subLOGIC

subLogic

Type	Corporation
Industry	Computer and video games
Headquarters	Urbana-Champaign
Key people	Bruce Artwick Stu Moment
Products	subLOGIC Flight Simulator Microsoft Flight Simulator

The subLOGIC Corporation is an American software development company. It was formed in 1975 by Bruce Artwick while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and in 1978 incorporated by Stu Moment.^[1]

Bruce Artwick and Stu Moment produced a number of "ground breaking" computer video graphics programs during the 1980s. Their software development expertise, combined with an avid interest in flying, led to producing a very successful flight simulation program: "FS-1" (1980). In 1982, "Flight Simulator" was licensed to Microsoft. Since 1982, Microsoft has released major updates to Microsoft Flight Simulator ^[2] approximately every three years.

The company produced software other than flight simulators, including children's educational software,^[3] the A2-3D1 animation library for the Apple II,^[4] and Night Mission Pinball (1982).

Company flight simulator timeline

1975

"FS-0" — Engineering thesis by Bruce Artwick: 3D-graphics demo of the simulation of flight on the Apple II.

1978

Bruce Artwick and Stu Moment start subLOGIC to market graphics and systems software for microcomputers.

1980

• January: First generation: FS1 for the Apple II, four-color/monochrome, with a two-gauge panel (airspeed, altitude), on cassette tape.
• March: First release of FS1 for the Tandy TRS-80 (16 kB), monochrome, without panel, on cassette tape.

1980/81

New releases of FS 1 for the Apple II on 5¼-inch floppy disk, with altitude-counter, enhanced terrain lay-out, "3D"-mountains and other structures.

1982

• New release of FS1 for the TRS-80 with enhancements, on 5¼-inch floppy disk
• November: Second generation: Microsoft releases FS 1.0 (created by subLOGIC) for the IBM-PC: four colors (+ dithering), panel with eight gauges, new coordinate system, four scenery areas (20 airports), two COM radios and DME (no ADF), nine view directions, weather, slew, simulated aircraft is a Cessna 182.

1983

first release of FS II for the Apple II by SubLOGIC, comparable to PC-version, but six-color, solid filled, four areas, now with 80 airports, more roads, rivers, mountains, buildings, bridges, ADF, simulated aircraft is a Piper Archer. Better manuals.

1984

• New releases of FS II (eight-color) for the Commodore 64 and Atari-800.
  Several new releases with some added functionality for all processors follow.
• Several new releases of MS FS 2.1x for the IBM PC with the same functionality as FS II, including a special version for Tandy computers.
  Manuals for these versions were better.

1985

• Jet, an F-16 flight simulator, was released in 1985. Supported platforms: DOS and the Commodore 64, 1986 for the Apple II, 1988 for the Atari ST and Amiga, and 1989 for the Macintosh and NEC PC-9801.^[5]

1986

• Third generation: New releases by subLOGIC of "FS II" (some call it "FS III") for the Amiga and Atari-ST with 320×240, 16-color display, new menu system and multiple windows and views (including spot view), an enhanced coordinate system and enhanced scenery (buildings, bridges) in five areas with 120 airports.
  Autopilot and multiplayer option. Aircraft: Cessna 182RG and Learjet 25.
• Microsoft releases "FS 1.0" for Apple Macintosh. Functionally the same as the third generation Amiga and Atari versions, but high res, monochrome. Without multiplayer option. Also comparable to "FS 3.0" for the PC (1988).

1986

First add-on sceneries by subLOGIC, gradually covering the whole of the USA, compatible with both Microsoft and subLOGIC FS versions.

1987

First non-USA add-on scenery (Western European Tour, with special Paris, London and Munich scenery) by subLOGIC.

1988

• Bruce Artwick leaves subLOGIC and founds BAO Ltd (Bruce Artwick Organisation). He retains the copyright to Flight Simulator. subLOGIC goes its own way with the development of "Flight Assignment: ATP" (Airline Transport Pilot).
• June: "FS 3.0" (part of third generation), created by BAO but released by Microsoft for the PC only: 16-color EGA (640×350), new panel, new high resolution scenery structure, better weather/time of day features, flight recording/analysis, multiplayer. Mediocre flight model. Comparable to FS II for Amiga and Atari ST.

1992

AAF (Aircraft and Adventure Factory) by Mallard: including first "real" ATC.

subLOGIC denouement

Bruce Artwick left subLOGIC to form the Bruce Artwick Organization, which was taken over by Microsoft and Tony Garcia in December 1995.

SubLOGIC continued under the ownership of Stu Moment, who produced Flight Assignment: A.T.P., which specialised in simulating passenger airliners. It used a scoring method to determine the performance of the user. SubLOGIC began a new flight simulator, but was taken over by Sierra who completed the program and released it as Pro Pilot. Moment continues to run the present subLOGIC corporation as a generic simulation company, in addition to being an airshow display pilot with his Classic Airshow company.

See also

• Flight simulator
• History of Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

References

External links

• subLOGIC company profile at MobyGames