Seeking a very good air combat simulation

[edyzmedieval]

From modern times. No WWII or stuff like that.

It's time to change from my trusty USNF 97, who's been an excellent game. Playing it since 1998, but the CD is horribly scratched, and no replacements have been found whatsoever.

So, Beirut & Co, any suggestions?

[Whacker]

IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 is a great buy, it's 2 games and 2 (3?) expansions on one DVD.

The only real "modern" military combat sim is Lock-on Modern Air Combat, but it's infected with Starforce, and it uses the strongest possible 'protection' method. I'd avoid it like the plague honestly. [soapbox] In case you weren't aware, Starforce drivers force your hardware drivers into modes of operation that are detrimental to your PC hardware. I've lost one DVD drive to LOMAC, and there are a few others on here who've also lost hardware because of it. Check this site for a list of games to boycott. [/soapbox]

In terms of the immortal Janes/EA games, Fighters Anthology works ok on my Windows XP 32-bit install. "Splash one Mexican Flanker!"

[Bijo]

Top Gun for the NES

[Husar]

Have a look at Wings over Europe.

I have strike Fighters: Project 1 which is a predecessor and can be patched to the same technical standards and I have to say it's a very nice game.
It's not very complicated though, the flightmodels etc are quite realistic but you won't get hundreds of radar modes and functions etc.
Also has a whole lot of available mods, new terrains, new aircraft, etc.
You should be able to find most of them here, though as I'm posting this the site seems to be down.


If it's too expensive, you might want to look for Wings over Vietnam or the above mentioned strike fighters which should be available cheaper and use exactly the same engine. Via Service Packs and Patches they also get the same functionality though not for the stock aircraft(but the latest Service Pack adds clouds to all verisons for example).

[Veho Nex]

Well for console there is the ace combat series(which i like alot)

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

It's a blast, but it's more arcade than simulation.

[Veho Nex]

yeh i guess well there was this one game i played a while back can't remember to much though and it was into simulation big time

[Kekvit Irae]

In terms of the immortal Janes/EA games, Fighters Anthology works ok on my Windows XP 32-bit install. "Splash one Mexican Flanker!"

Unless you're totally frickin' hardcore, I definitely do not suggest buying Jane's. I once wanted to know what it was like to be in a nuclear submarine, so I bought Jane's 688i Hunter Killer. Big mistake. Five minutes in, I was charting out graphs IN REAL LIFE and listening to pings on the radar. I never knew I needed a degree in mathematics just to fire off a torpedo.

Jane's AH64 Longbow was a little better, but I still could never figure out how to fly a helicopter until Operation Flashpoint came along and showed me the basics.
Seriously, if you want to go for a fun flight sim that won't bog you down with manuals as thick as a college textbook, pick up Operation Flashpoint and find a friend to dogfight with using the fighters, or play cat-and-mouse using a Cobra/Apache and a Shilka (I absolutely LOVE the helicopters in the game). Grab the Red Hammer expansion and you can play with the Chinook.

[Husar]

Well, Operation Flashpoint is nice for helicopters etc, but if you want to have fun with planes, you should get a decent sim. The one I mention above is somewhere in the middle between arcade and hardcore simulation, you have to be able to fly a plane, but you don't need to remember hundreds of key combinations to shoot down an enemy fighter. LockOn was a bit too hardcore for my taste, I couldn't really figure out how some things worked, for example in russian planes I couldn't select certain missiles etc, after a while I just gave up.

And btw, I loved USNF 97 and ATF, I was a kid back when I played them so I enabled some cheats etc, Strike Fighters was the first sim I found that could replace them concerning the fun of flying around and shooting down enemies, though now I don't cheat anymore. And sadly it lacks the easy mission editor, but the random mission generator isn't bad either.

[Samurai Waki]

http://lo-mac.com/

One Modern Air Combat Flight Simulator Comin' Right Up.

[Beirut]

Did someone say flightsims?

Lock On is a good modern sim but needs some pretty serious hardware to run with heavy action. The A-10 flying is great and the visuals are top shelf. The mission editor is easy to use and has good variety. No night vision equipment, just flares, so night flying is very limited. You can buy Lock On for about $10 at most stores. In the end, I don't fly it much.

IL2-46 is, for my money, much, much better. Yes it's WWII action, but it has huge variety and you can make any scenario from biplanes over the trenches to jets at 30,000' and everything in between. I think there are over two hundred planes to fly and about fifty maps. Can't recommend it enough.

If you can find Janes USAF, it's a lot of fun. But not Janes F-18, it's very good but very hardcore.

Falcon 4:Allied Force is also very good but has a steep learning curve, the manual is about 600 pages. Also, the graphics suck. But if you're willing to put up with the 1998 eye candy and the college course required to learn the game, there is nothing else that comes close to the depth of this sim.

Tried Wings over Vietnam, didn't do much for me but lots of people like it and it runs well on medium hardware (I think).

Edyz, what kind of flightstick do you have?

[edyzmedieval]

My flightstick is called a keyboard after my joystick broke down on me 6 months ago. Never got around to repair it, and surely my parents won't give me the cash ESPECIALLY to buy a joystick. They even tell me every day I spend too much time gaming.

I'm looking for very hardcore stuff. USNF is HARDCORE, and it comes with a 300 page book, which I still keep in good shape even today, after almost 10 years. The game is excellent gameplay-wise, it has tons of features, but the graphic lacks horribly, and it spoils the fun really. It's probably one of my favourite game (proof - I kept the original CD and almost even the box since 1998 - my mom threw the box out )

So, I guess I'll try Falcon 4: Allied Force then and FA/18 Hornet. I knew about the Hornet, but didn't know it was hardcore. Great.

[Beirut]

My flightstick is called a keyboard after my joystick broke down on me 6 months ago. Never got around to repair it, and surely my parents won't give me the cash ESPECIALLY to buy a joystick.

Gah! You have to have a flightstick, even a .50 cent broken 1950s hunk of junk is lightyears better than a keyboard.

I'm looking for very hardcore stuff.

If you're willing to overlook terrible terrain graphics and are truly prepared for hardcore, Falcon 4 is the only choice. Mind you, the plane graphics are nice enough and when turning and burning with a padlock view on the enemy, the sim looks fantastic.

If I still have my original Falcon 4 disk, I'll send it to you. (I'll PM you if I find it.) I have the newer Falcon4:Allied Force sim so I don't fly the original F4 anymore. Follow this link for the best Falcon4 site. DL the latest "Superpack patch" for original Falcon 4, it makes the sim 100% better.

http://www.frugalsworld.com/modules/...hp?category=10

[Samurai Waki]

If You really want to get into the Basics of Falcon 4: Allied Force try to get into a squadron, seriously. I couldn't make heads or tails of the Manual For the Most Part (not to mention I hated getting into a situation where I didn't know what to do just to thumb through the index pages.) But the Squad I was in for a good three or four years actually sat down with me and we practiced the basics, Formations, Group Tactics and so forth. The Two Squad Leaders were actually retired F-16 Pilots (which helped me immensely), One was from Norway the other was from Regina, Canada. Plus theres lots of skins and stuff online that enhance the graphics if you have a problem with it.

I like Lo-Mac because I got tired of flying just the F-16, MiG-29s and Su-27s are very fun and very different aircraft compared to their American counterparts.

[edyzmedieval]

I eeeked when I've seen the documentation. 720 pages!!! You have to be joking me!!!

It's a really complex game, and that's what I like the most. Now a joystick is a must.

[darkragnar]

Without a doubt get LOMAC-Lock On Modern Air Combat.
Some might prefer the Dynamic campaign of Flacon 4 but LOMAC is a much better game in the end.

Its a bit unorthodox but , if you want you can read my tutorial, with ingame Screen shots, about 1 aspect of air combat in the game, it might give you some insight to the game as well as introduce you to how the game looks like.

The First part of the tutorial
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showp...&postcount=136

and the 2nd Part
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showp...&postcount=137

[Beirut]

Its a bit unorthodox but , if you want you can read my tutorial, with ingame Screen shots, about 1 aspect of air combat in the game, it might give you some insight to the game as well as introduce you to how the game looks like.

Nicely done.

[edyzmedieval]

Thank you Ragnar. I found a really nice Logitech joystick, it's about 50 euros. I hope next week I can put my hands on it.

[Judge]

IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 is a great buy, it's 2 games and 2 (3?) expansions on one DVD.

i agree with this, it is awesome

[Drisos]

EDIT: [Snip!] Not the best of taste. Froggy.

[Kekvit Irae]

[removing quote of vanished material. Froggy]

[Drisos]

Oh dear! an AM in here?

Weird mood.

on-topic.. I kind of lost my apetite for flight simulator games with JSF, sooo boring.

[darkragnar]

ty for the compliments guys.

@Drisos: Watch this maybe it will come back :P

These Are some of my favourite Fan Made movies from LOMAC.

Speed II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK3p...elated&search=


Naval Combat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO8y...elated&search=

HotZone, for all you Mig 29 Fans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vu5t8JmP_s

Tomcat Tribute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSkz...elated&search=

and remeber folks these are all ingame videos with editing.

[Sjakihata]

Lo-Mac is the game you're looking for.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Have a look at Wings over Europe.

Right on! There's also a really handy NATO Fighters mod compilation that adds all sorts of new planes and weapons.