Battle of Britain - more than dynamic campaign!

Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory 2.11 Day by Day Campaign - details in the lower part of the post

http://A2Asimulations.com/

Few highlights of the game the event is hosted on:

1. Version 2.10 - Winner (2-way tie): SimHQ Award - Best Non-commercial Software Update / Add-on / Mod of 2009 and still in active development
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   PC Gamer Top 100 best games of all time has BoB II in the top 50 at no.49
   

   " Dozens of WWII flight sims deliver thrilling, challenging dogfights. Only one, this one, manages to make those dogfights feel earth-shattering important. In BoB II's amazing unscripted campaigns, every downed Dornier and savaged Stuka is a personal landmark, a step - a tiny step - towards British salvation. "Per ardua ad astra" indeed."" -- Tim Stone

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2. Dynamic campaign - let computer conduct it or become a commander of either the whole RAF or the Whole Luftwaffe
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3. Historical fidelity - ultimate time machine:
   
   • Multiskin: every single aircraft out of possible hundreds in the air has it's own markings (letters, numbers and livery) according to his squadron of origin (e.g. you can meet Adolf Galland and recognize his AC by both his numbers, JG insignia etc.)! Over 2,000 schemes for all fighters and bombers are authentically modelled!
     
   • Spitfires, Hurricanes (both in two variants: with two-pitch and constant speed propellor), Bf-109, Bf-110 and Ju-87 Stuka with reallistic hardware configurations and performance
     
   • real word historically accurate tactics - both the strategic and single pilot level (see - AI)
     
   • accurate high res terrain with hundreds of different ww2-era ground objects
     
   • many more!
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[*] State of the art Artificial Intelligence (AI) of computer controlled opponents:

• huge air battles - hundreds of aircrafts in real-time
  
• AI uses the same flight models as player controlled aircrafts
  
• AI uses teamwork and historical tactics
  
• realistic and accurate field of view - AI's does not see through wings, fuselage or other units!
  
• human-like behavior including spin-out of rookie pilots shot upon from six o'clock ambush and "go back or continue the fight?" assesment
   
  

  But the AI does often amaze IL2 flyers who are used to watching their opponents barrel rolling or zoom climbing every time. BOB2 AI is dynamic, changes according to the tactical environment, and is individualised according to AI pilot skill and aircraft type without pulling any manouvres a human pilot couldn't. The AI is even randomly programmed to make dumb moves too!

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[*]Realistic flight models and performance - The most realistic flight models I've ever tested!

• forces calculated on many aircraft subparts independently
  
• various aerodynamic phenomenas neglected in other simulators on the market simulated: propeller effect on yaw, forces on controls as a function of dynamic pressure on control surfaces, control surfaces limited deflection at high speeds, control surfaces delay, advanced spin and accelerated stall modeling
  
• get full control over: two-speed propeller (early Hurricanes and Spitfires), constant speed propeller (later Hurricanes and Spitfires) or fully variable pitch propeller (Luftwaffe aircrafts) using your dual throttle joystick or enable an auto mode if you have a regular joystick with one throttle lever
  

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[*]Realistic bullets ballistics, precise hit boxes and realistic graphical damage effects (flashes, sparks, smokes, the best bullet tracers)

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[*]Clickable cockpits

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[*]Impressive weather effects including heavy storm clouds. Lock On's and Il-2 clouds look miserable when compared.

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[*]Multiplayer in beta stage (everyone's invited for the beta testing)

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[*]Takes advantage of multicore CPUs. You will even see a performance increase when launching BoB 2 WoV on a quad core CPU.

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[*]TrackIR 6DOF ready http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85c1CfN8UwQ#t=8m32s

Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory 2.11 Day by Day Campaign

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=21679

http://www.simhq.com/_air13/air_448a.html

Register for the event here: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/240/1/The_Battle_of_Britain_II_Day_b.html

Next on the schedule for the BDG is to host a unique concept: The Battle of Britain II Day by Day Campaign.

 

The concept is simple — a sim pilot registers a British or Luftwaffe unit for himself and on July 10th starts a BoB II Single Pilot Campaign (SPC) in the Convoy Phase.

The game engine also starts it's dynamic campaign on 10th July, and the pilot then flies all missions for his squadron for that day.

On 11th July, he flies in-game the day of 11th July, and so on all the way until the Battle of Britain II Day by Day Campaign ends on 15th September.

 

If they miss a day of flying in real life, they just advance the game campaign to the correct date and then proceed the

next mission.

SCREENSHOTS AND VIDEOS:

Videos (many done with very old versions of BoB 2):

hi-res version:

http://www.mediafire.com/?a3jtnggkgt9

http://rapidshare.com/files/78296803/Interception.zip

30 min video os Stuka and 109 gameplay

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2620895706775831673&hl=en#

In Dulce Decorum

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4501813935734447189&hl=en#

RAID Download only but IMO the best

http://www.mediafire.com/?cw24z2gy1rx

Screenshots:

more screesnhots:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1095087#post1095087

One of the Multiskin maps available:

Multiskin examples (shots by Chumleigh):

I love BoBII, the "time machine" lives up to it's name. Nothing else like it on the market, if any of you guys like IL-2 give this a go... slightly less forgiving but insanely immersive. Don't let the graphics put you off, this may be an old game but its right up there with the big boys.

"Watch for the Hun in the Sun!"

I love BoBII, the "time machine" lives up to it's name. Nothing else like it on the market, if any of you guys like IL-2 give this a go... slightly less forgiving but insanely immersive. Don't let the graphics put you off, this may be an old game but its right up there with the big boys.

 

"Watch for the Hun in the Sun!"

Exactly :)

It's hard to convince anyone that, for example, AI in BoB 2 will consider sun position when planning the attack because people are so get used to dumb AI that they just don't believe it's possible. BTW, a note to those who are being easily convinced that feature X or Y is not possible and like to join software developers in excuses concert - you better bite your tongues because you don't do any good to the market.

Also BoB2 graphics definitely has more than one gem-effect to show off.

From an old version but full of action (second half) :)

wow... has any of you guys made it through the menus without a nervous brakedown? It must be the game with the worst user interface I've ever seen, and after all the patches they still haven't fixed it.... talk about wasted potential...

wow... has any of you guys made it through the menus without a nervous brakedown? It must be the game with the worst user interface I've ever seen, and after all the patches they still haven't fixed it.... talk about wasted potential...

Yup, menus are bad. Fortunately once you set up the game you only need the missions related menus. This gave me an idea to make a second tutorial on the menus. A first one was on installation process and you can find it here

BTW, can you share what problems you stumbled upon during your first installation and going trough the menus and configuration?

From what i remember, the resolution was all messed up, making the game have erratic behavior like showing as windowed instead of full-screen, but the mouse would click as if it really was on Full screen, so you couldn't see where you were actually clicking. After finally making through the main menu, the campaign screen would be all messed up too, with similar symptoms. After that the loading is huge, and would get random crash to desktop. :doh:

From what I've seen every person with such problems is granted careful assistance on the a2asimulations.com forums so I get that you didn't bother to post there :)

The initially released version was very buggy. I started with 2.09 IIRC and I haven't experienced more than one crash during many hours in this game. Nor resolution problems.

I'll try and have a look, thanks :thumbup:

I'll try and have a look, thanks :thumbup:

I hope you don't mean 2.09 because 2.11 is the latest update. Always refer to the a2asimulations forums. You'll find all the answers and help there.

First After Action Reports already available!

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=169095#p169095

An example:

Full AAR in the description!

any news about the su-26 or 31 (not shure here) on this sim?

I doubt you'll be seeing any Russan aircraft in this, as its BoB not IL-2.

Bucic, I assume you're flying?? How are you finding it? I got this game over a year ago, but tracker IR was really glitchy with it for some reason, I couldn't find a fix. This whole online campaign day by day thing sounds great though!

they said that a su-26 was going to be part of the sim as a bonus.

Bucic, I assume you're flying?? How are you finding it? I got this game over a year ago, but tracker IR was really glitchy with it for some reason, I couldn't find a fix. This whole online campaign day by day thing sounds great though!

Not currently but I've installed it again to record some tutorials for newbies. The one on the installation is available (I posted earlier). I'm working on the GUI introduction and initial configuration tutorial now.

I spent many hours playing it in 2009 and I must say that I find it highly addictive mostly because of it's top flight modlels with working propeller controls, history fidelity and dynamic campaign. The initial post contains some features of BoB 2 WoV I wrote down from memory. This is not an official list of features you will find anywhere else and I was honest putting it together. I have to highlight the flight models again. The Stuka and Bf-110 FM may be inferior to the Spit, Hurri and Bf-109 FMs ut those three are the best I've ever tested. I'm not aware of better prop aircrafts flight models out there.

You are probably interested in game flaws. I'm not afraid to list them because the list of pros of this sim is overwhelming to the list of cons in the end:

• - re FM praised by me before: lack of ground effect modeling for example
  
• - no multiplayer - although it's enabled in the latest update for testing purposes
  
• - the cockpit is clickable but cockpit gauges movement is not smooth (pointers move in visible increments when moving slow)
  
• - reflector sites are still not modeled properly - they do move when you move your head side to side but not enough. This issue is being worked on.
  
• - when using padlock and passing the top of a loop cockpit camera may invert upside down for a short moment
  
• - models lighting is not on par with good 3D models and the brilliant Multiskin textures
  
• - every aircraft when destroyed switches to the simplified "movement routine" and glitches may occur
  
• - somewhat jittery external camera (use F10 for externals - less jittery)
  

any news about the su-26 or 31 (not shure here) on this sim?

The day by day campaign can be played on different simulators and the vid is from Il-2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey. I think so...

Bucic, maybe you can help me, I've been playing BOBII (and i'm loving it), but it seems like if I play in my native resolution, after the loading i get no response from joystick/mouse/keyboard whatsoever... is there a way to fix this?

edit: solved the problem! :D thanks anyway

I almost forgot!

Should any problems occur ALWAYS hit the A2A simulations official forums for BoB 2 WoV. You will get assistance there and you will be guided on what steps you should take to troubleshoot the problem. Note the word "will" :)

BoB 2 WoV Single Pilot Campaign (dynamic campaign) -- how to start

BoB 2 WoV User Interface Tutorial

Hi Gang,

I gave BoB 2 a try today and to be honest my first impression was rather bad.

The initial installation took me a couple of tries on Win7. The first time around I thought I'd got it all working, but it turns out the patch 2.11 didn't apply properly, thus leaving me with an un-patched game. This is what led to my initial bad impression.

So off to the forums I went to figure out what all the fuss was about. I figured I must have been missing something as everyone on the forums was giving BoB rave reviews....

So I removed the entire install and started over and got it up to version 2.11.

Okay, new impression....

Wow.

Excellent flight models. Amazing AI. Graphics are much improved over the vanilla install and are an improvement over IL2.

Love the clickable cockpit and manual starts of these old craft.

The only thing that I'm a bit disappointed with are the damage models. They are seriously lacking when compared to IL2. Other than that, it is a rather impressive simulator which appears to have a very active dev. team.

If you try it, make sure you get it patched to 2.11 and try to ignore the annoying UI as much as possible, as it also needs an overhaul.

I hope the devs keep improving this gem, as it is indeed a diamond in the rough.

-Mack

thanks for sharing :)

My first after action report (AAR) posted on simhq:

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3069147/Re_29th_Day_RAF_After_Action_R.html#Post3069147

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COMBAT REPORT

 

Name: P/O Wladyslaw Grudzinski

Date: 7th Aug

Flight, squadron: Yellow 3, No. 64 from Middle Wallop

Number of enemy aircraft: 36

Type of enemy aircraft: Ju87B2

Time attack was delivered: 8:23

Place attack was delivered: 14 km N Bognor Regis Alt: 1 km

Height of enemy: 3000

Enemy casualties: 11

Our casualties: 1

General report:

 

At the mission IP we didn't spot our target at first. I sighted 3 Ju87 formations at 9 o'clock low, 30+ planes total. Twice as low as reported 3000 m. There was no escort. I reported target sighting and we were given orders to engage at will. I failed to stay in the formation and overshoot my leader so I was the first to fly near the enemy. I got hits to my fuselage, engine and my left wing. Canopy glass shuttered, AC hard to control. Within the next 3 to 5 seconds I managed to glide down on a lone Ju87 and shoot it down with a medium burst.

 

Aircraft damage was too severe to continue the engagement so I headed home. Due to heavy damage I performed an 'on cloud landing' at an alt of 4000+ ft, 10 miles to the airfield, to test if my aircraft will be controllable in landing configuration and speed. I assessed that the aircraft is controllable at airspeed not lower than 95 MPH and I decided to make a landing attempt.

 

I was unable to contact the tower due to radio station damage or malfunction so I made a fly by pass over the airfield and performed a climbing turn to make a quick approach. During the landing my speed dropped below 95 MPH just before touchdown and I was unable to keep wings leveled. Left wingtip touched the ground resulting in aircraft rotation and crash.

 

According to the doctors opinion with only some heavy bruises and head cut I will able to fly even tomorrow.

*********************************************

 

 

 

 

 

Diary:

Not staying in the formation almost got me killed today. Staying alive it's what's important. Staying alive! Today I could have brought 2 or 3 victories going for almost certain death. Now how many chances to get a victory will I have till the end of this war? I assume many. So stay alive damn it!

 

If I get to fly during the few comming days it will be some painful flights because of my bruises. Good. It will keep me aware...

 

 

The kill:

 

 

The trial landing:

 

 

 

Edit:

I updated my Multiskin markings to reflect my 3 victories after the first two missions.