PC flight simulators

On 22 Nov 2003 07:28:17 GMT, (Regnirps) wrote:

Widewing, I have studies a lot of ETO air combat footage frame by frame during
restorations. All I have to say is that like the MS Combat Flight sim for WWII,
it sounds like it is too easy to down an enemy plane. The only good P-47 300+
yard shots I have seen are by Roberts and Gabreski. In most footage there are
obvious hits and sometimes sheet metal coming loose, but they usually keep on
flying. Once a wing is blown off an of course, a bail out on film is definite
confirmation.

Granted most of my footage is from P-47's and the way to stay alive in them was
to make a fast attack from higher altitude then run like hell. P-51 pilots
could be much more aggressive about follow ups.

-- Charlie Springer

Hi Charlie.

There are several factors to consider here and I'll address them one by one.

1) Ballistic modeling; HTC was meticulous in using actual ballistic data to
model the aircraft weapons in Aces High. However, they have deliberately (IMHO)
modeled bomber defensive guns with increased power, just to keep bombers viable.
However, the forward firing guns in fighters are fairly accurate for dispersion
and muzzle velocity. Gravity and wind effect accuracy.

2) Marksmanship; Having been involved in twenty to thirty THOUSAND aerial
engagements, I can state without reservation that my shooting skills are vastly
better than any WWII pilot could hope for. I know this because the software
records the hit percentage, which is usually in the 20% range. A typical WWII
pilot would be very fortunate to get 5% of his rounds on his target. Likewise,
players new to the game (less than 200-300 hours) are lucky to reach 2%.
There are also mitigating factors that can reduce your accuracy, such as net
lag and lost data packets. Generally though, it boils down to experience and
practice.

3) Shooting range; Although I didn't state the exact ranges I fired in the post
(with one or two exceptions), typically, I do not fire until the range is below
300 yards. Sometimes I will take a longer shot, but those are purpose shots
fired to cause the enemy to react. For most types of fighter, I set gun
convergence at 300 yards. The exceptions are for the P-38, and Bf 109s where
the armament is concentrated in the nose. I set those at 600 yards as the
dispersion is minimal. Deflection shooting is a skill that many never master.
However, those that do master it and who have flawless SA become the mass
murderers of the game.

4) The damage and ballistic modeling used for MSCF are inferior and far more
"gamey" than that used by HTC for Aces High. MSCF concentrates on graphics
rather than dynamic accuracy.

It's important to remember that many of the "virtual" WWII pilots have more
practical combat experience than entire 8th AF fighter groups! How is that
possible? Stick time, combined with almost endless combat. Between its
deployment to the ETO in early 1943, through the end of the war, the 56th
Fighter Group was credited with 1,006 kills (combining air and ground kills).
I've exceeded that in a single month! I've had months (classified as "tours" in
AH) where I've destroyed over 700 of the enemy, and lost just 15 fighters,
mostly to tripleA.

The greatest difference is that you don't really die or get captured. If you get
shot down, you simply grab another fighter and head off for another fight.

Aces High II, due out in early 2004 is designed to minimize that aspect. All
sorties will be mission based with penalties for NOT returning to base. The idea
is to place greater emphasis on survival, thus adding to the realism by creating
a sense of urgency where none truly exists now. Many players do fly to survive,
but most do not. After all, Aces High is entertainment, and the vast majority of
those who fly the game haven't the talent to achieve a high degree of
proficiency. So, they fly reckless and die often. But at least they're having
fun and providing a target-rich environment for guys like myself, who almost
never lose aircraft, but kill the rank-and-file by the gross.

Think of Aces High as a simulator within a game.... Art is right to some degree,
but the simulator fans are also right in some respects. Understanding this
allows one to place these sims/games in their proper perspective. Just because a
guy is a terrific sim pilot doesn't mean he'd display the same talent flying
real aircraft. Possibly not. However, as a combat pilot trainee the sim player
will have a significant advantage in SA, ACM and tactics knowledge over someone
with no sim experience at the outset of training. Therein lies the value beyond
simple entertainment.

My regards,

Widewing (C.C. Jordan)
http://www.worldwar2aviation.com
http://www.cradleofaviation.org