Falcon 4.0's Maiden Voyage

Hasbro Interactive announced that MicroProse's Falcon 4.0, one of the most controversial titles of all time, has finally gone gold. All the speculation that it will never see the light of day can now be laid to rest. The follow-up title to the stellar flight-combat simulator, Falcon 3.0 for Windows 95, will begin shipping to retailers this week for US$54.99.

GameSpot News wanted to take the pulse of the new title and took the opportunity to talk to Hasbro Interactive's director of marketing for the MicroProse brand, Tom Nichols. He was more than willing to talk about the title. Nichols is no newbie to the flight sim series. He's been with MicroProse for three years and was first hired as a product manager for Falcon 4.0 and a few other titles.

With the long history of Falcon 4.0's development, other companies have attempted to wrest the title of best flight sim from the addictive Falcon 3.0 of yesteryear. We asked Nichols what titles the development team has been watching and noticing during the development title. "Well, we've been looking at several titles to make sure that we're ahead of the competition. I like F-22's campaigns, F-15's graphics, WWII Fighter's graphics, and SU-27's sense of realism."

With all the current flight simulation titles out there, has there been pressure on the development team since Falcon 4.0 has so much to live up to in the eyes of gamers? "No," Nichols says with confidence, "not really. The development team wanted to make Falcon 4.0 the best of breed when it released." And he thinks that the development team has done just that. From its early design, Falcon 4.0 was ambitious, and from early screenshots and a listing of features, it could be the one to best Falcon 3.0. "If gamers are going to own only one flight sim title, we want Falcon 4.0 to be that game."

Another of the features that MicroProse is bound to be pushing is multiplayer gaming. From the initial design of the game over three years ago, multiplayer was there. Nichols says that multiplayer is so deep in the game that playing a solo mission is just worked around multiplayer code that just reworks itself to only accommodate a single player.

So how is Nichols and company going to convince gamers to buy Falcon 4.0? We asked him what features are the shining points for Falcon 4.0. The first feature has to be our real-time campaign system. "We've modeled a wartime Korea with more than just air targets. As you're flying around you can actually see tank battles and other activities taking place." MicroProse has tens of thousands of military events, and it makes playing much more realistic than just having a few other planes to shoot down.

Secondly, Nichols says that Falcon's graphics will help gamers to buy the title. While the detail of the ground is amazing, the team has added smaller effects to heighten the overall effect. One of the little nuances is a canopy that actually reflects the outside area around the cockpit. Sure, it doesn't add to gameplay, but this attention to detail is bound to be noticed by hard-core flight-sim enthusiasts.

While all these added features sound nothing short of amazing, what about performance hits? While the game will run on most standard systems, the crew has added a new category to its box - the hot category. Basically, MicroProse knows that the big question will be "What do I need to run this at full optimization without having to buy the plane?" If you're looking for the best overall platform, you should be prepared to shell out for a new Pentium II 450 MHz, 128 MB RAM, and a Voodoo2 card. With a hot system, gamers will be able to crack the game up to 800x600 with all its features turned on.

One of the big pushes with the new title is accessibility. The designers have added an instant-action mode featuring a simplified flying model and special radar to help assist novice flyers. When they want the added features and difficulty - they'll be able to fly more intense missions.

Now that Falcon 4.0 is completed, what's next for the team? First, the team is going to wait for feedback from gamers. While it feels that the game is as good as it can be, the team realistically knows that there are bound to be some difficulties, as there are with any title. For months, beta testers have been helping to hammer the bugs out of the game. For projects, the team is already working on its next title in the Falcon family. MIG-29 will sport the same high-end graphics that Falcon 4.0 exhibits but will allow fliers to take the throttle in a MIG-29. A new campaign editor that will come equipped with MIG-29 will allow gamers to fly in missions in either of the two games as well. After MIG-29, the team will be working on the third title in the family called Hornet Naval Strike Fighter where pilots will take a seat in an F-18.

Hasbro now has control of MicroProse. How does that change what MicroProse does internally? "It allows us to have access to more financial resources," said Nichols. MicroProse is taking advantage of having a killer title with a seemingly unlimited budget. Falcon 4.0 will be promoted on TV with an extensive campaign. Target TV shows with military aircraft have the potential for airing the commercials, so you may see them soon. Many of the specifics haven't been decided, but shows like the Discovery Channel's Wings and the sci-fi channel remain potential targets.

Throughout the development process, the military has been interested in the progress of Falcon 4.0. Several months ago, Nichols says that the company was contacted by the Air Force to help develop simulations for training pilots. Imagine, a gamer sitting at home playing Falcon 4.0 could someday become an Air Force pilot - it may be coming sooner than anyone expects.

Early purchasers of Falcon 4.0 will get an added bonus with a Squadron Leader Limited Edition. Inside the first 200,000 copies of the game will be a hard-bound three-ring binder including the game software, a 550-plus-page Flight Handbook, a detailed map of the Korean peninsula, a full color keyboard and joystick controller diagram, a Communications Handbook for multiplayer gaming, and a Cadet's Guide for novice flyers.