Reg
Posts: 2787
Joined: 5/26/2000
From: NSW, Australia
Status: offline
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kawama
[B]It's a solid game, but it's not exactly what I wanted.
In addition to CAP missions, I wanted to fly dive bombing and torbedo attack missions. I wanted Betty's and Nells modeled to the same high degree of accuracy as the official models in the game (the ad-ons are nice, but they pale in comparison).
Mostly, I wanted more in the way of mission options... I wanted to be able to take the rear machine gun, or a ball/rear turret in a level bomber I wanted to bomb Battleship Row or try my like in a Devastator at Midway.
What CFS2 is ... is basically just a CAP simulator. A **** good one, at that... the best, perhaps. But it's incomplete. A dive bomber/torpedo bomber aircraft and mission add-on would be most welcome.
-k [/B][/QUOTE]
Sounds like the game you after is Aces of the Pacific by Dynamix. It includes campaigns as any of the major aircraft types on both sides of the pacific. BUT.... It was released 1992 and it has been somewhat (OK - completely) overtaken by technology though I must say it ran a smooth as silk on my old 486. I hate to say it, but designers these days are more interested in eye candy that moves games off shelves rather than in raw content.
The only recent game I can think of that allows you to take on gunner positions is B-17- The Mighty Eighth by Microprose. Unfortunately, it's based in Europe, not the Pacific. Sorry.
You may like to try European Air War by Microprose. It's over three years old now but has been re-released for the fourth time (an indication of it's popularity) and you can pick up a copy here in Aust under the Heros label for A$20. (US$9.75) What is keeping the game alive is the tremendous support of FREE user developed add-ons. The original European aircraft have been greatly improved from the originals and have been supplemented with Pacific, North Africian, Russian Theatre aircraft via free downloadable utilities. These aircraft include flyable bombers as well though you are limited to level and dive bombing (from the pilot's seat) as the game engine does not support torpedo bombers (it was based in Europe remember). Weather and terrain updates are available but the best feature has to be the campaigns. There is a campaigns available called Pacific Tide which is based based on the Pacific theatre in general. A Midway campaign exists as well as campaigns on Poland, France '40, Dunkirk, improved Battle of Britian, D-Day, Ardennes, North Africa, Malta (soon), New Guinea (not sure of the quality of this one) and more appearing every week. If you don't like what's available, make your own!!! The tools are all there and the community is expecting a quantum leap in quality with the immenent release of a promising new object shape editor.
The real attraction of the game to me is that even with a hundred aircraft in the air (that figure is not an exaggeration - screen shots can be provided), the game runs as smooth as silk, even on a mid range machine. The graphics are not as stunning as the very latest releases (such as Il-2) but still very good nevertheless. The hardware requirements are nowhere near as high either.
(Also compare the cost of EAW plus FREE addons verses the cost of CFS2 plus all their addons).
To provide fair assessment, I will have to say the downside to this game is that it was never designed with addons in mind and isn't structured to support them . However, most installation procedures are usually to copy updated files into the main directory and utilities exist to assist in the management of addons. The quality of the addons vary depending on their age but the new ones are getting better and better. There is nothing stopping you updating older addons with newer components (I put a better looking Kittyhawk into my North Africa campaign for instance). Battleships are not modeled (as yet) but destroyers and cargo ships are certainly available as targets.
Worth a look anyway.
Webring containing all the EAW support sites:
[URL=http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=eaw;list]EAW Webring[/URL]
Forum with all the latest news in what is happening to EAW world:
[URL=http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/boards/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=European+Air+War&number=41&DaysPrune=2&LastLogin=]SimHQ.com - EAW Forum[/URL]
You may have guessed that this is my other great interest.
(the unashamedly biased)
Reg.
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