Mine also missed the nice printed manual and all ubisoft recommended me doing was to return the game which i can't since the code is used. No compensation offer, zip, nada. I feel ripped off.

One more Spanish user disapointed... I think Ubisoft should provide, at least, a pdf of the correct pilot's notes to the collectors edition users.

As much as I see the potential of this sim it has to be said that this glaring problem fits in well with the utter disaster of this release. This & SH5 really should be enough to get a truckload of lawsuits thrown at Ubisoft.
On the plus side Luthier & his team are doing their best. I just hope that they patch it until it meets or exceeds our expectations. :rolleyes:

Oleg leaving speaks volumes!

The UK CE also has rather questionable pilot's notes; the picture on the front is actually a Spitfire XIV or XVIII (2 big square radiators & a 5 bladed propeller), there are both duplicated and missing pages, and the notes were revised December 1941 or January 1942, which means that they almost certainly relate to aeroplanes in a post-battle mod state.

For example, the engine has been converted to pressurised water-glycol cooling rather than 100% glycol as was used originally, which changes the temperature limits. The notes also relate to aircraft running on 100 octane fuel (which is correct for the battle) and yet if you actually go flying in the sim it's not possible to attain +12 psi boost.

If you look at the cockpit diagram in the notes, you'll see that there is no 2nd button on the spade grip (I think this is a cannon button which has been erroneously added, though I suppose it might be the PTT button; either way it's not included in the diagram), and you'll also see that there should be 2 fuel cocks and 2 fuel contents gauges.

The mixture control also appears to operate in the wrong sense, but it's quite hard to tell given the other problems (ie the altitude bug with CEM enabled).

So however you look at it, we've got notes for an aeroplane not modelled in the sim.

I didn't see much point in complaining about the notes because it struck me that the prospect of anything actually being done was zero.

But I agree that it's not really very good. I bought the CE mainly to support 1c rather than anything else, but it would have been nice if the notes had actually been from the correct year and properly reproduced...

I have to say any sales of this sim are due to the dedication of IL-2 players and flightsim lovers, and are in spite of ubisofts farcical marketing of the game.
My experience was that I went to the local games shop on the weekend following release. I sauntered in expecting to find a display stand full of this shiny new game, I found nothing.
So up to the counter I went
"Can I help you sir" said the assistant, "Yes" I said " have you got the new IL-2 game" I said.
He gave me a blank quizical look
"Its by Ubisoft" I added helpfully, hopeing to jog his memory
"Er I dont think its released yet" he said " I will look in my book. No its not been released and is not even listed in upcoming releases"
I left the shop and came home, then downloaded the game online.
But theres a hole on my shelf, Where the CD case should be.