The future is upon us.. soon..

[Kweassa]

Ace Combat6, high-res trailer
 (92.8MB download, WMV format)

 
 Ace Combat series was never a serious simulation game - a good fun arcade at best - but the sheer levels of CG technology the industry has reached nowadays is an inspiring thing to watch. Namco has always been probably one of the best when it comes to CGs, both in animated features and in-game graphics.. and one may dare say they've truly mastered the use of lightings and light-effects. The better the general lighting effects, the more natural and real, the "feel" of the visual portrayed.


 AH2 isn't exactly the best when it comes to graphics.. but I do hope advancements in the world of graphic technology will eventually catch up with Aces High. It may seem like a long way to go, but one day, during our lifetimes, we'll be sitting in this very same seat we're sitting on right now, with machines powerful enough to handle that kind of visuals online and in-game. Oneday, godwilling, Aces High might look like that.. the skies.. the air.. the terrains... the effects...

 It's an encouraging thought.




 How long do you think we'll have to wait before the day comes? God, I can't wait to see the aerial combat of World War 2 depicted in that level of detail...

 Would it be much more than five years?

 
 The virtual skies just keeps getting better and better.

[SuBWaYCH]

Yup, i love the AC series, and there is such detail in the graphics. Can't belive they switched consoles!!! I wanted it for my PS3!!!!

[Laciner]

"How long do you think we'll have to wait before the day comes? God, I can't wait to see the aerial combat of World War 2 depicted in that level of detail..."

There's always IL2, which is getting on a bit, but looks wonderful. There's a very diverse selection of aircraft - including the Ki43, P-39, Beaufighter, Hurricane IIB - and they burn and break up and explode and crash very attractively. The weather effects, cloud etc, are a lot better than those in Aces High, and it feels more accurate (you have to manually raise the gear on the F4F, and there are manual fuel mix, prop pitch, supercharger and radiator settings), but it's less fun to play. It doesn't have Aces High's view system, or its standardised albeit fake cockpit layouts.

But then again the game comes on a DVD, whereas Aces High is a 110mb download. The 1946 version is out on budget. I have no idea what it's like to play online. I believe they're working on a Battle of Britain sequel.

[Kweassa]

On a sidenote... what'd it take for us to see a great WW2 flick like that...

 A nice remake of "The Battle of Britain"(1969)

...better scripts
...better intimate portrayal of the pilots of both sides
...a fair perspective for both airforces

...and hell yeah, better aerial combat sequences.

 
 I just hope the recent surge of epic-scale historical movies may one day rekindle the interest of the moviemakers in the good ol' (and unfortunately forgotten) WW2 warmovies genre. I'd sell my left nut to see BoB remade with modern moviemagic....

 ...

 ...and no, I don't want Michael Bay directing it.

[Kweassa]

There's always IL2

 Il2's great, no doubt.

 But it still has the "it looks great, but still looks like a game" feel to it.


 I think if we're going to see our in-game graphics matching the levels of CG-animation like in the trailer, it may still take one or two more generations of development in PCs..

 ..but I'm counting on the phenomenol speed of technological advancements in the field.

 
 So yeah, I'm hoping for five years.  

[Treize69]

Originally posted by Kweassa
On a sidenote... what'd it take for us to see a great WW2 flick like that...

 A nice remake of "The Battle of Britain"(1969)

...better scripts
...better intimate portrayal of the pilots of both sides
...a fair perspective for both airforces

...and hell yeah, better aerial combat sequences.

 
 I just hope the recent surge of epic-scale historical movies may one day rekindle the interest of the moviemakers in the good ol' (and unfortunately forgotten) WW2 warmovies genre. I'd sell my left nut to see BoB remade with modern moviemagic....

 ...

 ...and no, I don't want Michael Bay directing it.

I'd rather see the Battle of Germany personally, maybe the March 6, 1944 Berlin raid. Or if they do BoB, do Sept. 15, 1940.

Movies about big, long battles like the BoB always end up generalising too much and missing a lot while simultaneously trying to cram in too much (if that makes sense). Movies about single days like Pearl Harbor (not the Michael Bay Abomination) and the Battle of Midway are a lot simpler to follow, especially in a world where the vast majority wasn't around for the real thing (unlike when they made the original BoB, Midway, and Tora! Tora! Tora!).

[Kweassa]

Sept.15, 1940 sounds nice.

 A few days of depiction leading to the 'Battle of Britain day' for background, the stress levels growing higher for pilots of both sides, the top-brass struggles of both RAF HQ and the LW high command... and then an epic, 30minute climax of September 15th..and a brief aftermath...

 .... gaaahhh.. can't stop dreaming about it...

[oboe]

Originally posted by Kweassa
On a sidenote... what'd it take for us to see a great WW2 flick like that...

 A nice remake of "The Battle of Britain"(1969)

...better scripts
...better intimate portrayal of the pilots of both sides
...a fair perspective for both airforces

...and hell yeah, better aerial combat sequences.

 
 I just hope the recent surge of epic-scale historical movies may one day rekindle the interest of the moviemakers in the good ol' (and unfortunately forgotten) WW2 warmovies genre. I'd sell my left nut to see BoB remade with modern moviemagic....

 ...

 ...and no, I don't want Michael Bay directing it.

Right there with ya, Kweassa, except I'd like them to stretch and do something NEW - I'm Pearl Harbored and Battle of Britain'd out.   I'd like to see a Lord of Rings type trilogy covering the air war in WWII.    The battles of the 8th AF, the struggle for air supremacy over Guadalcanal - stuff like that.   Lots of aces harrowing stories would be excellent screenplay material, I would think.   Tell stories from both sides aces, too.

[RAIDER14]

youtube version of high-res trailer

[Kweassa]

youtube version of high-res trailer

  That's the old version.

 The download in my link's a newer version, much more cinematic and intense.

[RAIDER14]

I see that now that I got my media player working:D

Ace Kombat 6 official website

[Kweassa]

Another sidenote..

 The game's obviously not out, but the cinematics seem to suggest a plot where a certain fictional country has been invaded, and the war lost - making the remnants of the defense forces go underground. I'm guessing the story line takes the lead character going underground as a resistance fighter pilot...

 ..but is it possible, for modern, or near-future level combat aircraft, to be used by the resistance? Using modern/nearfuture aircraft would require a base of operations, for repairs and maintenance, arming... and I don't think there's anyway for the resistance to keep such an airbase secluded and undetected from another military force with similar technology in satellite/radar detection and intelligence gathering systems...

[Gryphons]

Yes it's possible.  That is exactly the reason that the Russians built their a/c so robust and durable.  They use larger wheels (or use more wheels) so that the a/c can be landed on unre-enforced concrete (normal roads).  Some Russian a/c can even take off in fields or in light mud.  They use intakes on the top of the airframe when taking off to avoid sucking FOD into the engines.  Where as most American a/c need re-enforeced concrete and FOD sweeps before the a/c can take off.

So I'd say with the right planes this would be possible although difficult due to satilite imagry which you mentioned.

[Tac]

I like it! Too bad its for a lame console. Hoping it makes it to the PC.

The graphics, sound and story in the trailer had me thinking the entire time that this looked like a Square Enix product... its got the same feel as any of the Final Fantasy games and movies.

[rpm]

You want a WWII aerial movie? How about one on the Ploesti raid?