Combat Flight Simulations - Catch All

We have a general thread for general aviation sims, why not one for combat flight sims?!

So I've been playing a lot of classic combat flight sims, like Super VGA Harrier, Megafortress and Tornado, and my god it's been amazing go to back to this pre-3D acceleration era of combat flight sims. This week I streamed Tornado and had a blast, next week is Gunship 2000. So fun.

Also loaded up Birds of Steel on the 360 recently, having a lot of fun with that.

What about y'all?

I bounce between DCS and IL-2 depending on my tolerance for learning/remembering all the modern systems. Both in VR, which despite the definite regression in visuals compared to 1440p+ graphics on a monitor I can't back away from. The immersion is just too good. I can distinctly remember the first time I launched DCS in VR and tried to take off in a P-51, the sense of actually being in the cockpit was incredible.

I also bounce between being so impressed with the fidelity and accuracy of modern combat sims, and being irritated at how far they've lost the sense of being a game. I mostly play single player, and while the missions/campaigns can be pretty good a lot of the satisfaction has to be self-generated. I cut my teeth on old Microprose sims like F-19 Stealth Fighter, and there was nothing quite like planning a mission, hitting primary/secondary targets, stumbling across a target of opportunity, and surviving all the way back home to be awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. And you knew there was a point tally going on in the background, and the award was earned. It was cheesy and gamey, but it was fun. Nowadays sims are so focused on hyper-realism that they've kind of lost that sense of gaming fun, or they relegate it to players building it through online multiplayer. Which is an entirely different headache to try to conquer.

Yeah, friend of mine calls it the problem of a plane sim vs. a pilot sim. DCS and IL-2 (though less so of late) are more plane sims while F-19 (and IL-2 is getting better at this) is a pilot sim.

I prefer pilot sims my own self. I'd much rather play Tornado or Wings over Flanders Fields or Strike Fighters 2 than DCS.

Boudreaux wrote:

I bounce between DCS and IL-2 depending on my tolerance for learning/remembering all the modern systems. Both in VR, which despite the definite regression in visuals compared to 1440p+ graphics on a monitor I can't back away from. The immersion is just too good. I can distinctly remember the first time I launched DCS in VR and tried to take off in a P-51, the sense of actually being in the cockpit was incredible.

I also bounce between being so impressed with the fidelity and accuracy of modern combat sims, and being irritated at how far they've lost the sense of being a game. I mostly play single player, and while the missions/campaigns can be pretty good a lot of the satisfaction has to be self-generated. I cut my teeth on old Microprose sims like F-19 Stealth Fighter, and there was nothing quite like planning a mission, hitting primary/secondary targets, stumbling across a target of opportunity, and surviving all the way back home to be awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. And you knew there was a point tally going on in the background, and the award was earned. It was cheesy and gamey, but it was fun. Nowadays sims are so focused on hyper-realism that they've kind of lost that sense of gaming fun, or they relegate it to players building it through online multiplayer. Which is an entirely different headache to try to conquer.

I feel this! And it's what's kept me from going all in in DCS, despite having a whole HOTAS setup. But you may want to try Project Wingman. It's not quite full sim, but it's not entirely arcade. It's very simplistic in terms of the controls and flight model, but it has a full single player campaign that's quite fun.

Ohhhh good call, Project Wingman is great.

Veloxi wrote:

Ohhhh good call, Project Wingman is great.

I really enjoyed it, and it also has a fairly decent post-campaign skirmish/mission mode.

I think I tried Project Wingman on Xbox Gamepass a few months ago. If I remember right, it was very pretty but the gameplay was a little over-the-top frenetic for me.

VTOL VR (sp?) is amazing if you have VR. Nice to have rudder pedals but no other peripherals required.

MisterStatic wrote:

VTOL VR (sp?) is amazing if you have VR. Nice to have rudder pedals but no other peripherals required.

OH yes another great call.

So y’all Gunship 2000 still slaps.

I flew through a f*cking train tunnel.

Latest acquisition. My favorite helo sim.

IMAGE(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/319678073807044610/976911435848368189/20220519_111612.jpg?width=617&height=695)

DCS Catch-All

I had created a DCS thread but it's sort of died. I really miss flying combat sims, but I just don't have the time lately to commit to an immersive sim.

Yeah I don't have the patience for the extreme switchology that is DCS. I prefer pilot-focused sims like mostly anything in the 90s. Or Wings over Flanders Fields.

I was looking for this thread! Couldn't find it. I recently got Ace Combat 7 and, despite what flight sim purists might say, playing an arcade flight game with a full hotas is very fun.

Feh, purists are ruining the genre. Fun for the win.

They heard me! They finally heard me!
https://www.pcgamer.com/ace-combat-s...

I just got AC7 but haven't dived in yet. Have been playing a lot of Birds of Steel on the 360 though. It's super great.

Side note, I'd forgotten how amazing and kind of hilariously those old Dynamix sims used MIDI. I just set up Aces over The Pacific for next week, and they use MIDI for everything, from engine sounds to guns, so when I shoot, it sounds like a very angry violinist playing an electric violin.