| F22 Lightning III
by Steve Martin |
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Probably the most useful MFD is the tactical Map that shows everything your AWACS can see, or what you can see with your radar including the labels of the flight group. While all the MFDs are covered decently, there are a few problems in the cockpit, namely the lack of shootlist, and the sporadic Attack display. 
The cockpit viewing system covers either snap views or a panable cockpit view. Both views have their advantages or disadvantages, and the user can choose the method he or she is most comfortable with. I noticed that when using the padlock view when an object gets past the halfway point of your cockpit, the view goes funky. Once an object gets in your rear quarter, and you maintain padlock, for some reason it doesn’t feel like you're turning correctly. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it exactly, and a friend has commented on the same issue. After I kept getting nailed while trying to figure out what the padlock was doing wrong, I started using the easy aiming indicator (red arrow) in the HUD view to locate and engage my target. I only used the padlock when I knew the enemy fighter would be in my front quarter because the padlock seemed to function correctly while the enemy was in front of your plane. My advice, use the HUD only view unless you know the enemy is in front of you, or above and forward of you.
 The Graphics are very well done. The weather and lightning effects are VERY COOL. The rain effect was very well done with the raindrops looking very realistic. The night vision goggles come in handy at night, and I’m happy to see that Novalogic put it in the simulation. The object detail is very intricate and the landscape is awesome as usual. I do miss seeing the volcano that appeared in F-22 Raptor and the desert terrain doesn’t feel as good as the desert in F-22 Raptor, but it’s still very well done. Visually, F-22 Lighting 3 upholds the graphic quality of its predecessors, and with 3D acceleration it looks even better. |
 Multiplayer Fun Multiplayer is probably my favorite feature of this simulation. Novalogic runs a free multiplayer service called “Novaworld” that allows up to 128 players to engage in online combat. This takes three forms- deathmatch, RAW (Raptor Air Wars where your team defends your base while destroying the enemy squadrons base), and the new game, co-op play. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you will have no problem finding a game to play on Novaworld. The connection is solid for most everyone, and it is fast paced gameplay. If you’re not into the crowd thing, you can host your own game either publicly where anyone can join, or privately for just you and your friends for up to sixteen players. My compliments to Novalogic for allowing us the ability to host our own dedicated servers! I was able to host a game on one of my systems and swap the CD so I could join into the same game on my other system, great for people who want to set up a dedicated server on which people can play.
 Multiplayer Limitations Unfortunately with all the good things about multiplayer, there are a few limitations. My biggest complaint is the lack of a muting feature in Novaworld. Too many times I have found people engaging in shouting matches and announcing what a BIG MAN they are. Also, there are flaming wars as intense as any RAW war. So, please, Novalogic: ADD A SELECTIVE CHAT MUTING SYSTEM TO NOVAWORLD! Other problems I encountered were a couple of co-op missions that had bugs in them. In one mission one of the required target flights kept disappearing before we had a chance to kill them. After three tries we reset the server and moved on to the next mission where after bombing a missile boat my kill was not registered, and the missile boat was still selected when targeting. After close examination of the target, I could see the crater where I hit, yet no target. Since we could not kill a target that wasn’t there, we had to reset the server yet again. Despite this, we played Co-op one night for four fun filled hours. I am personally glad Novalogic decided to allow co-op in their fighter simulations. Go to Part Three
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