online air combat sims

**pilatus96** · 11-15-2003, 02:50 PM

What do you think is better: Warbirds 3 or Aces High? I wanna try to get into this. THNX

**positiveg** · 11-15-2003, 04:39 PM

I have only heard of Aces High.

***FelixFFDS*** · 11-15-2003, 06:03 PM

Only if you can say which is better - a PC or a MAC... :)

The developers of Warbirds split off some years back and created Aces High (in turn, the guys that did the original Warbirds wanted a more realistic flight model than Air Warrior had at the time.)

Both sims have a simlar "feel". Since you can download and fly both off line, get used to the one or the other. One (slight) advantage is that both sims use a reasonably similar command-key structure.

I've flown both, and am partial to Aces High - namely, I have more acquaintances/friends that came over from Air Warrior to Aces High. There are some airplanes modeled in Warbirds that aren't in Aces High, and vice versa.

Ultimately it boils down to personal preferences and the online community. You'll find SOBs, but most are willing to help a new player. Get some offline "stick" if only to learn to take off and land.. there's nothing more annoying than someone yelling on open channel "how do I take off!" (Hint: ALT-F4 is neither the auto-takeoff nor extra power key)

Felix/[link:www.freeflightdesign.com|FFDS]
Pegasus Aviation Design

**CapMason** · 11-15-2003, 07:32 PM

Try them both and go with the one you prefer. Both are free to try and both have unlimited offline use when you download them. To get the free doanloads, just click the links on the WarBirds III And Aces Hig banners you'll see at FlightSim.Com.

I have flown all the combat sims. While I'm not the combat flightsim gourmet that Mad Max Merlin is, I think the MMOGs are very special and provide a much better multiplayer environment than CFS2 or CFS3. MAd MAx, on the other hand, loves them all.

Also, I think the MMOG combat flightsim communities are a lot more dedicated to realism than the runnin-n'gunnin' kids who fliy CFS2 and CFS3. Aces and WarBirds take more commitment to get into them becuase they are more complex and realistic. But, according to Max, they are well worth the effort.

Both sims have excellent online communities and are great products. Aces High will be releasing a new upgrade, soon. WarBirds III was recently upgraded.

So, kick the tires, light the fires and go blow something up with both. Let us know which one you choose and why. I'm curious.

Meanwhile, you can check out our reviews of them by Mad Max and Kurt Van Wagenen:

Aces High: Flying With Someone Besides Microsoft
http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/review/aceshigh.htm

and

Feel the heat and get into the action of Warbirds III
http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/review/wb3.htm

Mad Max ran clips of actual WarBirds III action sequences so you can see what it's really like.

Another good article that was written by an actual WarBirds III pilots is:

Target For Tonight
A first person account of what it's like to fly a massively multiplayer WarBirds III mission
By Brad Wright
http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/feature/target.htm

**VF2_Rolf** · 11-15-2003, 08:20 PM

"Also, I think the MMOG combat flightsim communities are a lot more dedicated to realism than the runnin-n'gunnin' kids who fliy CFS2 and CFS3. Aces and WarBirds take more commitment to get into them becuase they are more complex and realistic. But, according to Max, they are well worth the effort."

:D :D :)

Hi...CFS2 user here. Age...well over 30. CFS2 is FS200X with guns...if you like FS...you'll like CFS2. The multiplayer is the weak area as mentioned but in most other areas, it is THE combat flight simulator...with IL-2 somewhere not too far behind. But it is strong enough in multiplayer to do many fun things with your friends...which CFS2 does as smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom.
CFS2 is as complex as FS...so not sure where the realism thing is coming from. Three years in the cockpit and it is still a blast...especially the mission builder which will let you build most any scenario.
There's tons of add-ons for CFS2 and still enjoys a strong community.
CFS3 is a bit of a dud...so you might not want to bet all your money on that sim.

CFS2 pix...
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...2d39b25f1b.jpg
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...5d3c693ced.jpg
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...947792ce6c.jpg
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...296ca78d2d.jpg
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...3650e95e74.jpg
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...723562c57d.jpg

**CapMason** · 11-15-2003, 09:28 PM

These are gorgeous screen shots from CFS2. The add-on sceneries you have here are outstanding. I'll bet Mad Max would love to hear more from you about it. Contact maxmerlin@flightsim.com if you want to do an article about CFS2.

Max used to be a die-hard CFS2 flier until he fell crazy in love with CFS3. It would be good to have a CFS2 flightsimmer take him down a peg or two by showing stuff like you've displayed here. I'm tired of hearing him moan and complain about the weak scenery and aircraft graphics of CFS2 compared to his beloved CFS3.

Frankly, I haven't touched CFS2 since 3 came out, either. But then again, I don't have much time to fly the combat sims anymore. One thing I really missed in CFS3 were working panels and decent freeware add-ons. As a FS2002/2004 flightsimmer, I want to actually FLY THE PLANE! And not just yank the joystick around. I loved being able to realistically fly with working panels in CFS2. Island-hopping and navigating across vast stretches of the Pacific was quite a challenge. Of course, I also liked looping under the Eiffle Tower in a Hawker in CFS1.

But, after what I see here, I want to know where you got those planes and sceneries and go fire up my CFS2 gear. If you can get scenery and planes like that now, it's time for this flightsimmer to blow some stuff up again. Hooah! :-)

Seriously, Rolf, this is awesome work. Thanks for sharing it. Give Mad Max a nudge and go for an article updating CFS2. You'll get a free First Class Membership upgrade for a year if we publish it.

**zoynyne** · 11-16-2003, 05:35 AM

Max must have one hell of a computer, because I've tried CFS3 on 4 different rigs ranging from mid grade to near 3ghz caliber (all hardware in these machines was comparable to their processor brackets) and never could get acceptable performance out of it even at medium graphics settings. Only by lowering the quality to sub CFS2 standards was it ever playable, and even then it'd still stutter.

It's the only game I ever owned (out of about 50) that I ever admitted "defeat" with.

Heck, it's the only game that ever gave me more than a couple days worth of hassle!

**MadMaxMerlin** · 11-16-2003, 04:22 PM

In fact, I do have an awesome PC.

Cap and I use the same rig so we get consistent review results. And, if you recall my first reviews of CFS3, I told everybody that this sim demands a powerful system. Also, if you go to the CFS Insider website, Microsoft has some great tips for tweaking lower powered systems to get great results.

I have flown CFS3 on everything from a Dell Pentium 3 700 MHz to an 8250, 2.8GHZ, 8300 and XPS, both 3 GHZ. Mo' powa' mo' betta' with CFS3.

Here's my current rig:

Dell Dimension XPS
3.06GHZ Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading Technology and an 800MHz front side bus using the Intel� 875P chipset.
8X AGP port (with full 8X bandwidth), Dell a02 system BIOS
SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-616T
NEC DVD+RW ND-1100A
Western Digital 120GB Ultra ATA, 7200 RPM hard drive
Dual channel DDR 400MHz SDRAM, 1024MB
Built-in 10/100 Ethernet port
2, IEEE 1394 Firewire ports
8, Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controllers
Audigy 2 audio card
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card with ATI Catalyst 3.9 driver
460 watt power supply
Dell UltraSharp 18" flat panel display
CH Products USB flight gear all connected simultaneously: Yoke, Fighterstick, Pro Pedals, Pro Throttle
Telex H51 stereo headset with microphone
Windows XP Professional
DirectX 9b