IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover

About

IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover is a combat flight simulator set in World War II. The game offers a realistic flying experience with detailed aircraft models and accurate battle scenarios. Players can engage in aerial combat and tactical missions, flying for the Royal Air Force or the German Air Force over the skies of Europe.

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Play Modes

IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover screenshot

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 361 reviews

graphics24 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

Highly immersive experience with realistic flight mechanics and detailed cockpits.
Great community support with mods like Team Fusion that enhance gameplay and fix bugs.
Variety of aircraft available, allowing players to experience different roles in WWII air combat.

Game is plagued with technical issues and bugs, especially on launch, making it frustrating to play.
Requires extensive troubleshooting and third-party patches to function properly, particularly on newer operating systems.
Limited single-player content and missions, with some players finding the campaign lacking in depth.

graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
43%
6%
The graphics in this game have received widespread praise for their realism and quality, often described as a significant improvement over previous versions and competitive with more recent titles. Players appreciate the stunning visuals and immersive experience, particularly when utilizing the Team Fusion patches that enhance graphical fidelity. However, some users note that the game can be demanding on hardware, requiring a powerful system to fully enjoy the graphical details.
- “The graphics were a huge improvement over previous versions.”
- “Good graphics, great gameplay, and thanks to Team Fusion, it just gets better and better.”
- “Graphics amazing.”
- “While I, despite maxed graphics settings, am sometimes not able to see contacts in BOS, it's easily possible in CLOD to develop situational awareness.”
- “Slow, somewhat blocky or even cartoony graphics and optimized for the past generation of hardware.”
- “Another rather negative thing is that this game is extremely graphic intensive.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
71%
10%
The game's story aspect is criticized for its inconsistency and lack of engaging content, with only a few missions available for the British campaign, some of which feel more like filler than actual gameplay. While there are moments of excitement in dogfights and bombing runs, many missions are marred by bugs and a confusing interface, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the narrative elements struggle to provide a cohesive and enjoyable experience, leaving players wanting more depth and variety.
- “There is a large variety of missions in the game with a great number of planes from each side and two fun campaigns following the lives and thoughts of pilots at the time.”
- “I recommend doing some of the campaign missions first, to get a feel for things.”
- “In one mission you attack a flight of German bombers, which is fun.”
- “Only 4 single player missions for British.”
- “One was a crash after watching an in-game recording I made of myself flying, and the other was some weird bug in allied mission 11 where you fly a captured German plane and your own allies shoot at you, even the AA on the airfield that you are taking off from.”
- “Another issue is that there isn't really much to do in the game except for casually flying around, unless you want to spend a lot of time in the mission builder or engage in multiplayer matches.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game's stability has been a significant issue, with many users reporting it as "buggy" and "unplayable" at launch, leading to frustration with control and multiplayer functionalities. However, recent mods and patches from the community have improved performance considerably, transforming it into a more stable experience for some players. Despite these improvements, lingering bugs and a lack of official support continue to deter potential new players.
- “I have only about 60 hours in this sim, but now that I have the TF mods loaded up, it runs great and looks awesome. I've been spending more time on it.”
- “The multiplayer was mostly broken, and I remember getting my flight stick to work took a good amount of troubleshooting.”
- “I have tried everything, this game is a buggy mess and does not work.”
- “I bought this bug-ridden mess of a game for $2.99 and I still feel that I have been ripped off.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by impressive graphics and realistic flight mechanics, appealing primarily to simulation enthusiasts. However, it suffers from a clunky interface and bugs, which can detract from the experience, especially for newcomers. While the difficulty can be adjusted, many players feel that the game remains unfinished and would benefit from additional tutorials and patches, such as those from Team Fusion, which significantly enhance gameplay quality.
- “The difficulty settings allow you to either fly easily with no problems or choose which types of plane mechanics you'd like to make more challenging.”
- “Great graphics, great gameplay, whether in the many single-player missions or online multiplayer with up to a possible 128 players in a single game.”
- “Good graphics, great gameplay, and thanks to Team Fusion, it just gets better and better.”
- “The game has great potential (still, after 5 years), yet it still feels unfinished—the not so intuitive gameplay combined with the increased difficulty level compared to the previous IL-2 titles. I feel that some tutorials on the planes, air tactics, etc. would be a welcome addition.”
- “Beautiful terrain, models, environment, but horrible gameplay.”
- “In WT, like in Wings of Prey (same game engine, same gameplay), the flight model is sometimes out of touch with what you would expect a plane to do in the air at all.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
56%
28%
The game's optimization has been a significant concern, particularly at launch, with many users reporting poor performance, bugs, and a lack of multithreading support, making it unplayable on lower-end systems. However, recent patches have improved performance for some players, allowing for smoother gameplay at higher settings, though issues still persist for others. Overall, while the game offers a detailed experience, it is recommended to wait for further optimizations before investing heavily.
- “Tons of options to set the realism experience to acceptable levels while you learn to fly these very unique high-performance period aircraft, each with their own very different strengths and weaknesses.”
- “Runs smoothly at max settings with GTX 670, i5 2600K, 8 GB RAM, Windows 7 64-bit.”
- “This game had some issues on original release with performance optimization, but let me tell you: a) it's much better now, b) it had performance issues because it is such a detailed game!”
- “There are some issues sometimes regarding the engine, which is not optimized for multithreading and therefore requires a relatively strong CPU/GPU combination to run smoothly at 60+ fps. But once you take your time and set everything up, it's just great.”
- “And personally, but maybe more people also had a similar problem with the performance of the sim; my laptop and desktop PC I had then were not powerful enough to run it, and it was completely unplayable.”
- “This simulator by itself is not good at all; it is badly optimized and comes across as a complete disaster.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with users noting that it is enjoyable and reminiscent of the romantic soundtrack from "Downton Abbey."
- “The music is good.”
- “The music soundtrack was lifted right out of a romantic episode of Downton Abbey.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's replayability is enhanced by a vibrant modding community that has improved its quality and feel, making it competitive with its predecessor, IL-2 1946. However, some users feel that a full-priced title should not rely on mods and patches to maintain its playability.
- “Multiplayer is thriving with the mod, and it enhances the game to a level that feels even better than its legendary predecessor, IL-2 1946. While 1946 still has more playable options and theaters, the Cliffs of Dover Fusion mod offers a fresh and engaging experience.”
- “There is a strong user community that has created mods and patches, significantly increasing the game's replayability and overall enjoyment.”
- “Yes, there is apparently a strong user community who have created mods and patches to make this a much more playable game, but, again, a full-release paid-for title on Steam should not require any of this.”
- “Multiplayer is well alive with the mod, and with the mod, the game even manages to be better in quality and feel than its legendary predecessor IL-2 1946. However, 1946 still beats Cliffs of Dover Fusion mod by having more playable options and theaters.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers highlight that the game's atmosphere is uniquely engaging, making it more enjoyable than other flight simulators like IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad. This distinctive ambiance keeps players returning for a more immersive experience.
- “I have IL-2 BOS and other sims, but I still go back to this one as the most fun because they just don't have the same atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere in this game is incredibly immersive, making every flight feel like a real adventure.”
- “From the stunning visuals to the ambient sounds, the atmosphere truly pulls you into the experience.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the lack of grinding in the game, highlighting that it offers a straightforward experience without the need for unlocking or pay-to-progress mechanics. Instead, the focus is on skill development in flying and fighting, supported by a welcoming community.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for nothing.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding really detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a deep emotional connection to the game, with some indicating that it has the power to evoke strong feelings, leading them to take significant breaks from gaming altogether. This suggests that the game's narrative or experience resonates profoundly, impacting players' emotional states.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is consistently effective, with players noting that it elicits laughter throughout the experience.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch; I found myself laughing out loud at the clever dialogue.”
- “The witty banter between characters kept me entertained throughout my playthrough.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create hilarious moments that catch you off guard.”