Late last week we heard that MiG Alley had gone gold. Jarring news, since there were still some apparent issues.

However, we got a couple of things wrong when a few questions went unanswered. Here is the revised report, with some corrections along the way! This article, like our most recent previews, takes the form of an "I was there" report. I will periodically interrupt the mission flow to point out particular issues.

My test system is the same as the last report: PII 400 with 128 MB RAM running under 3dfx Banshee in Direct3d. All realism options were set to maximum, resolution was at 1024x768 and I used the Logitech Wingman Force with Microsoft Sound System 80 and Aura Interactor cushion.

MiG Alley: Mission One
Campaign Five, January, 1951

It's January 15th and I am piloting an F86E Sabre on an escort mission flying about six hundred miles into North Korea. On this particular mission I am commanding two flights of four aircraft as well as "Rattler Group," a flight of eight B29s.

MiG Alley Directives

My position as tactical commander allows me to determine the strategic priorities for this phase of the campaign, and you can see where I placed my emphasis in the screen shot above. While Air Superiority and even Close Air Support are important, they are really secondary to choking the enemies supplies.

Comments: Notice that the Route info is quite extensive, including ETA and relative ETA between waypoints. The POSITION selection, however, only gives you a geographical listing, not vectors or coordinates (the latter of which wouldn't do you much good anyway.) As a result, you will not have any idea which direction to fly in for each waypoint other than by using your MAP view and guessing or using the WAYPOINT view and INFO bar.

Prior to flight we went through the usual briefing. I boned up on the tactical picture as well as checking INTEL for the target area. I knew what ground threats to expect and also what airborne threats were likely. Naturally, I also checked the weather and wind conditions! Korea in the winter is hell, by the way. (To see the weather report click HERE and for the target area click HERE.)

MiG Alley allows you to not only arm your own flight, but also to choose the weapons for the other squadron, the ground pounders, and even the bombers! I armed the AAA suppression crew with bombs AND rockets for good measure. (Check out Cobra flight by clicking HERE.)

The AI chose two initial missions based on my directives, and of these I chose to escort B29s to the rail bridge at Sinanju. From the Intel briefing you might wonder if this was a good choice, and in fact you can discard any mission the AI generates and substitute your own. I flew the default choice which may be part of the reason that the mission was rather boring. Why would the NK defend such a useless target?

On the runway at Kunsan I go through a quick visual check of my squad mates as I hear Tower give clearance to Shark LEAD for take off. I spool up the engine and hear it respond, and as it nears 100% I release the wheel brakes and start to roll.

Comment: Why does the AI choose to fly to a low priority, low use Choke point deep in North Korea? It makes little sense. No matter, you can choose your own priorities, which is way more fun by the way.

On the Runway

In the cockpit. I assume that the actual Sabre had some kind of indicator for wheel brakes on or off. There is nothing modeled in the Rowan cockpit to give this indication. Some won't mind, of course. At least they did model flameout, which can be very annoying when it occurs but helps greatly with a sense of reality.

I am soon airborne, and at five hundred feet I begin a lazy turn onto my route vector toward rendezvous with Rattler group. As usual I neglect to throttle back to 80% and I hear my wingman call for me to slow up. Cloud cover is heavy as we rise toward the canopy at twelve thousand feet.

Inbound for Sinanju

My squad mates form up as we swing onto a heading of 300. I check in with Dentist (ground control radar) for a picture and he informs me that there are no bandits anywhere near us. I then ask him for a vector to my patrol area, and he gives me a heading of 350.

Comments: the heading of 350 is completely useless to me. While my patrol area is indeed at that heading way up in North Korea, my first waypoint is actually at a heading of 300 where I will rendezvous with the B29 package and the wild weasel package from Taesong.

Unfortunately, Rowan neglected to give the player any way to obtain vectors to waypoints until he is actually in the air. Vectors are then obtained using the waypoint view key and the INFO bar ("F4" then "I"). Hitting F4 gives you a padlock view of the selected waypoint, and then hitting "I" changes the infobar to VIEW mode, giving you a bearing readout of the view you have selected.

This can be tricky because the waypoint view works on a rotating list. If you hit F4 more than once you will not be viewing your next waypoint, but the second one in the list, in this case the IP in North Korea.

Solution? You must use CTL F4 to restore the default checkpoint in combination with the MAP view. The MAP view shows you the hard wired waypoint location, and thus a direction from your flight in real time. It also lists the waypoint name, altitude and ETA. (Click HERE to see the info.) The clock in your cockpit is coordinated with simulation time.

As I level off at 15,000 feet on a heading on 300, I call to Shark squadron to check in. All my pilots report in, and I notch up my elevator trim for a gradual climb to 25,000 feet.

My Wingie

Notching the Trim

At this point I jumped out to the MAP view to go into ACCEL mode to the rendezvous waypoint. MAP view is an interface that allows you to continue to control and communicate with your flight, the tower, or FAC but cheat using time acceleration features. You can choose to ACCEL on your current heading or accelerate to your next waypoint, then jump back into your aircraft. ACCEL will kick you back into normal time when one of two things happen: you reach your next waypoint, or you encounter bandits.

Comments: When ACCEL kicks you back into normal time depends on the setting you have chosen in PREFERENCES/ACCEL OFF. Your choices are TACTICAL or ENGAGE. The normal setting will be to override when a tactical decision is necessary.

MAP and ACCEL Interface

Choosing Menu item #2 (Waypoints) takes you to a slightly different menu which is designed to give you waypoint information and allow selection of the next waypoint. You can use - and = keys to toggle the selected waypoint.

I flew two missions in the fifth campaign without encountering any bandits. Even the bombers failed to encounter any resistance, but then the action is mostly clustered around the FLOT in the south. The positive side is that MiG doesn't provide bandits on every mission, which is the case in some sims at the expense of reality.

On the other hand the AA group did encounter bandits, and the bombers called out a report on a bandit position at least once, probably near Seoul. So why did they not attack? It could be because we were heading North to parts unknown, far beyond the FLOT.

I was kicked out of ACCEL near Seoul on my second run through of this mission with notice from Rattler (the bomber group) of MiGs nearby. A moment later DENTIST (ground control radar, not actually present in the theatre until 1952 but introduced earlier by Rowan as a cheat for the sake of improved gameplay) also warned of a "MiG train heading south," but the position was much southerly of me and no threat to my mission.

I went back into the MAP and used ACCEL to reach the IP. I adjusted my trim for 30,000 feet level flight and then took a good look around. You will find that your wingmen have sharp eyes, but it's a good idea to do your own scan of the sky also. At this point Rattler lead called out for me to stay close since I was rapidly pulling ahead of the group and they were turning slightly east toward the target.

I checked my fuel level again and at this point noticed an odd reading. You can see that the external tanks are about one third full. Then why do my internal tanks show fuel use? There are no key controls to change from internal to external since this happens automatically when you jettison external tanks.

With external fuel still available I reduced throttle to allow the bomber group to catch up. I was now cruising at 50% throttle around 320 knots at 25,000 feet.

I'm enjoying the view up here. The cloud layer has moved up. A minute later I glance over my shoulder to the bomber group and I see them unleashing their cargo. They confirm that they are over target and a moment later I can see the flashes where the bombs are striking their target. It's time to call the group to head home.

B29s below

I call to my squadron to CLOSE UP and I turn on a southerly heading. I used TIME ACCEL to move forward, but as I watch the progress on the MAP view I see the bomber squadron turn around and head north again. WHAT THE ??? I knew I would be forced to court martial the squadron leader.

Post Combat Sub menu

Comments: I exited the MAP view and attempted to use the PostCombat Menu Items 5 & 6 to take control of the situation. But while Rattler acknowledged my call in a general way, they did not change their course. I turned my group north to cover them and try to figure out what I was doing wrong.

When I was within visual range I issued the call again (#5.) This time the response from the bomber group was specific. They were rejoining and heading home. It could be that they still had ordnance on board and were intending to use it.

I've been able to get into a couple of dogfights since my first crack at this: one in campaign and I also tried two single mission encounters where I flew as squadron leader against four bandits.

Occasionally I see a MiG 15 dance around me in a way that makes me wonder if they are flying with the same physics that I am. But on the whole dogfighting is a great experience and wingman performance seems solid. Your wingman WILL save your butt in this sim, and you will have opportunity to return the favor!

I could wish for more advanced COMMS. While most of the commands you will need are here I could wish for the ability to call for a vector to the strike group. Using the MAP to locate them is a cheat. But then, without ground radar coverage, how would they be able to give you a relative position? Either way it would be a cheat, and on the positive side relative visibility on my 19" display at 1024x768 is the best I have yet seen in a PC based simulation.

I am still wondering about ground attack ability. In the AI generated campaign missions I flew the Cobra mission failed to hit a single ground target, yet that was their assigned purpose. I am glad to acknowledge that they did take out a few MiGs around the target area and the bombers did take out the rail bridge (click HERE for the Dossier.)

Return to base was uneventful. When I called the tower for a vector to land at forty miles I was given the correct coordinates. But when I was within four miles and having trouble finding the airbase I called for clearance using Tower #6 and was told that they could not see me. I later discovered I should have used #7 (Land at Nearest.)

Finally, I flew two single ground attack missions to check the modeling of the F51 Mustang. Previously it seemed that the modeling here was unfinished, with the sound file very strange.

I'm sorry to report that there haven't been any changes yet. In short, where you have variation in pitch in any other modern prop sim out there, closing or opening the throttle in the F51 in MiG Alley will only get you a louder or softer engine noise. There is virtually no auditory feedback for increase or decrease of revs other than sheer volume. Hopefully this will be fixed prior to release.

SUMMARY

This is an initial report only, and it would be easy for readers to dwell on the issues I've raised and not notice how much fun I've had. I've enjoyed the missions I have flown in spite of the concerns I have mentioned.

Like Falcon 4, MiG is an ambitious and complex simulation. I spent only half a dozen hours with this version to produce this report. It will take another dozen or more to give a solid briefing.

Building your own missions in the campaign is quick and easy. Unless there are tweaks to the campaign AI building your own is more fun and definitely the way to go.

Rod Hyde of Rowan has written a response to the concerns raised here. See the following section:

Rod Hyde Responds

Why does the AI choose to fly to a low priority, low use Choke point deep in North Korea instead of critical targets much closer to the action?

If you go to Directives and click on Choke, a dialog of Selection Results will be displayed. This shows the targets in order of priority for targeting. The higher the flow of supplies through a choke point the higher the target is in the list.

The Directives AI then determines how many aircraft should be allocated to the target. If the target is close to active MiG airfields then an escort will be needed. The size of the escort depends on the size of the MiG threat. In a similar way AAA activity will be used to determine AAA escort.

MiG Alley Directives

The Selection Results dialog shows that there are sufficient aircraft to hit the first two targets but not enough to hit the third. In fact we have to go down the list a few more places before we find a target that is “weak” enough to be targeted by the remaining aircraft at your disposal.

Going for Choke targets first is a long-term strategy, which seems reasonable for the start of the Spring Offensive. Also, the higher that you can cut the supplies, the smaller the number of cross-country options that can be used to bypass the cut bridge.

As the war progresses you can change priorities by dragging and dropping the target types and/or changing the aircraft allocated. So the default set could be tweaked by reducing the aircraft allocated until only the first two missions are covered. The aircraft released could then be used for something else, for instance armed reconn just behind the front lines.

This shows how flexible the directives are. Essentially you can tune up the directives and get the missions you want rather than manually building missions. Don’t forget that you can change the priority of mission types by dragging and dropping the types to re-order the list.

MiG Alley Tasking

We would expect though that real enthusiasts would find that manually building the missions is more rewarding. However we do have to cater for a wide range of users. In any case you can use the Directives to set the framework of a session’s strikes and then tinker with them.

My point is that a human being can always do better but the Directives are a good starting point and people have won the campaign using them when they have learnt how to change priorities. The real challenge is to find a strategy, which means that you win in the shortest possible time. You have from January to the third week of June. That is just short of 600 sessions! But it is likely that you will have to duck some session because you are running low of aircraft. To do this go to the Frag with no missions set.

BARCAP, Flight Modeling

You flew the C5 default and encountered no MiGs Did you have a BarCap up? This is definitely the most exciting place to be. That is why we put players by default into the Sabre. Sometimes the MiGs get through to the bombers sometimes they don’t.

You questioned the MiG flight and physics modelling. The MiG model used depends on the Preferences. If you have complex pilots set then all AI aircraft go through the same flight model as the manual pilot. The AI “moves” the stick. If the simple model is set then only aircraft engaged with the pilot use the complex model. The rest use the same energy model but a simpler manoeuvring model. To say any more we would have to know what settings you had and what exactly you saw.

Call for a vector to the strike group. This is an omission that we could think about addressing. I use ALT F2 to lock to the leader of the strike group. (Ed.Note: The "escortee" view was not available in earlier versions, a great addition!)

Ground attack ability. If the ai hit the target everytime I think we would get some complaints! There is a reasonable hit rate and you know the old saying: if you want a job done well, do it yourself!

You make a good point about waypoint vectoring. Adding the vector to the dialog would be useful. However, you can get the info when in the cockpit. Ctrl f4 to reset back to current waypoint.

Engagement AI

Leaving the area when out of stores. For the fighter-bombers there is logic to change stores to keep pounding at a target until the aircraft is really out of stores. However the B29s go home as soon as they have dropped their bombs. Once in the air, you have no control over the big bombers.

We don’t know why they turned back. However it is worth mentioning that they have their own waypoints in the target area (distinct from your own) and they may have been following them. B29 missions work fine for us but you may have found an odd situation. We would like to know more.

Post Combat/Send All Home. There is some confusion here. We should have said Post Air Combat. For instance, “Send All Home” issues an instruction for all aircraft in your group to disengage and reform with the group leader. Note that fighter-bombers in non-air combat roles can get embroiled in air combat if their escort is ineffective. Then these commands could be used.

AI aircraft dis-engage sensibly. By that I mean that they don’t just turn for home, they need to be sure that it is safe to do so. If they are not dis-engaging, ask for a Status report and find out who needs help.

For non-air combat missions, when you are in a strike group then you can use the FAC menu to issue some general commands:

Begin your run
Leave the area
The tutorial section of the manual tells users how they can use these commands.

MAP and ACCEL Interface

If you are not in the strike group you cannot influence them, they are in charge. To control your group you have to use the map screen to change waypoints. Highlight the waypoint you want and then make the Next WP = highlighted WP choice.

NAV and Group Control, Cockpit Dials

Why is the current waypoint still the target? If you are not in accel you have to fly near/through a waypoint for the system to automatically move you onto the next waypoint. Alternatively you can use the map screen to change the next waypoint.

You asked for more info on the Fuel Dials. The Sabre cockpit in the sim is taken from photographs of the instrument panel of an F86A-1. A comparison between these instruments and those found in an F86F show a number of minor differences including a change in the fuel gauge.

The A model has an internal fuel gauge which reads in US gallons and can also have a fuel totaliser (in some versions this instrument is replaced by a course indicator). The F86F-1 through to F86F-30 aircraft typically had one fuel gauge which displayed the internal fuel in units of 100lbs.

Although three versions of the F86 are modeled in the sim, the variations in the cockpit layout have not been included. All the versions use the F86A panel except that we have replaced the fuel totaliser with a simple total fuel gauge calibrated in pounds. This is useful because we display fuel in terms of pounds on the map screen. The internal gauge only drops when the external tanks are empty or have been jettisoned.

Microsoft Sidewinder Pro Stick. This is not our favourite stick for flight sims. Although other Microsoft sticks are better. The initial resistance when moving from the dead zone is so great that fine control is very difficult. The situation is improved by changing the dead zone to large (Controls in Preferences). Even so we did get used to the small dead zone after a few minutes of testing this morning. The experience was not as good as with other sticks at our office.

To indicate the onset of stall, we provide:

Wind buffet noise
Cockpit shake
Vibration on force feedback
Also note that with full reality setting you get an uncommanded pitch up when pulling hard and this can push you into the stall.

F51 Sound

Like the late Spitfires and Hurricanes, the P51 used a variable pitch, constant speed propellor. This means that the propellor and engine speed can be controlled by the blade pitch and is relatively independent of the throttle setting. The constant speed propellor improves the efficiency and perfomance of the aircraft while reducing the wear on the engine.

The sim models the action of the propellor and the change in pitch of the blades. This ensures that the engine speed varies very little as the throttle setting is changed. This explains why you don’t hear the characteristic pitch change when the throttle is moved. You should, however, hear a change in the volume of the engine noise. The default setting for the engine volume is low(Preferences), this can be wound up to get a bigger effect.

Only two settings are provided for the desired engine speed(shift 0):

3000rpm for take-off, climbing and combat
1800rpm for efficient cruising

Shift 0 does give a variation in pitch but we accept that it is not a large as it could be. We have not found a better authentic sample that loops satisfactorily.

Conclusion

In conclusion, then, we know that MiG Alley can be improved but we think it is a good and enjoyable experience now. That is why I was happy to let it be mastered. All developers would like to keep on improving their game but we have to be aware of the commercial pressures. Development costs have risen by a factor of ten in just five years and publishers are withdrawing from the market. These are very worrying problems for us in the industry.