Simulators are one of the earliest PC game genres, and remain compelling experiences to this day, even if they’re not as popular as they used to be.
I like all kinds of combat flight sims; the MS Combat Flight Simulator from 1998 was something special, and I’ve had some similar fun in IL-2 Sturmovik. The newest civil air sims are pretty great too, I’ll pop on a podcast and make a flight. They’re particularly cool in VR.
I’ve also found the MechWarrior games to be fun, but I’ve only played 2 and 5. I got to play a bit of Steel Battalion with the full crazy controller at a con a few years back, and that’s got to be a lot of fun once you really know what you’re doing.
So what’s your favorite sim?
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Falcon BMS. It’s a mod of falcon 4.0 from the 90’s. Best combat flight sim out there. DCS is prettier, I guess, but, overpriced garbage by comparison.
BeamNG.drive
Starsector
Dwarf Fortress
Dota 2 (psychological warfare simulator)
Farming Simulator.
I grew up in the country and moved to a city. It’s neat to see how accurate the older tractors and equipment are to real life.
This has to be roller coaster. Period.
Like the og Roller coaster tycoon 2 for example.
Is that a simulator game? I thought “tycoon” was a different category.
If it fits, I’m on board with it as the GOAT.
Yes roller coaster games are simulators. They are park simulators.
I spent way too much time on Red Baron. The simulation was just good enough to convey the awkwardness of piloting machines that in the end were made of wood, fabric and heroic faith, including the Sopwith Camel’s notorious torque issue that made it constantly drift to the right.
That was another great one; it’s one of the most fun eras to fly in.
I spent a lot of hours in F-19 Stealth Fighter on the Atari ST as a kid. The manual for that thing was unbelievably in-depth. I’m utterly convinced I could fly real combat missions in that (fictional) plane.
YES! I PLAYED THE SHIT OUT OF THAT GAME!!!
A-10 Attack and A-10 Cuba. Still the crispiest and most enjoyable flight sims I’ve ever played.
A-10 Tank Killer was the bomb.
OMG I had so much fun with A-10 Cuba on classic macOS. It’s still one of my favorite games.
It was Aces High II
That was my first thought when I saw OPs screenshot. I still hear “check 6” in my head every time I get zoom and boomed in War Thunder
Goat Simulator
Carmageddon. It taught me everything I needed to know about the role of pedestrians while driving.
I think this is the first time I’ve EVER seen carmageddon mentioned. Great game
Elite Dangerous
I like goat simulator
I’ve always been a little obsessed with Sopwith Camels because they are one of the prettiest but also most insane things to fly into battle with. ROF does an excellent job or giving me that fix :) Also ROF is free to play (and the DLC with the Sopwith right now is super cheap).
Dwarf Fortress, aka drunken dwarf simulator.
It’s not a simulator, it’s a parallel world.
I bought that game just because I watched the Noclip documentary series on the developers. I haven’t played it yet, and I’m not sure I ever will, but goddammit I love those two men.
XWing Alliance will probably always be my favorite, but Elite Dangerous is up there. If Elite had story missions and a singleplayer campaign to elaborate on the world building, it probably would be my favorite.
