Iron Front Liberation 1944

Got this in a sale from Gamersgate yesterday (Gold edition, which includes the 'D-Day' expansion, basically an 'Omaha' map and some US units. I have been trying it out, naturally in part for its abilities as a tanksim. Being a development of the original Operation Flashpoint - which I loved - and having dabbled with ARMA2, I wasn't expecting too much of the tanking in IFL '44. And sure enough, like OFP, it's primarily a soldier sim which allows you to do a spot of tanking (and flying, apparently) and the stock campaigns play out that way. User-made missions are available, although many are made for a sort of 'merged install' of IF with the Op Arrowhead version of ARMA2, which I don't have, yet. Of these, only some will feature tanks.

It sure looks pretty, with great textures, dynamic shadows and other graphical treats. The landscapes are excellent as are the effects, as you can see of this shot, on the Poland map, of Tigers advancing under Soviet artillery fire.



The game options allow you to turn off stuff like target markers and text display of messages, which builds up to the point it clutters the screen, if left on. Unfortunately I don't think you can turn off the prominent tank turret position/status indicator, visible top right of the screen below. Even reducing its size would help but I don't think that can be done.



Another carry-over from its infantry roots is the equally-prominent and also fixed set of command icons, one for each soldier or vehicle that you command; necessary perhaps if you''re playing the role of an infantry section commander, but rather over the top, if you're commanding one or more AFVs. This was less conspicuous in OFP, IIRC. If you want to take an uncluttered screenshot you need to crop it in a paint programme.



As per the original sim, you can gun, drive and command tanks and play from first or third-person views, including a decent gunsight view. There are some limitations - the TC's closed-down view is like a rotating periscope, not realistic for German cupolas. And if you upen hatches, then everyone does, the exception being the tank commander bino view.

One of the big advances is the (comparatively) easy-to-use Mission Editor, which looks much the same as I remember it from OFP. At least some of the maps seem quite large, too; below is the one used in the mission 'Tiger's might' which is set in Poland.



Not major competition for a serious tanksim I suppose but it has its attractions. Not sure about the AI yet on foot or in tanks, but having played OFP I probably know what to expect. Anybody else played it?

I played i44 the WW2 mod made for Arma 2 which is very, very similar to IFL 44.In fact I suspect they made IFL using i44 models .The difference between i44 and IFL is that i44 is exclusively Western Front. You don't have playable Soviet armoured vehicles. Murkz and some guys modding PE were involved in the creation this excellent WW2 mod.

The maps as always in Arma are spectacular and very large. The models are excellent( you can play the Tiger I and II, the Panther Ausf G, the Panzer IV F2, the Stug IIIG and a couple of APCs and for the US side the Sherman( various models) the Churchill IV, the Cromwell and the M3) and the engine sounds too. The gun sounds are OK the effects are so-so but the AI is as you mentioned in OFP/Arma either god-like as in they can see you through woods and shoot you without missing or they can be disoriented and weak. The hit model for the armour too is questionable. It's based on hit boxes rather taking into account armour thickness and quality. Also annoying is that the reticles for most tank guns can't be adjusted which creates a feeling of playing in arcade mode.

I am told there's a free IFL mod for Arma III( called IFL lite or something).I have Arma III but I haven't yet installed any mods to it.

As you rightly pointed for IFL as far as tank sim is concerned it's far from being a genuine one but at least it gives you a taste of combined arms tactics and it gives you the opportunity to play infantry as well( in fps no less).Not to mention that the maps really shine.

I've played both the Iron Front Liberation 44 and the WW2 mod for Arma 2. I prefer the IFL44 game. It still uses the Arma ai and path finding routines with all that entails. As Frinik says it is a great combined arms game. There is a group that is working to use it as the tactical part to resolve battles that occur on an operational campaign. It's also been ported to Arma2 OA and Arma3 so that multi-player support is available to replace Gamespy.

I've seen it written that IFL '44 has more realistic implementation of armour penetration. Tiger 1s can take some punishment, but are by no means unvulnerable...as I have found out already...



Unfortunately the D-Day DLC has only one Sherman (playable, anyway, plus a variant with wading trunks still attached).

I really hate IFL's prominent, over-sized unit icons along the bottom, definitely bigger than OFP's, and the equally-oversized tank status graphic; unfortunately they can't be turned off or resized, yuk. And IFL shares ARMA2's raised viewpoint level, so you see more sky and less soldier/tank, making the unit icons more obtrusive still. The viewpoint can be modded in ARMA2, but apparently IFL isn't mod-able - unless you combine it with ARMA2 Combined Ops, which seems the way to go.

AHHH but the maps in both IFL and i44 are simply amazing!

Yes the maps are truly excellent. And...I realised that I can reduce the size of the unit/group icons and the tank graphic, simply by decreasing the size if the 'Interface' in the sim's options...much better.