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Combat flight simulators are video games similar to flight simulator software used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These video games are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for military flight training which are far more complex and consist of realistic physical recreations of the actual aircraft cockpit. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article is about computer and video games. ... Interior cockpit of a modern flight simulator A flight simulator is a system that tries to replicate, or simulate, the experience of flying an aircraft as closely and realistically as possible. ...

History

The earliest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator (1982) had crude graphics, simple flight models – and a combat option, with "dog fighting" in a World War I Sopwith Camel. This feature was removed in the simulator after v4.0, though the Camel itself remained as one of the standard aircraft for some time. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a flight simulator program for Microsoft Windows, marketed and often seen as a video game. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Sopwith Camel Scout was a British World War I single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. ...

The early 1990s saw several rival publishers such as NovaLogic with titles like the Comanche Series that simulated helicopter combat and later Jane's WWII Fighters which had small features that the Microsoft titles lacked, such as more detailed visible damage. NovaLogic was a computer game software developer and publisher established in 1985 and based in Calabasas, California. ... The Comanche series is a series of computer games published by NovaLogic. ...

The genre is popular today with many titles specialising in certain types of aircraft or historical periods or wars with Microsoft remaining one of the market leaders.^{[citation needed]} Microsoft currently has three combat flight simulators: Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series, Combat Flight Simulator 2 WWII Pacific Theatre and Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe. However, after Combat Flight Simulator 3, Microsoft have abandoned combat flight simulators and now focus purely on civilian flight simulators. Ubisoft is now the leading publisher in the genre with the acclaimed IL-2 Sturmovik series, the first of which was first released in 2001 and then repeatedly updated. Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series is the first version of combat flight simulators from Microsoft Game Studios, released in 1998. ... Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater by Microsoft Game Studio, 2000 The successor to the highly successful Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series, the first combat conversion of the civilian Microsoft Flight Simulator series, this Simulator takes place in the Pacific War and includes campaigns loosely based on... Ubisoft Entertainment (formerly Ubi Soft) is a computer and video game publisher and developer with headquarters in Montreuil, France. ... IL-2 Sturmovik is a combat flight simulator video game, focused on the air battles of the Eastern Front during World War II. It is named for the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack fighter, which played a prominent role in this theatre. ...

Types

Combat flight simulators are usually classified according to their historical period, type of aircraft, level of detail (survey is less detailed than a study type) and single- versus multi-player.

F4F Wildcat from Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2

Screen capture of external view of Grumman F4F Wildcat from the WWII combat flight simulator Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 (2000). ... Screen capture of external view of Grumman F4F Wildcat from the WWII combat flight simulator Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 (2000). ...

Historical

There are simulators for most modern periods and wars, including the following:

• World War I – e.g. Red Baron by Sierra),
• World War II
  • Aces Of The Pacific (1992) – Dynamix Sierra,
  • Aces Over Europe (1993) – Sierra,
  • 1942:Pacific Air War (1994) by Microprose,
  • European Air War by Microprose,
  • B-17 Flying Fortress (computer game) by Microprose/Hasbro,
  • IL-2 Sturmovik (2001) by Maddox/Ubisoft,
  • Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series,
  • Combat Flight Simulator 2,
  • Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe by Microsoft Games Studio
• Korean War – MiG Alley (1996) by Rowan
• Vietnam War – Flight of the Intruder (1991) by Spectrum-Holobyte.

Simulators of current moderns wars are usually classified not by the period of war, but rather as a separate category of "modern jet simulators". “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Red Baron is a computer game for the PC, created by Damon Slye at Dynamix and published by Sierra Entertainment. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... European Air War is a combat flight simulation created by MicroProse in 1998. ... B-17 Flying Fortress or the software titles full name B-17 Flying Fortress World War II Bombers in Action TM is a video game of the combat flight simulation/computer role playing game genre released in 1992 for DOS on the IBM PC compatible personal computer by MicroProse. ... Il-2 Sturmovik: an external view of a Bf-109 in the Crimea map IL-2 Sturmovik is the name of a combat flight simulation video game, focused on the air battles of the Eastern Front during World War II. It is named for the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 ground... Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series is the first version of combat flight simulators from Microsoft Game Studios, released in 1998. ... Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater by Microsoft Game Studio, 2000 The successor to the highly successful Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series, the first combat conversion of the civilian Microsoft Flight Simulator series, this Simulator takes place in the Pacific War and includes campaigns loosely based on... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

Survey

Many of the historical combat simulators are classified as "survey simulators", because they include a variety (or survey) of aircraft from the period in question, typically from all nations participating in the conflict. Early simulators often suffered from flight models and instrument panels that differed little between aircraft, but more recent examples have excelled in this regard, forcing the virtual pilot to learn the carefully modelled strengths and weaknesses of the various types (e.g. the different fighting and flying styles of a Spitfire versus a Messerschmitt 109 in IL-2 Sturmovik or a Mitsubishi Zero versus a US Navy F4F Wildcat in Combat Flight Simulator 2). There have been modern jet survey simulators as well (US Navy Fighters by Jane's/Electronic Arts 1994, USAF by Jane's 1999) typically with simplified and generic modelling of radar, navigation, and weapons. The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter, which was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during the Second World War, and into the 1950s. ... German Airfield, France, 1941 propaganda photo of the Luftwaffe, Bf 109 fighters on the tarmac The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. ... An Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik was one of the most formidable ground attack aircraft of World War II, and was produced by the Soviet Union in huge numbers; a total of 36,163 according to one source. ... Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52 The Mitsubishi A6M was a light-weight carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. ... F4F-3 Wildcat of Lt. ... Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater by Microsoft Game Studio, 2000 The successor to the highly successful Combat Flight Simulator WWII Europe Series, the first combat conversion of the civilian Microsoft Flight Simulator series, this Simulator takes place in the Pacific War and includes campaigns loosely based on...

Cockpit view Jane's Longbow

Screen capture of the cockpit view from the helicopter combat flight simulator Janes Longbow (1996), showing simulated night vision, head up display (HUD), and two multi-function displays (MFD). ... Screen capture of the cockpit view from the helicopter combat flight simulator Janes Longbow (1996), showing simulated night vision, head up display (HUD), and two multi-function displays (MFD). ...

Study

Modern jet combat aircraft and helicopters have a variety of complex electronic and weapon systems that are specific to a particular aircraft. This has led to a genre called the "study sim", which focuses on modelling an aircraft's systems as accurately as possible, often requiring thick manuals that rival the real manuals in detail. Jane's specialized in such sims in the 1990s with titles such as Jane's Longbow, Jane's F-15 and Jane's F/A-18). AH-64D Longbow is a PC flight simulator released in June of 1996. ... Janes F-15 is a combat flight simulation game modeling United States all-weather strike fighter F-15E Strike Eagle. ... Janes F/A-18 is one of the final flight simulators by Janes Combat Simulations, the sequel to the highly successful Janes F-15. ...

Falcon 4.0 is perhaps the ultimate example of this genre. This detailed simulation of the USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon was released by Spectrum Holobyte (later marketed by Microprose) in 1998. It was claimed that most of the techniques and tactics used in the real jet worked in the simulator.^{[citation needed]} Official development stopped after a few updates, but the F4 fan/development community continues to develop new versions and add-ons (still active in 2005, when a new commercial version was also introduced under the name "Falcon 4.0: Allied Force"). Falcon 4. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ...

Modern jet

This type includes all simulators of modern jet aircraft. These simulators can usually also be classified by their historical context or level of details (study versus survey). There have been many modern jet sims, some of them listed above under Survey Sims (USNF, USAF) and Study Sims (F-15, F/A-18, Falcon 4.0). Some have concentrated on future fighters (e.g., F-22 Total Air War by Digital Image Design in 1998), while others have simulated well-known existing fighters (several AV-8 Harrier II sims, F-14 Fleet Defender by Microprose, F22 lightning 3 and many others). A recent example is Lock On: Modern Air Combat, which bridges the study/survey gap with detailed models of several US and Russian aircraft. F-22 Total Air War also known as Total Air War or by the acronym TAW is a flight simulator game released in 1998 about the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a family of second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing or V/STOL jet multirole aircraft of the late 20th century. ... Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). ... F-22 Lightning 3 is a combat flight simulation computer game from NovaLogic, produced only for the PC. It is based on the F-22 Raptor produced by Lockheed Martin. ...

Multi-player

Most simulators listed can only be played by a single player, although most titles from the late 1990s on include some sort of multi-player/network capability. With single player combat simulators, everything other than the player's own aircraft is controlled by the program's "AI" (artificial intelligence). Although modern video games create fairly intelligent and independent behaviour for adversaries ("bandits") or allies ("friendlies"), advanced players find even the best to be too predictable. Multi-player games allow players to oppose one or many human players for a much more realistic and challenging experience. Some simulators exist only or primarily in internet multiplayer versions (e.g., Air Warrior, the massively multiplayer Fighter Ace, Aces High, World War II Online, Falcon 4.0: Allied Force and others). Garry Kasparov playing against Deep Blue, the first machine to win a chess game against a reigning world champion. ... Air Warrior was the worlds first multiplayer on-line air-combat simulator (at least for civilians). ... A massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) is a type of computer game that enables hundreds or thousands of players to simultaneously interact in a game world they are connected to via the Internet. ... Fighter Ace is an online multiplayer computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots. ... Aces High is a combat flight simulator software program for the PC created by HiTech Creations and released on May 8, 2000. ... World War II Online: Battleground Europe, commonly referred to as WWIIOL:BE, WW2OL or BE is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter computer game (MMOFPS) set in 1940-43 World War II Europe. ...

Other aspects

Missions, campaigns, mission builders

However realistic their flight, weapon, and system models may be, combat flight sims remain video games and as such, many players seek replay value. Simulators enhance the replay value by not only offering a variety of single missions, but also randomly generated quick missions or longer campaigns consisting of several smaller mission or objectives. Many simulators also include "mission builders" which allow the player to create missions. Replay value or replayability is a term usually found in combination with video games, but it may be also used to describe other kinds of games, movies, music, or theater plays. ...

Most campaigns are "dynamic flowing", which means they change according to the results of each successive mission, e.g. if the player destroys a "target of opportunity" which turns out to be a truck carrying an enemy leader then the campaign starts to take a different path.

Controls and other hardware

As real-time applications with a lot of things going on, combat flight sims are among the most computer and graphics demanding applications at any given time, and true sim fans are constantly upgrading their hardware, including the most advanced graphics cards. These sims have also given rise to a variety of hardware add-ons such as "HOTAS" (hands on throttle and stick") controllers that allow full control of most functions without touching the keyboard. Voice control and head-tracking view control systems are also available for home flight sim enthusiasts. HOTAS is an abbreviation for Hands on throttle-and-stick, an aircraft cockpit control layout. ...

External links

• Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator Series
• MiGMan's Flight Sim Museum -
• One top 10 list of combat flight sims