Not exactly like them, but Tiny Combat Arena recaptures some of the joy of flying these polygon-based, simplified flight model flightsims. It's still in alpha (so only one playable aircraft -- a Harrier -- and only one demo campaign), but fast approaching 1.0, and I recommend it.

If you want to fly a "modern" jet without needing to read a manual or learn very complex radar systems, this is the game for you.

https://www.microprose.com/games/tiny-combat-arena/

Tiny Combat Arena's sole developer Why485 is very active on twitter & previously on their blog.

Both profiles are well worth a scroll through if you have any interest in sim-lite games. Really like the breakdowns on old school simlite games and what really made them fun (since it wasn't strictly a matter of realism = better).

Agreed it's definitely not a matter of realism = better! DCS looks gorgeous and very realistic, and I know it's simply not for me, because I don't want to actually work as a combat pilot.

MicroProse's F-19 is the flightsim I played and enjoyed the most, and it wasn't realistic.

DCS has some very advanced sims but some of the cheaper modules (planes) are intentionally less realistic/labor intensive.

If you download DCS World directly from the site instead of getting it through steam, you can get a 2 week trial of each module every 6 months.

Flaming Cliffs 3 is the name of the less realistic module. It comes with several planes or you can buy them individually. As I said before, you can try them all for free for 2 weeks each and it resets every 6 months.

I always loved the GraphSim F/A-18 Hornet sims. They were simple but still decently realistic. I still have mine on an old PowerMac tower! I should play that again.

Actually they have an iOS version, which isn't bad, except the lack of joystick support.

F-18 Korea? Never played it, but it looks awesome. And I think it was on the "realistic" end back in its day.

If you used to love GraphSim's F-18, definitely do check out Tiny Combat Arena. It has the same vibe!

Fun fact some of the guys behind DCS also worked on Falcon 3.0 an Falcon 4.0 back at Microprose.

Falcon 3 and 4 are major milestones in "serious" flightsims, and I toyed with both of them (3 more than 4), but I cannot say I completed a single mission with either.

MicroProse F-19 hit that awesome spot of some realism (laughable today, but it wasn't meant to be an arcade game back then), with a really easy flight model and cool missions and scenarios you could really complete. And besides knowing the keyboard mappings, you really didn't need a manual. It was thrilling to play mission after mission, getting all those medals, and having your character be promoted in rank. I spent a lot of time with that game -- probably flew as many missions as an actual combat pilot!

The only other flightsim I found almost as engrossing was Gunship 2000, with its "dynamic" campaign system, but it was way more difficult.

I find Tiny Combat Arena captures some of this thrilling but simple gameplay, but it currently lacks content (more campaigns, more maps, more things to do).

If you have a VR headset, VTOL VR is amazing. All the controls you interact with by reaching out and flipping toggles. The graphics are good enough. You get three aircraft with the base game and there's a DLC available that adds an AH64 analogue.

The complexity of the game hits a sweet spot for me. To get into the air you have to go through some startup steps (maybe 8, most of which involve hitting "power" buttons). There is some light air traffic control simulation that you can interact with (or just take off yolo style). Mission design is diverse and there are a decent number of fan made missions.

The initial tutorial missions do a good job getting you up in the air, after that you benefit from watching some youtube tutorials because each weapon system and aircraft have their own unique features.

Another thumbs up for VTOL VR from me. There is something infinitely pleasing about reaching out and flicking those engine start switches, radio control dials, and MFD buttons to me, a scratch that isn't hit by the more complicated and in-depth DCS start up and control routines where I'm just clicking a bunch of buttons or hitting keyboard commands as I have been for decades.

ATAC programmer here - yay!

Random fact - the artwork was by Tom Ashton - previously the guitarist for The March Violets, also performed with The Sisters of Mercy, and went on to Clan of Xymox.

Also, this was the project I worked on before BRender - covered in another thread here.

I really need to thank you for that game for me it was ... amazing. I still have the original box and I clearly remember been fascinating about how on earth it was possible to pack such a game in a couple of floppy disks. Thanks man.

No way! Thank you for so many hours of fun back then. That was such a good game.

"simplified model" dcs fighter planes can be learned in a evening, especially the f-15c. they do require a joystic tho.

Does that simplified model also include simplified avionics, radars, weapons and so forth? I've looked at some DCS vids on YouTube, and it looks cool but very complicated.

flight model is somewhat "low resolution", radar performances are on point, but feaures are undermodeled, like friend/foe detection is automatic, and you don't have to mess with cone width and scan columns, you have an average default set and that's it, weapons are the same that other platforms shoot.

dcs may seem very complicate, because there' a ot of buttons to memorize, and it indeed is for more modern planes that can switch between ground/air mode, weapon targeting modes, datalink modes etc

but

simplified planes with non interactive cockpit just have a few step to memorize and once you're going, you're going.

like, once you watch and execute the f-15 cold startup tutorial, it's always the same sequence in the same order and sets your plane exactly in the same mode ready for combat.

(nav light management etc is there, but it's kinda optional and not required to learn from the start)

then you get three button for radar mode you actually need (close combat, flood/boresight, beyond visual range), two button to switch weapon, and the rest is the slightly more complicate part, which is radar management

you get a set of buttons to look up/down/left/right, a set of button to move the pip close/far/left/right, a button to toggle scan mode, and a button to lock/unlock a target - it's a lot to set up, but it's quite easy as it has immediate feedback on what you're doing

the rest comes down to actually positon yourself in a way to maximize kill probability and defending from retailiation.