Could a DCS-Style sim ever have a deep storyline?

[TeaAndScones]

What I've noticed about realistic flight sims is that their campaigns spend a lot of time in the air and little time about the story/setting.  I was wondering if it would be viable to have an Ace Combat 5-style story implemented into a realistic sim.  Or would that create issues with the dynamics of the campaign and stuff?

 

Thanks :)

[+MigBuster]

It could be done  - like with anything it comes down to having the resources to do it.

 

If all their time is on modeling and a new terrain then everything else goes out the window.

[Lt. James Cater]

To be honest, the best storylines in WOE/WOV are in my head. Imagination tends to be better than what some writers come up with when it comes to gaming scripts. 

 

Read enough memoirs, fiction such as Tom Wilson's trilogy, "Flight Of The Intruder", "Ghostrider One" etc and you can let yourself be carried away with what you are doing.

[+FastCargo]

Well, realistically, the problem with an 'epic storyline' is that it's scripted.  Which requires a sequence of outcomes.

 

Now, you can try branching storylines (depending how a battle goes).  But your complexity goes up immensely.

 

It's a matter of time and money.  I don't think you would ever recoup your investment.

 

The closest I think this has ever been done is Strike Commander...simplified (but not totally arcade) aircraft systems, decent tactics, combined with a great storyline and scripted events.  I would love a modern version of Strike Commander.  Don't change the storyline, just update everything to modern specs.

 

Funny, there has already been a project that has been done along similar lines...Privateer has been updated to use a modern 3D engine (with real 3D models of the spaceships) but still keeps the old menu/scripts mechanics.

 

FC

[+ST0RM]

What immediately came to my mind, was that typically games follow history, which is already a script of sorts.

 

Let's take WoV/SF2V for instance. It had much of the real-world operators, but the player could change the outcome slightly. Not hitting the target affects his career, but at the end of the campaign, as long as you didnt dork too much up, you "won" (?) But it followed history.

 

-S