Falcon 4.0 AF, should I get it?

[Bort]

I haven't purchased a modern flight sim since Jane's USAF and I was never overly enthused by what I have heard about LOMAC. While I never had Falcon 4, I wonder if F4:AF should be where I return to the genre. :hmm: I was wondering what people who already have it think about it.

[Hellcat]

I purchased it as soon as it came out, great stability and simple install process. Most importantly however is that all updates are handled through a automatic update program which you can run from your program shortcut. (If you read anything about Falcon 4.0 you'll know of the hell that we went through with the install process)

Falcon AF solves the install issues and provides the user with a very high fidelity simulation.... but its not as friendly as Jane's USAF. In that sense it's fun to play, though the learning curve is steep and very rewarding.

In your original question you stated that you wanted something out of the flight sim genre well this is the flight sim genre.

Do you need Falcon 4 or is Allied Force stand alone?

[Safe-Keeper]

Allied Force is a standalone game.

And yes, it's got a learning curve that's not necessarily steep, but it is very long. I started out learning how to fire Mavericks, then moved on to this, then that, then this... I've still not uncovered a third of the game's features. The F-16 is one complex plane.

Rest assured, though, you don't need to know much to play the game. Knowing how to fly and shoot, and understanding the workings of the radars will do it for you. But being able to sit down and decide that 'OK, today I want to learn something new', and then flipping through the several hundred pages long manual for something to pick up is something I've never experienced so far into a game before, and it's truly amazing.

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

Allied Force is a standalone game.

And yes, it's got a learning curve that's not necessarily steep, but it is very long. I started out learning how to fire Mavericks, then moved on to this, then that, then this... I've still not uncovered a third of the game's features. The F-16 is one complex plane.

Rest assured, though, you don't need to know much to play the game. Knowing how to fly and shoot, and understanding the workings of the radars will do it for you. But being able to sit down and decide that 'OK, today I want to learn something new', and then flipping through the several hundred pages long manual for something to pick up is something I've never experienced so far into a game before, and it's truly amazing.

Thanks Safe-Keeper.

I've never owned a flight sim......too much like work.
But I saw Subman1's you-tube vids and I said to myself 'I should give that a try'. I'm a little wary though. My last couple of purchases of PC games have been a dissapointing waste of money.

I guess I will think it over a little more........and then buy it and all the goodies along with it. Do you, or anyone else, know anything about the Saitek X52?

Thanks in advance.
wg

[HunterICX]

@Waste Gate :

read someone personal review on the X52 here:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=118800

[Skybird]

For a start:
http://forums.frugalsworld.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=113210

The place to meet the Falcon community is Frugal's World. If there are people who are seriously involved in F4, then it is them.

http://forums.frugalsworld.com/vbb/

Haven't been there since long, though.

Thank you HunterICX and Skybird. That gives me more to read and think about.

[Chock]

Falcon 4 is a very enjoyable flight sim. It does simulate things to a very in-depth level, but you should bear in mind that it has many options to make this simpler, and so, you can 'ease yourself into it'. I would recommend concentrating on one type of mission, and using all the weapons suitable for that mission type, then trying another mission type, then another, as a good way to learn it. You'll be surprised how many of the systems seem familiar, since this kind of high-tech stuff is that makes the news, and you will have heard of a lot of the things in it, and be familiar with what they are, and what they do. Especially if you've watched news reports on the Gulf War etc.

Sites such as Frugal's World, are useful for learing all the bits and pieces of how it all works, and you should also note that even though the 'Allied Force' version does have just a small paper manual (unlike the original Falcon 4 which had a printed 500 page one), there is still a PDF version of the update 'full manual' in F4 Allied Force and it is a very good read if you want to learn what everything does.

One pleasing thing that you should be aware of, is that the F-16 is a very easy aircraft to fly, this is so that the pilot can concentrate on using it and its systems to best advantage. This means that you do not have to be 'The Red Baron Reincarnated' to fly some missions successfully in it. I suspect that with a few hours play, you will have no trouble at all flying the thing fifty feet off the deck all the way to the target and back if you want to (won't do much for your fuel consumption though LOL).

F4AF runs great on most computers with very high frame rates and is a blast online with a buddy as your wingman too. But more importantly, it has what is without doubt the most comprehensive dynamic campaign of any simulator anywhere ever, with more custom options than you can shake a stick at. I doubt if there will ever be another simulation of this nature which is as good. So if you like the idea of planning something along the lines of the entire Gulf War by yourself, you really can have a go at this kind of thing, and bloody good fun it is too, as well as being quite educational in realising how hard something like that really is to achieve! You can ignore this aspect if you like though, and have it generate missions for you while you just jump in the cockpit and fly them if you prefer.

F4AF is definitely worth the money, but like a lot of things, it requires a bit of effort to get the best out of it. But it is when you do that, that you realise just how great it really is. You will definitely not be bored with the challenges it offers, that's for sure.

Chock

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Chock

F4AF is definitely worth the money, but like a lot of things, it requires a bit of effort to get the best out of it.

A "bit of effort"? I have two thick spiral binders with the manual from RP5, 2 thick spiral binders with manuals and lists for SP3, and the original thick printed manual from 10 years ago, 1kg in weight. While RP and SP are patch standards not directly linked to AF, they nevertheless found entrance (in functionality) into AF, thus making them a valid (if not needed) reading. The documentation for AF itself is poor.

I myself haven't flown Falcon since a long while now. Flying peacefully in a complex 747, 767 or 737 and fiddle around with the FMC is complexity and action enough for me these days

[Chock]

Just a quick heads up in case you can get hold of the old manual and think it might prove useful for Allied Force, it will, but be aware much of its content is not relevant to the AF version

The original Falcon 4 manual is of course great (one of the best computer sim manuals ever in fact - it even got a mention in my 'SH4 Widows' movie LOL), but be aware that it is not actually that helpful where Falcon 4 Allied Force is concerned, many keypresses have changed and the systems and Block model F-16s in Allied Force feature different avionics. The old manual is still relevant for tactics maneuevers and some weapon data, but that's all, the F4AF PDF manual is the one which you really need to read!


Chock

[Skybird]

Too true what Chock, said, I should have made that more clear. However, the RP and SP manuals, especially RP, include many informations on systems and weapons and basic functionings of the campaign that what Chock said about the original F4 manual ("outdated") cannot be said about these, too. I would really urge anybody to try to find them, they are probably available only with the patch-downloads themselves. Since it is free stuff, no problem. Also, a lot of the developement for eRazor and Realism Patch branches went into AF and was not specially mentioned anymore, so it helps to get some basic background information about AF.

I'm getting closer to making my purchase, make that purchases (HOTAS setup,new sound card). My question for today is about my rig. I've looked at the requirements:


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Windows® 98 / ME / 2000 / XP Pentium® 4 1.5Ghz or AMD Athlon® 1.2Ghz (recommend: Pentium® 4 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon® 1800) 1.5Gb Free Hard Disk Space (plus 500Mb for Windows Swap File) 4x CD-ROM Drive, 100% Windows compatible mouse, keyboard and joystick 1024x768 resolution capable color monitor 64Mb 3D accelerated DirectX® compatible Video Card (recommend 128Mb) 100% DirectX® version 9.0b or higher compatible sound card 56Kbps modem for multiplayer options (recommend: DSL/Broadband) DirectX version 9.0b (included) or higher.


And since I'm not real handy with what it all means, this is what I've got;

Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.40GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 3326MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive Space Available: 159GB


Card name: RADEON X800 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI RADEON X800 XL
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit)
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6587 (English)
Monitor: SONY SDM-HS95P
Monitor Max Res: 1280,1024

Drive: D:
Model: TSSTcorp DVD-ROM TS-H352C: DVD/16X, CD/48X

Drive: E:
Model: HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GWA4164B: DVD-ROM (Single layer): 6.7X - 16X (CAV)

Will the sim work?

Let me take a moment to thank you all for your patiences and help.
wg

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by waste gate

Will the sim work?

In short, yes. It isn't horribly demanding, on graphics at least, and you definitely have the recommended specs

Just be sure all your drivers are up to date.

[Chock]

I'd be extremely surprised if it did not run brilliantly on that rig - i.e 100 frames per second.

Falcon will run on pretty much any reasonably recent computer, as it is based on some fairly old graphics, although bizarrely it still looks pretty good, not quite up to FSX standards obviously, but good enough to make pleasant screenshots and for you to be able to visually identify targets from the recon photos and stuff like that. Two of my screenshots (and yes, my friend flying with me online does like getting in close, doesn't he, that's us doing an Iron Hand strike on SAM sites):





One last point, it's a hell of a lot easier to dodge the Surface to Air Missiles in Falcon with TrackIR, so you might want to save some pennies up and get that, makes it a lot easier.

Chock