Flight-sim roundup

Flight Journal, Dec 1999 by Ethell, David

Pilots can compete against up to 32 players through NovaWorld. Like its predecessor, Comanche 4 will allow players to fly cooperatively or solo through many campaigns. The Comanche's role is quite different from that of the Apache, so expect to spend more time in scouting and reconnaissance missions.

Super Hornet 2000, Digital Integration, http://www.superhornet.com, release date: 3rd quarter, 1999

Competing directly with F/A-18 from Jane's, Digital Integration hopes Super Hornet 2000 will set the mark in realism. Including everything from variable weather patterns and fully 3Dmodeled cockpits to fully operational carrier decks and realworld avionics, Super Hornet should compete well.

Super Hornet comes on the heels of Digital Integration's successful F-16 Fighting Falcon product. Although overshadowed by Falcon 4, F-16 received high marks for, among other features, its object modeling. It will be interesting to see how Super Hornet 2000 and Jane's F/A-IS compare.

General aviation simulations

Current

Fly!, Terminal Reality, http://www.iflytri.com

It seems as though we've waited forever for this simulation to arrive. Terminal Reality first started showing off the simulation back in 1998 at E3 in Atlanta. Fly! is here at last, and most pilots haven't been disappointed.

Fly! features some of the most realistic terrain in any general-aviation simulation, along with very thorough cockpit modeling, ATC and more. Unfortunately, the main competitors of Fly! all have new products waiting in the wings. If you're a serious general aviation sim'er, you'll probably need to pick up this game.

Upcoming

Pro Pilot 2000, Sierra, http://www.sierra.com, release date: 4th quarter, 1999

Last year's entry from Sierra almost took the cake in general-aviation flight sims, losing out mainly because Pro Pilot 99 was not as customizable or extendable as MS Flight Simulator 98. Although it doesn't look as though Sierra has embraced third-party addons the way Microsoft has, it has added enough new features to PP 2000 to ensure that most casual simulation pilots won't need to look any farther.

Pro Pilot 2000 adds a few new aircraft in addition to the weather and ATC systems mentioned above. In an effort to make what was already a nice tool into an indispensable one, Sierra has also reworked the flight-plan system.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000, Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com, release date: 4th quarter, 1999

We finally get to fly the Concorde! You know you've always wanted to take a group of passengers over the Atlantic at Mach 1. I'm pretty sure the Air France pilots don't do rolls along the way, though. For some reason, Microsoft has decided to release both standard and professional versions of FS2000. The professional version adds the Mooney Bravo and King Air 350 along with six extra cities and several editing programs.

If you aren't interested in tweaking the flight models and don't mind missing the higher detail levels for those cities, the standard version should suit you. All those pilots who insist they could design a better flight model, however, should pick up the pro version and prove it.