By: Mathew 'JP-4' Herman
Date: 2005-11-14
Game Title: Down in Flames
Genre: Turn Based Air Combat Simulator
Creator: www.dvg.com
Co Developer/Publisher: www.battlefront.com
Minimum System Specs:
- Windows PC (Win98 SP2, ME, XP, 2000)
- DirectX 9.0c or higher
- DirectX 9.0c supported video card capable of displaying 1024x768 resolution or higher
- Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1 SP1
- 600 MB free hard drive space
- Internet connection STRONGLY recommended and required to access game updates, new features and campaign play
Release Date: 28 September 2005
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I must admit, when Paddles first asked me to take a look at Down in Flames (DiF), reviewing a turn-based WWII air combat game didn’t sound all that intriguing to me…to say the least. Historically, I’ve treated any sim lacking bleeding edge realism with contempt and disdain; I even got my callsign because I groused about the accuracy of the fuel consumption models used in Jane’s F-15 (pre-patch). Now I’m supposed to review an ACM card game? Come on! But, since there were no real combat flight simulators coming out anytime soon, I agreed to take a look-see at the beta demo and see if there was anything worth reviewing. What I found turned my dismissive attitude on its ear. To say that DiF is just a turn-based card game would belie the true beauty of this game.
DiF ships as a single CD in a plastic jewel case that includes both the game and a manual of the .pdf (Acrobat) variety. While I’m not a fan of e-manuals, what it lacks in pulp it more than makes up for in content. The manual is clear, thorough, well written and actually pretty attractive; kudos to the manual team that even went to the trouble of putting a paper texture behind all those color pictures and text. If you are new to DiF, I highly recommend going over the Rules section before diving into the game.
The install was easy and straight forward and I had no trouble with it at all. However, there are a couple details you should be aware of before installing the game. First, DiF requires Microsoft .NET Framework ver. 1.1, even if you aren’t going to play online. (Note: Battlefront doesn’t recommend using a higher version.) An installer for this application does show up in the start menu once you have installed the game, but DiF won’t run without it. Second, the install requires closer to 640 MB of free hard drive space instead of the 600 MB listed on the system specs. This isn’t a knock against Battlefront as most games take up a bit more space than listed in the system specs; but it’s something you should be aware of before you attempt to install the game.
When you start up DiF, you are taken to the Lobby screen. This also happens to be the only screen in the main UI, but don’t let this scare you. Given the straight forward design of DiF, this Spartan approach actually works relatively well. All other functions within the UI are accomplished through the use of popup windows and web pages. This screen also servers as the hub for online play. The Roll Call pane on the left quarter of the screen displays a list of pilots currently logged into the DiF server. The bottom quarter is used as the chat area. It also automatically detects and notifies you if there is a game update available, assuming you have an internet connection. Nice one guys, I wish more games would do this. There are a couple things, however, that I don’t like about this screen.
Three-quarters of the Lobby screen is dominated by a static 3D rendering of, what I would assume to be, a Squadron Commander’s office. While it does make a nice setting for the background audio of actual WWII recordings, it has no functionality. One could make the argument that, since DiF isn’t a simulation, there’s no need for an immersive interface...and I could go with that if it wasn’t for one glaring annoyance: no matter what country you fly for there’s always a Spitfire parked outside the window!
So what did I find about this game that I found so refreshing? The magic of DiF is that it focuses less on aircraft and more on the men flying them. From the Lobby screen, you will form pilots out of the dust, raise up squadrons to defend your cause and launch them into harms way. Not only is this a refreshing approach, but a critical choice for a game that doesn’t have a single line of physics code.
Whether you play online or offline, you will have to create at least one pair of pilots to defend your cause: a leader and his wingman that will fly together until death separates them. As they fight, they will gain experience, rack up kills, be awarded medals, earn promotions, and suffer from combat fatigue. It’s this last condition that will drive you to create a squadron. If you force your pilots to fly combat run after combat run, the resulting fatigue will yield them combat ineffective. By creating squadrons, you can rotate flight teams, giving a leader and his wingman time to recuperate. Depending on the results of a mission, each pilot will suffer differing levels of fatigue. The biggest hit, other than the big sleep, is being shot down; this type of loss will require an element to sit out several combat missions to recover fully.
Since it takes a good amount of time to develop fledgling pilots into seasoned aces, you’ll find yourself guarding these men like they were your own children. The longer you are able to keep your pilots alive, the more combat missions they’ll be able to fly, and, as a result, gain combat experience. It’s this accumulation of experience that is at the heart of pilot development. Depending on the results of each battle, pilots will earn experience points which they will use to purchase additional maneuvers, new skills and unlock better aircraft. Chuck Yeager was once credited with saying, “I have flown in just about everything, with all kinds of pilots in all parts of the world - British, French, Pakistani, Iranian, Japanese, Chinese - and there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between any of them except for one unchanging, certain fact: the best, most skillful pilot has the most experience.” Something tells me General Yeager would give his nod of approval to the emphasis that DiF places on the experience/skill corollary.
DiF offers five game types: 1 on 1 Dogfight, 2 on 2 Dogfight, 2 on 2 Escort, 2 on 2 Intercept and Campaign. The term 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 is a bit of a misnomer in that these are references to the number of elements involved in a mission and not the number of aircraft. It would be more accurate to refer to them as 2 on 2 Dogfight, 4 on 4 Dogfight and so on. Escort and Intercept missions involve one fighter element and one bomber element…which is always played by the game's AI. Campaigns offer a mix of all four.
Whether you play a Dogfight or Escort mission, you’ll have the choice to play these as either offline or online games. Intercept missions are only available offline while campaigns are always played online, though you have the option to play against the computer. I was surprised that the offline pilots you develop can’t be used in online play and vice versa. At first, I thought this was to prevent you from developing crack squadrons offline and then bring them online to clean house. However, since you can choose to play against the AI in online games, I’m still a bit mystified by this rule. I wasn’t able to determine why intercept missions are only available offline either.
It’s a bit difficult to go over the mechanics of a mission without discussing the aircraft of DiF first. Each fighter has a set of stats that directly impact a player’s hand. These stats, Airframe, Performance, Horsepower, Bursts, Attack and Defense, are a general statement of each aircraft’s combat ability. Every aircraft of the same type have the same statistics, but leaders and wingmen use their own subset of them. Bombers have their own set still, but since they are played by the AI I’m not going to go over them here.
Airframe is a rating of the aircraft's ruggedness and tells you how many hits a plane can take before it is shot down.
Performance is a more abstract rating of an aircraft’s general capabilities. In general, this is used to determine the maximum number of cards a player can have in his hand.
Horsepower is what you would expect, a rating of the aircraft's power plant that adjusts with altitude. At the end of a turn, a player may draw more cards, equal to their current horsepower rating.
Bursts is primarily a rating of an aircraft's relative combat posture, but is also loosely based on a corollary of an aircraft’s general offensive effectiveness and gun system. Each attack has a burst rating that must be met before being able to carry out that attack. Burst points are expended as you make each attack and are reset at the beginning of your leader’s turn.
Attack is the number of cards a wingman gets during their phase of combat.
Defense is the number of cards drawn when a wingman is attacked.
One of the really tantalizing details in DiF is that an aircraft have an undamaged and damaged state. An undamaged aircraft will utilize its maximum performance, but, as it takes hits, it goes into a damaged state which significantly reduces its stats. While DiF may not offer ballistics calculations, that doesn’t mean it misses out on creating that ‘blood in the water’ feeling when you’ve crippled your opponent’s plane.
Now that you know a bit about how aircraft are handled, let’s take a look at a typical mission. Once you have decided to fly a single combat mission, a parameter screen will popup. From here, you will select a mission type, choose which team to launch into combat, make any last minute skill purchases, select aircraft your aircraft type, set your starting altitude band, and select your response timer. The response timer also happens to be the only difficulty setting in the game. Initially, you will be limited to one aircraft type and to dogfight and intercept missions. As I mentioned before, you will unlock more advanced aircraft as your pilots gain experience and the option to fly escort missions as a result.
Once you approve your starting conditions, the preview screen will open giving you a quick glimpse of what aircraft you are up against and the purchases each pilot has made. Your pilots appear at the bottom of the screen while the opposition is listed at the top.
Combat takes place on the appropriately named "Dogfight" screen. Each mission is broken down into six turns, although I’ve seen them limited to as few as four, with each element playing through each round in five phases: Wingman, Altitude, Leader, Discard and Draw. Each phase is pretty self-explanatory, but deserves going over.
During the first phase, wingmen (I know big surprise there) choose the targets they wish to engage. After each selects a target, they draw a number of cards based upon their attack rating. Every card in DiF is either offensive or defensive in nature; there are a few that are a mix of both. Here you are looking for something offensive: either something to use to maneuver against the target aircraft or an opportunity to make an attack. Unlike leading aircraft, wingmen can play any attack card they have regardless of its burst requirement. This makes your wingman a potential offensive powerhouse. Keep in mind, though, that a plane can only make offensive maneuvers against another aircraft in the same altitude band. You can take your wingman out of the picture if you don’t have them in place at the beginning of your turn. This also works in the reverse and is a great tactic to use if you are on the defensive. Getting into a different altitude band robs the enemy of their opportunity to use their wingman during their turn.
The second phase goes pretty quickly since the only decision you are making is whether to remain at your existing altitude, dive one altitude band lower or climb one higher. There are five bands to choose from: Very Low, Low, Medium, High and Very High. Diving will give you an additional card to play in your leader’s hand, climbing will cost you one or two. Remember, as I mentioned before, altitude has a direct bearing on horsepower and how many cards a player can draw at the end of a turn. Tip: If you can draw only a single card at the end of your turn when the enemy can draw none, it may give you a significant advantage. The altitude phase is also your chance to keep away from the enemy if going on the offensive isn’t in the cards.
Again, as with the wingman phase, the leader begins by selecting their target. Once the target is selected, the player starts using the cards in their hand. The question is what to do with them now that you have your chance. This is where it will be critical to understand the cards in your hand and the relevance of positioning. Remember, when I said to at least read the Rules section of the manual? This is where your homework will pay off. In DiF, there are five relative combat positions: Tailing, Advantaged, Neutral, Disadvantaged and Tailed.
When you are tailing an aircraft, the enemy is in a completely defensive position and you have two distinct advantages. First, the enemy pilot can not shoot at you. Second, you have an additional 3 burst points at your disposal.
In the advantaged position, the enemy still can’t shoot at you, but you have only 1 additional burst point available to you.
Neutral: this is the position that all combat begins in; neither you nor your adversary have the advantage and can shoot at each other if you have at least 1 burst to use.
Disadvantaged, you guessed it, is just the opposite of Advantaged. The enemy is on your beam. You can’t shoot them and they have 1 additional burst point at their disposal.
Finally, Tailed gives the enemy the two advantages you had in Tailing. You can’t shoot at them and they have 3 more burst points to blast you out of the skies.
When I first started playing the demo, I thought a Tight Turn card was just as good as a Maneuver card to get into an offensive position and I didn’t know the difference between an In My Sights 1:1 card and an In My Sights 2:3 card. Now I’m not going to go through each card in the game, you have to do your own homework there, pilot, but a couple examples wouldn’t be cheating you out of your education.
The Tight Turn card is a reactionary or defensive card that can only be used in response to a move by an opposing player, like shooting at you, where the Maneuver card can be used to try and change your current position by one step. In My Sights 1:1 card will require that I have a current burst rating of at least 1 and will do 1 point of damage to an enemy aircraft. To play an In My Sights 2:3 card will require (together class) that I have a burst rating of 2 and will do 3 points of damage.
Let’s say that, as a beginning player, I’ve got a Maneuver and In My Sights 2:3 card in my hand. I’m in good shape right? Not really. What if I’m in a starting aircraft that has a Neutral Burst rating of zero? This means that, even if I get into an advantaged position, I still won’t be able to use my In My Sights 2:3 card because I will only pick up 1 additional burst point. To be able to play this card on my next turn, at least two things are going to have to happen. First, I’ll need to have the reactionary cards in my hand to keep in the advantaged position during the enemy’s turn (or hope that he has no relevant cards to play at all). Second, I’ll have to pick up another Maneuver card at the end of my turn to play next time…and that’s IF the enemy doesn’t try and foil my attack by playing a defensive card.
Once you have decided, or the cards have, to end your attack, the Discard phase is your chance to get rid of cards in your hand that aren’t working for you. If I’m tailing an aircraft, having a hand full of Tight Turn cards aren’t going to do me much good. Discarding one or two of them in the hopes of getting additional offensive cards would probably be a good idea. A word of caution here: this isn’t a game of five card draw. You can’t keep your one-of-a-kind and draw four more cards. Remember that Horsepower rating? You can only draw as many cards equal to that current rating. There’s also the Performance rating to consider. Even if you have the horsepower to draw two or more cards, if you only have one open slot, due to your performance rating, guess what...you’re only getting one more card. There are a couple ways to have more cards than your performance rating allows. For example, if diving to a lower altitude band puts you over your performance limit, DiF doesn’t make you throw away that extra card during the Discard phase. However, if you accidentally throw that extra card away, you aren’t getting one back.
Draw is when you will find out what kind of cards you’ll have to defend yourself with during the enemy’s turn and your next one.
Repeat this process for each element in each of the six turns and you have an idea of what the core game mechanics for DiF are, but I’ll be the first to admit it doesn’t capture the experience. When the last turn is played, you exit combat regardless and the Results window opens where all the moves, attacks, feints and counter-feints are combined into a score and fatigue is calculated. Remember, these are men fighting, not just planes.
Now, this is all a very basic illustration of what can go on during a single 1 on 1 Dogfight. Trust me, there’s plenty more under the hood and that’s without getting into the details of intercept, escort and campaign games. My hope is that you’ll pick up a copy for yourself and experience them for yourself...or at the very least take a look at the demo and see if it hooks you like it hooked me.
Boy, it sounds like there’s might be a lot going on here? You’d better believe it! DiF is no game of Go Fish with little airplanes on ‘em. Not only is there skill needed to play this game, but there’s strategy and tactics at work...not to mention a little luck. I knew Battlefront had me hooked when I found myself yelling at my monitor when the AI would pull its fate out of my hands or I wouldn’t get the right defensive card when I was faced with certain death. Take it from me, like any great game DiF is full of twists and turns.
Normally, I would spend at least a paragraph or two going over a game’s graphics, and I could do that here but it would be overkill. The graphics for DiF are well done, but I would have like to have seen something more detailed. Planes are rendered with adequate detail and animations are reasonably well done. Without going into details that might break my EULA (end user license agreement), it will be interesting to see if a mod community develops to take the graphics up a notch. The sounds, in general, do an excellent job of supporting the game with one exception: the voice responses to maneuvers get a bit wearisome and a little more time spent in the recording studio would have gone a long way. I do rather like the period background radio pieces played in the Lobby; they really got me to thinking what those times were like when much sacrifice was asked of everyone...and how much I have to be grateful for today because of that sacrifice.
I do have a few gripes about the game, mostly centered on the campaign system though. These are more complaints of what I would have liked to have seen more from the game and not flaws in the game itself. First, I didn’t care for the use of canned pilots in campaigns instead of using those you have developed. For me, this detracts from the reason to develop them in the first place. It would also have been nice to face off against the computer or another player, even a mini campaign, and see who has what it takes to develop the kind of pilots and squadrons that would lead to victory. This is really an offhanded compliment to what could have been done.
I’d also like to take just a second to address what seems to be the taboo of all game reviews: price point. To be honest, I thought $35 was a bit high for a CD with no box or manual (my review copy was graciously provided free of charge by Battlefront). However, as a friend of mine once said, “We vote with our wallets”, and if we want to see more quality titles from Battlefront or anything combat flight sim related from the PC game industry in general, we need to let publishers know that this is still a genre important to many of us...and that we are willing to pay for it.
True, DiF is no substitute for a 1-2 hour combat hop in a simulator; there are no complex physics models at work, or any surface-to-air threats to take into account. It’s also not a bug-free game, but that would be missing the point. What I did find was a great way to get your ACM fix if you don’t have time to don your flight suit, and a terrific way to spend a chat-filled evening with buddies...while blasting them out of the sky of course. This is one elitist that’s happy to have found that there are new lower-tech horizons out there worth exploring.