Procyon wrote:Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:While we're at it.... […]
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While we're at it....
Do we really need super-realistic physics and flight model? The reason I'm still playing DOS sims is that they're more accessible - and arguably more fun than today's flight sims. Yes, I know IL-2 Sturmovik is highly praises by hardcore flightsimmers and critics alike, but to me, playing the game with all realism cranked up is an exercise of frustration. Maybe, maybe if I dedicated enough time to practice, then I'd be able to appreciate the game. Until then...
Well take a look at Microprose F-19 Stealth Fighter. Its flight model is far away from being realistic, but it gives you the right feel of flying a stealth fighter. For instance, you don't win the game by shooting down as many enemy aircraf yt s yu can; you win the game by avoiding detection and achieving your objectives without gaining attention. Also, the mission objectives are tailored in such way to enhance the "stealth experience", like secretly landing on a secret airstrip in the middle of the night to deliver supplies.
Imagine if the game faithfully adopts the "wobbly goblin"'s flight model. Players will need to spend weeks, if not months, to learn how to maintain stable flight without crashing. Will it be fun? Maybe, but I'd rather experience the thrill right away without the frustration part. This, after all, is PC game, not PC real life.
Realistic physics or flightmodel isn't really the problem IMO, a modern fighter jet like an F-16 is not difficult to fly, what makes the plane difficult is the whole set of computers it needs to fight, it takes real pilots literaly years to master these systems,
Ah, I forgot to add that when it goes to jet sims, then the problem is not realistic physics and flight models, but realistic avionics instead.
Doesn't mean that all DOS sims are free of such problems, though. Have you ever successfully landed the aircraft in F-16 Combat Pilot without automatic landing? Me neither.
Procyon wrote:the same can be said about modern attack helicopters like the AH-64, so Falcon 4 or Longbow 2 are not my idea of a game when it takes so many practice to make a lock and fire a missile, these games basically throw you into the deep and have you figure it out yourself, only pilots who actually have flown these things know how to operate them and effectively fight in them.
"Middle-ground" flight sims were much more common during the DOS era. Even supposedly realistic flight sims like F-15 Strike Eagle III or Gunship 2000 are nowhere as difficult as today's flight sims. Today's flight sims seem to fall into two extreme ends; either faithfully realistic sims like Sturmovik, or "arcade game with aircraft" like Tom Clancy's HAWX.
Procyon wrote:I have a Fokker DR.I Triplane in RoF and while it is difficult to handle it took me only half an hour or so to figure it out that it is a plane that you need to let it do its thing and just give it some guidance in where you want it to go instead of donkeying it around and while RoF has scaleble difficulty for the enemy which makes it at least give you a chance, IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 enemies are so deadly you are really at a serious disadvantage, turretgunners that have lasers instead of machineguns and fighterpilots that have omni awereness and aparently shoot with howitzers because while I literaly have to pump my entire ammostores into them they seem just to need one or two shots.
To me, that's the least of my problem.
See, the first time IL-2 Sturmovik came around, I bought the game with anticipation.... only to find that during my first flight, I wasn't killed by enemy's fire, but by stalling instead. Turned out that pulling your stick to the extreme puts you in a stall, and it's hard to recover from stall that I ended up crashing to the ground.
Ooookay, so I eventually overcame the problem by practice, then I started basic gunnery. I'm using a nimble Bf-109 against unarmed IL-2s while setting enemy AI to the dumbest possible...
Turned out it's very hard to hit enemy aircraft with your bullets, despite it's flying straight without evasive maneuvers whatsoever. Then I found some articles that says the aircrafts in Sturmovik don't have "hit bubbles", that the bullets' trajectory is modeled with realistic physics, and so on, and so on.
Maybe, maybe if I have enough time for gunnery practice, I can eventually shoot down something. But I was too busy for that. Meanwhile, I turn to DOSBOX and play DOS flight sims instead.
Never thought this thread would be that long, but now, for something different.....
Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman.
