| Falcon 4.0: Allied Force | |
|---|---|
North America boxart |
|
| Developer(s) | Lead Pursuit |
| Publisher(s) | Graphsim Entertainment |
| Version | 1.0.13 (January 27, 2008) |
| Platform(s) | PC (Windows), Mac (OS X) |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Combat flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force (F4AF) is an F-16 based combat flight simulator created by company Spectrum Holobyte and further developed by MicroProse and now by Lead Pursuit. Lead Pursuit was formed after gaining a license from Atari (who later owned the license) to continue Falcon 4.0 development. Many of its employees were members of the Falcon 4.0 modding community .
Allied Force was released on June 28, 2005, and is largely a compilation and unification of existing modifications over the original Falcon 4.0 and the official patches. Prominent members of the Falcon 4.0 modding community were hired into Lead Pursuit . Allied Force also introduced several major new features and significant improvements in realism and stability.
Falcon 4.0:Allied Force is a detailed simulation; like other simulations, it may take the user some time to become proficient and familiar with all of its features. Allied Force comes with a 716 page manual, which can act as a "quick start" guide to flying a military jet. Allied Force focuses primarily on learning to fly and fight in an F-16, yet also allows the user to manage all the ground and air assets in a campaign if they wish, or control and vector fighters as part of an E-3 AWACS squadron.
The simulation allows the user to control the level of realism: the player can either set the realism settings on maximum, or enable options such as invulnerability and unlimited ammo; this may make the game easier for newcomers or players who wish to have a less realistic experience.
A player that enables many of the realism settings must work with his Wingmen, friendly assets such as AWACS, JSTARS, Airborne Tankers, Forward Air Controllers, and other friendly aircraft if he wishes to be successful.
The emphasis of the simulation's air combat is the use of Beyond Visual Range missiles to destroy opponents many miles away, while maintaining the pilot's situational awareness. The player must therefore learn not only offensive tactics, but an ability to detect and counter a threat such as an incoming enemy missile. Due to the nature of Beyond Visual Range fighting, Within Visual Range (Dogfighting) is rare in the game's campaign modes. There is, however, an "Instant Action" mode, where dogfighting may occur.
The game provides simulations and training missions for some common situations, such as: landing during an engine flameout, BFM, navigation using on-board instruments, avoiding SAMs, and deploying various weapons against air and ground targets.
Allows the player to set up a situation in which dogfighting will take place. This is a Single or Multiplayer mode. In Multiplayer mode two or more humans can combat one another over the Internet. Dogfight mode also allows the player(s) to choose between: Missiles and guns, or Guns only. You are also alllowed to choose fog height and density, air defences or no air defences, where you dogfight, at what height you dogfight, and a option for unlimited 20mm cannon ammunition.
Here a player can build a mission with a number of customizable parameters, including the target, payload, enemy presence, customization of aircraft, etc. This is also a multiplayer mode.
Falcon 4.0:Allied Force has a dynamic and customizable campaign. Once a player starts a campaign, the game will begin executing the campaign in real time. Thus, even when the player is not flying, other aircraft, ships, armies and anti-aircraft sites may still be fighting. This is represented to the player in a 2D map where objects can be displayed or hidden. The player can accelerate the campaign to 64X normal time, set up new flights, select weapons load-outs, view target areas and map waypoints before the time arrives for the next mission.
The campaign modes take place in the virtual battlefields of Korea and the Balkans, which can be configured based on historical data from 1999, 2005 or from how the area might appear in 2010. Each timeline will automatically change the type of weapons and sophistication of aircraft used in the campaign.
Korea The simulation includes the original Korean peninsula battlefield between North and South Korea. Here NATO forces support South Korea in various scenarios that can also involve China supporting North Korea.
3 campaigns are included for this region:
The Balkans (Italy, Sicily, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro)
Here NATO forces take on Serbia, supported by Russia.
3 campaigns are included for these regions:
"Operation Powderkeg, 1999" is similar to the actual Operation Allied Force, although the number and type of enemy aircraft and SAMs have been increased to give the player a challenge.
(Any of the 6 campaigns above can be set in the years 1999, 2005 or 2010.)
The campaigns can also be played online over the Internet. Here teams of players around the world can fly together in strike package formations as wingmen and help one another complete the assigned mission by attacking ground targets, enemy jets, and accomplishing other mission objectives. Multivipers is one example of such Virtual Squadrons.
Non Flyable
Flyable
(all fixed-wing aircraft are flyable (except for AWACS) with a slight modiffication in the game files)
The game includes a useful database including most ground vehicles, aircraft, weapons, and ships that are in the simulation. Each entry is presented with an image and text information on the subject.
In game, players can record parts of their flight which can then be reviewed later in the ACMI. Here the fight from any angle or viewpoint can be played, paused rewound or forwarded through. Also information can be shown on the screen such as turn rate, speed, turn radius, and altitude to help a pilot ascertain where they may be going wrong.
Lead Pursuit has been updating the game with new patches, considerably enhancing the functionality of the simulation as they've released them — particularly in the multiplayer aspect, which now allows extremely smooth close-up formation flying for players across the world. One of the most popular online Allied Force servers is Multivipers, which runs real-time campaigns lasting days. Players jump into missions — whatever missions they like — and their success or otherwise determines the course of the campaign.
The development team Lead Pursuit are rumored to be in production of the successor to Falcon 4.0: Allied Force. With the demise of Microsoft Flight Simulator[1] the Falcon name could claim to be the longest running flight simulation series.
Although not programmed originally with modification in mind there are several graphical enhancements available from hobbyists to give the objects and terrain more detail.
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