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Sharp on the Cutting Edge

When I first heard last summer that Janes was doing an F15 simulation I was only moderately excited. Then I got my hands on the Longbow 2 beta. My pulse rate increased. When we finally got updated screen shots in hand, I was breaking a sweat. I knew that Andy Hollis and the Skunkworks team were about to unleash another fantastic sim. And given Andy's history with the Eagle, it was likely to prove definitive for quite some time!

Late in 1997 Origin Skunkworks and Janes Combat Simulations released one of the finest examples we have yet seen of a combat flight simulation. The dynamic environment of Longbow 2, combined with excellent graphics, careful attention to detail, and a commitment to realism in every area of the simulation led us to award Longbow 2 "Simulation of the Year." Now Andy Hollis and crew are getting ready to unleash their latest and FIRST simulation from the Maryland Skunkworks in Janes F15.

Now that I've had some stick time with an early beta, I can tell you that I have NOT been disappointed! This sim has so much depth that I'm not even sure how to give you an overview. Ah well... damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!

Rather than try and cover all the bases with a snapshot, let me take on an issue that gets to the heart of some issues and also gives you a solid sense of the direction of F15. Some of you have been thinking: no co-op multiplayer, nothing for me here. That would be a mistake, so let me address that issue while we take a look at the depth of Janes F15.

The beauty of co-op multiplayer is four-fold. First, the amount of command flexibility LEAD has. Second, the sense of immersion that comes with the command interaction and control. Third, the intelligence of the human pilots over the typical AI wingmen and flight. Fourth, the camaraderie of the experience of flying with friends. While there may be no complete substitute for these things, Janes F15 will take them all on. Here's why!

First, because F15 offers command flexibility in spades. Yes fellow pilots, there are more command and communications options here than in F22:ADF or even JSF, and in an immersive and INTENSE combat environment with detail in systems simulation second to none. The only comparison thats fair to make for comms and control is Falcon 4 (though I can only compare based on our interview, the demo, and other print sources). Since this is also key to the immersion and intelligence factor, lets take a look at Janes F15 from that vantage point.

There are two COMMS trees in F15. The first is accessed by the TAB key, and the second by SHF-TAB. The TAB key brings up the COMMS menu below:

• 1. Wingman (commands for TWO)
• 2. Element (commands for THREE and FOUR)
• 3. Division (commands for 5-8 when you have 8 in your flight)
• 4. Flight (commands for entire flight)

Accessing any of these options brings up a submenu as follow:

• Engage Bandits
• Sanitize Right
• Sanitize Left
• Cover me
• Orbit Here
• Intercept (brings up a submenu)
• Tactical
• Ground Attack (brings up a submenu)
• Rejoin Flight
• Return to Base

The Intercept Menu includes Bracket commands, Split commands, and Draw commands. The Ground menu includes Attack Primary, Attack Secondary, and Attack Targets of opportunity. The Tactical Option which brings up a submenu with these commands: Break Right, Break Left, Break High and Break Low. On the Wingman menu Attack My Target and Help Me are also added to this list.

Just as there are wingman specific commands, so there are also Flight specific commands. The Flight menu includes these options:

• Radar On/Off
• Music On/Off
• Sort Bandits
• Status (brings up a submenu)
• Change Formation (brings up a submenu)
• Flight Systems Check
• Flight Weapons Check

The RADIO 2 key accesses the second COMMS tree by SHF-TAB and brings up a menu for communication with AWACS, JSTARS, and the Airfield. The AWACS menu includes these options:

• Request Picture
• Request Bogey Dope
• Request Assistance
• Request Weasels
• Request Nearest Tanker

By now you are getting the impression that you will NOT feel alone out there, and that there is a remarkable amount of very careful thought behind this simulation: and you would be right on both counts! AI is still being tweaked in F15 but most of it is in place, and while the intelligence may not always compare to that demonstrated by seasoned LAN play veterans, in other cases it may meet or exceed what you could expect from your buddy Bob flying as your wingman. And lets face it: most of us are NOT dedicated LAN pilots, and we are going to get better results from our AI wingman than the guy across the city who only flies on weekends. (For a briefing on wingman tactics see Dan Crenshaw's article).

Admittedly, co-operative play offers a camaraderie in crime that the AI can't offer. But we can still share our experiences together, and even design missions and share them and compare notes. Yes, F15 has a powerful mission builder: the same one that was used by the team to design the single missions and campaign. But thats another article! We've talked about some of the core, lets survey some other areas.

F15 will use point-and-click instrumentation and user-definable multi purpose displays, calling to mind the early efforts of Microprose with Fleet Defender and more recent cockpits from iMagic. But neither of these can do justice to the cockpit in F15. First, because it looks as good as iMagics F22, and second because it has COMPLETE functionality. I do mean COMPLETE.

Every button and knob and dial in Janes F15 does something. The UFC is completely functional. You can access one of the four AP modes, jettison your stores, switch fuel tanks, play with one of the eight radar modes or sub modes (including an adjustable LAW system), choose your weapons, adjust your HUD and on and on ad infinitum. Frankly, I don't think the Skunkworks team had any option but to go this route. There is so much command flexibility here that you would need FOUR programmable HOTAS systems and two keyboards to access all the options! But don't worry: Janes has made it easy by putting all the COMMS option on these menus. And you can even customize control options with a key mapper like the one built into Longbow.

Attention to detail? Try chaff and flare loadouts; you don't have to go with one basic configuration. Like the real Eagle pilots, you decide based on your expect opposition how to balance that load. Time to navigate. Will that be TACAN or Sequence Points? LANTIRN options: One pod or two? Don't like the Master Mode configuration? Don't worry, you can customize your MPDs and save the config. Tired of that Armament officer giving you the same CAS loadout every time? Design and save your own loadout for quick selection next time.

Lest this sound intimidating for the weekend fliers, let me assure you that Janes has pioneered the easy learning curve. There are more configurable items in Longbow 2, for example, than in almost any other sim out there. You can select enemy ability and simple flight models, and a whole list of other parameters can be tweaked to your liking. OR.. you can dive in at the highest levels of realism and throw caution to the wind! My personal favorite approach is to begin with maximum realism in systems and maximum difficulty and then cruise around under INVULNERABLE mode for a couple of hours. Then I scale back the enemy AI while I do some learning under normal vulnerability with real systems and flight modelling. The genius of Janes wide appeal is this incredible ability to customize everything.

In F15 Janes will take this to a new level with TWO separate manuals. The Casual mode manual is a short one for beginners and those weekend fliers who want to know basic systems and don't have the time to invest in learning four radar modes, but still want to have fun in a realistic environment. The EXPERT manual is detailed to the max, looking more like an F15 encyclopedia. This manual can also be used to build biceps for those of us who sit in front of high res color displays all day ;-D

The cockpit is looking very, very good as you can see from the shot to the left. Click on the image at left for a high res CombatSim exclusive (125K).

Naturally, the back seat Weapons Officer position is fully modelled. This guy will be on your case when you make dumb moves and will butter you up when you do well. He'll also cue you to bandits and other things you need to know, like the smoke coming out of your left engine! Naturally, you can jump into the back seat whenever you want. The best use of this ability is just to keep other displays at your fingertips for quick viewing. The shot below taken from the back seat gives you a good sense of the effort typical of Janes.

As we had heard, F15 will offer a virtual cockpit. This too is looking good and at first glance reminded me of the Hornet Korea virtual cockpit. Check out this virtual cockpit shot, and click for a larger image:

To the eternal delight of many fans, Janes F15 WILL include mid-air refueling. As with the rest of the simulation realism is a high priority and this part of the sim will keep the hard core crowd smiling. Since Janes has always included easy flight modelling options to ease the learning curve, refueling will be a snap for those who don't have as much time to invest in the sim. To refuel automatically you just hit and ALT key combo and its all done for you.

Although its not for the faint heart I gave this a try yesterday and was pleased that it only took me about ten minutes to get into position and get tanked up. Mind you, my virtual WSO was a big help, giving me advice once we were within one mile of the tanker. Radio chatter is commonplace in F15 and really helps with the sense of immersion. DiDs F22: ADF took this to a new level in December, and Janes isn't about to be outdone! This has been a welcome growth area for sims.

Refueling is a challenge, but its really worth mastering. Having to make that long flight in and then hitting a button to get past the hard stuff really doesn't cut it with most of us these days anyway. Speaking of which, you won't lift off the runway and find yourself five minutes from the action as in F16FF. The ATO (Air Tasking Orders) in F15 are realistic. I flew about twenty minutes until I needed the tanker, and another ten from there to the target. I also learned a couple of things from that IFR (In Flight Refueling) manouver, so lets talk a bit about the flight modelling in F15, an area that is head and shoulders above anything else I've ever flown.

F15 ventures where no pilot has gone before in a military flight simulation for the PC. Rather than compiling data on aircraft performance and creating routines that will model that performance in a variety of situations, Janes obtained the math that the USAF actually employs to model aircraft performance-- DATCOM. These equations have been incorporated directly into F15E.

That bit of work completed part one of an entirely new approach on the PC. part two was composed of stability derivatives for the F15. For that subject Janes enlisted Air Force engineers who shared the public domain data with them. Yeah, sounds great, but what makes this so different than simply using the old methods?

Having gone through the work described above Janes has essentially created a virtual reality physics model. In other words, the real aircraft and its performance have now been modelled on the PC. As a result, all the planes actual performance characteristics are in place. There is no longer a need to model particular situations in the flight envelope, with the inevitable result that some situations are not truly modelled. Every subtle effect will be in place, just as it would for the real aircraft and real pilot. Stalls, spins, speed bleed, inertia... none of these will be specifically modelled as in previous attempts at the genre, yet all will be immediately in place.

I've had a chance to observe this in action. From getting off the ground to snuggling up to a tanker to high g turns and speed bleed, this model is incredible! I've found myself wishing for another 5000 horsepower or a lighter loadout, but the feeling is quite amazing. Nose high authority at anything under 200 knots becomes problematic, especially if you try to manouver at that speed. I have been in a couple of spins, and I took a hit from an Su27 launched radar missile yesterday that generated a flat spin and I couldn't bail out!

The F15E under speed seems very responsive. But bleed that energy and then try to regain it when you're heavy and you will have a surprise coming! Janes F15 will give us a whole new vocabulary, I suspect. Air Combat Manouvers may never be the same. Wnat to get ready for Falcon 4? There is no better sim on the market to prepare you for that coming release.

Closely related to flight modelling, the damage modelling is also very fine. You thought the list of things that could go wrong to your Apache Longbow was amazing? Brother, you aint' seen nuthin yet! When something goes wrong in your F15, the bells and whistles will tell you about it, and so will your WSO. The Master Caution Panel is the display in question, and in the table at left you will see what that panel lists.

Master Caution Panel

• L/R Bleed Air
• L/R Eng Cont
• L/R Burner
• L/R Oil Press
• L/R Burner
• L/R Fuel Pump
• L/R Gen
• HYD PC1/2
• FLT CONT
• AUTOPILOT
• TARGET IR
• NAV FLIR
• PACS
• GUN
• TEWS
• RADAR
• HUD
• ADC
• FUEL LOW
  
• OXYGEN
• MINIMUM
• CHAFF
• FLARE

Whats it like when you first spool up the engines? As the jet rolls down the runway you'll see excellent detail of the moving control surfaces. If you're loaded to the hilt you'll find you need the entire runway to get off the ground. Don't expect this baby to lift off just because you can pull hard on the stick! Pushing the throttle to the stops, the afterburners light after some engine lag, first igniting on one engine and then the other. Check the temperature and you'll see a slight variation between engines. These may seem like small details, but it look and feels true-to-life. This attention to detail shows the attitude and dedication of the F-15 team.

Graphics? I forgot to mention graphics? It would be easy to think that because we are getting so much in the simulation that the environment has been neglected. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed! Under software only mode it looks good, and under 3dfx its almost F22 ADF. Considering that I run ADF at 800x600 while F15 is at 640x480, thats saying a lot! Like LB2, F15 will ship with support for 3dfx only and support for other boards will be considered later.

Next time I'll tell you about control systems in relation to the sim and give you a sense of the gameplay and some systems info.