Fave WW2 Sims?

[Lordwatson]

What are your guys favourite ACCURATE simulators of ww2. By accurate I mean something like close combat series, wne men dont just run at each other firing, eg SUdden Strike.

Mines would have to be Close Combat:Bridge to Far! Soooo real!

[Saden]

Is that an RTS? I've been looking for a good WW2 RTS. Company of Heroes doenst work for me, and it isnt exactly realistic. Sudden strike isn't really good? I like to play Combat Flight Simulator 3 : Battle for Europe and the Over Flanders Field mod for that. I also love playing Forgotten hope, because it is really realistic, the weapons, vehicles, maps ect. Its a wonderfull mod. Is Close Combat:Bridge too Far good?

[DaveP]

IL2 or maybe Close Combat.



But as far as first person shooters go, the only thing that comes to mind is Operation Flashpoint with the Lib 1945 mod.

[Hamilkar]

SH3 FTW

Thnigs can get hectic in winter times when you up around Norway with 100% realism.

Its dark most of the day, and spotting is hard. Basically I got 5-6 hours to locate a ship and destroy it.

ALso the SH3 firing system is outstanding.

I mean you can destroy a ship without surfacing if you use a Type XXI sub.
Sonar helps a lot!!!!

[Saden]

Also Red Orchestra. BTW, what does this have anything to do with WW2 history?

[ApeX]

What's Close Combat: Bridge to Far? I can't find a single thing about it on google...

Edit: nvm, I found it...and it looks...horrible :|

[BillSpargo]

What's Close Combat: Bridge to Far? I can't find a single thing about it on google...

Edit: nvm, I found it...and it looks...horrible :|

Download the demo and give it a try. It is 1997 vintage so graphically don't expect anything spectacular. The gameplay and historical focus is what you'll keep coming back to. Read Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" or rent the film of the same name or get your hands on "Theirs is the Glory" a.k.a. "Men of Arnhem". You will appreiciate the game all the more for it. I still play it and many consider it the best of the Close Combat series. It's number two in the series by-the-way.

[OliverMarshall]

return to castle wolfenstein:)

hehe just kidding.


Fav has to be SHIII. Withe the various mods.

[Saden]

Return to Castle Wolfenstein : Enemy Territory ftw! I'm serious, that has to be the most addictive game I've EVER played in my life, and I still do. Wunderbar! *Medic flies across the map from an explosion calmly saying "Medic" "I need a medic".

[Fallschirmjäger]

I liked the look of the call of duty games for shure when they came out and the medal of honour ones before it where good for the time.Then lately the brothers in arms i think it is games have got even better,seeing red orchestra pictures too it looks great,and of course this game is shaping up well too.:cool:

[OliverMarshall]

Remember we're talking about Sims here! Sim stands for Simulation not just any WWII game.

[Fallschirmjäger]

Sorry where those all wrong what are sims again,thanks.

[Saden]

Technicly it IS a simulator. It simulates what life would be like if you were Patterson (or whoever your name is) during WW2. So technicly any game that puts you into the boots of another man/woman is a simulator. RTS games can also be considered as simulators, you can consider yourself a General/Leader of an Army and be commanding the soldiers. But if you mean a simulator, simulator. Than it would probably be restricted to tanks, air, sea sims ect.

[Fallschirmjäger]

So no FPS games then realy like i said,thanks for the info Saden.

[Saden]

It depends if Lord Watson is talking about the actual simulators, or just simulators of WW2. To my knowledge there isn't a simulator, simulator that you simulate being a human, because that would be pointless. You ARE a human (are you not? :p) And the simulators are usually of vehicles, so you sort of get a sense of how to use the vehicle. Again, there are many factors.

[OliverMarshall]

return to castle wolfenstein would not be asim as it is not real, it is not the simulation of an event. 1944 would be a SIm as would any games based on one theatre of combat, air, sea etc.

[Requiem]

hearts of iron II. does that count?? you assume the role of a world leader... so i guess its a simulation.

[NicholasJohnson]

Moved to Off Topic.


EDIT:

Close Combat series

[enigma]

Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin and
Combat Mission: Afika Korps

The first can be used to sim any event on the eastern front any time during the war.
The later used to simulate the desert war, the fighting in the middle east, east africa, Crete, Torch, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, Germany etc

The map editor is somewhat basic, everything is made on a grid however this is the best ww2 sim i have ever played (only played one of the close combat demos, didnt like it)
Anti tank weapons deal out realistic dammage and tanks take realistic dammage.
Not like say firing a 20mil gun at it over and over again will slowly kill a TigerII, they will mostly likly bounc off ... prehaps get a penetration ... at most take out the tracks etc

Only thing which is extremely hard to do in this game is withdraw.

[Cobra427]

IL2 series/PF, SHIII, WWIIOL, WBII 3d back in its day, CoDUO/2 with advanced realism mods on the right server ... one that strictly enforces its tactical realism rules.


This isnt a sim by any means but NavyField was insainly fun and addicting in early BETA when it was only like 100 ppl playing ... but as soon as fileplanet released it the game was ruined

[Vott]

Hearts of Iron II

End of story!

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

I like Il2 and I loved playing the demo of Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge, but have never seen it for sale.

[OliverMarshall]

Hearts of Iron II

End of story!

agreed!:)

[xplosiv]

*il2 (even though i've had it for years i'm still a 'newbie' :))
*Played the close combat:bridge too far demo but I previously took the good gameplay for granted thanks to the graphics of the time.. I think i'll re-install the demo and give it another go though.

[emery]

Combat Mission 2 : Barbarossa to Berlin, haven't tried the others.

[Harvest]

The close combat series is awesome. I like CC3 the russian front the best because ti has such great mods. You can get ww1, the pacific, vietnam, western europe, and others. Close combat is imo the best rts series ever. Sure the graphics are a little dated now, but nothing beats the gameplay.

As for sims. IL2, Pacific fighters, SH3, Red Orchestra.

[VyvyanBasterd]

My two favorites are Red Orchestra and Forgotten Hope. Both for simulating WWII events in a realistic way, but especially Red Orchestra for its more realistic behavior and operation of tanks.

[Poro]

IL-2 and Silent Hunter 3. I'd like to say Operation Flashpoint but it takes place in cold war.:)

Oh, ofcourse Red Orchestra and Operation Overlord when it comes out :p

[Lord Justin]

Well, my favorite sim is 1944 :p but I haven't played many in the past. Really Red Orchestra is the only simmy kind of WWII game I've played to any extent, unless you consider the original Combat Flight Simulator to be a sim. I guess it technically is, but it's not horribly realistic.

Red Orchestra, though, I love that game. I love how almost all the weapons have the same attack power and how you must be hit in a critical area to be killed. Sometimes I've come out of a firefight hit in the chest, arm, leg, and groin, and kept on going (ableit more slowly what with the whole 'being shot in the leg' thing). I also am a big fan of the tank combat (although it doesn't boast every position as 1944 does; if you have a thing for loading shells, too bad :p).

Well of course the other simulator I played was Day of Defeat Source (kidding ;) ).

[Saden]

Well combat flight simulator 2 and 3 are much better simulations. I'm pretty sure that theyre the most realistic WW2 air combat simulators to date. Also, does Flight Simulator 2004 count? You can fly WW2 planes.

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Well combat flight simulator 2 and 3 are much better simulations. I'm pretty sure that theyre the most realistic WW2 air combat simulators to date. Also, does Flight Simulator 2004 count? You can fly WW2 planes.

CFS is no way near as realistic as Il-2 Sturmovik, trust me. You can fly on fire for about 10 minutes shooting down heinkels in a Mk.1 Spitfire on CFS2

Edit, also, damage is a lot less accurate on the CFS series, compared with Il2. I'm pretty sure that European Air War was more realistic than CFS2. European Air War ws good, but not as good as Il2.

[Crazythumbs]

Close Combat III The Russian Front, is my favorite out of the series. And for the FPS class Red Orchestra has to be the most realistic, but I didnt have a chance to get to into it during the free week.

[Saden]

CFS2 is old. Go play some CFS3 and then talk. IL-2 is easier than CFS3. I play IL-2 and CFS3 since their releases. CFS3 has allot nicer effects, especially with the firepower add-on.

[DaveP]

Well combat flight simulator 2 and 3 are much better simulations. I'm pretty sure that theyre the most realistic WW2 air combat simulators to date. Also, does Flight Simulator 2004 count? You can fly WW2 planes.


CFS3 is an okay simulation, but Il2 has everything that CFS3 has and SHITLOADS more.


With all the addon packs, it effectively covers all the major theatres. Battle of Britain, Eastern Front, and Pacific.

[Saden]

IL-2 is more of an arcade simulator. CFS3 has huge addons like Firepower, Battle of Britian, Over Flanders Field (WW1), Battle of France, and ALLOT MORE. www.sim-outhouse.com Go there and read the CFS3 forums, you will see how much stuff CFS3 has. Even if IL-2 has allot more addons, that doesn't mean that theyre all quality.

[enigma]

IL-2 is more of an arcade simulator.

Arcade? You seen the ammount of buttons you gotter go through to get your stuka in the air!? :p

[Duff]

I'd have to go with Combat Mission series. The way it simulates orders moving down chain of command by pausing every sixty seconds to give orders, and then having to wait further while units get those orders, especially if they are scared, really forces you to present an organized fight.

Combat Mission would be perfect if you could see every individual infantry unit, complete with animations that show them dynamically taking cover in the environment (as in, recognizing any object that they can place between themselves and incoming fire, rather than the gamey "exposure" indicator when they are in foxholes and buildings.) Of course, 1944 will sort of take the place of every kind of WWII game ever, so... we'll see.

I also enjoy playing tactical realism in the CoD series. I've logged many hours on the 2nd rbn servers- great servers, good bunch of guys to play and hang out with. CoD2 also has some great custom maps now.

[enigma]

Emery and Duff, you members of the The proving grounds or the battlefront forums?

[Duff]

Nope, neither.

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

CFS3 is an okay simulation, but Il2 has everything that CFS3 has and SHITLOADS more.


With all the addon packs, it effectively covers all the major theatres. Battle of Britain, Eastern Front, and Pacific.

Agreed, I don't see how people can say CFS3 is better than Il2. Il2 has good damage, does CFS3? No. Il2 is just THE best CFS. How dare CFS 1, 2, 3 call themselves CFS!?!?! :D
I can't wait for the new game made by maddox, about BoB. It is set for release in Nov 06, I can't wait!!

[Cobra427]

AHAHAHA!!! .. really sorry but MS Combat flight are the worst wanna be sims ever ... its like saying Aces High is a true simulation ... as in both the flight models are wrong and the ballistics are way off and I wont even get into damage models... I have had all of the MSCS and I have thrown them all away . they are almost pure arcade.

IL2/FB/AEP/PF are one of if not the most advanced WWII flight simulators there is and it even includes fairly easy difficulty modes for new players or action freaks


another one to add ... its still in the early stages but Targetware is looking good .... because if you dont like the flight model or such you can make your own mod

[enigma]

:eek:
Any respectable CM'er (only joking :) ) wiwould have been there :p

TPG (www.the-proving-grounds.com)

If you still play CM, this is the place to go. Full of scenarios going through the testing phase. A good way to find opponents and a place to upload your own scenarios and get feedback on how to improve them.
Links are on the site also to The Scenario Depot II, as the name suggest the depot for the sceanrios, finished ones etc
Theres also a link to Koens forums, which is slowly but surly being populated by the CM players. Lots of links to all over the show on there and full of tactical hints etc etc

[Saden]

Cobra, about the ballistics or flight model, have you ever flown a WW2 airplane?

Also Cobra, what proof do you have? From what I've seen, the IL-2 player shit on anything thats not IL-2. I stay away from that because I don't want to meet people that have nothing else to do but make up crap about other flight sims. Please read this. http://sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?p=236474&posted=1#post236474

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Ok, in that link you sent Saden, they said CFS3 out of the box is shit. Il2 on the other hand is good. :)

[Saden]

Yes out of the box, but who plays a game out of the box? Also, in IL-2 you need to pay to get anything added onto the game which is complete bs.

[enigma]

Chill people.

Ok ive played IL2 and IL2:FB, this is what i can say about them

IL2 it was good however fun was limited, i bored of it very easy and it was limited iirc to a bf109, il2 and i think a russian fighter.
IL2: Forgotten battles out of the box gave me an entire campaign of the eastern front, able to play as a bomber, stuka, fighter of the german army, heavy bomber, il2 and fighters of the Soviets, as well as fighters from other airforces.
With a campaign spread over 41-45, early campaigns around the invasion, Lenningrad, Operation Blue, Stalingrad, kursk, hungray, Finland and Germany.

YOu got a realstic as far as amware dammage, weapons, planes etc

Overall very fun and much more replayability because of the dynamic campaigns and no need to complete missions.

So if someone can add to that please, and if someone could state what this other Airsim has ... then we can have a proper debate instead of a hissy fanboy fit :)


btw talking of IL2:Fb :my personal score

'41 - L'vov, Smolensk, Crimea, Lativa, Lenningrad (wounded during crash landing ... burnt)
'42 Crimea, Operation Blue, Caucasus, Stalingrad (wounded again, cant remember how ... so i would have been airlifted out woot! :p )
'43 Caucasus again, now in charge of the squadron ... we were near enough destroyed on the ground :( ... then my computer broke ARH :mad: lol

i remember i had 6 air to air kills with a stuka, hundreds of trucks and railcars destroyed, half a hundred to hundred planes on the grounds, dozens of bridges and guns and less then a dozen tanks.
.... would have loved to finish it off ... alas :(

[Bartzy]

Red Orchestra, there may be more realistic ones out there, but this is the only one I have ever played.

[DarkOmen]

Red Orchestra

Combat Mission Series

Close Combat Series

IL-2 Sturm

Hearts of Iron II

Conquest Of The Aegean

War in the Pacific


Those are the most realistic and detailed WW2 games I can think of.

[Fallschirmjäger]

I realy need ot get red orchestra,i have not looked realy good around the shops here for it,2 did not have it at all,and im also trying to download it of steam,at the momemt its 17% and this is on dial up of course,wonder how long before its 100% though february next year maybe.

[Saden]

Just let it sit overnight.

[Fallschirmjäger]

Just let it sit overnight.

I wish,its not my pc and he would not allow that at all,it may break it too.

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Chill people.

Ok ive played IL2 and IL2:FB, this is what i can say about them

IL2 it was good however fun was limited, i bored of it very easy and it was limited iirc to a bf109, il2 and i think a russian fighter.
IL2: Forgotten battles out of the box gave me an entire campaign of the eastern front, able to play as a bomber, stuka, fighter of the german army, heavy bomber, il2 and fighters of the Soviets, as well as fighters from other airforces.
With a campaign spread over 41-45, early campaigns around the invasion, Lenningrad, Operation Blue, Stalingrad, kursk, hungray, Finland and Germany.

YOu got a realstic as far as amware dammage, weapons, planes etc

Overall very fun and much more replayability because of the dynamic campaigns and no need to complete missions.

So if someone can add to that please, and if someone could state what this other Airsim has ... then we can have a proper debate instead of a hissy fanboy fit :)


btw talking of IL2:Fb :my personal score

'41 - L'vov, Smolensk, Crimea, Lativa, Lenningrad (wounded during crash landing ... burnt)
'42 Crimea, Operation Blue, Caucasus, Stalingrad (wounded again, cant remember how ... so i would have been airlifted out woot! :p )
'43 Caucasus again, now in charge of the squadron ... we were near enough destroyed on the ground :( ... then my computer broke ARH :mad: lol

i remember i had 6 air to air kills with a stuka, hundreds of trucks and railcars destroyed, half a hundred to hundred planes on the grounds, dozens of bridges and guns and less then a dozen tanks.
.... would have loved to finish it off ... alas :(

Sweet. I only started a career right before my computer broke, and had done the first Russian fighter mission, in a monoplane, like a I-16 of something, and got a kill, which was a BF110-C I think, and I landed really well, and it was really good overrall for my first mission, and then a few weeks later, my pc broke :mad: So, I started again yesterday, but felt like being a Stuka pilot, flew the whole mission, missed the target, the arty at Lvov, but flew all the way there, and back in formation, I was really happy, landed, finished the mission, closed down Il2, opened it back up later, to carry on the career, to find it hadnt saved or something :mad: I loved flying in formation the whole way there, so I saved the track, and damn I was close to the next Stuka at some points. I narrowly avoided aerial collisions a few times :D Is there a way of skipping to like the checkpoints or something? Or was that EAW? :p Cos its a bit repetative, flying for half an hour, to miss the target, or get shot down, and then fly home.

[enigma]

yea i think one of the braket buttons speeds time up and down.

I use to take off, second i was in the air turn auto pilot on, speed the game up and start reading. Glance at the map which i would have open every minute or so for enemy AC coming way way or a juicy target.
Note, if enemy planes head your way the auto pilot drops your bomb load.

Think 2 of my kills where slow recon biplanes, 1 was a fighter and the other 3 was the rear gunner who nailed 3 fighters :D
Stuka Ace :D ... hmm i wanna reinstall the game now ...

My tips (as a Stuka Ace :p) is be be ballsy and to slow the game down lol ... screw the dive bombing you usally miss lol, change the settings in the option menu during the briefing it is i think and change the bomb delay from zero to 2.
You spot your target, go in low, drop the bomb just before you slam into the target, pull up! give it full trottle and watch as the bombs blow the targets up!
takes a while to get it right.
Also when attacking convoys, watch out for the fuel tankers they blow your plane apart.
yea so make a pass and shoot shit up with your forward guns then as you pass over the convoy, switch to the back gunner and start letting rip on targets as well!

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Haha good tips. I found, a couple of weeks ago, when I first did my first true dive bombing run, that i would drop from about 1,500 meters, and drop first payload on one target, just before I pulled up, then as I was pulling away, usually there would be a second target to blow, so I would blow that aswell. But on the career, on the first mission, you and your kammeraden are flying at 3,500 meters, so when it comes to the dive, by the time you have spotted a target, the plane would be going too fast, and pulling itself up due to the pure speed, and would be impossible to control. So, I have just started the second mission, so will put it on Autopilot, put it to 8x speed, and wait til I get to the combat zone, then bomb the hell out of the bridge. :D

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Oh God! I've just done the 5th mission, in a Stuka, if you start in Lvov, and its a simple fly from your old airfield to a newly captured one. Simple, right? No. We fly there, we are all ok, then it comes to landing, I am a low ranking pilot atm, and am number 7 in the squadron, so I have to land last, oh god it was horrible. I have to watch them land, one after one, all blowing up as they came to a halt, because one was in the way :D

[DarkCanuck]

IL2, Hands down

[Lordwatson]

IL2 looked fun, dont know if can be called realistic but 1944:BG Europe#'s flight simulation was very hard! I was a bad pilot on that game :P

[sid]

I was considering getting Il2. Is it good? And which one should I get? Isn't there a few.

[[BEF]-R!G4M0RT!Z]

Get the newest one. I don't know what that is, all I have is Il2 and Forgotten Battles. They are amazing, trust me. Or, you could wait til around november, and get the new Flight Sim, about Battle of Britain, made by Maddox, people who made Il2.

[biggles]

Well Silent Hunter III is REALLY a good simulator, thats for sure! And IL-2 Sturmovik too.....

[SgtH3nry3]

Well Silent Hunter III is REALLY a good simulator, thats for sure! And IL-2 Sturmovik too.....Yep, I totally agree.

Silent Hunter III kicks ass, but the free alternative Dangers of the Deep is looking good aswell.
Anyway, IMO the combination of IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles with the Aces Expansion Pack, the Pe-2 addon patch and Pacific Fighters is the best atm. IMO.

No Microsoft (Combat) Flightsimulator could ever beat that. And 1C/Maddox is actually working on another one called Battle of Britain if I recall correctly.


My favorite rifleman simulator would be Red Orchestra without a doubt. :)

Operation Flashpoint is my favorite combination of all, although Armed Assault will replace that spot soon. :)

[Manstein]

IL2: FB + AEP + PF
Red Orchestra
Hearts of Iron 2: Doomsday
Silent Hunter III

they all pretty much pwn, and in different ways too