Superb book. I never stop reading it completely, always looking up some fact or other.
I very much doubt whether any computer sim could generate reality to that extent though!:)

I suppose it's possible that we'll be continually harangued by our AI leaders to rejoin formation if we wander, which might mean tight formations, vics and a tail end charlie, but with a bit of luck they'll drop these tactics sharpish!
I wonder if we'll be able to request a transfer if we don't like the leader?
Fighting Area Attacks anyone?:rolleyes:

If I remember correctly, Geoffrey Wellum mentioned in his book "First Light", that the Spitfire had a lower maximum ceiling than the 109. All the way up until the MKV.

*edit* I think I must have remembered wrong. LOL According to this site and data, the Spit mkI had 34700ft ceiling and the 109E had 33792ft.

Cool, that's just what I like. But then I'm just a 'umble fun seeker.

Hood

Steinhilper agrees with Wellum. The SpitfireII was to worry because the higher ceiling, not the SpitfireI.

I MUST get Ulrich Steinhilper's "Spitfire on my tail". I've not read a memoir from the axis side yet.

Well one can spoil it for the dweebs if the "potholes" last a bit and do not disappear within seconds. By sneaking around the furball heros, ploughing nicely their fields so that the dweeb heros can enjoy their heros landing nose first in the first "pothole" they come across.
I agree to a certain extent with csThor, most will just give a hoot about missions and just gang bang. So be it others enjoy making a wide circute around these "aces of aces" and dropping of a few "parcels" without the heros even noticing what happened. As to online flying I am expecting no changes, reguardless how good a sim is. But I still like the human factor in online flying than flying against a machine, then that´s like playing chess against a computer very frustrating.

It's not the plane, it's the pilot and we'll see this once again in CoD.

If they got it right, then conserving/worrying over fuel, should keep my attention.:grin:

The only problem regarding fighter tactics with this sim is that we are so spoiled with the fact that Il2 has a majority of all the fighters from WWII... Therefore one of the things that makes it fun is the thoughts like "hmm, which one is it that is faster at low level - the Bf 109 G6 or the Yak 9D?" Should I stay or should I go? Which one turns better? Darn... Should have read up in Hardballs Aircraft viewer or IL2 compare before takeoff!". Therefore we will soon know EVERY detail of the strengths and weaknesses of the ingame representations of the 109 vs Spit or Hurricane... In IL2 it's simply impossible to remember all the matchups at different altitudes etc.

Well, it's good that the 109 E and the Spitfire Mk 1 where so evenly matched that the pilots flying them today do not agree - and neither the war time experiences by pilots from both sides! That will make Olegs statement of that it's the pilot that is the real deciding factor true - and I will probably bite the dust many times vs a Bf 110 when flying a Spitfire ;)

I really love all of this talk about realism... The simple fact remains we fly with virtual lives. Do you think anyone would engage in a fight they couldn't win? Of course not. Do we make retarded decisions because we can just hit refly if it doesn't work out. Of course we do...

I think you get my point. About the closest I've come to using real tactics is when it really counts meaning you only have 1 virtual life and no option to hit refly.

BTW reality is boring... It's always about balancing out Entertainment and Reality. After all this is a game.