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Hardcore sim!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Jane's F-15" answers the ages-old question of "what if my new computer becomes too obsolete to fly the hot new games?" If you manage to overcome a murderous learning curve and a textbook sized manual, you'll quickly find yourself so engrossed in this game that you'll never have to worry about newer and possibly better (though not necessarily more realistic) games.

In short, "Jane's F-15" is probably one of the most complex sims ever published. Though called F-15, this sim zeros on the F-15E, the so-called "Strike Eagle" built for ground-target attack missions. Unlike air-superiority (which the F-15E is capable of in both real life and this game, but not ideally suited for it in either) ground attack missions are more complex, requiring the player-pilot to navigate at low altitude and deal with a myriad of different threats from above and below. That is, you'll not only have to deal with swarms of MiG fighters, but also with clouds of enemy missiles and hostile terrain.

If that sounds like a single-plane version of the survey sims published in the "Jane's Fighters" Franchise - i.e. ATF, IAF and USNF '97 to name a few - forget it. "F-15"'s emphasis on this single airplane is comprehensive. Instead of a generic and non-functioning cockpit with common pop-up windows as in those other titles, "F-15" has a fully functioning cockpit with a mouse-click interface and an extremely complex sensor/weapons suite. Tired of radars that come in only one mode for ground or air attack? (I'm sure real pilots would appreciate the simplicity) "F-15" has numerous sub-modes for either counter-air or ground-strike sensors, including one based on the Strike Eagle's famous SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) in which a high-frequency beam almost draws a radar-photographic of ground targets. As for the flight model - forget about "Fighters Anthology". Stalls are nasty, directional coupling (in which clutzy control inputs on one directional axis destabilize your control on another) is common and the default setting is Hi-Fi.

On the minus end, the game lacks a training module - which would be okay for a sim with as undemanding as "F-22 Raptor" or "iF-22" or "F-22 Lightning 3" or some WWII sim. Instead, F-15 offers a few single "training" missions which look like watered down versions of the game's real missions. Ofcourse you can look at the single missions and instant action as training-simulation, but that only waters down the sim as a whole - it's all a simulation when you come right down to it. Instead, the game could have offered some state-side training on conspicuously mock-targets using practice weaponry and in planes with high-viz skins, something that would have made the "real missions" stand out. By limiting your options to the traditional "single missions, instant action, campaign and MP", "F-15" unnecessarily steepens the learning curve and dumbs down the game's premise of being a higher-minded sim. That is, on the one hand, it beats down on you relentlessly with its realism, and then gives you nothing better to do than blast something.

PROS - Incredibly realistic and engrossing.
CONS - a high-maintenance sim that will monopolize your computer time; lack of a training module deprives game of substance to back its complexity; Jane's manual is in depth but, on this edition, on-disc rather than paper - you can print it out, but hopefully you've got a friend at Kinko's or otherwise get your ink cartridges at cost.

System issues: F-15 ran well on my P200MMX (with 32mb RAM and a 12mb Voodoo2 card). Moving up to my newer machine, I found no compatibility issues with WinXP

IN SHORT: If you want the most complex sim of a modern jet fighter, but your system can't run "Jane's F/A-18", the this is the game for you.

F-15 a good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: November 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is the most realistic jet combat simulator I have ever played. Its graphics are awesome and its views are cool too. You can compete with other players in head-to-head multiplayer battles over the internet, modem,network or serial connections. Design missions and share them with your friends with F-15 powerful mission builder. Maintain optimal situation awarness with a free-panning, 3D virtual cockpit or jump into the back seat an neutralize targets as the weapons system officer. Innovative point and click multi-purpose displays are exact replicas of actual F-15E cockpits. It requires any kind of joistick to be easier to play. I recomend this game to any person who likes aviation or simulation games.

Intense

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is a very realistic game but also not one that is easy to learn in the first couple of hours. I have just ordered the text/manual to try and learn how to play. It is definately complicated and seems that it will be alot of fun once the learning curve is mastered.

Good but hard to fly.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is an awesome simulator. Graphics are quite good but it is hard to get used with all the gadgets quickly. Learning how to play takes some time...

Great "study" sim with some limitations

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

F-15 is an indepth "study" sim that requires some practice in order to get things done right. Arcade players can turn down the difficulty if they prefer. I really enjoy the complexity of this sim, and the challenges it presents. This sim is now a few years old, but it is a good value at $13.

I gave it four stars since it only supports hardware acceleration of Voodoo cards. Newer accelerated cards will not help this sim, and it will default down to the older style software rendering.

Still a lot of fun, and not a bad price.

This game is Fun but comlex

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: August 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It is sim that is realistic but is getting little dated. But the game is one Janes masterpieces. But to pilots in the real USAF probable experience much more realism. It is good for people who like the more complex Janes F/A-18 and Microproses Falcon 4. This companies does a fair job of support. But the controls of the F-15 are rather compicated. I would like it if you had more support from backseater or WSO. It a good game even thought it wouldn't appeal to Novalogic point and shoot interface.

Nice game. Very realistic.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: October 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

EXTREAMLY REALISTIC!!! But the graphics don't compare to USAF or MS Combat Flight Sim 1,2,3. Very good mission builder, in some ways better than the newer USAF UME. Very realistic combat. Fight in historic Gulf War or made up Iran conflicts. Unlimited make-it-yourself Instant Action missions. Some bad language from the back-seater. Pilot screams when you crash or blow up.

good game buy it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

alot of people on here whine about big manuals but I actually wish the manual was more indepth and would specify all the possibilities of the game you can create. Ive played this game for a long time and just discovered a whole new scenario by downloading someones mission off the net and playing it. now Im wondering what else does this game do that I dont know about, and the manual mentions nothing about it descriptively, not good.

it has the F-117A stealth fighter but when you include one in a mission there's nothing stealth about it because bogeys and sams both shoot them right down. where's the stealth bomber, and carriers for that matter? if you include cruise missles they come out of nowhere, not a B52 or ship as in real life. the B52 in the game only carries dumb bombs, no choice for cruise missiles or guided bombs for it. not realistic as it could be.

the AC-130 does not cannon fire on ground targets and it should. any CAS you include is not efficient or intelligent in approach, they often fly right over target without dropping a bomb, and they dont keep their distance from target even when loaded with glide bombs.

still, its a fun game, you just have to work and work on customizing missions to work like theyre supposed to, it should be alot easier and would be if there werent as many bugs in the game. its not aggrevating enough to want to stop playing though, its a good game overall. I do wish bogeys and ground target would be visible further away instead of appearing out of thin air all the sudden, then vanishing too quickly even though youre right near them. but radar does show them though once you learn how to use its systems.

Im now interested in finding a good realistic stealth bomber game that allows making your own missions like this game does. I dont mind its complicated, I'd like something more user friendly though.

THIS GAME IS THE VERY BEST!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: June 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is THE MOST ACCURATE fighter simulation I have ever seen. Realistic weapons limitations, hud symiology, ejections, enemy aircraft, graphics, pitch and roll rates, everything. IT IS THE BEST OF THE BEST AND DEFINITLY WORTH THE $12.99!

Fly the Unfriendly Skies

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

You must either run this on certain models of NVIDIA or ATI cards to get D3D (e.g. 9250), or you must run it with a glidewrapper such as dgVoodoo. And even with dgVoodoo, you may still only be able to run it in 640x480 to get all the cockpit graphics to function flawlessly. It does respond very well to antialiasing and other graphics enhancements, though.

This is not a flight simulation with photo realistic terrain. There is no dynamic campaign. There are no hacks to fly other aircraft. Many add-on missions will create crashes, so you may find it better to stick with the stock ones. The multiplayer is so limited that all you can do is dogfight with a few people with an ever-present fog that is only a few miles out. Though there is a backseat, it cannot be occupied by a second person as in Longbow 2. Janes F-15 also only models the original block/version of the Strike Eagle. You get no full-on modern fly-by-wire, sensor fusion MFDs, or even Auto Acquisition. The clickable cockpit is only 2D, but there's a seamless 3D pit for dogfights with mouse panning. For this last item you should turn off page flipping for it to pan smoothly.

That is quite a lot to be annoyed by. Yet there is no other sim where I can spend an hour doing the most exciting touch-and-go landings/take-offs over and over again in varying ways. You heard it; the sim is so well done in certain aspects that enjoyment can be had without even shooting at anything. I can't even say landings in X-Plane are this much fun. Part of the reason is likely because here if you screw up, you'll know it in the form of an explosion. Janes F-15 feels essentially like the best F-15E model you could ever imagine in X-Plane, with all the right instruments, and no artificial stability at all. Now add a flight modeling system that, unlike FA-18's, actually gets better at higher frame rates. Then factor in that on modern hardware you can get frame rate ranges from 25 to 175 fps with even a glidewrapper translating everything. With D3D, it can be even faster on that same card...assuming said card can run the program in that mode.

The engine modeling gives you a power potential about halfway between the original engines and the newest ones, though Janes was going for the original. In spite of this, you will still find some difficulty just keeping up with tankers at higher altitudes...as real "mud hen" pilots have claimed is accurate. I'm thankful for this compromise, since it might be too difficult to fly if the older engine were perfectly modeled in this regard. Newer F-15E's have advanced digital fly-by-wire. At the time of release, this lack-of was fairly accurate. Again, I'm thankful for, in this case, the timing. If they'd made it later we might not have ended up with this: the finest non-flight-computer fighter jet flight model ever created for consumers. With the modeling of a digital control system it would simply feel like Total Air War and Falcon. You'll get nasty porpoising, wobbling, departures...you name it. Surprisingly they are never canned or scripted. It all flows naturally, organically, and gradually out of the flight modeling. Thus you can correct for errors as they happen in grades, and with finesse. You really have to fly this plane yourself and it is certainly a treat.

Oh yeah, and you get to blow up accurately simulated enemy units with accurately simulated weapon systems. No true dynamic campaign? 2D pit? No photo realistic terrain? Poor multiplayer? If they had gotten all that other stuff right, there would pretty much be no need for any other jet fighter simulator. If you like variety, be thankful they didn't. Now that's a compliment.

P.S. Make sure you get the nice, thick printed manual.

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