When Digital Integration released F16
Fighting Falcon last year it was a good simulation of
the F16, and although it lacked a dynamic campaign, it
shipped with a great mission builder. However, it was
somewhat hampered by an older graphics engine (state of the
art hardware at the time was a P200MMX).
Then in December DI released a beta Review). Now DI has outdone themselves by
releasing a great package of simulation fun in Front Line
Fighters!
Front Line Fighters is the full meal deal, combining three
DI titles in one box for the price of a single sim. As if
that weren't enough, all three titles now have new life
under 3dfx acceleration! Front Line Fighters contains FULL
versions of Apache-Longbow, HIND and F-16 Fighting
Falcon all running under the F16 enhanced graphics engine
and 3d acceleration! This really is good news, because
Apache-Longbow and Hind were great sims in their day and
are a lot of fun when connected together.
Hind was released just before the time I started taking
chopper sims seriously. In spite of that fact I remember
the enjoyment of friends and the babble among sim fans in
general. Hind did a great job of systems simulation and
even had a respectable flight model. DI also did a great
job with Apache, and DI was ahead of the pack in providing
the Hind/Apache duo, allowing head-to-head engagements in
the serious chopper class.
When I loaded up Hind I was a bit surprised at its familiar
but improved look. Really, it looks pretty darn good under
the F16 engine, but it FEELS so different from any Longbow
sim in flight that its a new experience. With the fantastic
frame rate offered by 3d acceleration no one will be
complaining in that department! The sim now also benefits
from all the joys of 3d hardware... clouds, smoke and fog.
Perfect!
Hind is also unique in its ATO. Until Janes Longbow
expanded our roles with the Blackhawk and Kiowa Warrior the
missions tended to be a bit repetitive. In some ways DI
were pioneers in the multi-role experience since the Hind
is a multi-role attack helicopter. The Hind is used for
insertions and extractions, escort and attack, and Close
Air Support. Its also a very TOUGH adversary and built like
a tank. Yeh, it was a bit of a treat to load this up...
If you don't have 3d hardware, Hind will still run without
it. Ditto for Apache. The bonus of this package is that you
get BOTH sims, BOTH CDs and can go ahead and pass one on to
your buddy and get in there and get dirty in head to head
combat. Very, very nice!
F16 Fighting Falcon
As if that weren't enough, the package includes F16
Fighting Falcon with the completed 3dfx patch AND the
Afghanistan Campaign Disk. And you wont' have any patching
to do because the exe has been updated with 3dfx support
ready to go.
Sim fans are already commenting that the terrain in the
Afghanistan campaign is the best of the bunch for F16.
There is something familiar here too, either the Flight
Unlimited experience in the Grand Canyon or EF2000 in the
fjords of Norway. There are some impressive canyons and
steep-sided valleys in Afghanistan, and they will add a new
level of challenge to your low level ingress or egress. In
fact in the second mission I flew I was tailed by two MiGs
and I watched one meet a fiery end in a narrow passage of
the canyon.
The new campaign includes ten new single missions plus the
campaign itself in the same mode as the original release.
No, its not dynamic, but its a good branching design with
plenty of action. The mission tasking and overview
component is still here and as good as its original release
last year.
SUMMARY
Personally, I'm not crazy about re-releases and most GOLD
versions leave me COLD. Thankfully, there are exceptions,
and Flying Corps GOLD is one. DI's Front Line Fighters is
another.
Its not clear to me whether this package will be available
through the standard mail order outlets, and I've sent a
note to DI asking for clarification on that. But hopefully
it will be, because its a great bundle and you can run
these sims on anything from a P90 to a PII 333. If you DO
have 3dfx acceleration and don't want a steep learning
curve, this is one great bargain at about $60 US.
