[FrikgFeek]

You should check this alpha out, it's really good.

It has an AC04 feel with slower turning and slower accelerating/decelerating aircraft but you still get the ridiculous missile ammo and you're still expected to shoot down half an air force by yourself every mission.
Currently it has only 1 playable plane, the Su-27A(but this is the best plane ever anyway), and 1 playable mission.
If you can't wait for AC7 this might scratch that itch for a while and give you an idea of what AC7 could look like since it uses the same engine(UE4).

It's free to try but has a "pay what you want" model if you want to support the development.
You can get it here.

[The E]

Project Wingman is now on Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rb-d2/project-wingman/description

I played the Demo, feels pretty good. Very Ace Combatey.

[CKid]

Very Ace Combatey indeed! The music, the radio chatter, felt so familiar. Playing with M + KB was ok. Impressive Demo.

[MikeRoz]

I've never played any of the Ace Combat series. My favorite (Earthbound) flight sim growing up was Jane's Fighters Anthology (and all the component games that went into that compilation release, like USNF, ATF, etc). How will this compare? Not really in a position to play the demo at the moment, but somewhat interested.

[Det. Bullock]

I've never played any of the Ace Combat series. My favorite (Earthbound) flight sim growing up was Jane's Fighters Anthology (and all the component games that went into that compilation release, like USNF, ATF, etc). How will this compare? Not really in a position to play the demo at the moment, but somewhat interested.

Ace Combat is VERY arcade-y, I could only play Assault Horizon (which has some forced QTE events which are absent from the main series or so I've heard) and just to give you an idea you tend to have a payload of tens if not hundreds of AA missiles.

[Novachen]

I would say, these kind of Games has more in common with FreeSpace than with Flight Simulations .

Even i say, that games like Freespace and Ace Combat are more like First Person Shooters with 3 dimensions than anything else.

Ace Combat is called "Call of Duty, but with planes" for a reason ^^.

Actually, one of the Ace Combat clones back then, the Deadly Skies/Airforce Delta series actually had some space missions aswell... there are not very different to Freespace.

[FrikgFeek]

Games like Freespace and Tie Fighter are extremely serious simulations of Star Wars space battles with their silly physics. That's why even if the flight model has nothing to do with reality they still have 100+ keybinds, a somewhat complex wingman command system(definitely more complex than AC's hat-based one), and plot-based stories where you and everyone you ever fly with are completely replaceable.

Meanwhile Ace Combat and its followers aren't really serious about anything. The characters and stories are pure cheese and the games are easy to learn and easy to master.

They might seem similar on the surface but their core gameplay loop is very different.

The old school 'space sim' genre really sits in a weird middle ground between real simulators and arcade games. They've got a simulator approach to totally arcade physics. Of course you can have an ace-combat type game in space(like strike suit zero) and those are more popular than old-school space sims nowadays.

[The E]

Ace Combat is called "Call of Duty, but with planes" for a reason ^^.

A description that only barely fits Assault Horizon. The other games, especially the "holy trilogy" of AC4, 5 and Zero, are really nowhere near CoD in tone or style.

[FrikgFeek]

Yeah, the comparison with CoD is only really valid in the broadest sense possible. Ace Combat's core gameplay loop is about managing speed and turning to get your target in view while always staying mobile to dodge missiles.
CoD's core gameplay loop is about pointing and clicking on popping up heads while staying stationary in cover. AC's stories are mostly cheesy and anti-war and centred around ridiculous superweapons, CoD's stories are taking themselves more seriously, pro-war(or neutral at best), and centred around some ridiculous radical group that wants to **** over the US specifically.

[Det. Bullock]

I finally tried the demo, it was a lot of fun.
Also fully rebindable controls with possibility to set deadzones and curves if someone wishes to, with a separate menu to rebind movement axis to basically anything you want.
Looking forward to the full game.

[Akalabeth Angel]

CoD's core gameplay loop is about pointing and clicking on popping up heads while staying stationary in cover.

This is completely wrong.  COD's gameplay loop is actually moving forward and crossing an invisible line, and then staying in cover and shooting popping up heads.  Staying stationary and not moving forward in COD means fighting an infinite number of enemies because they will re-pawn until you cross that line.

As for TIE Fighter, given that the game was developed by the same people who did Secret Weapons of Luftwaft it probably has some simulationist elements.  Certainly not to the degree that a game like IL-2 has evolved towards though.

[CKid]

A new demo got released introducing Conquest mode. Basically you have kill targets asap before a certain period of time otherwise the threat level increases: harder AI, more enemies, newer aircraft. Gets very challenging in later levels but very enjoyable. You get several new maps to play on and get to listen to some fabulous new tracks. The music in this game really stands out for me.

[manwiththemachinegun]

I finally tried the demo, it was a lot of fun.
Also fully rebindable controls with possibility to set deadzones and curves if someone wishes to, with a separate menu to rebind movement axis to basically anything you want.
Looking forward to the full game.

Ace Combat and Project Wingman are all about making you "feel" like a badass super ace fighting impossible odds in battles of World War II scope with modern jets. They're also known for having "boss" enemies, which while not terribly realistic, are a hell of a lot of fun to fight.

[Det. Bullock]

I finally tried the demo, it was a lot of fun.
Also fully rebindable controls with possibility to set deadzones and curves if someone wishes to, with a separate menu to rebind movement axis to basically anything you want.
Looking forward to the full game.

Ace Combat and Project Wingman are all about making you "feel" like a badass super ace fighting impossible odds in battles of World War II scope with modern jets. They're also known for having "boss" enemies, which while not terribly realistic, are a hell of a lot of fun to fight.

Yes, that's why I was pleasantly surprised by the control options, too often I see arcade flight games that skimp on that because they assume everyone is going to use a gamepad.

[SL1]

This looks really good. It definitely gets the gameplay right while making some significant improvements, like being able to take more than one special weapon. But they need to get rid of that filter they're using for the radio messages. Everyone sounds like they're talking through a kazoo inside a Pringles tube. The menu for setting the controls is also a little awkward to use.

I really, really hope this eventually gets modding support, or at least a mission editor. I've always wanted a moddable Ace Combat. I had high hopes for Vector Thrust, but it didn't work out. So now it's either hope that Project Wingman gets an editor or hope that FS2 gets an Ace Combat total conversion.

Ace Combat is VERY arcade-y, I could only play Assault Horizon (which has some forced QTE events which are absent from the main series or so I've heard) and just to give you an idea you tend to have a payload of tens if not hundreds of AA missiles.

Assault Horizon is very different from all the other Ace Combat games. Most fans of the series don't like it. The main series doesn't have QTEs, "dogfight mode", regenerating plane health (complete with BLOODY SCREEN SO REAL), a main character that speaks, or any of the various Call of Duty crap that Assault Horizon does. It also doesn't take place in the real world, but in a fictional world that's a lot like our own, with some differences (like nuclear weapons being far more rare and every country using every plane). It does have arcadey gameplay and huge missile capacities, though.

I would say, these kind of Games has more in common with FreeSpace than with Flight Simulations .

Yeah, that's about right. Ace Combat is like Freespace with jets, at least in terms of basic gameplay. Freespace has a lot more complexity in other areas, though. Ace Combat doesn't have a ton of wingman commands or 26 different targeting functions, for example. It doesn't even have missile countermeasures. You have to dodge every missile - no chaff or flares for you. However, as others have said, "Call of Duty with planes" doesn't really apply to any of the games except Assault Horizon.

[General Battuta]

After playing a bunch of it on high difficulty I changed my mind about Assault Horizon. If DFM were harder to initiate, you toned down the awful scripted ace/boss fights, and the game had a bunch more attacker/bomber missions I think it would easily be as good as AC6. The soundtrack is great and the plane selection on PC is pretty wide.

[Det. Bullock]

It comes out on 1st December on Steam.

[Mobius]

Ace Combat is called "Call of Duty, but with planes" for a reason ^^.

A description that only barely fits Assault Horizon. The other games, especially the "holy trilogy" of AC4, 5 and Zero, are really nowhere near CoD in tone or style.

Not to mention the fact that the first CoD dates back to 2003, while Ace Combat has its seeds in the mid-90s.

[SL1]

It comes out on 1st December on Steam.

Excellent news. Has there been any word on whether or not a mission editor will be included or eventually added?

[CKid]

Just wanted to let you guys know that Project Wingman is also out on GOG as well. The developer never mentioned it before. I was just about to pick it up on steam but this is a great surprise!