What makes great combat flight sim AI? Is it an Ubercomputer pilot which knows every move in the book, flies right to the edge of the envelope and computes lead like it has a slide rule in the cockpit?

Or is it a dogfight in which you don’t know if you’re up against a novice or an Ace until the shooting starts, where the guy on your tail might be stuck there like glue one minute and then spinning to earth because he misjudged his energy the next? A furball where one burst might send one Messerschmitt fleeing home to Mutti, while the next will attack you like he is avenging a lost brother?

If your answer is option 2, then read on because you are in for a treat!

New dynamically changing AI that will do what you least expect, when you least expect it!



Historically accurate British and German ground models, from vehicles, buildings and ships to accurate airfield layouts for dozens of airfields.



Meticulously modelled landscape features on the coast of SE England



New customisable HUD gauges for pure dogfighting fun!



Hundreds of new historically precise skins, modelling virtually every Spit, Hurricane and 109 in every squadron in the Order of Battle, down to their correct unit ID numbers.




More than 25 new screenshots and full preview HERE
http://www.freewebs.com/heinkill/bob2news.htm

Ok, I HAVE to reinstall BoB II one of these days.

:yes:

From the article, "...if you haven’t played or patched BOBII lately, and you enjoy offline flying and fighting you will get an nerve wracking, gut wrenching and immersive offline dogfighting experience, and the cost of upgrading is $zero. So the answer to (should I reinstall?) is a resounding YES."

Awesome. BoB2 is one of the great combat air sims and their customer service and continuing support goes above and beyond.

Thanks.

Am I allowed to admit I've being hopping into the cockpit with the new HUD 2D gauges and blasting away console style!? (It's like XBox but with PC fidelity flight models and AI.)

No? OK, then I won't...

Great AI is AI that respects the laws of physics, doesn't shoot like it has laser sights, and flies with the same FM, but can still kill you.

I've been giving the BOBII beta AI build a try, mostly in instant action missions, where there are fewer aircraft and I can hold my own.

Last night I tried it in a campaign and out of my first five sorties, I ended up hitting the silk four times! You really have to fly like your life depends on it when there are aircraft from horizon to horizon. Even though I have Track IR and my head was on a swivel, every time I'd line up another aircraft, I'd get hammered.

Then I realised I was still playing like a lone wolf, IL2 style. Next sortie I flew as Sq leader and ordered my wingman to cover me, and flew so that he could. We bagged two before I ran out of ammo. Then I flew as wingman, and tried to cover my leader. That was hell, but I saved his butt twice and we managed one kill.

I used to just map aircraft controls to my stick, now I can see I'm going to have to map wingman commands!

Great AI is AI that respects the laws of physics, doesn't shoot like it has laser sights, and flies with the same FM, but can still kill you.

I've been giving the BOBII beta AI build a try, mostly in instant action missions, where there are fewer aircraft and I can hold my own.

Last night I tried it in a campaign and out of my first five sorties, I ended up hitting the silk four times! You really have to fly like your life depends on it when there are aircraft from horizon to horizon. Even though I have Track IR and my head was on a swivel, every time I'd line up another aircraft, I'd get hammered.

Then I realised I was still playing like a lone wolf, IL2 style. Next sortie I flew as Sq leader and ordered my wingman to cover me, and flew so that he could. We bagged two before I ran out of ammo. Then I flew as wingman, and tried to cover my leader. That was hell, but I saved his butt twice and we managed one kill.

I used to just map aircraft controls to my stick, now I can see I'm going to have to map wingman commands!

Can I buy this as a download?

i think you can get it on the matrix games website. That's where I got it a few months ago.

Yes, you can.

I wanted to reinstall the game yesterday but unfortunately the CD had a BIG scratch and couldn't be read any more. I though about contacting the publisher for a replacement CD when I saw I could buy the download version on the official site for just 19.99$. Since their support and dedication for this sim has been outstanding the past years I ordered it. Transaction went smooth, downloaded the game and patches, installed it and was flying half an hour after purchasing the game online.

Now I've bought BoB three times: the original Rowan's BoB, BoB II (retail version) and BoB II (download version).

Money well spent!

Does it run on Vista by any chance?

I don't know Dave. Check the BoB 2 forum or the Shockwave forums.

I'm tellin' ya, these people define customer service. Great product, which has gotten better and better and the promise to get even better. How can you do it better than that?

Hi

Yes, many Vista users, most have had no issues. Those that do have issues usually find they are due to DirectX or driver related Windows problems.

Many helpful people standing by at Shockwave forums on standby to help with any tech issues.

http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7937

Ok final question should I wait until the download version is patched and available or go ahead and get it?

It's not as if the current version is terribly bugged or otherwise unplayable, au contraire. It is (and actually has been for quite some time) an excellent combat flightsim that will just get a bit better with the next patch. Think about the topping of the icing of the cake.

And seeing that the version I downloaded two days ago was still 2.06 (current version is 2.07) it will probably take some time before the download version is 'upgraded' to 2.08 after the patch is released.

To explain the beauty of the game: in one of my 1st missions in a freshly started campaign I decided to pay a little visit to Hawkinge airfield. Since at the beginning of the campaign German resources are rather limited I only sent a small package: I/Stukageschwader 1 (38 Ju-87s) escorted by a group of Jagdgeschwader 3 (30+ 109s). Probably due to some previous diversionary raids (and rather bad weather) we managed to sneak through to our target and strike Hawkinge with no RAF cover present, although the British flak put up a fierce defensive fire which hit at least three planes as the group dived through the clouds. We hit the airfield hard, then made back for France. Unfortunately, over the channel the RAF finally caught up with us. Three squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires tore into the Stukas while the 109s of the close escort turned to engage the attackers. 100+ planes swirling around, frantic radio calls, spinning, burning planes and debris falling from the sky.

And in the distance I could actually see a Staffel of 110s en route to engage a convoy sailing up the channel, as well as a recon Do-17 heading for a radar station I had bombed earlier that day for damage assessment.

We finally made it home, losing 10 aircraft (8 Stukas and 2 109s), while the RAF suffered 11 losses.

Oh, and a Hurricane finally got me, too. I bailed out of my Ju-87 over the channel, fortunately right next to an Udet buoy. Hope the Navy picks me up before supper, it looks like a stormy evening...

And that was just a 'small' mission on the 1st day of combat.



SG1 on way to Hawkinge



Bombs on target



Oh bugger...

Grrr.. can't find the darn disc. Wish this was on Steam.

Download game version 2.06 here ($20 USD):

http://www.a2asimulations.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=18

The reason the download is version 2.06 is that this was the last official version, though created with the help of the BoB Development Group (BDG). Since then patch 2.07 and now patch 2.08 have been created by the BDG with the permission of the developers A2A Simulations (formerly Shockwave).

Patch 2.07 is here:

http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9303

So go ahead and get in some hours in your Spit 1b before 2.08 hits Dave!

Here's another couple of screenies from 2.08:

New German objects



(FW190s just for fun...)

Spit over Poole Harbour



Purbeck coast Google Earth



Purbeck coast BOBII 2.08

I like the BoB terrain better. Plus it's got an airplane in it.

Ok I think I will give it a go.