I am thinking about buying Falcon 4.0 should I?

[DmonSlyr]

I am looking for the best jet fighter game I can buy that is online. So far Falcon 4.0 looks about the best. Do any of you play it or recomend anything better that could help me out? I will still play aeshigh but I want to learn jets a little bit. So any advise would be great!

thanks,
Violater

[indy007]

Bad
The view system isn't nearly as good as AH2. (improves drastically with TrackIR)
The learning curve is terrible.
The graphics are a bit antiquated by today's standards.

Good
The systems and flight model are great.
The campaign mode is well done and easy to edit.
The hardware support is the best of any game, even the MS Flight Sim series.

So-So
Decent multiplayer setup, but not a large player base.
PC hardware requirements are very reasonable.

[Chalenge]

F4AF is the best representation of a true battlefield in modern warfare going and if you can find a good squad to join it will be even better but it takes a long time to master and thats because it is a game/sim that can be played over and over and it never gets old.

A few years ago one of the F4 boards had an influx of kids like AH has here in the Wishlist forum. Those kids were spanked pretty hard and coincidence or not shortly thereafter many of the BBS forums of many F4 sites were hacked introducing viruses and root kits to everyone visiting there. F4HQ shut down permanently as a result and so did many of the other sites and the IDFL disappeared also and what WAS a thriving dogfight ladder completely disappeared. Today you have to be a squadron insider to even know where the better forums are. I believe multiviper is the only public server(s) still running.

A shame too I know many guys that spent $30000 + on custom pits.

F4AF is still updated regularly and there are custom addons for improved graphics (HiTiles) searching for servers (Falcon Lobby) ramp start trainers and popup mission planners plus custom theaters like Iraq (Desert Storm) Israel and Iran (Panama too).

The first time you succeed at doing aerial refueling you will probably take the family out to dinner. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4eIxV8NSeU

EDIT: And before I forget the addon TSNOISE for teamspeak radio communications (now part of teamspeak I believe).

[BaDkaRmA158Th]

Strike Fighters project 1


Awesome game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQBC70ksBjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQBC70ksBjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffltVCyO5nA&feature=related



get it, TONS of add on aircraft and such for it too
WW1 WW2 korea vietnam .ect .ect

[Spikes]

Strike Fighters seems like a good game...

[Nefarious]

Just no online features for SFP1, WOV, WOE, WOI.

[Race]

Word of caution...

     Falcon 4.0 is one the most in depth and realistic games I have ever seen. The game maunal is something like 200 pages long. To do a simple hanger start takes over a page (from a pdf file) of commands. Aligning the NAV platform and firing up the electronics is another page. That process takes at least 7-8 minutes. The interactive commands (wingmen, AWACs, ground etc...) are indepth and numerous. Firing a radar guided missile BVR or midair refueling is a trial in skill and nerves. The learning curve is simply unreal. So much so that I think you could jump in the real thing and be right at home. If you want realism to the Nth degree this game is it! Just be careful what you wish for.

Race

[trax1]

I bought Falcon 4.0 a couple years ago and like others have mentioned it's really hard to learn, just way to many things to remember to do, it's almost too realistic.

[Chalenge]

Word of caution...

The game maunal is something like 200 pages long. To do a simple hanger start takes over a page (from a pdf file) of commands. Aligning the NAV platform and firing up the electronics is another page.

716 pages for the manual. I joined a squad two months after finding F4AF at CompUSA and the ramp start requirement of less then one minute took me forever to get past. The ramp start training program didnt come along until a long time after that!

When I came to AHII the radio chatter nearly made me crazy from the lack of discipline and 'auto takeoff?' 

[eagl]

There are a ton of Falcon 4 add-ons, some official, some unofficial, so that's good.  It probably isn't a waste of money.

On the other hand, LOMAC is newer.  With LOMAC however, be careful which version you get since at least one LOMAC version had some destructive DRM that pretty much hacked your computer to replace the device drivers for all optical drives, and this can cause instability or even render your cd/dvd burners inoperable.

[Nefarious]

15 Pages of why the Strike Fighters series is a great buy.

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=32541

[Buzzard7]

I fly F4AF with the 16th ACCW. Great bunch of flyers. We have a training structure in place to teach all combat phases of the Falcon. They do require you to film a checkride before you can join and will help you get it right along the way. You are assigned an IP after that to get you familiar with the jet. Once out of that training you move to your squad of choice and learn everything else you want.

http://missionserver.16thaccw.org/

Login as a guest and have a look around. I am a member of 163rd MadBoomers.

[DmonSlyr]

aight thanks I will check that out. thanks for the info guys I appreciate it. I love a game that takes a long time to learn cause then it never gets boring. But will  I be fighting against other pilots? or does the multiplayer only fight againts computers?

[Chalenge]

aight thanks I will check that out. thanks for the info guys I appreciate it. I love a game that takes a long time to learn cause then it never gets boring. But will  I be fighting against other pilots? or does the multiplayer only fight againts computers?

Your choice of squadron versus AI or 4v4v4v4 or worse.    Dont even think the AI is tame though. You will be 'lucky' to survive most missions until you have a lot more experience.

[DmonSlyr]

so you think its the best fighter jet game for the money?