Author Topic: Age of flight sims is back?  (Read 5169 times)

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Offline Nuke

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
What is wrong with Combat Flight Simulator 2: Pacafic Theater?

Mitshibushi A6M5 Zero's for the win!

thats my favorite but it dont support the track ir. would be awesome if it did.

cfs3 is just crappy, loaded with bugs, the trackir support barely works at all, and the graphics are very glitchy. wish cfs2 would work with the trackir.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2008, 02:12:18 am by Nuke »
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Offline Mika

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Quote
FYI call of duty series is briliant, so i hope this is gonna be freespace on a planet with a COD4 storyline lookalike with pwnage aerial combat


My personal preference of first person shooters is either ultra realistic ("one hit and you're dead / out of mission" -principle can't go wrong) or then made with so over-the-top attitude and playability that it is entertaining, like Duke Nukem 3D. Half-life 2 is more like a cross between a game and a movie, but after playing through it once I found it doesn't have that much replay value. Call of Duty series I have never found to be interesting - I just watched as my old roomie played one of those and it seemed awfully shallow, like Ghost Recon also.

Following the flight simulators for 20 years, it seems that the flight simulators are actually dying since there are not so many people willing to learn the necessary amount of controls and the theory of flight. There are not so many coming any more, Black Shark seemed interesting though, but I'm not that much into helicopters. By premise virtual piloting of a Russian chopper might require a little more up close and personal -attitude, which would be a refreshing thing from pop-up attack in Longbows.

My guts tell me that the best simulator, considering realism and the immersion factor, is Falcon 4 Allied Force at the moment. The bad thing is that there is no competition on its league. I have racked something like 200 actual hours of combat time in that game simulator (it is not a game), and there is not included the time spend flying the training missions (which would probably add another 200 hours). And I'm not even close to be bored about it. That's the good thing about flight sims with complexity, once you learn the aircraft, there is unlimited replay value.

Also, note that the virtual pilots you meet in the internet, though very limited in numbers, might easily have flown more than ten times my current hours - that is closer to the hours of people like F4tality practise than your average Call of Duty player! It is also funny that after a two hour combat mission, a single beep from the radar warning receiver will make hands sweat like crazy and heart feels like it is going to jump to mouth...

Oh, for some odd reason I decided to list all of the flight related games/sims I have actually played.
----------------------------
Spectrum ZX - Delta Wing - the frame rate was something like 4 fps ...
Spectrum ZX - A civilian flight "simulator", but forgot the name. I faintly recall the ILS/nav system was tough nut to understand...
NES - Top gun (this was an arcade game about fighters)
Amiga 500 - Gunship 2000
Amiga 500 - F-19 (or whatever it was called, you could fly F-19 or F-117)
Amiga 500 - Jet fighters (or this was the PC name of that sim, I forgot the Amiga name)
486/33 - Red Baron (hundreds of hours spend here)
486/33 - Jet fighters (tens of hours spend here)
486/33 - F-15 Strike Eagle III (hundreds of hours here)
486/33 - Falcon 3.0 GOLD (total time ~ thousand hours, F/A-18 and Mig-29 included)
486/66 - US Navy Fighters + Marine Fighters (tens of hours here)
Pentium MMX - Apache Longbow (tens of hours)
Pentium MMX - A-10 Tank Killer II (not so many hours)

... then a long pause for eight years, don't ask.

Current - Flanker 2.5 (dozens of hours, learning about this)
Current - Falcon 4.0 Allied Force (hundreds of hours already)

Freespace and Descent do not count here.

Mika
Relaxed movement is always more effective than forced movement.

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
I really liked Allied Force as well, Mika.

But I must say, Call of Duty 4 was (unlike the other three in the series) a really sharp, crisp, fun game, with a lot of multiplayer depth. I'd be satisfied with an aerial CoD4.

 

Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
I find F4 immensely boring, and I'm a big sim-head and real pilot. I just can't get into what is essentially a button pushing sim with wings.

That being said, I prefer WW2 sims because it's more about the flying and less about the avionics - so I guess that's a personal preference.

 

Offline WeatherOp

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Lets see I've played.

F-22 Lightning 2(my first flight sim)
Flight Unlimited
Jane's USNF'97
Jane's Fighters Anthology
Jane's F-15
Jane's Israeli Air Force
Jane's USAF
Flight Sim '98 and COF(2005?)
Comanche 3/4
Apache/Havoc
Flanker 2.5
B-17 The Mighty Eighth
IL-2
IL-2 FB/ACE/PF
Lock On

Personally, the IL-2 series is the best flight sim I've played. Lock on is good. I loved Israeli Air Force even though it was not super realistic. B-17 is good and extremely tough. I myself do not like the super realistic start ups and stuff do to how much time it takes to finally get to the action, so if the AI does it like IL-2 that is awesome.
 
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Offline Dysko

Re: Age of flight sims is back?
My sims (in no particular order):

F-15 Strike Eagle II (my first computer game!)
Gunship 2000 + expansion
F-14 Fleet Defender
F-117 Stealth Bomber (not sure about the name though)
Megafortress
ATAC
Strike Commander
Falcon 3
Falcon 4
Falcon 4 Allied Force
The Mighty 357th
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Birds of Prey
An A-10 sim of which I can't remember the name
Stunt Island
Flight Simulator 3
Flight Simulator 5
Flight Simulator 98
Flight Simulator 2000
Flight Simulator 2002
Flight Simulator 2004
Flight Simulator X
X-Plane 7
X-Plane 8
Lock On
Il-2
Il-2 Forgotten Battles
Il-2 1946
Fighter Squadron - Screamin' Demons over Europe
Strike Fighters Gold
Wings over Vietnam
Wings over Europe
Wings over Israel
Combat Flight Simulator
Combat Flight Simulator 2
Combat Flight Simulator 3
Enemy Engaged - Apache vs Havoc
USAF
Fighters Anthology
Dangerous Waters (I know, it isn't a flight sim, but you can fly a P-3 and a SH-60)
European Air War
F-22 Lightning 2
Comanche
Flight Unlimited 2
Fly! 2
Advanced Tactical Fighter
Tactical Fighter Experiment
Flight of the Intruder
YsFlight 2000
Flightgear
Red Baron 2

If we consider also RC simming as flight simming:
Flying Model Simulator
Realflight G3

Strategy games which focus on flight operations:
Flight Commander 2
Fleet Command

Managerial games based on flight:
Airport Tycoon (booooooring :ick:)

And, for the space sim category (I list only games with realistic physics, so no FreeSpace here :nervous:):
Elite II
Microsoft Space Simulator
Orbiter
Space Combat

I hope I didn't forget anything :nervous:

I find F4 immensely boring, and I'm a big sim-head and real pilot. I just can't get into what is essentially a button pushing sim with wings.
I found it boring too, and I was quite disappointed when my virtual squadron switched from Wings over Vietnam to Falcon 4 Allied Force. However, I'm receiving training via TeamSpeak, and in this way it's much easier than learning by yourself, and I'm starting to like it.
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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Looks interesting. I've always wanted to play one of these.
"I only miss what I don't hit."
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Offline Mika

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
More about Falcon Allied Force, what I have personally noticed that it is a slow process. Once you get hooked there is no turning back.

I personally never found any simulation before the jet age - note the obvious abscence from my list - interesting. Lots of patrol flying, never sure who the hell is that until you get close if there are friendlies in front of you (it would be about time those aircraft spotters located next to the front lines would actually radio about the situation while in-flight... or recon aircrafts for that matter), the lack of multirole capability and single task desing of each aircraft - but this is simply my personal preference.

 I also somehow feel it is a stupid comment, me being merely a virtual pilot - but I actually flew my first minutes when I was 14. And for additional defence, it actually was my intention to become a fighter pilot until the Air Force did the final examination regarding eyesight [turned out they didn't like my sights] and pressure accomodation [those nasty little flue-goo-collecting caverns inside head]

How is Falcon different from boring parts, like in IL-2? I always need to be sharp with the RWR and radio traffic, which will give you information what is happening around the mission area. If there is an ambush, it happens really quickly.
Relaxed movement is always more effective than forced movement.

 

Offline Dysko

Re: Age of flight sims is back?
I also somehow feel it is a stupid comment, me being merely a virtual pilot - but I actually flew my first minutes when I was 14. And for additional defence, it actually was my intention to become a fighter pilot until the Air Force did the final examination regarding eyesight [turned out they didn't like my sights] and pressure accomodation [those nasty little flue-goo-collecting caverns inside head]
That was my intention too, but since I wear glasses I haven't even tried to join the Air Force (and I know also some people who could have passed the selection, but were discarded. The people who passed the selection were apparently less capable than them, but they were high-ranking-officers' relatives... :rolleyes:)

Well, I hope I can get the private pilot license after uni.
My aviation photography website: GolfVictorSpotting.it

 

Offline IceFire

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Seems that another console semi-arcadey type flight game has been announced: IL-2: Birds of Prey

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=52753

Not to be confused with the original IL-2...this game does share some technology and has some of the more complicated flight modeling systems which is really nice to see but its still going to be on console.
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Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Odd that they'd choose that specific name.

Mika, I flew my first real plane when I was 13, but shelved actually getting committed till I was 18.

And as for Falcon being boring - I just find all the button pushing tedious, I prefer to focus on flying the plane, not the avionics. Yea you might get into a dogfight, but generally it's BVR and you're dodging missiles. Up close is still not even as fun for me. Also, I don't fly single player on any flight sim - the lack of environmental feedback and/or compelling reason to play through each mission (fly to target, destroy target, fly back, as opposed to a story or whatever) really just kills it for me. Most single player simming I do is either quick combat (rare) or just practicing my landings - otherwise I'm a strictly multiplayer pilot, which is great for practicing radio calls on FSX or just getting those general maneuvers down.

  

Offline IceFire

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
I know its definitely odd to choose that name but I guess if its being sold in Russia then the IL-2 designation has a certain amount of power to it like the Spitfire or Mustang are iconic in the West.
- IceFire
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Offline Mika

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
Quote
Mika, I flew my first real plane when I was 13, but shelved actually getting committed till I was 18.

I recalled one thing, glider license is possible for 16-year-old person here. For motorized aircraft, one needs to be 18. Was your delay because of school?

The first flying experience I got is quite funny (since 11 years have passed). I never thought how long the glider would remain at 45 degree bank angle when circling the thermic... and it is quite rough ride occasionally. I wondered why they told me to take the plastic bag with me in the air. No need to wonder any more. But I didn't throw up, though they said I was quite white when the aircraft finally landed.

And, it is surprising how cold the + 25 degree wind feels on the airfield when jumping off from the aircraft. On the other hand, you have been pushed against the parachute by the five point safety belt, and sweated when the sun shines in the cockpit and tried to resist the horizontal changes (the biggest mistake).

And yes I was occupying the rear cockpit later on despite that experience. Stalls and spins are fun.

Mika
Relaxed movement is always more effective than forced movement.

 

Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
My delay was more so because I was young and flying a Cessna 172 with a pretty boring instructor at the time - so I didn't really get into it until later (found it pretty boring to fly the plane honestly). The instructor taught very "look at your instruments, the window is for backup" - which is not how you teach for a private license. I got a new instructor and a new plane (a DA-20, look it up, it's pretty kickass), and that was very interesting.


But yea, flying on the edge of a stall is very fun :) Never done a spin though, although the -20 is rated for it.

 

Offline tinfoil

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Re: Age of flight sims is back?
if no one makes a new flight sim soon that dosn't suck i'm gonna go headz on sombody :headz:
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