Have all air combat games disappeared?

a-10_firing.jpg
 
...Then someone posted an ETO mod for CFS3. 10 minutes of googling and I had that game up and running again doing a quick dogfight between 3 ace BF109's and my P51.

That was me :)
Glad you've gotten some fun out of it. That's why I commented. This thread has reminded me I need to dust off my flight simulators - which I haven't played in 1.5 years minimum.
...but my new (second hand but really good condition) joystick arrived today. I'll be doing some WW2 dogfighting tonight too I think.
There's just something so fun about having 10 - 20 planes battling each other in the sky, hoping you'll make it through a really intense fight.
A-10C is awesome fun too. Blasting enemy vehicles with the GAU-8 Avenger nevers gets old :)
 
Unfortunatelly most people don't like combat flight simulators, they prefer simpler games or fantasy games. And if you wants to enjoy flight simulators you need to spend money on a good joystick.
Anyway, now we have Ace Combat 7, with good graphics and action.
 
Still have this and occasionally play it:
1587727906950.png

Can be pretty involved though but a solid (If older) flight sim.
 
For what it's worth, DCS World is having a free couple of weeks (or a month?) with almost all of its DLC. If you ever wanted to try it, but were put off by the cost of all the modules (they're shockingly expensive), now is your chance.
 
Close to 3 years from the original post date but situation is still the same with the exception of Ace Combat 7. Played through it but it wasn't as good as some of the previous entries in terms of mission design/replayability. Multiplayer is fun enough for me but player base has dwindled a lot.

Aside from that you have a few ultra realistic simulators still. Eagle Dynamics looks like they have no intention of doing semi realistic flight simulators again. Everything they want to do is a study simulator, with obscenely long development times. DCS F-18 looks like it will be in development into 2021 and that has been for sale for a year or more now. If they did a version that was on par with the F-15C realism wise I would happily buy the F-18, F-16, AV8B and a few others.

Most DCS planes are free currently until the 18th of next month but again, aside from the Flaming Cliffs planes everything is too hard to get into for a typical gamer.
 
Unfortunatelly most people don't like combat flight simulators, they prefer simpler games or fantasy games. And if you wants to enjoy flight simulators you need to spend money on a good joystick.
Anyway, now we have Ace Combat 7, with good graphics and action.
And no joystick support. LOL.
 
Unfortunatelly most people don't like combat flight simulators, they prefer simpler games or fantasy games. And if you wants to enjoy flight simulators you need to spend money on a good joystick.
Anyway, now we have Ace Combat 7, with good graphics and action.

You created an account ten years ago, lurked before posting for 7 years, then Necrod a 1-year-old thread for your first post.

You waited 3 more years to necro your second thread (now up to three years old...yay, progress?)

Congratulations, you're a winner!

e4234b34687f35540628b9441650c0bd.jpg

I'd put you on my ignore list for pointless necroing of dead threads, but since you never post, I'm going to take my chances :D
 
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Most DCS planes are free currently until the 18th of next month but again, aside from the Flaming Cliffs planes everything is too hard to get into for a typical gamer.
DCS does have an "easy" mode where it doesn't make you memorize 20,000 buttons, and the planes all behave more or less like the Flaming Cliffs ones.

It's still a pretty hardcore sim, though.
Which ones are free for DCS? I looked through and they all have a price tag. Beefy price tag. Fascinating...View attachment 240179
With the exception of the F-14, which is made by a separate company who are stingy bastards, they're all free to try for the next week or so. You'd then need to buy whichever ones you want to keep, but they're supposedly going to be on sale in mid-May.

If you click on any of the DLCs, you'll get this page, and you can click on the "play game" button.

Edit: If you don't already own any of the DLC on Steam, the deals are usually a little better if you get the standalone version from Eagle Dynamics' website. Steam apparently places limits on how often and long they can make stuff be on sale.

1587763085492.png
 
And no joystick support. LOL.

It supports both HOTAS and peddals but is limited to specific models:
  • T.Flight Hotas range:
  • - T.Flight Hotas X
  • - T.Flight Hotas 4
  • - T.Flight Hotas One
  • - T.Flight Hotas 4 Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown Edition
  • - T.Flight Hotas One Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown Edition

  • T.16000M range:
  • - T.16000M
  • - T.16000M FCS
  • - T.16000M FCS Hotas
  • - T.16000M FCS Flight Pack
  • - T.Flight Rudder Pedals
  • - TWCS Throttle

  • HOTAS Warthog range:
  • - HOTAS Warthog
  • - HOTAS Warthog Flight Stick
  • - HOTAS Warthog Dual Throttles
  • - Thrustmaster Pendular Rudder

That covers some of the most popular lines but sucks that Saitek (which I have) is not supported. You can grab a Warthog because in general it is considered the best HOTAS for PC.

The other Thrustmasters are popular and are on the low end but affordable if you want to play a few games without dropping hundreds of dollars.

I suggest downloading DCS to and getting FC3:
https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/modules/dcs_flaming_cliffs_3/

Free for 24 days. You'll want a HOTAS for it. Absolutely don't skimp and use a joystick because you'll be wasting your time. I wouldn't recommend the other modules.

Which ones are free for DCS? I looked through and they all have a price tag. Beefy price tag. Fascinating...

Even on their own website, only DCS is free download and all addons say "buy"😞

Currently all the modules are free but you'll need to download them in game. Don't bother with the Steam version as the free trial is shorter. Game is around 80GB or so I believe with nothing else installed. After the game is installed open the module manager in the options and you can download which ones you want. Exceptions are F-14 and Viggen.
 
It supports both HOTAS and peddals but is limited to specific models:
Limited to specific models is not support. How hard it is to put a directinput interface in a game? That's a rhetorical question, I know exactly that it is not hard.
The only reason a developer would not include it is
A: They are being extremely lazy or stupid (it is more effort to support specific controllers natively)
B: They made a deal with those manufacturers to only support their equipment.

I vote B, but ultimately it doesn't matter which. I already have a joystick, not going to buy another one to play their game. And especially not buying one for $500. Not even for $50.
I'm not a hardcore flight simulator fan. Just want to enjoy 10 minutes of pointless flying. Which is what Ace combat is supposed to be about, instead it only supports expensive sim controllers.
 
Limited to specific models is not support. How hard it is to put a directinput interface in a game? That's a rhetorical question, I know exactly that it is not hard.
The only reason a developer would not include it is
A: They are being extremely lazy or stupid (it is more effort to support specific controllers natively)
B: They made a deal with those manufacturers to only support their equipment.

I vote B, but ultimately it doesn't matter which. I already have a joystick, not going to buy another one to play their game. And especially not buying one for $500. Not even for $50.
I'm not a hardcore flight simulator fan. Just want to enjoy 10 minutes of pointless flying. Which is what Ace combat is supposed to be about, instead it only supports expensive sim controllers.

It is B even if not confirmed. They've been doing special HOTAS for decades with every major release since 5. Used to be Saitek, now Thrustmaster & HORI. You can get some of those cheap ones for $65 or so.

I suggest getting one and trying FC3 now that it is free. What HOTAS do you currently have? A lot of the old cheap ones aren't supported anyone so while they make work somewhat, you can't program all axis/sliders and whatnot so you'll be limited in contemporary games. Like all hardware/software you do have to upgrade every now and then.
 
Bumping this thread with some basic gameplay videos. If you're looking for modern setting, Ace Combat 7 (flight shooter) and DCS (flight sim) are still your best options. I've been playing a bit of both again recently.

Ace Combat 7 Mission 12:


Ace Combat 7 multiplayer:


DCS F/A-18C:


And while not exactly a new game, here is some gameplay from Ace Combat Zero:


I found something interesting when playing Ace Combat 7 two or so days ago, I noticed my throttle was still on afterburner when I stopped accelerating. Realized my Saitek X52 Pro was working and now works in the game natively. Too sluggish for a game like Ace Combat, but still nice for those that want it. Apparently they added support sometime last year.

Copy pasted from Logitech:

Hi All,
A lot of you are already aware of this, but thought I'd make a point for those who haven't checked out the other thread - all sticks can now be made to work in AC7.
Of our sticks, the X52, X52 Professional and X56 are all supported by default, but to enable the Extreme 3D Pro you will need to do the following:

Open the Input.ini file in the C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment\ACE COMBAT 7\Config\ folder

Scroll to the bottom and you should see a section that's headed with the Extreme 3D, but all of the assignments are blank. Just copy and paste the following and overwrite what's there and this will get everything working.

[Joystick-C215046D-0000-0000-0000-504944564944]
ProductName=Logitech Extreme 3D
Flight_Gun=Button1
Flight_Missile=Button2
Flight_Weapon=Button6
Flight_Target=Button4
Flight_Radar=Button5
Flight_Flare=Button3
Flight_View=Button12
Flight_AccelerationDeceleration=
Flight_AutoPilot=Button11
Flight_Pause=Button7
Flight_HatSwitchUp=POV_U1
Flight_HatSwitchDown=POV_D1
Flight_HatSwitchLeft=POV_L1
Flight_HatSwitchRight=POV_R1
Flight_Pitch=Y:R
Flight_Roll=X
Flight_Yaw=Rz
Flight_Throttle=Slider1
Flight_CameraPitch=
Flight_CameraYaw=
UI_B=Button2
UI_A=Button1
UI_X=Button3
UI_Y=Button4
UI_LB=Button9
UI_RB=Button10
UI_LT=Button11
UI_RT=Button12
UI_LeftStickPress=Button5
UI_RightStickPress=Button6
UI_DPadUp=POV_U1
UI_DPadDown=POV_D1
UI_DPadLeft=POV_L1
UI_DPadRight=POV_R1
UI_LeftStickUp=Y:N
UI_LeftStickDown=Y:p
UI_LeftStickLeft=X:N
UI_LeftStickRight=X:p
UI_RightStickUp=
UI_RightStickDown=
UI_RightStickLeft=
UI_RightStickRight=
UI_Menu=Button7
 
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Been waiting for that for a while. Mostly a one man team, or was. Sent some emails to the guy some years back telling him to make it more than a low budget Ace Combat clone, but it seems like it has mostly gone that route. Right down to the AWACS doing the talking for the player. Which is okay given their super limited man power and budget, because it still looks good enough. Seems like it is finally coming through and should be a good option when it goes up for sale.
 
Just saw this trailer yesterday. Apparently this game started with just one guy who was tired of waiting for a new Ace Combat game before 7 came out, but continued working on it still after that launched a year and a half ago.



Looks pretty sweet despite being worked on by such a small team.
 
Next Star Wars dogfighting game is coming out.
MS flight sim is out.
Maybe the flying genre will get some new interest since we have more capable gpus launching.

Everything has been stuck in BRs, mobas are dead, FPS I'll argue is going thru mutations to stay relevant, competitive fps have been rehashed ala Valorant and that other thing I played once and decided Quake/CS is played out.

Time for change in gaming.
 
I had fun with Warthunder and an X-55 HOTAS.
Fun.

Yes, fun. I played on arcade mode.

And it was FUN.
 
I believe this genre rather disappeared last decade. There are few games these days on the matter but that's just not the same thing as in the 90'.
 
I believe this genre rather disappeared last decade. There are few games these days on the matter but that's just not the same thing as in the 90'.

For the most part correct. You have:

Ace Combat
Project Wingman - small indie dev
War Thunder - but it is an MMO and not purely flight based

DCS
IL-2
Falcon 4 - has its roots in a 1999 game

Back then you used to have multiple arcade style flight games, semi realistic sims, and realistic sims. Seems like now you only have Ace Combat and extremely detailed sims with no in between.
 
Still have this and occasionally play it:
View attachment 240065
Can be pretty involved though but a solid (If older) flight sim.

IL-2 was a great game! I remember being fascinated by the damage you could do to the plans, so much so I used to spend hours crashing my plane to see how much damage it could take without blowing up :)
 
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