Vapourware Tactical dogfights?

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Are there any good games where you command squadron of fighters tactically in dogfight situation?
I've played Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, which gets boring quickly, and I guess Xenonauts aerial combats also count as one too, but what else is out there?

Some titles that I'm aware of with Youtube videos:
Sid Meier's Ace Patrol (too simple and I hear there's a sequel with WW2 Pacific campaign skin)

Flight Commander 2 (I liked what I've seen about this, but it isn't sold anywhere)

Achtung Spitfire! (WW2 game from dev of Flight Commander 2, similarly unavailable)

Wings of Glory (Upcoming, WW1 setting, looks like a phone game.)

Scramble: Battle of Britain (Upcoming, I won't be getting hopes up before I see actual gameplay footage)

 

[Matalarata]

Not an expert but Dakka Squadron? Iirc the launch was pretty mediocre tho.

 

[DakaSha]

I have no idea if its actually good, but when i was a kid i thought flight commander 2 was bangin

 

[rusty_shackleford]

If you're willing to include dogfights IN SPACE then you have a bit more to pick from. Freelancer games, Freespace games, some of the Star Wars games, and so on.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

If you're willing to include dogfights IN SPACE then you have a bit more to pick from. Freelancer games, Freespace games, some of the Star Wars games, and so on.

There was tactical Freelancer game?

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Its p. fun despite the mixed reviews - the problem that people have is that the game is basically 1:1 adaptation of the tabletop rules, so for example the campaign has very little in terms of strategic layer. Still, you may want to look into it - it has all the basic mission types you would expect (air superiority, ground attack, escort) including a fairly difficult landing of ground troops on hot LZs.

It is very unfortunate that the genre is almost non-existent nowadays and the mobile-tier stuff like Ace Patrol (played the Pacific sequel as well, basically a reskin with WWII planes) are among the best stuff out there. I played the shit out of Achtung Spitfire back in the day and its IMO the best thing you can get to this day. A Hammerfag like me can make do with the Aeronautica at least (I was an Alpha tester), but unfortunately the devs were determined to just port the rules and leave it there, instead of unlocking the full potential that the game could have.

Scramble looks kinda OK, but I dont have much hope for it. It will probably be way too simplistic as well...

 

[rusty_shackleford]

If you're willing to include dogfights IN SPACE then you have a bit more to pick from. Freelancer games, Freespace games, some of the Star Wars games, and so on.

There was tactical Freelancer game?

I misread the op.
you should still play them.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

If you're willing to include dogfights IN SPACE then you have a bit more to pick from. Freelancer games, Freespace games, some of the Star Wars games, and so on.

There was tactical Freelancer game?

I misread the op.
you should still play them.

Already have.

 

[Galdred]

You do have more options in space indeed, though:
Star Wolves 1-3 (not played it because I had the Russian version, but my Russian was not good enough)
Battlestar Galactica (but it features mostly big ships, though)
Starshatter is super interesting, because you begin as a fighter pilot in regular scifi pewpew, but then become Task force commander, and order your fighter squadrons and escort DD from your CV. It is really an awesome game, but it might not count as dogfight.

A very unwieldly option would be playing X-Wing on Vassal or Tabletop simulator, and use the player made solo campaigns (Heroes of the Aturi cluser, and vilains/defenders of the Aturi cluster iirc).

If you don't mind abstracted combat, and air naval operations, you could count Carrier Battles, Warplanacific, Harpoon and Command: Air/Naval operations, but we are stretching the definition of tactical dogfight quite a lot there...

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a semi-spinoff game of the Starpoint Gemini series with more emphasis on tacticool combat which may interest you.

 

[spectre]

A very unwieldly option would be playing X-Wing on Vassal or Tabletop simulator, and use the player made solo campaigns (Heroes of the Aturi cluser, and vilains/defenders of the Aturi cluster iirc).

There's a thing called Fly Casual available on github. It recreates the Xwing boardgame rather faithfully.
No frills, serviceable 3D graphics. Has a functional AI and might be a better option if you want single player.

 

[Galdred]

A very unwieldly option would be playing X-Wing on Vassal or Tabletop simulator, and use the player made solo campaigns (Heroes of the Aturi cluser, and vilains/defenders of the Aturi cluster iirc).

There's a thing called Fly Casual available on github. It recreates the Xwing boardgame rather faithfully.
No frills, serviceable 3D graphics. Has a functional AI and might be a better option if you want single player.

That's awesome. I had been looking for just that. Thank you!

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Tried a few matches - the game is obviously quite bare bones (ie its a pure skirmish game), but its fun to play and AI is surprisingly competent. Thanks for mentioning this.

 

[spectre]

To be fair, skirmish is where it's at for X-wing, as far as I'm concerned. Sure, you can make all sorts of scenarios, escort missions, etc. with a bit of creativity. Would be pretty cool if someone picked up on that concept.
It's a shame Wings of Glory looks like shit. There's a boardgame under the same name, so I'd assume it's based on it to some degree. Haven't played it myself, but people say
it's basically a polar opposite of Xwing, slower, less tournament driven, heavy focus on missions and scenarios.

I remember liking Achtung Spitfire quite a lot back in the day, and it was rather surprised there are no remakes, spiritual successors, or anything.
Suppose it's the curse of airplane enthusiast, you either gear up and accept DCS as your go to thing, or you can gtfo.

I was sorta following Scramble Battle of Britain, then forgot about it. I'm rather skeptical if they can make it work, because of the limited scope.
I'll be trying it out when it comes to.

 

[Galdred]

To be fair, skirmish is where it's at for X-wing, as far as I'm concerned. Sure, you can make all sorts of scenarios, escort missions, etc. with a bit of creativity. Would be pretty cool if someone picked up on that concept.
It's a shame Wings of Glory looks like shit. There's a boardgame under the same name, so I'd assume it's based on it to some degree. Haven't played it myself, but people say
it's basically a polar opposite of Xwing, slower, less tournament driven, heavy focus on missions and scenarios.

I remember liking Achtung Spitfire quite a lot back in the day, and it was rather surprised there are no remakes, spiritual successors, or anything.
Suppose it's the curse of airplane enthusiast, you either gear up and accept DCS as your go to thing, or you can gtfo.

I was sorta following Scramble Battle of Britain, then forgot about it. I'm rather skeptical if they can make it work, because of the limited scope.
I'll be trying it out when it comes to.

Can you play one of the solo campaign on it?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://tallyhocorner.com/2022/08/3x3-9/

Wings of Glory​

Even if Dire Wolf eventually add campaigns to Wings of Glory, I can’t see this diligent port of Ares’ popular tabletop wargaming system ever supplanting Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol as my favourite Great War air warfare TBT.

Right now eleven quid buys you eight different aircraft types and competent AI. You get three tutorials, six simple solo missions, online multiplayer, and a skirmish generator capable of hatching dogfights, and recon, bombing, and strafing sorties involving up to six biplanes. To customers willing to play £50 for a single Bloody Paralyser miniature, this probably feels like a pretty good deal. However, to those of us accustomed to scratching air warfare wargaming itches with the likes of Flight Commander 2, Achtung Spitfire, and Ace Patrol, it’s hardly an embarrassment of riches.

All furballs take place in the same cramped* and cloudless rectangular arena and are always viewed from directly overhead. We don’t even get to watch stricken kites plunge to earth in eye-catching ways. The same scripted cutscene plays every time an aircraft loses its last hitpoint or takes a critical hit.


*The SPAD and Camel can fly the length of the arena in under two turns!

While digital WoG underwhelms at present, it has convinced me that I’d enjoy playing its analogue touchstone. The ingenious three-card manoeuvre system, the elegant approach to altitude, damage, and ace skills… I now understand why Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia’s dice-free design is held in such high esteem, and why fans are willing to spend so much on its 1/144 scale accoutrements.

 

[Difera]

Are there any good games where you command squadron of fighters tactically in dogfight situation?
I've played Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, which gets boring quickly, and I guess Xenonauts aerial combats also count as one too, but what else is out there?

Have you tried Command Modern Operations? There are dozens of scenarios focused on air combat only and even more with mixed air and naval combat... also, some are set during the Vietnam and Korea War if you don't enjoy more modern electronic warfare and beyond visual range engagements shenanigans.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1076160/Command_Modern_Operations/

 

[ValeVelKal]

THe Ur-Ancestor is Computer Air Combat (1980) and includes some nice minors (Finland ! Romania ! North Korea !) ; sadly totally obsolete. Unfortunate, because it was pretty realistic. Achtung: Spitfire + Over the Reich are the best ones I played.

 

[CyberWhale]

Didn't find any grid based stuff unfortunately.