AWACS and ACMI

In TAW we will be able to plan any mission type such as escort, strikes, reconnaissance, combat air patrol and close air support. We'll be able to choose our loadout and the loadout of other flights we plan. The mission planner will also make it possible to co-ordinate missions, offering an even higher level of tactical planning, and all this within a dynamic environment!

In the meantime we have the AWACS module in ADF. This module is really a second game within the simulation itself. It is limited due to the fact that missions are scripted, but its a glimpse of the future and offers a chance to try some strategic control.

The first AWACS scenario is a CAP. You are up there in the AWACS and have a gods eye view of the action via the box on the left. This little box is no mere 2d overview, it is an absolutely incredible miniature of the in game graphics. EVERY effect is here: fog, contrails, the awesome terrain. And it is governed by an update of the same Smartview system that was in EF2000.

In the AWACS module you can fly any F22 mission you choose. Vector a flight after that F16 CAP or after those incoming Su-35s then double click on the flight and ZOOM into the chair you go! This is a whole new twist on Quick Combat.

SO, for example, I vector a JSF CAP "Striker1" to refuel (click on the flight then drag it to the enemy flight. You can't take a CAS mission and turn it into a CAP flight. When you release the mouse button the order is sent, and you will hear yourself sending exactly the order, in completely accurate 3-1ingo out of the Multi-Command Manual.) They are around 18% when I make the call, and I hear myself vector the aircraft from Magic1. I hear the LEAD respond. (Each response is also mirrored in print in the text box). I watch as they pull a high g turn and head north east. I see their speed drop from 550k to 400 k. I see them passing over an airbase and a river, they drop through some high cloud to 15,000 feet. Here is the map view of the refueler on station. In the shot above you can make out the refueler icon on station in the lower right.

A few minutes later the flight is approaching the refueler. I watch as they get lined up. I hear LEAD contact the refueler and get the go ahead. Now LEAD is jockeying to connect as his wingman holds position a few hundred yards back and off the left. Contact! I see the fuel display on my monitor start to slide upwards.....

Meanwhile smartview monitors the action, panning around, zooming in, magically giving me a complete perspective of the entire operation. Add to this the engine sounds of the particular aircraft you have selected and you feel like you are watching a NATO video clip!

Later I vector BLACKACE 1, a pair of Tomcats, to the refueler. When they are topped up I send them out for a new CAP about 100 miles northwest of the topped up JSFs. I give them orders to intercept 4 inbound Su37s. With their Phoenix missiles and at their altitude of 32,000 feet they are quickly in range.

I watch as they call out their tactical moves, ONE begins a bracket left manouver, a moment later TWO launches, and then TWO calls out "MISSILE" as the Su37s have also launched. I see three Su37s go down a moment later, TWO is dumping chaff like crazy and one missile passes by but a second gets him. There is one explosion and it looks like he loses a wing. Then there is a second explosion and he punches out just before the aircraft breaks apart.

I've lost one Tomcat and LEAD has taken damage. But he engages the last bandit in a knife fight. The last Su37 goes down but a minute later Tomcat LEAD is losing control and calls that he is ejecting. I watch his machine plunge into the sea out of control.

It is INCREDIBLE. I feel like I have watched a data link of real action. It is more than innovative, its brilliant. Now factor in to this picture that you can jump into the action in ANY F22 out there so long as they are not engaged in actual combat. You can fly the escort, the CAP, the CAS, the refuel, or the Strike mission. You can choose when and how you engage the enemy and what kind of enemy you engage. Its like a gloried instant action scenario with a strong tactical dimension. And when you are finished the action, or if you get killed, you can boot back into the AWACS.

When this eventually comes together with complete command control in TAW it will be a total revolution. With the TAW add on we will not only command the flights that are already in the air, we will plan and command new missions from bases of our choosing, and either remain as Theatre Commander and let others jump in and fly, or fly a mission ourselves. The multiplayer mode should be beyond belief! I'm holding out for dual monitor support, which would be awesome!

This is a shot taken from the small viewing box. On my 17 inch monitor the viewing box measures about 5 inches by four inches, and of course it runs at 64 K color...

The map and display controls are quite intuitive and allow you to choose exactly which information is presented to you. The command functions you can issue are these:

• Identify and prioritise air threats
• Organise and monitor Combat Air Patrols (CAP)
• Assign and update flight Interceptions including visual identification, shadow and engage to kill tasks
• Vector flights to refuelers or to land
• Assign allied flights to aid other allied flights in distress
• With assistance from the E8 JSTARs aircraft, vector Close Air Support (CAS) flights to kill mobile ground targets such as SAMs, SCUDs, and enemy tanks

Command to allied flights include these:

• Escort
• Refuel
• Land
• Move Patrol
• Shadow
• Intercept
• Vis-Ident

Now here are the disclaimers. The missions aren't as replayable as they will be in a dynamic situation. The same aircraft lift off from the same bases at roughly the same time in each scenario. There is a bug in that if you jump in and fly and then also land your aircraft when you jump back to AWACS the aircraft you landed will take off again, then request clearance and then land again. I'm not sure if this changes if you follow the ATC to the letter but I doubt it.

Occasionally an aircraft won't obey a command or doesn't seem to have fully enabled AI. I've had to drum a few F22 pilots out of the service. In the AWACS CAP mission a Russian A50 AWACS (MOSCOW1) shows up on the lower right of the map about 45 minutes along and I vectored WOLF1 after them. I jumped in about 100 miles out, fully expecting the Su27 escort to engage me. In fact, MOSCOW1 warned me twice that I would be shot down if I didn't turn back. However, the Su27s didn't engage me and neither did any other flight! I sent my wing after the Su27s while I took out the AWACS... My wingman performed perfectly by the way.

The shot above shows the Russian AWACS after one hit from an AIM120. I used cannon to finish the job.... This would have been a very cool mission within a dynamic system since taking out a Russian AWACS could seriously hamper their defensive ability for a day or two....

There aren't many changes needed to the interface itself. Its fairly intuitive and quite easy to use. However, a Time to Intercept number on the Info screen after you have ordered an intercept or vis-ident would be helpful. As for the command structure itself, here are some ideas, drawn in part from the real life experience of AWACS officers.

Why not a pop up menu in the interface when the player double clicks on an allied aircraft. The menu would give us:

   1. INTERCEPT TYPE
        -cutoff
        -stern conversion
   2. PRIORITY       
    a. all possible speed (full mil power at high alt)
    b. all possible stealth (EMCON 1 and jettison ext wpns)
    c. highest speed and stealth (reduce speed if need be)
    d. blow through and stealth
       -this latter so that friendlies by pass intervening targets

ACMI

As we grew with EF2000 and TactCom, many asked for more detailed debriefs. DiD has been listening, and not only will we have more detail available to us on the close of each mission, we will also be able to scrutinise combat performance using a unique ACMI (Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation) system. The ACMI system allows gamers to work out complex spatial relationships and analyse where mistakes were made in air combat. Roger Godfrey:

"Another feature that we have taken our time with on F22 ADF is ACMI. This was one of the most requested features for EF2000. The new F22 ADF ACMI is really cool. It allows you to record and then view engagements within the 3D system. The player can then view the action from any point of presence within the 3D; for example you can view the whole engagement from the view of an enemy pilot."

The ACMI feature is quite amazing. You can choose your view: cockpit, free, side track, satellite, track, spin (outside rotating with the ground down below) etc. You can toggle labels on and off, weapons and tracks on and off, even target vectors. You can zoom in and out, change the replay speed, and go full screen or as above. Unfortunately, you can reset to the beginning but there is no rewind. Here is a clip from a full screen "SPIN" shot:

This feature alone adds depth to the play of this sim. Record your flight and go back and check what you did right, what you did wrong, and whom did what when. Find out where that missile came from that finally got you, and what aircraft launched it. You can even switch to other aircraft and track them in relation to your own flight. The log on the left reports the events and the times. About the only thing you can't do is find out your airspeed or actual altitude at a given point. I know, this is a fairly important point, but maybe we'll see some expansion of this feature in TAW. And by the way, you can share these acm files with others!

Next, Multiplayer, general comments and summary. Multiplayer is not possible within the Tour missions but works great in KOTS, and the Mission Recorder does work in MP mode. 4CDs ARE expecting stock of ADF this month, and you can order by clicking below...