Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War
| Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Neoqb, 777 Studios |
| Publisher(s) | 777 Studios, Aerosoft, ND Games |
| Engine | Neoqb engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) |
World War I Flight Simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer, Career, Training Campaign |
Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War (Russian: Война в небе – 1917) is a World War I combat flight simulation video game developed by 777 Studios and released on May 7, 2009.
Development
Rise of Flight premiered at Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, and at CIS Igromir 2008.[1] Closed beta testing of the game began in April 2008.
On May 7, 2009, Rise of Flight was officially released in Russia with Russian publisher ND Games. In the USA, Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War was premiered at the 2009 E3 and was officially released on June 25, 2009 in the USA by its publisher 777 Studios. Aerosoft gained publishing rights in Europe, with the game also being offered for download from Direct2Drive.
On June 3, 2010, it was announced[2] by 777 Studios that the game would be re-released in the North American market on June 29, 2010 and branded as the Iron Cross Edition. Eight flyable aircraft (plus one bonus flyable aircraft - dependent on the distributor) come with this version: the Spad XIII, Fokker D.VII, Albatros D.Va, Nieuport 28, S.E.5a, Pfalz D.III, Sopwith Camel, and the Fokker Dr.I.
On June 28, 2010, it was announced[3] on the official Rise of Flight website that 777 Studios had "acquired all rights to Rise of Flight and the neoqb brand."
Gameplay
Rise of Flight is a flight simulator depicting aerial warfare over the Western Front during the First World War. The timeline of Rise of Flight covers 1916 to 1918. The included game map covers over 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 sq mi) of the Western Front (roughly equivalent to the size of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania), western Ukraine and the English Channel. Two flyable aircraft are included in the base game demo (Albatros D.Va, SPAD 13.C1), with additional add-on aircraft from 1916 to 1918 available for purchase online. Each plane and the simulation of its respective engine and weapons, according to the developer, is modeled in great detail. Furthermore, the game renders damage to the aircraft resulting from airframe stress, battle damage, fire, and collisions.
The 3D map with many towns, rivers and 'aerodromes' was designed according to the historical maps and information from the war years of 1914-1918.[4] The game features several games modes: Quick Mission, Single Missions, Campaign, Career, and Multiplayer.
The game features aircraft from both the Entente and the Central Powers. Users can create their own missions using the provided Rise of Flight mission editor.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
The level of artificial intelligence of the NPC pilots of Rise of Flight is based on non-linear decision making methods, making game situations less predictable for the player. This means that there is a difference in flying skill between the novice AI pilot and that for a veteran pilot or Ace. A triggering system allows one to design missions where AI pilots operate independently, or they can be instructed to follow preset scenarios
Mission Editor
The supplied Rise of Flight Mission Editor allows the user to create both simple and complex missions and provides an opportunity to use a user's creativity in order to build missions. Each object's movement, rotation, cloning and more may be modified. Objects can be grouped and saved to media, re-imported and further used as separate groups such as standard flights of planes, convoys of motor vehicles, or standard types of buildings and other infrastructure. Missions may be imported and allow swapping content such as plots and objects between mission designers easier. This 'group, copy, cut and paste' feature helps to speed up the creation of really complex missions. Game cameras provided with the mission editor can also be used for movie creation. Within the game engine, cameras belong to the mission and can be operated as a part of the game process without interruption.
Personal statistics and system of awards
A logging system allows for the creation of statistics for all players. Statistics can be detailed and also refer to the player’s role as fighter pilot, two-seater pilot, or bomber pilot. Rise of Flight has a flexible system of difficulty and customization with associated system of awards.
Login Offline
Players may also play offline, after having logged in on-line and synchronizing their profile via 'Login Online' at least once. Gameplay in offline mode is restricted to certain modes of single-player gameplay, namely Quick Mission mode and Campaign mode.
Game content
In-game content is updated and extended with patch files that are downloaded through the game's start-up interface. Players can also make computer-controlled aircraft flyable by purchasing new cockpits from 777 Studios's online store.[5] In addition, a number of aircraft and pilot enhancements can be purchased, including field mods (such as gunsights and gauges), weapon mods, pistols, scarves, and wing streamers.
Controls
Rise of Flight has 14 different complexity settings. The game supports joysticks, pedals, yokes, and also TrackIR.
Reception
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Notes
- ↑ "'Igromir - 2008'. Overview". November 13, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.simhq.com/_air/PDF/RoF_ICE_announcement.pdf
- ↑ "ROF ICE in the North America". June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ Rise of Flight map
- ↑ "Rise Of Flight Store". Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ Butts, Steve (July 8, 2009). "Rise of Flight Review". IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ Fritz Schneide, Christian (October 28, 2009). "Rise of Flight - Spannende Flugzeug-Duelle im 1. Weltkrieg". GameStar. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ Jung, Tomáš (July 18, 2011). "Rise of Flight - recenze - GAMES.cz". Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ McMesser (July 29, 2009). "Война в небе - 1917". Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ↑ Millheim, Edwin (July 2009). "Rise of Flight PC Review". Impulse Gamer. Retrieved December 6, 2012.