Combat Flight Sim 3

[wumpus]

Wow. Even by jaded gamer standards, those are some mightily impressive graphics

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=4746

Here's my question: is it as accessible as Crimson Skies, aka IL2-Sturmovik? (insert annoying smiley face here)

[TimElhajj]

It does look good. MS has done a lot with making flight sims more accessible in the last few releases. This one is going to be a blast, I think.

I am a little dissapointed that they chose to go back to ETO, though. I know the wacky planes and campaign improvements. But I would have liked to see something different. Are they just going to go back and forth from ETO to PTO every other release?

[mtkafka]

Wish they did a Vietnam era or Korean War era version with those graphics... but I guess WW2 flight sims are the most popular. And those grpahics loook nice! Prolly need a beefy machine to run those screens.

etc

[Dave Long]

Looks like the terrain is still flat as a pancake though. That really turns me off.

--Dave

[Anonymous]

Typically with MS flightsims you are able to import planes and scenery from different eras so you won’t be limited to WWII planes and battles.

If they are using the same terrain type as the latest flightsim the terrain won’t all be flat as a pancake. You should check out the screenshots at the CFS 3 web site. (http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs3/screens.asp)

[Anonymous]

I need to make up my mind. Every time a new flight sim comes out I buy it. Why? I don't even LIKE flight sims.

So there ya go.

[MarchHare]

I am a little dissapointed that they chose to go back to ETO, though. I know the wacky planes and campaign improvements. But I would have liked to see something different. Are they just going to go back and forth from ETO to PTO every other release?


Well, I think their mentality is that ETO games are the most popular, and they will make the most money from them. Of course, they can't do an ETO game every release, so the even-numbered games will be set in other theatres/conflicts. I wouldn't be surprised is CFS4 is set in WWI or Korea.

Damn, I'd love to see an exact remake of Dynamix's Red Baron using the latest graphics and physics engine from Microsoft. Or even implement the pseudo-dynamic campaigns in all of the Dynamix flight sims. For my money, Aces Over Europe was the best sim I've ever played. There's something about flying a random campaign mission and then being informed that you just shot down Adolf Galland or another famous ace that just adds that extra sense of immersion.

[TimElhajj]

> Well, I think their mentality is that ETO games are the most popular

I understand this, but I am burned out on ETO. I hope you are correct about the even numbered releases.

Personally I think the better strategy would be to make the game cumulative, so that they are just adding theaters, upgrading graphics, and fleshing out the campaign engine every year. This is the Flight Simulator model. I do not understand why they don't do it this way with CFS.

If they did, then CFS 3 would include an ETO section (content from CFS1), a PTO section (content from CFS2), and an all new section, maybe set in WW1 or Korea. If they went with WW1 section, they could maybe find a way to leverage most of the terrain from the ETO section.

I am sure this is probably infeasible for a number of reasons (and that someone will enumerate them all ;) ), but you have to admint it would be a cool franchise. No one has ever done anything this comprehensive.