The MiG-29 cockpit is spartan to say the least. It sports a mixture of analog and digital displays very similar to what the 1970's vintage F-14 Tomcat utilizes. Updated MiGs have made more use of MFDs, but that's not what we see here. The radar is also very simply modeled. This is in part due to reality and in part due to to the mid level target of sophistication of this sim.

The simpler radars within Soviet aircraft compared to NATO equipment is largely due to a fundamental difference in air combat strategies between West vs. East block doctrines. Ground Controllers play a very big role in Soviet tactics, as we learned in Korea and Vietnam. The Soviet concept is to employ hit and run tactics, and to launch a massive wall of missiles from ground based controllers. This accounts largely for the big difference between the aircraft, missiles, radars, and pilot training. (NATO pilots are given much more ACM training and freedom in their engagements, thus the highly complex radars in the aircraft).

The scrollable virtual cockpit with its mix of analog and digital avionics

The cockpit has functional gauges, button, knobs and levers but they are not mouse clickable. This is a result of having a 3D modeled cockpit, not just a virtual cockpit for padlocking or scrolling purposes. As a result, no 2D sharp avionics with user manipulatable gadgets unto iF18 or Jane's F15E, another indicator of mid range sophistication.

The padlock does work great with minimal fish eye distortion which helped me to keep the MARK1 eyeball tracking system functional in a knife fight with Vipers. Note too, that the Fulcrum has the INFARED Search and Tracking system that allows very stealthy tracking and launching of IR missiles within 11 km. This is as close as Soviet fighters really would allow themselves to get to their enemies. The GSh-301 30mm cannon is really a last line of defense or for air2ground attack. It's not a bad idea when you consider that one of the best laws of missile avoidance is to not be detected and to stay out of weapons kill zone.

Full cockpit view at night.

Artificial (AI) wingmen and adversaries are what I would say are adequate to make you feel you're not out there alone with drones, but they are not tough adversaries like the ones I have faced in Flanker or F15E or even WW2 Fighters. The good news is that they do not perform as wing-beciles (a DOCACE coinage) that do aerobatics or are mirror images of the leader. They operate reactively, unless told to attack, with a very limited command vocabulary.

Other than for using them up as a higher form of countermeasures, I don't have much use for AI wingmen. Since this is NOT a good habit to learn, nor is it realistic, this is why I very much prefer human intelligence - HI, a Spann'age? 8^) When it comes to the bad attitudes I've had to put up with on occasion on internet, then I would rather have AI. This leaves the AI adversaries in MiG-29 to be on the easy to medium skill level.

NovaWorld and Janes CN: Dawn of a new day for free online multiplayer arenas?

Flight modeling is another area of mediocrity in MiG-29. You can pull the >26 degrees of AOA that is usually a hard limit in NATO fighters to get you out of a jam temporarily and very precariously. This will also enable the MiG pilot to do the tail slide and cobra maneuvers - not recommended while fighting for your life.

Control surfaces like the rudders, flaps, speed brakes and afterburners all are nicely done. If you lose too much smash (speed or energy), you will stall and even get into a horrendous flat spin that not even Tom Cruise can eject from. The ugly side is that there is very little resemblance to reality in the turn rate (best at 650 kph), landing hardness (way too easy) and climb rates.

On the other hand, I did sense a bit of inertia modeled into the roll and pitch axis'. The hard core types will cry out "arcade", but I think the modeling is fine for SRM dogfighting and BVR. It's in the guns only phone-booth knife fights which demand real flying skills where this sim will fail the diehards. I'll keep my Flanker for that experience.

Weapons loadout GUI for offline gameplay

The Weapon loadout screen that can only be used for offline game play is a well thought out interface that briefly explains what each weapon is, and where it can be mounted on the MiG-29. It also allows you to view the weapon for identification, and even rotate the plane for a better look around. Simple and elegant (K.I.S.S. axiom - Keep It Short & Simple). You gotta love it.

While the weapons offered in this sim don't comprise the exhaustive list that can be loaded up on a MiG, you have what you'll need for Air2Air or Air2Ground missions. I've given you West Block pilots an idea of how they match up with East Block weapons. Note that while Soviet made missiles may not have the range of their counterparts, they can often be fired up to 40 degrees off bore - or even mounted rearward facing (not in this sim). This makes them respectable indeed!

Click to continue . . .

What has not been modeled in MiG-29 but is with Su27 Flanker, are the SHELM (helmet mounted targeting system), and radar guidance fed to the 30mm cannon, both of which are actual systems in the updated MiG-29M. (Yet another indication of the mid level sophistication factor in Nova's sims. SSI's Su27 Flanker had these and mirrors back in '95). By the way, what has happened to rear view mirrors since the advent of 3D graphics?

MiG-29 Weapon Loadout and NATO approximate equivalence:

Like F-16 MRF, MiG-29 has a dozen single missions and 5 linear campaigns. The single missions are narrated in a way that makes them useful for training. The campaigns are designed such that the outcome of the previous mission affects the next. Note too, that the targets you destroy in the first campaign mission will be destroyed in the next (yeah!). This is true for many aspects of the campaign (including the existence of AWACs, etc.). Pilot statistics and rank promotions are tracked so that you can return to an unfinished campaign another day.

Off-line single mission editor and options menus

The mission editor (only solo play, no MP support) gives a wide variety of terrain as well as a variety of airborne and ground objects to choose from. This feature will extend the offline game play, since users can make up their own scenarios and share them. To create a challenging mission, you will have to set the AI settings to high, and deploy opponents in waves, emphasizing numerical superiority. One of the great things in Nova's sims is that they allow your damage and weapons to be replenished upon a safe landing. This allows you to continue in a war beyond your single sortie loadout.

Tactical map view while fighting online at NOVAWORLD

Multiplayer online testing included: KALI/IPX, TCP/IP, and NovaWorld. What I did not test was LAN or modem-modem land line connectivity, but if she flies over KALI/IPX it is usually a slam dunk for LANs. Paying Ma Bell just isn't practical unless your adversary is within your local area - even then you only have a 2 ship MP setup. I've played F16 vs MiG over KALI/IPX and over TCP/IP and they both work very well to about 4 - 6 players depending upon your connection rates and stability. Faster is better as the server game host. And as expected, plane warping is worse on ISB than the direct connects. Over ISB, I was unable to get into a close formation. (This did not affect the ability to dogfight or get target hits).

NovaLogic has set up a virtual Integrated Battle Space (IBS).. The scenarios supported are DEATHMATCH and RAW (Raptor Air War). Deathmatch is just an area with airfields and air to air battles everywhere. You can join in as squadrons versus squadrons, or play just you versus the world.

RAW is really just base defense. You get A2A and A2G weapons with AWACs. The object here is more detailed and fun, IMHO. You want to knock out the other side's eyes by killing their AWACs and to destroy the enemy's base. This will end the battle and everyone has to join again. It is key that you learn to use the tactical map, text chat, use of the "p" key for the list of players and the "q" key for the list of your squadron mates. Then you can see the name of the player you have locked onto in your HUD.

Deploying in strike and cap flights in a cooperative manner is what makes RAW fun. If it were to be more realistic, I would ask one side to be Soviets in MiGs and fly Soviet doctrine, and have the other side in Vipers flying Nato doctrine. Might make for great squadron gameplay.

Currently there are a quite a few online bugs, but none of which are game stoppers. A couple of bugs include: loss of missile motor smoke, ability to score a missile kill after the enemy has auguered, and others. It was also said that the F22 Raptor would also be within the same battle space, but has not as of yet. NovaWorld automatically updates your online software and keeps improving on a day by day basis. One word of advice, use the AOL browser for online connecting over the default browser. Connections are more readily had.

NovaLogic Shoots for the Moon

To sum it all up, NovaLogic's F-16 MRF & MiG-29 Fulcrum is a really great medium level of sophistication flight sim that should appeal to the larger sector of flight simmers that don't like reading inch thick manuals. It sports bare bones manuals, a good glossy keyboard reference foldout, excellent 3D graphics, good sound FX - including Russian voice mode, fast virtual cockpit, working avionics, mediocre flight model and AI, modest mission editor, very basic solo and campaign missions, and very excellent multiplayer support.

I would have to say that Nova has a real solid sim here when you consider it's target market is probably the lion share of pilots. Its not the realistic sim it advertises in its literature, but its a really FUN sim. To make it more realistic, I think it's up to the virtual pilots themselves to more accurately role play.

Sim Scores:

• Sim Sophistication Level - mid range
• Multiplayer Support 90 % - Lacked MP mission editor
• Off-line support / Mission editor 85%
• Graphics 85%
• Cockpit 80%
• AI and FM details 80%
• Pucker/fun factor 90%
• Bang for the buck value 95%

I want to give a special thanks to Bubba for taking that ugly Viper, and to that online pilot at ISB named Viper ^1^ who unselfishly spent his time to fly online with me to get some great shots.

Till we meet in the skies, Check Six