Main game + DLC buying advice for newbie

[RoiIam]

Intro

Hi, I am a newcommer in the series and would like to get some buying advice.

I want to get the base game and some DLCs. I mainly want to play SinglePlayer (in standard and VR) though.

Questions

1. How is the base game SP experience?
   
2. What does the Quick Mission Builder offer? Is it repetitive? I read from the reviews that Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator is good extension of that.
   
   Also about the DLCs, do I understand this correctly:
   
   There are Battle of X DLCs. Those add maps, planes, campaigns , all is playable in SP.
   
   
3. now there are campaigns
   campaigns are additions to the battle of Xs. so for some I also need the particular DLC.
   According to the description campaigns are sometimes as long as the Battles DLCs. Are the campaigns worth it? Or should I start with the Battle of moscow/kuban/normandy for now?
   
   
4. What are collectors planes and how do they differ from the added ones in the DLCs?
   for example battle of kuban includes Yak-7b and there are 3 more collector Yaks.
   
   Where can the collectors planes be used? Collector Yaks seems to be just replacing the default one in the battle of kuban. It seems collector planes are most useful in Multiplayer. Or can they be used with Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator?
   
   
5. Maybe when I am done with planes... are the ground vehicles worth it?

Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

[Shawn]

#4) Look here to see which collector planes are offered in the premium version of DLC:
https://il2sturmovik.com/store/battle-of-normandy/ (you'll need to click each DLC to see what collector planes are included)

Note, that not all collector planes are offered in this manner, some are standalone purchases. Look here to see the entire available list: https://il2sturmovik.com/store/collector-planes/

#5) If you are not interested in MP, then I would advise you to stay clear of Tank Commander and the collector vehicles unless you want to donate money to the developers. AFAIK, there isn't much SP content.

I'll let the SP community respond to the rest of your questions.

[3/4 MILE, CALL THE BALL]

I fly SP. I use a mid-range laptop and basic joystick. I crash a lot. I laugh a lot. (^.^)

You've got time on truck, train and F1 simulators and in many ways they are similar to this.

Vehicles vary and "missions" vary.
Regardless, fighters fight. Bombers bomb. Who, where and when differs. (^.-)

This product is a nice balance between...
(1) Learning the concepts and then applying those concepts to achieve a goal AND
(2) NOT having so much detail as to make it seem like a second job. (^.^)

I fly SP with the mindset that (A) the bad guys are dangerous and (B) my team has their hands full as it is... which means I'm on my own for the most part. But I don't care much about how the game "scores" me. I know whether I did my duty to a degree that justifies me being given an aircraft in the first place. (^.-) THAT approach makes SP fun for me.

The community is VERY knowledgeable on how to get the most from the product.
If you have a question, odds are there is already a thread to answer your needs.
Search the forum, get your answer and you'll be flying again in no time.

As YOU get better you have many options to raise-the-bar on your own SP proficiency.
You can dial difficulty up and down until it satisfies your desires (or mood). (^.^)

Sales happen often. So there's no rush on DLC.
After a little "flight time", you can choose a "fleet" that better meets YOUR desires.
And, buying a little at a time, feels like a "new" game each time you add an aircraft. (^.-)

Cheers!

[shadowgravy]

How is the base game SP experience?
- It's fun if you like flying historic airplanes and using them for combat. But be prepared to do a lot more flying than fighting.

What does the Quick Mission Builder offer? Is it repetitive? I read from the reviews that Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator is good extension of that.
- It's for practice and quick action fixes. The missions are template-based but you select your aircraft, number of friendlies and enemies, difficulty, and conditions.
- PWCG is better described as an alternative to the default career system.

Also about the DLCs, do I understand this correctly:

There are Battle of X DLCs. Those add maps, planes, campaigns , all is playable in SP.
- Yes.

now there are campaigns
campaigns are additions to the battle of Xs. so for some I also need the particular DLC.
According to the description campaigns are sometimes as long as the Battles DLCs. Are the campaigns worth it? Or should I start with the Battle of moscow/kuban/normandy for now?
- The paid scripted campaigns like 'Fortress on the Volga,' 'Blazing Steppe,' 'Steel Birds,' Hell Hawks Over the Bulge,' etc., are typically a dozen chronological missions with a narrative. They can be very enjoyable; but they certainly are not necessary. You must own the maps and flyable aircraft they are written for.

What are collectors planes and how do they differ from the added ones in the DLCs?
for example battle of kuban includes Yak-7b and there are 3 more collector Yaks.
- Basically they are aircraft that may not have been used in significant numbers during a historic campaign; or they represent a minor variation of a Battle aircraft; or they are a unique aircraft interesting to a subgroup of players. They enhance the experience but they aren't necessary for either single or multiplayer.

Where can the collectors planes be used? Collector Yaks seems to be just replacing the default one in the battle of kuban. It seems collector planes are most useful in Multiplayer. Or can they be used with Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator?
- I believe they are all written into at least one 'Battle of ...' theater, you just need to know in which they can be used.
- The Spitfire Vb is required for the 'Achtung Spitfire' scripted campaign for the Kuban map.
- You can fly all of the Collector Planes in the Quick Mission mode.
- Patrick Wilson adds the collector planes into PWCG campaigns where they are appropriate.

• Maybe when I am done with planes... are the ground vehicles worth it?

They're fun to drive around in VR as virtual museums but there isn't much of a game for them in Single Player mode. Get Tank Crew if you're curious what it's like to sit in a Tiger, Panther or Sherman tank from a fully 3D crew position.

[RoiIam]

Originally posted by Shawn:

#4) Look here to see which collector planes are offered in the premium version of DLC:
https://il2sturmovik.com/store/battle-of-normandy/ (you'll need to click each DLC to see what collector planes are included)

Note, that not all collector planes are offered in this manner, some are standalone purchases. Look here to see the entire available list: https://il2sturmovik.com/store/collector-planes/

#5) If you are not interested in MP, then I would advise you to stay clear of Tank Commander and the collector vehicles unless you want to donate money to the developers. AFAIK, there isn't much SP content.

I'll let the SP community respond to the rest of your questions.

Thanks for the valueable info.

[RoiIam]

Originally posted by 3/4 MILE, CALL THE BALL:

I fly SP. I use a mid-range laptop and basic joystick. I crash a lot. I laugh a lot. (^.^)

You've got time on truck, train and F1 simulators and in many ways they are similar to this.

Vehicles vary and "missions" vary.
Regardless, fighters fight. Bombers bomb. Who, where and when differs. (^.-)

This product is a nice balance between...
(1) Learning the concepts and then applying those concepts to achieve a goal AND
(2) NOT having so much detail as to make it seem like a second job. (^.^)

I fly SP with the mindset that (A) the bad guys are dangerous and (B) my team has their hands full as it is... which means I'm on my own for the most part. But I don't care much about how the game "scores" me. I know whether I did my duty to a degree that justifies me being given an aircraft in the first place. (^.-) THAT approach makes SP fun for me.

The community is VERY knowledgeable on how to get the most from the product.
If you have a question, odds are there is already a thread to answer your needs.
Search the forum, get your answer and you'll be flying again in no time.

As YOU get better you have many options to raise-the-bar on your own SP proficiency.
You can dial difficulty up and down until it satisfies your desires (or mood). (^.^)

Sales happen often. So there's no rush on DLC.
After a little "flight time", you can choose a "fleet" that better meets YOUR desires.
And, buying a little at a time, feels like a "new" game each time you add an aircraft. (^.-)

Cheers!

Thanks! This and MSFS are my next sim endeavours during the holidays, I can't wait.

[RoiIam]

Originally posted by shadowgravy:

How is the base game SP experience?
- It's fun if you like flying historic airplanes and using them for combat. But be prepared to do a lot more flying than fighting.

What does the Quick Mission Builder offer? Is it repetitive? I read from the reviews that Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator is good extension of that.
- It's for practice and quick action fixes. The missions are template-based but you select your aircraft, number of friendlies and enemies, difficulty, and conditions.
- PWCG is better described as an alternative to the default career system.

Also about the DLCs, do I understand this correctly:

There are Battle of X DLCs. Those add maps, planes, campaigns , all is playable in SP.
- Yes.

now there are campaigns
campaigns are additions to the battle of Xs. so for some I also need the particular DLC.
According to the description campaigns are sometimes as long as the Battles DLCs. Are the campaigns worth it? Or should I start with the Battle of moscow/kuban/normandy for now?
- The paid scripted campaigns like 'Fortress on the Volga,' 'Blazing Steppe,' 'Steel Birds,' Hell Hawks Over the Bulge,' etc., are typically a dozen chronological missions with a narrative. They can be very enjoyable; but they certainly are not necessary. You must own the maps and flyable aircraft they are written for.

What are collectors planes and how do they differ from the added ones in the DLCs?
for example battle of kuban includes Yak-7b and there are 3 more collector Yaks.
- Basically they are aircraft that may not have been used in significant numbers during a historic campaign; or they represent a minor variation of a Battle aircraft; or they are a unique aircraft interesting to a subgroup of players. They enhance the experience but they aren't necessary for either single or multiplayer.

Where can the collectors planes be used? Collector Yaks seems to be just replacing the default one in the battle of kuban. It seems collector planes are most useful in Multiplayer. Or can they be used with Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator?
- I believe they are all written into at least one 'Battle of ...' theater, you just need to know in which they can be used.
- The Spitfire Vb is required for the 'Achtung Spitfire' scripted campaign for the Kuban map.
- You can fly all of the Collector Planes in the Quick Mission mode.
- Patrick Wilson adds the collector planes into PWCG campaigns where they are appropriate.

• Maybe when I am done with planes... are the ground vehicles worth it?

They're fun to drive around in VR as virtual museums but there isn't much of a game for them in Single Player mode. Get Tank Crew if you're curious what it's like to sit in a Tiger, Panther or Sherman tank from a fully 3D crew position.

Thanks for the detailed answers, It seems I will be busy enough in the base game, soaking everything in. Flying is great alone, but having scripted missions always helps me, so I'll be definitely looking more into the that later.

[Balthasar Gelt]

Originally posted by 3/4 MILE, CALL THE BALL:

I crash a lot. I laugh a lot. (^.^)!

chad motto fr

[Balthasar Gelt]

Originally posted by RoiIam:

Originally posted by shadowgravy:

How is the base game SP experience?
- It's fun if you like flying historic airplanes and using them for combat. But be prepared to do a lot more flying than fighting.

What does the Quick Mission Builder offer? Is it repetitive? I read from the reviews that Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator is good extension of that.
- It's for practice and quick action fixes. The missions are template-based but you select your aircraft, number of friendlies and enemies, difficulty, and conditions.
- PWCG is better described as an alternative to the default career system.

Also about the DLCs, do I understand this correctly:

There are Battle of X DLCs. Those add maps, planes, campaigns , all is playable in SP.
- Yes.

now there are campaigns
campaigns are additions to the battle of Xs. so for some I also need the particular DLC.
According to the description campaigns are sometimes as long as the Battles DLCs. Are the campaigns worth it? Or should I start with the Battle of moscow/kuban/normandy for now?
- The paid scripted campaigns like 'Fortress on the Volga,' 'Blazing Steppe,' 'Steel Birds,' Hell Hawks Over the Bulge,' etc., are typically a dozen chronological missions with a narrative. They can be very enjoyable; but they certainly are not necessary. You must own the maps and flyable aircraft they are written for.

What are collectors planes and how do they differ from the added ones in the DLCs?
for example battle of kuban includes Yak-7b and there are 3 more collector Yaks.
- Basically they are aircraft that may not have been used in significant numbers during a historic campaign; or they represent a minor variation of a Battle aircraft; or they are a unique aircraft interesting to a subgroup of players. They enhance the experience but they aren't necessary for either single or multiplayer.

Where can the collectors planes be used? Collector Yaks seems to be just replacing the default one in the battle of kuban. It seems collector planes are most useful in Multiplayer. Or can they be used with Patrick Wilson's Campaign Generator?
- I believe they are all written into at least one 'Battle of ...' theater, you just need to know in which they can be used.
- The Spitfire Vb is required for the 'Achtung Spitfire' scripted campaign for the Kuban map.
- You can fly all of the Collector Planes in the Quick Mission mode.
- Patrick Wilson adds the collector planes into PWCG campaigns where they are appropriate.

• Maybe when I am done with planes... are the ground vehicles worth it?

They're fun to drive around in VR as virtual museums but there isn't much of a game for them in Single Player mode. Get Tank Crew if you're curious what it's like to sit in a Tiger, Panther or Sherman tank from a fully 3D crew position.

Thanks for the detailed answers, It seems I will be busy enough in the base game, soaking everything in. Flying is great alone, but having scripted missions always helps me, so I'll be definitely looking more into the that later.

there is a lot of "down" time after takeoff before you get into any action. ATM it keeps me from playing the scripted stuff and I tend to just jump into quick mission lately. Something to keep in mind?