Down in Flames Download PC

Down in Flames is a computer video game for Microsoft Windows, developed by American studio Dan Verssen Games and published by Battlefront.com in 2005. Closely based on a card-driven tabletop game of the same name, Down in Flames is a turn-based simulation of dogfights between World War II fighter planes. Some parts of the game also involve escorting and intercepting bombers.

The game features aircraft of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. An expansion pack, Eastern Front, was released in 2006, adding Polish and Soviet planes.

Gameplay

Down in Flames is closely based on a dedicated deck card game of the same name, first released in 1993 by GMT Games. It is a turn-based simulation of dogfights between World War II fighter planes. Such battles are combined into campaigns. In a single dogfight, each player controls either one or two pairs of fighters, with each pair consisting of a leader and a wingman.

At the start of each battle, the players are dealt a hand of cards. Each card represents a certain action, such as an offensive or defensive maneuver, machine gun burst or altitude change. Both sides play chosen cards in a turn-based manner responding to enemy's maneuvers, until one side is defeated. The game uses an "Action/Reaction system" with "action" cards used to initiate maneuvers, while "reaction" cards are used to cancel and react to enemy's moves. Some cards are both actions and reactions.

Apart from dogfights, one side also attempts to attack targets on the ground (such as troops, naval units or factories) while the other side defends them. Some missions also include escorting or intercepting bombers, however the bomber planes itself are not controlled by the player.

The game features aircraft of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each fighter is described by four ratings: performance (number of maneuvers its pilot can have at any one time), horsepower (number of new maneuvers the aircraft gains each turn), bursts (how much firepower the plane has) and airframe (how much damage the plane can take before being shot down). Pilots gain experience with each dogfight (however, they may be "permanently killed" in online multiplayer mode) and eventually new planes can be unlocked. During the game, the player may buy extra cards and abilities – a feature not found in the original card game.

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