IL-2 Sturmovik VR Modules
The IL-2 buying list is confusing – here’s a good starting point for VR pilots who don’t want to buy the non-VR modules.
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Which IL-2 Games are in VR?
Its hard to tell, since they don’t make a point of stating if a game supports VR or not most of the time. I wasted my money buying Cliffs of Dover Blitz for example, which might support VR at some time in the future but as of now is just a piece of junk as far as I’m concerned.
If you are as confused as I was about where to start in VR, the safest place that gives you most options long-term is by buying the Battle of Stalingrad on Steam. I have been using it in VR, so I can definitely tell you it’s ok!
If you get to the point where you are happy flying around in Stalingrad, you can optionally add extra content in the form of the Battle of Bodenplatte, the Battle of Kuban, the Battle of Moscow, and the Flying Circus volume 1. As you can see from the screenshot, the modules show up as a list on the loading screen.
There are other IL-2 games you can buy which are not part of this set, but I haven’t put the time to figure out if any of them can be used with VR, and I’m not going to waste my money and time a second time. When you think about it, its a shocking omission from a sales point of view and you would have thought that someone within their team would have done something about it many years ago, its that basic.
Why Buy on Steam?
As much as I don’t like steam, it will provide some useful services:
- Money conversions are removed from the buying process
- Updates are handled in a straight-forward manner
- You won’t have to manage yet another login
- You can connect your steam purchases with the IL-2 website but not the other way around.
However, if you choose to download these modules directly from the website then you do not necessarily have to buy Battle of Stalingrad first and the developers will not have to pay Steam part of the purchase. You will also get early access to modules they are developing. Personally, my experience with the endless Star Citizen promises have put me off of buying things that are not finished anyway.
The Steam Store Buying Model
Prices are in GBP as seen during a recent sale.
Due to the way the Steam store structures things, Battle of Stalingrad has been nominated as the ‘base game’ for the Great Battles series. It’s not really a base game, it’s just done that way to fit in with the Steam store. The other parts of the game are then purchased as an extension to the nominated base game.
A Video Explanation
Sheriff’s Sim Shack has a good explanation of how this part of the IL-2 series hangs together.