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Originally Posted by haitch40
i cant view site on my ps3 and my pc has no net
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08.05.09 - IL-2 Developer Diary – Multiplayer
I’m Pavel Kulikov, Game Designer of multi player modes and maps at Gaijin Entertainment, developer of IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey. Welcome to the first of our developer diaries where we will look to take you under the hood of the game we have been crafting, shaping and reshaping for the past three years now. Those of you who know a little bit about the history of this game will know that IL-2 has undergone some significant changes in the last year or so. Our first previews in the gaming press began to surface in mid 2008 as we geared up for beginning of ’09 year release. However, after some tough decisions, a lot of feedback and a bit of soul searching, we still weren’t happy with what was approaching our final product, so thanks to an agreement with our publishers we were granted more time to really polish our game. The main change being the addition of Arcede Mode making the game infinitely more accessible to the first time player. The results have gone way beyond our initial expectations and we are so delighted with how IL-2 has finally taken shape into what we feel is quite simply the best WWII flight shooter out there. The release date has just been confirmed as 4th September across Europe, so you won’t have to take my word for it for much longer! I’d like to thank all of you for your patience and continued interest in the game. I hope you all enjoy our game as much as we did putting her together.
One of the principle upgrades that we worked on during our extra dev time was the multiplayer mode, which has been given a complete overhaul. We recognised that simple one-on-ones weren’t going to cut it on their own, so our four modes; ranging from straight up dog fighting to more tactical airfield control, give some really interesting game play dynamics that we’re confident our fans will love. Multiplayer forms the subject of this dev diary as I hope to be able to give you a few early tips and strategies that have emerged from our own extensive play testing.
First up is dog fighting, the most basic of IL-2’s disciplines. You will spend a lot of time during the game alternately chasing down enemies and evading their counter attacks and nowhere is this more apt than in the Dogfight multiplayer mode, the archetypal ‘deathmatch’ mode. Aerial advantage counts for so much in a one-on-one battle; always ensure you are higher than your opponent. You will find it considerably easier to swoop down on an opponent with great speed than climbing into his line of fire. Your plane is more manoeuvrable on the way down so take advantage of this by making sudden, less predictable movements. When you are confident you are out of firing range, start to climb back up again for another assault.
When targeting in Dogfight, or indeed in any mode, don’t forget to use your rudder! The right stick allows you to fine tune your aiming left and right and negates the need to bank and roll all the time, which are useful for manoeuvres but are tricky when targeting.
Don’t endlessly chase down one enemy with unrelenting pace. Break off if he is shaking you effectively, monitor his movements and then try to anticipate when he is at his weakest. This is usually when he is ascending, as vertical flight patterns tend to be a bit more predictable.
Hold your fire! There is little point blasting away when you are over a kilometre from your target. There is also always the possibility he hasn’t noticed you yet if you are approaching from behind, so hold your nerve and let rip once you are confident of a quick kill. Remember, the longer you are chasing one opponent, the longer your own movements are predictable by other opponents.
Equally important is to remember to look around by clicking your right stick. To use another animal analogy, dog fighting is mostly a game of cat and mouse where it only takes a split second for the cat to become the mouse! Just because you are stalking an enemy do not forget that it is just as easy for you to be hunted down by an unseen opponent. The careful pilot will always know how many potential enemies are in the area; seek to separate a weaker plane from the pack and strike when he is isolated.
Finally in Arcade and Realistic Mode make sure you make good use of your target camera. This gives an instant picture of where the currently targeted enemy is in relation to your plane and by using this camera you will ensure you never lose track of his position!
All of the above are also relevant for Team Dog fighting; our second mode that, you guessed it, pairs you up into two teams of up to eight players each. In Team Dog fighting, the key to victory is to effectively use your wingmen, but equally, not to rely on them too much! Balance between teamwork and individual skill is key here. Eight planes flying in formation can provide lots of cover, but they also make a nice juicy target for your enemies! A more effective strategy is to pair off into teams of two to three planes. This way you will have some one to cover your tail when you go in for the kill. Just remember to return the favour for your team mates, or you could find yourself separated form the pack and vulnerable.
In Strike, the winning team must destroy the enemy’s fixed ground targets with bombers while also protecting their own from enemy air strikes. In this mode you will have to choose between a bomber or a fighter, both of which carry very separate disciplines. Bombers are slow and sluggish compared to fighters, but their massive payload of bombs can win the day quickly if you know what you are doing. So to begin with it is recommended using attackers rather than bombers in most strike maps, as they are easier to handle and you be able to learn the art of bombing before moving on to more difficult areas. The one target that is fully recommeneded to have mastered the art of using a bomber is when attacking a battleship. The extra firepower here is essential.
The key when playing as a bomber is to come at your targets from varied, unpredictable angles and altitude so you are less likely to be picked off by defensive, opposition fighters. Flying in formation makes you easy prey, so look to bamboozle the opposition by all coming from different angles. If you are having trouble hitting your targets, try swooping down low just above tree level and ensure you drop right on top of your targets. This is more dangerous but potentially more rewarding, so the balance between running these flights versus safer, more elevated attacks is yours to establish. It’s worth taking some time to become familiar with the gunnery position on the bomber, as there will be times when your escorts fail you and you are forced to defend yourself! We’ve found in practice that it is much harder to be an effective bomber than a fighter, so the more skilful players in your team should consider taking up this role.
For fighters in Ground Strike mode, your responsibility is split between defending your own bombers and eliminating your opponents’. If you are confident in your own bombers’ abilities you might only commit one support fighter to defend them and use the rest for defence of your own bases. Chances are however you will need to escort your team mates, as flying solo into an air battery is no picnic! Hang back and at a higher altitude to your bombers and wait for your enemy to engage them. You should be able to see the attack path they take and pick them off if they do not use clever enough techniques. When defending, fighters are at a huge advantage due to their manoeuvrability over bombers, so use this to pick them off quickly before they have a chance to drop their payload. Bombers will have to fly in a straight line at some point if they are going to hit their target, so aim to anticipate this as quickly as possible.
Finally, in the Capture Airfields mode, the aim is to land your plane and hold an airstrip for as long as possible until it is captured. Don’t expect to last too long when you are on the ground; you are a sitting duck and will rely heavily on you team mates for protection. If you happen to be a bomber, don’t forget your gunnery position as this can effectively make you an anti-air gun! When a team mate manages to touch down you should drop everything and come to his defence. Holding the airstrip is the only way to win and precious seconds can be the difference between winning and losing.
Desperate times can call for desperate measures, so if the enemy has the airstrip and the timer is running low or they are just defending well, don’t forget the Kamikaze option! Crashing your plane into the grounded enemy is very effective, if a little last-ditch, so keep it in your locker for when you really need it!
I hope you’ve managed to gleam at least some advice from this and will have a bit of an advantage when IL-2 ships in September. All multiplayer modes support 16 players and will give you a lot of extra game time after you have polished off the 50+ missions in campaign mode.
Thanks for reading!
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08-06-2009, 04:09 PM
I'm excited, looks like the game is shaping up to be just how I imagined it.
Linear Mode
