though, using just the ailerons and rudder to set the aircraft into a bank, thus initiating a turn is a better solution than over-using the elevator. Aileron turns use the natural lift of the aircraft's wings without the extra drag of the elevator, thus speed stays high. So you set the aircraft into the turn with ailerons and rudder, and only then do you think about adding any elevator. In some cases, you may find you don't need any.

>>>>

Trim

Trim should be used on all aircraft to allow them to fly level and straight with hands off. A trimmed plane gives a pilot a better chance of hitting during gunnery and improves his acceleration and top speed. The nature of the game is such that perfect trim cannot be maintained at all times, but trim can be set up shortly after takeoff and prior to combat to allow a reasonable level of efficiency. Normally a plane should be trimmed when it is flying at a speed which it would normally be travelling at during combat maneuvers. So for example, since a Spitfire V’s best combat speed is between 250 and 300 kph, it should be trimmed for somewhere between those speeds. (I like to trim it at 300 kph since I like to keep my speed up)

The most crucial trim functions are for Rudder Trim and Elevator Trim.

You assign Elevator trim to your mousewheel.

The four arrow keys on the left of the number keypad can be used for other trim functions. I suggest the left and right arrows for Rudder trim. You can use the up and down keys for Aileron trim, or you can use the 4 and 6 buttons on the number pad, which have arrows on them, for the same purpose.

Of the three trims, Elevator and Rudder trim are the most important. An aircraft which does not have its elevator or rudder trimmed correctly is travelling slighty sideways or fighting your attempts to fly level. What this means is that the pilot will have his gunnery negatively affected, especially at longer ranges. In addition, he will be more likely to spin in hard turns.

Rudder Trim is adjusted on German or American planes by zooming in with cockpit view onto the floating ball, (like on a Carpenter’s level) on the instrument panel. The pilot then uses the right and left arrows to center the ball in between the two lines. Rudder trim on British planes is adjusted by zooming in on the instrument panel and looking at the SIDESLIP and TURN indicator, (low and to the right of the joystick) and adjusting the rudder trim so that the SIDESLIP indicator needle is centered. German aircraft such as the 109 and 190 do not have rudder trim. The 190 is an aircraft which does not require much trim when it is flying at normal combat speeds, at other times, you need to apply rudder pressure from your rudder pedals or twist stick to get it trimmed. The 109 trims fairly well on its own at low and medium speeds, but when it gets going faster, you need to manually add rudder to trim it.

Remember that Rudder trim must be adjusted when the plane is flying straight and level. And no rudder input on the twist stick or rudder pedals should be applied when adjusting.

When you roll your wings to enter a turn, the ball or sideslip indicator will go off center showing you are yawing. This is because you have begun an uncoordinated turn, ie. one in which you did not apply rudder to assist and prevent yaw. A coordinated turn involves the use of both ailerons and rudder to start it. Yaw during a turn cannot be corrected by trimming, you apply rudder manually to correct the imbalance. This is because, when you straighten out, you will out of trim if you have adjusted the trim controls instead of manually feeding in rudder to correct the imbalance.

Elevator Trim is adjusted by feel. The pilot takes his hands off the controls and notices whether his plane has a tendency to dive or climb. Elevator trim is then applied until the aircraft flys level. (although some pilots trim their plane for a climb when climbing after takeoff, and return it to normal trim when entering combat) Again, no Elevator input should be applied when adjusting elevator trim. Elevator trim is on a delay, so that it takes a few seconds before it comes into effect after you input a trim. Wait till your adjustments take effect before applying too much elevator trim. Ideally Elevator Trim should be on a slider or a mouse wheel, as it can be then used in combat to squeeze a little bit more turn performance out of your aircraft. But this is not very often an advantage.

Aileron Trim should also be programmed onto the keyboard, although in my opinion, Aileron Trim is not as crucial as the other two. Aileron trim should be adjusted last, after Rudder and Elevator trim. Many aircraft, like the Spitfire and Hurricane, do not have Aileron trim.

Trim must be adjusted everytime you change your speed. An aircraft trimmed properly at 400 kph will not be trimmed when its speed increases to 500 kph. An expert pilot will have his plane in trim at all times. Those who have less experience will trim their aircraft for the expected speed they will be flying in combat, and then leave it there.

<<<


RAF74 has a number of elements in our training program which can help less experienced pilots move more quickly into flying and fighting more effectively.

For more info, RAF74 homepage is here:

http://www.raf74.com/

[Skoshi Tiger]

The thing that surprised me when I finally learnt to fly real time was how much closer to real aircraft IL2 was then MSFS .. even though MSFS is supposedly GA planes like Cessnas and IL2 features old warbirds :)

Anyway as I have always said, why drive over a bridge when you can fly under it upside down. Good luck with it !! Make sure you do some spin training !!!!

The Cessnas flight model is porked! It is underpowered and the gun button on the control yoke doesn't do anything! Also there is no abrieviated start up procedure! ;)

[Bearcat]

Hey there guys.
After the fiasco I had trying to get Blazing Angels working, I have decided to move on to a better WWII combat Sim game. I have researched for a few days and found IL2:1946 as a possible candidate for my next combat flight sim game. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth dealing with the whole non existent Ubi tech/control support, but I see here there is somewhat of a community still alive.

Do you guys think its a good idea to jump into IL:1946? I'd like to fly against other players so i would like some kind of active community. I have found Ace's High II, but not sure I want to spend a monthly subscription just yet.

Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.

IL2 1946 is without any doubt whatsoever the absolute best WWII combat flight sim available on the market to date bar none.

If you are a stickler for details then this is the sim for you, qand mind you it is a 10 year old engine and 46 is based on a sim IL2 which was released in 2001, yet it is just now getting to the point where it canh really be run in all it's glory.

It is a system intensive sim, and it is a challenge to fly, a thing of beauty to behold
and while the community has it's share of holes.. you will find that 99% of the people you will meet here will be the most helpful internet folks you have ever met.


Hit the Nugget's Guide in my signature... You might also want to hit the Essentials link.

[Redbeard63]

I didnt read all the comments you got but i am sure that someone tolt you to download hyperlobby.
There you meet allot people how like to fly online ..every day between 500-1000 24/7

[BadAim]

The others have given great advice, so I will add only one main thing and a couple of side points.

#1: Be patient, this game simulates the most advanced and complex machines of their day, the real life pilots of these planes were usually among the most highly trained professionals in the world, yet only a few of them became "aces" and many were killed by their own planes, wether in training or accidents. It will take time to learn.

Also, do your homework, learn the basics of aeronautics, and flight control. If you know why your doing something and how it works you will find it much easier to learn the techniques. Also do some study on the individual aircraft, what they were designed to do, and how the were used in real life, then stick with one or two main types for a while to get them down like driving a car, then you will find it much easier to hop in different types and do at least reasonably well.

Oh, yeah. Join a squad: you won't regret it. You might want to also consider Joint Ops, It's a virtual school that's very demanding but equally rewarding.

[Erkki]

Hello killspeed, good to see new people interested in realism too, and not Skie.. Ummrh, well, just arcade df. :rolleyes:

I finally installed IL-2 1946 and have been playing online this week for the first time. I do have some issues and/or questions:

1) I was reading some other player's post regarding the physics of the aircraft and why they are so unstable and they are not like that in real life. I know when I fly, if I bank past 90* even at full throttle, I'm in a stall about 90% of the time depending on the aircraft. With that said I crash a lot! lol Maybe I should bank slower, build up inertia and then go for a hard bank?

Try MiG-3. Build up some speed and try turning - thats bad elevators. In general, the more speed you have the less likely you are to spin if you pull back hard. To keep your speed up, try not to always pull stick fully back. I, for example, almost never pull the stick fully back, usually only some max. 30%. The less you pull back the less you lose speed. Also, try not to raise the nose above the horizon while turning - that will also make you lose speed and eventually stall, so dont do it before you learn more.

2) I only use a Wingman FF joystick, and notice the elevators not move at all when I maneuver. Along with that, I see other players' aircraft move so gracefully in the sky, bank, spin, ascend, while I struggle to simply bank without stalling. Its hard to keep up with them and I am sometimes afraid if I bank and pull back on the stick, I'll stall. I suspect it has something to do with me not being able to control the elevators. Are most of you using some kind of pedal control to help you control your aircraft? Any advice? SaiteK?

Using the rudder does help, but not as much as you'd think. I played more than 6 years without using rudder at all(with keyboard in takeoff and landing) and I think I did fairly well then... ;)

to BUZZSAW: in il2, trimming = moving control surfaces. Ie. != real trim. Elevator trim down and pushing stick forward = neutral trim and not touching the stick.

3) I've read about trimming out the aircraft, but seems to fly any which way and not specific to one direction. I just have my hand on the stick for safety :)

Dont think about trimming yet. Trimming will give you a few extra kmph in TOP speed (not acceleration). If you start concentrating on trimming before you have learned the gazillion other things you will only end up in being shot down even more often.

4) Do you have any advice on setting my guns at a better convergance distance? 500 seems to far. Is there a way to calculate distance if an aircraft is say..1.00 away?

For example the P51, P47, P38 and P40 have 105 mils gunsight. That means that when a plane with a wingspan of 10 meters (FW190, for example!) is 105 meters from you he is exactly the size of the gunsight. If hes half the size, hes 210m away, a third of the size means 315, double the size 55, etc. Different planes have gunsights of different size, most having "range rings" or lines for distance approximation.

The best way to learn is to keep flying and flying. And giving yourself new challenges. Once you've learned how to dogfight a little and you can hit others from angles as well, move to a more challenging enviroment. But also remember not to get used of(completely dependant) on padlock, invisible cockpit, external views, icons(labels) or la5fn/la7! :cool:

[killspeed]

Thanks so much for all the replies!

[Kaptein_Damli]

I'm still trying to get my head round some parts of this game. Its all about how far down the rabbit hole you want to fall. Just try and keep your hobby cheap unlike myself who's wife is wondering why her husband needs Trackir 4, throttle, pedales and joystick!


Hehe...I know the feeling...Just buy one thing at a time, smuggling it in..I always laugh at myself when playing with friends fridays nights and got to take a piss...looking at myself in the mirror with the Track IR attached to a cap alway looks hilarious! lol! :)