What is your favorite Combat Flight Sim?

[Dowly]

Yup, can't really pick one, or even two.

Can echo what Oberon said with one addition: European Air War

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Cybermat47

Eh. Glad to see at least somebody has had a good experience. Might as well try it again. I would recommend to you Birdds of Steel, or the pc version of the game,World of Planes. In it, you can play as British,American,Russian,Australian,German,Italian ,or Japanese. You can add 2 emblems on any part of your aircraft, select loadout realism and much more. You receive missions like combat air patrol, ground attack, head to head dogfight, tank bombing, city bombing, escort missions, and 2 main campaigns with 14 different dynamic campaigns. Here is the website:http://birdsofsteel.com/ I've got the Xbox 360 version of the game!

I think that's a very cool online game, but TBH I would be VERY careful about calling it a simulation. I'm actually curious to try it, but I really wouldn't expect it to be a vehicular simulator in any strict sense. It's built for having fast fun in a diverse, cool-looking online environment, it's not built for recreating the exact systems, controls, missions, weapons, tactics, etc. etc.

The key mark of a simulator is realism, i.e. how well it recreates "what really happened" or "being there". On that point, BoB II may not be the most fun, challenging or good-looking - but it's really as close as anyone so far has got to recreating that conflict in a game. Personally I'm not really hung up on realism or anything, but I think there's a real difference between true simulators, sim-lite, and flight games. They might share the subject (flying airplanes) in common, but the actual gameplay and appeal of these games couldn't be more different from each other.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Oberon

(We need more Cold War Gone Hot Combat Flight Sims set in Germany)

We do indeed! Harriers deployed into woods alongside autobahns.

F-104s, Phantoms, Lightnings, Sabres (inc. Super) - the list of wanted aircraft goes on and on.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

We do indeed! Harriers deployed into woods alongside autobahns.

F-104s, Phantoms, Lightnings, Sabres (inc. Super) - the list of wanted aircraft goes on and on.

That's the primary reason I like Wings Over Europe. In terms of simulation...well...it's not going to challenge DCS any time soon, but you have Germany and if you install NATO Fighters modpack then you get a whole load of toys to play with, including the Frightening. But, I would love someone like DCS to take a run at a 1985ish era scenario, although admittedly dogfighting over the West German front in the first two days of the war would be a little bit like sticking your arm into a blender, but it would be spectacular.
I used to have a lovely print of a painting of a Harrier taking off from inside a wood, no idea where it went, sadly the frame was knackered. Was very atmospheric though.

[Cybermat47]

Originally Posted by CCIP

I think that's a very cool online game, but TBH I would be VERY careful about calling it a simulation. I'm actually curious to try it, but I really wouldn't expect it to be a vehicular simulator in any strict sense. It's built for having fast fun in a diverse, cool-looking online environment, it's not built for recreating the exact systems, controls, missions, weapons, tactics, etc. etc.

The key mark of a simulator is realism, i.e. how well it recreates "what really happened" or "being there". On that point, BoB II may not be the most fun, challenging or good-looking - but it's really as close as anyone so far has got to recreating that conflict in a game. Personally I'm not really hung up on realism or anything, but I think there's a real difference between true simulators, sim-lite, and flight games. They might share the subject (flying airplanes) in common, but the actual gameplay and appeal of these games couldn't be more different from each other.

That's a fair enough opinion as console flight sims don't tend to be as good as PC games. However, I found that birds of steel actually goes out of its way in visual accuracy. All of the fighters and one engined bombers have gloriously detailed cockpits, and is the only game I can think of which has the pilot's character model respond to the buttons pressed in first person mode.

I guess that in the end it's all just personal preference! Good luck in BoB II!

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Oberon

a 1985ish era scenario, although admittedly dogfighting over the West German front in the only two days of the war would be a little bit like sticking your arm into a blender, but it would be spectacular.

Fixed.

Recommend Jerry Pook's 'Flying Freestyle' to you.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

Fixed.

Recommend Jerry Pook's 'Flying Freestyle' to you.

Too damn true!

Oooh, thanks for the recommend, have bookmarked and will investigate.

In turn, might I recommend 'Cold War, Hot Wings' by Chris Bain.

[Cybermat47]

Forgot to mention about birds of steel, there are little people on the ground, fighting each over, and they die when you shoot/ bomb them! also there are three difficulty levels:
Simplified:Arcade type mode, unlimited boost, bombs and ammo
Realistic:limmited bombs and ammo, black outs flap control required
Simulator: No friend or foe identification, no target camera, confined to cockpit mode, also you need to adjust every little thing manually.

[Tchocky]

Old fellers are likely gone to bed already but, Red Baron 2!

Mostly playing IL-2 and WoE (NATO Fighters) at the moment. I've got DCS World and the A-10 module bought but not installed, waiting until I build a new box for that. And get my hands on a HOTAS.

[torpedobait]

My personal favorites (can't believe they weren't mentioned by anyone) are LB2 and Jane's FA/18. When I found my new pc couldn't /wouldn't let them run, I went out and bought a "retro" Gateway P2 and a copy of Win98 SE, along with a Voodoo graphics card, just so I could run those two again. Hours and hours of pure enjoyment for me.

[Yamato_NF]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Old fellers are likely gone to bed already but, Red Baron 2!

Mostly playing IL-2 and WoE (NATO Fighters) at the moment. I've got DCS World and the A-10 module bought but not installed, waiting until I build a new box for that. And get my hands on a HOTAS.

Same, got dcs a10 bought. (as well as DCSW)
But haven't installed it yet, (just bought a new pc for it today!)
But I have a hotas. Gathering dust though...
My new pc arrives on the 13th. I CAN'T BLOODY WAIT!!!

[Herr-Berbunch]

Both of you start reading the manuals.

And enjoy it.

[Yamato_NF]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

Both of you start reading the manuals.

And enjoy it.

Lolalready readin

[Svetron]

Reading through some of the posts, I feel kind of old...my greatest flight sims... well my first big love was "F-19 Stealth Fighter" on the C64, then I guess on the Amiga "F-18 Intercepotor", "Battle Hawks 1942", "Their Finest Hour: The battle of Britain", "Tornado", "Flight of the Intruder" and one of my all time best "Combat Pilot" - my best friend and I even hooked up our Amigas to fly head to head (the crash box was like 300m, but we didnt care). On the PC I would say that "The secret weapons of the luftwaffe", Falcon 3 and 4, IL2 (and 1946), Rise of Flight, the DCS series and of course Flanker stands out! I have bought and owned pretty much every sim that has come out since the late 80s and I will contiune buying/flying until the day I die!

Salute all you fellow "airmen", may your skies always be blue.

[Dowly]

Hah, we had F-19 SF on C64 too. Though, I was too young to know what the
heck I was doing, but I liked the boxart. Still remember how it looked after all these years.