Flight Commander 2 Mod _ v1.2, v1.2 Airwolf, v0.1 Vietnam Gunships

[tlm70]

   Hello all.  I've been looking for places to post to people still interested in playing the game. I've updated the game with some modern aircraft as well as some of the ones that were missing for the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak conflicts.

   Here are the most recent updates:


A version 1.2 update that mainly addresses some aircraft data corrections and the optional use of hidden anti-aircraft units.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/njsgj795o0i4q3c/fc2_mod_v1.2.zip


The version 1.2 update with the addition of Airwolf.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/3b1569t1jjv6096/fc2_AIRWOLF_mod.zip


A conversion of FC2 to a Vietnam War helicopter gunship game using the version 1.2 mod. It's still a work-in-progress beta so there's more stuff that needs to be done. The version I've posted may still have some graphics errors, so just let me know if you see any that are not mentioned in the docs and I'll try to fix them ASAP.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/mectf587jnvmgmt/fc2_VNAM_GUNSHIPS_mod_ver0.1.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/download/7zfyv65vqg0aui8/fc2_VNAM_GUNSHIPS_mod_FC.EXE_update.zip

   Implementing helicopters into the game using thrust-to-weight rather than power-to-weight took a lot of research and old-fashioned trial and error. I've yet to find a definitive mathematical conversion between the two but I was lucky enough to find a webpage that had some thrust-to-weight listings for a few helicopters to use as reference. So far, because I can't properly calculate the 'thrust' component, the only aircraft data in the game that doesn't come at least close to the actual stats for the helicopters is 'maximum external payload' and 'maximum takeoff weight'.

   I'm also experimenting with the idea of extra gunners for aircraft. Since door gunners were a vital component to helicopter combat operations in Vietnam I've set up 'flying gun platforms' with a sprite fashioned after gun cross-hairs to serve as gunners. They follow the aircraft they are defending to shoot down attackers from the front, rear or sides (nearly 360 degrees for helicopter gunships). I think this will be a welcome solution as a tail gunner for the B-52 in an upcoming mod update. I well remember as I was  testing the B-52 in version 1.1 how helpless they were to Mig attacks while on their bombing runs. It seems to be working OK in the VNAM gunships mod but it still needs more testing.

   Go here http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3996934#Post3996934 to check out some pics from the updates.

[bayonetbrant]

Welcome Tim - I'm not a flight simmer myself, but once the guys start waking up and logging in, you might get a few responses :)

[Nefaro]

I still play it a bit, on occasion.  Would like to check it out the next time I do although I've not been PC gaming much lately.

I'm curious as to why you haven't linked the upload.  The file size surely isn't very large and there are free hosting sites out there if you're worried about traffic.

[tlm70]

   I'd prefer to post the link but I don't want to get into any trouble if it's against the rules of this forum to link to media related to copyrighted material.   I first posted a while back on SIMHQ but it was suggested there that I just use PM.   I'll post the question to a moderator here and if they say it's okay I'll edit my first post to include the link.

[Nefaro]

   I'd prefer to post the link but I don't want to get into any trouble if it's against the rules of this forum to link to media related to copyrighted material.   I first posted a while back on SIMHQ but it was suggested there that I just use PM.   I'll post the question to a moderator here and if they say it's okay I'll edit my first post to include the link.

Oh, I see.   O0

[TacticalWargames]

The game isn't a flight sim as such..but a top down tactical game.

It's an old classic. You should try it if you come across it. You may enjoy it.

Welcome Tim - I'm not a flight simmer myself, but once the guys start waking up and logging in, you might get a few responses :)

[jomni]

I find that the ground attack isn't modeled well. Very difficult to hit and destroy stuff even when using guided weapons.

The air combat is great.

[TacticalWargames]

This is currently being developed...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amaris-Games-AMAC-AMAC2-4W-and-more/174453252660476

[RyanE]

Is anyone still selling FC2?  I used to have it on 3.5" disks that are long gone.

[Nefaro]

This is currently being developed...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amaris-Games-AMAC-AMAC2-4W-and-more/174453252660476

Good to see it's still progressing.  O0

[tlm70]

Is anyone still selling FC2?  I used to have it on 3.5" disks that are long gone.

You can still find copies on Amazon both new and used last time I checked.  Over the years, I've purchased three mainly because I had a tendency to wear out instruction manuals. I carried them (and comic books and sci-fi novels) nearly everywhere I went.

[Grim.Reaper]

So what does this take to run on modern computers and how well does it actually play on them nowadays?  Like the concept but have bought older games before only not to play them long because they were "dated".

[tlm70]

So what does this take to run on modern computers and how well does it actually play on them nowadays?  Like the concept but have bought older games before only not to play them long because they were "dated".

   It runs just fine on XP.  For Win7 (and maybe 8 ) you could use the emulator 'DOSBox'.  Because FC2 is a windows based game rather than pure dos based, DOSBox needs some tweaking to get it to run.  I generally run it with XP since that's my current OS, but sometimes I like to run it with DOSBox running Win3.1 because I can use various graphics filters to smooth out the pixels.  Here's a link to a thread with more info about running it: 

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4016210/1

   Although it's an old game, it has been on my hard drive ever since I purchased it many years ago.  The controls and interface are quite intuitive.  You really have to think and fly as you would on a flight sim to be successful with the game.  The various aircraft do actually feel different in the game because the aircraft characteristics such as weight, thrust, and wing area are calculated and modeled.  I find it quite challenging to use an aircraft such as the F-104C and try to win over more maneuverable aircraft like the Hawker Hunter or the Mig-21.   

[tlm70]

  I may have forgotten to write it the docs for one of the updates, but generally it's best to delete or rename both the 'PIX' and the 'SOUNDS' folders in your original FC2 folder before you install the mods.

[Nefaro]

Cool stuff.

Been thinking of doing some more FC2, along with some OTR/Achtung Spitfire.

I'm unfamiliar with the mods.  What is the "Airwolf" mod?  Is that the one with new 'counter' graphics, or is there other additions too? 

Thanks!