I agree with the original poster that the sounds are maybe the weakest part of IL2, the different engines sound too much the same. I also use the 'mod' to my own enjoyment, not to gain high ground above ppl, but just for the sake of having more real sounding engines.
But I also agree that the unlocking of the IL2 files comes with sour grapes too, FM cheating. And of course, it's illegal.
Oh well, let's hope Oleg & bunch get the 4.09 out with a new kind of protection so we can end all these debates about the hacks.
