[hiro]

Online and offline components are both key to make a flight sim work. A balance is needed.

It's like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you need both and once you put them together to remove one would demolish a good PB&J sandwich.

IL-2 series would have not gotten as far if it only catered to just one arena.


Online is here to stay. The popularity of it is that groups can work together and you introduce the social element to games. People give variety . . .
Also human vs human challenge to some is a refreshing experience as AI (currently) is predictable, does super things etc . . .


Also online content of a game has become an industry accepted criteria for judging game quality (like sound and graphics) . . . and a standard, player expected / basic feature of any game released currently.



Online can rub people wrong. And ego has alot to do with it. You have petty / abuse admins of servers, to the morbid fear of losing or self esteem tied to their score so they have to cheat . . .

Also remember that the loudest are those who choose to cry, complain, whine and dine while some others would rather spend their time fixing the problem, go to another server that doesn't have that issue, or are busy figuring a way they can deal / work through it, or are simply having too much fun to let it get in the way.

I see the historical thing . . . complaining about the historical context on the basis it wasn't fair, or historical isn't fun.

The problem is some people can't connect that war isn't fair, rules were made to be broken, and murphy the grunt's word hold more clout than the staff generals . . .

Even though IL-2 is a game and that a certain definition of fun IS how close and accurate to that specific time and place in WW 2 you can get.

Remember that IL-2 is a game and many see it in that regard, a game that is supposed to be fun (and online) and fair, that takes place in a specific genra.




Offline component is very important. It gets the player into the game. For sims immersion is key, and historical accuracy is paramount. The plane and missions make you feel you are a pilot in the VVS or the surprise and wonder of the routing patrol finding a luftwaffe plane they cannot catch even though they had some height advantage at full throttle.

Offline components, missions / levels / world etc are also criteria upon which the game is judged, and makes up most of the game.

Also important is tools to for the user to make their own maps, missions, campaigns and control every detail possible. Quality games released with the intention of longevity always include tools for user made stuff.






To have that you need solid code, a clearly defined set of rules, good judgement, player, developer, and modder relationship that serves for the betterment of the game and enjoyment of players (and strikes a balance). There needs to be open dialog between the community and dev, and a well balanced (in terms of features, fun, historical accuracy, content types etc), well designed, quality game.

So far BOB SOW is turn out good.