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falcon3 38 ..rces/falcon3 157 ..urnal-titles 2 flight_sim 88 ..s/flight_sim 159 total 444
Lastly, I would like to say that I also have a flight_sim wais library that is a collection of all the flight sim related info I have collected.
-- snip --
[I (Kris) should point out that this is rather old. And the WAIS archive can now be accessed through WWW/Mosaic at http://cactus.org/~knutson/FlightSimLibrary.html or through the
EBS FAQ WWW page. http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
The USENET Guide to Falcon 3is also available via WWW/Mosaic at http://cactus.org/~knutson/UGF3.html]
5.7 Falcon 3 Modem Bible
This text file from CompuServe contains helpful information about setting up Falcon for modem play. It is available in CompuServe, and the EBSFAQ ftp site, ftp.hacks.arizona.edu:/pub/krismon/ebsstuff/modem.zip
5.8 Electronic Battlefield Series WWW page
Page holds the FAQ, and some other stuff related to Falcon 3 and
EBS. Worth checking out. http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
6.0 UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
6.1 INCREASING AIRCRAFT DETAIL LEVEL
There are three methods by which one can make any version of
Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 display aircraft objects in full detail, similar in detail to objects displayed in the REPORTS screens:
- Copy OBJECTS onto SOBJECTS. Be sure to rename SOBJECTS to another filename before doing this. You will need to copy the renamed SOBJECTS back to successfully upgrade Falcon 3.0 to a new version. - for EMM386 users, start Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 by typing LOADHI
FALCON3 or LOADHI MIG29 - for QEMM386 users, before running Falcon, type LOADHI/LINK
There are some potential problems that may arise from using these techniques, as described in this post from Tom Neff:
From: tneff@mimiki.win.net (Tom Neff)
Subject: Max Falcon Detail: The Straight Dope
I got utterly sick of explaining this at one point and swore off, but I guess it's been a while.
Falcon uses one of two wireframe databases, filenamed OBJECTS (the complex one) or SOBJECTS (the simple one) depending on how much free memory it thinks you have when it loads -- if your CPU is fast enough to begin with, which most people's are these days.
With SOBJECTS loaded you see more detail on friendly and enemy planes (your own plane detail doesn't vary).
The purpose of the LOADHIGH/LOADHI trick is to d**k with the segment pointers so that Falcon thinks you actually have a lot more free memory than you really do, and thus decides to grant you SOBJECTS anyway. There is no essential difference between the
DOS LOADHIGH and QEMM LOADHI commands in this respect. People for whom only LOADHI works are probably simply getting more free memory from QEMM than they were from vanilla EMM386, and so winning that way.
(By the way, I cannot stress highly enough the wisdom of maintaining _separate_ configurations for different "missions" on a multipurpose computer. There is no excuse for worrying about how to keep your color document scanner driver and PopCalc 5.99 loaded underneath Falcon 3! When the game is loaded, you want to give it every CPU cycle and byte of memory you've got, not waste time worrying about interactions with irrelevant software. When you're done playing, just take twenty seconds and reboot. There are a dozen little multi-config maintainers out there, or you can write your own. I just cobbled together a couple of batch files.)
The other max-detail approach, which SH calls dangerous but someone tired of banging away at LOADHI[gh] combos might call infallible, is to rename SOBJECTS to some safe-keeping name and
COPY OBJECTS to SOBJECTS. Now both wireframe databases are the same, so even if Falcon decides you only deserve the simple one, you get the complex one anyway. The downside to this trick is that if you really _didn't_ have enough memory for SOBJECTS, Falcon may lock up on you unexpectedly. The quickest way to find out is to create a Red Flag mission with four _different_ aircraft types in your flight, then launch and pound the '7' key. If you can see the whole flight in one screen at max magnification, you're in the clear.
The other problem with copying and renaming files around, like the various user contributed "patches," is that later version upgrades will bomb verifying your files! (Many MiG-29 buyers are probably being reminded of this right now.) Make sure you have the capability to "return to cherry" when you need to.
All right, that's out of my system. Somebody save it, because nobody reads archives and the question will be asked again next week... :-)
[Newer Versions of DOS from MS-DOS 6 onwards now support multiple bootup parameters. It makes it very easy to maintain a multi- configuration PC. Check your DOS manual for more.]
6.2 UNDOCUMENTED KEYS
Toggle time of day (shift + T)
Hidden down view (great for BDA!) (shift + U)
Automatic wing leveler (Ctrl + Alt + 5 (keypad))
The time of day toggle changes the apparent time of day you are flying within the simulation. If you save the mission to ACMI, the true time of day for the mission is recorded. It does not affect the campaigns or Red Flag times of day -- just think of it as the poor man's Falcon 3.0 LANTIRN. The hidden down view pretends you have a glass-bottomed cockpit floor (don't you wish!) which is helpful in determining if your dumb bombs hit the target. Just make sure you're in autopilot and have no hostiles bearing down on you when invoking this function! The automatic wing leveler instantly levels you out from whatever attitude you may be -- even when you are completely disabled from a hit and are out of the game (assuming you haven't been blown away to smithereens by missile or gunfire). You can gently flutter to the ground with 0 speed and wings level (or at least until you are in a safe enough attitude to pull the loud handle).
6.3 EXPLOITING THE HIDDEN LANDING CAPABILITIES OF YOUR F-16!
Did you know that as long as you meet the landing parameters of the F-16 (gear down, flaps down, speed brakes out, airspeed around 150-180 knots and angle of attack of around 10 degrees) you can safely land anywhere -- road, desert, ground, even on the water! (Has GD created a seaplane version of the Falcon? -- I don't think so! At least you can pretend they did!) Hopefully you can save your skin and live on to fight again.
6.4 THE GOD'S-EYE VIEW IN FALCON 3.0 (DEBUG MODE)
These features are accessed by first pressing the pause key (P) then immediately pressing the Tab key. You are initially put in a sort of chase view -- but with a major difference: the view ID is now labeled "PAUSE" and the following keys will help you get around in this mode (known also as PAUSE-TAB or DEBUG mode): (arrow keys not on keypad) Move forward, backward, right or left in the campaign theater
(Page Up/Page Down) Increase/decrease altitude
(F3) Rotate right
(F4) Rotate left
(Shift + F3) Rotate up
(Shift + F4) Rotate down
(Ctrl + rotation keys above) Fine tune rotation (plus key) Increase movement factor (minus key) Decrease movement factor
(D) Debug mode -- displays map coordinates and frame rate
(T) Enter Transporter Room -- teleport to any coordinate in the campaign map (tilde (~)) Continue action while in
PAUSE-TAB mode. Press again to turn off.
(WARNING: If you wish to continue the action while in PAUSE-TAB mode, be sure you are in autopilot before entering this mode.
Otherwise, you might have to fight a runaway airplane!)
READING THE DEBUG COORDINATE LEGEND
This appears on the upper left of your screen when debug mode is activated:
XXXX XXXX
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXXX
A clearer example:
0128 0012
-00071368 -00445036 0001400 00025
00014
The numbers on the top two rows are an internal coordinate system that is interesting but useless unless you have a list of coordinates (and SH ain't gonna provide!). The second row contains a set of coordinates which are better -- they are, respectively, the North-South (NS) and East-West (EW) coordinates within the Falcon world you are flying (in any theatre). Highly useful for locating some unusual features left by the Falcon 3 programmers. The third group of numbers in this row is your altitude in feet (AGL) times 2, while the fourth number is the "speed" while moving through the world. Note that the NS/EW coordinates may have a minus sign before the number groups. The third line is your actual frame rate (images per second). If you exit PAUSE-TAB mode while in Debug mode, the debug info remains on screen while in the simulation.
6.4.1 SOME HOT SPOTS WORTH LOOKING AT IN THE FALCON 3.0 WORLD
(Includes coordinates (NS/EW), heading and altitude)
NELLIS (RED FLAG) THEATER
"Elvis Lives" neon sign -- NS -71368, EW -445036
Heading: 8 degrees Altitude: 300 feet
"Vegas Vic" neon sign -- NS -93397, EW -484505
Heading: 264 degrees Altitude: 200 feet
"Vegas Vic" is the famous neon cowboy sign in downtown Las Vegas at the Pioneer casino. You might also see what looks like the
Landmark hotel nearby (that odd-looking space needle casino which, sadly, is no longer in operation). Installing Hornet adds the Luxor and the MGM Grand Hotel.
The secret source of the Grand Canyon (a giant faucet!) --
NS -365316, EW 1672511
Heading: 44 degrees Altitude: 4340 feet
Kayak in the Colorado River -- NS -296452, EW 699396
Heading: 109 degrees Altitude 56 feet
Donkeys hiking the Grand Canyon -- NS -227964, EW 476323
Heading: 59 degrees Altitude: 1900 feet
Nellis 7-target gunnery range -- NS 715552, EW -172701
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
Nellis 11-target gunnery range -- NS 990123, EW -800905
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
Lastly, I would like to say that I also have a flight_sim wais library that is a collection of all the flight sim related info I have collected.
-- snip --
[I (Kris) should point out that this is rather old. And the WAIS archive can now be accessed through WWW/Mosaic at http://cactus.org/~knutson/FlightSimLibrary.html or through the
EBS FAQ WWW page. http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
The USENET Guide to Falcon 3is also available via WWW/Mosaic at http://cactus.org/~knutson/UGF3.html]
5.7 Falcon 3 Modem Bible
This text file from CompuServe contains helpful information about setting up Falcon for modem play. It is available in CompuServe, and the EBSFAQ ftp site, ftp.hacks.arizona.edu:/pub/krismon/ebsstuff/modem.zip
5.8 Electronic Battlefield Series WWW page
Page holds the FAQ, and some other stuff related to Falcon 3 and
EBS. Worth checking out. http://neuromancer.hacks.arizona.edu/~krismon/public.html
6.0 UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
6.1 INCREASING AIRCRAFT DETAIL LEVEL
There are three methods by which one can make any version of
Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 display aircraft objects in full detail, similar in detail to objects displayed in the REPORTS screens:
- Copy OBJECTS onto SOBJECTS. Be sure to rename SOBJECTS to another filename before doing this. You will need to copy the renamed SOBJECTS back to successfully upgrade Falcon 3.0 to a new version. - for EMM386 users, start Falcon 3.0 or MiG-29 by typing LOADHI
FALCON3 or LOADHI MIG29 - for QEMM386 users, before running Falcon, type LOADHI/LINK
There are some potential problems that may arise from using these techniques, as described in this post from Tom Neff:
From: tneff@mimiki.win.net (Tom Neff)
Subject: Max Falcon Detail: The Straight Dope
I got utterly sick of explaining this at one point and swore off, but I guess it's been a while.
Falcon uses one of two wireframe databases, filenamed OBJECTS (the complex one) or SOBJECTS (the simple one) depending on how much free memory it thinks you have when it loads -- if your CPU is fast enough to begin with, which most people's are these days.
With SOBJECTS loaded you see more detail on friendly and enemy planes (your own plane detail doesn't vary).
The purpose of the LOADHIGH/LOADHI trick is to d**k with the segment pointers so that Falcon thinks you actually have a lot more free memory than you really do, and thus decides to grant you SOBJECTS anyway. There is no essential difference between the
DOS LOADHIGH and QEMM LOADHI commands in this respect. People for whom only LOADHI works are probably simply getting more free memory from QEMM than they were from vanilla EMM386, and so winning that way.
(By the way, I cannot stress highly enough the wisdom of maintaining _separate_ configurations for different "missions" on a multipurpose computer. There is no excuse for worrying about how to keep your color document scanner driver and PopCalc 5.99 loaded underneath Falcon 3! When the game is loaded, you want to give it every CPU cycle and byte of memory you've got, not waste time worrying about interactions with irrelevant software. When you're done playing, just take twenty seconds and reboot. There are a dozen little multi-config maintainers out there, or you can write your own. I just cobbled together a couple of batch files.)
The other max-detail approach, which SH calls dangerous but someone tired of banging away at LOADHI[gh] combos might call infallible, is to rename SOBJECTS to some safe-keeping name and
COPY OBJECTS to SOBJECTS. Now both wireframe databases are the same, so even if Falcon decides you only deserve the simple one, you get the complex one anyway. The downside to this trick is that if you really _didn't_ have enough memory for SOBJECTS, Falcon may lock up on you unexpectedly. The quickest way to find out is to create a Red Flag mission with four _different_ aircraft types in your flight, then launch and pound the '7' key. If you can see the whole flight in one screen at max magnification, you're in the clear.
The other problem with copying and renaming files around, like the various user contributed "patches," is that later version upgrades will bomb verifying your files! (Many MiG-29 buyers are probably being reminded of this right now.) Make sure you have the capability to "return to cherry" when you need to.
All right, that's out of my system. Somebody save it, because nobody reads archives and the question will be asked again next week... :-)
[Newer Versions of DOS from MS-DOS 6 onwards now support multiple bootup parameters. It makes it very easy to maintain a multi- configuration PC. Check your DOS manual for more.]
6.2 UNDOCUMENTED KEYS
Toggle time of day (shift + T)
Hidden down view (great for BDA!) (shift + U)
Automatic wing leveler (Ctrl + Alt + 5 (keypad))
The time of day toggle changes the apparent time of day you are flying within the simulation. If you save the mission to ACMI, the true time of day for the mission is recorded. It does not affect the campaigns or Red Flag times of day -- just think of it as the poor man's Falcon 3.0 LANTIRN. The hidden down view pretends you have a glass-bottomed cockpit floor (don't you wish!) which is helpful in determining if your dumb bombs hit the target. Just make sure you're in autopilot and have no hostiles bearing down on you when invoking this function! The automatic wing leveler instantly levels you out from whatever attitude you may be -- even when you are completely disabled from a hit and are out of the game (assuming you haven't been blown away to smithereens by missile or gunfire). You can gently flutter to the ground with 0 speed and wings level (or at least until you are in a safe enough attitude to pull the loud handle).
6.3 EXPLOITING THE HIDDEN LANDING CAPABILITIES OF YOUR F-16!
Did you know that as long as you meet the landing parameters of the F-16 (gear down, flaps down, speed brakes out, airspeed around 150-180 knots and angle of attack of around 10 degrees) you can safely land anywhere -- road, desert, ground, even on the water! (Has GD created a seaplane version of the Falcon? -- I don't think so! At least you can pretend they did!) Hopefully you can save your skin and live on to fight again.
6.4 THE GOD'S-EYE VIEW IN FALCON 3.0 (DEBUG MODE)
These features are accessed by first pressing the pause key (P) then immediately pressing the Tab key. You are initially put in a sort of chase view -- but with a major difference: the view ID is now labeled "PAUSE" and the following keys will help you get around in this mode (known also as PAUSE-TAB or DEBUG mode): (arrow keys not on keypad) Move forward, backward, right or left in the campaign theater
(Page Up/Page Down) Increase/decrease altitude
(F3) Rotate right
(F4) Rotate left
(Shift + F3) Rotate up
(Shift + F4) Rotate down
(Ctrl + rotation keys above) Fine tune rotation (plus key) Increase movement factor (minus key) Decrease movement factor
(D) Debug mode -- displays map coordinates and frame rate
(T) Enter Transporter Room -- teleport to any coordinate in the campaign map (tilde (~)) Continue action while in
PAUSE-TAB mode. Press again to turn off.
(WARNING: If you wish to continue the action while in PAUSE-TAB mode, be sure you are in autopilot before entering this mode.
Otherwise, you might have to fight a runaway airplane!)
READING THE DEBUG COORDINATE LEGEND
This appears on the upper left of your screen when debug mode is activated:
XXXX XXXX
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXX
XXXXX
A clearer example:
0128 0012
-00071368 -00445036 0001400 00025
00014
The numbers on the top two rows are an internal coordinate system that is interesting but useless unless you have a list of coordinates (and SH ain't gonna provide!). The second row contains a set of coordinates which are better -- they are, respectively, the North-South (NS) and East-West (EW) coordinates within the Falcon world you are flying (in any theatre). Highly useful for locating some unusual features left by the Falcon 3 programmers. The third group of numbers in this row is your altitude in feet (AGL) times 2, while the fourth number is the "speed" while moving through the world. Note that the NS/EW coordinates may have a minus sign before the number groups. The third line is your actual frame rate (images per second). If you exit PAUSE-TAB mode while in Debug mode, the debug info remains on screen while in the simulation.
6.4.1 SOME HOT SPOTS WORTH LOOKING AT IN THE FALCON 3.0 WORLD
(Includes coordinates (NS/EW), heading and altitude)
NELLIS (RED FLAG) THEATER
"Elvis Lives" neon sign -- NS -71368, EW -445036
Heading: 8 degrees Altitude: 300 feet
"Vegas Vic" neon sign -- NS -93397, EW -484505
Heading: 264 degrees Altitude: 200 feet
"Vegas Vic" is the famous neon cowboy sign in downtown Las Vegas at the Pioneer casino. You might also see what looks like the
Landmark hotel nearby (that odd-looking space needle casino which, sadly, is no longer in operation). Installing Hornet adds the Luxor and the MGM Grand Hotel.
The secret source of the Grand Canyon (a giant faucet!) --
NS -365316, EW 1672511
Heading: 44 degrees Altitude: 4340 feet
Kayak in the Colorado River -- NS -296452, EW 699396
Heading: 109 degrees Altitude 56 feet
Donkeys hiking the Grand Canyon -- NS -227964, EW 476323
Heading: 59 degrees Altitude: 1900 feet
Nellis 7-target gunnery range -- NS 715552, EW -172701
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
Nellis 11-target gunnery range -- NS 990123, EW -800905
Heading: 0 degrees Altitude: 7000 feet
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- Falcon FAQ by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50
- Falcon cheats by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50