New Player?
 

Hey there guys.
After the fiasco I had trying to get Blazing Angels working, I have decided to move on to a better WWII combat Sim game. I have researched for a few days and found IL2:1946 as a possible candidate for my next combat flight sim game. I was left with a bad taste in my mouth dealing with the whole non existent Ubi tech/control support, but I see here there is somewhat of a community still alive.

Do you guys think its a good idea to jump into IL:1946? I'd like to fly against other players so i would like some kind of active community. I have found Ace's High II, but not sure I want to spend a monthly subscription just yet.

Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/49310655

community help forum link

For the joystick - I'm using Cyborg EVO for 3 years and it's a great stick for the money invested.
You should install the game without much trouble... if you encounter some troubles go on that forum and ask, plenty of helpful people there that will help you out with your prob.

Installing start with the DVD and then patch up to at least 4.08 or if you want try 4.09 (beta).

Once you are happy with the standard setup (after a week or two of flying) go to mission4 the day and download some addons to try out. Il2stab (easier setup utility) and Il2mat (historical weathered skins) are brilliant, there are also some excellent joystick setup utils out there. If you fly offline a lot try out DCG an alternate dynamic campaign generator.

In terms of community you absolutely cannot go wrong joining a squadron. They will train you in the planes, help with technical problems and you are guaranteed a couple of good co-op missions a week plus people to fly with online in the odd dogfight furball yank and bank server if that is also your thing. Find a squadron in your time zone (joining a squad that practices at 3.00 am your local time is just silly) and get in touch. There is a squadron forum over at UBI. If you are in the Australian region I recommend WTE, they are a great bunch of guys.

You will need a minimum of a twist stick but rudder pedals are better. TrackIR is not exactly essential but in my opinion it is pretty close to it.

Personally for a joystick I recommend the MS FFB 2 force feedback. It has been out of production for years but if you are in the US gogamer seem to have them for sale new. otherwise you may get an Ok one on Ebay.

Welcome,

Basic advice:

- Always land with some of your ammunition left (don't be too aggressive, don't repeat attacks too often and don't become target fixated - your primary goal is to survive).

- If you see tracers coming at you (from aircraft gunners or anti-aircraft fire) turn away and avoid flying any closer to them.

- Knowing good tactics can allow you to beat a faster, better climbing, better rolling, better accelerating, all round more manoeuvrable, better armed aircraft. But tactics only get you into position to shoot - the actual shooting is essentially instinctual (although it may take time to acquire).

- Negotiate with your plane. Trust it and it will trust you. It has to be nursed through manoeuvres not forced through them. Also, don't panic and go rigid - a steady relaxed hand prevents spins.

- Don't expect to be an ace (if you shoot down one plane or get half your bombs on target you are doing a good job). Similarly, even different variants of the same family of aircraft can be quite different (eg. Yak-9 and Yak-9U), each one takes some time to learn. So be patient and don't only fly in combat (try other activities and basic flight manoeuvres).

- Fly the Mig-3, it is the best plane in the world (failing that try the Pe-3 1941). Generally speaking, flying aircraft with weaknesses is fun and builds character (as opposed to picking the one which is fast and has the biggest guns).

S!

[QUOTE=killspeed;46076
Any tips, suggestions regarding joystick, loading problems I may have with 1946? Any and all tips and suggestions are appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Il-2 has always been pretty stable and reliable. A good joystick is essential, cheap ones are just frustrating.

Don't get overwhelmed by the patching/mods etc.

Go ahead and pick the fastest aircraft with the biggest guns... it's fun.

IL2:46 is the BEST WWII sim out there...period. Also, it's one of the hardest for a relative newcomer so be advised. That is in no way meant to dissuade you from getting it, just don't expect to hop right in and fly off into the wild blue without some measure of teething pains.

Get a decent joystick (as already mentioned). CH Fighterstick + rudder pedals or an X52 Pro would be my 2 recommendations. CH is more expensive but I wouldn't personally use anything else...and I've tried them all.

Once you get the DVD (IL2:46) the only other thing you'll need it the 4.08m patch. It's pretty big, but will get you up to speed with 90% of the rest of the community.

After that, you'll want to get a server-finder program. Either Hyperlobby or Xfire will do fine. I'd also recommend getting a TrackIR. It may seem frivolous now, but it's a great piece of hardware that will last you for years and once setup is very trouble-free. Highly recommended.

Lastly, get and use TeamSpeak. It's free and a cheap headset/mic will put you in touch with many many other players that can save your bacon, help you through your IL2 growth and make things more rewarding in many different ways. Most servers have a TeamSPeak server for players playing on their IL2 servers and despite a few that can hog the channel (it happens everywhere) it will help with navigation, mission objectives, teamwork and answering any other questions you may have.

Ask questions. None are stupid and you won't regret it.

The only thing to know with iL2 is if you are running it under Vista you need to install it outside of your program file folder... so just create a game folder outside of the program files folder and install there... If you don't iL2 won't start...

Other then that its all minor thing (video settings, sound settings, stick setting, etc) and we can help you with them. Take about an hour to setup.

For help you can go at Coasties website for setting up video cards,

For the rest if you run into trouble just ask and we will bail you out...

Learn how to take-off and land in both single engine and twin engine planes. Learn how to set trim, adjust fuel mixture and set your superchargers correctly. Learn or map crucial keys that are not always set at all in default mode.
That should take you the better part of a week, only kidding. Go to quick mission builder, climb in a plane you like, make four friendly stuka’s join you and launch the mission.
Then try and shoot the friendly stuka’s down.
It is one of the best ways to practice gunnery. They might moan at you but they will not try and avoid your fire.
When you can safely zoom down and dispatch one with a two second burst you are ready to put some ai enemies in the sky.

Know your planes. If you like turn fighting, the traditional dogfight then the best planes are:
Zeke (Zero) – turns on a dime but burns easily.
I-16 – Turns on a dime but if not handled with kid gloves can flip over and spin easily.
Spitfire – Turns well – Gives a false sense of security, a good 109 jock just may surprise.
La 5 – Turns well – Will lose its wings in any high speed dive.
All the above planes perform well in turn fights but most good boom and zoom pilots will never enter a turn fight.

Boom and Zoom planes:
P51 has speed and grace – Stalls easily in any turning fight.
Me109 is the king of boom and zoom from early war to mid war (the F to G series). Cannot turn with much, however the G2 can stay in the running with most planes.
FW190 – Takes the title from the 109 and holds it till the end of the war. Lots of big guns as well. A stunning roll rate. Drawbacks are deadly spins and very poor turning circle. The spins will come with any attempt to turn fight.

Middle of the road planes.
P39 has big guns and is an ace maker but if you get into a flat spin it takes forever to get out of one.
Hurricane is an okay plane.
Brewster is great can turn well but lacks power.
Me110 can get kills but only by luck or in a good team play.
All Yaks are okay and remind me of the Spit.
P38 the only true twin engine fighter, good all round performance.
P47 is a plane that can take damage and dish it out.

Suggested planes for starting out.
If I were new to the game I would learn how to fly the Me109, as it is found throughout the war in and will most likely be available to fly in most online servers making your transition from off-line to online easier.

The Zeke because it is very stable, hardly ever spins out and handles like a dream. It is also easy to take-off and land. It does require more engine management than the 109.

Lastly if you are really battling to learn how to fly, the Stuka is a dream, an ideal plane to learn take-off and landing in.

These are just my opinions on the planes you will form your own soon enough.

Thank you all for the welcome and advice. I'll keep all these in mind. Looks like I have found the Flight Sim I have been looking for.

Warning! Do not become an addict of IL2... many have succumbed.:grin: