115 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
115 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
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MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR V. 3.0
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More than just a mere update of its previous versions, MICROSOFT FLIGHT
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SIMULATOR V. 3.0 (FS) for the IBM PC and compatibles is totally revamped: a
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quantum leap in sophistication. The end result is a flight simulator that
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outdoes any other simulator on the market, and probably will for some time to
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come.
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Created in response to consumer demands that the original FS keep pace with
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current graphic standards (as well as with greatly increased competition fro
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such programs as CHUCK YEAGER'S ADVANCED FLIGHT TRAINER, FALCON, and others), FS
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offers a staggering number of environmental, graphic, view, and mode options. I
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won't even attempt to go through all of them here; one could play FS for vast
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periods of time and still not have explored all the situations and entertainment
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features this program offers.
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One popular option of recent simulators is the ability to connect via modem
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with another player in order to fly in tandem or in combat against each other.
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FS now supports this option, allowing direct hook-up via null modem cable, or
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through conventional phone lines with Hayes-compatible modem equipment. Although
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you can't engage in combat in this mode, you can still take advantage of
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virtually all of FS's other options: You can send and receive messages to your
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flying buddy during the course of your mutual flight, watch each other from
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various vantage points and magnifications, and explore the same skyways
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together.
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The graphics options cover just about any combination of display card and
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monitor you can imagine, including VGA, Hercules InColor, EGA w/enhanced, RGB or
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monochrome monitor, CGA w/RGB or monochrome monitor, composite color,
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monochrome, liquid crystal, Tandy, two PS/2 modes, and a "custom" driver. The
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appearance will be optimized to take greatest advantage of your available color
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and resolution capabilities. I ran FS in two modes: CGA w/RGB monitor, and EGA
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w/enhanced monitor. Even in CGA (the EGA modes weren't available on earlier
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versions), the difference between the old FS and version 3.0 is immediately
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noticeable: There is more detail in the scenery, and the control panel has been
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rearranged to make better use of space. There are also three windows, which I'll
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discuss a bit further on.
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To give you an idea of the amount of new detail in FS, I'll mention a few
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improvements. The old FS offered about 80 airports in the areas of New
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York/Boston, Central/Northern Illinois, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The new FS
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adds about 38 _more_ airports and an entire new area, San Francisco. The amount
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of ground detail -- buildings, bridges, landmarks, and nighttime ground lighting
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-- seems to be even denser than that of the concentrated scenery disks marketed
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for use with the older FS. By the way, don't throw out those scenery disks; a
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utility included in the package called "CONVERTS" turns those disks into
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unprotected scenery _files_ that can be stored on a hard drive (or large
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floppy). Automatic Scenery Loading permits the hybrid scenery files to be loaded
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by the program automatically when you enter the appropriate airspace.
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Clouds are no longer solid white masses, but rather white spheres that can
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appear in varying densities. Thunderstorms can vary in severity and density, as
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can Turbulence (all adjustable). Ground texture can be added (at the sacrifice
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of animation speed); similarly, graphic detail can be removed to improve frame
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rate (animation speed). You can also remove the default "shading" -- the
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surfaces of the buildings, the planes, etc. -- and leave skeletons; this
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simulates a vector-scan or CAD display and improves the frame rate.
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The windows are plentiful and easy to manage. There's the large lower window
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that typically displays the control panel (which can be moved up or down), the
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upper large window that normally shows your view from the cockpit, plus another
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small window and a map window. All the windows can be moved to different
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locations on the screen and have complete zoom features: Zoom far enough out of
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the map window, for example, and you can see most of the North American
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continent. Any of the windows can be changed to different views: nine views from
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the cockpit, one from an adjustable "spotter" plane that flies at a set distance
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and angle from your Cessna or Learjet, one from the nearest control tower, and
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one from a ground tracking station.
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More options? We've just begun. You now have a choice of two planes: the
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familiar Cessna (specifically, the Turbo Skylane RG II), and a "business" jet,
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the Gates Learjet 25G. The Learjet is capable of far greater speeds (but it's
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easy to go _too_ fast and lose control), allowing you to scoot around and view a
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lot of scenery in a short flight. The instrumentation is very similar to the
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Cessna's with the exception of some minor recalibrations to reflect the greater
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power of the jet.
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Another whole section of the new FS is the "entertainment" section. While the
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old FS had the WW I Ace game (intact in the new version), we now have two
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additional games. One is a formation flying game, in which you choose from among
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seven scenarios and attempt to follow a lead plane through acrobatics. The lead
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plane leaves a smoke trail to keep you on the same path. The other new challenge
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is the crop-dusting game, in which you attempt to spray an area of land with
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maximum coverage.
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And let's not forget the extensive on-screen flight training, which takes you
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through the very basics: taxiing, taking off, cruising, and landing...all the
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way to advanced acrobatics. The 25 lessons that make up the entire tutorial are
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well-documented in the manual, and each lesson can be used two ways. You can
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watch the simulator execute the maneuvers with running commentary, or you can
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perform the maneuvers yourself and get feedback from the program. I wasn't alone
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in the feeling that the original FS was nearly impossible to fly _well_ from the
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cursory instructions in the old manual; these lessons are another staggering
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improvement.
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Okay, enough of the boundless praise. FS 3.0 comes unprotected on two 5-1/4"
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disks _or_ one 3-1/2" disk (be sure to check the label to see which format
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you're getting). The program can be transferred to a hard drive, working backup
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floppies, or different-sized disks, using normal DOS commands. Included in the
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package are the hefty main manual, the quick-reference booklet (eight pages -- a
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lot for a quick-reference guide), and detailed charts of the five areas included
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in the scenery. The main manual is more readable overall than its predecessor
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(and certainly offers more flight instruction), but it's traditionally bound.
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The older manual was spiral-bound, making it easier to lay flat in front of you
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as you use the program.
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And since that's just about the only criticism I have, I guess I've made my
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feelings clear by now. So stop reading and get flying!
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MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR V. 3.0 is published and distributed by Microsoft,
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Inc.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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