This game is actually really great

[Mr Greezy]

I, like many, initially got Cliffs Of Dover and threw my hands up in despair. For me, the biggest obstacle at first was my super big expensive computer unable to run the game smoothly. Out of pride, I shelved it.

Now, after some patches, after some driver releases, after forcing FXAA and countless other nVidia Inspector tweaks, the game runs just fine. Yes, there are stutters and FPS drops and glitches and all that, but it runs.

Having spent the better part of the past five hours playing the game straight, I've realized just how much of a little treasure it is. The graphics are actually very good. To be smoothed out and enhanced, but good. I was noticing, during a steep ascending bank (to have another pass at that pesky supply train) that my BF110 made a soft shadow on the ground as opposed to a hard one, just smaller. That may seem like something trivial, but it's actually a really cool detail. There are loads of hidden gems like that throughout the sim. For instance, just after that, I strafe the train popping off cars here and there and then BOOM!!! I must've hit the fuel car because I flew through a massive fireball. On my next run I went for the locomotive and remarked how neat it was that, just like in the countless WWII guncam footage I've seen, how a steam powered locomotive's engine will start erupting steam where it's it, finally culminating in a big poof of steam rising upwards. They have that in game. That very real, very true to life experience is in this game. I know. Little thing.

Sitting on the runway clicking away at some of the greatest cockpits ever made is truly amazing. IMO the best cockpits in any sim, combat or no. You can do a legitimately pre-flight checklist. And when you're finally up in the air, this sim has a great feeling for flight. I think flight models still need tweaking, but the CORE is there. If there was a 109 sitting outside my house I would know how to start it up. That's cool.

Honestly I just walked away from my "session" very impressed. There are graphics enhancements, performance boots (overall and in regards to SLI), there's a ton of AI work to be done, AI comms, the whole menu for selecting campaigns and missions and then what planes to fly is unattractive and inefficient, more campaigns, dynamic campaigns, an easier interface for navigating multiplayer, and I'm sure I'm missing just a ton of other things. A big thing is immersion. Playing career mode in Rise Of Flight and then trying CloD's version of it, it feels sterile in comparison.

But I hope when it's all said and done you've got the core game how it needs to be, then start releasing expansion packs like a tornado. Seeing as how compelling this game is in its current state and how utterly fantastic it will be when it's fully realized, I can't wait to tackle Africa, the Mediterranean campaigns, all the possibilities on the Eastern Front, and everything on the Pacific too. With these plane sets now, at least for the Germans, I'd love to see a Spanish Civil War campaign. Just great.

So, to the devs, keep up the good work. Fix the game as you're doing and I will buy every single expansion pack released. Yay!

[Ataros]

You may wish to download some great user-made campaigns from airwarfare.com . They are more immersive than the stock one.

[Ze-Jamz]

Just to add to the OP's title:

Yes it is

[Feathered_IV]

I haven't really made friends with it yet. For me it doesn't have any soul to it. It doesn't inspire. Hopefully that will happen with time though.

[senseispcc]

I said some time ago the game of the year and I say it again....

[ATAG_Dutch]

It's beginning to come good, but 'great' is a word I'd reserve for an indeterminate point in the future.