Final Poll for CLOD?

[*Buzzsaw*]

Salute

Successes:

1) Plane control systems are closest modelling of flight in WWII era Fighters we have seen yet in a Combat Flight Sim. Systems for Pitch, boost, rpm, cooling systems, etc. all innovative and generally pretty accurate by this last patch. Personally, I love flying these planes and the challenge they provide. I just drool at the thought of flying a P-47 in a Sim with this engine, with its supercharger, turbocharger, and very complex systems.
2) Good representation of BoB aircraft available, both flyable and non-flyable.
3) Nice map, coverage of Battle area is good, accuracy of terrain and objects/buildings is reasonably high.
4) Graphics generally very good, can be run at high resolutions with good systems.
5) Ballistics and weapons systems generally handled in a innovative and accurate way.

Failures:

1) Game does not provide the player with what its promotion promised, ie. the environment of the Battle of Britain. Impossible to replicate 300 plane raids on London, the game engine cannot handle it. In fact with the lack of Ships available in the object list, it is impossible to even replicate the Battle of the Convoys, with its smaller raids and lesser number of combatants.
2) Medium Altitude combat, ie. 20,000 ft, the typical bomb altitude for the Kampfgeschewader of Heinkels, Dorniers and Junkers which attacked Britain is basically unplayable, aircraft do not perform to historical standards, and the altitudes which saw combat between 109 escort and Spitfires covering the Hurricanes attacking the bombers, ie. 30,000 ft might as well be a trip to the moon.
3) Many aircraft with inaccurate Flight Models, from both sides.
4) The Visibility system, which was promised to be groundbreaking, has more bugs than IL-2, spotting of enemy aircraft is too easy at longer ranges, and too difficult at short range. 'Disappearing' LoD's at approx. 1000 meters are the bane of flyers. Players have to turn down their graphical settings to fly effectively in combat. This defeats the purpose of all the eye candy built into the system.
5) After a year and a half, serious bugs and omissions remain. For example, trees with no collision model, leading to players using them as cover, 'flying below the trees', and other players eliminating trees from their settings, so they can see the players using the tree cheat.

A badly flawed masterpiece? A limited success?

You tell me.