A couple more mainstream sims have gone 'freeware' (albeit in a stripped down form) this time in a bid to attract new customers and fill up online multiplayer servers
(as opposed to it sometimes being 'abandonware' like falcon 4, which is not really abandonware, but owned by certain members of the falcon community)
First; Rise of Flight, this one really makes me wish i had more free time to waste on games... As a flight sim, its basically a stunner on every level. The stripped down free version takes the form of an "unlimited demo" which comes with 2 flyable planes - however these are good planes, the Spad-XIII in particular is one of the best planes in the game.
The "demo" also comes with a very good dynamic campaign, where unlimited missions are generated over the spectacularly rendered front lines, you also have full access to the multiplayer, and again with the Spad, an aircraft worthy of taking you into battle.
How do they intend to make money - yeah sometimes game development has to be paid for :lol: so they intend that you'll become so addicted to the game that you'll buy new aircraft from their store. Although the aircraft are reasonably priced (imho) you'd spend a lot of money to have the complete set, you will also need to buy more aircraft if you want to participate the entire dynamic campaign which currently runs from 1916 to the end of the war in 1918. Presumably the earlier stages of the war will be accessible in future... But there's a ton of dynamically generated content to enjoy, and online battles to participate in with an unexpanded 'demo' version.
I really recommend this sim for its great looks, dynamic campaign and fantastic WW1 dogfighting... the only downside is that you'll need a fairly powerful machine to get the best from it (it seems to have a very efficient engine btw) and the initial download is around 4gb.
The second (and last) game is ARMA2... Which again had a full commercial release a few years ago and if you like that sort of thing, is an outstanding infantry simulator - If you remember the original Operation Flashpoint then its basically the same again with many improvements (codemasters own the name(and seem intent on driving it into the dirt(pun slightly intended)), but Bohemia own the soul)
I haven't tried this one (i have the full commercial release, which to be honest, can probably be picked up fairly cheaply from ebay or wherever) but I believe its been stripped of the single player campaign. However, user made missions and online multiplayer are fully supported, its a slow game online at times but entertaining, especially if working as a team with friends.
Again, probably a large download, also power hungry game, probably more demanding than rise of flight, but you can always turn settings down in both games.
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Overall, its interesting to see developers for the sim market taking a different approach, one which might prove beneficial for everyone - particularly the gamer on a budget, and seriously puts a dent into the argument of those who justify piracy by quoting high prices for games.
A word of warning though, the savvy purchaser, if choosing to invest in either title, might find it wise to pick up an older commercial copy of either game - and thereby might get the content for cheaper than buying in multiple parts online - however this probably wont do the developers much good.
If you try either title, let us know what you think, or what you think of the concept in general... I personally think this is a good direction for commercial sim developers to take, but who knows how it will work out.
(as opposed to it sometimes being 'abandonware' like falcon 4, which is not really abandonware, but owned by certain members of the falcon community)
First; Rise of Flight, this one really makes me wish i had more free time to waste on games... As a flight sim, its basically a stunner on every level. The stripped down free version takes the form of an "unlimited demo" which comes with 2 flyable planes - however these are good planes, the Spad-XIII in particular is one of the best planes in the game.
The "demo" also comes with a very good dynamic campaign, where unlimited missions are generated over the spectacularly rendered front lines, you also have full access to the multiplayer, and again with the Spad, an aircraft worthy of taking you into battle.
How do they intend to make money - yeah sometimes game development has to be paid for :lol: so they intend that you'll become so addicted to the game that you'll buy new aircraft from their store. Although the aircraft are reasonably priced (imho) you'd spend a lot of money to have the complete set, you will also need to buy more aircraft if you want to participate the entire dynamic campaign which currently runs from 1916 to the end of the war in 1918. Presumably the earlier stages of the war will be accessible in future... But there's a ton of dynamically generated content to enjoy, and online battles to participate in with an unexpanded 'demo' version.
I really recommend this sim for its great looks, dynamic campaign and fantastic WW1 dogfighting... the only downside is that you'll need a fairly powerful machine to get the best from it (it seems to have a very efficient engine btw) and the initial download is around 4gb.
The second (and last) game is ARMA2... Which again had a full commercial release a few years ago and if you like that sort of thing, is an outstanding infantry simulator - If you remember the original Operation Flashpoint then its basically the same again with many improvements (codemasters own the name(and seem intent on driving it into the dirt(pun slightly intended)), but Bohemia own the soul)
I haven't tried this one (i have the full commercial release, which to be honest, can probably be picked up fairly cheaply from ebay or wherever) but I believe its been stripped of the single player campaign. However, user made missions and online multiplayer are fully supported, its a slow game online at times but entertaining, especially if working as a team with friends.
Again, probably a large download, also power hungry game, probably more demanding than rise of flight, but you can always turn settings down in both games.
---------------------
Overall, its interesting to see developers for the sim market taking a different approach, one which might prove beneficial for everyone - particularly the gamer on a budget, and seriously puts a dent into the argument of those who justify piracy by quoting high prices for games.
A word of warning though, the savvy purchaser, if choosing to invest in either title, might find it wise to pick up an older commercial copy of either game - and thereby might get the content for cheaper than buying in multiple parts online - however this probably wont do the developers much good.
If you try either title, let us know what you think, or what you think of the concept in general... I personally think this is a good direction for commercial sim developers to take, but who knows how it will work out.