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Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

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Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#141

Post by tonyarkles »

sdfghswe wrote: post #134
tonyarkles wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have just solved an issue for me that has, apparently, bothered me for 30 years. When I was a kid, I saw that book at a bookstore and was so enthralled with it, but I had just started learning C and it was way too expensive for my parents to buy. I have occasionally over the years tried to figure out what book it was but didn’t have any success… until today! So thank you!!!

> I saw that book at a bookstore and was so enthralled with it, but I had just started learning C and it was way too expensive for my parents to buy Man, this just made me really sad :-(

If you want to feel happier about that time in my life a bit in the pre-Tony-has-Internet era, I basically learned to program using a Vic-20 and books available from the public library that was just down the block from my house. Once we had a slightly better computer (a Compaq XT-clone) and I was getting bored of BASIC, a guy at a local computer shop sold me a copy of Power C with the absolutely fabulous book that came with it for $20: http://www.mixsoftware.com/product/powerc.htm. From there, we had an amazing upgrade from the XT to a Pentium 133 and dial-up Internet, which got me into Slackware Linux, downloaded one 1.44MB chunk at a time until I had enough of the A- and N-series packages to bootstrap PPP and download the X-series of packages to get a GUI and a browser.

Hardware-wise I feel like there's a lot more very affordable kit that kids like me could use to get their feet wet, but software- and learning-material-wise, I'm not sure if there's anything quite as good as some of that old stuff. These books, for instance, were abundant at the public library and really got me going: https://usborne.com/ca_en/books/computer-and-coding-books

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#142

Post by coldtea »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #108
coldtea wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's about a little thing called gameplay. People who are into gaming for the visuals and the comparing of the sizes of their 3D cards wont understand this.

Well surprise (not a surprise at all actually), the gameplay of that game sucks too.

Well, that's just like, your opinion, man.

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#143

Post by peterashford »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #129
Buttons840 wrote: post #63

I've wanted a more accessible combat flight simulator. Something like DCS or Falcon BMS with realistic flight physics, but more arcade controls (the aircraft should handle realistically, but I shouldn't have to spend 20 minutes starting the aircraft and pushing simulated buttons and switches in the cockpit, even though I have a great appreciation for that level of detail). I don't want my aircraft to have 99 missiles…

Modern gaming in general lacks simulator type games. Falcon, Janes Combat Simulations, Silent Hunter, Wing Commander, X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Strike Commander, Mech Warrior 2. I used to need a throttle with a toggle, a hat switch, some buttons, a joystick with a couple of hat switches, trigger, a few thumb buttons and I still needed the keyboard for a few functions because I didn't shell out for a HOTAS setup. Now all g…

I hear you! Some of my favourite games, but there's nothing available these days =(

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#144

Post by myth_drannon »

tonyarkles wrote: post #141
sdfghswe wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I saw that book at a bookstore and was so enthralled with it, but I had just started learning C and it was way too expensive for my parents to buy Man, this just made me really sad :-(

If you want to feel happier about that time in my life a bit in the pre-Tony-has-Internet era, I basically learned to program using a Vic-20 and books available from the public library that was just down the block from my house. Once we had a slightly better computer (a Compaq XT-clone) and I was getting bored of BASIC, a guy at a local computer shop sold me a copy of Power C with the absolutely fabulous book that ca…

Thanks for posting Usborne link, the explanations and drawings in the books are very unique. Just bought "Simple Basic" for my children, lets see if it's going to be more captivating than Scratch books.

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#145

Post by FlightSimGuy »

anthk wrote: post #113
anonymfus wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So did you play Linux Air Combat and what are your impressions?

Not LAC, but it's "dad" GL-117, yes. Flightgear was much better, (and today FG graphically curb-stomps LAC) but as a quick match against the CPU, it was fine. Xonotic and Red Eclipse 2 began as quick, improved Q3A FPS clones and now they are pretty well known in lots of places with their mechanics being utterly ripped to set fakely placed as novelties and "revolutionary gameplays" into propietary AAA games.

Here is a link to the online reviews from SourceForge, by people that HAVE played it: https://sourceforge.net/projects/linuxaircombat/reviews/

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#148

Post by FlightSimGuy »

almostnormal wrote: post #35
sufficer wrote: post #21

Aces High 3 is a really fun similar fighting ww2 based combat sim

It's probably the best of its kind (mmo), but the number of players is constantly (slowly) decreasing. Mostly from players getting too old or dieing. Alternatives: Warbirds has even lower numbers. I'm not sure about the current state of the war in the air in WW2-Online. Can an open source game of this kind find players? Probably not many, but possibly dedicated ones. The problem with that target group is that someone…

LAC looks and flies a lot like Aces High 1 (from back around 2005 or so).

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#149

Post by FlightSimGuy »

FlightSimGuy wrote: post #148
almostnormal wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's probably the best of its kind (mmo), but the number of players is constantly (slowly) decreasing. Mostly from players getting too old or dieing. Alternatives: Warbirds has even lower numbers. I'm not sure about the current state of the war in the air in WW2-Online. Can an open source game of this kind find players? Probably not many, but possibly dedicated ones. The problem with that target group is that someone…

LAC looks and flies a lot like Aces High 1 (from back around 2005 or so).

...only for LINUX, of course!

Re: Linux Air Combat: free, lightweight and open-source combat flight simulator

#150

Post by FlightSimGuy »

sufficer wrote: post #21

Aces High 3 is a really fun similar fighting ww2 based combat sim

I wonder if Aces High 3 works well on LINUX thru an emulator like WINE. And I wonder if you'd need a monster computer to get a smooth frame rate through emulation like that.

LAC, BTW runs very very nicely on cheap laptops and even does pretty well on Raspberry Pi 4b.

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