This was a big show for Interactive Magic, not only was it their third convention, but it was the introduction of the newest member of the iMagic online family. Dawn of Aces (DOA) was truly born at Warbirds Con 98. All the players had brought their own computers and there were several competitions among the different squadrons and among individuals. Those that wanted to leave some items at home (like monitors) rented them in town. Interactive Magic arranged a discounted fee for hotel rooms and provided all the beer and snacks players could "down".

Having not played Warbirds in a while I was excited about taking it for a spin against the best of the online players. Those who know me realize I am pretty good at the stick with modern jets, but WWII is a different beast. WWII planes require a huge commitment to maintaining energy. They are not nearly as forgiving when pulling hard on the stick. My girlfriend giggled several times when I pulled too hard on the stick and snapped my wings, resulting in several uncontrollable spins to my death. I suddenly remembered how tough prop planes are to manage.

Dawn of Aces is seen by Interactive Magic as a way to introduce new players to online play. They feel that many new players who wander into the Warbirds arena get pounced by veteran Warbirds players, get quickly frustrated, angry, and before they even have a chance to get comfortable, leave the game arena and never return. This is a very valid point as Wild Bill encouraged those players attending the conference at dinner Saturday night, to be patient with some new players, give them a chance to look around, "…and then kill them." This of course, brought huge bellows from the veteran crowd.

Sopwith Camel. Click for 800x600

Dawn of Aces allows all players to start on a level playing field (sort of). Obviously, players who play Warbirds often or fly flight sims frequently and understand Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM), still have a tremendous advantage. However, the slower speeds don't allow for more advanced ACM and thus allow newer players more opportunities to get acquainted with dogfighting before getting stomped. In addition, a couple of DOA planes allow for a backseater to manage the machinegun for the pilot.

This is perhaps the most popular part of DOA. Players fought over the precious gun positions, begging for anyone to pilot a plane so they could play the role of backseat gunner. Often times their pleading was met with satisfaction. Players switched between Warbirds and DOA very often.

A possible downside for newcomers is the lack of power in the planes. WWI planes have less horsepower than any car on the road and even less than some lawnmowers you can buy. This can result in some quick, painful, and at times (I can attest) embarrassing loss of control due to realism. These planes are not made for the dramatic dogfighting associated with today's jets and WWII's premier dogfighters.

Patience, practice and visualization are a much greater part of DOA than most other flight sims. Seeing the dogfight and anticipating your opponent's actions are even more paramount. Mistakes are both easier to recover from and more dangerous to make (too often). Once you opponent gets on your rear, getting him off is near impossible, short of stalling the plane.

Having not seen DOA for a few months since my last update, I was pleased to see how good it looked. Clearly the game has benefited greatly from the continuous tweaking Warbirds has received over the years. I was extremely impressed with the visuals. When the plane took hits from other planes, several possible consequences can result. Total loss of control, loss of one or both wings, death of your backseater or pilot while your plane is still in flight, or perhaps just maneuvering too much and either hitting the ground or snapping off the precious, flimsy, wood/cloth wings.

Spad. Click for 800x600

As some planes got hit, white smoke would stream form the engine. This made for some great visuals, especially when your opponent would fly through it and become temporarily blinded. Another great visual feature was seeing the smoke whip past your pilots' face after you fired your machine guns. It was hard to see at first but then again so were the empty shell casings that were flying past as bullets were spent. I thought both of these visual effects were a real bonus. Everything I saw about DOA was very well implemented and impressive. Given that DOA is still in open beta and that all players need to do is download the game files for some FREE playtime, there is simply NO reason why anyone who has internet access (and is thus reading this) should not take DOA for a spin. Getting a partner to play frontseat/backseat with you would be the ultimate fun. Remember an important saying; sharing is caring. =)

Warbirds is the Interactive Magic classic. Many of the Warbirds faithful stayed up all night on several occasions to play until utter collapse. They would retire to their hotel rooms to get a few hours of greatly needed sleep, grab some grub, and return with beer in hand for some more heavy duty flying.

I was equally impressed with the squadrons attending and how organized they were. Many attending the convention belonged to a specific squadron, with most of them having special shirts, hats or other merchandise proudly displaying their squadron names and badges. Obviously being among friends at events like these only compounds the enjoyment that much more. Given the number of groups attending, it was obvious that many convention members put a great deal of effort into making the trip. Interactive Magic made sure that they enjoyed it after they made it to the hotel.

Equally impressive was the variety of countries represented. Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Austria and South Africa were the foreign countries that had representatives at the convention. Those from Australia traveled the farthest, spending over 23 hours just traveling to Dallas! One in particular said he would make every effort to come each year no matter where he was or how strapped for cash his situation might be.

Ironically, this sentiment is prevalent throughout the Warbirds community. It seems that once a person attends, they get hooked, and cannot stop themselves from returning each year thereafter. This is the real indication of the conventions' success. Each year has resulted in many more people as first time attendees. The newbies and veterans combined boosted this years attendance to near 300, up from only 150 or so from last year. Extremely impressive!

This year featured some unique opportunities for the convention goers. With the impending release of the ground war in Warbirds, the faithful got a singular opportunity to control the first ground unit put in the game for public use. There were some interesting observations made by Warbirds players who were online but not at the convention. Comments like, "What the heck is that running around on the ground blowing holes in my plane?"

Upon learning that hundreds of "Baby Godzilla's" had invaded Warbirds another online user squealed, "Holy Cow, he almost ran over me while I was taking off!! I never knew Godzilla could cruise at over 60 MPH!!" Indeed, the designers had made Baby Godzilla the size of a man while retaining the speed of a WWII jeep.

Finally, the designers had one more curve for the online users. It turned out that Godzilla's were invulnerable to everything except each other. Often times, I would park my little "Baby" in the middle of the runways and have a heyday with anyone and everyone trying to takeoff, fly over or land.

After loading the boxed version of Warbirds on my PC running under dual Diamond Monster 3D II's running in SLI mode (look for my review of the Diamond Monster II's coming soon) Warbirds was smooth as silk. Not a single flutter was present. With the advances in DX6 from Microsoft, D3D has come a LONG way to almost equaling the visual quality and speed of native GLIDE. I cannot encourage anyone strongly enough that loves to play flight sims to invest in some good hardware, sign up for some Warbirds play, and find out what kind of dogfighter you really are.

After the glorious weekend spent in Dallas with the Warbirds faithful, I have a new and extraordinary perspective for why the masses of Warbirds fans flock to the convention each year. It was more than just loads of fun. Amazingly, in just three years, Interactive Magic has managed to create a fluid following of brotherhood, unity, tradition and most of all, fun.

Not since my days at the Marine Military Academy where I spent five years wearing a U.S. Marine Corps uniform everyday and feeling the unanimity and fraternity among my fellow Marines, have I felt those same sensations ripple through my bones like this past weekend in Dallas. The comraderie that rages at the convention is smothering; everyone simply has a blast. If you play Warbirds then not joining in this fun is simply a sin. Don't miss out on what could be the highlight of your year. NEXT YEAR, JOIN THE FUN!