Modern Retro Flight Sims
Discussion
Anybody remember Su 27 Flanker from back in the day?
Or A-10 Cuba!
I could spend hours just pootling around practising my circuit landings.
For those not familiar they were DOS based flight sims with super flight modeling but what would be considered rudimentary graphics (3D polygons). Well the strange thing is that I much prefer that design rather than the new modern redered and texture-mapped stuff doing the rounds.
Coupled with the fact that my GTX 560Ti SLI setup on triple screen means that runing modern stuff makes the frame rate looks like a slideshow.
Oh how good would it be to get a modern flight sim (plane or helicopter) that has none of the fancy texture mapping stuff but just crisp clear graphics that run blisteringly fast and is fun to fly.
Is this possible? Are there settings that can be tweaked (I have FSX and X-Plane 11) or is this just a pipe dream?
Another picture to show they sort of thing I'm looking for.
I'm hopeful I might not need to splurge big bucks on a new graphics card when my requirements are simple - basically Su 27 Flanker look and feel with a few well modeled planes (ideally with some prop stuff) and helicopters. That runs on triple screens.
Many thanks in advance.
Or A-10 Cuba!
I could spend hours just pootling around practising my circuit landings.
For those not familiar they were DOS based flight sims with super flight modeling but what would be considered rudimentary graphics (3D polygons). Well the strange thing is that I much prefer that design rather than the new modern redered and texture-mapped stuff doing the rounds.
Coupled with the fact that my GTX 560Ti SLI setup on triple screen means that runing modern stuff makes the frame rate looks like a slideshow.
Oh how good would it be to get a modern flight sim (plane or helicopter) that has none of the fancy texture mapping stuff but just crisp clear graphics that run blisteringly fast and is fun to fly.
Is this possible? Are there settings that can be tweaked (I have FSX and X-Plane 11) or is this just a pipe dream?
Another picture to show they sort of thing I'm looking for.
I'm hopeful I might not need to splurge big bucks on a new graphics card when my requirements are simple - basically Su 27 Flanker look and feel with a few well modeled planes (ideally with some prop stuff) and helicopters. That runs on triple screens.
Many thanks in advance.
I think the closest I had to that game was F22 on the MegaDrive, and that was much more of an arcade game than sim. I had several sims on my Amstrad though; F16 Combat Pilot; F15 Strike Eagle; Tomahawk; Gunship; but they were all wireframe games with fixed perspectives.
There is something appealing about the polygon graphics though, it's almost like the sims today are so realistic that it takes away the soul from the game, whereas with the less graphically advanced games you still had to use your imagination a bit to complete the details.
And box art, that was good back then, same with album covers, you just don't get them these days with everything being digital download.
There is something appealing about the polygon graphics though, it's almost like the sims today are so realistic that it takes away the soul from the game, whereas with the less graphically advanced games you still had to use your imagination a bit to complete the details.
And box art, that was good back then, same with album covers, you just don't get them these days with everything being digital download.
Edited by Brigand on Friday 15th May 19:57
Enjoyed many hours playing Gunship on the Atari ST. Sure I had to swap floppy discs every new mission 
Also, do you remember the manuals you used to get with the old PC games, they were reference books in their own way...
Think it was Microprose / Spectrum Holobyte had some cracking sim titles
Good times
Also, do you remember the manuals you used to get with the old PC games, they were reference books in their own way...
Think it was Microprose / Spectrum Holobyte had some cracking sim titles
Good times
Edited by Hedobot on Saturday 16th May 09:37
F19 from the early 90s was my favourite.
A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
Great thread, brings back a lot of happy memories for me. F-16 Combat Pilot, Gunship and Gunship 2000, F-29 Retaliator, loads of other Microprose sims, DID sims, early Falcon etc. etc. Another one I really liked was EF2000, think I still have the game files for that but not found a way to play it on a modern Windows 10 PC - any ideas on that one gratefully received.
pistonheadforum said:
That reminds me ... I've got a copy of Falcon 4 around someplace.
If you fancy getting back into that one then look up BenchmarkSims - they do a full conversion mod (requires a legit copy of F4.0, available on Steam if needed) which brings it up to date. Beware, learning curve is steep to say the least.Dr Jekyll said:
F19 from the early 90s was my favourite.
A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
I remember playing that all the way through my University years. I have to say i thought the "realism" was somewhat stretched. For example having a 360 degree radar... A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
pistonheadforum said:
Many thanks in advance.
Check out Tiny Combat Arena might be right up your street! ATF on the Amstrad was my first ‘flight sim’.
https://youtu.be/EKYXZY5v_N0
Have fond memories of Microprose B17 and US Navy Fighters too (had a photo of 2x Tomcats on the front cover
)
Oh and Jane’s AH64!
Also remember a sim that involved landing a Merlin on a Royal Navy ship.
https://youtu.be/EKYXZY5v_N0
Have fond memories of Microprose B17 and US Navy Fighters too (had a photo of 2x Tomcats on the front cover
)Oh and Jane’s AH64!
Also remember a sim that involved landing a Merlin on a Royal Navy ship.
Edited by Sophisticated Sarah on Wednesday 20th May 00:04
Countdown said:
Dr Jekyll said:
F19 from the early 90s was my favourite.
A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
I remember playing that all the way through my University years. I have to say i thought the "realism" was somewhat stretched. For example having a 360 degree radar... A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
I think calling it 'F19' rather than 'F117' gave them some licence.
B17 is available on Steam.
My 1st Flightsim was Apache on the ST(mate had it on the C64) I also loved the 1st MS flight sim,wire frame buildings,green land & blue sea. I scoured the magazines for scenery add ons, I managed to get the full US East Coast & flew a Cessna from Maine to Key West. When MSFS2020 arrives I will fly back
My 1st Flightsim was Apache on the ST(mate had it on the C64) I also loved the 1st MS flight sim,wire frame buildings,green land & blue sea. I scoured the magazines for scenery add ons, I managed to get the full US East Coast & flew a Cessna from Maine to Key West. When MSFS2020 arrives I will fly back
Dr Jekyll said:
Countdown said:
Dr Jekyll said:
F19 from the early 90s was my favourite.
A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
I remember playing that all the way through my University years. I have to say i thought the "realism" was somewhat stretched. For example having a 360 degree radar... A game rather than a simulation but the combat aspect did take a lot of thought. Part way to the main target you would see an enemy fighter or missile battery, you could take it out with a missile but then more enemies would converge on the area, try and sneak past and it might spot you and launch a missile at you. You could use more or less realistic tactics to evade radar or get an advantage in a dog fight.
I think calling it 'F19' rather than 'F117' gave them some licence.
I think my first Flight Sim was Flight Simulator on the ZX Spectrum, Fighter Pilot on the Spectrum and then Falcon on the Atari ST. When i went to Uni I progressed to FS5, then F15 Strike Eagle 3, and then F19, Gunship, and LHX. I pretty much stopped after I left Uni until I purcahsed FS98 a few years ago.
Loads of old flightsims on myabandonware free to download.....setup may be a challenge :-\
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/jane-s-combat-s...
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/ef-2000-2rh
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/f-15-strike-eag...
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/jane-s-combat-s...
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/ef-2000-2rh
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/f-15-strike-eag...
towser said:
Loads of old flightsims on myabandonware free to download.....setup may be a challenge :-\
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/jane-s-combat-s...
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/ef-2000-2rh
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/f-15-strike-eag...
I'll add this one here:https://www.myabandonware.com/game/jane-s-combat-s...
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/ef-2000-2rh
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/f-15-strike-eag...
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/3751/F29+Retalia...
Download DOSBox and enjoy.
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