Why Play a Combat Flight Simulator?

 Both a combat flight simulator and a civil flight simulator offer the same basic flying and those satisfying moments, such as the first time you take off and land, or the joys of successfully navigating between two places. However, combat simulators include the ability to simulate advanced combat operations, and that means a new level of excitement and challenge to your simulation experience.

Getting Started in Combat Flight Simulation

To succeed in a combat flight simulator, you first need to learn the same basic flying skills as general aviation; these include take-off, landing, flying and navigating from point to point, managing different types of weather conditions, and managing basic aircraft systems. Then you can add to the challenge and excitement of flight simulation by incorporating elements of air-to-air combat and military-specific flying. In other words, a combat simulator.

The best way to get started with a combat flight simulator is to determine the type of experience you want. Once that is determined, pick one of the simulators and content packages that best supports that experience. More on this step later in the article.

Are you looking to fly a modern combat aircraft with guided missiles and precision bombs, make use of radar, or perform in-flight refueling? These are typical in a modern military simulator. Or would you prefer something from a historical setting like the swirling dogfights of World War I or II? These key decisions will help guide you to the simulator that suits you best.

Choosing the best combat simulator for you.

There are literally dozens of combat simulators to choose from, each of them with similarities and each of them with unique features not found in other games. The trick, and challenge, is to find the one which best fits your needs.

How do you do that? Do you simply read the summary blurb attached to each game and hope that blurb is accurate? Do you read reviews? Do you hope one of your friends has an informed opinion based on actual experience? None of those approaches sound promising, quite frankly.

In our opinion, and we’ve been in this market now for twenty-four years, the best way to find the perfect flight sim game for you is to play them all and choose from actual playing experience.

But how do you play the games without purchasing them? Some games, like our own Aces High, offer a free two-week download, an opportunity for potential players to play the game before purchasing and this, in our opinion, is the only way to make a reasonable decision.

But what if all the flight sim games do not give free trial periods like Aces High?

Then they are not worth considering in our opinion. It costs a gaming company nothing to give a free trial period, so if a company is not offering that option, they must have a very good reason why not . . . and that reason cannot be good for you.

A final word about Aces High

Aces High is the product of HiTech Creations, one of the very first combat flight simulators ever produced. Since 2000 we have been offering the very best in military action, centering mainly on World War Two. Download us for free and find out just how fun a combat flight simulator can be.

We are HiTech Creations, the makers of Aces High, the wildly successful online combat simulator, ruling the skies since 2000. You might suspect, as we weigh in on the question mentioned in the title, we would give a biased assessment leaning in favor of PC gaming. Read on to find out.

The PC gaming vs. console gaming tug of war has been going on for decades, with both sides arguing for the superiority of their chosen platform. New console launches are few and far between, so the PC had a fair few years in the past decade to boast superior graphics, framerates, and overall gaming experience.

Why PC Gaming is Better Than Consoles

Let’s start with the pros and cons of a PC system. If you’re not very enthusiastic about building your rig, there are plenty of premade gaming PCs that you can choose from, although they usually do cost a bit more. 

However, if you’re willing to experiment a little, you’ll see that you don’t need to be a tech wiz to build your own setup. It’s basically like putting together a very expensive and delicate puzzle but one with very clear instructions. 

Building a PC of your own gives you vast freedom to choose everything you’ll need, including the monitor’s field of view, refresh rate and resolution, graphics card, storage memory, RAM, processor speed, cooling, and more.

In the early stages of PC gaming vs. console gaming, and during the long breaks between console generations, PC users would enjoy higher framerates and resolutions and better game performance.

Although newer consoles have some measure of mouse and keyboard support, you are mostly stuck with a controller. On a PC, you have many more options - If a keyboard and a mouse are not your cup of tea, there are some very good options to consider, and you can also use a joystick or a steering wheel.

Like we said earlier - back in the days, consoles really couldn’t compare to PCs performance-wise. Today, however, it’s a very different story. The latest generation of consoles has cutting-edge hardware that can match some of the PC builds at a fraction of the price. 

So, how about a PC vs. a console, graphics-wise? As we said, these new machines support up to 8k, but realistically both the Xbox X and the PS5 will struggle to keep a solid framerate even at 4k. There are graphics cards such as the Nvidia 3080/90Ti and AMD’s 6900XT out there,  which will perform better than these consoles. 

The problem is, their price will get you both consoles and some cash to spare, plus you’ll still need the rest of your system. 

If we compare more realistic setups that the average gamer could get, we can argue that consoles currently offer much higher visual fidelity in roughly the same price range.

There is no stopping the gaming industry, meaning the war of console gamers vs. PC gamers won’t slow down anytime soon either. With new technology innovations, entertainment systems, and different features on different platforms, the battle is very much still alive and will be in the years to come.

At the end of the day, there will always be console diehards and PC enthusiasts, and those people will never be convinced to give other platforms a chance. For the rest of us, we’re just happy that there is so many good gaming options these days.

About Aces High

Aces High is all about flight simulator thrills. We invite you to try our free two week download of our combat flight simulator and see for yourself how much value there is in our PC online flight simulator.

Something a bit different this week. Statistics were just released about video gaming and we thought we would share them with you. We are HiTech Creations, makers of Aces High, a leading flight sim online game. When what you want is the very best in a combat simulator, Aces High is the name to remember.

Video gaming industry stats

• Approximately 3.26 billion individuals worldwide engage in video gaming, showcasing the widespread appeal and extensive reach of the industry.
• A significant 89.5% of video game sales occur through digital platforms, underlining the growing prominence of online distribution channels.
• Gamers in the US collectively spent a substantial USD 55.5 billion on games in 2022, emphasizing the robust financial impact of the gaming market.
• Around 85% of all gaming revenue is attributed to free-to-play games, indicating the dominance of this business model in the digital gaming landscape.
• In 2022, an estimated 90 billion mobile game downloads were recorded from app stores, underscoring the significant role of mobile gaming in the industry.
• By 2025, the PC gaming sector is projected to accumulate a substantial USD 46.7 billion in revenue, emphasizing the continued growth and diversification of gaming platforms.
• People aged between 18 and 34 comprise 38% of the global gaming demographic, reflecting a broad age range among gaming enthusiasts.
• The mobile games industry is forecasted to reach an impressive USD 138 billion in revenue by 2025, further solidifying its position as a major player in the gaming market.
• Over one-third of the world's population are active gamers, indicating the immense popularity and widespread adoption of gaming as a recreational activity.
• China and the US stand as dominant forces in the gaming market, reflecting their substantial contributions to industry revenue and market share.
• Most US game purchases are now made digitally, highlighting the increasing preference for digital distribution channels among consumers.
• The gaming market is expected to experience significant growth, with revenue projected to reach USD 272.86 billion in 2024 and USD 426.02 billion by 2029, showcasing lucrative opportunities for industry stakeholders.
• Major companies in the gaming market include Sony Corporation, MicrosoftCorporation, Apple Inc, Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., driving innovation and competition in the industry.
• Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are revolutionizing the gaming experience, providing immersive and interactive gameplay for players.
• Cloud gaming services are anticipated to drive market growth by leveraging cloud capabilities and streaming media services, offering convenience and accessibility to gamers.
• The Asia-Pacific region, particularly China and Japan, dominates the gaming market, contributing significantly to global industry revenue and innovation.

What does all this mean to you? How does it affect the average gamer? It probably doesn’t, but it’s still interesting, right?

A final word about Aces High

Aces High began as a dream back in the mid-1990s. It progressed to a specific idea, which led to the creation of Aces High in 1999, followed by its release in 2000. For twenty-four years now, we have ruled the flight simulator market. Find out for yourself how good a combat flight simulator can be. We offer a free two-week download of Aces High. It seems silly to pass up something free, doesn’t it?

Before we begin discussing the health benefits of gaming (if there are any), we need to issue this statement: doing anything, to excess, has negative effects. If you are looking for this article to provide justification for you playing games fifteen hours per day, forget it. Excess is excess no matter what the topic i.e. alcohol, drugs, hobbies, or gaming. Always play in moderation or the supposed benefits can easily turn into harmful detriments.

With that out of the way, here is just a partial list of possible benefits derived from gaming:

1. Cognitive benefits: Video games can improve mental focus, spatial awareness, and estimation accuracy.
2. Social interaction: Multiplayer games promote sociability.
3. Life skills: Games can teach valuable skills.
4. Mental health: Video games have been linked to improved moods and mental health.
5. Eye health: Some games can improve eyesight.
6. Empathy: Certain games can make young people more empathetic and helpful.

Breaking it all down

Please note, every single one of those benefits listed above could have a negative connotation if explained differently. Example? Eye health . . . some games can improve eyesight. That is true with specific games and specific eye conditions. However, playing games for too long can easily have the opposite effect and actually harms eyes.

Another? Empany . . . certain games can make young people more empathetic and helpful. However, it is also true that some games can increase aggression in children and make it more difficult for them to interact with other children in person.

Why would we tell you this?

After all, we are game developers. Why in the world would we essentially argue against our product?

Simply because some of us are parents, too, and the responsible thing to do is inform you truthfully and then allow you the freedom to parent as you see fit, armed with ALL the news, good and bad.

Do we believe our own combat simulator, Aces High, has benefits? Of course we do, but that does not prevent us from telling you that any combat flight simulator, played in excess, will have negative effects on a child. This is where responsible parenting comes in. We fully support limiting a child’s game playing time. Send them outside and have them play baseball or football when they have used their allotted time gaming. It’s the right thing to do.

A final word about HiTech Creations and Aces High

Aces High is a flight simulator, otherwise known as a flight sim game. It is a multi-player online game which has combat and war simulations. Is it bloody? No! Is it gory? No! Is it violent? That depends on your definition of violence. It does depict battle, but we believe it depicts battle in as sanitized a way as possible. If people want gore, they can find it in other games. Our goal, in developing Aces High back in 1999, was to make the best action flight sim game on the market, and we believe we have done that.

Strap on your helmet and fly the skies with Aces High. We offer a free two-week download of Aces High, a way for you to determine if it is the right game for you.