Now I'm glad that this forum seems more reasoned than a lot of online forums. I have both of the games mentioned in the title, but haven't played them much yet, and can't play them a lot partially due to my desk being so small that my X52's stick collides with the monitor.

Now I'm not just looking for an opinion on which is "best". I'd rather like to find out the merits and weaknesses of each sim. What does each do well and what is not so great.

Any input would be interesting

Cheers

Russ

BoB2 advantages:
- better campaign;
- (some might argue) better high alt terrain;
- official 6DoF support;
- clickable cockpits.

Il2 1946 advantages:
- more planes (a lot more);
- more theatres (a lot more);
- better low alt terrain & (some might argue) overall graphics;
- multiplayer;
- online 3rd party campaign systems;
- (not officially supported) mods including high res cockpits, 6DoF support, etc

I'm sure i'm missing a lot of stuff. However, if you are interested in the online aspect you have to go with Il2. Personally i hated some aspects of BoB2 physics so much i uninstalled the game. Also the low alt graphics (especially terrain textures), which i thought really are showing the game engine's age. I can't stand seeing textures of trees in 2011 now. Probably the flying physics are somewhat better in BoB2 (soome might dissagree )

Well it really depends on what your really more interested in. Il-2:1946 is a more overview built type of flight sim covering more planes and theaters in WW2 while BoB II:WoV is a single built purpose type of flight sim covering only the Battle of Britain and nothing else. So it's like trying to comparing apples and oranges with these two sims. If your interested in just the Battle of Britain in SP then WoV is the better of the two. Even though there is a BoB mod out there for Il-2 that does feature more flyables it's just not superior to WoV in the BoB campaign POV. Thats not a knock against Il-2 or the mod makers but just underscores what the devs wanted to replicate when these two sims were developed. If your taste leans more towards a vast overview of the planes and theaters of WW2 (and MP is a must) then Il-2:1946 will suite you much better then WoV ever could. As far as what sim is better looking or has more accurate FM/DM or AI it really boils down to personal taste IMHO. The fans of Il-2 will say Il-2 is better then WoV, while the fans of WoV will say WoV in it's current 2.11 form is better then Il-2. Neither requires a $2000.00 rig to play them with all the bells and whistles on and being you have both already I would play them both, thats what I do.

Thanks guys. I have them both and play them (and others) when I have time. I was just curious as to what really set them apart, and that was all pretty informative. Thanks.

Nice answers.

BOB2 has the campaign mode that really puts you in the middle of the action, and lets you fly as an ordinary pilot or take control of RAF or Axis forces. The campaign is not totally bug free but dedicated players have a few tricks to get round these. Nothing game breaking and the BOB2 forum at A2A is very helpful.

A big plus for BOB2 is it's 3d combat AI. The coding has been worked on and revised through the many updates and gives a very natural feel to dogfighting. With a Trackir it's very immersive.

I'm not knocking anything about IL2 here - I fly both. The transition from one to the other is a bit daunting as they do things in very different ways.
Cheers!

I bought BoB2 after having played Il2 for 5 or 6 years. I never got into the strategic side of it. The flying part is a lot different than Il2. Il2 looks more uniform across the board. Up high, down low all looks good. With BoB2 I feel like there's 2 sims. Up high it looks very good and realistic but when you get below a certain altitude it looks cartoony. Dogfights in BoB2 are a lot harder. The AI in BoB2 is light years ahead of Il2. Had some very good high alt dogfights in BoB2. All in all I think they're both wothy additions to anyone's hard drive, BoB2 just takes a bit more effort to get into.

If you are wanting to fly off line and want an immersive campaign, there is no question BOB WoV is what you want. IL246 has lots of planes, online, etc. but that's about all it's good for IMO. I used to love it (the original IL2), but there is no contest.