Newbie's Guide to IL2 Online Dogfighting - Update on July 2nd, 2008

Hello Fellow IL2 Fans,

Version 3.5 of the guide is now up and includes a reworking of the server settings section and several details about online etiquette. I have separated out the Joystick Settings section and turned that into the Newbie's Guide to IL2 Joystick Setups. There have also been 1346 downloads for all versions of the guide since it was orginally posted almost six weeks ago, so hopefully this work is helping someone.

Here is the link to version 3.5:
http://files.filefront.com/IL2+Dogfighting+Final+35pdf/...97340;/fileinfo.html

Here is the link to the separate Joystick Setup Guide:
http://files.filefront.com/Newbies+Joystickpdf/;10486483;/fileinfo.html

If you would like a little bit closer look at how different late war fighters perform in IL2 (no connection to real life), look here:
http://files.filefront.com/IL2+Aircraft+Performancepdf/...25033;/fileinfo.html


If you are new to IL2, then this Newbie's Guide to IL2 Online Dogfighting will hopefully help with the online portion of IL2 thru Hyperlobby and some of the most common things you can expect to see once you start to face real human opponents. If you have already started flying online but are having some frustration, then this guide might be able to give you a few helpful insights.

I suggest you use Foxit PDF Reader to open the file as it is much faster and smaller than other PDF software applications (and free). Didn't really want to make the file into the PDF format, but it was the best way to add in all the images (and later videos).

Hope you enjoy,
Jay

If you have intelligent and constructive criticism or feel that I missed something vital, please reach me by private message here at the Ubisoft IL2 Forums. I will be happy to take a look at anything truly helpful.

But beware, I do not suffer fools, dictatorial moderators, IL2 Veterans on their pedestals or censorship lightly.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jayhall0315,

gj!

Nice! Some good pointers there.

About the recommended planes for beginners: it seems a little weird that you absolutely do not recommend the Corsair, while the "two mintues to action" missions use the Corsair.. would anyone care to comment?

Nice guide.

But I can really see why you had problems with posting copyright-protected stuff on SimHQ. I really doubt you have the permission to use any of the pictures at all from the original artists, but well...

quote:

Originally posted by Gnomie:
Nice! Some good pointers there.

About the recommended planes for beginners: it seems a little weird that you absolutely do not recommend the Corsair, while the "two mintues to action" missions use the Corsair.. would anyone care to comment?

The Corsair is a touchy bird if you don’t know how to fly it, and in it’s historical element (against Japanese planes) you need to fly it fast, basically using boom & zoom tactics against the more maneuverable Japanese planes. Someone who is just getting into the game might not realize that you just can’t turn the Corsair on a dime, and find themselves in a lot of trouble.

More like you can't turn the Corsair at all. Olegs vision of this bird is far more twitchy than real life history bears out.

Par for olegs course, in regards to the US IL2 plane lineup.

quote:

Originally posted by HayateAce:
More like you can't turn the Corsair at all. Olegs vision of this bird is far more twitchy than real life history bears out.

Yeah, that's true.

SOme bits are nice, but the bit about 'Bias' is really bad.

Do you know how much heavier the American planes are compared to the USSR/British/German/Japanese planes?

Have a read up on the weighjts of WW2 planes sometime, then read this :-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Weight_Fighter

Then perhaps you will realise why they dont manouvre at lower speeds as well as the lighter birds with comparable horsepower, and you can remove that 'bias' part.

Apart from that part I thought it was a good read

quote:

Originally posted by Xiolablu3:
SOme bits are nice, but the bit about 'Bias' is really bad.

Do you know how much heavier the American planes are compared to the USSR/British/German/Japanese planes?

Have a read up on the weighjts of WW2 planes sometime, then read this :-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Weight_Fighter

Then perhaps you will realise why they dont manouvre at lower speeds as well as the lighter birds with comparable horsepower, and you can remove that 'bias' part.

Apart from that part I thought it was a good read

Okay, thanks for more info Xiolab. I think the word Bias is causing more misunderstanding than the words which follow it. The tone is slightly off from what I want to convey, so I will rework it later this week.

Thanks,
Jay

Yep, no need to get a whole new generation of pilots thinking that certain planes are "biased against" when they haven't any idea of the details involved. Already far too much History Channel history being tossed around.

A shame about the guide and the trouble on that other site. Seems like you've rebounded well.

quote:

Originally posted by VW-IceFire:
Yep, no need to get a whole new generation of pilots thinking that certain planes are "biased against" when they haven't any idea of the details involved. Already far too much History Channel history being tossed around.

A shame about the guide and the trouble on that other site. Seems like you've rebounded well.

Yeah, Dart pointed that out as well in my guide. It sounded too much like a hatred of American aircraft, which I dont think it is at all (just a little sloppy programming perhaps).

I am going to make a minor revision of the guide later this week, so I will change the wording. And your comments before at the other site were very helpful and even better friendly - thanks.

Jay

Oh, and it is a shame about that other site. They got so steamed apparently that they banned my account twice and my IP address. Only problem is they blocked the IP address at my wife's temporary apartment. They dont know I work at a research university with a team of engineers that would make Symantec nervous,and have access to roughly 50 computers in my lab, many with separate IP addresses. LOL ! You know the harder you try to clamp down on something or censor it, the more attraction it draws. It was a bad move on their part.

Bad move?

Maybe somebody realizes you took their pictures and tell you who made a bad move.

quote:

Originally posted by Capt.LoneRanger:
Bad move?

Maybe somebody realizes you took their pictures and tell you who made a bad move.

Well, after having trouble with some images (more because of bandwidth than intellectual property theft, I think), I did some research and checked with my university's legal counsel. Except for hearing back from Miramax studios, I cannot legally find any specific copyright to any of the other photos or anything which carries a trademark. Although, if someone emails me and provides proof that that is their specific image and want it removed, I will gladly do it.

Jay

Oh, I almost forgot, it would be one thing if by accident there was a trademarked image in my guide and I was selling my guide for profit. Then I would be profiting off someone else's intellectual property. However, I am distributing my guide for free and am receiving nothing in the transaction except perhaps a happy smile from the new guys.

Jay

I dont know if you are American, but we in America have become a little too obsessed with bickering over every little person's copyright, trademark and patent. In fact, patent and trademark law in the US, is quite frankly a gigantic mess where the only winners are often law firms of questionable morals (how ironic ehh ?). My lab spends a significant amount of time in some instances in checking every past publication in our area, when sometimes that time could be better spent in making discoveries or helping people (like quadriplegics who might benefit from a brain-machine interface chip).

Mitsubishi Zero :- Empty Weight :- 4175 lbs

Spitfire MkVb :- Empty weight: 4,963 lb (2,251 kg); Loaded weight: 6,770 lb (3,071 kg)

Bf109 G6 (Has slats which help low speed turning) :- Empty weight: 4,893lb(2,247kg)
Loaded weight: 6940lbs

La5FN (Has slats which help low speed turning) :- Empty weight: 2605 kg (5743 lb); Loaded weight: 3265 kg (7198 lb

P51 Mustang (Has a laminar flow wing which helps with top speed but hinders low speed turning) :- Empty Weight: 7000 lbs (3175 kg) Gross weight Weight :9000lbs

F4U Corsair :- Empty weight: 8982 lb (4073 kg); Loaded weight: 14000 lb (6300 kg)

P47 TBolt :- Empty weight was 9900lbs (4490 kilograms ) Loaded weight: 14433 lb (6560 kg)


I just got these from various Web pages, some of the conversions from lbs to kg seem different, but they roughly show what I meant above. US fighters are far far heavier than most other WW2 fighters, therefore the low speed manouverbility suffers vs the lighter fighters. BUT they are generally fast, and you should fly them that way.

ALso its not the fault of the programmers that the US 20mm program went belly up in WW2. Its a fact that they were the only fighters left using machine guns in the second half of WW2 when every other country was using heavy cannon.

Get on a full real server with pilot who know how to fly the US birds and they become some of the most dangerous planes in the sim.

Stay on an Arcade server with full icons where its all about turning circles and see everyone complain the US planes are porked.

I cant see any problem with the images guys? Whats the big deal?

quote:

Originally posted by Xiolablu3:
I cant see any problem with the images guys? Whats the big deal?

Yes, I think you will find after careful scrutiny that there are no trademarked or copyrighted images in my guide. I am still checking on one image but everything else has checked out.

All you folks who worry about intellectual property might also want to brush up on the GNU Public License. It has become more and more popular in the last five years and is how my lab writes software and distributes new ideas usually. This is also how Ubuntu and Open Office are distributed and has been a godsend for getting greedy lawyers off many people's backs. Check it out.

Jay

The problem with using images , and other materiel can usually be resolved by simple acknowledgement of sources and where appropriate copyright,e.g. as you have done for contributers to your guide. It is good manners and gives due credit, which is all that most would expect and would only take up a few lines at the end of your document.

copyright is necesery today, Im surprised that anyone who works in research would question the need, Im sure you would not be amused if , after spending time and effort on a product, some competitor marketed a cheaper replica. So why deny the same standard to anyone who has put time or effort into his work, no matter what the size of contribution or which field it relates to ?
There are many here who contribute to the game either through maps, skins,etc who would not be happy if others used them as they felt, without due credit or acknowledgement.

quote:

Originally posted by dieg777:
The problem with using images , and other materiel can usually be resolved by simple acknowledgement of sources and where appropriate copyright,e.g. as you have done for contributers to your guide. It is good manners and gives due credit, which is all that most would expect and would only take up a few lines at the end of your document.

copyright is necesery today, Im surprised that anyone who works in research would question the need, Im sure you would not be amused if , after spending time and effort on a product, some competitor marketed a cheaper replica. So why deny the same standard to anyone who has put time or effort into his work, no matter what the size of contribution or which field it relates to ?
There are many here who contribute to the game either through maps, skins,etc who would not be happy if others used them as they felt, without due credit or acknowledgement.

Which images do you suggest that he adds thanks for Dieg?

All I can see is some IL2 sceenshots (Thanks to 1c?)

and one of Hartmann which I think is a free image?

In this particular instance I could hightlight the use TIR and CH products which are copyrighted products, but my comment were meant to be in a more general nature on the use of others materiel. The issue in my view isnt their use but that they are not acknowledged. As stated I personally dont think anyone could have reasonable objections to the use of the images as long as; the author does not claim them as his own, he does not alter them against specific wishes of the origonal creater and due credit is given,

S

dieg