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FLANKER 2.0 E3
by Dan Crenshaw |
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The highly anticipated sequel to FLANKER and FLANKER 1.5 is close at hand. The original FLANKER will hold a revered place in the heart the hard-core sim crowd along side FALCON 3. FLANKER was, and still is, considered by many as the ultimate flight simulation, with one of the best flight models in a PC simulation to date. With the 1.5 update, cooperative multi-play was added which for many pretty much sealed it as the "only sim on my hard drive." Balance of Trade As with any sim, there were game play vs. realism trade-offs, as well as performance trade offs. The most noted trade-offs were the graphics. By the time FLANKER released, there were machines easily capable of a higher level of graphics while still being able to run the complex calculations demanded by the realistic flight model, AI and weapons which were taxing the CPU. The rival for king at the time, EF2000 from DiD, proved that high-end graphics and realism could be mixed. The flat polygons of Flanker made low level flying hazardous and for many detracted from the immersion. But for the true fans of ultra realistic simulations, this sim was as close as it had ever been. Eye of the Beholder FLANKER 2.0 is set to carry on the tradition set by its predecessor. The first thing you notice of course is GRAPHICS. Where the original was behind the curve, 2.0 is on par, and in some areas maybe even better than what is on the shelf today.  While to my eye, the color pallet is a bit bland - somewhat pastel, almost cartoonie; the overall effect of the images is very impressive. Detail is very good. High altitude flying gives you a terrain that will force you to remind yourself it is only a game. Detail on the aircraft is good, but not a benchmark. My feeling here reminds me of my racing days and paint jobs on the motorcycles … at 100 miles an hour, who is gonna know? At 1000 knot closure … are you gonna really see all that much detail? Not a big deal. As I flew FLANKER 2.0 at E3, I asked Carl Norman about the omission of the 2D cockpit. After slewing around the 3D virtual cockpit, I had to agree with the reasoning. Why? The virtual cockpit is fully functional, is gorgeous, works well, and adds to the immersion level. |
 This is by far the best cockpit in a game to date. It does lack "clickability", but with the plethora of control panel peripherals available today, this is a minor annoyance at best. Slew your head around and you get a very realistic field of view and head motion. So real, in fact, that your shoulders get in the way at extreme over the shoulder glances. Of course the real human eye could compensate for many of the limitations. But since NO game has ever pulled this modeling off, I think I can safely say that the views in 2.0 are some of the best out there. Low Level and Terrain Flying close to the ground in 2.0 is exhilarating. Flanker 2.0 may not ship with the best low level graphics around, but they are very good. There is also a good sensation of speed. I always enjoyed blasting down roads at 20 meters in the original, 2.0 is even more fun. Come upon a town and you get another surprise. None of this textured terrain with a few 3D buildings like most sims. 2.0 has a true 3 dimensional city. The buildings sort of "sprout" up, or appear, as you get closer, which is distracting. This may or may not improve from what I was told. If not, it won't be a "game killer", but it leaves me knowing that there has got to be a better way to do this. In the Sky Back up in the air, you can actually see and make out aircraft at a mile or so out. Missile launches will assist in locating bandits, albeit maybe a bit too late ;-D , with good smoke effects. Explosions and various special effects are well done, as good as the current standard today. The flight model in 2.0 has improved over the original FLANKER, if you can believe it. These are little tweaks that have made one of the best flight models ever just a little bit better. It has a feel that is comparable to the best flight models out today. While the flight model of the flown aircraft should equal the best today, the AI flight models are some of the most true to life and realistically modeled to date. Aircraft act like and are limited to true to life principals and properties. You won't see bombers making 45-degree banks or vertical climbs in FLANKER 2.0. The game shows a great deal of attention to detail in this area. FLANKER fans will easily be able to jump right into 2.0 with a minimal learning curve. This includes flying, controls, interface and even the Mission Editor. Go to Part II
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