flight sims

bigjimmyauk

bigjimmyauk

bigjimmyauk

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when you think we will see some DX11 flight sims or some new flight sims of any description


i loved over g fighters and ace combat 6 but never really found anything on pc that matched them in terms of playability
 
Combat Flight Simulator 1 & 2 :D Superb Games.
CFS3 was a bit crap for me.

Lock-On IS a Simulator. A very indepth good one - takes a lot of learning.

Edit: Also the MS Flight Sim X - the gliding / soaring on that was superb. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
 
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Well Microsoft have paid off all the Aces development team for the official MSFS product, but apparently some of the ex-employees have set up a new company and are working on a new sim.

Also, Aerosoft, an 3rd party developer for MSFS, have been working on one too.

Will be interesting to see what the next year brings to be honest. Would be great to finally have one unified platform, maybe open source, so that all parties could develop addons for the same product.
 
Rise of Flight is one of the newer sims if you're into WWI bi-planes.

There is always XPlane as well, still being developed and hopefully soon will have UK photo scenery to rival or maybe better that in FSX. Great if you're into VFR.
 
Lock On is getting an addon rumoured to be out this month, more info here

Here are some recommendations for sims to check out and google.

WWI - Rise of Flight
WWII - Wings of Prey, and eventually BOB:Storm of War
Vietnam - Strike Fighters 2
Modern - Lock On, and soon DCS:- A10C Warthog
Helicopter - DCS:- Ka-50 Black Shark

Nate
 
I've been wondering why we don't see so many flight sims these days. Maybe there just isn't the market out there any more, or they just cost to much to make these days or something.

But I look back through rose tinted glasses and remember the days when Microprose seemed to release a flight sim every other month for the Speccy/C64 fronted by 'Wild Bill Stealy' (Gunship, F15, F19 etc) and the days when there were loads of good sims on the Amiga like: F29, Birds of Prey, Falcon, F18.

Even the early days of PC gaming had some crackers such as TFX, Euro Fighter 2000, Combat flight sim, Falcon 4 (With proper manuals :) ). It just feels like there hasn't been a good modern combat sim since Lock-On, which if I'm honest I struggled to get to grips with anyway. I'm tempted still with DCS Black Shark, epecially with the A10 on it's way for that, but the copy protection with limited activations puts me off a bit and the fact it seems aimed at the ultra realistic end of the spectrum. I still wish someone would make a modern jet sim which was not quite as complicated as Lock-On and with new DX10/11 graphics.
 
I know exactly what you mean, I started my flight sim career on the Amstrad CPC 464 with TopGun!!

Here's some of my favorites from a time long since gone:

AMIGA:

Bird of Prey
F/A18 Interceptor
Knights of the Sky

PC:

Chuck Yeager (how could you miss this one??)

SU-27 Flanker (lets be honest, utterly garbage graphics outside the flight model but one of the most realistic sims ever at the time)

Future // Now:

DCS - http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/
Fighter OPS - http://www.fighterops.com/

Couple what look like decent ones coming along (edit: didn't know DCS Blackshark was out already, looks good on youtube & allegedly the next module will be the AH-64 with the ability for a friend to sit in the back while you pilot, nice!)

Truth is consoles are destroying the hardcore, simulation market, every month there is a new first person shooter released, even Vietnam is coming next, seriously dump the FPS and lets have a nice line of flight sims again.

This is quite cool flying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WXDh4F0gdc&feature=related
 
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Yeah I think the 90's were the Golden era of Flight Sims, with the pinnacle being Falcon 4, Total Air War and Flanker 2 in '98. There are too many favorites to list but I do remember Su-27 Flanker as being the first Sim I flew that actually felt like you were flying. Fast forward to today and the same guys are making DCS. They have to be the longest in the sim business.

In my opinion Combat Sims are going through a bit of a renaissance these days. For almost every era and type of sim we have now, or coming soon, the best examples ever made. As I listed in an above post, sims like DCS (Ka-50 or A-10) Storm of War and Rise of Flight are, or when released will be, the best ever made, for their respective genre.

It is a pity that these types of "games" don't appeal to a wider audience, but not many people are prepared to give the time required to get the most out of them. It is a testament to the strength of good sim that a 12 year old sim like F4 is still flown by a large amount of flyers.

How many other 12 year old games get played these days?



Oh and that Vid is a very early alpha version of BS. The author remade it with the 2009 version here

Nate

Edit:-
ThorpedoUK said:
Couple what look like decent ones coming along (edit: didn't know DCS Blackshark was out already, looks good on youtube & allegedly the next module will be the AH-64 with the ability for a friend to sit in the back while you pilot, nice!)
Click to expand...

The next DCS module is the A-10C, the AH-64 is on the list but hasn't been confirmed as being after the A-10. The reason for this is the military contracts they get. The A-10C was a new upgrade for the USAF, they needed new training sims and Eagle Dynamics got the contract for the Desktop Trainer sim, so the next DCS module is the A-10C. If they get a contract for the Apache...... you see where I'm going.........
 
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Nate--IRL-- said:
It is a pity that these types of "games" don't appeal to a wider audience, but not many people are prepared to give the time required to get the most out of them. It is a testament to the strength of good sim that a 12 year old sim like F4 is still flown by a large amount of flyers.
Click to expand...

You forgot to mention that Falcon 4 has been updated by the Allied Force release. Keep meaning to try that.
 
Briton said:
You forgot to mention that Falcon 4 has been updated by the Allied Force release. Keep meaning to try that.
Click to expand...

Actually IIRC Allied force was largely bypassed by most in favor of community updates such as Open Falcon and Free Falcon. I'm not a Falconite TBH so I'm not too up to date on what the latest Falcon Stuff is now.

Nate
 
Briton said:
I had that bundled with the first Amiga I bought. I know it's not the most in-depth sim but I loved it. Can still remember managing my first successful carrier landing. :)
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Carrier landings were fun! I don't suppose you were like me - addicted to flying under the Golden Gate Bridge?

Was a great game, you could actually see the sidewinder missiles attached to the wings which you didn't see much around that time!

Nate - I didn't know that about the A-10, the AH-64 info I read on youtube (not the best place to read about this admittedly!) but I see your point about military contracts - very cool and no doubt resulting in very real sims, however I wonder how the Russian military feel about the west getting light experience in the technological functionality of there hardware.

TBH I think the F16 has been simmed to death (and the MIG-29), I know it was // is an excellent plane but something like the AC-130, B1-B Lancer or B52 would be nice, carpet bombing with a friend!

I was just watching a night video of the DCS BS, looks amazing!

EDIT: I'd be interested to know what models (payware) you guys have for FSX and how you rate them, I know about the PMDG stuff which is usually pretty awesome (and Alphasim SR-71 // B1-B) but not sure about the others..
 
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