Sometimes a flight sim surprises me...

Lufbery · 10 December 2003, 01:57 PM

All,

There are moments of sublime immersion lurking in even the most mundane flight sims.

Last night I broke out my old copy of Jane's Fighters Anthology and played a single mission (from USNF '97) that put me in the mission where Cunningham and Dricoll, in the F-4 Showtime 100, shot down three Mig 17s. In a word, the mission was fantastic.

Now the graphics are very dated by today's standards, and it's not a super accurate, but the sim runs beautifully with very high frame rates.

Where I really got into the mission is when I took on a MiG-17 that was turning toward me at my 9 o'clock. We met head on, and he pulled vertical right after we passed -- just like in the real mission! We actually got into a vertical rolling scissors, but he ran out of energy and needed to head downhill before I did. I was able to get on his 5 o'clock after three turns, and put a Sidewinder up his tailpipe shortly thereafter.

It was beautiful because I really felt the air battle going on -- at least in my head. It was a wonderful experience. I had to dodge SAMs and flack too. I got three MiGs, had no damage and made a good landing on the carrier.

It was sweet.

Regards,

Shooter · 10 December 2003, 06:58 PM

Looks like you out-flew Duke, Drew!

It is a lot of fun when you even replicate the achievements of the original guys in a flight sim. Once, in CFSII I flew the McCampbell mission. I actually bagged ten bad-guys (vice the nine that he got in real life) but I had to ditch after too much combat damage in the process and was killed. A mixed result, since McCampbell got home to smoke and joke about it. But was it fun while it was going on!!!

I would love to fly Cunningham's mission, just once! Talk about tough!

Shooter sends

Lufbery · 10 December 2003, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shooter@Dec 10 2003, 09:58 PM
[b] Looks like you out-flew Duke, Drew!

It is a lot of fun when you even replicate the achievements of the original guys in a flight sim. Once, in CFSII I flew the McCampbell mission. I actually bagged ten bad-guys (vice the nine that he got in real life) but I had to ditch after too much combat damage in the process and was killed. A mixed result, since McCampbell got home to smoke and joke about it. But was it fun while it was going on!!!

I would love to fly Cunningham's mission, just once! Talk about tough!

Shooter sends

Those CFS2 missions can be tough! There's one that recreates one of Boyington's fights and I have yet to survive it.

I've had similar experiences of immersion in Red Baron and Red Baron 2, and CFS2, and even Jane's F/A-18. I've yet to experience it in IL2 or Mig Alley. I like the latter two sims, but they don't pull me in as much.

Regards,

Shooter · 11 December 2003, 09:15 AM

I have never finished the Boyington fight either, Drew. Two tidbits of advice with that one: A. do not turn with the Zekes...prolonged ACM will suck you down to low altitudes where your natural advantages of power are less formidable; B. which leads into the second tip, maintain your height advantage (adage--"altitude is advantage") because they bad guys will rip you up down in the grass.

If your wingmen were more diligent and not out getting shot down like they always are, this fight would not be so difficult. But with the mass of enemy a/c you are compelled to deal with, the best advice is not to chase any specific target...drop into the mass, shoot anything that happens to fall into your sights, power-dive away and convert your energy back into altitude again when you are clear.

Good luck and happy sims!

Shooter sends

Lufbery · 11 December 2003, 10:58 AM

I'll give that a shot (pun, sorry). One tactic that sometimes works for me when I'm in a Corsair is to power away from the Zeros, get about 2,000 yards between me and them. Quickly turn, and make a head-on pass, and then keep going. That works pretty well with even 2:1 odds, but big furballs trip me up a bit.

Thanks for the advice.

Regards,

Shooter · 11 December 2003, 12:17 PM

I know...you spend all of your time looking over your shoulder, and you still don't see the one that lights you up with a deflections shot. My problem with a head-on is the fact that I always seem to get hit more than they do and when I break they always get in the last shot.

Nice work if you can get it, though.

Shooter sends

Lufbery · 11 December 2003, 07:53 PM

Hey Duckman,

One of my favorites from the original Red Baron was called something like "Night Raid over London." It recreated a Gotha bomber raid over London with you, as the player in a Camel. There were clouds and lots of enemy bombers, and you had to shoot down at least two of them. There was murderous return fire from the bombers if and when you found them in the dark. It was a creapy, scary mission.

The first iteration of Red Baron had a lot that the second one lacked: blimps, a London map, a good selection of historical single missions, clouds that you could fly into. I wish these things had been included in the second (and third) versions.

Regards,