From: eam3@po.CWRU.Edu (Eric A. Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: Why Should Anyone Buy Falcon 3.0/OFT?
Date: 4 Sep 1992 15:44:40 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: eam3@po.CWRU.Edu (Eric A. Meyer)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


   Okay, put away those flamethrowers.  Despite the subject header,
this is an actual question with a bit of an observation thrown in.
   If you're like me (and I know I am), you're a fan of simulations,
flight sims in particular.  Especially those that let you shoot
things.  MicroProse sims,  or all of their corner-cutting when it
comes to flight models and other things, are your favorites simply
because they're fun, present impressive visuals, and are even (from
time to time) challenging.  They may not be fully accurate, but
they do have versatility....and again, they're FUN.
   So, you notice that the highly-praised Falcon game has been
upgraded to 3.0.  You check the screen shots--they look great.
The text promises the greatest flight combat simulator this side
of the U.S. Air Force.  Well, you decide to hold on and find out
what all of your friends on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games have to say
about the game.
   After reading a month or two of posts, you get the wierdest
impression:  Falcon 3.0 (and add-ons) is the greatest game ever,
despite its nearly infinite number of bugs, flaws, and annoyances.
Nearly everyone complains about this feature or that bug; about
the fact that Spectrum Holobyte makes its customers alpha-testers;
about unrealistic flight models for enemy aircraft; about tracking
and firing and flying and....
   Every now and again, you catch a glimmer of the depth to Falcon:
giant water faucets, Nessie (I still don't understand that part,
actually), horseback riders on canyon rims, full-fledged ground
wars raging around your airbase, and so on.  However, these dots
of praise are nearly drowned in a flood of criticism.
   Well, perhaps you see the problem.  If Falcon is so bug-ridden,
why should I bother with buying it?  Buying the game and the OFT
supplemental could cost well over $100, and at least more than
$60.  Why should I pay that kind of money for a product which, by
all appearances, has all of the beauty and depth of a Hollywood
street set?  Sure, it looks good, but if you look you can see that
the buildings are sheets of plywood held up by cables and two-by-
fours.
   So, help me out here.  I'm interested in flying an F-16 into
combat, dogfighting and hitting ground targets, dodging hills,
and so on.  I'm also NOT interested in acquiring a piece of software
which will annoy me incessantly with its bugs/mistakes/etcetera.
From all accounts, buying Falcon 3.0/OFT will give me both the
plane and the pain.
   Well?  Pick something you really love about the game and tell
me (us) why.  What makes it special?  How does it add to the game?
(Try to pick something relatively minor.  Everyone will no doubt
want to rave about the terrain features and how detailed they are.
Be different, please.  If you really want to talk about how great
the terrain is, email me directly.)
   Okay, so this turned out to be a way long post.  Still, I've heard
a lot about what's wrong with Falcon 3.0/OFT.
   Tell me....what's right?

		-EMeyer

-- 
"Unstable condition--a symptom of life       | Eric A. Meyer (eam3@po.CWRU.edu)
 In mental and environmental change          |  Alumnus,  Beta Nu of Theta Chi
 Atmospheric disturbance--the feverish flux  |---------------------------------
 Of human interface and interchange-"  -N.P. |    "What do you think, sirs?"