I ran the demo when it was first released way back when, but my PC at the time could only run it on the lowest setting so I went back to WWII Fighters. I next picked up Pacific fighter on the day it hit the shops in my home town and haven't looked back.

I have only played a handful mission in the original series since COD was released. Onwards and Upwards, there is no going back! (Though I must say I'm missing the Mosquito)


Cheers!

Since 2003, a gift from my mother
My first online flight was in the ubi.com, i just flew bf-109 f2 (in honor of the German pilot Max Helmut Ostermann), and was shot down many times before downing a "rata."
I leave here a tribute to all those who shared victories and defeats, and those who unfortunately are no longer with us.
Salut!

I only had dial-up in 2001, so I couldn't download the demo. I bought IL2 when it was first released, and what a revelation after WWII fighters and Screaming Demons Over Europe. I especially loved the damage modelling, and just the feeling of flight.

Every upgrade I've done to subsequent PCs has been to squeeze as much performance out of the IL-2 series, including COD.

First flight sim - Aviator for the BBC Micro, back in 1984.

Started playing Il-2 with the release of the demo. Joined a squad in 2004 and we kept playing until 2008.
Interest started to drop for most of us then, also due to mod packs incompatibility between us and other squads we were playing with.

Started playing ROF at the end of 2009 and CLOD when it came out.

On hiatus with flight sims since the beginning of the year, waiting for the next patch.

Enjoying other games ATM, I even re-installed SHIII and I'm having a blast sinking ships all over the Atlantic :P

"Waves Demo Club Card"

Have been following IL2 development back then for over a year after seeing the very first screenshots in a games mag.

http://images.idgentertainment.de/im...27131/300x.jpg
This is one of those =)

I think back then Il2 was supposed to be published not by UBI, but Blue Byte.
Oleg regularily posted on the UBI forums and was open to Q&A's, good times.
Wondered if IL2 had birds coming from the trees like in Red Baron 3D and smoke on the runway upon landing and take off. Talk about priorities, lol. Back then it was still and only about the IL2 as a flyable.

Then the demo came out, and with it this darn mission where you had to hunt that 88 in the storm. Taking of the P39 required a whole new level of expertise. Never looked back from that day on.

I found some pictures. Dev update pictures from 1999 :cool:

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...1999//il-3.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...1999//il-4.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...999//il2-2.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...999//il2-5.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...999//il2-6.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...999//il2-7.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...9//il2-mig.jpg

Demo (or 1.0?)
http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...//il2-2001.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...bf109-2001.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...-ju87-2001.jpg

http://www.pcpilot.hu/images/stories...-ju88-2001.jpg

I bought the DVD IL 2 demoversion in a Gamers magazin in 2001?
I jumped from the Red Baron II Cockpit into the new Sim. Amazing terrific. But I had to by a new PC first, as I did when COD came out.

Yeah, I can remember these pics! I couldn't believe it at that time. Good, I was still so young ;)

Flown it since the demo.My Squad at the time(No74(v)Squadron)moved from EAW,great game and great community to fly IL2.
Squad im in now http://www.tangmerepilots.co.uk/ are waiting for it to get ironed out before we move over to it.
Cheese

Flying IL-2 since Release in 2001.