As there are many warbird fans here I decided to make this thread about Yankee Air Pirate's Rising Sun addons for all those who haven't yet bumped into these terrific addons. I couldn't also find any threads about these in SOH, so here it goes.
Rising Sun consists of four phases first three being ready and released. Third one was just released like a week ago, so this thread is current in that sense. Rising sun mods/addons are installed on top of the Third Wire's Wings over Vietnam simulator. They used Strike Fighter 2 platform before, but because of Third Wire's patching policy, SF2 seemed really inconsistent platform for their mods (some of the patches seemed like just being mod killers) so they decided to change to a more stable alternative. First two phases I own are for SF2 series and I've already contacted YAP folks to get WoV versions so I can install all of them on same platform. I ordered my Phase 3 as a plus package which includes WoV delivered on CD (it can be purchased through Third Wire by download also).
Rising Sun mods are quite unique in simulator genre. They aren't about the best system or flight models but about missions that are recreated in the sim in meticulous detail and then reenacted by you. There is a true story behind every combat mission. No campaign or generated missions, but exact "copies" of real ones. Don't get me wrong, flight models are quite good enough, but of course SF2/WoV platform puts some limitations to it mainly because host sim is made for jet aircraft and there is somewhat "lightness" in the feel of the warbirds at least in the first phases I've played. Where YAP absolutely shines are their models and sceneries, where they truly take everything out of an rather old sim engine. Overall look of the sim isn't in the ballpark of Crysis 3 or even Cliffs of Dover, but models are truly outstanding. All in all, if you are systems freak only, these aren't maybe for you, but if you are interested in WW2 aerial combat history and in battles that were flown by real people on both sides, then you'll love these.
Phase 1 includes Pearl Harbor, AVG and RAF battling in Burma, Wake Island, Prince of Wales... Phase 2 has Doolittle raid, Coral Sea and Midway for example. In phase 3 YAP gets us back again to Burma and then to Solomons and Guadalcanal. In the last Phase 4 they should take us to Marianas and Leyte among other battlefields.
According to email I had from the devs, the newest Phase 3 includes 75 missions and huge bunch of aircraft and ship models, soldiers, tanks, artillery, AAA and so on.
Here are a couple of screenshot compilations made by one of the devs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U80dyf31E_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Own7GjZt1ck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXA0ZC-RUx0
So, again small dev team is making extremely good job IMO (Though I haven't tested the Phase 3 yet as I'm waiting my WoV to arrive)
. If this sort of approach to WW2 combat sim feels interesting, then Rising Sun is definitely worth checking out.
They also have Yankee Air Pirate mods for Vietnam in similar fashion. I haven't (yet) purchased those.
YAP home page:
http://www.yankeeairpirate.net/
Facebook page (readable wihtout facebook account also, I believe):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/YankeeAirPirate/284823034925452
Rising Sun consists of four phases first three being ready and released. Third one was just released like a week ago, so this thread is current in that sense. Rising sun mods/addons are installed on top of the Third Wire's Wings over Vietnam simulator. They used Strike Fighter 2 platform before, but because of Third Wire's patching policy, SF2 seemed really inconsistent platform for their mods (some of the patches seemed like just being mod killers) so they decided to change to a more stable alternative. First two phases I own are for SF2 series and I've already contacted YAP folks to get WoV versions so I can install all of them on same platform. I ordered my Phase 3 as a plus package which includes WoV delivered on CD (it can be purchased through Third Wire by download also).
Rising Sun mods are quite unique in simulator genre. They aren't about the best system or flight models but about missions that are recreated in the sim in meticulous detail and then reenacted by you. There is a true story behind every combat mission. No campaign or generated missions, but exact "copies" of real ones. Don't get me wrong, flight models are quite good enough, but of course SF2/WoV platform puts some limitations to it mainly because host sim is made for jet aircraft and there is somewhat "lightness" in the feel of the warbirds at least in the first phases I've played. Where YAP absolutely shines are their models and sceneries, where they truly take everything out of an rather old sim engine. Overall look of the sim isn't in the ballpark of Crysis 3 or even Cliffs of Dover, but models are truly outstanding. All in all, if you are systems freak only, these aren't maybe for you, but if you are interested in WW2 aerial combat history and in battles that were flown by real people on both sides, then you'll love these.
Phase 1 includes Pearl Harbor, AVG and RAF battling in Burma, Wake Island, Prince of Wales... Phase 2 has Doolittle raid, Coral Sea and Midway for example. In phase 3 YAP gets us back again to Burma and then to Solomons and Guadalcanal. In the last Phase 4 they should take us to Marianas and Leyte among other battlefields.
According to email I had from the devs, the newest Phase 3 includes 75 missions and huge bunch of aircraft and ship models, soldiers, tanks, artillery, AAA and so on.
Here are a couple of screenshot compilations made by one of the devs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U80dyf31E_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Own7GjZt1ck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXA0ZC-RUx0
So, again small dev team is making extremely good job IMO (Though I haven't tested the Phase 3 yet as I'm waiting my WoV to arrive)
. If this sort of approach to WW2 combat sim feels interesting, then Rising Sun is definitely worth checking out. They also have Yankee Air Pirate mods for Vietnam in similar fashion. I haven't (yet) purchased those.YAP home page:
http://www.yankeeairpirate.net/
Facebook page (readable wihtout facebook account also, I believe):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/YankeeAirPirate/284823034925452