Combat Flight
Simulator 3: Battle for Europe is (lets get a good start here by
stating the obvious) Microsofts third foray into the world of WWII
flight sims. With CFS 3 we see a return for the franchise to the
European theater and the closing years of the Great War. Aircraft
familiar to the latter days of the fracas and a few days even after that
are featured in this edition. Along with the flyable goodies we get a
new "dynamic" campaign system, a new terrain engine and . . . well,
thats about it except for a bunch of old hat. Dont get disheartened
here; theres enough to CFS 3 to go around and make it worthwhile. But
dont go running around the house thinking that this is new-fangled
stuff or something.
The most important
feature for any aircraft sim, for me, is its selection of aircraft, so
lets get down to the nitty-gritty here. Included in the thirty-odd
flyable aircraft are examples of USAAF, RAF and Luftwaffe mainstays: Two
variants each of the P-51 (including the much faster fastback), P-47,
P-38, B-26, Spitfire, Bf-109, Fw-190, and Me-262 jet. There are also
three variants each of the Mosquito, B-25 (all British for some reason)
and Ju-88. And, on top of all that, for no extra cost, you get the
Tempest and Typhoon.
Beyond the
expected collection of characteristic aircraft from WWII, CFS 3 also
features some lesser-known late-arriving examples, including some of the
first allied jets. Theres the: P-55 pusher, P-80 (more commonly thought
of as the T-33), Vampire, Do-335 (think of a P-55 with some pull to go
along with the push) and the Go-229 jet powered flying wing. The
addition of these aircraft is welcome, though I believe that instead of
bringing in the post-war aircraft they could have instead offered a few
of the more applicable, or appropriate aircraft like the A-20, P-39 or
P-61.
To go along with
the selection of aircraft the flight physics are near-perfect, and are
roughly true to the characteristics of the aircraft included. On my
first attempt at landing a B-26 I smeared myself halfway across southern
England; the second time I did the deadly-endo thing by snapping the
nose gear off. And, on the third try I remembered exactly why B-26s had
a bad reputation. The aircraft models are also among the best I have yet
seen. As an added bonus, the player is able to customize paint schemes
and nose art.
The newest and
arguably most original feature of CFS 3 is its campaign system. Dynamic
seems to be one of the military sim makers favorite new words. Like
other familiar dynamic systems, your performance influences the games
specific and general outcomes. Your actions set off events, spawn
enemies and generate flak. The developers also attempted to incorporate
some role-playing-like elements into the game. As a player advances
through the game they pick up and develop skills that are useful to the
completion of further missions. Unfortunately, while playing the game I
never felt that the "dynamic" system was particularly worthwhile. Its
of trivial value due to insufficient integration with the rest of the
game and a negligible impact on the outcome of the missions.
On the bright
side, Microsoft has turned out some of their best graphics code. This
game runs smoothly and nearly flawlessly. However, like all of
Microsofts flight sim offerings, this one takes at least a near
top-of-the-line machine to get the quality results. CFS 3s new terrain
engine can really crank out the trees and huts, and I could swear there
was some shrubbery in there too. Whether or not the new engine has
improved the overall motion effect at low level is negligible. I have a
feeling that twenty years down the road flight sim developers will still
be working on that problem.
Multiplayer
features all of the typical options save that you can do a little
co-operative play here, though only on single missions and not as part
of the campaign. Overall, CFS 3 provides a quality experience, but
little new. Its appeal is its selection of aircraft and quality of play.
Postscript:
Throughout my
life I have had the distinct privilege of being involved in aviation.
Some of my most vivid childhood memories contain experiences involving
WWII aircraft. The closest thing I have ever flown to a WWII fighter has
been a Boeing Stearman, a craft that studiously and sturdily served as
the introductory trainer for the vast majority of American WWII fighter
pilots. I have, through the experience of my father, who has spent a
little time flying P-51s, gained a vicarious sort of, though admittedly
vague, understanding of what it is like to fly a Mustang -- the kind of
bow-legged amazement found in thrills that normally we only get to
daydream about. Through this understanding I can only gain respect for
the fresh-faced 18 year-olds who, during WW II, flew these aircraft into
battle.
On Veterans Day
my Dad had a visitor to his office at our local airport. In this
visitors possession was a scrapbook that contained a personal
photographic record of his experiences in WWII. One page featured a
single image that seemed to sum up the horror and awe that these
individuals must have felt on a daily basis. This single image showed a
Me-262 in flight, as photographed from the nose of this individuals
bomber somewhere 30,000 feet over Germany in the latter days of the war.
What must he have felt as the bizarre propeller-less craft passed, guns
blazing in front of him?