Flight Simulator II on the ST
I've long thought Sublogic's Flight Simulator
programs to be supreme in the simulation world, and was delighted
with the version released on the 8-bit Atari (see Issue 21 for a
detailed review). The advent of the ST has opened up a whole new
world of possibilities, and Sublogic have responded with a
magnificent new version of Flight Simulator II, utilising virtually
all of the ST's new features. There's only one word for the
resulting package stunning! And it's sufficiently different from
the 8-bit version to fully justify this 're-review'.
I won't go into details of the basic program, as in
concept it's identical to the 8-bit version. Instead, I'll describe
just the differences and enhancements. There are lots of these, and
most of them will blow your socks off!
The package is similar to the 8-bit version, but the
program and scenery data is now on one single-sided 3½"
disk.Instructions are contained in one 132 page, fully indexed,
spiral bound manual of very high quality. Sublogic have dropped the
second manual as supplied with the 8-bit version, so you don't get
to learn about the theory of flight, nor do you get the eight flying
lessons. However, the ST manual does contain everything you need,
including many useful diagrams.
MORE OF CALIFORNIA
In addition to the 8-bit's maps of Los Angeles,
Chicago, Seattle and New York areas, this version also includes San
Francisco. The area covered adds 47 new airfields (several equipped
with Instrument Landing System) to the 81 in the 8-bit version. You
also get many new radio navigation beacons to help you find your way
around. The new area is extensive, measuring about 250 miles north
to south by about 200 miles east to west enough to keep you busy
exploring for a long time!
On boot up, you find yourself in a Cessna 182 lined
up for take-off from runway 27R of Oakland International airport on
San Francisco Bay. Yes, it's a different aircraft from the 8-bit
version, and yes, the boot-up default is into the new map area. The
instrument panel looks strangely familiar, but on closer
inspection there are minor differences, such as retractable
undercarriage controls, different flap settings, autopilot, and
different radio and engine instrument layout.
The myriad program controls are available either
through the keyboard, or via mouse activated pull down menus.
They're all summarised on a reference card thoughtfully included in
the package by Sublogic. Additionally, the mouse can be used in
place of keyboard for primary flight controls, but I found this
rather clumsy and preferred using the keyboard.
SUPERIOR GRAPHICS
Looking through the windscreen you can immediately
see a difference from the 8-bit version. The scenery graphics in the
San Francisco area are far more sophisticated than those in the
8-bit version. For instance, items such as runway markings are
colour filled shapes, not single lines or 'wire frames', and there
are more buildings to be seen. This only applies to the new area,
though, the others seem to have been transferred from the 8-bit with
very little change.
As soon as you start the take-off run, the ST's
muscle power immediately makes itself felt. The screen refresh rate
is very much higher than before, making the view through the
windscreen look more like a film than computer generated graphics.
The runway markings glide smoothly past as you gather speed and lift
the Cessna into the air. Almost immediately, the water of the Bay
comes into view, and soon after that the massive 8 mile long Bay
Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland. Flying straight on you
quickly pick up the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco. As you
get closer you see they're colour filled 3D graphics (with hidden
lines and surfaces removed!). That famous San Francisco landmark,
the Transamerica Pyramid is there a huge, 853 feet high, pyramid
shaped office block. You bank the Cessna and switch to a view from
the side window, really getting the feeling you're flying round a
solid building. All along the waterfront you see the piers and
moorings of the port area, with the Fisherman's Wharf tourist spot
at the far end.
Continuing your original flight path you see in front
of you the most famous San Francisco landmark of all, the Golden
Gate Bridge. Its portrayal here is excellent I flew the Cessna
round and round it, inspecting it from all angles, and marvelling at
the skill of the Sublogic programmers.
Flying back to Oakland you pass over the island of
Alcatraz and notice that the prison building is there Sublogic
have thought of everything. The graphics on approach and landing at
Oakland are as impressive as the take-off. And on touchdown, the
tyres really screech as they hit the runway it's worth doing a
lousy landing just to hear that noise several times over!
The improved graphics are easier to look at in this
version of the simulator, as it allows you to finely adjust the
direction of view you get from the aircraft cabin. You are not
limited to the 8 fixed directions, as before. Further, you can
adjust the angle of view up or down very useful when in a steep
climb or descent. There's also a new zoom control to enable you to
get a closer look at the central part of the screen (up to 511 times
magnification). If you want a wider view you can do this too, with a
magnification down to 0.25! OK, so we're getting away from realism
here, but it's a useful feature, especially when used with the other
new viewing facilities I'm about to describe.
SEE YOURSELF AS OTHERS SEE YOU
A major addition to the ST version is the ability to
view your aircraft FROM THE OUTSIDE. That's right, you can now see
how your aircraft looks as you fly it. Microprose's Solo Flight has
been doing it for years, you say? Not like this, it hasn't! You have
the choice of two different vantage points, either from a spotter
plane flying near you, or from a control tower on the ground.
You can set the position of the spotter plane
relative to yourself, on either wingtip, in front looking back at
you, behind you looking forward, or looking straight down from
above. Also, you can set the distance between you and the spotter
and the height above or below you that it flies. After selecting the
viewpoint, you see the view on the screen gradually change as the
spotter plane flies to its new position! Now, as you manoeuvre your
aircraft, you see it move about relative to the spotter's viewpoint,
but the spotter always eventually gets back into its requested
position. The view you get during aerobatics is truly thrilling, as
the spotter tries to keep station as you cavort around the sky.
The control tower option is just as spectacular, but
in a different way. This time, you get the view of your aircraft
from the ground. For best effect, you have to make use of the zoom
controls mentioned earlier. As you fly away from the airfield, the
program automatically pans the viewpoint to follow you. Eventually,
you get so far away that you can't be seen even on full zoom. So
here comes the amazing feature you select the Track function. The
view you get now is as if the control tower has taken wing and is
streaking after you at very low altitude and at tremendous speed!
You rush THROUGH the landscape, whizzing past buildings, over water,
under bridges, whatever.... until it's repositioned at the distance
away from your aircraft originally requested. The effect is
startling, incredible, fantastic, exciting....I'm running out of
suitable adjectives! All the time, your aircraft position is kept in
view on the screen, marked with a small dot. The dot slowly grows in
size until it becomes the familiar shape of your aircraft once
again. The effect can really be quite breathtaking.
You can switch between views from inside the
aircraft, to spotter plane, to control tower, to tracking view
anytime, at the press of a key or mouse button. Even more
astounding, you can set up multiple windows, each with a different
viewpoint and you can add a radar/map window too, if you
need it. Windows can be positioned and sized to suit your needs. For
the ultimate in views you can slide the instrument panel down giving
a full screen display for any view. This is really spectacular when
landing (if you're skillful enough to manage without instruments!).
FLY WITH A FRIEND
As if all this weren't enough, there's yet another
brilliant new feature. It's possible to link two ST's together (each
running the program) via the RS-232 ports and run in `multi-player'
mode. This means you and a friend can each fly an aircraft, and each
can see the other on his own screen. The ST's continually exchange
data via the RS-232 link on position, height, etc. You need a null
modem cable to connect the machines, or alternatively you can use
modems and conduct a two player game via the phone. Communications
facilities are built right into the program! You can send and
receive radio messages to/from the other player too (via the
keyboard).
JOIN THE JET SET
If flying the Cessna becomes too easy, try selecting
the Learjet option. This is a completely different ballgame, as a
Learjet is a twin engined executive jet aircraft, capable of flying
at 450 knots at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. My only grumble about
this is that the instrument panel remains broadly similar to the
Cessna, so the simulation is somewhat lacking in visual
authenticity. It's great fun, though.
There's a lot more detail I haven't covered, like the
World War I Ace game, action replay, autopilot options, ramdisk for
saving/loading scenarios, additional weather features (like ground
fog and turbulence). I could go on writing about this forever. By
now you must have gathered that it's a program not to be missed by
any ST owner. If you have an ST you MUST, repeat MUST, add this
program to your software collection. It's the finest piece of
simulation/ educational/ entertainment software I've ever seen on a
home computer and worth every penny of the £50 asking price.
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