On Steam. Have they fixed this sim so you no longer have to earn weapons/planes/items like a free to play game?

How is the single player?

Is there a dynamic campaign yet?

How does it compare with Cliffs of Dover?

They dropped the unlocks a while back and it while it's still got Rise of Flight roots it's much improved. Development updates are regular and worthwhile.

It's cheap. No brainer I think!

Yep, no brainer.

If you enjoy airquake - it's a no brainer.
Looks just awesome and the environment even more so - best around IMO.

If you like to create missions after some historical research, don't go there.

SP was immensely improved with what they call "Career", grew boring after a few flights though (alot thanks to AI).

Enjoying career mode. Yes the missions can get repetitive, as in real life I imagine. Escort the bombers, escort the bombers, escort the bombers.....

I've flown a few missions where we never encountered any enemy. And the next mission ran into 2 or 3 to 1 opposition.

Overall I like career mode a lot. It isn't "tweaked" such that you artificially see more action than you might expect to see in reality, and I like that.

I'm currently playing a Soviet PE-2 career and also a German FW-190 career and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Last night I bought Kuban on sale and also picked up the BF109 G-6. I just need to pick up a couple more of the premium planes and I'll have everything.

So what planes do I get? Does this require purchasing tons of individual planes like Rise of Flight or can I get it all or mostly all in one easy purchase?

FYI I like the LaGG-3, LA-5 and LA-7 on the Russian side(never liked Yaks), and I'm cool with the run-90 and okay with the 109s on the German side.

I'd recommend to start off with BoS basic package and if you enjoy the LaGG-3 Career expand with La-5 collector plane.
If you complete both careers buy all other scenarios in one go since you must be hooked by then

Kuban is drawing me in..........

I've taken advantage of the sale and now I've got all of it aside from TC and FC. TC is a maybe, depending on how it fleshes out. I've got no real interest in FC.

I'm looking.... can't figure it out... so I'll ask...... TC? FC?

lol I'd had the same thought 'FC, FC, what the heck is FC'

Flying Circus and Tank Crew.

Get with the times guys

Dammit! You're right, should've known

Ah.... I still had to google those terms to see how they related to IL2!

Haha yeah, tanks are a bit off for il2 true.
I have quite some interest in TC, looks very well done even down to interiors but I will hold short until full release and a few reviews after that.
Tried Tiger vs. T-34 back when that title flopped so this can only be better (and ArmA2/3 doesn't really cut it even though iron front stuff are nice models)

Okay, so the Yak is a UFO, and the LA-3 and LA-5 are bricks. Does that sound about right?

Also, are there any docs for this sim? I have no idea what planes have radiators, coolers, oil coolers, etc. etc. etc.

It would help if I had a true HOTAS Cougar profile for this sim.

Every plane has oil cooler.
Inline engines use water cooling (famous exception this rule is 190D9, not in game yet)
Radial engines have inlet cowl flaps (all of them) and outlet flaps (most of them).

What you need to map to your HOTAS is water radiators and outlet flaps, they cause the most drag and you'll be managing them in combat almost constantly. They can share the same buttons since planes have either one or the other.

If you fly the 109f, g or k series you'll benefit of having all automated, it can be a good start for newcomers.

About planes characteristics it's almost spot on: yaks are light, as 109s, La and 190s are heavy. Lagg3 is the real brick, one exception was the late serie but it's not in game. La and 190s feel like bricks because they don't 'sustain turns as well as the light fighters, but they are fast and heavily armed.

There is little doc for the game, but the ingame technical hud helps much.