Search the Community

I recently picked this title up for just under $10 US from GamersGate. I've read all the reviews, and I'm aware of the controversial DRM and the YuPlay issues. Well, the version at GamersGate is patched up to the most recent (and sadly, final) release, and the DRM can now be switched off, by selecting "No Startup Check" under advanced options. And I've also figured out how to defeat YuPlay. As the game is now only single player, YuPlay has been mostly rendered superfluous, but it still rears it's head on occasion, and loads a process every time one starts the game. Even after one exits the game, that process (YuPlay32.exe) stays in memory until one manually stops it. Using a simple hack, I was able to replace the YuPlay executable files with similarly named text files, and eliminated this behavior. This game runs smooth as butter on my Pentium G 3258/Geforce GTX750ti combo. I'm running it in full "simulation" mode, which I find to be about on par with "normal" mode in the Strike Fighters series. This title is supposedly built upon the IL2 engine, albeit with somewhat simplified flight models, which seem to share global stall characteristics. Prop torque, however, is nicely modeled, though it is perhaps a tad heavy handed in the case of the various Spitfires, Bf-109s, and P-51D. Missions and campaigns are canned, that is they are not random nor dynamic. They also have set time limits. Again, this is a game as opposed to a sim, albeit one with scaleable flight dynamics, excellent effects, and beautifully-detailed and bump-mapped models. Anyway, Judge for yourselves, here's a link to the free demo: http://www.gamershell.com/download_54548.shtml Here's the link to the full version at GamersGate: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-WOP/wings-of-prey Now for some screen shots: PS: I've gotten Dave, (yes, old cantankerous, hard-core Dave) hooked on this game!