When I click on the desktop icon, which says IL2, it launches a splash page showing "Aces Expansion Pack" on the left, and "Pacific Fighters" on the right, with no apparent way to choose from among them. It then quickly launches Pacific Fighters. There appears to be no way to get into IL2 games. Similarly, when I downloaded the manual, only the Pacific Fighters manual opened up.


I may just be confused? It seems as if the game that's letting me in, an incredibly boring and bland settings page, sends you not to just the Pacific Fighters game, but is rather a portal to all of the missions from each of the "Five Games"?

Still......the only manual that's downloading for me is Pacific Fighters. Clearly, this game requires a lot of information....for starters, where is the "time compression" setting to slow down or speed up the action? How about "camera view"?

I'm looking for the features I loved in "Secret Weapons Over Normandy", and instead get plunked into a complex and intimidating cockpit, not where I want to be at all.


Update again......and now that I'm in, finally.......the joystick isn't working with this game. Can't find drivers for the ST 290. Is it just too old?

Update again....nope, just hard to find the download section of their website. got this joystick a long time ago at Circuit City....I'm so glad they went out of business.

Update again.....joystick seems to be responding, but only for a couple of the controls.
Throttle movement on the joystick produces no results.....can't get the menu to accept assignment of the joystick as throttle control.

Way too many things you HAVE to control.....guess what, I have a chair, a keyboard, and a joystick with only a few buttons......not a cockpit of an aircraft attached to my computer!

The keyboard is going to be much too awkward and slow as a method for flying a plane in combat, so that is OUT. How do you shut off things like the necessity to operate things like "rudder" and "elevator"......I dont' CARE about things like that. And the joystick is just not working.....arrrrrgh! I am hating this game, and I haven't even played it yet.

Where is the JUICY stuff, where is the MEAT? Where is the fun, fun, FUN?????

Secret Weapons Over Normandy was fun in the first ten seconds of the game, and total fun all the way through.....this game says, "read an encyclopedia, spend five days of real time in boring study, and then maybe we will condescned to let you fly".

Where is the time compression key?

What good are the "lessons" in this game....they SHOW you and TELL you stuff, but there is no INTERACTIVITY???? Whaaaat? How are you going to learn without interactivity???
Every "lesson" for every model of plane is the same exact dialog, same information for every plane, so why bother having seperate ones?

Have you downloaded the Reference Card? You might need to scroll a little bit as it is last on the list for downloadable contact.

ease Sight Distance User Defined
rease Sight Distance User Defined
ust Sight Control to Right User Defined
ust Sight Control to Left User Defined
ease Sight Altitude User Defined
rease Sight Altitude User Defined

TIME COMPRESSION
Accelerate Time x2/x4/x8 ]
Normal Time ‘
Decelerate Time x2/x4 [
Pause Game P, Pause

This is not an easy game to fly, I currently feel joy every time I make a successful landing and I really only started playing this game back in late 2008.

But yes, the manual (and reference card) are only Pacific Fighters, but that covers everything in the game. If something is missing in the manual, it is missing for all the manuals.

Thank you. Where do I get a game like Secret Weapons Over Normandy with more flyable planes and scenarios? Frustration is not fun. Work is not fun. Crushing boring complexity is not fun.

Sorry, can't help you with SWON.

I understand the dislike for the complexity, which is why I still fly Red Baron 3D. But under the right conditions, the complexity of IL-2 can be fun when one lands after an hour long mission with a group of friends.

I use the ST290Pro stick and I have no problems with it. Have you set it up under Hardware Setup in the main menu?

I'd rather have realistic and challenging, to arcade 1942 and easy. To each his own, but after you master this beast nothing even comes close... trust me.

You can adjust the difficulty settings. there's about 3 pages of things you can turn off/on. I'm not much of a pilot and have no problems. Once you feel comfortable, you can slowly make it more difficult if you want. As for a joystick, I don't think they cost too much. I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro that's about 5 years or so. Is the stick you have USB? Try a different USB port as it may just not work.