Easily learned modern combat flight sims

Bob McDob · Post by **Bob McDob** » 2003-08-06 11:26pm

I'm wondering if there are any simple flight sims featuring modern combat aircraft (not necessarily arcade-like, but not Falcoln 4.0 either). Besides being easy to learn (I'm looking for a mindless time-waster I can learn in less than 20 minutes, not something that requires a twelve-step tutorial and 300-page manual), my only other real criteria is that it be for the PC, since for obscure reasons I have never ever owned a console. Anyone know of one?

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2003-08-07 06:39am

Any Novalogic flight-sim, the others I know require the 300-page manual and hours of training.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2003-08-07 07:21am

F-22 Total Air War is pretty cool. I learned it in about half an hours, done all the training missions and was ready to rock, without reading the manual at all.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-08-07 07:58am

Any sim that you can learn to play without the manual in only 2 hours is by definition not a sim of any kind. They're arcade games. Good modern combat sims require some effort to learn.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2003-08-07 09:36am

Vympel wrote:Any sim that you can learn to play without the manual in only 2 hours is by definition not a sim of any kind. They're arcade games. Good modern combat sims require some effort to learn.

There's a difference between "learning to play" and mastering the game...

Eg. You can pretty easily learn how to do stuff in F/A 18: Korea in much less than an hour. Getting your skills up to the point where you can live through the campaign is another matter

Solid Snake · Post by **Solid Snake** » 2003-08-07 01:07pm

Sega Strike Fighter is pretty cool, even though i think it's only out on arcade.

Bob McDob · Post by **Bob McDob** » 2003-08-07 10:36pm

Vympel wrote:Any sim that you can learn to play without the manual in only 2 hours is by definition not a sim of any kind. They're arcade games. Good modern combat sims require some effort to learn.

Then I rephrase my question under your definition of arcade - are there any good arcade modern jet combat games?

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-08-07 11:28pm

Eurofighter Typhoon is fairly "lite" and LO:MAC looks to be bringing arcade home to roost.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-08-09 07:33pm

As far as I'm concerned, most of the Jane's series carry a good compromise between playability and realism. Jane's Fighter Anthology is the one I have (it's o-l-d, though), and it's a really good game. Just one word of warning: don't try to start with the Vietnam campaign. Trust me. Just don't.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2003-08-09 08:05pm

For me, the hardest part of any flight sim is taking off (unless they start you out on the runway all lined up) and landing.

Apart from that, all you need is to program a few buttons to the joystick and you're fairly well set after some practice (in gunnery, dive bombing, etc, whatever the game has).

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-08-09 08:09pm

Enemy Engaged was pretty good and easy, though you can only fly helicopters in it, fixed wing is all AI controled on both sides.