Back to Baghdad
MEET THE MOTHER OF ALL FLIGHT SIMS
A Review of Back to Baghdad
by Rich Cunningham
I am always on the look out for good, realistic simulators, be they war games, flight sims, submarine sims, anything that gives a good adrenaline rush while playing it on the computer. One morning while cruising the local section of my paper, I read a story about a local company that was developing what they called the ultimate flight simulator, and it was structured around Desert Storm and the war in the Middle East. I emailed the web page listed in the article, and that afternoon I was talking to the main man in the operation, Bob Carter. He was gracious to send me a copy to preview and review, and I must admit, it lives up to its claim. So strap on your G-suit and let’s go.
The game plot is very simple. You are part of a fighter squadron during Desert Storm. You fly missions in your F-16, with all it’s weapons and armament including a very realistic APG-68 Westinghouse radar, and accomplish goals outlined in your briefing, such as dropping bombs, fighter escort, things like that. You can start by taking off from your base, or use the quick start option and join the mission in mid-flight. But what sets this game apart is the attention to detail and realism in both the mechanics of the aircraft, and the geographical area that it flies over. The keywords to remember here are realism and simulation.
The realism is apparent in the flight controls of the aircraft, and its performance. The model that the plane was based on is the F-16 Block 50, and it will not be easy to master it, but will be worth it in the long run. It would be advisable to invest in a Thrustmaster or equivalent-type of joystick to play this however. You can use the keyboard, but it is very difficult to use, and besides, the program was designed to take advantage of the features of these joysticks. They duplicate every button and switch found on the F-16 throttle and stick are found on these joysticks. This increases the realism. It is a simulation in that you are sitting in your house and not in a cockpit of the plane.
I tried many ways to describe how accurate and detailed this program was, and failed. The best I can do is to quote the release from the program’s web page, and let it speak for itself: “The Iraqi Terrain if fully photo-textured at 640×480 resolution, 3D and geo-specifically accurate with mountains, rivers, cities and buildings located where they really are in the world. In fact we have incorporated photographs provided by the US Defense Department taken during Desert Storm for building our 3D world. We even have Saddam Hussein’s multi-million dollar summer palace in Tikrit that you can explore with your M-61-A1 Gun, Maverick Missile, HARM Missile, Fuel Air explosive, or even, yes, a B-46 Tactical Nuclear Device (ed. Be the first on your block to own one !). …we added Satellite Imagery…. Circa 1990 data and the same photo images that General Schwarzkopf used to bomb targets in Iraq and Kuwait during the war. Many of the missions you will fly are historically correct missions over Kuwait, Basrah, Baghdad, Tikrit, H2 Airfield, and Nasiriyah.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
There is one unique feature that I haven’t seen on any other sim to date, and that is two monitor support, at the same time. Now you can run your Out-the-window/Cockpit display systems, and the other is your MFD (Multi-Function Display). It is a standard feature that is activated by installing a Hercules monochrome card, and a 9″ display monitor. A 9″ display is used because it is very close to the actual size of the real MFD. Another fine feature that stresses the realism aspect of this program.
The product I reviewed was a beta copy, version 1.2. It had some rough edges. It would not install from Windows 95, and when I finally was able to get it running, I could not get the sound to work. The company has a section of their web page for support, and are very serious about following up on bug reports and getting the fixes out. I foresee a very high quality product from them. The manual, also in beta form, is very detailed in the description of the aircraft, the controls and what they can do. The only problems I foresee in the program is that it is so detailed, and the amount of data so overwhelming that the casual game player may be turned off by the complexity of the game. This could be corrected by including a series of training scenarios with the game. That may or may not materialize in the release product.
If you felt that George Bush left some work undone in Iraq, now is your chance to step in and take care of it yourself. If you want a challenging and accurate flight simulator that stresses realism, then this is your game. Run, don’t walk to get this product. You will not be disappointed.
Gamer’s Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Back to Baghdad |
| Company: |
Military Flight Simulations, Inc.
|
| Cost: |
$99.99 |
System Requirements:
IBM PC: Pentium Processor (90mhz), Windows 3.11/Dos
6.22 or greater, CD ROM, 16mb ram, Soundblaster card. (Note: will run on 486
w/8mb ram, but will be slower)
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 5
Sound 3
Interface 4
Replayability 5
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
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