With the release of films like Top Gun and its sequel Top Gun: Maverick, air combat has never seemed cooler.
With the release of films like Top Gun and its sequel Top Gun: Maverick, air combat has never seemed cooler.
Game developers have leapt on this, creating a host of combat flight games to scratch that itch for players. Three developers, Shockfront Studios, Boundless Dynamics, and Eagle Dynamics, have sought to take this area of the market with their respective games trying to provide a different experience for the player.
Shockfront Studios’s Nuclear Option puts players into advanced futuristic jets as they take part in a total war between peer factions. Boundless Dynamics’s VTOL VR seeks to provide an accessibly realistic flight sim, while providing players a taste of what combat looks like between fifth-gen fighter jets. Eagle Dynamics seeks to provide the most realistic depiction of jets and helicopters available.
Nuclear Option
Nuclear Option is a multiplayer air combat game set in the near future, where stealth aircraft and advanced sensors rule the skies. The game allows players to jump into the cockpits of aircraft; from transport helicopters, to Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), to jet fighters and supersonic bombers.
The premier game mode is “Escalation,” where two armed forces fight over a country, placing players into their respective air forces, assigning them to shoot down enemy aircraft, interdict enemy convoys, and bomb strategic targets like factories.
True to the title, the war escalates from using conventional weapons to tactical nuclear weapons—to vaporize factory complexes and convoys—finally, to strategic nuclear weapons meant to annihilate cities.
The game ends when one side lacks the infrastructure to wage war.Nuclear Option also features a series of competitive, cooperative and single player game modes to varying scales. From dogfighting to ground ‘policing’ operations in contested territory, Nuclear Option has something for everyone.
One of the unique aspects of this game is that the battlefield is transparent. Every vehicle within the game can share the location of anything it detects to every other vehicle on its team. If another player detects an enemy plane on radar, anyone else on their team can launch a missile at them. This cuts both ways, creating a uniquely tense experience. There is nowhere to hide, and flying low and using the terrain to block enemy radar does not guarantee safety. Nuclear Option is an easy game to play, even without flight sim experience. Controls are standardized across each airframe, allowing players to pick whichever one they feel like using. Additionally, many of the planes’ unique features are automated. For example, the FS-20 Vortex can angle its engine to shorten its takeoff and landing run.
A keyboard and mouse is enough to play the game, but an ideal setup would include a controller for a smoother playing experience For players really looking for immersion, an entry-level Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) setup such as the Logitech X52 and the free OpenTrack head-tracking software would be a significant upgrade over a controller. Nuclear Option is a great game for those looking to dip their toes into combat flight games, with a simple control scheme and a variety of multiplayer and single player game modes. It’s worth a look for players who want to try dogfighting—or for those who like seeing mushroom clouds in the distance.
VTOL VR
VTOL VR, developed by Boundless Dynamics, seeks to create an immersive flight sim experience using virtual reality as a platform. Instead of using external controls, VTOL VR only requires a virtual reality headset—though not a particularly expensive one—and its included controllers to manipulate every control in the plane.
Unlike Nuclear Option, each plane in VTOL VR has a different cockpit layout, requiring players to get accustomed to their plane of choice before getting into the cockpit and soaring into the air.
The base game comes with three airframes: the F/A-26B Wasp, which is largely based on the real F-15E Strike Eagle; the AV-42C Kestrel, a hybrid between the V-22 Osprey and the A-10 Warthog; and the F-45A Ghost, which is based on the F-35B.
Additional planes for in-game purchase are worth a look. They introduce new aspects to the simulation, such as electronic warfare or the ability for more experienced players to instruct less experienced ones. There are also a large variety of community created planes to try out.VTOL VR comes with a series of short conduct missions, such as striking strategic targets, interdicting bombers and sweeping mines. The game also has a host of multiplayer modes, from player-versus-player (PvP) dogfighting to playing cooperative missions against AI opponents. For those looking for more, VTOL VR has a vibrant modding scene, allowing players to open the Steam Workshop and download any mission that they find interesting.
Digital Combat Simulator World
Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS World), developed by Eagle Dynamics, is the premier combat flight simulator available on PC. It provides players with extremely high-fidelity versions of aircraft, from warbirds that served in WWII, to cutting-edge fighter jets that are still in service.
The game’s unique selling point is that each button in the cockpit can be clicked, and each performs their real-world function within the jet. DCS World requires significantly more dedication than VTOL VR or Nuclear Option, requiring players to learn the workflow of each jet and their respective idiosyncrasies. These can be learned with provided manuals or by following a series of Youtube tutorials created by the simulator’s dedicated community.
Each plane comes with a host of single-player content, from instant-action missions to narrative campaigns. Instant-action missions provide players with a way to immediately get into a fight, while campaigns are a series of missions following a narrative thread. Further missions and campaigns can be downloaded from the Eagle Dynamics forums or purchased through the Eagle Dynamics store.
Beyond single-player content, DCS World has a host of multiplayer servers that run the gamut from simple dogfighting servers to complex dynamic campaigns; for example, players can join one side of a war and influence its outcome over the course of weeks. From WWII to contemporary aircraft, there is something for almost every player.
DCS can be experienced on a flat screen or in virtual reality. The former is the most accessible way to play, especially with a headtracking solution allowing the player to look around the cockpit and use the more advanced helmet mounted systems found on modern planesThough the base game is available for free, it does not provide players with the complete experience. Further modules are available for purchase; high-fidelity modules allow for significant realism and can be considered games in and of themselves. Good options for full-fidelity modules are the F/A-18C Hornet and the F-16C Viper, which are capable of almost all missions without the analogue complexity of other modules. DCS is the highest fidelity combat flight simulator available on the civilian market, with a learning curve to match. Players with the time and dedication to climb that curve will find a rewarding experience as they push real jets to their limits.