Combat Flight Simulator 3 Review - By Leonard “Viking1” Hjalmarson Page 1 of 4
I first wrote this review after about 30 hours with the release version of CFS 3.This updated review was written after more than 70 hours with the sim.
In the fall of 1998 Microsoft released their first Combat Flight Simulator. The setting was Europe, and though the simulation lacked an immersive campaign system, it was a successful product and began a new franchise for the Microsoft Game Studios.
In the fall of 2000 the second product in the series was released. CFS2: Pacific Theatre responded to consumer demands and supplied some naval action in the WWII setting, including carrier landings. With the second release Microsoft sought to increase appeal via a comic style interface and a "combat command" option set for the more traditional simulation fliers. AI improvements and dramatic improvements in the overall appearance of the aircraft and environment made CFS2 another success in the series.
This past spring what used to be the "Entertainment Business Unit" at Microsoft became "Microsoft Game Studios." The "Simulations Product Unit" changed their name to "Aces Studio." The core group are the same ones that worked on CFS2.
The success of the franchise meant that Microsoft could build on each iteration, and in turn benefit from the expertise of the Flight Simulator group. The third entry in the franchise remains broad in appeal and flexible in configuration while also incorporating elements that attract veteran combat simulation pilots. CFS 3 returns to Europe but adds a dynamic campaign system and the ability to alter WWII history. Furthermore, extending the war beyond the summer of 1945 means access to advanced aircraft types that never saw action in WWII, like the Go-229 "flying wing" and others.
This third iteration addresses numerous complaints from veteran simulation pilots. The addition of well established view options like an external player to target view, a flyby view, elimination of the roll-rate bug and the ability to deselect all cheats like targeting brackets are sure to appeal to veteran pilots. Other improvements, like the limits set on the tactical display and advanced multiplayer features will draw in other veterans who complained that previously there were too many ways to cheat.
CFS 3 adds a completely new graphics engine, designed to supply greater detail at low level. This was partly a necessity due to the emphasis on tactical air power (the bombing campaign), and partly a necessity to match improvements in 3d video hardware. The result is particularly noticeable in the lighting effects and in the clouds, which are greatly increased in variety and beauty.
Finally, the incorporation of role play elements adds another dimension of gameplay seldom found in advanced combat simulators. As the pilot flies successful missions he scores prestige points and skill points which can be translated into improved vision (SA), improved tolerance of g-force, and improved health (endurance). Prestige points can be used to obtain new aircraft and even influence the campaign.
All these factors add up to a far more immersive simulation experience, which will in turn translate into more prestige points for the Aces Studio :) Improvements in the architecture promise improved quality and variety in the inevitable stream of add-ons and expansion packs. CFS3 is the best Microsoft combat flight sim yet. Let's look in detail into the design that is about to be unleashed on markets worldwide.
Installation and Documentation
I had no installation issues, and I loaded both CDs using the CUSTOM installation feature. The total installation size is around 1 GB.
CFS3 includes three PDF handbooks and extensive online help. Furthermore, the HELP directory adds HTML format documents which can be accessed offline and outside the game.
The handbooks include a Flight School which is divided into two sections: basic flight and air combat. The Machines of War manual covers all the aircraft, ships, armor, and even machine guns that are part of the weaponry in the game. This becomes a very detailed resource, as you can see from the image below.
The third PDF handbook is UTAW, or Understanding the Tactical Air War. This document sets the stage for the ground pounding pilot. The main sections are "Events and People" and "Key Players in the Tactical Air War." A look into history, it helps set the stage for the campaign in the game. It closes with a recommended reading list and a glossary.
Configuration
The typical configuration options involve choice of graphics resolution and detail, and then difficulty and realism settings. Unfortunately the release version of CFS3 has a few issues with the current ATI Radeon 9700 drivers, but these are likely to be addressed by ATI.
I installed CFS3 on an Athlon 2000+ system with 512 MB and the Radeon 9700, so I run with all detail and realism settings ON. (I later tested on a Duron 1400 system with Nvidia Ti4200, also with all settings on MAX). Realism choices include flight model, unlimited ammo and fuel, and player weapon effectiveness. When you set up the mission you can also choose enemy skill level and ground defense accuracy.
I selected AUTO MIXTURE, since in learning the campaign I didn't want to be bothered with prop and mixture settings. For the very serious simulation pilot, you can attend to these small details if you choose.
CONTROL options are quite flexible, and you can assign any command to any key you choose. There was no simple way to assign TRIM to the wheels on my HOTAS Cougar, however, and I had endless hassle swapping between using the keypad arrows for panview and for trim (you have to have NUMLOCK ON to use the arrow keys for trim).
In some simulations you can select an additional axis to assign for trim, as in IL-2. In CFS 3 my solution was to reprogram elevator trim to SHF F11 and SHF F12 and assign these keys to my ANT wheel. It's not ideal, but it gets past the NUMLOCK hassle.
Unfortunately, that isn't quite the end of it. For some reason the trim scale is off and it requires a HUGE adjustment to trim for level flight, making trim with the wheel on my HOTAS almost useless.
Interface
The interface for CFS3 is a great improvement over CFS2. It is functional, appealing, and quite intuitive. The interface is built on the simulation engine itself, so it includes a moving camera and an animated pilot.
Unfortunately, there is something about the interface that does not like many of the current video drivers out there. Some Nvidia users are having their system freeze when animations are displayed, and most Radeon 9700 users are having trouble. In the end, I used the Display Configurator to turn off UI settings so that I could complete my missions and run with anti-aliasing and advanced filtering.
Aircraft and Mission Options
This is the first Microsoft simulation that models medium bombers for both Allied and Axis. Aces have modeled 18 flyable aircraft, 34 if you include the variants of the main types.
Aircraft include the B-25 Mitchell and the British Mosquito. The Typhoon and the Tempest replace the Hurricane that appeared in the first Combat Flight Simulator. Old reliables like the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning, Spitfire, Bf 109, and the Fw 190 are in, and the Ju88 makes a welcome appearance.
As the campaign in Battle for Europe extends beyond the war, the jets appear including the Me 262 and Gotha 229, and Allied jets like the American P-80 Shooting Star and the British Vampire. Esoteric propeller experiments like the American P-55 Ascender and the German Dornier 335 are also included. The Ascender, modeled using the engine that would have appeared a few months later, is apparently one of the most deadly aircraft in the simulation.
CFS3 allows three entries to air combat: Quick Mission, Single Mission and Campaign Mode.
The Quick Mission interface allows a choice of aircraft, mission type, location, time of day and weather, and enemy skill and position. Furthermore, once the aircraft is selected armament and fuel load can be adjusted, and the number of wingmen set. With eighteen aircraft to choose from, almost any location in Britain or Europe and a great variety of weather, there is enough even in single mission mode to keep a pilot happy for days.
The Single Mission interface allows selection from three categories: Historical, Training and "What If?" There are eight historical missions, five training missions, and six "what-if?" missions. The historical missions include Operation Bodenplatte, the Falaise Gap, a strike on the St. Nazaire Sub Pens, and V1 busting. Oddly, the five training missions include four flights with the P47 and one with the Ju88. It would have been nice to see an even dozen of missions here, with more variety of aircraft, but new missions will be sprouting like flowers in spring soon anyway.
Before we look at the heart of CFS3, the campaign system, let's consider the main elements in every combat flight simulation: FM, DM, graphics and effects, views and communications, AI, and sound.
FM and DM
Beware of reviews that claim "unquestionably the most accurate [FM] ever created. A combination of science and art, the design team started with mathematical aerodynamic flight models created by the team's full-time aeronautical engineer." Every flight simulation created in the modern world has an engineer, and most of them are very good. Some teams (IL-2 Sturmovik) have three or four qualified engineers.
No PC based flight model will be perfect. Programmers have remarked that a fully detailed flight model for one aircraft alone would bring a 2 GHz processor to its knees. Therefore, any PC based FM is a combination of art and science, with a good dose of compromise.
Microsoft uses table based models instead of full physics models. Table based models are generally more forgiving than full physics models. The novice flying IL-2 on full realism is going to have a very difficult time, whereas the novice flying CFS3 on "hard" settings will do better.
My first campaign mission in the Typhoon
That said, the FM in CFS3 is reasonable, while lacking the detail in IL-2. Various aircraft have their own feel. The Spit feels light and responsive. The P47-D feels heavy and reliable. It's almost impossible to spin the Spitfire; the Mustang is dangerous for the novice and once in a spin is more difficult to recover than most of the aircraft here.
Departure characteristics are a good measure of the accuracy of the FM. On full realism ("hard" setting), aircraft handle predictably. Takeoff is not instant, and neither is engine start. You'll use more of the runway when fully loaded. External ordnance reduces maximum speed, increases full consumption, and limits manoeuvring. Flying near the edge of the envelope is much more difficult with the heavy aircraft like the P47 and the bombers.
On the other hand, there is no shudder or vibration as you approach a stall; instead you get a text warning on screen that you are near to a stall. There is at best limited compressibility, which was notorious on models such as the 109 and P-38 in which compressibility was a problem at high speed. Roll inertia is evident for some aircraft, and less evident for others. Roll rate is one of the first things to be degraded with wing damage, instead of loss of lift characteristics as in IL-2.
Damage Model
Drop your flaps too early when flying in full realism and you won't be able to raise them again. Drop your gear too early and you can tear them off.
I've had engine damage while flying the FW and I can hear nasty clanging noises.. then suddenly while I was on final approach my engine seized and quit.
Damage is not as fully modeled in CFS3 as in IL-2, in particular it is not modeled graphically as fully. You won't see great holes in wings, for example. You will see wings break off, tails break off, and sometimes you'll see bullet strikes where you were hit (for some reason this doesn't seem consistent). You will also experience the full effects of damage, including engines fuel tanks rapidly drained, and if your canopy is holed you'll hear increased wind noise.
Typhoon in the target area..
It is also dangerous to be leaking fuel. More than once I have had a fuel leak and then been hit by an exploding shell and my aircraft burst into flames.
Aircraft are more fragile in CFS3 than in IL-2. I have seen Ju88 bombers explode outright with only a handful of 20mm strikes (perhaps ten). I have downed many others with the same number of hits, as I have also done with the Me 109 G6. On the other hand, the B26 bombers seem much tougher. Some aircraft seem incredibly tough, like the P-47 D and the Typhoon IB. It takes 30 or 40 cannon hits, sometimes more, to down the P47-D with the G6 or Fw 190. I can't tell if the aircraft are tougher for the player than for the AI, but it almost appears to be so.
This Ju88 breaks apart and falls to earth.
It also seems there is variance and increased survivability with veteran and ace AI. I am guessing that an ace is harder to kill because his morale and health are better. It seems to take five or ten 20mm shells to down a veteran in a 109 while flying the Typhoon, but closer to 20 hits to kill an ace. The P47 can take over 60 strikes with cannon and MG.
I flew a Spit Mk IXe against a veteran 109. It was relatively easy to lock on his tail, and with five or six hits while pulling lead in a turn he was out of fight and went down. Against an ace flying the 109 G-6 it took at least 20 hits to make the kill.
One of the things about the damage model that is hard to take is that gunners never seem to die. It doesn't matter how many shells I pour into the tail of a bomber, there is always a gunner there taking shots at me.
