WarBirds goes into its 20th year of service with a new 2016 version

[Father Ted]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.
I think I might try my hands on AH2.  O0

BoS is a fine sim (at least now it has become), but I am not really interested in its setting at the moment.
CloD with the Team Fusion patches is getting praise too -and I already have that title-, so perhaps I should also look there.

BTW The Steam refund got through; my 15 euros have returned into my pocket. ;)
Thanks again for the tip!

Glad you got your refund!  I have to say, if you're looking to the past for WW2 action ( in terms of games), then isn't IL2 1946 worth a (re)visit?

[Apocalypse 31]

Not to steal the thread, but I just got an email from WWII Online (Battleground Europe), and it is also still alive and kicking.  I believe original release was 1999.

Original release was June 6 2001. I was there...

To say this game is 'alive and kicking' is a serious overstatement.

[Toonces]

Certainly IL-2 is a better SP experience. 

I've never done IL-2 online, but I'm sure it is awesome.  The downside, though, is that with the myriad mods available I imagine it is very difficult to find a compatible server.

AH2 has the advantage of being online all the time, with everyone on a level playing field.  Where AH2 really falls short IMO is that the global servers, I can't remember what they're called now but the most popular one, is a Late War server that features the whole planeset, 3 fictional countries on a fictional map, with no restrictions as to what plane you choose to fly individually.  What this means practically is that you can easily be flying an F-4U for example and come up against an enemy P-47 or P-51.  There is no attempt at historical match ups. 

Now then, from a pure dogfighting perspective this is fine as it encourages you to really understand the strengths and weaknesses of your plane.  This in and of itself can last you years.  There are some terribly good pilots on AH2, some of whom have specialized in a specific plane for a very long time, and will kick your ass no matter what you fly, unless you fly very well.  On the other hand, there is certainly no historocity going on.  So if you can kind of go at it like a dogfighting video game version of ARMA 3's KotH server, you can have a lot of fun.  That fun only goes up if you hook up with a squad and can implement even rudimentary teamwork.

AH2 is a lot of fun, but you have to go into it with the right mindset.  It is not a WW2 Online type game.  There is an Axis vs. Allies server in AH2 that features realistic planesets fighting on a realistic map, but when I played the server was rarely populated.  If you get on a server with 300+ people on all at once it is just a freaking blast.  Getting on a similar sized map with 12 people is simply boring as hell.  The chaos of a fully manned server has to be experienced to be believed.  It is a ton of fun.  But very ahistorical.

Again, you just have to try it to see what I mean.  I caution you that the regulars at AH2 are very, very good at the game.  Be prepared to be humbled a bit at first until you figure the system out.

The Spit XVI is a great beginner's plane IMO.  Very n00by but a ton of fun to fly and relatively forgiving.  Fast, great climb rate, great roll rate, cannons, and can dive well.  But it can't take a hit well, like all Spits so try not to get shot.  Conversely, the P-47 is an absolute killer in skilled hands but almost impossible to employ as a n00b because you have to understand the plane very well before you can kill effectively with it.

[Swatter]

I play IL-2 1946 with DCG and its an awesome single player experience. DCG does a great job of creating an immersive campaign experience (once you understand how it works). Its not as good as Falcon BMS or WoFF, but its damn good.

[Staggerwing]

DCG?

[Skoop]

Dynamic Campaign Generator, which was developed by a community member and officially added to the game. 

The visuals and flight models are so much better in BOS, I can't go back to 1946.

[Toonces]

Skoop is full-on right with respect to IL-2.  You gotta mod it up.  There is a recent mod released, Skoop will have to help me with which one it is, that is the latest and greatest SP experience.  I had downloaded it just before an HD crash and I haven't re-downloaded yet.  My very basic understanding WRT modding IL-2 is that there are two main branches: Sunni and Shia; excuse me, I mean HSFX and DBW (HS FX and Dark Blue World).  It might be more nuanced than that.  But basically you either have to have multiple installs (no big deal) or buy into one or the other mod package; they're not compatible.

Both bring pros and cons.

I don't remember which one I had gone with previously, but it was a big deal release.  If you are into single player WW2 air combat you simply cannot forgo trying modded IL-2.

[Yskonyn]

I have flown IL2 for years from Forgotten Battles onwards, got smoked by the initial release of SOW -or CLoD as it had been branded later-, but title seems to be in a good shape by now.
I am not sure I want to go back to 1946 with its Hyperlobby multiplayer rooms.

I am looking for something more persistent, like WW2 Online's offering, but that game had a long period of roughness. Hardly any improvements since 2011 until recently.
The last half a year patches have started to come again and they are on the verge of becoming a Steam title.
But the playerbase is tiny at this point and that makes the whole online persistence a problem...

AH2 is more like air quake then, be it with realistic flight models. Not really what I am after if its ahistorical. I can fire up WarThunder for a quick ahistorical airquake experience and it looks gorgeous.

Perhaps RoF is truely Unique in its setting and perhaps CLoD is the best bet for WW2 Era stuff at the moment? Or indeed the older IL2 1946...
If ED would pump out their WW2 modules I'd be set.

[Yskonyn]

I just found a website called Storm of War. They feature a dedicated server with a persistent campaign running on the latest Team Fusion mod for CLoD.
This might be exactly what I've been looking for! :)

www.stormofwar.org

[Skoop]

Seriously when the holiday sale comes around on steam get il2 BOS, it has the same flight Model as ROF but in the WWII setting, it's at a point now where I deleted 1946 from my drive.

  Air combat on the eastern front was a totally different animal, low altitude knife fights with yaks...plus you can't beat ground pounding in an Il2 and this game's version of the il2 rocks.

There's not quite the persistent battlefield online campaign, but guys are working on it.  The dcg for 1946 didn't come along until half a decade after the origional release, so I'm sure BOS will have something similar at some point.

[Yskonyn]

Great news, guys.
Been on the Storm of War Teamspeak server today and I was assisted immediately. The community seems very mature and above All very helpful.
When I jumped on, there was a discussion between several guys about a dogfight they were having a few moments ago.
The newer guy was treated respectfully and hints and tips were given to him in a sort of debriefing manner. Very nice.

On the forums I was welcomed as well and also pointed towards a European multi-country squadron who are active in Rise of Flight and CLoD.

Looking forward to getting to know these guys better and join them in the virtual skies.

[ArizonaTank]

Not to steal the thread, but I just got an email from WWII Online (Battleground Europe), and it is also still alive and kicking.  I believe original release was 1999.

Original release was June 6 2001. I was there...

To say this game is 'alive and kicking' is a serious overstatement.

I was there at original release as well; but got the year wrong.  I think the original Everquest was 1999.  Anyway, in terms of "alive and kicking",  I guess I just meant that it seems to have survived this long.  I haven't played it for about three years. I recently got an email from them, for the "free weekend".  So just assumed it is still viable...

[Toonces]

I think the War Thunder and World of Planes have really but a hurting on AH2 and other paid online flight sims.  The last time I was poking around on AH2, and it was a couple of years ago, the servers were much less populated, a lot of the regulars had left, and there was quite a bit of banter about the exodus of players to War Thunder et al. 

If I were going to get back into multiplayer flying I'd probably go with CLOD or even RoF, although I haven't played RoF is about forever.  Not sure what those servers look like now.

AH2 is a really fun game, but there are just too many other options right now to justify the cost.

[Father Ted]

On the forums I was welcomed as well and also pointed towards a European multi-country squadron who are active in Rise of Flight and CLoD.

Looking forward to getting to know these guys better and join them in the virtual skies.

Most of my gaming nowadays is MP RoF, so I'm curious to know which squad you've been pointed towards (maybe I'll join you there!).  In my experience there are a lot of good people in the RoF community, and flying with others on TS enhances the game a lot.

[Yskonyn]

They are called European Airforce.
Visit them here www.europeanaf.net

They seem to be mainly flying CLoD these days. Their website seems a little stale on news (lots is about IL1946 which isn't their main sim anymore as far as I can tell), but their forums are active.
Peek your head around the corner !