Well, thank you :)

Which also would be affecting a crew.

Yes, all true. I wouldn't mind if it's in the sim but it could be left out, since checking the mags & engine RPM is only done on the airfield prior to a mission or any flight. If one of the ignition systems fail due to battle damage, there would be no reason to test during flight whether it's the first or second. Well maybe if you don't know one has failed but have a hunch and wish to lower manifold pressure to prevent engine knock.

Offtopic:
On fire and explosions, I wonder if SOW will have the properties of Elektron modeled as used in some aircraft types of the Luftwaffe and used for their incendiary bombs and cannons, also during the BOB. You know the stuff, once ignited it would burn a plane in half with bright white flames.

From the Heinkel He 70 wiki:
"The main weakness of the He 70 design soon became obvious. The He 70 airframe was made out of so-called "electron metal", a very light, yet strong alloy of magnesium, which burns spontaneously in air when heated, and is only exhausted when covered in sand. A single hit from a light machine gun usually set the entire plane ablaze, killing the crew. "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBENESHMNI

http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/show...neguns./page10

I think you will find that the FW190 "primary controls" ( Elevator, Ailerons, Rudder) are actuated by conventional push rods.

The Elevator Trim, flaps and undercarrage ( classed as a "secondary controls") were however electrically actuated. Rudder and Aileron trim were only adjustable on the ground.

Cheers!

I stand corrected :)

ok so this debate about realism vs. playability... should actually be more on the lines of... a counter-strike type first person shooter (but in the sky), or a simulator.

trying to be as close to real life as u can get while sitting in your computer chair... the debate weather its redundant or quicker or useless doesn't matter, the fact of the matter is... super high manifold pressure killing ur engine in a few seconds is realistic, so it should happen... if u don't follow procedures and dont managing your engine properly you should be punished for it... if those kinds of things don't happen, it can't really be considered a simulation nowadays, can it?

so for all you "one button does all" dudes, sorry i couldn't find a flying game like that, but i found one thats "two buttons do all"

right here

What a great game! I love it!

It really brings me back in Commodore 64 mode!

Screw SOW, I'm gonna play this the rest of my days!

My highscore after two runs: 11681

XD

I too like to have as much realism as possible, but there's no need to think ill of the preferred gameplay experience of others.

In fact the best scenario would be super high realism for the old timers, but with a lot of difficulty options for the people who want it easy, so that we can bring more people into flight sims. Better yet would be the option of not just turning off realistic features, but have help tools that assist the user in managing them. This way the realistic features are still working, but at the same time the software itself shows you how to do it and helps you learn it. It's a bit better than going from no torque and simplified engine management straight to full FM options and realistic systems modelling, as it smoothens out the learning curve.

It's not in our best interest as a community and a hobby to pose as the "smart guys" who know it all and drive away any potential newcomers. What's in our best interest is to have our gaming software be highly realistic and challenging, but also highly accessible and scalable, so that newcomers can come in, enjoy themselves and learn as they go in stages, without quitting because of a steep learning curve and frustration.

I have a lot of friends who are interested in WWII and i'm trying to tide them over to flight sims. You know what they tell me? "It's too hard to just jump right in, plus it takes lots of time to learn and make the experience worthwhile". If these people could be assured a smoother learning curve, i alone could help make an extra 3-4 sales for SoW and possibly for future flight sims, and that's people who have never ever used a flight sim in their lives.

So yes, let's have it as ultra-realistic as it gets, but also have enough help options that will help us win over new blood ;)

Exactly.

No, they just dont really really care, and you cant make them learn.
Being interested in WW2 and being willing to learn how to fly are two different things.
We are nerds, and no no, we cannot pull 'em over to the dark side.
It's a fact, live with it.

This passion arises with the age of ~10 - if not, it never will.

Well, Swiss, thanks for giving me such a valuable and accomodating insight into the minds of my real-life friends, whom by chance you don't happen to know. Are you a psychic? What are the lottery numbers? :-P
Maybe i didn't properly explain what i mean, so here it goes again.

For the people i refer to, it mostly boils down to "that's so cool, but i don't have the time and inclination to study all this between work and other real life commitments". If difficulty options scale well enough to make them feel that they are playing a game instead of studying flight theory when they come home tired from work, they'll have a much better chance of picking it up. Cheers ;)

Sure, but IMO the vast majority of such people won't stick around to pick up the harder bits beyond the easiest mode.