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Enhancements/Changes:

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Multi-Player Enhancements

First lets talk about multiplayer enhancements. As I mentioned before, multiplayer is where the sim needed the most work. Along with the fixes mentioned above, some additional enhancements where made in the patch. One of the most notable is the fact that all autopilot modes are now active in multi-play. I almost want to call this a bug fix, since a lot of us who play F18 need to use the autopilot to assist us in refueling among other things. Another notable fix is in end mission plaque. If you hit the escape key by mistake, your mission was over. Considering the escape key is next to the F1 key, which sets the default forward-looking cockpit view, this happened quite often. The end mission plaque now gives you the option of continuing play. Add these enhancements to the fixes and Janes F/A-18's multi-play environment is now in the upper echelon among all aviation combat simulations.

Avionics and Weapon Enhancements

The patch readme mentions that ground and sea-based air defense systems have increased lethality. I usually do a good job of avoiding missiles, and after I installed the patch I found to my relief my tactics were still valid. I can't say I see much difference in this area. About the only thing I did notice is that radar sites seem to maintain locks a little better. The enhancement that I looked forward to the most was the ability to map the MDI push buttons to keyboard keystrokes. Since I own a MasterPilot by QuickShot, this was an absolute must. I have mapped both the left and right MDI push buttons to my Masterpilot and it works great. The UFC is also mappable but only in MDI mode, and the push buttons for the MPCD (the large center display in the cockpit) are also mappable.

Fig. 6. Custom Colors of the HUD and COMM

Miscellaneous and AI Enchancements

The guys at Janes have added a neat feature to the patched version. You can now create a standard windows INI file named F18MISC.INI in the RESOURCE directory. In this file you can specify any default HUD color, and set the default colors for the COMM screen. You are not limited to the colors offered in game, you can choose from any of the 16 million available in 16-bit mode! There are other options in this file as well. The other one I'd like to mention is the M_SHOW_FRIEND option. This option allows friendly planes to show up in your TEWS without the need for them to lock you up. This is handy for finding your squad mates in the air in order to rejoin formation. Another change that will affect game play is the threat padlock feature. The range has been reduced to 6 miles, and terrain line of sight for padlocking has been implemented. Don't expect to hide behind that mountain while continuing to padlock that bandit! Personally, I like this change. It makes the dogfighting experience more realistic.

Fig. 7. Fleet fires Tomahawks at a Chemical Plant

The AI has seen some changes as well. Warships have been made more active. Those that can carry cruise missiles can now use them to engage targets. Warships with deck guns can now use those monstrous weapons against targets as well.