| Knights of the Sky | |
|---|---|
Knights of the Sky cover for the Amiga |
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| Developer(s) | MicroProse |
| Publisher(s) | MicroProse |
| Designer(s) | Jeff Briggs[1] |
| Platform(s) | DOS, Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release date(s) | 1990 (DOS) 1991 (Amiga, Atari ST) |
| Genre(s) | Combat flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player or multiplayer (head-to-head) |
| Media/distribution | Floppy disks |
Knights of the Sky is a World War I combat flight simulator designed by Jeff Briggs and published by MicroProse in 1990 for DOS and in 1991 for the Amiga and Atari ST.
A MicroProse action-strategy game titled Knights of the Sky (actually a Mega Drive port of 1992's The Ancient Art of War in the Skies) was also completed in 1994 but never released.[2] In 2007, it was also a working title for the never-finished WWI flight simulator that was supposed to be a debut title by the now-closed developer Gennadich Team.[3]
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The game's working title was Red Baron, until this name was "stolen" by Dynamix for Red Baron when the latter had been publicly announced first.[4] Following its original PC release, the game underwent two subsequent patch-style revisions that would add a more realistic plane damage system (source of much of the early controversy, as just one well placed bullet could cause a critical damage and taking non-critical hits were not communicated to the player whatsoever), and active NPC allied planes undergoing their own patrols (in a way similar to enemy patrols), available for free after sending a blank floppy disk to the MicroProse.
Knights of the Sky was a critical success. Amiga Power awarded 87% on its initial port for the Amiga, praising the feel of the gameplay, vivid graphics and quality presentation. Criticisms included a low framerate compared to the DOS version, poor handling of analogue joystick or mouse control, and having to use the keyboard to glance around during a dogfight.[5] On the game's budget re-release in 1993, Amiga Power revised their score to 92%, emphasising the exciting dogfights and scenery appreciation that comes with simulating the low-speed World War I aircraft.[6]