Combat Flight Sims

[ProjectPat2280]

Anyone know of any good combat based flight sims either for the PS3, 360 or Mac?

Iv been watching videos of DCS A-10C Warthog and am curious if anything similar exists for Mac or consoles? I own IL2 for my 360 but id like something more sim based with start ups, take offs, landings etc.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Consoles can't really do proper simulators without arcade elements as usually these games tend to take up near enough every keyboard key.

This fellow listed a few

The previous answer isn't true at all. There are plenty of flight simulators available for the Mac, and really nice ones

A funny new one is actually hidden inside the free Google Earth program (free at: http://www.google.com/earth/)

Just open Google Earth and hold down the following keys:
Command+Option+A

Here are some other great Mac flight sims (Try a site like Versiontracker.com or Macupdate.com to find others):

X-Plane (Awesome looking and extremely realistic)
http://www.x-plane.com/

OSX SkyFighters 1945
http://www.donsgames.com/

F/A-18 Operation Iraqi-Freedom
http://www.operation-iraqi-freedom.us/

Moon Lander (kinda fun, for space flight)
http://www.onlymac.de/moonlander/indexe.…

Targetware (massive multiplayer flight sim)
http://www.targetware.net/

WarBirds III
http://www.totalsims.com/index.php

And there are more, try looking at the sites mentioned above (versiontracker and macupdate to name a few)...

Best of all, if you're using a newer Intel-based Mac, you can actually run EVERY Windows program/game as well. Do a search for Apple Bootcamp for more info. Have fun! And yes, Macs do lots of games!
Source(s):

Mac user since 1985.

I picked DCS: Black Shark a few days ago, apart from a really bad tutorial (I used a much better one user made) the game is pretty enjoyable so I may pick up Warthog.
Simulators have been culled in recent years but alot of the older 5-10 years ones still hold up pretty well. You can get graphic mods as well to fix the watercolor textures and some lighting improvements.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Hm, thanks for the info. Will check these out.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I could really do for a good space combat flight game. They did a short play session of Wing Commander on Giantbomb recently and there was discussions about TIE Fighter and now I've got an itch to go blasting around the galaxy in a space fighter.

 

[Soapy]

Indeed. Someone should make a new Colony Wars.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

About the only half decent space sim that isn't an MMO that comes to mind is X3. With X: Rebirth they are about the only ones keeping the genre currently alive.
Aside from the developers, I blame the gaming media. Flight simulators, space sims, tactical shooters and alot of strategy games aren't given any public awareness unless it's some super streamlined pap from Ubisoft that is an action game with minor elements of the above mentioned.

 

[Soapy]

Nonsense. Sales are more important than the opinion of game critics will ever be.

 

[BrollySupersj]

Ace Combat?

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Arcade game.

 

[James]

Is Ace Combat good? Seeings as we're on the subject I think I'd be pretty keen on some dog fighting, I certainly don't mind arcade elements. What's considered the top dog fighting game on consoles? I game on a 360.

 

[BrollySupersj]

Arcade game.

Ace Combat is described as that.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

. What's considered the top dog fighting game on consoles? I game on a 360.

Probably Ace Combat.


I personally like IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. Its a WWII flight game.

Has an arcade setting as well as a more hardcore setting.

 

[James]

Cool, I'll look them both up. Thanks!

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I think one of the main problems with flight sims is not that the vehicals are difficult to operate but that they have awful tutorials telling straight forward things in a convoluted manner.The Black Shark game has a 500 page tutorial and several 20 odd minute videos that explained things badly. I read a PDF a fellow made with thoughly 12 pages that basically got to the point with necessity only and can now operate the Ka-50 helicopter fairly proficiently, due to being very hardcore.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Speaking of consoles, flight sims have been using head trackijing motion controls for years, specifically the TrackIR, I haven't used it myself but it looks incredibly immersive and fairly intuitive. Actually clicking the buttons though is used with short-cut key commands and mouse clicks, so it isn't actually outright fully used as a sole means of playing.

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This would probably lend itself quite well to connect. So the ironic thing here is, the most hardcore games use motion controls as well as the most waggly dance dance casual.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Yea, Forza 4 uses head tracking with the Kinect and i hope its a feature that ALL racing titles adopt going forward. It works really well and helps immerse you in the game even more. I really hope Codemasters uses that feature for F1 2012.


I always thought the TrackIR was really cool and wanted something similar in console games.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Yea with racing games and flight sims your head is stuck in a static spot so it can operate alot better. And generally seems to operate better as an addon for a traditional control scheme than the primary and only control scheme.