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To Dream, to fly - adventures in flight simming
1998 - Multiplayer MiGs The AWACS were valuable assets because they provided a datalink into each cockpit with gave you a tactical overview of the whole arena. Not that there was much tactical flying going on, partly due to the incredible ferocity of the fighting. My current situation was a good example. Survival was the name of the game. I had configured for air defense and taken off to patrol the airspace around one of our main bases. While some of the team had taken off to assault the enemiy's infrastructure I was happy for the enemy to come to me. Not that this approach could win the war, but I really really wanted to have a bash at shooting down one of the enemy's best attack pilots. This simulation ( Novalogic's F-16 Multi Role Fighter and MiG-29 Fulcrum - (Novalogic - 1998) ) was particularly good for practicing missile evasion. The cockpit showed a good 360 degree display of incoming missiles and you could adjust the range to suit the situation. then it was down to timing ... and skill!
Well during the previous flight I had seen an incredible display of missile avoidance skills. An F-16 had come screaming in over the coastline and in an awesome display of aerial ballet had dodged the missiles of two defenders and left me totally in the dust. I turned the MiG in time to see him (her?) unload a pile of bombs smack bang on target and then turn back towards the coast and send 2 sidewinders in my direction as a parting gesture. Result - one bombed base and 3 very embarrased MiGs! Anyway didn't get my rematch because two air defence F-16's turned up and, once more, I was on the defensive... flying behind those remaining hangars. As I rolled upright the cockpit warning lights were vying for my attention. Not good. Also my sudden lurch away from terra firma had left me with the nose at about 70 degrees high with two afterburners blazing. Oh oh.
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The year was 1998
and Novalogic had released 2 sims which provided the most intense and fluid simulation of jet combat seen to date. I was amazed, not only at how fluidly the sim ran on my Pentium 266, but even more so at how well the internet multiplayer worked. Considering that I was using a 36 K dial up modem the performance was extraordinary, with very little warping of enemy aircraft.
Flying against other humans instead of the usual computer AI really lifted my game. I found myself flying lower, faster and generally more aggressively.
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