1991 saw the release of 11 military flight sims for the PC. Of all the titles, Falcon 3.0 heralded a new generation in simulation technology.
Falcon 3.0 had the first dynamic campaign system, involving the player in an ongoing battle in a persistent world, with the forward line shifting with the fortunes of war. Falcon 3.0 was probably the first simulation to have a padlock view, simulating the player turning his head to keep a fix on the bandit.
AI wingmen reached a new level of sophistication. They helped in combat and even warned the player of threats. Damage models had begun to improve and Falcon 3’s mission designer allowed the creation of complex combat scenarios.
The inclusion of networking features gave birth to virtual squadrons and a true flight simulation community, even before the internet. Falcon 3.0 also featured a working Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI) visual flight recorder, allowing the player to examine his manoeuvres after the mission from a variety of angles and perspectives. Finally, Falcon offered a high-fidelity flight model which could be activated on the top-end hardware of the time, a 486/33 or higher.
Somewhere around this time, Thrustmaster released its Flight Control System (FCS) and …
