From: andrewf@meaddata.com (Andrew Fenic)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: F15 III
Date: 21 Dec 1992 15:19:12 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: jalapeno.meaddata.com


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Purchased the new game F15 Strike Eagle III over the weekend.  First off,
I own a 486-33 and the frame rate is barely adequate.  All of the 386 folks
I have spoken with are furious and have returned this title immediately.
Clearly, either you own a 486 (preferably, IMHO, a 50 or 66) or don't even
bother picking this one up.  (Unless you are willing to wait 3-4 months for
the patches that are bound to come)

With that in mind, it seems to be an OK game.  The cloud graphics are very
nicely done, with the ground being a crude patchwork of oversized pixels
designed to give you a better feel for both height and speed.  The effect,
while ugly, does give one a better feel for where the aircraft is in the sky.
The cities are very poorly rendered; Essentially an ugly comglomerate of big
black, grey, and white rectangles.  You definitely have to spend alot of time
with this one to learn to appreciate the graphics.. my first reaction was YUCK
but I've gradually learned to accept and even enjoy them.  Explosions and ground
vehicles & structures are the exception.. they are rendered just beautifully.
The explosions are very well done, with secondary effects and large fireballs
rising slowly into the sky.  Night mode is also NEAT.. you can see tracers &
lights on ground objects but not much else without the FLIR.. very realistic!

Flight model seems pretty good in authetic mode, especially as compared to
Falcon 3.0's highly touted and fairly pathetic high fidelity mode.
(I remember the "patch" that fixed the bug that the plane didn't accelerate
when you pointed the nose towards the earth.. OOPS!  Also the F16 glides
better than a sailplane.  And then the flight model doesn't change as you
drop ordinance.. stays at takeoff configuration.  If I ever join the military
I don't want to learn how to fly w/ that trainer!)  Biggest gripe about F15III
is the one against the world motif, save for the fact that you and a copilot
can direct connect 2 PC's (or modem, but I hear 9600 is minimum for acceptable
combat) and fly the bird together.  Can't wait to try this one out.. hear good
things, though.

Anyhow, it needs alot of work and patches.  They will make it a great game,
but probably not before Xmas '93.  Until then, consider it a beta copy and
have some fun with it.  The manual & picture book are also very well done.
Hats off to the MPS development team for trying something new, too.  I'm
SICK of polygons!!  They are going to catch a ton of flak for the frame-rate,
but I'm sure they can fix it given time (Dynamix did on AOTP, after all).
I'm also glad MPS is moving away from the hokey F117a type flight models.
Alot of people with absolutely no air combat skills whatsoever think they
are aces because these titles were so easy. [This doesn't annoy me as much
as the Wing Commander "gurus" who own 286 machines.. anybody can win that
game when it goes by at "slideshow" pace!!  One of the things I love about
it is how much harder it gets.. each new machine I buy it becomes a whole
new game!]

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Andrew Fenic                         
Systems Evolution & Modeling
Mead Data Central