Try out Strike Fighters 2, it's the old strike fighters but optimised for directx 10 and windows 7.

If you edit the ini files you can get rid of the HUD unrealistic stuff. Targeting/Avionics is not complex, but the Jet Dogfighting is great and the flight models are actually quite good. Boom and Zooming Migs in an F4 phantom is quite fun, and trying to use missiles that fail 3/4 times is a challenge!!

There are some great mods available at CombatAce.com but there was a recent patch so they may need updating.

SimHQ has just done a review on it. I've uninstalled it for now due to ROF taking up my time but it is a great sim if Jets are your thing.

Should mention though - no multiplayer, single only.

I think the biggest weakness of RoF is the enemy aircraft AI during dogfights. All they seem to do is try to turn tighter than your plane - gets dull quickly. This is the biggest problem playing offline for me and makes me wonder whether I will even play the new career.

As for a good sim to play that isn't so slow the only ones that are around worth considering IMO are Falcon 4 Allied Assault (brilliant but getting long in the tooth), A10 (canned missions though), and Flaming Cliffs 2 (canned missions though) and thats about it unfortunately. Its probably worth getting an old computer to play TAW or Tornado again considering the choice in new jet sims. There is also Cliffs of Dover, IL2 and Battle of Britain: Wings of Valour if you like 2nd world war combat but personally I don't rank any of these particularly highly. ARMA2 has some good jet flying bits if you also like 1st person shooters and tanks, but the planes/helicopters are all very simplistic albeit great fun. And for space sims there isn't any choice at all unless you want an incredibly realistic shuttle sim (and for me too difficult) in which case go for Space Shuttle Mission Simulator 2008. Its very sad what PC gaming has come to - so little choice now after such great promise in the 80s.

Thanks the community for that. It was people's complain that B&Z planes doing what there're meant for were "invincible".

Same thing with the level of IA in turn and burn; In the early days they were far stronger but people complained about that..

Now i can assure you that due to vastly more crowded environment in the new career you won't have time to be annoyed; especially when 4 ennemy planes pop up suddenly while you, your wingmen and another flight are already fighting 8 of them.
And should you die and retry the mission, the events will be different (you won't have the same enemy and friendly planes around) each time you try the same mission; neither the clouds will be at the same place.

The new career is all but dull and i'm sure you'll enjoy you SP time very much with it.

Ogami, I really hope this is the case, but I must say that I'm disappointed that the suggestion by Mogster and myself among others to have more AI adjustability has not been included. Those who found the old (and vastly superior IMO) AI either too difficult for them or realistic behavior being 'boring' could stick with the idiocy of Spads trying E-bleeding break turns, and the snooze fest of the 'diving spiral' evasive manoeuvre.

Not to blow my own trumpet but I can very easily down 7 Ace AI with limited ammo in an inferior airplane in one mission (and I'm sure I'm not the only one....It's not particularly hard). This becomes mind numbingly boring after a while. While it is true that there was lots of moaning about the older AI (chiefly the sniper issue which was fixed anyway), there was also a lot of love for the old AI which displayed far more realistic behavior. It really was one of ROF's stronger points.

It would be great if we could have an option to switch in the GUI, that way....everyone is catered for. I hope what you are saying is true, because otherwise I will lose interest very quickly with the current AI....It's just too easy and very dull indeed.

Cheers.

Biggles, Whilst I agree not only was the Original AI much more fun to fight, but the overall AI needs a look at, you should also be aware that flying a career mode isnt boring or easy.

Its about staying alive, and whilst the enemy pilots might not be the best, you can get ambushed and it takes just one bullet to kill you.

If your flying on realistic settings and choose to fly what I call dead is dead (No restarts of missions) i think you will be surprised at your life expectancy.

definitely; For thousands of reasons, the new career mode is excellent and quite a challenge.

Rgr that chaps and cheers....look forward to it and hope its a big challenge like you say. I do play 'dead is dead' so it will be interesting to see how long I can last.

I always wandered whats so sexy (for some) in singleplayer fighting vs AIs...nothing can compare with squad vs squad online fight (lets say a good old coop)?. But ofcourse Its good well get career mode because that will attract more ppl as it seams only one third of all customers are into multiplayer. Its a bit odd if you ask me. And thats is (probably) the reason why FM fixes are the "least important" for team (in their dev work) since only few guys (mostly onliners) care about N17 roll rate etc....for most - the career mode is more important

Normally I would agree 100% Tvrdi mate, (I'm actually in the same 'squad' as you) but everytime I've been on, no one else has been around and even if they are they are not on comms. A lot of that is due to time zones, lots of North Americans in =IRFC=. I have never spoke to you once mate, even when I've been on the same server! Since nobody uses hand signals etc, there is not much point.

I used to play MP all the time in the early days (the Tactics and Teamwork co-ops etc were fun) but I got tired of the nob heads obsessed with stats (stats really hurt ROF mp in a big way IMO)......I posted loads of screen shots in the past illustrating this. IE.....'Conga lines' of d*ckheads behind me shoulder shooting while I clearly have the bandit 'sewn up'. Not one or two, 4 or frikking 5 lol. Since we are supposed to be on the same side....why the phluck are they shooting me up in order to get to the bandit in front?

Because they are nob heads, thats why. They go 'kill krazy' in pursuit of padding their sh*tty, meaningless stats and the concept of team work does not even enter their feeble heads.

Right, rant over. Actually I have been thinking of giving it another go, things might be different now. Had some good times on Syndicate though, but I checked the other night and no one was on. Seems people prefer stuff like the 'McBullsh*t' server (fast food lol).

Pffft.

Biggles the AI does that too

If you're ever on during Australian timezones, or on any time on a Saturday, give Oceanic server a try. Teamspeak is in the server description and on our website. We spend far too much time on teamspeak! Even if we're not playing.. just talking crap.

Last weekend we did a formation attack of 10 SE5s, and 3 HPs. Crossed the lines and all dropped eggs, was great fun. We don't do that every day but any time we're initiating someone into the squad you'll see us fly together.

The whole dynamic of bombers and recons now, and the escorting of them adds more of a teamwork element.

Give MP a try again, just be careful not to stray into fast food if you don't want to be team shot

biggles: Might I suggest you try the syndicate server on Sunday evening? I am assuming you are in the UK, if so, about 8:00 pm your time is when things start getting crowded. It is the best time of the week for RoF!

Rgr that Taipan and mike, and cheers. Syndicate was/is the best server IMO, its what I used to fly on. Tried this afternoon and there were 3 people on lol....I need to get some practice in again as I haven't played in a long time. Nice coming back to a sim though and 'rediscovering' it, I had almost forgot how good it is; absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

@Taipan, I'd have to respectfully disagree that the AI do the same...they don't, but I know where you are coming from. They will get in the way sometimes and be a nuisance but it takes a Human to reach the 'Everest of Idiocy', something Artificial Incompetence cannot even begin to match.

I'll be back, just been busy sorting out controls etc again, and trying to remember how to fly the bloody things. It's coming back though, I wuz a top 50 hotshot back in the day lol (woooo! For what that's worth. Never mind the bollocks. )

Cheers chaps.

Most of the fights have moved to the Les Hellequins server. Syndicate is the most powerful server, but the new missions are kind of 'meh' without No Man's Land, and the frequent map resets get in the way of the fun. At least, I think that's why the action has moved elsewhere.

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For those complaining about the AI, try Criquet's AI mod (should be stickied to this forum).

I agree Gavagai.

LoL! I see you are a psychologist, too.

Gavagai,
No, not a psychologist, but I am an MBA and we are trained to be technicians of psychology; particularly with regard to practical applications of the US Social Learning Theory movement, but not the European Psychodynamic Theory stuff. Plus, great minds think alike!
S!
MJ