Long, Long Ago in an IL2 Game
 

Well I think a few things happened.

The first is most players on hyperlobby now, all want to jump in the cockpit of something with cannons, jam throttle forward and take-off in whatever direction they are pointing. If its more than a 3 minute flight before their guns are firing its to long. Even the bomber pilots are the same way, and there better not be any AAA at enemy targets. Its all about points, and how quickly and easily to get them.

But because these are the majority of players, the servers cater to their wants and needs. And I don't blame the servers. You need fliers, so do what will attract the most players.

Speaking of servers, the so called historical ones are a joke. Did the map builders do their research for missions on these servers? The answer is an apparent NO. But again it comes down to players. There is a common misconception that for aircraft to "balanced" that each side has to use aircraft from same year. And that on say January 1st of 1943, all aircraft referred to as being from 1942 ceased to exist. I really wished there was a way to remove year entirely from aircraft name.

Also a lot of the servers are not updating game to latest version. Choose to be mod friendly instead.

See there a almost no options remaining for the players that 1.) Enjoy flying just as much as combat. and 2.) Like hard settings. 3.) Don't use mods.
So these players have either moved on to something else, or fly offline.

Not trying to tell anyone how to play. Its a game, play however you want.

Fortunately, Hyperlobby is not the whole picture, and several non-cannon planes get their share of playtime, too. Also, there's always at least one player who invests more than 3 minutes into, say, positioning their planes tactically in the vertical matrix. Usually, it's enough to keep things interesting.

From what I've seen, bomber pilots often ignore the threat of AAA altogether. But they're irrelevant anyway, at least on dogfight servers. Ground pounders who actually destroy AAA, especially on airfields, now that's a different story!

No, because you can't do anything with points - they are just a byproduct of something else. I think most players are enlightened enough to understand this.

Settings-wise, I think some servers cater to what they imagine players' wants and needs to be. As for maps, having a diverse mapset could be one solution - some maps could be built with a quick action formula, others could have some distance between airfields. Or, you can just have multiple bases on the same map.

2nd server of Greatergreen with non flyables. I have preferred more "realistic" settings as well, but where else you could hunt for B-17 on your Bf-110 :-). It was before AIs were introduced into online gaming.

Hi Skid. I remember flying with you here and there when you flew a 109, you seemed like a good smart pilot. Glad you dropped in and hope you are still flying now and then.

I remember flying on the Men of Honor server quite a while ago but not much about it.

Thanks Jumoschwanz, yes, I spent a lot time in the 109 and then the 190. I've tried flying here and there but the rust has really set in. Yeah, that's it, I'm rusty, not old. :rolleyes:

S~

It is a year later already. I have not flown online at all over the last eight months, having too much fun doing things outside in the sun with friends.

The guy that runs the server I mostly flew on for the last half-dozen or so years has got cancer bad, and that is all I will say about that for now.

Hyperlobby looks more dead than ever. If it and this forum is not taken down for lack of interest this winter maybe I will shoot a few of you down over the next three or four months somewhere while the snow is falling.

S!

Sorry to hear about your buddy.

I just counted 20 servers online. Yet not many players. Gone are the days of 24-32 slots busy all night.

https://s18.postimg.org/ydkwzjrth/New_Bitmap_Image.jpg

He is dead now. He was a good IL2 pilot that never flew mods, flew hard settings and was in it since the beginning. RIP....