Star Tech Journal

MicroProse Garn.es F-15 Update
Where To From. Here ...
Frank Becker
MicroProse Games
Hunt Valley, Maryland
SUBJECT
Thought I'd give you guys an update and a peek
into the F-15 hangar.
Distributor and operator response to F-15 has
been very positive. Both have kicked the tires
and have provided ideas about game play and
construction that we tried to incorporate into
our production version.
This insures that the player has fun while he
learns to fly. As the player advances, he gains
total control of the plane which increases the
thrill and realism of the game; at this point he
isn't a player any longer, he's a fighter pilot!
ADDITIONAL LEVELS
There are six arenas, in addition to the "greased
rail" or gauntlet arena. The player chooses one of
three difficulty levels and flys
through
each arena in pursuit of
• ~~-
'
the Congressional Medal of Honor.
After attending several distribution shows, we
started on the path
•
that every manufac-
~/
turer travels to help in-
~ ,7
sure a strong earning
piece - focus groups,
field tests and the req-
uisite code changes.
PROBLEM
Our problem was that people
didn't know how to fly when
they had total control of a real plane for
the first time.
SOLUTION
Therefore, we added a "greased rail" in the
beginners level that keeps the player confined to
a track that travels between two mountain
ranges while offering a plethora (big word of the
day) of targets.
~·
-
EARNING POTENTIAL
Game play hints give players a chance to
increase their scores and entice them to
play at more advanced levels. This at-
tention to the desires of arcade gamers,
combined with unique buy-in features,
results in a game with sustained
player appeal and high earnings.
BOTTOM LINE
So in short, no problem at all, just
the normal hoops that you have to
jump through to produce a good
game. We've had it out on some
test flights and once she's all tuned we'll let you
take her up.
Wheels up near the end of September.