Difference between revisions of "Falcon 3.0"
(Included useful information about the 'low memory' error for the small but diligent minority who wish to play on an original machine - also added some more info on legacy errors so people dont have to scour vogons forums) |
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===Creating a Boot Disk=== | ===Creating a Boot Disk=== | ||
{{Fixbox|description=Creating a Boot Disk|fix= | {{Fixbox|description=Creating a Boot Disk|fix= | ||
− | + | The Falcon3 directory additionally contains utilities for creating bootdisks. This is explained within the manual on Page 21 (Section III: Installation and Loading) | |
− | + | #change to your falcon 3 directory by typing cd falcon3 or cd falconcd (for gold users) | |
+ | #type one of the following for your particular configuration and follow the onscreen instructions | ||
<pre> | <pre> | ||
bootemm - for computers with 1MB of EMS, no mouse drivers | bootemm - for computers with 1MB of EMS, no mouse drivers | ||
Line 437: | Line 438: | ||
bootnet - for a bootdisk loaded with IPX and NET5 Networking Drivers | bootnet - for a bootdisk loaded with IPX and NET5 Networking Drivers | ||
</pre> | </pre> | ||
− | + | Falcon Gold also has these utilities under the setup program. | |
}} | }} | ||
+ | |||
===No sound in Art of the Kill (Gold)=== | ===No sound in Art of the Kill (Gold)=== | ||
{{Fixbox|description=edit the AOTK PLAYER.CFG file|ref=<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/falcon_collection/sound_fix_for_falcon_3_golds_art_of_the_kill_videos|title=gog.com|date=26 May 2023}}</ref>|fix= | {{Fixbox|description=edit the AOTK PLAYER.CFG file|ref=<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/forum/falcon_collection/sound_fix_for_falcon_3_golds_art_of_the_kill_videos|title=gog.com|date=26 May 2023}}</ref>|fix= |
Revision as of 15:52, 9 August 2023
Developers | |
---|---|
Sphere, Inc. | |
Publishers | |
Retail (North America) | Spectrum HoloByte |
Retail (Europe), digital (2023-present) | MicroProse |
Digital (2015-2023) | Retroism |
Release dates | |
DOS | 1991 |
Windows (DOSBox) | October 23, 2015[1] |
macOS (OS X) (DOSBox) | October 23, 2015[1] |
Linux (DOSBox) | October 23, 2015[1] |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase, Expansion pack |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | First-person, Third-person |
Controls | Direct control |
Genres | Simulation, Vehicle combat |
Vehicles | Flight |
Themes | Contemporary |
Series | Falcon |
Falcon | |
---|---|
Falcon | 1987 |
Falcon A.T. | 1988 |
Falcon 3.0 | 1991 |
Falcon 4.0 | 1998 |
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force | 2005 |
General information
Availability
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | ||||
GOG.com | Gold Edition. Also available in Falcon Collection bundled with other games in the series. Pre-packaged with DOSBox. Includes Falcon 4.0. |
|||
Steam | Gold Edition | |||
Green Man Gaming (unavailable) | Gold Edition |
Version differences
- The Gold version includes all the addons and is fully updated (except for unofficials). Also includes special Art of the Kill training videos.
Monetization
DLC and expansion packs
Name | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Operation: Fighting Tiger | ||
MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 | Playable as a standalone addon, though works best when integrated into Falcon 3.0 | |
Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter | Playable as a standalone addon, though works best when integrated into Falcon 3.0 | |
Strategic Falcon | Unofficial commercial expansion for Falcon 3.0 that adds a greater degree of customization and planning to the game. Even capable of importing custom planes made with Falcon Test Pilot model editor. Formerly available here, not available digitally. |
Essential improvements
Patches
Patch 3.05 for the base game and Operation: Fighting Tiger, updating it to be on par with the Gold version, is available here. Separate versions for MiG-29 (1.04) and Hornet (1.02) are available here and here respectably. An unofficial one for networking issues of version 3.05 some user experience is available here (might be irrelevant to DOSBox users). All Gold versions (including digital) are fully updated except for the unofficial patch.
Addon Launcher
- Falcon 3.0 has MiG-29 and Hornet as their own executables, making it annoying to configure if you have the retail version. Luckily you can save the following as a .bat file and run it in DOSBox to get around this annoyance.
- If used with Gold, you may have to replace the
falcon3
command in the script withfalconcd
.
- Addon Launcher
@echo off :start @echo off CLS echo ══════════ echo Falcon 3.0 echo ══════════ echo. echo ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ echo │ [1] Falcon + Operation: Fighting Tiger │ echo │ [2] MIG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon │ echo │ [3] Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter │ echo. ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ echo │ [4] Reset Falcon Squadrons │ echo │ [5] Reset MIG-29 Squadrons │ echo │ [6] Reset Hornet Squadrons │ echo │ [7] Reset Falcon High Scores │ echo │ [8] Reset MIG-29 High Scores │ echo │ [9] Reset Hornet High Scores │ echo. ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ echo │ [S] Reset Settings │ echo │ [D] Load Stick Driver │ echo │ [C] Save Allied Campaign │ echo │ [V] Version Info │ echo │ [Q] Quit! │ echo ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── echo. :choice choice/c:123456789sdcvq/n Choose Number: if errorlevel 14 goto exit if errorlevel 13 goto version if errorlevel 12 goto save if errorlevel 11 goto drive if errorlevel 10 goto set if errorlevel 9 goto rehighh if errorlevel 8 goto rehighm if errorlevel 7 goto rehighf if errorlevel 6 goto rehor if errorlevel 5 goto remig if errorlevel 4 goto refal if errorlevel 3 goto hor if errorlevel 2 goto mig if errorlevel 1 goto fal if errorlevel 0 goto exit :fal CLS falcon3 goto start :mig CLS mig29 goto start :hor CLS hornet goto start :refal CLS f30reset pause goto start :remig CLS migreset pause goto start :rehor CLS f18reset pause goto start :rehighf CLS echo Resetting Falcon and Fighting Tiger High Scores... del topten pause goto start :rehighm CLS echo Resetting MiG-29 High Scores... del topmig pause goto start :rehighh CLS echo Resetting Hornet High Scores... del topten.dan pause goto start :save CLS call savecamp pause goto start :set CLS echo Resetting Settings... del falcon3.def del mig29.def del hornet.def pause goto start :drive CLS TM-STICK pause goto start :version CLS CHECKVER pause goto start :exit CLS
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
DOS | <path-to-game>\falcon3.def <path-to-game>\mig29.def <path-to-game>\hornet.def |
Windows | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
macOS (OS X) | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
Linux | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
Steam Play (Linux) | <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/429520/pfx/[Note 2] |
-
falcon3.def
is for the base game and Fighting Tiger expansion,mig29.def
is for the MIG-29 expansion andhornet.def
is for the Hornet expansion.
- It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
DOS | <path-to-game>\squad*.* |
Windows | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
macOS (OS X) | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
Linux | <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 1] |
Steam Play (Linux) | <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/429520/pfx/[Note 2] |
Save game cloud syncing
System | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
GOG Galaxy | ||
Steam Cloud |
Video
Graphics feature | State | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | |||
Multi-monitor | |||
Ultra-widescreen | |||
4K Ultra HD | |||
Field of view (FOV) | |||
Windowed | For DOSBox toggle with Alt+↵ Enter (see the glossary page for other workarounds). | ||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | |||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | |||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | |||
60 FPS and 120+ FPS |
Force high detail friendly and enemy planes
Use LOADHIGH parameter[2] |
---|
Copy OBJECTS over SOBJECTS[2] |
---|
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | ||
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support | For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds). |
Controller types |
---|
Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | ||
Surround sound | ||
Subtitles | ||
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file. |
|
Royalty free audio |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English |
Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Local play | ||||
LAN play | 6 | Co-op, Versus |
||
Online play | 2 | Co-op, Versus Modem only. Can be extended to 6 players if using DOSBox tunneling or other forms of IPX tunneling. |
- Co-op is referred to as Allied and versus is referred to as duel in game.
Issues unresolved
Intro and mission reports play at wrong speed
- The game's intro video plays too slowly and the mission texts scroll too quickly when played in DOSBox.[3] The hi-fidelity flight model also may have issues as well as SAMs.[4][5] Reducing DOSBox's cycles will solve these issues but unfortunately the game will become too choppy to play when on missions. One simple solution is to switch to the "Complex" flight model which allows for correct joystick input. Changing timed=false in DOXBOX will also alleviate joystick calibration issues.
Incompatibility with Windows 9x and 3x
- Falcon 3.0 Will not run on Windows 3.1 or 3.0. On Windows 9x systems, it is not recommended to run it within windowed MS-DOS mode but it can be ran through pure dos (Restart in MS-DOS Mode) assuming the user frees enough conventional memory. A Boot Disk was available for download from a Customer Support BBS at one point.
Issues fixed
Insufficient Conventional Memory to Run the Game
Edit your config.sys and autoexec.bat files to ensure you have enough base memory[6] |
---|
Falcon 3.0 requires 602K of conventional memory to properly run. A guide is provided within the manual on page 20, Section III. Note: This is only for people with the original Falcon 3 and Falcon Gold releases who wish to play on a PC With MS-DOS, or a low-level emulator such as 86box.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024 RAM BUFFERS=30,0 FILES=30 DOS=HIGH,UMB STACKS=0,0
If all else fails, utilize a memory manager like QEMM or the built in MS-DOS memory manager known as memmaker, and follow the onscreen instructions. |
Creating a Boot Disk
Creating a Boot Disk |
---|
The Falcon3 directory additionally contains utilities for creating bootdisks. This is explained within the manual on Page 21 (Section III: Installation and Loading)
bootemm - for computers with 1MB of EMS, no mouse drivers bootmice - for 1MB of EMS and a mouse driver bootdspc - for computers running DoubleSpace (not to be confused with DriveSpace) bootnet - for a bootdisk loaded with IPX and NET5 Networking Drivers Falcon Gold also has these utilities under the setup program. |
No sound in Art of the Kill (Gold)
edit the AOTK PLAYER.CFG file[7] |
---|
AUDTYPE = 2 ;SOUNDBLASTER AUDDMA = 1 ;DMA AUDIRQ = 7 ;IRQ AUDBSIO = 220 ;BASEIO VIDTYPE = 0 ;AUTO DETECT VIDMODE = 110 ;640x480x32K COLORS DBITDEPTH = 15 ;BIT DEPTH CDROMDR = D |
Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
DOS video modes | VGA |
Executable | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Windows | 16-bit DOS EXE |
Mods
Mods and utilities for Falcon 3.0 can be found here. Warning some files are version specific and/or don't work on the latest version of the game. Additional mods could also be found by digging in cd.textfiles.com though this archive is far less organized.
System requirements
Minimum | Recommended | |
---|---|---|
Operating system (OS) | MS-DOS 5.0 or Later | MS-DOS 5.0 or Later |
Processor (CPU) | 386 | 486 at 33 Mhz |
System memory (RAM) | 4MB of memory (602K of conventional memory, 2MB or more of EMS) | 6MB of memory (602k conventional, 4MB of EMS) |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 11MB of HDD Space | 11MB, 2x Variable CD-ROM Drive |
Video card (GPU) | VGA Compatible Graphics Card DirectX n/a compatible | 16-bit VGA Card DirectX n/a compatible |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 File/folder structure within the installation folder reflects the path(s) listed for DOS game data. For the GOG.com release, file changes in DOSBox are redirected to
<path-to-game>/cloud_saves/
even if GOG Galaxy is not used (this folder contains all redirected files, so some files in thecloud_saves
folder might be temporary files or other files that do not contain saves or settings). - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (429520) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Release: Falcon Collection - GOG.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.gamers.org/pub/archives/cactus/falcon3/faq
- ↑ gog.com - last accessed on 26 May 2023
- ↑ simhq.com - last accessed on 26 May 2023
- ↑ gog.com - last accessed on 26 May 2023
- ↑ vogons.org - last accessed on 26 May 2020
- ↑ gog.com - last accessed on 26 May 2023