han@apple.UUCP (Byron Han) (11/18/87)
First off, I want to say that I have no connection with Spectrum HoloByte
except as a satisfied customer of Falcon. This is NOT any official Apple
endorsement of this product.
The Official Story:
It says that it will work on a Mac SE, Mac+, or
a Mac 512K or Ke machine with at least 1Meg. It comes on 2 800K diskettes
got a nice manual detailing how to fly a ^&*( F-16 correctly (i.e. without
crashing the plane).
Machine issues:
MacII - I have gotten it to run on my Mac II using the latest system and
finder with Multifinder turned off. You need to run it in 2 bit BW mode
and there is some brain damage with a few bitmaps and there is an annoying
flicker unless you run it in "slow down mode". Machine configuration:
Mac II with 40SCi, 5M RAM, standard color and BW monitors, lots of
INIT's in my system folder.
MultiFinder - I got it to work once under MultiFinder on my II
Then it stopped working. oh well..
Mac's with 020 accelerators - I also run it on a Prodigy SE. The slow down
mode is to make it more playable on some faster machines. It is REALLY
REALLY smooth on 020 machines. A very very fast without slowdown mode.
I have heard from ComputerWare that it will work on a Mac 512e but without
sound. I cannot vouch for that as I don't play on a 512e.
I wonder about the claim that it will run on a Mac 512 with at least 1 meg
of RAM since the game comes on two double sided diskettes.
Copy protection:
It is not copy protected. I don't think I need to say anything about
the illegality of pirating things.....
The Simulation:
I cannot determine the accuracy of the F-16 simulation as I have never
flown a F-16 or even been within 10 miles of one. But it is reasonably
smooth, and it is fun. The digitized sounds are GREAT. I like it better
than Microsoft Flight Simulator. Controls are managed from the keyboard.
The "stick" can be keyboard, mouse, or joystick driven.
Visually, the landscape leaves a little to be desired. Rather dull, but the
real excitement comes from dogfighting and bombing/strafing runs.
There are about 10 missions which can be played at 6 different levels of
skill (these numbers are approximate). At the first level of play, you
have unlimited armament and fuel and cannot crash. Great for getting
acquainted with the plane. Missions are either ground/air or air/air
flavored. You can encounter anywhere from 0-3 MiG 21's at one time.
This is user selectable. 3 is only recommended if you have an 020 machine.
There are a few problems though. Desk accessories are not available. There
is a small sporadic bug with the ILS System (headings sometimes are screwy)
and of course the BitMap bugs with the Mac II.
This was the first Macintosh application written by the CEO of Spectrum
HoloByte and was written in assembler. Not bad in my opinion.
The Future:
At present, the game is single player. Spectrum HoloByte will come out with
a free upgrade for registered owners to allow Mac-Mac, and Mac-IBM play.
Their tech support people are really nice. They are nice people.
Cost:
The game cost me $34 at ComputerWare in Palo Alto. Retails for $50 or so.
They have it in stock last I checked.
Disclaimers:
I have no connection with Spectrum HoloByte except as a VERY satisfied customer.
I have no connection with ComputerWare except as a satisfied customer.
I have no connection with SuperMac Technologies or Levco except as a
satisfied customer.
I have no connection with Microsoft except as a customer.
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* NOTE: I am _NOT_ an Apple representative. All statements and opinions */
/* are my own and are _not_ to be construed as any official Apple position. */
/* Byron B. Han UUCP: {sun,voder,nsc,mtxinu,dual}!apple!han */
/* Apple Computer, Inc. CSNET: han@apple.csnet */
/* 20525 Mariani Ave MS 27Y GENIE: BYRONHAN CSERVE: 72167,1664 */
/* Cupertino, CA 95014 ATTNet: 408-973-6450 APPLELINK: HAN1 */
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/