Customer Reviews

Combat Flight Simulator 3

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this for the sole purpose of playing Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell, a World War I add-on for CFS3 available at www.overflandersfields.com

Despite some known glitches like incompatibility with virus software and jittering with dual core processors (fixed with an AMD dual processor patch) CFS3 was easy to install.

CFS3 is good looking and fun to fly, but due to the limitations of the flight modeling it won't completely satisfy hard core sim pilots looking for the ultimate in WWII realism. For those wanting to add-on WWII planes, scenery, airfields, etc, there are numerous mods for CFS3 available at fan sites like www.combatfs.com (you might try Mediterranean Air War or European Theatre of Operations).

The Over Flanders Field: Between Heaven and Hell add-on is a fantastic addition to the game, and one of the few ways to engage in WWI era flight. The last great WWI flight sim was RedBaron3D, which never reached it's potential while Sierra/Dynamix was behind it. But over the years, a number of mods (Full Canvas Jacket, Western Front, Hell's Angels) made RB3D playable and more historically accurate. The authors of those mods have now taken CFS3 to unbelievable heights through OFF:BHAH, with high resolution scenery, 39 flyable aircraft, 3200+ historically accurate aircraft skins, the best campaign manager I've ever seen, etc., etc. The experience of flying a campaign in the OFF:BHAH world is simply incredible. As realistic as it gets.

I have played dozens of flight sims and FPS games over the years, and have to say OFF:BHAH IS THE BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT ON A GAME!!!

I was worried about getting this game after reading all sorts of reviews bashing it too pieces but I am really into the aircraft and the history so I had to have it. I have played several other WW2 sims and I really think this is the best one out of the half a dozen I've spent much time on. Its a good game. Its the only one I play now. It was a little light on missions with the stock software but there are hundreds of free downloadable missions and aircraft and add-ons just like the other CFS's and they are easy to install and fun to modify and tweek around on. Its almost infinite how far you can expand this game and for FREE to boot! I can't figure why anyone who was in to these planes and ww2 wouldn't dig it. I guess they are the guys who can afford an actual P-51 and genuine bf 109 to go dogfight their friends between round of polo and cocktails at the country club. I know I would If I had the money! Until then....this is as close as I will be able to get to pulling up the gear on one of these classic airplanes. If its your thing, buy it! I can't stop playing it.

CFS3 is dated, compared to today's games, but is certainly no slouch when it comes to realism and challenge. Not for the casual gamer, CFS3 appeals to the same crowd that picks up the regular Flight Simulator series: virtual vicarious adventurers! CFS3 has a dynamic campaign that takes some getting used to but is a real gem. The combat fighting is almost too easy, once you learn to master the AI, but there are so many missions and aircraft, the replay value is extremely high. Plus, there's still the multiplayer option and there's quite the community that still plays CFS3.

Of course you may find that CFS3 is the 'gateway' game that will lead you to more modern combat flight simulations like Falcon 4.0 Allied Force, Lock On, and Black Shark. But then, there's nothing wrong with a little play time!

I have the original Microsoft Battle for Europe Game, and love it. Even better is CFS2, Battle for the Pacific. This game is good, but I find it more complicated to use than CFS2. CFS2 built on CFS1, so it was easy to figure out the basic changes. This game has revamped the game completely, so the learning curve has been higher. I'm sure those who are game-savvy will have no trouble, though. But if you're an older gamer like myself, you may find it a bit more difficult to learn. But hey, for the price, give it a chance.

I played this on a pentium 4 with a 1.3 intell processor,512 MB of ram,ATI 8500 128 MB RAM(Not DDR or DDR2 or DDR 3 or DDR5)on a windows ME machine with a Sidwinder FF2 joystick when it came out and NEVER had ANY problems with it other then I couldn't max out the graphics...at that time.I continue to fly it with all the community addons on my new comp and I am able to go into the Config file and add so much more detail to the game...It just keeps looking better and better. this rig is an XP rig...cant say how it preforms on Vista or 7.Think I'll add some screens I took back in 03. Great game.

Combat Flight Simulator 3. My first real flight sim. I used to love it - it was all that I knew. Then I found that it was EXPANDABLE! I got the PTO Expansion, the ETO Expansion, the MAW Expansion, the Korean Theater Construction Set - all the freebies. Everything but OFF, Firepower, and D-Day. And I loved it.
Now out of the box, it isn't quite worth it. The flight models are not very accurate, its way too easy to stall, you're enemies (the ai) always have the advantage, then do something stupid. For the most part, they're predictable. It wasn't too bad (I was still a novice at flight sims), but it wasn't too realistic. The best thing to do was to go as a gunner...an autopilot flies the plane better than you could.
Out of the box, when compared to IL-2, IL-2 is much better - better graphics, flight models, damage models, etc.
However, with the expansions, this thing is dynamite! So if you have this, get all of the expansions you can get your hands on - I'd recommend you to start with PTO - Pacific Theater of Operations. Just go get your feet wet - I came back from the expansions with positive feedback.

the only problem with this game is it's instability. the game crashes frequently. Otherwise I'm really enjoying it.

I got this for my father-in-law as a Christmas present. It looks like a fun game and I am impressed with the minimum system resources needed to run the game. A great game for those with slower PCs.

Like "BirdDogICT", I also purchased this game for Over Flanders Fields, the World War I modification. Combat Flight Simulator 3 as a standalone game is a very disappointing experience. The flight model is very basic and simple, the landscape textures are very bland, and the dynamic campaign is tedious and boring. There is a decent variety of German, British, and American aircraft to choose from, but most of them handle in the same manner. However, I am being generous with my rating because once the game is transformed with Over Flanders Fields, you won't be disappointed that you decided to buy CFS3. If you're looking to buy a World War II flight simulator, then Il-2: 1946 is your best option.

CFS 3 is a terrible flight simulator. The only reason I purchased it was that it was required in order to fly Over Flanders Fields which is a WWI flight simulator. Over Flanders Fields uses some of the files connected with CFS 3 but is a separate simulator in its own right. Over Flanders Fields transformes CFS 3 into an exciting realistic full scale World War One simulator that is probably the best WWI flight simulator currently available.

If CFS 3 was not required for Over Flanders Fields I never would have purchased it. If you want to fly an excellent World War II flight sim buy IL2 1946. It is hands down better than anything else out there for World War Two.