Rise of Flight ICE, Black Shark, A-10

[Skybird]

After having commented on RoF, I still owe Oberon my set of thoughts about Black Shark.

My interest in RoF has fallen very rapidly. Despite the looks, there is not much that keeps me interested. And some of the flight models are - well, terrible to fly. Maybe realistic or not (they have debates about that in their forums, some seem to be simply buggy), but dogfighting in this sim is something I do not enjoy at all. And beside dogfighting - there is nothing in this package. It's Il2 with different planes that move like a bronco on hot coals, and with better looks - not more than this RoF is.

Test before you buy, I only recommend.

Black Shark now has gotten me to invest quite some time into it now. That is due to the very high complexity of the cockpit functions. It reminds me much of a complex module for FS9 or FSX. Seen that way, I like it, I also like the challenging but managable flight characteristics. It feels good to sit in this cockpit with TrackIR and trying to stay in command of what is going on.

The package as a whole is very sterile, however, and ergonomic interfaces is nothing they will ever learn to do right, I think. There is no campagin atmosphere and no immersion on an emotional, personalised level. The AI is weak, simply that. You need at least a good AI to compensate weaklnesses in mission desiogns or lacking campaigns, or you need to have a good camoaign mode in order to attract you despite weak AI. If both things are weak, than thius is not good. They were too focussed on the helicpoter exclusively, I think. That leaves you with a formidably modelled flight-and-hover war machine - and with little argument to use it and get it started. "Same procedure as every year", one may quote the movie, when considering their record of titles from Flanker over Flanker 2 and 2.5 to LOMAC and now BS. They all suffer from the same disease: sterility, lacking atmosphere. For this simple reason I will think twice and three times before buying A10 now. By their record, I expect great flying-the-machine - and not much more. And that is not enough for a good sim.

So Msalama has it right and wrong, I think. The helicpoter itself seems to be simulated quite realistically, and complex, and so far that is a great sim. But simulation also includes the environment and interaction with it, the drama of being part of a mission, feeling as part of a team with an enemy going after me. But here, once again they do not deliver at all. Seen this way, this is a weak simulation. It does not compare in these regards to SBP, F4, or SH3.

I fly Black Shark to become better in flying the helicopter, it is the same motivation I have for flying a complex airliner in FS. But I see my interest ending in that.

And that's why I do not forsee this to become a lontime love affair of mine, like other simulations out there. If you like this kind of study sims, get it, it is great. If you look for a good combat and interactive warfare simulation with longtime appeal, look somewhere else.

Some Wetsern studios can learn from these Eastern one regarding simulation precision of the technical models. But the Eastern ones need tol learn from their Western counterparts regarding immersion, longterm motivation, atmosphere. They are simply too sterile - since so many years now.

I wouldn't buy RoF again (also because of their business model which I do not like one bit). BS I would buy again, but never for full price, only for smile price packages.

My personal benchmarks for simulation immersion and atmosphere are SBP, F4 and SH3. RoF snd BS in no way play in that league. In technical accuratesse, they are on par indeed, with RoF really mlooking fantastic. But technciual accuracy alone is not all what makes a great simulation package.

My great hope for the old Longbow2-kind of mission feeling is Combat Helo whose progress I follow since months now.

All my comments on both sims from SP perspective.