How many are like me? Have been flying and enjoying IL2 for 11 years and never even tried any of the more fancy gizmos like trackIR, multiple screens or even large monitors or TV sized screens!! I just play with a mouse, rudder pedals, simple stick ( don't even use HOTAS at all, never did ) and 22 or 23 inch monitor. Hell, I played on a 19' CRT until 2010 when I finally broke down and got a LCD ASUS monitor!!
I still used gameport stuff until last year. My old gameport CH rudder pedals ( after 8 years of heavy use ) went bad so I had to get a new one and they don't make gameport any more, converted to USB stick too of course to make them compatible.

I don't fly online anymore but did until about 2010 and people were amazed with how well I could fly without TIR or HOTAS stuff. I make a lot of money but I'm kind of a frugal person and don't spend a lot of money on things I don't need. Possibly due to being raised and influenced by parents that went through the great depression era? But I can play well with what I have and I enjoy it immensely.

Anyone else play with a simple set up like me??

Yup. I still play the same way. I have a HOTAS and TrackIR. And an old Gateway VX920 CRT!

No TIR..I don't even use rudder pedals..

This comes from the days when I flew the old stuff and really didn't have these bells and whistles. So I guess I really never missed them.

I must admit though, it's tough spinning that hat around trying to keep an eye on the bogies.

Even simpler than yours: twisting joystick (T16000M) and KB.

Of course I'm not an ace, but can enjoy an easy environment.

What really fascinates me is historical reenactment: the more it is accurate the more I have fun! All the Hi-Tech of this world couldn't remove my disappointment for historical inaccuracy. IL-2 is at a good level from this perspective.

GB

I don't even have a computer!

I have a black and white print out of a screenshot that a buddy sent me, the picture is of aircraft fighting in Il2 and it is stuck to my wall.

I sit on an old church pew and stare at that picture, making the sounds of airplanes and machine guns............mmmrrooownn, rat a tat......rat a tat, as loud as I can holler!

The immersion is off the scale!

This discussion reminds of Monty Pythons classic Four Yorkshiremen sketch...
Four Yorkshiremen

Yeah.. I suppose it seems that way..

I had to walk 6 miles up hill (both ways) in 12 feet of snow just to smell the plastic of a FRIEND'S HOTAS with a plastic model of an airplane attached to a fishing pole!

I use my Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold USB since 10 years! It lost half of its trigger one week after I bought it, but still I use it. No pedals, but TrackIR 4 and a 22" widescreen since one year, a Speedlink Medusa Quadrophone headset since half a year. Thats all.

I still fly an occasional mission using the stock IL2 1946 w/ DCG generated missions. My current rig (3 year old Alienware maching with a new nvidia 560ti) w/ a rock solid 10 year old CH stick with TiR 3 works awesomely. I play other stuff that's not even related to flight sim so when I play Il2 1946, it's enjoyable especially since I can run it w/ full eye candy and it flies silky smooth. I always wanted to get Cliffs of Dover but I didn't want to go through the hassle based on what I had read over the years. Anyway, there's no other game (console or pc) that I play that's remotely this old. It's testament to how good it really is and thank God DCG was made that virtually makes this game endless.

I don't even use a hat switch, I just use the keyboard numpad in snap mode and it's amazing how good you get at it after years of practice!!

Well.. that's good. I'll stick with the hat switch. Thanks.

Sub Logic's FSII was entirely controlled by keyboard. (There was a joystick option, but it didn't work very well) I really don't want to go back to that either.

And now I'm beginning to feel more like those Yorkshiremen.

So whaddya want a friggin medal... ?

Seriously though.. more power to you .. these things wont necessarily make you a good pilot in and of themselves but they do add to the immersion ..

Hat switch? you use a hat switch? you was lucky. When i played il2 i had to fly with keyboard in other room and Monitor downstairs. we counldt afford a mouse so had to use one of the dead cats that was blocking draft from under front door.




You know. this could go on forever

I think there are others here that are reading more into this than they need to simply to capitalize on the silly jokes. I could care less about any kind of competition issue - or about my config is more challenging than your config arguments. I merely was stating what my equipment inventory was - which is simply a Logitech JS.

In any case.. the full kit and caboodle is somewhat nerd like anyway.

In our competitive online war days, one of the best scoring chaps we had in our squad had no TIR or HOTAS. 'it's the man not the machine!'
I noticed watching some YouTube footage of ROF championships that snapviews seem to be used rather than trackIR.

Me, I've got TIR and HOTAS and am still bollocks. (Not dog's bollocks)

I could not imagine playing without tir, it's the best invention since the internet. I don't use much of the hot part of my HOTAS though. Never could find the patience to program the commands. I'm still waiting for the keyboard that changes the keys dynamically depending on the game you play...

-C-

No TrackIr here. I have a Saitek X52 that I rarely use. For the most part I'm still using my Cyborg Evo stick for my quick fixes.

You're probably right. I've thought about it, but as long as I can get along with a JS I probably won't consider it seriously..

Now if someone handed it to me on a silver platter, I don't think I would turn it down.

My IL-2 experience has evolved greatly! I started out with a MS Sidewinder Precision Pro 2, and a 17" CRT monitor playing at 800x600. Today I have a TM HOTAS Cougar with TM Elite rudder pedals, Track IR 3 w/vector expansion and triple 19" screens playing at 4584x900 (Bezel compensated).