Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    I've seen one called "The Blue Angels" or something quite similar.
    
    The other one you are talking about sounds familiar also but I can't
    place the name.

    Well last night, after a lon g delay, I received my copy of this
    one (Digital Integration version). I bought it because the magazine
    I read positively raved about it, all sorts of rubbish about it
    being the best computer game ever created etc.... I've only recently
    bought my Amiga, I used an Amstrad CPC6128 for a long time, and
    one of its most serious drawbacks was the extremely jerky scrolling
    of the screen when you tried to move any portion of it larger than
    about a square inch. This was one of the main reasons I bought the
    Amiga, games where the part of the screen you view through the
    "cockpit" etc. would no longer jerk past you an inch at a time...
    
    Imagine my surprise when I fired up this game last night, only to
    find that it was exactly the same. Now to my naive semi
    computer-illiterate brain, there are two possible reasons for this:
    (1) the Amiga is just as incapable as an 8-bit machine of handling
    this sort of situation; (2) the programmers are incapable of handling
    it. Suggestions welcome...
    
    Apart from this, I have discovered a couple of bugs already (and
    I've only had the thing for about two hours) - eg it will ask you
    to insert different disks from time to time; if you insert the wrong
    one, it goes into an endless loop of asking you to insert the correct
    one, whereupon even if you do it asks you again. And again. And
    again. Only way out is to switch off.
    
    Apart from all this (which, I admit, spoils it completely for me)
    it's probably very good - I estimate it would take about a year
    before you'd be competent (a bit like the real thing?)
    
    -Rog
    

    >> there are two possible reasons for this:
    >> (1) the Amiga is just as incapable as an 8-bit machine of handling
    >> this sort of situation; (2) the programmers are incapable of handling
    >> it. Suggestions welcome...
    
    For the answer to this, I suggest you invest in FALCON, where the
    landscape rolls gently ( or rapidly ) by with never a glitch or a
    jump... the only time FALCON gets anything less than creamy smooth is
    when you're right up close to *several* MiGs ; they can flit about a
    bit, but not seriously so.
    
    Hmm, anybody else out there with F-16 Combat Pilot who's happier with
    it ? It sounds a bit disappointing, considering all the hype it's
    getting.
    
    Dave ( suffering serious withdrawal symptoms waiting for a replacement 
    	   for a Falcon Mission Disk that went bad... ) 

    What is REALLY BLOODY ANNOYING is that these magazines, who are
    so obviously only interested in keeping the S/W houses sweet, are
    the only source of information/reviews on these programs. Of course,
    you have absolutely no comeback against either them or the S/W Houses.
    yes, I know you can say "vote with your feet", but if I did that
    with every magazine that's made me waste �25 by publishing a misleading
    review (and every S/W House that has produced a naff program) I
    might as well bin the computer. If you write to the magazines to
    complain about one of their advertisers they don't answer; if you
    write to the S/W House they don't answer either. And they wonder
    why people make "pirate" copies of their games...
    
    Sorry about that, got onto my favourite subject there for a moment.
    
    -Rog
     

I agree that many magazines have software reviews which are at best
superficial and at worst misleading. Perhaps a review of reviewers
would be a good idea.

Pity the home computer owner who doesn't have a worldwide network of
experienced computer users/builders/programmers to consult with in this
notes file, but must rely on the mags and store owners, or perhaps
users groups, for "the straight dope".

I don't think piracy is excused by the unethical or sloppy actions of
software developers/retailers/advertisers, any more than car theft is
excused by unethical practices of used car dealers. But certainly I'd
do everything I could to make sure I could "vote with my wallet", such
as expect the dealer to let me "try before buy".

Well, that's where this notesfile comes in.  You can usually get 
a pretty accurate review of software here...plus you can contact 
the 'reviewers' directly for more info.

If you can, find a dealer that will let you try the software 
first.  We have a few in the Boston area who do.  I don't know 
about your side of the pond.

Randy
     

		I have F16-Combat Pilot and I like it alot.  I particularily
	like the two joystick mode wherein you have one stick that controls
	the rudder, throttle and undercarrige and the other the airlerons
	and vertical stabalizers.  The way the aircraft behaves is much more
	realistic than Falcon, when you stall this one you know it.  The
	landing procedure is more realistic as well, you MUST be on glide
	path at the proper airspeed and decent rate to make a sucessfull land-
	ing and you must touch down at the begining of the runway or you won't
	be able to stop before running off the end.  In comparison, I usually
	land Falcon under VLR whereas with F16 C.P. you just about have to
	use ILR.  Also F16 C.B. does night missions with variable winds,
	cloud cover and turbulence.  There is also a conquest mode in which
	you are a squadron commander with serveral aircraft to command as
	well as one to fly in.  Each mission has a different terrain con-
	figuration and you must plan your method of attack including weapon
	selection and flight path.  The graphics are not as good as Falcon
	but I find them acceptable and the copy protection is both on disk
	and by word lookup and you have to do the word lookup for each mission.

							Jim

    
    Has anyone saw or played the new simulator from OCEAN called
    "RETALIATOR". I've only saw what was in a mag but the features and
    graphics looked superb. The game is actually based on the new Stealth
    fighter , Another on due out for Xmas is called Fighter Bomber which
    included such activities as mid-air refulling, etc.
    
    						George
    
    

RE: .7

Is F-16 Combat Pilot more like a game or more like a simulators?
How does the number of controls compare with Falcon?
I noticed that the box is a lot lighter than Falcon's.  How is the
documentation?
How is the view out of the cockpit? THis is one of the failings.

How does this game compare with Falcon and F/A-18?

After playing Falcon, F/A-18 just doesn't cut it with me anymore.
I tought that F-16 and F/A-18 are put out by the same people.

John

John,

		F16 Combat Pilot is a simulation, as to controls, Falcon
	has no rudder control and, when in a tight turn, will drop the 
	nose down also Falcon does not stall realisticly i.e. you can pull
	the nose up no matter what your airspeed.  F16's out of cockpit
	view is not as good as Falcon but is close, the main thing I miss
	about it is the ability to look up that Falcon has.  There is no
	external view in F16 but that's okay with me as most people fly
	a plane from inside it.  F16 also gives you control over day/night
	,wind strength and direction,turbulence and cloud cover.  I like
	Falcon but F16 seems to have more realism in it's simulation.

						Jim

    I've been flying the F16 CP for a while now. I like it and have
    had no problem except once when the autoland system crash landed
    it! The manual lookup before each mission is a pain. Looking up
    once at startup would be OK.
    
    I had never succeeded in landing Falcon. This eventually led to
    my dumping it. F-16 CP makes landing reasonably OK.
    
    Graphics are slightly inferior to Falcon.

I almost bought F-16 Combat Pilot last night but it said on the
package "Advanced Processor Options Not Supported".  I assumed
they meant the Amiga 2500.  I'm not going to buy any software
that forces me to use the 68000.

Does any know for sure if F-16 CP does not run on eht 68020?

John