Combat Flight Simulator 3

Flight Journal, Feb 2003 by James, Jeff

* Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 * NaturalPoint TrackIR GX * Maui Cymouse

Fears ago when Microsoft introduced Combat Flight Simulator, many users of the classic Flight Simulator series couldn't wait to at last fly "real" combat missions with a game engine based on such an impressive foundation. My first computer flight sim was Sublogic's Flight Simulator running on an Apple II. Admittedly, my favorite activity was zooming about the pixelated skies with the biplane-the only aircraft that had weapons!

Now that Microsoft has released Combat Flight Simulator 3 (CFS3), fans of air combat have another venue in which to test their piloting skills. Players can choose to fly for the RAF, the USAAF, or the Luftwaffe in a variety of play modes, including a dynamic air war in a European campaign that's complete with pilot characters and individual statistics.

One of CFS3's main features is its focus on air-to-ground combat and nape-of-the-earth (NOE) flying. The 18 fighter/bombers and bombers included reflect that focus, and they range from the Junkers Ju 88 to several "what-if" aircraft that were never flown in WW II in appreciable numbers and some that never made it off the drawing board; they include the Gotha 229 flying wing, the P-55 Ascender and the Do-335 Pfeil. During combat, players can even jump between pilot and gun positions on multi-seat bombers. Strangely, the plane selection is a bit on the thin sideperhaps as a nod to the thriving aftermarket for new planes and missions provided by third parties for the Microsoft Flight Simulator and Combat Flight Simulator product lines.

The plane models are highly detailed and impressive, especially when all the visual detail levels are turned up to maximum. That beauty does come at a steep price: CFS3 needs a hefty computer system to run well. Running on a test system equipped with a 1.8Ghz Pentium 4 with a new Matrox Parhelia video card, it was a bit sluggish. As you would expect, the game was more playable on faster PCs. If you are looking for a good reason to upgrade your PC, this is it.