Graphically (only) is Wing of Prey below or equal to the quality 'we' expect for SoW?

[Mysticpuma]

Now, I installed WoP last-night and had a run around in the P-51, and I have to say WOW!

Obviously IL2 is a much deeper Sim, with QMB and FMB, customisable skins, loads of aircraft, camera positions etc, etc.

I was though, very impressed by the graphical quality of the landscape and aircraft detail, including condesation on the cockpit when flying through clouds, oil spatters on the cockpit glass when chasing a smoking aircraft, the sun's reflection off the canopy plus too many more things.

So, from what we saw in the SoW Spitfire video and the image updates, is this the 'minimum' graphic level we expect to see? If it is, then SoW is going to be 'visually' incredible if WoP is the 'old' game in relation to the extra development time Oleg will and has been getting on SoW.

P-51 v FW-190 (look at the land detail!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuyaaqVsg0g

Promo Vid:

http://www.univers-games.com/Videos_...ghts_survoltes

Graphically I'm blown away and with SoW having customisable skins, QMB, FMB and better cameras (any chance of an update Oleg on the cameras we can use?) I can't wait for a new round of Movie-making to take to the skies.

Cheers, MP

[BadAim]

I simply don't see any comparison. WOP has it's moments, but the scope is just too limited. I'm not so sure how realistic the graphics are anyway, I think the whole thing is way to dark. SOW will have to balance detail with performance over a much wider set of parameters, but I think the screen shots lately have been showing us that OMG is capable of pulling it off. That said, only the finished product will truly tell. I'm prepared to be stunned.

[Tone71]

@ Mysticpuma

Try turning off 'Vignette' in the Advanced options; this makes the gfx look better IMO.

Well to my eyes currently the WOP terrain is way better than what we have seen so far from SOW, and i still cannot believe its not the same terrain we saw on the 1946 video and I also struggle to believe that Oleg had little or no part in a title that has MADDOX GAMES written all over it, however Oleg has promised that the terrain in SOW will be far superior to that of WOP so I guess we will just have to wait.

[Tempest123]

The cockpits in SoW are definitely 100% better than WoP, as are the aircraft details and from what I have seen I think the dynamic lighting and water is better too (I've played WoP). The only thing that WoP has over SoW now is the excellent terrain, with a great feeling of being "alive" really adds to the immersion, but covers a small area. I'm not too concerned but I would like to see a demonstration of SoW in HD with full Dx11 and full details, I know it's work in progress but its been 5 years I'm going to buy it anyways of course, but I think its about time we got to see another video.

[baronWastelan]

Clouds and atmosphere conditions are far more difficult and important at this stage. Landscape is straightforward, simply a matter of how many objects your PC can handle and how high of texture resolution your gfx card can manage.

[ECV56_Lancelot]

Graphically i think SoW BoB will be better. Now, talking about the TERRAIN, and TERRAIN ONLY, i don´t think it will surpass it, i think the quality will be lower. Too much details and objects for a map that will be way way way more bigger that WoP maps.
Of course, it´s just my speculation.

Maybe on smaller unreal maps we could see a terrain close as good as those of WoP, but i don´t think will be the case for the real big maps.

[Feuerfalke]

It depends on what you think is "better".

WoP is a game that tries to simulate the in-the-airplane-feeling as most people today know it: As shown in the many war movies, slightly blurred, desaturated and a touch of WW2-Gun-Cam-style.

BoB on the other hand will simulate what it is like to sit in a real plane. The world is not tainted in sepia brown (unless you have grey star or something) and you don't have a vignette-effect on this field of view (again unless you don't have some serious eye-problem).

Cinema or Reality - your choice - neither is better or worse IMHO. It just depends what you're looking for: Feel like a fighter-hero in a movie flying by keyboard or immersion and realistic view.

[Avimimus]

I expect SoW will have slightly worse art, but better graphics - not just in terms of technical capabilities of the engine, but rather in the utility of the engine for flight simulation (ie. visuals which are easier to fly in with icons turned off)

[kendo65]

I haven't played WOP, just seen quite a few videos. The best feature graphically of that game to me seems to be the terrain, which looks wonderful. Other aspects graphically don't seem quite so good - effects and explosions seem roughly of il2 standard (maybe modded il2 ), the exterior aircraft models look very like il2 to me; the cockpits seem to have been freshened up and look pretty good.

But comparing them to the finished or near-finished elements that we've seen of SOW - ie cockpits and aircraft models - I'd say SOW is graphically superior. (SOW really looks next-gen here.)

The other elements of SOW, effects + terrain, are harder to judge because they're still very WIP. I expect that once the effects are tuned and finalised they'll look far superior too.

That leaves the terrain. So much still to be done on this that all one can do is guess. Given that we've yet to see rivers, roads, towns fully integrated and the trees looking half decent, and given the quality of the ground shots posted a few weeks back showing the Spitfire in a wheat field, I'm quite optimistic that once the air-to-ground views are tuned the final result will be pretty good and possibly on a par quality-wise with the aircraft and cockpits. (Also it's going to be Direct X 11 V Direct X 9)

Maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist but I'd bet that Oleg will certainly be aiming to get all still-WIP aspects of the game up to the level of the already completed cockpits, aircraft and vehicles.

I take the point regarding the larger map in SOW, but would also point out that the recommended specs for WOP are 2GB ram and 512MB video card. Oleg has already hinted at possible minimum specs for SOW of 3GB or even 4GB ram!! SOW may take advantage of increased computer power to offset the demands of the larger map.