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} { of Orion... }