My last update on coming WWII Sims for 1999 was back in January. It's time for another look!

With the recent release of Fighter Squadron by Activision, the combat prop fan now has a choice of the following sims:

• Microsoft CFS
• European Air War
• Fighter Squadron
• Flying Corps Gold
• Luftwaffe Commander
• Red Baron II
• WWII Fighters

and online:

• Dawn of Aces
• Warbirds
• Fighter Ace
• Air Warrior 3

That is quite a collection of talent! But believe it or not, there are SEVEN more prop sims in development including two Vietnam era sims which also allow flight with classic early jets. Below is a chart for a quick comparison of coming simulations.

Seven Sims for '99

  
Dynamix Desert Fighters

If you've looked over that chart closely, you will see one title that you may not have seen anywhere else yet: Desert Fighters by Dynamix. I spoke with Doug Johnson, Designer of Desert Fighters, and can share with you some of the details.

Doug is a personal fan of Aces of the Pacific (AOTP), and estimates that he may have flown a thousand hours in that sim. While there was much he loved about AOTP, there were weak areas that stood out to him, such as the flight modeling.

Doug personally places fun before realism, yet his goals for the modeling in Desert Fighters will still place it beyond AOTP. "Fun" to Doug means such things as allowing users to paint their own aircraft, and a fully dynamic environment. It also means being able to impact the course of the war to the extent that a successful pilot can eventually rewrite history.

Dynamix Desert Fighters

As a fairly hardcore sim fan, I like the way Doug thinks! Gameplay shouldn't be sacrificed on the altar of accuracy, and Desert Fighters sounds like a good conception. The sim will depict the struggle for North Africa which took place between March 1941, and May, 1943, though the sim will stretch the end date of the campaign to December, 1943.

The heart of the campaign is the "Battle of Supplies" that took place in North Africa at that time. The ground war is modeled in detail, especially as it relates to supply convoys and ground support in the strategic environment of the North African desert. Hit those supply convoys hard, or destroy the ships in the harbor, and you will find the enemy running low on fuel or unable to keep their aircraft in the air for lack of spares.

Desert Fighters will feature 30 aircraft, with approximately 18 flyable models. Included in the simulation are some unusual aircraft, such as the Ju-87 Stuka, the Italian Macchi MC 202 and the French Dewoitine D 520, along with the Spitfire and the P-51 Mustang. Players will even be able to take the tail-gunner position in the Stuka.

The graphics engine is a modified Tribes engine and resolution will be determined by the ability of your 3d board. Some interesting experiments are being attempted in the computer controlled pilot system, and we may see some tactics that are new to the PC arena. And yes, you will be able to paint your own aircraft and add your own squadron IDs.

Damage modeling will be at the level of Red Baron 3d but improved. Multiplayer support will be virtually identical to that of Red Baron 3d, Doug expects up to sixty virtual pilots in the air in a single online game. Desert Fighters is being produced by Mike Jones, look for it in October '99.

Flight Combat

Here is an update from the Producer of Flight Combat with regard to flying bombers in that simulation:

All stations are accessible and we are doing TRUE co-op (that is, you and all your buddies can be on one bomber, each manning a different position) as well as regular adversarial multiplay. Some of the bombers featured are the B-17, B-24, He-111, Ju-87 and Ju-88 (and a few others that I can't comment on yet.)

Ju87 from Flight Combat.

MiG Alley Update

Here is an update on MiG Alley from Tom Chick's article in Strategy Plus:

Sims without dynamic campaigns have been regarded by some simmers as incomplete: DID re-released F-22 Air Dominance Fighter with a dynamic campaign as Total Air War. Rowan's last game, Flying Corps, did a passable job with a semi-dynamic mission structure. This time around, though, they're hoping to give the current King of the Dynamic Campaigns a run for its money. "Our campaign is even more intense that what we've seen in Falcon 4.0," gushes Stephen Wickes of Empire Interactive, the company publishing Rowan's sim.

The game tracks ground forces, aircraft, and supply routes throughout the entire Korean peninsula, using these factors to determine the shifting front between UN and Communist forces. Daily briefings list major events and the capture of important targets. The player assumes the role of Supreme Air Commander and assigns his squadrons directives, dividing his air power among Air Superiority, Chokepoints, Supply, Airfields, Roads, Railways, Army Support, and Resting.

The computer will then generate missions, laying out waypoints and targets, and assigning pilots and loadouts. These plans can be tweaked or entirely reworked by players who would prefer to directly manage their aircraft. The mission planner zooms in and out smoothly using an adjustable map scale. Filters can be used to display civilian targets, specific types of military units, elements of the supply network, or airfields for easier mission planning

Ground forces are under control of the computer, but they won't be abstracted as they were in DID's Total Air War: players can watch the fighting when they're flying over active battle areas. In fact, the AI will send ground units scrambling for cover when enemy aircraft approach. Ground attack missions will include the use of bombs, rockets, and napalm.

MiG Alley

In some missions, ground troops or recon aircraft will serve as forward air control (FAC), directing you to your target with smoke markers. You'll even be able to interact with the FAC after a bombing run if you need the target to be remarked for another pass. Rowan hopes to create a strong sense of the sort of coordinated interaction with ground forces that characterized the UN's strategy against the Communist forces. Similarly, MiG Alley will offer full radio communications with your wingmen and traffic control, using the now-standard menu system.

Bombers for IL-2 Sturmovik?

IL2 Sturmovik

I asked Oleg Maddox of Maddox Games about plans for bombers in IL-2 Sturmovik. Here is his reply:

In add-ons we plan a lot of planes and there will be present famous Russian middle range bombers Pe-2 and Tu-2. Pe-2 was also used as a heavy fighter and was a very dangerous enemy, especially for the bombers and Stuka's. Pe-3, which really was a re-engined version of the Pe-2 was very similar to the English Mosquito, but with more powerful weapons and good armor. (The Pe-2 was the first aircraft in the world (1939, in series, not experimental), which had electric-buster control of the flight.)

If IL-2 succeeds, one of our add-ons can be with the Pe-8 - a four engine long-range bomber similar to B-17. The Pe-8 was created in 1938 and in a series was built from 1940. The first real battle experience was in August, 1941 with the first bombing of Berlin and some other German cities.

Pe-8's lifted off from Moscow and bombed Berlin, then returned to Moscow without any landing during this flight. Escorting of Pe-8s was using with long-range twin engine bombers, called AR-2, flown all years from 1941-45. The best operation of Pe-8's - destruction of Koenigsberg fortifications and communcations in the end of 1944.

Some other bomber types, like the TB-3, wasn't used in the war as a bomber, because it was too old (1933-35.) But several operations with this plane was where the TB-3 was a great flying bomb itself with a radio control from an escorting plane, ships in the sea and ground radar control.