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IL2 Stumovik 1946, is it really a game?
So I bought the game, joined an online squad to have fun, right? Well, come to find out, it is more like work than playing and enjoying a game. Adjust this, tweak that, don't turn to fast or dive to fast = crash. My stress levels have magnified 10 fold.
I have to qualify to gain rank. Land and take off from a carrier 5 time in a row. If you do 4 and crash on the fifth, you start all over. WTF. All kinds of other qualifications too. They are brutal.
Run a mission? Can we say permanent death?
You could play for an hour in the mission, bomb, strafe and dogfight. You get a bunch of kills, then you go to land back on that friggin carrier, your aircraft riddled with bullets, and crash. The whole night wasted. You don't get one credit for any kills, not one.
I love flying and battling in the air, but when this happens, it frustrates the hell out of me. Reminds of Dark Age of Camelot way back. Die a few times and you lose experience points. Die too many times and your whole night is wasted.
Man, talk about the most frustrating game I have ever played.
Any other games that stress you out to a point where you want to break something? Please tell me so I wont play them....LOL
Comments
You are clearly in the wrong genre dude. The IL-2 series are flight simulator types games, not action games. Its dumbed down yes, but you still need to understand basic aerial combat tactics like lead or lag pursuit, shot deflection, cornering speeds and stall avoidance. And of course this includes general aircraft control, with landing and take off as you said. You can turn all of these features off, and basically make the game less simulator like, and more like an action game of course.
But you said you joined a squadron. I would assume most online squadrons, even the ones who are just looking to play for fun, have all the realism settings turned on, including engine management. In this case, if you don't understand how to fly realistically, be prepared to almost never score kills online for the beginning. Also, kills count no matter how often you die, so i don't think you killed anyone if you didn't recieve credit. I would bet that if you created your own server, with all realism settings turned off, no one would join your server.
You are flying against flight sim enthusiasts, not gamers. Sounds like you are looking for an action game. If you like airplanes, Tom Clancy's HAWX is more suited for this style of playing. If you want to fly realistically, just keep at it, and prepare yourself for the learning curve. You are playing against people with HOTAS controls, and probably an IR Tracker. You are at a huge disadvantage. Plus the things you are describing as tedious, are what attracts those players to the games.
Good Luck though.
Little update:
Its almost been a month since I started playing. Now I can land and take-off from a carrier pretty easy now. Still not that great at dog fighting, but I belong to the bomber squad. I fly the SBD 3 and SBD 5. I am also practicing in the A-20 and B-25's. Studying the Norden bombsite.
I have the X52 stick and throttle plus the TrackIR 4. I am getting better and am starting to enjoy the realism. I have recently learned to use my Dive brakes when going in for a bomb drop in the SBD3. Damn those SBD's are slow....LOL
I get my ass handed to me when I join an open server on Hyperlobby to practice dog fighting. I am dog meat. LOL
Our squad is all Navy, so I have to dog fight with a Corsair or Hellcat. Corsairs are a bitch to fly. One wrong quick pull on the stick and you go into a spin, but I am getting better.
For God's sake what are they doing? Here is a part of the engine start up and power test procedures of Digital Combat Simulator "Black Shark" (Beers not included):
ENGINE START AND POWER TESTS PROCEDURES
Preparation for Start-up Enable electrical power From the electrical power control panel, you need to supply AC and DC power. This can be done either with the on-board batteries (battery 1 and battery 2) or from ground power outside the aircraft. To use the on-board batteries: Set the "??? ???1" battery 1 and battery 2 switches to up. To use ground power: Turn on “????” switch to provide power to the SPU-9 intercom. First you will need to radio the ground crew to hook up an external power generator. To do so, first set the intercom dial on the SPU-9 radio panel to the "???" position. This will provide a communication link with the ground crew. Next, open the radio communication window by pressing the [] key and select: Maintenance ? Ground Elec Power… On. With communication established, set the "??? ??? ???" ground DC power switch to on and the "??? ???" ground AC power switch to on. Press indicator lamp test button and check lamps. Check exhaust gas temperature (EGT) indicator Located over the EGT gauge, press the “?? ?????” (EGT check with stopped engines) button. This should show more than 800°C on the EGT gauges. Check fire extinguishing system The fire extinguisher system controls are located on top of the right panel.
1. Move the “??????? – ???? – ?????” (Fire extinguisher WORK – OFF - CHECK) to the test position.
2. Set the “????????” (Fire signalling) switch to on.
3. Set the “????? ????????” (Fire warning sensor group tests) switch to the “1??” (1st group) position. If the system is operating normally, the following lights should illuminate: “????? ??? ????” (Left engine fire), “????? ???? ????” (Right engine fire), “????? ?????” (Hydraulics fire), “????? ??????” (Oil cooling fan fire), “????? ???” (APU fire). These warning lights are located on the wall panel. On the left forward panel, the MWL and “?????” (Fire) lights will illuminate.
4. Set the “????? ????????” (Fire warning sensor group tests) switch to the neutral position.
FLIGHT PREPARATION
5. Turn off and on the “????????????” (Fire signaling) switch and all warning lights on the right side panel should turn off.
6. Repeat the procedure for the II and III groups of sensors. Note, that the APU fire light doesn't illuminate when making the III sensor group BIT. There are only 2 groups of fire detection sensors in the APU compartment.
7. Set the “??????? – ???? – ?????” (Fire extinguisher WORK – OFF - CHECK) switch to the “???????” (Extinguishing) position.
8. Set the “???????” (Extinguishers) switch to the “???” (First extinguisher) position. During normal system operation, the «1» ? «2» lights above the “???????” selector should not illuminate.
Turn on the R-800L1 VHF radio Set the “???-2” (VHF-2) switch on the right side panel to the up position. You can now communicate with the tower and wingmen. Test the voice message unit (VMU) Press the “???????? – ????” (ALMAZ check) button located near the top of the rear panel. The following message should be heard: “Voice warning system OK”. Check area and set lights Upon receiving start-up clearance, make sure that the rotor area is free of people and foreign objects. In low visibility conditions, turn on the navigation lights and the rotor tip lights – “??? ???” (Navigation lights) are located on the overhead panel and the “????????? ????” (Tip lights) switch is located in the rear portion of the right panel. Turn on the fuel meter Set the “??????????” (Fuel meter power) switch, located on the right panel, to the up position. Although optional, you may also consider creating or modifying ABRIS routes before APU and engine start. Close the cockpit door
APU Start-up Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) start-up procedure: Open the APU fuel shut-off valve Set the "??? – ???????" APU fuel valve switch located in the fuel shutoff valve control panel to on. This switch is located on the wall panel. When set to on, the “???? ??? ??????” (APU valve open) green light should illuminate.
Turn on forward and aft fuel tank boost pumps Set the “?????? ????? – ?????” (Forward fuel tank pumps) and “?????? ????? – ????” (Rear fuel tank pumps) switches to on. After doing so, the “??? ????????” and “??? ??????” green lights on the overhead warning and indication panel (right side) should illuminate. Select engine start-up mode Move the “?????? – ????????? – ?????? ??????” (Engine work mode) switch to the “??????” (start) position. The engine and APU start-up panel is located on the left side panel. Select Engine/APU Move the “??? – ???? ??? – ???? ???? – ???????????” (Engine selector: APU-left engine-right engine-turbo gear) switch to the APU position (left). Start APU Press the “??????” (Start-up selected engine/APU) button. The APU will automatically reach stand-by mode, which is indicated by the illumination of the “??? ????????” (APU on) light on the APU panel. During the APU start-up cycle, monitor the following parameters:
Exhaust gas temperature (EGT) of the APU is no more than 850 ?°.
Time elapsed until stand-by mode is reached (from start to “APU on” light illumination) is no more than 24 seconds.
Once the APU reaches stand-by mode, make sure that:
The “??? ????????” light on the APU panel is on.
The EGT of the APU is no more than 720 ?°.
The green “? ????? ???” (APU oil pressure normal) light illuminates.
APU warm up, with no air bleeding, should take one minute before using it for main engine starts.
APU Start-up Troubleshooting Cancel APU start up if:
There is no EGT response after the start button has been pressed for 9 seconds.
There are any anomalies in APU operation.
There is an APU uncontrolled shut down.
The APU can be shut down by pressing the “??????? ???” APU shutdown button.
FLIGHT PREPARATION
In case of a start-up cancellation due to lack of the EGT increasing or an uncontrolled shut down, perform an engine crank before initiating another start-up. The “??-9B” (APU) will automatically shut down in case of RPM over-limit, which is indicated by the “??????? ??? ?? n” (APU off RPM max) light on the APU panel.
APU Crank and False Start A false start is used to check the APU system but without fuel ignition. APU false start procedure
1. Check the onboard or external electrical power supply.
2. Open the APU shut-off valve and turn on the rear fuel tank boost pump.
3. Move the engine start-up mode switch to the “?????? ??????” (false start) position.
4. Move the Engine/APU select switch to the “???” (APU) position.
5. Press the “??????” (Start) button.
6. After 15 seconds press the “??????? ???” (Stop APU) button.
After a false start, you need to vent the remaining fuel from the combustion chamber and then do an engine crank. An APU crank serves to blow out any fuel in the APU combustion chamber after a failed start-up or false start. APU crank procedure
1. Check onboard or external electrical power supply.
2. Open the APU shut-off valve.
3. Turn on the rear fuel tank boost pump.
4. Move the engine start-up mode switch to the “?????????” (crank) position.
5. Move the Engine/APU select switch to the “???” (APU) position.
6. Press the “??????” (Start) button.
7. After 15 seconds press the “??????? ???” (Stop APU) button.
A false start and the crank should not exceed 15 seconds; therefore 15 seconds after pressing the Start button it will be necessary to press and release the “??????? ???” (Stop APU) button to cut the fuel supply.
Main Engines Start-up Before starting the engines, the APU must be online. Engines startup procedure:
1- Disengage rotor brake
Click on the brake lever and move it down to the “????????????” (brake off) position. 2- Open the fuel shut-off valve to the selected engine Select either the "????. ???. – ???????" (left engine fuel shutoff valve switch) or the "????. ????. – ???????" (right engine fuel shutoff valve switch), depending on which engine you are starting. When you do so, either the amber “???? ??? ??????” (left valve closed) or “???? ???? ??????” (right valve closed) light will extinguish. 3- Check operation of the forward and rear fuel tank boost pumps Confirm that both the "?????? ????? ????" (aft fuel pump) switch and "?????? ????? ?????" (forward fuel pump) switch are enabled and that the “??? ????????” (forward tank) and “??? ??????” (rear tank) status lights are illuminated green. 4- Turn on the electronic engine governors Located in the rear portion of the wall panel, set the "??? ???" (left engine governor) and the "??? ????" (right engine governor) switches to on. 5- Select engine start-up mode Check the position of the “?????? – ????????? – ?????? ??????” (engine start-up mode) and set the switch to the “??????” (start) position. The engine start-up switch is located on the left panel. 6- Select engine to start Use the engine/APU switch to select the engine to be started on the “??? – ???? ??? – ???? ???? – ???????????” (engine selector: APU-left engine-right engine-turbo gear). The appropriate choices include “???” (left engine) or “????” (right engine). 7- Start engine Press the “??????” (Start-up selected engine) button. 8- Open cut-off valve lever of the selected engine Once the engine RPM reaches 20%, move the appropriate red engine cutoff lever to the “???????” (open) position, the engine will automatically reach idle mode in less than 60 seconds. Upon reaching normal oil pressure in the engine gearbox, the green “? ????? ????????” (gearbox oil press norm) light will illuminate. CAUTION! It is forbidden to start the engines with no operating boost pumps. During the engine startup cycle, monitor the following parameters:
Smooth engine (gas-generator- GG) acceleration (lack of RPM “freezings”).
Increasing EGT.
Rotors motion should initiate at GG RPM of no more than 25% (visual confirmation by looking at the nearest blade).
FLIGHT PREPARATION
Disengagement of the starter at GG RPM 60…65%. Monitor this with the “?????? ???????” (start valve) light going off (engines startup control panel on the left hand side panel).
Hydraulic fluid pressure increases in all systems (auxiliary control panel).
After the first engine has been started, check the rotor?s RPM at idle power. Start the second engine by repeating the above procedure. CAUTION! It is not advised to move the Engine/APU selector switch from one engine to another before the first engine has reached idle power. Rotor operation between 54…62% is not advised. After both engines have been started, check the rotor RPM at Idle power, operation below 62% rotor RPM is not advised. If necessary to meet this requirement, move the engines? throttle levers up to attain a rotor speed of 62…70%. After both engines have been started and are running normally, shut down the APU by pressing the “??????? ???” (Stop APU) button and close the APU shut-off valve. The “??? ????????” (APU on), “???? ??? ??????” (APU valve open), and “? ? ????? ???” (APU oil pressure normal) lights will go off. Do not increase engine power past idle until the output oil temperature reaches +30 °? for the engines and no less than - 15°? for the main gearbox. The throttle levers should only be moved to the “???????” (Auto) position after the engines have warmed up sufficiently.
Congratulations! You are ready to go!
I have Blackshark also. My head hurts looking at the box.
If you do realistic, it takes like over a half hour to get the thing running.
To the OP, that's just awesome. If you can get past the annoying learning curve, it really is addictive and you start to very much enjoy the tactics, over the quick action play. You feel good about kills, unlike in COD4 for example ( which i play, I wasnt knocking it ) where its just another kill, since you kill someone every 5 seconds.
To the Blackshark post, well that was done on purpose. Blackshark is a high fidelity simulator, or study sim. It was, in fact, designed for the military, and released to the flight sim community. It is hands down the best simulator I have played, although the dynamic campaign in Falcon 4.0 AF is better for online. Every single thing in the real Shark, is modeled and clickable in the game. You can burn out your laser, go into vortex spins, loose RAM information in your targeting computer if you kick in emergency systems etc, all just like the real helo. It is amazing what they have modeled in that ' game '.
However, you can also just skip engine start up with windows+home, and that is available whether online with realism turned on or not. But that is about the only easy mode thing there is, unless you turn on arcade mode. This game has a massive learning curve, but it is not in things like engine start up. Those are just procedural eye candy, so to speak.
IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 is a good game like said if you can get past the steep learning curve. I enjoy from time to time
This was a bombing mission I completed. I was shot up so bad, I had to bail in Japanese territory. I was listed as a POW.