Feast or famine is often the way in combat simulations, and the pending release of TWO F/A 18 E Super Hornet simulations means feasting for Hornet fans around the world. The contenders are:

Digital Integration. Makers of the classic TORNADO, the first pc combat simulation to feature a fully dynamic campaign system and advanced mission planning. Tornado still has a fan following, and until recently even had dedicated web sites where co-op campaigns were planned.

JANE'S Combat Simulations. The skunkworks in Maryland has produced some excellent simulations, and are tough to beat when they release a study sim. Some of the best known titles include Longbow II and more recently, F15.

Initially there were few obvious differences between the two coming titles, but DI has verified that their simulation will include a fully dynamic campaign system and a COMMAND mode for the US release. This mode will allow interaction with the campaign system, including target selection and mission planning that may rival the system found in MiG Alley.

JANE'S will counter with an improved F15 campaign system, and an improved mission planner. JANE'S argue that the very best campaign system is more like a semi-dynamic system, where "a compelling series of missions combine to provide a sense of : 1) overall purpose, 2) progress and cause/effect due to the player's actions, 3) being part of a much larger world, where the actions of others have causal effect, not just your own, and 4) continuity through resource management (planes, ordnance, aircrews) and world integrity (dead things stay dead and regenerate over time as appropriate)."

USAF Pilot Records

The feel of a dynamic environment is paramount in creating believability and even raw "fun." And the dynamism of that environment extends to both simulation and interface. What I mean by the dynamism extending to the interface is the flow between missions and the form and frequency of supply of intelligence (debriefing, mission assessment, pilot records, mission planning elements etc.)

USAF did a great job in this area, but still lacks some of the dynamism of the classics like Tornado, EF2000, and Falcon 4.0. JANE'S FA 18, however, is likely to surpass USAF in this area considerably. Only time will tell, but as we wait for those first reports to begin flowing in, this article will share some of the tidbits from a pre-release version of the manual.

The "Latest and Greatest"

In our recent interview CJ Martin reported that, "we've raised the bar even further in our avionics modeling, doing stuff that simply hasn't been done before outside a full up multi-million dollar Military Simulator. The advanced defensive systems mean that even a rookie pilot has a chance against some very capable air defenses."

The manual as it stands is 200 pages of information, including 32 pages on the Mission Builder. Given the complexity of the systems, that strikes me as concise, and a first reading gives that impression. There isn't much introductory type material here, leading me to believe that we may see a separate guide for the novice.

For comparison, the manual for if18E Carrier Strike Fighter, iMagic's F18 simulation, was 149 pages in total, but only 115 pages were devoted to the simulation, and the level of detail covering various systems was much lighter than in the JANE's manual. Hornet Korea? GSC's manual was smaller yet, though their online training was VERY nicely done!

After reading through the manual I took a close look at the Reference and Installation guide. As I expected, JANE'S have pushed the envelope in this area, allowing configurability far beyond F15. Two new options under GAMEPLAY/FLIGHT include REALISTIC INFLIGHT REFUELING TOLERANCE and REALISTIC INFLIGHT REFUELING DURATION. Checking these two options should add considerable challenge for the determined pilot.

Under GAMEPLAY/WEAPONS the user can no select REALISTIC BOMB ACCURACY and REALISTIC WEAPON DAMAGE. The former creates a realistic blast radius, and the latter requires that the correct weapon be used against each type of target; a GP bomb will not destroy a bunker.

For the novice, new CHEATS include AIRCRAFT LABELS for aircraft within a certain range. The labels are color coded: friendly are green, neutral are blue, and enemies red.

Similarly, ground target labels can be enabled. An intriguing approach allows CASUAL VOICE WARNINGS to be enabled, providing additional SA for the virtual pilot.

In fact, addional speech can also be enabled under NAVIGATION CUES and TARGETING CUES (two separate settings), and a visual aid can be enabled that provides a green arrow to help guide you to your next waypoint and/or to your next target.

Under GRAPHICS options there is a huge range of settings. Here is a partial listing:

• Explosion Details
• Shadows
• Sun Glare
• Point Light Sourcing
• Volumetric Explosions
• Ground Smoke (3 settings)
• Light Maps
• Canopy Reflections
• Cloud Layer Transition
• Rain/Snow
• Lightning
• LOD Transitions
• Sparkling Water

For a cockpit tour of the recent history of F18 simulations, go to F18 Simulation Tour. See also our recent JANE'S F/A 18 Interview.