Man, I miss true dynamic campaigns in flight sims. I think the last one I played that was simply incredible was Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs. Havoc.
I really could give two shits whether the stresses on every single nut and bolt in the aircraft are simulated in real-time if all I can do is fly around some empty sandbox with crap terrain and computer generated voices droning on. You can get the "sim" part close enough without going to those extremes (which most people won't notice anyway).
They need to bring back the good'ole'days. Throw some FMV's in there. Put some faces to the wingmen and squadrons. Make me feel like I'm flying in a real war where actions have consequences other than if I make it back to base or not.
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Aye, dynamic campaigns are a fantastic concept, a major boost in terms of immersion with so many quality titles implementing it back in the day. Haven't been able to follow the genre much in the recent years (mostly because of the lack of time), but indeed the impression is that not much has been done in that department, and it's a shame. I remember Red Baron 3D as one of the very first titles that I played which had some sort of dynamic progression, it wasn't exactly deep but still, pretty damn fun for that time.
Then Falcon 4 arrived and set the bar higher than the Stratosphere, that was a simply brilliant implementation with unreal attention to details (a few bugs too, but it was inevitable given the complexity and all the variables involved). Comanche vs Hokum indeed was amazing, Mig Alley, Strike Fighters 2, IL-2 1946 and Battle of Britain 2 had pretty decent dynamic campaigns as well. Hell, now I really feel the urge to reinstall some of these golden oldies
I really could give two shits whether the stresses on every single nut and bolt in the aircraft are simulated in real-time if all I can do is fly around some empty sandbox with crap terrain and computer generated voices droning on. You can get the "sim" part close enough without going to those extremes (which most people won't notice anyway).
I'd say that there is a certain subset that enjoys that absolute fidelity aspect (like that guy that reconstructed an actual 737 cockpit in his garage). Presumably the developers lean much more towards the autistic end of the spectrum as well. That aside, focusing purely on the mechanics/simulation is arguably "easier" than creating a decent campaign, especially one that is fully dynamic.
Man, I miss true dynamic campaigns in flight sims. I think the last one I played that was simply incredible was Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs. Havoc.
I really could give two shits whether the stresses on every single nut and bolt in the aircraft are simulated in real-time if all I can do is fly around some empty sandbox with crap terrain and computer generated voices droning on. You can get the "sim" part close enough without going to those extremes (which most people won't notice anyway).
They need to bring back the good'ole'days. Throw some FMV's in there. Put some faces to the wingmen and squadrons. Make me feel like I'm flying in a real war where actions have consequences other than if I make it back to base or not.
Yeah, totally agreed about the good old days. The campaign options are a total drag here admittedly and have barely changed since the Flanker 2.0 days. They just seem to lack the care or flare for proper behind-the-scenes immersion.
I've played the EE games and it was fun, if simplistic and somewhat repetitive. The F4 campaign was a bit overhyped for what it was IMHO as there always seemed to be something happening in your bubble, e.g. on every CAP flight I remember there'd be some mid-level Il-28 flight passing, etc. So, I couldn't really get into F4 much, I enjoyed the old Tornado approach to moving frontlines more, TBH.
My personal favorite was the F-14 FD which had a mission tree and the outcome of one mission would then choose the next mission and in the end the campaign success was rated on the overall mission success rate (if you and the carrier survived, that is). You also had the two F-14 squadrons whose pilots/RIOs were assigned to the missions and the losses were tracked so you might have felt the lack of F-14 flights later in the campaign if the losses are really high. It was relatively simple, yet very effective and the missions made perfect sense in the F-14 way.
At the very least, ED should enhance their campaign options to allow some information to be stored between the missions and to allow the selection or even generation of the next mission to be handled by Lua scripts, rather than the current staging thing based on scores which doesn't even let you end the campaign abruptly based on some critical mission outcome.
I really could give two shits whether the stresses on every single nut and bolt in the aircraft are simulated in real-time if all I can do is fly around some empty sandbox with crap terrain and computer generated voices droning on. You can get the "sim" part close enough without going to those extremes (which most people won't notice anyway).
I'd say that there is a certain subset that enjoys that absolute fidelity aspect (like that guy that reconstructed an actual 737 cockpit in his garage). Presumably the developers lean much more towards the autistic end of the spectrum as well. That aside, focusing purely on the mechanics/simulation is arguably "easier" than creating a decent campaign, especially one that is fully dynamic.
ixigia wrote:
Aye, dynamic campaigns are a fantastic concept, a major boost in terms of immersion with so many quality titles implementing it back in the day. Haven't been able to follow the genre much in the recent years (mostly because of the lack of time), but indeed the impression is that not much has been done in that department, and it's a shame. I remember Red Baron 3D as one of the very first titles that I played which had some sort of dynamic progression, it wasn't exactly deep but still, pretty damn fun for that time.
Then Falcon 4 arrived and set the bar higher than the Stratosphere, that was a simply brilliant implementation with unreal attention to details (a few bugs too, but it was inevitable given the complexity and all the variables involved). Comanche vs Hokum indeed was amazing, Mig Alley, Strike Fighters 2, IL-2 1946 and Battle of Britain 2 had pretty decent dynamic campaigns as well. Hell, now I really feel the urge to reinstall some of these golden oldies
Careful, ixigia. You are giving away your age..
Those were the classics, tho. I miss them. If it could be done 20 years ago, why not now?
I think it's a mix of different factors, with the genre that back in the day was supported/followed by a relatively large percentage of gamers and with a PC-centric market where many companies would put a lot of efforts into both the simulative aspects and the creation of a complete product coming with proper full-fledged single-player campaigns. Flight sims will always be around, but they've definitely changed when it comes to their structure and functionality, not for the better sadly. They're now seen more as some sort of continuous service with huge milking opportunities, with all that entails (something that affects the entire segment of them modern sims).
edit:
Been keeping the BMS under my radar for a while, the dedication and passion from the community know no boundaries. It's very tempting, but I really need to collect enough free time to properly get immersed again..things were easier back then, dammit
DCS World 2.5 Open Beta is now available via an update from the 1.5 Open Beta.
Please use the Updater to install.
Thanks and enjoy!
DCS World 2.5 Open Beta Released!
The Open Beta version of Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS World) 2.5 is a free-to-play digital battlefield game. The “release” version will be available shortly after Open Beta testing is complete. The Open Beta is an optional version of DCS World that we use to first test new content and technologies before moving them to our release version.
Our dream is to offer the most authentic and realistic simulation of military aircraft, tanks and ships possible. This free download includes a vast mission area of the Caucasus region and Black Sea that encompasses much of Georgia. It also includes a flyable Russian Sukhoi Su-25T ground attack aircraft and the famous WWII North American TF-51D fighter. An additional 25 aircraft are available for purchase.
The download comes with one of the most powerful mission editors ever designed, full network play and more than 156 AI weapons systems, 105 ground vehicles and trains, 50 air defense systems, 19 ships and 84 AI aircraft permitting you to plan and play highly sophisticated missions. DCS World is massively extensible through additional DCS modules as well as user-made add-ons and mods which you can purchase and download from our site.
DCS is a true "sandbox" simulation that is also designed to cover multiple time periods of interest such as WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War and others. Current regions to battle include the Caucasus, Nevada Test and Training Range, and Normandy 1944. New maps in development include the Persian Gulf, Syria, Afghanistan, and others.
DCS World is fundamentally a deep, authentic and realistic simulation game designed also to offer a more relaxed gameplay to suit the user and his particular level of experience and training. The ambition is to hand hold users from novice pilot all the way to the most advanced and sophisticated operator of such complex weapons systems as the A-10C Warthog or the F/A-18C Hornet. The only next step is the real thing!
Key features of DCS World 2.5:
• The most realistic Free-to-Play digital battlefield.
• One-of-a-kind, internally developed graphics engine that looks amazing from one foot to 80,000 feet.
• Includes a beautiful, free, and highly detailed map of the Caucasus region that includes Russia and Georgia.
• Includes millions of buildings, millions of km of usable roads and railways, more than 50 million trees, and 20 fully-equipped airbases.
• Includes 156 free and fully operational weapons systems, 105 ground vehicles, 19 ships and 84 AI-controlled aircraft.
• Fly the TF-51 Mustang and Su-25T attack jet for free!
• Play all DCS World modules from one DCS World version.
• State-of-the-art graphics with amazing lighting, shadows, and performance.
• New breathtaking effects for explosions, clouds, fog, fire, and smoke.
• Hundreds of land, air- and seaborne AI vehicles. The world is your sandbox.
• Create your own missions and campaigns for unlimited gameplay!
• Mission generator included that allows rapid mission creation.
• Enjoy multiplayer with friends, and even fly together in the same aircraft!
• Purchase and fly the most iconic airplanes and helicopters from WWII up to the modern day.
• Mouse interactive cockpits for most aircraft and the most accurate flight models, cockpit systems and sounds available.
• Purchase and fly the most authentic simulations of the A-10C Warthog, UH-1H Huey, F-86F Sabre, Spitfire, and many others now.
• Exciting new aircraft coming to DCS World like the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18C Hornet, F-4E Phantom II, Mi-24P Hind, P-47D Thunderbolt, and many more!
• Purchase additional high-quality maps such as Normandy 1944, the Nevada Test and Training Range, and the Persian Gulf.
• Play hundreds of missions and campaigns with new campaigns continually created.
• Both hardcore realistic and casual gameplay modes and options available.
Minimum system requirements:
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Recommended system requirements:
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(a few bugs too, but it was inevitable given the complexity and all the variables involved). Comanche vs Hokum indeed was amazing, Mig Alley, Strike Fighters 2, IL-2 1946 and Battle of Britain 2 had pretty decent dynamic campaigns as well. 
