Daryl Saunders, product manager for simulation titles, points out that the developer's investment in the game goes further than simple design. What we want you to do is feel what it was like to be a combat pilot in the Pacific Theatre in World War II, and for the real pilot what it was all about was consequences.
So, in CF2, your wingmen have enhanced AI, which means that you can give and take orders from wingmen and get instant feedback on their status. Lose a good wingman and you might be faced with him being replaced by a rookie, which is going to seriously hamper your campaign. The game itself is spread over missions built in a flexible structure, including torpedo bombings, ground attacks and, best of all, carrier landings, all wrapped in a world that's four times larger than the previous game.
The outcome of your game is dependant on the way you perform - campaign is determined by mission outcome. And, as well as focusing on gameplay issues, the developers have been attempting to inject a human side to the drama.
The developers interviewed pilots and trawled through boxes and boxes of previously classified information, including real pilot reports on how the planes actually performed, as opposed to the manufacturer's specifications. If that doesn't sound enough to be going on with, try adding up to eight-player multiplayer missions across the Internet, LAN or modem-to-modem, and a fully-featured mission editor, which allows you create your own dynamic campaigns set in the South Pacific.
We can hardly wait. Browse games Game Portals. Combat Flight Simulator 2. Install Game. Click the "Install Game" button to initiate the file download and get compact download launcher. It seems absolutely ludicrous that two years ago publishers produced eight WWII sims set in Europe and zero set in the Pacific. Microsoft has addressed practically every complaint leveled against the original CFS1 and significantly improved CFS2 in every way.
Gone are the blocky models, uninspired cockpits and garish textures that tainted the original game. These have been replaced by high-polygon count models accurately detailed down to the flaps, ailerons and other moveable parts.
The most significant enhancement may be the incredible paint details that give each aircraft the battle-worn appearance of combat at sea. The leading edge surfaces appear worn down to the bare metal; minor patches cover previously damaged and repaired panels on the plane's fuselage.
Everything looks authentic and battle-tested, not fresh from the factory floor as in CFS1. This adds quite a bit to the authenticity of the game. As you might expect from a Microsoft title, the terrain looks spectacular. Practically every major and minor island in the Pacific is represented and drawn with amazing detail.
The protected lagoons and reefs looks as beautiful here as in a vacation brochure. The cockpit interior looks as good as any simulator ever sold. As with Flight Simulator , the 2D cockpit interior features fully-functional knobs, dials and buttons. The 3D view can be panned using the hat switch and moves at a near-perfect rate. On the downside there is no "snap back" button to bring the view back front and center. To keep an enemy in view during combat the aircraft must be steered using the stick and panned using the hat switch - a daunting task made more difficult by the missing "snap" button.
Though the 3D view may be superior to the 2D view for actual combat the 2D view snaps every view , the engine cowling significantly restricts a pilot's view. Fortunately the virtual cockpit is eminently usable with all necessary information overlaid in a HUD-like arrangement. Compared to the adventure-oriented Crimson Skies , CFS2 feels dull and bland in the style department.
This sounds a lot more interesting in concept than implementation. Microsoft has inserted a rather censored view of the war with vagaries and missing details where the expected personal perspective on the pending mission should be.
Crimson Skies' excellent voice acting and mission briefings make CFS2 feel dull in comparison. Additionally, now-standard in-game movies are completely missing and would have greatly enhanced the storyline. Microsoft inserts unconvincing comic-book sequences of a year old boy's fears instead of cut scenes from a kamikaze mission or the sinking of an important ship.
Because CFS2 is built on Flight Simulator's foundation, many details have been built into the game that otherwise wouldn't have been. Most gamers don't want to worry about performing a full pre-flight checklist, but for gamers interested in absolute realism the ability to change your fuel mixture sounds made to order. Gamers that crave realism will find plenty to keep them occupied. The real test of a combat simulation boils down to how the airplane handles in flight.
Hard-core players will be pleased with the attention to micro-details and action-oriented gamers will appreciate the macro-view of air combat.
Action-oriented simmers can circumvent practically every realism setting in the game. With ammunition and fuel set to "unlimited", damaged turned to "invulnerable", and an easy flight model, beginners will find a smooth learning curve for the game.
Advanced simmers will obsess over the full realism found in the flight model and adequate flying prowess of the computer-controlled pilots. With every imaginable option available for tweaking, gamers of every level will find something here to their liking. With the flight model set to full realism, the aircraft handle precisely as expected. Pilots will need to manage their energy and angle of attack to avoid stalls and situational awareness becomes much more elusive.
Torque effects are less noticeable than in other "realistic" simulations, yet this doesn't detract from the experience. The modeling of stalls seems accurate but these rarely lead to deadly spins. When played with an easy flight model, stalls are much less frequent though they never fully disappear as with say, Crimson Skies.
If full-realism isn't enough to challenge the hard-core pilots, consider that most combat sorties begin and end on an aircraft carrier. Taking off isn't much of a challenge as long as flaps are set and the throttle is set to full. Landing, on the other hand, presents an entirely new challenge. Landing with low fuel on a small carrier with damaged flight controls presents one of the most memorable challenges.
Unlike strip landings, a carrier landing feels wrong every bit of the way down to the deck. The angle feels too steep and the speed too high. Casual gamers already sweating this detail will be glad to know that the entire procedure can be skipped with the press of a single key. On the downside, players can choose from only seven flyable aircraft.
Though this is historically accurate it is a bit frustrating to have so few choices. The handling and performance of each aircraft feels distinct with full-realism turned on, yet these differences largely disappear with the easy flight model. Though many bombers and attack aircraft make an appearance in the game, these remain unflyable.
Fear not. With Microsoft's semi-open architecture, gamers can expect to see the Avenger, Warhawk and other aircraft available for download or sold as add-ons any day now. Most hard-core gamers feel comfortable demanding that every simulation include a dynamic campaign. Alas, this is one feature missing from the game. The game instead features a branching campaign that offers flexibility, variety and above all, historical accuracy.
How realistic would it have been to have a dynamic campaign that enables the Japanese to win the war? Still, the results of each mission can negatively impact the remainder of the campaign. A capable wingman lost in combat may be replaced with an inexperienced greenhorn.
Pilots that fail to complete their missions satisfactorily will face early retirement. One realistic element has been left out: relocation to stateside. If a pilot finds himself in the enviable position of shooting down 50 aircraft he will remain on duty and finish out the war.
In real life these outstanding aces were brought back intact so the nation could praise a war hero rather than mourn him. With possible missions, the campaign can be replayed several times without that deja-vu experience. Furthermore, players can jump right into the campaign at one of several points of the war. More immediate gratification can be found by in single missions or "build your own" style missions. The instant-action style missions allow players to build a scenario by picking the location, aircraft and type of mission.
This style of action has been found in practically every simulation of the past five years and offers nothing especially new.
0コメント