[Flipside]

I was thinking that FS2 is one of the few games around these days that keeps the gameplay 'core' of old Xwing games, the game model is simplistic, designed to be flown around in with the minimum of practice, and even Vanilla FS2, whilst the graphics looks simplistic now, still managed to swallow you up in the whole thing, you weren't constantly having to refer to help menus for navigation or comms or engine systems etc. Which means you can just get on with enjoying the game.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that Space Combat sims went the wrong way, LucasArts started out with the right idea, but companies kept trying to add more and more features which distracted from the main aim of the game.

Even in Elite, you didn't really muck around much once you got out of a station, you concentrated mainly on flying.

Ah well, just my thoughts on the matter

[oohal]

Right on i filght sims are the worst offenders i played the demo of lock on:moder air combat and had to look at the controls every 2 mins to try and work out wtf i was supposed to be doing, so i gave up on that and went back to playing quake 3.

really sims should give you all the aditional controls but not require them to play the game, nothing beats simplicty

[Flipside]

hehehehe Well, I suppose Space Sim is the wrong phrase really, should be Space Combat Game, but I do know what you mean, even on 'Arcade' setting in IL2, I still feel like I'm constantly fighting against the controls

Realistic physics, 20 layers of submenu etc are all well and good in the right place, but look at how an X-Wing flies in the movie Star Wars, the most classic space battle scene in history, it actually has more in common with something like Hurricanes or Spitfires doing the Dambusters run down the Ruhr valley than a 'realistic' space setting. And, I guess at the end of the day, that is the sort of thrill I want from my space games