I'm new to SF2

[umrbatata]

I'm new to SF2; which mods do you consider essential to get the most out of what the game has to offer?

[daddyairplanes]

depends

what do you like?  with over 5000 mods for SF2 alone (and probably around 1000 for SF1 that never got converted)  you'll need to specify what youre looking for

[Wrench]

Indeed.

And the FIRST thing you need to do is just play the plane vanilla unmodded game to understand the game system, now thing works, how the files are structured. Do this for a least a few weeks. THEN and only THEN, start adding small mods, slowly and gradually working up to the Total Conversion Mods. 

This is the same advice we've been giving New Players (tm) since 2004. It's the best advice, and I'd suggest following it.

[streakeagle]

SF2 is great out of the box, especially if you have the full $100 package with all the games and DLC. I agree with Wrench that it is best to get a feel for the stock game before adding mods. Get your controls mapped to your liking and find out what kind of aircraft and missions you enjoy flying. You can spend of a lot of time just experimenting with the settings which can tune the graphics experience, AI behavior, etc. 

However, if there are specific aircraft you want to fly that are not covered by that package, you might want to start with those first. If you are an F-5 fan, you are in for a treat. Some recent SF2 F-5 mods are top notch. You will find the quality of mods highly variable depending on when they are originally developed and the preferences of the modder who made them. Some are older with lower polycounts and smaller textures to maintain performance. Some are newer with higher polycounts and larger textures that push the limits of the game's rendering engine. SF2 mods adapted from SFP1/WoX mods will usually show their age. But most mods work well and look more than good enough to enjoy flying them.

The three big total mod installs I always favored were Korea, Vietnam, and NATO, but others prefer a more modern one like Desert Storm. It is best to create a separate custom install for each total conversion mod to avoid conflicts/bugs.

There are some payware mods that are not hosted here, but you might like if you are still able to purchase them. RAZBAM had several addon aircraft. They never got fully upgraded to SF2 standards, but they are still great mods. My favorite is their F2H-2 Banshee, which I have thoroughly enjoyed flying in the SF2 Korea mod for so many years.

I also love Century series fighters, particularly F-101B Voodoos and F-106 Delta Darts trying to stop hordes of Soviet Tu-95 Bear bombers with AIM-4/AIM-26 Falcons and Genie nuclear rockets. There is a mod to add the nuclear detonation of the Genie based on the actual video of the only live test. Watching an airburst take out a flight of Bears is pretty cool.

Another big mod that you may be interested is the Yankee Air Pirate series (a Vietnam history experience) which also has modern and WW2 mod packages. The original mod was payware, but after the owner died, the modders picked up the pieces to make an updated SF2 compliant version.

If you are into carrier operations, there are many mods to add new aircraft carriers from many Navy's and time frames as well as graphical upgrades of the stock aircraft carriers. Yankee Air Pirate has some really good aircraft carriers. My favorite is CVAN-65: the Enterprise as she looked during Vietnam.

There are too many options to list. Just think of something you like and search Combat Ace to see what you can find. Some mods are still hosted at their original sites, but the links have been disappearing slowly but surely over the years.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have over the years.

[DoctorQuest]

When you are ready for some mods, I always recommend that folks check out the "View all of our picks" link on the right side of the home page. (Scroll down a bit...you'll see it.) Lots of great suggestions from aircraft to cockpits to terrain to campaigns. 

And always, always, always follow any instructions for installing a mod to the letter. Most of the "tech support issues" we deal with here are self-inflicted. (I get to say this after years of self-inflicted experience.) 

That being said, I agree you should start with the stock game. 

Good luck and have fun!

[Muesli]

Hi, enjoy the SF game and the community (us)!

I agree with al above, but also want to add that you read the forums. There's almost always something in it that answers most questions, like this one. It keeps the forum a bit more clutter and garbage free. 

Welcome to CA

[Erik]

https://combatace.com/ourpicks/

As mentioned previously.

[daddyairplanes]

39 minutes ago, Erik said:

https://combatace.com/ourpicks/

As mentioned previously.

everyone else is saying "play stock first" and Erik is over here like