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| By Ellen Beeman Remember the aerial dogfight footage in those old World War II movies from the 1950s and 60s? All those Allied planes swooping out of the sky to take on the Axis pilots with the rat-a-tat-tat of their machine guns. |
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 Take to the skies of yesteryear and never come down (hopefully). |
Twisting, turning, diving madly to shake off a pursuer, climbing high to avoid deadly impact with the ground. The action was so intense that George Lucas even used it as the template for the climactic battle in Star Wars.
And now you can live out that action from the comfort of your Mac, thanks to WarBirds III, a massively multiplayer flight and ground vehicle combat game that’s now available for Mac OS X from iEntertainment Network. It features fast, attractive 3D graphics and a system that accurately simulates the reality of flight, including terrain created by actual satellite terrain data. Add in the fact that you can play simultaneously with up to 1,000 other players from around the world, and you have a truly fun and unique Mac gaming experience.
Get spectacular views from the cockpits.
Ready to take to the land, sea, and air to prove yourself as a crack combat ace? Then head to the WarBirds III website and look at “Five Easy Steps for a New Recruit.” Once you’ve created an account, downloaded the software, and are in the game, select your combat vehicle. There is a dizzying assortment of fighters, bombers, tanks and half-tracks, and aircraft carriers and destroyers that you can use, and you can learn about their capabilities and view them in rotating 3D views.
Once you’ve selected a vehicle, a field, and a handle, can click the “Fly” button and off you go. For the first time player, we recommend changing your basic settings to unlimited ammo and invulnerability before you start. (Want to know how? See “Pre-Flight Check” on page two for that information and other flying information.) Otherwise, your first flight experience will probably be around thirty seconds long. Air combat during World War II was dangerous and deadly work, and this game simulates that very well.
Even fly the big boys like this B-17 Bomber.
The Goal: Avoid the Ground
In flight, you can use the number pad to change views of the 3D world around you. This works well for quick glances in other directions during a dogfight, when you never know where an enemy will pop up next.
And when you, ah, crash your plane into the ground (as we did the first few times), just think of it as an opportunity to enjoy the excellent 3D graphics of this game. You’ll see a terrific view of your plane smashing into the landscape, complete with animated smoke rising. But persevere, because with a little practice, you’ll be soaring above the ground and dogfighting with the best of them.
This game is complicated enough that we highly recommend printing the Quick Start guide and having it next to you as you begin to play. It’s essential for learning how to play well and (hopefully) becoming a combat ace.
Designed to Evolve
WarBirds III, by itself, could be an excellent standalone WWII combat simulator. But the creators envisioned something much more by adding the multiplayer aspect. They’re dedicated to building a community of online players and have over 200 player-organized squadrons.
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They also sponsor the “Player Development Corps,” in which players can actually add to the game. You can use the features built into WarBirds III to customize the vehicles with new skins (textures) and even create new 3D models. These original creations aren’t included in the official downloads, but they can be downloaded separately. The Corps is very well organized, with officers, their own websites, and set standards for the creation of new game assets.
And the WarBirds III development team has some amazing plans for the future. Jay Littman, Executive Producer for WarBirds III, explains: “Our goal is a virtual battlefield. It’s all modular, a total flight sim with land, sea, and air. It’s designed to evolve.”
Left engine out: Realistic damage model keeps things real.
And what will this evolution mean for the WarBirds III franchise? Littman elaborates: “WWI, Korea, and science fiction. We want to integrate land and ground combat into the multiplayer experience. So in Korea, you could be driving a tank, and call another player for air support: ‘Hey, drop a bomb here, help me out!’ Korea’s very appealing because of the terrain. There’s a lot of strategy there. You’ll attack, retreat to the high ground, and draw the enemy out to attack you.
“For our upcoming ‘Shock Force’ line,” he continues, “we’re also planning on futuristic battlefields, like hovertanks on Mars, Venus, and the Moon.”
Ground units include transports, anti-air,
tanks, and the like.
tanks, and the like.
It’s Better in Mac OS X
Littman clearly enjoyed developing the Mac version of the game. “Mac OS X gave us faster frame rates, a smaller RAM footprint, and much more,” he says. “Future versions will be Mac OS X only. We’ve really appreciated the support and confidence of the Mac audience, and definitely plan to continue to support the Mac!”
Mac OS X gives WarBirds III: Better memory management — Mac OS X allows for larger and more detailed
terrain and landscapes. Better graphics — Mac OS X delivers smooth and fast frame rates for your
dogfighting pleasure. Protected memory — If the Mac OS X version of WarBirds III crashes, it won’t
bring down the whole system. Improved network layer — WarBirds III on Mac OS X (with its UNIX core) provides faster and more-reliable connections for Internet
gameplay. |
Flying the skies over Britain in a Spitfire, or trundling over the turf in a big old half-track with guns blazing, that’s a game experience anyone can love. We look forward to seeing you in the skies over Europe!
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The list of units available to you in WarBirds III goes on and on — here are some of our favorites.    |