Originally posted by GSCGabe:
I didn't play it much, but from what I saw I would agree. Other than the terrain I didn't see that much that changed.
Hehe.
One big change for me was that it was no longer a good training tool.
PSF/KG has those most excellent training videos (over an hours worth, goes great with a pot of coffee)! All that's missing with PSF is the training mission replays that GSC included with an older HK demo. I don't know why they didn't include these replays with PSF/OIF. Watching someone else complete each training mission properly is a great aid, IMO. Heck, watching someone else's replay is how I learned that you can padlock an incoming missile! That Mission Recorder is freggin' awesome!
Also, the shortened PSF Manual sucks for printing (includes background images). Until just very recently you could download the excellent and thorough F/A-18 Korea Manual PDF (prints clean like OIF) or even the Hornet 3.0 Manual (for a quicker simpler read) to get started. I see that Graphsim has removed those links (shame), maybe with the new webpage format?
It's like with HK, you have to find all the pieces. For example, the PSF Keyboard Reference is complete garbage! Everyone's been using the nicely laid out Hornet 3.0 Keyboard Reference instead which unfortunately doesn’t include important padlock features like Shift+4 and Ctrl+4 (padlock incoming missile and wingman, IIR).
OIF does have a nice printable PDF Manual (like Korea) and well documented key-ins on the CD cover, but now the training videos are gone and still no training mission replays!
Get it together, Graphsim! LOL!
Another problem with OIF is the ill-conceived fully 3D cockpit. No more hat panning (D'oh)!?!? Who the heck uses snap views (which are awful anyway in HK) in a fully 3D pit??? In fairness, Graphsim was quick about a patch (the ONLY patch) to include mouse panning (for Track IR users I suppose) but left us hat panners without a suitable solution!
And then there's the HUD / MFD distortion when you zoom the pit out for better SA (which BTW doesn't save the view factor when you look elsewhere [i.e. Lookdown View]). Not to mention the nice graphical detail of HK's 2D pit that was lost (now using only a massaged version of the virtual pit with ugly HUD housing and canopy bow – no more HUD glass sun effects). And then you can rotate your head round and round like in the Exorcist while seeing all of the unfinished cockpit which looks awful!
I don't understand WHY Graphsim did this when HK's old-school 2D/3D pit works so well (except for maybe the unrestricted head movement)!
Oh boy, I'm ranting again. Dude, sorry to rant to you about it. Well, that about covers my dissatisfaction with OIF’s training and cockpit. I could write about a LOT more though but I'll spare you.
BTW, I'm not a gamer (PC nor otherwise), especially not online. But after coming home from my first air show (featuring the wonderful Blue Angels), I've become interested in military aircraft (book, tapes, etc.) and I want to fly them. My PC lets me do this in varying degrees of realism which is where HK satisfies me better than any other sim I've played.
If it ain't got wings, I'm not interested.
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Mark