Ok, so I had to write this down after a really good evening in IL2 BoX yesterday…
OD
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An outstanding article, and well worth the read for everyone… do yourself a favor and click the link! I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. What particularly resonated with me as your comment comparing modern a/c with the warbirds…
“There is something satisfying about this kind of flying that can be absent from the more modern aircraft”
I couldn’t agree more, and I own and tried them all in DCS, both modern and WWII. There’s a simplicity about the warbirds that gives me, at least, a greater sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like I’m really flying as compared to keeping a computer system going so that it will fly for me.
For that reason, given the choice, I always prefer the warbirds. The Spitfire is my favorite, but they are all great really.
I also agree 100% with what you said comparing DCS and IL-2. I can’t really add more to what you’ve said as you said it very well. It’s difficult enough trying to master the characteristics of a given aircraft much less having to do so with more than one flight sim. It seems to me, at the end of the day, that DCS has a significant enough edge with its flight model and clickable cockpits that it is the winner in my opinion. The mission editor is good enough that we can design missions to provide the immersion IL-2 seems to be better at. I do think we will see more a/c coming.
The Bodenplatte add-on is going to really reveal to us how Eagle Dynamics feels about the WWII side of the sim. My guess is that everyone will flock to IL-2 for a while to check it out. Unless DCS wants to lose its WWII player base, it’s going to have to come up with some things of its own to draw people back or keep them in DCS. Whether they do or not will really reveal to us their commitment level.
Most of the readers have probably seen the “letter” put out by Eagle Dynamics late last year, wherein they pointed out of the significant revenue stream that the warbirds provide. It would seem that DCS can’t afford to lose that revenue. The IL2 efforts will, therefore, essentially force their hand. It will be interesting to observe.
Meanwhile, I’m with you that given the choice of IL3 and DCS, my preference is for DCS. That said, I’ll fly with whatever you guys use, wherever you guys want to. I’m new here, and you guys are much more experienced and knowledgeable than I am. So I defer to your wisdom and appreciate the forum to express my opinion.
Have a great weekend, all!
~Tage
Good blog. I feel you, but there are something I see differently 
I have been flying sims since I was 14 through years old. During that time I have been wandering through WWI, WWII, jets, helos and spacecrafts.
The ultimate jet sim for me was Falcon 4 with all the community add-on’s, but the amount of system management just bored me. I feelt removed from the flying, so I went back to WWII aircraft. The pinnacle of piston engine aircraft.
I joined EAF to fly WWII aircrafts in a Sqd. DCS have the clickable cockpit and high fidelity flightmodels, but to me it lacks immersion. There is only one WWII map with the bumpy and short runways. The lack of WWII aircraft’s is its Achilles heel. Just like Cliffs it is a huge obstacle against involving many types of pilots.
But what I really miss are WWII attack aircraft’s. Human controlled multi-engine bombers; Like the Mosquito, Bf110, Ju88A, Me410, Beufighter, A-26 etc.
I have yet to see what kind of SOW campaign will be made, but I have no doubt that the mission editor can cut it. The question is how is the dedicated server holding up?
Dserver in BoX i still a piece of shit. It is still tied to one CPU core.A Dservers load capacity depends on the Ghz. The higher the load, the more Ghz it needs.
So server admins use triggers and zones to enable/disable stuff which takes up CPU load. At the moment It is not capable of running a SEOW style campaign which was done in the OLD IL-2 1946.
So why do I stick to BoX?
I believe in BoX and its developers because, they have proven that they can stick to their roadmap (with small delays). The community are kept regular informed of progress. Progress on WWII aircraft’s and the flyable aircraft’s are diverse and sufficient to create a believable campaign on a historic looking map. Which give me the immersion I want. I have no need to see yet another western European map. To me the Pacific would be a much better choice.
As a bonus the cost pr. aircraft makes it easier to attract new players and create a larger community.
(As a note, I own all the DCS WWII a/c as well as the A-10C, UH-1, Normandy map, Nevada map)
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with what you’ve said, I agree that sometimes all the system management in DCS can be tedious too, but it’s also what sets it apart. BoX has a very limited management system, basically open a couple of radiators and you’re good to go, open them fully and you don’t have to think about them again.
DCS definitely lacks WW2 aircraft, but that’s what causes the lack of immersion. The AI are coming with the assets pack, eventually, and you’re damn right about lack of strike aircraft. Mosquito is coming and that’s my WW2 strike aircraft thirst satiated! I’d love to see B-25’s, B-26’s, Beaufighters, Ju88, Bostons but I think that will be a long time coming!
BoX can churn them out but they do t have the same fidelity. The main thing with BoX is that it is very enjoyable once in a good multiplayer server and you’re flying with friends.
I’ll give a ww2 dcs another go after summer, however i’ll need help and some training, looking forward to it after i saw that vid Tom posted.
However i still think il2 will remain my numero uno ww2 sim (Starfire said it nicely), it’s FM is very good and inflight system managment doesn’t fall much behind…mostly it’s missing clickpit and startup proccedure and i’m fine with that even i would love to see it one day in il2.
Also stil waiting new grip so i can get my hands on jets.
Also looking forward to Pacific theatre in il2, that will get all my attention for a long time.
It’s the best all round WW2 sim, there’s no doubt about that. I really enjoy flying it, especially when we have number on; I just enjoy DCS more! More specifically I enjoy my Harrier more, I want to enjoy my Hornet more, but I barely touch it!
What really irritates me about box are the faulty over cooling system. The feature is there. Its even possible to have servers disable start with hot engines. But with this it takes forever to get the engine warmed up, even with radiators closed. Overcooling have no effect at all. Something I’m quite sure will break the engine in reallife.
As someone that have never gotten into BoX I can’t really say too much about it except that it haven’t been able to pull me in the times I’ve tried it. It’s been a while, so maybe I should try again.
So maybe an unfair comparison, but I get more feeling of flying in DCS, no matter if I fly the Spitfire or the Viggen, and I have to admit I love both of them. And having flown WW2 almost exclusively since I joined EAF 19 years ago it have been a welcome change to fly something a bit more modern the last year (though mixed with WW2).
As a Brit, I find it difficult to get immersed when flying BoX over places and terrain that have no personal historical interest for me. It may be stupid, but when not defending a bit of the world that I am not familiar with I just can’t get serious or implicated - I know that I have complained about navigating in the Steppes where everything looks the same and yes I do need to practice and to be more careful on VFR.
Being a bit French on the side, I could get involved in Normandie-Niemen style - I’ve tried in Box, but the experience of the campaign we participated in run by the French Check-six boys was a bit of a disaster on comms and coordination.
So I can’t wait for the IL2 Bodenplatte map which will put me back into a familiar historical context. As I understand this map takes over from the DCS Normandy map and covers the post invasion period.
Having spent a year trying to master DCS, tops for me would be an SoW campaign in DCS.
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Agree!
Hi Mikke!
Last year has been a groundbreaking for BoX with updated FM and many more things, even i think you’ll still preffer DCS.
Going to order Modern combat grip for gunfighter today, Hornet too!
Last time I flew BoX might have been in january or so, and I suspect there have been things happening since then.
Hornet you say, I bought it just before release, and so far I’ve sat in the cockpit twice I think, haven’t even tried to set up my controls for it. 
Not much changed since january, it’s hard/weird to get used to other sim i guess…takes time, but maybe some fun night flying with others could change that.
I was too lazy to setup controls for spit and p51 in dcs and never give it a proper go (now going to imagine lazyness with modern jet), that’s why i’m counting on OD’s help once i give it another go.
What will keep me in BoX is more alive MP, number of opponents and those bomber flights with Starfire, expecially when Pacific starts developing…torpedo runs
But also looking forward to get along with more complicated aircraft managment in DCS, expecially if that SoW server drags in more pilots on both sides.
Starfire and Apollo know how much i love shotdown other pilots when i’m in the mood ;p
I always flew on IL 2 box, and I bought Bodenplatte…But I discovered DCS WWII planes…
And in my very very modest opinion, in IL 2 we can play… In DCS we can fly… 
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Talking of delays in development in Cliffs, Bodenplatte also seems long in coming
On the Team Fusion scale of delays this is mere nonseconds in comparison. Wasn’t it because of not being able to access a Tempest cockpit etc.