78 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
78 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
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FALCON AT
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When I first reviewed Spectrum HoloByte's FALCON, I closed with the hope that
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EGA/VGA support would soon be available. FALCON AT fulfills this wish. Although
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it derives a lot from its predecessor, FALCON AT is really a whole new game,
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deserving of its own review.
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As its name suggests, FALCON AT is designed for 80286/80386 class machines,
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including PS/2s. EGA or VGA graphics are required, as well as 512K of RAM. The
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program code uses 877K and comes on a 1.2 MB floppy. Two 720KB floppies are als
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included for systems with 3-1/2" drives.
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I tested FALCON AT on a GenTech 386-20, equipped with Everex EVGA graphics
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card, Mitsubishi analog monitor, Gravis game card, and CH Mach IV joystick.
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The sixteen-color EGA graphics of FALCON AT are detailed and impressive,
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although only 640 x 200 resolution. Images are drawn by pixel, not line and
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polygon fill. Explosions are especially nice. Inside the cockpit, HUD displays,
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panel controls, and instruments look almost like a color photo. On the ground,
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houses, barracks, bridges, towers, and other structures show surprising detail.
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I flew close enough to a tank to see that its turret was rotating! The shadows
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of the F-16 and nearby MiGs are visible when flying close to the ground.
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All of the features and controls available in the original FALCON are included
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in FALCON AT, plus some new ones. There are external views of the F-16 from a
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friendly chase plane, the control tower, or an enemy MiG. The colors of the
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ground, sky, and HUD can be changed to simulate weather conditions and
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nighttime. The radar can show boresight and tracking views. Home base and
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mission targets are assigned "waypoint numbers." Distance-measuring equipment on
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the HUD displays miles from the selected waypoint, and the autopilot will fly
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the plane to the waypoint (if there are no MiGs in the area). Afterburners have
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five levels of power. There is a three-way CPU speed switch, which comes in
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handy when playing the game on a 386 machine. There are visible and audible
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ground proximity warnings that alert the pilot to imminent crashes.
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Military ranks from First Lieutenant to Colonel denote levels of difficulty the
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play of the game. Most of the missions are new; four missions are carried over
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from original FALCON. New ground targets include tanks, parked aircraft, power
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station, terrorist headquarters, and enemy barracks.
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My first try at flying FALCON AT was humbling. I had recently completed all the
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missions of the original FALCON in Major mode, and felt rather confident of my
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piloting ability. I chose to take my first hop in FALCON AT as a Major, since
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true aerodynamics are not simulated at Captain or Lieutenant modes. The FALCO AT
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aircraft seemed very underpowered. Free of ordnance, the F-16 was unable to
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maintain airspeed without afterburners. I pointed this out to Spectrum Holobyte
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They were kind enough to send me versions 1.02 and 1.03(beta), which corrected
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the power problem.
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The biggest difference in playability between the two FALCONs results from the
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change in size of the combat arena. Original FALCON's playing field is about 180
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miles square. FALCON AT's is 42 miles square! The extra detail in ground scenery
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and targets forced the programmers to shrink the area. I found myself on top of
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my targets in about a minute with the CPU speed switch set to high. (The game
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was more managable with the CPU speed switch set to low.)
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My main complaint with FALCON AT is that the ILS does not function properly.
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The indicator is supposed to guide you to a directional radio beam projected
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from the runway. The FALCON AT ILS functions more like an ADF (automatic
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direction finder). If the nose of the F-16 is pointed to the intersection of the
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home base runways, the indicator shows no localizer deviation regardless of
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heading. This gives you the false impression that you are actually lined up with
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the runway. Every landing is a thrill, as the home airfield becomes visible at
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mere four miles.
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The graphic realism of FALCON AT overcomes its shortcomings. Dogfighting at the
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higher levels of FALCON AT is more interesting than in the original FALCON. The
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enemy MiG 21s and MiG 29s perform more in accordance with their specifications.
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The ground targets are more realistically sized, and there is greater challenge
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in hitting these smaller objects. For those who have been disappointed by th
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graphics of other combat flight simulators, FALCON AT is the next best thing to
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being there.
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FALCON and FALCON AT are published and distributed by Spectrum HoloByte.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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