Career Comparison to IL-2: 1946

[PopeCannoli]

Can someone inform me of how similar the single player career mode for this game is compared to the 1946 career mode? That's really the only reason I would buy this and YouTube videos are rather unhelpful. Everything I find seems to be heavy on cinematic cams or RP and don't show the actual out-of-flying part of the game.

[earlybird]

To be honest, the Pilot Career mode in both IL-2 1946 and IL-2 BoX/Great Battles are pretty much the same. You create a pilot, you join a squadron at a particular time and place and do missions with that squadron. You're promoted, you're awarded medals.

The things I find different is that there is no Pilot Bio in IL-2 1946, no World News, and once you've died or have been captured you can restart the mission, while in GBs once you've died or have been captured, that's it. Lastly, I believe that you can change squadrons in IL-2 GBs Career.

[PopeCannoli]

I appreciate the response! I own 1946 and have been playing it little by little for a couple years now and just thought about "upgrading." Just wasn't sure how the career compared to each other as 1946 has all the different theaters and it seems this one is just the battle of Stalingrad? (And all the associated DLC's)

[shadowgravy]

Originally posted by earlybird:

... while in GBs once you've died or have been captured, that's it.

Only if you play in Iron Man mode. Otherwise, if you get killed in a mission you can choose to replay it (like in 1946).

[unknown]

Personally I like the flight model way better in the great battles series over 1946. However one thing i will tell you is that the AI do feel easier in great battles. the main reason is that in the great battles series the AI don't cheat. They are capable of blacking out and making mistakes and are bound to the same flight model that you are. In 1946 they are able to cheat and do technically impossible manuvers due to the tweaking to make them more dificult. Whether or not you like this is up to you, but something to take not of before you buy.

[DrDeath_MD]

There is also a mod called the Pat Wilson Campaign Generator that is easy to use and generates a more diverse set of missions. Unlike the base game's career, the missions are not "Scripted". You can come across other AI flights doing missions like bombing, patroling, etc. and you never know what you are going to run into.

[Vyllis]

Vanilla Career is crap. If you want something best, you go PWCG.
You can even fly it coop with a buddy.

[PopeCannoli]

Is that something relatively easy to install? I remember having a hell of a time trying to install BAT (I think is what it was called?) to 1946 as I'm not totally computer savvy.

[Vyllis]

Yes it is, if you need any help or infos i can answer.

You will find everything you need here:
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/forum/99-pat-wilson-campaign-generator/

It can be weird to run an external program at first, but after few missions the RP side of thing start to kick in and it is much more alive than the stock Career during the missions.

[cleopa9]

From what I remember, campaigns are dynamic in 1946, which means that everything that happens during a mission has an impact on what happens next (attrition of resources, frontline expansion). This is not the case in BOS. This is a major difference.

[shadowgravy]

Originally posted by AutumnGloom:

Is that something relatively easy to install? I remember having a hell of a time trying to install BAT (I think is what it was called?) to 1946 as I'm not totally computer savvy.

I gave the Flying Circus version of the PWCG a go. It is easy to install but at first a little clunky in generating missions. I like that it tracks aircraft tail numbers, squadron careers, reports combat results for both sides, forces your wounded pilot to take convalescent leave, etc. It doesn't improve the AI though, so in the end the PWCG generator is just a different way to skin the same cat.

Each mission's file is sent to IL-2's campaign folder as a single mission. Play the mission, and if you like the results you go back into PWCG and file an After Action Report and then generate a new mission to play.

[Vyllis]

You can even change things like cold start with taxi or in the air.
I played coop campaign with death enabled with a friend and we got to create new freshly arrived pilot when one died, it was fun trying to keep our virtual boy alive.

I play max ground density, medium anti-air and small air. Did not try medium air density yet.