[Col. Fishguts]

Just stumbled over this link: http://www.thebattlefieldconnection.com/Downloads/Comewithme.avi (47 MB DivX)

It's a very well edited ingame movie of Pacific Fighters, and I have to say....this game looks fantastic. I should pick it up one day.

[IceFire]

You should pick it up tommorow!

I would recommend however that you puchase the Forgotten Battles Gold Edition (Forgotten Battles + Ace Expansion Pack) and then get Pacific Fighters as well.

This is the best way to experience the series because they can all be merged into each other.  This is also the way that the majority of online play goes (90% of servers run a merged install).

There's a big addon patch coming soon with new aircraft (flaybles and AI), maps, and updates to the game.  I'm presently making some short campaigns for the game with the Hellcat, P-38, and La-5FN.

[Grug]

Well someone's a 'small' fan.

What's the game like, couldn't really be bothered with the 47mb's.
I need more convincing...

[Fineus]

Looks pretty damn fun... but what end of the play-style is it? Are we talking Battlefield style simplicity/arcade action or am I going to have to memorise four dozen controls to get into the air?

[Flipside]

It's gorgeous looking, and the physucs/realism can be set to suit your needs, but it is still a Simulator, and my joystick never calibrates properly, so my plane usually ended up spinning to the ground the moment I took autopilot off.

The single player missions are fun, but theres an awful lot of just following paths, followed by short bursts of combat. Realistic, yes, but kinda slow paced till you get used to it.

There are, as with most flight games, a hell of a lot of controls to learn. Once you've got them, the game is probably awesome, and I expect it rocks in Multiplay, but I never had the patience, or a stable enough joystick to enjoy it properly

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
Looks pretty damn fun... but what end of the play-style is it? Are we talking Battlefield style simplicity/arcade action or am I going to have to memorise four dozen controls to get into the air?

The latter.

[Flipside]

Gotta admit though, those cloud effects would look mighty purdy as nebluae

[Fineus]

Fair enough, I think I'll give it a miss. Although it looks really nice - I prefer arcade combat to be honest.

[Grug]

Ditto. ^

[IceFire]

See thats how I felt for a while but I tried the old IL2 Demo (which is a very small and old taste) and I got hooked.

The "complexity" takes a while to get into but its ultimately not all that complex and its really quite of fun.  I love the game...fly all the time.  The physics are more or less real and its very accessible.  Its definately not an arcade game however and apparently the landings on carrier decks is about as accurate as has ever been done.  I screwed up the first 10 or so...now I can bring most planes down.

Seriously, to get started you need to know the following general controls:
- Guns 1
- Guns 2
- Rockets
- Bombs
- Landing Gear
- Flaps toggle
- Radiator toggle

And if you're flying from a carrier then add:
- Release chocks
- Tail Hook

Everything else is in the details.  Some aircraft are very automated (like the Spitfire and FW190)...while others are more manual.  Some need adjustments to fuel mix, supercharger stages, toggling WEP (emergency power)...and some pilots really get a kick out of using the manual prop pitch on the Bf.109 (instead of the auto) which I have only ever destroyed the engine on.

There's a learning curve but its not a brutal one.  Its not like Lock On Modern Air Combat which takes quite a bit more to master judging by the demo(s).  Something like fuel mix seems kind of complicated but I learned it maybe 6 months after buying the game...its pretty simple too: if there's black smoke pouring from your engines at higher altitude for no apparent reason...reduce the mix.

Don't be scared off because it sounds complex.  The hardest part is "flying" or getting used to flying.  As space combat simmers, this takes an adjustment but you already know joysticks so its not a big deal.  Once again, I recommend the full install...Pacific Fighters on its own is sort of incomplete and sparse in comparison.

[Flipside]

And it actually suggests in Pacific Fighters that you learn to take off from the Ground before taking on a Carrier, however, if you don't have any of the other packs installed, this is impossible

[IceFire]

Originally posted by Flipside
And it actually suggests in Pacific Fighters that you learn to take off from the Ground before taking on a Carrier, however, if you don't have any of the other packs installed, this is impossible

What is it impossible?  The USAAF and IJAF campaigns are all ground based...P-40's don't really do carrier ops.

Plus custom campaigns.

[Flipside]

Well, custom campaigns don't count, and as for the rest, well, fortunately I do have the whole bunch of IL2 games, just never got the hang of them, but then, I never really put the time in, as my lack oif knowledge shows

[Unknown Target]

I heard PF wasn't that great though...?

[Flipside]

Alas, my dogfighting skills pretty much flatline with Airfix Dogfighters, but alegedly this is an extremely accurate sim, the only downside, as with all the IL2 games is that to run it at that visual level you need a pretty hefty system, but then, this is true of most games these days.

[IceFire]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
I heard PF wasn't that great though...?

The simulation itself was...but its another game where content was skimped on because of a publisher who was anxious to release it to the public.

There is a free-addon coming to help fix some of that.  Buying PF by itself isn't all that great in terms of content...but bying it with the other products gives you the best sim on the market.  PF is, technically, the best sim on the market for what its simulating.  But between publishers and American aerospace lawyers its been somewhat crippled.

Custom campaigns do count because thats what gives the product life.  There's a whole collection of them out there that make the game so much more worthwhile.  Thats like telling me that BWO, Inferno, TBP, WC:Saga, MT, and the new BSG mod (for example) don't count around here.  They do.  Big time!

Anyways, ignore the reviews.  They are generally wrong on these things.  If you like sims or the subject...get it.  But get it as the set.  Its one of the best games I played...not since FS2 have I played a game so much.  So thats saying .