IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover

How convenient it is to hide behind the loud “realistic simulator”! Anything can be hidden under this signboard — from a real masterpiece to a dubious piece of work, which will then be justified with the phrase “well, this game is not for everyone”. And there are simulators that have found a whole army of fans. Just try to say: “This is not at all like real life!” — the fans will shut you up in an instant, and the desire to argue will disappear in an instant. Naturally, we decided to go further and asked real pilots: to what extent do flights in IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover correspond to what they feel in the sky? The funniest thing is that they complained exclusively about the lack of overloads. Even when they did something close to aerial suicide on the screen, the same cozy English fields remained before their eyes, just turned upside down. As it turned out later, a couple of necessary checkboxes in the settings were simply not enabled – that’s why they weren’t sickened, like our poor correspondent in a recent report on the topic “I see the ground, but why is it on top?”

And yet – despite all the difficulties, both the pilots and we, the editorial staff, willingly went for what in other games would have long been considered overkill. We sat down, dug through the menu, learned a bunch of keys, launched the mission… And then, according to the instructions, started the engine, took off, flew to the designated point and entered the battle. Why? It’s simple – curiosity. Everyone manifests it in their own way: someone will turn on the engine for the first time, someone will land without an accident, and we… We stayed so that after the mission we could slowly return to the base, sit down carefully and read another portion of the text about what the hero feels. And you know, it was worth it.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover Free Steam Account

The Battle of Britain is not just a chapter in a history book, but a true symbol of courage and selflessness. Imagine: the summer of 1940, the skies above Great Britain are buzzing with thousands of German and Italian planes – almost four thousand of them. Opposing them are British pilots, who have only half of such an air fleet. Chances? Minuscule. But the spirit is unwavering. Now imagine that one of those who takes to the air to meet this colossus is an eighteen-year-old boy. He has just completed his training, received minimal training, and in May 1940 joined the ranks of the Royal Air Force. No combat experience, not a single real battle behind him. He is immediately put at the controls of a Hawker Hurricane fighter – a powerful machine that will later be used in the Soviet Union. His combat path is just beginning, and he will immediately face a real war.

Meanwhile, experienced pilots are given a much more difficult task – to fight an organized and massive attack by the Luftwaffe. In the end, the German campaign will fail, but that will be later. In the meantime, our hero lives every day, writing down events, thoughts and emotions in his diary. These notes are not just memories, but living evidence of what happened in the air during those hot months. The Germans, by the way, are in no hurry to share such things – apparently, they are not too proud of the results of that summer. As for the game – it allows you not only to participate in these events, but literally immerse yourself in them with your head. Already at the settings stage, you can see how detailed and lovingly the material is presented. You can change the pilot’s appearance, choose a uniform, helmet, accessories – down to the smallest details. The plane can also be customized: old rivets, peeling paint, combat marks – all this gives the machine character.

But the most interesting part is hidden in the “Realism” menu. By default, many options are disabled — the developers have thoughtfully made your life easier, especially if you are a beginner. The controls become more forgiving and soft, and even the wind will not blow you off course during your first attempt to land. However, if you want real sensations, you can enable all the parameters — and then each takeoff will be a small victory, and the landing — a separate feat.

A separate pleasure is the visual part. It is worth digging a little into the graphics to squeeze the maximum out of your hardware. The game, frankly speaking, does not spare even the top-end assemblies — we were not able to fly stably at maximum settings. But even at “high” settings, the detailing is pleasing to the eye: pastoral British landscapes float under the wings — green fields, neat forests, old windmills. Somewhere below, red double-decker buses slowly crawl, and you get the feeling that life goes on as usual, despite the roar of engines and the rumble of anti-aircraft guns. This game is not just a flight simulator. It is a story told through the prism of personal experience. It does not try to glamorize the war, on the contrary, it shows how terrible, tense and at the same time heroic that time was. And it does it so realistically that after a couple of flights you are no longer just “playing” – you are living in 1940.

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Why IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover is the best WWII dogfight simulator

“Battle of Britain” in IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover is not just another flight simulator, but a real leap in time. The developers approached the creation of the game world with rare meticulousness. A huge map covering southern England, the English Channel and part of northern France is recreated with maximum accuracy based on the image of the 1940s. This is not just an environment – it is an atmosphere. The size is impressive: it will take a lot of time to fly the entire map from edge to edge. In terms of scale, the territory is comparable to about ten Chechen republics – and this is only the main part, without taking into account individual locations created for multiplayer battles. And in online battles, the scale is simply amazing: up to 128 people can simultaneously participate in an air battle, coordinating actions, covering each other or hunting alone. This is no longer just a game – this is a large-scale simulation of a real war in the air. And even if it sounds pompous, the feeling of being a pilot from the Second World War comes very quickly here.

Particular attention is paid to details. For example, the aircraft cockpits are not just similar to the originals, they are recreated with amazing accuracy. The clicks of switches, the creaks of levers, the movement of instrument needles – all this is not just decorations, but part of the mechanics that affect the feeling of flight. For many players, this may be the first “contact” with the equipment of that era. Even if you have never been interested in aviation from the Second World War, the game can awaken this interest. At the same time, IL-2 is not fixated exclusively on antiquity. The collection also includes something newer – for example, the same Su-26M. Yes, it is still retro, but from the 1980s – a little closer to modern times. It is perceived as a breath of fresh air against the backdrop of an antique car fleet, but still fits into the general style of the game with respect for historical truth.

However, the value of Cliffs of Dover is not only in the aircraft models or accurate maps. The main thing is the spirit of the simulator. This is a game that is not afraid to be difficult, does not try to adapt to a casual audience. Everything is serious here: from takeoff to landing, from navigation to radio control. Of course, there are training missions, but no one will hold your hand – you will have to learn to fly, as real pilots did. And this is what makes the game truly exciting. Patches and updates were initially needed like air – the release was controversial. However, over time, the project acquired improvements, the community actively helped to identify and eliminate bugs. Now the game looks much more stable and offers rich functionality, especially in the mission editor. This tool is a real gift for creative players: you can create your own scenarios, rebuild the chronology of events, experiment with the conditions of battles.

The fan community of IL-2 is a separate topic. These are not just players, these are true enthusiasts of aviation, history and game design. They are the ones who continue to keep the project alive by creating modifications, making translations, organizing online tournaments and even reconstructing the events of air campaigns. Such games always have a future – because there are people with burning eyes behind them.

And most importantly – it is nice to realize that there are still studios in the industry that make such projects. Not for the sake of mass popularity, but for the sake of the idea, for the sake of immersion, for the sake of respect for history. And when among hundreds of identical action games and loot boxes a game appears where the atmosphere, detail and genuine passion for their work come to the fore – it is impossible not to appreciate it. So we will wait for the continuation. Who knows, maybe the next one will be “Battle for Moscow”? Or a campaign in North Africa? Or maybe the developers will look into the cold skies of Korea in the 1950s … In any case, you don’t just want to play such games – you want to live in them.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover System Requirements

How to play IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover on Steam via VpeSports

Have you ever dreamed of feeling what it’s like to sit in the cockpit of an old fighter, break through the clouds and fight over the English Channel? Now you have a real chance to feel the spirit of air battles of World War II — and all this is absolutely free. Yes, you heard right — IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover is waiting for you, and you don’t have to spend a penny for it.

We at VpeSports decided: everyone should try such games. All you need to do is go to our website and create an account. It will only take a couple of minutes. After logging in, just look at the section with free steam account. Cliffs of Dover is already waiting for you among them. Find the game, open the review page — and you will see the treasured button leading to detailed instructions for installation and launch. We made everything as simple as possible so that you don’t waste time searching.

But it’s important for us not only to give you the game — we want you to share your impressions. After you try the game, come back and leave a comment. We read every review because we really value your communication. If your comment doesn’t appear right away, don’t panic. All messages are moderated, so just make sure everything is written correctly and resend if necessary. Once the review is checked, we’ll send you your Steam account login and password by email.

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If something goes wrong, don’t worry. The site has a detailed step-by-step guide that will help you easily figure out how to install and launch Cliffs of Dover. We tried to make everything clear even to those who have never played such simulators before. So fasten your seatbelts, check your devices, and welcome to the sky. The battle begins right now.