Novalogic has always managed to achieve a nice balance between action and immersion. Even though hardcore sim fans have avoided Novalogic games on the whole, the light to middle market has embraced their games with enthusiasm. Comanche 3, Armored Fist II, and F22 Raptor have outsold most other games in their categories because of their broad market appeal.

One of the great surprises of E3 was that Novalogic is set to break into the middle to hardcore market early this fall with the release of F16 Multirole Fighter and MiG 29 Fulcrum, both of which will connect to F22 Raptor for multiplayer engagements on RAW. Novalogics acronym for this environment is IBS: "Integrated Battle Space."

Click any image for a larger shot...

Okay, sounds tame so far. Whats the big deal? The big deal is a new graphics engine that runs under 3dfx at resolutions up to 1024x768, more attention to detail in avionics and systems modeling, and FREE multiplayer action! Hmm. I notice you're paying attention now = )

Seriously, there is a different feel to these new sims. As you can tell from the cockpit shots, they LOOK entirely different as well. With the beta firmly in hand I've had a chance to play a few scenarios and even take a peek a the first campaign in F16. Performance looks and feels quite good. The flight model is looser than that of F4 to be sure, but speed bleeds, loadout affects performance and the model incorporates a full six DOF.

When you bring up the larger shot of the HUD above you'll notice incredible detailing in the river and terrain. You'll also see the flak bursts from the ground defenses.

F22 Raptor will be upgraded for this coming release, and can you imagine the fun of 12 players in the same arena flying these three aircraft? I wouldn't be half surprised if Novalogic later adds the Su27 to this mix, or a Russian stealth fighter to even the odds.

One of the things that has kept me OFF RAW up to now has been the size of the engagements and artificiality of the environment. Yeh, I know its supposed to be FUN, but FUN for me is partly defined by realism. After all, where are you going to have thirty or forty F22s duking it out for victory? Sorry, just not real world.

However, with this DACT environment and the possibility of more limited tactical team engagements, hmmmm... I'm getting interested! The games will be released with campaigns and single missions, so that this is NOT a king of the skies engagement. Add to this a more realistic treatment of the systems and avionics, and I'm about ready to dive in. What are Novalogics new goals for realism in this multiplayer environment?

Novalogic has been working closely with Lockheed Martin to get the F16 modeling right. As if that weren't good enough, they are also working closely with a former Russian cosmonaut and test pilot (Yuri Pridhodko) to get the MiG 29 right! This former pilot had substantial stick time with the MiG 29, the Su 27 and the MiG 31. Now you know why I was speculating about the next in the series =)

The graphical environment is FAR beyond anything yet seen from Novalogic. Clouds, fog, wing tip vortices, water, terrain, objects and effects all look fantastic. The terrain is stunning at 1024x768, and object detail is similarly high. Aircraft are gorgeous, although your opponents are not quite as nicely modeled as the stars of the show.

When you begin a mission the camera sweeps toward the runway, and as you get close to your aircraft you see the canopy begin to swing shut. Physics modeling, as per Comanche 3, is detailed enough that you can watch a missile leave the rails, drop back and then vault forward. The difference in both weight and drag on the aircraft itself is modeled also, and you will a very nice smoke trail following the missile...

Like some other graphics engines out there, F16 and MiG29 will allow you to run up to 1024x768 on a single V2 board. Good news for the budget minded, especially with Voodoo Banshee now coming up fast. On a P233 and beyond you really don't need a huge amount of horsepower for this one.

Damage modeling should be beyond what we have seen in Comanche Gold, but its too early to comment yet. I've taken numerous hits in both the F16 and MiG29 in this early beta, and haven't seen any graphical representation of the hits on the aircraft itself. I have, however, been treated to some WILD spins, both flat spins and other, and have only managed to recover once so far.

As for G effects and redout, if you get into a good spin your vision won't last very long. Try pulling a high G turn at 600 knots in your F16 and you will likewise lose perspective quickly, which can result in serious side effects, like meeting terra firma and ending your career.

Voices are very nicely done, with real Russian accents when you fly the MiG 29. Chatter is also well done and usually informative. You will hear calls from AWACS or FACS when appropriate. At the moment the comms menu doesn't allow you to initiate the check in with AWACS or FACS, however. But then, the focus of these sims is the multiplayer RAW arena anyway.

Click for 1024x768 image.

The quick missions follow Novalogics standard approach: succeed in the first mission and move on to the next. The quick missions lack the atmosphere of the campaigns, where there is a sense of progression and a great deal of activity around you. Also like Novalogics previous entries, distances seem compressed and you won't fly very far before you get into the action. For an action oriented sim, that's how it ought to be.

Wingman comms? This seems an area that could use further development. You can issue about eight different orders to your wingman, but there is not yet a command that will allow you to check his remaining stores. It would also be great to be able to assign him a scan zone. But remember the primary goal of this series is multiplayer action where a break and engage command will put another human pilot on the warpath with you.

With their new entries Novalogic is making the leap to a clickable cockpit, so like Janes F15 and Microprose Falcon 4 and others, if you have the right gear you will enjoy a new user-friendly environment. In fact, with the increase in realism this may be the summer you will finally make the move to a programmable HOTAS. (Check out our recent surveys and reviews for more info. Both Saitek and Thrustmaster systems incorporate trackballs, but you can easily add a laptop trackball system to the SUNCOM HOTAS also.

As you will see from the shot above, the cockpit itself looks very sharp. Novalogic is modeling the block 52 Mid Life Update of the F-16C which includes the LANTIRN system (no surprise then that they chose the "Multirole" title). Novalogic intends to give us the entire gamut of missions, including night SEAD and Strike missions and have even chosen to model TFR (terrain following radar).

Its great to see Novalogic move toward the more serious simulation genre, and I wish them success. Its also great to see an entry like this smack in the middle of the realism and difficulty levels in an F16 sim, but at the top of the heap for immersion and graphics. My guess is that Novalogic will have a smashing success on their hands, greatly surpassing even Comanche 3. With the ability to play on your own or join in a large multiplayer environment, this sim will appeal to a wide spectrum of players.

Here are some recent screen shots from F16 and MiG29 as well as excerpts from Novalogics FAQ. Click for the larger image, up to 1024x768.

Q: What distinguishes the MiG-29 from other fighter jets?

A: The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum is known mainly for its maneuverability and has often been compared to its closest Western counterparts, the F-16 Multirole Fighter and the F/A-18 Hornet. However, innovative technologies unique to the aircraft allow the MiG-29 to perform some maneuvers that cannot be performed by typical Western jet fighters, giving it an advantage at close-in combat. The aircraft also utilizes an infrared search and tracking (IRST) system that enables it to secretly detect and approach the enemy.

Q: What are the primary differences between the F-16 Multirole Fighter and the MiG-29 Fulcrum?

A: The F-16 is primarily a ground attack fighter, but the aircraft also has an air attack ability. This versatility allows the plane to be used in missions that range from bombing to air-to-air combat. The MiG-29 is bigger and heavier than the F-16, and has more powerful engines. The MiG-29 is primarily an air attack fighter, and excels at intercepting enemy aircraft and shooting them down.

The F-16 is very maneuverable at high speeds, while the MiG-29 is more maneuverable at slower speeds. As the two planes pass each other, the F-16 has the advantage because it can turn quickly to get on its opponent's tail. When the dogfight slows, the MiG-29 can out-maneuver the F-16 and gain the advantage.

In F-16 Multirole Fighter, missions involve Combat Air Patrols, Air Intercept Missions, bombing, SAM hunting and Close Air Support. MiG-29 Fulcrum gameplay consists primarily of Offensive Counter Air, Defensive Counter Air and Air Intercept missions.

Both the F-16 Multirole Fighter and MiG-29 Fulcrum are considered aggressive air-superiority fighters, each being the other's close rival in air combat. Using the competitive advantages unique to each aircraft is the key to claiming victory in a combat scenario between the two aircraft. The test of these competitive advantages is within NovaWorld's Integrated Battle Space, where you can fly F-16 Multirole Fighters, MiG-29 Fulcrums and F-22 Raptors with over 120 human opponents in one online arena.