MS CFS2 Campaign

[Crow]

I just thought I'd put on the nostalgia goggles for a minute and reminisce about the old Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 campaign. I think to this day I enjoyed it more than any other flight sim's campaign (a close second being the dynamic campaign from Falcon 4).

 

I still remember the old comic book panels that described the plot. I even felt like the missions were quite interesting especially considering when CFS2 was released. I really enjoyed seeing my squadron results and who survived and got promoted, etc. It gave me a reason to care about those dumb AI pilots flying around with me.

 

Does anyone else remember it? If so, did you enjoy it like I did?
 

Edited August 7, 2013 by Crow

[SvAF/F16_Goblin]

Old memories indeed "Scuttlebutt says....."

Edited August 7, 2013 by 332_HaJa

[Finkeren]

I enjoyed the overall style but disliked just about every other part of the campaign system.

 

OFF TOPIC:

 

Before the Dgen campaigns of IL2FB (which I still consider the best ever in an unmodded flight sim and superior to the later IL2 camapigns) The only career/campaign that really gave me any kind of immersion was the old Red Baron and RB3D.

 

Mate the awesome style and artwork of MSCFS2 with an expanded version of the IL2FB, and perhaps add some of the flexibility of RoF beta career (even better: PWCG) and you have the best campaign system in the history of flight simming.

 

Then we just need AI that can more than just fly the planes well (which I'm confident can be done with some effort) but can also act realisticly on the tactical level, so that we get realistic kill scores and loss rates from the AI (not so confident there). Do that, and I'll kill off the last vestiges of my social life and devote my entire being to playing IL2-BoS.

[elephant]

One thing I enjoyed most in CFS2  Campaign and coudn't find since, 

was that allthough scripted you could also have an interactive pilot Roster feature.

In IL-2 I liked the DGen Campaigns that had such a feature implemented,

but I liked more and enjoyed the scripted ones (more immersive).

I wish they had that certain feature too...

[Crow]

One thing I enjoyed most in CFS2  Campaign and coudn't find since, 

was that allthough scripted you could also have an interactive pilot Roster feature.

In IL-2 I liked the DGen Campaigns that had such a feature implemented,

but I liked more and enjoyed the scripted ones (more immersive).

I wish they had that certain feature too...

 

I feel like there is room for scripted and dynamic campaigns both. They provide different experiences. Either one is good and adds to the experience, but they have pros and cons.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Crow

[trumps]

for me the comic strip styling,and music worked well but that was where it ended. i still can't go past Red Baron 2 for an immersive campaign, used to love reviewing the map at the end of a mission and seeing exactly where i went, and also the details of other aircraft and their fate even though they had nothing to do with my mission. Used to spend Hrs flying that game in my favourite Moraine N. wish they had done one for RoF.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I'll take you back a bit further. Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, although not quite a dynamic campaign as the others mentioned, did have the map feature at the end where you could see your results and the timeframes in which you accomplished them. Also had a nice promotional system. I didn't find that feature until I'd been playing the game for almost a year. Um, was that 1991 and an Intel 80286 processor? Why yes, yes it was.

Edited August 7, 2013 by HerrMurf

[Bussard_x]

CFS 2 I remember that well. Release was around 2000, just before IL-2.

The campaigns were ok. Japanese awards were no medals but swords and tea cups. I liked the sound of the guns and remember how vulnerable the Japanese Zero was.

[01Wingchaps]

Remember the WWI sim Wings of Glory? If I remember right, and it was kin to the Wing Commander series, the campaign had an interesting story about a barmaid who turned out to be something more...

 

Still,

 

I think the CFS2 and Red Baron II/3D campaigns were probably the best. I'm playing IL2/FB/AEP/PF series and it strikes me as similar to Rise of Flight, which I enjoy well enough (especially ROF's observer plane missions).

[Finkeren]

I'll take you back a bit further. Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, although not quite a dynamic campaign as the others mentioned, did have the map feature at the end where you could see your results and the timeframes in which you accomplished them. Also had a nice promotional system. I didn't find that feature until I'd been playing the game for almost a year. Um, was that 1991 and an Intel 80286 processor? Why yes, yes it was.

SWOTL was awesome in its own 2D sprite aircraft way. Not really a sim as much as a fun game.

 

The career mode was very basic but I loved, that it had no 'refly' button, it was true DiD, and I remember the pride I felt, when I passed Eric Hartmanns record score having played all 50 missions with both Bf 109 and Fw 190 being well underway on the Me 262 only to get killed when a single bullet hit my fuel tank two missions later, leaving me in tears. I have never again achieved 356 kills in a DiD career in any flight sim.

 

The semi-dynamic strategic campaign was also quite fun, though heavily slanted towards the USAAF. Playing as the Luftwaffe I stopped the bomber offensive in 1943 once, but I never won in the 1944 campaign. They simply grounded us too fast destroying our fuel reserves - just as it happened IRL.

[FuriousMeow]

I also remember those games had table based FMs and planes were all the same because each plane used the same basic shape/colors/skins - except RB2's skins.

 

When less goes in other planes, more can be spent in others.

Edited August 9, 2013 by FuriousMeow

[JG4_Sputnik]

The CFS FM was sooooo horrible!

Still I spent way too much time in it