Originally posted by Bearcat99:
Welcome aboard nugget!! With all the new blood in here I thought it would be a good idea to post this and leave it up for a few weeks..
While this guide can be used with any 1C product version it is written with IL2 1946 in mind. BEFORE PROCEEDING ANY FARTHER YOU MUST HAVE A JOYSTICK TO EFFECTIVELY FLY THIS SIM. I personally recommend either
SAITEK or
CH. Both brands can also be purchased from
Go Gamer.com at a reasonable price. Whatever stick you choose or wherever you choose to get it, make sure that it has some kind of rudder control on it.
OK YOU NUGGETS.... LISTEN UP!!!!
This sim is going to do one of two things to you. It is either going to spark that rise to the challenge fire in you... making you
want to master it.... or at least invest a lot of time trying. Or it will frustrate you so much that after a few attempts you will put it back on your shelf and go back to whatever it was that held your interest before you decided to see what the hubbub was about. I cant help you if you chose the latter. However if you choose the former... then read on.
First.... find out what version you have. Keep in mind that the versions are NOT compatible. The series is as follows.
IL2 Sturmovik - The original sim. It is not compatible with any of the later versions and is patchable to v1.22ov. A milestone for sure, and a classic for a collector... but if you want to fly NOW with people there are not a lot of servers that run IL2 left. It is 6+ years old.
Forgotten Battles 1.0 - Originally conceived as an add on for IL2, it wound up becoming a seperate stand alone product in it's own right.
The Aces Expansion Pack AKA FB 2.0 - As the name says an add on expansion pack bringing in more planes and enhancing the move west. (Bear in mind that IL2 started out as an Eastern Front sim..).
Pacific Fighters AKA FB3.0 - This is where things get.... confusing for some... Pacific Fighters can be installed as a stand alone sim (FB3.0) with just the Pacific content... or it could be merged with FB 2.0 (FB3.0m
erged ). Many people came here after buying PF and installing it as a stand alone... but most of them came around and wound up getting the other parts and merging the sim.
After PF came out there was a major patch for the sim that brought it up to FB 4.0 and a few more that eventually brought it up[ to 4.04...from there on out all upgraded versions were the results of the add ons..... There were patches throughout all the versions.. but IMO they aren't worth mentioning since the final incarnation of the sim 46... is what I recommend that you get if you have anything other than that. That includes the FB GOLD, or the Ultimate Flight collection, or that combo CD set that had FB,the AEP & PF all on one CD. 46 is the way to go.. but just for the record so that you know.... the addons after FB3.0 were:
Pe-2.... an add on that only works on FB3.0m. Originally it was going to only be released in Russia... but after much weeping and gnashing of teeth... it was released online. Pe-2 brought the sim up to FB 4.05m
Sturmoviks Over Manchuria... and IL2 1946 were originally planned as separate add ons... but after the release of Pe-2 and the whole Boonty Box copy protection fiasco.. it was decided to hold off on the release of these two products until they could be released together... which brings us to:IL246. PF standalone can only be patched as far as 4.04.. there are no more patches for PF standalone after that. All patches and updates are for the
merged version of the sim ONLY.
The IL2 1946 DVD contains IL2 FB, The AEP, PF, and the Pe-2, Sturmoviks Over Manchuria and 46 add ons *There will be only one desktop icon It is highly recommended that you forgo any other version of the sim.. and get the 1946 DVD then patch it to 4.08m which is the latest patch as of this date... 8/28/2007. To get the
4.08m patch go to the link provided. Download the patch and install it. When you boot the sim in the lower left hand corner you should see v4.08m in red letters. 46 installs to a different folder so you don't have to worry about overwriting anything. If you already have a stick profile or custom skins/missions etc... then just copy your Paintschemes,Missions,Records,Users, config file into the 46 folder.
For more general info on the evolution of the sim go to the front page and look in the left hand corner just under the IL2 logo for NEWS and 1C Maddox Games.
Now...... Nugget... listen up!!!
You can choose to do this any way you want to .... This is just one method..... it might not work for you.... but try it.. I guarantee you that if you do it this way... in 30 days you will be better off than just doing it on your own. Feel free to come to the forums at anytime to ask some of the more experienced members for advice. After this is all said and done if you want a more formal training regimen... I highly recommend that you check out the
Joint Ops Virtual Flight School ... the link to which can be found in my sig.. along with the Sturmovik Essentials thread.
Preflight 1-Go to
CONTROLS and make sure that you have the following functions mapped, either to a key on your keyboard or on your stick or that you know where they are in the case that they are already mapped:
*Chocks**
*Tailhook**
*Wing Fold**
*Radiator
*Canopy Open
*Supercharger > <
*Mixture > <
*Prop Pitch > <
*Toggle Engine (toggles engine on/off)
*Select All Engines *You can also assign Unselect All Engines as well, although I really haven't had to use that function yet.
*Left Engines
*Right Engines
*Dive Brakes
*Trim-All 3 trims (rudder,aileron & elevator) are good to have but IMO rudder and elevator are a must.
*Weapons 1-4 Machine guns, cannon, rockets & bombs.
Also All of the views...F1-F5 and FOV WIDE,NORMAL & GUNSIGHT. (These are preset I believe so just know where they are).
There are other functions in the controls menu as well. However they are not essential at this point for you to function efficiently in flying the sim. Look at them later and decide what you will or will not need. Also make sure that you see the note on trim in Hands on Phase one.
2-Go to the Quick Mission Builder>go to the difficulty screen. On that first page the only thing that you should
DESELECT (meaning the light will be out) is Limited Ammo. Hit Next in the lower right hand corner and another screen will pop up. On that page
DESELECT - Cockpit Always On,No External Views,No Icons,No Padlock,No Map icons,No Minimap Path and No Speedbar. All else should have a light on. Then click
BACK 3 times.
NOTE: Some of these settings are temporary just so that you can remove some of the frustration factor from the sim, however you should
NEVER EVER fudge on flight settings. Keep the flying portion of the sim as realistic as possible as far as stalls & spins, torque & gyro, flutter, wind & turbulence go. Where you can bend things is on the settings like external views and icons etc. Some might say eliminate
CEM (
Complex
Engine
Management)
* as well but I think that is a bad idea... It is best to get used to how the plane will perform in it's fullness and if you want to fly online, not many disable CEM or Separate Engine Start
*. In the beginning these changes will help you immensely in getting used to the sim and how it works. As you get comfortable you can and should tighten things up a bit. I still use externals and icons although I very very rarely fly outside of the cockpit (As in no cockpit around you at all) and I like to set my icons extremely tight... so that they show up much closer than the default settings.. but for now this is good to learn on.
*For a more detailed tutorial on
CEM, including flying
Multi Engined Aircraft and using trim see
The CEM guide @ M4T. I recommend that you take the time to go through this material
before you take to the skies. Consider this a part of ground school.
**Needed for carrier based aircraft. Chocks must be released before you can take off from a carrier.
Now that you have done all that
Preflight stuff, we can begin with the the hands on Phase of getting you up in the virtual skies.
Hands On Phase One Go to Multiplay>Create New Server>(Make sure Gametype is Dogfight)>Create>2>Dogfight 4 or 5 (Which should be Dogfight for 2 armies winter or summer). Select a base..... For this part of the exercise select a base in the rear... any one will do.. pick a plane (I recommend that you consider either one of the La-5s, a A6M2 or a Hurricaine MkII initially.. and stick with it until you at least get through phase one, then consider the plane you want to fly on a regular basis and if you are comfortable with it switch to it and stick with it until you get to phase 4.. then you can experiment more if you like.)> select arming. In the arming screen set your fuel to 100% set gun convergence to 300 for both for now. Hit fly. You will find yourself on the Tarmac... start your engine... taxi to the runway and take off. Fly a circuit around the airfield and land. Practice trying to do touch and gos... almost landing... fly around in the sky... turn dive.... if you crash hit escape... then refly... and do it over and over until you can get up... fly around and land reasonably well. Once you can do that and you are comfortable go on to Phase 2.
Hands On Phase Two Go back into the same multiplayer DF (DogFight) server that you have been using, but this time select a base closer to the front..as in closer to the bases of the opposite color. Select your plane. Select a weapons load.... hit fly. Take off... go to the nearest enemy base and try to bomb it. The flak will be tough. Very tough. This practice will help you to learn how to take off with ordinance.. which if you set things up correctly should be different from a clean take off... it will help you to practice ground attack. It will help you to practice landing a damaged bird.
Hands On Phase Three Go into the QMB (Quick Mission Builder), set up a QM. For this first one make your enemies rookies and put them in inferior aircraft. Use all the enemy slots. Initially ONLY IN THE BEGINNING for this phase, go back to the difficulty screen and make yourself invulnerable. Do that until you start to get more hits... but be aware when you are getting hit and try to still avoid it. You will have unlimited ammo... but don't spray and pray. Now you can practice your air to air gunnery. Pay attention to how the bullets behave. The
numbers in the icons are in kilometers. 1.00 is 1K, 2.50 is 2.5K etc.. therefore when you see a plane at .30.. that is
300 meters... the
convergence number you set earlier. Don't shoot when they are too far away. When you get used to the 300 meter convergence then change it to 200-275. When you find yourself getting more accurate then change the conditions.
Hands On Phase Four Remove the invulnerability.... and instead of using all the enemy slots use just two. Keep them rookies and in inferior planes though. When you get comfortable with that or ready for the next level of challenge upgrade the enemy planes... maybe give yourself a wingman... you can go through that cycle until you are competent enough to at least handle yourself. AS you cycle up with upgrading the enemy planes upgrade their skill level too... add more... add more wingmen for yourself.
By that time you will be well on your way. If you do this over say... the next 14 to 28 days... you will only suck as bad or pretty near as bad as the rest of us....
This procedure is not set in stone, once you become more familiar with the sim you may want a more immersive method and there are other options however
there is no full startup procedure modelled in IL2 1946.
Other tips.. Check out the
config guide at M4T. Using it or any one of the utilities like IL2 manager or IL2 stab will let you turn off various features like the AI chat text or the hudlog. The hudlog is the thing that tells you where your throttle settings are etc. I highly recommend that whatever plane you fly get used to looking at your gauges and the relationship they have with the throttle settings and prop pitch. Prop pitch will usually effect the RPM.. while the throttle will effect your manifold pressure. There is a link to all the cockpit gauges that can be found in the
Essentials Thread linked in my sig, as is the
M4T database. Also pay attention to where the virtual representation of your throttle stick etc are too.. you would be amazed at how thet helps when locked in the pit.
OTHER PERIPHERALSRudder pedals.. though not a must... they do add to the immersion and if you are more than just a casual simmer they are not to be left out of your rig. While car pedals
can be used... rudder pedals are the best way to go. The options there are
Saitek,
CH &
SimpEd.
I have no experience with the Simpeds.. but I hear they are the best out there.. they are also the most pricey. I have used the CH & Saiteks. I replaced my CHs with Saiteks... the CH pedals are good.. but the Saiteks offer a wider stance, adjustable tension and IMO are smoother. The Saitek products can be found reconditioned at the link losted or at
GoGamer.com at a decent price.
Track IRWithout a doubt one of the best pieces of hardware for flight simmers since the joystick. If I had to choose between getting TIR or pedals... I would not choose one over the other but I would say get the pedals first.. since they are more conducive to good flying.. IMO both are essential. You dont
have to have them to fly.. but they help a great deal and if you can get them by all means do so. Even if it takes a few paychecks. One of the best ways I have found to really get a handle on TIR is to set up a QM with you and a bandit.. dont give him any ammo... at least at first... and just shadow him.. he will try to do all sorts of evasives.. stick to him like glue... roll... yo yo... but keep him in sight... it will really get you used to using the TIR basically a virtual head.. and the plane. Then you can practice combat...
Also you can give
Zeus Cat's Training Campaigns a spin. Very good if I must say so myself.
In addition hit the Sturmovik Essentials Link in my sig... lots of good stuff there. Particularly at
Sim HQ and
Mission4Today...
Here are just a few of the GREAT user made utilities that in my opinion make this sim even more enjoyable.
In Pursuit: An Online Pilot's Guide to Aerial Combat Neural Dream's Aircraft Reference Guide Also contains cockpit gauge refernces Hardball's Aircraft Viewer an online version of the guide basically.. both are very good.
Uber Quick Mission Generator A utility that will allow you to make much more diverse quick missions using more maps ond with more options than those found in the Quick Mission Builder.
Mission Mate A mission building utility similar to The U.Q.M.G. but different. IMO both are good and deserving of a place on any FB simmers HD. I think MM is a bit easier to use.... but The UQMG has other features that make it a must have as well.... better to have and use both. You will never need the QMB again.
IL2 Manager 5.0 This utility will allow you to make certain adjustments within the config file.. like graphics setting etc. on a gui. While it is highly recommended that you learn where these things are in the config file, once you know that... easy and quick is the way to go. It also has a stick editor which will allow you to set up different profiles for your joystick sensitivity settings.
IL2 Stab 6.3 Similar to IL2 Manager but without the stick editor and with a Diary feature.
VAC- Voice Activated Commands - This utility is very similar to SHOOT.. it allows you to interact with your PC and thus the sim with voice commands. Very useful in coops. A bit tricky.. but a good program.
Sniper's Corner a nice utility to help get the angles aspect of A2A gunnery in your head -
Gunnery at AW.C-A good explanation of the tool and what is does. Also this entire section at AW.C is a really good resource.
ACM - Short for Air Comabt Maneuvers - This program will show you a short video of various combat maneuvers.... yo yos, immelmans etc. It is a very usefull tool.
There are tons more to be found here
M4T Downloads and some excellent guides on everything from setting up your hardware to mission building here
M4T Knowledge Basebut I figured these were good starting points to get us on our way and to help any newcomers get up to speed.
For online play use
HyperlobbyJust download the client, then once you download and install the client it should put an icon on your desktop. When you click that icon you will go to a screen that looks similar to below:
Only there will be no callsign in the window. Pick a callsign for yourself. and enter it. Choose this wisely as this will be the name that you will be known for better or worse on HL. Select a password. Notice a small square to the right of the password box. That is so that Hyperlobby can remember your PW and you wont have to type it in each time you connect. There is also a feature where you can have HL automatically connect you once you hit the icon. I prefer to not use that feature. I prefer to hit connect. If you decide to have HL remember your PW
MAKE SURE YOU WRITE IT DOWN SO THAT IN THE EVENT OF A HD CRASH YOU CAN STLL USE THE SAME CALLSIGN. Make sure that you enter the
Forgotten Battles room
NOT the IL2 or Pacific Fighters room. Hit connect.
Hyperlobby will ask you to direct it to your 46 folder on your PC which in most cases is
C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\IL-2 Sturmovik 1946. Once you do that it should load up to a screen that will look like this:
Note that the dogfight rooms are the ones on the left.. the coop rooms are on the right. The open mission rooms in the middle can be used for anything. To find more rooms hit the General Room panel and more rooms will pop up in a drop down menu. There are two players lists... one lists the players who are in Hyperlobby but not flying, the other lists the plots that are in a server.. It will also list who the hosts are. To select a server simply mouse to it and click it. By L clicking on any DF room you can see who is in it and what the server settings are. Once you
L click on a DF (dogfight)room you can enter it by pressing
Join This Game. In the case of coop rooms it is a little different. Before the host launches you will see the list of pilots entering the room in the coop window. Just L click and your name will appear in the room. Once the host launches, you can join the coop room if you know who is in there (as in from your friends list or the in game players list) by L clicking on a player's name and then hit show player info. Once the black box with the players list and the server settings appears, if you hit TAB+_ENTER you can join the room still (AKA as entering through the back door) as long as the host has not hit FLY. After the host hits FLY you cannot join a coop server until the coop mission has ended. The numbers on the right side of the DF server windows are
#of players in server/# of slots available in the server. The place where you would type the chat is in the black bar on the bottom. What I have stated here is just a bare snapshot tutorial of Hyperlobby. There is a more in depth
Hyperlobby Manual fully explaining the features of the program, a FAQ list and more on the Hyperlobby website listed above.
Communicating onlineMost of the people flying in Hyperlobby use either
Teamspeak or
Ventrillo for realtime voice communication. I personally prefer Teamspeak myself. Just download the client software and install it. You will need to know the IP address of the host comms sever before you can enter it. For a very well written article on comms read
Roger, Out!
TeamSpeak Rules of the Road by Frank "Dart" Giger over at
Sim HQ.
Finally... here is a link to
Skycat's Newcomer's Guide @ Sim HQ. There are some things in there that I cover in more depth here.. but other things that I don't cover at all so it is worth a look see. Between these two threads you should be well on your way.
Straighten Up!!!!
Fly Right!!!!!!!!
~!S!~ 
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