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Preview
Lock On: Modern Air Combat
by
Andy Bush
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One thing’s
for sure. When
the ground commander wants close air support he usually
doesn’t want to wait for it. Our A-10 unit provides
that kind of rapid response by keeping some flights
in an airborne holding pattern, particularly when the
action is hot and heavy. Today is one of those days…which
is why I find myself and my wingie in a low altitude
orbit between the home ‘drome and the bad guys...just
waiting for the call...
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I should be so lucky…actually
I’m sitting here in front of my tactical computer and
thinking of the good old days in the Hog. Fortunately, I don’t
have to ask too much of my dwindling memory because I’ve
been lucky to have a preview copy of the latest LOMAC beta
to fly.  Why
don’t I just fire up the game, build a mission like I’ve
just described, and then go fly it! Oh…and tell you about
it in the process! So hop aboard…it’s time to go
warting around!
To begin with, let’s establish
a baseline right off the bat…and that baseline is going
to be scalable realism. Let me define that. By “scalable
realism”, I mean the ability to plan and fly missions
that allows the widest variety of gameplay as a function of
pilot skill and player hardware capability. We players have
something in common with our equipment…our capabilities
cover a broad range. And so do our interests. For that reason,
it’s important that a game deliver fun at various levels
of difficulty.  From
what I can see, LOMAC is going to deliver on that in spades.
A2A…A2G…fast mover…slow mover…simplistic
gameplay…gritty in-depth action for the hardcore types…something
for everyone.
I’m only going to tell you about
the A-10…and you’ll fly along with me on a relatively
demanding close air support mission against enemy armored
vehicles. As we build and fly the mission, I want to show
you some of the features of the game that allow you to tailor
that scalable realism to the level of gameplay that you want.
 From
the gitgo, you have a number of mission options to pick from
as this initial master screen on the right shows…you
can start with six “Instant
Action” missions (one for each aircraft type)
or training missions where the concept of scalable realism
is well illustrated. In the Training section, you can
select from the basics such as takeoffs and landings (day
and night) all the way through simple and advanced tactics
and weapons delivery techniques and air refueling. online
players select the Network option to access the multiplayer
features of the game, and those that prefer the challenges
of a prolonged scenario can select the Campaign option.
More on mission building in a minute!
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