Fantasy Flight Sim

[crl848 9]

In an idle moment today, I thought about what features I'd like to see in a sim. I'm no realism fanatic and I like it to be fun, but here are a few things that aren't in the sims I play anyway (SF series and LOMAC).

 

1. Ability to do proper circuits and landing procedures. I'd like to enter the pattern, and have the formation perform a proper break, downwind leg etc. on my command. Especially important in carrier ops.

 

2. Better CAS procedures with FACs and ground troops involved. E.g. 2 clicks south of the tree line, hit my smoke etc.

 

3. Rescue operations if you or a flight member gets shot down. Not sure how this would work without being boring, but at the moment it takes a real mental effort to care about a downed comrade. I should really check for a chute (not SF ) , check him out on the radio, ask for an extraction, hit bad guys trying to capture him, perform RESCAP fuel permitting etc.

 

4. Something to make me care about waypoint timing and precision attacks, like a virtual kneeboard. I remember the old DI Tornado game had a time early/late indication in the cockpit, which you had to use to hit the target at the right time as the rest of your flight who would attack from different directions at the same time. In SF, the randomly generated missions will generally have a full strike package (SEAD, strike, CAP etc.) but unless I've written down the waypoint info I can't time it properly. I reckon that if you have to write things down outside the sim, it's not fun anymore.

 

5. Seamless swapping between lead/wingman/element positions (in planning, not in flight like Jane's USAF). It's nice to not always be in charge.

 

Anyone recommend a sim or have other odd wish lists?

[JediMaster 451]

#4 is in F4 and LOMAC, although not at the same level as in Tornado. They'll tell you the speed you need to go to get to your waypt on time, although it may be faster than you can go.

[tank03 1]

I'm only familiar with the Third Wire stuff, but I'd like dynamic weather that changes during the course of the flight. Working airborne refueling would be a plus as well.

[Apocal 0]

-Play as a backseater. Admittedly better suited to a study sim, vice survey sim.

 

-More control over the different strike elements, ie. being able to tell the SEAD guys which threats are priority and which are opportunity, telling escorts to commit or blowthrough, being able to move up or down the push time, etc.

 

-Realistic recon requirements. Flight of the Intruder actually had this implemented in a way. Some targets had photo-intelligence associated with them, some didn't. Also, BDA should actually have to be performed, whether by satellite, UAV or recon aircraft, to confirm mission success. Although I could see how that would take away from the instant gratification of sims.

 

-Wingmen who aren't cookie-cutter. Because god knows you can (and usually do) wind up with as many morons as you do aces in any outfit.

 

-Rank progression that actually matters. The closest I've seen have been IL-2 and Tornado. If you start the campaign as a new guy, you shouldn't be planning missions and deciding ordnance loadouts. Although I can see how a lot of people might get pissed if that was the case.

 

-Lasers/IR that doesn't work through clouds, smoke or heavy fog.

[snakeman 1]

Air To Air Refueling !

Comms with the Tower !

[crl848 9]

#4 is in F4 and LOMAC, although not at the same level as in Tornado. They'll tell you the speed you need to go to get to your waypt on time, although it may be faster than you can go.

 

Thanks. Must have missed that in LOMAC - what should I be doing?

 

I like the idea of proper recce missions - it'd be nice to have target photos in the sim briefing. I might even fly one or two myself.

 

Not so keen on refueling. Flying formation with an airliner is not one of my favourite passtimes. Lots of people seem to like it though. I just haven't got time to fly 2 hr missions.

[+Julhelm 266]

A scripted 300+ mission campaign with a real backstory like in Wings. That'd be nice.

[+Jarhead1 27]

Actually ejecting instead of just the canopy flying off when u hit the button.

[+Johan217 5]

1. Ability to do proper circuits and landing procedures. I'd like to enter the pattern, and have the formation perform a proper break, downwind leg etc. on my command. Especially important in carrier ops.

 

2. Better CAS procedures with FACs and ground troops involved. E.g. 2 clicks south of the tree line, hit my smoke etc.

 

3. Rescue operations if you or a flight member gets shot down. Not sure how this would work without being boring, but at the moment it takes a real mental effort to care about a downed comrade. I should really check for a chute (not SF ) , check him out on the radio, ask for an extraction, hit bad guys trying to capture him, perform RESCAP fuel permitting etc.

 

4. Something to make me care about waypoint timing and precision attacks, like a virtual kneeboard. I remember the old DI Tornado game had a time early/late indication in the cockpit, which you had to use to hit the target at the right time as the rest of your flight who would attack from different directions at the same time. In SF, the randomly generated missions will generally have a full strike package (SEAD, strike, CAP etc.) but unless I've written down the waypoint info I can't time it properly. I reckon that if you have to write things down outside the sim, it's not fun anymore.

 

5. Seamless swapping between lead/wingman/element positions (in planning, not in flight like Jane's USAF). It's nice to not always be in charge.

 

Anyone recommend a sim or have other odd wish lists?

1, 3, 4 and 5 are Falcon 4.0 and falcon 4.0 AF :)

1, 2 and 4 are in Jane's F/A18, and I'm sure 3 can be done in its mission editor.

2 and 5 are in Mig Alley

 

The best CAS operations I've seen are in Mig Alley. You meet the FAC aircraft at the IP, he tells you to follow him. At the target area, he tells you the type of target and its location, then proceeds to mark it with smoke. After a succesful pass he gives you another target. Jane's F/A18 does pretty much the same.

[sparkomatic 7]

Didnt the original F-15E game not allow you to "fast forward"?

 

Hey, it used to CTD when you ejected, so this is rocket science now...

 

How about a frakkin FAC-A that does his Frakkin job instead of lying to me?

 

And I concur with the pattern work...it is crucial

 

Personally, I would like the game on the so-called "hard" settings to MAKE YOU FILL OUT THE LITANY OF FORMS AND PAPERWORK to include the weight and balance and maintenance forms...then your @ss has to sit in pre-briefings, intel briefings, flight briefings, mission commander briefings, debriefs, intel debriefs (those are different by the way, then it depends if wing intel wants to sit in, which they will do and not at the same d@mn time either), shot-vals, strike-vals, mission commander summaries, and then more forms...then you have the maintenance forms to complete, the tapes to watch, the vault-time, and the E/OPRs waiting on your desk when you get back...and God forbid there was a frat...because now no one is going home until tomorrow...

 

Man, SH3/4 were a lot of fun in the "crew management-lite" category for me, they helped add realism...how about when the game "promotes" you, you fly less and have to go off on a damn staff tour and wear your Class-B uniform because General Whatshisname is coming to get yet another stupid briefing about briefings...

 

Yeah, realism is awesome!

 

Wait...how about maintenance issues? Have not seen a game model that yet, either...or Tower making you wait on some d@mn Cessna that went NORDO 18 miles away so you cant launch yet...want "hard" settings now?

 

"Three, Four...the FCR just went tango-uniform again"

"Rrrr...did you cycle the breaker?"

"Twice...but the TO says--"

"Do it again"

"Still bad...wait its working...now the oil pressure gauge just went to 10"

"Son of a motherless goat...hold on...One, Three, we are RTB high...I said we are...stupid Have Quick...he cant hear me...I can frakkin see him right there and the d@mn thing...well, he will figure it out and call us on Guard...Four check 320...whats the gauge reading now?"

"It stopped spinning at least..."

"Son of a motherless goat..."

...stupid realism

[crl848 9]

Being a realism hater myself, I have always been scared of Falcon in its various incarnations. Maybe I should bite the bullet and get it.

[+Julhelm 266]

Actually I'd like a coldwar-era bomber sim like the old Megafortress game where you have to man the different stations and where all the fun lies in navigating past, jamming and generally trying to avoid the enemy air defences.

[Apocal 0]

Being a realism hater myself, I have always been scared of Falcon in its various incarnations. Maybe I should bite the bullet and get it.

 

Despite what was posted, Falcon doesn't do 1 or 3. The approaches to an airfield are always straight in (no break) and while there is a radio command for calling in the RESCAP, it doesn't appear to actually do anything. And after the chute hits the ground it just disappears from the gameworld, as far as I can tell.

 

F/A-18 had it implemented though. You would actually hear your wingmen calling out their ejection (most of the time), then they would go off air for few minutes while they were in their chute. After awhile though, you'd hear, "Any allied aircraft, any allied aircraft, this is (callsign). I'm down safely! Enemy near, hiding!"

 

The last two statements wouldn't be made unless there actually are enemies nearby. And a rescue helicopter would launch (usually from a forward location or picket ship closer to your mission area) and it would fly out to their location. If you suppressed the threats and the helo got in quick enough, you could actually recover the downed airman. Of course, it is very hard to keep them the area in sight, since you don't have a marking feature (which Falcon, ironically enough, does).

[sparkomatic 7]

Well, let us not forget USNF97 when your backseater would actually talk to you...man how was the coding lost on that one? Oh and there was a semblance of datalinks in that game as well.

 

Regards a "break"...one can fly in an instrument approach and still execute a "break"

[Apocal 0]

Well, let us not forget USNF97 when your backseater would actually talk to you...man how was the coding lost on that one? Oh and there was a semblance of datalinks in that game as well.

 

I wonder that myself at times. If nothing else, it would be nice when flying something like a Tomcat to be able to hand control over of targetting to the backseater and concentrate on strictly maneuvering against the bandit. Kind of like an enhanced auto-acquisition.

 

Datalinking is one area that has been covered rather well actually. I recall it being fairly well implemented in Janes F/A-18 and various marks of Falcon 4.

 

Regards a "break"...one can fly in an instrument approach and still execute a "break"

 

I have to confess, most of my ATC observation comes from being stationed on a carrier, where they most assuredly do not execute a break during Case III (instrument) approaches. It's straight it from the marshall stack, twenty miles out.

 

If they do it differently at air stations, I couldn't tell.