Combat Flight Simulator 2: The Best Flight Sim You Forgot Existed
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- Опубликовано: 29 июл 2024
- In the “Blast From The Past” video, we cover the rise of Microsoft’s Combat Flight Simulator series with a focus on the development and reception of Combat Flight Simulator Two, a landmark title that brought the PTO air war to mainstream computer gaming in a way no other game has since the year 2,000. What is really exciting is that a new game is in early stages of development which appears to be the spiritual successor of CFS2, called “Combat Pilot,” which is being made by a former developer from the IL2 Sturmovik game. We may finally be getting some much needed new blood in the combat flight sim space soon!
Music Credits:
Video includes music from White Bat audio ( / @whitebataudio ) as well as the following single track;
"Corporate Background (Royalty Free Music) - SYNESTHESIA" by GalaxyTones Creative Commons (CC BY 3_0) license Music powered by BreakingCopyright.
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:
First, you'll need the prerequisite files:
CFS2 game files (ISO)
oldgamesdownload.com/microsof...
NO CD Fix file:
megagames.com/games/combat-fl... **WARNING, this link appears to be dead as of 2/09/24. Other NOCD file fixes can be found by google search but i have NOT vetted any of them, so i will not post them here**
Virtual CloneDrive:
www.elby.ch/en/products/vcd.html
Next, install Virtual Clonedrive and run it once to make sure the default options are good enough (i think they were, but don’t remember)
After installing the clone drive, unpack and open the ISO file for disc one and install using the settings/destination you prefer (if you want a specific custom folder, best set that up ahead of time in directory and then find it in the install)
Once installed, open the location of the cfs2 executable and RENAMe the CFS2 application file (I just added a b to the end) to back it up. Before doing the next step
Follow the bizarre-sounding instructions to download, rename, and unzip (twice i think) the NO CD fix file, then take the application executable from there and cut/paste it into the CFS2 folder.
Ensure that the ONLY compatibility settings checked are the following
Compatibility mode for XP SP2
Run as administrator
Run the game and change the video settings
Use the “player defined advanced settings” to set the highest possible graphics, increase cache file size, and improve the game to your desired resolution… Many people don’t realize the game supports 1920x1080 and looks pretty decent for its time when all the settings are bumped up.
NOTE: to run the game, you will always use the No CD Fix application file, so make sure that, if you have a desktop shortcut, it is pathing to the correct application file.
Don't forget to set your realism settings and controls as desired before you begin playing as well. This will greatly impact your perceived performance of the game.
#flightsimulator #flightsim #games #gaming #videogamehistory #historicalgames #ww2
Chapters:
0:00 - Flight Simulator 2024 is on the way!
0:28 - Background on the CFS Series and a comparison against its primary competitors
2:03 - Development & game features of CFS 2
4:19 - Reception
5:07 - CFS Can still be played today! (see description for details) 
Игры
I miss old WW2 sims. The cockpit and engine fidelity we have in sims like DCS is amazing, but the older games were more fun, and easier for us little kids at the time to play.
Seriously, there just isnt a good middleground between a hardcore like DCS and the arcade of War Thunder right now (except maybe IL2, but even then its not as customizable for difficulty/realism settings as the old ones were)
fighter ace 2 was where it was at ... msn gamezone . lol
gotta love those 2d cockpits, so much style!
Played many hours on this version, especially loved the carrier landings and cartoonish look
My dad was good at CV landings... I was lucky I could take off from once (most of the time)
@@husbandwifegamersAZ
Same, most of them ended with me crashing, but it was so much fun
It was my favorite sim growing up, it also had a lot of mods as well, such as new carriers (Escort Carriers, Light Carriers for the American side, as well as some Japanese carriers as well), aircraft etc. I remember playing it mostly in 3d cockpit mode, it was rendered better and (obviously) felt more realistic.
never knew about the mods when i was a kid. wonder if i could still find any good ones
I remember paying 3$ an hour to play a combat sim on AOL. We've come a long way.
I never played the first Combat Flight Simulator, because my Dad had bought European Air War and gosh I sunk many, many hours into that game. Then when I saved up my money and bought a Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 joystick, he bought me a copy of Combat Flight Simulator 2 so that I had another game to play with it. What a great game this was. Very good graphics and very fun to fly. It was also so nice to fly the different planes compared to all the planes I had enjoyed flying in European Air War.
The pacific air war needs some more love. lots of planes and locations that hardly ever make it into games
loved this game. played it as a kid with my dad. also jane's USAF and combat flight simulator 3. great memories ty for the vid
There was a mod to make the NPC planes flyable, and i remember loving the TBD Devastators to torpedo ships, which took damage and sank. The carrier operations were great too.
How did I never know about this mod! One of these days i may dig around for that.
that mod was amazing. I had a lot more fun torpedoeing ships with a Kate, than playing a fighter pilot!
What sets this game apart is the accuracy of the flight physics. With more than 100 hours flying a real tail dragger I can vouch for how real it feels. I've always played using the highest realism settings and the hardest level of the game. The carrier landings really challenge you and the combat really gets your heart going. Never played it against others using the Internet but would have loved to have tried.
i forget what settings i change, but the realism percent i have is like 85 or 90. The wildcat is a real slug against those Zeroes and I dont know how any novice pilots lived long enough in one to learn how to deal with them.
Its just as bad for Japan once the corsair is up there though. Very challenging to fly in those kinds of scenarios and I always enjoyed it.
@@husbandwifegamersAZ Yep, agree 100%, the two standouts are the zero and the corsair. In the quick combat I could win consistently against 3 allied aces in the zero and vica versa in the corsair although tactics used were pretty much the opposite. Zero, dogfighting with plenty of acrobatics. Corsair, boom and zoom with conservation of speed and height.
IL2 Sturmovik 1946 is all you needed back then. And it still very playable it even supports trackIR. Now its IL2 Box or DCS warbirds. If you are into WW2.
True but this predates that by a year or two so they weren't really comparable. Admittedly after IL2's release in late 2001 that's pretty much all I played.
I do remember playing this, and loved European air war.
The fact that they consulted with a literal japanese veteran for this, nicknamed, 'Samurai in the Zero', is the true confirmation that this is mostly accurate
Saburo Sakai's book is a great read if you've never read it. As is Pappy Boyington's (Baa Baa Black sheep).
Spent days at a time playing this sim. So much fun being in a squadron and having matches. For some reason the love affair didn't carry over to CFS3 for me and, the online world seemed to slowly abandon CFS2. Very disappointing.
CFS 3 could have been better, thats for sure.
Combat pilot looks super promising
I know the graphics were kinda chunky on my favorite combat flight sim but I just gotta throw in Chuck Yeagers Air Combat Flight Simulator. it was basic, yes, but it was also a lot of fun.
ill have to look that one up
CFS1 was probably my first combat flight sim i really got into but i quickly switched to cfs2. The campaign and quick action were cool but CFS2 shined in its online community. I was part of several squadrons back in the day. The fighting night hawks, 231st, and CAP for protecting players from trolls during island hopping missions.
you might like world war two online. steep learning curve, but a good squad and some questions on the discord help with that. Look me up if you are interested (Medic911)
I still have the disk for this old game. I grew up playing it alongside FSX in the good ol' days!!
I think the only "regular" flight sim I ever had was the 98 one... but I loved CFS 2 and played a little of 3 (3 was very unstable on the system we had). Now I grabbed both from the ISO (still have my original discs too, but the ISO was easier to install on WIN 11)
My second flight simulator after F29 retaliator. I spent ages playing with the mission editor, great memories!
Of all the game that have gotten remakes and remasters . . . I just don't understand why all we have had in this space for so long was IL2 and Warthunder/World of Warplanes. Maybe Combat Pilot will scratch that CFS2 itch in the modern day when it comes out someday.
I grew up on CFS3 and loved that game. My dad helped me with modding stuff in - including a starfighter from Star Wars KOTOR. Was never good at the game but that didn't matter cuz I was having a blast playing it.
Funny that you mention European Air War because one of the guys who worked on it moved to making the Strike Fighters/Wings Over series later. Had a little experience with the Wings Over series, but a couple years ago I grabbed SF2 and I've been having a blast with that too. I think we could definitely use more games that sit in-between an arcade experience and a true simulator; something with enough realism to be a challenge, but not so much that you might as well do that thing for real. Oh, and make it *fun* too. At the end of the day, it's still a video game.
I agree, need more in that space. If you dont mind old UI and a learning curve that includes flying against people whove been playing for 20 years, World War Two Online might scratch that itch. The FTP version only has limited aircraft though (and the german ones are not as good as the FTP allied ones).
@@husbandwifegamersAZ Yeah I've heard of that game before. Actually, if I remember correctly, a coworker of mine from my previous job actually had somebody working on a version of that game transferred to a new game engine? I could be totally wrong because it was a while ago, but I seem to recall he was wearing a shirt with WW2OL on it. Maybe it was a different game.
no they are working on a UE5 version, but its a way out still. might have been the same game then
@@kylebrady969
@@husbandwifegamersAZ Yeah, that sounds about right.
I had a mate back then who wasn’t a gamer, this came out, he bought it and a sidewinder force feedback stick to play it with. And then a new gaming laptop.
Oh god my older brother and I played this so much when we were little. Total arcade setting noobs we were. We still have the sort of ratty manual and info book as well.
Would love a spiritual or long awaited sequel.
I think i started with like 55 or 60% realism and got into the 80s back then... now im pretty much 95 all the time (theres a minor QOL setting that drops you from 100% if you tic it on, i forget what it is.)
Combat Pilot is supposed to be the spiritual successor/bastard love child of IL2 and CFS 2, but its still a ways out. Go check that out if you are interested in a modern take on the game. Otherwise, I can't recommend the ISO enough for this one, its still very fun. Even CFS 3 is more fun than I remember (crashes way less than it did at least!)
Fighter Ace - Rojo Squadron😁
Gotta love CFS... still on the fence about "Combat Pilot." May have to just keep going with flying in World War Two Online even if I am terrible at it compared to the other players)
Combat Flight Simulator 2 pacific was so good for its time
100% Aside from some eye straining graphics and a short, more limited campaign, its still pretty darn good.
I really enjoy this game. My husband introduced it to me to teach me how to fly.
I still play daily to CFS2, and CFS3, the only bad thing about the CFS2 is that the flyable world has many damn water in it...
CFS and CFS2 were amazing games. I wish I could get them to run on a modern PC.
Running mine on a win 11 4090 w/ intel i9 13900k. I dont think it gets much more modern than that right now. Have you tried the repro steps in the description?
I have both MS CFS 1 & 2 plus the pacific theater add-on. Now if I could just get them to run on a modern pc.
if the downloads from the video description dont help, check the files on myabandonware. ive been meaning to test either method since the original method i used is depreciated, but the only days i havent been working ive been sick so, not done testing that out yet.
Still to this day I don't understand why they stuffed up with the cockpit views in this games successor CFS3. The cockpit views in this version are so much nicer and better rendered!
For some reason I still have the book that came with CFS2, but not the game sadly. I remember getting it from GAME in the classic big box on release day. Me and my dad played endless WW2 flight sims back in the day. In fact my family bought our first PC specifically so we could play them...
European Air War
Fighter Squadron: Screamin' Demons over Europe
Combat Flight Simulator
CFS2 + the Dambusters expansion.
CFS3 + Mosquito expansion
Warbirds II
Nations: WW2 Fighter Command
IL2: Sturmovik
IL2: Forgotten Battles + Barbarossa and Fall Blau expansions
Pacific Fighters
B17 Flying Fortress: The Might 8th
We played all of them avidly. Plus modern aircraft sims and the regular Microsoft Flight Simulators, each with tons of freeware WW2 aircraft.
never tried IL2 myself. I fly on World War Two Online when the LW gets desperate for pilots, but i get circles flown around me by allied planes and the 20+ year in-game experience pilots they have. Always fun getting up there and getting blown away when I'm dad's wingman though... I'm the bait, and he bags the enemy fighters before or after they kill me.
@husbandwifegamersAZ We actually completely overhauled and upgraded our PC, just to play the original IL2 when it came it came out. Even then it struggled a bit with the frame rate... But we had so much fun playing those games.
we did the same when we started getting into playing online. needed out secondary computer upgraded and needed to ditch AOL lol. I do not miss dial up, thats the truth. @@bluesrocker91
Warbirds is by far the best game ive ever played. It would still be a blast today if there were people to fill up the server
We still play World War Two Online, which originally was developed by part of the Warbirds team. Server still up there 22 years and counting.
I still play this!!
I do from time to time as well, but since I'm trying to learn flying on world war two online again, I've stopped temporarily so i dont have muscle memory for the wrong flight controls.
I still think about this game 1ce a week
How come you don’t have hardware acceleration on in the video? It makes all the old MS Flight Sims with it look great
I'll have to look into that. Honestly, the video was made because my original plan fell through and I rushed the install without doing any research on optimization. Once I saw it worked, that was good enough for me at the time!
Care to share any details on the process and result?
How do you rename the cd fix to .ZIP? whenever i try im only able to rename the name of the file, not the file type
Been a while since ive done this, but generally, renaming the file and changing the end to .zip should be enough to make it work. if it doesnt and you cant find a good YT tutorial somewhere on the subject, message me or tag me in a comment on this video and ill see about reproducing the steps on a machine that doesnt have it loaded yet when i get time.
@@husbandwifegamersAZ ok, ill try a tutorial. First time ive ever downloaded an iso, so im kinda new to it all
Figured it out! Hadde a setting checked that hid file type. Cant wait to relive my childhood. Also Great video!
Thank you for keeping us in the loop on this, glad you were able to get it resolved. As I think I mentioned in the video, this is one of the only times ive ever managed to actually get the ISO thing to work, so the people who packaged it and provided the initial directions I followed and included here did a great job. Hope we see you around here again sometime. @@willzmaztrz5902
I never forgot.
I was able to install the game (with some difficulty till I figured out what I was doing), however I am unable to get any of the missions to start, view the advanced briefing, or view the aircraft without the game crashing. After reading the description I tried to switch to "Player Defined Advanced Settings" but for some reason I couldn't enable them and it appears to be greyed out. Any idea of a fix for that? I'd love to play this old game again without having to set up a VM, as well as tell my dad and brother how to correctly install it so they can enjoy it too as the 3 of us LOVED this game
Update: I was able to (somewhat) figure out how to enable the advanced settings, but still have the crashing problem.
@@draconon7072 compatibility mode xp service pack 2 and running with administrator privileges?
@@husbandwifegamersAZ Yes to both
@@draconon7072 been a while since ive done the install and i heard from another commentor that the cdfree version of the executable was no longer available online. did you find a replacement or is the old link working again? because thats another possible reason. otherwise im coming up short until i get the chance to try and install on another machine.
@@husbandwifegamersAZ I was lucky to find a replacement for the No CD version that was able to make the game actually start. If it helps, the game crashes after the "loading scenery" screen when loading up a mission
Did someone ever make a mod to get rid of the silly targeting triangle in this game?
dont honestly know.
I had thousands of hours on this game
How can CFS2 be played today in 2024?
so in the video description, there were some links. im told everything but the "no cd" patch from that still works. for no CD ive been told this works, but have not yet tried it myself: www.myabandonware.com/game/microsoft-combat-flight-simulator-2-ww-ii-pacific-theater-a3p#download
can i play this on mouse and keyboard?
I dont think so... but I've honestly never tried. Most non-arcade flying games are difficult to translate into moue and keyboard only. If you install the ISO and can do it with mouse and keyboard, let us know!
buy a thrustmaster 1600 for around $100. Its worth it, It comes with integrated throttle and twistgrip for rudder function. The twist grip rudder function, unlike many of its competitors is reliable. That way you can really feel like your flying.
I was playing flight sims on floppy disks.
I had a copy of memphis bell that MIGHT have been floppy B
How do I download Combat Flight Sims 2 and 3
CFS 2 is in the video description. I actually forgot where I got 3 from, but if you cant find it by poking around the same place 2 is located come ask me again and ill try doing some digging for it.
Hey! I'm having trouble downloading the game, I really need help with this issue please.
It appears the "no cd fix" link is now broken. I have found a replacement but have not done any vetting on it, so please be sure to update your antivirus and do a scan before attempting to use any files from here: www.gameburnworld.com/gp/gamefixes/combatflightsimulator2.shtml
Before attempting an install of the game, create a folder where you want the game to go (unless you are fine with a default C drive installation, which it will do on its own no problem once you start)
Next, download the 3 files mentioned in my video description, the ISO, the no cd patch, and the virtual clone drive
then run virtual clone drive once to make sure it installed properly and the settings are where you want them (i dont recall changing anything)
After installing the clone drive, unpack and open the ISO file (start with disc one if it has 2 ISOs labeled disc one and two) and install using the settings/destination you prefer
The no cd fix file will be a new version of the game's executable. so the .exe that is installed by the ISO needs to be replaced. Rename it (stick a letter or number at the end), then take the nocd fix file and put it in the same folder you installed the game to. This will become the new exe file.
Run as administrator
Run the game and change the video settings
Use the “player defined advanced settings” to set the highest possible graphics, increase cache file size, and improve the game to your desired resolution… Many people don’t realize the game supports 1920x1080 and looks pretty decent for its time when all the settings are bumped up.
NOTE: to run the game, you will always use the No CD Fix application file, so make sure that, if you have a desktop shortcut, it is pathing to the correct application file.
IF you are not sure how to use the virtual clone drive to install an ISO (its been over a year since ive done it) you may need to find a forum post or YT video on that subject, because its not something I am very good with myself.
@@anilrama4410
any updates? @@anilrama4410
I'm afraid not 😔
Tried it but no joy. Doesn't work with Windows 10.
odd,i got 7 and 11 to work. but maybe something just odd with 10. If I had a win 10 system, i'd test it for you.
@@husbandwifegamersAZ Found a different version that worked. Tried it a few times. Realized how crap it is and deleted it.
Go to Sim outhouse in the cfs2 forum they tell you how to get it to work in Windows 10
CFS was awful. I don't know how it managed to compete with Jane's WWII Fighters. CFS2 was better, but the damage models were naf. IL-2 killed it, and killed CFS3.
Never did get my hands on Janes. may actually need to do that one of these days and make a comparison.