And very good two cents at that IMO.

And I agree wholeheartedly with your first point, I don't mind the smaller DLC packages, if they gather them up in periodical complete packages(that perhaps offer a bit of a discount since you purchase all of'em together)

The multiplayer fragmentation isn't that big a deal for me since I've never even tried the IL-2 series in MP!*Hides face in shame*

I've never even tried the IL-2 series in MP

Our C.O. is a Swedish chap Gargantou, you should try joining an online squadron there's nothing quite like it, and get into flight-training early for Oleg's Battle of Britain:The Definitive BoB

I can tell that you're a squadron-type person by your estimable modesty, it's what they pay me for almost

Ming

Well sadly I do not have a HOTAS these days, had a big computer crash last year and lost all my carefully tuned custom profiles for my Saitek HOTAS+rudder pedals, I got so angry I sold it.

Been pondering rebuying it though, both for flight sims and because I've started playing old space sims again(Like Freespace 2 for example), so we'll see!

Besides, I was never any good at IL-2, I still am not, only thing I was decent at was groundattack missions etc, but I am worthless at air-to-air combat!:(

I do appreciate the offer though, if I get a HOTAS I'll definitely take you up on it, hopefully you guys can help me get better.:)

Hmmph. Never stopped me.

I just don't want to drag my team down by my poor performance

If if wasn't for the time difference, I'd have you fly with us. Our squadron is well known for crappy pilots.

Okay, mostly for my crappy flying.

Never let a lack of skill get in the way of having a good time.

Besides, the bad guys will chase you and allow the people you're flying with score big kills.

Yup, i'm with Dart on this one. I fly online for a few weeks every 3-4 months,which means i have to re-learn most of it everytime i restart.

The only thing you need is knowledge of your own abilities. If you know that, then you know what kind of situations you can get into and how to help your team, even if it means cutting in front of a hostile and catching a few rounds to save a better pilot,who in turn will save you.

I'm not that good at maneuvering fights, so i usually fly boom and zoom birds with good armament. Thankfully i'm a decent shot and think things through before getting into a fight, so it somewhat evens out. This way,i can fly with some of the best pilots around and still not be useless, i just follow them around and learn from them, hanging back and waiting till they need some help, at which point i'm diving down to clear their tail. After a while your skills will improve (takes me 6-12 hours to get back to a decent level after a long break from online flying), at which point they are more comfortable in letting you make the opening moves while keeping a watchful eye on your six.

The only thing that matters is to accept that there will be a lot of guys who are much better than you. If they are on the enemy team neutralize them in any way possible, even if you can't shoot them down you can tie them up. If they are on your team, follow their tactics and example and make yourself useful with the smaller things, until you learn the ropes. It's quite fun actually and i'm itching to get back into it since the new mods got released, but i've got massive ISP problems lately that prevent me from getting a stable connection.

FWIW, SOW is now due for release on the 30/04/2010 at Play.com (UK)

Out of morbid curiosity I check my original pre-order for SOW at Play.com and it was on the 13/10/2006

With a smile on my face, back to the Cryotank tank I go