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Appears to offer enough to lure fans of previous versions, including those near bankruptcy from paying for add-ons to FS2K2.

One of the challenges of a long-running software series is figuring out what to do to distinguish the next release from the previous ones. After all, when you put out one of the finest flight simulators ever made just two years ago (Flight Simulator 2002) why should prospective customers lay out the bucks for another one so soon?

Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series is infamous for the sticker shock you experience when comparing it to other things you could do with that much money, including buying other PC games.

Now that you’ve invested a small fortune in FS 2002 and the umpteenth add-on for it, along comes Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight. And, since it’s unlikely those same add-ons will be compatible with the new release, it had better be good or no sale, right? That’s fair.

Let’s take a look at some ways that ACOF may turn out to be very, very good indeed, keeping in mind that this is a preview of a beta version of the soon-to-be-released simulation.

The name A Century of Flight is no jingle. It’s been one hundred years since the Wright Brothers made the first flight in an engine-powered aircraft, however brief it turned out to be. Between then and now all sorts of aircraft have taken to the skies of Planet Earth. ACOF attempts to give the flight sim-head the opportunity to sample some of them.

Booting up the beta, the first screen that pops up is titled “Getting Started.” Here you can watch John and Martha King (yes, they are back) take you through an overview of the entire product, or you can take an introductory flight in a Cessna 172SP, while being schooled by Rod Machado. This option is strictly for people who are new to the Flight Simulator series.

Another option is to click on “A Century of Flight.” You are taken to a page featuring a photograph of a comely personality from the aviation world, Lane Wallace, along with her brief bio. On this page there are also colorful drawings of the nine historical aircraft available to fly in ACOF: the Wright Flyer, Curtiss “Jenny”, Vickers Vimy, Lindberg’s Spirit of St. Louis, Ford Tri-Motor, Vega, de Havilland Comet, Douglas DC-3, and a Piper Cub.

You can click on any of the planes on this screen and be taken to another screen containing detailed information about the aircraft, including historical origins. From this screen you can watch a brief video of the real aircraft and the ACOF version in flight.

If that isn’t enough, you can launch yourself directly into any of several historical flights taken by that aircraft. For example, clicking on the Ford Tri-Motor, I had the option of flying the actual route from Buenos Aires, Argentina over the Andes Mountains to Santiago, Chile in 1929, or four other historical flights.

The next choice is “Create a Flight.” Here you can select your aircraft, locations, weather, time and season. This screen also provides access to fuel and payload settings and the flight planner.

As an alternative you can click on “Select a Flight.” Now you can pick a ready-made flight, including recreating such goodies as Amelia Earheart’s solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City in 1935 and Lindbergh’s 1927 flight over the Atlantic from New York to Paris.

The next option in ACOF is “Flying Lessons.” Interestingly, the lessons are organized by level of ambition. There are eight lessons for student pilots, including basic stuff like turns and takeoffs, ending with your first solo flight; five lessons are available for private pilots, including VOR Navigation and air traffic control; instrument pilots have three lessons, including VOR and ILS; commercial pilots have three lessons, including complex aircraft checkout and emergency procedures; and airline transport pilots have three lessons, including descents and energy management.

If your eyes are starting to glaze over then this game may not be for you. Remember, it is a simulation of the real thing. This isn’t Crimson Skies.

An option to launch into multiplayer (Microsoft’s Zone.com) is also among the choices. Finally, you can click on something called “Learning Center.”

Advertised as the “one stop shop” for everything you need to learn about ACOF, Learning Center does indeed provide easy access to about thirty-two different topics, including “Just Get Me Flying,” “Views and Windows,” “Weather,” “Navigation,” “Optimizing Visuals and Performance,” using the “Kneeboard” and many more. You click on a picture of what you want and away you go.


Flying a Century of Flight

I didn’t find actual flying to be much different than in the last version. The graphics are enhanced with greater detail, but how much you will get to enjoy still depends on your graphic settings and the capabilities of your computer’s video card.

Dynamic scenery (auto generating) and dynamic weather (changes during flight to match changed location, time, etc.) are added to enhance the experience. You can even set up challenges to your piloting skills by selecting specific weather “themes.” Clouds now appear truly 3D and will dissipate right in front of your eyes.

Finally, if you get tired of setting up weather scenarios and going on historical flights, you can always just cruise around in ACOF’s stable of modern aircraft which, in addition to the aforementioned Cessna 172SP, includes the Cessna Caravan, Cessna 182S, Beechcraft King Air 350, Learjet 45, Extra 300S, Beechcraft BE58 Baron, Schweizer sailplane, Mooney Bravo, Boeing 737, 747 and 777, Bell Jet Ranger helicopter and the Robinson R22 helicopter.

A Century of Flight appears to offer more than enough to lure fans of previous versions, including those near bankruptcy from paying for mods and add-ons to the popular FS 2002. To find out for sure, come back later this summer and read our detailed review of the final release.

Preview by Walter Hurdle.