Next the host picks the DOGFIGHT mode button and selects the SAVED tab. This is where the host can pick from: FURBALL, MATCH PLAY, TEAM PLAY or any of these with all of the options saved to a new name. Highlight the SAVED game type, pick the load out and starting position. Punch the commit button and this will bring up the ROE (rules of engagement) window. This is where you choose what the conditions of the engagement will be: flight model, avionics, weapon effectiveness, autopilot mode, padlocking, and other realism settings. Hit the COMMIT button and you’re hosting the dogfight session.

Dropping a Flare

Those players that are just joining the DOGFIGHT session go to the COMMS interface to establish the online connection, then select the DOGFIGHT button. Next go to the ONLINE tab under the DOGFIGHT mode window and highlight the active games shown. Lastly punch the COMMIT button (i.e. the group of planes at the lower right) to begin the session. Fill out the rules of engagement options and hit the COMMIT button again. And the fight is on!

The connections I tried had cable and v90 over TCP direct play, and TCP KALI. Both worked well for 2 and 3 players with no noticeable warp affecting game play. I did see crashes when closing the PHONEBOOK window with the log out button, and when I used the views a lot. There are still some bugs to be worked out.

But when it came to smoothness of flight, flight model, cockpit padlocking, avionics and radar detail - this sim shines big time. Beware that the glance back view only works while in the virtual cockpit mode. If you want to see more on the radar employment or padlocking views, I recommend you read our earlier articles on these topics via the F4 Index.

What I also liked about dogfighting online is that you can team up against or with AI aircraft which can be Allied or Soviet models. The teams have very attractive paint jobs and make visual identification the best I’ve seen since SSI’s Su27 Flanker custom camo options.

Let me say this very clearly: dogfighting online with Falcon4 is fantastic! Too bad we cant get up to 8 online players like I’ve had in Jane’s F15E. But by adding AI planes, you can get the furball much more intensive. The AI is on par with the best sims out there (F15E, WW2F and Su27).

Now that we’ve seen that DOGFIGHTs work reasonably well, let’s go on to how does one do COOP (TACTICAL ENGAGEMENTS). I have successfully hosted a few of these, but only 2 players could ever connect. It is also more prone to crashing out than is the dogfighting MP code. So if you have fast hardware and bandwidth, here is a procedure that improves upon what is given in the COMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK. It was emailed to me by SU27-ANGIE, and was written by RED-10 from the KALI FLIGHT server. (Thanks guys, you’re the best!)

How to Host Tactical Engagement (Custom Mission) In Multiplay:

• 1) Launch Falcon4
• 2) Click on Tactical Engagement(YOU WOULD SEE 3 TAG HERE TRAINING/SAVED/ONLINE)
• 3) Click ONLINE that would active F4 Phonebook(click on internet pick you bandwidth click connect)
• 4) Click on SAVED TAG UNDER Tactical Engagement Highlight you custom mission and click on plane or planes(commit)button
• 5) Then click on comms to active chat and wait for players to join in

Click to continue . . .

How to join Tactical Engagement(Custom made Mission) In multiplay:

• 1) Launch Falcon 4
• 2) Click on Tactical Engagement(YOU WOULD SEE 3 TAG HERE TRAINING/SAVED/ONLINE)
• 3) Click ONLINE TAG highlight mission listed with +sign
• 4) After you highlight the mission Click on Plane or Planes button(commit)you should start receiving Data and may take awhile
• 5) After receiving data CLICK ON COMMS TO ACTIVE CHAT WITH HOST
• 6) DONT GO INTO THE GAME WITHOUT ESTABLISHING CHAT WITH HOST

You can also make a simple (few active objects) with the mission editor and connect with a squad mate for a fun formation or even a rally flight. Here is a picture of how close I was able to form up behind my leader without being warped to death. This is a great way to view terrain and to practice your form and communication skills.

To be able to text chat online, you and your flight members need to be on the same COMM1 channel. Then use the SHIFT-T command to have the text chat line pop up. Again, here’s another place for improvement, the text font on a 15 inch screen is barely readable. And all the gauges, switches, displays and levers are all functional in the cockpitm, even the knee board has the mission brief and a moving map. F4 is as fun for non combative flights as it is for combat.

The multiplayer GUI (graphical interfaces) for F4 are not as intuitive as they could be. Sims like Jane’s F15 and DiD’s TAW have GUIs that don’t leave you guessing what comes before what. Do you open a DOGFIGHT or TACTICAL ENGAGEMENT mode before or after opening a COMMS session? What is the difference between the SAVED and ONLINE tabs under these two online modes? What does UNINITIALIZE game mean? Why are some players having no problems, while others are threatening to take the game back? These are all valid concerns that need to be addressed by the developers of F4’s COMM code and manuals.

The short of it is that it appears that Falcon4’s communication (ie. multiplayer) code is not without problems. The additional COMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK that comes along with the manual is not very helpful for running TACTICAL ENGAGEMENT missions. Apparently while we all heard that F4 was multiplayer from its inception, the small multiplayer pamphlet, ambiguous connection procedures, and the beta like COMMS code suggest that F4 multiplayer testing was not completed before shipping. The good news is that Microprose is very aware of the issues and will have the first patch out within a week.

So is F4 the coveted holy grail? No, but it is by far the most detailed and realistic jet flight sim ever crafted. Let’s see how many times it takes you before you land her perfectly! When F4’s multiplayer code and documentation gets perfected, I can easily see Falcon4.0 becoming the next classic flight sim unseating all other competition .... including Falcon3.

Till we meet in the skies, Check Six…. AV8R

For an F4 installation tuning, click HERE