Lock On: Modern Air Combat Page 7

By SimHQ on July 15, 2003 in _air, hide

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Well, folks…did you like what you see here? If you did, there’s much more where this came from. The central theme here has been scalable realism, and I’ve spent most of the time looking at the “scalable” part of this game. So what about the “realism” factor? What did I see in this beta that sets it apart from other A-10 simulations?

The answer to that lies in two areas. One is how well the game duplicates the sensation of low altitude flight…the sense of ground rush, the ability to “see” ground details from very low altitude…essentially, the first question revolves around the visual experience. The other half of the coin is the “piloting” aspect of the game. Does the game make me remember how it was to blow along on the deck, juggling navigational problems, other flight members, enemy threats, time over target (TOT) restrictions, avionics operation and interpretation…you know what I mean. Pilot stuff!

Well, this old pilot thinks it is the closest I’ve been yet to being back in the Hog. I never thought a sim would make me remember the “sweaty palms” days…but I had to go out and buy a case of Kleenex once I started flying this thing!!

I think you’ll find this game to offer everything you could want from a modern day air combat simulation…and by “you”, I mean everyone from novice to the flintiest of “hardcore” types! “Realism” means different things to different people…you can look forward to a level of scalability and attention to detail that should please every level of player. This look at the A-10 only scratched the surface when it comes to the variety of aircraft and missions in this game. Air to mud…air to air…naval action…it’s all here. Many thanks to Matt and his crew for giving us the chance to show you the good stuff!

Test System Specs

This is the computer that I used in this preview. By today’s standards, this system is “middle of the road” and is pretty close to what you should think of as a “recommended” system. I thought the computer did a good job in running the game.