VR-1 and Microsoft have teamed up for the on-line simulation market. Fighter Ace is scheduled for release later this summer and will be available ONLY through Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone.

According to Microsoft, Fighter Ace will let "gamers experience what World War II dogfighting was really like, with hundreds of online opponents at the same time." Billed as the "first massively multiplayer game developed by Microsoft for the Internet Gaming Zone," Fighter Ace will feature authentic replicas of American, British, German, and Russian aircraft.

With 12 different planes, advanced flight models for skilled players, team play, and "great graphics and terrain modeling," Fighter Ace will please many virtual pilots, though its hard to say how the Warbirds crowd will respond.

I flew the beta for two hours. The graphics were certainly the prettiest I have yet seen. Ground textures were nicely done, and objects were likewise detailed. Sound was decent and the cockpit won't disappoint the online crowd.

My test system is a PPro 180 Supermicro mainboard with 32 meg EDO ram and Matrox Millenium 2 meg graphics board in WIN95.

In the beta only the Full Theatre option was up and only the Free for All combat mode. Microsoft has added some tricks to help pilots find one another, such as being able to put the players handle on screen and also the present distance to other players when they are in view. This helps locate what might otherwise be a pin sized dot. One can also highlight the airfields (they are outlined in fluorescent lines) to help with location at a distance.

The flight model seemed as good as any online simulation. It wasn't hard for me to stall the Spit or the P38, and the relative performance of these two that I tried were vastly different. Flaps likewise made a huge difference in drag and overall performance including dps and lift.

Using ALT M turns on a simulated radar box which also assists in locating other players. While still viewing the sim environment the box is very limited, but it can be placed full screen which then allows one a vast viewing area, almost like an AWACS link. I don't know whether this option will be limited in some modes for enhanced realism...

Views and Comms

One may use a fixed cockpit with fixed views or move into a virtual cockpit and then slew views around. Frame rate seemed about the same with either choice. There is also a full screen view which gies one cross hairs only and places critical information at the top of the screen: speed, altitude and rate of climb/descent, rpm.

Players can also bring up an Enemy view, where you an switch your point of view to look at different enemy ac in the theatre. "E" brings up the nearest enemy and "A" brings up the nearest attacking enemy.

Players can choose two different comm modes with other players. The radio allows you to type in a specific message, which you can then send to enemies only, teammates only, or everyone. The other option is a pre-recorded message system where you can choose from a list that you have recorded in advance.

Options affecting frame rate include the ability to turn smoke and smoke trails on and off. Toggled on the trails help you locate damaged aircraft. You can also turn Haze on and off. Flying with trails and haze off my frame rate was excellent: I would estimate perhaps 15 fps.

However, the latency was quite awful. My local IP has a satellite link which generally performs quite well, so it could be that this is an ongoing beta issue. My chosen targets were bouncing all over the sky and I was able to only get a couple of hits. I've emailed Microsoft to enquire whether this issue can be resolved.

Replays are also an option in Fighter Ace. You simply hit "R" to start or stop a recording, and if you have used the option you are prompted for a file name when you leave the game.

As is the case with most online-only games, downloading the program won't cost you a penny. Users will be charged only for the time they spend playing, and as Fighter Ace will be part of the Premium section of the Internet Gaming Zone, those charges will be billed on a daily or monthly flat-fee basis.

The game will support more than 100 players in a single flight arena, and offers 12 different planes, arena-based combat, team play, variable difficulty (rookie through expert), player profiles and flight records, plus sophisticated aircraft graphics and terrain modeling. Fighter Ace contains high quality graphics from VR-1's MM3D and uses realistic stereo sound effects to enhance the battle flight experience.

Air Attack

VR-1 is also developing their own simulation: Air Attack. Air Attack is a multiplayer, World War II air combat game using vintage combat aircraft (two models from each of Great Britain, United States, Germany and Russia). The game is capable of supporting hundreds of simultaneous players in a rich graphic and audio environment. Air Attack will be distributed internationally (outside North America) initially through Samsung. Each player's aircraft takes off from its home airfield, engages in aviation dogfights with enemy planes and, unless shot down, returns for landing on its home runway. Games are played one-on-one, country against country, or on a free-for-all basis. Air Attack is scheduled for release in Summer 1997.

Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado and with offices in Canada and the UK, VR-1®, Inc. is a technology-driven developer of "massively multiplayer" games and interactive entertainment for the Internet, commercial online services and emerging broadband and cable networks. The company supplies existing networks and their subscribers with compelling online entertainment content. A preview of VR-1's content is available on its Web site (http://www.vr1.com).