if I had my druthers, but in any case...
 

points well taken, T-Bolt. When all is said and done I'm sure Oleg's efforts will reward a wide range of simmers. Here's hoping anyway, if only for the good of Oleg making a profit so he can continue on to the next project. Meanwhile I'm going to self induce a coma until SoW-BoB is released. I guess that means I'll have to bribe the wife to bring me out of it when SoW is released! :D
Flyby out

Dearest Thor we have met these off-liners and they quit after couple of cruel encounters with the On-liners or even forget about the game all together.... It's my strong belief though that it's the On-line Competitions that kept and still do keep the core warm....

Therefore I feel I must insist on the issue that whatever affects and concerns On-line Competitions should be 1st priority for this Upcoming title to make any sense at all and to make the transition fast & easy.

Really I don't want to wait for couple of years before SOW based On-line Competitions will be available... Also I don't want to have the same situation as with IL2 where we couldn't have all the gear (A/C etc ...) we needed for such use.

What I mean mentioning "all the gear" we need is for example the fact, that Oleg overlooked for 8 years! to arm the Luftwaffe with the Me210 and the 410 and a multitude of other goodies giving a clear advantage to the Red side in all On-line competitions since VEF1 & on!!!!!!!!

the same moment the Reds though quite late actually could fly their PE2s...

Best regards

This topic is getting ever more interersting. Guess I'll have to put that coma on hold. ;)

I totally disagree.

With the obvious exception of my squad who I met online, virtually no-one I know that plays IL2 ever plays online.

Further evidence of this can be found by looking at downloads. The largest download at Mission 4 Today is IL2 joy control with 23325 downloads. Taking into account this is an unusual utility on just one download site this suggests a community of one or two hundred thousands players.

There are simply nothing like one or two hundred thousand players online. There are several thousand at best.


What the online players are good at however is whining :) Though few in numbers they are very vocal and very obvious in the forums.

Thanks mate...I try. ;)

Really though, trying to say one type of play is more important than the other is just people trying to embellish their favorite style of play IMO.

I play online...period. But, my perferences don't have any impact on what Oleg has designed BoB to ultimately be. Sure, I'd like for him to include a resident server-finder proggy and an easy, intuitive mission builder but that shouldn't proclude additional items like better AI commands, Tea-table scrambles from the tarmac and a detailed single-player campaign mode...that I would never use.

I agree but lets not cancel it as an option for those that do. I'd like to fly a squad night where I can take off and land to refuel and rearm multiple times.

by the power invested in me...
 

I hereby order Oleg to make sure that those virtual pilots who want to sortie several times within a session (online or offline) be allowed to do! So mote it be! (well, here's hoping anyway) ;) It would be waaaaaaaaayyyy cool :cool:
Flyby out

gaga:: A focus on "online competition" requires Pay-To-Play to make up for loss of interest among offliner paying customers who are looking for a more serious miltary simulation, rather than an arcade "Joystick Competition" type of game.

Worse, Oleg's original focus on anonymous public server play killed this sim from being a larger success, as Oleg made the mistake of crippling FB/PF in attempts to "save" anonymous public server gamers from each other and their forum accusations of cheating -- leaving the paying customers to go elsewhere...until...

...The mods. Many offlines are now returning with the recent availablity of mods, and are having to upgrade their sims and purchase newer versions. That's good business.

Good to see you again Chivas...in a RR thread!

Offliners also would enjoy Refuel and Rearm.

Extended fun missions can be made where the player can take off and join friendly intercept forces defending airfield of carrier.

Nothing would be more immersive in the sim than sitting on an airfield, or better carrier deck, waiting for Refuel before another attack may get through, and seeing puffs of friendly AAA high in the distant sky. Can you get refueled enough to get off the ground before you are sitting on burning airfield or sinking carrier?

A further challenge is deciding *when* to land. Assuming you have ammo remaining, do you have enough fuel to continue defensive sweep with other AI planes, or should you land now and wait for a slow refueling that will allow a more effective defensive sweep but could put you in a vulnerable position if enemy bombers get throught to your airfield or carrier. A good game requires the player to make strategic choices.

I am so sick and tired of the online-offline debate. If everyone has not noticed games are changing. When Il2 came out most people were lucky if they had 56k modems (dial-up-connections).
The only way to make a sim was offline with a few dogfight maps for online stuff.
The world has changed and broadband is here.
I am sure the offline experience is going to be awesome. But in the same breath one has to realise that new player (not us old farts) will be attracted to the genre only if it is a very good online experience.
Rise of Flight has realised this and my guess is so has Oleg.
Lets face it, for sales of SOW to rival Il2 sales Oleg has to cater for the growing online community.
Those without internet are fast becoming the minority. Now before some moron throws a book of stats they just googled at me showing how important offline play is lets look at game consoles (yes I hate them).
But even they have embraced a fast growing online community. Hardly any latest generation consoles do not basically require online connectivity to get the best experience.
For me online play needs – good coms.
To be able to land, rearm and refuel.
Moving ground items such as ships etc and a refined program such as SEOW to handle the other elements, land sea and air in co-ops and maybe and increase in mission times.
Dogfight maps with moving items and multi seats in planes even on dogfight maps.

For offline play it needs a gripping story-line, dynamic and historical campaigns and the ability to make a difference.

I firmly believe we will get most of what we want and as later incarnations of the engine are released it will just get better.