Hey Chris
Sorry I snapped at ya. As you say, typing is an imperfect medium. Sorry if I put your nose out of joint even a little.
Il2-46 is still awesome for the range it covers and how it looks, but this, if if it is done well (and I think 777 will make it so) has me seriously interested.

The first part of the developers diary has been posted:
http://forum.il2sturmovik.net/index.php?showtopic=168

Well Hi Jude.
Of course I'm not mad.
Christopher

Well I guess we are going to get the usual "2 CAMPS" !!!!
Those for, and those against !!!
Reminds me of when COD was first announced.
What everyone seems to be missing is,what I discussed with RDDR & Monty27 last night on Skype. ( best freebie on the web)
Its sort of like going to the movies, today its all special effects.3D etc, but the story line and acting SUCKS !!!
Or you can watch a classic movie, with great dialogue etc and feel IMO much more entertained !!

Il-2 IMO is like the original Star Wars Films
COD IMO is like the last three with better effects but nothing else !!
I personally think Il-2 will be with us for a long time as it is GAME PLAY that counts in the long run and not CONFETTI !!

My 2 cents & 4 Quid

... very interesting reads:

http://forum.il2sturmovik.net/index.php?showtopic=6

http://forum.il2sturmovik.net/index.php?showtopic=168

For me this is very much like Deja Vu .
I took a look at the pages over at the IL2 .
Probably the last time was when Oleg was publishing Grabs from the up and coming COD.
It's almost the same to me,just the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
I sure was disappointed with COD as many others were after waiting those years.
I guess we'll just have to see what happens. It sure will be difficult to outclass IL2 and DBW with all the work
from the greats at SAS and here. I'm very happy ATM.

I agree with Duggy that it'll be the quality of the game-play that'll make or break this (or any) game. While I'm not a massive RoF fan I do like it and I've never felt ripped-off when I've purchased any new kites as they're very well done... and I figure that 777 has made the not unreasonable assumption that if one can afford to buy the game then one can probably afford to buy the occasional new aircraft as well. If the game is good enough then I figure that people won't balk at occasionally purchasing a new kite, just look at all those MMO players who buy a game then pay a monthly subscription fee to be able to play it.
I'm quietly optomistic about BoS (for now) and anyway I feel that it's just a matter of time untill something comes along and replaces IL2, she's an old game and she ain't getting any younger! Maybe it'll be BoS.

for the german speeking guys:

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/IL-2-Sturmovik-PC-16491/News/IL-2-Sturmovik-Battle-of-Stalingrad-angekuendigt-1039773/

that message doesn?t sound good for me ...

Like all of you it is wait and see for me as well,however think about this one.
What if someone stepped in and bought COD used the existing aircraft and built another engine....A thought

In some ways its a great thing that anyone is still prepared to develop a flight sim (not a game) at all, wether or not it will be worth dumping IL2 remains to be seen.

Just got to wait and see what unfolds.

I for one will take a lot of persuading to change, also another thought , being a retired person on a limiting pension the financial burden of continuous purchases is not at all attractive.
I need my money for food not aircraft! LOL