What Military flight sim do you recommend the most? [Archive]

ED_4

12-16-2009, 10:16 PM

Falcon 4.0 that is if you have the patience to learn a very complex machine. The avionics on this thing is the closest you'd get to the real thing when learning everything there is on the F-16.

And the campaign engine for the sim is unmatched by no other. No two missions in a campaign can ever be duplicated. Even if you fly it again and again, the outcome can be different each time you do.

h00t74

12-17-2009, 02:55 AM

Lock-On Flaming Cliffs is good. A Lock-On 2 is in the works to be compatiable with Black Shark So they are getting closer to a REAL Virtual Modern Day Battlefield. Not like Arma 2 where it is geared to ground pounding.

Flying Officer Jevans

12-17-2009, 02:49 PM

ED_4

12-19-2009, 11:09 AM

I never really get on with Falcon. I've obviously never flown the F16 but the flight dynamics always seem far too smooth and disconnected. Lock On feels more 'bumpy' and immersive - it feels more like the flying I've done in real life. Just personal opinion.

Bah! Lock on is not what I would consider the better beast. Plus it takes more horsepower on the PC just to run the thing. :rolleyes:

Flying Officer Jevans

12-20-2009, 01:34 PM

True, Lock On does require more horsepower. I think it looks a bit better, though. It also works in widescreen, unlike my copy of Falcon.

Buster01

12-20-2009, 03:11 PM

I'm another fan of the Thirdwire stuff myself, not too hard to learn & very mod-able.

QuincyGD4456

12-21-2009, 01:20 PM

so do y'all prefer falcon?

tommchowat

12-21-2009, 03:41 PM

I'm in the same boat here... don't want to hijack this chap's thread but I'm wanting a combat flight simulator for modern warfare... which is the best one!?

Flying Officer Jevans

12-21-2009, 04:46 PM

Well.... depends. If you want a rivet-accurate F16 with a campaign engine, go with Falcon 4.
If you want Eastern European action with moderately accurate avionics and nicer graphics, go with Lock On Gold.
If you want a really nice looking, flying and really accurate helicopter, go with DCS Black Shark.
If you want an unashamedly silly arcade blast, get HAWX.;)

If, like me, you want all of them, just get all of them. That's what I did.:D

pedmond

12-21-2009, 04:53 PM

I'm in the same boat here... don't want to hijack this chap's thread but I'm wanting a combat flight simulator for modern warfare... which is the best one!?

Again i'd go with lock-on

dc8flightseck

01-16-2010, 12:46 PM

I'm having a great time with FreeFalcon 5. It gives you an updated version of Falcon 4 with the ability to fly a large range of fighters besides the F-16.

http://www.freefalcon.com/

CAT_101

01-18-2010, 07:47 PM

Well very soon Lock on FC 2.0 will be out. It in the beta testing now hoping it will be out in the next 2 months along with DCS A10C (3-4 months out)

Flyin-Vulf

01-22-2010, 01:20 AM

When the Zone closed it pretty much ended CFS1 online multiplayer for CFS1. Most went to IL2.
But for the WWII combat sim pilot, CFS1 is still the sim that you can modify and fly any aircraft you can imagine. I have over 100 Luftwaffe aircraft. About 20 WWI aircraft Plus nearly two hundred from other nations including modern jet fighters and bombers. I have a huge amount of scenery, And can simulate most any air battle in history. With the built in scenery editor I can build airfields anywhere. At one time I built an airfield in Antartica to test aircraft.
There are several editors available and a skilled PC user can recreate any place on earth.
As far as I know this can not be done with any other Sim. So CFS1 gets my vote as the best combat sim out there.

I don`t know if it will fly on Windows 7, but it will work on all the other Windows OS`s.

Flyin-Vulf

Zorg_DK

02-16-2010, 07:32 AM

I'd recommed getting Falcon 4 Allied Force and getting online. Falcon 4 really shines in multiplayer.

ThePlainsman

02-16-2010, 11:02 AM

I'm in the same boat here... don't want to hijack this chap's thread but I'm wanting a combat flight simulator for modern warfare... which is the best one!?

It depends on how you define "best." That's like asking who is the best quarterback in the NFL, or what was the best movie of 2009. Everybody will have a different opinion because people like different things, features, etc.

I'm past my Falcon 4.0/F4:Allied Force days, although I still fly Janes F/A 18 with the TSH 4.2 upgrades. But I'd vote today for Lock On: Modern Air Com bat (aka LOMAC), or for something with a less steep learning curve, the Strikefighter 2 series from ThirdWire.

ThePlainsman

03-06-2010, 03:39 PM

Bah! Lock on is not what I would consider the better beast. Plus it takes more horsepower on the PC just to run the thing. :rolleyes:

LockOn is old enough that everybody now has the horsepower to run it well. Falcon is too old. :cool:

Zorg_DK

03-07-2010, 04:25 AM

LockOn is old enough that everybody now has the horsepower to run it well. Falcon is too old. :cool:

Falcon is not old. Nobody would call her old, she's in her prime (Master and Commander quote :) )

And Falcon 4 is still being developed. The BMS team is planning on soon releasing a new version of Falcon - It's supposed to be called Dark Falcon I think. It should have all the avionic features from Open Falcon and it is in DX9 and it has cool features like self shadowing inside the cockpit. I think they have also remade the flight model. Check the shots in this thread (scroll down, there are also shots on the previous page): http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=38580&page=2

ThePlainsman

03-07-2010, 11:34 AM

Falcon is not old. Nobody would call her old, she's in her prime (Master and Commander quote :) )

And Falcon 4 is still being developed. The BMS team is planning on soon releasing a new version of Falcon - It's supposed to be called Dark Falcon I think. It should have all the avionic features from Open Falcon and it is in DX9 and it has cool features like self shadowing inside the cockpit. I think they have also remade the flight model. Check the shots in this thread (scroll down, there are also shots on the previous page): http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=38580&page=2

Thanks Zork. Those were impressive screenshots but old news. It's all iffy whether anything will actually see the light of day. I'm sure the original OP doesn't want to wait around hoping. I think he's looking for something right now. Right now, I think Lock-On would be the best military flight sim to pick up, if a person is interested in modern jet combat as opposed to props. No muss no fuss no add-ons, just upgrade at least to 1.02 and he's done. Maybe he could consider Dark Falcon, if and when it comes out.

Zorg_DK

03-07-2010, 11:42 AM

ThePlainsman

03-07-2010, 07:23 PM

Lock On is definitely an awesome sim. I love flying the Su-25T - Fantastic flight model. Falcon 4 is just, in my opinion, in a league of its own with its dynamic campaign in multiplayer. Btw, Allied Force is just as easy to install as Lock On: Just one patch, 1.13, to install.

Yup. I've heard F4AF is pretty fun in multi-coop. I really don't do multi with flight sims. That's why LOMAC is more my cup of tea than F4/AF.

Maybe one day I'll play F4 again. I still have the original that came with the pilot's 3-ring binder. I also have F4AF. But neither is currently installed. As a single-player flyer graphics are important to me. LOMAC has better graphics and more aircraft, which I need for long-term interest. I actually get tired of the same plane (I had that problem with Janes F/A 18, another legendary hardcore sim). I keep F/A 18 on my hardrive because I've updated the graphics with TSH 4.02 and now run it at 1920 x 1200 x 32 AND because of the aircraft carrier ops. That makes it different than Falcon.

QuincyGD4456

05-09-2010, 02:30 PM

I actually just got Lock on and it's very fun thanks guys!

ED_4

05-26-2010, 04:09 AM

Falcon is not old. Nobody would call her old, she's in her prime (Master and Commander quote :) )

And Falcon 4 is still being developed. The BMS team is planning on soon releasing a new version of Falcon - It's supposed to be called Dark Falcon I think. It should have all the avionic features from Open Falcon and it is in DX9 and it has cool features like self shadowing inside the cockpit. I think they have also remade the flight model. Check the shots in this thread (scroll down, there are also shots on the previous page): http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=38580&page=2

Have you ever tried the Free Falcon 5.3 version? It's already using a different graphics engine from the original. And the install is straight forward. There is no need of using or having the original Falcon 4.0. Give it a try if you haven't already. It's over at http://www.freefalcon.com/.

And if you don't already know, that version even allows you to fly the other aircrafts in the sim. (Much like the older Superpak 4.0 variant but with a far better graphics engine.) There are a few other chosen aircrafts with even their own cockpits. Even though the basic functions of the Falcon avionics is still tied in with it. Still, it's fun. I love flying the SR-71 in that version. The flight models of the other aircrafts there are very close to the real ones too.

Zorg_DK

05-26-2010, 05:53 AM

Have you ever tried the Free Falcon 5.3 version? It's already using a different graphics engine from the original. And the install is straight forward. There is no need of using or having the original Falcon 4.0. Give it a try if you haven't already. It's over at http://www.freefalcon.com/.

And if you don't already know, that version even allows you to fly the other aircrafts in the sim. (Much like the older Superpak 4.0 variant but with a far better graphics engine.) There are a few other chosen aircrafts with even their own cockpits. Even though the basic functions of the Falcon avionics is still tied in with it. Still, it's fun. I love flying the SR-71 in that version. The flight models of the other aircrafts there are very close to the real ones too.

Hi Ed. Yes, I've been flying a bit of FreeFalcon 5.5 lately. However it's unstable in multiplayer for me and others. Lot's of crashes to desktop. Also it runs too slow on my friend's pc so we tend to fly Allied Force more.

I do like the graphics in FreeFalcon and also that you can use trackir in 6DOF.

Btw, the graphic engine is actually the same, there are just lots of new effects added.

ED_4

05-26-2010, 11:06 PM

Hi Ed. Yes, I've been flying a bit of FreeFalcon 5.5 lately. However it's unstable in multiplayer for me and others. Lot's of crashes to desktop. Also it runs too slow on my friend's pc so we tend to fly Allied Force more.

I do like the graphics in FreeFalcon and also that you can use trackir in 6DOF.

Btw, the graphic engine is actually the same, there are just lots of new effects added.

I'm not even using the 5.5 version. Well it is still a work in progress. Thus, there is bound to be some bugs still. I'm just in the 5.3 version. It is stable for me here. Have you tried flying in the other aircrafts? I think it even allows flying some of the helicopters like the AH-64. :eek:

wolf2

05-27-2010, 12:38 AM

loser4

05-27-2010, 04:04 PM

I'm not sure if you would consider Ace Combat as a sim, but it is the bomb.

ED_4

05-27-2010, 10:54 PM

i liked janes fighters anthology so much that i have a goal of getting another, windows 98 based system, for the sole purpose of playing that, and one other non-fs game. it had over a hundred planes - yes they were jets - it included carrier based ops, it had remarkably good graphics and huds for the time, and the mission editor was the best and most flexible ive ever used. the enemy ai was very impressive.

I have that Jane's title. I think it works also in XP. Can't remember though. I should load it up just to check on that. I still have a pristine CD-ROM for it. I always loved the Jane's line of combat flight sims.

Although if you check out the stuff on FreeFalcon you'd find almost just as numerous an amount of different aircraft to fly. All flyable by the player. From the enemy (Russian/Chinese) side to all the western (US/NATO) aircraft from the sim.

DanielWoodUK

06-01-2010, 09:18 AM

Free Falcon 5.3 rocks! I haven't had goose pimples like that since I first watched Top Gun :-)

ThePlainsman

06-04-2010, 05:02 PM

I recommend "Lock-On: Flaming Cliffs 2." Get it. If you prefer something less hardcore, go for the Third Wire Productions Strikefighter 2 series. They have SF 2, SF2: Europe, SF2: Israeli Air Force, SF2: Vietnam. You can get all four in one package, and download it. It's not HAWKX, it's not arcade, but it's not hardcore simulation. Like I said, it's a happy medium; it's sim-lite and a lot of fun. You have to get SF2 not the initial sims in the series because only SF2 works with Win 7/Vista, but it's worth it because the graphics are noticeably better than SF1.

cool7

06-11-2010, 07:54 PM

Personally, I am a big fan of combat flight sims. I also love civilian flight sims, owning FS2004, FSX, and X-Plane 9.50! I also own Falcon 4.0:Allied Force, Lock On: Flaming Cliffs 1.2, Wings over Vietnam, Wings over Europe, and IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946. All of these are great sims for what they were meant to do. The Thirdwire offerings are great for plain old fun. They simulate avionics, but you don't need to be a current jet fighter pilot to use them, the same with the flight and damage models. Falcon and LOMAC are great down to the rivet simulations, Falcon being incredibly detailed for one aircraft, and LOMAC being the same for several. IL2 is great due to the scalability. It can go from arcade to hardcore with a few switch flicks, so it's the only WWII sim I fly. All in all, I love and play them all, so it's hard to choose, but LOMAC is probably the best bet for modern realism.

Anubis

07-23-2010, 05:10 AM

If you like military helicopter simulations, do not forget the EECH/AH series. It is on par with Falcon 4 in terms of age (at least the "first" Falcon 4 release, not the modified Open/Free/Black/...). You can fly different US and Eastern Europe helicopters and you can choose from several dynamic campaigns, no canned missions htere.

It is the equivalent of Falcon 4 in the helo world: the graphics are outdated by today's standards, but the campaigns are extremely immersive and interesting.

Like Falcon 4, the code has been modified over and over, offering now also TrackIR support.

Paolo

jomni

08-20-2010, 05:04 AM

Thirdwire Strike Fighters Series is the closest incarnation of Jane's Anthology.
It can potentially cover all eras from Korea to Modern. (Free) Mods are abundant to make this happen.

Just to prepare you... The series is simpler than LOMAC and Falcon only because of the easier operation of avionics. e.g. One magic button for you to lock on a tank instead of panning the camera, locating and locking the target yourself. The advantage of this is that you don't need to learn the specific operation of each plane. They are the same for all. Very much similar to the level of complexity of Janes. The game is fun because you focus on the combat meaneuvers instead of remembering how to operate the radar or lock your missiles. It is not arcade. All the flying and combat is as real as it can get. The game best deals with Cold War conflicts (like Middle East and Vietnam) since avionics aren't too advanced during those days. But it doen't stop us from installing F-22 or F-35 3rd party planes.

rpm2

01-04-2011, 02:50 PM

No Contest...ROF THE BEST.....
Bob MOo

flyguy33

01-05-2011, 04:46 PM

Ok so no Jets here but if you want to fly against hundreds of real player targets than World War 2 Online may be the game for you.
So far I have really enjoyed WW2 online. The added element of fun is in the fact that one can dog fight many other real players over a dynamic battlefield, strafe infantry and bomb tanks in an Close Air Support Role as well as fly a number of different bombers against other real players on the ground. Also, other players on the ground might decide to roll out some AAA so the experience is very dynamic, having to watch your 6 and keep an eye on the stream of flak coming up from the ground regardless of if you are a bomber or a fighter/ dive bomber. Also, can fly against player piloted ships. The aircraft models are designed to be historically accurate, aircraft have armor in the right areas, and are weak in others. Flight characteristics are also based on how these aircraft actually were, for instance, a ME 109 will not turn and burn like a Spitfire. The game takes place on a 1/2 scale map of the European battlefield, with hundreds of towns involved, hundreds of players and an ever changing front. A full campaign can take any where from two weeks to two months or more. In this game a few well placed bombs can alter the course of the battle, greatly assisting other players fighting as infantry, armor, or ATG's on the ground.

Mach3Plus

01-17-2011, 03:22 AM

Falcon 4: Allied Force and it's 3rd-party children: Open Falcon and Free Falcon. Best military/combat jet-sims available in my opinion.

aputech

01-18-2011, 04:55 AM

Where can I find it Falcon AF and Free Falcon 5.3?

aputech

Mach3Plus

01-20-2011, 11:14 AM

Aputech,

You can buy yourself a copy of Falcon 4:AF from Graphsim here: http://graphsim.stores.yahoo.net/

Freefalcon 5.5.3 is completely free can be downloaded from the Veterans Gaming site: http://www.veterans-gaming.com/download.php . You need to download three parts. The Freefalcon 5 Installer and Cockpit Pack, which are in the 'Freefalcon 5 Installer' section, and the Freefalcon 5.5.3 Upgrade, which is in the 'Upgrade/Patches' section. The order to install Freefalcon is this: FF5 installer, FF5.5.3 Patch, FF5 Cockpit pack. Freefalcon's website is: http://www.freefalcon.com.

Cheers

aputech

01-24-2011, 01:08 PM

Mach3Plus, thank you so much for the links. I really missed Falcon 4. (I'm rubbing my hands together in grinning anticipation) WoooHooooo!

aputech

sliderslot

01-26-2011, 03:37 PM

You cannot compete with FreeFalcon or Openfalcon. Sadly, both come with problems. But these problems are minor compared to what you get in return.

To think that these flight sims are developed by people who develop it in their own time is amazing. I tip my hat to their talent.

Anyone who hasnt tried either will love them both. Openfalcon is limited in that they have sadly lost their executable - so only minor tweaks can be made. But offers the most fluid moving and realistic F16 flight sim available. Freefalcon development goes on, but is subject to twitchy movement (planes twitch and move unrealistically in the air) at the moment but offers unbelievable scope when you consider you can fly lots of different aircraft and have most of the cockpits available. They have recently ironed out most of their campaign issues too.

Give them a try.