[rec.aviation] More on: Advanced Flight Trainer for C-64

doug@edge.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (01/12/88)

After more playing with Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer for the C-64,
I'm lowering the grade I gave it from B to C+.

Why?  Bugs.  Specifically, the "recording" features do not work in either
the Follow-The-Leader scenario nor in the Racing scenario.  And come to
think of it, how *could* they work?  The disk has no write-enable notch!
[You wanna use a notcher on YOUR disk and see if it works?  Go right ahead.
Let me know what happens...]

As a result, both of those scenarios are much less interesting than they
should have been.  I'd already downrated AFT to a grade B because of lack of
long-term interest; with the bugs in the recording feature there isn't even
middle-term interest.  So, down to a B- for having had such fundamental bugs
in the first place, and down to C+ for significant loss of "fun value".

I have also figured out the general "mapping" scheme.  The world is divided
into 16 areas, a 4X4 square, each area 40 miles across (hence the ability
to jump 40 miles North/South/East/West on the "location" menu).  One area
is completely empty.  The others each consist of 9 sections (in a 3X3
square), with little square markers at the corners.

Contrary to the documentation, there are only 2 airports: the main one and
the one 40 miles east.

I'd already complained that the simulated F-16 has a Flaps switch.  I've
been told that the SR-71 simulation shouldn't have a Flaps switch either.

I've never seen so many bugs in an Electronic Arts product before.  It's
clear that they really wanted the C-64 version on dealers' shelves before
Christmas, and the quality of the product seriously suffered.  I hope they
plan to correct the bugs, and also to replace any buggy versions already
in customers' hands.  But I'm not holding my breath...
-- 
Doug Pardee -- Edge Computer Corp., Scottsdale, AZ -- uunet!ism780c!edge!doug,
{ames,hplabs,sun,amdahl,ihnp4,allegra}!oliveb!edge!doug,    mot!edge!doug

cs64wes@sdcc14.UUCP (OUSLEY) (01/13/88)

  First of all, "notchers" are just hyped versions of hole punchers,
and second, I have used a hole punch on all of my disks (double-
sided double-density, of course) for five years now with NOT ONE
failure.  
  Also, have you considered making a BACKUP copy on another, non-
write-protected disk?  
                                     -Jonathon Chance

     {I have given you the power!}     {Who is number one?   }
     {Do you understand?         }     {You are number six.  }
     {I have given you the power }     {I am NOT a number !  }
     {of the Q!   Use it.        }     {I am a FREE MAN!     }

	   {I have seen attack ships burning off the shores}
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