So what's good with this game then?

[ATAG_Dutch]

I've been doing a bit of whining recently, but the good bit for me is still the overall feeling of 'being there'.

It's hard for me to describe, but the overall atmospheric ambience of CoD when you're sitting in the cockpit is unequalled anywhere, including all the REX, VFR, GEX addons for FSX. For this reason, I always fly with the canopy open.

You look around at the sky, your wing, you lean out to check the colour of your exhaust flame, you check your gauges, then spot the enemy and dive to the attack.
Then you realise that shooting them down is difficult, as it must've been IRL, the rear gunner pops one in your engine and you have to crash land in the undulating landscape with its various types of highly detailed vegetation (although the tree issue is well known).

A couple of months ago, I said I could 'almost smell the air' and I stand by that view.
So in spite of my recent whining, I just can't leave it alone.

[Rattlehead]

Something else I prefer is the theme tune.

[TonyD]

Originally Posted by Dutch_851

...

It's hard for me to describe, but the overall atmospheric ambience of CoD when you're sitting in the cockpit is unequalled anywhere, ...

I have to agree with you there – previously RoF did this for me, and the wind noise when you poke your head out of the cockpit only added to it, but those bloody rotating trees are a bit of an immersion-killer when you notice them at low altitude. I unfortunately had to upgrade my gfx card recently, and now have the common ‘blue stripe’ issue on the horizon, which (for me anyway) is worse than RoF’s trees, and a real reminder that I’m playing a game with graphic errors.

I am currently spending my spare time in a rally car in DiRT3 rather than in CloD, as although it isn’t a ‘sim’, it does feel very real with the difficulty set to max and no ‘assists’ enabled. And the graphics are faultless.

[addman]

It has many faults and even if I'd like complain about it, I won't because the OP didn't ask for that so here is my list.

1. Best "flight experience" I've ever had in a combat sim, IL-2 comes second.
2. Really comprehensive FMB that only misses comprehensive documentation to go with it.
3. When I fly over the channel during sunset/rise I feel like I'm really flying over the channel during sunset/rise even though I've never flown a real airplane myself.
4. CEM, gotta love it.
5. Details, second to none.

[Rattlehead]

Originally Posted by TonyD

I am currently spending my spare time in a rally car in DiRT3 rather than in CloD, as although it isn’t a ‘sim’, it does feel very real with the difficulty set to max and no ‘assists’ enabled. And the graphics are faultless.

Definitely on my shopping list.

(Sorry to go off topic.)

[carguy_]

Saying "custom loadouts" doesn`t do CoD justice.

1.The player can now configure his ammo belt however he wants. That means that the days of worthless machinegun fire are over. If you hit a plane with a few rounds of a certain type of projectile, you will set it on fire. I can get up to 5 downed Spitfires using the mg alone.

This, CEM and DM changes everything you`ve ever done in IL2. If we get the Moscow addon, it will be quickly seen that Russian fighters were easily downable, unlike in IL2. For the first time, the Bf109F2 will have a good take at the IL2 Sturmovik which often is used by online players as a heavy fighter.

2. The whole ground battle experience changes for the same reasons. Everything is more complicated, so the tank battles will be more realistic.

3. As third, hopefully we`ll get a better setup of planes for both sides, not involving any bigger holes (as the Hs129 for example).

[camel24hrs]

COD....Lack of a real campaign mode. 1946 had a fantastic campaign mode. You could spen a month or two just flying one campaign. COD you only get 3 mission flying a ME109.....3.

Yes the cockpit graphics are just out standing. The damage and flight models are the same. And while the ground grapics are better than 1946, in my opinion they fall way behind ROF.

I live in the good old USA and I can turn off my epilepsy filter, maybe because my cd came fro Australia.

[l3uLLDoZeR]

I've been playing online mostly...besides the hours of killing engines it really is fun and challenging! My only complaint is that I randomly lose sound online...and it does get a little boring at times.

For example: In almost 2 hours I saw ONE human 110(SYN server). I turned into him after seeing him behind me and we made 1 head on shooting pass(both missing).. he turned and ran for france. I followed him for another 30-45 min, but he just ran and stayed just out of shooting range for my hurricane. Kinda boring, but realistic..I even asked him to fight in chat and he said that's what the 110 is built for.

Once more players are online and with continued support from the devs this game will be a hit!

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by Dutch_851

I've been doing a bit of whining recently, but the good bit for me is still the overall feeling of 'being there'.

It's hard for me to describe, but the overall atmospheric ambience of CoD when you're sitting in the cockpit is unequalled anywhere, including all the REX, VFR, GEX addons for FSX. For this reason, I always fly with the canopy open.

You look around at the sky, your wing, you lean out to check the colour of your exhaust flame, you check your gauges, then spot the enemy and dive to the attack.
Then you realise that shooting them down is difficult, as it must've been IRL, the rear gunner pops one in your engine and you have to crash land in the undulating landscape with its various types of highly detailed vegetation (although the tree issue is well known).

A couple of months ago, I said I could 'almost smell the air' and I stand by that view.
So in spite of my recent whining, I just can't leave it alone.

This and the new CEM...i haven't touched IL2:1946 ever since i installed CoD, despite all its problems.

After getting one of my buddies back into flight sims with IL2 (he was a falcon4 flier back in the day) i talked him into trying CoD. He recently bought a copy and we were talking today over a glass of iced coffee. Besides day one impressions, i asked him what he thinks of it now that he's had some time to get to grips with it.
He said: "i don't know why, i can't quantify it, but despite any possible inaccuracies and bugs this sim feels like being there, it just feels right for some reason".
We also concluded that a large part of this is how the myriad of smaller details are done: viewing the burning incendiaries in slow motion, the intermittent belching of fire from one of the exhaust stacks corresponding to a damaged cylinder, all that stuff is there but it's subtle and not overdone.

This gives it all a much more dynamic feeling and with the new DM a much more varied visual and gameplay experience. You pump a spitty full of Mg17 rounds and he flies along with a minor leak and then all of a sudden you can see him start streaming two more smoke trails, go up in fire and dive for the drink without further action on your part, but it all happens in a very natural-looking way and not in a hollywood "look at me, i'm an oversized explosion" style.

[flyingblind]

Some of the bolt heads, particularly in the hurricanes have Maddox Games embossed on them.