After messing around with BoS for the last several weeks, I must say that I find it very impressive indeed. More than any other flight sim I have ever flown, BoS gives me a feeling of immersion that is unsurpassed. The graphics are eye popping to say the least. Their attention to detail in every aspect is unbelievable. I am not disappointed with this purchase. Having said that, I will temper it with a few observations that are less than complimentary. The two biggest complaints I have are the arcadish use of locked features and the total absence of a mission builder. Now, the mission builder is in the works if you want to believe Bearcat, one of the moderators on their forum, but this system of unlocks is totally incomprehensible to me. I can see no reason for it whatsoever. It would make more sense to me if these features were just for sale and you paid X number of dollars per skin, gun, bullets or bombs. But forcing everyone to fly a campaign offline in order to unlock certain weapons or skins for each airplane just flat pisses me off! I do not have the time, much less the inclination, to grind my way through an offline campaign for every type a/c I want extra features for. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off!
As an avid, if not rabid, fan of IL-2 since it appeared as a demo, I have come to appreciate certain aspects of that game that Oleg obviously put a lot of thought and effort into, which contributed to making it so enduring and such a classic within this niche market we represent. He built in a system whereby individuals could share their combat flight experience in many different ways. You could go on a DF server or join a coop mission and fly with other humans in addition to possibly other AI, depending on the mission builder's whims. You could host either one of those mission types as well. But the biggest jewel in the IL-2 crown, as far as I'm concerned, is the Full Mission Builder. That is what has kept my attention for so long. As the mission designer/builder, I can create any kind of environment I choose. I can make a simple mission just for myself to test some type of a/c or weapon system. I can make a training mission tailored to myself or my squad to try to get the most out of the experience. I can build historic recreations of famous battles or wild assed what if scenarios. My imagination is just about the only limitation. That is what is sorely missing from this sim and until they produce some kind of mission editor/builder AND a way to host missions, I will remain a lurker on the fringe of this game.
Don't misunderstand me, I am enjoying messing around with BoS, but until I have a mission builder and a way to host it, I will not abandon IL-2 1946. That's just too much to give up and is not out weighed by the graphics or feel of this new game.
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10-31-2014, 08:36 PM
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