X
- 1C Entertainment
- 1C Entertainment
- 1C Entertainment
- 1C Entertainment
Rise of Flight: Channel Battles Edition
Released On: Sep 5, 2013
Metascore
Critic reviews are not available yet
7.2
All Platforms
tbd
Critic Reviews
tbd
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 User Ratings
7.2
65% Positive
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
15% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
20% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 User Ratings
7.2
65% Positive
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
15% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
20% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Fantastic flight sim, but it can run into a little money as far as a Trakir, pedals, and a good joystick. I love it! It feels great to fly a WW I bi plane in combat. There is a learning curve involved so, if you don't want to take the well spent time to learn then maybe you better look at something else. Also, you do have to purchase planes to add to it, but this has to be so the developers can continue to add to it and make it better. That's why the old Janes sims went away, there wasn't enough money to support the developers. Would you work for Free?? There is a Free version, but it only has a couple of planes, like a limited trial.
Report
PC
Best Flightsim currently available. The Flightmodel is superb and better than any other on the market. You have to learn the ropes but you will be awarded the true thrills of a WWI dogfight.
Dig out your old joystick and in a week you will order a rudder and a throttle (ending up with a home as I did).
This game is a must for any serious flightsimmer. If FSX is about procedures and IL-2 about visual beauty, then ROF is about flying! As as side-note, the game works very well in 3D surround, quite an experience...
Report
PC
This is the best World War I flight simulator ever created. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is the best combat flight simulator ever created.
The feeling of actually flying a plane is really here in this game. Each plane is it's own individual experience. Flying the Camel for example, is very different from flying the Se5a, which is totally different from flying an Albatros type. The damage model is very faithfully worked out as well. If one part of your plane is damaged you will get a different set of problems than if some other part of your plane is damaged.
I fly mainly online but many people report liking the off line component as well. It should be noted that this game has a steep learning curve and you must have at least a joystick to play it properly!
Report
PC
Rise of Flight is a dynamic flight sim of the true beginning of Combat Flight. The immersion factor for this game, no this sim, is un measurable. From the two offline (single player) campaigns to the online multiplayer option with human against human and AI. The play and beauty of this sim is fantastic.
The Channel map is only one of several maps you will find available for this master piece works. Fighters, recon, bombers, seaplanes, you name it. There are so many planes to choose from and extra options in the way if equipment and armament. All costs are kept very small and affordable. No need to fork out vast amounts of money to expand your air forces.
The 777 or RoF community forums provides more expertise or help than you will most likely need. And several other forums supporting RoF are available for your expanded use such as New Wings Virtual Flight Training.
many of the online servers, if this is the path you choose, try to bring historical content in their missions to you. Numerous squadrons exist and new one are always welcome.
Report
PC
Rise of Flight is an unusual flight simulator in that it is hardcore, but simulates a period of history when the mechanics of combat planes were simple enough to be easily learned. This makes it approachable in a way that many hardcore flight sims are not. By the same turn, it is much harder to master than more arcadey flight sims available, as the planes respond realistically and must be managed properly and with finesse to get the best out of them. This creates an immersion severely lacking in arcade sims, and a great sense of acomplishment from playing well.
For a hardcore sim it is particularly pretty to play, with a lovely sense of realism lacking in some of the more humorless sims in my collection. The graphics strike the right balance of naturalism and romanticism without going overboard... WW1, when pilots were allowed to paint their own planes, was a very personable and attractive period of air war compared to later more stodgy periods. The developer also has a huge collection of player contributed historically acurate skin packs at their website making the variation in planes quite astounding.
Like many smaller developers they have chosen to release the game incrementally (by developing new planes as DLC), but you don't need to buy these to enjoy play. The included planes each have their own strengths and take a long time to master, so DLC is only required if you wish to try something different.... eg. flying a multi-crew bomber or sea plane. Some players always complain about DLC, but the RoF approach compares favorably with sims like DCS which charge fifty bucks a plane, or blatant pay to win schemes like War Thunder. Channel Battles gives you enough content to play and master the game before deciding if you want to invest further in expansions.
If you are going to play though, you really need a joystick (or HOTAS). Despite being approachable it is not an arcade sim. Though you can play with an xbox/ps3 controller, it will be uncomfortably imprecise. A proper joystick with at least rudder and throttle is worthwhile (and potentially cheap.) If you are unsure if you want to invest in the game and a stick I would try the free version (from the developer website) using a game controller to see if the game is your style. If you have the patience to get off the ground and learn to dogfight using that then you'll definitely get more out of the full game with a better controller.
The joys of Rise of Flight come from mastery of the skills and challenges it provides. Dogfighting in planes which are barely evolved from a kite with an engine is great fun. Engagements often end unresolved, so limping home with a damaged plane is another challenge. Learning bombing is tricky. Even navigating with only the sun, a compass, map and visual landmarks is a challenge. It all adds up to a very immersive sim which nails the crossover between hardcore simming and fun gaming. It's a bit **** drug for more casual gamers to get into the sim hobby, and a welcome change from combat flight sims where you need to read a book just to learn to turn your plane on. :)
Report
PC
I gave this game a 3 because the "flight" aspect of it is impressive in it's own way, the "battle" end of the equation is a different matter. The main plane you are forced to fly during all but a few of the allied missions was either poorly thought out, as the top of the windscreen cuts right through the gunsight rendering it unusable, or cleverly done to encourage you to buy on of the several pricey (50% of the cost of the main game) DLC packs.
To further add to your aggravation they have made the control scheme so complex as to be unworkable. I appreciate trying to make a flight sim realistic but there are 27 different keyboard commands dealing solely with the position of the pilots head! No I'm not kidding I counted. They seemed to realize this and put in a couple to help with this craziness (padlock view and red and blue arrows to help find friend and foe) but both of these stop working halfway through a fight, just to make your life that much more interesting. Bet if you buy the right DLC pack this is fixed though.
As an example of the game's stupidity, in the second mission of the allied campaign you have to shoot down an observation plane and 4 german fighters. You have 250 rounds of ammo and 3 wingmen who seem incapable of even shooting themselves down. You can bang away at the observation plane and leave it full of holes, but it will keep bumbling through the sky, despite all the damage, like an Allegiant Airlines jet. However unless you kill everything (a feat I haven't managed in several tries with the unlimited ammo setting on) the mission is deemed "incomplete" and you have to try it again like some world war I version of the movie groundhog day.
Add hyper accurate ground fire, the fact that your plane will be irreparably damaged if a fly hits the windshield, and long mission times (one training mission to shoot down 3 planes says you fail if you don't complete it in 50 minutes!) and this game becomes an exercise in frustration.
Basically if you need a blood pressure stress test use your free Obamacare, it will be cheaper.
Report
PC
I am sick and tired of developers who try to nickel and dime me to death by charging absurd amounts of money for DLC that should have been included in the original game. It will literally cost you hundreds of dollars to get the content necessary to make this the complete game that it should be.
Report
PC
Summary
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Sep 5, 2013
Developer:
- 777 Studios
Publisher: 1C Entertainment
Genres:
