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Falcon 4.0 Plus - Part 2
By Bob "Groucho" MarksVersion vs. Version
Now that the code is out, things are changing very quickly---anything I write today has a good chance of being obsoleted by new, unsanctioned releases within hours. As of today, 1730 Pacific Standard Time on July 8, there are three primary, distinct versions of Falcon 4.0:
v1.08i2
The final quasi-official MicroProse patch. Written by newly-axed employees of Hasbro, who beat bravely at their keyboards while the deck of the S.S. Microprose was sliding into the depths, this version was distributed through iBeta. Considered by many, including myself, to be the first iteration of F4 that actually worked.
iBeta Realism Patch 2.1 (RP2.1)
This is the newest in a line of hex edits that address the v1.08 final release to obtain maximum realism, enhanced gameplay, help stability, and generally make the whole sim more fun from a hardcore standpoint. Operating with the official blessings of Hasbro Interactive, these guys have made great strides in stabilizing Falcon 4.0's innermost workings.
Beyond fixing such anomalies as questionable weapon effects and deployment, deciphering the “bubble” system, and improving comms, iBeta has also explored the AI aircraft flight modeling. RP2.1 also has opened up the ability to fly any of the fixed-wing aircraft in F4---including using them in a campaign environment. Others have picked up the challenge of improving the flight dynamics of human-flown AI aircraft (more on this bit of fun later). This patch is considered the hardcore standard.
eRazor’s v1.0751 Release 9
OK, this is where things get controversial. In December of ’99, about the time when Hasbro Interactive pulled the plug on the Alameda Studios, the very valuable Falcon 4.0 v1.07 source code was stolen off of a Microprose hard drive and posted on sites all over the internet.
Who exactly did this is unknown, though it doesn’t take Columbo to figure out that a disgruntled employee probably had a lot to do with it. Hasbro Interactive was understandably livid about this; after all, they had spent years of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop the countless lines of machine language.
In a matter of minutes, it was simply given away. They threatened to come down like a metric ton of cuttlefish on anyone who posted, downloaded, or indeed admitted the existence of their stolen code. Many of a decidedly socialist bent cheered the ripping-off of what rightfully belongs to the Hasbro Corporation, comparing the unknown perpetrator to Robin Hood. The less intellectually impaired, however, saw the event for what it was: a theft of property.