Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

vrfocus.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 75 posts

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#51

Post by egypturnash »

xwdv wrote: post #9
duxup wrote: post #3

I wonder how much of a sim it will be. Not sure I'd want to be the bombardier and have to sit for a long time only to get to stare at my screen and push a button ... once. Granted I still like the idea, it will be interesting to see how much they gamify it and how much they do not.

With VR there’s plenty of other emergent gameplay opportunities you can do. You could vomit in a barf bag, talk to crew mates, smoke a cigarette, flip through a magazine, double check your emergency parachute, etc.

I keep reading about people using games for meetings. Set it all on easy so you don't have to worry about really Playing The Game, and you have a nice little limit on the length of your meeting: it all ends when you get to the target and Ralph hits the bomb button.

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#52

Post by etse »

rspicer wrote: post #13
esemor wrote: post #2

When will we get a Tie-Fighter Remake for any VR headset. Battlefront VR experience showed the viability. I'd fork out 1000€ plus for that game.

I'm not sure how TIE Fighter's mechanics would translate to modern sensibilities, and I say this as someone who loved the LucasArts games (at least part of the reason I'm a graphics programmer today!) and currently has, well, a not-insubstantial investment in flight simulation hardware for modern titles like DCS/Falcon BMS/various IL-2 things. House of the Dying Sun ( https://store.steampowered.com/app/283160/House_o…

Thanks for bringing some of those non-existant thoughts to the surface!

I used to imagine how to improve game play in the X-wing series, but not really outside the existing mechanics (just tweaking max speed, weapons load, or shielding). I have such fond memories. I started out in web programming largely to the web community around the game.

The Mighty Eighth reminds me of a take on Star Wars space combat game play that I wished was explored more, like the gunner role in a Y-wing, or what it's like to be the crew a Corellian Corvette taking on other similarly sized ships.

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#53

Post by yread »

duxup wrote: post #14
brudgers wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the late 80's and early 90's real time was a feature of simulations. It's what made them simulations. And as dull as flying a WWII airplane out and back sounds...Microprose's Silent Service let you operate a submarine across the Pacific in real time. Of course, you could also speed time up if you wanted. But a "base frequency" of real time means the game play is not centered around "story mode." In simulation it m…

OH man I played a TON of Silent Service. That could be some seriously tense gaming. I wish they'd re-release that somewhere ... granted I haven't looked. It might not have aged but I could go for a something like that again, maybe not full sim... more casual friendly.

Also 688!

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#55

Post by rspicer »

meheleventyone wrote: post #38
rspicer wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure how TIE Fighter's mechanics would translate to modern sensibilities, and I say this as someone who loved the LucasArts games (at least part of the reason I'm a graphics programmer today!) and currently has, well, a not-insubstantial investment in flight simulation hardware for modern titles like DCS/Falcon BMS/various IL-2 things. House of the Dying Sun ( https://store.steampowered.com/app/283160/House_o…

Having different energy retention and ‘flight envelope’ would at least let you make distinguishable ships to fly around. Couple that with the ship power management, stuff like shielding and so on could end up plenty complicated. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and Allegiance are two games that did movie space combat really well. I’d love a more detailed model in a version of either of those games.

Allegiance! Now there's a name I haven't read in a long time. tried to get into that community around the time the first Free Allegiance release happened, but I didn't end up with the right combination of personality and time to get really involved, and even though I think the gameplay might be more my jam today, I think the community has largely dried up, and I don't have nearly the time I used to for gaming. (A few years later, I got DEEP into ArmA and DCS, which led my career into academic research connected to defense training and simulation.)

Incidentally, this is another reason to be excited about the second coming of Microprose -- I'm unclear on the exact relationship, but I believe I read that some of the same leadership responsible for TitanIM is associated with the new Microprose.

TitanIM is a defense simulation engine, using Outerra, which is a world-scale 3d+terrain engine. Tech demos of Outerra are around, and there's at least a few TitanIM videos floating around. I've been out of the sim/training niche for a couple of years, but I believe Titan is still being marketed as a competitor to Virtual Battle Space (VBS) which is the ArmA engine, but expanded and specialized for training, and sold into government with the associated contract support, etc.

I have no idea if this overlap in leadership means Microprose might have access to/be using the same tech stack as Titan for the new Microprose games, but if they are, it could be pretty darn cool.

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#56

Post by princevegeta89 »

Man, what a coincidence?!! I was just thinking of random things yesterday, and my beloved childhood game Transport Tycoon came into my mind for a bit. Then I immediately recalled Chris Sawyer and his genius, along with his less-known company MicroProse.

Totally stunned to see this post on here today!

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#57

Post by stronglikedan »

egypturnash wrote: post #49
acheron wrote: post #7

For anyone interested, this company is unrelated to the original Microprose from a corporate history perspective, it’s just some people who bought the name “Microprose” at an IP auction. However they have enlisted Wild Bill Stealey as some kind of advisor, so they are at least attempting to connect with the history. (Wild Bill was one of the two founders of Microprose. The other, Sid Meier, has his own things going o…

Their site sure is leaning on the history of the name they bought; the front page has a big image of every single Microprose game cover ever. A little further down there are some big statistics: Games developed, 93. Games published, 201. Awards received, 53. Then a history section that starts off with "American video game publisher and developer founded by Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982." And waaaaayyyyyyyyy down…

I suppose paying good money for IP rights only to not take full advantage of those rights wouldn't be the wisest business decision in some people's view.

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#58

Post by etse »

ben7799 wrote: post #16

This is such a great idea for a VR game, minus the time issues and the whole thing with some of the crew members having nothing to do lots of the time. It has no issues with needing to walk around, but still has a bunch of different types of gameplay. Of course the only thing with all this.. they're trying to make a game that avoids motion sickness.. but flying in these planes during maneuvers could be a vomit fest a…

Yeah, isn't VR perfect for space combat? - Your direction is controlled by the joystick and not the direction of your vision, so you can sit in one direction - You sit in a tight cockpit, so there's no need for fancier VR that tracks positioning of the headset to the room - Inertial dampeners and artificial gravity lessen the need for force feedback (although vibration units in the headset and joystick would be cool

Re: MicroProse Returns with the Mighty Eighth, a 10-Player WWII B-17 Simulator

#60

Post by hypertexthero »

In the meantime, play [IL-2 Sturmovik][1] for an amazing VR experience and in my opinion the best feeling of flight of any flight simulator.

Planes feel weighty, wind is simulated well, the damage modelling and physics are minutely detailed, and graphics have recently been updated with deferred shading and other enhancements.

The latest [map & battle][2] also includes Western favorites like P-51, P-38, P-47, Typhoon and Spitfire Mk.IX.

Here is a [blog post][3] I wrote about it. More to come, including an imminent one discussing ideas to make the game more approachable to a general audience that is more used to War Thunder, and some wishes for the powerful-but-tricky mission editor.

[1]: https://il2sturmovik.com/

[2]: https://il2sturmovik.com/store/battle-of-bodenplatte/

[3]: https://hypertexthero.com/il2-flight-joy/

Post reply on HN