Recently I've been rediscovering Red Baron 3D.
I bring this up because I've owned the game for about 10 years, but just recently, with a good stick, throttle, rudders, and TrackIR, have I really started enjoying this game.
Overwhelmingly, I've had two thoughts: First- it is hard to find the AI challenging after 18 months of seasoning on Aces High. That's not to say they can't put up a good fight; but, after fighting against unpredictable humans, the AI is just not comparable. Second- I find that the margin of error is alot smaller, and the principles of AH2 are exaggerated (sp?). Everything about the fight is closer in, and the tolerance of everything is smaller. You can't pull as hard, you have to use rudder alot more, your guns are less effective, but the effectiveness of guns is more devastating, you have to hawk your speed alot more, the difference between the BnZ and TnB planes is more noticable...it's the same fight...but different. 1000 feet of altitude literally dictates the fight.
Same with Mig Alley. The fights are different, but the same. You're going faster, have speed to burn, but ultimately it's the same principles at work. It is more work to get saddled. But, the jets make the differences in speed way spread out. You can have 200 knots overtake on an enemy and not notice it a mile out. It's like Aces High at x2 accelerated speed.
Again, I'm no coader, but I have to think that once you've coaded the environment for the planes, it's a matter of dropping in a flight model, skin and 3d model. None of this is reinventing the wheel like CT. Should it be rushed in? No. But, I think we'd all be surprised at the attraction a WW1 and/or Korea arena got, even not being fleshed out with a full planeset. Put in some F-86s and MiG-15s, open the arena, and I'll bet you'll see a following that sticks, if for no other reason than it's something new.
