Looking for an old shareware flight sim

[InedibleTrevor]

Hi all. I'm looking for an old MS DOS flight sim that is turning out to be a real SOB to find.

Platform(s): PC, DOS

Genre: Flight Sim

Estimated year of release: Probably early 90's, or very late 80's

Graphics/art style: Simple 3D graphics similar to Corncob 3D, if I recall correctly. Very simple planes, structures and objects, with simple mono-coloring or flat shading.

Notable gameplay mechanics: I remember playing the game from a first-person cockpit perspective, but you may have been able to switch to third person. Playable with a joystick or mouse and keyboard.

Other details: I seem to recall that the version I played was shareware or a trial, but I'm drawing a complete blank on a title or splash screen of any kind. I'm pretty sure it looped a pre-recorded demo flight when loaded. I don't know the source of it, as I was just a young kid in the early '90s when I played it. My family had just got our first computer, running DOS, and my Grandfather had copied it to a floppy disk along with a bunch of other games for me.

The most distinct thing I remember (I think) is that there were only a couple of missions available, flyable in any order. In one scenario, you started out on the deck of an aircraft carrier, but I don't remember what you were supposed to actually do. In another, you started in the air, and I believe the goal was to land on top of some kind of tall building/structure (though that could have been a self-imposed goal, I think you started lined up with the building's roof on a landing approach). I think that the plane that you flew was blue, and resembled a WWII-era prop plane rather than a modern jet. There might have been combat in the game - I have a very vague recollection of the aforementioned intro demo loop showing a combat scenario, but I don't think there were any playable combat scenarios in the shareware version I had.

I don't think it was a popular or big-name game from that general period, like Flight Unlimited or 1942: The Pacific Air War. Both of those games look significantly more sophisticated graphically, for one thing. Also, I'm sure I would remember it if it was a game of that profile; like I said before, I can't remember there being any opening splash screen, or distinctive UI/menu graphics. The thing that bugs me the most, as well as being the thing that intrigues me the most about it, was that I recall it being extremely sparse and unmemorable, production-wise. No fancy briefing screens or animations, or obviously discernible historical period or theme. It's a little bizarre, in a way.

If anybody can identify this thing, I would be incredibly grateful. I've looked for this sim before, and posted to similar message boards, but never turned up a trace of it's existence. It's turned into one hell of a personal mystery for me. Thanks guys!

EDIT: Actually, I seem to remember that the intro demo loop showed a successful landing on the tower I mentioned.

EDIT AGAIN: If it helps, the cockpit view was not a straight horizontal panel like early Microsoft Flight Simulator or Corncob. It was definitely a slightly more realistic rendering, along the lines of Aces of the Pacific, but less detailed as I remember it.

[MrFlibble]

The most distinct thing I remember (I think) is that there were only a couple of missions available, flyable in any order. In one scenario, you started out on the deck of an aircraft carrier, but I don't remember what you were supposed to actually do. In another, you started in the air, and I believe the goal was to land on top of some kind of tall building/structure (though that could have been a self-imposed goal, I think you started lined up with the building's roof on a landing approach).

This reminded me of Evasive Action somewhat. However if it's not the game you're after, you can try finding it in the list of DOS combat flight simulators that have playable demo versions which I compiled a while ago.

[InedibleTrevor]

Hey man, long time no talk You tried to help me find this game years ago on Abandonia! I took a look at all your suggestions again, and unfortunately none of the games on your list are the one I'm after. Can you point me specifically towards the tower landing part of Evasive Action? Even though I'm 99.9% sure it's the wrong game, I would like to take a look at that, considering the tower landing is probably the part I remember the most clearly about my mystery sim.

[Quadko]

Not really my area of expertise, but since you're still looking, here's what I've been able to come up with in brainstormy fashion.

The SubLogic flight simulators, probably too early since MSFS was based on them:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/jet
http://www.mobygames.com/game/ufo
http://www.mobygames.com/game/flight-simulator-ii

Or things like the F-22 Raptor combat lite sim
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/f-22-raptor

List of games with F22s in them:
http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/air ... -22-raptor

Origin's non-3d solids / WingCommander & Doom based sprite tech:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/strike-commander

Misc other combat FS of different types from that rough era that look a little different:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/strike-force-harrier
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/super ... creenshots
http://www.mobygames.com/game/birds-of-prey/screenshots
http://www.mobygames.com/game/knights-of-the-sky
http://www.mobygames.com/game/chuck-yea ... trainer-20

But they're all from the MobyGames list of Flight games, so if you've browsed that, my sources are exhausted.


This was definitely on a PC and not an Amiga or something else?
And definitely not wireframe, not modern textured 3D, and was in-cockpit? I couldn't find a list of "games with aircraft carriers in them", but that would have been nice.

What else... you might try looking for BBS lists of games and narrowing them to flight sims; that might be a different way to approach it.

Happy hunting!

[MrFlibble]

I took a look at all your suggestions again, and unfortunately none of the games on your list are the one I'm after. Can you point me specifically towards the tower landing part of Evasive Action?

Have you checked out the demo? I vaguely remember that there was some kind of tall building/skyscraper in the demo, and I think you started off from an aircraft carrier.

However, it is quite possible your game was an obscure title, perhaps by an independent developer. I've stumbled upon several at the archives of gamers.org

Also recently I found this game called the Soaring Flight Simulator. I haven't tried the demo, and I don't really thing that this is the game you're after, but probably worth checking anyway (link to demo is here).

[InedibleTrevor]

I know this is almost a year on from my original post, but after years of searching, I finally found what I was looking for: Flight Action, by Axisim, released in 1996.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/flight-action

Thanks to all who tried to help.

[Quadko]

Cool! Thanks for letting us know, always glad to hear of a find win. Have fun!

That one looks cool; I wonder if it was a single author? If so, really amazing work on their part.