After 25 years, this sim still impresses
-
I have been involved with flight sims for ~30 years now, have (and still do) own far too many, and always wandered from sim-to-sim like a blind bee looking for the perfect flower. I always seem to come back to (BMS now) Falcon after being drawn away by a new “shiny” thing. Last few months I have been drawn to the “other” F-16 sim, trying to get it running properly, learning the UI, getting VR right, getting Helios to work (it doesn’t), etc. After getting all set up and trying to ignore all the things that simply don’t work, I put it aside and came back to BMS today. First campaign mission, within 30 seconds I remembered why I love this sim. It’s a living organism. You are really part of something. Things are happing ALL around you. You have control of your own destiny, that of the people in your flight\package, and can have a REAL effect on the battle and war. It was like going from a soundproof room and stepping out into the world… Pretty graphics draw you in, but can’t hold you. So again, THANK YOU to all the people that continue to make this the best simulator ever made!
-
@Icer I love that about (THE OTHER “SIM”)
Falcon BMS will never have a competitor, just by placing yourself in the 2D world and running a campaign just looking at the map, seeing the actions, the phenomena that happen numerically and virtually, each campaign gives a different result depending on each action taken, not even a linear pattern, Falcon BMS is a well-orchestrated symphony of events that has been perfected for years, that neither the best graphics in the world nor the best modules in the world that THE OTHER ¨SIM¨ has, and I put ¨SIM¨ in quotes because I leave of being a simulator many years ago, when money was stronger than passion and clouded their minds.
Digital Cinema Simulator will continue to be that, a business with beautiful visual effects and as a woman filled with silicone she can only dazzle you with her curves but will not be able to maintain a normal conversation.
A pleasure to have you back, to the dark side.
-
@Icer Cheers to that!
I love the unpredictability of the campaign which exists WITHOUT ME EXPENDING ANY EFFORT (I’ll never be a “mission editor guru”)- and the hard lessons it teaches, the reward when the tables turn your way a few days into the war after much sacrifice and hard work.I just got together with old friends for a casual flight - day 1 campaign- and everything was going smooth: TAC turns like a boss, comms were tight. DEAD and a second BARCAP were just arriving on station.
There was a furball out 15 miles in front of -2 and me, and as we broke thru the MAR still hearing no spike tone, we assumed we were safe for a few more seconds… the friendly in front was shot down, I foxed and defended but we were immediately shot down by 2x MiG29A using heaters - turns out they were out of radar missiles.
I’ve never experienced heaters being the first weapon fulcrums employ (expected a spike and R27). Coincidentally there was also a MP bug and none of us were hearing RWR tones. Maybe I forgot to do the aural RWR warning tests (again. getting lazy).
I will say I have given the other sim a chance 4 times in the last 4 years, the 4th time has been recently and I realized why it always let me down before: I wasn’t appreciating what it does well - but it ain’t the F16 and it ain’t the full scale war. And that’s fine with me. Long live BMS!
-
Yup! Although to be fair, the dogfight experience in the the other one is pretty damn good.
Heretic that I am, one of my favorite things to do in BMS is to gasp turn on the labels (What!!! I hear you cry!! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!) and watch the war happening around me. (Less pleasurable of late now that I’m using a 4K monitor and the label fonts are so. damn. small… but…
The campaign keeps me coming back, every time.
-
After 25years this sim still depresses me ….bugs bugs bugs bugs. This is a never ending process
-
@Mav-jp said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
After 25years this sim still depresses me ….bugs bugs bugs bugs. This is a never ending process
I like big bugs and I can’t deny…
-
@Grumble said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
Yup! Although to be fair, the dogfight experience in the the other one is pretty damn good.
Yes, it can be quite challenging, will say that the AI does a pretty good job in most cases. Also the pre-missile era jets and WWII planes are done well, and the online servers can be fun for a bit (especially if they have the new Olympus “overwatch” running as it can be full of surprises). For single-player, i’ve never been one for scripted missions and their “success triggers”, just not my thing, especially after flying them once. I think what really turned me off recently was when their login server went down. I relaized (it’s in the EULA!) that I do not own the €1000 of content I bought and if they (or Putin) decide to shut their doors… POOF, it’s all gone.
-
@Icer Really? No ownership?!?! Ouch!!
It also has to be said that it’s a good looking sim, and although purists will sneer, in a dogfight, the looks really do matter. If I’m going on a run-through-the-jungle, hide-and-seek with the enemy DEAD mission where I have no idea what’s going to happen, then BMS every single time; DCS doesn’t even get a look in. Dogfighting with some cloud cover and good terrain? Weeelll BMS tries really hard but DCS does have the wow factor.
-
@Icer said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
€1000
If you want to waste money. Go to a casino drunk.
-
@VIPER-0 said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
@Icer said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
€1000
If you want to waste money. Go to a casino drunk.
Or race Porsches, that isn’t even the cost of ONE tire…
-
@Grumble said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
@Icer Really? No ownership?!?! Ouch!!
It also has to be said that it’s a good looking sim, and although purists will sneer, in a dogfight, the looks really do matter. If I’m going on a run-through-the-jungle, hide-and-seek with the enemy DEAD mission where I have no idea what’s going to happen, then BMS every single time; DCS doesn’t even get a look in. Dogfighting with some cloud cover and good terrain? Weeelll BMS tries really hard but DCS does have the wow factor.
The dogfight is maybe 15% of the training of a military pilot’s life, assuming he is a fighter pilot and every time I put my head in the cockpit in the (Cinema SIM) to touch some panel or switch it tells me on the MFD. (PLACEHOLDER) kind of doesn’t make much sense then.
And to do pure dogfight for that there is a cheaper game called WT (WAR THUNDER)
-
this post, but I’ll copy here:
If you want that hot young blonde that laughs at all your jokes and is easy on the eyes, then BMS isn’t for you. However, you seem to have realised that the older lady, the one with a few wrinkles and looks rather plain, that lady can make YOU laugh and makes you learn new skills and test your character each time you go out…
When I first came to BMS after years in Lock On/Flaming Cliffs/A-10C, I miss the detail and beauty of the airfields, the grass growing between the pavement slabs, the town, the trees, flying under bridges… As soon as I had more skill in the jet though, eye candy mattered less and less. Start ups were busy affairs getting the jet set up for the mission. En route, I was busy checking to see if I can make the next waypoint in time or if I was behind. Do I have enough gas if I engage the burner for a bit to catch up? New pop up target, are they a threat? Where did they come from? Are they heading my way? Air cover just flew overhead, I need to fence in soon… then everything is a blur as I get tunnel vision completing my mission. One pass, haul ass. I hope I remembered to record this flight, that run would be awesome to watch in TacView! Did my wingie make it out or do I have to babysit his son for the next 30 years? Talk to me Goose! Am I far enough from the target area to climb to a safe altitude?
Maybe on egress, there’s some time to admire the scenery? No. At least not for very long. Watch the fuel state. Do I need to hit the tanker? Where is the tanker? checks kneepad for info Dial in the tanker TACAN and see how far away I am. If I fly for best endurance, how much gas do I have at homeplate? Has my wingie joined up yet? What’s his fuel state? Awww… fuckitsonsabitches, new popup from that airbase to the west… seems like they’re heading for me. Yeah, they’re hot. Angry too! I should’ve stayed in bed this morning! Wait, there’s some targets on my nose… FRIENDLIES!! Are they flying to intercept my chasers? If I turn towards them, that’ll close the gap quicker and hopefully, they’ll scare the guys off my tail… but this heading means I’ll need to tank up or I’ll be gliding the last few miles to base and need to be towed off the runway!
You get the idea…
-
@Atlas said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
this post, but I’ll copy here:
If you want that hot young blonde that laughs at all your jokes and is easy on the eyes, then BMS isn’t for you. However, you seem to have realised that the older lady, the one with a few wrinkles and looks rather plain, that lady can make YOU laugh and makes you learn new skills and test your character each time you go out…
When I first came to BMS after years in Lock On/Flaming Cliffs/A-10C, I miss the detail and beauty of the airfields, the grass growing between the pavement slabs, the town, the trees, flying under bridges… As soon as I had more skill in the jet though, eye candy mattered less and less. Start ups were busy affairs getting the jet set up for the mission. En route, I was busy checking to see if I can make the next waypoint in time or if I was behind. Do I have enough gas if I engage the burner for a bit to catch up? New pop up target, are they a threat? Where did they come from? Are they heading my way? Air cover just flew overhead, I need to fence in soon… then everything is a blur as I get tunnel vision completing my mission. One pass, haul ass. I hope I remembered to record this flight, that run would be awesome to watch in TacView! Did my wingie make it out or do I have to babysit his son for the next 30 years? Talk to me Goose! Am I far enough from the target area to climb to a safe altitude?
Maybe on egress, there’s some time to admire the scenery? No. At least not for very long. Watch the fuel state. Do I need to hit the tanker? Where is the tanker? checks kneepad for info Dial in the tanker TACAN and see how far away I am. If I fly for best endurance, how much gas do I have at homeplate? Has my wingie joined up yet? What’s his fuel state? Awww… fuckitsonsabitches, new popup from that airbase to the west… seems like they’re heading for me. Yeah, they’re hot. Angry too! I should’ve stayed in bed this morning! Wait, there’s some targets on my nose… FRIENDLIES!! Are they flying to intercept my chasers? If I turn towards them, that’ll close the gap quicker and hopefully, they’ll scare the guys off my tail… but this heading means I’ll need to tank up or I’ll be gliding the last few miles to base and need to be towed off the runway!
You get the idea…
-
@VIPER-0 Oh sure, I get it. I have DCS. Don’t remember when I last booted it, but I have it. I have a great time dogfighting in DCS, every now and then. OTOH falcon I have had on my drive in one form or other for 27ish years.
Personally I’m not that much into switchology. I can see the attraction for those who are but it’s not really my thing. For me it’s all about the campaign, and in that respect there is nothing that even comes close. BMS visuals do what they’re supposed to and I have zero complaints about them, but to use your hot blonde analogy, a little makeup goes a long way
-
@Icer, I totally agree, pretty much the same have been playing flight sims for around the same length of time came back to BMS recently and have been blown away by the sheer depth of this sim and the work the devs have put in.
I do play DCS too am guilty of that yes it’s graphically impressive and there are aircraft in it I love flying but it hasn’t the depth of BMS the graphical differences I can live with BMS still has great graphics and for someone who’s first flight sim had wire frame graphics I don’t care it’s what’s underneath that counts! -
My first exposure with Falcon was on my Atari ST around 1988. I’ve been a fan ever since. Falcon and I have a long history together and I feel very fortunate that my loyalty has paid off.
Like others I too have DCS. I use it now and then to give my motion platform a workout. It has 6DOF and DCS has some really good telemetry allowing for the feeling of acceleration, deceleration, banking, etc… It’s a crying shame that BMS only has pitch and roll. Since it’s all VR for me now, that’ll have to do. But it’s not so bad with just 2DOF.
As most netkidz would say; “fALc0n rUElz!”
-
@Puckertoe said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
My first exposure with Falcon was on my Atari ST around 1988. I’ve been a fan ever since. Falcon and I have a long history together and I feel very fortunate that my loyalty has paid off.
Like others I too have DCS. I use it now and then to give my motion platform a workout. It has 6DOF and DCS has some really good telemetry allowing for the feeling of acceleration, deceleration, banking, etc… It’s a crying shame that BMS only has pitch and roll. Since it’s all VR for me now, that’ll have to do. But it’s not so bad with just 2DOF.
As most netkidz would say; “fALc0n rUElz!”
It’s a matter of a few minutes to code in share Mem’all speeds and accels on 3 axis
-
Head/cockpit vibration during gun bursts.
-
@Mav-jp said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
@Puckertoe said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
My first exposure with Falcon was on my Atari ST around 1988. I’ve been a fan ever since. Falcon and I have a long history together and I feel very fortunate that my loyalty has paid off.
Like others I too have DCS. I use it now and then to give my motion platform a workout. It has 6DOF and DCS has some really good telemetry allowing for the feeling of acceleration, deceleration, banking, etc… It’s a crying shame that BMS only has pitch and roll. Since it’s all VR for me now, that’ll have to do. But it’s not so bad with just 2DOF.
As most netkidz would say; “fALc0n rUElz!”
It’s a matter of a few minutes to code in share Mem’all speeds and accels on 3 axis
I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you mean for the DEV’s to do that or for customers to do that? I’m looking at Sim Racing Studio (which I use for the motion platform) and see the 3 axis Pitch, Roll and Vert G Heave. I have no idea what Vert G Heave is being used for. Is that what you mean for the 3 axis?
-
@Puckertoe said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
@Mav-jp said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
@Puckertoe said in After 25 years, this sim still impresses:
My first exposure with Falcon was on my Atari ST around 1988. I’ve been a fan ever since. Falcon and I have a long history together and I feel very fortunate that my loyalty has paid off.
Like others I too have DCS. I use it now and then to give my motion platform a workout. It has 6DOF and DCS has some really good telemetry allowing for the feeling of acceleration, deceleration, banking, etc… It’s a crying shame that BMS only has pitch and roll. Since it’s all VR for me now, that’ll have to do. But it’s not so bad with just 2DOF.
As most netkidz would say; “fALc0n rUElz!”
It’s a matter of a few minutes to code in share Mem’all speeds and accels on 3 axis
I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you mean for the DEV’s to do that or for customers to do that? I’m looking at Sim Racing Studio (which I use for the motion platform) and see the 3 axis Pitch, Roll and Vert G Heave. I have no idea what Vert G Heave is being used for. Is that what you mean for the 3 axis?
I mean for the devs