Update for the English version of Microsoft's flight sim Combat Flight Simulator 3.
Fixes and Improvements in Combat Flight Simulator 3.1
Below is a list of improvements and fixes that have been made in the CFS 3.1 update.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) pilots now perform level-bombing. If you are leading a flight of level bombers, the AI bombers in your flight mimic your commands. They open their bomb bay doors when you do, and release their bombs when you do. All-AI flights also do level-bombing flights on their own.
There is now a wing-level autopilot. Press Ctrl+Shift+A to set the autopilot to fly on the same heading, with the wings level. You can use this to supercede the fly-towards-waypoint artificial pilot that is invoked when you switch to a gun station.
In version 3.0, gun pods and bomber gun turrets would occasionally fire by themselves if an enemy aircraft was nearby. This has been fixed.
AI pilots now jettison their drop-tanks in combat situations.
Aircraft
More than eight virtual cockpits are now supported. (Note that this fix requires that modelers export aircraft using a new version of the Gmax plugin.)
P-51B and P-51D virtual cockpits have been improved.
Gun limits for the Ju-88 have been widened.
The B-26 aircraft has been re-designated as a level bomber, and uses level bombing tactics.
Damage and Guns
You can now hit other aircraft with your guns if you are within 50 yards.
Trim response is now gradually decreased in response to elevator damage (as opposed to being completely disabled if there is any elevator damage.)
B-26 elevator and Me-262 damage capacity have been increased.
Muzzle velocity for guns is now taken into account.
Gameplay/General
A very rudimentary in-flight map has been implemented. Press M (the in-game briefing key) to display it.
Note: this map only shows the location of your aircraft. It does not show where other AI or human flights are.
In-flight map keys are as follows:
] or + Zoom in
[ or - Zoom out
C Center on player
, Zoom to fit mission items
Arrow keys Pan map
Padlock no longer switches to the next target when the aircraft you are targeting has been destroyed. Instead, you return to the forward-looking view.
The CFS3 movie now plays when you start the game.On a limited set of configurations, the movie may not play appropriately because applications assume control of the playing of movies. These configurations display a black screen. Press any key to skip the movie.
Bomber gun-turret reticules are now better aligned with bullets fired from turrets.
In version 3.0, the game would crash if the currently-selected aircraft was removed from the game. This has been fixed.
Multiplayer
Several security (anti-cheat) fixes have been made.
There are now hit sounds when you are hit by other players.
A "Lock" icon is displayed on password-protected games in the game list.
In version 3.0, when you respawned in a mission you would sometimes not have control of the aircraft. This has been fixed.
Performance
Some algorithms for managing memory have been changed to reduce stutter.
Controls
Force Feedback responses have been improved.
Configuration
The Intel 845 and Intel 830 chipsets are now supported.
The ATI Radeon 9700 is now properly identified on Windows ME machines.
Improved configuration support pages are available. See [CFS3 directory]\\help\\config\\configsupport.htm for an up-to-date list of recommended drivers and manufacturer links.