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Difference between revisions of "Falcon 4.0"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
m (→‎Input settings: updated template usage)
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−
{{cleanup}}
 
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
 
|cover        = Falcon 4.0 cover.jpg
 
|cover        = Falcon 4.0 cover.jpg
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|MicroProse}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|MicroProse}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/macporter|Westlake Interactive}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/porter|Westlake Interactive|Mac OS}}
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MicroProse}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MicroProse|Retail}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Hasbro Interactive|Retail}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MacSoft|Mac OS}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MacSoft|Mac OS}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Retroism}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Retroism|Digital (2015-2023)}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MicroProse|Digital (2023-present)}}
 
|engines      =  
 
|engines      =  
 
|release dates=  
 
|release dates=  
−
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|December 12, 1998}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|December 11, 1998}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/date|Mac OS|June 1999}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/date|Mac OS|June 1, 1999}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase, Expansion pack }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | First-person, Third-person }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Direct control }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Simulation, Vehicle combat }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | Flight }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Contemporary }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Falcon }}
 +
|official site= https://web.archive.org/web/19990508031808/http://www.falcon4.com/0001home.html
 
|steam appid  = 429530
 
|steam appid  = 429530
−
|gogcom page  = falcon_collection
+
|gogcom id    = 1443160514
 +
|gogcom id side = 1443160711
 +
|hltb        = 31243
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|strategywiki =  
 +
|mobygames    = 1670
 
|wikipedia    = Falcon 4.0
 
|wikipedia    = Falcon 4.0
 
|winehq      =  
 
|winehq      =  
 +
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{Series|Falcon}}
 
  
−
'''Key points'''
+
{{Introduction
−
{{ii}} It is highly recommended to play the game with a joystick
+
|introduction      =
−
{{ii}} The manual is required to fully understand the underlying game mechanics
+
 
−
{{ii}} Most of the community has switched over to Falcon BMS, a heavily upgraded fork of F4's source code.
+
|release history  = The game's source code was leaked in 2000. One of the community projects which made use of it is the [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]], which is the community's preferred way to play the game. On May 4, 2023, the rebooted [[Company:MicroProse|MicroProse]] announced upon claiming the franchise rights that they would officially support the BMS mod.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/microprose/announcements/detail/3680047495733505345|title=MicroProse is back on the Falcon series|date=2023-05-06}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
|current state    =
 +
}}
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''
 
{{GOG.com links|1443160514|falcon_collection|for game series}}
 
{{GOG.com links|1443160514|falcon_collection|for game series}}
−
{{mm}} [http://steamcommunity.com/app/429530/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
+
{{mm}} [https://steamcommunity.com/app/429530/discussions/ Steam Community Discussions]
 
{{mm}} [http://falcon4.wikidot.com Falconpedia] - A wiki dedicated to Falcon 4.0
 
{{mm}} [http://falcon4.wikidot.com Falconpedia] - A wiki dedicated to Falcon 4.0
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
−
{{Availability/row| Retail | | unknown | | | Windows, Mac OS }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|SafeDisc}} | | Windows, Mac OS }}
−
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | falcon_collection | DRM-free | Bundled with [[Falcon]], [[Falcon A.T.]], and [[Falcon 3.0]] under bonus content.<ref>[https://www.gog.com/news/release_falcon_collection Release: Falcon Collection - GOG.com]</ref> | | Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | falcon_collection | DRM-free | Available in {{Store link|GOG.com|falcon_collection|Falcon Collection}} bundled with [[Falcon]], [[Falcon A.T.]], and [[Falcon Gold]] under bonus content for the latter.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.gog.com/news/release_falcon_collection|title=Release: Falcon Collection - GOG.com|date=May 2023}}</ref><br>Also available alongside [[Falcon Gold]]'s {{Store link|GOG.com|falcon_gold|separate store entry}} as an extra. | | Windows }}
−
{{Availability/row| Humble | falcon-collection | Steam | Bundled with [[Falcon]], [[Falcon A.T.]], and [[Falcon Gold]]. | | Windows }}
 
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 429530 | Steam |  | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 429530 | Steam |  | | Windows }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GMG | falcon-collection | Steam | Bundled with [[Falcon]], [[Falcon A.T.]], and [[Falcon Gold]]. | | Windows | unavailable }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Humble | falcon-collection | Steam | Bundled with [[Falcon]], [[Falcon A.T.]], and [[Falcon Gold]]. | | Windows | unavailable }}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Essential improvements==
 
==Essential improvements==
−
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Audio.png|In-game audio settings (BMS Mod)}}
 
−
 
 
===Patches===
 
===Patches===
−
The [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/814-falcon-40-patch/ Version 1.08 Patch] provides bugs fixes.
+
{{ii}} The official [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/814-falcon-40-patch/ v1.08 patch] provides bug fixes.
−
 
 
−
===BMS Upgrade===
 
−
BMS is the latest and greatest Falcon 4.0 mod currently available.
 
−
Released September 2011, it brings total Windows 7 compatibility and support for modern gpus among many other bug fixes, graphical enhancements and avionics and realism improvements such as completely new Flight Modelling, DirectX 9.0c support with Shader Model 3.0 and HDR to name a few. More info regarding BMS is here: [http://www.bmsforum.org/forum/ BenchMarkSims webpage]
 
  
−
It can also be downloaded from [http://www.veterans-gaming.com/page.php?224 here].
+
===BMS mod===
 +
{{mm}} [https://www.falcon-bms.com/ BenchMarkSims webpage]
 +
{{ii}} Not compatible with [[Falcon 4.0: Allied Force]].
 +
{{++}} Includes compatibility fixes for modern operating systems and graphics cards, as well as bug fixes, visual enhancements (including DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 3.0 support), and additional content
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==
−
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS General.png|In-game general settings (BMS Mod)}}
 
−
 
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
===Configuration file(s) location===
 
{{Game data|
 
{{Game data|
−
{{Game data/config|Windows|}}
+
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|game}}\config}}
 
{{Game data/config|Mac OS|}}
 
{{Game data/config|Mac OS|}}
 
}}
 
}}
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===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Save game cloud syncing|Save game cloud syncing]]===
 
{{Save game cloud syncing
 
{{Save game cloud syncing
−
|gog galaxy           = false
+
|discord                  =
−
|gog galaxy notes     =  
+
|discord notes            =
−
|origin               =  
+
|epic games launcher      =
−
|origin notes         =  
+
|epic games launcher notes =
−
|steam cloud           = false
+
|gog galaxy               = true
−
|steam cloud notes     =  
+
|gog galaxy notes         =  
−
|uplay                =  
+
|origin                   =  
−
|uplay notes           =  
+
|origin notes             =  
−
|xbox cloud           =  
+
|steam cloud               = false
−
|xbox cloud notes     =  
+
|steam cloud notes         =  
 +
|ubisoft connect          =  
 +
|ubisoft connect notes     =  
 +
|xbox cloud               =  
 +
|xbox cloud notes         =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Video settings==
+
==Video==
−
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Graphics.png|In-game graphics settings (BMS Mod)}}
+
{{Image|Falcon 4.0 graphics settings.png|Graphics settings (retail)}}
−
{{Video settings
+
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Graphics.png|Graphics settings (BMS Mod)}}
 +
{{Video
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
Line 89: Line 111:
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
 
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
−
|widescreen resolution notes= See [[#BMS Upgrade|BMS Upgrade]]
+
|widescreen resolution notes= See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]]
 
|multimonitor              = unknown
 
|multimonitor              = unknown
 
|multimonitor notes        =  
 
|multimonitor notes        =  
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|fov                        = true
 
|fov                        = true
 
|fov notes                  =  
 
|fov notes                  =  
−
|windowed                  = true
+
|windowed                  = hackable
−
|windowed notes            =  
+
|windowed notes            = Run the game with the {{code|-window}} [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]. Requires [[Windows Compatibility Mode|16-bit color mode]].
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed        = false
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|borderless windowed notes  =  
 
|anisotropic                = hackable
 
|anisotropic                = hackable
−
|anisotropic notes          = See [[#BMS Upgrade|BMS Upgrade]]
+
|anisotropic notes          = See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]]
 
|antialiasing              = hackable
 
|antialiasing              = hackable
−
|antialiasing notes        = See [[#BMS Upgrade|BMS Upgrade]]
+
|antialiasing notes        = See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]]
 +
|upscaling                  = unknown
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 
|vsync                      = hackable
 
|vsync                      = hackable
−
|vsync notes                = See [[#BMS Upgrade|BMS Upgrade]]
+
|vsync notes                = See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]]
 
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps notes              =  
 
|60 fps notes              =  
 
|120 fps                    = true
 
|120 fps                    = true
 
|120 fps notes              =  
 
|120 fps notes              =  
−
|hdr                        = unknown
+
|hdr                        = hackable
−
|hdr notes                  =  
+
|hdr notes                  = See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]]
 
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Input settings==
+
<gallery>
−
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Controls .png|In-game control settings (BMS Mod)}}
+
Falcon 4.0 simulation settings.png|Simulation settings (retail)
−
{{Input settings
+
Falcon 4 BMS General.png|Simulation settings (BMS Mod)
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Input==
 +
{{Image|Falcon 4.0 control settings.png|Control settings (retail)}}
 +
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Controls .png|Control settings (BMS Mod)}}
 +
{{Input
 
|key remap                = true
 
|key remap                = true
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|acceleration option      = hackable
 
|acceleration option      = hackable
−
|acceleration option notes = See [[#BMS Upgrade|BMS Upgrade]].
+
|acceleration option notes = See [[#BMS mod|BMS mod]].
 
|mouse sensitivity        = unknown
 
|mouse sensitivity        = unknown
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  =  
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  =  
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|invert mouse y-axis      = unknown
 
|invert mouse y-axis      = unknown
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes =  
 +
|touchscreen              = unknown
 +
|touchscreen notes        =
 
|controller support        = true
 
|controller support        = true
 
|controller support notes  =  
 
|controller support notes  =  
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|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
 
|invert controller y-axis notes=  
−
|touchscreen               = unknown
+
|xinput controllers        = unknown
−
|touchscreen notes        =  
+
|xinput controllers notes  =
−
|button prompts           = unknown
+
|xbox prompts              = unknown
−
|button prompts notes     =  
+
|xbox prompts notes        =
 +
|impulse triggers          = unknown
 +
|impulse triggers notes    =
 +
|dualshock 4               = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 notes        =
 +
|dualshock prompts        = unknown
 +
|dualshock prompts notes  =
 +
|light bar support        = unknown
 +
|light bar support notes  =
 +
|dualshock 4 modes        = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 modes notes  =
 +
|tracked motion controllers= unknown
 +
|tracked motion controllers notes =
 +
|tracked motion prompts    = unknown
 +
|tracked motion prompts notes =
 +
|other controllers         = unknown
 +
|other controllers notes  =  
 +
|other button prompts     = unknown
 +
|other button prompts notes=  
 
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
 
|controller hotplug notes  =  
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|simultaneous input        = unknown
 
|simultaneous input        = unknown
 
|simultaneous input notes  =  
 
|simultaneous input notes  =  
−
|light bar support        = unknown
+
|steam input api          = unknown
−
|light bar support notes   =  
+
|steam input api notes    =
 +
|steam hook input          = unknown
 +
|steam hook input notes    =
 +
|steam input presets      = unknown
 +
|steam input presets notes =
 +
|steam controller prompts  = unknown
 +
|steam controller prompts notes =
 +
|steam cursor detection    = unknown
 +
|steam cursor detection notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
−
{{Audio settings
+
{{Image|Falcon 4.0 sound settings.png|Sound settings (retail)}}
−
|separate volume          = unknown
+
{{Image|Falcon 4 BMS Audio.png|Sound settings (BMS Mod)}}
−
|separate volume notes    =  
+
{{Audio
 +
|separate volume          = true
 +
|separate volume notes    = Master, interface, music, engine, Sidewinder, RWR, cockpit, flight and other comms, sound effects
 
|surround sound          = unknown
 
|surround sound          = unknown
 
|surround sound notes    =  
 
|surround sound notes    =  
 
|subtitles                = unknown
 
|subtitles                = unknown
 
|subtitles notes          =  
 
|subtitles notes          =  
−
|closed captions          = unknown
+
|closed captions          = false
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|closed captions notes    =  
 
|mute on focus lost      = unknown
 
|mute on focus lost      = unknown
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|mute on focus lost notes =  
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support              =  
−
|eax support notes        =  
+
|eax support notes         =
 +
|royalty free audio       = true
 +
|royalty free audio notes  =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
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{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
 
  |language  = English
 
  |language  = English
−
  |interface = yes
+
  |interface = true
−
  |audio    =  
+
  |audio    = true
−
  |subtitles =  
+
  |subtitles = unknown
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |notes    =  
 
  |fan      =  
 
  |fan      =  
−
  |fan notes =  
+
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Traditional Chinese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = unknown
 +
|notes    = Retail only.
 +
  |fan       =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = French
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = unknown
 +
|notes     = Retail only.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = German
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = hackable
 +
|subtitles = unknown
 +
|notes    = Retail only. Localized voiceovers were a [https://web.archive.org/web/19990501065028/http://www.microprose.com/corporatedesign/techsupport/f4update.htm separate download].
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Italian
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = unknown
 +
|notes    = Retail only.
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Spanish
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = unknown
 +
|subtitles = unknown
 +
|notes    = Retail only.
 +
|fan      =  
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
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|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play notes      =  
 
|lan play notes      =  
−
|online play          = unknown
+
|online play          = false
 
|online play players  =  
 
|online play players  =  
 
|online play modes    =  
 
|online play modes    =  
Line 200: Line 302:
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
}}{{Network/Connections
 
}}{{Network/Connections
−
|matchmaking        =  
+
|matchmaking        = false
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
−
|p2p                =  
+
|p2p                = true
 
|p2p notes          =  
 
|p2p notes          =  
−
|dedicated          =  
+
|dedicated          = false
 
|dedicated notes    =  
 
|dedicated notes    =  
−
|self-hosting      =  
+
|self-hosting      = true
 
|self-hosting notes =  
 
|self-hosting notes =  
−
|direct ip          =  
+
|direct ip          = true
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
}}{{Network/Ports
 
}}{{Network/Ports
Line 217: Line 319:
  
 
==Issues unresolved==
 
==Issues unresolved==
−
===Graphics glitches===
+
===Graphical glitches===
−
Graphical bugs are experienced during gameplay while running in Windows 7. Some textures will show bright purple sections with and without the patch and with the patch, text is unreadable while using hardware rendering. Switching to software rendering solves this but the game slows to a crawl while the cockpit is in view. Sometimes the menu screens will bug, certain elements not disappearing when changing menu - running in Windows 95 compatibility mode could fix this (most prominent on Allied Force re-release).
+
Graphical bugs are experienced during gameplay while running in Windows 7. Some textures will show bright purple sections with and without the patch and with the patch, text is unreadable while using hardware rendering. Switching to software rendering solves this but the game slows to a crawl while the cockpit is in view. Sometimes the menu screens will bug, certain elements not disappearing when changing menu - running in Windows 95 compatibility mode could fix this (most prominent on Allied Force re-release).{{cn|April 2023}}
 +
 
 +
==VR support==
 +
{{VR support
 +
|gg3d name                  =
 +
|native 3d gg3d award        =
 +
|nvidia 3d vision gg3d award =
 +
|tridef 3d gg3d award        =
 +
|iz3d gg3d award            =
 +
|native 3d                  =
 +
|native 3d notes            =
 +
|nvidia 3d vision            =
 +
|nvidia 3d vision notes      =
 +
|tridef 3d                  =
 +
|tridef 3d notes            =
 +
|iz3d                        =
 +
|iz3d notes                  =
 +
|vr only                    =
 +
|htc vive                    =
 +
|htc vive notes              =
 +
|oculus rift                =
 +
|oculus rift notes          =
 +
|osvr                        =
 +
|osvr notes                  =
 +
|windows mixed reality      =
 +
|windows mixed reality notes =
 +
|keyboard-mouse              =
 +
|keyboard-mouse notes        =
 +
|3rd space gaming vest      =
 +
|3rd space gaming vest notes =
 +
|novint falcon              =
 +
|novint falcon notes        =
 +
|trackir                    = true
 +
|trackir notes              = Supports: Yaw, Pitch.
 +
|tobii eye tracking          =
 +
|tobii eye tracking notes    =
 +
|play area seated            =
 +
|play area seated notes      =
 +
|play area standing          =
 +
|play area standing notes    =
 +
|play area room-scale        =
 +
|play area room-scale notes  =
 +
}}
  
 
==Other information==
 
==Other information==
 
===API===
 
===API===
 
{{API
 
{{API
−
|direct3d versions      =  
+
|direct3d versions      = 5
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
Line 229: Line 373:
 
|opengl versions        =  
 
|opengl versions        =  
 
|opengl notes          =  
 
|opengl notes          =  
−
|glide versions        =  
+
|glide versions        = 2.54
 
|glide notes            =  
 
|glide notes            =  
−
|software mode          =  
+
|software mode          = true
 
|software mode notes    =  
 
|software mode notes    =  
 
|mantle support        =  
 
|mantle support        =  
Line 243: Line 387:
 
|shader model versions  =  
 
|shader model versions  =  
 
|shader model notes    =  
 
|shader model notes    =  
−
|64-bit executable     = unknown
+
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
−
|64-bit executable notes=  
+
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 +
|windows exe notes     =
 +
|mac os x powerpc app  = unknown
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app =
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app =
 +
|macos arm app          = unknown
 +
|macos app notes        =
 +
|linux 32-bit executable=
 +
|linux 64-bit executable=
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 +
|linux executable notes =
 +
|mac os powerpc app    = unknown
 +
|mac os 68k app        = unknown
 +
|mac os executable notes=  
 
}}
 
}}
  

Revision as of 18:14, 16 August 2023

Falcon 4.0
Falcon 4.0 cover
Developers
MicroProse
Mac OS (Classic) Westlake Interactive
Publishers
Retail MicroProse
Retail Hasbro Interactive
Mac OS MacSoft
Digital (2015-2023) Retroism
Digital (2023-present) MicroProse
Release dates
Windows December 11, 1998
Mac OS (Classic) June 1, 1999
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
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Falcon 4.0 on HowLongToBeat
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Falcon 4.0 on MobyGames
Falcon 4.0 on Wikipedia
Falcon
Falcon 1987
Falcon A.T. 1988
Falcon 3.0 1991
Falcon 4.0 1998
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force 2005

Falcon 4.0 is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and third-person simulation and vehicle combat game in the Falcon series.

The game's source code was leaked in 2000. One of the community projects which made use of it is the BMS mod, which is the community's preferred way to play the game. On May 4, 2023, the rebooted MicroProse announced upon claiming the franchise rights that they would officially support the BMS mod.[1]

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions
Falconpedia - A wiki dedicated to Falcon 4.0

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
 SafeDisc DRM[Note 1]
Windows
Mac OS
GOG.com
DRM-free
 Available in Falcon Collection bundled with Falcon, Falcon A.T., and Falcon Gold under bonus content for the latter.[4]
Also available alongside Falcon Gold's separate store entry as an extra.
Windows
Steam
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Windows
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
 Bundled with Falcon, Falcon A.T., and Falcon Gold.
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
 Bundled with Falcon, Falcon A.T., and Falcon Gold.
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

Essential improvements

Patches

The official v1.08 patch provides bug fixes.

BMS mod

BenchMarkSims webpage
Not compatible with Falcon 4.0: Allied Force.
Includes compatibility fixes for modern operating systems and graphics cards, as well as bug fixes, visual enhancements (including DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 3.0 support), and additional content

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\config[Note 2]
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/429530/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\campaign\SAVE[Note 2]
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/429530/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics settings (retail)
Graphics settings (retail)
Graphics settings (BMS Mod)
Graphics settings (BMS Mod)

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
See BMS mod
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Run the game with the -window command line argument. Requires 16-bit color mode.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See BMS mod
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See BMS mod
Vertical sync (Vsync)
See BMS mod
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See BMS mod

  • Simulation settings (retail)

  • Simulation settings (BMS Mod)

Input

Control settings (retail)
Control settings (retail)
Control settings (BMS Mod)
Control settings (BMS Mod)

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
See BMS mod.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Sound settings (retail)
Sound settings (retail)
Sound settings (BMS Mod)
Sound settings (BMS Mod)

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Master, interface, music, engine, Sidewinder, RWR, cockpit, flight and other comms, sound effects
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
Retail only.
French
Retail only.
German
Retail only. Localized voiceovers were a separate download.
Italian
Retail only.
Spanish
Retail only.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
16
Online play

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Issues unresolved

Graphical glitches

Graphical bugs are experienced during gameplay while running in Windows 7. Some textures will show bright purple sections with and without the patch and with the patch, text is unreadable while using hardware rendering. Switching to software rendering solves this but the game slows to a crawl while the cockpit is in view. Sometimes the menu screens will bug, certain elements not disappearing when changing menu - running in Windows 95 compatibility mode could fix this (most prominent on Allied Force re-release).[citation needed]

VR support

Devices State Notes
TrackIR
Supports: Yaw, Pitch.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 5
Glide 2.54
Software renderer
ExecutablePPC16-bit 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Mac OS (Classic)

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 95 98
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 166 MHz Intel Pentium II 450 MHz
System memory (RAM) 32 MB 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 175 MB 600 MB
Video card (GPU) High Colour graphics card 8 MB of VRAM

Notes

  1. ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[2] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[3]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:

References