SOW Multiple sorties?

[Bobb4]

I am so sick and tired of the online-offline debate. If everyone has not noticed games are changing. When Il2 came out most people were lucky if they had 56k modems (dial-up-connections).
The only way to make a sim was offline with a few dogfight maps for online stuff.
The world has changed and broadband is here.
I am sure the offline experience is going to be awesome. But in the same breath one has to realise that new player (not us old farts) will be attracted to the genre only if it is a very good online experience.
Rise of Flight has realised this and my guess is so has Oleg.
Lets face it, for sales of SOW to rival Il2 sales Oleg has to cater for the growing online community.
Those without internet are fast becoming the minority. Now before some moron throws a book of stats they just googled at me showing how important offline play is lets look at game consoles (yes I hate them).
But even they have embraced a fast growing online community. Hardly any latest generation consoles do not basically require online connectivity to get the best experience.
For me online play needs – good coms.
To be able to land, rearm and refuel.
Moving ground items such as ships etc and a refined program such as SEOW to handle the other elements, land sea and air in co-ops and maybe and increase in mission times.
Dogfight maps with moving items and multi seats in planes even on dogfight maps.

For offline play it needs a gripping story-line, dynamic and historical campaigns and the ability to make a difference.

I firmly believe we will get most of what we want and as later incarnations of the engine are released it will just get better.

[I/ZG52_Gaga]

Well put!

[LEXX]

Thank You gaga!

Bobb::

I am sure the offline experience is going to be awesome. But in the same breath one has to realise that new player (not us old farts) will be attracted to the genre only if it is a very good online experience.
Rise of Flight has realised this and my guess is so has Oleg.
Lets face it, for sales of SOW to rival Il2 sales Oleg has to cater for the growing online community.

Those other online games, some possibly Pay-To-Play, are not the same thing, especially the consoles.

Sales of Oleg's very own IL2, as well as Thirdwire sims, have proven that Online can be safely ignored. Rowan's BoB2 also ignores online play, but that game suffers from a very problematic lomac-esque early releace and a difficult game engine to work with, so its not so successful relative to the costs.

Not that I'm against Online play, in fact I encourage it as it can attract many of a vast number of satisfied Offline play customers into -- potentially -- far more dynamic gameplay. Dis-satisifed Offline play customers abandon the sim and go elsewhere, leaving less resources for supporting "free" Online gameplay.

Meaning, you cater to the paying customers first -- the Offline players, unless you go solely Pay-To-Play, which is what Oleg has said he would like to do ultimately.

That's why the "debate" is more important than ever, so The Sims developers figure out why their attempt at focusing on "free" Online play has failed both themselves and their paying customers miserably.

[Bobb4]

Originally Posted by LEXX

Thank You gaga!

Sales of Oleg's very own IL2, as well as Thirdwire sims, have proven that Online can be safely ignored.
That's why the "debate" is more important than ever, so The Sims developers figure out why their attempt at focusing on "free" Online play has failed both themselves and their paying customers miserably.

Please do not misunderstand this, but just how sure are you that their will be a DVD release of the game
It is far cheaper for a distributer to release games in a "Download Only format"
And then at a later stage sell a DVD with two or three of the expansions include...


Just kidding, lets hope that never happens or else there would be no offline players would there?

Lets look at one of the most successful online games of all time WOW (I hate it) Over 10 million players, paying monthly subscriptions plus buying the original games at normal game prices...

Give SOW an air, ground and sea arm (a really vastly improved WW2online) and you could have something similair...
How far is that away, well some-developer somewhere is looking for the next big thing... My point is Offline is great, I play it, so is online I play it too.
But lets not get caught in the IL2 sold so-many copies because it was an offline experience. IL2 sold so many copies because it was a great product way ahead of its time. Offering users something they had never before experienced.
I expect nothing less from SOW, and if that is online or offline I will be happy either way.

[LEXX]

Bobb, Thirdwire sims are download only, and essentially Offline play only. Online players claim its a "failure" but that's normal gaming forum behavior. Its a successful small business, although will remain small unless some things change ... open the sim to independent campaign generators like Lowengrin makes, making both sides flyable, etc...there's some deep issues holding the sim back there.

Lets look at one of the most successful online games of all time WOW (I hate it) Over 10 million players, paying monthly subscriptions plus buying the original games at normal game prices...

Yes, Pay-To-Play.

Give SOW an air, ground and sea arm (a really vastly improved WW2online) and you could have something similair...

Yes, Pay-To-Play.

But lets not get caught in the IL2 sold so-many copies because it was an offline experience. IL2 sold so many copies because it was a great product way ahead of its time. Offering users something they had never before experienced.
I expect nothing less from SOW, and if that is online or offline I will be happy either way.

Mee Too. Oleg was my first WW2 sim, I ran out and bought it as soon as I saw flayable MiG-3 and I-16, my two fave WW2 planes, but like most Offline players, I fairly quickly got bored with it (got into StrikeFighters instead), and so FB/PF Online play stagnated from lack of funds to develop it, from lack of long lasting Offline player interest. How do I know this? FB Online War creator rnzoli told us that online play had stagnated .... but, this was last year before the mods which has given re-birth to the sim...both online and offline players alike I think.

[Rama]

Originally Posted by LEXX

but, this was last year before the mods which has given re-birth to the sim...both online and offline players alike I think.

Quite wrong...
Just compare HL standard attendance last year and now...

Mods generate a lot of activity on forums... but as expected, online greatly suffered from the variety of choice. Today, with the mods, there's not ONE possible game install, but myriads... so most of the onliners are restricted to squad play (groups with same or alike install...)
... just like we forecasted before the mods fashion...

[Flyby]

Originally Posted by Rama

Quite wrong...
Just compare HL standard attendance last year and now...

Mods generate a lot of activity on forums... but as expected, online greatly suffered from the variety of choice. Today, with the mods, there's not ONE possible game install, but myriads... so most of the onliners are restricted to squad play (groups with same or alike install...)
... just like we forecasted before the mods fashion...

mods like the sound mods or the TrackIR mod make for incompatibility issues in online play, and so restrict participation to those who have them? Are there any mods that are compatible with the stock installation?
Flyby out

[Flyby]

actually I really just want to know if any mod is compatible with a stock install, or does any mod require a seperate game install folder?