Flight Sim Fans
- Thread starter Kazzerigian
- Start date
The X-52 Pro has been around a long time now, mine is around 8-9 years old and it is the successor to the X-45 which itself was the successor to the X-36. So basically any game made in the last 20 years with joystick support should work with an X-52 Pro or any other modern HOTAS. With that said, the original IL-2: Sturmovik is the ultimate CFS from back in the day. You can go back further of course but there really isn't anything to be had by doing so. Other bargain bin games include Falcon 4 and Janes anything. For something a bit more current, I recommend Rise of Flight, Battle of Stalingrad and DCS world. RoF and DCS are free in their basic form, they charge for additional flyable aircraft, maps and so on. The extra stuff is available to AI and other players in MP, just not you until you pay for them.
IL2: Cliffs of Dover is not something I'd recommend. The official version of the game is complete trash and even after 2 years of patches, still wasn't ready to be released. Some third party modders have picked it up and allegedly made it halfway decent, but I stopped paying any attention to it about a year ago. I would not recommend it unless you can get it for under $5 and even then it might not be worth the headache.
IL2: Cliffs of Dover is not something I'd recommend. The official version of the game is complete trash and even after 2 years of patches, still wasn't ready to be released. Some third party modders have picked it up and allegedly made it halfway decent, but I stopped paying any attention to it about a year ago. I would not recommend it unless you can get it for under $5 and even then it might not be worth the headache.
here's some other suggestions:
wings over flanders fields (needs combat flight simulator 3) is a WW1 flight sim and is probably the most immersive flight sim i've played. try to survive more than 2 weeks.
DCS world
falcon 4 - hardcore fidelity
freespace 2
take on helicopters - never tried it
comanche vs hockum - played it a long time ago, vanilla is not great but the mods are awesome.
afterburner - the original of course.
wings over flanders fields (needs combat flight simulator 3) is a WW1 flight sim and is probably the most immersive flight sim i've played. try to survive more than 2 weeks.
DCS world
falcon 4 - hardcore fidelity
freespace 2
take on helicopters - never tried it
comanche vs hockum - played it a long time ago, vanilla is not great but the mods are awesome.
afterburner - the original of course.
I've been getting into sims quite heavily lately.
At the moment reading the 600page manual for DCS world: A10-C warthog.
Further I'm flying:
- Xplane10
- IL2 - Cliffs of Dover (with patches)
- IL2 - Battle of Stalingrad
Lastly I got into Silent Hunter 5 with mods, but that doesn't require a joystick
At the moment reading the 600page manual for DCS world: A10-C warthog.
Further I'm flying:
- Xplane10
- IL2 - Cliffs of Dover (with patches)
- IL2 - Battle of Stalingrad
Lastly I got into Silent Hunter 5 with mods, but that doesn't require a joystick
FlightGear works well with my CH setup, so I guess it'll be ok with the X52 as well.
Where as I would absolutely, wholeheartedly recommend IL2 Cliffs of Dover. It's by far and away the best Flight Sim for WW2 out there in terms of detail, graphics and realism right now. BUT, you do need to download and install the Team Fusion patches for the best experience. Unfortunately, far too many people poo-poo it based on their first impressions when it was released (when admittedly it was like a bag of spanners). TF have made significant improvements and continue to do so. For the pittance it costs, I'd get it in heartbeat.
DCS might provide a competitor in time, but for the moment their aircraft are superb, but the environment just isn't there and there's no real MP support. BOS is proving to be a frustration and a disappointment to many, with unlocks, removal of custom graphic settings, odd design choices and a dev team who ultimately have done nothing to deserve the IL2 brand name. All IMO though.
I've been wanting to get back into FSX recently. It's been a LONG time since I've touched it and I'm kind of looking forward to a Steam release. I'm a bit daunted by all the scenery/weather/etc. mods for it, and which ones work well together. Stock FSX is probably a bit bland by today's standards. I'd be interested to hear what configs people are playing with.
I'll add a plus 1 for DCS:World. For me, specifically the A-10C module. It's the reason I got the TM Warthog. I refer to sims like DCS as "study sims" as there is a LOT to learn. I love that you pretty much have a full interactive cockpit and starting up from a cold & dark cockpit feels great! I've dabbled with several of the other modules(Huey is great), but always come back to the hawg.
ROF and CLOD/TF mod are great too. Haven't played those in awhile though. Not enough time to go around for everything. Sometimes being away too long means having to completely reorient yourself. Sucks getting old.
I'll add a plus 1 for DCS:World. For me, specifically the A-10C module. It's the reason I got the TM Warthog. I refer to sims like DCS as "study sims" as there is a LOT to learn. I love that you pretty much have a full interactive cockpit and starting up from a cold & dark cockpit feels great! I've dabbled with several of the other modules(Huey is great), but always come back to the hawg.
ROF and CLOD/TF mod are great too. Haven't played those in awhile though. Not enough time to go around for everything. Sometimes being away too long means having to completely reorient yourself. Sucks getting old.