This should interest the purists.

When playing on hardcore servers you are locked to the cockpit view. This includes tanks and jeeps as well. I just wish there was a better way to track targets.

StiC

At least on 360 you can push down on the D-pad and use the right stick to look around. It's a minor improvement on BoP's awkward free look, though it still limits your maneuvering ability.

I prefer flying in regular mode largely so helicopters and tanks can be spotted and I can contribute to their destruction. They're much more difficult to pick up visually on hardcore while lining up a strafing run.

I find myself relying on the air radar quite a bit in normal (I don't use the external view much, if at all for any of the vehicles) and it's a must in hardcore.

BF3 is a really sweet game, not perfect but I love it for the team aspect.

The jets are easy to fly, I just changed the settings to lefty and they're like BOP. So far i have about 140 kills and all unlocks.

Choppers are more difficult than BFBC2 but once you have them sorted they're pretty easy to fly as well.

In the 48 hrs I've played BF3 I've yet to see a jet dominate a or change the sway of a battle in favor of one team or another. An ace chopper pilot and gunner on the other hand are game breakers and can be devastating.

Great game and i won't say BOP is better than BF3 because they're too different games. Flight sim v's FPS with a small flying element, they're not even in the same ball park to compare. BF3 is my fav FPS to date - BOP my FAV flight sim besides the original IL2 when I had a rig to run it.

I thought I'd mention a pretty awesome I moment I had playing BF3 a week or so ago.

I was hot on a Su-35's tail on Caspian Border, doing what I do and gunning the fellow down. We were going vertical with full afterburners when I got the disabled vehicle notice. I was probably within 10 meters, still going vertical, when he tried to eject. The body bounced off my F/A-18's canopy and I was credited with a road kill. Easily my favorite video game kill ever.

You obviously didn't read my earlier post pointing out the flaws of the freelook design lol. Oh and it's a SU-33 :P

Doesn't the Su-33 have forward canards? The Flanker in BF3 doesn't have canards.

Yes, sorry you are correct its an Su35BM. I figured that because you take off from a carrier it would be the naval version (Su-33). But then since when did the A-10 take off from carriers? :rolleyes:

Reading about the Su35BM and how advanced and capable it is with the thrust vectoring engine nozzels, its funny how the crappy super hornet has the same performance in game when in real life it would be absolutly crushed in a dogfight.

You don't ;) haha.

Only the US team has a carrier. The Ruski's have -

Kharg Island - Roadside (SU33/Frogfoot)
Caspian Border - Airfield (SU33/Frogfoot)
Operation Firestorm - Airfield (SU33/Frogfoot)

Your right about the A-10 on the carrier though. Not right!! But then again i've seen a hercules land on a carrier.... so its possible perhaps haha.

I do think your looking into a little to much though mate. Its just a game :P

I was just happy I didn't have to ride in a F-35, though apparently that's going to be included in the first add-on.

Reading about the F-35B a few days ago after the US marines bought all our retired Harrier GR.9/9A. The Marines now expect to be using Harriers well into the 2020s! I'd much rather fly a harrier in the add-on but oh well :( unrealistic again lol