All this air combat lark...

[Howard]

... Looks rather good fun!!

If I was to get hold of IL2 or LO:MAC or whatever the hell they're called, would it be at all possible to fly competently and have a chance, without a joystick?

If not, would it be easy to fly about and see if I like this game enough to buy a joystick?

Seems like rather a lot to learn, and I think I've got the PC to handle the game(s)!

[Stoo]

You might get it in the air in arcade mode, but you'd have zero chance in full combat..
This is one game that you *need* a *good* joystick for..

[Skii]

No joystick = No joy

Don't bother playing it without one

[da_ging]

il2 is quick to learn and fun to play ,well when you learn how to shoot the enemy down rather that just being a constant target for everyone else that is

lomac looks a complicated bugger and is and tbh i cant be arsed with it at the mo as there's too much to take in + it dont run to smooth with my old raddy 7500

joystick as said is a must the saitek evo or is it cyborg or both even?? is a good cheap choice to start off

[Dakaras]

Yep invest £25 quid or so and get in the air Zaks a good stick for sale me thinks

[Tumble]

uh huh.. damn good stick.. although £30 will get you a nice non-ffb stick with all the right buttons on it.

[Knoxville]

£30 will get you a damn good stick, i'd reccomend fb over lomac though if you want something quicker to learn, lomac is far more in-depth and imo less fun

[Zak33]

IL2 is not easy guys......not unless like you lot, you turn out to be fairly natural.

Although, Sair is getting it pretty darn quickly too....but I warn ya Howeard...its a long hard struggle for some pilots .... like anything else in life, you 're not always good at what you wanna be good at.

If you decide you want it.....make sure you get Forgotten Battles, not IL-2 (which was the old one) then the Aces Expansion Pack.

[TiG]

Yep IL2FB can quite frankly turn a good day into one hell of a **** one.
travelling for the last 10 minutes to destroy a russian boat and get a bullet through my pilots brain from ~2miles away from the boat, NOT funny in the slightest.

TiG

[Howard]

Is Forgotten Battles a seperate game? It doesn't need IL-2 to run?

I might invest in a joystick, but I don't wanna spend much. Certainly not over £30

[TiG]

Yep, IL2FB is a completely seperate game.

TiG

[Tumble]

Might have another convert in the next couple of weeks.... keep you posted

[MA_Moby]

Originally Posted by Howard

Is Forgotten Battles a seperate game? It doesn't need IL-2 to run?

I might invest in a joystick, but I don't wanna spend much. Certainly not over £30

Yes IL2 Forgotten Battles is a seperate game and it's worth every penny. If you want to get online this is the one to go for - hardly anyone plays the original IL2 online anymore.

Though you will probably also need to get the Aces Expansion Pack addon, as increasingly most of the dogfight servers are using this. The AEP can't run without installing IL2 FB first.

A joystick for thirty quid. You can probably pick something up for that- an entry level Saitek or logitech. It's definitely worth getting something with a throttle, a hat switch, and at least 8 programmable buttons - which might mean spending a little extra. Be warned though, once this flight sim bug strikes you'll end up lusting over bigger, better sticks, cards, headsets etc

It made me catch the flying bug so badly that I'm learning to fly for real and the hole burnt in my wallet is now immense.

Worth every penny though

[Nick]

lol, DON'T buy this game.

You'll end up as sad as us lot, talling about rotary engines, clamb rates and deflection shooting.... and everyone else UNDERSTANDING what you're saying!

Then of course there's the whole theory of dogfighting with the height/speed/energy equation, optimal flap settings and the like.... be warned this game is fairly easy to get the basics and incrediably hard to master.... a bit like Connect Four but with my better graphics and sound....

[Zak33]

Originally Posted by Deckard

with the height/speed/energy equation, optimal flap settings ....

Now if we're talking E the optimal flap setting is UP...always

Hey....Howard.....you CAN get a damn fine joystick for £30 .

And you can get it in PC world......Saitek Cyborg 3d (Gold or Platinum, not bothered which)

Its plug in and play....very very well built.

FB is stand alone.......it is essential and AEP goes over the top of it...expansion styleeee

[Tumble]

Originally Posted by Zak33

=

and AEP goes over the top of it...expansion styleeee

which is actually, also rather essential