TBD/SBD Flight Simulators?

[Grim.Reaper]

After seeing the movie Midway this weekend, kind of had the curiosity to fly the TBD and SBD aircraft....is there any modern flight sim out there that has these as flyable aircraft?  I think the "air conflict" series might have them but those are a little too arcade for me.  I remember playing a pacific flight sim back in the day (maybe it was microsoft combat sim and/or aces over the pacific) and remembering having a pretty decent time, but certainly looking for something modern nowadays.

[The_Admiral]

Nothing better than Il-2 1946 (modded) for solo & multi, or War Thunder for multi only afaik in 2019...  :-\

[Staggerwing]

^I was going to say 'Pacific Fighters', which was originally released as standalone but is now part of IL2 1946.

IIRC, there are no torpedoes though, so if the TBD is in there it's probably not much fun to fly. The SBD should be good to go.

[MengJiao]

^I was going to say 'Pacific Fighters', which was originally released as standalone but is now part of IL2 1946.

IIRC, there are no torpedoes though, so if the TBD is in there it's probably not much fun to fly. The SBD should be good to go.

  They are in War thunder.  As is the Swordfish.  Not exactly simulators of course.

[The_Admiral]

Regarding il-2 - actually torps were in the game from the beginning, as you could fly the il2T. Very early on the He111 had them as a loadout too - it's just that the simulation isn't very deep. But IIRC there was no TBD in Pacific Fighters (even AI). Since then I think the gents over at SAS have corrected this (and a lot more!)

In all honesty though, it is not much more advanced than what War Thunder offers despite the latter's focus on gameplay. The launch envelope is very, very forgiving and all torpedoes always activate and detonate. Still, makes for nice gameplay with certain planes (Beaufighter attacks are great fun!)

[MengJiao]

Regarding il-2 - actually torps were in the game from the beginning, as you could fly the il2T. Very early on the He111 had them as a loadout too - it's just that the simulation isn't very deep. But IIRC there was no TBD in Pacific Fighters (even AI). Since then I think the gents over at SAS have corrected this (and a lot more!)

In all honesty though, it is not much more advanced than what War Thunder offers despite the latter's focus on gameplay. The launch envelope is very, very forgiving and all torpedoes always activate and detonate. Still, makes for nice gameplay with certain planes (Beaufighter attacks are great fun!)

yep, here's my old Devastator:

[Gusington]

Battlehawks 1942 😍

[Skoop]

After seeing the movie Midway this weekend, kind of had the curiosity to fly the TBD and SBD aircraft....is there any modern flight sim out there that has these as flyable aircraft?  I think the "air conflict" series might have them but those are a little too arcade for me.  I remember playing a pacific flight sim back in the day (maybe it was microsoft combat sim and/or aces over the pacific) and remembering having a pretty decent time, but certainly looking for something modern nowadays.

Here's to the IL2 BOX series finally going to the pacific now that Bodenplatte is released.  I kinda wish they went pacific now and Bodenplatte latter, just think of the marketing cue that would have been for them to release IL2 BOX Midway the same week as the movie with every one itchng to do some midway simming.

I think the decision to go Bodenplatte now made for the 3 way forward dev cycle possible with BP, FC, and tank crew all going at once.  Going off to the pacific would not have made that possible.

When they do go pacific, they can cross a few of the planes off the list from BP and for sure focus on the SBDs and TBDs.....Can't wait.

[FarAway Sooner]

Can't help you on the sim front, but my dad built SBDs during the war! 

More specifically, he was a technical writer for Douglas Aircraft at their El Segundo factory in California.  Being a technical writer never seemed nearly as glamorous as factory line work, until recently I came to appreciate just how many new models of planes were getting shipped halfway around the world to plane crews who had literally never seen them before in their lives. 

After that, I had a little better appreciation for how technical writers might have been a valuable part of the war effort after all...   :)

[The_Admiral]

After seeing the movie Midway this weekend, kind of had the curiosity to fly the TBD and SBD aircraft....is there any modern flight sim out there that has these as flyable aircraft?  I think the "air conflict" series might have them but those are a little too arcade for me.  I remember playing a pacific flight sim back in the day (maybe it was microsoft combat sim and/or aces over the pacific) and remembering having a pretty decent time, but certainly looking for something modern nowadays.

Here's to the IL2 BOX series finally going to the pacific now that Bodenplatte is released.  I kinda wish they went pacific now and Bodenplatte latter, just think of the marketing cue that would have been for them to release IL2 BOX Midway the same week as the movie with every one itchng to do some midway simming.

I think the decision to go Bodenplatte now made for the 3 way forward dev cycle possible with BP, FC, and tank crew all going at once.  Going off to the pacific would not have made that possible.

When they do go pacific, they can cross a few of the planes off the list from BP and for sure focus on the SBDs and TBDs.....Can't wait.

Aye. But I can't help but believe that going for Midway & al as the next step for a Pacific Theater would be sound in terms of buzz, but detrimental to gameplay and eventually their future development plans. Midway and, to a certain extent SOPAC in 1942 are a dead-end of a theater. And if distances are realistic, OMG you're in for a ride.

Honestly, if they were to announce the development of Pacific, from a gameplay perspective I would really, really push for Leyte more than anything. Half the planes are there, all the 5 services (USN, USMC, USAAF, IJN, IJA) all had an actual part, the campaign is a few weeks long with a lot of potential and variety (aka anti-shipping is there, but so is CAS and even airborne assaults...!) with some planes that are modifications of those that already exist (Jug, Lightning, A-20, B-25, P-40s...) and some new additions that are exciting, competitive and still - for some of them - super legendary (IJA, late war IJN planes, FM2, F6F, F4U, TBF...), allowing for a step by step release of new content. Besides, carrier ops don't need to be very advanced at the beginning if they focus on Jeep carriers before tackling Fleet carriers (which will be an excellent way to prepare for an actual Midway-SOPAC expansion).

[MengJiao]

  Sure, but to take a different tack and ignore BoX, the South Pacific in 1942-1943 is a time and place of mythic intensity.  If some developer just started off with floatplanes versus PT boats and submarines you'd already be delving into pure myth.  If you added voyaging on currents in your floatplane or seaching for lost pilots and so on and survival you'd have a mythological basis for developing the whole theater bit-by-mythological bit.  The locals could even use their mysterious cargo-cult-based wierd magical abilities and players could be savages with canoes and/or coastwatchers etc. etc.

[Rayfer]

  Sure, but to take a different tack and ignore BoX, the South Pacific in 1942-1943 is a time and place of mythic intensity.  If some developer just started off with floatplanes versus PT boats and submarines you'd already be delving into pure myth.  If you added voyaging on currents in your floatplane or seaching for lost pilots and so on and survival you'd have a mythological basis for developing the whole theater bit-by-mythological bit.  The locals could even use their mysterious cargo-cult-based wierd magical abilities and players could be savages with canoes and/or coastwatchers etc. etc.

MJ...you use the terms myth, mythic and mythological but not sure what you mean by them in context to the discussion?  Thanks.

[MengJiao]

  Sure, but to take a different tack and ignore BoX, the South Pacific in 1942-1943 is a time and place of mythic intensity.  If some developer just started off with floatplanes versus PT boats and submarines you'd already be delving into pure myth.  If you added voyaging on currents in your floatplane or seaching for lost pilots and so on and survival you'd have a mythological basis for developing the whole theater bit-by-mythological bit.  The locals could even use their mysterious cargo-cult-based wierd magical abilities and players could be savages with canoes and/or coastwatchers etc. etc.

MJ...you use the terms myth, mythic and mythological but not sure what you mean by them in context to the discussion?  Thanks.

I think it boils down to "atmosphere"...jungle survival...one man against various empires (in the case of coast watchers), savage tribes, archaic and arcane gear (eg the Black Cat Floatplanes)...mysterious islands...mysterious and dangerous and even legendary enemies and ships ( Zeros, USS Enterprise, PT 109) disaster, redemption, Yankee ingenuity,  the whole folkloric nine-yards of intense plotting (as in stories), with codes and sneaky deeds and so on.

[Rayfer]

  Sure, but to take a different tack and ignore BoX, the South Pacific in 1942-1943 is a time and place of mythic intensity.  If some developer just started off with floatplanes versus PT boats and submarines you'd already be delving into pure myth.  If you added voyaging on currents in your floatplane or seaching for lost pilots and so on and survival you'd have a mythological basis for developing the whole theater bit-by-mythological bit.  The locals could even use their mysterious cargo-cult-based wierd magical abilities and players could be savages with canoes and/or coastwatchers etc. etc.

MJ...you use the terms myth, mythic and mythological but not sure what you mean by them in context to the discussion?  Thanks.

I think it boils down to "atmosphere"...jungle survival...one man against various empires (in the case of coast watchers), savage tribes, archaic and arcane gear (eg the Black Cat Floatplanes)...mysterious islands...mysterious and dangerous and even legendary enemies and ships ( Zeros, USS Enterprise, PT 109) disaster, redemption, Yankee ingenuity,  the whole folkloric nine-yards of intense plotting (as in stories), with codes and sneaky deeds and so on.

LOL...got it.  And all set the Broadway/Film musical "South Pacific"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGyfw3yiMT4

[MengJiao]

  Sure, but to take a different tack and ignore BoX, the South Pacific in 1942-1943 is a time and place of mythic intensity.  If some developer just started off with floatplanes versus PT boats and submarines you'd already be delving into pure myth.  If you added voyaging on currents in your floatplane or seaching for lost pilots and so on and survival you'd have a mythological basis for developing the whole theater bit-by-mythological bit.  The locals could even use their mysterious cargo-cult-based wierd magical abilities and players could be savages with canoes and/or coastwatchers etc. etc.

MJ...you use the terms myth, mythic and mythological but not sure what you mean by them in context to the discussion?  Thanks.

I think it boils down to "atmosphere"...jungle survival...one man against various empires (in the case of coast watchers), savage tribes, archaic and arcane gear (eg the Black Cat Floatplanes)...mysterious islands...mysterious and dangerous and even legendary enemies and ships ( Zeros, USS Enterprise, PT 109) disaster, redemption, Yankee ingenuity,  the whole folkloric nine-yards of intense plotting (as in stories), with codes and sneaky deeds and so on.

LOL...got it.  And all set the Broadway/Film musical "South Pacific"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGyfw3yiMT4

  Yep, pretty much.   I forgot about the whole "exotic" thing, but sure that too and the uncanny encounters with basic "natural" things...volcanos, insects rainforests, coral reefs, sharks, salt water crocodiles, sailboats, gasoline, AA guns etc. radios, the moment the Marines on Guadalcanal find out the elite shock unit of the Imperial Army (with its Chrysanthemum insigna) has landed and is heading their way.