Beginner questions

[Brett Sinclair]

Hello fellow virtual fighter pilots,

I finally bought IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 on Steam.
I figured out all the settings and got my mouse yoke (via ppmouse) working just fine.
However, I have another questions:
Which patches should I install - and where from? Steam version is 4.12 something, I believe).
Additionally, which great mod packs are out there (content, gameplay, visuals, etc.)? There appears to be a plethora of them, but I cannot find my way around them myself.
Finally, what do I need to play multiplayer?
Thank you & see you in the skies.

Best,
Brett