TFX

Title		TFX
Game Type	Flight Sim
Players		1
Compatibility	AGA
Submission	Richard Byrne

Review
  "The apex of military flight simulation" boasts the subtitle.
I went away to play it- it's not wrong.
  As with all it's predecessors, your mission is to take to the skies in the
latest (well, early 90's) military kit with the sole intent of DESTROYING some
foreigner - in the interests of world piece - over a spate of missions, but they
seem very arcade when compared to TFX. Looking at the options you get the usual
detail blah, and precipitation, G-forces, pressure, temp and wind which all AFFECT
the game, as oppose to merely changing the sky grey and calling it rain.
 The complexity of the games engine is superb, as are its visuals which are second
to none on the Amiga, however these all come at a high cost to the speed.
On med detail + arcade mode +low visibility it is only just possible to play
acceptably on anything less than an '040 - whack up the realism and you get spf
not fps!

 TFX is seriously hard to fault, and most are omissions rather than problems,
enemies don't even appear - you can even watch them take off.  Splendid!
Some early missions are quite buggy, but I am told there are patches available.
Some people won't like the lack of many dog fights (all manner of laser-guided
things, as AP put it) but while waiting for permission to fire, I almost always
get within cannon range.  Anyway, you soon run out of missiles.  And some missions
are way too long.

     Omissions then:
  No serial link-  combat, wingman, cooperative or copilot modes would be loads of fun.
  The ability to choose your plane for all modes - you're limited to the standard three.
  The ability to change your ordinance for the "flashpoints".
  Being able to play with the MiGs, F16, awac, or the 737s.

 This game bashes the hardware second only to Quake, and so is really for the
060+gfx board (be warned: the 040/060 specific executables don't work and the FPU
causes graphics glitches) players if any real speed is to be wrested from it-
a PPC version would be ideal.  Its good, if (hardware!)expensive fun- but then it
  only costs (oops- costed) a mere £6 - thank you CU.

Alphabetical list.