Joystick and throttle, rudder pedals for tail rotor
SmartDrive to reduce load times
Fast PCI video card
On January 16th 1991, four US ARMY AH-64A helicopters went
into Iraq to take out key early warning radar sites, to
pave the way for the coalition airstrikes to come. This
marked the end of Operation Desert Shield and the beginning
of Operation Desert Storm. In 1989, AH-64A helicopters took
out APCs in Panama in what was the beginning of Operation
Just Cause. As a US Army promotional film dictates, Apache
"rules the night."
Installation
I found installation to be a simple matter. You will have a
choice of install sizes though its great if you have enough
disk space to do a medium or large install. Similarly,
Longbow will run fine with only 16 meg, but 32 is better.
For max detail you will want a P166 or better to maintain a
good frame rate when things get hairy.
Likewise, you don't really need the rudder pedals. I made
do fine without them for the first six months of Longbow by
programming the tail rotor to button H2 L/R on my F22 Pro.
But when I finally added pedals I was nicely surprised by
the added quickness of response. Mind you, if you plan on
flying at more than 60K the tail response is progressively
lost anyway.
A feature I was completely surprised by initially is the
ability to remap the keyboard controls to any position you
wish. This also makes programming the TM gear simpler in
some cases, especially with the older FLCS and WCS stuff.
Customization is the name of the game these days, and
Longbow is adaptable in spades! You may choose the flight
model, graphics options, sound options, and general
gameplay and keyboard preferences. You can even remap the
kb if you like. Similarly, there are graphics options to
customize Longbow for your CPU power, and you can tweak
individual options, including variables like wind. Wnat a
real challenge? Try putting er down down or lifing off with
a driving wind in your face! Its a whole new ball game, and
you will be wondering what in the world you are doing wrong
if you forget that you selected the wind option!
Difficulty is impressive on the higher levels, and choosing
CAT 2 is recommended for the average player. You can always
move up the scale as your confidence and ability improve.
There are three levels in total for enemy AI, though this
is adjusted upward somewhat in the Flash Point add-on. Yep,
it gets tougher!
The Longbow box actually contains TWO CDs. The second is
filled with actual footage of the AH64A & AH-64D in
action. Videos can be watched from the training grounds
area with a virtual VCR.
There are 5 videos in all, covering topics like the radar
system, the Hellfire missile, and the Apache in general.
There is a host of data available to you. When you are at
the airbase you may also access the Janes Reference Manual.
You can access detailed information about the AH-64A &
D, along with data on all the enemy and allied forces'
weaponry.
Graphics to the Max
Graphically, Longbow has been well compared to Sierra's
Silent Thunder: A10 Tank Killer II. Flying NOE at 40 feet
or so, the terrain does convey a sense of speed. In fact,
Longbow uses a new graphics engine built for the
simulation, and no other chopper sim looks so good.
As you fly along, hundreds of hillsides and other masking
terrain features, so conducive to unnoticed activity, come
along for the pilots delight. Apache is designed specially
to take advantage of this situation: to pop up and scan,
remask, then let fly with Hellfire missiles. Ths simulation
allows you to experience sand dunes in Iraq, jungle
hillsides in Panama, and mountains in the Baltics... what
more could you ask?
Typically, its the small things that really add to the
realism. Ground troops take pot shots at you with small
arms, and a wide array of SAM & AAA installations, both
mobile and stationary, and choppers like the Mi24 HIND
& Mi28 HAVOK come to life in Longbow. As for object
detail, Longbow sets new standards, more authentic than
anything seen to date. For that "been there" feeling,
choose the target view (F7) and watch a SAM site track you,
finally launching the missile. Or check out the same view
just before your own missile makes contact! You can see the
parts flying off, sometimes soldiers running away, and the
smoke, flames and blast is incredible! Or when your own
Blackhawks touch down, watch soldiers running into battle.
And what would a state of the art simulation be without cut
scenes? After each landing, whether intact or not, you will
view appropriate sequences. Of course, crashing in enemy
territory gives you a slightly different scenario!
Sounds in the Night
Sound in Longbow, as with graphics and gameplay, are top
notch. Rotor sounds, while possibly lacking absolute
accuracy, are terrific and realism is increased with the
FPK add on). Hellfire missiles, rockets, and the 30mm
chaingun, all produce great effects. Voice in the cockpit
is likewise appealing, and the instructor in the training
missions sounds like a downhome Texan. And when you foul
up, his voice and inflections get similarly foul!
With reference to training, the simulation is worth the
price for this feature alone. Andy Hollis is no slouch when
it comes to simulations, but in this area he has set the
bar a notch higher, giving other designers something to
reach for. Training is so well done, one wonders whether
Andy has secured some secret NATO contracts as a result! It
simply is fabulous! The instructor will lead you through
everything from simple explanations of flight, how the
cyclic, collective, and rudder systems work, to weapons and
avionics systems. The former head AH-64 instructor from FT
Hood, Texas assisted in design; it shows!
The Action
When its time for action, the introductory mission will not
get you sweating. The first mission is a cakewalk, and its
a good thing because you will appreciate it later. The
variety of missions and objectives are tremendous: recon,
search & destroy, being told to hold fire unless fired
on, and many other variations will be thrown at you. Even
though you know the simulation is NOT essentially dynamic,
you may forget! From the detailed mission briefings, to the
final landing back at your FARP, the sim keeps you on the
edge. And not only that, you have the option to record your
flights and replay them later!
If you like a challenge, you will like the ability to
re-fly a mission that was a failure. At high levels of
realism, at least until you have plenty of action behind
you, you will occasionally find yourself dead! On the other
hand, if you like a challenge or are on your second time
through the campaign, fail a few missions and get a whole
new direction to the campaign, with even more challenging
missions!
In addition to the campaign structure, you can also play
single missions which are randomly generated based on your
choice of mission objective, terrain, and enemy
intelligence levels. There are about 200 possible missions
in the single mission area of Longbow; this random
generation feature is another stroke of genius, and it adds
another great training ground!
The instant action mode is another option, as well as
historical missions. Janes and crew have recreated twelve
actual missions which were flown by the US during Operation
Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause, six from each venue.
You can fly in the sands of Iraq in the first mission of
Desert Storm, taking out early warning radar sites.
Operation Just Cause takes you into the Panamanian jungles,
with heaps of hillsides for masking, searching for
Noreaga's Learjet in a hangar at a heavily protected
airbase.
Janes Longbow offers what is without question the most
authentic flight model yet seen on a PC. Origin based this
model on the information from JANE'S &
McDonnel-Douglas, makers of the real McCoy. Furthermore,
they had actual active duty AH-64A pilots to offer
feedback! When you flyon the realistic settings, you might
as well by flying the real thing!
In Longbow you will also have control over your wingman,
artillery strikes, and airstrikes. Hmm. Is there anything
Janes forgot? Your wingman is a necessary companion in many
missions, carrying extra weapons, covering your rear, and
taking on those bogies who have been lying in wait for you!
You will need to learn to make good use of your wing, or
your success rate will be dismal. Toward this end, there
are a host of commands available to you: attack my target,
give me your targets, weapons hold, weapons free, go
home,form on my wing.
In a simulation of such depth, its difficult to cover
everything. The kitchen sink is NOT missing in Longbow, and
all the different IHADSS modes are intact. Multiple camera
angles are offered, and the pilot may set up PFZs (Priority
Fire Zones) just like in the real machine. Data linking
targets is not present, but is added in the FPK add-on. And
don't worry; the manual is detailed and well organized. If
the standard manual is not enough for you, there is an
official Strategy Guide you can purchase to help you along.
Flash Point Korea
There isn't much else missing on the realism level, but
Flash Point does add a few items to the inventory.
Specifically, FPK adds the ability to shut down each engine
individually, and the ability to manually activate the fire
extinguisher. You can also set the burst rate of the 30mm
cannon, just like in the real AH64, from 10,20 & 50
rounds. For more info see the Longbow
Gold Review.
Finally, the only other thing that IS missing from this sim
is multi-player options, to be added at a later date. Dont
sweat it, though, because Longbow was designed from the
ground up to support MP. With the Flash Point add-on,
reviewed separately, you can practice the two seat CPG
thing to prepare for the multi-player mode.
