rec.autos.simulators

Still fiddling with the install so no review, but it looks to be
incredible.

Jason

Rumour has it they included some objects for the editor for setting up some
cool pylon racing?

Doug

Larry

   IL Sturmovik 2: The Forgotten Battles.  An update to the well received
IL Stumovik.  Probably, and I say this as a lapsed flyer, the best combat
flight sim available.
dave henrie

-larry

l8er
ronny

        Maybe you'd like to try pylon racing with an Me 262?

Martin

You're right.  Papy would never manage as much new content as Oleg
stuffed into IL-2 in the past year or so.

Jason

I'd actually compare the gap between IL2 Sturmovik and IL2-Sturmovik
Forgotten Battles to the one between N2k2 and N2k3. Both are recognisable as
new branches of the same tree, but both at the same time have a wealth of
novelties and improvements.

FB has been improved just about _everywhere_, but you can rightfully say the
same about N2k3. I actually think that many of the less obvious
improvements, and sometimes also the scope of those improvements which have
been discovered in N2k3, so far have gone by unnoticed, and I find it a
little sad that apparently all the beauty goes by unnoticed.

I'll add that I'm not interested in starting a discussion which new feature
between the two sims is more important than the other - are moving
(steering) driver hands in the replay or full blown telemetry with a system
hook for 3rd party programs more or less important for N2k3's users than
FB's semi-dynamic campaign and it's overspeed-warning kick in the stick (I
noticed it in the BF109-K4) are for FB's users - that discussion I'd rather
leave to someone else.

And I concede that maybe I'm wrong - I've had N2k3 longer than FB, so there
is a chance I'll discover something in FB that makes me change my mind.

Achim

Well, I was thinking dynamic campaign, 45 new planes, a couple new
countries, etc.  But yeah.

As far as N2k3 goes, the only substantial improvement IMHO is the
damage model.  There are a lot of nice smaller changes such as the
ability for a 3rd-party telemetry app, altho we already have one
integrated into the competition's (admittedly inferior) product.  

Just thought it would be interesting doing a "back of the box"
comparison.

N2003

1. First with 2003 Drivers, Teams, and Sponsors.
2. Adaptive AI adjust to the driver's skill level automatically.
3. Race on all 23 NASCAR tracks, including the newly renovated New
Hampshite International Speedway and Infineon Raceway.
4. Nascar Tutorials and Driving Aids help you get around the track
faster.
5. Compete against a full NASCAR field of drivers online.

IL-2: FB

1. 30 new flyable aircraft including new German Stukas and American
P-47s.
2. 20 new single-player missions.
3. Three new map areas of Finland, Hungary, and Ukraine/Poland.
4. New Dynamic Campaign system.
5. New multiplayer missions for up to 32 players both dogfight and
cooperative style.
6. New and improvied AI, plus new vehicles and ground objects.
7. Scalable difficulty for players of all levels.

Obviously they've both had tweaks done to the physics (I hesitate to
use the word improvements), force feedback, etc, but the above were
the money items that the publishers felt were important enough to
stick on the box.

Now, if I were to rewrite the N2003 one so it matched the IL-2:FB
feature list, it would look like this:

1. 4 distinct car models with individual aerodynamic characteristics
as well as team-specific engines and chassis modelled from real-life
data.
2. Can't think of a fair comparison since there aren't any
Beat-the-Heat or Thunder-Challenge style missions.
3. Race on all 23 NASCAR tracks, including the newly renovated New
Hampshite International Speedway and Infineon Raceway.
4. Career mode.
5. Can't think of a comparison here either.
6. Adaptive AI adjust to the driver's skill level automatically.
7. Nascar Tutorials and Driving Aids help you get around the track
faster.

Jason

Mitch

ok, you win ;-)

Achim