I can still play Hind on XP using a Glide wrapper, I think it was this one:
http://www.zeckensack.de/glide/i wanted to get dcs blackshark, but that dream was easily shattered when i found out that the game used starforce.
the hind d is one of my all time favorite choppers, id love to see a sim built around that. considering the hind was capable of being used as a troop transport, i would like such games to show that aspect in their gameplay. such as landing troops, providing cas, and then dusting off the soldiers at the end of the mission.
The Enemy Engaged series (Apache vs. Havoc and Comanche vs. Hokum) has been upgraded/modded by the EECH Central community, allowing you to fly not just the choppers in those titles, but also the Mi24V (in fact, some of the development team behind Hind and Apache Longbow worked on this series too). You can actually fly troop insertion missions with it. They are also working on the AH-1Z Viper. I recently updated my install and tried it out; at the moment it uses the default Apache cockpit but someone is building a new one for it (
see here). I'm guessing that it uses the Apache's flight model, I could be wrong, although they will probably change that in the future if that's the case. Some other things that are being worked on are the textures, effects and models; here're some examples:
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3192502/Remake_models_cockpits_effects.html#Post3192502http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3229868/Viper_Cobra_and_Kiowa_reskins_.html#Post3229868EECH Central's site:
http://www.eechcentral.com/It's also possible to fly just about any other chopper in the game, although again, the flight models might not be too realistic for those, and they use the default Apache cockpit. It can be a bit buggy, as in crash to desktop buggy when selecting certain targeting systems that the chopper you're flying doesn't actually have - at least I think that's the problem.
When they were released, both titles were generally regarded as being more 'arcade' in nature rather than proper 'sims', but I thought they were complex enough to be counted as sims. However, the modded version attempts to bring it up to par (or nearly so) with Jane's Longbow 2 which was generally seen as a benchmark sim at the time. You can customise the realism provided by the mod through editing an .ini file, so it's now possible to have a proper engine start-up procedure, and avionics are closer to the real thing, especially regarding the Apache's targeting abilities (e.g. setting up priority fire zones on the MFD, manually laser designating targets, and so on). They have also added the co-pilot/gunner's cockpit to it.
The campaigns are dynamic, so missions are generated 'on the fly', and you can jump to different choppers while in-game, or instead 'lock' your pilot to a single chopper. Waypoints can be altered prior to or during flight. Sometimes the AI makes some questionable decisions about allocating particular units to certain missions. For example, the AI might decide to use Apaches for a SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) mission, which should really be allocated to strike jets like the F/A-18. I remember playing the unmodded version of the game some years ago, in which I chose the Apache for an escort mission, in which, IIRC, I was supposed to escort.....some F-16's. I have not encountered anything that strange in the modded version though.
Although the Comanche is included, despite it not having entered service, it's possible to edit a file that replaces them with other choppers, such as the OH-58 Kiowa, should you so wish.
You also get lots of extra campaign maps. Can't recall all of them but they include parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Grand Canyon (why there'd be a conflict there, I don't know), Norway, the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago, even one that's supposed to be an area of Mars' surface.
There's also Enemy Engaged 2, which I haven't tried, but the general consensus is that it didn't improve much upon the originals. Another sim that was released around the same time as Comanche vs. Hokum was Ka-52 Team Alligator, which looked impressive and had a squadron management feature which allowed you to manage your pilots' workload and R'n'R.
I vaguely remember one which included the ability to fly the Eurocopter Tiger, the Apache and a bunch of other Helis. Must've been around the year 2000-ish it came out, but I'll be damned if I can remember it's name.
I think you're referring to MicroProse's GUNSHIP! (note the '!' there). It was also released around the same time. It looked very photo-realistic, but generally received poor reviews, as it was released largely unfinished.
I'd recommend the Enemy Engaged series (I'm ignoring Enemy Engaged 2) with the mods applied, but that's just my opinion, and I'm eager to see what the modding team will do next as they have so far made some very good additions and made it feel more like a proper sim.
Edited for spelling and grammar corrections, and added an extra paragraph.
