Hi! I am ChuckP, one of your newest members!

I am a 66 yr old recently retired (and married for 43 years) businessman who doesn't play golf!

So, what will I do to fill out ALOT of the free time that I now enjoy?

My long time "hobby" is WWII Military Aviation (I am a war baby born in England in 1943 to British parents ...my dad was in the RAF, but was not a flyer) and, consequently, I have collected, over the years, an extensive library of books about this topic along with model military planes from WWII and some aviation art showing the planes of that era in action etc..

I have watched most of the shows on TV that use computer graphics to recreate dogfights and missions (as I am sure many of you have) during the war and was MOST impressed by how realistic they appear!

That got me thinking of WWII Military Aviation Video Games that could be played on my PC (No "X-BOX 360/PLAYSTATION 3/WII type consoles" for this old man...they remind me too much of what my neighbors boys (ages 11 and 14) use. They apparently spend alot of time blowing off the heads of invading aliens etc!!)

I watched some Trailers and Demos of WWII Aviation games on various Video Gaming sites and decided that THIS was for me and so, as is typical for me, I didn't tip toe into this, but went into it big time!

Anyway, I realize that I started all of this a bit backwards. Before ever playing one game in my life, I ended up upgrading my PC with a fast Graphics Card, buying a Joystick and a Game Pad and 13 Video Games that seemed to match my specific area of interest....including a WWI aviation game, and a couple of "generic" war games and submarine games just for some variety (actually, I have more than that total, as several are "packs" with multiple games incl all in one set)

Here is my PC's current Specs, as well as what controllers I bought and a list of the games I have purchased to date (re the games themselves, I was pleasantly surprised by how relatively inexpensive they are...I got almost of them on Amazon for less that $15 and in some cases, even less than $10...I did pay $28 for Battlestations Pacific on E- Bay):

- HP Pavilion Slimline s3100y PC
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Intel Core 2 Duo processor E4500 (2.2GHz)
- 2GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024)
- 512MB GeForce Sparkle 9800GT Video Card
- 400GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
- 16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
- 15-in-1 memory card reader, USB, headphone port
- Integrated 7.1 channel sound w/front audio ports
- HP wireless keyboard and HP wireless optical mouse

MONITOR:
Samsung SyncMaster 906BW 19" LCD Display
Connection to PC: DVI cable

GAME CONTROLLERS:
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro USB Joystick
Saitek Cyborg P3600 Force USB Rumble Pad

WWI & WWII MILITARY VIDEO GAME COLLECTION

1. IL2-STURMOVIK 1946
2. BLAZING ANGELS 2-SECRET MISSIONS OF WWII
3. THE HISTORY CHANNEL-BATTLE OF BRITAIN
4. BATTLE OF BRITAIN II-WINGS OF VICTORY
5. HEROS OF THE PACIFIC
6. BATTLESTATIONS MIDWAY
7. BATTLESTATIONS PACIFIC
8. B-17 FLYING FORTRESS-THE MIGHTY 8TH
9. RED BARON 3D
10. BATTLEFIELD 1942
11. MEDAL OF HONOR-ALLIED ASSAULT
12. SILENT HUNTER 3
13. SILENT HUNTER 4-GOLD EDITION

(As a good question to ask at this point: Are there any OTHER appropriate games that I don't have that I should....It seems as if I have MORE than enough now for a noobie, but there may be one or two that would be good for a beginner to learn on that I don't have?)

===================================

OK...what I have found out so far is that there is a REALLY STEEP LEARNING CURVE you have to climb to get proficient enough, at most of these games, to begin enjoying them rather than being frustrated by their complexity and the difficulty of playing them. (i.e. The "Owners Manual" for IL2 Sturmovik 1946 is 71 pages long with literally HUNDREDS of selections to make on the various options available to you!!!!!!!!!!!)

That goes for both learning how the games themselves are played (the "rules of engagement", so to speak) AND the actual physical tasks of using the keyboard/mouse-joystick-gamepads PLUS trying to determine how to configure them to do what you want them to....NOT intuitive at all and the manufacturers seem to just assume that whoever buys their units will just automatically know how to use them!! NOT ME...SORRY!

Then there are all the "patches" and fixes and cheats to fix flaws and make the games play and look better......Just for my WWI Red Baron game there are multiple upgrades with names like: "Full Canvas Jacket" and "Hells Angels"....they have to be installed in a certain order to work and that is for just ONE of my games!!!!! (Oh yeah....I might..or might not...need to install a "Glide Wrapper"as well.....what the hell is that? I am just blown away by all this, I have to tell you!!)

I understand that many of the customers for these games WANT them to be hard to play to present a challange and keep the "Hard Core Gamers" interested in them over a period of time...that is GREAT!

BUT, for the noobie, like me, it is just overwhelming...On another similar forum, when I posted this, I was basically told that I should have just bought ONE game and used ONLY the Keyboard and Mouse to control it until I got good at it THEN buy another and eventually a Joystick and/or a Game Pad....I am a "TYPE A" personality and maybe I don't have the patience to be a sucessfull and happy camper at gaming???? I am anxious to get into these games and start to experience the excitement and pleasure that comes from playing them (IF you know what you are doing!)

I hope that here, on this seemingly friendly forum, with alot of camaraderie and a spirit of mutual respect, that I can get the kind of MACRO advise I need to get up to speed and the type of MICRO advise to deal with individual questions on individual games.

So, how can you guys help me? I will appreciate anyone's imput and look forward to getting even close to the competence some of you have in "OUR" mutual hobby!

ChuckP

Thats already a pretty impressive list of sims. But, you can't go wrong with classics like Janes WW2 Fighters or EAW (European Air War). Both have "mods" available to further enhance the gameplay. You can also go with Pacific Fighters, same maker as IL-2 and plays about the same too.

The Il2 that you have already includes the Pacific Fighters so you are good there.

I agree, the learning curve is fairly fierce (at least I think so). I still find most flight sims a bit of a chore (though I love them anyway.

One thing that did help me was TrackIR. I had horrible situation awareness problems that I found discouraging. TrackIR helped a lot, also improved the immersion for me. YMMV of course.

If you can face more fiddling, the Third Wire sims are a bit more friendly to play (or are lightweight non-sims depending on your view!). They are WWI or 60s/70s/80s jets. Now if you are willing to fiddle with the files a bit, there are WWII mods. I have not played them, but might be worth a go? You might find you like the Third Wire approach and try others, or they may work as a stepping stone to other sims. You can download them from the publisher for a modest price.

Just a thought.

I would say that EAW and Janes WWII Fighters are on the same level as Third wire sims. They're all survey sims, which don't focus on a particular aircraft. Sorry about the PF reference, I didn't know that IL-2 1946 came with it.

One of the easiest games to play is European Air War (EAW, as mentioned earlier)
It strikes a nice balance between realism and easy to learn and fly.
I'm sure you can find a copy of MicroProse's EAW version 1.2 (the old basic game standard) if you Google around.

The latest patch was just released--an easy-to-install upgrade called 1.28a. Not tricky to install--it has the toughest and meanest AI (artificial intelligence) pilots in the flight simulation business. Especially on the highest setting.
If your wingman calls "Look out! You've got one on your tail!" you had better break immediately. He's not kidding. You WILL be shot down if you don't turn quick.

It's easier to fight most real players online than face these AI guys offline on 'expert' setting. Try 'green' to start with.
A World War I biplane-type scenario is in the works.
Check the European Air War Forum here at SimHQ for version 1.28a info.
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/85/1/European_Air_War.html

Oh, as far as "Glide wrapper": it's an add-on for older computers that usually gives better frame rates with large numbers of aircraft in the air (which EAW has). Some use it; some don't. Zeckenstak's free glide wrapper is best. With your specs, you probably don't need it.

Some 1.28a screenshots:

Notice the different numbers. Up to 16 different 'skins' allowed in a flight; not just numbers.


Another look at the 16 individual skins allowed in the 1.28a patch.


Your 512MB GeForce Sparkle 9800GT Video Card should easily handle EAW's simpler graphics on Vista.
(Windows XP users may get a video card "Error 7217" on some older GeForce cards).

I've always felt kind of lost in the grandiose world of the IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles series, especially because there is such a wide variety of aircraft systems modeled that the documentation for each is somewhat lacking. It doesn't help that many important features for the later versions of the game (Pacific Fighters, 1946) aren't even mapped by default in the game controls. There is something to be said for studying a single aircraft in-depth and not only learning its performance envelope but also understanding the creative decisions the developer made when interpreting the historic aircraft's systems for manageable gameplay.

Here is a good site that hosts vintage aircraft manuals for free:
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/other-mechanical-systems-tech/
You can also purchase manuals and training videos from sites like Zeno's Warbird Drive-In, Essco aircraft manuals, and Flight Manuals on CD. Finally, search video host sites like YouTube and Google Video for vintage training films.

I like to practice my skills in Microsoft Flight Simulator using high quality addon aircraft. In my opinion the current leader in highly realistic models for FSX is A2A Simulations. Check out their videos promoting the new AccuSim line, especially for the Thunderbolt. RealAir is another highly lauded developer. Learning to fly a P-47 or Spitfire 'by the book' may not be as adventurous as merely jumping in the cockpit and exchanging bullets with an angry Fw190, but leisurely practice in a civilian simulator may help you sort out the concepts important to effectively piloting your chosen aircraft. If nothing else, it will help make reading your cockpit guages almost second nature.

Finally, if at all possible play with other humans. I don't mean just against other players in a dogfight arena; I mean you should try to find a tutor or a squad that will teach you the ins and outs of flying within your preferred sim.

Those are some good links Skycat.
Thanks.

Wheels

Hi Chuck. I'm 72 and have a lot of time, too. I've moved Main Hobby over from Ham Radio to Computering. [Been a Ham for 57 years, but is it [tear in eye] dying]. As a Ham, I actually find more fun in working ON the Grey Boxes than Running them, but sooner or later all the computers within my Lunch Hooks... is running perfectly. I moved to Games, but they gotta be REAL for this Old Goat. In WW2 games, I have tried both Silent Hunter 3 and 4. I can't 'draw down' on a Brit ship, so SH3 faded fast. SH4 is a yawn, very real for the way US submarine warfare in the Pacific actually went. In the 'Plane Games, *I* find the WW2 series all require my ability to have depth perception... on a screen. I can't do it. I play at Jane's WW2 Fighters, for quick fun not involving dog fighting. Jane's F/A-18 is, and remains, my favorite, for the simple reasons that it is both very real, and ALL AIR-TO-AIR FIGHTING IS DONE WITH RADAR AND FANCY TARGETING, thus I don't have the depth perception problem... even with guns.

In case you are curious, I am *here* this morning looking for info on uSoft Combat Flight Two... Navy WW2 planes and action in places I have been in the Pacific. I saw it in play once, and really don't like uSoft's 'viewing', but it IS fun to land on a carrier! I do that with the F/A-18, but the Corsair's engine rumble is nice.

Hope you find what you're looking for, Chuck. "WE" need it !!

Very best........

Bill

Welcome ChuckP,

Although I'm very new to this hobby myself(6 mnths), I think I'm in a good position to give you some advice, as I have recently been in your shoes. I started out playing console games and various kinds, but as I got older, I started to think of them as a waste of time. So I cut out gaming altogether. After about 5 game free years, a friend introduced me to a Cold War first person shooter called Operation Flashpoint. I watched him play and I was quite impressed with the game. When I tried to play, I would get shot and killed without knowing who or what killed me. It was quite frustrating actually. Then he said reason I'm getting killed so often is because I keep running out in the open in the middle of a war. If there was a war going on you need to use cover and stay low, move from cover to cover, work with your team, use tactics to your advantage. He said that my mental approach to the 'game' is that it is a game. He said that I did not value my virtual life. If I would only approach the 'game' as if it were really me out there and my life was on the line, then I would have much better results, because this is not a game, its a simulation. Que the harps and sunshine, because it was a moment of clarity for me. Might have been the best bit of gaming advice ever. And that is how I approached my first flight sim, IL-2 1946.

I realized there was going to be quite a bit of a learning curve but I didn't think it was going to be as difficult as it is/was. I first tried to teach myself using the the guide "A Nugget's Guide To Getting Off The Ground" http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/23110283/m/9121094645
I found this guide to be quite useful as it had many links to guides also, such as how to setup you joystick properly, complex engine management, etc.

Then I discovered Joint Ops http://www.joint-ops.com/ This is a virtual flight school. They use IL-2 as the training platform. And these guys really know there stuff. Very organized and well thought out lessons. They'll teach you proper radio protocol, basic aircraft maneuvers, formation flying, etc, etc, etc... The basic flight course is free, but they offer many advanced training courses once you become a member ($50/year I think - very reasonable given the quality of lessons). I suggest anyone interested in flight sims check them out. But make sure you can invest the time. It was like 8 classes of three hours each for 2 and half weeks(Monday, Wednesday, Friday). And that doesn't included the personal practice time needed. I can honestly say Joint Ops is the very best I have found, plus you can try it free, so seems like a no brainer.

I would says that you should definitely fly the do it youself type trainings first. Once you learn the basics of trimming and basic aircraft handling and controls, then you should join the joint ops and take your training to the next level.

I myself have to retake the Basic Flight School again. They have a policy of no missed classes, and on the last day of class I lost my internet connection and could not log on. There is a class starting in December, maybe I'll see you there!

JohnKonqor
aka 'Honor-Rebel'
aka 'V489FE_Curtis1'