Oh boy, Afterburner Climax Clone, joy.

Although there is little available information on this game, judging from the excerpts from the Game Informer article and other internet sources, I can tell this game has nothing that interests me. I do hope that Ubisoft has seen that the majority of posts on this forum want a more realistic air combat experience. When I go to an airshow and see the current generation of fighters perform, I always wonder what it would be like to pilot one. Playing Over G in realistic mode both on Xbox Live and in single player on a HD widescreen TV has come closer than any PC title I have ever tried (including Falcon 4.0, Janes F-18 and Lock On). I'm not talking about minute detail, I'm talking about smooth stutter-free air combat from the pilot's point of view - THE COCKPIT! I think it is possible (hopefully profitable) to achieve a realistic flight experience with a cross between Over G and Lock On (both titles published by Ubisoft) with realistic functioning cockpits, plane performance, weapons loads and weapons performance, joystick/HOTAS support, and enemy A.I. I also hope that the profits made from the sales of H.A.W.X. to gamers looking for a different, less realistic type of air combat experience will provide Ubisoft the means to develop/publish the air combat experience that it appears many like myself are waiting for. This ramble ends my short yet unimpressive posting career on the H.A.W.X. forum.

If there isn't cockpit, I shall not buy the game !

And then I hope that the gameplay will not look like in blazing angel !

What are you expecting from a Cockpit view? Do you just want to be able to look around or do you want dials to play with and switches to flip?

Why do you feel a Cockpit view makes or breaks a flight based game?

Do you want a full realistic load-out for your planes or would you prefer options to loads out as you see fit?

quote:

Originally posted by Raide:
What are you expecting from a Cockpit view? Do you just want to be able to look around or do you want dials to play with and switches to flip?

Why do you feel a Cockpit view makes or breaks a flight based game?

Do you want a full realistic load-out for your planes or would you prefer options to loads out as you see fit?

Are you serious or being facetious?
It's a pretty basic requirement that most that play flight games want. You should have a pilot's perspective, gauges you can actually use (at least the basic gauges and MFD's). Even if the loadout isn't realistic, the point of view should be. 3rd person only in a flight game is an r/c plane simulator, not a flight game. Even Ace Combat has had this (not just the recent one), so I don't even say it's required just for sim--it should be there for any flight game.

Yes, you should be able to look around as a pilot would to check the area, look for targets, even see part of the plane to check for damage.
I'd prefer realistic loadouts---as in number I can carry as well as the types I can carry--for what that particular plane can do. OGF did this *very* well. As you toggle plane controls, you should see that action played out inside the cockpit on the controls.

I prefer driving and flying games from the HUD(or cockpit). HUD seems to be the biggest field of view though. Cockpits and car interiors while nice and immersive really limit your view more then I like or feel is realistic. Best to have the option for both though.

3rd person only, or even worse, necessary makes for a completely different game experience.

I don't mind if this game is a little more arcade like then sim like, but it's really looking like it's waaaay on the arcade side. Some of the press releases for this game make it sound completely corny.

I really enjoyed AC6, though it had its fair share of corny aspects to it as well. OGF sounds like it's almost the perfect balance of sim/arcade, but upon reading some reviews, it seems a bit bland as far as games go. I'm hoping HAWX(as corny as it sounds) can be that good blend, but really not holding my breath.

quote:

Originally posted by RawKryptonite:

Are you serious or being facetious?

I am being serious because I want to know what people think about the Cockpit view and why they view it as so important.

It's all about the level of immersion in the game experience.

If I'm flying a plane, yeah sure it's cool to look at the outside and see crazy maneuvering, but that's what replay is for. If the whole game plays that way, it seems like I'm an outside party to the action. Like RawKryptonite said, it seems like I'm on the ground somewhere using the r/c controls to pilot the plane.

Personally, I want to be looking through the canopy as if I'm really strapped into the seat, instrument panel in front of me. I want to look over my shoulder while driving my F-14, light the burners, and watch the wings sweep back as I go screaming through Mach 1. I want to be able to look down and see the gauges giving me some basic info. There isn't a need to make every switch in the cockpit work, but the cockpit should be giving us that added feeling of really riding in the jet.

(Incidentally, the F-14 had better be in this game as a flyable platform, or I'll take my $$$ elsewhere.)

This view on the cockpit issue should not surprise you since many of us on this forum have voiced our opinions in favor of a more realistic game. This is just another level of that realism. If anything, make allowances for both views.

The biggest thing I can suggest, however, is that the physics, weapons, and flight controls be as realistic as possible. If you don't have those three, you've got another Blazing Angels - not worth our money.

quote:

Originally posted by Raide:
What are you expecting from a Cockpit view? Do you just want to be able to look around or do you want dials to play with and switches to flip?

Why do you feel a Cockpit view makes or breaks a flight based game?

Do you want a full realistic load-out for your planes or would you prefer options to loads out as you see fit?

For reference, look no further then Over G and Ace Combat for excellent examples.

The Cockpit Camera - Over G did the cockpit right. Not to complicated, but with that said, you could fly from it in a realistic manner. With Ace Combat, the controls were smooth, and very comfortable to fight with.

Why is so important? Like my fellow posters said, it brings an immersion to the player, and not having a cockpit mode will kill a flight game for those very reasons.

Weapon Loadout. Over G nailed this one on the head, with every missile accounting for weight, stealth, range, etc. With Ace Combat, it was a fun shooter style game, with very unrealistic weapon loadouts. It is my suggestion to you, that you find a mix of both, or give the player a "Normal" setting, which features Ace Combat flight action, and a "Ace" setting which gives the players a strategic realistic style game.

This game should have an option for everything, if it has been brought up by one of the posters here, please use it. Why? Because this TYPE of game attracts folks of every pedigree. Personally, I like flying both types, depending on my mood, and I can't think of anything better then having ONE game deliver that experience. Please do not force anthing on us.

The cockpit view is an essential view for a pilot as it is the only view in which the pilot should be able to view instrument readings and take full use out of his oversized sungasses it gets pretty sunny and hot up there, and I want some darkness in my airborne world... it isn't always fun in the sun up there you know XD

With AC6, you could fly Instraments only, but the problem is on some aircraft you can't look down far enough, (The F-2A Viper Zero being a prime example.) making it quite hard to do so.

Yeah, I wish AC looked down further.
Also with OGF, I wish you could look more to the sides inside the cockpit to see the throttle. Seeing the stick in both games would be nice as well.

There just isn't *that* much to flight games compared to some other types, so it's the details that make them. Leaving out a good cockpit view just seems lazy and cheap.

I had just heard about this game a little while ago, and at first I was excited, but the more I read about that ERS the less I liked it. I understand having it for people who aren't very good, but i want the option to fly with the training wheels off for the whole game. i don't want to need to have the ERS on all the time just to get mission information. i want to turn it off (and keep it off for the whole game) and still get whatever critical information i need.

as for cockpit view, it just makes the game more immersive

sure keep the 3rd person view but give people options of 1st person also, a hud view and a cockpit view. i personally prefer hud views for flight games. example is with the old game team apache you could use cockpit and have your hud up, but you could remove the cockpit which would allow u to see more but still be in 1st person.

in short, people just want choice.

quote:

Originally posted by Raide:
What are you expecting from a Cockpit view? Do you just want to be able to look around or do you want dials to play with and switches to flip?

Why do you feel a Cockpit view makes or breaks a flight based game?

Do you want a full realistic load-out for your planes or would you prefer options to loads out as you see fit?

I'm expecting in a cockpit view....working instruments so I can fly by instrument. Nothing better in Over G than being out in the middle of that HUGE Areana Mode map and no knowing where the base is and having to rely on the instruments to get you back, especially when low on fuel.

I'd love to be able to interact with the instrument panel, but it's not something I'd expect.

A cockpit view makes or breaks a flight based game because on any flying game that does have a cockpit view, I spend most of my time in that view. I also do my best flying and engagements in that view. Only time I like to go to the external view is to just admire the plane.

Personally I prefer a realistic load-out. I want what the plane can realisticly physically carry. However, I don't mind the option to chose if we want realistic load-outs our arcade style load-outs. This would to appeal to all the different style gamers. It would draw in, and sustain a much larger crowd than AC6 and OGF combined.

Oh, and if you guys do decide on a cockpit view, please, please, PLEASE look at the two different cockpit views in OGF. One had all the HUD info displayed on the class thing that comes out the top of the dash, the other displayed a more simplified HUD inside the helmet so information was visible while looking around. Also, please make the HUD views realistic, all aircraft are different. I know some aircraft allow you to have information inside the helmet, even aquire targets just by looking at them. Some even allow you to fire just by nodding your head.