A request for more features to make IL-2 a better game, not just better software.

[addman]

Originally Posted by NedLynch

There was a poll a while ago on this forum to find out how many people prefer online flying and how many are mainly solo pilots. If I remember correctly the result was roughly 50/50.
So all the answers regarding coop are all fine and good, but for those who cannot play uniterrupted for a prolonged period of time, if you have a family for example ( and there are many of us who do ), the most important thing is a comprehensive DCG.
This adds infinite replayability and that this is missing is more than sad.
Just like the OP, I never had any real technical issues with the sim, it simply runs and looks great, bought it upon the NA release, aware of all the complaints, but they never materialised for me luckily.
However due to the laughable single player content the game is shelved right now. And yes I am aware of all the community efforts to bring a DCG to us, downloaded two, very nice and appreciated efforts, but not the same as a real officially supported, comprehensive DCG.

This is my biggest "problem" at the moment. Online is fine and all but there is no paus key, when my baby daughter starts to scream after waking up because of something and I'm in the middle of a dogfight on ATAG or something it all just falls apart. That's why I prefer offline gaming, I decide over the time I have.

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by FG28_Kodiak

Ok i created Coops and i played many of them in my squad.
I also converted single player missions in Coops with no problem. Its also possible to fly coops as single missions if someone like to do it.
At the moment i do some rework on my Coop-Scipts and waiting for the patch. But I never missed the old IL2-Coop style, the CloDo style is much more flexible and powerfull. If you know how to handle it.

The old style CooP system is needed ........

.............because only 1%(random figure I made up) know how to use scripts to make a Moving Dogfight Server as theres no CooP in CoD.

It quite astonishing the lack of foresight making CoD Dogfight only and removing the old CooP style interface.

Until CooP returns in the correct CooP format we have been used to for 10 years+ this new MDS isnt going to cut it for me and many others due to the limitations using a MDS scripted mission.

Its useless saying its more powerful and wonderful and the best thing since sliced bread when no one understands and comprehends how to use it.

You might as well give a cat a chess set and tell its its a wonderful game and is better than draughts.

A. If you can speak cat language.

B. Have taught a cat to play draughts.
.

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

The old style CooP system is needed ........

.............because only 1% know how to use scripts to make a Moving Dogfight Server as theres no CooP in CoD.

It quite astonishing the lack of foresight making CoD Dogfight only and removing the old CooP style interface.

Until CooP returns in the correct CooP format we have been used to for 10 years+ this new MDS isnt going to cut it for me and many others due to the limitations using a MDS scripted mission.

Its useless saying its more powerful and wonderful and the best thing since sliced bread when no one understands and comprehends how to use it.

You might as well give a cat a chess set and tell its its a wonderful game and is better than draughts.

A. If you can speak cat language.

B. Have taught a cat to play draughts.


.

The general rule is to evolve, or go extinct

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

The general rule is to evolve, or go extinct

Correct

It will become extinct if they don't evolve the CooP interface.

At present all CoD is is a boring DF game with a few DF servers due to the lack of individuals hosting missions as in IL2 1946 style via Hyperlobby.

If you perceive the future of CoD as being dictated to you by said CoD DF servers then there's nothing evolving, it will remain a limited boring lifeless sim.

There are many mission builders out there from IL2 series that can make missions in CoD, myself included,
the scripting side of things seems an over complicated way of doing some of the simple things possible in IL2 1946 FMB (delayed spawn aircraft) a few clicks and adjust the parameter and hey delayed spawn aircraft, in CoD we have to run scripts to do this ??

It needs simplifying and generally become more user friendly in all areas of the gui including a proper CooP interface and a more scriptless back to clicking FMB for the masses to get involved and feel confident hosting missions for them and their squads, this will bring more interest to CoD users and keep numbers up.


I agree it needs to evolve.




.

[NedLynch]

Originally Posted by addman

This is my biggest "problem" at the moment. Online is fine and all but there is no paus key, when my baby daughter starts to scream after waking up because of something and I'm in the middle of a dogfight on ATAG or something it all just falls apart. That's why I prefer offline gaming, I decide over the time I have.

Right on addman

[furbs]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

The old style CooP system is needed ........

.............because only 1%(random figure I made up) know how to use scripts to make a Moving Dogfight Server as theres no CooP in CoD.

It quite astonishing the lack of foresight making CoD Dogfight only and removing the old CooP style interface.

Until CooP returns in the correct CooP format we have been used to for 10 years+ this new MDS isnt going to cut it for me and many others due to the limitations using a MDS scripted mission.

Its useless saying its more powerful and wonderful and the best thing since sliced bread when no one understands and comprehends how to use it.

You might as well give a cat a chess set and tell its its a wonderful game and is better than draughts.

A. If you can speak cat language.

B. Have taught a cat to play draughts.
.

Bloody hell Alpha i think we agree 100% on something!

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

Correct

It will become extinct if the don't evolve the CooP interface.

At present all CoD is is a boring DF game with a few DF servers due to the lack of individuals hosting missions as in IL2 1946 style via Hyperlobby.

If you perceive the future of CoD as being dictated to you by said CoD DF servers then there's nothing evolving, it will remain a limited boring lifeless sim.

There are many mission builders out there from IL2 series that can make missions in CoD, myself included,
the scripting side of things seems an over complicated way of doing some of the simple things possible in IL2 1946 FMB (delayed spawn aircraft) a few clicks and adjust the parameter and hey delayed spawn aircraft, in CoD we have to run scripts to do this ??

It needs simplifying and generally become more user friendly in all areas of the gui including a proper CooP interface and a more scriptless back to clicking FMB for the masses to get involved and feel confident hosting missions for them and their squads, this will bring more interest to CoD users and keep numbers up.

Il-2 is the past... there will be those that can teach others to use the new interface...who of us knows the grand plan, and what will be required in the future development to function properly. Certainly change is good when comfortable in the users hands, I'm sure that you will master it.

[KG26_Alpha]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

Il-2 is the past... there will be those that can teach others to use the new interface...who of us knows the grand plan, and what will be required in the future development to function properly. Certainly change is good when comfortable in the users hands, I'm sure that you will master it.

If it doesn't exist it cannot be mastered.

Again ........... THERES NO CooP INTERFACE IN COD

Yes IL2 is in the past, but there's a huge loyal customer base in there not bothering with CoD because there's no CooP and an overcomplicated gui/fmb.
Its not all about the wow factor that looks cool, its about content, at the moment there's none in CoD except flying a few couple of ac on a df server or two.

Originally Posted by furbs

Bloody hell Alpha i think we agree 100% on something!

Lol
Its a pet hate of mine and one that stops me in my tracks with CoD, I don't fly DF servers.

I prefer structured missions set up as a CooP usually between 30-40-60 mins long, all with a win/loose situation and defined target areas.
Percentage destruction levels or points win system depending on mission type.
In CoD you cannot close the mission and see the mission stats pilots score as there's no debriefing room.

Anyway this is very old ground.

Hopefully something will be done to keep the CooP fliers happy.



.
.

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by EvilJoven

Most of the talk on these forums these days have been for fixes to technical issues and adding more aircraft, ships, drivable tanks etc to the game.

Hardly anyone brings up the serious lack of attention to gameplay elements that will actually make CloD fun for the wider player base. The vocal minority (and the most active posters here are mostly a vocal minority) don't seem to think this is an issue but I've seen in other flight sim communities that this lack of gameplay elements is driving away a lot of players.

I, for instance, hardly have any technical issues with CloD. Despite this, I have 8 hours in this game. Most of that was in free flight configuring my controls and since November, I've only launched CloD twice and only out of curiosity to see how many people are playing online, which isn't a lot.

I play with people who enjoy varying levels of realism on different sims; in IL-2 we use CEM, in DCS A-10/Blackshark we fly full realism. In FSX we're flying procedure approaches on VATSIM in everything from bug smashers to 737NGX's. Some of us have never been in a plane before but there's a good portion who are working on or hold private and commercial pilots licenses.

I say this so you know that we ARE the target audience for IL-2. We are NOT a bunch of 'children who should go back to Ace Combat' like some people suggest we do when these issues are brought up.

So, time to get down to the point. Nobody I play sims with finds IL-2 Cliffs of Dover worth their time. The single player is bland. The multi player is worse. There's no dynamic campaign and the development teams refusal to compensate for the fact that this is a sim played on a computer monitor leads to unrealistic engagements.

So, the game needs to be fixed. So far nobody I've spoken to is impressed with the direction IL-2 is headed and a few have already taken a 'won't get fooled again' stance when it comes to the Moscow expansion coming out. If you want us back, you need to make this a better game.

Here's some examples of what we want.

Better Target Recognition

This is a serious complaint a lot of people have. It's harder in CloD to pick out targets than in any other sim we play or IRL. Take a look at the little black airplane sprites in 777 Studios Rise of Flight game. There's a reason why they put those in. Do something like that.

Easier Mission Editing

Why is this so terribly documented and so difficult. Everyone I know who's tried to make a mission in CloD has thrown their hands up in frustration.

Dynamic single player and co-op campaigns

This was hinted at before release but it never materialised. IL-2 1946 has these and Lowengrin made an even better third party generator. The fact that this isn't in CloD is a major step back.

Multiplayer dogfight mission generators

Making missions is hard and time consuming work. Take a look at what Lowengrin's DCG can do in a few clicks. Somewhat decent dogfight maps in a matter of minutes. Hell, there's even support for AI planes in dogfight. This will take a lot of burden off of hosts who want variety but don't want to spend hours making missions. This is sorely needed in CloD.

Mandatory Tree Collision

We make fun of the trees in IL-2 (the common cry when slamming in to one is OLEG TREES!) but in CloD we only get either fully rendered 3d forests or none at all. Because players get to chose, tree collisions is off. The few times I've bothered with multiplayer it's been common to see people flying under the forest canopy. If the average player can't handle full 3d forests, at least put in some Oleg Trees and turn collisions on. This way people flying with trees off can't fly UNDER the forest canopy. Add 2 sprites to the trees though so they aren't almost invisible from the side.

These are the sort of things that CloD needs if your development team is going to survive after releasing the Moscow expansion. Adding more plane variants, more tank variants, making vehicles drivable etc IS NOT going to win us over.

The people here counting the rivets on panels and comparing the paint colors to 75 year old photographs are your vocal minority. If you keep listening to them alone, you won't make enough money off of future releases to keep food on your plates.

Give us a good game if you want us to keep giving you our money.

What a salient post!

Originally Posted by EvilJoven

Hardly anyone brings up the serious lack of attention to gameplay elements that will actually make CloD fun for the wider player base.

Because it's just adding more things on the list for them to fix , it's taken a year to get this far and they are still miles from release. If you add more you are never going to see anything.