Combat Flight Simulator

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone. But very fun in it's own way.
Review: I remember back in the days of "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe" when I just couldn't shoot anything down. Controls were atrocious and the planes handled like a flying elephant. Of course compared to Microsoft Flight Combat Simulator, those old 386 games handled like hummingbirds and I think that is the whole point. If you want precision target shooting then this game may not be for you. However, anyone who has actually flown can tell you it's not a video game. There is no parallel parking and the laws of physics do prevail. For every action there is a reaction and being able to power turn after gaining speed from a short dive surprises many who scratch their heads wondering how did the plane get so slow and sluggish after an Immelmann. Granted it's harder to rack up the 100+ kills found in many other games. But remember, it was even harder for the real guys who tried to do this so it's not THAT realistic. Just enjoy the scenery and have a little fun learning a new way to play a game.

Rating:
Summary: Flight Sim goes to war
Review: In Microsoft Combat Simulator, WWII Europe (CFS-1), you get to fly for either the Axis or Allies in the skies over war-torn Europe. The sim allows you to fly the machines any flight enthusiast will recognize - FW-190, Me-109, the Spit, the 'stang to name a few. If you're dissatisfied with the variety of aircraft (you want to fly the Mustang, but want a differnt looking Mustang; or you simply want to try something wild like a dogfight between an Eastern L-1011 and Air Force One), the sim allows for 3rd party files (downloadable from countless websites) adding extra planes, modifying scenery, interior panels and even sounds. This makes CFS one of the most versatile military flightsims available, and that's the root of the problem. MS has gone to such great lengths to make CFS an open-source program, that they forgot to complete those parts of the sim that all buyers expect the package to come with - no dynamic campaign. Instead, CFS offers canned missions stitched together ala the orignal "A-10 Tank Killer", forgetting that LucasArts offered a crude but effective dynamic campaign (in which your success or failure in one mission affected future missions) in "Their Finest Hour" (1990). Canned missions are barely acceptable in simulations, and certainly not flight simualations made by a company that has essentially been packaging the same (though upgraded) sim repeatedly over the course of several decades, and has charged a premium for it.

Another caveat - though coming out about the same time as FS98, CFS isn't simply FS98 with Browning .303's. While FS98 runs okay on my computer (P200MMX, 64MB RAM, 12MB Vooodoo2), CFS runs like a slideshow. On a Celeron 333, frame rate was much improved, but didn't reveal a sim that was a great leap ahead. For Celeron owners, I'd recommend "European Air War". Owners of older Pentiums will just have to stick with Microprose's older "1942, Pacific Air War" of the early 1990's. If you don't know what kind of flight sim you want - this is the game for you. With downloadable files, you'll be able to craft just about any kind of sim you want, but nothing you end up with is bound to knowck you out of your seat.

Rating:
Summary: competent, light fun, but not spectacular
Review: This is the original CFS. Though CFS3 is out by now, those owning older computers, even those that can run CFS2, should consider CFS1 as an alternative. CFS1 is set in Europe - allowing you to fly fighter missions using the tried and true Microsoft Flight Simulator engine (formerly the BAO flight sim engine). Surprisingly, this is a pretty effective sim for one that many could easily boil down to "Flight simulator with guns". Unfortunately, despite the challenges of adapting skills amassed flying combat flight sims with less realistic flight modeling, CFS1 never really becomes more than "Flight simulator with guns".

In CFS1, you can fly on-line, single missions, or campaigns. Using the MSFS engine, it is as adaptable as any edition of "Microsoft Flight Simulator" in terms of add-on aircraft, scenery or missions. (Be aware, that while there's no shortage of modern military aircraft available for sale or for download, the inherenent design of this game is towards pre-modern aircraft. Neither the sophisticated systems nor guided weapons are available). There are actually 2 campaigns - the Battle of Britain (summer of 1940) in which you intercept (or escort) waves of the Luftwaffe's medium level bombers or dive bombers against industrial and defense targets in England or Channel shipping and the daylight bombing campaign against Europe starting around 1943. CFS1 is entirely a fighter-driven game - barring user customization, you can't fly big bombers. On the flip side, fighters can be armed with rockets or bombs. While you can fly for the Luftwaffe in either campaign, your choice on the allied side is limited. I can understand being stuck with the RAF for the Battle of Britain (the attack on Pearl, and America's entry into the war was still over a year away), but didn't the RAF fly at all in 1943-45? The campaigns are short and scripted: you fly the same mission until you get it right. To be honest, the mission goals aren't demanding (I'm more likely to get snagged by crashing into a wingman or getting too close to an enemy), and the repetitive aspect of pre-scripted missions would be little improved by a dynamic campaign, since most missions would be the same anyway (how much of a Mustang pilot's time wasn't spent escorting waves of B-17's?). One tip for escorting the bombers - you may have caught Edmund O'Brien as a P-47 driver in "Fighter Squadron" (1948) who chafes under rules that require his pilots to stick with the bombers and not chase enemy planes to the deck. Just remember, the time you've spent after you break formation to chase an Me-109 away, will easily be exceeded by how long it will take you to rejoin, especially if you went for the deck and must now claw back up to your formation's flight level. This is especially critical since other Me-109s will exploit your absence to cut into your formations. Stick with the bombers!

I can't say how realistic flight modeling was - I'd expected worse remembering how pitiful I was on the WWI mission included on the original BAO Flight Sim (c. 1982). Visually, the planes are lovely, though this is an old game, and it won't bowl you over. Damage modeling is suspect - CFS1 is stuck in an era of sims in which your plane will have a fixed response to damage; this is despite a more effective damage model in "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe" (1990) in which a given hit from an enemy will lead to progressive deterioration in your plane's condition. Ground targets and ships are completely implausible - one hit from your rockets and destroyers, u-boats and merchantmen (which remain parked like sitting ducks) disappear in fireballs ala "Battlestar Galactica", which hints that this project was rushed to shelves. (The other hint is the appearance of Me-262 jets - they only appear in one mission, and as ground targets. How did that happen?)

So, what's really wrong? A weak mission generator and the same aircraft we've seen in over ten years in flight sims. MS probably guessed that it wasn't worth their time to do more than add guns and damage models to the FS engine - people would just download the missions, flight panels, scenery or aircraft files they wanted anyway. Sure the game has the big planes of that theater of the war - but then did CFS1 have to wartime Europe? With its flight engine, CFS1 would have been the perfect vehicle for a Korean war sim - an idea that MS inexplicably ignored for this and the next 2 additions. WWII Europe simply has been simmed to death. Terrain is incredibly flat and, especially down low, doesn't even look like terrain. It's almost at the point where, unless you go on the 'net for add-on files, there really isn't anything to simulate here. In short, MS was hot to create a military flight sim that would adapt to any user's preference, they forgot to give it features that people would prefer to keep. I couldn't get decent performance on my P200mmx/Voodoo2 PC. Obviously, hardware wasn't an issue when I moved up to a P4 (no Windows XP compatibility issues here).

On a final note, CFS1's disappointments are not completely covered by CFS2. I own both games since I wanted a Pacific war sim. Though CFS2 is obviously an improvement, CFS1 holds up pretty well - CFS1 owners can download or buy add-on files to capture the Pacific experience. In short, if you've got CFS1, don't feel like you've got to spend $$ for CFS2 or to upgrade your machine.

Rating:
Summary: It earns its wings, but it isn't an ace.
Review: Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator is a combat including variant of the Flight Simulator line. The product plays on the strengths of Microsoft's flight simulation experience but falls down in the attempt to simulate air warfare in which games like Red Baron and companies like Dynamix are far ahead of Microsoft.

The graphics are far in advance of Flight Simulator 98. Although still bitmapped, the photorealistic terrain resolves into hedgerows, farms, and fields. The effect is especially stunning at high altitude. The flying models are just like ones in the civilian flight sim versions. However, since the models are "accurate", you'll find they don't bank and roll in combat like other games' aircraft which can be frustrating.

Unfortunatley, Combat Flight Simulator falls down in the actual mechanics of its combat area. Campaigns are simply collections of about 16 missions which are otherwise totally unrelated. They're simply linked so your pilot garners promotions and medals but there is no continuity. It is wildly simplistic, nowhere near the campaign mode in games such as Red Baron II.

AI combat skills are definatley lacking and the enemy resorts to the tried and true method of ramming into you (obvious when they aren't even firing their guns) to bring you down. Your wingmen aren't much better and will wander around the area of battle, and more often out of it, taking the occasional half-hearted potshot at the enemy. Usually, your wingmen just crash or get shot down, you can't rely on them. Don't worry about having a greedy wingman fly in front of you to steal a kill from you, it doesn't happen in this game. Another huge problem is that the AI seems to love ramming its planes into the ground. I've chased numerous enemy planes only to have them crash into the ground or run into mountains.

However, this game does have one huge advantage over its rivals, its fanbase. Like Microsoft Flight Simulator, there are literally hundreds of files waiting to be downloaded. You can import any Flight Simulator 98 or earlier scenery into the game as well as aircraft. You can bring in jet aircraft to fight with (although you must tweak the weapons a bit because you aren't going to shoot down a Mig29 with an F-15 with .303 machine guns). The expansion capability of the game is enormous.

Basically, hardcore air combat gamers might want to preview this game before they buy it. Fans of Microsoft Flight Simulator will want to get ahold of it as soon as possible. As an add-on that gives you the ability to fight with your aviation creations (both scenery and aircraft), it is an unparalleled product!

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for Flying Enthusiasts and WWII Buffs
Review: If you just want to shoot planes out of the sky this is not the game for you (but then again maybe flight simulation is not your thing anyway). However, if you want to experience what real fighter combat is like, this game is as real as it gets without leaving the ground. I would have given this game 5 stars, but since it will undoubtedly be purchased by non-flying enthusiasts I gave it 4. Test your flying and combat skills by playing the game online at Microsoft's Gaming Zone against other human players. It's probably not as intense as other action games, but it is definately more challenging. Shooting down an experienced pilot can be a real rush. But be warned. Getting mercilessly shot out of the sky can be extremely frustrating as well. The game also offers several challenging missions and campaigns which can be flown as a fighter with the USAF, RAF, or Luftwaffe. If you just want to play a game, try Quake or HalfLife. If you want to experience Fighter Combat, this is the game you've been waiting for.

Rating:
Summary: Good and durable
Review: I have played back-and-forth with this sim in the little-over-a-year since I've had it. It is still fun, still good and durable. The graphics are fine on my P800 with GFORCE 2MX200 card. The single missions, the quick combat and free flight are all good. In fact, Quick Combat is an excellent way to blow off stress after work...load up a Spitfire IX with unlimited ammo and blow away any Axis interloper that dares transgress the borders of Mother England. The earning rank and decorations in the campaigns are good too. I'm still hoping for my RAF Group Captain with Victoria Cross.

However - and this is where the game loses a star - the training missions are bloody awful, for one reason: the annoying "instructor". Rarely does "he" give you any kind of help. For example, on the "Basic Flight" in a P-47, I must have tried for an hour to drop 1,000 feet and level off at 200 kts...according to my gauges I had done just that but he kept repeating that command in the same annoying voice. I finally chucked the training missions. It would have been far better to have a Harvard for a trainer.

Advice: unless you're completely clueless on flying, ignore these training missions. Play through the single missions on Rookie, Veteran and Ace settings before hitting the campaigns (nothing like learning by doing) and hone your skills with Free Flight and Quick Combat. Jack in the training missions and that annoying voice completely.

I just got CFS2 and have just started toying with it, so we'll see how that goes!

Rating:
Summary: A good game
Review: Combat flight simulator is a fun game to play. You can play as the British, Germans, or Americans. I at first though that this game was super-awesome until I played European Air War. There are two cons to this game. First, you can not talk to your wing man which makes no sense. There are many times when you need help getting the enemy off your tail and you can not "ask" for help. Secondly, there are only a few airplanes that you can fly. Even with these two drawbacks, it still is a very enjoyable game.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Flight Simulator For World War II buffs
Review: If you are a World War II buff and love flight simulators, Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator - WWII Europe Series is for you.

Using the same attention to detail as in its Flight Simulator series - indeed, you can import "worlds" from the civilian game to this war one - Combat Flight Simulator allows you to fly in two Campaigns, The Battle of Britain and The Battle for Europe, as a pilot in the RAF, Luftwaffe, or USAAF (U.S. Army Air Forces).

Combat Flight Simulator - Europe lets you fly many of the famous fighters in service in those three air forces. If you fly as a British pilot, you can expect to be at the controls of a Hawker Hurricane Mk. (Mark) I, a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I, or a later variant, the Mk. IX. As a German pilot, you'll fly either the Messerchmitt Bf 109E or the Focke-Wulf Fw. 190A fighters. Finally, as a Yank in the USAAF, you'll man either the sturdy P-47D Thunderbolt or the sleek P-51 Mustang. All of these planes have their strengths and weaknesses, so try to read the manual (or the Help files) and do a bit of research before you hook up the joystick and take flight. Particularly challenging are the ammunition load limits to each plane; each plane has its own ammo load capacity, and players more familiar with fighter jet simulations (such as Microprose's famous F-15 Strike Eagle series) may find themselves shooting away all their ammo at one plane (if they choose realistic presets) and then being unable to shoot at anyone else because they have no bullets. I would advise rookie pilots to use Unlimited Ammo settings until they have had enough practice to shoot down enemy bombers and fighters without wasting precious rounds.

The simulation not only has the two Campaigns I mentioned earlier, but it has Free Flight, Quick Combat, Single Mission, and Training modes. Quick Combat, particularly, is good for players who like both flight simulations and arcade games. This option lets you choose what and how many enemy planes you can face off against, where the fight takes place, what weather conditions are like, time of day, and tactical situation. The enemy comes at you in waves, like in an arcade game, and as soon as you dispatch one wave, another appears. The challenge here is to shoot down as many planes as you can before you either run out of gas or are shot down. (Unlimited Ammo should be your choice in this sort of game no mater how good you are, unless you can shoot down one plane with one bullet. Here, skills learned in a jet fighter simulation will not help you!)

For players weaned on jet fighter games, it would be advisable to use the non-1940s HUD (Heads Up Display) view option. I (since I am new to this game myself) still use it in the Campaign mode since the "Cockpit" view option, while more realistic, is still a bit overwhelming to me. Purists and/or experienced pilots can set realism to 100% to their heart's content, but casual players or rookies should start out easy then gradually increase the realism settings.

The graphics are excellent, even for a 1998-era game. Being a Microsoft game it runs on most Windows platforms except 3.1, and I am sure no one reading this review still has that operating system. I particularly like the "worlds" depicted: you actually get a sense of flying over 1940s Europe. The sound is also good, and you can even hear your fellow pilots' radio calls. (Like the more advanced flight simulations, the Single Mission and Campaign games are very realistic in that you fly with a squadron, something I never experienced in F-15 Strike Eagles I-III. I did once own Microprose's F-14 Fleet Defender, a game that had AI wingmen, but I could never get it to run on any of my machines!)

Microsoft also offers a Pacific series counterpart, which I am hoping to get soon. Check to see if they have expansion kits. Many simulations ranging from flight to Star Wars starfighter games have them, and I believe Combat Flight Simulator is no exception.

Oh, yes. Good luck, happy landings, and good hunting!

Rating:
Summary: A BASIC AND SPECIAL GAME
Review: IS SO EASY TO LEARN AND IS VERY COMPLETE, YOU CAN FELL THE EXPERIENCE OF FLIGHT, I LOVE THIS GAME, I'M THINK THATS THIS GAME IN THE FUTURE WILL BE A CLASSIC OF THE SIMULATORS GAMES, I'M SHURE OF THAT. THE GRAPHICS ARE SO BASIC BUT ITS NORMAL IF YOU THINK THAT THIS GAME IS THE BEGINNING OF THIS CLASS OF GAMES AND THE QUALITY IS VERY IMPORTANT, YOU CAN SEE ALL THE PLANES OF THE GAME WHITH RICH DETAILS AND I'M LIKE IT.

Rating:
Summary: Great starter simulator!
Review: Go ahead, fly! Sure, the game's a bit outdated. But hey, it's cheap and it's a fantastic starter game. If you're new to simulators or just want something to mess around with, this is for you! The graphics are altogether alright. Nothing fancy, but when you push that P-51 down through the ceiling and you are greeted below by a pair of Germans, you'll be thoroughly impressed. I haven't tried any other sims, and I assume my level of enthusiasm would be the same for any other, but all I can tell you is that I've had it for a couple of months and I'm still loving it.
If it's graphics you're after, check out IL-2 Sturmovik, clearly the most beautiful game ever (though I have only seen screenshots, never played it). For anyone else, give this a try! It's cheap, fun, and thrilling!!!