IL-2 Sturmovik PC

IL-2 Sturmovik: The Cliffs of Dover 2011 PC Game Review

Fighters, bombers, combat vehicles and a realistic flight simulation and military action.

The latest creation from the parents of the outstanding series of flight simulators 2-Sturmovik Il finally among us. An ambitious game that meets many of its promises, but nevertheless is overshadowed by poor optimization becomes difficult to play as it deserves.
It has been more than five years since fans of flight simulators had a chance to try out the latest installment of the fantastic series 2-Sturmovik Il, and therefore the desire to enjoy the new work of its creators were very high. However, after spending hours trying to fly the skies of Britain, would have gladly endured a couple of months more than expected in return for a game without errors, but more importantly, with a level of graphics engine optimization much best we’ve found we can only classify as poor … to be good.

The war was not waged in the sky, but at home
Realistically, with a fantastically hard level of demand for pilots, and a implecable recreation of the 18 aircraft that allow us to drive. Cliffs of Dover is a notable improvement over the latest installment of the series. The game keeps intact the identity of 2-Il Sturmovik and subsequent expansions, but adds several important improvements in the artificial intelligence of allies and enemies pilots, control of the aircraft and, for example, the user interface , which introduces so noteworthy aspects as interactive control panel in the cockpits of the fighters and bombers. What happens is that all this comes to nothing when you enjoy the game becomes really complicated task.

And the problem is the unfortunate reality optimization level has been achieved in the game’s release. Something that translates into a succession of battles unbearable in certain scenarios like London, which is an ordeal to get position behind the tail of an enemy fighter shot dead. Not surprisingly, the constant tugging, these brutal fall in the rate of frames per second, completely undermine a gaming experience that otherwise would have become a delight for any lover of aerial combat games. The worst thing is that these same performance issues remain virtually every battle scenarios taking place on land, being the only right playground battles over the sea.

Its developers are working hard these days trying to solve these problems, and has already released a first patch which greatly improves the results seen after the release of the game, but this is not to deny that the matter should have been remedied before the game’s release , mainly because all users who have paid for Cliffs of Dover have done for a flight combat simulator, not a beta of what should have been and was not finally.

The pleasure of flying in hell
We know it is not easy to overcome the performance issues discussed above, and certainly this is something that many back down until the game is fully operational. However, we can not throw the great work ground level simulation that Maddox Games have done on this Cliffs of Dover. And if previous deliveries and IL-Sturmovik surprised by the level of realism, the simulator before us gives a little step forward, dramatically improving the artificial intelligence of allies and enemies to act now in an even more realistic making things really get difficult during the course of battle.

The recreation of the aircraft cabins , and more specifically, to interact fully with their control panels is an option that greatly satisfied because everything is a treat to get to tinker with remote controllers to control blood pressure plane or the mixture, the engine power, the possibility of regulating the spotlight to reach targets close or far away … But this is also reflected in the need to think of what to do and act immediately, because if we start press buttons to fool can finish burning engines. And here not all is solved by pressing a key point. Suffice as an example simply parachute in case of accident, because before the jump we take the straps to the pilot and then open the cockpit. The same is true if we drop a bomb, because if not we set before launch they will eventually fall without exploding upon reaching his goal.

In this sense, everything related to the engine management of the aircraft while surprising a very tough nut to crack, as in-flight maneuvers discover that the poor can end up teasing a huge variety of pieces: either the radiator , spark plugs, the board of the sheaves, etc. So, this is certainly an aspect that will please lovers of good simulators. Nor can we forget the good work carried out with the game’s interface , which is quite intuitive as far as it goes, with a wide range of configurable options related to the control system.

With all this, ride the skies of Great Britain is a challenge in the missions and individual campaigns including Cliffs of Dover, allowing us to meet various military missions and battles with fighters, bombers persecution, destruction of ground targets … In short, what usual in the series. The trouble is that as we said, it is hard to enjoy this show when everything is choppy.

A show at a high price
We have said repeatedly that the level of optimization Cliffs of Dover is not good, but if we focus on the graphics side, we can only offer praise for the great work done by Maddox. And that is the recreation of combat vehicles, especially aircraft, the true stars of the game is incredible, particularly when it comes to their cabins, which have been crafted with amazing care. So, see how the sunlight bathed with light control panels that cast shadows realistically, or see how the game pieces fall off with each hit the enemy, are just some small details that illustrate the efforts and the dedication of its creators have taken the time to give life to the game engine.

These details are also noticeable in the design of the battle arenas, who have won in every way. For example, clouds have greater consistency and to verify how the crystals pierce fog up. At ground level, the sense of depth and relief from the heights is achieved much more, and flying through a forest or a city will not give us the feeling of doing it on a flat stage. Of course, there are details such as buildings appear suddenly see that there are still present, but apart from this, few can make it stick to the game.

Assessment of IL-2 Sturmovik: The Cliffs of Dover 2011 PC
Very realistic, with a fantastic level of simulation and enough options to dazzle fans of the genre. What a pity that all this work is undermined by a bad ballast graphics engine optimization, which seriously diminishes the gaming experience. Its creators have released a first patch that significantly improves the results seen at first, but there is still much work to do. All we can say is that Cliffs of Dover has enormous potential as a simulator, and we hope we can soon fly the skies of Britain without problems.