| Super Hornet Update
by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson |
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This past winter we did an interview with James Baker, the Project Manager for DIs coming simulation, Super Hornet. As a follow up to F16 its a natural, and will be competing directly with iMagics recent release of iF18 Carrier Strike Fighter.
Then a few weeks ago we spoke to Rod Swift, Managing Director for Digital Integration, and we added new information to the previous interview with James Baker. The substance of that information indicates that Super Hornet is more in the lineage of Tornado than any other simulation to date. Good news! Super Hornet will include a fully dynamic campaign system as well as a tactical dimension far beyond F16. Now we have new screen shots, including some GUI shots, from this new simulation. The terrain looks much better than CSF, but then this is not satellite generated data (although it is accurately modeled and river and road placement is based on satellite maps). The recent press release mentions some features of interest, including "the gaming world's first ever fully interactive carrier-deck. The inclusion of a fully interactive carrier deck is a first for flight sim fans and means that pilots will now be able to experience exactly what its like to land and take-off from an active US Navy Super-Carrier, with aircraft constantly landing and taking off around them. The complete deck simulation also features an interactive deck crew - with 15 types of hand signals, Fresnel light landing systems and talk downs." Here is the rest of the info:
SUPER HORNET FEATURES
COMBAT ZONES Would be Top Guns get to experience for themselves the pumped up, adrenaline charged excitement of real air-to-air and ground attack combat across two highly detailed, realistic war zones; the Barents Sea and the Indian Ocean In the Barents Sea flash point (based around Murmansk) pilots fly against a rebel Communist faction of the Russian Federation which controls the Russian Northern Fleet. This war zone includes realistic carrier vs. carrier combat with the impressive Northern Fleet containing the Russian equivalent of the Super Carrier. This war zone also allows the player to face the formidable threat of both Bear and Backfire Bombers as well as the deadly MiG 29 and Su 27. Over the Indian Ocean pilots do battle against the might of India, which is attempting an invasion of Sri Lanka. The Indian Navy is very formidable, featuring two heavily armed and well defended Harrier carriers. India also flies the Mirage 2000, so pilots will be up against one of the most modern and deadly of the French warplanes. Each realistic war zone features over 18 different ships, 30 different vehicle types and 30 different plane types and takes place in a flying area in excess of 40,000 square miles, generated from real world terrain data. GAME OPTIONS - Varied Levels of Gameplay F/A-18E Super Hornet's realistic combat simulation features varied levels of immersive gameplay specifically designed to appeal to all flight sim enthusiasts, as well as arcade gamers, thanks to its quick start mission option which throws the player straight into the no-holds-barred action. There's also an interactive training area for budding top guns wanting to push themselves further. Super Hornet's featured levels of game-play include: Quickstart: Four instant-action 'free-for-all' quickstart options involving air-to-air combat and ground attack Training: A comprehensive range of missions to familiarise player with aircraft handling and weapon systems
Combat: Randomly generated, or manually designed, self-contained single missions based upon roles of the F-18 in modern warfare, including:
MISSIONS & THE 'REALITY' OF WAR Super Hornet features the kind of completely immersive campaign system flight sim enthusiasts have been crying out for for years. In "Command" players will be able to experience what it's really like to be involved in a full scale war where your every action has repercussions on the outcome of the war. Never before have gamers been able to live the fluid progress of war, to such an extent - each enemy and ally is programmed to react to the actions of the other. So whilst would be top guns are flying missions the ground war will continue to rage on beneath them.
Super Hornet contains a wide variety of mission types, targets, aircraft, weapon types, escort and AWAC's support. To create added variety as well as realism to missions weather conditions have been included alongside the advent of day, dusk and night. |
STRATEGIC MISSION DESIGNER Due to demand from game players across the globe, one of Super Hornet's strongest features is the inclusion of a comprehensive Strategic Mission Designer which offers players fully automated or manual mission planning right through to the smallest detail. In "Command" the player's overall objective is to force the enemy to surrender. Just like in a real war, mission objectives will depend upon the success or failure of the player during his previous mission. But in addition to flying the awesome Super Hornet, players can also experience what it's like to plan the tactics of the war, controlling up to a maximum of 32 allied aircraft across 4 squadrons. No missions are pre-scripted and no outcome will ever be the same. Features include:
STATE-OF-THE-ART 3D VISUALS Super Hornet has a high performance Direct3D-based 3D engine that supports MMX and 3Dfx, full 16bit colour, dynamic coloured lighting and light source shading. The terrain relief is fully textured, with each war zone having its own visual 'character' with towns, villages, airfields, harbours and industrial facilities. Super Hornet has a virtual cockpit, with a scrollable field of view of 135 degrees left and right, 90 degrees up, and 30 degrees down. The player will also be able to 'snap' the view left, right, up and down. Also included is DI's "Headlock" view which tracks targets during air-to-air combat. There are over eight different external viewing modes. The highly detailed Super Hornet model has full articulation of tail plane, rudder, landing gear, arrestor hook, ailerons, flaps, speed brakes and ALE-55 towed decoy. ACTIVE COCKPIT Super Hornet features an "active" cockpit which allows the player to select functions on the instrument panel using the mouse in exactly the same way that the pilot makes his selection in the real aircraft. What's more the "active cockpit" is fully floating, which allows the player to look left, right, up and down smoothly. There is also the option of the new "Headlock View", which allows the pilot to automatically track an enemy fighter during air to air combat, just as a pilot would in a real combat situation. The cockpit of the Super Hornet has been faithfully modeled on that of the real fighter. Other features include:
WEAPONS EQUPMENT When it comes to sheer firepower no other fighter even comes close to the Super Hornet. It offers a huge selection of state-of-the-art weaponry, including the latest in smart munitions: Air-to-Air
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