Software companies in general do that, Games companies do not.

This is the truth? So does this mean we actually get the patch 4.09 on dec 9th?

No.

It just means that I wanted to present the way as it we should be informed as 1C Company's customers. Becouse we are the customers. We HAVE BOUGHT the game. We expect the modifications and addons. We are the 4.09m patch TARGET group.

It's so simple.

You expect but 1C is under no obligation to provide patches or content. It costs them money to produce.

Given the vast amount of free content over the years (no other game in history can compare to what 1C have given to us for free considering the cost of producing that free content) and Storm of War on the way I find it hard to believe anyone here really thinks a 4.09 is on the way, and besides, the 9th is a Sunday. Who in there right mind would put out a patch on a day when no one is at work other than support staff? ;)

I don't think this is a fair statement given the incarnations IL-2 has gone through over the years. Sure a patch would be nice, but I'd much rather hear of efforts getting SoW released, wouldn't you? IL-2 needs some new life breathed into it and and a new game engine and effects would do the genre wonders.

Thats funny because 1C isn't losing any thing with this game, matter of fact it is still selling Digital Downloads and off the shelves like hot cakes. 1000 people are on line different on line game search engines and it's estimated at maybe 20,000 people world wide just on line playing the game. Not to mention the ones that play SP.

How many copies were made and distributed, then sold. I bet it went platinum if they held a record of it like Music sales.

In 2004 figures were 650,000 units for Russia and 600,000 units for the rest of the world. In how far they were accurate I don't know, the easiest would be to eMail Ubisoft and simply ask for the sales figures.

Wow This game is off the hook!

Sources please? While it might still sell well and I have no doubt that people still buy it, its not selling in the region of a AAA title which sells a million in month though. Many of us have bought it multiple times to, I bet most of us here have bought IL2, IL2FB, AEP, PF, 4.06 off Boonty and IL246 so all your doing is supporting existing users who are NOT paying anything for addition patches. When you make a patch with additional content you have to pay the modellers, coders, 3rd party's, translators, QA staff, producers and associates, artists, cover rent, infrastructure and hardware labs. Its not cheap. Its why allot of publishers would rather release expansions than free content updates.

20,000 concurrent players doesn't make money for 1C or Ubisoft because the game is not subscription based and it doesn't use a micro payment system.I really doubt 20,000 is accurate either, looking on ASE, X-fire, Hyperlobby, gamespy and the Ubi lobby etc, some of which duplicate servers (ASE and hyperlobby etc) its no where near 5000. Considering the game is also heavily pirated with no CDhash linked to user accounts, all figures are misleading anyway.

I don't disagree this is a successful franchise, I love it, I just believe, with some experiance working at multinational games publisher, that people expect way way too much with patches and don't understand that it costs serious money and resources to produce them and with no financial return. Fair enough, a patch that fixes stuff, you can expect that to a certain degree but content updates? No, its naive to expect them for free.

Would you not say though, that the "free" patches and ongoing support are what have persuaded regular users to continue to purchase additional copies of the game/extra material (I personally have IL2, FB, AEP, PF, 4.04m Collection, Pe2 & IL2 1946 !!! And i'm sure i'm not the only one!) which has kept a revenue stream coming in over the years when no new products ghave been released, and have kept the user base active for years...which will give a massive initial sales impetus to the BOB-SOW series.

So its not as clear as something for nothing...Olegs business model obviously predicts that the money invested in "free" patches/additional material will pay off in terms of revenue from a loyal client base.

Its not something for nothing...its something for something!