This FAQ is by Kristoffer Ongbongan
(krismon@neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu). Any and all comments,
questions, corrections, flames, etc. are always welcome.
1.0 The Falcon 3.0 Mailing List
2.0 FALCON VERSION HISTORY, PATCH FILES AND UPGRADES
2.1 FALCON 3.01: OPERATION FIGHTING TIGER
2.2 FALCON VERSION INFORMATION
2.2.1 Version 3.05 changes
2.2.2 Version 3.04 changes
2.2.3 Version 3.03 changes
2.2.4 Version 3.02.1 changes
2.2.5 Version 3.02 changes
2.2.6 Version 3.0e and version 3.01.1 changes
2.2.7 Version 3.0d through 3.0a changes
2.3 MIG 29: DEADLY ADVERSARY OF FALCON 3.0
2.4 MIG-29 VERSION INFORMATION
2.4.1 Version 1.04 changes
2.4.2 Version 1.03 changes
2.4.3 Version 1.02 changes
2.4.4 Version 1.01 changes
2.5 Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter
2.6 HORNET VERSION INFORMATION
2.6.1 Version 1.02 changes
2.6.2 Version 1.01 changes
2.7 Falcon Gold
3.0 FALCON UTILITIES
3.1 UTILITIES FOR FALCON 3.0D - 3.01
3.1.1 FALCONER
3.1.2 F3MAPS
3.1.3 FALCCALC
3.1.4 F3PAD
3.1.5 FCE - Falcon Campaign Editor
3.2 UTILITIES FOR FALCON 3.02, MIG-29 FULCRUM, AND F-18 HORNET
3.2.1 KEYBOARD COMMANDER CORPS UTILITIES
3.2.2 Ken `Stinger' Richarson's SIMPAK Utilities
3.2.3 TM-STICK
4.0 WHERE TO GET PATCHES AND UTILITIES
4.1 SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4.2 FTP.K9.COM ANONYMOUS FTP ARCHIVE AND MIRRORS
4.3 TRADE CENTER BBS and other SIMNET nodes
4.4 COMPUSERVE GAMEPUB FORUM (library 3)
4.5 ELECTRONIC BATTLEFIELD SERIES FAQ FTP SITE
5.0 FALCON REFERENCE MATERIAL
5.1 FALCON 3.0: THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK
5.2 FALCON 3: THE OFFICIAL COMBAT STRATEGY BOOK
5.3 FALCON 3.0 AIR COMBAT
5.4 FALCON3: AIR COMBAT TRAINER
5.5 FIGHTER COMBAT: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
5.6 FALCON3 WAIS LIBRARY
5.7 Falcon 3 Modem Bible
5.8 Electronic Battlefield Series WWW page
6.0 UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
6.1 INCREASING AIRCRAFT DETAIL LEVEL
6.2 UNDOCUMENTED KEYS
6.3 EXPLOITING THE HIDDEN LANDING CAPABILITIES OF YOUR F-16!
6.4 THE GOD'S-EYE VIEW IN FALCON 3.0 (DEBUG MODE)
6.4.1 SOME HOT SPOTS WORTH LOOKING AT IN THE FALCON 3.0 WORLD
6.5 SAY "CHEESE" -- THE BUILT-IN SCREEN SHOT FEATURE OF FALCON 3.0
6.6 A FEW OTHER HIDDEN FEATURES WORTH MENTIONING...
7.0 OTHER FAQ'S
7.1 FALCON 3.0 HIGH FIDELITY FLIGHT MODEL
7.2 COMMON BUGS
7.2.1 COPY LEADER BUG
7.2.2 WINGMEN WON'T LAND AT ALTERNATE FIELDS
7.2.3 MAKING THE MUD MOVE: AIR-TO-GROUND BUGS
7.3 AVOIDING SAMS
7.4 FALCON 3.0 SQUADRON LISTINGS
7.5 GUIDE TO WINGMAN RADIO TRANSMISSIONS (COMPLETE AND UNCENSORED!)
7.6 FALCON AND SCSI PROBLEMS
7.7 OS/2 AND FALCON
8.0 THANKS (in no particular order)
1.0 The Falcon 3.0 Mailing List
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Later,
-Jeff
- --
Jeff Beadles jeff@k9.com
Keeper of the Falcon 3 mailing lists
2.0 FALCON VERSION HISTORY, PATCH FILES AND UPGRADES
The release of Falcon 3.0 in December, 1991 was accompanied by
many bugs that Spectrum HoloByte has addressed in a series of
software bugfix patches. The patches to the original Falcon 3.0
program were released as versions A, C, and D.
Spectrum HoloByte has also released an add-on campaign disk for
use with Falcon 3.0 called Operation Fighting Tiger. Falcon 3.0
modified by the addition of OFT is referred to as Falcon 3.01. A
bugfix patch to Falcon 3.01 has been released as version 3.01.1.
In July, 1993, SH released a second add-on product for Falcon 3.0
called MiG-29, Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0. To maintain
compatibility between the various versions of Falcon 3.0, OFT,
and MiG-29, SH released a patch called version 3.02 which
upgrades any version of Falcon 3.0 or OFT to a common standard.
Soon afterwards, SH released the patch for MiG-29 and Falcon, to
upgrade to 1.01 and 3.02.1 receptively.
Around this time, the MiG-29 stand alone was released, which
fused the MiG-29 add-on with the scenarios of Falcon 3.0.
In December, 1993, SH released a third add-on product for Falcon
3.0 called Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter. To maintain
compatibility with the various versions, a patch was included for
updating Falcon 3.0 and MiG-29 to 3.03 and 1.02 respectively.
Soon afterwards, SH released the patch for Hornet, Mig-29 and
Falcon, to upgrade to 1.01, 1.03, and 3.04 respectively. These
are the latest versions as of this writing.
For Falcon 3.0 owners who did not decide to purchase the OFT
campaign disk, SH made an E patch available which included many
of the new features introduced in OFT. However, version 3.02 was
released almost immediately after version E. As a result, patch E
was never made widely available, and has in virtually all
respects been superseded by version 3.02. Current shipping
copies(new) of Falcon 3.0 contain version 3.0E. Its mention in
this FAQ is for the sake of completeness.
Earlier this year Spectrum Holobyte released Falcon Gold CD.
Which contained Falcon 3.05, MiG-29 1.04, Hornet 1.02, Operation
Fighting Tiger, and Art of the Kill. This is the same software
that comes on the disk, but on CD, it can be installed on the
hard drive or run from the CD.
All patches are cumulative (for example, version D includes all
software changes from patches A and C, installation of OFT
includes all changes from version D, and installation of version
3.02 brings any previous version to a 3.02 standard). You can
tell which version you have by looking at the title screen, which
is the screen with the pilot looking over his shoulder at the F-
16. The version number appears on the bottom of the screen as,
for example, V3.0C. Additionally, starting in version 3.02, SH
includes a CHECKVER.COM file which, when run, displays which
versions reside in the directory.
FALCON 3.0
Designation Date & Comments
-------------------- ----------------------
3.0 12/91
3.0a 1/92 (bug-fix)
3.0c 3/92 (more bug-fixes)
3.0d 6/92 (still MORE bug-fixes)
3.0e 7/93 (equal bug fix status as 3.01.1)
3.01 7/92 (Operation Fighting Tiger)
3.01.1 9/92 (the bugs strike back, but are fixed)
3.02 7/93 (compatibility with MiG-29 1.0)
3.02.1 9/93 (minor bug-fixes to match MiG-29 1.01.1)
3.03 12/93 (compatibility with Hornet: Naval Strike
Fighter 1.0, MiG-29 1.02)
3.04 2/94 (more bug-fixes and match with Hornet 1.01,
MiG-29 1.03)
3.05 10/94 (some more bug fixes and to match Falcon
Gold, Hornet 1.02, and MiG-29 1.04)
Version 3.05 is the latest as of this writing.
MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 (Falcon 3.0 add-on)
MiG-29 (stand-alone version)
Designation Date & Comments
-------------------- ----------------------
1.00 Original release 7/93
1.01 9/93 (bug-fixes)
1.01.1 10/93 (compatibility with Falcon 3.02.1)
1.02 12/93 (compatibility with Hornet 1.0,Falcon 3.03)
1.03 2/94 (compatibility with Hornet 1.01, Falcon 3.04)
1.04 10/94 (some more bug fixes and to match Falcon
Gold, Hornet 1.02, and Falcon 3.05)
Version 1.04 is the latest as of this writing.
The original MiG-29 release required Falcon 3.0 (since it used
RTPatch to patch the versions and add/modify the Falcon files).
The stand-alone version was released around October 1993.
HORNET: NAVAL STRIKE FIGHTER
Designation Date & Comments
-------------------- ----------------------
1.00 12/93 (original release)
1.01 2/94 (bugfixes and compatibility with MiG-29
1.03/ Falcon 3.04)
1.02 10/94 (some more bug fixes and to match Falcon
Gold, Falcon 3.05, and MiG-29 1.04)
Version 1.02 is the latest as of this writing.
Latest copies of stand-alone Falcon made after 8/93 conform to
version 3.0e.
There was never a version 3.0b of Falcon, since pirated copies
infected with a virus were being passed around as "Falcon 3.0b"
Spectrum decided to rename their next patch after 3.0a to 3.0c.
Whether you have Falcon 3.0, OFT, and/or MiG-29, and/or Hornet
make sure you have the latest patch version. In addition to
fixing bugs, the patches add game features omitted from previous
versions. These changes are documented in README files supplied
with the patch files. It's also desirable to run the most recent
version if you want to find other players for modem play, since
the game must be at the same version on both PC's for the
connection to succeed.
The process of upgrading to any version of the game causes all
squadrons you've formed and any tapes you've recorded with the
ACMI to be unusable with the new version. You may want to finish
any campaigns in progress beforehand.
Upgrade patches to Falcon 3.0D, 3.01.1, and 3.02 can be obtained
from Spectrum HoloByte, or downloaded via anonymous FTP from
FTP.K9.COM or its mirrored sites. Refer to section 4.0 of this
FAQ for instructions.
2.1 FALCON 3.01: OPERATION FIGHTING TIGER
Operation Fighting Tiger is a commercially-available campaign
disk add-on product for Falcon 3.0. Installation of OFT will
upgrade Falcon 3.0 to version D standards, and include its own
enhancements, bringing it to version 3.01.
The improvements to Falcon 3.0 made available in OFT, such as new
wingman commands, improved TWI codes, landing aids, new radio
messages, etc., can be obtained by non-OFT Falcon 3.0 owners by
applying the version E or 3.02 patches.
Additions unique to the Falcon 3.01 OFT add-on disk include:
- New campaign theaters: Pakistan, Korea, and the Kurile
Islands
- New plane types: MiG-31 Foxhound, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, J-7
Airguard, Q-5 Fantan, the hypothetical Russian UMF (unmanned
fighter), F-5 Tiger, Mistubishi F1, and the FSX, an advanced
version of the F-16.
- New missions: Anti-ship, train-busting, and others
To fix bugs found in OFT, Spectrum HoloByte has released a patch
file called 3.01.1. Refer to section 4.0 for instructions on how
to obtain the patch file from SH or via anonymous FTP from
FTP.K9.COM or its mirrors.
2.2 FALCON VERSION INFORMATION
These is the list of the changes made by the patches, taken
directly from the readme.txt distributed with the patch.
2.2.1 Version 3.05 changes
* If your joystick was calibrated incorrectly in version 3.04,
you could pull more than 9.9 Gs. This problem is now fixed.
* Sometimes the plane would unexpectedly roll left in version
3.04. This problem is now fixed.
* You will now be assigned to an appropriate air base in the
Bosnia theater. Your wingmen will no longer crash into mountains
when taking off and landing.
* Campaigns now last longer than two days in the Bosnia theater.
* Your wingmen will be more aggressive in engaging enemy planes,
especially when returning home.
* TM-STICK (developed by Ken "Stinger" Richardson and
ThrustMaster) has been updated in version 2.1 to work with Falcon
3.05. In addition, TM-STICK 2.1 works with earlier versions of
Falcon 3.0. For more information on TM-STICK, please read TM-
STICK.TXT.
2.2.2 Version 3.04 changes
* Some users reported a problem where the views would switch
around without any user input. This no longer happens.
* Serious joystick control and calibration problems found in
version 1.0 have been fixed. The joystick inputs are now linear,
and there is a "null zone" of 20% of the stick's travel. What
this means is that the plane will react evenly to gradual
increases in stick pressure, and that slight movement of the
stick near the center point will not cause the plane to jerk
around.
* AMRAAMs are now available in communications play.
* When you press Ctrl-K (to jettison all stores), you will still
keep your wingtip missiles, even if they are AMRAAMs.
2.2.3 Version 3.03 changes
* Several users reported a problem where if you create a
squadron, take off and return, create another squadron, take off
and return, then try to fly another mission with the first
squadron, the game would crash with a message saying "Fatal
Error! Cannot Create File!" This was related to the number of
planes in a squadron and has been fixed.
2.2.4 Version 3.02.1 changes
* Problems with joystick calibration are now fixed.
* The coolie hat problem when switching between cockpit and
scroll lock views has been fixed.
* Some users reported difficulty with rolling right. This problem
is now fixed.
* Some users reported problems with pitching upward when in any
outside view. The problem was that the plane would not go beyond
30 degrees upward pitch until the player switched back to an
inside cockpit view. This problem has been corrected.
2.2.5 Version 3.02 changes
* The blackout/redout model has been upgraded. Blackout and
redout conditions are defined by pilot G tolerance, maximum
blackout duration and degree of control over the plane during
blackout.
Flight Model G tolerance max. duration control
------------- ----------- ------------- -------
Simplified 300% normal 1 second normal
Moderate 200% normal 1 second none
Complex 150% normal 15 seconds none
High Fidelity normal 30 seconds none
To recover from blackout or redout, center the flight stick. If
you continue to pull the stick, you will remain blacked out until
you release it.
Blackout and redout may seem rather sudden under the new model.
Increasing your G load gradually instead of suddenly will greatly
extend this onset time. Your pilot's G tolerance decreases over
the course of a mission due to the cumulative strain of
repeatedly pulling high Gs. As a pilot's G tolerance decreases,
blackout and redout will occur more suddenly and at lower G
values.
* In the OPTIONS menu there is a new selection called G ONSET.
There are four settings: No Effect, Moderate, Difficult and
Realistic. These settings refer to the likelihood of blackout due
to rapid G onset. G onset defaults to Moderate.
Blackout can be caused either by continuous high Gs or by sudden
G onset (such as going from 1 to 10 Gs instantly).
At the No Effect setting, G onset has no effect on blackout. At
the Moderate setting, the effects of G onset on blackout are
slight. At the Difficult setting, G onset plays a major part in
determining blackout conditions but not as much as in reality. At
the Realistic setting, blackout from rapid G loading is as likely
as it is in reality.
* The joystick calibration routine now includes coolie hat
calibration for the ThrustMaster Flight Control System.
* Version 3.02 supports CH Products' FlightStick Pro. On the
System Setup screen, you can now choose the FlightStick Pro as
your control device.
* The "coolie hat" on the ThrustMaster and CH FlightStick Pro
control views in Falcon 3.0. The coolie hat view controls are:
back=Padlock View, left=Left View, right=Right View,
forward=Forward View. If you are already in Forward View,
forward=heads-up (Scroll Lock) View. The coolie hat functions
built into Falcon 3.0 override any other coolie hat programs
(such as F3COOLIE, Pilot's Edge, etc.) you may have installed.
Occasionally, there may be a conflict between Falcon 3.0 and
third-party coolie hat programs which can make the game crash. Do
not use any TSRs or other programs that read or reprogram the
coolie hat when playing Falcon 3.0.
* The Padlock View shows some new information. In the upper left
corner window is the target identification, followed by the range
to target in nautical miles (NM). The range now shows tenths of
miles. Next is your altitude above ground level (AGL) and
airspeed in knots. The airspeed shown is in knots true airspeed
(KTAS). Last is the current load factor (in Gs).
In the upper right corner window are three new indicators. As
always, the warning "REAR" appears if the target is behind you.
Beneath this, the indication "BRK" now appears if your speed
brakes are on. Just below the "BRK" indicator, the indication
"AB" comes on if your afterburner is engaged.
* The ECM model has been changed to be more realistic. Instead of
consistently jamming radar or always breaking radar lock, there
is now a continuing battle between ECM systems and fire control
radars. The result is that a plane using ECM will occasionally
still get locked up, but only for a few moments. Likewise, if you
are tracking a plane that uses ECM, your radar lock will be
broken and re-established over and over again as your fire
control systems battle the target's ECM.
* Menu bar selections are now saved.
* All animations have been disabled when in communications mode
to prevent timing conflicts.
2.2.6 Version 3.0e and version 3.01.1 changes
The following changes were introduced as part of Operation:
Fighting Tiger (both versions 3.01 and.01.1) and Falcon 3.0e.
Night mode
* The night mode has been darkened to make it more realistic and
more exciting for certain types of missions.
* Stars have been added at night and can be seen in actual
astronomical positions.
* Visual contact will be made at a shorter distance at night.
Objects
* U.S. insignias have been added to the F-16.
* The F-16 cockpit glass is now a clear gold instead of an opaque
blue when looking at an F-16 from the outside.
* Lights have been added to the wingtips of the F-16, and they
turn on when the landing gear is down.
Sound and music
* Some messages that previously used static have been replaced
with new digitized messages.
Weapons
* Some missiles have had their ranges increased to be more
realistic. (For example: the Phoenix fired from the F-14 can now
be fired from about 80 miles away.)
* The SAM radar cones have been adjusted to be more realistic.
* AMRAAMs are now more realistic and more effective.
* Bullet craters have been removed.
* If you're following an enemy aircraft that heads towards the
sun, your heat-seeking missiles (AIM-9P and AIM-9M) may be fooled
by the heat source. Your best bet is to keep your position until
the enemy is away from the sun before you fire your missiles.
* Drag has been added to the HD bomb and to the Durandal. These
weapons can now be dropped safely at even lower altitudes.
Campaign, missions and waypoints
* The Intelligence option is no longer available on the
Difficulty Levels Screen. Instead, a Campaign option has been
added so that you can adjust the degree of difficulty of your
campaigns. See your Operation: Fighting Tiger manual for more
information.
* In the campaign, the BOMB waypoint action code is only
available when you are assigned a bombing mission.
* Debriefings can now be long enough to list all ground targets
destroyed by the player's squadron.
* Campaign victory or loss will occur when either side is reduced
to two strategic sites.
* SEAD is now available for better waypoint realism
(SEAD=Suppress Enemy Air Defenses). When SEAD is selected as the
waypoint action, your assigned flight will only attack SAM and
AAA threats.
* The non-mobile SAM sites in the Operation: Fighting Tiger
theaters (Japan, Korea and Pakistan) will now fire missiles,
unlike stationary SAM sites in the Falcon 3.0 theaters (Israel,
Panama and Kuwait).
Wingman views and commands
* Three new wingman commands have been added. They are Shift-G
for spread formation, Shift-F for close up formation and Shift-H
for return to base. See your Operation: Fighting Tiger manual for
more information.
ILS and landing
* The ILS now has two modes, Directional and Beacon. Pressing ""
turns on the ILS; Shift-\ will toggle between the two modes.
In the Beacon mode, the ILS locks onto a radio beacon at the end
of this runway. The beacon is omnidirectional so centering the
localizer deviation (LD) bar will steer your aircraft directly
for this point from any direction. The glideslope indication will
only be valid if you are approaching the runway on the indicated
heading. The Beacon mode is helpful for finding the runway and
making the first pass of a racetrack landing, but it is not the
best mode to use on the final approach.
The Directional mode is used to make the final approach to the
runway. Lining up the GSD (glideslope deviation) and LD bars will
put your aircraft on a 3 degree glideslope right down the middle
of the runway. If the needles are not lined up, steer your
aircraft towards them. Do not turn more than 90 degrees off your
approach heading, however, or you might end up flying in circles.
See your Operation: Fighting Tiger manual for more information on
the ILS modes.
* When the ILS HUD mode is turned on, the view out of the
cockpit is shifted downward so that you can more easily see the
runway when your aircraft has the high angle of attack proper for
landing. Another smaller downward shift occurs when the landing
gear are lowered. Both view shifts can be toggled off and on with
Shift-Scroll Lock.
* Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) lights are visual
landing aids which let you determine at a glance whether you are
on, above or below the correct glideslope. VASI lights consist of
two pairs of bicolored lights spaced about 50 feet apart on the
approach end of the runway. The lights are constructed so that
the color you see as you land is either red or white depending on
whether you are above or below the glideslope. See your
Operation: Fighting Tiger manual for more information.
Miscellaneous
* On some of your missions, you might notice a thick overcast.
This is a new weather pattern which will appear from time to time
in the game. The cover will vary in altitude and thickness,
depending on the atmospheric conditions. If the current weather
forecast on the Report Screen is listed as "Overcast," there is a
high probability that the weather will be overcast at the start
of your next mission.
* The HUD color selection has been changed to be more realistic
and to be easier to see in different lighting conditions.
* The ACM mode of the High Fidelity Radar has two scan patterns:
20 x 20 and 10 x 40. The ACM radar mode is turned on with F6. You
can then alternate between the two scan patterns with Shift-F6.
See your Operation: Fighting Tiger manual for more information.
* The radar range, scan elevation and scan azimuth settings can
all be cycled in the opposite direction by pressing Shift in
addition to the appropriate function key. For example, to change
the radar range directly from 20 nm to 40 nm, press Shift-F8
instead of pressing F8 three times.
Program fixes
* The flight characteristics for heavy aircraft, like the B-52
and C-130, have been improved. They will fly more realistically
and will no longer crash on landing (assuming, of course, that
they are undamaged before attempting to land).
* Pilot Abilities will no longer roll over to zero.
* Pilots will now be replaced on the replacement date.
* The Instant Action high score music will play properly.
* Debriefings will now list wingman plane crashes.
* The occasional wingman flip over and crash on landing problem
is fixed.
* Medals will now be awarded appropriately and not without
reason.
* Squadron records will now be up-to-date in number of missions
flown.
* Extra drag has been eliminated when unlimited weapons are
selected.
* Sound Blaster problems were fixed that resulted in program
freezes.
* Unrealistic messages have been eliminated from head-to-head
communications.
* Pilot injuries now work correctly.
* The Sounds off selection for Sound Blaster will now turn all
sounds off.
* The F-16 will now consume less fuel at high altitudes than at
low altitudes.
* On some systems, Operation: Fighting Tiger would crash before
even reaching the title screen. The update will correct this
problem for all systems.
* Buildings in Red Flag can now be damaged.
* The MiG-31, the Mirage 2000, the Jaguar and the UMF can now be
assigned to enemy flights in Red Flag.
* It is now possible to succeed at escort missions.
* Problems in version 3.01 with PC speaker sounds have been
fixed.
* When flying an Allied Communications mission in the Kurile
Islands theater, ships will now appear on all connected machines,
not just the caller's.
* The ACMI will no longer label friendly planes as enemy planes.
* The Supply Status display of the campaign Report Screen now
lists the AIM-9R and the AGM-84.
2.2.7 Version 3.0d through 3.0a changes
The following section outlines the changes that have been made in
earlier versions of Falcon 3.0. The changes are arranged by
topic, not by version.
Instant Action
* After you destroy a certain number of enemy aircraft in Instant
Action, you will advance to the next level of play. Every enemy
pilot in this new wave of aircraft will have an Enemy Logic Level
one higher than the one you set in the Configuration screen. (For
example, if you had Enemy Logic Level set to Veteran in the
Configuration screen, the next wave of aircraft will have Ace
pilots.) After the Ace aircraft wave, all pilots in subsequent
waves will have Ace logic level.
Red Flag
* The appropriate pilot skills will now increase upon completion
of a successful Red Flag mission.
* In the Red Flag training mission LESSON 4, the F-16 now faces
the correct direction at the beginning of the lesson.
Weapons
* When you are loading weapons onto a wingman's aircraft, the
Report button on the F-16 Armament screen will change to a Copy
Leader button. Pressing this button will load the same weapons on
the currently selected aircraft as are currently loaded on the
flight leader's aircraft.
* Weapons can be cleared in all weapon loading screens.
* The jettison controls have been changed to allow you to
selectively jettison stores:
Ctrl-K jettisons all stores except for wingtip missiles and the
ECM pod (if you loaded one prior to takeoff).
Ctrl-F jettisons all external fuel tanks (both centerline and
wing).
Ctrl-C jettisons the ECM pod only. This is the only way to
jettison an ECM pod.
Remember: "F for fuel, C for countermeasures."
* A-A missiles and SAMs are more realistic. They can acquire you
much easier, and ECM is no longer a foolproof method of defeating
them. In addition, proximity hits from missiles are now accounted
for; a missile may detonate when it comes close to your F-16,
causing minor damage from fragmentation.
* Anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) effectiveness is now greatly
increased. The amount and type of damage depends on factors such
as airspeed, altitude and distance from the artillery.
Autopilot, wingmen and enemy pilots
* The autopilot's bombing accuracy has been improved.
* The autopilot now realizes when it has gone winchester.
* The artificial intelligence has been improved to allow for
autopilot bombing and landing (however, if you are damaged, there
are no guarantees). Enemy pilot logic has also been improved--
enemy aircraft are now more aggressive at higher logic levels.
* Enemy aircraft can no longer detect a Sidewinder lock-on.
* Pilots involved in a campaign can no longer recover fatigue by
flying in Red Flag missions.
* Wingmen now receive their assigned weapons load when the
Limited Weapons option is set to "OFF."
* One of the new features we added to Falcon 3.0 is called the
"life after death" view. Life after death allows you to view the
action in a Red Flag or campaign mission even if the plane you're
flying has been destroyed. If your plane crashes into the ground
or you are wiped out by a missile, the mission will not
immediately end. A dialog box will appear informing you of your
death and giving you the opportunity to watch the rest of the
mission from your wingmen's point of view (if you have any on the
mission).
* You can now see the action from any of your wingmen on the
flight by pressing the "7" key to change your view from wingman
to wingman. If you want to watch a different target from the
wingman's view, press the "T" key. If all of your wingmen are
destroyed, the mission will end. Otherwise, the only way to end
the mission is to select End Mission from the FILE menu.
Flight models
* The roll rates on the Simplified and Moderate flight models are
significantly slower than on the Complex and High Fidelity flight
models. This allows a beginning user more control while learning
how to fly.
* In all flight models, airspeed will increase during dives.
Radar and ECM
* If the radar lock on an enemy aircraft becomes unstable, the
sides of the target designator box will change to broken lines.
If this happens, don't fire a missile until you get a stable
radar lock on the target.
* ECM pod, chaff and flares have greater effectiveness.
* Enemies will use ECM to break a radar lock.
* Enemy aircraft that are randomly given ECM pods will use them
according to their skill level.
* Computer-controlled aircraft (both friendly and enemy) will use
ECM pods with more intelligence.
* ECM now works against all aircraft and radar-guided missiles,
not just ground units and SAMs.
* Computer-controlled planes now jettison stores based on skill
level. Also, heavy bombers will not jettison stores under any
circumstance.
Missions
* Aborting missions will no longer consume supplies or add to the
mission count.
* Unused stores at the end of a mission are now restored to your
inventory.
* External fuel tanks added by the user are now loaded correctly.
Joysticks, keyboards, mice, etc.
* Users of joysticks with a throttle, such as the CH FlightStick
or the Kraft Thunderstick, have the option of turning off the
joystick's throttle and using the "+" and "-" keys on the
keyboard instead. During joystick calibration, you will be given
the option of using the throttle wheel or not. Just press "N" for
"No." If you change your mind, simply recalibrate your joystick.
If you use the throttle wheel for throttle control, you must
first advance the throttle several clicks and then press the "+"
key on the keyboard to start the engine. You will then be able to
control the engine RPM with the joystick throttle wheel.
* The problem with the keyboard not responding on certain systems
has been fixed.
Sound and music
* Digitized radio messages on the Thunderboard and Sound Blaster
now work more reliably on fast machines such as 33MHz 486s and
with a bus speed faster than 8MHz.
* Sound glitches, including the missing IFF squawk, have been
corrected.
* Systems with only 1MB of total RAM and no sound card need to
set Sound and Music to PC Speaker in the Configuration screen.
This will allow you to hear guns, lock-on tones, enemy lock and
launch warnings, stall warnings and a caution tone. Digitized
voices are not supported on machines without expanded memory
(EMS).
* If you have a sound card and the Music option is turned on
(from the Configuration screen), the type of music you hear will
indicate how well you are doing in the war.
Padlock View
* Incoming missiles can be tracked in Padlock, Track and Wingman
Views. Whenever you first switch to Padlock or Track View, the
closest missile targeted at your aircraft, if there is one, will
be tracked. You can switch the view to padlock or track nearby
aircraft by pressing "T". Pressing "T", however, will not switch
the view to padlock or track a missile. To re-establish missile
tracking, you must again press the view key ("8" or "9") for the
view you are using. You can also track any missiles targeted at
your wingmen in the same way using the Wingman View.
The following names will appear in the Padlock Status Window when
you have padlocked a missile (regardless of the specific
designation of the missile):
* ATOLL - rear-aspect IR air-to-air missile
* MAGIC - all-aspect IR air-to-air missile
* APEX - semi-active radar air-to-air missile
* ALAMO - active radar air-to-air missile
* AMOS - active radar air-to-air missile
* SAM (R) - any radar SAM
* SAM (IR) - any IR SAM
* The Padlock View will now be able to lock onto the runway for
landing. This may help you make an efficient turn on the last leg
of a racetrack landing pattern. You must be fairly low and close
to the runway, however. You should also be wary of becoming
disoriented while using the Padlock View so close to the ground.
Communications
* In communications mode, you can now enter modem commands of up
to 60 characters directly. Just press "N" when you are asked if
you want to use the default modem settings.
* In head-to-head mode, shutting off one player's radar will
remove blips from the other player's Threat Warning Indicator or
Radar Warning Receiver.
Miscellaneous
* The low fuel HUD readout will appear over the Master Arm
Indicator rather than over the AGL Indicator.
* All the Realism Values on the Difficulty Levels area in the
Configuration screen now add up correctly.
* Glare caused by the sun now occurs at the appropriate climb and
heading.
* If a given waypoint has an air-to-air mission such as CAP or
INTRCEPT, the waypoint will not automatically increment until
after all hostiles either depart or are shot down.
* The F-16 has a thrust-to-weight ratio of approximately 0.97:1,
not 6.2:1.
* The MiG-27 is a Strike aircraft, not a Class A Fighter.
* Video palette problems caused by bus speeds faster than 8MHz
have been corrected.
* The bug which gave certain systems erroneous "Player
disconnected" messages when exiting to DOS is fixed.
2.3 MIG 29: DEADLY ADVERSARY OF FALCON 3.0
Mig-29 Fulcrum is the second add-on disk to Falcon 3.0. There is
also a Stand-alone version of MiG-29, which is compatible with
OFT and Hornet. MiG-29 add-on version, currently at version 1.0,
includes the Falcon 3.02 upgrade on its distribution diskettes.
MiG-29 Fulcrum allows the Falcon 3.0 player to experience the
action from the standpoint of the opposition in Instant Action,
Red Flag, and Campaign play.
Highlights of Falcon 3.0 Adversary: MiG-29 Fulcrum is described
here, parts taken from a press release from former SH Product
manager Daron Stinnett:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
Highlights:
* Head-to-head and multi-player comms. Six players with any
combination of MiGs and F-16s can fly against each other in
either H2H or campaign mode. For example, if the F-16s are given
a mission to destroy an enemy air strip, the MiG-29 group will be
given the mission to protect the air strip. Each side can setup
their own tactics to accomplish the mission.
* NEW FLIGHT MODEL - We have redone our flight model from
scratch. Everything including non-fly-by-wire characteristics,
spins, tail slides, separated control surfaces has been
implemented. You will find that it takes a lot more finesse to
control this plane in a dogfight. For instance, the MiG-29 has
amazing nose authority, which means that you when you are turning
circles in a dogfight, by cranking your stick back you should be
able to point your nose at your opponent, however your high AOA
will cause you to bleed speed at a rapid rate and you will be a
sitting duck if you don't get a kill. In the hands of a good
pilot, the MiG-29 can out perform the F-16 but an inexperienced
pilot will get shot down every time.
* REALISTIC AVIONICS - We are pulling out the stops in this area.
I expect that the avionics will be more accurately portrayed in
the game than any where else including books and video. We are
working with Soviet fighter pilots as well as the Department Of
Defense to make it as accurate as possible. Some of the
features: IRST (including head mounted variant), Functional
gauges, realistic HUD, and systems failure.
2.4 MIG-29 VERSION INFORMATION
These is the list of the changes made by the patches, taken
directly from the readme.txt distributed with the patch.
2.4.1 Version 1.04 changes
* The MiG-29 flight model has been improved to more accurately
reflect its capabilities and to be more competitive with the
other aircraft.
* Sometimes the plane would unexpectedly roll left in version
1.03. This problem is now fixed.
* Your wingmen will be more aggressive in engaging enemy planes,
especially when returning home.
* TM-STICK (developed by Ken "Stinger" Richardson and
ThrustMaster) has been updated in version 2.1 to work with MiG-29
version 1.04. In addition, TM-STICK 2.1 works with earlier
versions of MiG-29. For more information on TM-STICK, please read
TM-STICK.TXT.
2.4.2 Version 1.03 changes
* In response to a number of users who were having trouble with
sudden high G forces destroying their aircraft without warning,
we have added a G-damage limiter. Press Alt-O (the letter O) to
turn it on or off. When the G-damage limiter is on, it limits the
amount of damage you can suffer from high G forces. You will
still black out, but at least the plane will not turn to
confetti. An indicator light for this subsystem has been added to
the Mach meter. When this light is on, the G-damage limiter is
active. When it is off, the limiter is inactive. The limiter is
inactive until you turn it on.
* Serious joystick control and calibration problems found in
version 1.0 have been fixed. The joystick inputs are now linear,
and there is a "null zone" of 20% of the stick's travel. What
this means is that the plane will react evenly to gradual
increases in stick pressure, and that slight movement of the
stick near the center point will not cause the plane to jerk
around.
* This new version is fully compatible with version 2.0 of the
TMSTICK.COM joystick TSR, developed jointly by Ken "Stinger"
Richardson and ThrustMaster. With their permission, we have
incorporated much of the TMSTICK code into this update. As a
result, you do not need to load TMSTICK.COM to fix your joystick
problems. If you want the other features of TMSTICK, however, you
will still have to load it.
* Version 1.03 fixes a problem where the views would sometimes
switch around (especially to the Left View) without any user
input.
2.4.3 Version 1.02 changes
* The MiG-29 vs. MiG-29 communications problems introduced in
version 1.01 have been fixed.
* Several users reported a problem where if you create a
squadron, take off and return, create another squadron, take off
and return, then try to fly another mission with the first
squadron, the game would crash with a message saying "Fatal
Error! Cannot Create File!" This problem, relating to the number
of planes in a squadron, has been fixed.
2.4.4 Version 1.01 changes
* Ground units in Red Flag will no longer fire upon your MiG-29
near Nellis.
* The flight model has been improved, which is most noticeable in
nose stability, trim control, and stability at high airspeeds.
* In Red Flag, enemy F-16s can now be assigned weapons loads.
* Problems with joystick calibration are now fixed.
* Some users reported difficulty with rolling right. This problem
is now fixed.
* Adjustments to the flight model have made maneuvering and
control smoother.
* Some users reported problems with pitching upward when in any
outside view. The problem was that the plane would not go beyond
30 degrees upward pitch until the player switched back to an
inside cockpit view. This problem has been corrected.
* The airspeed scale on the HUD is now marked correctly.
Previously, 1100 kts was marked as 1000 kts (so it read 900,
1000, 1000, 1200).
* At extremely high airspeeds (in excess of 800 knots), the nose
would rise no matter how the trim controls were used. The trim
controls are now effective at all airspeeds.
2.5 Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter
Hornet: Naval Strike Figher is the third plane in the Electronic
Battlefield Series. The add-on disk, gives you the F/A-18 Hornet,
the Bosnia campaign (from SH) and carrier operations. The plane
is Fly-by-wire, the flight model feels the same as Falcon, and
network play is still supported. The latest version is 1.02 to
match with Falcon 3.05 and MiG-29 1.04. (This is my personal
favorite plane)
2.6 HORNET VERSION INFORMATION
These is the list of the changes made by the patches, taken
directly from the readme.txt distributed with the patch.
2.6.1 Version 1.02 changes
* The Hornet flight model has been improved to more accurately
reflect its capabilities and to be more competitive with the
other aircraft.
* Sometimes the plane would unexpectedly roll left in version
1.01. This problem is now fixed.
* Campaigns now last longer than two days in the Bosnia theater.
* Your wingmen will be more aggressive in engaging enemy planes,
especially when returning home.
* TACTS now works correctly in version 1.02.
* Hornet now has ECM capability in communications play, both head-
to-head and multiplayer.
* When your waypoint is set to the landing waypoint, the waypoint
symbol follows the ILS beam instead of guiding you to the
aircraft carrier. Don't rely on using the waypoint symbol to
guide you to the aircraft carrier.
* If you're using the PC speaker for digitized sound, the IFF
squawk won't be played. You can, however, look at the IFF light
just below the HUD.
* TM-STICK (developed by Ken "Stinger" Richardson and
ThrustMaster) has been updated in version 2.1 to work with Hornet
1.02. In addition, TM-STICK 2.1 works with earlier versions of
Hornet. For more information on TM-STICK, please read TM-
STICK.TXT.
2.6.2 Version 1.01 changes
* Version 1.01 fixes a problem where the views would sometimes
switch around (especially to the Left View) without any user
input.
* Serious joystick control and calibration problems found in
version 1.0 have been fixed. The joystick inputs are now linear,
and there is a "null zone" of 20% of the stick's travel. What
this means is that the plane will react evenly to gradual
increases in stick pressure, and that slight movement of the
stick near the center point will not cause the plane to jerk
around.
* This new version is fully compatible with version 2.0 of the
TMSTICK.COM joystick TSR, developed jointly by Ken "Stinger"
Richardson and ThrustMaster. With their permission, we have
incorporated much of the TMSTICK code into this update. As a
result, you do not need to load TMSTICK.COM to fix your joystick
problems. If you want the other features of TMSTICK, however, you
will still have to load it.
* Numerous users reported problems with wingmen crashing. This
was due to two problems. First, an error in the flight logic
caused computer-controlled wingmen to stall out in a sharp climb.
Stalling out in a dogfight is usually fatal. The other reason for
high wingman mortality was running out of fuel. On long missions,
where external fuel is necessary to make it back, there was an
error that caused wingmen to jettison their stores early. Both of
these problems have been fixed. See the next item for a full
explanation of the jettisoning problem.
* In version 1.0, as soon as you switched to the final waypoint
(either by flying to all the other ones or by pressing Shift-B),
all your wingmen automatically jettisoned their stores in
preparation for a carrier landing. This had some unfortunate
consequences if your flight happened to be deep in enemy
territory at the time.
Now, no stores are jettisoned until the LSO picks up a pilot in
the landing pattern and begins giving instructions. At this
point, stores will be automatically jettisoned to lighten up for
landing. Note that this automatic jettisoning applies to your
plane as well: as soon as you contact the LSO (by pressing Alt-
H), your stores will be jettisoned.
* Enemy planes will no longer show up during landing. You must
still deal with any that were pursuing you on the way in, but no
new foes will appear once you begin your landing sequence (unless
you stray too far from the carrier). In addition, we have added a
CAP flight of F-14s which sometimes appear when you are near the
carrier to help you escape any pursuers.
* The ILS has been completely revised so that it is more useful.
The ILS cone (the area within which you can detect the ILS
signal) extends 18 nm from the stern of the carrier. At this
distance, the cone is 20 degrees wide:
***********
----------------- ***********
! carrier ! 20 degrees
----------------- ***********
***********
18 nm
When you get within 10 nm, the cone is 70 degrees wide (35
degrees on either side):
***
***
----------------- ***
! carrier ! 70 degrees
----------------- ***
***
****
10 nm
In addition, the cone extends 1 nm forward from the end of the
landing deck, so you will still have ILS information during a
bolter. When you are outside the cone, the bars of the ILS cross
appear as dotted lines that cross at the center of your HUD.
The bars on the ILS only show up to 4 degrees of deviation. Thus,
if you were 2 degrees to the right of the beam, here is how the
ILS would look:
---
| (both lines
| are solid)
|----|-----------|
|
|
---
If you are more than 4 degrees off the beam, the appropriate bar
will appear as a dotted line at the end of the other bar. So, if
you were more than 4 degrees below glideslope, the ILS would look
like this:
|- - - --- - - -| <--(dotted line)
|
|
| <--(solid line)
|
|
---
Thus, to be on a proper landing approach, you must keep both
lines centered.
Be aware that the waypoint indicator at the top of your HUD does
NOT show the location of the carrier! It only shows the way to
your current waypoint. Once you reach your final waypoint, it is
up to you to spot the carrier visually and bring your bird in.
You can also detect the carrier using SEA mode radar.
Finally, remember that the ILS is not intended to guide you all
the way to the deck. It is meant to bring you in on a safe
approach until you can finish the landing visually. Once you can
see the deck and the meatball, ignore the ILS and fly the
meatball in.
* The vertical velocity on the HUD is now shown in feet per
minute instead of tens of feet per minute.
2.7 Falcon Gold
Falcon Gold is basically shovelware(from what I can tell), it's
Falcon, MiG-29, Hornet, Operation Fighting Tiger, and Art of the
Kill on one CD. You can run the games from the CD to save hard
disk space, sacrificing some speed.
OK.. here's the thing on upgrading to Falcon Gold(which I
recommend)
--- snip ---
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 12:41:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: "michael dobbs (micro bio)"
Subject: F3 Gold CD Upgrade
To: falcon3@falcon3.k9.com
Message-Id:
0100000@labsun1.med.uottawa.ca>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Here is the message I recieved from the SH tech support guy re.
discounts to the disk version owner that wants to upgrade to the
cd.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 12 Sep 94 22:20:14 EDT
From: The Cat:Karl SH Tech Support <76004.2144@compuserve.com>
To: ""michael dobbs (micro bio)""
Yes, there is a discount available, let me attach the info about
it:
FALCON GOLD CD-ROM UPGRADE ANNOUNCEMENT
Spectrum HoloByte is pleased to announce this upgrade offer,
which allows owners of Falcon 3.0 or the stand-alone version of
MiG-29 floppy-based products to upgrade to the new Falcon Gold
collection on CD-ROM at a price which varies depending on how
many of the products the customer previously purchased.
Falcon Gold contains newly updated versions of the entire
Electronic Battlefield Series collection:
>Falcon 3.0 v 3.05
>MiG-29 v 1.04
>Operation: Fighting Tiger v1.2
>Hornet: Navel Strike Fighter v1.02
>Art of the Kill
Upgrading customer will receive all of the documentation for each
product that they don't currently own, however, the BOX that
comes with the retail version will NOT be included.
The cost to upgrade to Falcon Gold is as follows:
If you currently own Falcon 3.0 or the stand-alone version of MiG-
29:
plus any 3 or more of the add-ons = $30
plus any 2 add-ons = $40
plus any 1 add-on = $50
If you currently own Falcon 3.0 or the stand-alone version of MiG-
29 by itself and no add-ons, the upgrade price is $59.
Shipping/handling: $5.25. Outside North America $10.
Sales Tax: CA = 8.25%, MD = 5%, WA = 8%, Canada = 7%
All prices listed here are in US funds.
UPGRADE PROCEDURE
To order by phone, call 1-800-695-4263 anytime from the USA or
Canada to order with Visa or MasterCard. Have your original disk
1 (or the VHS tape from Art of the Kill) ready for each of the
following programs that you own:
Falcon 3.0
Operation: Fighting Tiger
MiG-29 stand-alone
MiG-29 add-on
Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter
Art of the Kill
To order by fax, make a xerox copy of the label on your original
disk 1 (or the label on the VHS tape from Art of the Kill) along
with your
name
daytime shipping address
daytime phone
Visa/MC number and expiration date
Fax all of the above to 408-644-2001 anytime from anywhere.
To order by mail, make a xerox copy of the label on your original
disk 1 (or the label on the VHS tape from Art of the Kill) along
with
name
daytime shipping address
daytime phone
Visa/MC number and expiration date
OR
check/money order (U.S. funds, U.S. or Canadian bank) payable to
'Spectrum HoloByte' and mail to
Spectrum HoloByte Direct
PO Box 3941
Salinas, CA 93912
Karl "The Cat" Maurer - SHI On-Line Support Rep
-----------------------------------------------------------------
------
Sounds good, no? Read on:
I next asked if I could still get the discount in the form of a
rebate since (being a loyal F3 follower for many years now) I
already went out and bought the cd a couple of weeks ago. The
answer was NO! Now this wouldn't upset me so much if SH had let
the buy know this discount was going to happen. If I had missed
a magazine add, a label on the CD box, a coupon in the box, etc.
etc....I wouldn't have leg to stand on. But I feel I'm being
taken to the cleaners for being "quick off the mark" and
supporting SH.
Are there others out there in net land in my predicament? Why
don't we all let SH know how we feel being treated this way? Who
knows, they may decide rebates are a good idea!
Mike.
--- snip ---
From: n.johnston2@genie.geis.com
Message-Id: <199409160456.AA274531375@relay2.geis.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 94 04:12:00 UTC
To: falcon3@neon.k9.com
Cc: 76004.2144@compuserve.com
Subject: Falcon Gold at retail
X-Genie-Id: 5995638
X-Genie-From: N.JOHNSTON2
Status: RO
Michael Dobbs wrote about buying Falcon Gold at retail prior to
knowing about SH's direct sales upgrade offer.
I believe it's fair to remind the dlist that SH customer support
has publicly responded to requests for an upgrade offer since
shortly after Falcon Gold shipped in early summer. The gist of
the response was "we are going to offer a special upgrade price,
but we haven't got the offer finalized and approved yet; we will
make it known when it has been approved." Unfortunately the
offer could not be finalized before the ad was done or the
product shipped, so there was no prior way to notify users via
advertising or in the package.
On the one hand, I'm sympathetic to Michael's plight; on the
other hand, I too have been in the place of the afficionado who
rushed to buy product as soon as possible, only to see lower
prices available thereafter. Witness Strike Commander, which I
bought at retail on Day 1 for $72 and change, and whose price
declined shortly thereafter. The situation is endemic to both
software and hardware. The early buyers pay the most. And
unfortunately SH does not have the mechanism in place to handle a
rebate program.
Nevertheless, I'm interested to know how many subscribers to the
dlist were caught in Michael's situation. If you bought Falcon
Gold at retail prior to the customer support announcement (and
can prove it) please send me a brief email
[N.JOHNSTON2@GENIE.GEIS.COM].
Best regards,
Neil Johnston
Product Marketing Manager, Simulations
Spectrum HoloByte
aka "Waxer"
--- snip ---
3.0 FALCON UTILITIES
There are several software utilities available for sale, as
freeware, or as shareware that extend the capabilities of Falcon
3.0. As new versions of Falcon 3.0 were introduced, the utilities
likewise had to be revised to accomodate changes made by SH to
the game files. With the introduction of Falcon 3.02 and MiG-29
Fulcrum, new versions of some of the formerly freeware or
shareware utilities became available only as commercial products.
The freeware and shareware versions, in many cases compatible
only with Falcon 3.0D or 3.01, are available for downloading from
FTP.K9.COM or its mirrors. See section 4.2 for information about
dowloading by anonymous FTP.
3.1 UTILITIES FOR FALCON 3.0D - 3.01
3.1.1 FALCONER
The freeware version of Falconer is a utility created by Rob
Heittman for use with Falcon 3.0 version D and Falcon 3.0: OFT.
It allows you to edit all pilot stats, replenish of weapons and
supplies in campaign play, and print out pilot and squadron
information. Available from FTP.K9.COM and mirrors as FALCNR.ZIP.
3.1.2 F3MAPS
Shareware version 4.1 of Falcon Mapper for Falcon 3.01.1 is a
utility created by Greg Prete that allows you to set Red Flag or
Instant action to any campaign theater, permanently set default
scale to 1x magnification, declutter the HUD, and randomly
generate Red Flag missions. Available from FTP.K9.COM and mirrors
as F3MAPR.ZIP.
3.1.3 FALCCALC
Shareware version 2.51 of FalCalc, The Falcon 3.01 Mission
Planning Assistant, was written using the data given in the
various charts and pages of both Falcon manuals, the original and
OFT. It gives you a lot of information to help you fly
successful missions and wage a successful campaign. With Version
2.51, FalcCalc has been expanded to include:
- A Set of Intelligence Dispatches, which offer both Strategic
and Tactical data about your campaign.
- FalcCalc will now automatically examine your campaign files and
warn you if you're getting dangerously low on specific stores.
- You can Change Waypoint Speeds from directly within FalcCalc.
- You have the ability to pick which Pilots' names appear on your
Knee Board Sheet.
- "Bingo Fields" will now print directly on the Knee Board Sheet.
- The interface has been standardized.
Version 2.51 of FalcCalc is available from FTP.K9.COM and its
mirrors as FLCLC251.ZIP.
3.1.4 F3PAD
Although Falcon 3.02 added indicators for afterburner and
airbrake in padlock view, for owners of Falcon 3.01 Ken
Richardson's TSR utility shows indicators in padlock and SCROLL-
FORWARD views for afterburner, brake, radar, and ECM. Available
from FTP.K9.COM and its mirrors as F3PAD.ZIP and F3PAD2.ZIP.
3.1.5 FCE - Falcon Campaign Editor
This is email I received from Frank Racis...
Here's the Promo file I posted to the Netnews Flight-Sim group.
This should be on cactus.org as fce11.txt
The current version is actually 1.1a (1.1 had a compiler error).
This is fce11a.zip on cactus.org.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------
New version of Falcon Campaign Editor
Available at: cactus.org /incoming/fce11a.zip
Falcon Campaign Editor (FCE) is a squadron/campaign editor for
Falcon 3.04 and MiG-29 1.03. It has a basic menu-selection
interface in DOS, and a full graphical Windows interface.
New for version 1.1:
* Bug fixes:
Fuel consumption calculation corrected (actually 2 bugs)
No more "missing" squadrons
* Fly your next campaign mission in Red Flag (great for
intel...)
* Print hard copy of roster and flight plan
* Edit medals earned by a pilot
* Limited Hornet 1.01 support (Roster/Supply editing only)
Features of DOS version:
* Fully supports Falcon 3.04, MiG 1.03
* Make all pilots unfatigued or perfect
* Add 20 to inventory of all types of ordnance
* Resurrect all dead pilots
* Give squadron all 18 planes
* Fuel estimates
* Command line parameters allow automatic use in batch files.
Windows version allows:
* All features of DOS version
* Edit individual pilots / abilities
* Complete control over all ordnance and supplies
* Rename squadrons (even create new names)
* Much nicer user interface than DOS
* Time-on-Target lets you adjust speed to co-ordinate flights
Still free, asking only for an E-Mail with comments.
-Frank Racis (FWR100@psuvm.psu.edu)
3.2 UTILITIES FOR FALCON 3.02, MIG-29 FULCRUM, AND F-18 HORNET
3.2.1 KEYBOARD COMMANDER CORPS UTILITIES
Keyboard Commander Corps offers keyboard templates and utilities
for use with Falcon 3.01, 3.02, and MiG-29. Versions of some of
the formerly freeware and shareware utilities for use with
Falcon 3.02 and MiG-29 are available only from Keyboard
Commander Corps. This press release was circulated on USENET
earlier this summer:
7/20/93 FALCON & MIG COMMANDER UTILITIES
Keyboard Commander Corps is proud to announce exciting new
utilities for Falcon 3.0:Operation Fighting Tiger and MiG-
29:Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0. FCU & MCU are feature-packed
upgrades to their shareware predecessors written by the
"Skunkworks" gang on CompuServe's Flight Simulator Forum.
KCC has formed an alliance with the authors to bring you these
new and improved versions at a low price, but at the same time
reward the authors their normal registration fees. For one low
price you get:
FalcCalc 3.0: The wildly popular and superb campaign
intelligence gathering tool. Viewable/Printable theater map with
detailed info. on every site, ground forces and all flight paths.
Printable Fuel consumption, Waypoint timing, Strategic/Tactical
reports and mission "Kneeboard sheet", including
new viewable pilot's roster to select upcoming mission pilots.
Allows resetting of waypoint timing speeds from within FalcCalc
to coordinate actions between multiple flights. FalcCalc even
tells you the conditions for victory or defeat, backs up squadron
files and more! Author- Bill White
F3 Requisition 1.0: All new utility from the author of FalcCalc
that truly puts you in command of your Falcon 3.0 squadrons.
Allows player to customize pilot's roster including names,
callsigns, skill ratings and status. Replenishes all supplies
including F-16's and even allows player to change resupply date.
Sort and print both pilot's roster and Sierra Hotel List. Allows
customized naming of squadrons! Author- Bill White
Falcon Mapper 5.0: A stalwart of Falcon world, Falcon Mapper is
the famous Red Flag, Instant Action and HUD customizing utility
now in it's fifth and best version. Allows players to change
default theaters for both Red Flag and Instant Action, Customize
and "declutter" the HUD and change the default view scale. Auto-
generates missions in any theater and even allows the player to
set the numerous variables used for auto-generation. Great new
graphical map shows entire Red Flag theater, flight paths, enemy
positions and
more! Author- Greg Prete
ShowF3 2.0: One of the coolest utilities available, ShowF3 allows
viewing of screen-shots taken with Falcon 3.0's own secret,
proprietary screen-capture program. (Yep, it's been on player's
hardrives all along!). New features include easy-to-navigate
interface that makes viewing screen-shots a snap, a save option
that converts screen-shots from Falcon's proprietary format into
popular .PCX or .GIF formats and deletes original file at the
same time to reduce disk clutter. Easy instructions on how to
use Falcon's screen-capture commands included (Tip: Take AVTR
film, then use "Z" in ACMI/VCR mode to get best results!)
Author- Steve Kramp
Bornstein's Combat Missions: Action packed, gut-wrenching custom
Red Flag missions from the celebrated author of the popular book
"Falcon 3:The Official Combat Strategy Book", the only book
Spectrum HoloByte chooses to sell via their direct marketing
newsletter and 800#! Includes all type Nellis: Red Flag missions
with complete descriptions. Missions can be further customized
in Falcon's Red Flag area. Author- Howard Bornstein
KCC Menu 1.0: Fantastic menu shell that brings it all together.
Easy way to access Falcon and utilities from one central menu
that creates a seamless "suite". Player can use ready-to-go
default menu configuration or customize to his or her preference.
Can load .bat files as well as create sub-menus to add all of the
player's games and sims. Allows viewing and printing of
accompanying utility manuals. Completely unloads itself from
memory while running menu selection. Author- Craig Allen
FCU & MCU are separate packages. FCU is now available, MCU will
be released early 8/93. You can find FCU & MCU at your local
retailer or buy direct from KCC.
Keyboard Commander Corp.
4839 SW 148 Ave., Suite 402
Davie, FL 33330
800-262-6066
CompuServe 72370,2375
Prodigy: DKRV26A
3.2.2 Ken `Stinger' Richarson's SIMPAK Utilities
The SIMPAK utilities include newer versions of Ken Richardson's
old utilities such as the commtsr and f3pad. SIMPAK?.ZIP Is
available at FTP.K9.COM and its mirrors.
COMMTSR
The COMMTSR.COM file is a TSR that works with Spectrum
Holobytes's simulators. On serial communications: "Using this
TSR you will see your connection times improve greatly. During
testing, this patch completed a 2400bps direct connection in just
over 2 minutes, a 57600bps V.42bis connection in just under 30
seconds."
PADLOCK(formerly F3PAD)
PADLOCK is a TSR program that will add small indicator lights to
the Padlock and Scrolled lock views. These lights indicate
Afterburners, Airbrakes, Radar on/off, and ECM. Each indicator
has it's own color.
COOLIE
"COOLIE is a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) program that will
work with the ThrustMaster FCS allowing you to program the
"Coolie Hat" and Buttons 3 and 4 to any keystroke on the
keyboard, (including SHFT/CTRL/ALT keys). You can also program
"double-click" funtions to any button or hat position. For
example: By default the Hat is programmed to switch between
forward, back, right and left views depending on what direction
you push it. If you push the Hat up twice, it will switch to
Padlock view." --COOLIE.TXT
3.2.3 TM-STICK
TM-STICK.??? Is available from FTP.K9.COM and its mirrors. I
quote from TM-STICK.TXT
TM-STICK Features
-----------------
This utility program gives you more flexible control of the
joystick routines in Falcon 3.04, MiG-29 1.03 and Hornet 1.01
(and earlier versions of these games). TM-STICK works with any
joystick, particularly the FCS from ThrustMaster.
Although the joystick routines from TM-STICK version 1.0 have
been incorporated into the latest versions of Falcon 3.0, MiG-29
and Hornet, TM-STICK version 2.0 will work with the latest
versions of these games and will not interfere with the new built-
in joystick routines. TM-STICK version 2.0 will also add the new
joystick
routines to any earlier versions of Falcon 3.0 and MiG-29 (in
addition to fixing a problem with the rudders when using an
analog throttle).
TM-STICK allows you to set the null zone for each axis of two
joysticks independently of one another. You can make the null
zones wider or narrower on each joystick axis. If, for example,
your F-16 starts rolling right or left immediately when you first
move the joystick just a small amount, you can delay the start of
the roll by simply
increasing the width of the null zone on the X-axis of Joystick
1. This patch is also a very useful tool to use if you find that
your aircraft is "drifting" to one side or the other. By
increasing the null zone, you can avoid this "drift."
If you have a ThrustMaster Mark II Weapons Control System, TM-
STICK also allows you to set the position of the AB
(afterburner) detent on your Mark II WCS when using analog
throttle. If you find that your AB detent is not setting your
throttle to (or very close to) 100% Military Power, then use this
patch to force it to do so. The AB
detent should actually be set so that your Mark II WCS's throttle
handle in ANALOG will produce as close to 100% Military Power as
possible without actually entering afterburner stage 1. As you
move forward out of the AB detent, your afterburners will kick
in.
TM-STICK also removes the ILS view shift. Now when the ILS mode
is turned on, your view will no longer shift down. It will
remain like a normal view and the ILS view shift up/down will be
disabled.
4.0 WHERE TO GET PATCHES AND UTILITIES
In addition to the sources listed below, patches and utilities
may be found in CompuServe Flight Simulator Forum (GO FSFORUM) in
Library 8, Modern Air Combat.
4.1 SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE CUSTOMER SUPPORT
The Falcon 3.0 version D, 3.01.1, and 3.02 upgrades are available
directly from Spectrum HoloByte's Customer Support at:
Spectrum HoloByte
2490 Mariner Square Loop
Alameda, CA 94501
Attn: Customer Support
(510) 522-1164 (9am-5pm Pacific Time, M-F)
Spectrum HoloByte can also be reached from the INTERNET by
electronic mail. Their address is 76004.2144@compuserve.com.
Also there is the Spectrum HoloByte BBS at (510)522-8909. Where
you can obtain the latest patches and some third party utilities.
4.2 FTP.K9.COM ANONYMOUS FTP ARCHIVE AND MIRRORS
Falcon 3.0 patches and utilities are available for downloading
via anonymous FTP from host FTP.K9.COM in the pub/falcon3
directory. FTP.K9.COM is mirrored at:
cactus.org in /pub/falcon3
ftp.informatik.uni-rostock.de in /pub/msdos/falcon3
All the patches, once decompressed, each contain a readme file
with instructions, and an installation procedure as well as the
upgrade files. The utilities are also packaged in a compressed
format, and most also include documentation files. Freeware or
shareware decompression software like PKUNZIP, UNZIP, or UNARJ
are available from many anonymous FTP sites.
An index of the contents of the pub/falcon3 directory of
FTP.K9.COM's FTP file archive is available for download from
that directory as a file named INDEX. In addition to the Falcon
3.0 patches and utilities, Falcon3 list members have uploaded
custom missions, help files, and other play-related items.
4.3 TRADE CENTER BBS and other SIMNET nodes
Check Six Orange Co CA (714) 362-8299
Patrick Gost 28.8/VFAST
The Fast Tracks Sunnyvale CA (408) 739-5781 Jedi
14.4/v32b
Beta Los Osos CA (805) 528-6829
Steve Parker 14.4/v32b
Powerline BBS Valdosta GA (912) 249-9585
Robert Whitt 14.4/v32b
Modem CONNECTion Atlanta GA (404) 952-8981 Pat
Coloney 14.4/v32b
Cyber Space BBS Milwaukie OR (503) 654-4645 Scott
Johnson 14.4/v32b
Afterburner BBS Ft Worth TX (817) 292-4193 Jeff
Herman 14.4/v32b
The Contrails Euless TX (817) 355-9242
Joe Richter 14.4/v32b
The Fox Den N Britain CT (203) 223-5217
Clyde Fox 14.4/v32b
Reverse Polarity Plantsville CT (203) 620-0001
Bill Arlofski 21.6/Dual
The Spacedock Newington CT (203) 666-4999 Jim
Bills 16.8/Dual
32 Bit Bus BBS Levittown PA (215) 949-2701 Bob
Bernstein 16.8/Dual
Wild Blue Yonder Tulsa OK (918) 664-9824 Mike
Groner 14.4/v32b
The Crosswinds Phoenix AZ (602) 678-4381 Brent
Ward 14.4/v32b
Gamma on-line Williamsburh VA (804) 565-3503
George Marsh 28.8/VFAST
Fox One BBS Broken Arrow OK (918) 251-3160
Bill Rogers 14.4/v32b
Cowford Cargo Jacksonville FL (904) 384-6021
Steven Moyer 14.4/v32b
4.4 COMPUSERVE GAMEPUB FORUM (library 3)
????
4.5 ELECTRONIC BATTLEFIELD SERIES FAQ FTP SITE
It's at:
ftp.HACKS.Arizona.EDU /pub/krismon/ebspatch
I like to keep the latest patches here... so only the latest ones
are in there.. f305.zip, m104.zip and h102.zip. There's less
traffic here so you'll get faster transfers(usually) than
cactus.org
5.0 FALCON REFERENCE MATERIAL
Several books are available for purchase from retail software
stores, or via mail order. In addition, a WAIS service containing
an archive of email and USENET postings relating to Falcon 3.0
and other flight simulators has been created.
5.1 FALCON 3.0: THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK
>From Tom Basham:
Falcon 3.0: The Complete Handbook by Joel Powell and Tom Basham,
published by The Waite Group, ISBN 1-878739-29-8, and is
approximately 650 pages. Retails for $34.95 US, but can be found
cheaper at most chain book stores. The include 1.2M floppy
contains over 40 custom Red Flag missions used within the text,
Falcnr 3.1, f3maps 4.0, and the original F3 demo program. The
Waite Group is the only licensed, non-network, non-BBS
distributor of F3maps 4.0.
Chapters 1 through 7 are written to the new F3 user. These
chapters explain the basic info on aerodynamics, flying, radar
usage, landing, and weapons delivery. Chapters 8 thru 12 are
written to the advance user. Chapter 8 (43 pages) is dedicated to
mastering the Hi-Fi radar, including walking readers through two
of the included Red Flag missions. Chapter 9 (118 pages), the
"Advanced Flight School," steps readers through 8 Red Flag
missions designed to simulate a campaign and teach weapons usage,
coordination of multiple flights, allocation of resources, dive
bombing styles, and combat tactics for intercept, scramble,
escort, CAS, and bombing missions. Chapter 10 gives the inside
info on how campaign mode works and how the war operates. It also
gives valuable lessons on allocating resources, combat doctrine,
and designing waypoints for safe ingress and egress. Chapter 10
also lists the mission requirements for each type of campaign
mission. Chapter 11 goes into inside the mind of the computer
pilot, explaining the differences between different levels,
compares the strengths of the enemy's weapons, describes missile
evasion techniques, and gives detailed info on enemy airborne
radars. Basic ACM and BFM illustrations are also provided.
Chapter 12 is dedicated to the late arrival: OFT. New aircraft,
theaters, weapons, and updated mission success requirements for
OFT specific missions. Appendicies include the Combat Reference
Table (xrefing aircraft
type, weapons systems, radar type, and top speed at a glance),
fuel usage calculation tables, and upgrade info for F3maps and
Falcnr.
5.2 FALCON 3: THE OFFICIAL COMBAT STRATEGY BOOK
Falcon3: The Official Combat Strategy Book, by Howard Bornstein,
published by Prima Publishing, ISBN 1-55958-160-3, 367 pages.
Retails for $27.95 US, available for less from chain book stores
or mail-order computer game retailers. Covers Falcon 3.0A through
Falcon OFT 3.01. Includes 3.5" diskette with 3.0D patch, the
utilities Falconer, F3MAPS, F3ILS2, and SHOWF3 for use with 3.0D
or 3.01, plus numerous Red Flag missions for use with book
lessons.
Bornstein's book is divided into three parts. Part one describes
the versions of Falcon 3.0, explains difficulty levels, enemy and
wingman AI, flight models, and Instant Action scoring.
Part two explains
- HUD strategies for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions
- Radar modes
- Countermeasures including RWR and using chaff/flares
- Navigation and fuel management
- Dogfighting strategies including padlock and SCROLL-FORWARD
view strategies
- How to identify aircraft visually and electronically
- ACMI features
- Undocumented and hidden features
Part three presents various Red Flag tutorials for air-to-air and
air-to-ground missions, and an explanation of Falcon 3.0 Campaign
mode.
5.3 FALCON 3.0 AIR COMBAT
Falcon 3.0 Air Combat by Pete Bonanni and Bernard Yee, published
by Osborne McGraw-Hill,
ISBN 0-07-881701-3, 350 pages. Retails for $19.95.
Covers basic fighter maneuvers, beyond visual range radar
deployment, advanced air-to-air combat tactics, Falcon 3.0
weapons deployment, advanced surface attack tactics, and campaign
management. Essentally a rehash of the user manual with some
useful keyboard templates. Does not cover OFT.
5.4 FALCON3: AIR COMBAT TRAINER
As of April, 1993 no detailed information about this product is
available. This description was submitted to the Falcon3 mailing
list by Tom Basham:
"Falcon3: Air Combat Trainer is a combo of a book, mission disk
and a video tape being co-written by Pete Bonanni (F-16 pilot and
author) and another guy whose name I can't recall right now.
It'll sort of be an inhome lecture on ACM/BFM 101."
5.5 FIGHTER COMBAT: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
This book, by fighter pilot Robert Shaw, is considered by many to
be the most definitive book on ACM (air combat manoevering)
available to the general public, and is highly recommended as a
source of background information for the concepts presented in
Falcon 3.0 reference books and manuals. It is available from the
US Naval Institute, Spectrum HoloByte, and most well-stocked
public libraries.
Fighter Combat: the art and science of air-to-air combat
Author: Robert L. Shaw
Publisher: Patrick Stephens Limited,
Great Britain,
1986/1988 (2nd edition)
ISBN 1-85260-201-5
Copyright 1985/88 US Naval Institute
5.6 FALCON3 WAIS LIBRARY
>From Jim Knutson (knutson@mcc.com)
I have been collecting Falcon 3 related articles since Feb. 1992.
Rather than keep all this information to myself, I decided to
write `The USENET Guide to Falcon 3' (can be found on
ftp.k9.com). In the process of doing so, I created the Falcon 3
wais library. The wais library lets you lookup any references to
a particular topic. For instance, if I was interested in how to
dodge sam missiles, I might ask about the following topics "sam
missile evasion dodge tactics", and I would get back
approximately 230 items related to those topics sorted so that
the most relevant items are first. I can then browse through the
items looking for the answer to my question.
There are two methods to use the wais library and both require
Internet access. The first requires only telnet and the second
requires that a wais client be installed on your system.
The easiest way to lookup things in the wais library is to telnet
to quake.think.com and login as user wais. For example:
urbino> telnet quake.think.com
Trying 192.31.181.1 ...
Connected to quake.think.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
SunOS UNIX (quake)
login: wais
Last login: Tue Apr 6 08:35:51 from 159.230.1.13
SunOS Release 4.1.1 (QUAKE) #3: Tue Jul 7 11:09:01 PDT 1992
Welcome to swais.
Please type user identifier (optional, i.e user@host):
knutson@mcc.com
TERM = (vt100) sun-cmd
Starting swais (this may take a little while)...
You will be presented with a list of about 400 different wais
libraries that you can query. You want to scroll down to the
falcon3 library (usually referred to as a source). Select
falcon3 as the source you want to ask and hit return to enter the
topic keywords you are interested in.
You will then be presented with a list of items that match those
topics. You can select any of them for viewing. You can even
have the items mailed to you.
The second method requires existing wais software on your host.
To perform the query, you will need the following source
description placed in the file ~/wais-sources/falcon3.src
(assuming you use a Unix box).
------ falcon3.src cut here ------
(:source
:version 3
:database-name "falcon3"
:ip-name "urbino.mcc.com"
:tcp-port 8000
:update-time (:time-interval :interval :daily)
:cost 0.00
:cost-unit :free
:maintainer "knutson@urbino.mcc.com"
:description "Server created with WAIS release 8 b5 on Sep 30
15:33:02 1992 by knutson@urbino.mcc.com
This is a collection of most of the mail and news traffic I have
seen on the Falcon 3 air combat flight simulator since Feb. 1992.
This database helped me write `The USENET Guide to Falcon 3.'
For maximum effect, be sure to increase the default maximum
number of results returned from 40 to something larger.
The files of type mail used in the index were:
/home/knutson/mail/Falcon
"
)
------ end of falcon3.src ------
Here are some usage statistics in case anyone is interested.
WAIS traffic from Mar 22 10:26:12 1993 to Apr 6 10:46:40 1993 288
connections from 35 hosts.
Queries
Searches #1 Query
Database Pings /Results Expressions Count Question
..rces/falcon3 5 14/ 339 13 2 arizona-phoenix
falcon3 4 72/1530 59 5 falcon
flight_sim 27 98/2295 77 11 flight
Answers
210 answers, min/avg/max documents = 0/19/227
Retrieved Documents
Database Retrievals
falcon3 38
..rces/falcon3 157
..urnal-titles 2
flight_sim 88
..s/flight_sim 159
total 444
Lastly, I would like to say that I also have a flight_sim wais
library that is a collection of all the flight sim related info I
have collected.
-- snip --
[I (Kris) should point out that this is rather old. And the WAIS
archive can now be accessed through WWW/Mosaic at
http://cactus.org/~knutson/FlightSimLibrary.html or through the
EBS FAQ WWW page.
http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
The USENET Guide to Falcon 3is also available via WWW/Mosaic at
http://cactus.org/~knutson/UGF3.html]
5.7 Falcon 3 Modem Bible
This text file from CompuServe contains helpful information about
setting up Falcon for modem play. It is available in CompuServe,
and the EBSFAQ ftp site,
ftp.hacks.arizona.edu:/pub/krismon/ebsstuff/modem.zip
5.8 Electronic Battlefield Series WWW page
Page holds the FAQ, and some other stuff related to Falcon 3 and
EBS. Worth checking out.
http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
6.0 UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
6.1 INCREASING AIRCRAFT DETAIL LEVEL
There are three methods by which one can make any version of
Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 display aircraft objects in full detail,
similar in detail to objects displayed in the REPORTS screens:
- Copy OBJECTS onto SOBJECTS. Be sure to rename SOBJECTS to
another filename before doing this. You will need to copy the
renamed SOBJECTS back to successfully upgrade Falcon 3.0 to a new
version.
- for EMM386 users, start Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 by typing LOADHI
FALCON3 or LOADHI MIG29
- for QEMM386 users, before running Falcon, type LOADHI/LINK
There are some potential problems that may arise from using these
techniques, as described in this post from Tom Neff:
From: tneff@mimiki.win.net (Tom Neff)
Subject: Max Falcon Detail: The Straight Dope
I got utterly sick of explaining this at one point and swore off,
but I guess it's been a while.
Falcon uses one of two wireframe databases, filenamed OBJECTS
(the complex one) or SOBJECTS (the simple one) depending on how
much free memory it thinks you have when it loads -- if your CPU
is fast enough to begin with, which most people's are these days.
With SOBJECTS loaded you see more detail on friendly and enemy
planes (your own plane detail doesn't vary).
The purpose of the LOADHIGH/LOADHI trick is to d**k with the
segment pointers so that Falcon thinks you actually have a lot
more free memory than you really do, and thus decides to grant
you SOBJECTS anyway. There is no essential difference between the
DOS LOADHIGH and QEMM LOADHI commands in this respect. People
for whom only LOADHI works are probably simply getting more free
memory from QEMM than they were from vanilla EMM386, and so
winning that way.
(By the way, I cannot stress highly enough the wisdom of
maintaining _separate_ configurations for different "missions" on
a multipurpose computer. There is no excuse for worrying about
how to keep your color document scanner driver and PopCalc 5.99
loaded underneath Falcon 3! When the game is loaded, you want to
give it every CPU cycle and byte of memory you've got, not waste
time worrying about interactions with irrelevant software. When
you're done playing, just take twenty seconds and reboot. There
are a dozen little multi-config maintainers out there, or you can
write your own. I just cobbled together a couple of batch
files.)
The other max-detail approach, which SH calls dangerous but
someone tired of banging away at LOADHI[gh] combos might call
infallible, is to rename SOBJECTS to some safe-keeping name and
COPY OBJECTS to SOBJECTS. Now both wireframe databases are the
same, so even if Falcon decides you only
deserve the simple one, you get the complex one anyway. The
downside to this trick is that if you really _didn't_ have enough
memory for SOBJECTS, Falcon may lock up on you unexpectedly. The
quickest way to find out is to create a Red Flag mission with
four _different_ aircraft types in your flight, then launch and
pound the '7' key. If you can see the whole flight in one screen
at max magnification, you're in the clear.
The other problem with copying and renaming files around, like
the various user contributed "patches," is that later version
upgrades will bomb verifying your files! (Many MiG-29 buyers are
probably being reminded of this right now.) Make sure you have
the capability to "return to cherry" when you need to.
All right, that's out of my system. Somebody save it, because
nobody reads archives and the question will be asked again next
week... :-)
[Newer Versions of DOS from MS-DOS 6 onwards now support multiple
bootup parameters. It makes it very easy to maintain a multi-
configuration PC. Check your DOS manual for more.]
6.2 UNDOCUMENTED KEYS
Toggle time of day (shift + T)
Hidden down view (great for BDA!) (shift + U)
Automatic wing leveler (Ctrl + Alt + 5 (keypad))
The time of day toggle changes the apparent time of day you are
flying within the simulation. If you save the mission to ACMI,
the true time of day for the mission is recorded. It does not
affect the campaigns or Red Flag times of day -- just think of it
as the poor man's Falcon 3.0 LANTIRN. The hidden down view
pretends you have a glass-bottomed cockpit floor (don't you
wish!) which is helpful in determining if your dumb bombs hit
the target. Just make sure you're in autopilot and have no
hostiles bearing down on you when invoking this function! The
automatic wing leveler instantly levels you out from whatever
attitude you may be -- even when you are completely disabled from
a hit and are out of the game (assuming you haven't been blown
away to smithereens by missile or gunfire). You can gently
flutter to the ground with 0 speed and wings level (or at least
until you are in a safe enough attitude to pull the loud handle).
6.3 EXPLOITING THE HIDDEN LANDING CAPABILITIES OF YOUR F-16!
Did you know that as long as you meet the landing parameters
of the F-16 (gear down, flaps down, speed brakes out, airspeed
around 150-180 knots and angle of attack of around 10 degrees)
you can safely land anywhere -- road, desert, ground, even on the
water! (Has GD created a seaplane version of the Falcon? -- I
don't think so! At least you can pretend they did!) Hopefully
you can save your skin and live on to fight again.
6.4 THE GOD'S-EYE VIEW IN FALCON 3.0 (DEBUG MODE)
These features are accessed by first pressing the pause key (P)
then immediately pressing the Tab key. You are initially put in
a sort of chase view -- but with a major difference: the view ID
is now labeled "PAUSE" and the following keys will help you get
around in this mode (known also as PAUSE-TAB or DEBUG mode):
(arrow keys not on keypad) Move forward, backward, right
or
left in the
campaign theater
(Page Up/Page Down) Increase/decrease altitude
(F3) Rotate right
(F4) Rotate left
(Shift + F3) Rotate up
(Shift + F4) Rotate down
(Ctrl + rotation keys above) Fine tune rotation
(plus key) Increase movement factor
(minus key) Decrease movement factor
(D) Debug mode -- displays
map coordinates and frame rate
(T) Enter Transporter Room --
teleport to any coordinate in
the campaign map
(tilde (~)) Continue action while in
PAUSE-TAB mode. Press again
to turn off.
(WARNING: If you wish to continue the action while in PAUSE-TAB
mode, be sure you are in autopilot before entering this mode.
Otherwise, you might have to fight a runaway airplane!)
READING THE DEBUG COORDINATE LEGEND
This appears on the upper left of your screen when debug mode is
activated:
XXXX XXXX
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXXX
A clearer example:
0128 0012
-00071368 -00445036 0001400 00025
00014
The numbers on the top two rows are an internal coordinate
system that is interesting but useless unless you have a list of
coordinates (and SH ain't gonna provide!). The second row
contains a set of coordinates which are better -- they are,
respectively, the North-South (NS) and East-West (EW) coordinates
within the Falcon world you are flying (in any theatre). Highly
useful for locating some unusual features left by the Falcon 3
programmers. The third group of numbers in this row is your
altitude in feet (AGL) times 2, while the fourth number is the
"speed" while moving through the world. Note that the NS/EW
coordinates may have a minus sign before the number groups. The
third line is your actual frame rate (images per second). If you
exit PAUSE-TAB mode while in Debug mode, the debug info remains
on screen while in the simulation.
6.4.1 SOME HOT SPOTS WORTH LOOKING AT IN THE FALCON 3.0 WORLD
(Includes coordinates (NS/EW), heading and altitude)
NELLIS (RED FLAG) THEATER
"Elvis Lives" neon sign -- NS -71368, EW -445036
Heading: 8 degrees Altitude: 300 feet
"Vegas Vic" neon sign -- NS -93397, EW -484505
Heading: 264 degrees Altitude: 200 feet
"Vegas Vic" is the famous neon cowboy sign in downtown Las Vegas
at the Pioneer casino. You might also see what looks like the
Landmark hotel nearby (that odd-looking space needle casino
which, sadly, is no longer in operation). Installing Hornet adds
the Luxor and the MGM Grand Hotel.
The secret source of the Grand Canyon (a giant faucet!) --
NS -365316, EW 1672511
Heading: 44 degrees Altitude: 4340 feet
Kayak in the Colorado River -- NS -296452, EW 699396
Heading: 109 degrees Altitude 56 feet
Donkeys hiking the Grand Canyon -- NS -227964, EW 476323
Heading: 59 degrees Altitude: 1900 feet
Nellis 7-target gunnery range -- NS 715552, EW -172701
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
Nellis 11-target gunnery range -- NS 990123, EW -800905
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
"Falcon 3" in the desert -- NS 812122, EW -723375
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 10,000 feet
KUWAIT THEATER (INSTANT ACTION AND CAMPAIGN)
Permanently destroyed bridge -- NS 1111070, EW 74120
Heading: 348 degrees Altitude: 25 feet
Well, no need to target this installation!
KURILE ISLANDS THEATER (OPERATION: FIGHTING TIGER ONLY!)
Godzilla vs the Love Boat -- NS -846508, EW -1601408
Heading: 141 degrees Altitude: 80 feet
Dead man in the water -- NS -00034468, EW -01466383
Heading: 270 degrees Altitude: 20 feet
The Panama, Israel, Korea and Pakistan theaters have not really
been explored for hidden jewels -- yet!! Who knows what may be
found?
6.5 SAY "CHEESE" -- THE BUILT-IN SCREEN SHOT FEATURE OF FALCON
3.0
NOTE: Although you can capture the screen within the simulation,
you must have a program called SHOWF3 to view them. This is
available through Compuserve's FSFORUM or packaged with the
"Falcon 3: The Official Combat Strategy Book" disk (sorry, only a
3.5" disk is available). It is also available at FTP.K9.COM and
its mirrors An updated version of SHOWF3 is sold with the
Falcon/MiG/Hornet Commander Utilities and will allow you to save
your screen shots in GIF or PCX format.
Take screen shot within simulation (Ctrl + Alt + N)
Take screen shot in non-sim area
(war room, briefing, etc.) (Ctrl + N)
Take shot within ACMI
(Operation Fighting Tiger only) (Z)
Take shot in PAUSE-TAB mode (N)
This is how Spectrum Holobyte was able to shoot the screen shots
you see in their ads. You cannot take snapshots of the opening
animations, nor of the mission start/end animations. Neither can
you take a snapshot of the config screens or of the Mission
Computer.
6.6 A FEW OTHER HIDDEN FEATURES WORTH MENTIONING...
Yes, the ACES II ejection seat is accurately modeled. ACES II
works as a "zero-zero" (will work at zero speed and zero
altitude) ejection seat. You will probably need more than a few
sessions at the chiropractor if you do this in real life.
While in ACMI, the key clears out the VCR control panel
for a full-screen view of ACMI or VCR mode.
The Mission Computer (a database of all the objects, air and
ground in the simulation), buried within the Campaign and Red
Flag options, has hidden view controls. They are:
1, Shift 1 controls yaw.
2, Shift 2 controls pitch.
3, Shift 3 controls roll.
+ increase rotation speed.
- decrease rotation speed.
Getting tired of the daily Campaign screen every time you get
ready to fly?
Hit to go right into the mission.
Wanna fly a campaign with missions YOU decide? Unfortunately,
this only works in the Kurile Islands theater. First, assign a
squadron to fly the Kurile Islands. If you have a squadron
already flying there, this will not work. Then click your mouse
over the man checking monitors on the left -- you MUST click his
head -- and you will see him say "Yes, Sir!". Commit to the
campaign. After the canned opening briefing a special "Choose
Mission" screen appears. Note that "PG" missions are
pregenerated. This is a great way to find out what the UMF looks
like.
Feel like seeing the edge of space? Load LESSON1 in Red Flag.
Then get on the runway, apply wheel brakes let 'er rip with the
afterburners. Take off the wheel brakes as soon as you sense
motion. Raise the nose at about 130 knots and IMMEDIATELY raise
the gear. Put the nose up to about an 75-degree angle, gradually
raising it to 90 degrees. Keep it on AB5 until you run out of air
at about 65-70,000 feet.
7.0 OTHER FAQ'S
7.1 FALCON 3.0 HIGH FIDELITY FLIGHT MODEL
The high-fidelity flight model in Falcon 3.0 was originally
developed for ASAT, or Advanced Situational Awareness Trainer,
which was an air intercept trainer for the USAF. Its inclusion in
Falcon 3.0 has generated many questions as to how it behaves. The
following remarks are applicable to the
high-fidelity flight model in all versions of Falcon 3.0:
- Hi-fi flight model does not function at airspeeds under approx
270 knots. Below this, the player's aircraft is controlled by the
complex flight model. There is a noticeable transition when this
airspeed threshold is crossed.
- Hi-fi flight models weight limitations somewhat, in that planes
loaded in excess of 32,000 pounds will crash as soon as they
exceed 270 knots in a takeoff.
- Hi-fi flight model doesn't model G limitations (nor does
Complex), so you can pull 9 G's with a full load of fuel and
ordnance. However, you'll lose airspeed in the turn, until you
cross below the 270 knot threshold and re-enter Complex flight
model. If you stay in a turn, you can yo-yo between the two
flight models indefinitely.
- Hi-fi flight model doesn't model drag effects; you can travel
at 450 knots at zero throttle indefinitely.
- Hi-fi flight model's airbrakes are dramatically more effective
than those in Complex flight model.
- Hi-fi flight model causes your F16 to travel at least 40 knots
faster Complex flight model at the same throttle settings
Note that wingmen, enemies, and your plane in Autopilot always
use Complex flight model, not Hi-fi.
7.2 COMMON BUGS
7.2.1 COPY LEADER BUG
When using the COPY LEADER button on the Arm Planes menu screen,
sometimes it causes the hard drive to spin but nothing happens.
What's happening?
From: bash@ihlpb.att.com
Subject: Re: multiple topics
The copy leader loadout hang up - this is not a hangup. No, it's
not 8-). It sometimes is *VERY* slow. I mean *REALLY* slow. I
mean, like 3 or 4 minutes slow. But, everytime I have waited on
it, it has always spun the hdisk continuously, and always
returned. After I installed smartdrv, the problem has completely
went away. I think their disk read needs some optimization and
using a cache just speeds the whole process up. My observations
here have been independantly verified by many people on CIS. This
doesn't mean the pause ain't a bug, it just ain't a lockup 8-).
7.2.2 WINGMEN WON'T LAND AT ALTERNATE FIELDS
The Falcon 3.0 manual says I can set waypoints so as to let my
wingmen land at airfields other than the one we started at. But,
it doesn't work. Why?
From: bash@ihlpb.att.com
Subject: Re: multiple topics
I'll throw my $.02 into the ring as well. Wrt to landing, it
seems SH's right hand is unaware of what SH's left hand is
saying. Way before F3 was publicly released, we (the beta crew)
had asked for a "bingo field" option, where we could place a LAND
waypoint over a different base and the wingmen would land there.
This never worked. The F3 manual still mentions it, but you are
never allowed to select LAND at any airbase other than the one
you started from.
Next came Shft-B. Early on everyone realized you might need to
bypass a waypoint. After a few of use accidently hit SHFT-B when
going for SHFT-N, SH added the SHFT-V "previous waypoint"
command. At no time did anyone ever mention pilots looking for
bingo fields.
While working on F3:TCH, this was a hot topic for me. As each
patch came out, I wrestled with No.19 and various programmers to
find out *exactly* what changed so as to keep the book current. I
was flatly told by Gary Stotlemeyer (sp?) over the phone that
your F-16s would never land anywhere except their origination
base.
OK, so here's some comments to those who have posted: 1) To Tom
Neff (are you "Rattler" from FSFORUM?) how did you verify that
the allied planes landed at another base? Did you watch it on a
VCR? Did you get the (now mythical) "pilot is uavailable because
he is at another airbase" message? If you have a VCR, PLEASE send
it to me. I'd prefer to receive it on CI$, but can accept
UUENCODED mail at this address.
2) For Jim, re: landing at bingo fields when low on fuel. Again,
I have not ever been able to reproduce this. I've just had them
continue to scream "Fuel is low" every few seconds over and over
and over again. Have you ever seen one of your F-16s land at
another base?
3) Also for Jim: I have used your idea of putting a waypoint over
an allied base, even though I couldn't select LAND as an action.
When I did get into trouble, I'd land there. This worked well
except none of my other planes would land with me. At any rate, I
highly reccommend this tactic.
4) Regarding Atlas' comments, a) this is not what the programmers
told me personnally (that was before OFT, though), and b) In
Kuwait, Allied forces almost always capture one or two airbases
due east of my starting base. Some of my waypoint constructs
should have placed them in Atlas' second category, but to date I
have never witnessed an allied plan landing at another base.
This whole thing is a very important topic, though. If just once
we can get a VCR shot of this happening (or maybe a good photo of
a sasquatch), this revolutionizes how a lot of us fight
campaigns. Many of us don't utilize bingo field tactics because
we didn't think they worked. If they do, however, that opens a
lot of options, especially later in a campaign when allied
forces have captured additional bases. If anyone can get this on
VCR, please send it to me at "bash@ihlpb.ATT.COM".
7.2.3 MAKING THE MUD MOVE: AIR-TO-GROUND BUGS
Ground targets in all versions of Falcon 3.0 often have a special
place where they must be hit, or the program won't give credit
for hits. In general, if a hit causes the target to change color
or shape, you'll get credit for it. Here are two common
situations and their solutions:
RUNWAYS: Even though I manage to hit a runway with Durandals, I
don't seem to be able to get the program to acknowledge that I've
hit it. Why?
From: opus@ihlpf.att.com
Subj: Re: Hitting Runways
..I routinely take out runways with just two durandals. The
question of how to take out runways in F3 comes up often. There
is a magic spot on every runway that you must hit. If you zoom
all the way in during the briefing, you will see the red bulleye
right on this spot. I believe it's the point closest to the
hangar. What I do is to take along Mavericks as well as a pair
of durandals. When I get close to the runway, I do the following:
- select Mavericks
- cycle through the targets until it points at a spot on the
runway
- line up the plane so it points right at that spot (the "magic
spot" :^)
- select durandals
- bombs away--don't miss!
It is actually easier to spot this point if you don't fly along
the length of the runway, contrary to what you might think is the
ideal approach angle.
RAILYARDS: Even though I hit the railyard target with GBU-15's, I
didn't get credit for the hit. Why?
From: wedge%rccw22@rcc.rti.org
Subj: Bombing a railyard
I have also attacked railyards and not have the after-action
wrapup give me credit for it. According to the documentation,
campaign mode bombing missions are successful if any target at
the target site is destroyed, and if I remember correctly from
the OFT manual, it says that GBU15's and the heavier "slicks"
(Mk84's?) are needed to damage a railyard. Did you load out your
attacking flight with GBU15's, by chance? If so, it looks like
you are a victim of a bug in the way that the game deals with
guided weapons and railyard targets. Here's what I've observed:
Notice that each railyard target is an area of RR tracks with a
box in the center. You need to hit the box in order to damage the
target. In OFT, and probably 3.0D and earlier versions as well,
if you launch on a railyard with GBU15's or other guided weapons
they will strike the yard and not the box in the center. If you
lock up a GBU15 on a railyard, and look at the representation on
your multi-function display, you'll see how it's going to miss
that box. I'm guessing that happens to your wingmen, too.
So, for scoring purposes, you will miss every time if you use
guided weapons on a railyard. The only way to hit it is with
Mk84's "slicks".
7.3 AVOIDING SAMS
From: cisko@d0tokensun.fnal.gov (Greg Cisko)
Subject: avoiding SAMs
Evading AA missles has always been difficult for me. I
successfully could shake an AA missle about 05% of the time. This
was either radar or IR models. I had asked for advice. There was
the usual advice about changing direction & putting max g-s on
the jet ect... I still couldn't do it. Then I read that when an
IR AA missle is launched, this person would dodge them by pulling
back on the stick & releasing flares. This was nothing more than
a loop, & I didn't think it would work. Well it does work. I can
now dodge over 90% of the AA missles coming my way. I do all of
my dogfighting in paddlock, so I am not sure how well it works in
other views. In general it shouldn't matter at all though.
So...when I hear a missle launch warning I hit paddlock view. It
tells you what kind of missle got launched. (this is probably
why paddlock should be used!)
If it is a SAM(R), turn on your ECM pod & release chaff. If the
missile won't unlock turn on your radar & turn toward the
missle.
If it is an APEX (AA Radar) pull back on the stick & release a
lot of chaff.
If it is an ATOLL or MAGIC (AA IR) pull back on the stick &
release a lot of flares. Also turning off your AB couldn't hurt.
7.4 FALCON 3.0 SQUADRON LISTINGS
FALCON 3.0 SQUADRON LISTINGS
By Chuck "Nuke'em" Corway
(CIS: 72672,1553)
Yes indeed, those squadrons with the funny-sounding names in
Falcon 3.0 ARE genuine active U.S. Air Force fighter squadrons
flying F-16s. Below is a listing of the Falcon 3.0 squadrons,
identified through the quarterly publication World Air Power
Journal (Volume 5, Spring 1991). Squadrons are identified by
nickname first (as in the game), the unit number, parent wing,
location, and tail code (the two large letters on the tail of
most F-16s).
ABBREVIATIONS:
TFS -- Tactical Fighter Squadron
TFG -- Tactical Fighter Group
TFW -- Tactical Fighter Wing
TTW -- Tactical Training Wing
TFTS -- Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
FIG -- Fighter Interceptor Group
FIS -- Fighter Interceptor Squadron
AFB -- Air Force Base (USA only)
AB -- Air Base (overseas except United Kingdom)
ANG -- Air National Guard
ANGB -- Air National Guard Base
AFRes -- Air Force Reserve.
NOTE: As of 1 June 1992, the designation "Tactical" disappeared
from fighter units with the deactivation of Tactical Air Command.
The new command that replaces TAC is now called Air Combat
Command -- not to worry, the old TAC winged sword insignia has
been adopted by ACC. For clarity, the old designation remains.
Fighting Tenth 10th TFS, 50th TFW, Hahn AB, Germany
(HR)
Hooters 17th TFS, 363rd TFW, Shaw AFB, SC
(SW)
Falcons 33rd TFS, 363rd TFW, Shaw AFB, SC
(SW)
Rams 34th TFS, 388th TFW, Hill AFB, UT
(HL)
Black Widows 421st TFS, 388th TFW, Hill AFB UT (HL)
Squids 613th TFS, 401st TFW, Torrejon AB,
Spain (TJ)
Dragons 512th TFS, 86th TFW, Ramstein AB,
Germany (RS)
Lucky Devils 614th TFS, 401st TFW, Torrejon AB, Spain
(TJ)
Fighting Eagles 612th TFS, 401st TFW, Torrejon AB, Spain
(TJ)
Swamp Fox(es) 157th TFS, 169th TFG, South Carolina
ANG,
McEntire ANGB, SC (SC)*
Flying Fiends 36th TFS, 51st TFW, Osan AB, Korea
(OS)
Black Knights 526th TFS, 86th TFW, Ramstein AB,
Germany (RS)
White Knights 70th TFS, 347th TFW, Moody AFB, GA (MY)
Phantoms 35th TFS, 8th TFW, Kunsan AB,
Korea (WP)
Sun Devils 302nd TFS, 944th TFG (AFRes), Luke
AFB, AZ (LR)
Lightning Lancers 68th TFS, 347th TFW, Moody AFB GA (MY)
Fighting Foujins 4th TFS, 388th TFW, Hill AFB, UT (HL)
Michigan Wolves 107th FIS, 191st FIG, Selfridge ANGB, MI
(no tail code carried -- this
squadron is also known as the "Six Pack")
* Later photos (taken during Desert Storm) deletes this code and
replaces it with a blue and white "South Carolina" fin flash.
Here are other USAF F-16 squadrons worthy of mention, that should
have been, but were not included in the game. Many of the ANG
squadrons do not carry the two-letter tailcodes that are pretty
much standard throughout the Air Force.
Panthers 81st TFS, 52nd TFW, Spangdahlem AB,
Germany (SP)
Fighting Hawks 23rd TFS, 52nd TFW, Spangdahlem AB,
Germany (SP)
Warhawks 480th TFS, 52nd TFW, Spangdahlem AB,
Germany (SP)
Gamecocks 19th TFS, 363rd TFW, Shaw AFB, SC (SW)
Headhunters 80th TFS, 8th TFW, Kunsan AB, Korea (WP)
The Boys from Syracuse 138th TFS, 174th TFG, New York Air
National Guard, Syracuse, NY (NY)
Wild Ducks 309th TFS, 31st TFW, Homestead AFB, FL
(HS)
Knights 308th TFS, 31st TFW, Homestead AFB,
FL (HS)
Tophats 310th TFTS, 58th TTW, Luke AFB, AZ
(LF)
Sidewinders 311th TFTS, 58th TTW, Luke AFB, AZ (LF)
Scorpions 312th TFTS, 58th TTW, Luke AFB, AZ
(LF)
Happy Hooligans 119th FIG, North Dakota ANG, Fargo, ND
Ace in the Hole 111th FIS, 147th FIG, Ellington ANGB, TX
Green Mountain Boys 134th FIS, 158th TFG, Vermont ANG,
Burlington, VT
Jersey Devils 119th FIS, 177th FIG, New Jersey
ANG, Atlantic City, NJ
Fly'n Illini 170th TFS, 183rd TFG, Illinois ANG,
Springfield, IL (SI)
Jayhawks 184th TFG, Kansas ANG, McConnell
AFB, KS
Flying Razorbacks 184th TFS, 188th TFG, Arkansas ANG, Fort
Smith, AR (FS)
Florida Makos 93rd TFS, 482nd TFW (AFRes), Homestead
AFB, FL (FM)
Diamondbacks 466th TFS, 419th TFW (AFRes), Hill AFB,
UT (HI)
"Sierra Hotel" 465th TFS, 507th TFG (AFRes), Tinker
AFB, OK ("S*** Hot") (SH)
Big Sky Country 120th FIG, Montana ANG, Great Falls, MT
Mile High Militia 120th TFS, 140th TFW, Colorado ANG,
Buckley ANGB, Colorado (CO)
If you're REALLY serious about realism when using your squadrons
in a campaign, here are some pointers:
Korea campaign: Use the Flying Fiends or the Phantoms squadron.
Desert Storm/Kuwait campaign: Falcons, Hooters, Lucky Devils,
Squids, Fighting Eagles, Fighting Tenth, Swamp Fox, Dragons,
Black Knights, Rams, Black Widows. Interesting geographical
error: King
Khalid Military City is actually in Saudi Arabia, NOT in Kuwait!
Many of the units were based all over Saudi Arabia, Oman and
Turkey. KKMC during the war was host to an A-10 squadron.
For all the other theaters, take your pick. With the advent of
the new "super" wing concept, (currently the 3rd, 4th, 23rd,
343rd Wings, with various types of aircraft) chances are that in
time of crisis, one or more of these wings would be sent.
Well, that's it for now. Enjoy Falcon 3.0 knowing that these
squadrons are real and are not the contrived product of a game
designer's mind -- well, if you want to strive for total realism,
you've gotta do your homework!
Check six,
Nuke 'em
PS: If any FSFORUM member can come up with more (official and
semi-official) F-16 squadron nicknames other than those listed
here, just post me a message at the above E-mail address.
The following list contains each of the squdrons included in
Hornet:NSF. I collected this information from World Power
Jorunal's "US Navy & Marine Corp Air Power Directory". This was
published in late 1992. As such, it may not be entirely acurate.
However, I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested
in Naval/Marine air power.
I have included a suggested theater for several of the squadrons
due to historical significance, current station or other similar
factor. Not all squadrons have a suggested theater.
Navy Squadron Designation Base & Tail Letters Theater(s)
Valions VFA-15 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AJ' Iraq
The Valions were converted from A-7 Corsair IIs to F/A-
18As on October
1, 1986. It is part of CVW-8 aboard the USS Theodore
Roosevelt.
Fist of the Fleet VFA-25 NAS Lemoore, CA: 'NK'
VFA-25 was founded January 1, 1943 and is part of CVW-14.
Sunliners VFA-81 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AA' Iraq
Operating as part of CVW-17 aboard the Saratoga, the
Sunliners took
part in the Persian Gulf War from its inception. The
Hornet manual
discusses the F/A-18s versatility and cites an incident
in the Gulf
War in which two Hornets on route to a ground strike
shoot down two
MiG-21 and then continue on to complete their ground
strike. Lt.
Cmdr. Mark Fox and Lt. Nick Mongillo from VFA-81 were the
two pilots
that performed actually performed so valiantly.
Sidewinders VFA-86 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AB' Iraq
As part of CVW-1, the Sidewinders was stationed aboard
the USS America
and flew combat missions during the Gulf War.
Golden Warriors VFA-87 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AJ' Iraq
Like VFA-15, Valions, the Golden Warriors are part of CVW-
8 aboard the
Roosevelt. It is mentioned that they took part in the
Gulf War.
Rough Riders VFA-125 NAS Lemoore, CA: 'NJ' Iraq
This squadron is part of the West Coast FRS squardron for
F/A-18
training. It, too, was deployed during the Gulf War.
Wildcats VFA-131 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AG' Iraq,
Israel, Bosnia
The Wildcats were established relatively recently as a
brand new
Hornet squadron (1983). It is part of CVW-7 aboard the
USS Dwight D.
Eisenhower today. However, in 1986, this squadron flew
from the
USS Coral Sea and took part in operations versus Libya.
Since
joining the Ike, VFA-131 took part in Desert Shield but
returned to
the Med prior to Desert Storm.
Privateers VFA-132 NAS Lemoore, CA: 'AE' Iraq,
Israel
Also a relatively new squadron, the Privateers began
operating the
F/A-18C on January 9, 1984. Like VFA-131, VFA-132 saw
combat in Libya
in 1986. The Privateers do have an interesting story
about an unusual
kill. It seems that in 1991 Lt. Bill Reilly was sent up
to shoot down
a crippled E-2C Hawkeye over the Med after the crew
parachuted to
safety. On June 1, 1992, VFA-132 was disestablished when
the Forrestal
(its current carrier assignment) was converted to a
training carrier.
Knighthawks VFA-136 NAS Cecil Field, FL: 'AG' Iraq,
Israel
This squadron flew with the Wildcats during actions in
Libya and Desert
Storm.
Golden Dragon VFA-192 NAS Atsugi, Japan: 'NF' Japan
Actually called the World Famous Golden Dragons, VFA-192
was formed at
the end of World War II as VFA-153. During it's long
history, the
Golden Dragon's have flown FJ-4B Furies and A-7 Corsair
IIs.
Marine Sqdns. Designation Base & Tail Letters Theater(s)
Silver Eagles VMFA-115 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'VE'
Japan, Iraq
During Vietnam, VMFA-115 flew F-4 Phantoms and has made
deployments in
Japan and Denmark. It was also part of the Marines land-
based efforts
during Desert Storm.
Crusaders VMFA-122 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'DC'
Japan, Iraq
Also an ex-Phantom squadron, the Crusaders have toured
Japan and
Norway.
Lancers VMFA-212 MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI: 'WD'
Another ex-Phantom sqadron.
Red Devils VMFA-232 MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI: 'WT' Japan
During Desert Storm, VMFA-232 was deployed to Bahrain.
Death Angels VMFA-235 MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI: 'DB'
The 'Angels' are an old squadron with a long history in
the F-4
Phantom.
Thunderbolts VMFA-251 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'DW'
The Thunderbolts became the third Marine unit on the East
Coast
to receive the F/A-18. It shares its nickname with the
Navy's
HSL-84.
Checkertails VMFA-312 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'DR'
Actually called the Checkerboards, VMFA-312 is also an ex-
Phantom
squadron.
Black Knights VMFA-314 MCAS El Toro, CA: 'VW'
Israel
The Black Knights cruised with the USS Coral Sea and saw
combat during
Operations Pairie Fire and El Dorado against Libya.
Additionally, it
has been deployed to Egypt and Japan.
Death Rattlers VMFA-323 MCAS El Toro, CA: 'WS'
Israel
Participating with VMFA-314, the 'Rattlers' saw action in
Libya as
well as Egypt and Japan.
Shamrocks VMFA-333 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'DN' Iraq
From July, 1971, until December of that same year, the
Shamrocks were
the first Marine unit (at that time operating F-4
Phantoms) to be
stationed aboard an aircraft carrier. In 1972, Maj.
Thomas 'Bear'
Lasseter and Capt. John Cummings shot down the only kill
by a Marine
flying crew during Vietnam. The loser in this fight was
a MiG-21.
Also, the squadron was deployed to Bahrain during Desert
Storm and flew
many CAS, Interdiction and SEAD missions during the war.
It was
established March 31, 1992.
Warlords VMFA-451 MCAS Beaufort, SC: 'VM'
In 1989, the Warlords was assigned to CVW-13 aboard the
Coral Sea.
Grey Ghosts VMFA-531 MCAS El Toro, CA: 'EC' Korea
Among other things, the 'Ghosts' were the first Marine
fixed-wing
squadron to be stationed in SE Asia.
7.5 GUIDE TO WINGMAN RADIO TRANSMISSIONS (COMPLETE AND
UNCENSORED!)
(NOTE: Digitized voices can only be heard with a mininum of 2MB
RAM -- otherwise, text only will flash on upper screen. Most of
these calls are digitized, however some generic radio calls are
reproduced with static instead of a digitized voice.)
"Negative. Pigeons to home plate" -- Return to base. Waypoint
cannot be bypassed beyond this one.
"Kilo Mike Alpha" -- Kiss My Ass. You have ordered your wingman
to do something really stupid such as breaking low at less than
100 feet -- and obviously he doesn't mince words! Rarely heard.
"I'm picking up a spike" -- Wingman has detected radar (air or
ground) being pointed at the formation.
"Radar contact (bearing in degrees and range in miles)" --
Wingman has a solid radar contact. This is a steering cue for
interception to a possible bogie.
"Stranger (X o'clock)" -- Unexpected friendly aircraft flying in
the area, be careful.
"Waypoint (X)(bearing in degrees and range in miles)". From
AWACS -- steering cue to the waypoint bearing. Falcon 3.03
replaces this call with static, but the text is not changed.
"Unable" -- Wingman is unable to comply with your command. Heard
more often (and sounds better than "Kilo Mike Alpha").
"Copy fence check" -- Wingman has checked all weapons ready for
action. Heard only if Shift + E is pressed with no action in
sight.
"Be advised, I've gone winchester" -- Wingman has run out of all
weapons (air-to-air/air-to-ground), except guns.
"Copy, disengage, will resume" -- Wingman has been ordered to
"knock it off" by leader.
"Clean, clear and naked" -- Nothing on radar, no visual
sightings, no threat indications. You can relax for a bit.
"Fox one!" -- Wingman has launched an AMRAAM.
"Fox two!" -- Wingman has launched a Sidewinder (AIM-9P (Papa))
"Fox two mike!" -- Wingman has launched a Sidewinder (AIM-9M
(Mike))
"Atoll! Atoll!" -- Rear-aspect infrared missile (AA-2 Atoll)
fired at your wingman. All you get is the "LNH" (missile launch
indicator). Atoll is a Soviet copy of the Sidewinder.
"Magic! Magic!" -- All-aspect infrared missile (Matra R.550
Magic) fired at your wingman. This is a French-built
A-A missile similar to the AIM-9M
"Apex inbound!" -- An active radar-homing missile (AA-7 Apex) has
been fired and is inbound. The Apex is a Soviet A-A missile
similar in performance to the AIM-7 Sparrow.
"Guns! Guns! Guns!" -- Wingman firing M61A1 cannon.
"Flame out! Flame out!" -- Wingman has suffered severe engine
damage due to a hit or has run out of fuel. Usually followed by
"Ejecting!" or "I'm hit! I'm hit!"
"Bandit! Bandit! (X o'clock)" Enemy aircraft sighted, usually
followed by clock position. Wingman will usually ask for
permission to engage if this is the first bandit encounter.
"Singer high!" Surface to air missile launched. Rarely heard,
since the "LNH" indicator immediately lights up. TAKE IMMEDIATE
EVASIVE ACTION!!!
"Request you check joker" -- Wingman is low on fuel and is
requesting you check your fuel state.
"Be advised, fuel is low!" -- Wingman is dangerously low on fuel.
Any action other than returning to base could cause a flameout.
"Fuel critical, fuel critical" -- Wingman is running on fumes.
If an immediate return to base or to a bingo fuel airfield is not
called, he will be forced to eject.
"Maverick, Maverick!" -- Wingman has launched a Maverick (AGM-
65B/D) air to-ground missile at a ground target.
"Rockets away!" -- Wingman has launched LAU-5003A rockets at a
ground target.
"Bombs away!" -- Wingman has released bombs or other stores at a
ground target.
"Closing on ground targets" -- Ground targets ahead, wingman
beginning attack run. Followed by "Request permission to
attack".
"Closing on primary target" -- Primary target ahead, wingman
beginning bomb run.
"I'm already committed!" -- Wingman has started attack run and
cannot break off. Only heard if pressing (Shift + E) after
granting permission to attack.
"I'm not engaged!" -- Wingman is not engaged in attack. Only
heard if (Shift + Q) is pressed with no target designated.
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" -- Wingman has been hit, almost always
followed by the "Ejecting!" command. This wingman is out of the
fight (obviously!). If no communication has been heard from any
one of your wingmen for some time after an engagement, assume the
worst has happened and press on. Chances are he either punched
out or was hit and killed.
"Music on!" -- Wingman has turned on ECM pod.
"PULL UP! PULL UP! PULL UP!" (voice message system (Bitchin'
Betty)) -- You are in immediate danger of becoming a powered lawn
dart (they're not even sold any more!!). If you do not take
immediate action such as pulling back on the stick you're a
goner. In addition, a converging arrow cue is visible. getting
closer as you get on a first-name basis with the gophers! It will
shut off only if you take the appropriate action.
"CAUTION!-CAUTION!" (Bitchin' Betty) -- Activates only when the
Master Caution indicator lights up on the glareshield. It only
turns off if you go to the right interior view, where the
warning/caution panel is located so you can see the item that
caused the light to go on in the first place. If ALL the lights
are lit up, you better hope your ACES II seat works!!
"WARNING!-WARNING! (pause) WARNING!-WARNING!" (Bitchin' Betty) --
Indicates a major systems failure has occurred in your aircraft,
such as an engine failure, or an enemy missile has lodged up your
tailpipe. Nine times out of ten you might survive, otherwise
it'll be a quick and dirty end for you.
"Be advised -- enemy ECM activity detected." -- AWACS has
detected enemy aircraft with ECM transmitters operating. Who
said shooting down a MiG was going to be a cakewalk?
"Copy bracket (left or right)" -- Wingman executing a bracket
maneuver.
"Copy drag (left or right) -- nail him!" -- Wingman executing a
drag maneuver.
"Dumping air-to-ground stores!" -- Wingman jettisoning bombs
and/or air-to-ground missiles to lighten his load, usually
because an enemy fighter has jumped him. No air-to-air ordnance
is jettisoned, however.
"Breaking (high, low, left, right)" -- Wingman executing break
maneuver.
"Rolling out" -- Wingman rolling straight and level.
"Copy. Kicking out" -- Wingman spreading out formation.
"Copy. Closing it up" -- Wingman closing up formation.
"Copy. Returning to base" -- Wingman returning to base. This is
the last you'll hear from them as they bug out for home when you
tell them.
"Harpoon away!" -- Wingman has launched an AGM-84A Harpoon anti-
ship missile (heard only in the Kurile Islands theatre).
"Closing on ship target" -- Wingman has acquired a ship target
and is closing in for the kill (heard only in the Kurile Islands
theatre).
"You are violating rules of engagement!" -- From AWACS in the
Kuriles only. Isn't it obvious? See you at the General Court
Martial when -- and if -- you return!
"Be advised, increased enemy air activity!" -- From AWACS in the
Kuriles only. See what your ROE violation just did? Now you have
a load of pissed-off Russkies going after us!
"Permission given to destroy enemy aircraft!" -- From AWACS in
the Kuriles only. You heard 'em, now kick some Russian ass!
This doesn't mean you are authorized to blast away every Russkie
on the ground.
"You're on your own..." Your Whiskey Delta (Weak Dick -- the
worst insult you can call a fighter pilot) wingman just bugged
out on you, it's time to try out some John Wayne fighter tactics
against the Russian fighter squadron closing in at your twelve
o'clock...
"One Russian bugging out..."
"There goes one fine Russian pilot -- Nyet!"
"No cojones on that Russian!" -- Your wingman has been able to
persuade that pesky Fulcrum, Flanker (or whatever the Russkies
just sent you) to go back to the Motherland and fight another
day.
"Smoked a bogie!"
"Nailed him!"
"Alpha Mike Foxtrot!" (Adios Mother Fucker)
"Yo -- your fries are done!"
"Scratch one, down in flames!
"Watch the canopy when you punch out, jack!"
"Time to feed the worms, bud!" -- Miscellaneous kill calls from
your wingman.
"Paint us like Thunderbirds first, sir!" -- Smartass remark from
your wingman when you close up the formation too much.
"Negative -- maintianing visual contact." -- You've spread out
the formation too far.
"Do svidaniya, stupid American!" -- From the Russian TU-22. Now
you've really pissed 'em off! And just to get even he just
launched a UMF(Unmanned Fighter) at you!
7.6 FALCON AND SCSI PROBLEMS
I've heard a lot about Falcon not running with Adapted SCSI
adapters, and the only answer I could think of is that Adaptec is
by default set on 330h, which is where Falcon looks for the
Roland MT-32/LAPC-1 synthesizer. My suggestion is to change the
address for the Adaptec card and see what happens. I've suggested
this to a *lot* of people, but they never emailed me back telling
me if it worked or not.
7.7 OS/2 AND FALCON
I really don't know what to put in here since I don't have any
experience with OS/2. So if anyone has any contributions, email
me.
8.0 THANKS (in no particular order)
Jeff Beadles, Jim Knutson, Greg Cisko, Chuck Corway, Frank Racis,
Gabe Turk, Tom Basham, Tom Neff, Rob (opus@ihlpf.att.com), Joel
Robertson, John Threadgill, the SH reps, and the everyone on the
Falcon3 mailing list for their ideas, suggestions, questions, and
contributions.
--
Kristoffer Ongbongan Krismon on IRC
krismon@neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu -=- The Electronic Battlefield Series FAQ
ftp://ftp.hacks.arizona.edu/pub/krismon/ebsfaq (ebsfaq or falcon3 faq)
http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon
