Military Flight sims anyone?

[oni14128]

Just wondering if anyone out there enjoys realistic mil-flight sims? I'm not talking HAWX or Ace Combat but ones like DCS: A-10C or Ka-50 or something from the LockOn series. It would be nice to get some mulitplayer flight time in. for me specifically it would be in the A-10C or F-15 from Flaming Cliffs 2. If anyone is interested please let me know, AI wingmen are just awful.

[Frost N7]

I would like to know as well , i played hawx 2 but after evochron i miss the fuel limit

[Maarschalk]

The only one I played is Falcon 4.0 Allied Force!.....:P

[Marvin]

I steer clear of any combat flight sim set later that WWII.

[Nubarus]

I also get stuck at WWII but I do enjoy the jet's from IL2 1946 and the History SFX mod where you get to fly the planes from the Korean war as well.

Almost all planes from the early 30's till late 50's can be piloted.

[hank]

I've played LOMAC (Lock-on Modern Air Combat) for a couple of years now. FLaming Cliffs is my current version. I also fly IL2 latest version. I really like those but since I got EM, I've not flown a minute. I still open up Steelbeasts and do some damage with Leo's and Abrams MBT's (main battle tanks), but the time I spend on the battlefield with SB has also been diminished significantly since EM.

Until I burn out on EM, my seat time will be in a Lamprey, Evoch-E, Avenger or maybe my trusty old Legacy.

[oni14128]

LOMAC Flaming Cliffs is definitely fun for fighter jockeys although I miss the complexity for Falcon 4.0. I wish it was more stable. I am waiting for Flaming Cliffs 3 to come down in price, until then I'll be in the titanium bathtub of the A-10C. Spent an 1.5 hours last night punching in UTM coordinates from JTAC (Joint Tactical Air Controller) doing a SCUD hunt. The only cheat I use is unlimited fuel, cuz I suck at re-fuelling. Once you learn all the keyboard commands (everything has an alt, shift and ctrl variant) flying is a breeze. Having a HOTAS helps, so does the thrustmaster F-16 MFDs. If anyone ever picks up any of DCS's titles (A-10C, KA-50, P-51D, Flaming Cliffs 3) and wants to fly together PM me.

[hank]

I was reading about the DCS games back when ... . They sound real good and when I get back to Earth based combat flight sims I'm going to give it a good look-see. LOMAC FC is good but its getting a bit dated; it been around for years.

And yes to the A-10, its the most fun imho. Blowing up ground targets is a blast (no pun inteded or is inteded). I like the F15 for a change but the Warthog is one bad instrument of destruction.

[DaveK]

I steer clear of any combat flight sim set later that WWII.

My reflexes are too slow for any combat sim later then WW2

[oni14128]

I steer clear of any combat flight sim set later that WWII.

My reflexes are too slow for any combat sim later then WW2

I know what you are saying; lots of micromanagement especially if you have to rely on ai for support. They won't do Jack if you don't tell them to. I had to make reference cards for all of my hotas functions just so I would remember what hat switch did what for each or the 5 modes (dms up/down/left/right, tms up/down/left/right, ect). Lots of fun though if you have the patience to learn. I had to play for a week before I could hit a target outside the training mission. Lomac just got an update in the form of Flaming Cliffs 3. New graphics, avionics, missile behavior, plus it integrates with a-10 and all the other dcs modules. Even combined arms which let's you play as a tank/ground commander. That should be a cool sight, being in the tank commander seat and calling in air support on an enemy tank column.

[Nubarus]

WWII sims (decent ones) you will need good reflexes as well as good eyes (and hardware) in order to play if you use full real settings.
No radar, no targeting boxes, no Friend or Foe identification and you need to master energy fighting or else you will get shot down, regardless of having good AI support.
You also need a good feel of leading your targets since there is no gun piper to help you out with leading.

You also need to learn to identify plane silouette's or else you will shoot down your own guys.

And in the games I play you also need to learn engine management, some planes even have a manual gear shift, you also need to learn mixture control and prop pitch settings at various altitudes.
Not to mention surroundings and map navigation in order to find your way to the target area and back home.

[Marvin]

Rise of Flight (WWI) is pretty much the same, from what I hear.

[Maarschalk]

WWII sims (decent ones) you will need good reflexes as well as good eyes (and hardware) in order to play if you use full real settings.
No radar, no targeting boxes, no Friend or Foe identification and you need to master energy fighting or else you will get shot down, regardless of having good AI support.
You also need a good feel of leading your targets since there is no gun piper to help you out with leading.

You also need to learn to identify plane silouette's or else you will shoot down your own guys.

And in the games I play you also need to learn engine management, some planes even have a manual gear shift, you also need to learn mixture control and prop pitch settings at various altitudes.
Not to mention surroundings and map navigation in order to find your way to the target area and back home.

And I thought Falcon 4.0 Allied Force Flying the F16 in Combat had a steep learning curve!....:P

[oni14128]

Modern flight Sims are more about bvr (beyond visual range) combat. Ww2 era are more dogfighting. Both have their challenges.

[Marvin]

Modern flight Sims are more about bvr (beyond visual range) combat.

So said the high-ranking officer who decided the F-4 didn't need an internal gun. Boy, was he wrong.

[oni14128]

Bvr is great but there is no reason not to have a backup. Just about every system in newer combat aircraft has a backup, eventually you'll run out of missiles.

[Sl1f3r]

I played a bit of DCS: Black Shark chopper sim, as well as the original Falcon4.0 which was fun and everything,
but sometimes those games get a bit too hectic for someone that just wants to play a game for an hour or 3 and then chill or carry on with other stuff at home. I don't have endless time to concentrate on a single game anymore as i play many different games and have other stuff to attend to at home as well.
In that sense, stuff like the IL2 series and Rise of Flight was more enjoyable for me as you didn't have to push millions of little buttons etc. You just have to take off, spot someone and engage, so most of your game time was in improving your actual flying skills and tactics instead of endlessly studying the manual and guides on how to target different things and operate the radar etc. and it was still realistic, whereas stuff like HAWX, Top Gun Hard Lock, Ace Combat etc. were basically brainless arcade-style shooters with almost-endless missile supplies which gets really boring for me after a few times played.

[littleboy]

for fast battle, fun, ok, no real sim here, you can try World of Warplanes... i got into the beta since some month and it's really cool for fast sharp battles... bombing and all, lots of old planes, very funy

[Professor Paul1290]

I used to play Falcon 4.0 a lot back in the day. It has a lot of nice update mods out there now.

[Knight Rider]

I have been playing this one for a few weeks. For this type of WW II game, It's very realistic. I don't know if anyone has ever played this game but they have covered every little detail to make it realistic but not overly complicated. You can switch from flying this beast to flying a fighter. Very Cool.

http://www.gog.com/gamecard/b_17_flying ... mighty_8th

[Marvin]

I have that one. Even bought a copy for my dad who had been a top turret gunner/engineer aboard B-17s in WWII. But the game is buggy ... leastwise, if you leave piloting to the AI, you'll find yourself slamming into the side of a building every once in awhile. Or crashing on landing. Even if your plane took no damage.

[Knight Rider]

I have that one. Even bought a copy for my dad who had been a top turret gunner/engineer aboard B-17s in WWII. But the game is buggy ... leastwise, if you leave piloting to the AI, you'll find yourself slamming into the side of a building every once in awhile. Or crashing on landing. Even if your plane took no damage.

LOL..Thanks Marv... I have to keep that in mind. How did your Dad rate this game? Did he find it very realistic?

[Marvin]

While our B-17 flew to its target in Germany, I spent the two hours listening to him tell war stories. I don't remember if we even completed the mission.

[Knight Rider]

While our B-17 flew to its target in Germany, I spent the two hours listening to him tell war stories. I don't remember if we even completed the mission.

Wow..I'm going to enjoy this one Immensely.

I'm still practicing take off and landings. I got the take off part down, but the landing is a lot harder then it looks, that is one little, itty-bitty air strip from the air.

After several passes, I get bored, and go strait for the quick missions.

[Marvin]

That I can understand, especially if you're playing the part of the aircraft commander. I never did. I was either bombardier or navigator. Does the plane have autopilot?