The Best of Prior Flight Sim Games

[Feldgrün]

We've frequently said what we like best in flight sim games, with some examples, but I'm curious what we'd recommend as the best games in certain categories. I'd hope in many ways that Combat Pilot can be a combination of the best of all prior games.

1. Best Flight Modeling

2. Best Damage Modeling

3. Best Graphics

4. Best Gameplay

5. Best User Interface

6. Best AI

7. Best in Ease of Modification/Creating Custom Scenarios

8. Best in Communication with Players

 

My experience is limited to only a few flight sim games, but I'd grade them this way:

1. Best Flight Modeling: DCS

2. Best Damage Modeling: IL2 Cliffs of Dover/Desert Wings

3. Best Graphics: IL2 Great Battles

4. Best Gameplay: IL2 1946 (although many have said Wings Over Flanders Fields, but I haven't played that)

5. Best User Interface: IL2 Great Battles

6. Best Enemy Artificial Intelligence: IL2 1946

7. Best in Ease of Modification/Creating Custom Scenarios: IL2 1946

8. Best in Communication with Players: Combat Pilot. Jason excels at that, even without a playable game. 

[Boom]

1. Best Flight Modeling: For those who like to fly  'by the numbers', the I would say a variety of aircraft in FSX and MSFS

2. Best Damage Modeling: IL2 Cliffs of Dover/Desert Wings

3. Best Graphics: MSFS

4. Best Gameplay: Wings Over Flanders Fields II

5. Best User Interface: No opinion

6. Best Enemy Artificial Intelligence: MiG Alley

7. Best in Ease of Modification/Creating Custom Scenarios: RB3D

8. Best in Communication with Players: Combat Pilot. Jason excels at that, even without a playable game.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

There are a few additional aspects that I think are important in a flight sim game.

• Performance/system requirements - Il-2 1946 and War Thunder really benefited from the fact that you didn't need strong hardware to get a pleasant experience.
• Community/third-party involvement - publishing tools like mission editors, map editors, and object SDKs or APIs was key to the appeal of FSX, X-Plane, Arma 3, etc. by giving them a life beyond the original content.
• Release schedules - games lose some appeal if the developers aim for such a high fidelity that they arrive with glacial pace.

[Feldgrün]

5 hours ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

There are a few additional aspects that I think are important in a flight sim game.

• Performance/system requirements - Il-2 1946 and War Thunder really benefited from the fact that you didn't need strong hardware to get a pleasant experience.
• Community/third-party involvement - publishing tools like mission editors, map editors, and object SDKs or APIs was key to the appeal of FSX, X-Plane, Arma 3, etc. by giving them a life beyond the original content.
• Release schedules - games lose some appeal if the developers aim for such a high fidelity that they arrive with glacial pace.

I have no problem if you'd like to extend the list to 11, but what flight sims would you put in those categories?

[dburne]

Don't look back gang, look forward...

[Lusekofte]

I do like the complexity of clod. Both in dm and fm. I really like that to be incorporated. 

[wheelsup_cavu]

17 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

I do like the complexity of clod.

That ended up being such an unfortunate acronym. Of course for the most part SOW was not any better.

 

Wheels

[Mysticpuma]

Let's not go down the route of this products name then 👀

I would consider there is the possibility of changing the name of the product though if the initials become problematic. 

Warthunder actually started out as "World of Planes" around 12 years ago when I was beta testing it, but they changed the name, so it's always possible. 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Mysticpuma

[Feldgrün]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:42 PM, dburne said:

Don't look back gang, look forward...

It’s helpful to see who did things best so you don’t have to “reinvent the wheel.”

[JFM]

Regarding the name, I loved the sim but when I first heard the name “Rise of Flight” I thought it was awful; so passive. Plus, it sounded like we’d be flying circuits around Huffman Prairie. At least “Combat Pilot” is active and tough. If they threw “Pacific” in front of it, it’d be a little more specific/descriptive and still tough. Same with “Combat Pilot: PTO.” With or without “Pacific” or “PTO,” “Combat Pilot” suggests there is no fighter exclusivity and that it can incorporate anything: level bombers, fighters, dive bombers, torpedo bombers, scouts, float planes, cargo planes, arty bird dogs, etc. Any type, any service. 

[Mysticpuma]

Combat Pilot, did lend it's name to a much wider future scope than Pacific Combat Pilot, which is a specific area. 

That said the "IL2 Sturmovik" : Cliffs of Dover, really had nothing to do with the Battle of Britain, so maybe the name doesn't make as much of a difference? 

In regards to Acronyms, 

Clod, BoX. BoN, TC, WT, Wot, RoF..... CP has its challenges, maybe it could be tweaked to maybe Combat Operations Pilot to give us COP or similar tweaks? 

Anyway, that3all in the future for now 

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

3 hours ago, Mysticpuma said:

That said the "IL2 Sturmovik" : Cliffs of Dover, really had nothing to do with the Battle of Britain, so maybe the name doesn't make as much of a difference?

By the time Cliffs of Dover came about, the name "Il-2 Sturmovik" had such widespread recognition that it would give a boost to any flight sim product just based on the success of the original game. Unfortunately the name alone isn't enough to make a game successful...

I think the meaning of a name matters much more in early stages before a series gains widespread recognition.

[ZachariasX]

For me, it was Microproses F-19, that was really ground breaking with its features and the proper resemblance of a flight model.

But taking a closer look at the old sims again, it is like watching an old episode of TV shows like "Knight Rider" or "A Team" again. Doing so really soils the fond memories I have about them... I want to look forward.

[JFM]

For me, watching my favorite shows from decades ago highlights and accentuates the depths of comparative rubbish to which modern TV has eroded. 😀 

I’d like a lot of things that over the years I’ve already requested for various sims—to be told by others I’m crazy. I don’t mind. Many features I’d like are geological or meteorological. Wind and its effects on smoke, trees, water, planes, ships, etc. Realistic clouds/cloud types, not just fluffy blobs. Dynamic weather. Lightning, both CC and CG. Rainbows. Glory—diving down on an enemy who is in or near your Glory should in no way see you coming. Wet runways. Also, on carriers, visible crew on deck. 

I know, I know, “can’t/won’t be done.” Still…😀

[ZachariasX]

3 hours ago, JFM said:

I know, I know, “can’t/won’t be done.” Still…😀

They all say that until someone just does it, then you can cout to three and everyone has it. Nobody needed clouds until MSFS came along. And then...