Team Apache
MiGMan’s Combat Diary | First impressions, 1998
Team Apache took full advantage of the new world of 3D graphics acceleration and in consultation with real world AH-64 pilots. created an immersive and exciting combat helo experience.
The virtual cockpit scrolled smoothly and in conjunction with the helmet mounted display gave a great sense of immersion.
Training
In the first training lesson Sgt. McNabbit shows you around the cockpit. Make a cup of your favourite beverage because the good sergeant is going to talk for quite a while!
HINT: Go to the options screen "O" and make sure that:
Wind is turned OFF
Ground Effect is ON
... otherwise the wind will cause the chopper to drift and the good Sergeant will keep taking control of the chopper back from you!
Look out for the Water Tower! It's actually a great reference point for practising the hover and moving sideways.
In the fourth training lesson you practice using unguided weapons ( cannon and rockets )
Then you go onto armoured targets.
SA-11
T-80
ZSU
Training Mission 5 is a Night Mission, requiring use of the Pilot Night Vision Goggles
In the mission you attack an Armoured Column. Without the goggles all is black... very black! In fact it's no use putting a picture here because it would be black on black! However when ordnance cooks off you get spectacular lighting effects, as you can see below (just after a rocket launch).
In fact, infra- red goggles usually display as green just as Team Apache displays it.
Dispensing flares at night shows off the sim's spectacular lighting engine.
The first Columbia Campaign Mission in the involved prepping a LZ.
I would suggest a loadout of rockets as this will allow you to blanket the area with suppressing rocket fire then mop up with cannon.
You first rendezvous with 2 UH-1's and escort them to a jungle clearing.
The second mission in Team Apache pits you against AAA and SAM's. I would suggest a loadout of Hellfires to engage the AAA from a safe range.
Environment
The sim modelled urban environments which made for the kind of exciting helo flying that really only happens in movies. Or sims.
The sim also had well modelled airports for 1998.
This is the way to catch a plane!
The planes wouldn't succumb to cannon fire but an artillery strike did the trick!
How about this... vehicles you can chase!
Now has anyone truthfully... landed on the roof of this truck?
In the fifth training lesson you will see a small town on the highway complete with a gas station..
Not many sims have gas stations!... except perhaps those "Sim City" games...
Church
Spectacular rock formations which invite you to fly under them.
Fawlty Towers
Actually there was nothing faulty about these towers until I came along in my AH-64D Apache. There are lots of breakable objects in this sim - and I am impressed by the detail lavished on how they break!
For example this guard tower - the structure collapses under cannon fire - the legs crumple and it falls slowly - real Hollywood material! This sort of thing makes mopping up a pleasure.
The environmental lighting changed with time of day.
Pyrotechnics were satisfyingly rendered using the 3DFX engine.
