For those wondering about this sim...

[kondor999]

Great summary by the OP and an enjoyable read. I'm also ex-military but I just feel like I never got to play with all the toys like I had wanted lol. Then again, I was just a doc in the Med Corps, and there's that damn Geneva Convention prohibition against picking up a weapon. I've got some funny stories about that, but I doubt my ex-employers would want me spouting off about it. Let's just say that prohibition turned out to be *a real good idea*.

Oh yeah - the game. This damn game has totally destroyed not only my interest in other games for now, but its also gotten me into a heap of trouble at home with the wife.

I call it "The Ultimate Modern Hardware Toybox". I also think it stands on its own merits (they totally changed how the Formation Editor works for instance, and what it's used for - something that Harpoon folks might have some problems adapting to at first).

But I also like how they kept a lot of the interface conventions and shortcuts the same, so if you've played Harpoon, you can build off that.

I also like how the latest update incorporates suggestions that the Community made just days ago to improve the interface even further.

PS - I also love Harpoon and still play it all the time (at least, I did). But it was getting pretty old. Unfortunately, while I love an '88 Porsche 911 Turbo and always wanted one, I gotta face the fact that a modern Accord V6 will blow it away not only at the dragstrip, but probably even a road course. Technology is relentless. The 911 turbo is still awesome, but this is just so much better.