Apache Havok Revisited - By William "BBall" Ball Page 1 of 2
"It was the best of
times, it was the worst of times..........it was the spring of
our hope, it was the winter of our despair." Could these words
ring any truer? After a year with some very notable flight sim
companies either vanishing altogether, or pulling the rug out
from under some of their titles (can one say Jane's A-10?), we
of the combat helicopter community are looking to the "spring
of our hope". One would swear that Charles Dickens was an avid
flight simmer in the first year of the new millenium.
Those that know me, probably know that I'm a "closet" rotorhead
(well, maybe not in the closet, but I AM a closet Opera fan).
We rotorheads are looking to be immersed in SEVERAL quality products
in the coming months, and without question one of the most anticipated
titles will be Razorworks new Commanche-Hokum. This will be the
sequel/add-on to their successful "Apache-Havoc", and with all
of us looking ahead to this product, I decided to log a few hours
in the war-torn regions of Cuba, Thailand and/or Georgia. For
several reasons, it had been a few months since I had spent any
time in a helo sim cockpit, and finding myself back in this world
was quite a joy. I felt compelled to say a few words to remind
us of what the Razorworks people gave us a bit over a year ago.
First of all, lets talk about what Apache-Havoc IS NOT. It's not
an arcade game that happens to take place in a helicopter cockpit,
and even though it's maybe not the most hardcore of flight sims
(in terms of avionics), it is definitely not for the combat rotorcraft
feint of heart. What it is can be described as, is a truly enjoyable,
albeit difficult at times, recreation of two of the worlds most
capable combat helicopters. With that said, lets take a stroll
back in time.
Slightly over a year ago, the combat helo sim world was wondering
just who these Razorworks people are, and what is this they are
promising us? A sim modeling not one, but two very "hazardous
to your health" type helicopters…one in the form of the Russian
Mil 28N Havoc-B, and the other in the shape of an AH-64D Apache
Longbow. Who are they trying to kid? Only the legendary Jane's
folks, with their Longbow series were bold enough to try that……..and
they only did ONE attack type helo. Great, another "questionable"
effort to hit the streets, only to leave the "holy grail" of helo
sims firmly in place over at Janes……….boy was that a wrong statement!
At first blush, I was left in awe with the graphic depictions
of the flying machines, the ground vehicles, the terrain, etc.
Not being a computer guru (I couldn't tell you the difference
between bump-mapping, and a bump on the head), all I can say is
they looked very, very good. Do you like to see the little things
in a flight sim…me too. Like a helo's rotors drooping when still?
How about the antennae rotating on a SAM vehicle? The Abrams tank
commander "unbottoned" while stationary, then inside he goes,
hatch goes closed and off they head to do battle against armor
paid for in rubbles. The Flanker taxiing to a halt on the hardstand,
and up comes the canopy. Sound good to you? Anyone that's EVER
flown this sim, has at times just sat back and watched the other
vehicles do their thing…….and enjoyed every minute of it (if they
tell you they've never done that..then trust me, they're lying)!
Do they look dated now? In my opinion, not at all. But of course
when one talks of something as subjective as graphics….I say,
"to each his own".
Even though the sim was made for 640X480 resolution, one of the
patches (version 1.1C) allows you to set it higher if you like,
up to whatever your card will run, including 1600X1200. It's a
little strange, in that the cockpit art apparently won't work
at these higher res's, so after selecting it (Ctrl F4, I believe…it's
in the Readme), everything is rendered sharper, but the cockpit
becomes a "window" in the center of the screen. You can, of course,
fly with the helo version of the "HUD only" view….or just go back
to 640X480 resolution…..which, in my opinion looks fine.
Another of the graphical treats presented is the weather model.
It's not as good as the real thing, but it's not far from it.
The clouds get dark, the rain comes down blurring the windscreen,
and without using the wipers (yea, I do like that "intermittent"
setting) you'd be VERY hard pressed to stay visual with the ground.
If you had any IFR (instrument flight rules) training, you could
put it to good use here. And rest assured, that if it's raining
hard enough, your optical systems (FLIR, PNVS, etc) will be affected.
The lightning is pretty cool to watch too. Since I live in Minnesota,
and get all the snow one could ever want, I've not ventured up
into the Georgian mountains just to fly in some of the white stuff,
but have heard that it's there. Wind, you want it? You got it.
Like most sims, the options menu allows you choose all that, and
if you think you're gonna saunter into the FARP (or Helipad area
at the airbase), and just set it down without thinking of such
things, forget it…..you'll hit a ground power cart, or the general's
jeep every time.
How important is sound in a flight sim? Well, screaming along
at just under Mach 1, maybe (except for radio chatter) not very
important. In the world of "down and dirty" helo flying, I find
that a good sound environment is a REAL plus. As you first enter
the base or FARP, you are treated to what sounds like a diesel
at idle…pretty cool. After "Ms. ATC" clears you for take-off (she
sounds gorgeous….probably 300 lbs), press the "R" key to release
the rotor-brake, and you're treated to one of the most wonderful
sounds in all of aviation….the spooling up of a turbine engine.
Fly low over the forest or jungle canopy, and you hear the locusts
(or whatever they are) chirping their little harmony; totally
reminded my of my childhood summer nights in Texas. The "swoosh"
of the rockets is great, the missiles sound cool, and even though
the chainguns have been described as a "deathray" (pretty accurate),
they still sound cool. Love the sounds in this simulation..period.
This brings us to the flight model. How good is it? Certainly,
one of the best parts of the entire sim……..what a good thing to
have in a flight sim, eh? If you don't have any rotary wing time
in a logbook (either the real kind or the virtual kind), you might
want to think hard before allowing all the selections to be active
in the Flight Dynamics area within the options menu. To the newby,
it is a bit like trying to juggle an egg, an anvil and a running
chainsaw all at the same time……just as in the real world, it's
O.K. once you have some practice, but boy those first few attempts
can be fun.
The manual has a rather fair amount of info on the basics of helo
flight, but with all the options available (wind, retreating blade
stall, cross-coupling, ground effect, etc) some time in other
helo sims will definitely be a plus. Also, a good set of rudder
pedals will not hurt either, for the torque effect while hovering
is wonderfully modeled…pull pitch, and the nose goes right, lower
the collective, and it strays left (this is opposite in the Havoc,
for the rotors turn clockwise not counter-clockwise as in the
Apache). Hard to keep the nose in the right direction doing the
old "Bob up" maneuver while trying to hide behind that orphanage…plus
remember the wind is going to be a factor too (thank you boys
for including a "hover hold" selection). The one major disappointment
to me concerning the flight model is the lack of the ability to
auto-rotate. It's in every pilot's survival "bag of tricks", and
should be included here also. I guess if I were drafting a wish
list, I'd have to throw in the ability to taxi and do rolling
take-offs, but these aren't show stoppers for me.
