Simviation Forums

This Gentelment in another forum claims he was chosen by MS to answer a survey with a questionair obout what we most like see in the next CSF installment. To my astonishment most of the questions where about CFS3. That gave the impression they are problably going back to CFS3 and try to give us the same defunk Game in a  upgraded version. Don!t they get it . That game was a failure and they should leave it as is . It did have some remedial qualities to it but overall it was not what we wanted. I think what most of us wanted was a upgraded CFS2 with more planes and accessories. Intead they change the formula . Look what Oleg did . He stayed with the same format and it has been a resounding success for him and his company. I  also would like see them change Theater of war . Lets finishing the Pacific war so would get different menue instead of always having to fight the Nazis. Do you guys realize if it were not for CFS2 there would not be a serious Combat flight simulator representing the Pacific War. Now I love to play in the European theater war but we do need a littlle more representaion of the Pacific war as is sorely needed. Afterward we could go back to Europe and perhaps do one on the Mediterreanean theater of war. Thankyou for hearing my complain . I hope to hear from Others. Its important to me. James007

I think what someone needs to come up with is one big flight sim that covers both civil and military flight.  It could have military campaigns, theaters of conflict and virtual airlines at the same time.  Maybe they could make sims that do all of the above in different eras.  Title one as "1940s Flight"  etc.  Then you could add on "1930s", "1950s" etc.

Jim

It is doubtful that MS would abandon the CFS 3 engine.

To my memory that number of complaints about CFS 3 is quite in line with those of earlier generations. The complaints are about different things though.

Standard complaints:

• Lack of MP anti-cheat (1&2)
• Lack of online ground targets (1&2)
• Lack of online cooperative play (1&2)
• Add-ons don't work like stock (1&2, later corrected in 2)
• It's a resource hog (all)
• Why didn't you patch it? (all)
• X Did it better, why can't you do it like them?(all)
• Why can't we fly bombers?

Many of the changes that went into making CFS 3 were in response to player complaints...look at the top of the list.

My self, I think they went too far. It is also important to me that they work with Louis Sinclair to ensure that FSDS is compatible with CFS 4...I don't do GMax.

Don't forget the fish bowl look and the arcade feel.

I know some people will disagree with me on this point, but whenever I see screenshots of CFS 3, it always looks a little like an arcade game rather than a simulator.

Regards,
Stratobat

whenever I see screenshots of CFS 3, it always looks a little like an arcade game rather than a simulator.

Amen to that Astrobat.
For me CFS2 is THE BEST combat flight sim around, ,even after all the years it

Don't forget the fish bowl look and the arcade feel.

I know some people will disagree with me on this point, but whenever I see screenshots of CFS 3, it always looks a little like an arcade game rather than a simulator.

Regards,
Stratobat

I also agree on this point. I can't really comment on CFS3 as it never ran well on my system. I prefer the traditional format of CFS1 & CFS2 & never saw any need to change it. This allowed ongoing development of the whole Flight Simulator series & many 3rd party developers used CFS2 for experimental projects later used successfully in FS2002 (& FS2004). The DVC & multi-LOD models are just 2 of the features pioneered in CFS2.

I've heard on the grapevine that the format of CFS4 was decided long ago & it's already under development. If my source is correct it will use the CFS3 format & be based in the Pacific theatre. Going from past experience nothing anyone says here will make the slightest difference.

Going from past experience nothing anyone says here will make the slightest difference.

Sadly to say, ,that

I agree with Hagar that anything we say here won't affect the final game...at least anything we say now.

The amount of lead-time in software development is truly astounding. Many people probably don't understand that it is already too late to make changes at such a basic level.

On the other hand, I am sure the ACES team no how we all feel about CFS 3. After all LeonR (Dev Team) posted on this forum and others...I'm confident that he also read what was here.

It's been said before, but I will say it again, what we want is FS9 with guns. But, we are not going to get it, so we had better get used to it.
When I finally got CFS3 to run on my machine, I found it to be better than I had thought, but after a while a few things started to bug me. I never liked that repaint feature because it just looks crappy, having a Spitfire with daft coloured wingtips I'm sure this is great for multi-player, but it just makes it look too arcade game-ish.
Dogfights just are not the same. I find it hard to get into those tight turning close in dogfights that were such a great feature of CFS1 & 2.
It would have been nice to have a 2-D panel view and that fish-eye lens effect makes external views look strange.
M$ Totally screwed up the load outs on some of the aircraft. This is just me being picky now, but little things like getting the location of the .50 cal machine gun on the Spit IXe wrong and not having the correct type of drop tanks on any British fighters really bugs me no end. It's this lack of attention to detail that annoys me most. There are whole volumes written about the Spitfire and it would not have taken too much effort on M$'s part to just do a bit of research into weapons loads would it?
Now, on the plus side, ground attack is just fantastic. I have never been a big ground attack person, but now I find myself flying fast and low and blowing up stuff all the time, and I love it!
Some of the third party add on stuff now coming through is also first class. AvHistory and Groundcrew are doing some great things with this sim and helping make the whole CFS3 experience so much better.
What would I like to see in CFS4? Korea would be great, but I hear it will be the Pacific Theatre again. Still we should get proper carrier landings again. I just hope M$ include the British, Australian and New Zealand forces this time as well as US and Jap.
Best combat flight sim? CFS2, without doubt. Even now, new stuff is still being developed and uploaded on an almost daily basis. Add to this carrier landings, great dogfights and compatibility with other M$ sims and you have the best combat flight sim ever.
Wow, I feel better now I've got that off my chest

Don't forget the fish bowl look and the arcade feel.

Thats Exactly What It Looks Like


                                 8)Brandon Buchanan8)

I can't say that I've flown CFS3 but I have spent many hours over the past years with CFS2. I was considering purchasing CFS3 when it was first released but decided to wait. I'm glad I did. I agree with Stratobat regarding the "arcade game" type appearance of the screenshots; very unappealing. Add to that all of the limitations with regards to add-ons and I could see right away, it wasn't for me.

I did however, recently purchase FS2004. I've never owned any of the regualr Flight Simulator series until now but I have to say, if we could get the performance of FS9 in CFS4, I'd be a happy camper. The graphics are outstanding. The screenshots look much better than those cheesy shots I see from CFS3.

I'm not against progress. If M$ came out tomorrow and said, "We are completely reworking everything and building a new and better simulator that will offer much improved and REALISTIC graphics and will provide for relatively easy expansion (add-ons)..." I'd be very open to listen to what they have to say. The problem I have with the current situation is, we have a combat flight simulator (in CFS3) that has obvious limitations, bugs etc., but here they are planning to create something else just like it, with complete disregard for what we, THE CONSUMERS ($$$$$$) want to see.

If CFS4 is released using the same engine as was used with CFS3, I'll definitely keep my distance to see what happens before I buy.

You know, with all of this talent I've seen from CFS2 add-on developers, Microsoft had better keep an eye on their six. There's enough talent out there for an aspring company to put to work and create a rival that could blow MS Combat Flight Simulator into the past, along with some of its early counterparts.

I'm new to the CFS series, only having picked up CFS2 a few months back.  (And to be honest I don't even think  it's installed anymore.)

It is definitely too gamey to carry the treasured MS "Simulator" name.  I'd love to see a more realistic, add-on friendly game of the same quality as the FS series.

Now, if only it were so...

FS9 with guns, yup, that's the first thing people ask me about when I show them ACOF.

How do I blow something up?  ;) LMAO

But wouldn't it be nice? I dropped the CFS2 a6m5 zeke in there, had to get the CG back a tad, but WOW! What a nice little flyer!

God Save the Virtual Airlines! LOL  Hmmm, the mind boggles!

FS-9 with guns? After 9-11, dont expect anything with cities and guns in the same game.

FS-9 with guns? After 9-11, dont expect anything with cities and guns in the same game.

I think a few people are getting the wrong idea here. FS9 with guns means CFS based on the FS9 engine. FS9 type scenery and clouds and visual models, not blowing up cities in "tooled up" 747's. What most CFS fans would like is a compatible Combat sim, set in the Pacific in WW2 or better still in Korea using the FS9 engine rather than the CFS3 engine.