| E3: Desert Fighters Report
By Jim "Twitch" Tittle |
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My three item list of "must haves" seen at E3 is short. I'm not too interested in another F-16-type sim or more European scenario WWII sims either. For the best WWII flight sim of the show the choice was obvious. I also saw two pieces of supplemental hardware that everybody must try. FROM THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU.. If what I heard from Dynamix marketing comes to pass we'll have a long sought after sim with most of the features that you are longing for. I drooled for this scenario for years to the point of hacking AOA- Aces Over Africa from Dynamix's AOE- Aces Over Europe. Yes, there were several Italian aircraft that some talented fellows like Brett Hanson drew or re-drew from existing shapes. I even had a Stuka with dive brakes! We changed the color of the grass to tan sand thanks to a SYSOP Bob Church at Compuserve, who found the right byte. We painted the planes in desert camo too. Now all this will be coming in a "store bought" sim! Dynamix has a lot going for them with past titles like Red Baron and the Aces Pacific/Europe sims. There is nothing to lead me to believe that Desert Fighters will be anything less than excellent. And we are talking late second millenium sim engines and the good-as-expected graphics. WHAT MAKES A GOOD SIM? I've spoken to many virtual WWII pilots, and here I will list what I believe you all feel are the primary things that make a WWII flight sim enjoyable. In order of importance, I believe these crucial points will be delivered in Desert Fighters. 1. A dynamic campaign complete with promotions, medals and a progressive historical event mission calendar. You want the game to advance in a manner that repeats history, with your contributions to the campaign altering history. Real aces of the theater popping up in a mission or as an option for single mission engagements are a PLUS. A detailed map with zoom is a must. If one can effect the outcome in a strategic way it will be welcomed. |
 2. A scaleable flight model is needed. "Novice" and "pro" settings are not enough, but the user should be able to vary flight attributes like pitch, roll, and yaw. At least six settings of each should suffice. 3. Ten to twelve flyable aircraft are the absolute minimum with eighteen to twenty being desirable. Fewer aircraft than this and a sim is not taken seriously by many pilots. 4. Graphics is third in order of importance. If the first three items are neglected it does not matter how great the clouds look! GRAPHICS QUALITY and AI Graphics quality is a broad and subjective assessment. "Quality" is not easily definable in a way that everyone will agree, but you the pilot know what good, clear, detailed visions you should see in 1999-2000 compared to 1995-1997. Some can run 640 X 480 and others can run 1600 X 1200. Details should be configurable to accommodate weaknesses in the system or video board. 5. A.I.- artificial intelligence in wingmen is a sore point for many pilots seeking control and assistance in combat. As with graphics, there is a wide understanding of what is needed/acceptable. I remember in Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (SWOTL) using the map and being able to direct a specific pilot to attack a specific plane. 6. Custom mission generators have been sought after ever since SWOTL. This goes hand in hand with a map as good as 1991's SWOTL, not to mention customizable aspects of a campaign. Go to Page Two
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