By Brandt Ryan January 18th, 2000

  Campaign Builder

This component is not documented anywhere, but can be accessed by hitting F1 while in the TOOLS interface. The campaign builder can be used to take a set of missions and connect them together via a set of rules so that there is logical flow and connection between missions. It looks like a very powerful tool, watch for more on this soon!

Documentation (80%)

The simulation includes a 200 page spiral bound manual. Almost everything you need to know is to be found within its pages. They did not choose any description of the AWACS or Multiplayer comms, very unfortunate! The manual also lacks any info on BFM. However, they refer the reader to a number of excellent books already available covering these topics. Good call on Jane's part, as we don't need to clutter up the manual with BFM stuff that is already available in almost every other flight sim that has come out to date.

Also included is the typical reference card which has keystroke info. And naturally, JANE'S Online reference is still here too!

Multiplayer (95%)

I'm a big fan of the whole co-op multi-player thing. I've been up online about ten times now, and I can tell you that it works unbelievably well (56K modems all around). The first time I got into a mission I called out "Hatchet One on the tarmac! Er! I mean, on the Deck! Whatever!" and saw my wingie next to me, looking all beautiful and shiny.

Click to continue

I was trying to ask him to look at me and flash his lights, excited that we hadn't crashed to desktop, wondering how I'm gonna lock him up in boresight mode after we launch. I'm mumbling something like "Geez, I'm happy! We're pitching and rolling here! Do you see that shimmering water too?? and oops, did I hit my wheel brakes already?"

Then BLAM, he blasts right past me and my head seems stuck over the side of the carrier while he gets to business. We joined up finally when I had calmed down from the excitement and had a great mission. You like multi-player? You will like this sim. You like dogfighting? Create a dogfight mission, and make sure you've got the "respawn" cheat checked. Dogfight to your heart's content.

We're talking minimal lag here folks. The biggest group I've tried so far is 4 human players, and lag wasn't even a factor. Note also that I created my own multiplayer mission, and it worked no problem. Comms become even more extensive online, with new flight sub menus.

Although it's mighty fun going to the action camera in Falcon 4.0 once you've become a strafe rag in an online mission, in F/A 18 it's even more fun respawning into a new aircraft, and not missing any of the action. When you respawn you start way back at the carrier, and retain you callsign in the flight. Better hurry up to get back into the fight!

The only glitch I see in multiplayer is the following (and note here that this could be due to my ignorance regarding the programming modes for the EW): I haven't been able to get a buddy spike on my EW. I will have a friend lock me up, even at 1nm, and I don't receive a spike. This is a big deal to me, a co-op fanatic, as I need tools such as "raygun" and "buddy spike" in order to maintain flight integrity. I hope I'm wrong about this.

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