Best combat flight simulator?

irishmick79 · Post by **irishmick79** » 2006-09-07 07:39pm

Ok, I haven't really gotten into a combat flight sim since B-17 Flying Fortress came out in the mid-nineties, and I was thinking about picking up a flight sim to fool around with. I didn't really have a specific era of combat in mind, and was hoping to find something that's pretty flexible in terms of blending historical aircraft with modern planes. Do you guys have any good recommendations?

Dendrobius · Post by **Dendrobius** » 2006-09-07 07:56pm

Really depends on what you like, and what you mean by "blending historical aircraft with modern planes". There is no sim out there that will allow you to fly a P-51, then swap to a F-15 for your next flight. Except Flight Simulator, but that's not a combat flight sim.

Strike Fighters/Wings over Vietnam/Wings over Europe (it's sort of an expanded series off the same engine) may be what you're after. It's fairly middle of the road/low end in terms of hardcoreness, it runs well on almost any computer out there, and even before you count in the mods you can already fly planes ranging from the F-100 Super Saber to the F-15. It's very much like the old Jane's Fighters Anthology, only with better graphics and a better flight model.

Review here: http://www.simhq.com/_air7/air_235a.html

Apart from this title, all the other combat flight sims available at the moment are fairly specialised and probably won't appeal to you as they take a long time to master and aren't really just for "get up there and blow crap up" type of gameplay.

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-09-07 08:16pm

If you are interested in prop planes, then I would recommend IL2 Sturmovik - Forgotten Battles + addons without a doubt.

Great graphics, excellent damage and flight modeling. A huge array of flyable aircraft. It covers both the western and eastern fronts well. The Ace Expansion Pack adds some new flyable aircraft and some new maps. Pacific Fighters offers carrier based missions. There are around 150 flyable aircraft in total. The earliest aircraft include the Russian TB-3, and early biplanes such as the I-152, Gloucester Gladiator. There are a few late war jets, such as the Me-262 and the YP-80.

Many people consider the single player game let's it down, compared with the multiplayer. I consider it fine, but it's only fair to mention it. Mulitplayer is great, with online dog fights and co-operative play. Most people play using the third party software Hyperlobby. The game has received nothing short of outstanding patching support. They've given away a huge number of extra aircraft with these. It's an extremely stable game too.

You can pick up Forgotten Battles and both addons in a bundle for around the price of a full game now.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2006-09-07 08:55pm

You can pick up Forgotten Battles and both addons in a bundle for around the price of a full game now.

I should add that Pacific Fighters can be installed as either a stand-alone game or an addon to Forgotton Battles, so it isn't necessary to buy FB to play it.

As for good modern-era sims, two I'd reccomend looking into are Falcon 4.0: Allied Force and Lock-On: Modern Air Combat.

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-09-07 09:04pm

Ma Deuce wrote:I should add that Pacific Fighters can be installed as either a stand-alone game or an addon to Forgotton Battles, so it isn't necessary to buy FB to play it.

True, however at such a low price, you'd be mad not to purchase the bundle. I'm not sure that PF stands that well as a single game.

Should also mention that it can't be too long until Storm of War: Battle of Britain (from the IL2 Sturmovik team) should make it out before christmas.

Lock-On is getting a nifty expansion pack that adds the Ka-50 helicopter. I'm looking forward to that!

ThatGuyFromThatPlace · Post by **ThatGuyFromThatPlace** » 2006-09-07 09:08pm

Microsoft Combat Flight Sim is pretty good, supports classic fighter combat and regular MS flight sim downloadable aircraft. So, if you've downloaded the F-15 off of whatever aircraft downloads sight you favor, you could fly a P-51 and then switch out for an F-15 in round two.

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-09-07 09:16pm

ThatGuyFromThatPlace wrote:Microsoft Combat Flight Sim is pretty good, supports classic fighter combat and regular MS flight sim downloadable aircraft. So, if you've downloaded the F-15 off of whatever aircraft downloads sight you favor, you could fly a P-51 and then switch out for an F-15 in round two.

Yes, I'd forgotten that Combat Flight Sim 3 allows you to download user made aircraft. So if you don't mind the extra effort and are determined to get jets and prop planes in one sim this would be an option. However I would think that the accuracy and detail of the aircraft could be questionable, unless it is made by a very proffesional team.

ThatGuyFromThatPlace · Post by **ThatGuyFromThatPlace** » 2006-09-08 12:55am

I got a few aircraft when I first bought the game (can't remember where from anymore, a google search should turn up plenty though) and I was quite impressed. I had feared that the models would be poorly done and the flight models crappy, but I've never had a problem with any of that.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-08 03:59am

WW2 - il2 w/ FB + PF

Cold War - Strike Fighters/Wings Over Vietnam/Wings Over Europe. Not that sim-my really.

Modern - Falcon 4.0 Allied Force or LO:MAC

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2006-09-08 04:01am

PC: Crimson Skies

Where else can you attack enemy attack bombers by flying over them, and jumping out on a rope ladder to threaten the pilots with a handgun?

irishmick79 · Post by **irishmick79** » 2006-09-08 05:58pm

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I might have to check out the MS flight simulator and Wings over Europe. They sound pretty intriguing. Do you guys have a preferred joystick you use for this sort of stuff at all? Mine is an old Logitech Extreme, and while it's servicable, it's starting to show it's age a little bit.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-08 06:10pm

The only time you need a full HOTAS setup is if you want to show off. If its a Logitech Extreme with a twist/rudder and throttle then its fine.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2006-09-08 06:34pm

I got a HOTAS set up in the form of the Saitek X45, and while I don't have any regrets (it's a high quality and inexpensive joystick), I quickly found that I greatly preferred joystick + keyboard to HOTAS. With my left hand on the throttle, I had to painstakingly map out every function, and then I couldn't remember what I had mapped things to. I found it much easier to remember keys. I also like being able to set the throttle and then forget about it with the keyboard, and prefer it to a throttle that I have to keep my hand on all the time. So I wouldn't say that HOTAS is all it's cracked up to be, unless you're really hardcore.

Dendrobius · Post by **Dendrobius** » 2006-09-09 10:54am

Unlike Arthur, I really prefer HOTAS to keyboard + joystick. I have the X45 as well, and I actually use all three shift modes and the pinky toggle for a total of six functions per button. It sounds daunting, but for games like Falcon 4, it's invaluable. I usually have mine set as:
M1 => navigation, housekeeping
M2 => air to air
M3 => air to ground
and have the pinky toggle to expand each "master mode" further, like M1 with pinky => Wingman commands, M2 with pinky = A2A radar submodes, etc etc. I guess the fact that I am a violinist probably helps a bit with the coordination part, but really, once you get used to it, a keyboard just can't compare in terms of convenience. Literally everything is available at your fingertips, and after muscle memory kicks in, it's much, MUCH more accurate and faster than looking for Ctrl-Alt-R to activate something, then Ctrl-Shift-P for the next thing you need.

Of course, if you're playing IL-2, then a HOTAS is pointless since there just aren't that many functions needed or available in a prop plane, and something like TrackIR becomes much more useful. TrackIR is a head tracking gadget, it works by tracking the movement of a hat you wear and magnifying that movement ingame. So if you turn your head say 5 degrees to the left, your in game view will turn say 175 degrees to the left. It's quite intuitive, and with the Vector Expansion or TrackIR 4, you can lean in/lean out to zoom and raise/lower your head to get a better view over the nose. Basically it gives you a faster and more intuitive way of looking around in a plane, which is invaluable in a prop combat sim as all combat is dependent on Eyeball Mk.1 and not your radar.

All of those are NOT "you must have these to fly" though. A good sim pilot with a Logitech Extreme will still school a bad sim pilot with HOTAS + TIR if you're playing online. They just make the flying experience more fun.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2006-09-09 12:25pm

Dendrobius wrote:Really depends on what you like, and what you mean by "blending historical aircraft with modern planes". There is no sim out there that will allow you to fly a P-51, then swap to a F-15 for your next flight. Except Flight Simulator, but that's not a combat flight sim. :P

Corncob 3D let you switch between a WWII fighter and an F-117. That was a cool game.

Captain Hornblower · Post by **Captain Hornblower** » 2006-09-09 09:27pm

And if you like the thrill of flying against a human opponent, nothing beats Aces High II (http://www.hitechcreations.com/frindex.html). The game is free, but will cost you $15/mo to participate in the various arenas.[/url]

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-09-11 07:35am

The Ace Combat series. Not remotely realistic, but still awesome!

Tolya · Post by **Tolya** » 2006-09-12 05:47pm

Is there any sim out there that catches a bit of the classic Strike Commander/Pacific Strike atmosphere? A sim (even arcadish) with a story, plot, characters, etc? Im looking for something like that...well, since Pacific Strike. The last game that I remember that actually focused on your crew was Team Apache (and it rocked, although it wasnt really a sim)

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-09-13 07:42am

Well, one of the reasons I shit my pants for Ace Combat games is because of the story, the plot and the characters. So, there. But it's for the PS2...so...

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-13 07:52am

If someone brings up Ace Combat, then I trump everyone by saying:

JUNGLE STRIKE.

Tolya · Post by **Tolya** » 2006-09-13 02:27pm

Played Desert Strike and Jungle Strike. Both great games. But they are arcade shooters without a strong set of characters. Im looking for something like SC/PS

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-13 05:29pm

I know...

And if you want a hardcore heli-sim you should definately check out Enemy Engaged: Comanche v Hokum...

At least until LO:MAC - Black Shark comes out.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-09-14 02:50am

weemadando wrote:If someone brings up Ace Combat, then I trump everyone by saying:

JUNGLE STRIKE.

Well, what's it got that Ace doesn't?

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-09-14 05:11am

Shroom Man 777 wrote:
weemadando wrote:If someone brings up Ace Combat, then I trump everyone by saying:

JUNGLE STRIKE.
Well, what's it got that Ace doesn't?

An isometric perspective?

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-09-14 07:32am

What is that supposed to mean?